ProZ.com Translation Forums

Windows or Mac? | Extra info

wilhelm_zwo (X) — Sun, 28 Jul 2013 06:38:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: wilhelm_zwo (X)
Post title: Extra info

I've started a new topic to add some info that might be relevant for you:

[url removed]

Windows or Mac? | Not so bad

Meta Arkadia — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: Meta Arkadia
Post title: Not so bad

[quote]Alan Halls wrote:
There are definitely some annoying issues about the Mac OS, such as not being able to do right-click-new-txt file or new Word document etc. in Finder windows.[/quote]
Well, Alan, you can open a new text or Word file using Spotlight. Just hit ⌘-spacebar, and start typing the app you want to open. After entering one or two letters, your app will appear, and you select and hit Return. But using a Service is better. If you select a text and want to paste it into a new Word file, just right-click, and your context menu will appear:

A new blank Word file will open, and without having to copy or paste, the selected text will appear in the Word file. Even better, you can assign a keyboard shortcut to it: Select the text, hit the KBS, and there you are.

More on Services: [url removed]

[quote]And not having drive letters. I really don't know why Apple hasn't found a way to implement that![/quote]
You can implement it yourself. You can change the drive name into anything you like, including a letter. I have a drive called BU (for back-up), and one CCC (Carbon Copy Cloner. Recommended!). Names are far more clear than letters, but if you insist on drive letters…

Here endeth the lesson by a guy with experience since 1194, as Our Man in London tartly remarked (my postings are vetted, and rightfully so, because I post under my daughter's subscription, and if I edit a post, it will take some time before it will be approved. So I don't edit).

Cheers,

Hans

Windows or Mac? | How old are you?

Tom in London — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 11:15:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: Tom in London
Post title: How old are you?

[quote]Meta Arkadia wrote:

[quote]neilmac wrote:
Macs are great, but not for translating[/quote]
I'm a Mac since 1987. When I started translating in 1194, I was forced to use Windows. I continued using a Mac for everything else. I've been using CAT tools (DejaVu) since 1997. In 2010, I finally switched to Mac only. I never looked back. Superior in everything.

Cheers,

Hans

[Edited at 2013-07-22 08:54 GMT] [/quote]

You started translating in 1194? Wow. You have a LOT of experience.

[Edited at 2013-07-26 14:01 GMT]

Windows or Mac? | And....

Tom in London — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 11:06:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: Tom in London
Post title: And....

[quote]Andreas Kobell wrote:

Totally agree that it's a hefty investment, however, when you buy a Mac - either an iMac or a MacBook or even a Mac mini, which is the cheapest option if you already have a monitor and keyboard - you will have that a long time and will not be forced to buy a new device every two or three years. [/quote]

... and with a bit of ordinary TLC you will never need a "computer technician" to come and fix your computer. That saves you a lot of money and a lot of time. So before you conclude that a Mac is more expensive than a PC, you should do the whole calculation !

But if you go for a Mac, wait until September. Apple is in the habit of launching new products in August.

[Edited at 2013-07-26 11:13 GMT]

Windows or Mac? | Transit on a Mac

wilhelm_zwo (X) — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 10:47:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: wilhelm_zwo (X)
Post title: Transit on a Mac

Did you know that CafeTran can process Transit files? I do it all the time. CafeTran is Java (not native Mac) but Java requires much less overhead than Parallels Desktop. I've completely replaced Transit NXT with CafeTran. The only thing I do in Transit is: verify and pack. Note that the filter for Transit is superb but the handling of packages hasn't been implemented yet. Please contact me for that. You can assign 25 GB to Java (that is to your CAT tool), leaving 5 GB for ML.

CafeTran also processes Studio, Wordfast, memoQ, Déjà Vu projects.

As to drive letters, did you have a look at ForkLift or muCommander (Java, free)? Perhaps these NortonCommander/TotalCommander equivalents suit your needs?

Regarding the creation of new files from the Finder, please have a look at:

[url removed]

and the alternatives suggested there.

Please also read:
[url removed]

Windows or Mac? | Mac vs. Windows PC - really no problem

Alan Halls — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 08:56:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: Alan Halls
Post title: Mac vs. Windows PC - really no problem

Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone.
When I saw this discussion, I felt I had to put my oar in. Two and a half years ago, I threw out my Win machine and leased a 27" Mac. This year I replaced it with a new 27" Mac. I run Win 7 in a Parallels VM and constantly have to swap between the two worlds. My CAT tool of choice is Transit NXT, which is a Win application. I must say, I punish my computers and make them work for me, so I opted for a powerful configuration: i7 processor, 32 GB of RAM, which I split 50:50 between the Mac and the VM. An essential tool, in my opinion, is a full-sized keyboard (cable connection) rather than the more "sexy" bluetooth toy, which doesn't have half the keys I need. There are issues with shortcuts and working out how to do, for example, ALT-INS (essential in Transit for every segment), but there are ways either to get round the problem (Parallels allows keyboard mapping) or experimenting to find the "right" combination. ALT+INS on the Mac keyboard, btw, is ALT+Zero on the numeric keypad. That zero also works in Mac apps to toggle INS/overwrite.
OK, so why did I change? I got so fed up with every Win PC I have ever had (starting in 1989) having some hardware problem sometime, crashing, being too slow etc.... Since we have been using Macs (we have three altogether, all running Parallels) there have been absolutely ZERO technical problems. They are fast, reliable and the extra expense is definitely worth it, unless you like opening boxes and playing mechanic. Apple have leasing offers (here in Germany, anyway) that make it easier to finance the purchase. At the end of the last lease, we paid a small fee to buy the machines outright. I do actually like Win 7 - it's the best Windows Microsoft has ever produced. And I need it for Transit and a few other specials, but we now run Microsoft Office for Mac rather than the Win version. There are definitely some annoying issues about the Mac OS, such as not being able to do right-click-new-txt file or new Word document etc. in Finder windows. And not having drive letters. I really don't know why Apple hasn't found a way to implement that! But I still have my Win 7 if I need to do that. By the way, in Parallels we use the "Coherence" view which takes a bit of getting used to but is worth it. Also, setting up multiple virtual screens in a grid (I use TotalSpaces for this as Mac OS does not do it quite the way I like it) is a nice feature of the Mac (but possibly available as an add-in on native Windows as well??). Anyway, here endeth the lesson. If you want me to go into more detail, or continue rabbiting, just let me know!

Windows or Mac? | Dropbox on the Windows and on the Mac side

wilhelm_zwo (X) — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 06:22:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: wilhelm_zwo (X)
Post title: Dropbox on the Windows and on the Mac side

[quote]Jacques DP wrote:

True, but at the cost of running two instances of Dropbox at the same time and storing my data in both file sytems, which in turn adds complexity and has its own potential problems. (Still using this setup now, and it works mostly smoothly.)

[/quote]

Didn't read that thread, but here is how I do it:

1. Dropbox for Windows in Parallels, c:\dropbox\prj
2. Dropbox for Mac on the Mac side, /Users/Name/Dropbox/
3. Log in to 1.
4. Send share invitation to 2.

Windows or Mac? | Sort of

Jacques DP — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 10:29:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: Jacques DP
Post title: Sort of

[quote]John Tysome wrote:

Don't know anything about the "Dropbox and clean up interaction." problems mentioned by Jacques, but he seems to have solved the problem in a recent thread on this forum. [/quote]

True, but at the cost of running two instances of Dropbox at the same time and storing my data in both file sytems, which in turn adds complexity and has its own potential problems. (Still using this setup now, and it works mostly smoothly.)

By the way the clean up problem was with Trados 2007 (which I'm forced to use for one client), not Studio 2011. I use Studio 2009 in Parallels and never had that problem.

A nice week to everyone.

Windows or Mac? | Did you ever try?

Meta Arkadia — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 08:52:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: Meta Arkadia
Post title: Did you ever try?

[quote]neilmac wrote:
Macs are great, but not for translating[/quote]
I'm a Mac since 1987. When I started translating in 1194, I was forced to use Windows. I continued using a Mac for everything else. I've been using CAT tools (DejaVu) since 1997. In 2010, I finally switched to Mac only. I never looked back. Superior in everything.

Cheers,

Hans

[Edited at 2013-07-22 08:54 GMT]

Windows or Mac? | Me too

neilmac — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 07:56:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: neilmac
Post title: Me too

[quote]LilianBNekipelo wrote:

...I like Mac but only for graphic design, videos,movies and songs. Even typing seems somewhat weird on Mac. [/quote]

Same here. Macs are great, but not for translating, unless you have a pet geek to hand to help out. Windows is still the easiest and most compatible to work with, warts and all. And VMs are a hassle.

Windows or Mac? | Pur sang

Meta Arkadia — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 23:35:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: Meta Arkadia
Post title: Pur sang

There's no need for Windows on a Mac (anymore).

Cheers,

Hans

Windows or Mac? | Running Trados in a Virtual Machine

John Tysome — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 22:18:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: John Tysome
Post title: Running Trados in a Virtual Machine

As long as you have a fairly decent CPU (quad core i-series), an SSD and at least 8 GB of memory, you should have no performance issues with running Trados 2011 on Windows 7 in a Virtual Machine (Parallels is good) on OS X.

One thing to bear in mind when buying from Apple is they price gouge all hard drive and memory upgrades. If you have a Mac mini or non-retina MacBook Pro you can upgrade the hard drive and memory yourself quite easily, and quite cheaply (see iFixit website for installation instructions).

Current example:
Apple upgrade to 500 GB SSD = $700
Samsung 500 GB SSD = $330
Apple upgrade to 8 GB memory = $100
Corsair 8 GB memory = $60
Apple upgrade to 16 GB memory = $300
Corsair 16 GB memory = $110

So, no need to use Bootcamp. Yes, you need an SSD and at least 8 GB of memory.

The main problem I have come across with a VM setup is Shift-character key mapping between the Mac keyboard and the Windows environment. You could probably dig into Windows preferences and use third-party key-mapping software to fix it, but it's not been a real problem for me. Don't know anything about the "Dropbox and clean up interaction." problems mentioned by Jacques, but he seems to have solved the problem in a recent thread on this forum.

[Edited at 2013-07-21 22:28 GMT]

Windows or Mac? | Really?

Jacques DP — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 10:49:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: Jacques DP
Post title: Really?

[quote]Andreas Kobell wrote:

I'm using Trados Studio 2011 via Parallels for 2 years now and never had a problem there. [/quote]

Never, really? Isn't this a bit of an exaggeration?
For example, I have had frequent applications switching issues with Parallels. I have had keyboard issues as well (e.g. finding out how to enter shortcuts with an Insert key). I have had problems with Dropbox and clean up interaction.
I like it, but I find it a bit strange when people say that using Parallels in Mac they have NO problem.

That being said, I myself originally bought an iMac for its hardware (quality all-in-one), planning to use Bootcamp. Then I decided to use Parallels and I am happy with it. One nagging issue for me is the difference between standard keyboard shortcuts between Windows and OS X. You need to remember which type of application you use and use the correct shortcuts. So it's not as automatic as it used to be.

Windows or Mac? | Long-term value

Andreas Kobell — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 09:52:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: Andreas Kobell
Post title: Long-term value

Totally agree that it's a hefty investment, however, when you buy a Mac - either an iMac or a MacBook or even a Mac mini, which is the cheapest option if you already have a monitor and keyboard - you will have that a long time and will not be forced to buy a new device every two or three years. Used to work on a Dell notebook when I started out in the business and had to buy 2 machines within 5 years due to various hardware problems.

My MacBook Pro is 5 years old now and runs smoothly as ever, only suffered a couple of scratches on the outside due to heavy daily use. Never had a system crash, never had to call the help desk. Though I'm not exactly an Apple aficionado, I will never switch back to a Windows based machine.

I'm using Trados Studio 2011 via Parallels for 2 years now and never had a problem there. Of course, you could install Windows on the bootcamp partition and run Trados there. But in this setup you would have to restart the machine every time you wanted to switch from the Windows to the Mac "side". Apart from that, the advantage of this setup is an ultra fast Windows "PC" when you are on the bootcamp partition, just as that salesman said.

Or you simply add a bit of RAM when you order your Mac or opt for an SSD drive. Both options will boost the speed of your machine, so working under Windows via Parallels would not feel like being on a virtual machine in the first place.

Windows or Mac? | I would use Windows for anything related to translation, or

LilianNekipelov — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 08:27:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: LilianNekipelov
Post title: I would use Windows for anything related to translation, or

writing. I am a big Windows fan. I like Mac but only for graphic design, videos,movies and songs. Even typing seems somewhat weird on Mac.

Windows or Mac? | bootcamp assistant

Yuri Radcev — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 02:56:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: Yuri Radcev
Post title: bootcamp assistant

using Boot Camp Assistant utility you can easily install Windows as a second OS. it runs excellent on Mac.
the only trouble I am facing is the one with the Magic Mouse - the Windows does not "see" it, so I have to connect an ordinary one whilst on the Win side.

[Редактировалось 2013-07-21 03:03 GMT]

[Редактировалось 2013-07-21 04:20 GMT]

Windows or Mac?

Jillian Pandor — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 02:18:00 +0000

Forum: Apple/Mac operating systems
Topic: Windows or Mac?
Poster: Jillian Pandor

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to buy a new computer and I wanted to get some feedback...especially from a Trados 2011 point of view.

Are there any of you out there that have a Mac computer and use a Windows operating system on your Mac to run Trados? (Possibly with a partition or parallels...etc.)

I am actually a Mac user myself and I run Trados on a virtual machine which isn't going so well for me. I went to a store to look into computers and was pretty surprised to hear the salesman saying that the best Windows computer is a Mac.

The guy mentioned that I could partition the hard drive (which I did know) and that it has much greater capabilities than most other Windows computers (especially when looking into all-in-one computers...that is, everything in the monitor, no tower needed).

Anyway, I would love to get some feedback on this topic...because we all know a new Mac can be a pretty hefty investment!!

I found this article on the top...but would love some insight on this topic: [url removed]

Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing some opinions on this!

Jillian