Re: [tlug] Linux-compatible Mac laptop? SOLVED

[Micheal Cooper <mcooper@example.com>]

On 2007/04/11, at 17:34, Joseph Essertier wrote:

By the way, I will probably need to use a WinXP VM on my new Mac too (and/or the Parallels software. Is that a VM?) because I am also often in the same situation in Japan he mentioned,

Get Parallels. Read the manual, and you will be good to go. You can probably get by without the manual, but reading the manual really does help, and it is well-organized.

The latest version of Parallels has the Parallels Transporter, which is software that installs on Windows and can create a Parallels VM of itself. So I had my work XP machine and my work Linux machine and this new Mac on which I wanted to consolidate everything. I had to start over from scratch for the Linux installation (which was lightening fast with Parallels) but I just ran Transporter on the Windows machine, moved the VM files over to the Mac, and booted them in Parallels. It works perfectly. No reinstallation.

Windows machine than a Mac or Linux one. For example, the Japanese language environment in Windows has been fine-tuned so perfectly over the years, it's amazing. It works just the way you'd like it to, with a few notable exceptions. The Japanese language input on Ubuntu (can't remember the name of the software at the moment) has about 2 important advantages over the software that comes with Windows, which is impressive to be sure. (But I bet for a little investment in software, you can get those features in Windows too). I'm looking forward to seeing how much the Japanese language environment in Mac OSX has improved in the last few years. Many of the glitches (likeÂ

One interesting thing about Japanese with Mac is that my machine was purchased with a Japanese OS, but when it is turned on the first time, it asks what language you want to use as default. I chose Japanese and set up with it. Then I went into the system preferences and changed my language to English to see what would happen. Well, I can install and use MS Office X Japanese and it works just fine, with Japanese menus and all, but the system seems to be English. The login screen directions are still Japanese, but the environment is English. However, it accepts either Japanese or English software just fine, and the terminal window is Japanese-capable.

I translate/ interpret, and I have been using Japanese Windows since I got my first modern PC in 1997 (I came to Japan in 1994 with a DOS/Win3.1 notebook which I used just for WordPerfect 5.1 and DOOM), so I have in fact never used an English version of Windows since version 3.1. I have little problem reading Japanese and no problems speaking or understanding it. However, having my system in this English-with-underlying-Japanese really suits me because sometimes computing is hard, and it is nice to have it in my native tongue.

The Japanese input system on Mac takes some getting used to. You need to reteach your fingers and reconceive katakana and hiragana modes (it is easier to switch between modes than in Windows, but in Windows you choose the mode after you type the word, so they are equal in convenience). I find that MS-IME has better auto word choice (longer phrases usually are translated to kanji more accurately), but my Mac friend says I just need to get the Justsystem ATOK for Mac. For the time being, I just transform on each word-block instead of going for entire phrases.

I would love to be able to use Linux like this, with an English system that features universal and consistent Japanese support. Japanese is the only thing that keeps me from being more of a Linux user.

incidentally, my home machine (my own machine, as opposed to my workplace's machine) is a Vaio A VGN series notebook with a 17" inch screen. The screen is still better than MacBook Pro, but then again, it is too huge for a bag and heavy-as-a-Dell-desktop-box. I think of it not as a notebook PC but as a foldable desktop with attached keyboard. However, the screen is lovely.

Congratulations and welcome to Mac.

Micheal