Posted on: Tuesday, May 21, 2002
Macs, PCs now get along fine
By Tom Gromak
Detroit News
Integrating Macs into home computer setups dominated by Windows PCs once was a challenge, but it doesn't have to be because getting PCs and Macs to communicate is easier than ever.
That's good, because the new iMac is sweet, with its flat-panel design and tiny footprint. And the new OS X operating system is even sweeter. It's stable, intuitive and promises a steady stream of great software.
Forget about the classic Mac-vs.-PC wars. If you've ever considered adding a Macintosh to your home or small office, now is the time to do it. And here are tips for bringing Macs into the PC fold:
Sneakernet
This is the easiest (though not the most convenient) way to share information between the two platforms. And it's a bit uneven. Macs can read floppy disks formatted for PCs, but PCs can't read Mac floppies without help. Fortunately, there are utilities to help, such as Dataviz's ($49.95, www.dataviz.com) MacOpener, which allows PCs to read Mac disks, and MacLink Plus ($99.95), also from Dataviz, which translates Windows files to Mac formats.
Rewritable-CD technology has made the process simpler. Using what's known as packet-writing software, which records information onto CDs, it's possible to create discs in the Universal Disc Format (UDF) that are readable on both PCs and Macs. A lot of packet-writing software choices are available, including Ahead Software's InCD for the PC and NeroMAX for the Mac (www.ahead.de), and Roxio's DirectCD for the PC and Toast for the Mac (www.roxio.com).
A home network
Networking Macs and Windows PCs is the way to go if you want to share a high-speed Internet connection or if you transfer or share files frequently. And it's relatively easy to do.
You will need a high-speed Net connection and a device for sharing that connection, preferably a gadget known as a broadband router. A router is like a hub for your network. It acts as a virtual crossroads for your computers. Once connected to your cable or digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, the router connects to your Internet provider. Now, plug each computer on your network into the router with Ethernet cables and tell the computers to use the router for Internet access. How to do this varies from router to router, so check your documentation, but the process is generally easy and involves just a few configuration screens.
Next, you can teach your Mac and PC to communicate with each other. That takes a bit more effort, but two software packages are available that can help.
For the Mac, get Dave from Thursby Software ($149, www.thursby.com). It's relatively expensive, but it's mind-numbingly easy to set up. Dave uses the same TCP/IP networking that's already installed on your Windows PC to establish peer-to-peer networking connections without any additional software on the Windows machines.
Once Dave is installed, Mac users can share Windows disk drives and directories just as if they were connected to another Macintosh. And Windows users see the Mac's shared folders and drives as part of their Network Neighborhood in Windows Explorer.
For the PC, get Miramar Systems' PC MacLAN ($189, www.miramar.com). It installs the Macintosh AppleTalk networking protocols on your PC to establish peer-to-peer networking connections without any additional software on your Mac.
Once installed, a PC's shared disks and folders can be browsed on a Mac through the Chooser interface. PC users will find an AppleTalk-specific section in their Network Neighborhood containing all shared Mac resources.
How do you know whether you need Dave or PC MacLAN? Let economics decide. Neither software package is inexpensive, so you want to buy as few copies as possible. If you have one Mac and two or more PCs, you want Dave because you'll only need one copy to allow all your machines to see each other (the Dave-equipped Mac will be visible to both PCs). If you have one PC and two or more Macs, get PC MacLAN. Once PC MacLAN is loaded onto a PC, it will be visible to all your Macs.
One caveat: While Dave has been upgraded to work with Mac OS X, PC MacLAN has not, so you'll want to stick with Dave if you're using OS X.
Now you can share files and documents between the systems, in many cases without any additional help. Standard file formats such as JPEG and GIF require no help from translation software such as Dataviz MacLink, and the last few versions of popular programs such as Microsoft Office, AppleWorks and Adobe Photoshop are capable of reading files created on either Macs or PCs.
Now if only we could get those fanatical Macintosh and PC users to get along this well.
