Making the move to a new operating system is a daunting task. You
have to learn a new graphical interface, new programs, and also have to
find a way to preserve your precious data. Having made a successful
transition from Linux to Mac, here are a few tips for those considering
the jump.
Staying Neutral in the Format Wars
Over the last ten years, I've gone from being a Windows desktop user
to a Linux desktop user to a Mac desktop user. My core data has
traveled with me every step of the way. This includes text files,
images, office documents, PDFs, Palm data files, audio, video, Java
packages, and more. Since it's impossible to know the future with
certainty, I strive to keep my data in neutral, cross-platform
formats.
In some cases, program or platform-specific file formats are
unavoidable. If you work at it, you can keep important data in a format
that can easily be moved from one system to another. My first
suggestion is to get your data into portable, open formats.
Nothing is more portable than plain text. Plain text is not sexy or
flashy, but it is durable. Standardized image formats (GIF, JPEG, PNG)
are also completely portable. Cross platform application file formats,
like Gimp, are also portable. If you are Palm PDA user, you'll find
that Palm files and synchronization work flawlessly on the Mac.
Though complaints were lodged against Leopard, since it shipped
without the latest version of Java, I've had no problems running Java
desktop applications. In fact, OS X has a program (installed with
the development tools) that lets you bundle a Java app to make it look
like a native Mac app.
Audio and video formats are discussed in a more detail below.
File Names and Line Endings
With current versions of OS X, Linux, and Windows, long file names
are portable and not much of a concern. Windows doesn't honor
capitalization, but when moving from Linux to Mac, that is not a
problem. I delved into the nuances
of file names elsewhere.
Both Linux and OS X use a single carriage return character (ASCII
code 13) to mark the end of a line in a text file. Windows uses the two
characters, carriage return and line feed (ASCII code 10). Some text
editors (including nano) can automatically convert text line endings,
and there are utility programs that convert both ways (unix2dos and
dos2unix). Both utilities are available through MacPorts.
Audio Files, iTunes, and the iPod
For compressed audio files, I recommend MP3 format. If you are
concerned about the licensing issues surrounding MP3, Ogg Vorbis is available. While Ogg Vorbis
is patent free, cost free, and DRM free, it currently doesn't work on
the iPod. There is a plugin for iTunes to play Ogg Vorbis files, but if
you want to take advantage of iTunes/iPod synergy, stick to MP3. iTunes
also has the native ability to rip CDs directly to MP3. MP3s are fully
licensed on OS X, so there are no intellectual property issues.
Down the road, if you want to move to another OS, MP3s will be still be
the easiest to transfer.
One more tip concerning iTunes: When you import music files into the
iTunes library, it does more than index the file, it physically copies
it to
/Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes
Music/artist/. So, after you
import music files into iTunes, there are two copies of each audio file
imported into iTunes. You can choose to maintain separate copies or let
iTunes manage your files.
Video Files
I don't have a large video collection, but I have had good luck
playing MPEG files on all platforms. Like MP3, it seems to be
ubiquitous. OS X favors QuickTime files (.mov) but comes with many
other codecs.
Finder Droppings
The Finder is the default file manager in OS X. Coming from Linux, I
spent a lot of quality time on the command line. I still do on
OS X and was somewhat dismayed to find hidden files in every
directory touched by the Finder.
In every directory browsed by the Finder, it creates a
.DS_Store file (Desktop Services Store). The .DS_Store contains the
Finder viewing preferences for that directory. At the root of every
Volume that the Finder touches, it creates a .Trashes directory to
store deleted files. There is no way to turn of .DS_Store droppings on
locally connected drives, but you can change a Finder default to
prevent it from creating .DS_Store files on network drives. Run this
command in the Terminal to turn off .DS_Store creation on network
drives:
defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores true
It's All About the Bits
Your data is arguably more important than the platform or operating
system you use. It is certainly more difficult to replace. Aiming for
platform neutral data formats allows you maximum flexibility moving
from Linux to Mac. It also makes it easier for you to share your data
with people who use different systems.
Keith Winston is a recent Mac convert after five years of Linux on the desktop. He also writes for Linux.com and created CommandLineMac to focus on the Unix-y power of the Mac. If you find Keith's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
