Doing Business With a Macintosh

By Melvin Ah Ching, Published in Small Business News, April 1997.

There are several advantages of running your business with a Macintosh
compatible computer. Some of these are:

Ease of Use: The hallmark of the Macintosh operating system (OS) is its
legendary "ease of use."  The learning curve is not very steep for anyone
who wants to use a Mac. Basic skills can be mastered in about an hour. The
Mac's simple to use graphical interface is credited for this ease.

Setting up and using a peripheral device on a Macintosh takes about 10
minutes to half an hour at the most. There usually is no complicated
configuration file to set-up.

Connectivity and Compatibility:  Macs can easily share files with those of
PC users. Most of the popular word processing, spreadsheet, database and
publishing programs have the capability to swap files back and forth between
Macs and PCs. Newer programs published for both platforms usually make this
task seamless.  Mac and PC files can be shared by swapping discs, over local
area networks or across the internet. All Macs built since 1990 can read,
write and format to PC discs.

Business Software for the Mac: There are many business software titles for
the Macintosh. The popular ones include:

* Word Processing: Microsoft Word and Corel WordPerfect, well known PC apps.

* Business Productivity: Microsoft Excel, Claris Filemaker Pro, Intuit's
Quicken, Mac In Tax, M.Y.O.B., Panorama, Now-Up-To-date/Contact, MS Office
suite.

* Compatibility: Soft Windows or PC Compatibility Cards offer users a way to
run Windows software on their Macintoshes.

* Internet: Adobe Pagemill, Macromedia Shockwave, Netscape Navigator, MS
Internet Explorer and others allow publishing and connectivity to the
internet.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. The Mac is a very capable computer and
contrary to what you hear, will be around for a very long time. If you want
to know more about Macintoshes give me a call at 946-2676 or drop me an
e-mail.

CALLING FOR SBH MEMBER WEBPAGES: With more than 50 million people worldwide
on the internet, it is quite inevitable that some of our members have a
presence on the worldwide web. I am compiling a list of member websites for
inclusion and review in upcoming columns. If you would like your website to
be published, please send me your URL by e-mail at macpro@lava.net or call
946-2676.