Using a Mac in a Windows office

[Charles Martin]

> From: good-dog at northshore.net
> My girlfriend and I are wondering where to find good instructions,
> visuals on how to use a Mac within a Windows environment; sending
> files, integrating with Windows in an office and things like this.
>
Best resources I know of for this:
www.macwindows.com
www.threemacs.com

> We both are Mac hounds and she has a new iMac set up with
> Virtual PC.  I contend she can do everything on her Mac and can ditch
> the laptop she normally works.

Unless she plays a lot of 3D games on that laptop, you are probably 
right.

>   However, we just don't know how to rig
> it so she can interface seamlessly with her Windows neighbors.

If she's on Mac OS X (10.2 or higher), there's not a lot to do. She 
should be able to plug right into the network and share printers and 
files with the same ease (actually MORE ease) than if she were using a 
PC. No VirtualPC necessary. Now if they're on some kind of funky 
network groupware thing like Novell or Citrix, she'll need Mac clients 
for those, but for plain-jane Windows networks she should be 
plug-n-play.

There are typically two "oops" areas for Macs in Windows offices, and 
that's Outlook (not Outlook Express) and Access (the evil MS database 
program). For both of those, it's best to just use Virtual PC until MS 
comes out with their improved Outlook client later this year.

Oh, and if she really wants to fit in to that Windows group, she'd 
probably better download a copy of Solitaire. :)

_Chas_

"Here is the thing you will learn from really using an OS X Macintosh, 
and must somehow accept on faith if that's what it takes to get you to 
Switch: Apple makes design decisions based on a sincere desire to make 
your life better." -- Glenn McDonald