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Mossberg: transferring files is easier on the Mac

updated 09:40 am EST, Thu February 12, 2004

Tranferring files on PCs

Technology columnist Walter Mossberg talks about in his latest column, noting that PC solutions are not as simple or effective as the target disk mode available on the Mac: "All of this is much easier in the Apple world. If you are moving up from an old Macintosh to a new one, and both machines have FireWire ports � common on Macintoshes � you can just link the two computers with a standard FireWire cable. No special software is required. Someday, perhaps, Microsoft will come up with something just as simple and effective for long-suffering Windows users. At least, we can dare to dream."

by MacNN Staff

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02/12, 09:51am | report spam | close Reply |
Don't think so Walt.

It's not Microsoft's responsibility to bring such a feature to market. Rather, it's up to the motherboard / hardware manufacturer.

If you have two computers with Ethernet ports, ever hear of a patch cable?

I own both types of systems. If you're going to write such an article, at least be "fair and balanced"? ;-)

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02/12, 09:56am | report spam | close Reply |
Haha

This is why APPLE make the hardware...
BTW, I still see the ugly Dos-like UI has you fire up a PC...
: so 1970s...

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02/12, 10:03am | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Don't think so Walt

I was gonna say the same thing. I'm a Mac person, and I happen to know that on Windows 2000, you can just connect both PC's via the ethernet port witha patch cable. And assign each computer an ip address that's just off by one digit from the other. Still not as easy as a Mac, but not as difficult in the past.

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02/12, 10:22am | report spam | close Reply |
That's what he said

Did you even read the article before commenting?

He mentioned the ability to connect the machines with an Ethernet crossover cable, but it requires fiddling with TCP/IP settings, which is a potential problem for clueless users. And you still can't move software over that way.

Besides, the article was a review of different ways to move data from one PC to another. He just sort of mentioned the Mac at the end.

This is something that *is* easier on the Mac.

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02/12, 10:22am | report spam | close Reply |
iChat

Or, if iChat is fired up on both (or any) computers on a network, transferring files is as easy as drag and drop. Rendezvous makes this possible and incredibly easy!

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02/12, 10:24am | report spam | close Reply |
Re: That's what he said

Oh, and the fact that you can move software on the Mac by dragging and dropping is a feature of the OS, not the hardware. So Microsoft does take a hit in that area.

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02/12, 10:26am | report spam | close Reply |
RIPE

This is just RIPE to sell 10-15 copies of osX

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02/12, 10:34am | report spam | close Reply |
Mossberg, WTF?

WTF Mossberg... Windows has supported TCP/IP over firewire far longer than OS X. I've even connected Mac to PC and done firewire transfers. Get it right next time.

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02/12, 10:36am | report spam | close Reply |
die APple

This is why APPLE make the hardware...
BTW, I still see the ugly Dos-like UI has you fire up a PC...
: so 1970s...

...and don't forget, OS X uses UNIX...its so 70's

Piece of s*** APple!!

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02/12, 10:44am | report spam | close Reply |
target disk mode

I had a need/opportunity to use FireWire target disk mode for the first time a couple of days ago. It was so simple, I may never use File Sharing over ethernet again. The only potential negative is that you get access to all users' files on the target mode computer. That means if you have access to the computer, you have access to the files.

The networking features are the greatest improvement in OS X over OS 9, IMHO. Now that we have an iBook in the house in addition to a desktop Mac, the super-simple printer sharing and internet sharing features have really come in handy.

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02/12, 10:55am | report spam | close Reply |
re: Mossberg, WTF?

"WTF Mossberg... Windows has supported TCP/IP over firewire far longer than OS X. I've even connected Mac to PC and done firewire transfers. Get it right next time."

TCP/IP over firewire is not the same as Target Disk Mode. TDM requires absolutely no network configuration whatsoever. You can even get files from a computer that won't boot. Tried that with your Dell?

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02/12, 10:59am | report spam | close Reply |
Great

What you are forgetting is TDM is before any OS loads.

So, if you have a computer that won't boot the OS (for whatever reason), you can TDM to another box and get the data.

With Windows/Ethernet you need to be able to boot into the OS to get the data over. If you can't get into the OS, you can't get at your data.

At least with the Mac and TDM you can copy it to another working Mac and continue on your way until your figure out the OS mess.

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02/12, 11:27am | report spam | close Reply |
re: Mossberg, WTF?

The article had nothing to do with recovering from a busted computer. It was about transferring files and settings between working systems. Mossberg is being his typically misleading self.

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02/12, 11:31am | report spam | close Reply |
NonBootable OS

If the Windows isn't booting you can still network just fine from the recovery console.

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02/12, 11:36am | report spam | close Reply |
Moving programs

All the attention has been focused on how easy it is to do the data transfer, whether via Firewire or Ethernet cable. The point everyone is missing is that, yes, you can hook two Windows machines up via Ethernet and transfer your data files, but what about the applications?

Even if you get everything hooked up right for the transfer, it's a near impossibility trying to get your programs moved over thanks to two "features" of Windows: the infamous Registry and the System folder. Sure, you can copy the stuff in C:Program Files over, but good luck sorting out which DLLs in the System folder and which registry keys belong to which program. Time to get out the install disks. See you in a few days.

This is one of my absolute favorite features of the Mac, as a Switcher. Program settings are stored as separate files in your Preferences folder (their names identifying the program they belong to) and 'DLL' files are stored in the application bundle, so they go where the app goes. No pile of unidentified DLLS. No "Would you like to leave heckifiknowwhatthisis.dll on your system for other programs?"

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02/12, 11:47am | report spam | close Reply |
UNIX vs DOS

You're forgetting that UNIX is a grown-up, rock solid OS, whereas DOS is just something that Bill G tossed off one afternoon.

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02/12, 11:55am | report spam | close Reply |
Sorry but no...

First of all, being able to get files from a non-booting computer was mentioned as just one example of how cool TDM is, not the main purpose of it.

And BTW, I just read a description of using the Recovery Console in XP. Yeah, that's *just the simple* as booting up while holding T and dragging files. Whatever. (And is there any better corporate-geek-speak than "recovery console?")

The fact is that gettting files from one recent Mac to another is much easier for the average non-geek than the same task on a Windows system. No wonder there's so much more software for Windows--Mossberg mentioned like six different file transfer apps. And apparently they mostly suck.

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02/12, 01:10pm | report spam | close Reply |
Sure

If you want to let a 65 year old non-technical guy tell you how to do technical stuff, listen to Walt then.

TDM is only marginally effective - as others said, it exposes everything. Firewire over TCP/IP is much better in my opinion.

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02/12, 01:30pm | report spam | close Reply |
re: UNIX vs DOS

[i]You're forgetting that UNIX is a grown-up, rock solid OS, whereas DOS is just something that Bill G [b]tossed[/b] off one afternoon.[/i]

That should read [b]bought[/b]! BG didn't invent DOS, just resold it to IBM.

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02/12, 02:35pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Sure

> Firewire over TCP/IP is much better in my opinion.

Ha. LOL. ROTFLMAO.

You're a f****** idiot.

It's TCP/IP over FireWire not the other way around.

OMG. What a dumbfuck.

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02/12, 02:46pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Re: Sure

LOL

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02/12, 04:33pm | report spam | close Reply |
What about Apple Take?

I remember when I got a PM 6400 and had a LC 630 neither had Ethernet, forget FireWire. I used AppleTalk and the modem port to move my files to the NEW computer. It took days to move just a few hundred Megs, a bit at a time.

I later put a 10/100 in the PM 6400 to move my files to my current PM G4, which is much better.

Also moving programs does not always work, you need to put the pref files and others in the right place and even then it may not be as stable as a fress install. It is also good to keep the program updates as you never know when you may need them again. When you get 600+Mb put them on a CD to save HD space.

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02/12, 08:00pm | report spam | close Reply |
Moving programs

In almost all cases you can just copy the application over, and you don't need the preferences, unless you made important changes to them. Programs that require registration ask for the serial number the first time they run on the new system. Some programs require you to install from the original installer. Adobe software is a good example. You *could* copy over the items Adobe puts in the Application Support folder, but it's much simpler to just reinstall.

There is no reason for a program to lose stability as a result of being copied to a new system. Stability depends on the stability of the program and the system. If it's a fresh system install then it should be totally stable. If a program does appear less stable on another system then it is only because bugs in the software were not exposed on the old system. (For example, if a program has a problem dealing with spaces in pathnames, and the new system has folders with spaces in their names.)

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02/13, 01:01am | report spam | close Reply |
saved my iBook

I recently had a disk error where my iBook gave me the Question Mark and would not boot. I put it in TDM, connected to another iBook and ran Disk Utility on the bad disk. Restart. Back to work. TDM rocks.

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Mossberg: transferring files is easier on the Mac

updated 09:40 am EST, Thu February 12, 2004

Tranferring files on PCs

Don't think so Walt.

Haha

Re: Don't think so Walt

That's what he said

iChat

Re: That's what he said

RIPE

Mossberg, WTF?

die APple

target disk mode

re: Mossberg, WTF?

Great

re: Mossberg, WTF?

NonBootable OS

Moving programs

UNIX vs DOS

Sorry but no...

Sure

re: UNIX vs DOS

Re: Sure

Re: Re: Sure

What about Apple Take?

Moving programs

saved my iBook

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Mossberg: transferring files is easier on the Mac

updated 09:40 am EST, Thu February 12, 2004

Tranferring files on PCs

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Don't think so Walt.

Haha

Re: Don't think so Walt

That's what he said

iChat

Re: That's what he said

RIPE

Mossberg, WTF?

die APple

target disk mode

re: Mossberg, WTF?

Great

re: Mossberg, WTF?

NonBootable OS

Moving programs

UNIX vs DOS

Sorry but no...

Sure

re: UNIX vs DOS

Re: Sure

Re: Re: Sure

What about Apple Take?

Moving programs

saved my iBook

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