'Book Value

Migrating to an Intel Mac More Difficult than Expected

Charles Moore - 2009.02.20 - Tip Jar

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Two weeks after it arrived, progress with my new Unibody MacBook is proceeding slowly. I had imagined that I would have switched over to it for production by now, but things have not gone as smoothly as I had hoped - not, I hasten to add, due to any problems with the machine itself, which has thus far been performing flawlessly, but rather with my transition from PowerPC to Intel.

Eudora

The notable sticking point is email. So far, I've been unsuccessful in getting Eudora 6.2.4 to configure properly - particularly to send email from the Intel machine running Mac OS X 10.5.5 "Leopard". The application starts, but it chokes on importing my settings from Eudora installed on my PowerPC Macs (I have 22 email accounts configured) and won't connect with SMTP servers through the Apple external modem on my dialup connection.

Webmail works fine.

Some folks report having been able to get Eudora 6.2.4 to work in Intel Macs, but I'm not sure if that includes over dialup, and I've even found the the PowerPC version cranky under Leopard, although it is a smooth and swift performer with Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" and earlier versions of OS X.

I'm probably going to have to bite the bullet and switched to a different email client, but I am very reluctant to do so at this point, because there is none I find even ballpark satisfactory compared with classic Eudora. I've never liked Mail, and I'm off-put by any three-box interface email client, which is most of them. I need something that will work dependably over dialup, import and efficiently search my dozen years of Eudora email archives, work efficiently with multiple accounts and SMTP servers, and be slick and easy to back up and to swap mailbox files among several Macs - now across the PPC-Intel divide as well. A tall order, and currently the main sticking point.

Other Migration Issues

In general I've had little luck importing settings form the PowerBook via Migration Assistant. For whatever reason, stuff wasn't working properly, so I've been reinstalling applications in some instances and re-entering registration information and user settings manually, which is time-consuming. I also finally have WindowShade X (which I simply cannot abide trying to get along without) working and still have to install TypeIt4Me, another add-on that I consider absolutely essential to my workflow.

My suite of production applications, utilities, and a few key system add-ons (like WindowShade X) function as a tightly integrated ecosystem, as it were, and I'm not inclined to go live for actual production work until I have it all functioning in synergistic harmony.

Another application I'm reluctant to leave behind is Color It! 4.5, which so far refuses to work on the MacBook, although developer Digimage Arts says it should work under Rosetta on Intel Macs. I'll have to try a clean reinstall from the software CD.

As far as it goes, the machine is a joy to use so far, but I'm not anticipating a switch over for production work until next week at the earliest, and I am setting no arbitrary deadlines.

Happily, my 17" PowerBook G4 continued to do a superb job, so there is absolutely no pressure other than my own curiosity about finding out how I'll enjoy working in the Intel space, so for now I'll stick with what's working until I have the new unit tuned and configured to my liking.

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Charles Moore has been a freelance journalist since 1987 and began writing for Mac websites in May 1998. His The Road Warrior column was a regular feature on MacOpinion, and he is a news editor and columnist at Applelinks.com. If you find his articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.

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