If you are a person who is switching from Windows to Mac, or plans to, this post is for you. I have just made the switch and already I am LOVING it. Of course there are many differences I have yet to get used to.

The first problem I encountered was the lack of Internet Explorer for testing websites. I quickly found IE 5 for mac here: http://browsers.evolt.org/?ie/mac/5.2.3_OS_X. The only problem is that this version of Internet Explorer is VERY outdated. After searching for a while I found what I believe to be the best solution. It is called ies4osx.

The next, and possibly biggest problem I ran into was that I had Photoshop CS2 on my Windows based computer, and needed some version of Photoshop on my Mac. My first solution was to run Bootcamp, but I really didnt’ want to do that for the threat of viruses. I thought about buying Photoshop Elements to save on money. I didn’t want to have to buy the full version for Mac. That would have cost almost $700, as you probably know. I then found out about something called a cross-grade.

A cross-grade is where you pay the upgrade price, but switch operating systems. The only way to do this is to call Adobe (800-833-6687). You have to fill out a “form of destruction” that says you won’t use your old copy of Photoshop. Then they send you the full version of Photoshop in your new operating system; in my case Macintosh.

When I cross-graded my version of Photoshop, I upgraded to the extended version. It was only a little bit more money, but it has a lot of cool features that the regular version doesn’t have. If you are considering upgrading or even cross-grading I highly recommend the extended version.

Overall, the switch to Mac has been a very good decision. If you have any questions about Mac or switching to Mac, just ask ;).