Preparing to become less OS independent

There is a lot that you can do before you actually make the leap to a mac to make your migration easier...Here's how

Backup your files online

These days with most people running reasonably fast broadband, and clever online backup tools (my preference is Mozy, which is free for up to 2Gb), that ensure that all your files are backed up and the updates are backed up without hogging all of your bandwidth. Regardless of if you're changing operating system, online backup just makes sense, then if the worst should happen your files are available out in the cloud, not next to the damaged computer.

Change your software

Migrating operating system is all about getting used to new programs and slightly different ways of doing things. If you can start to use software that is operating system independent, then you will make your life much easier. You could of course start to use more online services such as Gmail which being browser based looks the same on a PC as on a Mac as on Linux.

For email I recommend ThunderBird, this runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, so no matter which operating system you're migrating from or too you will soon be up and running with this.

For Internet browser, I recommend Google's Chrome not only is it fast, but it also runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, with an almost indistinguishable look and feel on all.

When you are downloading new software, look for vendors who are offering a mac version as well, be aware of vendors who will offer a mac version that isn't as fully functional as the PC version, although even if the mac version isn't as functional, it will often help you migrate your files.