iMac, uMac, Can We All Mac?

Mac and PC programs are almost perfectly compatible -- although there are a few exceptions. For example, Office 98 can't open files created on a PC using Corel's WordPerfect, a Word competitor. "Word 5.1 contains translation filters for WordPerfect files, but with Office 98, Microsoft left those filters off," Vardavas complains. "You have to buy them separately." Microsoft admits as much, and the company directs Office 98 users to MacLinkPlus, a collection of conversion utilities offered by DataViz.

Office 98 has a few other cross-platform glitches. For example, when you email a Mac-created document to a PC user through Microsoft Outlook, you usually have to remember to add a ".doc" extension to the file name; otherwise, the PC won't be able to read the file.

Vardavas reports that BBEdit, a text-, code-, and HTML-editing application made by Bare Bones Software Inc., has proved to be an invaluable tool. "I use BBEdit almost every day," she says. "It's particularly good at editing peculiar text files. It's also great for reformatting text -- like copy from a Web site -- so that I can send it as an email attachment."

Another sine qua non for Vardavas is Netscape Navigator, which she uses not only as a Web browser but also as an offline graphics viewer. "Our department doesn't have a lot of graphics software on its computers, so when we need to review and approve, say, a logo that someone has emailed to us, we just use Netscape to open and view the artwork."

After two years at Nike, Vardavas remains the sole Mac user in her 30-person department. Company-wide, however, she has one notable fellow iconoclast: Nike cofounder, chairman, and CEO Phil Knight.

Coordinates: Stephanie Vardavas, stephanie.vardavas@nike.com

Leveraging Macs and PCs

Why choose between a Mac and PC, when you can use both? So reasons Oliver Muoto, 29, cofounder and vice president of marketing for Epicentric Inc., an Internet startup based in San Francisco.

"I have a Mac and a PC on my desk at the office," says Muoto. "I have a Mac and a PC at home. This is the picture of the new world of work: People today work seamlessly across platforms." To Muoto, "cross-platform" means having a Bondi blue iMac that sits on his desk next to his Sony VAIO laptop PC. Why two machines?

"Like other startups, we are very hands-on. We produce all of our collateral materials and marketing brochures on a Mac," says Muoto. Even though most design software, such as Adobe Photoshop (for graphics) and QuarkXPress (for page layout), comes in both Mac and PC formats, Muoto sees no comparison: "The Macintosh user interface is more intuitive -- and I say that as an experienced Windows user! Windows machines are good for some things; Macs are good for others."

For example, when Muoto prepares presentations for clients and investors, he uses Microsoft PowerPoint on his iMac to make slides. Then he transfers the PowerPoint files to the VAIO -- a much lighter (and thus more mobile) alternative for displaying a presentation. Because PowerPoint files created on a Mac are essentially the same as those made on a PC, they transfer flawlessly from one machine to another: No conversion is required.

Epicentric's 18-employee computer network, says Muoto, would find it hard to support both Macs and PCs if not for the cross-platform features that are built into Microsoft NT.

"Microsoft has made life easy for Mac users," Muoto laughs. "Microsoft's NT server has excellent built-in support for Macintosh computers, including both AppleShare IP [the Mac OS networking program] and Apple printer support." All that Muoto needs to do is connect his computers via Ethernet -- the standard that's used in most local-area networks -- and his Macs and PCs can communicate with each other.

Like Vardavas, Muoto relies on the Microsoft Exchange mail-and-messaging server, which contains a feature that Mac users will find especially powerful: a Web interface. "When applications are Web-based," explains Muoto, "it doesn't matter what platform you are using." All you need is a Web browser and an Internet connection; the Web does not discriminate between Macs and PCs.

Along with providing a simple solution to PC-Mac incompatibility, the Web offers cross-platform storage. "I save files to our network," Muoto explains. "That way, I can access them from any computer on the network." To transfer work to the unwired, Muoto backs up files on Iomega USB Zip 100 disks, which are compatible with both Macs and PCs.

Although Epicentric is primarily a PC-based shop, Macs play a pivotal role at the company. "We needed a computer that could handle our basic in-house design work," he explains, "and the iMac gets the job done." Muoto also has a rather sentimental bias: "I love Macs," he confesses. "I can honestly say that the Mac has changed my life -- and that is something I've never heard a PC user say."