Monday, October 03, 2005
The English-Teacher-in-Japan's Mac Toolbox 1
Hi, folks. One of the frequent questions I get from native English speakers here in Japan concerns computing. There seem to be a lot of misconceptions, and a general dearth of information concerning Mac users here.
I grew up just as computers were transitioning from a phenomenon to a commodity. In high school I took a semester programming course in BASIC and the entire class had a single Radio Shack TRS80 computer to use among us. At home, I had a Commodore 64 followed by a Commodore 128 that I'd loved more as an idea than as a user. Commodores were unspeakably cool, but I wasn't geeky enough to program and wasn't coordinated enough to be a good gamer. As a word processor the Commodore was okay, but it was my suitcase-sized Brother word-processing typewriter that I lugged to Japan in 1991.
Shortly after arriving I discovered I needed more than just a glorified typewriter. Keyboards sold in Japan are significantly different from US keyboards. The space bar is smaller, and an extra vertical column of keys on the right make the Enter and Shift keys significantly farther away from Home Position. If you're a touch typist you'll definitely want a US keyboard.
So my dad sent me a Mac from the US which was my introduction to real computing. Now, fourteen years later, I have owned a couple dozen Macs, including several generations of iBook and iMac, Powerbooks and PowerMacs. I usually recommend that newcomers to Japan invest in a Mac. Why? Mac computers are very difficult to find outside Tokyo and other major cities. Mac software is even more difficult to find. Apple refuses to sell from their US online store to Japan. Why go to the hassle of using a Mac? Here's what I think:
1. The Mac is multi-lingual out of the box. That means that you can buy your Mac at any Japanese Mac outlet (admittedly few and far between unless you're in Tokyo) or online at the Japanese Apple Store (where they DO offer US English keyboards!). Right out of the box, it's got both Japanese AND English, along with about 20 other languages. By this I mean that the OS can be set so that the menu bars are in English, crucial for those not yet fluent in written Japanese.
The advantages don't stop there, either. Nearly all Mac software that has been written for Mac OS X (Ten point four is the current iteration of the Mac OS) will install no matter what your primary language is set to. Japanese programs for Windows are customarily installable ONLY on the Japanese version of Windows, a significant handicap for cross-cultural multi-lingual expats like us. In some cases you may have to change the Mac OS setting to Japanese to get the program to install or to be usable, but it's just not a big deal. It often doesn't even require a re-boot of the computer, just change the setting, log out and log back in to get into a Japanese environment. This costs nothing. Essentially, Apple sells you 20+ OSs when you buy the disk. With Windows you have to purchase each language version separately. (I realize I'm exaggerating a bit here, but Japanese software only installing on Japanese versions of Windows is a huge problem.)
2. An iMac or iBook will include a lot of the software you will need. You will get software for audio editing, video editing, editing and organizing digital photos, playing and managing music from CDs and the online iTunes Music Store. For some unfathomable reason, Apple Japan doesn't include a language-aware word processing program (the Appleworks included with an iMac or iBook bought in Japan is Japanese only), but you can download cheap or free word processors and avoid the 48,000 yen that MS Office English runs at the Apple Store. However, I recommend Apple's 8,190 yen iWork that includes Pages, a word processing program along with Keynote, a presentation program which kicks PowerPoint's butt. I use Keynote in my classrooms every day. iWork, by the way, is OS language aware, meaning that if you boot up your Mac in Japanese, all the iWork menus are in Japanese; if you boot up in English all the menu bars and help panels in the program are in English! Also included are Internet browsing software, a program to make video DVDs, the ability to burn CDs, an excellent mail program, and a couple of games.
3. A Mac usually "just works." Plug in a printer you bought cheaply at the local electronics shop (denkiya) and your iBook knows what to do with little or no configuration. Same with a digital camera. Many scanners are also "plug and play." Be careful, though, to look for Mac OSX Compatible when you buy peripherals and you should have no problem. Smaller accessories like USB hubs, mice, card readers and so on usually work even if they don't specifically say "Mac Compatible" on the box. Just keep in mind that any free software in the box is probably not Mac compatible, unless specifically noted. [Adobe programs like Photoshop, Elements 3.0, etc., and the MS Office suite are NOT language-aware, thus definitely Japanese only. You CAN buy the English versions in Japan, but there's no upgrade or cross-grade paths to make them less expensive. If you decide these programs are necessary for you, they are best purchased at home. A nasty note to the companies involved wouldn't be amiss, IMHO.]
4. Connecting to the net is fairly easy with a Mac. The Mac OS walks you through the connection. In addition, most large Japanese Internet Service Providers (ISPs) now have step-by-step instructions for getting online with your Mac. Even for those that don't, the Internet system is cross-platform and you should be able to figure it out if you've done it a time or two. You may run into trouble if there are any services out there that still require specific software to get online.
An entry level iBook (a laptop) runs 119,800 yen, add iWork for 8190 yen and for 127,990 (with free shipping) you're ready to rock and roll. Be sure to order it with the US English keyboard; aftermarket iBook keyboards are not easy to change out and not easy to find. This means you'll have to order direct from the Apple Store online, and pay in cash at a local 7-11, by bank transfer, or by Japanese credit card. Rather than order online (the site is in Japanese only) you can phone the Apple Store at 0120-27753-1 and get English help in ordering.
Finally, if you're feeling rich you can bump up RAM memory, and Hard Disk capacity. Maxing out these options will send your price to 201,700 yen, plus iWork, roughly $2000 US. Even that isn't all that bad.
There are some things to keep in mind when choosing your computer for Japan. With a Mac, you'll probably have to get any help online. Mac users are friendly, helpful people who will usually give you their attention free of charge. MacOSX.com, for example, is a free troubleshooting site. In Japan as elsewhere, Macs, unlike Windows machines, are not ubiquitous. People who can answer your questions are relatively rare, especially in the Japanese countryside. New Macs come with 90 days of free telephone support, last time I checked. Beyond that you'll have to fend for yourself. Not to worry, though. The Mac OS is fairly self-explanatory and the Help panels are quite good. And the online Forums at Apple.com are terrific places to look for answers, or even to ask a question or two.
Your Mac will probably not need repair in its first 3 years, but laptops get more banging around than desktops, so you may wish for a 3-year service contract from Apple if you buy an iBook or Powerbook, though the 31,500 yen price is off-putting. Apple computers have one of the best reliability ratings of all computers, according to Consumer Reports. My experience, though, suggests that reliability is about 80%. Usually, the repair, if it comes at all, comes just after the 1-year warranty expires. If I'd bought the service contract I'd still have been okay.
Choosing a computer for your few years in Japan is an important decision. Macs are tops for their multi-lingual abilities. On the other hand, if you are already comfortable with Windows, or if you are generally all thumbs when it comes to machines, you have to weigh the benefits of multi-lingual cababilities against the difficulty of finding assistance in times of stress. It may be that using the slightly less user-friendly Windows OS may be a better choice if you anticipate needing a lot of help getting up to speed.
Look for another post soon with other software which I think is useful for English speakers living in Japan.
Am I long-winded or what???? Sorry to go on so long. Write if you want more information. ¶ 10/03/2005 02:40:00 PM
I grew up just as computers were transitioning from a phenomenon to a commodity. In high school I took a semester programming course in BASIC and the entire class had a single Radio Shack TRS80 computer to use among us. At home, I had a Commodore 64 followed by a Commodore 128 that I'd loved more as an idea than as a user. Commodores were unspeakably cool, but I wasn't geeky enough to program and wasn't coordinated enough to be a good gamer. As a word processor the Commodore was okay, but it was my suitcase-sized Brother word-processing typewriter that I lugged to Japan in 1991.
Shortly after arriving I discovered I needed more than just a glorified typewriter. Keyboards sold in Japan are significantly different from US keyboards. The space bar is smaller, and an extra vertical column of keys on the right make the Enter and Shift keys significantly farther away from Home Position. If you're a touch typist you'll definitely want a US keyboard.
So my dad sent me a Mac from the US which was my introduction to real computing. Now, fourteen years later, I have owned a couple dozen Macs, including several generations of iBook and iMac, Powerbooks and PowerMacs. I usually recommend that newcomers to Japan invest in a Mac. Why? Mac computers are very difficult to find outside Tokyo and other major cities. Mac software is even more difficult to find. Apple refuses to sell from their US online store to Japan. Why go to the hassle of using a Mac? Here's what I think:
1. The Mac is multi-lingual out of the box. That means that you can buy your Mac at any Japanese Mac outlet (admittedly few and far between unless you're in Tokyo) or online at the Japanese Apple Store (where they DO offer US English keyboards!). Right out of the box, it's got both Japanese AND English, along with about 20 other languages. By this I mean that the OS can be set so that the menu bars are in English, crucial for those not yet fluent in written Japanese.
The advantages don't stop there, either. Nearly all Mac software that has been written for Mac OS X (Ten point four is the current iteration of the Mac OS) will install no matter what your primary language is set to. Japanese programs for Windows are customarily installable ONLY on the Japanese version of Windows, a significant handicap for cross-cultural multi-lingual expats like us. In some cases you may have to change the Mac OS setting to Japanese to get the program to install or to be usable, but it's just not a big deal. It often doesn't even require a re-boot of the computer, just change the setting, log out and log back in to get into a Japanese environment. This costs nothing. Essentially, Apple sells you 20+ OSs when you buy the disk. With Windows you have to purchase each language version separately. (I realize I'm exaggerating a bit here, but Japanese software only installing on Japanese versions of Windows is a huge problem.)
2. An iMac or iBook will include a lot of the software you will need. You will get software for audio editing, video editing, editing and organizing digital photos, playing and managing music from CDs and the online iTunes Music Store. For some unfathomable reason, Apple Japan doesn't include a language-aware word processing program (the Appleworks included with an iMac or iBook bought in Japan is Japanese only), but you can download cheap or free word processors and avoid the 48,000 yen that MS Office English runs at the Apple Store. However, I recommend Apple's 8,190 yen iWork that includes Pages, a word processing program along with Keynote, a presentation program which kicks PowerPoint's butt. I use Keynote in my classrooms every day. iWork, by the way, is OS language aware, meaning that if you boot up your Mac in Japanese, all the iWork menus are in Japanese; if you boot up in English all the menu bars and help panels in the program are in English! Also included are Internet browsing software, a program to make video DVDs, the ability to burn CDs, an excellent mail program, and a couple of games.
3. A Mac usually "just works." Plug in a printer you bought cheaply at the local electronics shop (denkiya) and your iBook knows what to do with little or no configuration. Same with a digital camera. Many scanners are also "plug and play." Be careful, though, to look for Mac OSX Compatible when you buy peripherals and you should have no problem. Smaller accessories like USB hubs, mice, card readers and so on usually work even if they don't specifically say "Mac Compatible" on the box. Just keep in mind that any free software in the box is probably not Mac compatible, unless specifically noted. [Adobe programs like Photoshop, Elements 3.0, etc., and the MS Office suite are NOT language-aware, thus definitely Japanese only. You CAN buy the English versions in Japan, but there's no upgrade or cross-grade paths to make them less expensive. If you decide these programs are necessary for you, they are best purchased at home. A nasty note to the companies involved wouldn't be amiss, IMHO.]
4. Connecting to the net is fairly easy with a Mac. The Mac OS walks you through the connection. In addition, most large Japanese Internet Service Providers (ISPs) now have step-by-step instructions for getting online with your Mac. Even for those that don't, the Internet system is cross-platform and you should be able to figure it out if you've done it a time or two. You may run into trouble if there are any services out there that still require specific software to get online.
An entry level iBook (a laptop) runs 119,800 yen, add iWork for 8190 yen and for 127,990 (with free shipping) you're ready to rock and roll. Be sure to order it with the US English keyboard; aftermarket iBook keyboards are not easy to change out and not easy to find. This means you'll have to order direct from the Apple Store online, and pay in cash at a local 7-11, by bank transfer, or by Japanese credit card. Rather than order online (the site is in Japanese only) you can phone the Apple Store at 0120-27753-1 and get English help in ordering.
Finally, if you're feeling rich you can bump up RAM memory, and Hard Disk capacity. Maxing out these options will send your price to 201,700 yen, plus iWork, roughly $2000 US. Even that isn't all that bad.
There are some things to keep in mind when choosing your computer for Japan. With a Mac, you'll probably have to get any help online. Mac users are friendly, helpful people who will usually give you their attention free of charge. MacOSX.com, for example, is a free troubleshooting site. In Japan as elsewhere, Macs, unlike Windows machines, are not ubiquitous. People who can answer your questions are relatively rare, especially in the Japanese countryside. New Macs come with 90 days of free telephone support, last time I checked. Beyond that you'll have to fend for yourself. Not to worry, though. The Mac OS is fairly self-explanatory and the Help panels are quite good. And the online Forums at Apple.com are terrific places to look for answers, or even to ask a question or two.
Your Mac will probably not need repair in its first 3 years, but laptops get more banging around than desktops, so you may wish for a 3-year service contract from Apple if you buy an iBook or Powerbook, though the 31,500 yen price is off-putting. Apple computers have one of the best reliability ratings of all computers, according to Consumer Reports. My experience, though, suggests that reliability is about 80%. Usually, the repair, if it comes at all, comes just after the 1-year warranty expires. If I'd bought the service contract I'd still have been okay.
Choosing a computer for your few years in Japan is an important decision. Macs are tops for their multi-lingual abilities. On the other hand, if you are already comfortable with Windows, or if you are generally all thumbs when it comes to machines, you have to weigh the benefits of multi-lingual cababilities against the difficulty of finding assistance in times of stress. It may be that using the slightly less user-friendly Windows OS may be a better choice if you anticipate needing a lot of help getting up to speed.
Look for another post soon with other software which I think is useful for English speakers living in Japan.
Am I long-winded or what???? Sorry to go on so long. Write if you want more information. ¶ 10/03/2005 02:40:00 PM
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I also was using Windows for years at work, and switched to a Mac (on my own dime). One of the many reasons was, as you note, the wonderful freedom to completely do away with "English software or Japanese software?" nonsense.
You're probably aware that the linguistic goodies go deeper than you described. In general, re-booting or even logging out isn't required to change language; set your language preference, and any app opened (or quit and re-opened) from that point will take the new language's interface. (Logging out is just a convenient way to get the Finder to quit and re-open.)
Better yet, you can set the preference on a per-application basis, so that your browser uses a Japanese interface, your email client an English interface, and your text editor a (say) Chinese interface. All out of the box.
Best of all, it doesn't matter how you set these things up; the interface preferences are for the user's convenience, and don't limit the Mac's operation. With countless input methods built in as well, you can take that mixed-interface setup described above, and whatever the language of the interface, start typing away in English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Urdu, you name it.
Complete mix and match, out of the box. It's pretty amazing.
You're probably aware that the linguistic goodies go deeper than you described. In general, re-booting or even logging out isn't required to change language; set your language preference, and any app opened (or quit and re-opened) from that point will take the new language's interface. (Logging out is just a convenient way to get the Finder to quit and re-open.)
Better yet, you can set the preference on a per-application basis, so that your browser uses a Japanese interface, your email client an English interface, and your text editor a (say) Chinese interface. All out of the box.
Best of all, it doesn't matter how you set these things up; the interface preferences are for the user's convenience, and don't limit the Mac's operation. With countless input methods built in as well, you can take that mixed-interface setup described above, and whatever the language of the interface, start typing away in English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Urdu, you name it.
Complete mix and match, out of the box. It's pretty amazing.
# posted by 
: 10/04/2005 02:39:00 AM
: 10/04/2005 02:39:00 AM
Hi. How do you set the OS language on a per application basis? I've never quite figured that one out, though it's not usually a problem since most apps come up in the right language.
One more language frustration: how do you set the language for control panels and drivers. Sometimes a driver or panel will be available only in Japanese, and when I open it on my Eng based Mac I see gobbledygook.
One more language frustration: how do you set the language for control panels and drivers. Sometimes a driver or panel will be available only in Japanese, and when I open it on my Eng based Mac I see gobbledygook.
Check the application's Get Info window (via the Finder). If the app contains multilingual interface data, you'll have the choice of switching languages on or off. So to set Safari to a Korean interface, for example, uncheck all languages but Korean. (Or, I think, uncheck any languages that appear *above* Korean in your International system preference pane's Languages column.)
# posted by : 10/05/2005 09:24:00 AM
: 10/05/2005 09:24:00 AM
Oh, re language of drivers and panels: Often, you're simply out of luck. Chances are that the creators of the driver in question didn't program it with multiple language interfaces. Especially if it's an older item, it probably doesn't even use the more modern Apple tools that allow such multilingual choices -- AND, it may also use some older form of Japanese encoding that goes kablooey on OS X.
The saving grace: IF the program is good about following typical Mac interface guidelines, you can often guess which garbled-text button is the one that should equate to "continue" or "save" or whatever... I've taken many a leap of faith that way!
The saving grace: IF the program is good about following typical Mac interface guidelines, you can often guess which garbled-text button is the one that should equate to "continue" or "save" or whatever... I've taken many a leap of faith that way!
# posted by : 10/05/2005 09:33:00 AM
: 10/05/2005 09:33:00 AM
I had no idea about the Get Info panel. Great tip. Thanks.
As far as control panels and settings, usually switching the OS into Japanese mode allows me to do business, it's just inconvenient. I wish I could somehow tell the OS to use Japanese encoding when dealing with the particular control panel, the way you can with an app.
As far as control panels and settings, usually switching the OS into Japanese mode allows me to do business, it's just inconvenient. I wish I could somehow tell the OS to use Japanese encoding when dealing with the particular control panel, the way you can with an app.
Here's the best free contender to Office. Microsoft is scared now because Google ans Sun have teamed up to make this program better. Massachusettes state gov't just switched from Microsoft Office to this and pissed of Microsoft... try it - Mac or PC:
http://www.openoffice.org/
http://www.openoffice.org/
# posted by : 10/06/2005 05:12:00 AM
: 10/06/2005 05:12:00 AM
As I said, there are lots of word processing programs out there. I haven't used Open Office, but it is certainly worth a shot. Anything that puts even a little dent in Microsoft's hegemony is certainly ok by me. And nothing beats free. (Well, almost. There is a Japanese proverb that says, "Nothing is more expensive than 'free.'"
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