Integrating Apple Ecosystem

Early this year I got some iPhone app project to start. So, it began my serious usage of Apple Ecosystem. I start to use together iMac, iPhone4 and iPad2. It's been a very involving process to get them integrated into my current workflow (which up till then was mostly Windows-based). Most of my previous system is still used except for HTC Touch Pro2 which is replaced by iPhone4. Below are some notes on the integration process :

• Moving to The Cloud. My previous main GTD system is synced directly using cable with my HTC-TP2 act as the central on the synching with Laptop and Desktop with WMDC and BirdieSync as a glue. With the inclusion of the new devices it would no longer possible (or at least very impractical) to keep doing it. I guess this is what the clouds are made for. I now rely on Google Map, ToodleDo and Dropbox for most of the syncing.
• Java-Based software are ported well. Java works. I got jEdit, Freeplane, Astah working and ready to use on
• Mutliplatform software do it's job well. Firefox and Thunderbird has no issues here.
• Most of the software has comparable counterparts. Most of the software has more or less a comparable alternative on each platform. Some are better but some are less fancy, so overall it's a draw, I guess. I miss TortoiseSVN quite a lot in iMac.

Apart from the software it's mostly the adaptation that take some time. I don't like to just imitate what I did on other platform to another one. It's more satisfying, and useful on the long run, to try to understand first the new platform different approach and to migrate the needs as natively as possible before improvising more later on. For example, I tried built in Mail and Calendar on iMac for sometime before switching back to Thunderbird+Lightning.

So far, I enjoy the new systems and it brings many fresh views, new approach and utilities.