After over 20 years of working on a PC based system, I recently bought a Mac computer. And I am kicking myself! What have I done? There is nothing intuitive about the change of system, and evey little new task has me banging my head and calling their support number.

I have reached the point of wondering: is it really worth the effort? I have a choice now: either persist and take their workshops until I master the new system. Or sell it while it is under warranty- sure I will lose a bit of money, but a PC laptop will be cheaper so I may break even. Only the plot thickens- PCs are now on windows 8, and I wonder if the time investment to learn windows 8 may be just as strenuous as sticking with Mac. So... i cast:

Should I persist with Mac?
39.2.3.4.5 > 40

I take it as - there will be obstacles, a lot of them! Its about changing my mindset, if I learn eventually I may have success. Not sure if 40 here is about liberating the Mac or my stubbirn attitude that this is not working for me! This goes back to the question: does 39 tell us there is benefit in revising strategy but eventually moving forward, or does it tell us proceed only if you must (line 2) otherwise, find an easier way.

Then I cast : what if I sell the Mac and buy a PC computer?
4UC

That has me stumped! Is it a glib answer ie if I sell the Mac, I will never learn to use that system? Or does it say, no matter what you do, you will be in a situation of eternal learning, ie new computer will require effort too. Or you are inexperienced, ask advice from experts- but I did extensive rsearch before and look where it got me... Or yi cant help you any more on this, stop asking?

I would welcome input. I figure everyone here will sooner or later share this problem when the time comes for an upgrade

"should I persist with my Mac ? "

it's a clear 'no' isn't it ? Thats my 10 seconds impression....but it's a pretty loud impression. Release yourself (40) from hobbling along with this (39)

Why wait ?

Yes if you sell the Mac you are released and can move forward in a profitable direction.


If in meantime you discover you love MAC well hex 40 basically says just solve problems, either change something or stay where you are whichever is best !...so you can change your mind but the first answer looked to me it was a good idea to dump the MAC

oh dear I read the 4uc as 40 uc......actually probably here it's saying there is no way of knowing this other than through the expereince of doing it. Just do what you think is best and live with the consequence

Yi can't tell us everything...maybe this is your decision alone but FWIW I thought the 39>40 was a loud and clear answer....Unless you really don't like that idea.

I also think the 4uc could indicate there's really no need to ask more questions on this. Do it or don't do it...go about it in the usual human way to make your mind up, more divination is not helpful

Thanks Trojan! I agree, that first answer is almost comically spot on. I am still doing some research in normal ways, before making a decision... Its a slightly frivolous use of I ching, but It is giving me practical exposure to castings...Im constantly amazed at how the Yi czn shed light on most issues, however mundane

Hi Yasmin!

I would read the 4 unchanging as: "You already know the answer." That is, you know that you would feel more comfortable using a PC-based system, even if you have to spend time getting used to Windows 8. As you said, no matter what you decide, there will be learning involved.

Epilogue: 4UC was talk to an expert!

Thank you both for your input on 4UC. This is the epilogue: it turns out I dnt have to go through the hassle of selling the Mac. I can load Windows 7 on the computer, and use it like a PC. Windows 7 is familiar, it has all the features I need and will be around for a long time as its the new standard for corporations. Best of both worlds.

Conclusion : 4UC was telling me: you are inexperienced, get advice from an expert.

Dont you LOVE the Iching?

That is very interesting, Yasmin! Thanks for posting what happened.

Some people say 4 uc means: "There is something you don't know. Something is hidden from you." But it is very difficult to boil the unchanging hexs down to one sentence that covers everything they might mean.

"The youth himself must be conscious of his inexperience and must seek out the teacher". I thought I had already done my research, that I knew all I needed to know. 4UC told me: despite what you think you are still a young fool, seek a teacher!

Final outcome of the computer saga...4UC meant a lot more research

Having asked "what if I sell my Mac and buy a PC?" and received 4UC, i took it as do more research or learning to figure out the best way forward. But how much of it? Although I had a possible solution: loading windows 7 n the Mac, and using it as a PC,intuitively it didnt seem ideal. So I decided to keep researching.

- i persevered with the Mac for awhile, but had no end of client problems. As the yi originally predicted (39>40) it did not grow on me...
- I asked people working in the same field as I do- they confirmed that Mac was not the standard in our business
- I asked other techies what they thought of that solution, they said while feasible. It was not ideal, that Icould have minor glitches, and recommended selling the Mac while it was new and buying a PC
- I tested Windows 8, and realized it was not that hard to use
- I checked out Windows 8 laptops, and they now come with touchscreeens, a cool feature

I decided to sell the Mac and buy a PC, on windows 8. Of course I asked the Yi first

- What if I buy a Windows 8 PC, will I be happier?: 42UC- Perhaps a bit of work to expand my skills, but I took that as an unconditional yes, this solution furthers.
- Will I succeed in sellling the Mac fast? 34.2> 55 - It turns out I have already found a buyer almost without looking (34.2) and once I have completed all transactions I will actually have some cash leftover (55- as good as it gets!)

Please forgive me for boring you with the details, but it illustrates the bottom line: for me, 4UC meant A LOT of learning, researching, talking to various experts, before adopting a solution.

Personally, I have never cared for the Mac keyboard. I would never buy a Mac for this reason alone. It's true that for most business applications people use a PC.

And the 4UC computer saga goes on...

So i sold the Mac, bought a PC that runs on Windows 8. Much more intuitive to me, and I was able to start to work with it immediately. But still a lot to learn. Windows 8 is definitely a new animal! I have been calling the help line and the IT engineer a lot...

So 4UC: A never ending process of learning?

I know you intend to stick with it [Windows 8 on your new PC] now, so there's no going back ... You'll get the hang of it soon and it will seem like second nature to you. Good luck!

Update 3 years later- still in 4UC mode!

3 years have passed. The Windows 8 PC is OK- I have been able to do what I needed to do with it.

But Microsoft keep updating the software, which messes up the settings and the way the commands are displayed. So I am constantly inexperienced (4UC) and having to relearn how some things work. And I never bothered to learn the software 100%, just the basics that I needed.

So: 4UC meant two things:
1) you are out of your depth, seek experts to guide you, and
2) forever learning, updating your knowledge.

As far as I know (still using Win7), you can turn off windows update, or select manually what patches to install.