Preparing to move to a totally different platform. I know. It's stupid in times like these. It is expensive. You will most likely be forced to make harsh compromises in terms of software and configuration effort. But then there is the sleek, stable and elegant glamour of the new platform. And the hopefully excellent hardware quality and battery life.So many people encouraged me to go ahead even if it is stupid. I am still not quite sure but behind the scenes I am already preparing to move.Here are some little helpers that might make it even easier to switch:I really got accustomed to my lovely little "PowerOff 3.0". It works with Vista and with WinXP very nicely. It lets you define a schedule or an event and then it safely shuts down your PC.I definitely want something like that on the new platform. And yes there seem to be multiple interesting alternatives. For example iTunesShut. It shuts down your Mac after a certain period of time or after a certain playlist finished.There are several other possibilities so it is always worth to have a look around. And even with the built in possibilities for example the powerful techniques Automator and AppleScript the shutdown servicing should be possible.It is specifically these small aspects that really increase confidence that the new platform offers at least the comfort and possibilities of the old one.For further tasks these software items may be needed:http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/125996http://www.afterdawn.com/software/alternative_platforms/mac_software/dvd2onex.cfmhttp://www.pure-mac.com/video.html