You Guys are Such a Bad Influence!

[Hicks.]

First time poster, been lurking for few weeks here. Finally taken the plunge and bought a nice new 1.86GHZ, 1GB RAM macbook! Should be with me end of next week with a bit of luck.

A little aphrehensive as I'm a long time Windows user. Hopefully the transition won't be too difficult for me :confused:

I'm starting a new college course so I've basically bought it for that...

[slackersonly]

Congrats on the purchase.
I was such a sponge for the first two weeks just soaking up the info as I was a long time pc user.
Try out alot of the free software as most are outstanding (quicksilver is my favorite).

[wPod]

the switch should be easy. and a very nice experience. the only bad thing is you will be asking yourself why you didnt switch earlier! one small piece of advice is get the BT mighty mouse if you like to right click. or at least some sort of multi-button mouse.

[yellow]

A little aphrehensive as I'm a long time Windows user. Hopefully the transition won't be too difficult for me :confused:

http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/
http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/

[JDN]

I made the switch in July, best decision i ever made. I still have a PC for some stuff, and for junk i dont need. But im getting a Mac Pro as soon as i can afford it.

The ttransition will be fun mor than anything, Macs are just great to explore.

[Hicks.]

Congrats on the purchase.
I was such a sponge for the first two weeks just soaking up the info as I was a long time pc user.
Try out alot of the free software as most are outstanding (quicksilver is my favorite).

LOL what's quicksilver? :) I've started to collect a list of things to research before I actually receive it to distract me from the wait!

[Hicks.]

the switch should be easy. and a very nice experience. the only bad thing is you will be asking yourself why you didnt switch earlier! one small piece of advice is get the BT mighty mouse if you like to right click. or at least some sort of multi-button mouse.

I think I may use a mouse for college work for quickness, can't I some how do a right click using two fingers on the track pad?

I'm actually looking forward to trying out a different OS, and the challenges that go with it :cool:

[Hicks.]

http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/
http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/

Thanks for the links :)

[Hicks.]

I made the switch in July, best decision i ever made. I still have a PC for some stuff, and for junk i dont need. But im getting a Mac Pro as soon as i can afford it.

The ttransition will be fun mor than anything, Macs are just great to explore.

I currently own a 3 year old Compaq Presario 2178 that runs on XP Home Edition. I intend to keep it for a few months until I'm "weaned off" Windows!

The only real concern i have is losing Word and Excell- I'll try NeoOffice first before I either buy a version of XP (£60?) and use Bootloader for them; or just buy Microsoft Office for Mac....

[TheBusDriver]

I think I may use a mouse for college work for quickness, can't I some how do a right click using two fingers on the track pad?

I'm actually looking forward to trying out a different OS, and the challenges that go with it :cool:

go to systems pref<mouse keyboard<trackpad enable clicking

[Scarlet Fever]

The only real concern i have is losing Word and Excell- I'll try NeoOffice first before I either buy a version of XP (£60?) and use Bootloader for them; or just buy Microsoft Office for Mac....
M$ Office 07 is coming out early next year, so you might want to wait for that. It'l be much faster than the current version of Office for Mac.

Between Office X and XP, having had a lot of experience in both, i can say that the Mac version is better; it generally has better features, which the next version of Office for Windows copies :p. And also, you won't have to dual boot if you use Office for mac.

By the way, the program is called bootcamp :cool:

Enjoi your new MacBook!

[Lollypop]

wow.. its never felt so good being a bad influence! :D

Congrats man, im sure you will love your new Mac!

[Nermal]

M$ Office 07 is coming out early next year

I was under the impression that it's coming out late next year. The last I heard, it was expected to be 6-8 months after the Windows release.

[yellow]

Thanks for the links :)

No problem. They're a cheap resource for getting aquainted with some of the basics of the Mac and OS X.

[ziwi]

Give it a good week and your transition will be complete - the only thing you may miss is word - unless you got it for the Mac as well...other than that it will just suck you in and you will have to stop saying "Kewl" before someone hits you...;)

[Cybergypsy]

Congrats, I love mine and you will never buy a PC again :)

[AdeFowler]

Welcome aboard Hicks. Good to have another Brit around here ;)

[richard4339]

M$ Office 07 is coming out early next year, so you might want to wait for that. It'l be much faster than the current version of Office for Mac.

Between Office X and XP, having had a lot of experience in both, i can say that the Mac version is better; it generally has better features, which the next version of Office for Windows copies :p. And also, you won't have to dual boot if you use Office for mac.

By the way, the program is called bootcamp :cool:

Enjoi your new MacBook!

I've been playing with the Windows beta for Office 2007. While the interface is easily ripped off from OS X, the implementation is horrid. If Office 2007 for Mac has the same toolbar configuration as the Windows counterpart, I think I'll stick with 2004.

[Nermal]

I've been playing with the Windows beta for Office 2007. While the interface is easily ripped off from OS X, the implementation is horrid. If Office 2007 for Mac has the same toolbar configuration as the Windows counterpart, I think I'll stick with 2004.

MS say that while the Mac version will borrow some interface ideas from the ribbon, they're trying to comply with Apple's interface guidelines too.

[Maccus Aurelius]

Contrary to popular belief, Mac OS X is actually easier to use than Windows. I have also been a PC user all my life, and just recently bought 2 macbooks, one for my sister and the black one for myself. Nothing was terribly complicated, and actually finding files is easier with Mac than it is with any windows OS. the only reason people say windows is easier is because the vast majority of systems on the market use windows, so everyone grew accustomed to it.

The macbook is such a great device, and my sister's week 23 1.83GHz example is still running strong after being put through intense stress tests DJ'ing at clubs with some turntable interface software. the isight, though a bit superfluous for many, is such a great addition to the notebook, and given the price of the base model, its pretty much a freebie item. youll love the macbook, i sure love mine.

[Hicks.]

M$ Office 07 is coming out early next year, so you might want to wait for that. It'l be much faster than the current version of Office for Mac.

Between Office X and XP, having had a lot of experience in both, i can say that the Mac version is better; it generally has better features, which the next version of Office for Windows copies :p. And also, you won't have to dual boot if you use Office for mac.

By the way, the program is called bootcamp :cool:

Enjoi your new MacBook!

Just hope I can get the new version at the student rate :eek:


Oh and bootcamp it is then :D

[Hicks.]

The lads at work have spent last two days taking the mickey out of me for actually buying a mac so it's great to hear some encouragement!

Their general points were:


They go yellow,
They cost too much- paying for the badge,
They shut down by themselves (on UK news last night?),
Apple service is terrible,
Macs are just for graphic designers,
The macbook screen is too small
The processor is only CD


But I'm still looking forward to it's delivery!!

I think most of their comments stemmed from pure ignorance about macs and I know they'll be jealous as hell when I flaunt my new hardware lol :D

[laidbackliam]

The lads at work have spent last two days taking the mickey out of me for actually buying a mac so it's great to hear some encouragement!

Their general points were:


They go yellow,
They cost too much- paying for the badge,
They shut down by themselves (on UK news last night?),
Apple service is terrible,
Macs are just for graphic designers,
The macbook screen is too small
The processor is only CD


But I'm still looking forward to it's delivery!!

I think most of their comments stemmed from pure ignorance about macs and I know they'll be jealous as hell when I flaunt my new hardware lol :D
service is excellent, the screen is actually a decent size, i've used one. macs are great for graphic designers, but they're good for looking at porn too. and its a combo drive, so it reads and writes cds, but only reads dvds. so its not just a cd drive.

[JAT]

He meant Core Duo, as opposed to Core 2 Duo.

Tell them the yellow is fixable, they cost less than comparable IBM or Sony, the shut down problem has been identified and can be fixed (but this was a major issue), Apple service is highest rated in the world (not saying it isn't terrible), graphic designers use the most demanding computers on the planet, you could have gotten a larger screen if you wanted, and CD is damn fast.

[Scarlet Fever]

They go yellow,not all (mine is still white)
They cost too much- paying for the badge,personally, i reckon they are great value. A lot of other companies put a Core Solo as their baseline notebook, Apple put one of the faster Core Duo chips in there.
They shut down by themselves (on UK news last night?),I believe this has been fixed now, and it was only an issue on the other notebooks.
Apple service is terrible,Around here, I find the service to be great! Every time I have called up, they listen to my problems, and give me ways i could potentially solve them. They people in the shops are great; i took my iPod in for repair on a Monday morning, they said it would take a week to fix, and i had it back on that Monday afternoon.
Macs are just for graphic designers,They do graphic design exceptionally well, but they also are used to play games, manage massive computer networks, browse internet, etc. I reckon just about everything a Windows PC can do, a Mac can do just as good, if not better.
The macbook screen is too smallPersonal choice, but if are looking for a portable computer, there isn't really a lot of options. I find its a good size, but if you find its too small, you can pick up an external display for a few hundred.
The processor is only CDThat will be changed soon :)
I think most of their comments stemmed from pure ignorance about macs and I know they'll be jealous as hell when I flaunt my new hardware lol :DAnd i think your right! Once again, enjoi your new MacBook :D

[wPod]

macs are great for graphic designers, but they're good for looking at porn too.

that brings up a very good point! viruses. macs dont get viruses. and no pop up windows. no spyware, no annoying as hell adware either.

interesting your pals say apple is bad for only haveing core duo in their laptops. as i recall apple was one of the first with core duo! though i am a little dissapointed they havent quickly switched to core 2, im sure it will happen soon. and since leopard will be 64 bit native, im sure the entire mac line will be core 2 by the time that comes out. which is what, like the 3rd OS apple has put out since Vista was supposed to originally comeout! ha. at least apple doesnt follow someone elseses OS design (um, like windows following apple! heh)

[SMM]

My wife hated Macs when I first got mine. Every 5 minutes (seemingly) I was yelling down the hall, "Edie, come check THIS out!"

I would recommend two things to all new Mac owners; learn Spotlight and Help. Most people usually like to just dive right in. Discovery is great and has its' own rewards. However, you will find that OSX names things a little different and puts them in places you might not expect (coming from Windows). Learning WHERE to find the answer can prevent some frustration in the first week, or two.

There is also one more thing I will warn you about; you may reach a point where you will dread using Windows. I have a Dell 370 with 2 24" monitors. I develop VB applications on it. I recently got a tricked-out Dell 390 Core 2 Dual (5160) loaded (company gift). I am so excited, I have not even taken it out of the box.

[Hicks.]

Guess what I've been doing since then! I'm posting from it now (really like the low profile keyboard).

Apart from some teething problems trying to transfer data (still not resolved) I'm really enjoying the new OS.

I've bored everybody I know talking about my new purchase!

I still don't quite understand the way it files things. For instance, when you download a program off the internet to the desktop it comes as two files? I just drag the file that opens the actual application into the applications folder right? And delete the other?

Sorry for being a complete newb- but I'm trying :)

[AdeFowler]

Hi Hicks, glad it's going well.

When you download an application, it's normally in the form of a Disk Image with the extension .dmg . This self-extracts into a virtual disk on your desktop. You can now trash the .dmg file.

Follow the install instructions; sometimes they'll be an installer to double click, normally you just drag the applications icon to the Applications folder. (If the Applications folder's in your sidebar you can simply drag it on to that).

Eject the virtual disk. You're done.

HTH ;)

[jTreu]

congrats, enjoy it.