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macstatic

macrumors 68010
Original poster
Oct 21, 2005
2,000
162
Norway
My mother (who isn't a computer buff) bought an iMac recently when I recommended she get one to replace her outdated PC.
She loves it except she has a hard time understanding a lot of stuff that she can handle in Windows at work.

For instance, while she uses "Windows explorer" to organize stuff on her hard drive in Windows she has no clue how to do that on her Mac.
I believe she needs a good, easy to understand (as little computer jargon as possible) and basic "switching" guide with plenty of illustrations so she can get a little more in control of things.
Any recommendations?

She's using MacOS 10.5.4 on an iMac.
 

shakenmartini

macrumors 6502
Apr 29, 2008
432
0
Leopard: The missing manual

All you need to know.

Switching is easier than you will think. Just remember that things are done different on a Mac vs. a PC. Many times things are done better on a mac, so go with the flow
 

macstatic

macrumors 68010
Original poster
Oct 21, 2005
2,000
162
Norway
Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm currently on a visit to my mom and am trying to help her out a bit.
Turns out she's quite comfortable with Windows and can do just about what she wants, but on her Mac she doesn't understand how to do the same things.

So I figure she needs a "switching" guide more than a Mac guide. Then again she asked me how to use the address book, so she might need brief guides for commonly used Mac applications (address book, iCal, iTunes, iPhoto, widgets etc.).

I've got a "missing manual" myself (MacOS panther -which I bought really cheap, although I personally use MacOS Tiger) and agree that they're good, although I'm pretty sure my mom would show very little interest in about 80% of what's in there as it's too advanced and geeky for her.
On the other hand, I did find a book called Switching to the Mac: The missing manual -Leopard edition.
I looked through the above link's table of contents for the book, and it seems to cover just about everything in general. How does it compare to Mac OSX Leopard: the missing manual?
I assume the latter is more for learning to "power use" the Mac while the former is more for learning to "overcome" the Mac ;)
 

shakenmartini

macrumors 6502
Apr 29, 2008
432
0
Switching to the Mac: The missing manual -Leopard edition.
I looked through the above link's table of contents for the book, and it seems to cover just about everything in general. How does it compare to Mac OSX Leopard: the missing manual?
I assume the latter is more for learning to "power use" the Mac while the former is more for learning to "overcome" the Mac ;)

They are actually more or less the same book. The switcher version is rearranged quite a bit, but the only difference is that some of the Leopard manual information is condensed and deleted in favor of a chapter on how to do windows things in the mac. You should go to a book store to compare side-by-side since I'm not sure what your mom is struggling with. I found the switcher manual to be too "light" for my taste, but I also like to know the nitty-gritty details of how things works.

The regular Leopard one is nice because if you can't figure something out, you just go to the chapter (or index) and it lays out how everything works.
 

macstatic

macrumors 68010
Original poster
Oct 21, 2005
2,000
162
Norway
I found a table of contents for the "switch" book and it seems to cover a lot of interesting and useful things. However, chapter 7 (special software, special problems) which seems to cover a bunch of Windows software and what the equivalents are for the Mac are unnecessary for my mom. She just wants to understand how to use a Mac from a Windows point of view.
Perhaps this is one of those sections not present in the other book which steals away lots of more useful pages of relevant Mac information?

the only difference is that some of the Leopard manual information is condensed and deleted in favor of a chapter on how to do windows things in the mac.

What kind of Windows stuff? Are you referring to the above (chapter 7)?
Since she's a Mac newbie I'm sure that the Leopard missing manual would be great for her, but I'm also concerned about it possibly not explaining things enough from a Windows point of view. Are my concerns warranted?

Unfortunately I don't have a bookstore nearby which keeps those books, which is why I'm trying to find out as much as I can before ordering online.
 

macstatic

macrumors 68010
Original poster
Oct 21, 2005
2,000
162
Norway
I had a look around several bookstores today but none had the Missing manual books. However, I believe I found the perfect Mac book for my mother: The little Mac book.

It's very basic, covering stuff like the mouse, saving and printing, Finder windows etc. but I think she'll really understand those basic things by reading it. And most of all: it's not an overwhelming book (lots of gorgeous color screenshots, easy to read text and not the thickness of a phone book).

But... it doesn't really cover software that much.
I'd like her to get another book which explains things in a similarly "non-intimidating" way, but for the applications that came with the Mac (iPhoto, iTunes, iCal, Address book etc.).
Having looked through my own "Missing manual" book (Panther edition) and given it some thought I believe she'd spend 5 minutes with it and never touch it again. She really needs something that answers questions like "How do I transfer my camera photos into iPhoto?" and "What's the difference between albums and folders in iPhoto?", everything explained step-by-step. She really doesn't need an in-depth guide, but something which gets her started.
Does anyone know of such a book?
 
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