Just bought my first Mac (App Advice for a Noob)

[3lite]

I bought a 13 inch MBA (upgraded to 8 Gb Ram)

I have read the beginners guide already (the jist of it) but I have some questions:

1. How do I delete multiple applications(icons) simultaneously? Must I drag and drop each one to the trash individually? I'm not talking about "fully deleting an app" btw.

2. What applications/programs do you guys recommend right off the bat to download?

Thanks.

 

[Macman45]

If you mean removing the application. Icons from the dock, then just drag them off the bar and they are gone...not from the applications folder...stay away from removing things in there. You can restore an applications icon to the dock by dragging it from its location in the applications folder back to the dock.

Must have apps? Depends on what you do really, but:

Pages (WP)
Numbers (Spreadsheest)
Keynote ( Presenations)

Office For Mac is also available, in which case you won't need the apps above. For DVD and movie ripping, Handbrke ( Free ) and VLC ( also free) are good starting points.

 

[hallux]

As far as Office goes, check with your employer. They may participate in the Home Use Program, you can get Office for $10 plus tax. Unfortunately, it's restricted to one current version so if you buy it for the Mac you can't also get it for the PC until the next major release (due soon anyway).

I use VLC for watching videos, awesome app that will play pretty much everything.
Chrome and Firefox for browsing, I only hit up Safari for pages at don't work right on either of those on a Mac (they work fine on a PC for those same sites).
Coconut Battery is a nice little tool for monitoring the battery, though iStat menus can give you similar data Coconut is free (I have both)

 

[3lite]

What about Anti-Virus programs and things of that nature? I used MSE on Windows.

 

[colourfastt]

What about Anti-Virus programs and things of that nature? I used MSE on Windows.

None

 

[hakuin]

What about Anti-Virus programs and things of that nature? I used MSE on Windows.

There's not really any need to have one on OS X. If you really want to though, according to experienced commentators on this forum ClamXav is the best. There is not really any need to have it running constantly as long as you practice safe computing (you know, the usual stuff) - just use it to scan periodically for threats.

As for apps, Better Touch Tool is an app unique to OSX you may want to look at. Onyx as well, for deeper system preferences and maintenance. Tell us what you need to do on your new machine and people can offer recommendations.

 

[takeshi74]

How do I delete multiple applications(icons) simultaneously? Must I drag and drop each one to the trash individually? I'm not talking about "fully deleting an app" btw.

You can drag to lasso multiple icons. You can also click while holding CMD to select multiple icons.

What applications/programs do you guys recommend right off the bat to download?

There are plenty of existing threads that cover this if you just want a list of blind recommendations. Here's one recent and active one:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1502460/

If you want recommendations for you then clarify what types of apps you're looking for and any preferences you have that may help to narrow it down to one better suited to you.

 

[Abazigal]

For me, I downloaded dropbox, evernote, adobe reader, vlc, unarchiver, jing, and installed office.

Simple list for a simple person's simple needs.

 

[GGJstudios]

What about Anti-Virus programs and things of that nature? I used MSE on Windows.

You don't need any 3rd party antivirus app to keep a Mac malware-free, as long as you practice safe computing, as described in the following link. Read the What security steps should I take? section of the Mac Virus/Malware FAQ for tips on practicing safe computing.

If you still want to run antivirus for some reason, ClamXav (which is free) is one of the best choices, since it isn't a resource hog, detects both Mac and Windows malware and doesn't run with elevated privileges.

I have read the beginners guide already (the jist of it)

If you had read this, your questions would be answered:

Helpful Information for Any Mac User
Portables Fast Start: The New User's Guide to Apple Notebooks​

1. How do I delete multiple applications(icons) simultaneously? Must I drag and drop each one to the trash individually?

You can drag multiple items (files, folders, apps, etc.) to the Trash.

2. What applications/programs do you guys recommend right off the bat to download?

Read the "Helpful Information" link in this post.