How long will it take to get used to OS X

[aditghai]

Hi
I was a Windows user for 14 years and dumped it just because OS X looks so much better. Its as simple as that, nothing else.

I wanted to know, how much time did it take for long time Windows users to get accustomed to OS X.

Things i am having trouble getting used to:
1)Expose VS the Taskbar. With Taskbar you could just glance at the Apps or Windows open and click on them to maximize. Expose- You have an extra step of pressing a Programmed key or dragging your mouse over to a hot corner.

2)No Right Click. I know having two fingers and clicking the trackpad will let you access the right click menu but its just taking time for me to get used to that process.

Anything else you guys wanna add?

 

[wordy]

Really depends on your level of expertise. If you're not an advanced user, it's just a matter of getting use to launching programs etc, which isn't a big deal. I'd say after 2-3 days you'll be comfortable using OSX and within a week you'll be showing people all the cool stuff it can do.

As a longtime windows user I think the first two things that will confuse you are:
1) no Cut/Paste. Get use to this, and set a expose hot corner so you can easily drag & drop files around
2) Maximized windows and double clicking on title bar. It minimizes instead of what you'd expect. Try and get use to NOT having all windows maximized as you tend to do in Windows. You'll get use to it.

Best of luck.

 

[iJesus]

Things i am having trouble getting used to:
1)Expose VS the Taskbar. With Taskbar you could just glance at the Apps or Windows open and click on them to maximize. Expose- You have an extra step of pressing a Programmed key or dragging your mouse over to a hot corner.

2)No Right Click. I know having two fingers and clicking the trackpad will let you access the right click menu but its just taking time for me to get used to that process.

1.) I would program a keyboard shortcut for expose if you use it regularly. Also, the MacBook Pro does have the expose key on the keyboard.

2.) Use control+click =) It's a lot easier for me than the two finger click.

EDIT: Remember, command+tab can be your best friend when trying to switch applications

 

[someone28624]

About a week to get used to it. A few months to really start to discover the intricacies that make it convenient. I just discovered + tab a month ago, using OS X since July.

I recommended enabling tapping to click and tapping with two fingers to right click apple:->Preferences->Keyboard & Mouse).

I use F9 as my short cut for Expose and am addicted to it now. You can also use tab.

 

[JE-Illustration]

Well for number 2 you can always buy a multi button mouse to use. My wacom tablet has like 5 buttons, including the middle wheel.

As for number 1 i've never really used a PC before. But to me it sounds like you can just use the Dock... put your apps you use in there. I could be wrong, but I think the point of Expose is to expose multiple windows... for instance a graphic designer may have like 3 windows open in Photoshop, 2 in Illustrator... etc. They hit one function key to get rid of all them if the choose, or hit one to only reveal the windows in that program.

I think you'll be find and don't think it will take you long to get use to OSX, it's usually pretty straight forward.

 

[iJesus]

And remember that control+expose key will only expose the current applications windows.

=)

 

[JE-Illustration]

I'm confused on the no cut/paste? I'm a mac use and I cut and paste things like crazy.

Also instead of double clicking the top of the window to minimize it you can click the yellow - button in the top left corner. It then can be revealed in the dock.

Really depends on your level of expertise. If you're not an advanced user, it's just a matter of getting use to launching programs etc, which isn't a big deal. I'd say after 2-3 days you'll be comfortable using OSX and within a week you'll be showing people all the cool stuff it can do.

As a longtime windows user I think the first two things that will confuse you are:
1) no Cut/Paste. Get use to this, and set a expose hot corner so you can easily drag & drop files around
2) Maximized windows and double clicking on title bar. It minimizes instead of what you'd expect. Try and get use to NOT having all windows maximized as you tend to do in Windows. You'll get use to it.

Best of luck.

 

[MarkMS]

1) no Cut/Paste. Get use to this, and set a expose hot corner so you can easily drag & drop files around

What about Command-C (copy) and Command-V (paste)?

Or ""-C (copy) and ""-V for those with older keyboards?

 

[iJesus]

I'm confused on the no cut/paste? I'm a mac use and I cut and paste things like crazy.

Also instead of double clicking the top of the window to minimize it you can click the yellow - button in the top left corner. It then can be revealed in the dock.

Or use command+m
=)

 

[JE-Illustration]

Hmm I just use the default F10 key. F9 will show you all windows and F11 makes all windows disappear to reveal the desktop.

And remember that control+expose key will only expose the current applications windows.

=)

 

[methodmano]

2) Maximized windows and double clicking on title bar. It minimizes instead of what you'd expect. Try and get use to NOT having all windows maximized as you tend to do in Windows. You'll get use to it.

I use Windows at work and OSX at home. This one still gets me though! Maximizing makes so much sense in Windows, but not so much in OSX.

 

[wordy]

You're disagreeing with me about cut/paste then teaching the guy how to copy/paste.

There is no CUT and that's that.

Thanks

 

[iJesus]

Here are my favorite keyboard shortcuts:

Command+H - hides all the windows of that application. Makes them go POOF! you can un-hide the windows my clicking the apps icon in the dock. Very useful if you need to hide something quickly. Believe me, I'm a teenager

Command+Q - quits the application

actually, how about I just link you to this fabulous list of keyboard shortcuts?

http://www.danrodney.com/mac/index.html

 

[MarkMS]

You're disagreeing with me about cut/paste then teaching the guy how to copy/paste.

There is no CUT and that's that.

Thanks

Whoops, sorry. I thought I read it as copy/paste as in I copy my files to different media for backup. There is no cut/paste - at least in Finder (on default install).

You may want to check this out in enabling it on OS X. Never tried it, so I don't know much. Just did a quick Google on cutting in OS X.

 

[wordy]

You may want to check this out in enabling it on OS X.

"Unfortunately, all it does today is a move-to-trash, and there's no ability to paste and have the file retrieved and put in the active Finder window or selected folder."

That's hilarious.

 

[JE-Illustration]

I told you I didn't use Windows before. Try using Apple+X... then you might cut something...

Unless you guys are speaking of cutting files and pasting them.

 

[jfull15]

WTH? Cut is in the Edit Menu.. Command + X for short...

oh and CMMND + Tab works great as a replacement for the Taskbar, as far as seeing open applications and easily navigating to them.. I'm surprised you guys haven't heard of this, it works in Windows too, just not exactly the same way.

 

[JE-Illustration]

WTH? Cut is in the Edit Menu.. Command + X for short...

oh and CMMND + Tab works great as a replacement for the Taskbar, as far as seeing open applications and easily navigating to them.. I'm surprised you guys haven't heard of this, it works in Windows too, just not exactly the same way.

yeah Command + Tab is a good feature. But for some reason I never use it. Without thinking I just go to the dock and click on the app that's open.

Watch out though, you might be deemed an idiot by the great and powerful wordy. I believe they are speaking of files though. I didn't realize this until after reading the context of their posts of which I was pretty much posting at the same time.

 

[aditghai]

Wow
Nobody ever went back to Uncle Bill?

 

[jfull15]

yeah Command + Tab is a good feature. But for some reason I never use it. Without thinking I just go to the dock and click on the app that's open.

Watch out though, you might be deemed an idiot by the great and powerful wordy. I believe they are speaking of files though. I didn't realize this until after reading the context of their posts of which I was pretty much posting at the same time.

Ah that's wierd.. but you can always just drag and drop, as long as its the same drive, it will function the same as Cut/Paste

 

[QuarterSwede]

Wow
Nobody ever went back to Uncle Bill?

Hahaha. "Once you go Mac you'll never go back!" I really haven't ever wanted to go back to Windows, no. OS X just works so well. This is coming from someone who grew up on DOS then Win 1.0 (sucked), Win 3.11, Win 98 and finally Win XP. Nothing in the Windows world even tempts me.

 

[jbg232]

Wow
Nobody ever went back to Uncle Bill?

This is a mac site so most people who post here stayed in mac land.

I DID go back to Bill Gates, the reasons are too numerous to write here, but you can read my experience with mac here.

Right now I'm using a temporary computer (my laptop was stolen), and I am still deciding mac vs. pc but am now leaning toward pc over mac. I still really like macs though and if you want to try them out I highly suggest you do so - there's always bootcamp if you decide you want to go back after the return window of 14 days.

 

[iJesus]

T I am still deciding mac vs. pc but am now leaning toward pc over mac.

I will never be able to look at your screen name the same way...

.... I keed, I keed...



Make sure you get a nice PC if you go that way. Make it worth your while
=)

 

[jbg232]

I will never be able to look at your screen name the same way...

.... I keed, I keed...



Make sure you get a nice PC if you go that way. Make it worth your while
=)

Did you read my link before writing this?

 

[GoKyu]

I was a DOS/Windows user from 1990 up until about a month ago. Added Linux in the early 90's, but never owned a Mac until January.

OS X is *so* much more intuitive overall than Windows ever was - I got used to not having apps maximized across the monitor pretty quickly (2-3 days), and spaces has made me SO much more productive (I'm used to this in Linux, although having the shortcut keys makes it a lot easier on the Mac.)

I never use expose, although I have my scroll wheel button set to zoom out to all of my spaces, which gives a similar effect, and I'm able to see all my apps on screen.

One thing I still haven't completely gotten used to is that the mouse needs to be hovering over the application window if you want to scroll with the mouse wheel...I tend to move the mouse off to the side of the screen cos I don't want it in the way.

The biggest thing I'm trying to get used to is how to customize the OS - to put it in PC terms, what are the equivalents of editing a registry entry to add or remove a certain feature, and HOW do you find out how/where to do it? What are those com.apple.<appname>.plist files and what are they used for?

I haven't yet found a really in-depth "tips and tricks for customizing OS X" website or even book about it. If anyone has any links, that would be great

For me, I don't ever intend to switch back to windows - Vista is just awful (and one major reason I switched) and OS X is so much more secure, robust (those UNIX roots) and has a fairly small learning curve coming from windows.

-Bryan