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I thought these things were idiot-proof?

ha ha cool thread :D i like your sense of humor McMac. every switcher has that temporary "idiot" moment on a mac, I tried to minimize those by doing a ton of research online before i even ordered my first mac, by the time it came in i felt like i was a long time mac user with all the reading i had done. But still after being a PC user for 19 years some obvious things did escape me.
 
th OP probably didn't look at the keyboard because its so obvious, after using Windows all your life, you expect things to be technical and complicated and sometimes on Mac you think things are too easy and almost get suspious.

For example a lot of long term Windows users, especially on this forum, feel the need to have a virus scanner on their Mac, despite the fact they know there is absolutely no point at all, and there are no viruses for Mac, its a bit like a babys comfort blanket.
 
How funny!

I had a brief moment on my first powerbook of thinking "WTF is this thing doing all dimming and brightening at random?" and then I found out about the ambient light sensor. DOH


You should try the ctrl alt cmd 8 trick. ;)

(press the key combo again to make it go back to normal)
 
iBlue said:
How funny!

I had a brief moment on my first powerbook of thinking "WTF is this thing doing all dimming and brightening at random?" and then I found out about the ambient light sensor. DOH


You should try the ctrl alt cmd 8 trick. ;)

(press the key combo again to make it go back to normal)
Click to expand...

Hehe...
 
Abstract said:
Your hand slipped from the trackpad up to the screen brightness button at the top of the keyboard, where it was left for 3 or 4 seconds until the brightness of the screen went down to zero?


Ok, Macs aren't THAT idiot-proof. :p
Click to expand...

Ummm:

System Preferences -> Displays -> Brightness slider.

Pretty sure that's what the OP means, no moving off the trackpad needed at all.
 
Mcmac17,

I don't want to have fun at your expense, but I have to admit, that was pretty funny. I recommend looking on Apple.com for the tutorials and getting a more well acquainted with your Mac.

There are a lot of resources out there for Mac users, but I think this forum is one of the best. People may have a laugh at the experiences of others, but everyone is still willing to help. Good luck in the future!
 
mcpryon2 said:
When I got my first XPS laptop I was blown away by how fast Vista started and shutdown. Then after a few weeks I realized that the "brown power button" on the menu was actually the sleep button.

When I got my first Mac I couldn't believe that I needed a wireless connection to register my computer before starting the OS for the first time. After waiting a while because I didn't have a connection I found the "register later" option.

I think we've all been there at some time...some even in this thread.
Click to expand...

True, but maybe my freshman year of highschool
 
Welcome to the Mac world!

Not to be defensive, but as someone said, idiots are getting better. The first thing I would do would be to look for a keyboard function. That whole massive row of keys above the numerical list must do SOMETHING, right?

That is funny, though. But think for a moment through the panic. >_<
 
You pretty much just have to get used to the fact of Macs not being so hard to use as windows. People say windows isnt hard. Its because theve been using it since they were 5. Half the time you cant figure stuff out b/c ur thinking too hard.
 
I remember a story about someone who was unable to shutdown their *old* Mac. After selecting the shutdown button the Mac would power down, and finally display this kind of message:

It is now safe to switch off your computer
with a single button
*Restart*

So this user would select the only choice available and click the restart, and the computer would restart! This went on for a long time.

People always say that somehow younger people don't have this kind of problem, but I don't find that. I occasionally teach groups of young (smart) university design students, and regularly in the early classes I get a "this computer won't start up". Usually, I say "what would you do if it were a CD player or TV" followed by the inevitable "oh" as they plug the thing in.
 
pilotError said:
Nothing is idiot proof. There will always be a bigger idiot.
Click to expand...

There are two laws of idiocy:

(1) Stupid is forever.
Corollary: Stupid people are breeding.

(2) Never underestimate the power of idiots in large groups.

These laws account for PC domination.
 
Thanks for all the responses. I've waded through most of the tutorials/suggested links and am getting on fabulously now (famous last words, eh?)

And iBlue, I think 4-key combos are above my competence level just now. I'll leave that for later on in my mac career!
 
Mcmac17 said:
And iBlue, I think 4-key combos are above my competence level just now. I'll leave that for later on in my mac career!
Click to expand...

You don't give yourself enough credit. You pushed a lot more than 4 keys to submit that response. :p

(the key combo just inverts the colours of your screen, when you push the combo again it goes back. I am not up to any shenanigans or anything)

Anyway, glad you seem to be on your way. :)
 
Mcmac17 said:
Nah, I was pretty much staring fixedly in horror at the screen.

I'm sure I would have found them eventually...

But I thought you might all like a laugh at my expense.
Click to expand...

it is quite alright. Mac builds things a bit differently than most and i find that although their aim is to BE intuitive, it sometimes isn't when you are so used to a PC machine. I remember first using macs back in the day and i had to change my way of thinking a bit while playing around with the machine. Now, I've used macs for years (alongside PCs) and to this day I don't know why they've stuck to a single mouse button design. Is implementing two buttons really that crazy? I use a PC mouse with the mac but the design and intent of the mighty mouse and its earlier variants baffle me.

TheCookie: If the laws of Idiocy apply and if Macs were originally intended to BE idiotproof, wouldn't it be reasonable and accurate to assume that the laws apply explicitly to Mac users since they are the sole beneficiaries of a, supposedly, idiot-proof design? I mean, you don't make an idiot-proof design for smart folks with an aptitude for using complex machines now, would you? :D
 
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