New to Mac

[Brelaine]

Hello

I recently aquired my first Mac, one of the new powerbooks

So far I am pretty happy with it. I managed get it going on my wireless network and was extremely pleased to see how easy it was to transfer files from my pc over the network. I was worried I would be banging my head against the wall for weeks but I've found the interface intuitive and easy to use, and once I discovered command + key = ctrl + key in windows for most things, I was very happy lol.

I have a few questions.

1. My job runs our email on an exchange server. I've done some searches and this seems a headache to set up with mac Mail. I was hoping it would be as easy as my iphone The web interface via Safari is not nearly as good as the IE one (one of the only things I use IE over firefox for on my PC) Was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions for setting this up or should I give up and save myself the trouble?

2. iWorks vs Office for Mac. Pros? Cons?

3. Font Size on Mac vs PC. I knew there was a difference but I've found I can't use IM programs such as iChat or MSN Messenger for Mac without my friends/co-workers complaining of a HUGE font. Are there fonts I can use that will show up similarly. I found once I made the font small enough that it was managable for them it was uncomfortably tiny on my end. Will I experience the same issues using Mail on my Mac to pc users?

4. Any other tips for a new pc to mac person would be great. I haven't used one for atleast 10 years so all of that knowledge is gone or doesn't apply anymore.

Thanks a lot in advance
Bre

 

[tycheong]

Hello

I recently aquired my first Mac, one of the new powerbooks

So far I am pretty happy with it. I managed get it going on my wireless network and was extremely pleased to see how easy it was to transfer files from my pc over the network. I was worried I would be banging my head against the wall for weeks but I've found the interface intuitive and easy to use, and once I discovered command + key = ctrl + key in windows for most things, I was very happy lol.

I have a few questions.

1. My job runs our email on an exchange server. I've done some searches and this seems a headache to set up with mac Mail. I was hoping it would be as easy as my iphone The web interface via Safari is not nearly as good as the IE one (one of the only things I use IE over firefox for on my PC) Was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions for setting this up or should I give up and save myself the trouble?

2. iWorks vs Office for Mac. Pros? Cons?

3. Font Size on Mac vs PC. I knew there was a difference but I've found I can't use IM programs such as iChat or MSN Messenger for Mac without my friends/co-workers complaining of a HUGE font. Are there fonts I can use that will show up similarly. I found once I made the font small enough that it was managable for them it was uncomfortably tiny on my end. Will I experience the same issues using Mail on my Mac to pc users?

4. Any other tips for a new pc to mac person would be great. I haven't used one for atleast 10 years so all of that knowledge is gone or doesn't apply anymore.

Thanks a lot in advance
Bre

congrats on your purchase and welcome to world of Mac!

1) im not sure i can answer this, because i dont have any experience on this. sorry

2) personally, i find iWork a lot better than microsoft office. to me, iWork is a lot more simple and easier to use and it also looks better. but, this is your decision. i recommend that you download the trial versions and see for yourself.

3) i've never had that problem before

4) i would buy AppleCare

 

[Namnorkimo]

4. Any other tips for a new pc to mac person would be great. I haven't used one for atleast 10 years so all of that knowledge is gone or doesn't apply anymore.

If you have trouble with the terrible mouse acceleration in MacOs X, the "Steermouse" tool will probably be a solution to fix that:

klick here

 

[mx12]

2) I would say that if you know alot of people who use Office 2007 for windows, then I would say get Office. Otherwise, iWorks is a great set of apps, and I really enjoy keynote compared to powerpoint.

I second the applecare.

 

[scienide09]

Another vote for AppleCare.

Also, if you're looking for a Office-like suite, NeoOffice should be able to handle whatever you throw at it. I've started using it on my new MB, and while it takes some time to adjust to the interface, after that it's been fine.

 

[wackymacky]

Setting up mail for exchange can be a hassle if you don't know what you're doing. Sweat-talk your IT person at work to give you a hand.

I ended up accessing mine though a secure web page, works fine on Safari, though personally I perfer Firefox as a browser on my Mac.

Both MS Office and iWork are OK. iWork is more 'beautiful', though given my work enviroment I use Office fo Mac 2008.

You'll love your new Mac as it is much more intuitive and simpler to use than a windows.

gd lck.