New-to-Mac

[dvshooter]

I took delivery of a 17" 1.5 PB today and my first impressions are - WOW As a new-to-Mac it'll be a learning curve to adapt to OSX, but on first impression it seems to be intuitive. Until I install FCP, I'll be playing with iMovie. For newcomers to Mac systems, are there any hints, or tips for familiarisation or is it simply a case of learning as I go? Thanks guys...

 

[emw]

First, congratulations on the new Mac - it's a nice one to get started with, that's for sure.

As for tips/tricks for familiarization, there are a ton of cool things about the system that would be pretty difficult to go into here due to lack of space (using Terminal commands, keyboard shortcuts, view customization, custom icons, etc.), but you might want to check out a book or two on OS X.

Otherwise, it is fairly intuitive. Just get in there and start playing. It'll be fun! If you run into problems or questions, you can generally find someone here who can help out.

 

[ChrisFromCanada]

When people first get a Mac they sometimes get frusturated because here were so many things they got used to in windows that they can't figure out in OS X. If this happens to you think about how you did it in windows then, think to your self is there a easier way to do this?

Also see the site in my signature.

 

[dotnina]

When people first get a Mac they sometimes get frusturated because here were so many things they got used to in windows that they can't figure out in OS X. If this happens to you think about how you did it in windows then, think to your self is there a easier way to do this?

Also see the site in my signature.

So true. Things are incredibly easy. Just don't think, and you'll be fine.


Example: To install a program, drag the icon to the Applications folder.

 

[DJY]

Welcome to the club!

You will love it!
Do a few searches in here... that's what I did to help find those little things that didn't come with your PB. Whilst Apple give you alot of software with it - there are lots of little apps that people have pointed me to - which I was very grateful for!

There is a list in the threads - about applications...
and then when you are trying to work out how to do something - try macosxhints forums - there are lots of tricks over there!

First three things I did though - was added
SideTracker (allows horiztonal and vertical scrolling on your trackpad)
VLC (to be able to view all video formats)
Adium (multi client instant messaging program).

Head over to versiontracker for them.

You've bought an amazing machine! Now you are part of the club - you will discover how proud Mac users are of their machines - something I never noticed with all the other machines I owned... oh yeah and Mac users are more than happy to help you with your switch!

 

[superbovine]

I took delivery of a 17" 1.5 PB today and my first impressions are - WOW As a new-to-Mac it'll be a learning curve to adapt to OSX, but on first impression it seems to be intuitive. Until I install FCP, I'll be playing with iMovie. For newcomers to Mac systems, are there any hints, or tips for familiarisation or is it simply a case of learning as I go? Thanks guys...

might find this place useful.
http://www.macosxhints.com/index.php

 

[stevehaslip]

Congrats, its true that after being told that you have to do something a certain way on a windows machine it seems simple or easy to do something on a mac. Its simply because thats the way that it should be, you're kinda used to jumping through hoops. Now you just have to re-learn a few things but basic principles are just the same. You'll be settled in no time!

 

[mms]

The O'Reilly book Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, by David Pogue, is good for learning a bunch of good tips.

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/macxmmpanther/