Not really impressed...

[gixxerredliner]

So ive been thinking about getting a macbook for some time now. But recently after actually borrowing my friends for a week im not impressed. Now i know alot of ppl will probaly flame me before actually understanding what I am getting at so let me explain. This could be user error meaning i dont know how to use a mac but why doesnt the internet open to the entire screen? it opens with the apps at the bottom and doesnt fully fill the entire screen.

Ive been trying for hours to find the section that allows me to see what the macbook is putting out while watching youtube videos, I remember someone on this site once showed a section where you can see how much of the cpu your laptop was using watching youtube vids. And thats pretty much it, thanks for any advise on how to use a mac and where to find those areas.

 

[mikew228]

just hide the dock, and maximize the screen simple as that.

 

[Sun Baked]

Utilities/Activity Monitor.app

 

[yousoldtheworld]

Hiding the dock is easy, and just drag the bottom right corner of the screen to where you want it.

 

[bozz2006]

i'm with you. the dock on bottom bugs me too. that's why i keep it on the right.

 

[Eric5h5]

This could be user error meaning i dont know how to use a mac but why doesnt the internet open to the entire screen?

Because that's lame; filling the entire screen just for a web browser doesn't make sense. But yeah, that's user error...you can make the dock auto-hide if you want, and you can make the browser window fill the entire screen if you insisted, but that's not a very good use of screen space. The main thing is not to go in expecting OS X to behave like Windows, because it doesn't. If you keep an open mind about the differences and have the understanding that they're done that way for a good reason (usually), then I think you'll have a better time.

--Eric

 

[gixxerredliner]

Thanks for all the positive replys

I guess because ive only used windows this is such a challenge trying to use a totally different system. I guess Its going to take some more time to see the "MAGIC" that ppl speak about when using this operating system. I guess im just trying to find all the gems within this OS that make it better than Windows and the future Windows 7.

 

[Smacky]

Because that's lame; filling the entire screen just for a web browser doesn't make sense.
--Eric

How can you say it doesnt make sense? Maybe I want to see the whole pic/webpage on a screen rather than having to scroll

 

[likemyorbs]

Because that's lame; filling the entire screen just for a web browser doesn't make sense.
--Eric

what a lame thing to say, most mac users i know do everything full screen and use auto-hide. especially when youre on a 13 inch screen.

 

[liquidtrend]

I guess because ive only used windows this is such a challenge trying to use a totally different system. I guess Its going to take some more time to see the "MAGIC" that ppl speak about when using this operating system. I guess im just trying to find all the gems within this OS that make it better than Windows and the future Windows 7.

you cant see the "magic" until you own one. borrowing your friends isnt quite the experience most people need.

i dont claim for mac osx to be better than windows, nor do i claim for it to be better than what future OS exist in a potential market.

what i can claim is that mac osx is a very different experience.
now the different can either make you happy, or upset. for something as "full window mode" not being as fulfilling as a windows system, you might be looking at some unimpressed wizardry.

 

[paolo-]

I don't know if it will be your case. But, if you'll be using your mac with an external display, that's where the UI really shines, in my opinion. Mac osx is based on unix (wiki it, if you don't know what it is) so quite oftenly, windows are small and minimalist (the taskbar at the top and the little rectangle at the opposite side of the 3 circles in the header of the window that closes a functionality pane). But, you can see all of them at a glance, no need to alt-tab through all your windows just to read something on another window. It can be disturbing at first as your windows just pile up and you don't quite understand how to get things organized.

You'll also notice that os x thinks in terms of apps, not in terms of windows (for example alt+tab shows you the apps running, not the different windows). But very quickly, you'll find a way that you're comfortable with it all and, in conjuction with exposé, the dock and spaces, you can really do a nice job in handling your windows. You'll also notice how much white space you were wasting on your screen in windows. For example, most web pages are something like 800 pixels wide, there's no need to let that take up all of your screen (even more if it's 1600 pixels wide).

Mind you, I don't know how osx remembers what settings to use for the window sizes at the start of the app but after a while, they start up in the way you usually do it. So you're probably using you're friend's standard.



You have probably also found out that you can have an app that's running but the apps having no windows open. Open safari or firefox then right click on the icon in the dock and do hide (or command+h), you just did the equivalent of minimizing all of the windows for that app but you don't see them anywhere : click on the dock icon of safari or firefox, and pop it or they come back up. Similar thing with the red or X button, you close only that window, not the app.

 

[fleshman03]

I guess because ive only used windows this is such a challenge trying to use a totally different system. I guess Its going to take some more time to see the "MAGIC" that ppl speak about when using this operating system. I guess im just trying to find all the gems within this OS that make it better than Windows and the future Windows 7.

Think of the dock like the taskbar in Windows. It's there to help you and tell you what you have open.

If you want to hide it, press command-d. To bring it back up, all you need to do is move the mouse to the bottom of the screen.

Also - with a 13" screen I feel your pain with the web browers. FireFox will automatically make it full screen if you press the green button. I did think it was dumb at first, but then I got used to it and wouldn't go back. You will too if you take the time.

 

[therealdt]

it's no magic, either you like Macs or don't. i used windows my whole life, i had access to a Macbook for about 3 weeks and I was hooked. No magic, just me liking Macs better.

 

[Tomorrow]

what a lame thing to say, most mac users i know do everything full screen and use auto-hide. especially when youre on a 13 inch screen.

I'm using a 13" screen right now and although my browser does fill the screen from top to bottom (it's only 800 px after all), I don't fill the screen left-to-right (I use Firefox at 960 pixels). I agree with the previous post - in almost every circumstance it's pointless to me to make a browser window take up my entire screen, when most well-designed sites will easily fit into a window 1024 px wide or even smaller.

As for maximizing a browser window, that's not a Windows thing at all; that's just a particular user's way of using a browser. There are very, very few applications I use at full-screen (Photoshop Elements comes to mind, but then you don't have the option to change it), simply because I don't think it's an effective use of my screen real estate. Yes, even on my 13" MB.

EDIT: FWIW, the reason I started using smaller windows is because it makes text easier to read. Think about a newspaper - the columns are fairly narrow, making it easier to follow from line to line (and easier to skim). It's the same thing with a web browser - I'd rather read several lines of text about 600 pixels wide than a few lines 1200 pixels wide.

 

[VSMacOne]

I also came from a Windows world after over 10 years.
This is one thing I LOVED about OS X: that Safari just adapts the web pages to the size of the window, and I could have smaller windows and still see the whole width of the page. This is what my screen usually looks like, because I like to have other things running on the side (Like my Adium list and Bowtie).
So this is definitely a USER preference, as for me it's one of the MANY pluses that Mac OS X has over Windows (from my personal experience).

 

[doobi18]

Check this out:

You can make the window ANY SIZE YOU WANT!

The dock at the bottom uses up about the same real estate as your Start Bar.

//doobi18

 

[applephysci]

I also came from a Windows world after over 10 years.
This is one thing I LOVED about OS X: that Safari just adapts the web pages to the size of the window, and I could have smaller windows and still see the whole width of the page. This is what my screen usually looks like, because I like to have other things running on the side (Like my Adium list and Bowtie).
So this is definitely a USER preference, as for me it's one of the MANY pluses that Mac OS X has over Windows (from my personal experience).

Nice screenshot.
How'd you get the date in the menubar?

 

[VPrime]

The purpose of the "maximize" in OS X is to make the screen as big as possible.. but still give you room for other windows. It is designed with the idea of multitasking.

Windows, the maximize just takes up your whole screen. Some times this is nice, but usually wastes screen space.

I do wish there was an extra button in OSX for a full screen maximize though.. It would help in some situations.

 

[doug in albq]

Nice screenshot.
How'd you get the date in the menubar?

Google "istat menus"

 

[VSMacOne]

Nice screenshot.
How'd you get the date in the menubar?

It's a little app called iStat Menus (it can do a bunch of other things but I only use it for the time and calendar).. LOVE it!

EDIT: posted right with doug above

 

[gixxerredliner]

Ok you guys are going to kill me lol

ok so ive been playing with the mac and hmmmm how the heck do you copy and paste something? Like using windows i left click with my pad/mouse cover what i want copied than right click copy it and than right click to paste it. But how do you do this with a macbook?

 

[aawil]

I guess because ive only used windows this is such a challenge trying to use a totally different system. I guess Its going to take some more time to see the "MAGIC" that ppl speak about when using this operating system. I guess im just trying to find all the gems within this OS that make it better than Windows and the future Windows 7.

If you all want to do is watch you tube videos, you just might not find the magic you seek. It's just a computer. The gems must come from you. Good luck.

1.

Google "istat menus"

I have istat menus and didn't notice this option. Always nice to learn something new and useful.

 

[5855997]

ok so ive been playing with the mac and hmmmm how the heck do you copy and paste something? Like using windows i left click with my pad/mouse cover what i want copied than right click copy it and than right click to paste it. But how do you do this with a macbook?

Take your file/folder and drag&drop it to your new location. But before you drop it, press the "alt" button and then release the mouse button.

This will copy and paste your file. (you should see a green plus next to the file the moment you press "alt")

And don't try to find "cut and paste" it doesn't exist. There's no command to cut. Instead you have to move the file. You have to grab your file, move it to your new location and then drop it.

Though you can cut and paste text in a text editor. Just no files/folders in the Finder.

it's no magic, either you like Macs or don't. i used windows my whole life, i had access to a Macbook for about 3 weeks and I was hooked. No magic, just me liking Macs better.

Same for me.

And otherwise to the topic: I don't let my Dock auto-hide. I just make the windows as big as possible, but I want my Dock to stay there, so that I can switch between my apps down there. I know I could to that with alt-tabulator, but I never liked this. It really doesn't matter if I have an inch more or less screen on the bottom.

 

[CrzyCanuck72]

ok so ive been playing with the mac and hmmmm how the heck do you copy and paste something? Like using windows i left click with my pad/mouse cover what i want copied than right click copy it and than right click to paste it. But how do you do this with a macbook?

you left click with your pad/mouse cover what you want copied than right click copy it and than right click to paste it

 

[BoyBach]

ok so ive been playing with the mac and hmmmm how the heck do you copy and paste something? Like using windows i left click with my pad/mouse cover what i want copied than right click copy it and than right click to paste it. But how do you do this with a macbook?

command - x : cut
command - c : copy
command - v : paste