so, one and a half week with my mac, would like to share my experiences.

[tongteh]

so, been using my first macbook for 1.5 week already.. how fast!?!?!

what i realize:
-using mac is like playing around with shortcut keys, in a way that if you memorize all the shortcut keys then you can do things very very nicely!!
-i am having a love and hate relationship with "Spaces". i love it cause it suppose to make things more simpler, but i also hate it because it made things more complex!! sometimes it just so hard to find things from spaces..
-OS is much stable in comparison to Vista(not completely stable tho, those that kept claiming OS X is flawless are liers!!) i had my mac crashed for 5times already!!!
-iWork 08 is so difficult to use, i think i will watch the video tutorial soon in order to get the hang of it. it's completely different coming from MS office 2007 and i have to say i like office 2007 much better(just my honest opinion)
-things can get very messy with mac, especially moving files around(you need to make sure you remember what happened). for example: i want to put a software dmg into my external harddisc and remove it in my MAC HD, you can't do that(or maybe i don't know how to)!! what i have been doing is, after moving it i would have to manually delete it in my MAC HD, try imaging you are transferring multiple files to your External HD at the same time, can you remember everything? I like how when i was back in windows, i can just cut the entire folder/file to my external HD(less confusion).
-the illuminate keys are awesome!!
-screens aren't really that bad(maybe because i can't tell)
-the black basel that i hated on first sight(think most people didn't liked it), you won't even notice it once you start using your macbook.
-time machine is really confusing for me at the moment(i will do some reading about it soon)
-i transfer my calender, bookmarks, and contacts via my iPhone(iphone saves the day!!)
-dashboard and nice to use..
-expose is extremely handy(except when spaces kicks in)
-in less than 2 weeks, my left command already have oil stains that i don't seem to be able to remove!!
-safari is great(especially after installing saft with it)
-i still get the colors in mail(orange, black, blue??)

(can't really recall anymore now, i will try to keep this update)

applications that i do recommend:
-Onyx(for maintenances)
-coconut battery(battery check)
-iStat
-adium(msn purposes)
-crossover(i got it while it was free, LUCKY!!)
-unrarx(if you are switched from windows, this should be pretty handy)
-transmission(torrents)
-vlc
-saft(great plugin for safari)
-multicluth!! great application
-quicksilver
-stickwindows
-lux delux(great game)
-perian(video codec)

thats all for now.. please comment! do share something i do not know.. thanks all!

 

[DannyBres]

WHen you say you cant move a DMG and you trying to move the mounted drive or the actual .dmg file u downloaded?

 

[xUKHCx]

-using mac is like playing around with shortcut keys, in a way that if you memorize all the shortcut keys then you can do things very very nicely!!

I love shortcuts, sometimes I wish that OS X had the extra functionality of the windows Alt key for those times you are not sure of the shortcut.

-i am having a love and hate relationship with "Spaces". i love it cause it suppose to make things more simpler, but i also hate it because it made things more complex!! sometimes it just so hard to find things from spaces..

When it first came out I loved it but since then I have been using it less and less. You should be able to find the applications just by clicking on their Dock item, this will change the space and bring the application to the front. Although I do understand what you mean.

-OS is much stable in comparison to Vista(not completely stable tho, those that kept claiming OS X is flawless are liers!!) i had my mac crashed for 5times already!!!

It is not flawless, just like any system however as a working tool for me it is very solid.

That said 5 times in 1.5 weeks is much more than should be expected (at least from my experience). Did you have a look at what was causing the crashes? Was it system wide lockup/kernel panic?

-iWork 08 is so difficult to use, i think i will watch the video tutorial soon in order to get the hang of it. it's completely different coming from MS office 2007 and i have to say i like office 2007 much better(just my honest opinion)

Some people love iWork some people hate it. It really comes down to personal preferences and whether or not iWork can handle what you want.

An alternative you might want to look into is Open Office. This is a free application suite which is very much like Office.

-things can get very messy with mac, especially moving files around(you need to make sure you remember what happened). for example: i want to put a software dmg into my external harddisc and remove it in my MAC HD, you can't do that(or maybe i don't know how to)!! what i have been doing is, after moving it i would have to manually delete it in my MAC HD, try imaging you are transferring multiple files to your External HD at the same time, can you remember everything? I like how when i was back in windows, i can just cut the entire folder/file to my external HD(less confusion).

Cut has long be a thorn in the side of the OS X experience. I cant test this right now (as on a windows machine) however I believe that if you hold down option/alt when dragging the files it will move instead of copy. Either that or command.

-expose is extremely handy(except when spaces kicks in)

I am not sure what the default settings are but I don't have a hot corner set up for Spaces. But when I want to change a space I use the cmd+arrow keys

-i still get the colors in mail(orange, black, blue??)

Got to Mail Preferences - Rules IIRC and check there for the colour settings

applications that i do recommend:
-Onyx(for maintenances)

I used Onyx when I first started using OS X however I have not used it in ~2 years. Never found the need for it, the system keeps itself running nicely.

Congratulations on getting you mac and dont forget to keep asking questions? That is how we all learn after all.

 

[svndmvn]

moving stuff from one hd to another is quite easy drag and dropping pressing the command key as the person above suggested, if you actually don't release the mouse button or trackpad it will open you a window of the icon you're keeping your pointer on,making looking for the destination a lot easier..
has you system crashed or just some applications,I found the system crashes a lot less than Windows, but there are some apps like VLC, but it's usually the users fault, talking for myself here, i need to stress my system quite a lot etc

 

[tongteh]

I love shortcuts, sometimes I wish that OS X had the extra functionality of the windows Alt key for those times you are not sure of the shortcut.



When it first came out I loved it but since then I have been using it less and less. You should be able to find the applications just by clicking on their Dock item, this will change the space and bring the application to the front. Although I do understand what you mean.



It is not flawless, just like any system however as a working tool for me it is very solid.

That said 5 times in 1.5 weeks is much more than should be expected (at least from my experience). Did you have a look at what was causing the crashes? Was it system wide lockup/kernel panic?



Some people love iWork some people hate it. It really comes down to personal preferences and whether or not iWork can handle what you want.

An alternative you might want to look into is Open Office. This is a free application suite which is very much like Office.



Cut has long be a thorn in the side of the OS X experience. I cant test this right now (as on a windows machine) however I believe that if you hold down option/alt when dragging the files it will move instead of copy. Either that or command.




I am not sure what the default settings are but I don't have a hot corner set up for Spaces. But when I want to change a space I use the cmd+arrow keys



Got to Mail Preferences - Rules IIRC and check there for the colour settings


I used Onyx when I first started using OS X however I have not used it in ~2 years. Never found the need for it, the system keeps itself running nicely.

Congratulations on getting you mac and dont forget to keep asking questions? That is how we all learn after all.

i love shortcuts too.. yesterday when my friend was playing with my mac and said how can i get back to the previous page or section, i kept using shortcut keys and she was saying how do you remember all these new shortcut keys?

sometimes even after you pressed the dock icon it doesn't appear tho.. i dunno why.. thinking of just using 2 spaces now, less confusion.. one for internet, music, cal, and etc, and the other for Adium and finder..

i don't know what's causing the crashes, sometimes it application crashes, sometimes it is the entire OS.. i am not really sure, but it did crashed!! what is system wide lockup/kernel panic?

i have the office mac 2008, but really it is no where near to microsoft office 2007 tho.. and besides that i have no idea about the shortcut keys yet for wording applications.. i will go look it up later tonight..

thanks for the command+drag hint.. now i have learned something new..

yea.. everytime i run onyx i questioned myself, is this really helpful?? but once i get a crash, i will use onyx straight away.. just to make sure everything is running alright.. still new to MAC..

thanks for the tips and advise..

 

[timestoby]

im new to mac aswell and have had for a week and a half and i havnt had any crashes etc,but mines a whitebook the only thing i hate is that when i have multi apps open and i dont minimize them to go into the dock,i have to minimize the web browser down in order to access the other windows(but some apps i can just click on that app in the dock and it goes to the front,to where i can access it like in windows,but sometimes i cant. and if you have a folder from the machd and drag that folder to the dock and you decide you delete the folder in the dock that the original folder also gets deleted.

i havent really used any of the other things like ivideo etc yet,but will eventually

the os is great,but i wonder if i should have gotten the newr mb cause of the graphics,i should have went forward with the graphics bit not backwards lol.

 

[DannyBres]

When i first started using OSX i wasnt all the impressed after forking out £1000. Mainly due to the lack of maximise and the way yu have to minimise things and as u said sometimes clicking the dock doesnt work.

But OSX is different from windows u have got to get the Minimise/Maximise mentality out of ur mind and realise that Expose is soo much better and that its the best way to app switch!

 

[mattyb240]

Ive had my MBP a month now, and the only crash I had was with itunes due to some of my music files being corrupt. Other than that I have everything open running flicking between spaces and never had an OS crash. Is your system fully updated?

I thought office keys were he same apart from you use CMD instead of CTRL? I could be wrong though.

But over all I love this beast! Hope your experience continues to grow!

 

[AdeFowler]

If you don't like Spaces turn it off. However, if you choose to stick with it, here are a couple of tips:

Don't close windows. i.e. leave Mail's main window open, leave a page open in Safari.
Press F8 (the default) to see an overview of all Spaces.

 

[AdeFowler]

the only thing i hate is that when i have multi apps open and i dont minimize them to go into the dock,i have to minimize the web browser down in order to access the other windows

Don't minimise apps. Some alternatives:

use Exposé or Spaces, or;
press Command+H to hide the current app, or;
press Command+tab to switch to the app you need
press Command+Option+H to hide all other apps

Hope this helps.

 

[svndmvn]

don't wanna sound like a fanboy, but it's not windows so I think everyone agrees there's definitely something wrong if it's crashed on you that many times..got a pattern of the whole thing? the only "heavy" apps I've used that didn't really slow my mac down but actually made it less responsive have been iTunes and iPhoto,both cases due to corrupt files,and it is possible you've been transfering a lot of files and such, so unless it's due to a hardware problem and you'd need to go the apple store,try and fix it..

 

[tongteh]

hmm... my common running applications are safari(normally around 10tabs), itunes, mail(3 mail accounts), Cal, Adium and another word application(pages, office word, or those sort).. well, the most recent crashed i had was this morning while updating the camera "thing"(can't recall the name), the whole OS just froze.. i can't do anything at all, so i did a hard reboot. the last one i remember is something similar but not from an update, i think it was from iTunes.

note: anyone else have oily left command keys??

edited: from all the applications i mention above, it normally takes up to 2/3 of my memory(iStat), i am considering upgrade to 4GB of RAM.. it will cost a quite a lot here in Australia...

 

[svndmvn]

so,it's iPhoto and iTunes that made your system crash? have you managed to update them later?try not doing other things while updating..

 

[tongteh]

yea highly probably.. i have updated it already, the second try went on smoothly.. when i first use the mac i thought i would never experience crash that's all, guess i am too naive.. BUT in comparison to my windows desktop, this is really great already..

 

[svndmvn]

yea highly probably.. i have updated it already, the second try went on smoothly.. when i first use the mac i thought i would never experience crash that's all, guess i am too naive.. BUT in comparison to my windows desktop, this is really great already..

it should be great and it's usually hard to have a machine crash on you but it's quite easy to understand the causes,that's kinda the difference between the two systems..I guess once you update all your applications and start using just the safe ones you'll see you won't have crashes that often,I had a rev A white macbook,used it for almost a year,no crashes, just VLC giving me headaches but that's all my fault..and iPhoto/iTunes with a many files processing,especially if some are corrupted may give my powermac some problems,rarely need a hard reboot,and the good thing?back up in a minute and 20 seconds

 

[tongteh]

what about safari? do people normally crash with safari?? i got one of those back in Uni a few days back.. it was really bad cause my friend was right beside me and i kept telling her MAC is sooo much better..

 

[mrmayor92]

what about safari? do people normally crash with safari?? i got one of those back in Uni a few days back.. it was really bad cause my friend was right beside me and i kept telling her MAC is sooo much better..

dont use safari use firefox

 

[Mercurox]

Keyboard shortcut for moving files

Cut has long be a thorn in the side of the OS X experience. I cant test this right now (as on a windows machine) however I believe that if you hold down option/alt when dragging the files it will move instead of copy. Either that or command.

Hi, I am new to Mac too, missing the Cntrl X for cut (moving files) in Win (dirty word, I know ) and I have tried option/alt, cmd when dragging files, it doesn't work , any suggestions? (I use MBP, someone said it requires pressing the Function key as well, I have done that and it still wouldn't work!)

 

[Freyqq]

-iWork 08 is so difficult to use, i think i will watch the video tutorial soon in order to get the hang of it. it's completely different coming from MS office 2007 and i have to say i like office 2007 much better(just my honest opinion)

-crossover(i got it while it was free, LUCKY!!)

If you have crossover, you can install office 2007 (windows version), or office 2008 (mac version - don't need crossover for that). I have office 2008 and its fine. I'd recommend office 2008 over 2007.

 

[netnothing]

Hi, I am new to Mac too, missing the Cntrl X for cut (moving files) in Win (dirty word, I know ) and I have tried option/alt, cmd when dragging files, it doesn't work , any suggestions? (I use MBP, someone said it requires pressing the Function key as well, I have done that and it still wouldn't work!)

The default functionality for OS X is as follows:

- dragging a file on the same volume, the default action is Move
- dragging a file between volumes, the default action is Copy (you get the green circle with the +)

- dragging a file on the same volume, to copy instead of move, hold the Option key.
- dragging a file between volumes, to move instead of copy, hold the Command key (the green circle goes away).

-Kevin

 

[netnothing]

If you don't like Spaces turn it off. However, if you choose to stick with it, here are a couple of tips:

Don't close windows. i.e. leave Mail's main window open, leave a page open in Safari.
Press F8 (the default) to see an overview of all Spaces.

Completely agree, the whole point of spaces is to keep app windows open in their respective spaces.

I couldn't live without them. I use 8 right now, and for the most part don't have any issues. Cmd+Tab or clicking on the icon switches me to the space with the App.

I have 2 apps (Finder and Adium) set to be shown in all spaces.

To the original poster, make sure you are assigning an App to an individual space. That way, that particular app will always open and stay in that space.

You can also set a hot corner to activate spaces. I use lower left....that way I drag my mouse to the lower left, and spaces overview is shown and I can select a space. Also, set the option to show the little spaces icon in the menubar to be able to easily select spaces.

Other than a few quirks, I couldn't live without them.

-Kevin

 

[netnothing]

i don't know what's causing the crashes, sometimes it application crashes, sometimes it is the entire OS.. i am not really sure, but it did crashed!! what is system wide lockup/kernel panic?

A kernel panic is very obvious. The entire screen will go grey and you will get an image like this:

-Kevin