I've decided to go with the 933MHz iBook. I've played around with the display units at the local CompUSA (where they know NOTHING about Macs, but that's another story), but I'm just still kinda leery of the way OSX does things and how different it is from WinXP. What's the learning curve like when moving from XP to OSX? Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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Switcher-to-be seeking advice
- Thread starter Chris1127
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It gets a bit confusing at times, if you depend on the Start menu a lot. You need to gather your most-used items and put them in the dock so you don't have to search through folders for those things. It's a bit like the Start menu's primary menu--you'll have one click access to them. Once you realise that you don't use something often enough, you can remove it from the dock.
There are personal folders for music and photos and that sort of thing. Where you have a Documents and Settings folder in Windows, you have a Documents folder for documents and Library/Preferences folder for settings.
Rather than clicking on the close box in the main window, you should use Command-Q or the menu with the application's name to quit. Mac OS X doesn't have the concept of a main window and therefore, doesn't contain a menu or a way to shut down the application. Since there is no main window, your menu is always at the top of the display.
Some of the keyboard shortcuts you may have used were copied from the Apple Human Interface Guidelines: Cmd-C/Ctrl-C is copy, Cmd-X/Ctrl-X is cut, Cmd-V/Ctrl-V is paste and so on. Of course, the control key combinations relate to Windows and the command key combinations related to Mac OS. There are more but many vary by application but you should find that any shortcuts under the File and Edit menus will not change.
There are personal folders for music and photos and that sort of thing. Where you have a Documents and Settings folder in Windows, you have a Documents folder for documents and Library/Preferences folder for settings.
Rather than clicking on the close box in the main window, you should use Command-Q or the menu with the application's name to quit. Mac OS X doesn't have the concept of a main window and therefore, doesn't contain a menu or a way to shut down the application. Since there is no main window, your menu is always at the top of the display.
Some of the keyboard shortcuts you may have used were copied from the Apple Human Interface Guidelines: Cmd-C/Ctrl-C is copy, Cmd-X/Ctrl-X is cut, Cmd-V/Ctrl-V is paste and so on. Of course, the control key combinations relate to Windows and the command key combinations related to Mac OS. There are more but many vary by application but you should find that any shortcuts under the File and Edit menus will not change.
When I got my first mac I was moving from windows 95 to Mac OS8.6. After two weeks I had learnt most of the basics, and was able to confidently use the Mac OS. i found it fairly easy to pick up, and I should think Mac OS X will be quite intuitive too. I've got friends that have switched and they have found it quite easy. There are some good books on switching that you may wish to look at.
The ways you do things are more the same than different. There are a few significant differences but you figure it out quick. When I switched I was comfortable with the OS after about 2 hours. I was proficient in a week or 2. I was walking on water within 3 months.
btw, Windows disgusted me after about 2 days on OS X.
btw, Windows disgusted me after about 2 days on OS X.
me and my girlfriend both swiched to macs in this past year, and we both agree that learning how to do things with OS X is much simpler than with Windows; she even told me that she now knows how to use a computer but with Windows she had no clue....honestly i think after a day or two of using your Mac you will be comfortable with it and the best advice i can give you is to spend time and explore your mac...find out where everything is and how things work it will help you in the long run!
Good Luck!!
Good Luck!!
Switcher!!
We are a mac-only office, so it is fairly common for new employees to become 'switchers'. For most people, given a week, they love using macs. We have had a couple people who, while it wasn't Mac OS X that detered them, were dismayed after finding out how minimal Office v.X was in comparison to Office for XP. But as far as usability, the switching is relatively painless.
We are a mac-only office, so it is fairly common for new employees to become 'switchers'. For most people, given a week, they love using macs. We have had a couple people who, while it wasn't Mac OS X that detered them, were dismayed after finding out how minimal Office v.X was in comparison to Office for XP. But as far as usability, the switching is relatively painless.
All I know is that one of my best friends has a legendary ability to crash any computer just by looking at it the wrong way... except for her iBook.
I still don't let her touch my iBook, just in case it's only because she has a personal relationship with her computer.
I still don't let her touch my iBook, just in case it's only because she has a personal relationship with her computer.
I found the best way to learn the Mac is to just use it... with practice OS X becomes very simply very quickly. Just playing around after making the 'switch' was enough for me..
Also, The Missing Manual book for Switching to the Mac was a great help. Written by David Pogue, it illustrates issues with OS X in ways that former windows users can understand. Very helpful guide..
Good luck and enjoy!
Also, The Missing Manual book for Switching to the Mac was a great help. Written by David Pogue, it illustrates issues with OS X in ways that former windows users can understand. Very helpful guide..
Good luck and enjoy!
KBFinFan said:
The number 1 rule is to think logically...not windows logically, and you will catch on fine. Rule 2 is to plug in a 2 button mouse or get used to using control.
The rest is similar enough to windows you will learn fast. OS X is very consistent.
Chris1127 said:
You really shouldn't find it that big a learning curve but I would recommend that you pick up either one of the Switcher manuals (Windows to OSX Panther) or a Panther OSX guide at the level of your computing experience. Go for a visual one if you don't use computers much OR have to get spouses etc to learn who are not too computer literate.
There are a couple of magazines out for Panther at present which give a nice basic introduction if you dont want to splash out for a whole book.
the curve isnt steep at all, within a few weeks you should be really comfortable with it, things are simple to do and work pretty much as advertised. you might wanna buya book about tips and tricks of os x if you really wanna get deep into it
abates25 said:
Office v.X has so many features that I never, EVER use... I'm curious as to what they're missing from the windows version. I can't imagine software that's even *more* bloated than Office v.X
it depends on how much you know about computers. i switched from 5 years of IT and NT admin work with everything from win 95 to NT and XP and minimum work on linux machines. i cought on and fell in love quickly. my younger bro how is an avid gamer but doesnt do much else on computers was able to pick up OS X quickly when i let him use my old iBook. my dad (old guy still thinks hes living in the 70s or 80s, and one time took a computer class where he turned in assignments on punch cards) was able to pick up and use basic fucntions (like opening a program on the dock instead of a 'start' menu) quickly but he is still having trouble with more 'complicated' options like setting various personal prefs.
which ever catagory you may fall into, im sure you will enjoy the simplicity and power of OS X.
which ever catagory you may fall into, im sure you will enjoy the simplicity and power of OS X.
Chris1127 said:
The thing you will love to hate is Steve Job's pride in not giving the stock macs a second mouce button
, you don't realise how much you use the "Right-click" function in windows. There is a way around it, I think it's by pressing "option/alt" or buying a USB mouse (which I recomend)virividox said:
No it's not really steep as such, (there's alot of wank factor about the OS,) it's more just getting use to how it works as opposed to what your use to.
Opteron said:The thing you will love to hate is Steve Job's pride in not giving the stock macs a second mouce button
Yep, the One Button mouse only demonstrates that Apple's pride (Job's pride) holds Apple back from providing users with ALL the best tools. I sorta hope that they relent and bring out that iPod wheel like mouse that was patented last year (?) and talked about in Mac mags. Anything to improve the simple and quick access to menus and options is what should be driving them, not keeping a tradition out of some ill formed feeling that they would betray their origins by producing a multfunction mouse.
Thanks for all the help. I got David Pogue's Panther Missing Manual the other day and have been reading through it whenever I get the chance. (If you haven't gotten that book, btw, I HIGHLY recommend it.) That's helped me a LOT with my decision.
I'm planning on getting Bluetooth module BTO and then getting the BT MacMice mouse when it comes out (in April?). Of course, I don't know if I'll be able to go that long without my right-click.
Like you, I'm an IT guy. I spend my days troubleshooting Windows. So I'm not too fond of Microsoft.
And like Microsoft knew my plans, Internet Explorer crashed while I was typing this post, so I had to go back and retype all of it. As if I needed another reason to make me want to switch. lol
Opteron said:
I'm planning on getting Bluetooth module BTO and then getting the BT MacMice mouse when it comes out (in April?). Of course, I don't know if I'll be able to go that long without my right-click.
wPod said:
Like you, I'm an IT guy. I spend my days troubleshooting Windows. So I'm not too fond of Microsoft.
And like Microsoft knew my plans, Internet Explorer crashed while I was typing this post, so I had to go back and retype all of it.
As if I needed another reason to make me want to switch. lol
Chris1127 said:Of course, I don't know if I'll be able to go that long without my right-click.
I'dve considered myself an irredeemable right clicker on my PC. The first couple of weeks I had my PB, I kept a old 2 button mouse plugged in.
A month later, right click? huh? I find myself at work trying to use Apple shortcuts rather than right clicking... Don't miss it at all - I think the PB trackpad is more accurate for close-work than the mouse ever wasl
I really only took me two hours to be fluent in OS X the first time I used my Mac.
I think that learning to use OS X is one of the easiest things to learn (right up there with Pig Latin)
I think that learning to use OS X is one of the easiest things to learn (right up there with Pig Latin)
i switched you should too
I am an extreme pc user and am more than good with them. I just recently took the leap into mac and let me tell you i will never go back to a pc in my home again. Everything works like it should, there are no headaches nothing to worry about my ibook just works when i need a computer to work on. Computing actually becomes fun instead of just something that you do day in and day out. Take the leap like i did and also if your local CompUSA doesn't have a dedicated apple rep then i would go somewhere else, i work at a CompUSA and our rep is on the the best people i have found with mac and our sales people aren't too bad either. Anyways best of luck.
p.s. I would start out with the 12" ibook g4 as it is the cheapest of the bunch, just max out the ram and you have one powerful computer!!!
I am an extreme pc user and am more than good with them. I just recently took the leap into mac and let me tell you i will never go back to a pc in my home again. Everything works like it should, there are no headaches nothing to worry about my ibook just works when i need a computer to work on. Computing actually becomes fun instead of just something that you do day in and day out. Take the leap like i did and also if your local CompUSA doesn't have a dedicated apple rep then i would go somewhere else, i work at a CompUSA and our rep is on the the best people i have found with mac and our sales people aren't too bad either. Anyways best of luck.
p.s. I would start out with the 12" ibook g4 as it is the cheapest of the bunch, just max out the ram and you have one powerful computer!!!
i remember when the "switch" commercials came out a few years back and how people would talk about Windows OS being "in your face all of the time", and how it "got in the way". I didn't really agree with them at the time, but once i spent a couple days with OSX, i could come to see exactly what they meant now that i could compare.
I think that the ease of use and reliability of OSX makes its learning curve extremely soft. Just the other day i had to boot up my girlfriend's PC to change the wireless router password (every 2 weeks like a good boy) and just navigating through windows to accomplish that one simple task was more of a headache now (that i've used OSX) than ever.
your apprehension will turn into excitement within the first 24 hours of using OSX.
I think that the ease of use and reliability of OSX makes its learning curve extremely soft. Just the other day i had to boot up my girlfriend's PC to change the wireless router password (every 2 weeks like a good boy) and just navigating through windows to accomplish that one simple task was more of a headache now (that i've used OSX) than ever.
your apprehension will turn into excitement within the first 24 hours of using OSX.
i just got my ibook933 6 weeks ago, and i love it so far. i'm a techie guy, and i'd used OS7-8.6 in school. and then i'd had limited experience with OSX. i was a little worried about the learning curve myself, but i was willing to risk it for the advantages (power, longetivity, BATTERY LIFE--5 1/2 HOURS?!) that i saw over the PCs i was so devoted to for my entire life.
my own experience is that you get used to the mac way of doing things really quickly. in fact, within 3 weeks, i found myself dragging my mouse to the corners on windows computers, and trying to use alt+c/alt+v to copy or paste. i can't even count the number of times i've tried to close windows using alt+w.
there are things i miss, like a right mouse button. i have a two-button mouse at home, and when i'm on the road, my control key and i get to be good friends. if i may, OSX is a lot less mac-ish than the older OSes...partially due to the un*x elements in it. so familiar things like file extentions are there to greet you.
overall, you'll have a pretty easy time if you spend a day or two exploring. and as an IT guy, i know you will!
my own experience is that you get used to the mac way of doing things really quickly. in fact, within 3 weeks, i found myself dragging my mouse to the corners on windows computers, and trying to use alt+c/alt+v to copy or paste. i can't even count the number of times i've tried to close windows using alt+w.
there are things i miss, like a right mouse button. i have a two-button mouse at home, and when i'm on the road, my control key and i get to be good friends. if i may, OSX is a lot less mac-ish than the older OSes...partially due to the un*x elements in it. so familiar things like file extentions are there to greet you.
overall, you'll have a pretty easy time if you spend a day or two exploring. and as an IT guy, i know you will!