I have recently (very recently) purchased an 11" (refurb) MBA, the 2012 model; for those who are interested in the salient details, (and I have to assume that anyone reading a MBA sub-forum is) the specs are 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, and an i7 core. It is a lovely computer, zippy, blazingly fast, ultra portable, a lovely responsive keyboard, and a very sharp screen.
My one problem is the trackpad. I am of the old generation, the world that grew up on Windows, and the mouse, right and left clicking (which is one of the few functions that I still like on a Windows keyboard) and so on.
Indeed, when I first switched to Mac, I found the lack of a right click a nuisance; I know that there is a Mac short cut (which I have forgotten and which, on my first Mac, a MBP, I had placed on my desktop as a file with relevant differences, to remind myself of what I needed to know when switching to a Mac).
Now, the reason for creating this thread, is that a new problem, - or challenge - on my brand new blazing fast MBA confronts me, and it is this: I miss the space bar (which used to be on my old MBA), and I am having astonishing difficulty working out how to use the trackpad. Trackpad gestures are not 'intuitive' (at least, not to me), and I find myself getting frustrated at how surprisingly difficult formerly familiar tasks seem to have become.
Sigh. Yes, I know that this is 'the future' and that touch screen are seen as the way 'to go' (although I bought a small keyboard for my iPad, as I prefer a proper keyboard for any sort of serious writing). Anyway, a reminder, or suggestions, as to what gestures do what, or how to I achieve formerly familiar outcomes (scrolling down has become a nightmare) would be most gratefully received. Otherwise, perish the thought, I shall be compelled to take a flying leap into the past, and contemplate the purchase of a mouse, a device I have not used (even on Windows machines) for nearly a decade.
My thanks in advance to any and all who take the time and trouble to reply.
My one problem is the trackpad. I am of the old generation, the world that grew up on Windows, and the mouse, right and left clicking (which is one of the few functions that I still like on a Windows keyboard) and so on.
Indeed, when I first switched to Mac, I found the lack of a right click a nuisance; I know that there is a Mac short cut (which I have forgotten and which, on my first Mac, a MBP, I had placed on my desktop as a file with relevant differences, to remind myself of what I needed to know when switching to a Mac).
Now, the reason for creating this thread, is that a new problem, - or challenge - on my brand new blazing fast MBA confronts me, and it is this: I miss the space bar (which used to be on my old MBA), and I am having astonishing difficulty working out how to use the trackpad. Trackpad gestures are not 'intuitive' (at least, not to me), and I find myself getting frustrated at how surprisingly difficult formerly familiar tasks seem to have become.
Sigh. Yes, I know that this is 'the future' and that touch screen are seen as the way 'to go' (although I bought a small keyboard for my iPad, as I prefer a proper keyboard for any sort of serious writing). Anyway, a reminder, or suggestions, as to what gestures do what, or how to I achieve formerly familiar outcomes (scrolling down has become a nightmare) would be most gratefully received. Otherwise, perish the thought, I shall be compelled to take a flying leap into the past, and contemplate the purchase of a mouse, a device I have not used (even on Windows machines) for nearly a decade.
My thanks in advance to any and all who take the time and trouble to reply.
