I finally losing my PC and switching to iMac. Any suggestions on some great websites where I can learn mac skills.
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New iMac on the Way
- Thread starter DaveAri
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Congrats, a fine piece of equipment you got.
If you are new to the platform, I would recommend looking at a few of the screencasts by screencastsonline. They have a lot of free screencasts that is IMO very informative and well made.
They have a paid service as well, but the stuff you need as a newbie on the mac is pretty much free to peruse.
www.screencastsonline.com.
If you are new to the platform, I would recommend looking at a few of the screencasts by screencastsonline. They have a lot of free screencasts that is IMO very informative and well made.
They have a paid service as well, but the stuff you need as a newbie on the mac is pretty much free to peruse.
www.screencastsonline.com.
The best advice I ever received when I switched was "do not expect it to be Windows".
A good thing to remember is that to install a program, you must copy it to the Applications folder. Keyboard commands are the same, except you use the Command button, not Control.
Google for some nice apps to use. OpenOffice is great (Microsoft Offce for Mac is almost unusable). VLC Player is also a must have. Unlike Quicktime, VLC can handle every video format. If you are a web developer, Transmit is an excellent FTP program (CyberDuck is a nice free one). HandBrake is excellent freeware for ripping DVDs. OnyX, Caffeine, MacLoc are some I would recommend to everyone. If you really like that new Windows 7 feature where you can snap windows into place, take a look at Cinch for Mac. It does the same thing and is really great if you ever need to compare documents (really useful if you still go to school).
A good thing to remember is that to install a program, you must copy it to the Applications folder. Keyboard commands are the same, except you use the Command button, not Control.
Google for some nice apps to use. OpenOffice is great (Microsoft Offce for Mac is almost unusable). VLC Player is also a must have. Unlike Quicktime, VLC can handle every video format. If you are a web developer, Transmit is an excellent FTP program (CyberDuck is a nice free one). HandBrake is excellent freeware for ripping DVDs. OnyX, Caffeine, MacLoc are some I would recommend to everyone. If you really like that new Windows 7 feature where you can snap windows into place, take a look at Cinch for Mac. It does the same thing and is really great if you ever need to compare documents (really useful if you still go to school).
Congrats, I'm drooling over the new iMacs. After you get used to a few differences, you'll never look back, except to scoff at people who still use pcs. 
One thing that has not been mentioned yet is if you have been using pcs forever, you are problably used to right-clicking the mouse to bring up options. Mac mice only have one button, but you can "right click" by holding down the control key as you click. I believe that the new magic mouse can be programmed to have "left" and "right" buttons as well.
Good luck!
One thing that has not been mentioned yet is if you have been using pcs forever, you are problably used to right-clicking the mouse to bring up options. Mac mice only have one button, but you can "right click" by holding down the control key as you click. I believe that the new magic mouse can be programmed to have "left" and "right" buttons as well.
Good luck!
It can. Another option would be getting the trackpad. It may seem odd, but that trackpad makes computing a lot easier, even if you have used a mouse all your life.
I love my magic mouse. I have iMac and the learning curve is much faster than windows. It makes you realize you were doing everything the hard way!
Lotus 'Symphony' is a free open source based office suite supported by IBM available for the Mac. It is a worthy MS Office alternative.
I'm new to Mac too, but coming at it from a mostly Linux background. Bought a Mac Mini here. Love using the HDMI out with the flat screen TV and shows on Hulu.
- Thread starter
- #9
Can wait to get my hands on it, I went with the 27", now I don't know where to put it. I reading David Pogue's book. PC To Mac. Its helpful.
I have a 21 and its like sitting in the front row of the movie theater. Its just too big when you have to move your head quite a bit just to see everything on your screen.
I use OpenOffice and VLC for windows. Both great programs!
Congrats, I'm drooling over the new iMacs. After you get used to a few differences, you'll never look back, except to scoff at people who still use pcs.
One thing that has not been mentioned yet is if you have been using pcs forever, you are problably used to right-clicking the mouse to bring up options. Mac mice only have one button, but you can "right click" by holding down the control key as you click. I believe that the new magic mouse can be programmed to have "left" and "right" buttons as well.
Good luck!
I don't know if I could handle not having a right click! I right click everything!
My windows monitor is a 21" After you get used to that and then see a 15" it is so tiny.
Sheesh!! 27", that's huge.
Enjoy the Mac. My only regret is I can't afford the new Macbook Air.
My mother has a 13 Macbook Pro and thats not much better than an iphone in comparison.
Using a Mac is very similar to using Windows. There shouldn't be much of a problem switching. I can think of a few differences, but after poking around for a couple hours you should discover them on your own.
Examples: The Apple icon on the left of the menu bar is actually its own menu. It has several system options including shut down, restart and most importantly the system preferences menu can be found there.
The Dock is kind of like the taskbar on Windows, but it operates a little bit differently. It has some icons on it permanently, those which you want to always be there. You can add or remove a program from the dock by simply clicking and dragging the icon onto or off of the dock.
When you click the 'x' in Mac OS, the program generally doesn't quit like it does in Windows. Instead, the window just closes. You can look at your dock to see which programs are open, as open programs will have a glowing blue dot underneath of them. This is something that still throws some people off after a while, but I wouldn't consider it that hard of a concept to grasp.
Examples: The Apple icon on the left of the menu bar is actually its own menu. It has several system options including shut down, restart and most importantly the system preferences menu can be found there.
The Dock is kind of like the taskbar on Windows, but it operates a little bit differently. It has some icons on it permanently, those which you want to always be there. You can add or remove a program from the dock by simply clicking and dragging the icon onto or off of the dock.
When you click the 'x' in Mac OS, the program generally doesn't quit like it does in Windows. Instead, the window just closes. You can look at your dock to see which programs are open, as open programs will have a glowing blue dot underneath of them. This is something that still throws some people off after a while, but I wouldn't consider it that hard of a concept to grasp.
- Thread starter
- #15
My iMac 27" in all it's hugeness has arrived. Wow is the only thing I can say. Thanks for the tips so far and PLEASE keep them coming.
I can't imagine. I already have to drag windows closer to me so I can see them.
