I made my biggest impulse purchase EVER yesterday and bought myself a new Powerbook. I’ve never ever owned a Mac before and I’m sort of getting the hang of it but it’s all a bit confusing.
So, what tips can you give a Mac newbie to make the switch a little bit easier?
Anything would be appreciated, especially simplified explanations of how things work compared to windows. I’ve got a brand new toy but I get the feeling I’m not using it to it’s potential in terms of efficiency and such. So, what does a mac newbie need to know to get off the ground with one of these things?
I’m pretty sure the aliens do WiFi.
Not sure how to help with the OP without more info. Are there any applications you’re particularly interested in? Music? Photography? Writing? Programming? Narrow it down a bit.
One bit of advice for a switcher is that you might be happy getting an external three button mouse for desktop use. The applekey-click and control-click variations can be a pain sometimes until you get used to it.
There’s a section in the Help titled “Switching from Windows” that might be helpful. (In Finder, go to Help → Mac Help or command-?).
Get Mac OS X: The Missing Manaul by David Pogue. Make sure you get the right version: there’s one for Jaguar (apparently out of print), one for Panther and one for Tiger - as I understand it the one for Tiger won’t be out until July.
Second the mouse suggestion - even though I love Macs, the “one-button” mouse idea stinks on ice. Also suggest an external keyboard.
And something like this: it lets you prop a laptop up at an angle, raising the screen to a useful height. Saves a bit of desktop acreage, too.
How many USB/FireWire ports does your PB have? You might want to get a hub or two.
Tool around the Apple discussion fora to ask questions and see what questions other people have asked (and see the answers to those questions, of course).
If you’ve got a USB printer that you used w/your PC, it should work with your PB. It might take some tinkering, but it should work (and I emphasize the “should”).
If you’re not using your old PC, jack the monitor into the back of your PB (assuming the PB has a monitor port) - instant dual monitor setup! You might have to go into System Preferences → Displays and click “Detect Displays” to get it to register.
If you are using your old PC, get a USB-capable KVM and hook your PC and PB together through it. I did that when I had to have a PC for school work - I was able to use the same external monitor, keyboard and mouse on both my Pismo and an old Gateway. (Hint: if you do that, don’t use the same desktop picture for the PC and the Mac - that way lies confusion.)
What kind of connection do aliens use, anyway? Is it compatible with USB 2.0? What about FireWire? Do Greens and Greys use the same communication protocals, or do I need a seperate network card for each? And (assuming Starbucks has already placed an outlet in every cruiser-size and larger starship in the fleet) how much does WiFi access cost in deep-space?
You can drag any drive or folder to the right side of the Dock, next to the trashcan. Now right-clicking (or control-clicking or even clicking and holding a bit) on it will bring up a menu whereby you can navigate that folder or drive. Somewhat akin to the Start menu in Windows.
I recommend doing this with your Home folder. If you do, try the following for extra convenience: Create an alias of the Applications folder. An alias is like a shortcut in Windows. Do this by opening a Finder window and locating the Applications folder on the root level of your hard drive. Right-click (or control-click) and select Make Alias from the resulting contextual menu. Now drag the alias to your Home folder. (Once there, you can remove the word alias from its title. To edit a title, click on it, wait a second then click again. Now it can be renamed.)
Presto, instant access to all the important spots on your hard drive from the Dock.
