Any good Mac guides?

Archives Forums/MacOS X Discussion/Any good Mac guides?

Genexi2(Posted 2007) [#1]
Just got my MacBook Pro today, and trying to get used to its setup (and keyboard).

Having a few problems just due to the OS differences between it and WinXP, wondering if there's a decent guide that shows how to operate and get around the OS easily.

On another note, anyone know how to get that Fn (Function) key to toggle? Would more prefer my F-keys do their typical operations rather than their alternate functions.
(which all seem to be related to changing volume/screen brightness and etc)

[EDIT] Ah that's nice, Leopard's toted BootCamp program doesn't even boot-up WinXP properly for me.
(good ol' hard disc errors)


JazzieB(Posted 2007) [#2]
On another note, anyone know how to get that Fn (Function) key to toggle? Would more prefer my F-keys do their typical operations rather than their alternate functions.

It's under System Preferences for Keyboard (I think, on my PC at the moment, but it's there somewhere!).


dawlane(Posted 2007) [#3]
Look for Mac OS X the missing manual by Pogue Press/O'Reilly, there should be one for Leopard now.


Winni(Posted 2007) [#4]
On a Mac, what you call the alternate functions of the F-keys are in fact their typical functions. Mac applications don't use function keys at all, that's a Windows thing. After a while on OS X, you will find it very disturbing if for example F4/F5 don't change the volume, but will instead do... nothing.

I don't know what you mean about BootCamp. Despite the name, it won't boot WinXP for you; it will just help you resize the OS X partition and boot the XP installation CD. Once XP is installed, you can choose the startup partition either in System Preferences/Startup Disk or you press the alt key when you hear the system gong when you turn on your Mac. This will show you a boot manager in which you can select a startup volume.

Coming from XP, it'll probably take you around two weeks to get used to OS X. The best advice is: In OS X, think straight forward, without all the detours that Windows imposes on you. On the Mac, you usually don't do Copy-Paste or right-click-save-as. You just drag and drop and things usually are where your intuition tells you where they should be. In some regards, however, Leopard was a step-back and the developers changed some things just for change's sake, not because they made more sense. The new dock sucks. But other things, like the Finder, improved.

Anyway - welcome aboard and enjoy your MacBook Pro! :)


Genexi2(Posted 2007) [#5]
@dawlane

Was hoping for more for something I could read online, bit short on cash to purchase a physical book atm.

@Winni

How was the old dock like btw? Quite enjoying the one here in Leopard, but never messed with the one in Tiger much since the first thing I did after booting up was using the OSX upgrade disc...

Anyhow, getting used to control-clicking here (can't be bothered to find a flat surface to put my USB mouse on here), loving the track-pad, especially the two-finger scrolling, works like a charm in Mac OSX.
(albeit finicky under WinXP, finally got the thing to work, the partitioned drive wouldn't boot-up at all under FAT32, had to reformat it as NTFS)

One thing about installing apps, is it seriously just dragging the app's icon from the .dmg file onto your harddrive and that's it as far as installing go?


JazzieB(Posted 2007) [#6]
One thing about installing apps, is it seriously just dragging the app's icon from the .dmg file onto your harddrive and that's it as far as installing go?

In most cases, yes. It really depends on how complicated the application is and whether it needs to use files from other locations or various other things set up, such as file associations. Some programs, such as MS Office, have a proper installer. The utility to create an Installer comes with OSX/X-Code, or you can go down the DMG route for your own projects, as most do.


Genexi2(Posted 2007) [#7]
.............this OS is really making my years spent learning the ins and outs of tweaking/fixing Windows feeling obsolete; the approachability of Leopard is insane.

Mac: "Need to update your apps? No prob, hit Apple menu, and Software Updates"

PC: "Need to update your apps? Go to your app's provider and follow through the links on their site to be led to a third-party to deal with public queue lines and slow download speeds. Oh, and you have to install it manually yourself, have fun!"


Winni(Posted 2007) [#8]
Genexi2, the old dock was not transparent and had little black arrows underneath the active applications. I think that was more helpful than the new graphical gimmicks. The menu bar also was not transparent.

The should have added hierarchical program groups instead of that fancy-but-good-for-nothing stuff. I have a ton of applications on my Mac, and the dock is just a mess for sorting so much stuff.


Garfield(Posted 2007) [#9]
I´m loving my MacBook more step by step..the reason is the handling of Leopard...
All the past years and the whole day I´m working on my VAIO because of my Store-Software is based on Windows Server and a database on this, and my whole workflow is based on Outlook and those pc stuff, but the rest of the day I´m sitting on my MaBook and wondering how easy it is to use funny and fluffy and great things on a operating system. I think I won´t change to VISTA because it seems like an additional of an additional of graphic gimmiks, never as easey as OS-X it will do.
Not all is nessesary on an OS like Leopard it will do, but f.e. the spaces is a hit! It was never as easy as this to change bitween open tasks, tell an application on wich space it have to open and use ctrl +arrows, the ALT-TAB combination is definely out !
And the iChat with builtin remote control of a desktop.....it´s never easier to show a customer or a friend what he have to do on his computer
and almost everything works without thinkin deep on the sytem structure..
try the coverflow inside a network with the preview of almost all documents !

But hey, I´m an apple reseller, I have to tell those things...........NO.... my first own apple (not the apples in my showroom and the hundred I´m sold), is these MacBook I´m writing on and it is 6 month old!
I´m writing my bmx applications f.e. database manipulations, data uploads for my webstore and those things on my Mac and use it on my VAIO.
XP installed (bootcamp) with applications on an FAT32 partition to have access to my databases if I`m not in my office or at a customer is guaranteed a surprise, everytime I´ll open windows on this computer....

@winni I´m thinking the same about the new dock, the small balls are not enough to show whats open..

..want to know about my business ? --> <a href="http://www.3-xberlin.de" target="_blank">www.3-xberlin.de</a>


Genexi2(Posted 2007) [#10]
Quick noob question, how do you flip between the open windows of the currently active application?

I keep wanting to command-tab about my convos in my IMs (as I do in Windows) but end up putting my web-browser in view.


eni(Posted 2007) [#11]
Command + ` to switch between open windows of the currently active application, or F10 to use Exposé on the currently active application.

Additional suggestion: http://adiumx.com/