Itchy Hands

How to switch to Mac

Macs have been getting really good press lately and is becoming so popular that every other contest in Malaysia is giving out iPods or Mac Minis as prizes. And now, lots of people are contemplating the big switch. Having switched less than a year ago but already having to reformat my iBook twice and wearing out its’ keys, I’ve learnt some useful things that may be useful to new switchers.

Buying a Mac

The first step to switching is of course to go out and buy a Mac. Buying a Mac is generally easier than buying a PC because of the fewer options. With so many PC vendors its very easy to get confused while looking for that perfect deal. With the Mac, there’s only Apple. In addition to selling Macs, Apple also designs, tests, create software and put together the Macs you’ll be buying so you can be sure that every Mac you buy is a quality product running on a stable platform. By the way, did you know that Macs never crash?

The main thing you’ll consider is price. If you’re getting your first Mac, I suggest sticking to the lower-end models (the ones without the word ‘power’ in their names) just in case you really can’t get used to the Mac, in which case your investment wouldn’t have been too big. If you’re not in a real hurry to get your Mac, it’s also a good idea to check out the MacRumours Buyer’s Guide to have an idea if the model you want to buy will be updated soon.

One sticking point about buying Macs for PC users is the price. Macs are generally more expensive than PCs, or at least that’s the case here in Malaysia although I think it’s the same in most countries. But what I always tell my friends is that you have to see the Mac as more than just a machine. Buying a Mac is about thinking different, about being part of a lifestyle that is known as the ‘Cult of the Mac’. Perhaps some would prefer running OS X on cheap PC boxes when the Intel version is released next year, but generally Mac fans are connoisseurs of style and appreciate the fine and detailed design of Apple hardware. It’s the same reason you would choose an iPod over the cheap brands, or a BMW over a Proton Perdana. Ahem

Getting to know OS X

So you finally got your Mac and its time to get acquainted. The first thing you realise when you boot up the Mac operating system, OS X (that’s “OS Ten”, ‘X’ = 10 geddit?), is that it’s quite different from Windows. The first tip I have is to get it in your head that OS X is not like Windows, let’s make that absolutely clear. If you’re a Windows power user, don’t expect that you’ll just ‘figure out’ OS X in a day. Cosmetic differences aside, OS X is way different under the hood as well. Be prepared to re-learn ways of doing things, and be prepared to take more than a week to get used to this brand new operating system. Almost a year later, I’m still learning how to use my Mac.

First thing you’ll want to master is working with windows. I use both Windows and OS X on a daily basis and I have to say that window management in OS X is simply better. In Windows, all running application and its related windows are represented by a button in the taskbar, even if the application is not active. This behaviour is the main cause of what I call “taskbar overcrowding syndrome”.

App windows are revealed only when you need them

In OS X, inactive application windows are hidden. Application windows are only revealed when you Ctrl-click or right-click a running application icon in the Dock. A better way to switch between windows is Expose, OS X’s method of window management. By default, pressing F9 reveals all open windows, F10 reveals all windows within the current application and F11 reveals the desktop. You can even set mouse gestures to activate Expose. If you’re interacting with a Mac for the first time you simply have to try Expose. Just hit F9 and you’ll be blown away by the simplicity and style of how OS X manages windows.

Here’s a tip: click to select a file and hold down the mouse button. Then hit F9 to reveal all windows and simply drag and drop your file straight into any folder or app.

To quickly switch between apps, use Cmd+Tab. It’s similar to Alt+Tab in Windows except that it only cycles through apps and not windows. To cycle through windows use Cmd+~. Used in conjunction with Expose, OS X beats Windows anytime for window management.

One feature I love in OS X is Spotlight search, which is the advanced desktop search engine for the Mac. Spotlight doesn’t just recognise files by their names but it also knows the ‘who, what and why’ of the file. For example, type “date:yesterday” to show a list of all files you opened yesterday. Spotlight is only available in version 10.4 and above of OS X.

Something else to adjust to while switching is installing applications. Most applications arrive in a disk image with a .dmg extension. If you double click that disk image, it will ‘mount’ onto your Mac’s desktop. Then you can open it like a normal folder and you will find the application inside. To install it, just drag the application into your Applications folder. Others come with installers. In that case just double-click the installer, OS X will double-check with you by requesting your password, and your app will be installed. To uninstall apps, simply drag it into the Trash. No uninstallers, no hassles, no worries.

Another thing which catches Windows users by surprise is that moving a folder on top of another with the same name will replace the folder and not merge them like in Windows. I’m telling you in advance, but every switcher gets caught by this at least once. You’ve been warned!

Customising your Mac

Now that you’re acquainted with OS X, lets move on to customising your Mac. First step – go get a two-button mouse with scrollwheel. They work fine with Macs and it makes the switch much easier.

Finder is sort of the equivalent of Windows Explorer. I like to enable icon previews in Finder, meaning I can see a thumbnail of files in the Finder window instead of just the default icon. You can enable icon previews by switching to icon view in Finder (Cmd+1) and then showing view options (Cmd+J). Then check ‘Show icon preview’ in the options box and remember to tell Finder to apply this behaviour to all windows.

Still in Finder, you add shortcuts in the sidebar by dragging the folder into the sidebar. To remove a shortcut, drag and drop the shortcut out of the sidebar and it will (literally) disappear in a puff of smoke.

Reveal your apps by right-clicking the Applications folder in the Dock

If you miss the Start button in Windows, you can mimic it on the Mac by dragging the Applications folder onto the right side of the dock. (The left side is for apps, the right side is for files and folders). Now right click the Applications folder icon and you’ll get a contextual menu to all your applications, similar to the Start button. Alternatively, use a launcher programme like Quicksilver (more on this later).

Customise what appears in your Smart Folder

In Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, you can also create ‘Smart Folders’ by saving a search. You could search for all documents opened this week with the keywords ‘project’ and ‘work’ and then save the search as a Smart Folder. The contents of the Smart Folder will be dynamically updated everytime you add new files to your Mac.

Essential applications

Go install Microsoft Office right now. There are lots more applications I’d like to share with you but this article is getting way too long and Microsoft Office is the only really essential application you need. Let’s face it, we live in a Windows world, and we need to communicate with Word and Excel files whether or not you are using PCs or Macs.

Many Mac users will tell you that “the Mac is invulnerable to viruses!” The AppleCentre which I bought my iBook from doesn’t use any form of protection. Despite this bravado, please go download the free but excellent ClamX AV antivirus. While OS X is definitely more secure than Windows, the platform’s increasing popularity makes it a bigger and more attractive target for virus writers, and I believe its only a matter of time before I go back to my AppleCentre and tell them, “I told you so”.

The other application I mentioned is a launcher called Quicksilver. This solves having to open the Applications folder each time I want to launch an app. Try it, you won’t regret it. More on Quicksilver and other essential applications another time.

Enjoy

The last step to switching is to sit back and enjoy. Embrace the Mac lifestyle. Like I said earlier, part of the joy of buying a Mac (or an iPod for that matter) is to be part of the Mac Community. Keep learning about OS X, participate in local Mac events and read up the many Apple related websites out there. I’ve got a couple on my blogroll you may want to check out.

Last of all, welcome to the Mac world. I promise you, once you’ve discovered how great the Mac is you’ll absolutely fall in love with it. In time you’ll learn to go deeper and see how powerful OS X really is. I hope this article has covered most of the issues that new Mac users face. If there’s something more you’d like to know do feel free to comment. I’ll be posting more Mac articles in the future too so keep coming back!

More resources on switching:

• HOWTO/Switch to the Mac – The Tao of Mac


• Switching to Mac OS X – MacDevCenter.com


• Apple – Switch


• Apple Support – Mac 101

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 4th, 2005 at 4:27 am and is filed under Apple. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.