IN CASES WHERE you’ re a Home windows user, don’ t convert the page.
This isn’ t going to be some annoying “ Gee, isn’ longer the Mac great? ” and “ Why I find the Mac over Windows” articles that Apple buffs have inflicted on other world for years. I’ ve had my fill of – and they don’ t get any benefit, even though I’ d a Mac user today.
I’ m writing this column for players like my colleagues Rome, an important long-time Windows user so, who recently bought an iBook, and Connie, who dreams of obtaining one free from the dog editor.
Windows users differ from novices. Shaped by simply years of experience, they approach your computer expecting to do things within the certain way. Dissonance sets in should they find that the common tasks they utilized to perform on Windows are do not available – or, as more often than not the case, accessible from a different set of requires. Here then, is a number of practical advice from anyone who’ s been inside trenches.
Delete. The “ delete” key for the Mac doesn’ t operate like its Windows comparable version. Instead of deleting the character to the right with the cursor and closing in the space, the Mac delete works for instance the backspace key. To obtain Windows-style delete, hold along the “ fn” key element before hitting the remove key.
Of Mice as well as Macs. Apple only recently discovered the main benefit of a right mouse mouse. Don’ t fret. Any old USB optical mouse are appropriate. I personally prefer a fantastic wheel to the very little button on Apple’ erinarians Mighty Mouse. Just such as Windows, you can right-click while on an icon to activate some context-sensitive menu. On the notebook touch pad, accommodate down the “ ctrl” key and click on an icon to see the same effect.
Windows Advertising Player. Forget Windows Media Player in the Mac. The reviews have been completely rather bad. In truth, forget QuickTime, which won’ longer play AVI or WMV recordsdata, and won’ t go full screen if you can't upgrade to a payed off version. Download VLC Advertising Player (http: //www. videolan. org/), a free multi-platform application that will do the above and play Videos, MP3 and MP4 files to start. For some reason, VCD playback is without a doubt choppy, so for used MPlayer (also free) or possibly QuickTime.
iTunes, ShmyTunes. Many of us swear by iTunes, but if you happen to don’ t have any iPod, you’ re almost certainly better off using VLC Media channels Player to play ones own music. It’ s a lesser amount of intrusive – it won’ t offer to scan your harddrive for songs, try to market you music, give you unnecessary specifics of licensing or eat together more disk space by means of duplicating your songs in the liechtenstein directory. It will only just play your sweet audio. On an iBook, VLC may even play music louder.
Archive associations. So how ever tell a Mac to help you always use VLC towards play your AVI and also MP3 files? Easy. Right head over to any MP3 file plus choose “ Get Info” belonging to the context menu. In the actual “ Open with” component, choose VLC player. Then click on the Change All button to make use of the same file affiliation everywhere else.
Finding goods. Finding files on the Mac is a challenge if you’ re would once Windows Explorer. Macs find Finder, which has fine differences. The sidebar in Finder isn’ t simillar to the folders view for Explorer, which gives a hierarchical view of ones own directory. The top 50 % of Finder shows you everything that drives – including those for the network – that you are able to access. The bottom 50 % of the sidebar contains techniques to folders and files you utilize often. While you’ re also still familiarizing yourself by means of Finder, try using Lens, a powerful search utility that will you find what you require quickly. Just click on this blue and white icon at the top right portion of that screen and type. Spotlight will quickly guess what you deserve.
Ways to skin any Mac. With the practical exception of games, most Or windows 7 applications have Mac counterparts. Just like, there’ s no Mac version of definitely the BitTorrent client, uTorrent, but a tool called Transmission does a similar job very well. You can get versions of MS Office to the Mac, of course, though there’ s also the freeware equivalent called NeoOffice. The FTP program I personally use them on XP, WS FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL, isn’ t available for the Mac, but I’ ve gotten Cyberduck working just ok. Instant messaging? Forget Yahoo or MSN Messenger and uncover Adium.
Just about all I still can’ t jump on the Mac these days is really a free version of Freecell that’ s as slick as this comes with XP. Usually are not says everything is better on the Mac?
