Windows to OS X…how did you find it?

Pretty much as title, I’m trying to get my head around OS X on a Macbook Pro and struggling a bit. How did people find it?

Everybody I know who has gone to Mac appears to like it, but so far I’m not feeling the love. Safari doesn’t appear to always be great, and connecting up an external monitor led down a path of hacking initialisation files to get it to work properly, which is something I’d hoped to leave behind.

Any tips on getting up the learning curve? I’ve just started a new job, so I’ve probably not picked the best time to switch, but at the moment I’m getting pretty frustrated with it.I’m getting the feeling I need to learn a fair few keyboard shortcuts to get the best out of it.

Fine. Took a few days to learn all the gestures (I use a trackpad on my imac) and some of the software takes some learning (Pages, Numbers) but now Microsoft seems awfully basic when I use it at work.
Take some time to learn it and you’ll be fine. Fight it or try and use it like Windows and you’ll be disappointed.
I can’t recommend using a trackpad enough, either. So much nicer than a mouse.

connecting up an external monitor led down a path of hacking initialisation files to get it to work properly, which is something I’d hoped to leave behind.

Erm…why?

As for Safari, I’ve used Chrome for as long as I can remember.

For shortcuts: https://www.apple.com/uk/support/macbook/new_user/

I made the jump 5 years ago at home and now that I have my own business we use all Apple gear.

When I first got my Mac I too struggled to work out what all the fuss was about but the more you use them the better they get.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been rebranding our company paperwork and the ease that I can prepare really nice document templates with Pages is just streets ahead of Word. Not too sure about Numbers so still use Excel most of the time.

Printers just work without loads of time consuming loading of drivers.

And you n all this time the only thing that has ever crashed any of my Macs is Tesco’s website!

I’ve never gotten away with Safari. Even on Windows – XP, Vista, 7 – I used and became very comfortable with Firefox.

With my MBP I use a second monitor – Dell U2413f – which is connected via the Thunderbolt/Mini-DisplayPort to HDMI. It’s plug-and-go and never had any set-up other than calibration. Why exactly are you having to hack into things? What monitor?

What I found with OSX was that I needed to do less, but that obviously I had to learn the new routes. For all that Apple has the geeky label, I find that OSX is less-computery, for want of a better term, and that I feel like I’m using programs rather than a computer. Software installation is simpler and the folder/file system is largely hidden, unless you specifically want access. For applications that you use regularly, put them in the dock at the bottom. Remove anything that you don’t use often.

Command-space is your No.1 short cut. This opens Spotlight – top right – and you start typing the thing you’re after. Then just press ‘enter’ when Spotlight highlights it.

Go into System Preferences and then into the Trackpad settings. Look through the options for swiping/gestures and let them teach you what’s what. I found that Apple’s ‘natural’ scrolling was actually unintuitive for me and deselected it – navigation immediately became for comfortable. Play around with the gestures and it’ll help you learn your way around.

Is there anything in particular you’re struggling to settle with?

Found the unified menu bar annoying and stupid, but it’s always been like that, and found the Ubuntu one annoying and stupid too when they copied the idea (but at least there was an option to put it back)
the command (or is it option?) and a letter instead of ctrl-c (etc.) similaryl stupid, but at least theres not a windows symbol on the keyboard.
one mouse button was always daft. never made sense back in 1984, and didn’t make sense in 2010 either. fortunately add on mice and trackpads work.
best thing to do with safari was forget it was there and install another browser. ironically based off the same rendering engine as safari 😉
the photoviewer was stupid, and always insisted on some animated to music viewing of photos.

sure everything “just worked” (apart from the 2-3 kernel panics), but tbh… “it’s just a computer”, there’s nothing special about it, nothing fancy, no real extra hardware quality, no real extra software quality (any more). It’s just a bit different.

wiped mine and installed Linux in the end. not kernel panics (blue screen equivalent) since.

one mouse button was always daft. never made sense back in 1984, and didn’t make sense in 2010 either. fortunately add on mice and trackpads work.

The Apple wireless mouse has left and right click and also scrolling and gestures. It’s also rather beautifully in appearance.

The Trackpad also has numerous options with single, two, three or four-finger options.

once I got the hang of the trackpad on my macbook and learned how good spotlight is (CMD+Space) then I haven’t looked back.

Every now and again I open up MS Office and die a little inside as it takes me through the 10,000 step update process (why should I care where you’re installing the updates? Just install them!)

the logitech mouse also has the normal array of buttons for a fraction of the price.
I prefer not to need lug peripherals about with a laptop though.
although I understand newer models have some kind of fancier built-in trackpad.

i’ve just got myself a MacBook Pro, after years of Windows use and being rude about Apple. To be honest, i’m finding the transition far easier than I thought I would. OK, I may not have discovered everything yet, but so far, so good.

I actually like Safari: I don’t think it’s any better or any worse than the other browsers; just different, which makes a nice change.

It probably helps that the MBP makes my Dell laptop look and feel like an old, rusty barge.

I prefer not to need lug peripherals about with a laptop though.

Nobody has suggested carrying or using a mouse. I was just letting you know that you may have overlooked the complete functionality of the Apple mouse you hate so much.

The monitor worked (it’s a Dell 27″, can’t remember the exact model no), but wouldn’t display at the native resolution. Googling it found other people with the same problem with that monitor.

Have you switched between ‘Scaled’ and ‘Best for Display’ in System Preferences > Displays?

Yes, some details here…

Dell U2713HM full resolution problems on OSX Mavericks

(although I have not tried it yet, I’m away from home at the mo)

Just tried cmd+space,,,,nice!

don’t hate the mouse. indeed the only thing I hate is Windoze 8.
I just prefer a functional mouse with all the functions of a mouse, and what shipped with mine had a very useful button (2 buttons even) missing.
Who cares what it looks like when it’s obscured by my hand.
Functionality >> Looks.

Apologies in advance if I offend Apple fanbois.

It’s just a computer+OS, that’s a bit different, with some very clever marketing.

I just prefer a functional mouse with all the functions of a mouse, and what shipped with mine had a very useful button (2 buttons even) missing.

No it didn’t – You just need to go into settings and make whatever changes that you prefer – including setting-up the right hand side of the pad to act as right mouse button, and/or selecting the two finger tap as right-click.

The trackpad actually has more functionality than a traditional mouse (if you choose), you just need to go into settings and set it up.

mine had a single mechanical button

mine had a single mechanical button

Ok, so your machine is from 2009 – I’m sure the OP found your insights helpful though.

Pages is just streets ahead of Word

To be honest that is a low bar. Word is an awful program.

I like finder – stuff is in a nice logical structure and doesn’t have shortcuts and alises all over the place. OSX seems a lot les bloated than windows too 🙂

Word is an awful program.

No it’s not, it’s great. Assuming you know how to use it. Libre/Open Office, however…

Found this comment a bit weird, too:

For all that Apple has the geeky label, I find that OSX is less-computery

Apple has the geeky label? Really? I always thought it was Windows for office workers, Apple for hipster designers, and Linux for geeks?

I use word infrequently, but I’m still very impressed with it. It’s superbly designed and refined over the years, and you can buy it and a load more besides for £80.

I think Finder smells. I use Path Finder.

the command (or is it option?) and a letter instead of ctrl-c (etc.) similaryl stupid, but at least theres not a windows symbol on the keyboard.
one mouse button was always daft. never made sense back in 1984, and didn’t make sense in 2010 either. fortunately add on mice and trackpads work.
best thing to do with safari was forget it was there and install another browser. ironically based off the same rendering engine as safari

All of that is basically ‘I’ve not used a Mac before and expected it to be just like my Windows / Linux machine’. Though I sort of agree with Safari. It has got better though. So I guess that makes me a fanboi.

Can’t get on with touch pads at all (I think 15 odd years of trying on various OS is long enough) but any old mouse works perfectly.

Everything else is about a days fiddling about.

There is always the possibility it isn’t for you. This will result in either a) burning at the stake OR b) elevation to sainthood depending on who you tell. At least the resale value will be high.

Finder is utter shite, I just don’t get why Apple don’t improve it a bit.

Also networking is pretty cack in OSX, I have a complete Apple set up at home, including remote drives and if a drive goes to sleep and you try and access it, it will completely lock up the Mac until the drive awakes, which is a really crap design.

It also endlessly keeps rediscovering the same MacBooks and thinks they are new, so in Finder I get a list like:

Ben’s Mac
Ben’s Mac (1)
Ben’s Mac (2)
Ben’s Mac (3)
Ben’s Mac (4)
Ben’s Mac (5)

only one of which actually works and you have to guess which one it is. The same thing happens on the iMac and both Macbooks, all bugs from the latest OSX.

All of that is basically ‘I’ve not used a Mac before and expected it to be just like my Windows / Linux machine’

fair enough if you defect and stick entirely to one platform and one OS.
I swap between Linux, OSX, Windows, Solaris, VMS, keyboards of various layouts, mice with varying numbers of buttons. There are certain “standard” tasks that over the last several decades have morphed in to a single standard way of doing things. Except one. Sure it’s very similar, but it’s different.

If I used entirely OSX on Apple hardware I’d probably get frustrated on the one day I borrowed a W8 machine.

And all these big corporations (Apple, MS, Google, Yahoo) go on about “experiencing” an OS. I don’t want to experience anything, I just want it to be there in the background allowing me to work.

And the Sun keyboard was best.

It would be great if we could keep the thread positive (like Three Fishes spotlight search suggestion). Anybody have any more tips or point me at resources to start getting a warm feeling about OSX?

I’ve bought the laptop now, I’m determined to make a go of it. I’ve used Window’s for 20+years, so it only reasonable to expect that a different OS is going to require some work to get the best out of it.

I made a bit of progress last night (programmer mode on the calculator and Command-Shift-3 for screen shots).

Command-Shift-3

I keep forgetting that and end up trying all combinations with the number 3 till it works….

It would be great if we could keep the thread positive (like Three Fishes spotlight search suggestion). Anybody have any more tips or point me at resources to start getting a warm feeling about OSX?

Get Better Touch Tool, it’s free, and make OSX your own.

http://www.boastr.net/

…plus it gives you window snapping, which you’re probably missing coming from Windows.

I made a bit of progress last night (programmer mode on the calculator and Command-Shift-3 for screen shots).

If you run Grab, just search for it in Alfred Spotlight, then you can have a few more capture options:

Command Shift 4 for grabbing a section of the screen. Pointer changes to a cursor, highlight the area you want and takes the photo when you release the mouse button.

I made the switch back in 2009, it took a little while to adjust and there are lots of features in OSX which take time to discover. The magic mouse or a trackpad are required to make the most of OSX with the various scrolling and zooming gestures

Hold down shift when you hit the yellow minimise button.
Also, MagicPrefs adds a whole lot more to your mouse or trackpad. i.e. on the mouse you can set the apple stem as another tap spot. I use it for launchpad.

Another useful feature and shortcut is in Finder. Command-T will open a new Finder tab, like in a web browser. Means you don’t have several Finder windows open. You can drag folders/files between tabs. Make use of the favourites list at the left to for easy access to folders.

The Command-Click is also a good shortcut. In Finder, pressing Command when you click on a folder in your favourites and it will open in a new tab. Likewise, in a web browser, Command-Click will open a link in a new tab.

Hold down shift when you hit the yellow minimise button.

I like it – bit trippy…

Not to derail the thread, but a lot of these features and tips also work on Windows. Spotlight, for example; just hit the Windows key and start typing. I can’t remember the last time I actually used the Programs menu as a menu (aside from having to use Server 2003). Any hassle with printer drivers I can only assumes refers to XP (which is twelve years old), almost everything is plug&play these days and what it doesn’t understand it’ll go to Windows Update for.

Dock = pin. Screen grab = Print Screen button / alt-PS snaps the current window / Windows-S launches the clipper if you’ve got OneNote installed. Ctrl-click opens in new tabs (as does the middle mouse button), shift-click opens in new window.

just hit the Windows key and start typing

Also works in Ubuntu. I think it was a Windows invention no?

Windows-S launches the clipper if you’ve got OneNote installed

The snipper tool comes free with Windows 7 and is very good.

Also works in Ubuntu. I think it was a Windows invention no?

Dunno, first time I saw it was a third-party app called Launchy.

The snipper tool comes free with Windows 7 and is very good.

Yeah, but you have to manually set a hotkey if you want one, the OneNote one does it by default. Mostly I use alt-printscreen and Paint.NET for trimming, which is a bit old-school.

No it’s not, it’s great. Assuming you know how to use it. Libre/Open Office, however…

I never mentioned Libre / open office?

Yeah, but you have to manually set a hotkey if you want one

I like pinning it to the taskbar, myself.