Filed under: TUAW Business, Mac 101
New TUAW feature: Mac 101
Mac users of all levels enjoy our scribblings here at TUAW. When you have such a diverse audience, and are so familiar with Macs yourself, you sometimes forget that not everyone is a Mac pro (ha! Get it? Mac pro? Ahh, I'm so funny). That's why we have decided to launch a new series of posts here at TUAW called 'Mac 101.' These posts are aimed squarely at those folks who are new to the Mac. We'll be sharing some tips and tricks that people familiar with Macs have been using forever, but neophytes might find handy.If you have any suggestions for features, or series, that you would like to see here at TUAW leave us a note in the comments. We're here for you, man.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Crazy Tom said 9:34AM on 4-13-2007
I've been using a mac for about a year and I've been getting better, tuaw definitely helps. One thing I have a problem with is printers; it seems like a lot of printers don't work for the mac but there's usually some sort of workaround - I just would like to know the best workarounds...
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theoldcoot said 9:48AM on 4-13-2007
I'm switching in about a week and I would like to know, since I have read that installing software on Mac's can be hazardous to the Mac if it is'nt done right, how to install software, since I've run PC's for the past 12 years.
The first pieces of software I will be installing will probaby be Parallels so that I can install Windows XP Pro and Capture NX on the Mac side.
A detailed tutorial would be nice so that i don't screw up.
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Nish said 9:46AM on 4-13-2007
This is certainly a wonderful idea put forth.....
Recently, just looking at the stats itself we know that there are a lot of new Mac users who just switched over from their PCs (obviously am one of them :)..) I think, a relative comparison of the features from Mac to Windows would actually help the neophytes grab it easily....It certainly would help me..
Thank You....
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Jamie said 9:51AM on 4-13-2007
Hope this qualifies - How do I get rich text to format consistently in mail, primarily so that it looks good on my client's windows systems. I've seen a few mails I've sent out to windows user clients and while they looked fine on my screen they look all over the place in outlook/outlook express. All I want is to type in a consistent serif font (Ariel 12pt). I'd use plain text but inserting links takes longer. I've tried this over and over and I'm still none the wiser.
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Karl Childers said 9:50AM on 4-13-2007
How about how to create ISO images from CDs?
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Flick said 9:51AM on 4-13-2007
I some useful info here:
http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/
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Andi said 9:58AM on 4-13-2007
Hi TUAW!
Nice idea, years to late for me, but even as a mac-semi-pro (~MacBook hahaha) there is always enlightening stuff on the blog.
BUT I face myself with the future of joining a no-mac company soon and it really hurts to think about fighting against M$ f.. again. However, a series about how to best survive and combine the PC@work / mac@home situation would be oh so great. I really have now idea so far and just don't want to waste any minute to investigate into windoofs issues
Keep up the good work! Andi
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Harold said 9:57AM on 4-13-2007
Great idea! I've been blogging along these lines myself and realizing that even though I've been using Mac's since day one there are still things I didn't know about. Like, the fact that you can burn Multi session CDs from within disk utility! Also I would say Automator is way under utilized.
A ready to learn no Mac user left behind "kid". Great Idea!!
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mentalsticks said 9:57AM on 4-13-2007
...and when you have created a nice little pile of tutorials on how to become a Mac pro you could bundle them and make them into a Mac book (get it? get it? hahaha! haha! i'm even funnier than you!)
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john russell said 10:00AM on 4-13-2007
Adding to what number nine said, I think some people would like to know about interconnectivity with Windows in general.
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timeswift said 10:13AM on 4-13-2007
I agree with #9/ #10. There are still all of people still afraid of Mac and Windows stuff working together.
I see this mostly with people who don't know Windows well. These are the people who don't know to run Spybot or Ad-aware on XP now and then, or who haven't heard of firefox, open source, and linux.
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Chris Roberts said 10:14AM on 4-13-2007
Hopefully this lasts longer than the last feature introduced, Little Things???
http://www.tuaw.com/tag/thelittlethings
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William Mize said 10:41AM on 4-13-2007
I switched about 6 months ago, and I'm positive I haven't even scratched the surface of what's possible.
Right now, my most pressing problem is that I can't figure out how to get a Bit Torrent client to work on my mini. I don't understand when to open the firewall, when to enable sharing, how to open or close a TCP or UDP port, blah blah blah.
I just want to watch Japanese TV shows.
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ji3000 said 10:44AM on 4-13-2007
hi, quick question - i'm about to switch and just wonder if (cheaper) software bought in the US will work on a UK iMac ?
cheers if someone can help !
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tim said 10:43AM on 4-13-2007
This is a great idea. I'd suggest you cover the topics available to .Mac members but go beyond them as well. (.Mac has video tutorials available for switchers)
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Shunnabunich said 11:27AM on 4-13-2007
Re: #3 - That just sounds like a load of FUD to me, so don't worry. Installing most Mac applications literally involves one step only: dragging the app onto your Applications folder. Applications on the Mac are actually folders which are treated as files, and they contain everything needed to run. Some huge apps, like Photoshop, do use installers (not that they couldn't package everything into a single app bundle like everyone else if they stopped being lazy), but it's not that common. Just about the only way you could put your Mac in harm's way through the act of installing an application is if you somehow think that deleting your System folder is a routine part of installation. :P
Re: #15 - Considering it'll be running the exact same operating system as every other Mac, and even in the same language, there shouldn't be any problem whatsoever running US-made software. If it has to do with wireless configuration, just make sure it doesn't violate any laws about what frequencies can be used (which can differ between countries), but otherwise I can't think of anything that would be different.
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John Bailey said 11:49AM on 4-13-2007
I'd like to find a good way of using keyboard shortcuts with F-keys to acess websites. QuickKeys is much to complex and topheavy for me. And I haven't had much luck with the keyboard shortcuts I've tried in Keyboard and Mouse menu. Any ideas? Thanks. —john
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Nick said 11:49AM on 4-13-2007
"We'll be sharing some tips and tricks"
That's a relief. When I saw Mac 101, I thought for a moment you meant aspects of using the Mac that made you feel you were in Room 101.
"'You asked me once,' said O'Brien, 'what was in Room 101. I told you that you knew the answer already. Everyone knows it. The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world.'"
http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/1984/22/
I suppose the answer to that might be the Finder.
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Nick said 12:02PM on 4-13-2007
#5 5. "How do I get rich text to format consistently in mail ...?
Have you tried composing outside Mail.app and sending your composition to Mail via the Services Menu?
You could either compose in an HTML editor and save the file as an HTML file or compose in TextEdit and save it as a .rtf file. It hardly matters which, since either will get converted to a form of HTML suitable for email when passed to Mail.
*Compose your message in, say, TextEdit
*Command+A to highlight all
*Go to the Services Menu and choose Mail > Send selection
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James M said 4:42PM on 4-13-2007
I'm two weeks into my switch from Windows and something I'd like to see is a way to move all my iTunes songs to my Mac using my iPod. I'd also like a better idea of how to change my Mac's look and feel around, a la WindowBlinds on Windows.
Another request would be software comparisons. Safari vs Camino vs Opera vs Shiira, etc. Which software packages should I be investing in or downloading?
Thanks guys.
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