Filed under: Switchers

Joshua Piven's The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook sits on my desk. The book provides instructions on how to deal with certain scenarios, say wrestling yourself free from an alligator or landing an airplane. What it doesn't provide, however, is a guide for going without your Mac and using a Windows-based PC, which is a worst-case scenario for many TUAW readers. What if I was forced to use a PC notebook? What would I use?

A friend asked how to get her music, photos, and documents from her PC to her new Mac.

There was actually a "Get a Mac" ad about this called Off The Air. In the commercial, the services was described as being free. I called Apple and was told that yes this is still available and free -- but I think the person I spoke to was wrong. Apple's "Why Mac?" FAQ says that this is now part of the One to One service, which is $99 and only available when you buy a new Mac. Apple also has an article entitled Switch 101: Migrate Your Files or Your Windows System which is also designed to help.

If you can't use One to One, option number two is to copy files from your PC to an external hard drive, connect that drive to your Mac, and move the files over. If you already have an external hard drive, this is a great idea. Even if you don't have one, it would be a good idea to invest in one so you can later use it for Time Machine.

Option number three is to copy files over a local network. This has the advantage of being free, assuming you already have a local network setup.

Read on for instructions on moving files over your network...

One of the adjustments those new to the Mac need to make is to familiarize themselves with the Command key. Although I switch hit and use Windows at work and a Mac when I'm not working, I've always preferred it over Control. Its proximity next to the space bar allows me to use my thumb, as opposed to my pinky finger with the Control key, for keyboard shortcuts. I find it particularly faster for copying and pasting.

The clover-looking key (it's actually an infinite loop), which had always been accompanied by an Apple logo until recently, sometimes behaves in ways similar to the Control key in the Windows world. At other times, however, it doesn't. Whether you're a recent Mac switcher or a seasoned Mac user, here are some shortcuts using the Command key to help you speed your way through tasks.

Every now and then I'll have an "I never knew about that" moment as I come across a setting or nuance in Mac OS X that I never realized existed. Take, for instance, character viewer, which allows you to display a variety of characters in your document. Whether you're a switcher or seasoned Mac veteran, here are five tips that could help improve your Mac experience.

Previously, I've mentioned that, despite their similar DNA and file interoperability, Microsoft Office for the PC and Mac are different in their own little subtle ways. This is part function: for example, Microsoft Excel on the Mac uses the 1904 date system, while its PC counterpart uses the 1900 system. But it's also part form. Upon first launch, Microsoft Word and Excel on the Mac present a more palette-oriented user interface, with a "toolbox palette," when compared to their pre-ribbon Windows counterparts. For some, this difference in UI schemas may serve as an annoyance.

Though I'll be using Word for this example, you can also make these changes in Excel using the same steps. To make Microsoft Office on your Mac look more Windows-like (pre-Office 2007, that is), first close the "toolbox palette." Next, click on "View," and then click on "toolbars," where you'll be presented with a host of toolbars to choose from. Despite a myriad of choices, choosing the "standard" (which is already selected by default) and "formatting" toolbars provides you with the most similar UI layout to that I've often seen in Microsoft Word on a Windows machine.

While it would be reasonable to assume that wanting to get rid of the toolbox palette would be more applicable to new PC-to-Mac converts, this isn't necessarily so. Regardless of one's sentiments toward Microsoft, most offices are, well, Microsoft Offices running on Windows. A consistent looking Word and Excel on our Macs could better facilitate one's workflow.

John Gruber of Daring Fireball recently wrote an essay about quirks and user confusion around the application install process on Mac OS X. He had read a post from Alexander Limi's blog about the Firefox install experience, and decided to address it as a system-wide discussion.

After this, Andy Kim posted the methods The Hit List follows for installation -- when it's run from a non-standard location, the app asks if it should move itself to the Applications folder. Andy has placed his code for moving the app into the public domain so that other developers can take advantage of it.

With so many ideas around application install strategies, we wanted to take the time to examine the current app installation structure and propose an idea for how it could be better. You could ask, "Why does it matter where my app is installed?" OR "What if I don't want my applications in Applications?" If you're asking the first question, we suggest that you read on. If you're asking the second question, you're probably pretty obsessive about app organization and this post will be covering old ground for you.

What installation methods exist at the moment? The majority of Mac app installations would fall into these categories:

• Disk image installers
• Disk image drag-and-drop
• Archive drag-and-drop

• Convert Outlook schedules, appointments, and tasks to iCal
• Convert Outlook contacts to Address Book
• Open nested messages in winmail.dat files
• Translate notes from Outlook
• Let you read delivery status and read receipt messages