A Switchers Blog
 

Hi all:

Due to unforseen circumstances (aren't they all??), I'm gonna have to contain my excitement until the end of the month. Although terribly disappointed at having to wait a little longer to switch from a PC to a Mac, I figure I'll take this time to learn more about my Mac before I plunge in... & perhaps help other new mac users while I'm at it by sharing my resources and questions in a weblog-like post :)

Yesterday while browsing the web for Mac tutorials, I stumbled into Atomic Learning's site and found a really great link for newbies like me who are - er, will be - switching from a PC to a Mac. It's a Free Mac Os X Orientation conducted visually and audbily in short QuickTime movies. It has 36 mini-tutorials of tips and basic "How To's".

Atomic Learning's site also includes example tutorials for Adobe Applications, other Apple Applications, Macromedia Applications, Microsoft Applications (including Word X & Excel X), and a bunch of other Nifty Apps. You can easily jump between the tutorials by using the 'jump to tutorial' pull-down menu located at the top of each section.

There are just a couple of free sample lessons for all/most of the programs, but you can Purchase a Subscription for as little as $50 to get access to the entire database of tutorials. That's pretty cheap if you consider how much you're likely to pay for books & magazines (like I went & done at Barnes & Noble's last night).

I picked up 2 magazines, MacFormat and MacWorld. Both are based out of London, so all of the advertised prices are listed in pounds and not dollars (an interesting change for US natives), but their articles are really quite helpful.

As a bonus, both magazines come with 2 disks each, chock full of kewl utilities and tutorials. And if you Subscribe now, MacWorld is giving away a Mac Os X Hands On Training manual free with your paid subscription. From what I can tell, every magazine issue comes with the 2 free CD's. Who doesn't love that??

And while you're at it, Subscribe to MacFormat, too. The issue I bought has a MacOsXHints section which includes neat ideas from this forum, edited by
Rob Griffiths, MacOsXHints.com creator. I'm not sure if he's an editor of every issue - I hope so - but I'm subscribing to the magazine anyhow :)

While I was at Barnes & Noble, I also picked up 3 books. Right now I'm reading Teach Yourself Visually Mac Os X v10.2 Jaguar, and it's awesome. Just about every step you need to make to do or undo something is not only spelled out but also displayed for you in a pictures. Of course, it doesn't cover all the topics, but for people like me who have never used a Mac before, it's a really useful guide.

I also picked up a copy of Mac Os X Hints Jaguar Edition: The 500 Most Amazing Power Tips, which was edited by the Mac world's (appearantly) most knowledgable & talked about fellows, Rob Griffiths & David Progue. I have yet to crack the binder, but I skimmed the chapters and it seems like it'll be really informative.

And I figured while I was at it I'd pick up a copy of Mac Os X All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies. Again, I have yet to read it, but it claims to have "7 books in one", and I enjoy reading the '... For Dummies' books.

In a flash of genius (sort of), I decided to utilize my Yahoo Briefcase as a way to have easy access to some important files and my favorites after my switch. You obviously need to have a Yahoo account to use the feature, but it's as simple as adding a new private folder and uploading your important files. To export your favorites just click File at the top of your Internet Explorer and choose Import and Export. My browser opens up a Wizard in which you can choose to Export Favorites into an HTML file and save it to a specific folder in your My Documents folder. After you upload the file to Yahoo, you can click the file to see a clickable list of links to all of your current favorites.

This step (of uploading files) could probably be spared if my computer were acting as it should. You may want to look into just transferring your files via UsB port after you get your Mac, or saving your files to a disk first.

Which reminds me. I plan on purchasing a new HP Printer. I'm sure there'll be instructions on how to set it all up, but I was wondering.. do the printers connect to a Mac via UsB or through a serial port?

I have also noticed that there are so many keyboard shortcuts you have to remember. What's great is that you can run or operate virtually any program or movement using either the Command key (aka the Apple key), the Option key or the Control (Ctrl) key, without ever reaching for the mouse. I've read that using mouse that has both a right & left clicker (my personal fave is Logitech's Optical Mouse) is a little easier... but will right-clicking give you the same or similar options that using shortcut keys does? I've also read that holding down the single-click on the Apple mouse is like right-clicking. Anyone want to share their personal experiences? And is there a site that lists all of the shortcut commands so I can study 'em?

Thanks for allowing me to share. More to come in the next installment :)

~Brandie

edit :: note : I love how different-yet-similar Mac OsX is to what I'm used to. It's impressively simple to learn the basics (from what I can tell so far), and the design of everything is so user-friendly. Plus, it's all so damn cute! lol :p

Re: A Switchers Blog
 

Brilliant post - keep it up - it took me half an hour to write three paragraphs of my (quasi) weblog this evening lol.

And in answer to one of your questions: try this page.

Dave: Good luck on your blog! Checked it out. Looks like it'll be an interesting read.

I began reading the Mac for Dummies book I mentioned above, and low-and-behold, there's a quick reference pull-out page just inside the front cover listing a few of the most often used keyboard shortcuts(!). Also, the book repeatedly mentions the shortcut keys making memorizing them a bit easier.

I also noticed on MacFormat's site that Rob is indeed a contributor to every issue (yay!), and that the free disks come with every issue (woohoo!!). I would imagine MacWorld's free disks are the same based on this bit of info.

~Brandie

Brandie, I imagine, with the degree of enthusiasm you seem to have developed, that you wont have any problems at all becoming familiar with the mac. And what you can't find in the magazines you'll find here or elsewhere online :D

Re: A Switchers Blog
 

It's almost the end of the month - did you get one yet?

..is this a new Switchers commercial?



:p

iUpdateMyBlog pt. 2
 

Nope, haven't gotten one yet, Dave. But it's so close I can smell it (well, I could if my allergies weren't acting up).

My boyfriend saw the new ad for the G5 and now wants me to upgrade my intended purchase. Aesthetically speaking, I prefer the G4. It's cute, it's bubbly, an overall joy to view at any angle - IMHO - whereas the G5 is a little more .. well, flat.

Sure, his arguments for speed & power are good ones, but travelling 105mph in a Pinto feels the same (not accounting for comfort, & only if a Pinto could go that fast, of course) as 105mph in a Lamborghini, no? I mean, 105mph is really just 105mph... ain't it?

I have on hold a Powermac G4 with a 2x1.42GHz DP processor, with a 2MB L3 cache, 167MHz system bus, a 64MB ATI Radeon 9000 Pro DDR SDRAM graphics card, a 120GB hard drive and a DVD-R SuperDrive. Will a G5 be that much more noticable in speed & power than my current configuration?

I plan to use my Mac quite a bit for school, the bizness, genealogical research, music playing, website building, and other fun mind-numbing activities. With that in mind, I opted for the 20" Apple Cinema Display. I plan to use the Logitec mouse (see my 1st post for details) I went ahead and bought after reading about it's kewl features & Mac compatibility. I'm keeping my Bose speakers (though I love those little round ones.. so damn cute I could bite 'em) and I'm hoping they'll work [anyone know if they're compatible with a Mac?].

Question: Do I have to purchase the keyboard seperately as well? I like the Apple Pro keyboard... I've seen a few wireless models, but I didn't care much for them. Are there other options I should be aware of?

Okay... so I digress. back to the topic.
I haven't gotten my computer yet, but as you know I've been doing my homework [Mac homework, anyways.. :rolleyes:] & finding out all I can before I get it home. I got the July & August issues of MacWorld, plus the July issue of MacFormat. I followed some of the links they offered, and while I am learning so much fantastic stuff, I've learned that I have a predilection for icons & fonts... and I'm addicted to free stuff (need I even mention the disks you get with each magazine purchase..??).

But seriously, I'm having a super time preparing for my new Mac. You guys'll be the first to know when I get it, after we decide which model to settle on :p

I've also taken this research time to prepare my list for Santa. I figure it's July.. close enough. I've created for him a list of Mac software and gear that I'd like. And yeah, I've been a good girl. <wink, wink, nudge, nudge>
I thought I might share with y'all:

1) a 30GB iPod - you say excessive, perhaps..? I say that, in conjunction with Apple's new iTunes Music Store, it's me doing my part to aid in the greater good of society in these days of a fledgling economy.

2) Failing that, I want EyeTv - there are a few televisions shows I love to watch; on HBO it's Six Feet Under and Sex & the City. I like to watch Showtime's new series Dead Like Me. And on CBS there's The King of Queens.. all good shows worthy of encores.

3) UsB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive - I've lost [data] & lived to tell about it... barely. So it seems like a smart thing to have.

4) AquaMind's NoteTaker - chaos comes in waves, organization is key. Bonus gift (why the hell not?) would be the VooDooPad... choices are good things to have.

5) Adobe Design Collection - I've come to the conclusion that InDesign would be best suited to suit my web design abilities, which is a fraction above advanced WYSIWYG.. I can create sites entirely in HTML code, such as with BareBones BBEdit, I mean I have the know-how. I just prefer to design visually.
This collection also includes PhotoShop, Illustrator, and Acrobat Professional.
And, if Santa's feeling especially charitable this season, I wouldn't mind some training help to get me started with all these new programs.

6) Microsoft Office v.X: Mac - an office must-have... comes with Entourage, Word, Excel, & PowerPoint.
Hint, Hint: AppleWorks & SpellCatcher would make excellent companions to the Office suite.

7) And finally, I'd like an Iris Business Card Reader - I'm always losing track of business cards, thereby losing contact information for potential business associates. That's just wrong. Why suffer if you don't have to?

There are quite a few more titles I'd like to ask for, but I think 7 (give or take a few) is a nice round number for Santa to handle this year.

Alas, since we all know that Santa is not real (we do, don't we??), I'll probably be ponying up the cash for this great stuff... It's all good. I'll end up paying for it either way.

Well, that concludes my input for the night. I've been down with an acute case of bronchitis which doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. It's taken me 2 days to write this blog (with a Rip Van Winkle-like nap in between) but I enjoy coming here and sharing with you folks. It takes my mind off the chest pain :)

~Brandie

If you can afford it I'd go for the G5 - it is a more capable machine - but, with your intended uses for the machine, you probably wouldn't notice that much of a speed difference.

And well done for writing such a thorough answer while in the middle of being ill - such comprehensiveness isn't conducive to you gaining MVP status but it does make for interesting reading.

Add LaunchBar (awesome launcher) and DiskWarrior (awesome data recovery) to your list, great utilities.

hmm
 

how many posts would I need to get out of prospect status?

I plan to be around here for a bit, so I figure eventually I'll move up :)

Re: hmm
 

I'm not sure: MVP is 1000+ and All Star is 500+ - you'll get there in the end ;)

Yah, just keep posting like this!

what ever happened to quality over quantity..? IMHO -- It's not the number of posts that determines if the poster can or will contribute to the conversation. It's the quality of information that's presented or observed........ ain't it?

this does not mean, however, that I won't consider using multiple short iUpdateMyBlog posts to add to my quota ;D

I agree,

quality

over

quantity.

:D

Perhaps a better measure would be the posts-per-day one? For example, Jaques has 1.11, and I have 2.00 ;) :D

Jacques must be bored this morning.

WurdLuvrGrl, you go for quality every time. That's why you're switching, after all. ;)

A thought came up since this thread is about a blog. I've never blogged, can anyone recommend a free blogging (that word is strange!) program?

I
may
begin
one
soon.


:eek:


Thanks!

Here's a Versiontracker search for blogger. Alternatively, you can easily do it by hand providing you have some server space to upload it to. I use BBEdit to code mine - once you've got a basic template for the page it's relatively straightforward.

blogger
 

There also another site called Blogger where you can easily publish a blog to '[yourhandle].blogspot.com' for free.

I have one there, but I have yet to devote some attention to it. It's funny. As a kid I always had the worst time trying to keep a journal of my thoughts. I'd jot in notes in little burst of energy for days on end, then it'd taper off. It'd be weeks before I picked it up again. There never seemed to be enough time to do the things.. (wait, that's the song.. where was I?) ah yes. I never seemed to have time to write in my journals. I was forever busy doing something.

So, after a recent failed attempt to keep yet another journal [I have no idea why I have this impulsive desire to "write it all down", but I have a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with my organizational habit..], I decided to start an online journal. I love the idea of blogging becuz you can include links to your stories so you can get a real sense of the persons emotional state, what's making 'em tick today? type of thing. But, in the tradition of years past, I have yet to add to my blog since I first posted it.

See for yourself :)

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has this problem.. right??

~Brandie

WurdLuvrGrl, just wanted to say thats. I recently made the switch to a Mac (still have a windoze machine here but not used any more) and reading your threads has helped.

Just a real simple question but what is a 'blog'?

Blog is short for weblog; the online equivalent of a diary.

Cheers djn1. You learn something new everyday.

Funky Larma, I'm happy you're benefitting from my posts..!

:cool: