1st Mac

[silverpig]

CMD + SPACE

opens spotlight. Type the first few letters of the program you want to run

saf

and it'll autofind and autofill "safari" for you

Hit enter.

It's a great way to launch apps. Opening google chrome is a simple

CMD SPACE goo ENTER

 

[manly]

CMD + SPACE

opens spotlight. Type the first few letters of the program you want to run

saf

and it'll autofind and autofill "safari" for you

Hit enter.

It's a great way to launch apps. Opening google chrome is a simple

CMD SPACE goo ENTER

A great tip.

Spotlight is one of the "hundreds" of new features (going back to Tiger) that I actually use. Most of the rest I ignore, including Lion in its entirety.

 

[Geekbabe]

9 days into ownership & I have to admit that I love this computer, it is sooo quiet, cool running & light.

 

[TheStu]

9 days into ownership & I have to admit that I love this computer, it is sooo quiet, cool running & light.

If you are anything like most of the people that I know with Apple laptops, you will never buy another PC laptop for yourself. You might get one for work (or from work), or something along those lines, but you are probably ruined at this point thanks to the keyboard and trackpad.

 

[Ns1]

If you are anything like most of the people that I know with Apple laptops, you will never buy another PC laptop for yourself. You might get one for work (or from work), or something along those lines, but you are probably ruined at this point thanks to the keyboard and trackpad.

went back to a dell laptop for gaming and i wanted to throw the damn machine against the wall.

that experiment lasted about 4 months.

 

[PeeluckyDuckee]

Congrats on the Mac Air purchase. I myself have an oldie moldie IBM Thinkpad laptop, am itching for a 13" Mac Air but will wait and see if and when Apple releases one with a higher res and more ram. Would like to see HD res with 8GB ram and 256GB SSD HD as options.

For my Apple "needs" I have a 27" iMac, which is absolutely out of this world in terms of desktop user experience. I have the best of both worlds, with Windows installed under Bootcamp, and the mobile GPU is fast enough for my gaming needs. The resolution is just perfect, enough for me to browse internet on one pane and watch a movie on the other, or have two windows open side by side simultaneously, makes for a very productive environment. Video editing on this machine is an enjoyable experience.

If you're looking to up your Apple experience, the iMac will blow your mind.

 

[Dari]

I'm using a Mac now and I don't feel the same way at all. A lot of things seem counter-intuitive. One is the awful trackpad that Apple sells separately. There are no buttons and you have to press hard for the trackpad to pick click something. I took my issue regarding right-clicking to the Genius bar and the guy there suggested making an exotic hand movement to right-click. No thanks. The other is loading backups from a WD My Book. Everytime I load a new backup, it has the exact same name and icon. This makes it difficult to tell the different backups (from different dates) apart. Nothing feels natural on this iMac. Although slow, it is pleasing to the eyes. I can't wait to fix this problem so I can return to the world of Windows.

 

[Ns1]

I'm using a Mac now and I don't feel the same way at all. A lot of things seem counter-intuitive. One is the awful trackpad that Apple sells separately. There are no buttons and you have to press hard for the trackpad to pick click something. I took my issue regarding right-clicking to the Genius bar and the guy there suggested making an exotic hand movement to right-click. No thanks. The other is loading backups from a WD My Book. Everytime I load a new backup, it has the exact same name and icon. This makes it difficult to tell the different backups (from different dates) apart. Nothing feels natural on this iMac. Although slow, it is pleasing to the eyes. I can't wait to fix this problem so I can return to the world of Windows.

2 finger tap to right click > all other forms of right click. go to settings and change it up.

re: backups, I load up timemachine and see all my timestamped backups...like this:

 

[dclive]

I'm using a Mac now and I don't feel the same way at all. A lot of things seem counter-intuitive. One is the awful trackpad that Apple sells separately. There are no buttons and you have to press hard for the trackpad to pick click something. I took my issue regarding right-clicking to the Genius bar and the guy there suggested making an exotic hand movement to right-click. No thanks. The other is loading backups from a WD My Book. Everytime I load a new backup, it has the exact same name and icon. This makes it difficult to tell the different backups (from different dates) apart. Nothing feels natural on this iMac. Although slow, it is pleasing to the eyes. I can't wait to fix this problem so I can return to the world of Windows.

Since all of those "issues" are either non issues or have obvious solutions, I'll assume you're simply trolling.

 

[TheStu]

I'm using a Mac now and I don't feel the same way at all. A lot of things seem counter-intuitive. One is the awful trackpad that Apple sells separately. There are no buttons and you have to press hard for the trackpad to pick click something. I took my issue regarding right-clicking to the Genius bar and the guy there suggested making an exotic hand movement to right-click. No thanks. The other is loading backups from a WD My Book. Everytime I load a new backup, it has the exact same name and icon. This makes it difficult to tell the different backups (from different dates) apart. Nothing feels natural on this iMac. Although slow, it is pleasing to the eyes. I can't wait to fix this problem so I can return to the world of Windows.

The exotic hand gesture is to place a second finger on the trackpad and click. Either by tapping or by clicking. Not exactly rocket surgery.

And I would argue that things are not so much 'counter-intuitive' as 'counter-to-how-I-am-used-to-doing-things'. Intuitive implies something other than how people use it (most of the time). And in this case when you go from one system paradigm that you have used for however many years to another, of course you are going to encounter problems. I found the Mac pretty easy to pick up and start using, but that doesn't hold for everything, and it wasn't without its bumps.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

I would use Quicksilver or Alfred (available on the App Store) as a quick application launcher. Sometimes, for me, Spotlight will lag when I try to use it.

 

[Geekbabe]

I'm using a Mac now and I don't feel the same way at all. A lot of things seem counter-intuitive. One is the awful trackpad that Apple sells separately. There are no buttons and you have to press hard for the trackpad to pick click something. I took my issue regarding right-clicking to the Genius bar and the guy there suggested making an exotic hand movement to right-click. No thanks. The other is loading backups from a WD My Book. Everytime I load a new backup, it has the exact same name and icon. This makes it difficult to tell the different backups (from different dates) apart. Nothing feels natural on this iMac. Although slow, it is pleasing to the eyes. I can't wait to fix this problem so I can return to the world of Windows.

I'm picking things up pretty quickly & I have to say that the trackpad on this computer is pure genius, honestly it's the 1st trackpad that I've ever liked & wanted to use.

 

[Dari]

The exotic hand gesture is to place a second finger on the trackpad and click. Either by tapping or by clicking. Not exactly rocket surgery.

And I would argue that things are not so much 'counter-intuitive' as 'counter-to-how-I-am-used-to-doing-things'. Intuitive implies something other than how people use it (most of the time). And in this case when you go from one system paradigm that you have used for however many years to another, of course you are going to encounter problems. I found the Mac pretty easy to pick up and start using, but that doesn't hold for everything, and it wasn't without its bumps.

If it's so easy why was he twisting his fingers around? Was he just showing off?

 

[alfa147x]

If it's so easy why was he twisting his fingers around? Was he just showing off?

Have you ever used a Magic Trackpad?

 

[lokiju]

I'm using a Mac now and I don't feel the same way at all. A lot of things seem counter-intuitive. One is the awful trackpad that Apple sells separately. There are no buttons and you have to press hard for the trackpad to pick click something. I took my issue regarding right-clicking to the Genius bar and the guy there suggested making an exotic hand movement to right-click. No thanks. The other is loading backups from a WD My Book. Everytime I load a new backup, it has the exact same name and icon. This makes it difficult to tell the different backups (from different dates) apart. Nothing feels natural on this iMac. Although slow, it is pleasing to the eyes. I can't wait to fix this problem so I can return to the world of Windows.

The Magic Trackpad does have buttons. The bottom "feet" closest to you are actually buttons. Need to right click and don't like touching with two fingers? Just push the bottom right corner of the touchpad. Same goes for the MacBooks built in trackpads. Just because there isn't visible buttons to click does not mean there is no physical feedback way to do so.

Of course if you're really talking about the Magic Mouse and not the Magic Trackpad that's a different story. I had that prior to a Magic Trackpad and did not like it.

 

[zerogear]

I didn't mind OSX at all, nor do I mind Windows, Debian, RHEL. I can do everything I need to do on all OSs. Didn't see the preference for any OS. On that note, I just don't like how some people who own Macs anthropomorphize their PCs to the point that they think the PC is somehow their 'friend' and that if you say anything critical about it; they'll fight you tooth and nail about it.

Glad you're enjoying the new laptop.

 

[Kadarin]

There are no buttons and you have to press hard for the trackpad to pick click something. I took my issue regarding right-clicking to the Genius bar and the guy there suggested making an exotic hand movement to right-click. No thanks.

Going to System Preferences -> Trackpad and setting tap to click and secondary click tap with two fingers was too exotic for you? Really?

 

[TheStu]

If it's so easy why was he twisting his fingers around? Was he just showing off?

It can detect at least 10 simultaneous inputs, and they have built in gestures for up to 4 fingers at a time. The guy may have been trying to also show you have various additional swipes and gestures can do other things. 3 finger double tap to look up a word in the dictionary (you double tap on the word) 3 fingers down for app expose, 3 fingers up for expose, 3 finger left/right for back/forward, 4 finger claw for launchpad, 4 finger expand to show desktop. 2 finger pinch for zoom. Double tap with 2 fingers to zoom the text on a webpage to fill the screen (just like double tap on iOS), 2 finger twist to rotate an image.

Then you get bettertouchtool and go hog wild.

 

[Ns1]

It can detect at least 10 simultaneous inputs, and they have built in gestures for up to 4 fingers at a time. The guy may have been trying to also show you have various additional swipes and gestures can do other things. 3 finger double tap to look up a word in the dictionary (you double tap on the word) 3 fingers down for app expose, 3 fingers up for expose, 3 finger left/right for back/forward, 4 finger claw for launchpad, 4 finger expand to show desktop. 2 finger pinch for zoom. Double tap with 2 fingers to zoom the text on a webpage to fill the screen (just like double tap on iOS), 2 finger twist to rotate an image.

Then you get bettertouchtool and go hog wild.

keep in mind all these are essentially keyboard shortcuts for your trackpad - this isn't supposed to make shit harder, just faster.

 

[TheStu]

keep in mind all these are essentially keyboard shortcuts for your trackpad - this isn't supposed to make shit harder, just faster.

Indeed. And I want more gestures, like maybe 4 finger left/right to navigate between tabs (I should probably reinstall BTT see if they have that), 3 finger tap to open links in new tabs. I took to Apple's trackpad like a pig to slop, like a fish to water, like a bird to wing, like a paint to a wall, like a golfer to dorky plaid pants.

 

[nerp]

Congrats on the Mac Air purchase. I myself have an oldie moldie IBM Thinkpad laptop, am itching for a 13" Mac Air but will wait and see if and when Apple releases one with a higher res and more ram. Would like to see HD res with 8GB ram and 256GB SSD HD as options.

For my Apple "needs" I have a 27" iMac, which is absolutely out of this world in terms of desktop user experience. I have the best of both worlds, with Windows installed under Bootcamp, and the mobile GPU is fast enough for my gaming needs. The resolution is just perfect, enough for me to browse internet on one pane and watch a movie on the other, or have two windows open side by side simultaneously, makes for a very productive environment. Video editing on this machine is an enjoyable experience.

If you're looking to up your Apple experience, the iMac will blow your mind.

I'm one of those people who is also enjoying the 27" iMac user experience. And it's fast enough for my gaming needs, too, which consists mostly of Counterstrike:Source.

 

[bobdole369]

Pretty much critical for me is battery life. I'm back and forth between the plug and meetings all day. So to maximize life - I found: http://codykrieger.com/gfxCardStatus
When on battery you want to be on "integrated only".

Discrete graphics mode or dynamic switching is for plugged in. Some web sites and apps will switch to discrete graphics on a whim and that kills battery life.

Don't use VMware without a ton of upgraded RAM - holy crap even a 1GB VM makes my MBP with 4GB like molasses.

Use virtualbox and 256MB vista or xp instances if you need windows with 4GB.

Turn off bluetooth and dim the screen (I like 4 bubs from left for dark outside or dim inside) for more battery life. Watch out - web pages spawn stuff that sucks batteries. Try to surf in only 2 or 3 tabs to keep it running. Turn off the pretty keyboard lights too.

TunnelBlick and DD-WRT work well together. If you install Office you get a Remote Desktop Client just like PC's for server work. Chicken of the VNC is bitchin'

I have a magic mouse but have yet to do any of the funky gestures. I just don't remeber them all or my machine is in use and I just want to make soemthing happen but its being used a lot so the gestures aren't working either. i only have a hotspot to bring up screensaver.

I use spaces extensively and am in terminal if not running crazy java apps either in VM or without so I need lots of real estate.

i find the 13" screen is JUST undersized. If this were a personal laptop I would really consider the 15".

 

[Geekbabe]

BobDole,

Thank you for so much helpful advice! I do need to run a couple of essential Windows programs & till a Thunderport dock solution is available for the Air will probably attempt to boot Windows from an external drive using Boot camp because of the heavy memory/drive resources required for VM or Parallels.

 

[manly]

BobDole,

Thank you for so much helpful advice! I do need to run a couple of essential Windows programs & till a Thunderport dock solution is available for the Air will probably attempt to boot Windows from an external drive using Boot camp because of the heavy memory/drive resources required for VM or Parallels.

I don't think Boot Camp will put Windows on an external drive? (The official FAQ says internal drives only.) Boot Camp 4.0 only supports Windows 7; I don't know if there are workarounds for XP/Vista if you're so inclined.

I remember running the original VMware 1.0 with physical RAM of 192MB. 4GB RAM is plenty to virtualize a guest OS, but it does depend on what you're doing.

The convenience factor of virtualization generally far outweighs the performance boost of rebooting to the other OS. So I wouldn't dismiss VMs out of hand; virtualization is suitable for the vast majority of end users and new Macs.

 

[alizee]

That's right about external drives, and it's because the Windows installer won't install to external drives, except eSATA.

I don't think Boot Camp will put Windows on an external drive? (The official FAQ says internal drives only.) Boot Camp 4.0 only supports Windows 7; I don't know if there are workarounds for XP/Vista if you're so inclined.

I remember running the original VMware 1.0 with physical RAM of 192MB. 4GB RAM is plenty to virtualize a guest OS, but it does depend on what you're doing.

The convenience factor of virtualization generally far outweighs the performance boost of rebooting to the other OS. So I wouldn't dismiss VMs out of hand; virtualization is suitable for the vast majority of end users and new Macs.