Thread: Mac virgin here :-)

Hey guys,

So we've been given the option to switch our work laptops to Macbooks. I've never used a Mac before, but I figure the best way to learn it quickly is immersion in a work environment, so I decided to go for it.

That said, I'd like to at least know what the hell I'm doing when I first get it, so want to read up on the what's what.

So yeah, where should I go to do this? I am easily finding lots of mac tutorials and video tutorials on google, but does anyone have a preference? Something that starts off easy but leads into some "power user" topics would be great.

Since it's Unix-based, I'm hoping to use it basically the same way I would use a linux box with a fancy GUI, but I'm sure there's more to it than that.

Learn?

Macs just work

Haha, it's funny you're going this direction. My first computer was an iMac G4 running Mac OS X v10.1 (I was 11), and since there wasn't a whole lot of software written for Mac OS X at that point, I soon found myself exploring the command-line and using CLI UNIX software on a daily basis. It took me years to make the permanent switch to Linux though.

I don't have any free recommendations for beginner-oriented documentation, but I learned Mac OS X from O'Reilly's Mac OS X: The Missing Manual by David Pogue. A Google search reveals that they have an updated version for Leopard. The book was very good. It even suggested changing the default shell from tcsh to bash (Apple later made bash the default shell in either Jaguar or Panther). Good luck with the switch! Oh, are you going to be using the plastic MacBooks or the aluminum MacBook Pros? I have a first-gen plastic one, and the build quality isn't that great, at least compared to my new ThinkPad. The aluminum ones seem good though. Anyway, good luck!

Originally Posted by Replicon

So we've been given the option to switch our work laptops to Macbooks.

Someone's doing well in the recession

You work for a debt collections firm?

Haha. That's true actually. When I bought my MacBook around May of 2006, the price was very close to a comparably equipped ThinkPad R series and less than a comparbly equipped T series. Now, they've gone back to being expensive. Other manufacturers have dropped their prices and raised their specs, while Apple seems to have kept both about the same. A 15" MacBook Pro equipped with the same specs as a ThinkPad T500 costs over $2000 USD, even with the education discount, whereas the T500 costs around $1100. Similar comparisons can be made with other models. Nevertheless, if I were given the choice of Mac OS X or Windows XP/Vista/7 for anything other than playing games like Crysis (and I don't play computer games), I'd take Mac OS X in a heartbeat.

Originally Posted by Replicon

Since it's Unix-based, I'm hoping to use it basically the same way I would use a linux box with a fancy GUI, but I'm sure there's more to it than that.

Pretty much. The terminal is pretty useful for power users. Apple.com has a lot of video tutorials.