There are some quirks in OSX that are throwbacks to the OS9 days. Once you are used to them they become second nature. The most noticeable differences for Windows users converting are:
Finder – When closing the main window of an application the top menu bar of the app usually stays open. It was explained to me that this is for faster loading the next time you load the app. So instead of clicking on the X to close an application, I suggest the zQ keystroke.
ALT-TAB application switching – OSX substitutes the z key for most Windows ALT functions. The z-Tab works for app switching, but for some reason it does not always bring the app’s main window to the foreground. No resolution at this point, just an annoyance.
Copy/Paste functions – Again substitute the z key. z+X, C or V gives the expected results for Windows users.
There is no image editor (e.g. MS Paint) included in the basic installation.
Office sometimes hangs when you are cutting and pasting or trying to Save As a document for no apparent reason. It does eventually recover.
If you have an external Apple keyboard, the location of the control and option keys versus the keys on the laptop itself is odd.
Right clicking – You hold down the Control key and click for contextual menus. There are some noticeably missing items in these menus (mail send), but they can be easily added through free downloads.
Wows:
There are quite a few functions in OSX that allow you to do things that are unimaginable in Windows. For example if you want to grab a picture off of a website you just drag and drop it to your desktop. In officeyou can highlight a string and drag and drop it anywhere
in the document.
The same goes for application to application. If you want album art displayed in iTunes, find the album on Amazon or CDNow and drag the picture from Safari to the album art window in iTunes.
Of course there are always the Linux benefits too. These are almost too many to mention, but I highly suggest installing X for OSX. Again a free download. The Apple.com download section is filled with great free/shareware and if you are a developer the possibilities are endless. RealBasic (pro version) will allow you to convert your existing Visual Basic projects into OSX or Linux executables.
Conclusion:
I know this article seems like a long advertisement for Apple, but now I understand why Mac users are such zealots. I am so amazed by the fact that everything just works that I feel the need to convert everyone I know.
If you work for a corporation that normally provides a laptop for use, be expected to be laughed at if you request to purchase an Apple. The Apple systems are considered by most IT managers as an incompatible
niche used only for graphics work and will probably deny your request, but it is certainly worth a try. The most obvious benefit is the lack of viruses and malware affecting OSX. I am not saying that OSX is bulletproof, but if you consider the downtime caused in the last six months by viruses and Trojans attacking Windows based machines it is a significant benefit. Now that the kinks are worked out on the networking side, and MS’s support for the Mac versions of the Office Suite there are really no reasons not to convert.
About the author:
James Kahan is the IT Director for Cegedim USA, located in Philadelphia, a provider of sales force automation tools in the pharma vertical.
If you would like to see your thoughts or experiences with technology published, please consider writing an article for OSNews.
- "Mac OS X Switch, Page 1/3"
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- "Mac OS X Switch, Page 3/3"
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