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Hi guys and girls
I am new here so please forgive me if this is in the wrong place :) and forgive my ignorance.

just recently purchased a macbook pro and i have no idea how to use it haha any help or guidance would be much appreciated. Just need to know things like how do you open a second internet browser, i have office documents from my pc i need to access and open on my mac so is there any software i can get? i need to learn how to copy and paste text etc, i literally i have no knowledge of macbooks and there system so any links to tutorials etc would be great!

First impressions great design and sleak very fast and very complicated ha have i made the right choice or should i have got a laptop?
 
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Welcome to the forums.

" .... or should I have got a laptop ? "
A Macbook Pro is a laptop, at least by the looks of it !

I suggest you have a look at the " Missing Manual - Snow Leopard edition .... " by David Pogue and take it from there.

Very good book that explains the basics in clear language.

Cheers ... McBie
 

vansmith

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Just need to know things like how do you open a second internet browser, i have office documents from my pc i need to access and open on my mac so is there any software i can get? i need to learn how to copy and paste text etc
To open a second window, push Command-N. You can also open up new tabs by pushing Command-T. For your Office docs, you have a few options including Office, iWork and OpenOffice. There are demos for each Office and iWork and OpenOffice is free. You'll have to decide which best suits your needs. Copy and paste is the same in OS X as it is in both Windows and Linux except you'll need to replace control with command. So, cut is Command-X, copy is Command-C and paste is Command-V.

You should check out this page for some brief but helpful videos. If you are really lost, you may want to start with this one.
 

iWhat

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Hi guys and girls
I am new here so please forgive me if this is in the wrong place :) and forgive my ignorance.

Next time, please take a little time to be mindful of where to place your thread. Your thread has been placed in the appropriate forum

Search first, post things in the right place, use descriptive thread titles, and don't crosspost. Those things will help get you more timely responses and help keep our community nice and tidy.

Thanks for understanding.
 
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hi guys and girls

thanks for all the help so far, once again i am very sorry for the miss placed thread, all the advice has been great, i guess ill just have to use it as much as i can and get use to it ha :s any ideas on connecting wirelessly to orange livebox? the airport is active and find the livebox and i enter the security pass but always fails?? also i take it windows software dont work on a mac, can any body point me in the right direction to find something like photoshop and, also is it like a iphone you down load apps insted of actual programs? i can bearly turn the thing on ha
 
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1. Why on earth would anyone want to open a second internet browser? Google "Safari Tabs" and prepare to be amazed.

2. Windows software works fine on Macs -- if you also install Windows. There are many paths to that goal, but before you do any of them -- ask yourself why do you NEED Windows software?? You mention "office documents," which I assume means things like Word files, Excel spreadsheets, Powerpoint presentations?

Nearly EVERYTHING on a Mac can open Office files natively, and save them back in that format as well -- starting with Microsoft Office for Mac, the ORIGINAL ms office btw, not to mention iWork, Open Office, even TextEdit (well, for word files).

In short, you gotta stop with the "stinkin' Windows thinkin'." :)

PS. How to "find something like Photoshop" -- go to a store, buy the Mac version of Photoshop.

If you're looking for some alternative to Photoshop, let us know with some specifics what you are actually trying to do, and we can make some suggestions -- and yes, there is a Mac App Store, but apps ARE "actual programs," whether they run on iOS or Mac OS X.
 

cwa107


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Hi guys and girls
I am new here so please forgive me if this is in the wrong place :) and forgive my ignorance.

just recently purchased a macbook pro and i have no idea how to use it haha any help or guidance would be much appreciated. Just need to know things like how do you open a second internet browser, i have office documents from my pc i need to access and open on my mac so is there any software i can get? i need to learn how to copy and paste text etc, i literally i have no knowledge of macbooks and there system so any links to tutorials etc would be great!

First impressions great design and sleak very fast and very complicated ha have i made the right choice or should i have got a laptop?

I think your other questions have been answered, but not the one on copy and pasting. It works the same as it would in Windows (i.e. highlight the text, right click and click 'Copy'. In the destination, right-click and click 'Paste'). You can also use the Edit menu at the top of the screen in any application to access copy/paste options. Alternatively, you can use Command+C to copy, Command+X to cut, and Command+V to paste.

I'm guessing you might have asked this question in the first place because you don't have two-fingered tapping turned on for right-click. Basically, you can tap your trackpad with two fingers to right click, but it needs to be enabled first. You can find these options in Apple menu => System Preferences => Trackpad. Under 'Two Fingers', check the box marked "Secondary Tap".

I would also echo the suggestion of checking out Apple's own Switcher 101 site as well as picking up a copy of this book, which is one of the best out there - easy to read, and well-written. Highly recommended.

As far as (what I assume is) your wireless router goes - you may need to check with the vendor. My guess is that you might be inadvertently using WEP encryption, which can vary in how its passcode is entered depending on the system you're using to connect to it. WEP is basically a long-dead standard and is completely useless and can lead to a false sense of security. Fortunately, all wireless routers since about 2004 support WPA, which is much easier to use, faster and secure. Check with Orange about getting your router configured to use WPA.
 
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Hi,

As a Mac newbie since last year, the only real stumbling block I found was letting go of Windows ideology.
Once you do that you will love the way that your Mac preforms any task you throw at it. I personally have opted to stay as far away from anything PC related and only have Mac software loaded.

Totally agree with McBie regarding the Missing Manual it is extremely helpful and easy to follow. Also recommend reading through the stickies at the top of this page.

And if you are looking for software such as Photo editing > Office suites etc,visit the App store there are some real bargains, even through there are free ones out there that chas_m listed.
 

vansmith

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can any body point me in the right direction to find something like photoshop and, also is it like a iphone you down load apps insted of actual programs?
Yes and no depending on how you look at it. If you only use the Mac App Store to get your apps, it is very similar to using the App Store in iTunes for your "iDevices" (iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad). Otherwise, you can get apps from the developer websites or on discs much like you would apps from Windows. Also, in case you care about semantics, apps = applications which is the same as programs. ;)

I think your other questions have been answered, but not the one on copy and pasting.
Copy and paste is the same in OS X as it is in both Windows and Linux except you'll need to replace control with command. So, cut is Command-X, copy is Command-C and paste is Command-V.
*cough cough* :p
 
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which icultha

guys i can not thank you enough for all your advice and guidance and i can say i am loving the macbook, i think it is just the whole windows thinking that is messing me up. I use to download programs such as office photoshop etc for free :) and none of my work opens on the mac?

once again thank you so much
 

cwa107


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guys i can not thank you enough for all your advice and guidance and i can say i am loving the macbook, i think it is just the whole windows thinking that is messing me up. I use to download programs such as office photoshop etc for free :) and none of my work opens on the mac?

once again thank you so much

Sorry, no help with pirated software on this forum. If you want to use the software, you'll need to buy it.
 
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Hi guys and girls
I am new here so please forgive me if this is in the wrong place :) and forgive my ignorance.

just recently purchased a macbook pro and i have no idea how to use it haha any help or guidance would be much appreciated. Just need to know things like how do you open a second internet browser, i have office documents from my pc i need to access and open on my mac so is there any software i can get? i need to learn how to copy and paste text etc, i literally i have no knowledge of macbooks and there system so any links to tutorials etc would be great!

First impressions great design and sleak very fast and very complicated ha have i made the right choice or should i have got a laptop?

I used my companies MS Home Users Program and bought MS Office Professional 2011 for MAC for $9.95. Check with your IT department.

Tom
 
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I'd say if you want more functionality with Windows documents, get OpenOffice, which is free.

Also, keep in mind that applications (aka programs) will install as external drives onto your desktop when you first download them (usually). In other words, if you download "Application A" you'll have an icon on your desktop that looks like the icon for an external drive called "Application A". Although you can indeed open the application by double clicking on this icon, it's really an installer, like an .exe file on Windows. In the Mac world it's called a disk image or .dmg file. You use it to install the application then "eject" it by dragging it to the trash. This seems to throw people off at first.

If you're looking for free alternatives to Photoshop, you can try Gimp or Seashore. Not as fully featured as PS but they might do in a pinch.

I recommend the video tutorials Vansmith linked to. The Missing Manual is a terrific resource, but if you want to quickly get the basics or if you're just used to learning things visually by watching it done, you'll find them helpful.
 

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