Just got a New Mac - a bit frustrated

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Hi I have the new macbook aluminium 2.4
I know I made the right decision to switch but am frustrated quite often. I am PC saavy so it is not that I am new to computers...

I have been enjoying this forum as I never realized that so many mac users were PC users before..
I thought Mac users were mac users from the beginning.

Ok my questions:

Is it really impossible to get the green light or some other command to open to FULL Screen?

How come when I open photoshop I can still see my desktop?

How come when I click on some apps in the dock they DONT open.. but show active? The title bar says the new program but I am really in the same program i wanted to leave?

Sometimes it is not that easy to switch aps either.


When I open photo preview and go to Open I have a list of photos in a certain file but it only list the name and date.. how do I get the size also?

and in Firefox with my RSS Feeds..in Windows I could right click on any topic in the list and open it in a new tab but now it seems i have to open the new tab first.. is there a short cut?

and do most people use iphoto to organise their photos? I saw another thread about this and it got me thinking about if Iphoto was to basic.. so far seems fine to me.. as nothing is organised to much yet.. So much to learn!

Thank you so much !!!


expatgirl
 
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Answering your 3rd question about the Dock, it may be because they are hidden windows. Try right clicking (ctrl click) on them and make sure they are showing, not hidden. Also, have you installed the Mac OS X install Disk? If not, the apps wont work properly- well some of them wont.
 
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Hi I have the new macbook aluminium 2.4
I know I made the right decision to switch but am frustrated quite often. I am PC saavy so it is not that I am new to computers...

I have been enjoying this forum as I never realized that so many mac users were PC users before..
I thought Mac users were mac users from the beginning.

Ok my questions:

Is it really impossible to get the green light or some other command to open to FULL Screen?

I am not sure, i believe there is hack/shortcut that lets you but generally mac made it that way (for like safari i hear) so that you can have a few things at once and made it easier to switch that way. Not sure if this is true though.

How come when I open photoshop I can still see my desktop?

In mac a few programs work this way, like word 2008, where the desktop is still viewable.

How come when I click on some apps in the dock they DONT open.. but show active? The title bar says the new program but I am really in the same program i wanted to leave?

Maybe it loaded under that program, or you must then go up to the bar and it will say what program you are in and create a new instance (like in word?)

Sometimes it is not that easy to switch aps either.


When I open photo preview and go to Open I have a list of photos in a certain file but it only list the name and date.. how do I get the size also?

and in Firefox with my RSS Feeds..in Windows I could right click on any topic in the list and open it in a new tab but now it seems i have to open the new tab first.. is there a short cut?

and do most people use iphoto to organise their photos? I saw another thread about this and it got me thinking about if Iphoto was to basic.. so far seems fine to me.. as nothing is organised to much yet.. So much to learn!

Thank you so much !!!


expatgirl

I answered a few question under your quotes. A lot of them I'm not knowledgeable in, because I have not had that program, or do not use RSS feeds for example. I hope they somewhat helped, and I am sure someone more knowledgeable will come along soon and answer your questions :).
 
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I have the same computer! With that in mind and the fact that my 2.4Ghz aluminum MacBook was my first Mac, I think I can help.
1. You are able to go into System Preferences to set keyboard commands.
2. You should be able to expand size of the window at the bottom right, shouldn't you?
3. That's odd. Have you tried using Expose to find your window? Some apps don't pull up a Window when you open them.
4. In Preview, I haven't found a way to do that yet. However, you could open your photos in Finder and view their size that way. It sounds like you do a lot with photos. If you primarily use the same essential folder, I'd put that in your dock!
5. First, I'd recommend using another browser. Firefox on the Mac is much slower than the new Safari 4 beta which is great and very fast! I don't use Firefox because of its speed, but I know in Safari (this may be the same in Firefox too though) you can go to the Safari menu and open Preferences to select "Open Links From Applications: In a new tab in the current window".
6. I've heard that most people do use iPhoto. It's an ok application that essentially is just a good photo organizer with some very basic photo editing. If you plan on using iPhoto or any of the iLife apps, I'd highly recommend iLife '09 if it didn't already come pre-installed on your computer (based on when you bought it).

Hope that helps! Enjoy your new MacBook, too! You're only going to love it more and more!
 
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Thanks for the quick responses but I still dont understand how it all works. I thought by switching to MAC I would have MORE control but I feel like I have less.
For example the not being able to see the size of images in preview.

Also I want to resize some photos to upload to face book and it is a long proess with preview. I want to resize and save the original. But found it impossible and even when I open one photos and I hit the up down airows to scroll It does not scroll!

I want to love my mac more and more everyday but so far I only love the way it looks and how quick it is ( I had 5 year old pc before)..
But in terms of control, i Dont feel like I have it!

Thanks again for your patience and suggestions!
 
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There is a simple concept behind the way applications work in Mac OS X. When you launch an app, you usually get some sort of a default window, when you close it with the red button, you only close the ACTIVE window and NOT the whole application. The application remains running and when you tab into it, you won't get any windows open. It can get some getting used to. Usually when you click the dock icon, you will also get some sort of a default window (e.g. Home folder when you click on Finder)

To Quit an app (opposed to just closing the window>red button) you need to go to File>Quit or press cmd+q
To close a window, press cmd+w

To switch between apps wither cmd+tab, use expose, or anything you know from Windows
there is a shortcut for switching between application windows, I probably changed it, but by default I think it's cmd+/key above tab/, in my case <, but I use a different layout maybe

hopefully this is clear and you will get used to your new Mac quickly :)

In photoshop, you can just press f to cycle through the different views, it is a little different from Windows, but otherwise it is very similar
 
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Thanks for the quick responses but I still dont understand how it all works. I thought by switching to MAC I would have MORE control but I feel like I have less.
For example the not being able to see the size of images in preview.

Also I want to resize some photos to upload to face book and it is a long proess with preview. I want to resize and save the original. But found it impossible and even when I open one photos and I hit the up down airows to scroll It does not scroll!

I want to love my mac more and more everyday but so far I only love the way it looks and how quick it is ( I had 5 year old pc before)..
But in terms of control, i Dont feel like I have it!

Thanks again for your patience and suggestions!

Hi there,
Yes you can see the size of images in Preview!
To do it, just right click (ctrl click) on the bar at the top of the window where there are some little icons. CLick on 'Customize.'
Then, drag the 'inspector' icon to the toolbar. Click on 'Done.'
Then whenever you have a picture in Preview, just click on the inspector icon in the toolbar and it shows you lots of information!!

DaaDaaaa!

Hope this helps!
 

cwa107


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I would highly recommend the David Pogue's excellent Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual. It covers the operating system and the iLife suite, and is a very easy read (i.e. you won't feel like you're reading stereo instructions).

My advice? Don't get frustrated. You switched because you wanted something different than Windows, so don't be surprised when it is indeed different. It will take time to get totally comfortable and in control - particularly if you've never used another UNIX based operating system like Linux, but you will get there eventually.
 
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macs are all about multi tasking and thats why there isn't a "maximize" button like in windows. The green button only maximizes the window to the size that it needs. You'll get used to it, I hope you like your new mac, everyone here is great at answering questions don't be afraid to PM anyone.
 
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For example the not being able to see the size of images in preview.

If you use Finder with Column view, you will see a preview of the image and it's size under it

In preview, you can press cmd+I to get an inspector with everything you need hopefully

For example the not being able to see the size of images in preview.

Also I want to resize some photos to upload to face book and it is a long proess with preview. I want to resize and save the original. But found it impossible and even when I open one photos and I hit the up down airows to scroll It does not scroll!

You said you had photoshop, why not use that? :)
anyway, for me it works to press up/down to change the picture in Preview, strange that it doesn't in your case, because I hardly ever use preview and I'm sure I didn't change anything

But, in preview: Tools>adjust size, you can copy the image, I'm guessing you will want to keep the original in its best quality
 

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Is it really impossible to get the green light or some other command to open to FULL Screen?

Sure. Grab the lower left corner of the window and stretch it to fit the entire screen. The green button in most applications will only expand the window as large as it takes to show the entire content of the applications.

How come when I open photoshop I can still see my desktop?

I'm not a Photoshop user, but check in the View menu to see if there is a "full screen" option.

How come when I click on some apps in the dock they DONT open.. but show active? The title bar says the new program but I am really in the same program i wanted to leave?

Applications that are capable of having multiple windows don't shut down completely when you close the active window. The application runs until you quit it entirely (either use the application menu => Quit or press Command-Q). There are a number of different reasons for this, which are beyond the scope of this question. Personally, I just go through the dock periodically and click each icon and then Command-Q to quit them.

Sometimes it is not that easy to switch aps either.

Command => Tab toggles between open applications in the same way that Alt => Tab does in Windows. Alternatively, you can just click the app's icon in the Dock.

When I open photo preview and go to Open I have a list of photos in a certain file but it only list the name and date.. how do I get the size also?

Right-click the file and click Get Info (you do have two-finger tapping for right-click turned on, right?). Alternatively, you can view the Finder window in list mode and see the size in the "Size" column.

Also, you can open a directory of images, view it in list mode and scroll throw previews of the pictures by clicking the first one in the list one time and then pressing the space bar. This will do a "quick look" and allow you to easily scroll throw the images, viewing them in full size, while still seeing the file details.

and in Firefox with my RSS Feeds..in Windows I could right click on any topic in the list and open it in a new tab but now it seems i have to open the new tab first.. is there a short cut?

Tab handling is set in Firefox preferences. Sounds like you just need to configure it to work the way you had it in Windows.

and do most people use iphoto to organise their photos? I saw another thread about this and it got me thinking about if Iphoto was to basic.. so far seems fine to me.. as nothing is organised to much yet.. So much to learn!

Thank you so much !!!


expatgirl

I'm not thrilled with iPhoto, but it does an OK job. Used in tandem with Pixelmator, I can do whatever I want to with my photos.
 
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One of the things that was hardest for me when I got my first mac, coming from Windows, was to simply let the applications do what they are made to do, e.g, let them do the organizing for you, etc. Apple apps are meant to take the Windows drudgery away, and make your life so much simpler. Just let go of the windows ways and let the mac guide you to the easier way of working. For instance, don't maximize windows to the entire screen. When you have several windows open, changing from one app to the next is as simple as clicking on the edge of the screen of the next one you want. I have even adopted working multi-screen on my PC at work. Macs are so much simpler to use, once you let go and try them out in their native habits.
 
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Most importantly, stay open-minded about the way your Mac works. It is after all a Mac, so let it do things the Mac way, and not compare it to the way how a PC works. In time, you'll hopefully enjoy the way how this OS works differently in quite a few aspects.
 
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Thank you so much for all the great feedback.. much appreciated and helping me stay enthused about being in this new club ..(Mac Users).
 
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Hi expatgirl,
I also recommend Pogue's book, and you might check the one on switching from PC to Mac too. I have not read that one, but found his "Missing Manual for Mac OSX Tiger Edition" very helpful.

I echo these comments about being patient with it. In less than a year's time, I have come to vastly prefer working with Mac OS over Windows.

Oh yeah, and I'm learning to tweak stuff in photoshop, but I still use iPhoto to organize and think it's fantastic.
 
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Expatgirl,

I can empathize with your frustrations. It's been almost 1.5 years since I switched from XP systems to MBP. While I like my MBP I have found the difference to be underwhelming. I asked very similar questions as you when I switched and got the same zen-like responses "let go of window's ways and your Mac will set you free".

No one wants to admit that there are functions in Windows (at least XP, don't know about Vista) that are superior over Macs. Why not be able to readily maximize your window? Why not include a backspace key?? Why not close programs when you select the close button? Why is finder so unintuitive?

Again, I like OSX & I like not dealing w/ ant-virus software, but if something is functionally superior in Windows then maybe Apple should consider implementing it.

Just my $0.02

swedevb
 

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Why?

Answering your 3rd question about the Dock, it may be because they are hidden windows. Try right clicking (ctrl click) on them and make sure they are showing, not hidden. Also, have you installed the Mac OS X install Disk? If not, the apps wont work properly- well some of them wont.

I'm a new Macbook, Aluminum owner and new to Mac's as well, for about a week now.

Why would one need to install "... the Mac OS X install Disk ..." to make applications work? Why not just download all the updates instead?
 

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I'm a new Macbook, Aluminum owner and new to Mac's as well, for about a week now.

Why would one need to install "... the Mac OS X install Disk ..." to make applications work? Why not just download all the updates instead?

Honestly, not sure what Mr. Macintosh is referring to in the post you've quoted. I've owned two MacBook Pros and have never had a problem with the default installation. I think he may be a bit confused.
 
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How come when I click on some apps in the dock they DONT open.. but show active? The title bar says the new program but I am really in the same program i wanted to leave?
expatgirl

I right click on the dock icon when I want to fully exit a program. This is a fast way to go right to the real quit function...two mouse clicks and I'm done.

I'm a recent switcher (since December 2008) and have found that I miss the few things I liked about Windows but overall prefer the Mac and OSX. I don't miss the counterintuitive things like going to start to shut down and the very long start up/shut down routines. I have used a PC since the late 1980s so you can imagine it is hard to unlearn old habits. Of course, I'm actually having fun learning a new system. It just depends on how you look at it.

I too recommend finding a basic Mac instruction book that you like the writing style and reading it. I read "Switching to a Mac for Dummies" and found it very helpful on all the little issues I was frustrated with. After that, I had learned enough to know, generally speaking, what to look for and where.
 
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Expatgirl,

I can empathize with your frustrations. It's been almost 1.5 years since I switched from XP systems to MBP. While I like my MBP I have found the difference to be underwhelming. I asked very similar questions as you when I switched and got the same zen-like responses "let go of window's ways and your Mac will set you free".

No one wants to admit that there are functions in Windows (at least XP, don't know about Vista) that are superior over Macs. Why not be able to readily maximize your window? Why not include a backspace key?? Why not close programs when you select the close button? Why is finder so unintuitive?

Again, I like OSX & I like not dealing w/ ant-virus software, but if something is functionally superior in Windows then maybe Apple should consider implementing it.

Just my $0.02

swedevb

OK...but the point is it's a completely different system of doing things.
Why not be able to readily maximize you window? Because a Mac is designed to make the best use of space in a single click.
Why not include a backspace key? I'm guessing you mean a delete key? It means one less key on the keyboard which can be used for something else and it isn't that difficult to press fn + backspace.
Why not close programs when you select the close button? Again, a fundamental difference between Mac and Windows. This all relates to the way that the OS X operating system works. You don't have task bars so when you are multitasking you don't need to get rid of windows or worry about clogging up your task bar. You simply leave the program running 'bare' and it's all ready to go when you next need it.
Why is finder so unintuitive? Because everybody uses Windows Explorer as a benchmark. Again - different systems.

I don't see these things as far superior. I see them as useful in an OS like XP but not in one like OS X which is designed around a single click mouse and your other hand being on the keyboard running shortcuts and commands.

You do have to approach switching with an open mind as both systems are completely different and you have to relearn how to use a personal computer.
 

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