6 months on and still inept and frustrated

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I have had my mac for over 6 months and am still frustrated.
I have my Missing Manuel but have not read it..I admit. (Only the first 36 pages).

My grievances:

1. Attaching thumbnails-- they are to small to see
2. Finding a decent photo browser? People say don't use iphoto. I have a canon one but that crashes. On PC I used one that I could tag photos, resize and convert to a new folder..edit and add text..

3. Sometimes I Command Tab to go through my programs and when I get to the one I want it does not open
4. When attaching a file I can not see the file size, (only in finder I can but not when attaching)
5 I will be in finder and organize files by date modified. Click on the newest file and go back to thumbnail preview thinking that will all be the same order but they are not
6. I can not tile my windows
7. and see my post about deleting rss feeds from my book mark toolbar, the ones that don't fit on the main browser.
Any feedback is welcome and appreciated as I seem to learn the most from here.
 
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Way... way too many specs to list.
1. Attaching to what?
2. Adding text really is about the only thing I can think of in that list that iPhoto can't do.. other ones like photoshop elements, gimp, etc can though.. although as a simple viewer, I prefer iPhoto especially 09 with the facial recognition
3. it's probably minimized, so it's open, just minimized to your dock.
4. In mail? That's pretty much normal behaviour.
5. That is correct, thumbnail view does not support that type of sorting, just the way it is.
6. That is correct, never have been able to. It's not windows.
7. in firefox go to bookmarks, organize bookmarks. in safari bookmarks, show all bookmarks, you should then be able to highlight and delete. Course, I haven't read that thread yet.
 
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It sounds as though you are suffering from Windows deprivation, for which there is no known cure, other than reversion to that OS. Once you have kicked the 'trying to use the Mac' habit and returned to your natural home, you'll probably find that all your cares disappear - apart from the program crashes, the interminable series of OS updates every week, and the wearisome series of messages saying, I'm sorry the program has to close, would you like to send a message to Msoft? Still, you know all this, so it should feel nice and cosy and comfortable :)
 

bobtomay

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Just mho: If after 6 months you are still attempting to get OS X to be Windows instead of learning to use OS X (or complaining of the ways it's not like Windows), I would encourage you to sell the Mac and go buy a Windows machine. You'll be much happier and possibly have a little cash left over.

While a lot of us like OS X, it is not the end all, be all that the commercials would have you believe.
 

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Bobtomay beat me to it. Almost my exact words! :D

You do not like the way OSX works and do not seem willing to learn a new OS, so get rid of the Mac and get a nice Windows machine and get your happiness back.
 
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I think everyone that has switched can feel your pain.
I had a mac, on lone last year, I installed in the kitchen and my daughter loved it. 13 years old and not a care in the world she was importing videos and photos, making movies, jamming on garage band ... nirvana.

This and the fact I'm a computer freak, were the reasons I bought one.

Although I haven't had the chance to really get down and dirty with mine, I do feel some frustration. iPhoto has an iron grip on all my photos and I don't like it. Good thing I keep them all on my winXP server and just imported them in. Still need to figure out what iMovie is going to do with my videos so I need a plan B so I can get at them if this experiment fails.

Do not like not seeing file sizes but if I right click (yes I use a M$ mouse), I can see this in info.

Many other things I don't like but some things I do ... work in progress.
 
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Before I switched to a Mac, I really thought about what it is that I do with my PC and researched what I might have any issues or glitches with when converting that task to a Mac.
I think patience is the key. Forums like this help with finding our way around the OS and mastering tasks.
I still have my little Netbook running XP on hand for any kind of function that I dont know how to do on my Mac yet. (I have a sony ereader that I don't think works with mac, and not sure how my blackberry software will perform)

Basically, it's like moving house-I've got the basics set up but it's going to take time to get everything in place the way I like it. Sometimes it will take longer for some of us than others.

That all being said, sometimes the Mac just isn't for everyone.
 
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1. What are you attaching thumbnails to, and why?

2. iPhoto can do all the things you name here, though I'm not sure what you mean by adding text. Do you mean adding captions? iPhoto can do that and much more. Have you actually tried playing around with iPhoto? I've provided you with links to tutorials that answer many of the basic questions you've had... are you not clicking on them? Here are several iPhoto tutorials you can view. Apple - iLife - Find out how to use iLife applications on the Mac.

3. It sounds like you're expecting the app switcher to open a window that's been minimized into the dock. Choosing the app will reveal that app (if you look in the menu bar, you should see the name of the app) but it won't open any windows within that app. To hide a window without closing or minimizing it, hit Command+H. Then when you choose that app from the app switcher, that window will appear.

4. If you drag a file from Finder and into the body of an email message to attach it, its size WILL be visible for you to see.

5. With the folder selected in Finder, choose View>Show View Options and there should be an option that makes that folder always open in list, column, or icon view.

6. Every OS has unique and specific controls that don't translate into other OS's. But it sounds like you might want to try Expose, which will fan out all your open windows and let you easily choose which one you want to work with. This makes it easy to jump back and forth between all your open windows. Here's how you can use Expose.
Apple - Find Out How - Mac Basics

7. Don't know much about RSS feeds, but I've heard some sound advice here.
 

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I think the OP means adding text right IN the picture. That I don't think iPhoto can do either, but iPhoto 09 does everything else in your list.
 
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HI thanks for the replies.. I have looked at the iphoto tutorials and all the how to videos from Oneironaut and have gotten more familiar with the program
 
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HI thanks for the replies.. I have looked at the iphoto tutorials and all the how to videos from Oneironaut and have gotten more familiar with the program but still miss some of the features in a pc image browser that I used.

I am not saying I want to go back to PC however I am still frustrated. I use Thunderbird email and when I want to attach a file I need to know if it is a large file or not.. simple and I don't think that is asking to much as as I thought that using a mac would be easier. (wrong).

Also I would not be able to drag a file from my finder into my emial message as if I click on finder then THunderbird disappears.

I just watched the video on Expose and it didn't help at all as command 1 and 2 do nothing.
In the end I just end up feeling frustrated and stupid...
and using the pc at work for many things.

Am I wrong to think that thumbnails in PC are bigger?

anyways I appreciate the contructive feedback as I am still teachable and wanting to learn mac.
and now I do understand why Command tab did not open some of my programs. :)
 
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2) Don't use iPhoto. Use GraphicConverter. Not free, but worth the $$$$ and will do exactly what you want.
 
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Since you don't have the fabby big trackpad (right?) for using expose with a touchpad gesture, you might really really appreciate 'Dragthing'

The Official DragThing Home Page

Give it a trial - one of the docks is the current runnng processes, so easy to swap between programs rather than use expose - set it up how you like... i've got the macbook pro, so normally use the touchpad 4 finger thingy to reveal the expose feature (or sometimes use the dragthing processes dock) and use dragthing to launch apps, files etc etc instead of the dock. (you could have a look here for an old 'alternative' viewpoint about the dock Top 10 Reasons the Apple Dock Sucks )

Not sure if Xee does what you need for photos etc.... Download Xee for Mac - Image viewer and browser. MacUpdate Mac Image Editing Software Downloads

i'm a few months in to switching from years of Windows use. I don't expect any computer OS to be perfect.... but there's still no way i can see myself going back to Windows - every time i have to get on my wife's Acer when it doesn't do what it's meant to do (ie frequently) i can feel my blood pressure rising and an urge to just say 'sod it', throw the thing off a cliff and buy another Mac book for her..... it'll happen in a few months, anyway (not the throwing the PC off the cliff part..... probably).

Coops
 
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And don't overlook Preview - when i comes to dealing to pics, adding text, adding circles, arrows, lines etc., changing any exposure/setting etc., and exporting in heaps of formats/sizes it is a cracker, and u already have it in your Apps folder - no cost.
 

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In Mail I drag and drop pics into messages from the finder all the time. Never tried it with Thunderbird on OSX.
 
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MacInWin

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CLIP...

Also I would not be able to drag a file from my finder into my emial message as if I click on finder then THunderbird disappears.
...CLIP
I use Thunderbird and finder to attach all the time. I suspect that your finder window is bigger, therefore overshadowing the Thunderbird window. Just drag one or the other to the side a bit, so that the edge of the other appears and you can attach easily.
 
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Expatgirl, what's the advantage of Thunderbird? Apple Mail seems to let you do a lot. If you can drag and drop files into Mail as well as see the file sizes, why wouldn't you want to use it? It also lets you choose between small, medium, large and full-sized pictures within emails, has different styles of stationary, etc. How much more do you need a mail program to do? Have you tried using Apple Mail at all? You might find it preferable.

iPhoto isn't so bad either. If the only thing it can't do is add text within a photo, why not just use Gimp or some other free app or even Preview to add text to an image? iPhoto resizes and does everything else you want it to do, so no need to pay money for an extra app just to get that one feature.

Oh, and as for Expose, you don't NEED to use the Command shortcuts. Just activate Expose and click on the window you want. I never use the shortcut keys with Expose. I just do a four-fingered swipe down the trackpad and tap on the window I need.
 
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1) Attaching thumbnails to what?

2) iPhoto, Google Picasa...

3) Double Click, Expose..overall check to make sure that the program isn't already open

4) Right click (Ctrl-Click), then "Get Info"

5) Mac OS X is funny like this, umm, I think you can permanently set it to do what you described, but I'm not sure...

6) Expose: F9, or F3 (I believe) as well as F11..(I'm using an older Apple keyboard here..bear with me on that)

7) Taking a look right now...
 

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