Sage advice for the new Mac switcher

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Demapples

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With Adobe Flash or any other 3rd party software obtained outside the Apple App store that automatically checks for updates, be cautious about counterfeit popup windows. Best to get updates directly from the app's website to avoid risk of malware. I took Flash off my iMac so I could stop worrying about them, and don't miss Flash at all. Always a way around it.
 
dtravis7

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I have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed just in case but only had to use it maybe 2x in ages. I much prefer Preview.
 
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I have a question. If preview is installed on my computer, why am I still seeing those "Needs plug-in" messages on certain websites? That's why I installed Adobe which corrected this but maybe I'm not using preview properly?
 
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Chas, as a new Mac switcher I've DEVOURED your essay as it is extremely practical and informative (however I will not stop EATING by my computer). I guess my question is about watching video codecs. You suggested Flip4Mac and Perian. Once these are installed, will embedded videos play on these sites automatically? Or do I have to activate these players? Maybe I just took it all for granted being a windows/adobe user but is there a process for viewing these through preview/flip/Perian?
 
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chas_m

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Lord Elrond said:
I guess my question is about watching video codecs. You suggested Flip4Mac and Perian. Once these are installed, will embedded videos play on these sites automatically? Or do I have to activate these players? Maybe I just took it all for granted being a windows/adobe user but is there a process for viewing these through preview/flip/Perian?
Click to expand...

Once the two utilities I suggested are installed, nearly every type of embedded video out there will just play as it should.
 
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I'm such a mac noob

chas_m said:
Once the two utilities I suggested are installed, nearly every type of embedded video out there will just play as it should.
Click to expand...

Well, I installed WMVflip and Perian and went on my favorite website, Cracked.com which has multiple plug ins in the course of one article and they all say that I need adobe flash player. Am I doing something wrong with these two players or are these sites just THAT specific in needing the adobe flash player?

I know I'm just being a paranoid new dad with my shiny new baby but I truthfully don't want to install something that's possibly a mac security hazard.

Oh and is there a Mac tutorial on a new computer that orients new mac users to how it's done? And I'm not sure that Maintenance is working with Lion or not. More likely I'm not doing something right there either. Sigh...what a learning curve.
 
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If you are running 10.7 Lion, Lion no longer comes with Flash installed. If you want to visit any site that uses flash, then you must install Flash Player also. Flash was always included in the OS before Lion and a lot of people still don't realize it's not there!
 
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Baby blues... lol.

Lord Elrond said:
Well, I installed WMVflip and Perian and went on my favorite website, Cracked.com which has multiple plug ins in the course of one article and they all say that I need adobe flash player. Am I doing something wrong with these two players or are these sites just THAT specific in needing the adobe flash player?

I know I'm just being a paranoid new dad with my shiny new baby but I truthfully don't want to install something that's possibly a mac security hazard.

Oh and is there a Mac tutorial on a new computer that orients new mac users to how it's done? And I'm not sure that Maintenance is working with Lion or not. More likely I'm not doing something right there either. Sigh...what a learning curve.
Click to expand...
*****

i know exactly what you mean. ive downloaded the same software and i still cant access videos from various people. im not sure about adobe flash player myself. just like you i have a brand new baby... im concerned that i may do the wrong thing myself. it is a steep learning curve. ive just bought some Lion manuals but it will take a few weeks to get here. im in country Australia. Lets hope that we can find a solution. judych
 
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flash player.

dtravis7 said:
If you are running 10.7 Lion, Lion no longer comes with Flash installed. If you want to visit any site that uses flash, then you must install Flash Player also. Flash was always included in the OS before Lion and a lot of people still don't realize it's not there!
Click to expand...
***

Im assuming that its safe otherwise you would have told us by now. where do we access the program to install?? im not getting videos either. in my efforts to get things moving im scared of overdoing it somehow. judych
 
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chas_m

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Flash player

(I wouldn't call Flash Player "safe" given its track record but then I don't think Windows or JavaScript are "safe" for the exact same reasons!)

Like it or not, though, it's still required on some sites, particularly those that lard up their videos with in-situ ads (at least YouTube and Vimeo got the hint and went HTML5).

As for everything else, relax. As I said in the essay, maintenance is (mostly) taken care of FOR you by the OS itself. Mac OS X isn't Windows (halleleujah), it doesn't require the fear and paranoia and constant attention. The occasional bit of sensible maintenance (largely consisting of keeping good backups and lots of HD space free) is all that's needed in most cases.
 
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EDIT: Post deleted as I was replying to a post that was a couple days old, when I thought I was on the last page.... Ooops!
 
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chas_m said:
Flash player

(I wouldn't call Flash Player "safe" given its track record but then I don't think Windows or JavaScript are "safe" for the exact same reasons!)

Like it or not, though, it's still required on some sites, particularly those that lard up their videos with in-situ ads (at least YouTube and Vimeo got the hint and went HTML5).

As for everything else, relax. As I said in the essay, maintenance is (mostly) taken care of FOR you by the OS itself. Mac OS X isn't Windows (halleleujah), it doesn't require the fear and paranoia and constant attention. The occasional bit of sensible maintenance (largely consisting of keeping good backups and lots of HD space free) is all that's needed in most cases.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I just bit the bullet and am using Adobe Flash Player. There seem to be too many off the wall sites I like to visit that require it. Ah well.

I also read your advice Chas on the maintenance software and it tells me that it won't work with lion. Should I use MacCleaner from the app store?
 
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Lord Elrond said:
Yeah, I just bit the bullet and am using Adobe Flash Player. There seem to be too many off the wall sites I like to visit that require it. Ah well.

I also read your advice Chas on the maintenance software and it tells me that it won't work with lion. Should I use MacCleaner from the app store?
Click to expand...

Oops, never mind, I managed to install it. :Blushing:

Hey, on a different note, is there a built in tutorial with the iMac that shows you key features? I still struggle with things like playing a game like SWKOTOR and little fingers come in, hit my keyboard and suddenly i have no idea how to get back to what I was doing? Like I said, learning curve.....
 
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chas_m

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The only Mac utilities I can endorse are the ones I've personally used and trust, but that's not to say that others aren't good. I use OnyX (or Maintenance, from the same developer) and for Snow Leopard I would also recommend AppleJack (works fine in Lion as well), but Applejack only works in single-user mode which a lot of people aren't comfortable with.

As for learning the key features, the 0Mac 101 and Switch 101 tutorials I mentioned in the essay should cover most of the standard things. Broadly speaking the "esc" (escape) key will get you out of places that don't have an obvious exit, and of course command-q is a universal quit command.
 
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Maintenance doesn't reformat your Bootcamp partition does it? I've been reading about some of these horror stories and I'm not sure if they are rumor mongering or not.

Keep in mind, I haven't done this yet but somewhere down the road, I would like to do the dual operating system simply because Mac doesn't support some of the major hot titles like Skyrim.
 
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And yes, to all other switchers, the Mac 101 page is awesome. Thanks again Chas!
 
Demapples

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chas_m said:
Here's my list of thoughts/advice/suggestions for new Mac switchers. Not all of it may apply to you personally but humour a brotha and read it anyway:..
Click to expand...
chas, this was one of 3-4 online resources that I relied on for my switch. Thanks, it was great. Suggestion: add a warning about when to switch, based on some posts I've seen describing some bad switching experiences:
  1. After planning the switch.
  2. After learning a bit about the Mac OS.
  3. When you have time to make the switch, not in a panic to replace a broken Windows computer.
  4. When you can keep doing critical work on your familiar Windows computer until ready to let your new Mac take over.
 
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Thanks, chas-m excellent, thank you! The one suggestion I wish I would have heard and taken to heart nearly five years ago: keep up with the OS upgrades as they are released. I wouldn't be scrambling trying to find Leopard right now. Who knew that Macs reliably 'lasted' so long and upgrades were/are totally worthy. And why do I 'need' Leopard: my new printer requires it, and I'm reading that iPhones, iPads are requiring it...and now I am requiring it. Much too late, of course ~sigh~

I'm so glad I stumbled on this forum! Much more user friendly, and in just a couple days of browsing have resolved a couple issues I hadn't found a solution for. I look forward to finding other gleanings of wisdom, and appreciate all the willingness (and patience!) I have seen offered. Thank you all!
ssandee :)
 
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a big thank you

ssandee said:
Thanks, chas-m excellent, thank you! The one suggestion I wish I would have heard and taken to heart nearly five years ago: keep up with the OS upgrades as they are released. I wouldn't be scrambling trying to find Leopard right now. Who knew that Macs reliably 'lasted' so long and upgrades were/are totally worthy. And why do I 'need' Leopard: my new printer requires it, and I'm reading that iPhones, iPads are requiring it...and now I am requiring it. Much too late, of course ~sigh~

I'm so glad I stumbled on this forum! Much more user friendly, and in just a couple days of browsing have resolved a couple issues I hadn't found a solution for. I look forward to finding other gleanings of wisdom, and appreciate all the willingness (and patience!) I have seen offered. Thank you all!
ssandee :)
Click to expand...

*** and i want to say a big thank you to the people who have showed so much patience to me and helped me out so much the last few weeks. Maxine (iMAC) is working beautifully at the moment, and im grateful to you. you know who you are. judych
 
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..more help please?

judych said:
*** and i want to say a big thank you to the people who have showed so much patience to me and helped me out so much the last few weeks. Maxine (iMAC) is working beautifully at the moment, and im grateful to you. you know who you are. judych
Click to expand...
****

HI.. Things are working well here with iMAC at the moment. i havent yet connected my printer.. which is Heward Packard, to her though. Does anyone have any advice for me on this please?? Are they compatible?/ Im such a newbie (( dummie )) . judych
 
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