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OS X habits on a Windows machine.

K

Kokopelli

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I am a multi OS kind of guy as I suppose most of the regular members here know. I have Windows, Linux, and OS X desktops that I use daily.

On the Mac I use <cmd><key> commands a lot. On linux I have gone as far as mapping the commands as closely as I could in FVWM. And for the last year I have had no problems switching between the three.

I just received a Thinkpad X63S laptop and am in the middle of a major project that requires me to use Windows more than normal. I am noticing that I am having a hard time with "muscle memory." It has gotten instinctive for me to use <cmd>w, q, and m in particular as well as tapping <ctrl> to pull up a non existant QuickSilver. This is the first time I ever had any problem switching between OSes that I can recall.

So my question after the long windup... What habits do you have from OS X which do not work when you are on Windows?
 

dtravis7


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The main problem for me if I am in a hurry is remembering to use CTRL instead of Command when in XP. Every once in a while I mess up and hit the ALT key then realize very fast my mistake. Otherwise I can go between XP and OSX with little problem.
 
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dtravis7 said:
The main problem for me if I am in a hurry is remembering to use CTRL instead of Command when in XP. Every once in a while I mess up and hit the ALT key then realize very fast my mistake. Otherwise I can go between XP and OSX with little problem.

I have the same problem, I'm used to hitting control instead of command. But, I got used to it after a few hours.

The weird thing is, it's almost as if windows keyboards and OS X keyboards are totally different... When I'm in OS X, I can use command comfortably, and in Windows I can use Control comfortably.

Now that my copy of XP is coming in on Wednesday, I'm interested to see how I can go back from XP to OS X quickly... heheheh
 
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I love Expose. I have my scroll wheel mouse button set to trigger Expose at home. At work on my Windows box I have have at least 8 open windows I'm working with. I often catch myself pressing down the scroll wheel on my mouse in the hopes that something amazing will happen.
 
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BigBear said:
I love Expose. I have my scroll wheel mouse button set to trigger Expose at home. At work on my Windows box I have have at least 8 open windows I'm working with. I often catch myself pressing down the scroll wheel on my mouse in the hopes that something amazing will happen.

This is my problem. I move my mouse to the top left corner to expose all the windows. Everytime i'm using windows, I try this and it's really dissapointing. This is really my favorite feature to drag files between open windows.
 
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I tend to keep squeezing my mouse at the XP machine because I need exposé .I live on exposé. And maximized windows suck.

I also live on Command-Space for Spotlight. I use it to launch Apps. On XP if a certain App isn't in the start menu, you're pretty much fu.. screwed up.
 
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Not having Expose in Windows is the real killer for me too... I go back and forth between PC and Mac enough that I usually can keep my hotkeys pretty straight.
 
OP
M

MJGUK

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I'm exactly the same with <command> <key> shortcuts, I use them all the time. In fact I use every shortcut I possibly can, all the time :p

But when I head over to my Windows boxes I always go straight for the command key and then realise I need to use CTRL lol :)

Otherwise I don't think there are that many bad habits yet for me, but you always miss Dashboard ^_^
 
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On windows mouses, I have the same exposé problems...

Oh, and also spanish keys like alt+1+6+8 gives you the upside down question mark

And can't forget the three buttons for minimize, close, and expand. In windows now I keep going for the upper-left hand corner of the screen, and instead I find that they're on the other side of the screen in the upper-right hand corner.
 
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not having expose really does suck. I also hate not being able to do the commands. another minor problem is how it seems that all new windows computers come preloaded with so much software.....i hate having to delete all the garbage on it.
 
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oh, and uninstalling on windows... first you have to go into your control panel, then waiting for the list to populate, then the actual uninstall process takes another two hours...

Don't get me wrong, I love Windows, I just love OS X better.
 
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L

lil

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One of the annoying habits I have with Mac OS X is being calm and collected.

I always end up trying to do the same with Windows but usually end up walking off red faced and 10 paces back from where I started.

:D

Vicky
 
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Expose and the desktop expose are the two that I constantly find myself doing time after time. For those that don't, they have to get a Mac.
 
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I just got my iBook on Friday, and one thing that bothers the heck out of me about the thing is not having a taskbar, especially using iChat. Thank God my friend told me about Adium, because I like it a lot more. That's the only thing I have to say right now...lol
 
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no matter how many times I use the "Ctrl W" command it will not close that window in windows lol.
 
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For some reason, whenever I am using a Windows box I always end up hitting Alt-Space (like Command-Space on Mac) and expect to get quicksilver to come up. Usually I end up hitting Alt-Space and a few keys for whatever action I want and hit enter and then nothing happens, so I get po'ed until I do the commands slower and realize that no QS box comes up.

I also do sometimes hit F9 F10 and F11 for expose.
 
OP
F

fenderguitar21

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ive tred looking for the close buttin on my pc on the oppisite side. and ive tried an Command+Q.

and for some people who like epose. there is a program for windows thatdoes a simmar effect
 
OP
T

tortoise

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Ugh, I hate this. I have OSX at home and Windows at work. OSX is just so so so much better. I despise Windows :)

I constantly will click the desktop while holding down the Window key in Windows. Why? because clicking the desktop while holding down option in OSX hides whatever your current app was.

I use key commands for everything in OSX. So much so that the whole "close buttons in opposite corner of window" doesn't bother me at all because I never use them in OSX. I of course use them all the time in Windows because there is no consistent way to close or minimize a Window.

My Mini is my first Mac in quite some time. I've unfortunately been a Windows user for the past 5 years or so. Getting a Mac felt like putting on an old shoe. 99% of the key commands from System 9 and earlier still work, and I was instanly at one with the computer. So I've been brutally reminded of how crappy Windows is, and my work machine is the computer I use most :(
 
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windows troubles

I use windows alot at my schoool and the only problem i really run into is using command instead of control. No matter how hard i try i never remember to use control.
 
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mdavis71 said:
no matter how many times I use the "Ctrl W" command it will not close that window in windows lol.


use (alt) F4
 

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