Variety of questions

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blanks

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Some funny questions I have about acclimating to OSX.

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Software i did read the switchers guide posted, however I want to know what the readers actually use and recommend for the following issues

RAR: what would I use for variety of different compression standards. is there one program that could handle mostly all like winrar?
notepad: what would I used for standard text editor. if it supports tabs that would be great. but what do you guys use.
ssh, sftp, scp: what gui clients could I use for these?
dev c++ or bloodshed: Im use to blood shed for coding, what could I use here xcode? i have no idea.

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Some general OSX questions

Does it use some sort of package manager, or do i just delete the app out of the applications folder and the corresponding dir in the library? Or am i going about so in the wrong way.

Really what is up with that little black arrow under a application in the dock. even after I have closed out a app it would still be there with that arrow. Unless I do a force quit on lets use terminal for example. I closed it with the red X in the top left, but hey it's still there unless I do a force quit. I am a little confused.

Also since it is a unix based system how do I access the root account. I dont remember in the install being asked to set the root password. and when I try to su to root it's not going to happen..?
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that's it for now I'm sure I'll have more questions later, thanks alot.
 
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blanks said:
notepad: what would I used for standard text editor. if it supports tabs that would be great. but what do you guys use.

Does it use some sort of package manager, or do i just delete the app out of the applications folder and the corresponding dir in the library? Or am i going about so in the wrong way.

Really what is up with that little black arrow under a application in the dock. even after I have closed out a app it would still be there with that arrow. Unless I do a force quit on lets use terminal for example. I closed it with the red X in the top left, but hey it's still there unless I do a force quit. I am a little confused.
For a basic text editor I use use TextWrangler. It doesn't use tabs but rather the "drawer" which I kinda like better.

To uninstall applications, all you need to do is drag it to the trash. There are apps, such as Appzapper, out there you can get to help find all the associated files but you can do the same thing with a spotlight search. I use Appzapper because I ended up with a free copy and it is convenient but it really isn't a necessity.

The arrow in the dock indicates the apps that are still open. The red x closes the window not the app. To close the app completely, go to the file menu and select quit, or hit command + q.

For more info on many of the things you inquired about, do a little search of the forums as there is plenty more available.
 
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rar, macpar or unrarx also osx can do it natively so i hear
notepad there is a textedit (dont know exact name) in the applications or utility folder

deleting programs: just delete the application, do a spotlight search and delete all preference files and files similar to them

that arrow is there because you did not quit the application, you closed the applications window. either hit command+q to quit or go to the programs drop down menu and hit quit. unlike windows closing a window does not quit the application and there is a long reason for this im not going to get into

thats all i can help you with someone else will hopefully cover C++ and root access
-chris
 
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coach_z said:
notepad there is a textedit (dont know exact name) in the applications or utility folder
Yes you do, it is called TextEdit
 

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By default the root account is not enabled. You will need to run the NetInfo Manager application to enable root. You can use the sudo command to do most things that you need root for.
 
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blanks said:
ssh, sftp, scp: what gui clients could I use for these?
dev c++ or bloodshed: Im use to blood shed for coding, what could I use here xcode? i have no idea.

I use Fugu for SFTP. It also supports SSH and SCP.

I've used Dev C++ and Xcode for programming classes. Xcode is a lot more extensive, but it works just fine for C++.
 
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blanks

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Thanks for all the tips so far, Ive learned a bit. I also wanted to ask what everyone would suggest for financial software, check balancing and what not.
 
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blanks, welcome to the world of Macs. I sense that you are coming to us from the world of Linux? Your questions suggest as much. If so, you will find that your Linux experience will directly benefit you as you use the Mac. As you mentioned, it is unix based, and it runs most of your favorite open source software. I presently run GIMP, Abiword, gnumeric, xv, xfe, feh, ghostview and a whole host of others. Acquaint yourself with DarwinPorts, a complete open source "distro" with full package management and the whole nine yards. You will love it. There is another open source "distro" called Fink, but it is not nearly as complete or as easy to use. All of this runs right under Mac OS X, using Apple's X11, which you will find on your OS X CDs.

To your questions: No, Mac OS X does not use a package manager. Mac OS X has done something truly ingenious. You wil notice that most applications are called appname.app? The ".app" file format is actually an archive. Contained within that archive is pretty much everything the app needs to run. Most dependencies are right there. Presto magic - no need for a package manager. It also means that your average Mac app does not scatter DLLs and support files all over your hard drive. It is all neatly self contained in that one .app archive. To see for yourself, right click a .app file and select "Show Package Contents". You will be amazed.

As a result of this of course, you can usually run apps right from their disk images, no install needed. They will run from anywhere. Installation is usually as simple as dragging them to the Applications folder, and all this really does is make them available to all users. There is no NEED for the app to be there to run. Truly ingenious, and really convenient.

Uninstall an app? Just drag it to the trash. No junk lying around that you have have to clean up, except perhaps some preference files recording your settings.

Text editor? I would agree that TextWrangler is the best. It is free and does all the essentials.

The root account? In general, it is not available. This is a part of the Mac's vaunted security. When you need root access, good ol "su" will give it to you, though only temporarily. This seems annoying at first, but once you realize that is works as part of the overall security approach, you begin to accept it.

Welcome to the world of Macs. You will enjoy it. I came to Macs through Linux and have found the Mac a real step up. I get all the open source goodness I want, via DarwinPorts, and all that wonderful Mac GUI and feature set. You can't lose. Enjoy!
 

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