TaskBar

i have noticed from screenshots of macOSX, there is no task bar like in windows.

How do you switch between open applications in OSX, and how to you manage programs that are running like the task Manager in windows?

Also is there any other major differences with basic usage of macOSX compared to windows?

to switch between open apps you can hit command (the apple logo) and tab.. that will show you a small little window in the center of all your open apps.
to manage what you have open and closed and all that look in the dock.. all the apps open have a small black arrow under their logo. if ur program isn't on the dock usually, it will be all the way to the right if its open and when you quit it, it will then disappear.. hope that helps :]

The Mac has no "Start Menu". The Apple menu, which is what MS took the Start Menu idea from, was changed with the introduction of OSX. You can keep application and folders in the dock for quick eeasy access. For example, I keep my Applications folder in the dock and then simply right click it for the pop up menu to select apps. I also have further folders in the dock that are sub categorized for Internet Apps, Graphics Apps, Sound Apps, and even MS Office. Fairly simple and very convenient.

Just to make it clear, the Dock is the thing that Mac users can use to launch and switch between programs. It's kind of the equivalent of the Windows Taskbar. When an app is running it shows up in the Dock if it's not already in it, and there's a little 'caret' to indicate it is running. For example I have 22 items in my dock which I use regularly and at the moment five of them are running, so those five have the little indicator. I just click on the app's icon in the doc to switch to it.

So for example when authoring this post, I clicked on iCal in the Dock which is running and it dutifully switched over to display my schedule.

The other responses i think covered the switching between apps pretty well. As for differences between macs and windows the list is too long, but there really are no differences that you can't either overcome, or in most cases find the mac way is better. I have yet to find something I did on my PC that I can't do on my Mac in one way or another. Except for PC games, and that's because I don't want to install windows on my Mac. I have also found that I like most of the mac apps over their PC counterpart (mail vs. outlook etc.)

Check out DragThing.

hey Giulio, which theme are you using?

Another great way to launch and manage apps is Quicksilver.

I've just never been able to get into Quicksilver or DragThing.

That is an image from DragThing.com. I don't know that theme name.
My setup looks nothing like that. Which is part of the beauty of DragThing - you make it the way you want it.

baggss said:

I've just never been able to get into Quicksilver or DragThing.

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i'm with you.
especially when spotlight works so well.

tobywuk said:

Also is there any other major differences with basic usage of macOSX compared to windows?

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uh no Mac is exactly the same as windows...