richardcanham,
I don't want to get on your case, but you are creating many threads, many of which could be answered by a Google search (where you could get more answers). I, too, am a new switcher (MacBook arrived last week); I also have had ZERO experience with Mac OS X. I've spent tons of time reading and using Google the past few days. For your benefit, you could get more detailed and varied answers if you do a little more digging.
best.