Just got a Macbook

Hi,

I'm Dan, 21 year old student from the UK.

Anyway, I just got my Macbook from a friend who has bought him self a new MBP.

This is the first OSX system I have used, have always been a Windows user.

It's a 2008 Aluminium Unibody, the 2.4ghz model with the Backlit display and keys, Nvidia graphics and 2gb of memory, with a 250gb HD.

Cosmetically there's one tiny scuff on the front cover but everything else is perfect. He gave me the latest OSX upgrade DVD too.

So far I've got all my music on iTunes (130gb), all my digital photography, and installed apps..Chrome, an IRC app, Adium, uTorrent, Lightroom.

I paid £300, I hope that was a good deal?

Any "must have" apps?

According to Mac2Sell UK your machine is worth £450. Seems like you got a good deal. Enjoy and come back here for any questions.

Regards.

Well the first thing I want to ask, I need an MSN chat client capable of Webcam/Video. I tried Mercury but I think it's crap!

Adium

Regards.

Sorry chscag, Adium doesn't support video chat though, therefore Messenger for Mac (version 7.0.2), even though it is glitchy will do the trick. Office for Mac - Easy Access to Downloads and Updates | Mactopia
*Scroll the details at the bottom right of the above link down to the English .DMG
I use Skype for video chat.
I tried iChat, but couldn't get it working properly (had audio issues), and also, you can only use it with others that run Macs.

If you want an MSN client that will actually do audio/video, you'll want to locate the BETA for Messenger 8, not the current "official" release. A quick Google search should turn it up.

Better idea: convert your MSN friends to AIM, Skype or (coming soon) FaceTime.

As for "must have" apps, let me quote selectively from my much longer post elsewhere on this forum, "Suggestions for New Mac Owners":

5. Watching videos.

One of the very few areas where the Mac is lacking "out of the box" (apart from a complete lack of bundled Solitaire [!!!]) is in full support of the million-plus various Windows video codecs out there. So, after you get settled in and start running around on the web, download Flip4Mac WMV Player and Perian (both free) and install them. You should also keep VLC around as an alternate player. This will make video support a non-issue 98% of the time.

6. Switch 101. Visit.

7. Macs don't need much maintenance, but they do need a little.

The primary thing you should do is use Time Machine and/or a clone program (like SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner) to back up your stuff to an external drive. They make it bone simple and automatic.

The occasional (repeat, OCCASIONAL) running of a maintenance program like the simply-named (and free) Maintenance or the not-free donationware YASU should take care of everything else. The Mac is surprisingly self-maintaining but it still needs your occasional attention. Another important tip: keep a fair amount of HD space free at all times. This won't be a real issue at first, but over time you will start to fill up that hard drive. I always tell people to keep AT LEAST 12GB free at *all* times. Mac OS X needs a lot of "elbow room" for temp files, virtual RAM and other functions. Once you go much below that, you're asking for problems and may see the machine palpably slow down.