Topic: The newbie apple thread

[PaulF]

I hope you don't mind me starting a new thread, I'll leave the Apple vs Dell Vs Linux flame war alone.
(Not that anyone in there seemed to be supporting linux per se).


Righto, the much awaited first impressions.

No legacy PS2 sockets, but a nice looking hole for my monitor.
2 Usb ports, now filled with Mouse and Keyboard.
Power socket and what I assume is a passthrough socket of some kind so I can connect my monitor and use one less plug socket.

I found the button to turn it on simply enough.
Grey screen sits there for a worryingly long time before a reassuring apple appears.
A few seconds later there's a desktop.
A really in your face toolbar sits along the bottom.
Easy enough to fire up Safari and get on the web.  Calling it something like WebBrowser would have been better for complete noobs like me, but no real complaints with it.

Log on and post smug entry on Rawk.
Discover how to minimise the task bar.
Successfully download and install firefox, unfortunately it's left a host of icons on my desktop and I'm not really sure which ones I need to keep.
I was well impressed that the firefox website detected the OS and downloaded the right file for me.
I'm not quite sure how I installed firefox and there was some weird program that seemed to sit in the middle that I can only assume was the installer.
The fonts look nicer on the Mac, presumably this is either the vectorised stuff or simply the default font chosen?

I couldn't see how to get firefox or Safari to fill the screen, and the bottom of the browser always looked 'missing' , like I'd got a windowed view of the browser and dragged the top, so the bottom was off the screen.

Before I do much more experimentation....
1. How can I do a complete back up, so I can restore the machine?
2. how much should as OS X disc cost (in case I can't be arsed to do a back up).
3. How do i turn the thing off??

[WorldChampions]

Press the power button to turn it off

When you install an app anything left on your desktop can be deleted

[Matt S]

turn it off by clicking on the apple in the left had corner, and going to shut down. The icons on the desktop can probably all go, youll have the installer file that you downloaded, and the disk image thing which you can get rid of too assuming you dragged firefox into the apps folder.

[Ben S]

Surely you don't need to ask, apples do everything for you.

3. How do i turn the thing off??

Best question ever, in your face mac users.

[PaulF]

assuming you dragged firefox into the apps folder.

<shrugs>
I'm not really sure. I just kept clicking and double clicking things.
There was quite a nice icon on the desktop that sort of looks like a 'nice' external disk drive.

[¡Basta Ya!]

The disc image thing can be a little confusing at first for PC users. the DMG that most downloaded applications come in is just like a mounted hard disk or DVD/CD - if you treat it as that you can't go wrong.

1) double click the DMG - that puts a drive on your desktop
2) drag the application from the drive to your applications folder
3) bin the MDG and drive by dragging it to the trash
4) click on the application in applications folder

[PaulF]

The disc image thing can be a little confusing at first for PC users. the DMG that most downloaded applications come in is just like a mounted hard disk or DVD/CD - if you treat it as that you can't go wrong.

1) double click the DMG - that puts a drive on your desktop
2) drag the application from the drive to your applications folder
3) bin the MDG and drive by dragging it to the trash
4) click on the application in applications folder

Brill thanks, that kind of makes sence. I'm assuming it's a linux mounted filesystem type thing then? And like you say, best to treat it as 'cd' image.

Sorry for the total newb question, but how do I open the applications folder?

ps so far I'm quite liking it, but I can't get rid of that horrible feeling I need to buy a pink shirt now.

[iSmiff]

The disc image thing can be a little confusing at first for PC users. the DMG that most downloaded applications come in is just like a mounted hard disk or DVD/CD - if you treat it as that you can't go wrong.

1) double click the DMG - that puts a drive on your desktop
2) drag the application from the drive to your applications folder
3) bin the MDG and drive by dragging it to the trash
4) click on the application in applications folder

all that to install an app, WOW user friendly or what

us poor pc users and our double clicking an exe

[¡Basta Ya!]

Brill thanks, that kind of makes sence. I'm assuming it's a linux mounted filesystem type thing then? And like you say, best to treat it as 'cd' image.

Sorry for the total newb question, but how do I open the applications folder?

ps so far I'm quite liking it, but I can't get rid of that horrible feeling I need to buy a pink shirt now.

Applications folder is in "the finder" it's the icon in the left side of the dock - you click it and the applications folder is in there.

[Ben S]

Applications folder is in "the finder" it's the icon in the left side of the dock - you click it and the applications folder is in there.

Crikey, that makes so much sence, one wonders how someone wouldn't recognise that from the off.

[iSmiff]

Its so intuitive

[¡Basta Ya!]

If you need any more help, just PM.

[Ben S]

Awww do it publicly, it's so much more fun watching you prove macs aren't all you make out.

[iSmiff]

i'm lonely, PM me

[¡Basta Ya!]

Awww do it publicly, it's so much more fun picking up on every word you say, whilst you're trying to help someone

[iSmiff]

aw diddums

[Ben S]

Look at me, I've wasted hundreds on a sack of shite computer but if I tell myself it's good for long enough, people might beleive me.

[iSmiff]

go easy ben, i feel a strop coming on

[redchiz]

The "taskbar" at the bottom - which you can move elsewhere if you wish - is known as the Dock. This is because you can, er, "dock" frequently used applications. E.G. When you open Firefox it's icon  should show up in the dock, do a little light bouncing and then sit there with a little black triangle beneath it, which indicates the app is running. If you shut it down, it will by default disappear from the dock. But if it's an app that you use a lot you can keep it in the dock - when it's open, right-click (or ctrl-click) on the icon in the dock; select Keep in Dock. You will find that after a short time you will have all you fave apps available at a single click from the dock. And to re-arrange them, just drag them about. If you don't want one any more, just drag it out of the dock. It will then disappear with a satisfying puff of smoke.

Here's a screenshot of my (rather over-crowded) Dock:

[bradigor]

Ben, drop that bone............come on drop it.

[PaulF]

Awww do it publicly, it's so much more fun watching you prove macs aren't all you make out.

I'll do it publicy, but I will be fair.
I did struggle to shut the machine down, but let's face it. The 'Start' button on a windows machine isn't the most obvious place.

One thing that did seem odd was a menu bar along the top of the screen that seems to change depending on which application you're using. I haven't had time to decide if that is a good idea yet or not.

[iSmiff]

if he drops it there plenty of dogs round here to pick it up

[iSmiff]

I'll do it publicy, but I will be fair.
I did struggle to shut the machine down, but let's face it. The 'Start' button on a windows machine isn't the most obvious place.

One thing that did seem odd was a menu bar along the top of the screen that seems to change depending on which application you're using. I haven't had time to decide if that is a good idea yet or not.

BURN IT, ITS A WITCH

[bradigor]

if he drops it there plenty of dogs round here to pick it up

[iSmiff]

woof

[Mudface_]

*wags tail*

I wonder who he'll re-register as this time? My money's on Berry Nieuwenhuys.

[iSmiff]

Cockalots Fucklechins III

is my bet, its a long shot mind

[nidgemo]

I'll do it publicy, but I will be fair.
I did struggle to shut the machine down, but let's face it. The 'Start' button on a windows machine isn't the most obvious place.

One thing that did seem odd was a menu bar along the top of the screen that seems to change depending on which application you're using. I haven't had time to decide if that is a good idea yet or not.

It is.

it saves you window space, instead of having one at the bottom for the OS, and one for the app

PS - presumeably this thread can finally put to rest the myth that mac users go in wrecking all the PC threads, when this thread, and it's half dozen dickheads who arrived within minutes, only containing one person who's actually trying to help someone asking genuine questions...

PC users are so insecure, it's unreal.

[Ben S]

Feel the love.

[nidgemo]

Feel the love.

I'm feeling it!





Oh no, wait, it's jealousy.

Never mind. You'll all have what mac users have eventually. Normally about 5 years.

[Mudface_]

PC users are so insecure, it's unreal.

Ah, quit your self-righteousness, you weirdo.

[Ben S]

Never mind. You'll all have what mac users have eventually. Normally about 5 years.

An useless heap of shit on the desk?

[bradigor]

Ah, quit your self-righteousness, you weirdo.

Ah, quit your self-blow jobbing, you freak

[bradigor]

An useless heap of shit on the desk?

That sounds so wrong

'An' useless is correct but sounds better as 'A' useless

[Mudface_]

Ah, quit your self-blow jobbing, you freak

If I could do that, I wouldn't be posting on here in my spare time...

[nidgemo]

If I could do that, I wouldn't be posting on here in my spare time...

Why, is Smiff not that good at it?

[bradigor]

Why, is Smiff not that good at it?

[PaulF]

Now I've seen the instructions, it's pretty simple installing an Application. I'm not 100% confident that deleting it from the Applications folder will take settings and related files, but perhaps Apple software doesn't proliferate dlls in the same way.

I got messenger running fine. I don't know why I pissed about with a third party client first.

Not happy that I can't run the Flash client of ladbrokes poker. It complained about the browser which is odd.

[theCanadian]

So how well is OS 10.? running on there so far Paul?

[PaulF]

I was in the middle of typing that it appears to be fine, when firefox crashed

It does feel ever so slightly sluggish, but then on a 400MHz machine, that's to be expected.