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Mac n00b tips!

  • 18-07-2007 6:06pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,069 ✭✭✭


    I like this thread. But i want to try something out here, if NEW PEOPLE TO MAC like it, great, i would love to talk easy talk to them and i would like easy talk to me too. I know the pro's will not find it handy. In fact pro mac users can stop reading. Now.
    When you are new to mac it is next to impossible to know what buttons are called and you have other things on your mind besides learning new tricks.

    The trick i am about to tell you, well,I know 440Hz told us above, but to a new person, if they are anyway like the way i was when i first joined the mac world, well, lets just say it looks difficult to do. Here goes

    NEW PEOPLE TO MAC
    If you like the f9 button ( this is when you have loads of apps opened and you press f9 to jump from app to app.) you will like this one. Again you have loads of apps opened,---- hold down the button that has the apple logo ( its beside the spacebar) ---press The button with the arrow ( its beside the Q button) --- now you can jump to apps this way too by mouse or pressing that arrow button, keep your finger on the apple button at all times
    but the beat part here is when you want to quit the app.
    hold down the apple button --- press the arrow button again --- keep your finger on the apple button and go to the app you want to quit ( by pressing the arrow button or by using the mouse) --- when you see the app you want to quit press the Q button , app closed---- i love this.


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 6,424 ✭✭✭440Hz


    Tips from the recent converts for n00bs, and some from the old Mac-heads thrown in for good measure. For more detailed tips see the Mac reference sticky!

    Note

    Please use the stickies just to post information/tips etc. If you would like to ask a question or find out how something is done please either start a new thread or post to the quick query (http://www.boards.ie./vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055123051). It just makes the reference threads easier to read as they grow bigger. Thanks!



  • Registered Users Posts: 772 ✭✭✭Narcissus


    440Hz wrote:
    Anyone fancy starting a Mac n00b thread and i'll sticky it. I reckon my Mac days are too long in the tooth to be thinking about it from a n00bie point of view now. I'm good for "tips and tricks" but I'm sure I'd miss loads of the basic things a brand spanking new user would want to know.

    Anyone wanna kick it off? Triple h... wanna continue from your sticky post?

    I'm new to to mac. I just got a macbook about two weeks ago.

    I guess one that springs to my mind straight away (after using windows for years) is the ability to right click. On macbook it can de done by simply pressing on the touchpad with two fingers.

    Also scrolling with two fingers pressed on the touchpad. So awesome :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 495 ✭✭Sajan


    Apapaia wrote:
    I'm new to to mac. I just got a macbook about two weeks ago.

    I guess one that springs to my mind straight away (after using windows for years) is the ability to right click. On macbook it can de done by simply pressing on the touchpad with two fingers.

    Also scrolling with two fingers pressed on the touchpad. So awesome :)

    Is this a setting that needs to be enabled? The right click function as opposed to the scrolling.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,985 ✭✭✭big_moe


    yeah go into sys prefs and then into keyboard and mouse. for non-notebook users, its a ctrl-click to right click.


  • Registered Users Posts: 772 ✭✭✭Narcissus


    Yes, in system preferences go to keyboard and mouse then make sure you are on the trackpad tab then select the box that says "tap trackpad with two fingers for secondary click".


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  • Subscribers Posts: 4,075 ✭✭✭IRLConor


    Bear in mind that the two-finger-tap-to-right-click behaviour is not available on all Apple laptops. My old and much loved 12" PowerBook G4 did not support this. AFAIK all the Intel Macs do though.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,154 ✭✭✭Oriel


    IRLConor wrote:
    Bear in mind that the two-finger-tap-to-right-click behaviour is not available on all Apple laptops. My old and much loved 12" PowerBook G4 did not support this. AFAIK all the Intel Macs do though.

    It did support it. This feature was a software upgrade. It wasn't available on Intel Macs until they released a patch. They then included this patch in subsequent updates.


  • Subscribers Posts: 4,075 ✭✭✭IRLConor


    Oriel wrote:
    It did support it. This feature was a software upgrade. It wasn't available on Intel Macs until they released a patch. They then included this patch in subsequent updates.

    I patched the old PB up to 10.4.9. The keyboard & mouse preferences pane does not contain the checkbox to turn that behaviour on. I'll double check (and get you a screenshot if you don't believe me ;)) when I'm next in my parents house where it lives now. Perhaps bringing it to 10.4.10 will do it. My MacBook has always had it and I got it with < 10.4.10.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,069 ✭✭✭triple h


    ZOOM----If you want to zoom in and out of any web page hold down the ctrl button ( bottom left) and use the little scroll ball on your mighty mouse to zoom.

    DICTIONARY
    If you are reading something on the internet and you come across a word you want to look up.
    highlight the word with your mouse ( it turns blue)
    now hold down the ctrl button and press the mouse ---- you will see options and ' look up dictionary ' is one of those options.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,069 ✭✭✭triple h


    I know as a new mac user you really do not want to be told to many tricks all in one go, so here is one more. I will do another trick in a few days time ( maybe a week) --- this trick was on the mac pro sticky thread and 440Hz told us this one, but i will make it simple for new users to mac.

    OPEN APPLICATIONS FOLDER --- this only seems to work if the screen is blank ( well, no other apps opened at all) ---- hold down ( same time) the apple button and the big button with the up arrow ( it is beside the ?/ button) then press A. Now your applications window is opened.

    you can also drag your apps folder to your dock if you want. I did not bother doing this by the way. But i will talk about application tricks the next day, for the new new user to mac.

    Your right Oriel ( message below) i meant to stress that, i forgot, thanks.


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,154 ✭✭✭Oriel


    triple h wrote:
    DICTIONARY
    If you are reading something on the internet and you come across a word you want to look up.
    highlight the word with your mouse ( it turns blue)
    now hold down the ctrl button and press the mouse ---- you will see options and ' look up dictionary ' is one of those options.

    That is a feature of Safari only.


  • Registered Users Posts: 849 ✭✭✭Simon201


    Apapaia wrote:
    On macbook it can de done by simply pressing on the touchpad with two fingers.

    Ah! brilliant - I'm no noob and I didn't know my Macbook could do this one!

    By the way anyone know how I get this, plus two finger scrolling, double tap lock and dragging etc to work when I've booted up XP?? (in separate partition)


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,424 ✭✭✭440Hz


    Yeah I have a script installed on my XP Mac partition, not 100% on which one i used, it was a while back but here are some scripts for right clicking etc under XP (bootcamp)

    Apple Mouse Utility will let you use Control-click to right click. Simply place it in your Startup folder, and call it with /s, so that it launches silently on startup.
    here: http://www.geocities.com/pronto4u/applemouse.html

    KeyTweak will allow you to remap your Windows keyboard, useful for reassigning modifiers like Control-C to the Mac’s Command-C, etc.
    here: http://webpages.charter.net/krumsick/


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8,417 ✭✭✭Miguel_Sanchez


    triple h wrote:
    NEW PEOPLE TO MAC
    If you like the f9 button ( this is when you have loads of apps opened and you press f9 to jump from app to app.) you will like this one. Again you have loads of apps opened,---- hold down the button that has the apple logo ( its beside the spacebar) ---press The button with the arrow ( its beside the Q button) --- now you can jump to apps this way too by mouse or pressing that arrow button, keep your finger on the apple button at all times

    Ok. Is it just me or can't you do this on all modern computers, both Mac and PCs?


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,154 ✭✭✭Oriel


    Ok. Is it just me or can't you do this on all modern computers, both Mac and PCs?

    You can. I don't know why it's in here.


  • Registered Users Posts: 356 ✭✭the evil lime


    triple h wrote:
    OPEN APPLICATIONS FOLDER --- this only seems to work if the screen is blank ( well, no other apps opened at all)

    It works so long as you're in finder and not another app as far as I can tell.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,790 ✭✭✭cornbb


    This one is just for fun :)

    Hold down command (the "apple" key) + alt + ctrl + 8 and see what happens

    (use the same command to switch it back...)


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,424 ✭✭✭440Hz


    cornbb wrote:
    This one is just for fun :)

    Hold down command (the "apple" key) + alt + ctrl + 8 and see what happens

    (use the same command to switch it back...)

    :D You shouldn't have included how to turn it back heehee!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 772 ✭✭✭Narcissus


    cornbb wrote:
    This one is just for fun :)

    Hold down command (the "apple" key) + alt + ctrl + 8 and see what happens

    (use the same command to switch it back...)

    that is savage! :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 849 ✭✭✭Simon201


    cornbb wrote:
    Hold down command (the "apple" key) + alt + ctrl + 8 and see what happens

    ah great now I can have hours of fun pretending to be a dalek exterminating!

    Ok here's one from a while back -

    when you've a window open in the finder, minimize it (yellow dot or double click at the top) with the shift button down. (with genie effect works best)


    erm this thread is gonna be renamed 'wasting time on your mac' soon!!


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,069 ✭✭✭triple h


    Ok. Is it just me or can't you do this on all modern computers, both Mac and PCs?

    Maybe, i guess, don't care, great. BUT the reason i wanted a thread for 'THE NEW MAC USER THAT LEFT WINDOWS' was because i know what it's like to jump to a new system and maybe i can see things in the eyes of a new mac user more so than an old seasoned mac user and i just wanted to say " hold on, the thread 440Hz started ( which i love by the way) might be a bit too much for a new user". I did want to keep messages for NEW USER EXPLAINED IN MORE DETAIL, in the other thread with a warning so old mac users would not read it.

    Anyway

    APPLICATIONS IN THE DOCK --- FOR THE NEW USER

    As a new user you might find yourself using something like 'stickies' more so than 'garage band' --- that is an example.
    So bring your mouse down to the dock and click on garage band, don't let go and drag it off the dock. Watch it go up in smoke.
    Open your app folder and click on stickies ( you will see garage band is still in the apps folder) , don't let go and drag it into the dock.
    Put apps you use all the time into the dock. it's way handier.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,069 ✭✭✭triple h


    Pressing the Esc button (while typing in most apps) pops up a list of suggested completions of the word you are typing.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,069 ✭✭✭triple h


    In any mac application, for example garage band, iweb, pages and so on, if you make a mistake, like, you put a picture in a box (and reckon you want it out) or you want to get rid of what you just did ---- press the apple button and the Z button----


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,366 ✭✭✭luckat


    That zooming in and out on web pages - didn't work for me. I'm using a PowerBook...?

    Command-tab to switch apps is the equivalent of ctrl-tab on PCs, all right - except for one thing. With the Mac, you can command-tab to show the list of apps, then use the mouse to highlight and click into the one you want. It doesn't sound much, but it means you don't have to keep clicking from one to another the way you do on a PC.

    Oh, and screengrabs on a Mac are command-shift-3 (and you get a nice camera click sound).

    And you can enable your Mac to speak text for you, which is handy if, say, you want to listen to papers from work when you're cooking. Search for Speech in Spotlight (the magnifying glass yoke on the top right of the screen) and set it to On. Then just highlight any text and it'll read it out. This has been a Mac feature going right back to the first Macs; haven't used it for ages, but there used to be a selection of more or less computer-sounding voices. As far as I remember, Hal in 2001 was a Mac voice.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,069 ✭✭✭triple h


    I like that mac speak.

    Anyway- sometimes when you are on a site and scrolling down all the way to Ireland can be a pain in the blank, well fear not. just click on the country area and just type I or Ir and it brings you to ireland or the I countries.

    Not a real mac trick, but more so a web trick, but i like it. it is handy.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,366 ✭✭✭luckat


    You can also speak certain commands - to open apps (as Mac types call programs), to save and so on - if you set them up in that Speech control panel.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,424 ✭✭✭440Hz


    Handy little thing for new Mac users to keep an eye on for fast, easy and mostly smart ways of speeding up your workflow on your Mac

    http://www.apple.com/business/videotips/


  • Registered Users Posts: 771 ✭✭✭Rojo


    I'm gonna sound like a thick because it's probably really obvious... Ok, I've downloaded a load of apps and I have them in my dock, but if I shut down the macbook they disappear from the dock when I turn it back on... What am I doing wrong??


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,408 ✭✭✭Huggles


    Ok, when you start up the apps, the icon will appear in the dock, click and hold on the icon and select 'keep in dock'

    :D


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,842 ✭✭✭steveland?


    cornbb wrote:
    This one is just for fun :)

    Hold down command (the "apple" key) + alt + ctrl + 8 and see what happens

    (use the same command to switch it back...)
    I actually really like this look. It makes reading websites a lot easier on the eye if your eyes are tired and the ability to switch between the viewing options with the keyboard shortcut is deadly.

    Ok, my tips... Basic ones that confused me after switching from Windows:
    1. A "Shortcut" in Windows is an "Alias" in OSX. To create a shortcut/alias rightclick on the thing you want to make a shortcut of and click "Make Alias"
    2. That outlined up arrow in the shortcuts thing is the Shift key. My iBook G4 just says Shift, doesn't have the arrow on it so took me a little while to figure out why pressing up wasn't working... The little squigly icon that looks like a Z cut off at the ends with some extra lines is the alt/option key (also not labelled on my iBook with the symbol).

    Oh and one other thing. If you're looking to do any web design on it and want to install PHP, Apache is pre-installed in OSX. To activate it go to System Preferences>Sharing and enable "Personal Web Sharing". You can now access your Apache server from http://localhost/

    I could figure that out, get PHP and MySQL installed and configured but I couldn't figure out the Alt or Shift keys...


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