First iMac, and lost.

[AStaUK]

My first iMac was delivered this morning and I've got it up and running without any problems. I've been having a little play, working out were things are and some of the shortcuts. Having been a long time Windows user some of it is a little mind blowing. Going to take me some time to break old habits.

A couple of things I'm a little uncertain on though and so 'm looking some of the more experienced Mac users for some guidance.

I've not installed much on the Mac yet, other than Flash Player and Adobe Reader. What is the best way to install applications outside of the App Store, so far I've just downloaded the DMG file in to the Downloads folder and the opened them. Is this the correct way, or is there a better way? And how do you install unwanted applications, is it as simple as moving them to the trash bin? What happens to the various folders, config changes they make?

With the wireless keyboard/trackpad do you have to manually turn them off or do they go in to power saving by themselves after a period of time?

Apple's little manual recommends putting the Mac to sleep when not in use and only shutdown if it's not going to be used for a period of time. I presume if it's in sleep the power draw is going to be minimal, is it safe to turn the plug socket off at this point? I'm guessing probably not.

Thanks, AStaley.

[CPressland]

Hi,

Installing an Application is as simple as Downloading a DMG file from say, getfirefox.com, mounting it, dragging Firefox.app into the Application folder then unmount and delete the original DMG file.

Uninstalling is the same, Just drag the Application into the trash. Normally you don't need to worry about the config files being left behind as they're only a few KB worth of data.

Wireless Trackpad/Mouse/Keyboard all power manage themselves, but use considerably less power when iMac is in sleep mode.

As for Power Management, no, you cannot unplug it from the mains while it is in Standby, you will lose data doing this. And the Power Consumption is somewhere in the range of Zilch. I don't shutdown/restart any of my Macs unless I absolutely have to.

[seta-san]

My first iMac was delivered this morning and I've got it up and running without any problems. I've been having a little play, working out were things are and some of the shortcuts. Having been a long time Windows user some of it is a little mind blowing. Going to take me some time to break old habits.

A couple of things I'm a little uncertain on though and so 'm looking some of the more experienced Mac users for some guidance.

I've not installed much on the Mac yet, other than Flash Player and Adobe Reader. What is the best way to install applications outside of the App Store, so far I've just downloaded the DMG file in to the Downloads folder and the opened them. Is this the correct way, or is there a better way? And how do you install unwanted applications, is it as simple as moving them to the trash bin? What happens to the various folders, config changes they make?

With the wireless keyboard/trackpad do you have to manually turn them off or do they go in to power saving by themselves after a period of time?

Apple's little manual recommends putting the Mac to sleep when not in use and only shutdown if it's not going to be used for a period of time. I presume if it's in sleep the power draw is going to be minimal, is it safe to turn the plug socket off at this point? I'm guessing probably not.

Thanks, AStaley.

DMG files are mountable "drives" when you double click on it will create an icon on the desktop. When installing programs some programs have an installer that you would be familiar with... others would just have you click and drag the file to the applications folder. When you are done with the "drive" that was mounted on the desktop you need to drag it to the trash to unmount it.

simply drag the program or the program's folder to the trash to uninstall most programs. There are config files... but thankfully there is no registry.

Yes, sleep mode does typically require a minimum amount of energy from the socket. So if you plan to use sleep you either need to keep energy on the socket or have a reliable UPS to maintain energy to the device

[Japlabot]

I think that you guys are getting too complicated when you start talking about "mounting" without explaining what that means.

Step 1. Download DMG File, it usually will automatically download to your Downloads folder.

Step 2. Double-click DMG File to open it. Safari will by default, open a DMG file automatically when it has finished downloading.

Step 3. On your desktop, you will see a "Disk" for whichever program you downloaded (Even though you didn't physically plug a disk into your computer.

Step 4. Double-click on the disk on your desktop to see what's inside.

There are two possibilities:

(A) You will either see a Package Installer (An icon of an open brown box with a yellow light shining inside it).

In this case, you would Double-Click this and install it using the step-by-step instructions (Same as a Windows install Wizard).

(B) You will see the application sitting by itself. Sometimes the developer that made the program will do the courtesy of including a shortcut to the Applications folder inside the disk to make it easier. Sometimes they will also give you some arrows or short instructions in the background image of the folder.

In this case, you need to Drag and Drop the application to the Applications folder (You will need to manually browse to the Applications folder through the finder in advance if they did no include a shortcut for you) to copy it to the Applications folder, and run the Application from the Applications folder.

After you have copied the application to the Applications folder, you can move the Disk which is on the Desktop to the Trash (Which will automatically change to an eject symbol when are dragging a Disk rather than a file).

To "mount" a file, means to open a DMG file. A DMG file is a Disk Image (similar to an ISO in Windows land), a Disk Image is a file that contains a virtual representation of a Disk inside the file, and when you open the Disk Image, it will make the contents of the file appear as a Disk on your Desktop, giving the same effect as plugging an actual disk into the computer except without the physical disk. The act of making a Disk accessible by the computer is called "mounting".

It is a horribly inconsistent and confusing process for newcomers and that is why Apple have created the Mac App Store. Unfortunately the selection of Apps in the App store is severely limited because Apple are trying to impose as much limitation as you would expect on an IOS device, and therefore most of the common applications are not published on the Mac App Store even though it would make them easier to find and to install.

[game_over]

Download something called AppCleaner. If you uninstall them this way it grabs the config files as well.

[what]

Get rid of Adobe Reader. OS X has native support for viewing PDFs in Preview.

[Stetson]

Get rid of Adobe Reader. OS X has native support for viewing PDFs in Preview.

+1 to this.

As far as the Sleep vs Shutdown thing goes, I only restart my Mac about once every month or two when it needs to install updates. You can't turn off the power strip or unplug an iMac when it's in sleep mode, it's using very little power, not no power.

Another tip is to learn to use search. The built-in spotlight command (I think default is cmd-space) works pretty well and lets you open applications very quickly by typing just a few characters. There are alternatives too like Alfred in the App Store.

[AStaUK]

Thanks for the replies, clears a few things up for me.

I've been using Spotlight (and thanks for the shortcut), having used Windows 7 since release I'm happy getting to my applications/files this way. The Trackpad is taking a little getting used to though, still want to right click everything.

A little frustrated with Office 2011 at the moment and the Remote Desktop software as it doesn't support Terminal Server Gateway. But looks like there is a version of iTap RDP available for OSX, so I can use that for the time being.

AStaley.

[+jamesyfx Subscriber²]

To be honest, iWork is a much better office suite than Microsoft Office on Macs. The software just performs better.

But hey.. No matter what you end up with, it'll still do the job.

[vip]

Also, get a program called Alfred. http://www.alfredapp.com/ I can't live without it, it makes my life so much easier and I recommend it to everyone who gets a Mac.

[PNWDweller]

OR you can use Quicksilver which is free. Makes things like pressing Command+Space or whatever key you decide to be a fantastic launcher among other things.

Also, take a look at some of the other sites such as macappdeals.com which gives discounted software and locations of some of the 'famous' bundles that Mac is known for software wise. (get hundreds of dollars in software usually for $49.99).

[+virtorio MVC]

Also, get a program called Alfred. http://www.alfredapp.com/ I can't live without it, it makes my life so much easier and I recommend it to everyone who gets a Mac.

Alfred is the best.

[Stetson]

Thanks for the replies, clears a few things up for me.

I've been using Spotlight (and thanks for the shortcut), having used Windows 7 since release I'm happy getting to my applications/files this way. The Trackpad is taking a little getting used to though, still want to right click everything.

A little frustrated with Office 2011 at the moment and the Remote Desktop software as it doesn't support Terminal Server Gateway. But looks like there is a version of iTap RDP available for OSX, so I can use that for the time being.

AStaley.

Make sure you turn on Tap-to-click and the two-finger right-click option.

[bbfc_uk]

I'm quite new to mac too; got my first MacBook Pro a few months back.

You will learn to LOVE the trackpad. I find it difficult now using a trackpad on any other laptop as i'm used to the gestures, but i know what you mean about the right-click thing. A two-finger tap will bring up the context menu.

Alfred, AppTrap and Twitter are my recommended applications.

[Damian]

The Trackpad is taking a little getting used to though, still want to right click everything.

You can choose to right click in bottom right corner.

[UncleSpellbinder]

I hate the trackpad. Perhaps it's because I hate the way laptops are. I always have a portable mouse for a laptop. I've learned to really like the magic mouse though.

[Neo003]

I hate the trackpad. Perhaps it's because I hate the way laptops are. I always have a portable mouse for a laptop. I've learned to really like the magic mouse though.

Actually I'm opposite, I really like trackpad. It just feel more comfortable then th magic mouse, this is coming from a windows guys; my wife use iMac.

[AStaUK]

I'm quite liking the Trackpad, more so now that I've got the tap to click option enabled. I was finding it a pain to have to keep pushing down to select stuff. Probably have to get my self a MagicMouse as well though, drag and drop is a pain with the pad.

I'm finding with OSX I'm having to use more and more keyboard shortcuts though. Not necessarily a bad thing, but some of the OSX programmes feel badly laid out to me. Tried using Mail for my emails, but can't get on with it. So using Outlook 2011 at the moment, might give Thunderbird a try later.

Overall I love the hardware, but not so taken with OSX. I still prefer Win7 which feels cleaner and better organised to me. Perhaps this is just down to the length of time i've been using Windows, still I'll keep going with OSX and see how I get on.

And thanks for the replies, nice thread so far.

AStaley.

[chrispinto]

I'm quite liking the Trackpad, more so now that I've got the tap to click option enabled. I was finding it a pain to have to keep pushing down to select stuff. Probably have to get my self a MagicMouse as well though, drag and drop is a pain with the pad.

I'm finding with OSX I'm having to use more and more keyboard shortcuts though. Not necessarily a bad thing, but some of the OSX programmes feel badly laid out to me. Tried using Mail for my emails, but can't get on with it. So using Outlook 2011 at the moment, might give Thunderbird a try later.

Overall I love the hardware, but not so taken with OSX. I still prefer Win7 which feels cleaner and better organised to me. Perhaps this is just down to the length of time i've been using Windows, still I'll keep going with OSX and see how I get on.

And thanks for the replies, nice thread so far.

AStaley.

Took me about a month of Mac OS X (then Snow Leopard) without any use of Windows machines at all, now I find OS X much better and more intuitive. Up until 2010 I had been Windows only since Windows 3.1/3.11

[PyX]

To be honest, iWork is a much better office suite than Microsoft Office on Macs. The software just performs better.

While it does perform faster, it is nowhere as close as Office 2011*, in terms of features, compatibility and versatility.

If you?re an advanced user of Office, you?ll become mad when you play around with iWork, as there?s a lot of features lacking.

if you?re a beginner or don?t use any advanced feature, give it a try, you might appreciate.

* Exception made : Keynote is far superior than Powerpoint, except for the claustrophobic user-interface.