A few OSX questions

[TDT]

Hi guys. I got bored today and decided to try to install Mountain Lion on my PC. After quite some issues, I managed to get a fully working installation of OSX on my Windows PC, so right now I'm playing with it some more.

I have a few questions, since I'm not that familiar with OSX as some of you are. So here goes, maybe I can get some help:

- I use Chrome on osx, like I do in Windows, but I HATE how the fonts look here, everything is bolded and ugly. Is there any way to get the same Chrome look I have in Win?

- A few years back, the last time I installed OSX on a PC, I used a file manager, very cool, but I can't remember the name. Anyone?

- Talking about a virtual machines, what would you recommend for osx? VMWare or Parallels?

- Is there any way to move the damn window buttons (maximize, close, etc.) to the right?

- Why doesn't my Delete button work? :laugh:

- I remember there was an app that could "remap" the keys like in Win (for example, use Ctrl+C, instead of the Win key+C for copy). Anyone knows what I'm talking about?

- And finally, I'm trying to get my Thunderbird profile from Win to OSX, but I don't know what to copy where. I read something about it on the net, but I don't have any Thunderbird folders in Library, Preferences or Application Data...

Thanks :)

[TheLegendOfMart]

If you want windows use windows, pointless installing OSX then changing it so its like windows.

[TDT]

If you want windows use windows, pointless installing OSX then changing it so its like windows.

Well, your reply is pointless. Following your logic, those tweaking apps that change the OS should be removed and developers shot to death. It's no pointless thing in wanting to use OSX customized to my needs.

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

It's no pointless thing in wanting to use OSX customized to my needs.

Is that really what you're trying to do though (customizing it to your needs)? Or are you confusing your needs with simply what you're used to from Windows? Why do you need the window buttons to be on the right, font rendering and shortcuts to be the same as on Windows? There's no way around the fact that these things are not the same between Windows and OS X.

[hckngrtfakt]

As other's have said,... pretty pointless to customize osx to feel like windows specially if you're going to virtualize in it....

why not just revert back to windows .... (running VMWare or Parallels on a PC that's running OSX is pretty redundant)

[vcfan]

next question,why is flash so slow,why is there no software for osx,how do I get a start screen like windows,

[+virtorio MVC]

- I use Chrome on osx, like I do in Windows, but I HATE how the fonts look here, everything is bolded and ugly. Is there any way to get the same Chrome look I have in Win?

No idea how to change rendering style in Chrome. OSX and Windows render fonts in a different way and it's what you get used to. Personally I think fonts in Windows look awful.

- A few years back, the last time I installed OSX on a PC, I used a file manager, very cool, but I can't remember the name. Anyone?

Possibly PathFinder: http://cocoatech.com/pathfinder/

- Talking about a virtual machines, what would you recommend for osx? VMWare or Parallels?

According to benchmarks Paralells is faster. When I tried them a few years ago I found them to be around the same, but got better graphics performance out of Paralells.

next question,why is flash so slow,why is there no software for osx,how do I get a start screen like windows,

1. Because Adobe sucks

2. There is. You don't know how to use a search engine.

3. Install Windows 8

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

2. There is. You don't know how to use a search engine.

Yeah, with regard to the "no software" thing I actually find mostly the opposite to be true. Certainly the indie developer ecosystem seems much healthier and with apps of significantly higher quality than on Windows.

[TDT]

next question,why is flash so slow,why is there no software for osx,how do I get a start screen like windows,

Really? Sounds like something you would ask.

No idea how to change rendering style in Chrome. OSX and Windows render fonts in a different way and it's what you get used to. Personally I think fonts in Windows look awful.

Possibly PathFinder: http://cocoatech.com/pathfinder/

According to benchmarks Paralells is faster. When I tried them a few years ago I found them to be around the same, but got better graphics performance out of Paralells.

Yes, Pathfinder was the app I was looking for. :) Thank you. Also, I was leaning to Paralells, but I thought I should ask for another opinion.

As for others that replied, I really don't know what your problem is. If I choose to use OSX or Linux or whatever AND try to customise it to what I'M USED too, then what's wrong with this? Obviously I don't expect everything to be the same as it is in Win, but there are some small things that may or may not be changed so the OS would be more familiar to me. Don't bother replying if you don't have anything helpful to say, please.

[MFH]

how do I get a start screen like windows,

who would want a cluster**** like that?

[Bizkit]

So you built a Hackintosh? Last I heard, and I'm no expert, you need pretty specific hardware to get OSX working smoothly on a non Apple machine.

Anyways, some basic stuff:

Your delete key doesn't work like it does in Windows. You have to hit the Command button (I think that is the Win key on your keyboard) and then hit delete. Its strange why it works like that, but it does.

As far as remapping keys, I guess you could do it, but what is the difference? Win key or control key? It does sound like you are just wanting OSX to be a skin of Windows, and not giving it a far shot.

But, since you are just playing with it, I would just mess around for a few days, then you will probably reinstall Windows. If you really wanted to keep OSX, you wouldn't be trying to make it Windows.

[TDT]

So you built a Hackintosh? Last I heard, and I'm no expert, you need pretty specific hardware to get OSX working smoothly on a non Apple machine.

Anyways, some basic stuff:

Your delete key doesn't work like it does in Windows. You have to hit the Command button (I think that is the Win key on your keyboard) and then hit delete. Its strange why it works like that, but it does.

As far as remapping keys, I guess you could do it, but what is the difference? Win key or control key? It does sound like you are just wanting OSX to be a skin of Windows, and not giving it a far shot.

But, since you are just playing with it, I would just mess around for a few days, then you will probably reinstall Windows. If you really wanted to keep OSX, you wouldn't be trying to make it Windows.

Yeah, it was quite a pain to make it install & work on my PC, but that's was the point, it was a challenge and now it works flawlessly, except for one minor thing about the second monitor (working on it).

And no, I don't need to reinstall Win, because I installed OSX in dual boot with it, so I can boot in Win whenever I want.

Anyway, I'm not trying to "skin" it or make it like WIndows, what I want seems logical, because, for example, I don't understand the reason why I need to use 2 keys to delete a file (or send it to trash, to be fair, since you also need shift & del in WIndows to delete it permanently. For a long time Windows user, there are these small things that can get pretty annoying, and I don't think that giving "osx a fair shot" has anything to do with wanting to change these things.

OT, I still don't know how to copy my Thunderbird profile from Win. In Linux it was easy, but here... Seems like there's no damn TB folder on my OSX partition, or at least in those common paths. So where does it save the user profiles?!

[Nick H. Supervisor]

I don't understand the reason why I need to use 2 keys to delete a file (or send it to trash, to be fair, since you also need shift & del in WIndows to delete it permanently. For a long time Windows user, there are these small things that can get pretty annoying, and I don't think that giving "osx a fair shot" has anything to do with wanting to change these things.

I disagree. I was an adventurer like you until I took an arrow...wait, let me start that again. I was a Windows user like you, then one day I got a Macbook. For the first two weeks there were frustrations ("why doesn't it do this? Why do I have to do that when on Windows I could do it like this?") but never once did I say "let's try and get the Windows feeling back." After the first two weeks I was sailing.

Bascially, the bog-standard answer is this: If you want Windows, use Windows. If you want OS X, use OS X. There's no point in trying to turn OS X in to Windows, that destroys the point.

I offer this question to you: Why did you install OS X in the first place? Was it to use a different OS? If so, why would you be trying to turn one OS in to a different OS?

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Regarding fonts, it's not possible to get OS X to render them as badly as Windows does, your only option is to make Windows render them better.

[TDT]

I offer this question to you: Why did you install OS X in the first place? Was it to use a different OS? If so, why would you be trying to turn one OS in to a different OS?

So trying to map 2 keys and switch some window buttons equals turning one os into another? Wow...

Seems like almost everyone is missing the point of this topic. I asked for help and advice, I didn't start yet another mac vs. windows crusade. It shouldn't matter WHY I want to do what I want to do, that's my business, if nobody has anything helpful to say, then please refrain from other comments and flames.

@The_Decryptor, that's your opinion. For me, the Linux (and osx, it seems) font rendering, at least in web browsers (Chrome) is horrible. Even Neowin looks ugly (why the mega-super-hyper bolded article titles?!?!?!?!?). The only texts that look good are the bookmarks in the bookmark bar... Maybe if I change the font in Chrome it would look better, but I don't know what to use (the standard font is Times).

[TDT]

Well, I managed to workout some of my questions. It seems that the font issue is Chrome only, Safari or Firefox display the web pages just fine, so I switched to Firefox and everything is good.

About Thunderbird, the damn profile folder WAS in Library, but not the "root" Library folder. It's in the ~/user/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles. So I just copied the one from Win and it works. :)

To my surprise, I have all the apps that I use in Win, without having to find alternatives. Even my favorite sound editor (Sound Forge) now has a osx version. And a couple of others that don't have osx versions work just fine in Crossover. About games, these days I only play Counter Strike 1.6 (in Crossover on osx) and it seems that there's a beta going on on Steam for a native OSX version. Beautiful :)

That being said, it's nice to try something different, even with all these issues and things that I'm finding a little hard to adjust to. What I liked the most was the challenge to make OSX work on my PC, but I also like the OS, it's damn fast and beautiful. Obviously, it won't replace my Windows OS, but I have a feeling that it will be a long time before I reboot back in Win. :)