Got a Mac!


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I'm a long time PC user (and always will be :p) but since Macs are becoming alot more mainstream these days it's hard to avoid them (particularly in the workplace). So after much thought and deliberation I bought myself a Mac mini (base model, 2.26Ghz one) so I can play with OSX and learn how to use it etc. I won't get it for another day or so, so can't play with it yet. Problem is I have no idea where to start with it! Apart from just using it to learn how to use (and be comfortable with) OSX, I plan to look into doing some web programming (PHP, ASP.NET etc) and some video editing (not HD video though) on it (nothing too serious, just playing around as I might be getting a Mac as a main machine at work so be handy for me to know) but unsure of the software available to do that and more importantly what is good? thanks for any help guys! Also if you have any general app suggestions for me, please do tell :)

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I'm a long time PC user (and always will be :p) but since Macs are becoming alot more mainstream these days it's hard to avoid them (particularly in the workplace). So after much thought and deliberation I bought myself a Mac mini (base model, 2.26Ghz one) so I can play with OSX and learn how to use it etc. I won't get it for another day or so, so can't play with it yet. Problem is I have no idea where to start with it! Apart from just using it to learn how to use (and be comfortable with) OSX, I plan to look into doing some web programming (PHP, ASP.NET etc) and some video editing (not HD video though) on it (nothing too serious, just playing around as I might be getting a Mac as a main machine at work so be handy for me to know) but unsure of the software avaiable to do that and more importantly what is good? thanks for any help guys!

CONGRATS!!!!!

You will find that OSX is a totally new world. Macs are cool and very easy to use. Enjoy!!!

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CONGRATS!!!!!

You will find that OSX is a totally new world. Macs are cool and very easy to use. Enjoy!!!

Thanks! :)

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For programming, I use TextMate. It's a really simple yet really powerful text editor. For video editing, just try out iMovie for now. It works pretty well. :D

Also, welcome to the Mac community. We're a pretty good bunch of users and developers. :)

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Congrats dude!

I got my Macbook Pro 13 last week and it's awesome. I actually like the glossy screen (glass FTW), the trackpad is smooth (glass again ftw), the ionized aluminum feels amazing, The battery life is wonderful, and I almost came as I turned off the lights in my room and the keyboard lights kicked in :woot:

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Thanks for all the help so far :) my Mac mini showed up today :) using it right now! It's quite a nice little unit, only "issue" per say is that it's a little sluggish, but it's to be expected as I did buy the cheapest one :p Still I'll put some more RAM in it and a bigger HDD later down the track so all is good :)

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You will find that OSX is a totally new world.

Maybe I'm just a bit jaded, but I don't really find that much different between Mac and Windows except for Apple's own professional software (Final Cut really is quite impressive). You get the same Internet, play the same media, and accomplish the same tasks. BSD vs NT, / vs C:\ and Aqua vs Aero just seems like so many semantics for the same old OS, filesystem, and GUI stitching the experience together. I've loved the whole application-as-a-special-portable-folder idea, but even that seems to be devolving into a pile of installers making the point moot (might as well just give up and go straight for the Desktop App Store). Mac OS 9 struck me as more of a different world than OS X ever has.

It's certainly worth poking around to not look like a bumbling idiot when confronted with a Mac later, it's just really not that different. I'd say the Mac's primary advantages right now are the absence of 30GB of obnoxious garbage that's been the prerequisite of every OEM system image of the PC for the last 8 years, and the conspicuous lack of trojan malware. That, and it's a bit prettier. ;)

That said, congrats on the new purchase. I'm sure you'll find great uses for the machine, and have good fun making it do what you want it to do. :)

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it's a little sluggish, but it's to be expected as I did buy the cheapest one :p Still I'll put some more RAM in it

crucial.com, I bumped my March 2009 Mini from 1GB to 4GB in less than 20 minutes for 64$ shipped. Unfortunately, it looks like the price jumped a bit: http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.asp...ple&cat=RAM

Adding RAM to these things is so cake, video below gives you a very simple yet detailed demo:

(you have to deal with the lame intro music, think hair bands)
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I'm a long time PC user (and always will be :p) but since Macs are becoming alot more mainstream these days it's hard to avoid them (particularly in the workplace). So after much thought and deliberation I bought myself a Mac mini (base model, 2.26Ghz one) so I can play with OSX and learn how to use it etc. I won't get it for another day or so, so can't play with it yet. Problem is I have no idea where to start with it! Apart from just using it to learn how to use (and be comfortable with) OSX, I plan to look into doing some web programming (PHP, ASP.NET etc) and some video editing (not HD video though) on it (nothing too serious, just playing around as I might be getting a Mac as a main machine at work so be handy for me to know) but unsure of the software available to do that and more importantly what is good? thanks for any help guys! Also if you have any general app suggestions for me, please do tell :)

What did your psychiatrist say when you told him/her?

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Welcome to the club. Just try not to let it end up like this persons MacBook because it blasphemy

post-120066-1260885398.jpg

I just saw that! So awesome!

http://www.cultofmac.com/welcome-to-israel...r-macbook/23431

Makes me want to run out and book a flight to the holy land...

And what is that sticker on the bottom right? It almost looks like Wonder Woman with more clothes than usual.

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What did your psychiatrist say when you told him/her?

:blink:

Well got it all setup now, it's on the home network and playing nice (mostly) with the Windows machines. All patched up and running abit smoother now which is great. So far so good!

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I was reminded the other day of the whole "It just works!" saying that you hear yourself mutter and others proclaim out loud when you ask them about Mac OSX. I did a fresh install of Snow Leopard the other day and put an HP printer on it, and was still shocked that I didn't need to install the drivers for it. I work on Windows Machines more than I do Macs when it comes to maintenance and repair on them.

You will find that the more you use it, the more you will become used to the GUI and the logic used there. I still use Windows on my laptop at home, but OSX is my main OS. My wife first used OSX on my computer before we got married, and adjusted to it very very well. Now, for the sake of convenience after a long day at work, she likes to sit in her favorite chair and compute with the Laptop.

I can see the future OS's no matter which one you prefer to stay a fan of, moving more in the direction of cloud computing. The choice will eventually be "Should I use Mac, Google Chromium, Linux or Windows to get online" and "Should I use my netbook or my PC?"

Just remember with Mac OSX, don't get too comfortable with it, play with it, get to know it under the hood so to speak, mess with it, and you will find it to be fantastic for your liking.

As for software, the Mac Mini, like the Apple TV (form factor wise), makes a great Media Center PC. If you haven't already done so, check out some of the media centers such as:

Boxee

Plex

XBMC

The top two are ports of XBMC but are each has it's own qualities. With your Apple Remote, you can easily go from your favorite shows to music to movies within a few pushes of a button in this program. They make good replacements to Front Row by default installed in Mac OSX.

Don't forget also to check into ports of your favorite Windows programs as well, a lot of companies are making their software more cross platform. And for the Windows apps you can't bear to live without, go ahead and look at Vmware, Parallels or Virtualbox (Free), to run your Windows apps side by side with your Mac Apps on your desktop. (Having 4gb of ram does help a lot in that area.) Or, you can bootcamp your Windows install. :)

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