How longs the transition take.

[Heller]

So i plan on getting a machine real soon.

Im just tired of windows and their bullshit.

A good friend of mine has 24inch alum imac [nerd porn, that thing is fckin sexy!] and has gone through a different versions of the MBP, and im so just impressed with how smooth everything works i want to make the switch. now i get lost in osx and it takes me twice as long to do anything (only because im very unfamiliar with osx) so im trying to figure out how long is it gonna take to now how to use OSX fine.

I'm also looking for a program that with convert Xvid to DVD, and burns all in one.(I used convert x to dvd for windows.)

 

[Kmax82]

Toast Titanium is what I use and you can put a Xvid/DivX file in and it will put it onto a DVD for you. Works great. You, of course, need the codecs installed, and I recommend doing it with Perian, since it's alot cleaner than trying to get everything yourself.

It took me a couple of months until I was comfortable with the OS and doing things. But if you're super versed in the way Windows works, it'll definitely take some training on your part to get used to the switch. It's not that different, but different enough that you might pull your hair out every once in a while wondering.. "Where is that?".. you know.

I'll say this from the start though, Spotlight is your friend! Press CMD+Space and it will bring up the Spotlight search bar. If you are at a loss, and can't find something, Spotlight will probably 95% of the time, be able to help you out. I love it! You can even launch applications from it, which works very well also.

Good luck, and welcome!

 

[TheStu]

Another thing to remember is that if you used to use CTRL in Windows, use Command in OS X. So, instead of CTRL+C to Copy, it is Command+C and so on.

Honestly, it only took me about a week, maybe two to transition fully to the OS X mentality. And it really is a mentality, you have to sort of retrain your brain in how you do certain things. There are some things that you will find take more steps than you are used to in Windows, but for the most part, I find I can accomplish things in fewer steps.

 

[Kmax82]

Oh yea, you should definitely check out Automator. There are so many great little things that you can accomplish within that program and then save the actions so it's even faster next time.

Also, iCal can be used like you would scheduled tasks in Windows.

 

[FriedToast]

Another almost-over-the-fence'r here. Good to hear. Another friend told me it'd be a week or two and I'd be into the Mac mode. Lil MacBook callin' my name... ah, it's only money...

 

[ubercaffeinated]

It took me a week to initially adjust, two years ago when I first switched to the macbook. It might appear to be completely foreign in the beginning, but 2 years later, I've come to realize it's mostly the same - with the exception that things work so much smoother. It's the finer details in the OS. The finesse they put into their machine designs. Arguably, I'm still learning how to use OS X.

 

[Megatomic]

I've had my Macbook for 2 months or so now and I'm definitely comfortable with using it. I did learn how to use linux first, that may have helped my transition.

 

[Injury]

Hard to say for me as I was using both on a consistent basis all through school and still doing so between work/home (mac at work, PC+mac at home).

It's the little nuances that tend to get me to mouth an inaudible "ah fack!"... I still always hit either CTRL or CMD (apple) in the wrong situation once or twice daily... just little things like that. You get used to it in terms of knowing where things are pretty fast considering that both OSes tend to have similar locations for things and similar concepts for those that aren't.

Probably the biggest difference in daily use for the average user is that you can't just close the window on many programs to close them... you must actually tell them to quit.

 

[ColdFusion718]

My gf's laptop has been acting up all week (I think the video card on it is dying). I just managed to convince her to try using a Mac tonight! She was kind of weary at first (she is not a technical person at all).

I showed her iChat and the cool purdy things it can do and now she's sold on it. I'm going to order her a MacBook Pro tomorrow morning.

 

[Kmax82]

Originally posted by: ColdFusion718
My gf's laptop has been acting up all week (I think the video card on it is dying). I just managed to convince her to try using a Mac tonight! She was kind of weary at first (she is not a technical person at all).

I showed her iChat and the cool purdy things it can do and now she's sold on it. I'm going to order her a MacBook Pro tomorrow morning.

Congrats! Just got my wife a MacBook as well. Hasn't gotten here yet, should be here tonight. I never thought I'd get her to use a Mac, but she's really taken a liking to it.

Although, if anything weird ever does happen, she treats it like the red headed step child.. "Look what YOUR Mac is doing!" Hah!

 

[0roo0roo]

get one of those switcher books. teaches you the tricks. there are plenty in the mac section of book stores now that so many people are ditching cuz of vista.

 

[ciproxr]

took me a month

 

[ciproxr]

Originally posted by: Megatomic
I've had my Macbook for 2 months or so now and I'm definitely comfortable with using it. I did learn how to use linux first, that may have helped my transition.

same here, i love ubuntu but cant deal with its bugs

 

[SoundTheSurrender]

It probably took me a month, but sometimes I feel faster when I use Windows in the computer labs. I still prefer Leopard though especially with Spaces.