How to switch from Microsoft Windows to OS X

From ArticleWorld


As Apple is winning back its marketshare, a lot of people start turning away from Windows and switching to OS X. This does happen for some good reasons, but the transition is not always very smooth, although OS X is reputed to be extremely easy to use and intuitive.

This is mainly due to the common habits people remain with after using Windows for a long time. Nevertheless, the transition is often quite easy, and you will find yourself feeling like home on an OS X desktop in a matter of days. Here are a few suggestions:

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Seven quick tips

  1. There are some similar things, but with a spin. You do have icons on your desktop, but you will probably keep your frequently used applications on the dock. You can have application icons on your desktop, but, ergonomically speaking, it is a bad choice (you may need to minimize or move windows just to launch an application).
  2. Take some familiar applications. Many Windows applications have OS X counterparts (Adobe and Macromedia are notable in this field) or look-alikes (ShakesPeer, for example, is a good DC++ clone). Use them with trust.
  3. Use drag'n'drop more freely. OS X applications are more tightly tied to each other, so you will often find that a little imagination can do more than a manual.
  4. Take advantage of Apple's offers. Apple are binding an extremely united community around their products, and offer a few interesting deals, too. Getting a .Mac account, for example, opens you some perspectives.
  5. If you are a home user with some good knowledge, learn to use the shell. Bash is very much more powerful than Windows' command.com or cmd.exe and will allow you to use your computer better and with more flexibility. Even if your knowledge is limited, OS X is a great environment for learning some technical skills: it combines an easy to use desktop with a powerful Unix-like system underneath it.
  6. If you are a developer, learn Cocoa and Objective-C. Cocoa is a very complete, powerful and, together with Objective-C, easy to use API. The experience itself may be interesting, even if you will never do anything serious with Cocoa and Objective-C.
  7. As with any other new operating system, do not be afraid to ask. If you are stuck, go for help. Search the web, ask friends, ask on public forums. The Apple community is large enough to be helpful even when the technology seems to be against you.
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