OReilly switching to the mac the missing manual leopard edition feb 2008 ISBN 0596514123

SwitchingtotheMac:TheMissingManual,
LeopardEdition
byDavidPogue
Publisher:O'Reilly
PubDate:February15,2008
PrintISBN-13:978-0-59-651412-9
Pages:608
TableofContents|Index

Overview
IsWindowsgivingyoupause?Readytomaketheleaptothe
Macinstead?Therehasneverbeenabettertimetoswitchfrom
WindowstoMac,andthisincomparableguidewillhelpyou
makeasmoothtransition.NewYorkTimescolumnistand
MissingManualscreatorDavidPoguegetsyoupastthree
challenges:transferringyourstuff,assemblingMacprogramsso
youcandowhatyoudidwithWindows,andlearningyourway
aroundMacOSX.Whyisthissuchagoodtimetoswitch?
UpgradingfromoneversionofWindowstoanotherusedtobe
simple.Butnowthere'sWindowsVista,averitableresourcehog
thatforcesyoutorelearneverything.LearningaMacisnota
pieceofcake,butonceyoudo,therewardsareoh-so-much
better.Noviruses,wormsorspyware.Noquestionablefirewalls,
inefficientpermissions,orotherstrangefeatures.Justa
beautifulmachinewithathoroughlyreliablesystem.Andif
you'restillusingWindowsXP,we'vegotyoucovered,too.If
you'rereadytotakeonMacOSXLeopard,thelatesteditionof
thisbestsellingguidetellsyoueverythingyouneedtoknow:
Transferringyourstuff--Movingphotos,MP3s,and
MicrosoftOfficedocumentsistheeasypart.Thisbookgets
youthroughthetrickythings:extractingyouremail,

addressbook,calendar,Webbookmarks,buddylist,
desktoppictures,andMP3files.


Re-creatingyoursoftwaresuite--Big-nameprograms
(Word,Photoshop,Firefox,Dreamweaver,andsoon)are
availableinbothMacandWindowsversions,buthundreds
ofotherprogramsareavailableonlyforWindows.This
guideidentifiestheMacequivalentsandexplainshowto
moveyourdatatothem.

LearningLeopard--Onceyou'vemovedintotheMac,a
finaltaskawaits:Learningyourwayaround.Fortunately,
you'reingoodhandswiththeauthorofMacOSX:The
MissingManual,the#1bestsellingguidetotheMacintosh.
MovingfromWindowstoaMacsuccessfullyandpainlesslyis
theonethingAppledoesnotdeliver.SwitchingtotheMac:The
MissingManual,LeopardEditionisyourtickettoanew
computingexperience.


SwitchingtotheMac:TheMissingManual,
LeopardEdition
byDavidPogue
Publisher:O'Reilly
PubDate:February15,2008
PrintISBN-13:978-0-59-651412-9
Pages:608
TableofContents|Index

TheMissingCredits
Introduction
Part1:WelcometoMacintosh
Chapter1.HowtheMacIsDifferent
Section1.1.PowerOn,Dude
Section1.2.ThatOne-ButtonMouse
Section1.3.On,Off,andSleep
Section1.4.TheMenuBar
Section1.5.Finder=WindowsExplorer
Section1.6.Dock=Taskbar
Section1.7.Menulets=Tray
Section1.8.KeyboardDifferences
Section1.9.DiskDifferences
Section1.10.WhereYourStuffIs
Section1.11.WindowControls
Section1.12.TerminologyDifferences
Chapter2.Folders,Dock,&Windows
Section2.1.GettingintoMacOSX
Section2.2.TheFourWindowViews
Section2.3.IconView
Section2.4.ListView
Section2.5.ColumnView


Section2.6.CoverFlowView
Section2.7.QuickLook
Section2.8.TheDock
Section2.9.TheFinderToolbar
Section2.10.GettingHelpinMacOSX
Chapter3.Files,Icons,&Spotlight

Section3.1.RenamingIcons
Section3.2.SelectingIcons
Section3.3.MovingandCopyingIcons
Section3.4.Aliases:IconsinTwoPlacesatOnce
Section3.5.ColorLabels
Section3.6.TheTrash
Section3.7.GetInfo
Section3.8.TheSpotlightMenu
Section3.9.TheSpotlightWindow
Section3.10.CustomizingSpotlight
Section3.11.SmartFolders
Chapter4.Documents,Programs,&Spaces
Section4.1.OpeningMacOSXPrograms
Section4.2.TheNew,Improved"Alt-Tab"
Section4.3.Exposé:DeathtoWindowClutter
Section4.4.Spaces:YourFreeQuad-DisplayMac
Section4.5.HidingProgramstheOld-FashionedWay
Section4.6.HowDocumentsKnowTheirParents
Section4.7.KeyboardControl
Section4.8.TheSaveandOpenDialogBoxes
Section4.9.TwoKindsofPrograms:CocoaandCarbon
Section4.10.TheCocoaDifference
Section4.11.UniversalApps(IntelMacs)
Section4.12.InstallingMacOSXPrograms
Section4.13.Dashboard
Section4.14.WebClips:MakeYourOwnWidgets


Part2:MovingIn
Chapter5.EightWaystoTransferYourFiles

Section5.1.TransferbyAppleGenius
Section5.2.TransfersbyiTornado
Section5.3.TransfersbyDisk
Section5.4.TransfersbyNetwork
Section5.5.TransfersbyFile-SendingWebSite
Section5.6.TransfersbyEmail
Section5.7.TransfersbyiDisk
Section5.8.TransfersbyBluetooth
Section5.9.WheretoPutYourCopiedFiles
Section5.10.Document-ConversionIssues
Chapter6.TransferringEmailandContacts
Section6.1.
Section6.2.AReminderThatCouldSaveYouHours
Section6.3.TransferringYourOutlookMail
Section6.4.TransferringYourOutlookAddressBook
Section6.5.TransferringfromOutlookExpress
Section6.6.TransferringYourEudoraMail
Section6.7.TransferringYourEudoraAddressBook
Section6.8.EmailSettings
Chapter7.SpecialSoftware,SpecialProblems
Section7.1.ACDSee
Section7.2.AcrobatReader
Section7.3.ACT
Section7.4.AdSubtract(Pop-upStopper)
Section7.5.Adobe[yourfavoriteprogramhere]
Section7.6.AmericaOnline
Section7.7.AIM(AOLInstantMessenger)
Section7.8.Children'sSoftware
Section7.9.EarthlinkTotalAccess
Section7.10.EasyCDCreator

Section7.11.Encarta
Section7.12.Eudora
Section7.13.Excel
Section7.14.Firefox
Section7.15.Games
Section7.16.GoogleDesktopSearch
Section7.17.ICQ
Section7.18.InternetExplorer
Section7.19.iTunes
Section7.20.Kazaa
Section7.21.Limewire
Section7.22.MacAfeeVirusScan
Section7.23.MicrosoftAccess
Section7.24.MicrosoftMoney
Section7.25.MicrosoftOffice
Section7.26.MicrosoftPublisher
Section7.27.MicrosoftVisio
Section7.28.Minesweeper
Section7.29.MSNMessenger
Section7.30.NaturallySpeaking
Section7.31.Netscape
Section7.32.NewsgroupReaders
Section7.33.NortonAntiVirus
Section7.34.NortonUtilities
Section7.35.Notepad
Section7.36.Outlook/OutlookExpress
Section7.37.PaintShopPro
Section7.38.PalmDesktop

Section7.39.Picasa
Section7.40.PocketPC
Section7.41.PowerPoint
Section7.42.QuickBooks


Section7.43.Quicken
Section7.44.RealPlayer
Section7.45.RssReader
Section7.46.Skype
Section7.47.SnagIt
Section7.48.Solitaire
Section7.49.StreetAtlasUSA
Section7.50.TaxCut,TurboTax
Section7.51.WinAmp,MusicMatch
Section7.52.WindowsMediaPlayer
Section7.53.WinZip
Section7.54.Word
Section7.55.WordPerfect
Section7.56.YahooMessenger
Chapter8.WindowsonMacintosh
Section8.1.BootCamp
Section8.2.WindowsinaWindow
Chapter9.HardwareontheMac
Section9.1.PrintersandPrinting
Section9.2.ManagingPrintouts
Section9.3.Faxing
Section9.4.PDFFiles
Section9.5.Fonts—andFontBook
Section9.6.DigitalCameras

Section9.7.Disks
Section9.8.BurningCDsandDVDs
Section9.9.iTunes:TheDigitalJukebox
Section9.10.DVDMovies
Section9.11.Keyboard
Section9.12.Mouse
Section9.13.Monitors
Section9.14.TimeMachine


Section9.15..MacSync
Part3:TheMacOnline
Chapter10.InternetSetup
Section10.1.NetworkCentral—andMultihoming
Section10.2.BroadbandConnections
Section10.3.Dial-upModemConnections
Section10.4.SwitchingLocations
Section10.5.InternetSharing
Section10.6..MacServices
Section10.7.InternetLocationFiles
Chapter11.Mail&AddressBook
Section11.1.CheckingYourMail
Section11.2.WritingMessages
Section11.3.Stationery
Section11.4.ReadingEmail
Section11.5.TheAnti-SpamToolkit
Section11.6.RSSFeeds
Section11.7.Notes
Section11.8.ToDos
Section11.9.AddressBook

Chapter12.Safari&iChat
Section12.1.Safari
Section12.2.TipsforBetterSurfing
Section12.3.TabbedBrowsing
Section12.4.iChat
Section12.5.TextChats
Section12.6.AudioChats
Section12.7.VideoChats
Section12.8.SharingYourScreen
Section12.9.iChatTheater
Part4:PuttingDownRoots
Chapter13.Accounts,ParentalControls,&Security


Section13.1.IntroducingAccounts
Section13.2.CreatinganAccount
Section13.3.ParentalControls
Section13.4.EditingAccounts
Section13.5.SettingUptheLoginProcess
Section13.6.SigningIn,LoggingOut
Section13.7.SharingAcrossAccounts
Section13.8.FastUserSwitching
Section13.9.FourMacOSXSecurityShields
Chapter14.Networking,FileSharing,&ScreenSharing
Section14.1.WiringtheNetwork
Section14.2.FileSharing
Section14.3.AccessingSharedFiles
Section14.4.NetworkingwithWindows
Section14.5.ScreenSharing
Chapter15.SystemPreferences

Section15.1.TheSystemPreferencesWindow
Section15.2..Mac
Section15.3.Accounts
Section15.4.Appearance
Section15.5.Bluetooth
Section15.6.CDs&DVDs
Section15.7.Date&Time
Section15.8.Desktop&ScreenSaver
Section15.9.Displays
Section15.10.Dock
Section15.11.EnergySaver
Section15.12.Exposé&Spaces
Section15.13.International
Section15.14.Keyboard&Mouse
Section15.15.Network
Section15.16.ParentalControls


Section15.17.Print&Fax
Section15.18.QuickTime
Section15.19.Security
Section15.20.Sharing
Section15.21.SoftwareUpdate
Section15.22.Sound
Section15.23.Speech
Section15.24.Spotlight
Section15.25.StartupDisk
Section15.26.TimeMachine
Section15.27.UniversalAccess
Chapter16.TheFreePrograms

Section16.1.AddressBook
Section16.2.AppleScript
Section16.3.Automator
Section16.4.Calculator
Section16.5.Chess
Section16.6.Dashboard
Section16.7.Dictionary
Section16.8.DVDPlayer
Section16.9.Exposé
Section16.10.FontBook
Section16.11.FrontRow
Section16.12.GarageBand
Section16.13.iCal
Section16.14.iChat
Section16.15.iDVD
Section16.16.iMovie,iPhoto
Section16.17.iTunes
Section16.18.Mail
Section16.19.PhotoBooth
Section16.20.Preview


Section16.21.QuickTimePlayer
Section16.22.Safari
Section16.23.Stickies
Section16.24.SystemPreferences
Section16.25.TextEdit
Section16.26.TimeMachine
Section16.27.Utilities:YourMacOSXToolbox
Part5:Appendixes

AppendixA.Installation&Troubleshooting
SectionA.1.GettingReadytoInstall
SectionA.2.ThreeKindsofInstallation
SectionA.3.TheBasicInstallation
SectionA.4.TheUpgradeInstallation
SectionA.5.TheCleanInstall("ArchiveandInstall")
SectionA.6.Erase&Install
SectionA.7.TheSetupAssistant
SectionA.8.Troubleshooting
AppendixB.The"Where'dItGo?"Dictionary
SectionB.1.
AppendixC.TheMasterMacOSXSecretKeystrokeList
SectionC.1.
Colophon
Index


SwitchingtotheMac:theMissingManual,Leopard
Edition
byDavidPogue
Copyright©2008DavidPogue.Allrightsreserved.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
PublishedbyO'ReillyMedia,Inc.,1005GravensteinHighway
North,Sebastopol,CA95472.
O'ReillyMediabooksmaybepurchasedforeducational,
business,orsalespromotionaluse.Onlineeditionsarealso
availableformosttitles:safari.oreilly.com.Formore
information,contractourcorporate/institutionalsales
department:800-998-9938or
February2008:FirstEdition.

TheMissingManualisaregisteredtrademarkofO'ReillyMedia,
Inc.TheMissingManuallogo,and"Thebookthatshouldhave
beeninthebox"aretrademarksofO'ReillyMedia,Inc.Manyof
thedesignationsusedbymanufacturersandsellersto
distinguishtheirproductsareclaimedastrademarks.Where
thosedesignationsappearinthisbook,andO'ReillyMediais
awareofatrademarkclaim,thedesignationsarecapitalized.
Whileeveryprecautionhasbeentakeninthepreparationofthis
book,thepublisherassumesnoresponsibilityforerrorsor
omissions,orfordamagesresultingfromtheuseofthe
informationcontainedinit.
ThisbookusesRepKover™,adurableandflexiblelay-flat
binding.
ISBN-13:978-0-596-51412-9


TheMissingCredits
P2.1.
P2.1.1.AbouttheAuthor

DavidPogueistheweeklytechcolumnistfortheNewYork
Times,anEmmy-winningcorrespondentforCBSNewsSunday
Morning,weeklyCNBCcontributor,andthecreatorofthe


MissingManualseries.He'stheauthororco-authorof45
books,including20inthisseriesandsixinthe"ForDummies"
line(includingMacs,Magic,Opera,andClassicalMusic).Inhis
otherlife,DavidisaformerBroadwayshowconductor,a
magician,andapianist.News,photos,linkstohiscolumns,

blog,andweeklyvideosawaitatwww.davidpogue.com.
Hewelcomesfeedbackabouthisbooksbyemailat


P2.1.2.AbouttheCreativeTeam
SarahFriedlander(productionmiracleworker)isagraduate
ofRochesterInstituteofTechnologyandlivesinCampbell,
California.Sheworksinhigh-techmarketinginSiliconValley
andkeepsherhandsoncreativeprojectsasoftenasshecan.
Whennotworking,sheenjoysinteriordecorating,sushi,
travelingandspendingtimewithherfiancé,Ryan.Heronline
musingscanbefoundatwww.sarahfriedlander.com.
AdamGoldstein(coauthor,previousedition)istheauthorof
AppleScript:TheMissingManual,andhascontributedtoa
numberofothertitles,includingMacOSX:TheMissingManual,
MacOSXPowerHound,andGoogle:TheMissingManual.Inhis
amplefreetime,AdamattendsM.I.T.Web:
www.goldfishsoft.com.
PhilSimpson(designandlayout)worksoutofhisofficein
Southbury,Connecticut,wherehehashadhisgraphicdesign
businesssince1982.Heisexperiencedinmanyfacetsof
graphicdesign,includingcorporateidentity,publicationdesign,
andcorporateandmedicalcommunications.Email:


P2.1.3.Acknowledgments
TheMissingManualseriesisajointventurebetweenthedream
teamintroducedonthesepagesandO'ReillyMedia.I'mgrateful
toallofthem,andalsotoafewpeoplewhodidmassivefavors

forthisbook.TheproseofJosephSchorrandAdamGoldstein,
contributorstoearliereditions,livesoninthisone;JohnRizzo
andWinnSchwartauservedastechnicaleditorsforprevious
editions.TeresaNoelleRobertsdidsomelast-minute
copyeditingofnewmaterial;andLesaSniderKingputina
gruellingyetsomehowsatisfyingdayhelpingmecreatethe
index.ThankstoDavidRogelbergforbelievingintheidea,and
aboveall,toJennifer,Kelly,Tia,andJeffrey,whomakethese
books—andeverythingelse—possible.
—DavidPogue

P2.1.4.TheMissingManualSeries
MissingManualsarewitty,superblywrittenguidestocomputer
productsthatdon'tcomewithprintedmanuals(whichisjust
aboutallofthem).Eachbookfeaturesahandcraftedindex;
cross-referencestospecificpagenumbers(notjust"see
Chapter14");andRepKover,abindingthatliesflatwithoutthe
assistanceofcinderblocks.
Here'sasamplingofcurrenttitles.
MacOSXLeopard:TheMissingManualbyDavidPogue
iMovie'08&iDVD:TheMissingManualbyDavidPogue
iPhoto'08:TheMissingManualbyDavidPogueandDerrick
Story
iPhone:TheMissingManualbyDavidPogue
AppleScript:TheMissingManualbyAdamGoldstein
iPod:TheMissingManual,6thEditionbyJ.D.Biersdorfer
Office2008forMacintosh:TheMissingManualbyJim
Elferdinketal.
FileMakerPro9:TheMissingManualbyGeoffCoffeyand

SusanProsser


CSS:TheMissingManualbyDavidSawyerMcFarland
CreatingWebSites:TheMissingManualbyMatthew
MacDonald
DreamweaverCS3:TheMissingManualbyDavidSawyer
McFarland
FlashCS3:TheMissingManualbyE.A.VanderVeerand
ChrisGrover
eBay:TheMissingManualbyNancyConner
Wikipedia:TheMissingManualbyJohnBroughton
Google:TheMissingManual,2ndEditionbySarahMilstein
andRaelDornfest
HomeNetworking:TheMissingManualbyScottLowe
WindowsVista:TheMissingManual,byDavidPogue
FrontPage2003:TheMissingManualbyJessicaMantaro
Office2007:TheMissingManualbyChrisGrover,M.
MacDonald,etal.
Word2007:TheMissingManualbyChrisGrover
Excel2007:TheMissingManualbyMatthewMacDonald
PowerPoint2007:TheMissingManualbyEmilyA.Vander
Veer
Access2007:TheMissingManualbyMatthewMacDonald
MicrosoftProject2007:TheMissingManualbyBonnie
Biafore
PCs:TheMissingManualbyAndyRathbone
PhotoshopElements6:TheMissingManualbyBarbara
Brundage

QuickBooks2008:TheMissingManualbyBonnieBiafore


Introduction
What'sgoingonwiththeMacthesedays?
Itsmarketsharehastripledsince2005.Atthe2008Macworld
Expo,therewere475boothsand50,000attendees—bothup25
percentoverthepreviousyear.AndMacbooksalesareup
about35percentoverayearago(woo-hoo!).
Andthenthere'syou,possiblythemostsignificantstatisticof
all,sittingtherereadingthisbook—because,obviously,you
intendtoswitchto(oraddon)aMac.
What'sgoingon?
MaybethecoolnessofallthoseiPodsandiPhonesisrubbingoff
ontotherestofApple'sproductline.Maybepeoplehavegrown
wearyofboringbeigeandblackboxes.Maybeitwasthe"I'ma
Mac/I'maPC"adsonTV,ortheconvenienceoftheApple
stores.Maybepotentialswitchersfeelmoreconfidenttotake
theplungenowthatMacs(becausetheycontainIntelchips)
canrunWindowsprograms.
OrmaybepeoplehavejustspentoneSaturdaytoomany
dealingwithviruses,worms,spyware,crapware,excessive
startupprocesses,questionablefirewalls,inefficient
permissions,andalltheotherlandminesstrewnacrossthe
Windowsworld.
Inanycase,there'sneverbeenabettertimetomakethe
switch.MacOSXversion10.5(Leopard)isgorgeous,easyto
understand,andvirus-free.Apple'scomputersareintopform,
too,completewithfeatureslikebuilt-invideocameras,built-in

Ethernet,DVDburners,andtwodifferentkindsofwireless
connections.Ifyou'retalkinglaptops,thestoryisevenbetter:
Apple'slaptopsgenerallycostlessthansimilarlyoutfitted
Windowslaptops,yetweighless.Plus,theylookalotcooler.
Andthenthere'sthatIntelprocessorthatsizzlesawayinside


today'sMacs.Yes,itletsyourunWindows—andWindows
programs—atblazingspeed,rightthereonyourMacintosh.
(Hellreallyhasfrozenover.)Chapter8hasthedetails.
That'snottosay,however,thatswitchingtotheMacisall
sunshineandbunnies.TheMacintoshisadifferentmachine,
runningadifferentoperatingsystem,andbuiltbyacompany
withadifferentphilosophy—afanaticalperfectionist/artistic
zeal.Whenitcomestotheirmissionsandideals,Appleand
Microsofthaveaboutasmuchincommonasamelonanda
shoehorn.
Inanycase,youhavethreechallengesbeforeyou.First,you'll
probablywanttocopyyourWindowsstuffovertothenewMac.
Someofthatiseasytotransfer(photos,music,MicrosoftOffice
documents),andsomeistrickiertoextract(emailmessages,
addressbooks,buddylists).
Second,youhavetoassembleasuiteofMacintoshprograms
thatdowhatyou'reusedtodoinginWindows.Mostprograms
fromMicrosoft,Adobe,andothermajorplayersareavailablein
nearlyidenticalMacandWindowsformats.Butoccasionally,it's
moredifficult:Manysecond-tierprogramsareavailableonlyfor
Windows,andittakessomeresearch(orChapter7ofthis
book)tohelpyoufindMacintoshreplacements.
Finally,youhavetolearnMacOSXitself.Insomerespects,it

resemblesthelatestversionsofWindows:There'sataskbarlikething,aControlPanel-likething,and,ofcourse,aTrash
can.Atthesametime,hundredsoffeaturesyouthoughtyou
knewhavebeenremoved,replaced,orrelocated.(Ifyouever
findyourselfgropingforanoldfavoritefeature,seeAppendixB,
AppendixB.)
Note:InMacOSX,theXismeanttobeaRomannumeral,
pronounced"ten."Unfortunately,manypeoplesee"MacOSX"
andsay"MacOhEssSex."That'sasurewaytogetfunnylooks
inpublic.


FREQUENTLYASKEDQUESTION:AllAbout
"Leopard"
What'sthisbusinessaboutLeopard?
LikeMicrosoft,Appledevelopsitswaresinsecret,
givingnewproductscodenamestothrow
outsidersoffthescent.Apple'scodenamesfor
MacOSXanditsdescendantsallrefertobig
cats:MacOSXwasCheetah,10.1wasPuma,
10.2wasJaguar,10.3wasPanther,10.4was
Tiger,and10.5isLeopard.
Usually,softwarecodenamesaredroppedwhen
theproductsarecomplete,atwhichtimethe
marketingdepartmentprovidestherealnames.
InMacOSX'scase,though,Applethinksthatits
catnamesarecoolenoughtoretainforthe
finishedproduct.
ItmakesyouwonderwhatAppleplanstocall
futureversions.SinceAppleonlyincreasesthe
decimalpointwitheachmajorupgrade,it'sgot

fourbigcatstogobeforeithitsMacOSXI.
Let'ssee:Bobcat,Lion,Cougar...um...Ocelot?

P3.1.WhatMacOSXGivesYou
Thesedays,akeyattractionoftheMac—atleastasfaras
switchersareconcerned—isitssecurityfeatures.Thereisn'tyet
asinglewidespreadMacOSXvirus.(EvenMicrosoftWord
macrovirusesdon'truninMacOSX.)Formanypeople,that'sa
goodenoughreasontomovetoMacOSXrightthere.


Alongthesamelines,therehavebeennoreportedsightingsof
adware(softwarethatdisplaysannoyingadswhenyouuseyour
Webbrowser)orspyware(malicioussoftwarethattracksyour
computeruseandreportsitbacktoashadycompany)forMac
OSX.Mail,MacOSX'sbuilt-inemailprogram,deals
surprisinglywellwithspam—theunsolicitedjunkemailthat's
becomethescourgeoftheInternet.
IfyouaskaveragepeoplewhytheMacisn'toverrunbyviruses
andspyware,asWindowsis,they'llprobablytellyou,"Because
theMac'smarketshareistoosmallforthebadguystowrite
for."
Thatmaybetrue(although45millionmachinesisn'ttoo
shabby,astargetsgo).Butthere'sanotherreason,too:MacOS
Xisaveryyoungoperatingsystem.Itwascreatedonlyafew
yearsago,andwithsecurityinmind.(ContrastwithWindows,
whoseoriginalversionswerewrittenbeforetheInterneteven
existed.)MacOSXissimplydesignedbetter.Itsbuilt-infirewall
makesitvirtuallyimpossibleforhackerstobreakintoyourMac,
andthesysteminsistsongettingyourpermissionbefore

anythinggetsinstalledonyourMac.Nothingcangetinstalled
behindyourback,asitcaninWindows.
Butfreedomfromgunkwareandvirusesisonlyonebig-ticket
item.HereareafewotherjoysofbecomingaMacfan:
Stability.Underneaththeshimmering,translucentdesktop
ofMacOSXisUnix,theindustrialstrength,rock-solidOS
thatdrivesmanyaWebsiteanduniversity.It'snotnewby
anymeans;infact,it'sdecadesold,andhasbeenpolished
bygenerationsofprogrammers.That'spreciselywhyApple
CEOSteveJobsandhisteamchoseitasthebasisforthe
NeXToperatingsystem,whichJobsworkedonduringhis12
yearsawayfromAppleandwhichAppleboughtin1997to
turnintoMacOSX.
Nonagging.UnlikeWindows,MacOSXisn'tcopyprotected.Youcaninstallthesamecopyonyourdesktop


andlaptopMacs,ifyouhaveapermissiveconscience.When
youbuyanewMac,you'renever,everaskedtotypeina
codeoffasticker.Normustyou"register,""activate,"sign
upfor".NETPassport,"orendureanyotherfriendly
suggestionsunrelatedtoyourwork.Andyouwon'tfindany
cheesysoftwaredemosfromothercompaniescloggingup
yourdesktopwhenyoubuyanewMac,either.Inshort,Mac
OSXleavesyoualone.
Sensationalsoftware.MacOSXcomeswithseveral
dozenusefulprograms,fromMail(foremail)toa3-D,
voice-activatedChessprogram.Themostfamousprograms,
though,arethefamousApple"iApps":iTunesforworking
withaudiofiles,iMovieforeditingvideo,iPhotofor
managingyourdigitalphotos,GarageBandforcreatingand

editingdigitalmusic,andsoon.YoualsogetiChat(anAOL,Jabber-,andGoogleTalk-compatibleinstantmessaging
programthatalsooffersvideoconferencing)andiCal,a
calendarprogram.
Simplereverything.MostapplicationsinMacOSXshow
upasasingleicon.Allofthesupportfilesarehiddenaway
inside,whereyoudon'thavetolookatthem.There'sno
Add/RemoveProgramsprogramontheMacintosh;in
general,youcanremoveaprogramfromyourMacsimply
bydraggingthatoneapplicationicontotheTrash,without
havingtoworrythatyou'releavingscrapsbehind.
Desktopfeatures.Microsoftisaneatfreak.WindowsXP,
forexample,issoopposedtoyourusingthedesktopasa
parkinglotforicons,itactuallyinterruptsyouevery60
daystosweepallyourinfrequentlyusediconsintoan
"Unused"folder.
TheMacapproachisdifferent.Macpeopleoftenleavetheir
desktopsabsolutelylitteredwithicons.Asaresult,MacOS
Xoffersalonglistofusefuldesktopfeaturesthatwillbe
newtoyou,theWindowsrefugee.


Forexample,spring-loadedfoldersletyoudraganiconinto
afolderwithinafolderwithinafolderwithasingledrag,
withoutleavingawakeofopenwindows.Anoptional
secondlineunderanicon'snametellsyouhowmanyitems
areinafolder,whatthedimensionsofagraphicare,andso
on.Andthere'sausefulcolumnview,whichletsyouview
thecontentsofmanynestedfoldersataglance.(Youcan
thinkofitasahorizontalversionofWindowsExplorer.)
Whenyourscreengetsclutteredwithwindows,youcan

temporarilyhideallofthemwithasinglekeystroke.Ifyou
wanttoseeallthewindowsonyourscreenwithoutanyof
themoverlapping,MacOSX'sExposéfeatureisyourbest
friend(page116).
Aspeedy,system-wideFindcommandcalledSpotlightis
accessiblefromanyprogram.Itsearchesnotonlythe
namesofyourfilesandfolders,butalsothewordsinside
yourdocuments,andcanevensearchyouremail,calendar,
addressbook,Webbookmarks,andabout100otherkinds
ofdata,allatonce.
Finally,MacOSXofferstheDashboard(whichinspiredthe
SidebarinWindowsVista).Itletsyousummondozensof
miniprograms—acalculator,weatherforecaster,dictionary,
andsoon—withasinglekeystroke,anddismissthemjust
aseasily.YoucandownloadthousandsmoreofthesesocalledwidgetsfromtheInternet,makingiteveneasierto
findTVlistings,Googlesearchresults,localmovie
showtimes,andmore,nomatterwhatprogramyou'reusing
atthemoment.
Advancedgraphics.Macprogrammersgetexcitedabout
thesetofadvancedgraphicstechnologiescalledQuartz(for
two-dimensionalgraphics)andOpenGL(forthreedimensionalgraphics).Fortherestofus,thesetechnologies
translateintoabeautiful,translucentlookforthedesktop,
smooth-looking(antialiased)onscreenlettering,andthe
abilitytoturnanydocumentonthescreenintoanAdobe


Acrobat(PDF)file.Andthentherearetheslickanimations
thatpermeateeveryaspectofMacOSX:therotating-cube
effectwhenyouswitchfromonelogged-inpersonto
another,the"genie"effectwhenyouminimizeawindowto

theDock,andsoon.
Advancednetworking.Whenitcomestohookingupyour
computertoothers,includingthoseontheInternet,few
operatingsystemscantouchMacOSX.Itoffersadvanced
featureslikemultihoming,whichletsyourlaptopswitch
automaticallyfromitscablemodemsettingstoitswireless
ordial-upmodemsettingswhenyoutakeitontheroad.
Ifyou'renotsomuchaswitcherasanadder(you'regetting
aMacbutkeepingthePCaround),you'llbehappytohear
thatMacsandWindowsPCscan"see"eachotherona
networkautomatically,too.Asaresult,youcanopen,copy,
andworkonfilesonbothtypesofmachinesasthoughthe
religiouswarbetweenMacsandPCshadnevereven
existed.
Voicecontrol,keyboardcontrol.Youcanoperatealmost
everyaspectofeveryprogramentirelyfromthekeyboard—
orevenbyvoice.Theseareterrifictimesaversforefficiency
freaks.Infact,theMaccanalsoreadaloudanytextinany
program,includingWebpages,email,yournovel,youname
it.
Fullbuzzwordcompliance.Youcan'treadanarticle
aboutMacOSXwithouthearingcertaintechnical
buzzwordsthatwereonceexclusivelythedomainof
computerengineers:preemptivemultitasking,
multithreading,symmetricalmultiprocessing,dynamic
memoryallocation,andmemoryprotection,forexample.
WhatitalladdsuptoisthatMacOSXisverystable;thata
crashingprogramcan'tcrashthewholemachine;thatthe
Macintoshcanexploitmultipleprocessors;andthattheMac
caneasilydomorethanonethingatonce—downloading

files,playingmusic,andopeningaprogram,forexample—
allsimultaneously.
Acommand-lineinterface.Ingeneral,Applehas
completelyhiddenfromyoueverytraceoftheUnix
operatingsystemthatlurksbeneathMacOSX'sbeautiful
skin.Forthebenefitofprogrammersandothertechnically
orientedfans,however,Appleleftuncoveredatiny
passagewayintothatfarmorecomplexrealm:Terminal,a
programinyourApplications Utilitiesfolder.
Thisisn'taUnixbook,soyou'llfindonlythebasicsofusing
Terminalhere.Still,iftheideaofanall-textoperating
systemgetsyougoing,youcancapitalizeonthecommandlineinterfaceofMacOSXbytypingoutcommandsinthe
Terminalwindow,whichtheMacexecutesinstantlyand
efficiently.ThinkDOSprompt,justfasterandmoreuseful.

P3.2.WhatMacOSXTakesAway
Besidesquirkslikeviruses,spyware,andtheStartmenu,there
aresomesubstantialthingsonaPCthatyoulosewhenyou
switchtotheMac:
Programs.Asmentionedabove,therearecertain
programsthatarestubbornlyWindows-only.Youcanalways
searchforreplacements—usingChapter7ofthisbookasa
guide,forexample—butyoumayenduphavingtopayfor
them.And,ofcourse,therearecertainprograms—like
someproprietaryaccountingandlaboratorysoftware,and
lotsofgames—wheretheWindowsversionsaresimply
irreplaceable.Forthose,youhavetokeepaPCaroundor
runWindowsonyourMac(Chapter8).

Peripherals.Mostadd-ondevicesnowadaysworkequally
wellonbothWindowsPCsandMacs.Thatincludesprinters,
scanners,digitalcameras(still-andvideo-varieties),and
"multifunction"devicesthatincorporateseveralofthose