Help! Old PC dog has to learn new Mac tricks

[DaveC426913]

What's strange is that, when I was on the PC side of the fence, the Mac grass looked so incredibly green.

I envied what I was led to believe was the pinnacle of user-centred design and functionality.

My motto used to be: "Someday (when I can afford it) I will own a Mac. Because for me a computer should be a tool not a hobby."

(By that I meant how much time one must spend configuring and troubleshooting software and hardware on a PC, whereas Mac was all built-in and just worked.)

But that was a long time ago...

 

[Algr]

I think that is the answer. Tabbing to an app will not un-minimize windows. So I just don't minimize apps.

The Mac is not as easy or consistent as it used to be, but I've seen no improvement from windows in 20 years. My friends that use windows still seem to have more problems and get a lot less done.

 

[DaveC426913]

I've never understood why Windows users say this. In this thread alone we have discussed four different ways to switch from one app to another.

(...none of which I have actually worked correctly for me, not to put too fine a point on it.)

I don't used tabbed browsing or minimize windows because I prefer other ways to do those things. I think you just don't know the Mac as well as Windows, and so assume that there is nothing left to know.

I have to acknowledge that this is possible. That I am the victim from "Mother Goose Syndrome" - the strong preference for whatever thing we learned first, regardless of whether it's objectively better.

 

[jedishrfu]

@DaveC426913 anybody switching from Windows to Mac and vice-versa especially due to a work mandate has my sympathy.

Ive gone thru this numerous times from GE timesharing to PC DOS to Topview to OS/2 to AIX to Taligent to Linux to MacOS and back to Windows with WSL. As I switched jobs and projects.

It’s painful, impacts your productivity and enhances your scripting survival skills in this new world of AI agent technology.

Jedi

 

[Algr]

(...none of which I have actually gotten to work correctly, not to put too fine a point on it.)

I can't really reproduce the problem you are having on my machine, other than windows being closed or minimized. If that happens, you just go to the dock. That is probably why I don't minimize programs, and instead just let windows overlap.

It would be nice if the red button would change to a Q when pressing it resulted in quitting the program.

Ive gone thru this numerous times from GE timesharing to PC DOS to Topview to OS/2 to AIX to Taligent to Linux to MacOS and back to Windows with WSL. As I switched jobs and projects.

I've seriously considered Linux. How hard is it? Some people say that the interface is pure Windows-clone with no new ideas.

 

[JT Smith]

Your suggestion of the F3 and a few other things was very helpful.

But if I am leading anyone to believe I am not taking advice and that I don't think this is helping me, then I have seriously misrepresented myself. That's at least two people now who seem to read this as if I'm just ranting and rejecting all helpful advice. It may be better if I just close this thread rather than do further damage. I will consider.

F3? That was someone else. I never use that feature.

Close the thread if you want or keep it going. It doesn't matter. There's no damage.

 

[jedishrfu]

Working with the linux GUI ala Gnome… is similar to the windows experience but with all the program names changing to their linux equivalents.

In windows there’s the Microsoft Office suite vs in Linux there's the Libre Office suite. Similar capability, different icons, labels and menu placement.

 

[DaveC426913]

F3? That was someone else. I never use that feature.

Got my features crossed. Sry

 

[jedishrfu]

That's a critical difference between Windows and MacOS. You shift from a right-leaning GUI window frame (minimize, maximize, exit) to a left-leaning window frame (exit, minimize, maximize features).

Its kind of like that Star Trek TOS episode with Frank Gorshen where the two protagonists are half white and have black split right down the center. The captain asks them why they are fighting still since everyone has died on their planet and one responds because he's white on the right.

and then there's the Mac vs Windows commercials:

 

[jedishrfu]

Here's a book that might help. I assume you're running MacOS Sonoma:

https://www.amazon.com/macOS-Sonoma-Dummies-Computer-tech/dp/139421975X/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[PeterDonis]

I've seriously considered Linux. How hard is it? Some people say that the interface...

There is no such thing as "the" interface for Linux. There are lots of options for desktops/window managers to choose from, some of which work very differently from either Windows or Mac. And there are apps, like Firefox, or LibreOffice which @jedishrfu mentioned, which try to have their own interface regardless of which desktop/window manager they are running on.

 

[PeterDonis]

Working with the linux GUI ala Gnome… is similar to the windows experience

Actually I think Gnome was intended to be more like the Mac than Windows; KDE was intended to be more like Windows. But those aren't the only options.

 

[DaveC426913]

Here's a book that might help. I assume you're running MacOS Sonoma:

https://www.amazon.com/macOS-Sonoma-Dummies-Computer-tech/dp/139421975X/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Sunuvagun. It just never occurred to me - in this young kids' wacky new world of YouTube tutorials - that I could just buy a plain old 'Mac for Dummies' book and download it to my Kobo reader.

Bought. Downloaded. Reading. <= 30 seconds.

 

[PeterDonis]

book

Book? What is this "book" you speak of?

 

[Algr]

Book? What is this "book" you speak of?

It's an ancient technology that had to be burned because there was no way to remotely delete them from your device.