Win to Mac – A Windows user settles into OS X
This series is documenting the move of a business user from Windows to OS X on a MacBook Pro. This installment deals with the differences in the Graphical User Interface (GUI) presented by the two operating systems.
I have had almost no problems getting used to the user interface. To be fair, I have used a lot of operating systems, so your mileage may vary. But I cannot imagine anyone having a truly difficult time learning to speak fluent OS X. There are, of course, a couple of small differences. There always are when making a change this significant. As one example, Windows users are accustomed to having both a delete and a backspace key. The MacBook has only a delete key, and that key acts like a backspace key. I still occasionally fumble with that.
Windows users are also used to having their application menus in the top bar of their applications. Instead, OS X has a single application menu, at the top of the screen. This is the only obvious place where I feel the OS X user interface misses the boat. Especially when you are using two monitors, this means you have to spend way too much time moving the mouse to get to the application menu, especially when working on the second monitor. Meanwhile, the bar at the top of the application itself is both almost empty and almost useless, save for round buttons used to control the application window itself (minimize, maximize, quit). Everybody gets one design error, and this is the one that OS X chose, I suppose.
There have certainly been other small things, but you quickly forget them. An example would be the window controls for close, minimize, and maximize. In OS X, they are circles instead of squares, and they are at the upper left instead of the upper right. After a few hours of using OS X, it was Windows that felt wrong. Some things are just different, but you quickly get used to them.
Next time: Playing nicely with others.
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January 4th, 2009
If you’re using a Mac laptop, hold down the fn key while using the delete key and you’ll see it now acts as a Windows delete key.
As for your comment on the design error I agree it is but I believe that’s a holdover from the pre-OSX days. There has been speculation that the menu bar would go away and then something as you describe might take its place. The speculation was based on the fact that Apple had made the menu bar trunsluncent this last time so speculation was raised that Apple was trying to take focus away from it. I have some doubts but I’m sure they’re aware something needs to change.
I have to add that one other design error in my opinion is also a holdover from the pre-OSX days is that closing an app window does not kill that process but just closes the document window…in most apps anyways. There are some small apps that work similar to the way Windows does it where closing the window quits the process but it’s not used too much. Score one for Windows in they do it the way it should be done.
You’re last point I agree that it’s one of those things you quickly get used to…until you switch back again. I use Macs at home and support a few hundred Windows systems at work along with using Ubuntu for my at work workstation. Some days it’s easy to automatically move the mouse to the wrong corner of the window without thinking about it. That’s my cross to bear though. Each method is fine.
BTW, I’ll mention that I’ve found Macs are heavily stereotyped. Lots of people who barely use or don’t use Macs at all complain about they don’t like not having as much control over the system as a Windows box or in another case they think that Macs are strictly gui-based and don’t allow for much in the way of keyboard shortcuts.
The truth is that Macs are highly configurable and quite frankly in the area of keyboard shortcuts, Windows doesn’t come close to the level OSX is. I think as more learn this it will help a little with Macs getting into the business world and being accepted by more tech hobbyists.
January 6th, 2009
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/apple_introduces_revolutionary
September 17th, 2009
If you want to quit an app, type Command-Q.
If you want to close a window, type Command-W.
This is logical. Having both commands quit the app
seems redundant, no?
Or am I missing a deeper point here? Just never
could get into the Windows mindset somehow.
Sunny Guy
September 18th, 2009
We have an extensive guide to keyboard shortcuts for the Mac
http://mac.blorge.com/2009/01/13/os-x-keyboard-shortcuts-get-yer-shortcuts-here/
And, don’t worry about “not getting ‘doze,” it’s sort of like Stockholm without the human interaction…