Switcher FAQ
From Applepedia
I'm using a PC keyboard. How do I eject a CD?
See the article on Using a non-Apple keyboard on a Mac. If you're simply trying to eject a CD that is mounted, drag the CD's icon from the Desktop into the Trash.
I close the window and the application still runs? Eh?
One of the most commonly confusing problems for first time switchers. The Mac OS has always used a different windowing metaphor for running its applications. A window in Mac OS X corresponds to an open document, not a running process. Use the dock or menu to manage running applications.
Why does the green plus not maximize?
The green plus is supposed to make the window the default size for the window's content needs. This doesn't always work right, and some software doesn't follow the rules.
Mac only has one button!
The iMac and the Mac Pro come with Mighty Mouse, which is a two button mouse. Mac OS X supports all recent USB mice that have many more buttons, and even allows you to use the extra buttons for Exposé. For one button mice, you can right-click by holding the CTRL button on your keyboard while clicking. All functions available in right-click menus can be done through other methods like menus or interface buttons.
What has happened to Home/End/Page Up/Page Down?
Those four navigation buttons you're so used to on a PC have slightly different meanings in the Mac world. They change the position of the scroll bar, rather than the text cursor. Home and End will take you to the top and bottom of the pane respectively. To do a 'PC-style' Home/End, use ⌘-Left/Right. This works most of the time. If it doesn't, try Ctrl-Left/Right.
Okay, fine. Where's delete, then?
On an Apple Pro keyboard, there's a 'right-delete' key that acts just as you'd expect. On a laptop, use Fn-Backspace.
Where is alt-gr?
On a Mac, both alt keys (or option keys, as it is more often referred to on Macs) do the same thing.
On Windows I can make special characters with ALT-0123, with different number codes, how do I do this on a Mac?
Most of the special signs and letters can be created simply by holding down ⌥ (option) and pressing one of the main letter keys. To find what combinations exist, show the keyboard viewer. You can also use the character palette.
What's up with ⌘-Tab? It doesn't work the way I'm used to
⌘-Tab cycles through open applications, not open windows. To cycle through windows within an application, use ⌘-` (backtick, the key above tab). Or you can use Exposé.
With the ⌘-Tab menu on, ⌘-` goes backwards in the list.
How do I change my default web browser?
Go to your Safari preferences, and in the General tab the first option is for Default Web Browser.
How do I navigate Finder with the keyboard?
⌘-down will open files and folders. ⌘-up will take you to the parent. If you're in list view, ⌘-left and ⌘-right will expand/collapse folders. To delete files, use ⌘-Delete. You can also empty the Trash with ⌘-Shift-Delete.
I can't stand mouse acceleration.
Sidetrack can supposedly do this with both mouse and trackpad by going into the Sidetrack Preference Pane, and in the Advanced tab selecting "Redmond Switcher Acceleration". USB Overdrive will do this too.
Is there a non-iTunes MP3 player?
Unless you fancy getting xmms out of Fink, your options are pretty limited to either using VLC, MPlayer OS X, Real Player, Quicktime, or Panic's excellent and now-free Audion. (But iTunes is the best.)
I just got a Powerbook/iBook and there is no Control key on the right, just a useless secondary 'enter' key! I can't do a one handed control-click!
Well then buddy, you need the absolutely necessary keyboard mapper uControl! This also gives you scroll support on your touchpad if you want. Useful! Or if you don't want the overhead or uControl is not compatible with your version of OS X (it sometimes lags a couple of minor versions behind) you can also try DoubleCommand.
How can I remotely access my Windows computer?
Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection works great with XP Pro. If you need to connect to more than a single XP computer at once, you can find rdesktop on Fink. For Mac to Mac, Apple's Remote Desktop (ARD) software works, but is a commercial solution. For anything else, VNC. You can run a VNC server from ARD 2.1 Client and use Chicken of the VNC to connect.
In Windows I can open a file by pressing enter, how do I do this in OS X?
See the Finder page for the answer
Is there some way to get the Finder to sort folders first?
No. Try PathFinder.
You can also sort by Kind, which sort of works as long as you don't have any files with a 'Kind' whose name starts with A-F, like AVI.
I'm used to the Windows/DOS command line. How do you run an application in the current directory?
In Windows you just type the executables name, in UNIX-like shells you have you prefix it with ./, to tell the shell that you want the executable in this folder.
Alowishus puts it like this: Again a security difference between Windows and Unix. When you call an executable at the command line, the shell looks in its path to find the program and executes the first instance it finds. Windows always adds "." to your path, meaning your current directory, which is why you get the behavior you note. Unix does NOT assume that your current directory is in your path unless you explicitly put it there. You'll find that a lot of Unix setups put "." in the path for standard users but not for root. It would be dangerous for root to execute current path without the explicit ./ notation, because a malicious user could put an executable named 'ls' in his home directory and then if the sysadmin went in there to look around he'd wind up executing the user's executable with root privileges. YIKES.
I'm used to my Mac's keyboard now. Can I remap my XP keyboard at work/home to match my Mac's keyboard more closely?
There are a number of solutions out there. MS makes remapkey.exe, which is available as part of Windows Server 2003 (works on XP too).
