Lessons on working on apple imac. Work efficiently on Mac OS X

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The principles of operation in OS X are somewhat different from Microsoft Windows, so users who recently bought a Mac are experiencing some difficulties as a replacement for a computer with Redmond OS. If in the USA and Europe people begin their acquaintance with computers with both PCs and Macs, then in our country and the CIS there is no particular alternative. There is a 99% chance that your first computer experience will be Windows. Relearning, as we know, is much more difficult than learning again, but following our simple tips, you can reduce all the difficulties of the transition to a minimum.

Installing and uninstalling applications

Your first search query in Safari will probably be: “How to install programs on Mac?” This simple operation that you will inevitably encounter is radically different from that in the Microsoft OS. And what’s remarkable is that installing the application will take less time than you will spend on a search query.

Most programs are distributed in dmg archives (images) and are installed in just a couple of clicks:

open the downloaded .dmg file (it will be visible in Finder as a removable disk);
drag the directory with the application into system folder"Programs";
The application will appear on Launchpad in a couple of seconds (pinch gesture to open) and will be immediately ready for use;
You can now extract the distribution image in the Finder sidebar and delete the .dmg file;

You can install the application from a .dmg file in any folder convenient for you, but then the program icon will not appear in Launchpad. Therefore, I recommend using the “Programs” folder, especially since this is what it is intended for.

Some applications have their own installer and are installed through it. In this case, you will see a dialog box with buttons “Accept”, “Next”, “Install” (hello, Windows!).

Starting with version 10.7, a store appeared in OS X Mac applications App Store, similar to the App Store on iOS. It’s even easier to work with; to install, just click the “Install” button on the application page.

By analogy with installation, uninstalling an application consists of removing it from the “Programs” folder. We drag the catalog with the application into the “Trash” - and the job is done. If the program has its own installer, then uninstallation also occurs through it.

Interaction with windows. Close or collapse?

Windows users are shocked at first: not only are the window control buttons on the left, but they also work differently. In fact, the “x” button does not close the program, but only closes its window. This is due to the fact that in OS X applications can have several windows and after we close the window the program continues to work. The “+” button does not expand the window to full screen, but scales it to the size of the displayed content.

In order to completely terminate the application, press “Cmd+Q” or right-click on the icon in the dock and select “End”.

It is convenient to monitor running programs using the indicator in the dock. This feature is enabled in system settings, in the “Dock” section.

Also, as of version 10.7, OS X applications can run in full screen mode when the dock and menu bar are hidden. To activate this mode, you need to click the arrow icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Using multi-touch gestures

One of the main features of OS X is support for multi-touch gestures. There are a lot of them here (I counted more than 10 gestures), and most importantly, thanks to the wonderful trackpad, they work just great.

Opening system settings and go to the “Trackpad” (“Mouse”) section, enable the necessary gestures and watch a demonstration of their operation. Besides banal imitations right button mouse, scrolling and dragging windows, using gestures we can: search for the highlighted word; rotate, scale images; open Launchpad, Mission Control, Notification Center.

Taking a few minutes to learn the gestures will make your work in OS X more productive and much more enjoyable.

Useful functions of the Fn key

Using the Fn button you can get fast access to many system functions. Here are some useful shortcuts:

Fn+Ctrl+F2 allows you to navigate the menu without using a mouse;
Fn+Backspace replaces the Delete button;
Fn+F11 show desktop;
Fn+up arrow replaces the Page Up button;
Fn+down arrow replaces the Page down button;
Fn+left arrow replaces the Home button;
Fn+right arrow replaces the End button;

These shortcuts are very easy to remember and I recommend using them in everyday work. By the way, there is a tiny utility called CheatSheet that will help you remember and use all the available abbreviations. After installation, it is built into the system and when you press the “Cmd” key, it displays the full list of abbreviations available in the open application.

Adding applications to Startup

When installed, some applications are immediately added to the list of programs that will be automatically loaded when the system starts. You can edit this list as you wish for more fine tuning for yourself.

Open “Settings” - “Users and groups” and on the “Login Objects” tab, edit the list using the “+” and “-” buttons. On older poppies it makes sense to remove extra elements, this will speed up the system boot.

Detailed information about your Mac

IN Windows environment in order to get complete information about the computer hardware you have to use third party utilities, like AIDA 64. operating system from Apple, in this regard, compares favorably with its competitor. OS X includes the System Information utility, which gives us a detailed report of absolutely all hardware and software. Here we can see the processor frequency, number of slots and memory type, wifi and bluetooth MAC address, as well as a lot of other service information.

You can find System Information in the Utilities folder on Launchpad or by clicking the Apple icon in the menu bar and selecting About This Mac.

Quickly view files

My favorite built-in feature in OS X is Preview. In the Finder, on any file or folder, pressing the spacebar will open a window quick view. All file types known to the system are supported: images, videos, documents. Close the viewing window by pressing the space bar again. Fast, simple and convenient.

Force termination of applications

It happens that programs stop responding to requests or, more simply put, freeze. For example, you opened a large number of tabs in Chrome or launched several “heavy” applications. Windows users They are familiar with the shortcut “Ctrl+Alt+Delete”, which they use regularly. In OS X, to bring up the application termination dialog, you need to press “Command + Option + Esc”, here we select the frozen program and click “End”.

This may rarely happen on Mac OS, but if it does happen, you will know what to do.

We enable support for all video formats

Built-in QuickTime supports major video formats and is sufficient for the needs of most users. But if you have a diverse video collection, you will have to expand the list of supported formats. This can be done using the Perian codec pack or by installing a third-party media player such as VLC. Both solutions are free.

Don't forget to make backups

The last piece of advice is banal and hackneyed, but nevertheless constantly ignored. To ensure that your data is always completely safe, use backup, and make regular backups using Time Machine. This will also allow you to experiment with the system without fear, which will be inevitable at first.

Hi guys! I just remembered that a long time ago, when dragons were still flying in the sky, there was a section on my blog called “Friday Relaxation.” On Fridays, I tried to write on abstract topics so as not to burden the heads of my faithful and friendly readers. I will try to restore the tradition and on Fridays present you with information that would not overload your brain, but, on the contrary, would make it relax, smile or dream.

I would like to talk about another dream of mine, which came true back in December last year. But I still couldn’t tell you more about it. And, to be more specific, I bought myself Macbook Air(this is a laptop with a glowing apple 🙂). I've really been dreaming about this for a long time.

Where did it all start?

In general, my love for Apple products awoke after (3 years ago), which was a very serious acquisition for me. Then I was just starting to get into the ropes with the Internet. For a long time I despised all these Apple fanatics; I never understood why buy these devices when similar ones with the same characteristics are 2-3 times cheaper. These “Yabloko” people constantly made me smile (I thought they were stupid), and probably also made me jealous. But, whatever one may say, these devices could impress others; because of their price, they distinguished their “owner” well. It's Apple all around now.

It took me a long time to decide whether to buy an iPhone or something else. My brother, who owned an iPhone 3G, persuaded me to take this pretentious thing of the 4th model. She had just left then. And from the first days I began to fall in love with this magnificent technique.

After the iPhone, I wanted an iPad. Moreover, I was sorry for the money for it, I kept trying to win it in competitions. On my 3rd attempt, I still read books and use the navigator.

After two Apple devices, I desperately wanted a laptop from the same company. I don't need a desktop computer; I often change my location. I wanted to have universal device, in which I would be comfortable working at home, in my office, or while traveling. As a result, I set a goal: if I can increase my company’s sales by the Nth amount (let me remind you), then I will get myself a Macbook. You won’t believe it, but in 1 week we managed to reach this level, which seemed impossible. I wanted him that much. 🙂

In general, MacBooks come in the following models: Air and Pro. Air is a lighter version, weaker relative to the firmware, but the battery lasts longer and is much better in price. Pro is for those who need strong performance for video editing, huge image sizes and more. I realized that I need Air.

And the next step was to select hard memory SSD drive. 128 GB or 256 GB. The price difference between these models is almost 8,000 rubles. Too much, I thought, in the end I bought myself a Macbook Air 13" 128 GB. And, in order not to “sweat” the memory on the hard drive, I bought myself external HDD 1 TB hard drive for 3,000 rubles with USB 3.0 support. It also works very quickly.

I quickly figured out the secret of why I'm obsessed with Apple products. It's not about the characteristics, but about its OS X operating system. It is so coherent, thoughtful and convenient. When I had a desktop computer, after 2-3 months Windows installations the thought arose: “Eh, I should install another 4 GB of RAM, and update the processor.” So, with the advent of the MacBook, such thoughts disappeared altogether: everything works smoothly, without any delays or “blue screens of death.” I don’t even know what the characteristics of my favorite device are, because its performance really satisfies me.

Out of curiosity, I came to look at the characteristics, and I will say that they are:

Monitor - 13 inches.
Processor - 1.3 Ghz Intel Core i5.
Memory - 4 GB 1600 Ghz DDR 3.
Graphics - Intel HD 5000
Hard drive - 128 GB SSD.
A full description is available.

Macbook Air took a new model, which was released in mid-2013. It cost me 43,000 rubles (as of December 2013). Now many will wake up like: “Yes, for the same money you could buy 2 laptops with similar characteristics!” Yes, I don't argue. But I get a thrill from working with this device, I don’t regret a single ruble that I invested in it.

First impressions

Bought! I'm running home! We need to unpack the box quickly! I carefully open it and immediately this very smell hits my nose. The smell of a new device, which should bring a lot of positive impressions. I gently lift the lid. I look at my new silver friend. How handsome he is!

The main advantages are immediately noticeable:

The first week after the purchase there were still doubts about the necessity of this very purchase. The main question that tormented me was - what is this? Do I really need this? Everything didn’t seem so convenient; I was already quite used to Windows. But only a week passed and I began to feel all the charm. I figured out the software and began to enjoy working with this laptop.

I especially like writing. You expand the WordPress post editor to full screen, just a white screen and text, soft buttons that your fingers play like a piano, and if you add to this the fact that I type touch-sensitive, then typing text is a pleasure. My thoughts don’t run away, my fingers keep up with them, I don’t have to press the key twice, everything works clearly and correctly. In a word - a thrill.

The MacBook was created in order to create and not be nervous about all sorts of “brakes”, “glitches”, “ blue screens"and other rubbish. Especially if you like to write texts or draw, then you will like it. Imagine, I always thought that the background on my site was just white, it turns out there are still horizontal stripes, which are very visible on a Mac, in general, my site has now become much more beautiful for me, I get satisfaction:

I don’t know if it’s noticeable on your computer, but imagine: for 2 years I didn’t know that my website background was not white. Something like this, gentlemen. 🙂 I repeat, “Mac” is an ideal option for writers, designers, and people involved in video. That is, if you are a creative person, you will remain mega-satisfied. The only people who probably won't like Apple products are programmers. My suggestion.

I repeat, I bought the device for 43,000 rubles. I don’t regret a single ruble that I spent on it. Don’t think that if you buy a MacBook, you will start earning 2 times more. Although this is also possible. When I really wanted a car, I couldn’t work normally, it was constantly in my thoughts, I couldn’t really concentrate. As soon as I bought it, my head was unloaded and work began. This is also possible here if you really want it.

What's installed on my Macbook Air

1. Publishing blog posts.

I wrote posts on Windows using the program. Loved her very much. As it turns out, the Mac doesn't have it. I started looking for a replacement. I tried a bunch of options, nothing was right. The solution turned out to be outrageously simple. Write via WordPress admin, as it turned out, unrealistically convenient! I expand the screen to full screen and just write. Even WordPress itself says briefly and clearly: “Write.”:

And the hotkeys make the work much easier; in front of me there is just a white screen and text, nothing more. I also recommend that owners of Windows computers try it. this method writing articles. After the 3rd post you will start to have great fun. Verified.

So the loss of Windows Live Writer was actually positive for me. I get more joy out of the standard editor. I focus completely on the text.

2. Text editor.

Microsoft Word I also use Excel at home. There is no dispute here; indeed, these programs are practically irreplaceable. Just as I had them on Windows, they also migrated to Mac.

3. Browser.

On Windows. But, if you surf the Internet using Google Chrome, the battery life is significantly reduced. Willy-nilly I had to switch to Safari. And, after several months of working in it, I can confidently say: Safari - best browser. By at least for Os X. It was hard to part with Chrome, but now I don’t even want to go back to it. Everything is conveniently implemented, everything “flies”, excellent synchronization with my other devices (iPhone and iPad).

4. FTP client

For quite a long time I was looking for a similar worthy replacement for my Mac. Found. This is the Yummy FTP program. Almost 100% coincidence with Total Commander (at least in those functions that I need for work):

5. PHP editor.

Oh, how. It turns out that on the Mac it was quite easy to find a replacement for your loved one PHP editor. This is TextWrangler:

6. Antivirus.

There is no need to install antiviruses at all. All the chicks and farts. 🙂 Don’t worry.

7. Virtual machine.

Unfortunately, there are some programs that I simply need in my work, but they cannot be replaced and they currently only work in Windows. In these cases, a so-called “virtual machine” comes to the rescue. I’ll tell you what it is below, but first I’ll list the programs that I need, but they don’t exist for Os X:

Webmoney - yes, there is no full version on Mac for a reason unknown to me. Of course, you can do without a client, operations can be carried out by confirmation by phone, but still. Updated: Webmoney application Now available on Mac, yay! Link - https://itunes.apple.com/ru/app/my-webmoney/id807337125?mt=12
- my favorite SEO program for working with keywords.
- favorite program for taking positions.

I was worried, wondering what to do with these programs. It turns out that everything can be solved very simply. Install on Mac virtual machine. Moreover, it is very easy to install and there are quite a lot of choices. I installed free VirtualBox, installed Windows 7 on it, allocated 512 MB of RAM and 20 GB of memory. That's all. Now I can run a full-fledged Windows on my Mac, and I don’t need to restart anything, everything opens in a convenient window as a separate application, or can be expanded to full screen. And transferring files from one system to another, using the clipboard, etc. is not a problem. In general, everything is simple:

It is generally very easy to launch it, Windows just flies there. The only thing is that I was a little sorry to allocate 512 MB of RAM and 20 GB hard drive. But I note that I did not notice any deterioration in the speed of work.

8. Required software

All the main software is also on Os X. That's me, Skype, Firefox, Chrome, Photoshop. I’ll even say more: programs on Mac are made better and more convenient. They are also significantly faster (I remember how long it took me to run Photoshop on my desktop computer).

9. Software for everyone

I also have the following installed:

SelfControl - you can block URLs of different sites for a certain amount of time. VKontakte, Twitter, etc. while working so as not to be distracted. We launch it, set the timer for 2 hours and during this time it is impossible to log into VKontakte, etc.
Lightshot Screenshot is a very convenient program for webmasters when they need to share screenshots. By pressing a key, a screenshot of a certain area of the monitor is taken, it is automatically uploaded to the server and a link to this picture is immediately displayed. We simply send the link to the interlocutor.
Snagit - I use this program to take screenshots for lessons, although you can get by with the previous one. The habit of "arrows".
Screenflick - I use it to make screencasts (video recordings from the monitor screen).
iMovie is a video editor. Moreover, it is an official Apple product. In my opinion, the best.
Mindjet - I use it to create mind maps.
PuntoSwitcher - automatic translation of a word if it is written in the wrong layout. A very convenient program from Yandex.
CheatSheet is a program that suggests hot keys in any program. Hold down cmd and that's it.
Super time management program. While I won’t say which one, I need to devote a whole post to it. In general, I said that after 4 years of searching I managed to find . I also, in my opinion, almost found the ideal program. I'll introduce you very soon.

All. I don't have anything else installed on my Mac, that's enough. For the rest I use standard software. If there are any good ones worthwhile programs, write in the comments, I'm interested.

Conclusion

I completely switched to Mac after about 2-3 weeks of use. He threw everything over and forced him to work only on it. At first it was uncomfortable. But now I don't turn on my desktop computer at all. I only work on one device. I carry it everywhere and always.

I’m writing this post and I’m in such ecstasy. Even if you start writing a book, it seems to me that it will write itself. Work should bring pleasure and you should not be distracted by all sorts of little things. Hooray!

I remembered myself when all the SEO people around were using Macs. Even then I thought: these are show-offs, braggarts and majors! 🙂

If you want to buy a Windows laptop in the near future, think about it. It might be better to wait another six months and save up for this miracle device. But I warn you: once hooked on Apple technology, you will not be able to “jump off” from it. Believe me.

Now for me Macbook Air is not a tool, but a real friend.

The simple idea that software is the main point when choosing a computer cannot be refuted. Even the selection of the desired configuration is carried out with an eye to specific tasks. Whether it’s toys, working with graphics, sound, and so on. Software is paramount, and only then you can pay attention to the quality of the display, battery life, design and other points. A separate item worth considering is the standard operating system programs. Usually, after purchasing a computer with Windows, a long and difficult process of installing programs begins that will replace standard software in operation. The first step is to replace the browser, then the picture viewer, since the standard one is “no problem,” then the music and video player. Everyone pursues their own goals, but in one case or another there is a replacement for old software. This is all called customizing the computer for yourself and this process takes an average day. Remember, a few years ago, CDs containing collections of all kinds of software for all occasions were especially popular? Now the situation has changed radically, and everything you need can be found on the Internet, but here the second problem is viruses. In a nutshell, there are many problems, and today we will talk about how things are on computers with Mac OS X.

Standard programs

The first step, of course, is to evaluate the capabilities of the pre-installed software in order to understand what is worth changing and what is not. And the first thing I look at is the browser.

Browser choice is a religion. You can argue here endlessly. Someone is using Internet Explorer, based on the fact that it is a standard. Some people prefer Google Chrome, which is considered fast and lightweight (which I do not agree with).

Firefox has a wealth of different settings and plugins to offer.

Personally, I have been using Opera since time immemorial only because I find it comfortable for me. However, his work on the Mac cannot be called flawless. On standard configuration MacBook Pro 13 tends to “slow down” under certain conditions.

The standard browser for Mac OS X is Safari, which can also be installed on a PC.

Which one is better? You can argue for a very long time, present performance graphs, the correctness of page display, and so on, but in the end you will not come to anything. Therefore, it is impossible to give unambiguous advice here. One thing I can say is that few of my friends with an Apple computer use the Safari browser. Again, I don't want to say that Safari is bad - it's just that the choice of browser is individual.

Next we should talk about mail. I'm too lazy to install third party programs or setting up the default ones, so I check my email in the browser. I answer letters there, sort them, and so on. For simple tasks Gmail account That's enough for me. Plus, I’m confident in the safety of my correspondence - it’s easy to delete an email archive on a computer, but with Gmail I don’t have to think about it. Plus, virus scanning is present by default. Many people use Microsoft Outlook, including me - for corporate mail. The feeling is generally negative, since it all works through CommuniGate with virus scanning on the server, which results in noticeable slowdowns when receiving mail. But again, it’s worth recognizing that Outlook is a corporate standard, so it’s pointless to criticize this program. Standard Mail client on Mac turned out to be surprisingly pleasant - I just entered my login and password there, and the emails started downloading immediately. You can start working from the very first minutes. The program’s interface is such that you’ll be left wondering, “Where should I click?” no need to. Everything is simple and clear. In my opinion, it is worth using this program. Convenient, functional, easy to use, pleasant for the user. Mac users love this email client for good reason.

Of course, you can try Thunderbird, which is also available for Mac OS. If you initially worked with this program, then there is no need to move - install and use. This will be easier for the soul and body.

The next item is the address book. You only think about its necessity when you use an offline mail client. Majority Russian users PCs don't use it or don't even know it exists. Mac users are fundamentally different from them in that they use this functionality or at least have a contact list on their Mac. Where?

It's all about the popularity of the iPhone, after purchasing which you should buying a MacBook or at least the desire to buy it. Connect your phone to your computer, synchronize the data, and your address book is full of contacts. Without any settings or other hassles. It all works automatically, and this joy makes you want to cry and laugh - everything is so good and convenient. After a couple of days of using the MacBook + iPhone combination, you begin to use both standard mail and the address book, and after it the calendar, the data of which is also synchronized.

Questions: “Why is an Apple computer so convenient?” no longer occurs. It is convenient precisely because, in conjunction with the iPhone, it gives new level facilities.

I already see an army of users Windows Mobile cooked rotten tomatoes for my face. Calm, just calm. I know that all this happened in ancient times, I know how well data is synchronized there. But where is WM now and where is iPhone? Time has put everything in its place.

Here I will draw intermediate conclusions. Over the years of working with PCs, I have never had to use such an extensive set of standard functionality. In my years of working as a laboratory assistant at a university, I have never seen students who used all this. Having extensive experience installing and configuring Windows on the computers of friends, acquaintances, acquaintances of friends, and so on, I have never heard the requests “Help me set up Outlook,” “Show me how to use the calendar,” and “Where is the address book?” The conclusion is banal - most people don’t use all this on their home PC. But you shouldn’t think that because they don’t use it, that means people don’t need it. This is wrong. The main problem lies in the fact that synchronization in the PC world requires a lot of body movements. With Mac + iPhone the situation is completely different. It is from this moment that you understand what the Apple ecosystem is and what advantages there are in pairing devices from Cupertino. The glands “communicate” with each other independently. You don't have to do anything and just use it all. It's difficult to describe emotions - it's worth a try. And if you have an iPhone, “God himself ordered it.”

Music player or iTunes

I got acquainted with iTunes in 2005, after purchasing the legendary Motorola E398. Let me remind you that the first phone in the Apple ecosystem was not the iPhone at all, but the Motorola E1, which was practically no different from the E-shka, flashing it with special firmware, you could get real iTunes on the phone. Accordingly, music had to be uploaded to the device using a similar program on a computer. Oh, what a pain this process was, plus the stupid limit of 25 songs on the first firmware and 100 on the next ones. I became acquainted with the glitches of the program and the process at the same time. Years passed, glitches were corrected, but the ideology of the program and the synchronization process did not change much. Actually, I don’t like iTunes even now, and perhaps this is due to previous experience. There are many opinions here - some consider it brilliant, others simple and convenient, many quietly hate it. But it so happens that in Russia its popularity is much lower than in the rest of the world. This is due to the inaccessibility of our music store. It was Apple that changed the process of buying music, movies and software all over the world, which became so simple that it could not help but become popular. Therefore, before you “blame” this program, we must remember that you and I look at it from a slightly different angle than users in the rest of the world.

There is no particular point in describing all the advantages and disadvantages, just as there is no point in looking for a replacement for it. After several attempts, I came to a very simple conclusion - since you have to use iTunes to synchronize music on your player or phone, then it’s easier to accept and use it. After several days of hard work, you get used to everything and use it automatically. Negative emotions go to the side, and what seemed confusing and incomprehensible now looks ordinary. The process of addiction occurs when learning any software, but in the case of iTunes it takes a little longer. This is not surprising simply because iTunes is much more functional than any other music player. This is also worth remembering before scolding.

However, there are alternatives. For example, the Vox player is a fairly simple program at first glance, but this is far from true. Just open it additional features, where, in addition to the equalizer, you can find a lot various effects and their adjustments. Last.fm scrobbling is also present.

There is an excellent media harvester called SongBird. There are a lot of different services, the appearance of the program can be changed with different themes. Everything or almost everything is supported. My requirements for such programs are not the highest, since I don’t listen to music on the computer, but I think that the functionality of this program is enough for most people.

In fact, there are plenty of software players for OS X. You just have to dig deeper and you're sure to find something to suit your taste.

View photos

I perfectly understand those people who cannot live without sorting their content into folders. Music and photography come first here. It is extremely important for me to distribute all the photos for the material into folders and number them accordingly. After switching to Mac, you can usually hear a lot of negativity from such people about native software. And it's all about habits. Let's remember where this magical process - sorting - came from. Standard viewer Photos in Windows are a rather pitiful sight in terms of functionality. We find a folder with photos, double-click on any of them - a program is launched in which you can leaf through them. To view photos in another folder, you need, accordingly, to open the photo there or indicate to the program the path where they are located. necessary photos. How many people use the system’s standard “Pictures” folder is still a mystery to me. But the number of such, I am sure, is extremely small. Organizing content into folders has many advantages for the user, but is accompanied by a rather labor-intensive sorting process. IN Mac computers the ideology is completely different. Please note that no one here uses paths like “C:\Photo\Vasya’s Party”. Why? Let's remember why we organize this content into folders?

So that all photos are sorted by topic.
To make it easy to find.
So that you can quickly copy photos on a specific topic to external media.

Other options are possible, but all of them, in one way or another, are related to searching for content on the computer.

IN Mac search information on a computer is so fast and convenient that it is not possible to find anything better today. In addition, this search is integrated into all standard applications, providing the user with a new level of convenience, which I propose to evaluate using the iPhoto program as an example.

I received a computer with pre-installed content, for which I have to say thank you.

So, we see that the photos organized in albums are sorted by events. On the left side of the window you can sort them by faces (the program can recognize them), show them in a general list, or group them by places on the map (that’s what you need GPS receiver in the camera). You can create your own albums. Any of these albums can be quickly copied anywhere with a simple drag-and-drop, while having multiple sorting options. And what difference does it make where your photos are, in what folders, when everything is already at hand? What Apple has is simpler and more functional at the same time. You can argue here, you can give many examples in which sorting by folders will be indispensable, but for the average person, the functionality of iPhoto turns out to be much clearer and more convenient.

It’s another matter when sorting photographs is carried out on a specific topic and is related to work. IN in this case It’s much more convenient to use some kind of photo browser.

Google's Picasa application has the same functionality as the Windows version, so it is familiar to many readers. In addition to actually viewing photos, the program allows you to edit them.

Video

I don't like standard Quick Time, although I use it to watch movies. It successfully copes with basic formats, but due to the rather narrow “progress bar” it is not so convenient.

As an alternative, I recommend VLC Player, which will read all or almost all video formats, and its progress bar spans the entire width of the screen.

In general, use Apple computers and laptops in particular for watching movies are very good and correct, since they have a high-quality screen, good sound and a running time that is easily enough for two or three films. Plus, you can put it on the bed and not be afraid that something will burn due to overheating. And there are no “air intakes” on the body - there is no danger of closing the hole needed for ventilation. In this case, it will heat up decently - no one has canceled the laws of physics, but I have not had any reboots or freezes on the MacBook.

IM messengers

Standard iChat is quite suitable for an undemanding user of ICQ and Google Talk. A fairly simple program that can also be used to make video calls with account iChat. The problem is that this service not too common.

Therefore, I advise you to use free program Adium program, which can be downloaded.

Of course, there is Skype, which is no different in functionality from what we can see in Windows. But now it seems like new trend- FaceTime. Who cares...

Torrents

I didn’t have to search for long, and I didn’t really look for it either. The main thing is that the content is downloaded and distributed, and that nothing glitches. I can’t imagine why fancy torrent clients are needed. Scheduled downloads, restrictions on upload speed, and so on. On my part, everything is much simpler - I downloaded the torrent file, launched it in the desired program, and everything went. There is a wonderful program for these purposes - Transmission. Its capabilities more than exceed my requirements, and if your experience of using torrents matches mine, you can safely download it. It works stably and without glitches.

FTP clients

There are quite a lot of them. My choice - free FileZilla, which I also use on Windows. The basic set of necessary tools is present here. If you need any advanced features, then navigate here yourself. Taste and color...

Now is the time to talk about additional packages programs from Apple. The excursion will be quick, since their detailed consideration is worthy of a separate article. So, let's go.

Office applications

This is a software package for every day, which is used by schoolchildren, students, and men in suits. Three indispensable software are the Pages text editor, Numbers tables, and the Keynote presentation application. The first one works great with Microsoft files Word, the second with Excel, and the third with PowerPoint.

As you understand, programs for every day. I use Pages most of all and I can say that it is no worse than Word, and in many ways even better. The interface is simple and clear - everything is at your fingertips. Very cool. There is support for tables, charts and everything your heart desires. This is such a very soulful product. Plus, there is integration with iPhoto, for example. It's very easy and convenient to add a photo from your gallery.

Here I would like to draw attention to the fact that before launching each program from Apple, you will be asked to watch a video on how to work with it. Definitely worth watching. Many questions are answered before you even start work.

Compatible with Word documents complete or almost complete. At least I didn’t have any problems with import and export.

I can say the same about the other two programs. Everything works, although, I admit, I only used them to test it. Therefore, worries about compatibility with the office standard are groundless.

The only negative is that this software package is paid and will cost at least 4 thousand rubles, which is not little. But every Mac owner has the opportunity to use this program for free for 30 days. Is it worth taking it? Before answering the question, I would like to introduce you to other options.

Microsoft Office 2011

It's finished! Finally, Microsoft office has made its way to the Mac. More precisely, it has been here for a long time, but this is the first release with localization. By the way, about her - they couldn’t help but distinguish themselves, so several points were translated in a new way. For example, instead of the usual “View” there is a new designation “View”. And so on.

There are two versions of this software package:

For home and study. Contains Word, Excel, Power Point. The license price for one user is 3,490 rubles.
For home and business. Contains Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook. Likewise, the price is 8,490 rubles.

I cannot call this release a full-fledged one, since there is neither Access nor Publisher. However, the main software package is there and you can use it, since the reviews of the first consumers of this product reassuring.

OpenOffice

Absolutely free package programs that support basic formats (doc, docx, xls, ppt, and so on). The set includes six programs:

Text Document
Spreadsheet
Presentation
Drawing
Database
Formula

The first three can be used for work without worrying about compatibility. With databases, for example, the situation is not very rosy. Let's start with the fact that Access itself sometimes lives its own life - it can work on one computer, but not on another. What can we say about the support of Microsoft databases by third-party manufacturers? In this case, no one can guarantee trouble-free operation. It is advisable to use this set of programs if you don’t want to pay for other solutions at all, but you need similar functionality on your computer.

I have a separate complaint about the interface. It happens: you use a program or thing, everything is fine, but something doesn’t suit you. But you can’t understand what exactly. I can say the same about OpenOffice. I don’t know why, but I don’t like this software package. Not trying is a sin, since it’s free. So it would be interesting to know your opinion about this software.

Having considered three sets office programs, it is easy to come to the conclusion that the best option will be OpenOffice.org. It is free, and its functionality is quite sufficient for most consumers. My personal opinion is that you should use iWork on a Mac. Firstly, this is software “native” to OS X, which in theory means high stability. Secondly, there is integration with others Apple programs. Thirdly, the Mac community is now growing by leaps and bounds; many work in Pages and exchange files in the extension native to this program. At least three advantages that, in my opinion, should not be neglected.

It’s another matter when you just need a text editor, but you don’t need tables and presentations. For these purposes it is quite possible to use standard application TextEdit.

Simple program like a notepad in Windows, with the corresponding capabilities. You can save the document as pdf file. For small texts with simple formatting, it is quite suitable. Among other free ones, focus on OpenOffice.org - looking for alternatives to it is almost useless.

iLife

The most creative software package. Here you have the legendary Garage Band, the video editor iMovie, the tool for creating web pages iWeb, and the above-mentioned iPhoto. The big plus is that all this is already pre-installed on your Mac and does not require any money. I won’t ramble on about the tree - I’ll briefly describe my impressions of each of them.

We have already talked about iPhoto before. It will be difficult to understand and penetrate the ideology of the program. But you need to try it. Just take and import your photos there, and then sit down and figure out how it works. As a photo viewer it is a very good and convenient thing.

The iMovie video editor is wonderful, first of all, for its simplicity and various templates. The first thing you need to do is watch the video when you start the program, and then try to repeat the same thing. The interface is very simple, almost all actions are carried out with the mouse. Connect two videos, make a caption and initial screen, titles, and so on. There is nothing simpler - believe me. Recently, I have been preparing all the videos for my materials in this program. Sergey Kuzmin also actively uses it. This is extremely necessary if you have a family video, for example. And no Windows Movie Maker wasn't there.

Garage Band

This is everything a beginning musician needs. Starting from video tutorials (which cost little money) to sequencers with effects and everything you need to work with music. For a beginner, there are plenty of possibilities. I even tried connecting my synth to a Mac and seeing what happened. Connected - Garage Band picked up the keys, and you could play. The process took about three seconds. The topic is very rich, in fact. If you realize that you have “grown up” from the capabilities of this program, then you can switch to Logic, which is a truly “adult”, professional musical instrument.

Frankly, since my student days I have disliked all the simplifications when creating web pages. There are very good ones text editors with support for the syntax of various languages. There is a CMS. You can write everything from scratch. Whichever is more convenient for you. The program may be of great interest to ordinary users due to its simplicity. Making a page using something like this is a matter of five minutes, even for a person who is far from programming.

Games

It’s worth talking about them separately. I’ll say right away that in this case the situation is terrible. In order to understand this, just type “buy games for Mac” in your browser. Several far from the latest “titles” plus a pack of Sims of all versions and variations. There are few solutions in this situation:

Use Boot Camp, that is, actually install Windows as a second operating system.
Use Wine - a program that allows you to execute Windows applications in Mac OS X environment.
Use ported games from Windows to Mac.

The first two options, in my opinion, are not a panacea. So let's talk about ported games. If you go to any torrent resource, you can easily find not only hits, but also new items. The problem is that not all of them work perfectly. You may encounter problems with controls, for example, or with displaying images. In addition, on my MacBook Pro 13 I have to play at minimum settings, but even in this case there may be some stuttering. To summarize, we can say that Mac is not a gaming platform at all.

Results

The address book, calendar and email client are fundamentally no different from what we can see in Windows. Quite sufficient functionality for everyday tasks. But the pre-installed iLife software package is truly unique. Everything is simple and convenient. A couple of hours will be enough to master each of the applications (with the possible exception of Garage Band). There are also a sufficient number of browsers - choose which one your heart desires. The standard iTunes audio player is a bone of contention, but there are alternatives to it. I recommend immediately changing the video player to VLC, so as not to stumble upon an “unclear” format in the future. ICQ, Skype, torrents - all this is present and works very well. There are also plenty of office software packages, and there should be no problems with compatibility, excluding Access, Visio, Publisher.

So to say that Mac has obvious problems with software, no way. If there is no specific program, which means there is software alternative to it. After all, there is Boot Camp, there is Wine - if you want, you can find and run everything you need on a Mac.

Ikonnikov Alexey (

The principles of operation in OS X are somewhat different from Microsoft Windows, so users who have recently purchased a Mac experience some difficulties as a replacement for a computer with the Redmond OS. If in the USA and Europe people begin their acquaintance with computers with both PCs and Macs, then in our country and the CIS there is no particular alternative. There is a 99% chance that your first computer experience will be Windows. Relearning, as you know, is much more difficult than learning again, but by following our simple tips, you can reduce all the difficulties of the transition to a minimum.

Installing and uninstalling applications

Most programs are distributed in dmg archives (images) and are installed in just a couple of clicks:

open the downloaded .dmg file (it will be visible in Finder as a removable disk);
drag the application directory into the “Programs” system folder;
The application will appear on Launchpad in a couple of seconds (pinch gesture to open) and will be immediately ready for use;
You can now extract the distribution image in the Finder sidebar and delete the .dmg file;

Some applications have their own installer and are installed through it. In this case, you will see a dialog box with buttons “Accept”, “Next”, “Install” (hello, Windows!).

Starting with version 10.7, OS X introduced the Mac App Store, similar to the App Store on iOS. It’s even easier to work with; to install, just click the “Install” button on the application page.

Interaction with windows. Close or collapse?

In order to completely terminate the application, press “Cmd+Q” or right-click on the icon in the dock and select “End”.

It is convenient to monitor running programs using the indicator in the dock. This feature is enabled in system settings, in the “Dock” section.

Also, as of version 10.7, OS X apps can run in full-screen mode, hiding the Dock and menu bar. To activate this mode, you need to click the arrow icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Using multi-touch gestures

Open the system settings and go to the “Trackpad” (“Mouse”) section, enable the necessary gestures and watch a demonstration of their operation. In addition to the banal imitation of the right mouse button, scrolling and dragging windows, using gestures we can: search for the highlighted word; rotate, scale images; open Launchpad, Mission Control, Notification Center.

Taking a few minutes to learn the gestures will make your work in OS X more productive and much more enjoyable.

Useful functions of the Fn key

Using the Fn button you can quickly access many system functions. Here are some useful shortcuts:

Fn+Ctrl+F2 allows you to navigate the menu without using a mouse;
Fn+Backspace replaces the Delete button;
Fn+F11 show desktop;
Fn+up arrow replaces the Page Up button;
Fn+down arrow replaces the Page down button;
Fn+left arrow replaces the Home button;
Fn+right arrow replaces the End button;

Adding applications to Startup

When installed, some applications are immediately added to the list of programs that will be automatically loaded when the system starts. You can edit this list at your discretion to fine-tune your settings.

Open “Settings” - “Users and groups” and on the “Login Objects” tab, edit the list using the “+” and “-” buttons. On older Macs, it makes sense to remove unnecessary elements; this will speed up the system boot time.

Detailed information about your Mac

In a Windows environment, in order to obtain complete information about the computer’s hardware, you have to use third-party utilities, like AIDA 64. Apple’s operating system compares favorably with its competitor in this regard. OS X includes the System Information utility, which gives us a detailed report of absolutely all hardware and software. Here we can see the processor frequency, number of slots and memory type, wifi and bluetooth MAC address, as well as a lot of other service information.

You can find System Information in the Utilities folder on Launchpad or by clicking the Apple icon in the menu bar and selecting About This Mac.

Quickly view files

My favorite built-in feature in OS X is Preview. In the Finder, pressing Spacebar on any file or folder will open a Quick View window. All file types known to the system are supported: images, videos, documents. Close the viewing window by pressing the space bar again. Fast, simple and convenient.

Force termination of applications

It happens that programs stop responding to requests or, more simply put, freeze. For example, you have opened a large number of tabs in Chrome or launched several “heavy” applications. Windows users are familiar with the “Ctrl+Alt+Delete” shortcut, which they use regularly. In OS X, to bring up the application termination dialog, you need to press “Command + Option + Esc”, here we select the frozen program and click “End”.

This may rarely happen on Mac OS, but if it does happen, you will know what to do.

We enable support for all video formats

Don't forget to make backups

The last piece of advice is banal and hackneyed, but nevertheless constantly ignored. To ensure that your data is always completely safe, use backup and regularly make backups using Time Machine. This will also allow you to experiment with the system without fear, which will be inevitable at first.

Mac OS X is a very beautiful axis with many useful features and is incredibly easy to manage and use, even with default installations and settings - that's a fact. But I am interested in the efficiency and, so to speak, the scope for using the entire OS. This prompted me to write this post and describe in detail what I do to increase CE* when working on my 12" iBook. Also, this post and my skills may be useful to switchers who have just bought their first mac. So, from words to deeds.

Clean desktop

I hate a messy desktop. Excess of icons, files and folders on the desktop - screw it! all icons and files, folders - everything is in figs from the desktop. I leave only the most necessary: the icon on HDD, maybe one or two smart folders, some kind of file. No more. Icons of disk drives, usb flash drives, digital cameras etc. when connected, they appear/disable themselves, so I don’t even think about them. Downloaded files are immediately sent to the Downloads folder. The desktop should always be clean.

Icons in the Dock

If you think that they are for convenient and quick launch programs, then you are wrong. Don’t think that I’m a fan of “delete”, but... In Mac OS X I don’t have a single extra icon in the dock. I generally only have 3 of them: finder, dashboard & trash. Have you already noticed that when you launch a program, it appears in the dock? So, the dock is needed to be filled with running programs.

It is important to install the dock where it seems most convenient to you. For me, it’s most convenient to keep it in the bottom center; the dock itself doesn’t take up much space; I reduced it in System Preferences.

Why is it important to install the dock correctly right away?

How a person uses a computer is a whole philosophy. Purely psychologically, any user is designed in such a way that, often, working with a computer every day, he launches a certain set of programs in a certain sequence. This is such a subtle moment that you barely notice it when working with the computer every day.

Actually, for this very reason, having placed the dock in a convenient place, you will automatically get used to moving the mouse cursor for one or another action with a certain program (close, restore a window, open properties, etc.) to a certain place on the screen.

And for this same reason, a wonderful program was invented, which I talk about in the next block.

Quicksilver is our everything

At first sight Quicksilver may seem like a terrifying tool and very inconvenient. It would seem, why remember the names of programs if you can put icons in the dock? And why change Spotlight to QS? Quicksilver is a mega-cool, sophisticated program launcher, a search engine for your Mac, and take my word for it, it makes life very simple.

As I said earlier, usually every user uses certain programs in its Everyday life. For example, I immediately turn on Safari, Adium, Skype, Mail, Textmate, and sometimes I need to work in Lightroom, iGTD or play with a couple of my favorite toys. There are very few names that are familiar to me, aren’t there?

Using Quicksilver is very simple - it is called by a hotkey, which can be configured at your discretion. The standard view of the program will appear:

In the upper part we enter a keyword, and in the lower part, as you type the word, a short description will appear and possible action and at the top under the name of the program/file we see the location on the hard drive. In addition, there will be a drop-down list on the right with all the results. When you press the Return button, it will start where you left off when typing keywords.

In QS it is not at all necessary to type the full name of the program; it will type out what you need for you. And this is only a small part of what Quicksilver can do. By and large, it deserves special attention and is very great overview opportunities. You can write entire chains of actions, open a link in your favorite browser using a key URL, you can set up different triggers, there are a bunch of plugins.

What's next

You can also add Sticky Windows. If you have an iBook, then the 12" screen is sometimes too small. And in general, littering the desktop with a bunch of open windows different programs- it's disgusting:). Sticky Windows solves this problem. Watch the demo screencast on the offsite.

Another important point. Mac OS X thinks for you where you need it. Therefore, when you buy yourself a Mac, get used to simplicity and order. :)

* CE - efficiency coefficient
The original of this post can always be

Lessons on working on apple imac. Work efficiently on Mac OS X

Installing and uninstalling applications

Interaction with windows. Close or collapse?

Using multi-touch gestures

Useful functions of the Fn key

Adding applications to Startup

Detailed information about your Mac

Quickly view files

Force termination of applications

We enable support for all video formats

Don't forget to make backups

Where did it all start?

First impressions

What's installed on my Macbook Air

1. Publishing blog posts.

2. Text editor.

3. Browser.

4. FTP client

5. PHP editor.

6. Antivirus.

7. Virtual machine.

8. Required software

9. Software for everyone

Conclusion

Standard programs

Music player or iTunes

View photos

Video

IM messengers

Torrents

FTP clients

Office applications

iLife

Games

Results

Installing and uninstalling applications

Interaction with windows. Close or collapse?

Using multi-touch gestures

Useful functions of the Fn key

Adding applications to Startup

Detailed information about your Mac

Quickly view files

Force termination of applications

We enable support for all video formats

Don't forget to make backups

Clean desktop

Icons in the Dock

Why is it important to install the dock correctly right away?

Quicksilver is our everything

What's next

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