A mini-guide to Mac OS X for new Mini owners

Ars-Technica ^ | March 2005 | By Eric Bangeman , Kurt Hutchinson

[Swordmaker]

A couple of weeks after its unveiling, the budget-priced Mac mini has begun shipping. Targeted at would-be switchers and “adders,” the mini is easily the lowest-priced Mac desktop ever. There are always Mac owners who are looking to upgrade older equipment or looking to own a small form factor Mac. Many of those have snapped up Mac minis.

However, some of the new Mac mini owners are Windows or Linux users who have always wanted to fool around with Mac OS X, but have been turned off by the Apple’s price structure. A dual-CPU G5 tower will set you back at least two grand, while the least expensive iMac runs US$1,299. Even a good, gently-used Mac costs far more than comparable x86 gear. Now that Apple has a stripped-down Mac desktop available, the curious have finally begun taking the plunge.

As anyone who has ever switched platforms will attest, there is always a bit of a learning curve involved. Differences in how applications and the user interface behave can be great, and even when there is similarity across platforms, the small differences can be just as maddening.

One thing the Mac mini does not have is a comprehensive “welcome to OS X” guide. Printed documentation included with the mini is scanty — primarily EULA and warranty information, and Apple has never been one for flashy tutorials. That’s why we at Ars have pulled together a short list of things every newcomer to Mac OS X needs to know.

This guide is not intended to be comprehensive and answer every conceivable question Windows and Linux users will have about their new platform. What it does intend to do is give you the lowdown on some basic things: window management, accessing your Windows box from the Mac, and application behavior.

[Swordmaker]

This is an excellent article. It's not just for newbies either; even I learned something new even though I have been using OSX for four years!

[Swordmaker]

OSX Tutorial for "Switchers" but good for those of us who are already using Mac OSX. Even I learned something I had not known (or had known and forgotten - CRS disease). PING!

It is also interesting for those Windows and Linux users who might be wondering about the differences in between their platform of choice and OSX.

If you want on or off the Mac Ping list, Freepmail me.

[no_mm]

Anybody out there using a MAC MINI...how do you like it..? (I want one)..

[Ticonderoga34]

I'm thinking of getting one too. I would like to hear some opinions on the MINI, too.

[Barney59]

Great post, many thanks!

B59

[kitkat]

The following paragraph in the Mini Manual confused me:

***Another difference is that you cannot spawn multiple instances of a single application in Mac OS X unless you use the command line. Whereas in Windows you can have as many instances of Internet Explorer as you want running, this is not possible in Mac OS X. If you want additional windows in a particular app opened, you will need to do so from within that program.***

I can bring up as many copies of IE as I want on my OSX. Is the manual referring ONLY to the Mini Mac? That would be a step backwards for Mini Mac.

[BC1978]

I bought a Mac Mini about 1 month because of all the viruses/worms found with Windows. The Mini is a great little machine and the Mac OS X runs very smoothly.

I wish I "switched" to the Mac years ago.


bc

[kitkat]

Thanks for you answer. Now i know why I frequently have to "force quit" some programs. And why I keep getting annoying messages that "IE has quit." I thought it was my server.

[Swordmaker]

I can bring up as many copies of IE as I want on my OSX. Is the manual referring ONLY to the Mini Mac? That would be a step backwards for Mini Mac

In the Mac environment, there is only ONE copy of the program running. It is a single task in which you open multiple windows to various websites. That's the way it works in my OSX... only one program running but multiple windows.

In Windows, you can start and run multiple copies of Internet Explorer and each is its own seperate task... when you open a new website you spawn a new task. You can confirm this in Windows by going to the task manager and seeing that there will be several Internet Explorers running. Forcing one to quit has no effect on other IE windows you may have open.

Forcing Internet Explorer on the Mac to quit closes ALL windows for that app.