Adjustments For Windows Users Switching To Mac OS X

Switching from Windows to Mac OS X can be a frightening concept for the average computer user who has never known anything other than what Microsoft releases into the wild. This is especially true for the adult generation which was not raised with computers. Learning the PC the first time was bad enough, why on Earth would they want to go through the whole ordeal again? However what people like this somehow fail to understand is that all computers do the same things: email, word processing, photo management, etc., and the main differentiating factor between Mac OS X and Windows is simply the way in which you tell your Mac or PC how to accomplish such tasks.

Since getting my Macbook a few months ago I’ve had to make a few adjustments and learn how OS X performs many common, everyday tasks differently than Windows. But what I’ve found is that, although troublesome initially, once you embrace the following adjustments that you have to make when switching to Mac OS X from Windows, you will see that the way Mac OS X does things much easier and more efficient than Windows.

Single-button mouse
This can be incredibly annoying at first, as coming from Windows we’re used to being able to right-click on whatever we want to access additional menu options. In Mac OS X, you have to hold down CTRL and click the mouse on an item if you wish to replicate the action of a right-click.

The Apple key
On Windows we use CTRL+key to perform many standard keyboard shortcuts such as cut, copy, paste, etc. In Mac OS X the Apple key is used to accomplish such keyboard shortcuts.

Window Behavior
Windows allows you to click on any side of any window and drag it however you want to re-size it. In Mac OS X you have to click and hold on the bottom right-hand side of a window in order to re-size it. Also, in Windows the buttons to minimize, maximize or close a window are located in the top right-hand corner. In Mac OS X these buttons can be found in the upper left-hand corner of a window.

Installing Applications
To install an application in Windows we need to download the appropriate installation file — usually an .exe file — and double-click to run it and progress through a series of menus. However, in Mac OS X an application can be installed by downloading the installation file and dragging it into the Applications folder.

Completely different user interface
The user interface of Mac OS X is completely different than that of Windows. There’s no quick way of learning it, you just have to use it to learn it. But once you use it enough it will become just as second nature as working on a Windows machine.

These are some of the adjustments I’ve had to make as a Windows user that switched to a Mac. As you can clearly see there really aren’t any life or death issues. Using a Mac is remarkably easy as Apple has made these machines to be as user-friendly as possible. A little practice will make perfect in no time.