Top 30 mistakes by new OSX users...
I was guilty of several of these myself! 
(taken from The Warne Account blog)
1. Closing an application window, thinking it has quit.
2. Downloading an app and running it from the disk image.
3. Creating endless untitled folders
4. Using Safari?s Google search to get to a website
5. Confusing the concept of wallpaper with screensaver
6. Double-clicking a window thinking it will maximise it, but instead sending it to the dock
7. Not understanding the usefulness of column view and leaving everything in icon view
8. Not using any keyboard shortcuts
9. Thinking that now they?ve got rid of Windows they won?t have problems of _any_ sort on their Mac
10. Renaming desktop icons to random characters because they don?t understand the difference between the enter and the return key on Mac. (Enter puts an icon into rename mode).
11. People trying to find the menus on a window, not realising they?re always at the top of the screen
12. Trying to resize windows from the edge rather than the drag area on the corner
13. Trying to use the CTRL key rather than CMD key for shortcuts.
14. Thinking it?ll be easy to get a stuck CD out.
15. Installing a program every time they want to run it because they think the installer _is_ the program.
16. Where?s ?the internet?? (looking for the Windows Internet Explorer ?e? icon)
17. Repeatedly hitting the Apple key expecting the Apple menu to pop up (confused with Windows Key and Start Menu concept)
18. Thinking the green ?+? button maximises a window to full screen (not realising that Apple?s maximise philosophy is to only make a window as big as it needs to be to comfortably fit the width of content currently being displayed)
19. Looking in vain for an uninstaller app, because they don?t realise that uninstalling an application on Mac is as easy as dragging the program icon into the trash.
20. Minimising windows all the time rather than using ?hide?, leaving the document section of the doc littered with forgotten minimised windows (that are quietly occupying system resources).
21. Double-clicking dock icons.
22. Inadvertant click-drags and removing programs from the dock in the process.
23. Saving everything to the desktop or somewhere on the hard drive other than their home folder.
24. Trying to load documents or programs multiple times because they don?t recognise the progress indicators (sound of hard drive grinding, CD spinning, Mac spinning beachball, browser status bar)
25. Not understanding that the dock is used to both launch and return to a program ?
26. Inability to work with multiple documents on-screen at the same time, because they have only ever learned to use Windows? maximise mode which always makes everything full-screen
27. Confusing ?delete? with ?backspace? (because Apple has two keys named ?delete? on the keyboard, one of which does forward delete and the other backward delete. Way to go, usability geniuses).
28. Expecting ?home? and ?end? keys to go the beginning and end of a line, rather than beginning and end of a document.
29. Not realising that when you copy a folder over an existing one, OS X -replaces- the destination folder rather than merging the contents, which is what Windows does.
30. Looking for the ?complicated? way of doing everything. For example, trying to go into system preferences and right-clicking on the networking icon in order to find available wireless networks, rather than just clicking on the Airport icon in the menu bar and selecting the relevant wireless network.
(taken from The Warne Account blog)
1. Closing an application window, thinking it has quit.
2. Downloading an app and running it from the disk image.
3. Creating endless untitled folders
4. Using Safari?s Google search to get to a website
5. Confusing the concept of wallpaper with screensaver
6. Double-clicking a window thinking it will maximise it, but instead sending it to the dock
7. Not understanding the usefulness of column view and leaving everything in icon view
8. Not using any keyboard shortcuts
9. Thinking that now they?ve got rid of Windows they won?t have problems of _any_ sort on their Mac
10. Renaming desktop icons to random characters because they don?t understand the difference between the enter and the return key on Mac. (Enter puts an icon into rename mode).
11. People trying to find the menus on a window, not realising they?re always at the top of the screen
12. Trying to resize windows from the edge rather than the drag area on the corner
13. Trying to use the CTRL key rather than CMD key for shortcuts.
14. Thinking it?ll be easy to get a stuck CD out.
15. Installing a program every time they want to run it because they think the installer _is_ the program.
16. Where?s ?the internet?? (looking for the Windows Internet Explorer ?e? icon)
17. Repeatedly hitting the Apple key expecting the Apple menu to pop up (confused with Windows Key and Start Menu concept)
18. Thinking the green ?+? button maximises a window to full screen (not realising that Apple?s maximise philosophy is to only make a window as big as it needs to be to comfortably fit the width of content currently being displayed)
19. Looking in vain for an uninstaller app, because they don?t realise that uninstalling an application on Mac is as easy as dragging the program icon into the trash.
20. Minimising windows all the time rather than using ?hide?, leaving the document section of the doc littered with forgotten minimised windows (that are quietly occupying system resources).
21. Double-clicking dock icons.
22. Inadvertant click-drags and removing programs from the dock in the process.
23. Saving everything to the desktop or somewhere on the hard drive other than their home folder.
24. Trying to load documents or programs multiple times because they don?t recognise the progress indicators (sound of hard drive grinding, CD spinning, Mac spinning beachball, browser status bar)
25. Not understanding that the dock is used to both launch and return to a program ?
26. Inability to work with multiple documents on-screen at the same time, because they have only ever learned to use Windows? maximise mode which always makes everything full-screen
27. Confusing ?delete? with ?backspace? (because Apple has two keys named ?delete? on the keyboard, one of which does forward delete and the other backward delete. Way to go, usability geniuses).
28. Expecting ?home? and ?end? keys to go the beginning and end of a line, rather than beginning and end of a document.
29. Not realising that when you copy a folder over an existing one, OS X -replaces- the destination folder rather than merging the contents, which is what Windows does.
30. Looking for the ?complicated? way of doing everything. For example, trying to go into system preferences and right-clicking on the networking icon in order to find available wireless networks, rather than just clicking on the Airport icon in the menu bar and selecting the relevant wireless network.
Comments
Originally posted by iPoster
10. Renaming desktop icons to random characters because they don?t understand the difference between the enter and the return key on Mac. (Enter puts an icon into rename mode).
Both Enter and Return do rename mode. Neither does open...
I had to say the most annoying one I found is that the equivalent of Alt-TAB was only giving me the application, not seperate instances.
As for the keyboard shortcuts, there needs to be an easy reference document with the shortcuts because switching is still a confusing process. A nice little quick reference would of saved me days and days of trying to work things out. I was trying to work out what the symbols ment, I knew the Apple key, but the Option and Cltr keys were a mystery.
It confuses the HELL out of Windows noobs. I didn't really think about it until one day I was talking with a guy, who actually knows a bit about Windows, and isn't a complete noob. He was like "what's a disc image?" I was hard pressed for a few seconds to even explain the concept, (like when someone asks you the difference between RAM and hard drives, it takes a few seconds to make it cogent) then it took a few more seconds to realize why it's useful. Then I realized, for downloads...is it? It kind of isn't. It's kind of a pain actually. I think disc images for downloads need to go.
But some of those, like typing websites in the Google bar, are just retarded. That's like looking for the Any key. Sorry. no excuse.
Interesting food for though!
I guess I have just been using windows too much for the past year.
The other thing that kills me is that there's no root user, or any degree of availability for freeware utility programs. I'd say that Mac OS X is the king here. It can use most, if not all, of the command line Unix tools as well as the relative wealth of good freeware OS X apps. For some reason, Windows has a dearth of freeware, and the Windows distribution itself lacks a lot of the extras that you'd take for granted in OS X and Linux.
Originally posted by JohnnySmith
I do most of my work at my job on a PC. So when I come home a lot of the times I hit the control key instead of the command key. Which is weird, because I was raised on a mac and have been using them for the past 15 years. So I never "switched".
I guess I have just been using windows too much for the past year.
That's why you get an Apple keyboard at work and map the control key to the command key. (Yes, I have done just that.) It has the added benefit that no one other than you will be able to figure out how to log in.
I'm surprised a lot, at how sometimes Macs have WAY MORE software for a specific purpose than windows. It's so out of balance it's almost embarassing for PC users.
A lot of the fundamental differences between Windows and OS X seem be down to Microsoft taking what could be seen as the easy way out (both for them and the user). For example, the maximising to the space required by and app, not just the whole screen. That might require some work by the coders, rather than just setting width and height to the maximum they can be.
Anyway, I prefer my Mac! Especially since World of Warcraft went Universal...
Originally posted by iPoster
...
1. Closing an application window, thinking it has quit.
...
This one is actually pretty inconsistent.
Sometimes, closing a window WILL quit the app.
For example... iPhoto.
I don't think this is all bad. At least for me. I will make a folder on the desktop for something that will trashed after its limited use, downsized photos that are going to friends that have slow sonnections. I like a clean desktop and like to see the photos that rotate as my desktop. My wife on the other hand has no idea what the background is on her desktop. At least she hides the Stickies.
reg
WHY?! Who the hell can find anything like that??
Originally posted by reg
23. Saving everything to the desktop or somewhere on the hard drive other than their home folder.
I don't think this is all bad. At least for me. I will make a folder on the desktop for something that will trashed after its limited use...
I do this too, but I have neglected to actually trash a lot of them lately. Now my desktop looks like the one Kickaha is talking about. And I like a clean desktop too!
reg
Originally posted by Kickaha
Yeah, I saw a guy on a PC laptop in a meeting on Friday that had, no joke, an array of 18x13 icons on his desktop, with the 7 slots lower right free, and that was it. Yes, I counted them. I was aghast.
WHY?! Who the hell can find anything like that??
My Dad's work laptop is like that, I was like
8. Keyboard shortcuts are amazing. Windows users complain about the lack of a right-click (though now not any more, sans the laptops), but I found keyboard shortcuts way, way more efficient than context menus. Generally people don't know much about these.
20. I never use minimize. It is absolutely useless for me. Hide is king, much faster to switch between things. Of course when you have three monitors, these things are a non-issue
29. Wow I never knew windows did this (just tested it on my laptop).
Windows maximize is pretty dumb, it does not encourage multi-tasking at all. What annoys me the most is when windows users open a window, which has maybe 3 files in it, and maximize it on a 1600x1200 screen. WTF?!!?!
MDI interfaces are horrible too (photoshop on windows, especially); utterly unusable when working with other apps.
Originally posted by iPoster
...
2. Downloading an app and running it from the disk image.
...
Questionable. I think this DI thing is the most powerful
invention since sliced bread. But you have to get used
to, especially if you come from a different windows world.
The concept is not quite obvious to most users. Once
you've fully understood, you can't live without it.
...
11. People trying to find the menus on a window, not realising they?re always at the top of the screen
...
It takes one (in certain cases exactly two) day(s) to grasp. IMHO
Granted some Windows long-timers are prone to ignore the top menu bar,
because they do not expect something at the top of the screen.
Hence they claim that the average Apple app is pretty unintuitive
because the Menu is hidden.
...
20. Minimising windows all the time rather than using ?hide?, leaving the document section of the doc littered with forgotten minimised windows (that are quietly occupying system resources).
...
CMD-H was/is the most powerful thing in any Mac OS since System 7.
Also it is the most difficult thing to "re-learn" by MS long-timers.
Another story: Lately a friend of mine worked on my Mac, he wanted to
check his emails, multiple apps were open, i put a "Word" doc to
the dock, one empty Safari window appeared, but the top menu still said
"Word". He just stared at me, wtf is going on? I said "just click onto the
window", he replied dismally "No, no, i don't want to work within
"Word", i need a webbrowser to check my emails." I told him to just click
onto the frontmost window. He: "Yes, but the menu says "Word"
but i need a Browser, or, can i check my emails with "Word"
on the Mac?"
I cut the scene off, clicked onto the safari window by myself,
the top menu changed from "Word" to "Safari", he was pleased.
Originally posted by Kickaha
Yeah, I saw a guy on a PC laptop in a meeting on Friday that had, no joke, an array of 18x13 icons on his desktop, with the 7 slots lower right free, and that was it. Yes, I counted them. I was aghast.
WHY?! Who the hell can find anything like that??
It's the damn fault of Windows installers which insist on placing shortcuts all over the desktop, in your start menu, in the quick launch section of the taskbar and in the system tray. WHY?
And the worst thing is that most users have no idea how to remove any of this junk and just leave it for fear of breaking something. I've often seen taskbars rendered useless because the system tray takes up roughly 50% of the space available.
Originally posted by yama
It's the damn fault of Windows installers which insist on placing shortcuts all over the desktop, in your start menu, in the quick launch section of the taskbar and in the system tray. WHY?
And the worst thing is that most users have no idea how to remove any of this junk and just leave it for fear of breaking something. I've often seen taskbars rendered useless because the system tray takes up roughly 50% of the space available.
You assume the taskbar is useful in the first place.
Originally posted by Kickaha
You assume the taskbar is useful in the first place.
Touché