Hi David,
Comments interspersed:
>I have been taking some college courses at our local university and all of
>the computers in the graphics dept are Mac. They are only running OS 9.1 or
>9.2...can't remember for sure. As I understand this is pretty outdated for
>today.
Correct. Bear that in mind.
>As a long time windows user I find myself in an environment that is
>quite different. I'm trying to keep an open mind, but this type of system
>seems very much lacking as compared to windows.
Non sequitur. If I drove a Ferrari Formula 1 car for a long time, and
then sat in a US-style Funny car drag racer, I would be pretty
bewildered. However, I would not climb into it without first learning
where all the controls were. That's just me. Both cars go very fast, but
do things in a different way. The drag racer might argue that the F1 car
was lacking because it won't go as fast. The F1 supremo might argue that
the drag racer won't turn corners. They both are cars and they both
drive, but they're both different.
> Now please all, I'm not
>trying to start a war here, but really need to understand some basics here
>about Macs in a way that I can compare it to PC.
No need to compare it to a PC. Start afresh. One thing you've got to
remember: Macs are really very simple - they have to be because a lot of
people that us them aren't as - how should I put this - adept with all
the techno gobbledy-gook as a lot of PC users are. Graphics artists (for
example) are more interested in creating there work and having access to
it than figuring out how to navigate a baffling storage method. On a Mac,
when you want to access a CD, you put the CD in the drive and it's icon
appears on the desktop in front of you. There's no such thing as A, B, C
or D drives. You look on the desktop (called the Finder) and there it is.
Anyway, onto your questions...
>
>Where files are kept and going by default seems to be a mystery to me for
>the most part.
What sort of files are you referring to? Files that are created? Like
when you open MS Word or AppleWorks and write a letter to the bank? Okay
- let's say you did just that. You open MS Word and start a new document
called 'Letter to the bank'. You write it, and save it. When you save it,
you are given the option of WHERE you want to save it to (both OS 9 and
OS X), or you can leave the default setting which entirely depends on the
application. Most apps default to a folder called 'Documents' (OS X)
which is in the Home folder - where all the user data is stored.
This works, but quite soon, that Documents folder is going to get pretty
full with a lot of crap that you've saved, so this is where you get to be
really creative and make a brand new folder. You can do that straight
from the 'Save' window - and even decide where you want to keep this new
folder, and the millions of other folders that you will create over time.
You can save them straight onto the desktop, or put them anywhere you
like (9 and X).
I like seeing a lot of my folders right on my desktop, so often I'll just
drag and drop straight in (tip: click and drag a file and hover over a
closed folder, and it will pop open so you can then drag over another
folder within, and hover there again, and it will open up again, and drop
it in, or carry on).
Or you can keep all your folders completely hidden out of site. On OS 9
you create your folders on the computer's hard drive icon on the desktop.
Same in OS X, but you can hide the hard drive icon by deselecting 'hard
drive' in the 'show these items on desktop' in the Finder>Preferences
(top left on the menubar in Finder). Then you would have a completely
clear desktop, and all your folders would be hidden. See below on how to
navigate to them...
>I wish I could find a simple tool such as windows explorer
>to see and understand the file structure on the hard drive.
In OS X, any open window can do this. To open a window in OS X on the
desktop, simply go to the menubar at the top (in the Finder) and open the
File menu - first choice down: New Finder Window. A good shortcut is
'Command' + 'N'. The 'Command' key is the 'Apple' key with the strange
squiggly shape on it, first left of the space-bar. In OS X, you can go
anywhere from here. In X.3, the window is much more configurable, with an
area for aliases at left as short cuts. In any OS X window you can select
Icon View, List View, or Directory View, so you can navigate your way
anywhere on the computer from this one open window. Better, you can have
it so that as you navigate your way through the strata of folders, each
new window opens in your existing window, rather like a web browser,
complete with forward and back buttons. This makes things very easy to
retrace your steps, and is not as clunky (IN MY OPINION) as Windows Explorer.
>Possibly such a
>tool is disabled since it is a school system?
Unlikely. To navigate your way around OS 9, is much more of a folder-
opening exercise. It is very outdated now, and as you surmise, time-
consuming. the answer is to keep often-used folders on the desktop. Tip:
if you hate having lots of windows open as you hunt for that elusive
file, instead of just double-clicking on a folder, hold down the 'Option'
key (might be 'Alt' key on some keyboards) as you go - this will open the
folder and close the window behind, so you can navigate you way cleanly
without zillions of windows open behind you.
To hunt for something, use 'Sherlock' ('command' + 'F') to look for something.
>Another friend has a newer
>system with OS 10.3 I believe it is. Her system is also still a mystery to
>me. Possibly Mac puts more emphasis on the desk top then I am used to. I
>rarely if ever use the desktop to launch programs or store files on my
>systems. I use either quick launch or the start menu.
This is a Mac. It does not have a Quick Launch or a Start Menu. If you
want to open an application in OS 10.3 (incidentally, X is pronounced
'ten', and X.3 is the same as 10.3), then why not go into the
Applications folder (Finder>Go>Applications), find the application you
would like to be able to open quickly, drag its Icon (not the folder -
the actual application) straight onto the Dock (the colorful icons
resting at the bottom of the screen). Now if you want to open that often-
used application, you click on it once in the Dock. That was pretty
simple, eh?
[If the Dock isn't there, go into the Apple Menu (top left, blue Apple
logo) and see Dock>Turn Hiding Off. When you drag the app into the Dock,
it makes an alias of that app and puts it in the Dock. The actual
application hasn't moved, it's still there in the Applications folder,
which is where it should be (all applications need to be in the
Applications folder in OS X).]
Or you can make an alias of the app and keep it in the finder on the desktop.
Or you can keep an alias in the bottom left area of any open window.
Or there are other ways.
That's how a Mac does it.
>
>My friend with the newer system recently deleted an icon from her desktop
>for the program we are using for school right now, Freehand10.
Why? Before you delete anything, try and understand what it is. Was it an
alias? Was it a file? Was it a folder? Was it the actual application?
To find out what something is (OS9 and OS X), click once on the icon, and
press 'Command' + 'I' (that's the Apple key and the capital i key), or go
into the Finder - click once on the desktop so the word Finder appears
along the top left in the menubar - go over to the menubar, click on
File>Get Info. This opens a small window that tells you exactly what you
are looking at - it says 'kind: alias' or 'kind:application' or 'kind:
folder'. Once you know what this icon is, and you are happy, then by all
means delete it. If you delete it and the application stops working, you
have made a mistake of some kind.
> Now as a
>windows user I would have thought this is simply an shortcut file and not
>the actual program execution file.
(NB- a Windows Shortcut is same as a Mac 'alias') Without using Get Info
as outlined above, there is no way of knowing, except that alias icons
often have a tiny arrow at bottom left of the icon to show you it's an
alias. When created, an alias is always called 'XXXX alias' so it is
clear what it is, but renaming it is easy, so this is no guarantee. Get
Info - learn how to use it.
>In windows this would not even be an
>issue
Correct, because the Mac is a Mac, and Windows is Windows. Non sequitur.
>but it appears to have either completely deleted the program or
>disabled it in some manner.
See above.
> Possibly she doesn't understand the Mac system
>well enough either as she is used to windows as well and recently went with
>the Mac G5 I believe it is.
If she buys a new car, how would she know what the service interval is?
What the top speed is? What the flashing red light on the dash means?
Does she manage to lift a spoon to her mouth okay in the morning?
>
>Our instructor seems to be able to advise only as how to use the software
>program we are working with and doesn't provide a decent explanation to my
>questions.
Doesn't surprise me. Are you paying this person? If so, what would you
consider good value for money? I'll bet it differs from my idea on that...
>In windows I can dig in and pretty much see what makes it tick.
A lot of Mac users have no desire to do that. In fact a lot of Mac users
positively wish to be as far from that as possible, and Apple know this.
That's why it is designed the way it is. However, that doesn't mean that
you cannot 'see things tick' on a Mac. But that requires further reading,
and is beyond the scope of this reply.
>If I have a problem I can usually repair the damage.
On a Mac, this is easy. In fact, any Mac that has a problem is usually
very easy to fix.
In OS 9, boot up from the OS cd rom, and select Disk First Aid (DFA) in
the Utilities folder on the CD. Select hard drive icon in DFA and click
on 'Repair'.
In OS X, no need to reboot. Go into Applications folder, find Utilites,
and find an app called Disk Utility, run it. Select hard drive from the
list, and click on 'Permissions Repair'. This needs to be done after any
crash (rare in OS X), or after any new software installation or upgrade.
>I recently saved an
>object as a .eps graphic file on my windows machine that is still a complete
>vector/editable graphic in Freehand. This option and others are not
>available on the Macs.
Yes they are. How do you think major publishing institutions could
operate on their Macs if they couldn't do this?
>Our instructor has contacted other experts about how
>I did this since in graphics design this is huge as a timesaver. She runs
>her own graphics studio and still cannot duplicate what I did with a click
>in windows.
I cannot vouch for the ability of someone I don't know, I'll take your
word for it. Perhaps a graphics user reading this, especially those using
Freehand on the Mac can help out here.
>
>I have viewed the statistics and it is a known fact that most professionals
>in the photographic and graphic industry are running Mac systems.
Has it occurred to you why? The situation is changing as the PC is now an
entirely capable machine WRT photography and graphics. Most businesses
renew with the systems they already have, and have been running for
years. It's easier. New companies and setups can choose. There are
advantages to either. None is superior. I will however mention one word
here: Colorsync.
>I confess
>thus far I just don't understand this since everything about the Mac seems
>lesser then windows to me at this point.
Non sequitur. Lesser as in what? Are you sure that in actual fact it is
your ability to learn and understand the way things work from a reliable
source that is lesser here?
When you were a child, and couldn't make that Lego car, did you assume
that it couldn't be done, and smash it to pieces? You have to try and
understand that just because something is different, it is not any better
or worse than something else. It either works for you or it doesn't.
Else, how do you explain people like Dave Mann, who has been using PCs
for years, and decided to buy a Mac? If he thought it was 'lesser', then
why do you think he made the move? Maybe he likes just staring at pretty
lights? ;-)
>The graphics on the screen are of
>lesser quality
Non sequitur. Is the monitor you are using set up properly? Is it
calibrated? Is it of sufficient quality to represent an accurate
portrayal of the quality of the work you are viewing? What is the ambient
room lighting like?
Guess what - I have amazing news for you - you can watch TV on a 1/2 inch
LCD screen, or on a 30 inch plasma screen. You pays your money, you takes
your choice.
>, color seems poor
See above.
>the GUIs seem archaic
Non sequitur. Are you referring to the Graphical User Interface of the
Operating System, or of an individual application? OS 9 is a reasonable
GUI, IMO. OS X is beautiful (IMO) - it should be for the money!
>and sluggish and not
>intuitive
Non sequitur. If a system is sluggish, then ask why! Is it an older
computer? Has it had *any*maintenance? Do you know what the bleeding hell
you are talking about? As for intuitive, that is debatable, but I have no
wish to extoll what I see as virtues here. I'm trying to help you out :-)
> I was impressed with only one thing thus far.
I am truly astonished. Go on.
>I scanned an
>image of about 80 Meg and loaded it into Photoshop. It may have handled the
>large size file slightly better then a windows machine.
<slap>
Really? How can you possibly deduce this from that activity? Do you
realise that 'speed' of a computer is dependant on DOZENS of factors, not
the least of which is the processor?? How would you react if I said ' Oh
I tried a PC but it was ten times slower than my Mac' (when in fact I was
comparing an old outdated 486 PC with 8 MB of RAM to a Mac G5 2Ghz
monster with 4 GB of RAM)... it would be plain and simply WRONG.
>However speed of
>loading programs and booting are poorer then windows.
<thud>
Dave, I'm sorry my friend but you have seriously lost the plot here. See
above.
>
>At one point in answer to my question about this subject in general my
>instructor told me that the Mac saves more data then the windows machine.
If I can give you one simple tip it is this: pleasant as she may appear,
nice as she looks, affable as she comes across, you can rest assured that
this woman has had her brain surgically removed and is wandering about in
some sort of automatic, robotic mode, and babbling. I have never heard
such fetid dingo's kidneys in a long time. If you listen to this woman
any further, then I'm afraid you deserve everything you get.
Really.
>My question to this is why then can a file generated in either windows or
>Mac in a program such as freehand be viewed and edited in either machine
>without difficulty.
That is not a question, it is a statement. I can confirm it. Yes.
>
>If anyone can simply give me an answer to some of the questions I've raised
>or direct me to a primer that will help me understand the Mac's better I'd
>greatly appreciate it.
That's the easy part. I hope I have answered some of your questions
without ripping you apart too much. In my estimation you are approaching
things with a slight chip on your shoulder - that is not wise. Try and
have another go, and do some reading meanwhile. Macs are really not that
difficult to learn - they are just different from what you are used to.
I appreciate you are using Macs as part of your course, and old and
grumpy ones by the looks of things. If you are pursuing a career in
graphics or whatever, you may well end up working for a company that will
sit you in front of a Mac - so bite the bullet, go and buy a book from a
bookshop. I can't recommend any, but there is no shortage of titles.
Plainly you are not keen on switching platforms, and there is no reason
to if you prefer Windows. Be aware that in the future, when an employer
asks if you are okay on the Mac, you must be able to answer yes, or you
might not get the job. Or convince them that you can work from home on
your PC. Or look for an employer that provides PCs.
Needs must, and we all have to learn new things. If you were to become a
video editor, you may have to learn a completely different Operating
System - like Quantel Editbox - and that is nowhere near as pretty or as
logical as you would expect. But if you don't learn it, they don't pay
you, you don't buy nice cameras and you don't sign onto email lists like this!
Any further questions, please feel free, if you can stand the blast ! :-)
Cheers,
Cotty
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