Welcome Switchers!

[ScottW]

Sometimes the hardest thing when you move to a new operating system and wondering how to do things that you'd normally do on your previous operating system of choice. This can be the biggest hurdle to converting to any new operating system, including Mac OS X.

We hope to provide a solution for you to answer those questions and come up with a FAQ to cover these issues.

[Lt Major Burns]

Q: Why don't .exe's work?
A: This is a windows program file, and is completely unusable by MacOS. suitable similar file formats that do work include .dmg, .app and .sit. if you are downloading programs from the net, and are unsure whether it is osx compatible, if it is an .exe, then the answer is no.


Q: how do I right click with one button?
A: ctrl+click, or buy a two-button usb mouse. all of which should be compatible.


Q: people have told me to repair permissions. what is this and how?
A: UNIX, on which macosx is based on, is based around users, and what level of permission each user has around the computer. some files sometimes get corrupted here, and are unsure who should be opening them. a quick permissions repair sorts this. open Disk Utility in your Applications folders, selct your main disk, and Repair Permissions. shouldn't take more than a minute usually.

is that what you wanted ScottW?

[RGrphc2]

Originally Posted by Lt Major Burns

Q: Why don't .exe's work?
A: This is a windows program file, and is completely unusable by MacOS. suitable similar file formats that do work include .dmg, .app and .sit. if you are downloading programs from the net, and are unsure whether it is osx compatible, if it is an .exe, then the answer is no.

you can use Filejuicer to extract files from EXE's though, if someone compressed a file using EXE or it's a Flash Game saved as an EXE

[Lt Major Burns]

[quote=RGrphc2]you can use Filejuicer to extract files from EXE's though, if someone compressed a file using EXE or it's a Flash Game saved as an EXE

GENERALLY speaking, unsusable. i have never opened a .exe on my mac, ever.

[powermac]

To bad for the switchers there is not an easily accessible list of do's and don'ts, Mac terminology, and must have maintenance utilities (E.g, ONYX, etc).

[CharlieJ]

If you have Swithched Well done!!
You will love osx

[jeffbristow]

I am a recent switcher to the Mac. I was just given a Powermac G4 with OS X 10.3 installed on it. I am loving it so far but I still have my laptop with Windows on it as well. So I can't say I am a 100% convert but I can say I am enjoying OS X far more than Windows. (could be because it is new for me though...)

[Rhisiart]

I wouldn't want to open .exe files on my Mac. Any nasties inside won't damage the mac but you could pass them on to PC users via e-mail etc.

I think Mac users can be a litttle obsessive about the sysytem of choice (I know I am). A well-maintained and protected PC does an adequate job, and Macs are not free of problems, hence the need for forums like this.

However, if Macs didn't exist, for me PCs would have as much usefulness as tea pot warmer, handy but hardly exciting.