iMac first steps for dummies - guide to MacOsX Mavericks (part 3)
In this final part we are going to continue our analysis of System preferences.
Notifications displays the settings for this feature; as I have already explained in my post MacOsX Mavericks review - free upgrade, no revolution (part 3), this feature shows alerts on the upper right of your screen every time an email or an IM pops up, allowing you to reply or delete the message right away. As this can be distracting to some, you can turn on the Do Not Disturb function to prevent notifications from popping during a time range which you set. The default time range is 10 pm through 7 am, but you can customize it. Do Not Disturb is automatically activated when mirroring to TVs and projectors.
Dictation & Speech allows the user to dictate a text instead of typing it. To use it you have to select “Enable” and press fn key twice. MacOsX Mavericks introduced Enhanced Dictation and now you can dictate a text when offline, too; you only need to enable it and download a file and you're good to go. When you dictate a text, it will pop up in the text editor and you can correct mistakes in real time with your keyboard, without closing Dictation. Once you have finished, you can click the Done button to exit this functionality.
Another important feature is the mouse configuration. By default, the right click is disabled, but you can enable it from System Preferences/Mouse (Fig. 1). Once you do this, you can eject any external hard drive or removable media by right-clicking it and selecting “Eject” (Fig. 2).
iCloud allows to share your files among your devices. All you need is an apple ID and you'll be allowed to access your files from anywhere. This way you can start working on a document with your mobile devices and then pick up on where you left off by accessing it from your iMac at home or vice versa.
To install software in OS X you need to run the setup file. You will usually have to drag it to the Applications folder. Sometimes you will perform an installation very similar to Windows. The only difference is MacOs will always require you to enter your administrative password (which you have to create) to allow the installation. To uninstall a program you have to drag its icon to the Trash and empty it. Sometimes programs have their own uninstaller, too. You can also use applications such as App Cleaner to completely remove any unwanted program from your Mac.
A really hot topic is OS X's vulnerability to malware. For a long time it was believed that Apple computers couldn’t be affected, but in recent years, as Apple computers have started to become more popular, some malware aimed at Macs has been released, too. Mac computers can get viruses, but not to the extent of Windows-based computers. For more details I invite you to read my post ClamXav antivirus review.
Wrap up
For some who have always used Windows, switching to a Mac isn't very easy. But it can be worth doing. There is a learning curve, but after you've become familiar with the main concepts, you start appreciating its stability and reliability. The current version has brought several improvements in this regard. OS X is a very user-friendly operating system and it's suitable for professional use, especially for graphic applications and for mobile app development.
You need an Apple operating system (OS X or iOs) to develop an iPhone or iPad app and OS X includes a lot of bundled software allowing you to start working immediately. It doesn't require as much maintenance as Windows, as you don't have to defragment the hard drive or clean temp files. If you're interested in more details and want to go beyond basics I suggest reading my post MacOsX Mavericks - free upgrade, no revolution (Part 1 Part 2 Part 3).
On the other hand, you need to abandon familiar concepts, like dialogue windows. That's especially true if you're more familiar with older Windows versions, as Microsoft has recently tried to move away from this concept in favor of a new interface based on tiles (for more details, see my post Windows 8.1 : improvement or step back? Part 1 Part 2 Part 3).
Another downside is the purchase price of an Apple computer and the fact that OS X can't be run on non-Apple hardware (there are solutions called "Hackintosh" to run it on a Windows PC, but they're illegal) while you can install Windows regardless of the hardware (provided that your computer meets the minimum requirements to run a certain Windows version).
So the final choice is up to you. In my case, I'm very satisfied and wouldn't go back, but Windows is still very much favored in corporate environments.
Back to part 2
Back to part 1
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my readers!
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Dictation & Speech allows the user to dictate a text instead of typing it. To use it you have to select “Enable” and press fn key twice. MacOsX Mavericks introduced Enhanced Dictation and now you can dictate a text when offline, too; you only need to enable it and download a file and you're good to go. When you dictate a text, it will pop up in the text editor and you can correct mistakes in real time with your keyboard, without closing Dictation. Once you have finished, you can click the Done button to exit this functionality.
 |
| Dictation settings (Click to enlarge) |
 |
| Dictation in progress (Click to enlarge) |
Another important feature is the mouse configuration. By default, the right click is disabled, but you can enable it from System Preferences/Mouse (Fig. 1). Once you do this, you can eject any external hard drive or removable media by right-clicking it and selecting “Eject” (Fig. 2).
 |
| Fig. 1 (Click to enlarge) |
 |
| Fig. 2 (Click to enlarge) |
To install software in OS X you need to run the setup file. You will usually have to drag it to the Applications folder. Sometimes you will perform an installation very similar to Windows. The only difference is MacOs will always require you to enter your administrative password (which you have to create) to allow the installation. To uninstall a program you have to drag its icon to the Trash and empty it. Sometimes programs have their own uninstaller, too. You can also use applications such as App Cleaner to completely remove any unwanted program from your Mac.
A really hot topic is OS X's vulnerability to malware. For a long time it was believed that Apple computers couldn’t be affected, but in recent years, as Apple computers have started to become more popular, some malware aimed at Macs has been released, too. Mac computers can get viruses, but not to the extent of Windows-based computers. For more details I invite you to read my post ClamXav antivirus review.
Wrap up
For some who have always used Windows, switching to a Mac isn't very easy. But it can be worth doing. There is a learning curve, but after you've become familiar with the main concepts, you start appreciating its stability and reliability. The current version has brought several improvements in this regard. OS X is a very user-friendly operating system and it's suitable for professional use, especially for graphic applications and for mobile app development.
You need an Apple operating system (OS X or iOs) to develop an iPhone or iPad app and OS X includes a lot of bundled software allowing you to start working immediately. It doesn't require as much maintenance as Windows, as you don't have to defragment the hard drive or clean temp files. If you're interested in more details and want to go beyond basics I suggest reading my post MacOsX Mavericks - free upgrade, no revolution (Part 1 Part 2 Part 3).
On the other hand, you need to abandon familiar concepts, like dialogue windows. That's especially true if you're more familiar with older Windows versions, as Microsoft has recently tried to move away from this concept in favor of a new interface based on tiles (for more details, see my post Windows 8.1 : improvement or step back? Part 1 Part 2 Part 3).
Another downside is the purchase price of an Apple computer and the fact that OS X can't be run on non-Apple hardware (there are solutions called "Hackintosh" to run it on a Windows PC, but they're illegal) while you can install Windows regardless of the hardware (provided that your computer meets the minimum requirements to run a certain Windows version).
So the final choice is up to you. In my case, I'm very satisfied and wouldn't go back, but Windows is still very much favored in corporate environments.
Back to part 2
Back to part 1
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my readers!
Comments
Post a Comment