subramanyam Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 Source:danwarne.com Note:Seems to have been removed from the site. The Unofficial Apple Weblog has posted a short story on the top five mistakes made by new mac users. It includes closing an application window, thinking it has quit, downloading software and then running it from the disk image (runs slowly, can't eject disk image), Windows .EXE files littered around the desktop after they've tried to download software and install it. The comments attached to the article are entertaining, and pick up many other common mistakes. The thing that strikes me is that most of these problems could be resolved by Apple. For example, when a user downloads an EXE file, Safari could easily give the user a quick warning that it's a Windows program and won't install on Mac. (Before you say, "ha! What if it's in a ZIP file?" Safari already checks inside ZIP files to see if something is a "program" that Safari should give a security warning about.) Here's a precis list of things that TUAW and its users said in comments, and a few of my own: 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBK.Xscape Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 whats so wrong with #4? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subramanyam Posted May 1, 2007 Author Share Posted May 1, 2007 It refers to typing the entire url in the google search bar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trav1085 Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 I have Google set as my homepage on all my computers, and at my school. People always end up typing the URL in the search term. 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) I have always hated that on a mac. If I wanted my Windows to fit "comfortably" on my desktop I would Restore it and then resize it myself, I guess Mac users are used to everything being automated. It's annoying when it doesn't go to fullscreen, such was when playing games or something in a browser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjastance Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 im guilty of #28. im new to macs so...... yeah. i do #28 all the time. i need to break that habbit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenwk Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 lol, i see myself guilty of #1 and #2 + #15 at the beginning (till i learnt the shortcuts to QUIT and read somewhere on copying the application to somewhere and placing it on the dock) , occasional #6, cos too used to doing so. =X , and #28, when reading txt documents. haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nekoss Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 there are no people guilty of making mistakes in an OS. there are just OSes guilty of not being able to symbolise and promote the correct action. If any of the mistakes listed above, or any other, is being repeated by many users, many times, what would have to change is in the OS's behaviour, not the user's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soündless Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 i do 1 in windows, but i think the app is still launched Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XanthraX Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 What's wrong with #7? I use Column View just sometimes, when I have a lot of icons on a window. I still lile to use Icon View and I feel comfortable. I know all the views in Finder, but I still like Icon View and I don't feel like I'm something wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenwk Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 owell, guilty on the LOL note. =) oh yea, #7 too, but #7's not really a mistake made cos since i like seeing things as icons. same for my windows. =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azurael Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 It has to be said, despite having been a Mac user longer than I've been a Windows/Unix/Anything else user, I mush prefer the normal Home/End behaviour, and thankfully in OS X it's possible to set it up like that with commandkeys. Ctrl-A + E are just too counter-intuitive; why press two buttons when you can press one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Nonny Moose Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 I've been guilty of #1, #6, 10, #13 (this one in reverse, I press the command key in Windows), and #22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSXtasy Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 And the biggest mistake is: Buying a Mac (especially nowadays) and expecting the build quality, longevity, and fit and finish to be better than you average PC.... :whistle: My MBP fit and finish is horrid and there was 2 screws loose when I got it. My MacPro had one screw in the Memory riser card area COMPLETELY out of its hole (there was loctite on the screw, it just wasnt screwed in!!!). Luckily I always thouroughly inspect new hardware i buy before I turn it on. That MacPro screw was just sitting on my Video Card "chillin". Bet it woulda been impressive if I had powered it on and let that screw cause some arc'ing on my video card solder points.... Anyway, I dealt with it personally because I'm a computer repair tech/systems admin, so it was no problem for me to tighten a few screws or whatever else (as long as the hardware is good and not defective, although I was extremely dissapointed) but what about JoeBlow or any other unexperienced user to hardware...... LOL. After this experience of actually "Buying" a machine instead of building as I've done for the last 12 years, I think I' truly am better off building one, although it's no longer cheaper to do so. At least when I build one, i know its put together RIGHT. We all know what the only problem is if you want to run OSX tho...LOL, but we can even pick and choose what hardware to use...TO A POINT :pirate2: My god Apples quality is SHODDY nowadays........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandmanfvrga Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 OSXtasy, not the subject so keep it on subject. Talking about OS X and not the quality of things. I think the only thing I HATE about OS X is the fact that I hit the "red" button and I have to APPLE+Q to kill and app. I hate that. I also think MAXIMIZE should f'ing maximize or give us an option to do the "dynamic" maximize of OS X or "full" maximize. I also, and I think I haven't found this, but I would like a shortcut (again probably there and I will kick myself when sombody posts the answer) is to do an APPLE+M to ALL applications and have them all suck down into the Dock, NOT hide. I hate the hiding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macgirl Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 Mistake Number 3 like Boy George said. Well, not really, more the 2nd, but not with all apps, only those that I want to test it fors before copy to the Apps folder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khid Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 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. You wish it was that easy. Please try uninstalling Photoshop to reinstall with a different Serial. Much worse: Final Cut JUST to reinstall compressor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFI Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 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. You wish it was that easy. Please try uninstalling Photoshop to reinstall with a different Serial. Much worse: Final Cut JUST to reinstall compressor. One word. AppZapper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandro17 Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 One word. AppZapper. More and more applications are coming with an uninstaller now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Nonny Moose Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 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. You wish it was that easy. Please try uninstalling Photoshop to reinstall with a different Serial. Much worse: Final Cut JUST to reinstall compressor. Using an exception to the general rule doesn't invalidate the rule itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFI Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 More and more applications are coming with an uninstaller now. While thats true, I find AppZapper much more quicker if not instantly be able to remove all associated files to the Trash. My prime example would be Microsoft Office 2004 Trial. It came with an uninstaller, but it took so damn long to uninstall. Then when I installed the trial again (Dont ask me why, lol), I used AppZapper the second time...and the remove process took like 1 second. Then I just emptied the trash, and it was done with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khid Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 Using an exception to the general rule doesn't invalidate the rule itself. It's not an exception. if someone wants to uninstall Photoshop completely it is not that easy. If someone wants to uninstall Final Cut Studio it's not that easy. These are programs, if they need to be uinstalled it's not as easy as dragging and dropping in the trash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Nonny Moose Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 What I was trying to say that while there are exceptions to the rule, you're using two exceptions to completely invalidate the rule. The general rule for me is to trash the app and then it's gone. There are some programs that need an uninstaller, but most are removed simply by trashing the program (like Microsoft Office, Cocktail, Onyx, TinkerTool, PacTheMan X, Stuffit, Bounce Out, and the grand majority of applications). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanamino Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 And what's the problem with 23?..Why i have to save all in my home directory? (NO criticism here, only a plain question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyman Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 As I am still not making use of some of the mentioned functions, I want to say that #14 and #19 are quite annoying things. As if it was something positive to deal with a stuck CD. You better don't even make the mistake to try inserting an 8cm disc in your slot-in drive (which I didn't)! Concerning #19 I agree with the people who also have had problems with uninstalling apps like Photoshop (I'm also a user of AppZapper and happy with it, but it has its limits, too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macgirl Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 And what's the problem with 23?..Why i have to save all in my home directory? (NO criticism here, only a plain question The problem is not saving in the Desktop but not moving them later, so some desktops are full of sh*t (pardon) I have a exclusive Doenload Folder, so new things are there, just inside of my Documents folder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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