Mac Tutorial for a Mac Newbie please?

[Deb]

Hi all

Ok, I feel a bit silly posting this

Ok, after getting an iphone4, and an ipad, last month when I needed a new laptop I didn't bpther with my usual Vaio, and I took the plunge with a lovely brand new super duper 13" MacBook Air! My first ever Mac!!

Now, it is cute, and light, and a thing of beauty, and I do love the fact that I can easily carry it around the house, but....I am not getting the best out of it because ***whispers in a very quiet voice*** I don't know how to use the keypad and touchpad properly

For example, I can't work out how to cut, paste. copy etc. Sometimes I accidentally manage to get those options up on the touchpad when I didn't need them, but I have no idea how I did it. So I am ending up writing documents on Garry's laptop, which sort of defeats the object :oops Does anyone know of a little tutorial - and preferably written down, not a video? I mean, I can do the basic typing, but that's about it!

Thank you all, and please don't laugh at me too much

[disney1sttimer]

thats interesting because Im looking for a new laptop and I usually get a sony vaio as well. How are you finding it Deb other than not being able to use it

[Tink]

Won't laugh at you one bit! We too have the new 13" Air. Isn't she beautiful?

We're an "old Mac" family, and there are still aspects we are discovering.

A quick cut and paste:

command (the key with the little four leaf clover emblem) and C for copy. Command and V for paste.
Command and X for cut (followed by the Command and V for paste).

The option key (alt in the upper left hand corner) plus any other key will create a subset of characters: œ∑´®†¥˚ and so on

The option key plus the shift key will create a second subset of characters:  (option plus shift, plus k ).

Hope that helps a tiny bit?

Otherwise YELL for Tom and Keith!!

[Deb]

thats interesting because Im looking for a new laptop and I usually get a sony vaio as well. How are you finding it Deb other than not being able to use it

Well, other than that it's very nice! Just not being able to use it is a bit of a drawback really !

Seriously, I am sure once I get used to it I will love it. I have noticed that my hands ache more after using it for a long time, and one thing that frustrates the heck out of me is that i can't seem to get the hang of the caps lock key - 9 times out of 10 when I am pressing it so there is a capital "I" for example, it seems to not go on for the "I", but go on for the ton of text afterward, and bug the heck out of me. Grrrrr! :thumbs down: But I am sure that will all work out when I know what I am doing

I do love the portability of this little Air - it is almost like having an iPad in that sense. I am still waiting to work out just how much it is going to be better than a normal laptop - but then I am not a real 'outer geek so I don't know how much i will notice? Willing to learn though and have all the benefits pointed out to me

[Deb]

Oh, Tink.....I have told you this before, but are wonderful Now THAT I can do!!!!!! Thank you

Now, I need to sort out hoe to turn off this darn predictive text....it wouldn't let you be a Tink....it tried to keep making you a Think....sounds like something from Dr Suess!

[Tink]

OK, try this. Apple (up there on the left top bar) to system preferences. Now, select personal. Now, language and text. Then select the text tab. Voila!

Have you learned how to scroll with the touch pad yet? Nearly drove myself insane until we asked at the Apple store.

[Keith]

one thing that frustrates the heck out of me is that i can't seem to get the hang of the caps lock key - 9 times out of 10 when I am pressing it so there is a capital "I" for example, it seems to not go on for the "I", but go on for the ton of text afterward, and bug the heck out of me. Grrrrr! :thumbs down: But I am sure that will all work out when I know what I am doing

Those latest macbook airs are just brilliant they really are.

I see so many people use caps lock for capitalising the start of words... two things I'd quickly note

1. Try just typing and see if mac capitalises for you anyway? cos if it DOES then what you're doing is working against it and you're decapitilising the first letter and making the rest caps ;-) so just type away and see if you even NEED to press caps, on many mac apps you wont need to

2. if you DO need to, you shouldnt really use caps lock for a single letter anyway, you should just press shift and the letter. This will get you caps for that one letter and you wont have to turn it off after, just let go of shift

[Deb]

Think, again....thank you!

Nope....I have tried and sometimes manage to scroll accidentally, but I don't know quite how it happened.

*edited to say that I hadn't tried the new amendment to my preferences, and once again it called you Think.... :lol

[Deb]

Ah, Keith, another piece of marvellous info! So it almost thinks for me? Is this a black art learned by a secret society? 'Tis a whole new world!!

[Deb]

Keith, I have tried to type text without caps lock but it isn't automatically putting the caps on at the beginning of sentences for example or for "I". But the shift key is a great thing! Already making my life easier though I have to get into the habit of that instead of Caps Lock.

I have changed my preferences to take off automatic spelling corrector, and will see if that works for me!