Comment by yequalsx | Hacker News Reader

Comment by yequalsx | Hacker News Reader

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Some things I really like and some I really hate. Overall though I like it (Macbook Pro 13" base model - no upgrades).

I don't know why but I thought it would load applications faster than it does. Though, the overpowered Dell I bought last December is even slower. Why do I have this feeling my Mac should load applications faster? I don't know.

I don't like traversing the file system in the Mac. Perhaps its familiarity with Windows. File search on the Mac is infinitely faster though. I like that Macs are true multi-user operating systems. I can separate work and leisure better that way.

I didn't think I would care but I really like that the battery lasts a long time on the Mac. I pretty never used battery power on Windows laptops because "3 hours time remaining" ended up being 45 minutes.

The overall user experience is much better but I'm still getting used to it. I really hate that I can't create a folder at the time I save a document. Maybe there's a setting I don't know.

The most telling thing I can say is that I'm fairly certain that I'll never get a Windows machine again. With less ram, less video card power, less processing speed, my Macbook is much more responsive and the screen is much better.

The Finder sucks, a lot, so file system traversal can be a pain. There are free alternatives though nothing comes to mind right now.

You can create a folder at save-time - there should be a disclosure/down-arrow button to the right of your file name textbox (this is a universal cue for "click here for advanced options"). This will roll out the advanced settings.

This gives you all the standard file system manipulation abilities you're looking for, including New Folder.

Thank you all for the information. It is most helpful.

command-shift-n to create a new folder even in a save dialog.

command-shift-g to quickly go to a filesystem path (supports tab completion. It's unix filesystem, so ~/ == your home directory. ~/Doc[tab] will take you to your Documents folder, etc).

As for speed - RAM upgrade and an SSD make all the difference in the world (as they would for windows as well).

Oh, also, if you're new to the mac, you might need some of these:

* Quicksilver http://qsapp.com/ - quick app launcher and much more.

* Adium http://adium.im/ - the only IM client you'll need

* Colloquy http://colloquy.info/ - IRC client

* DTerm or iTerm - somewhat better than default Terminal.app

* Hex Fiend - awesome hex editor

* HandBrake - video conversion

* Sublime Text / Textmate - really excellent programmer editors

* XLD - lossless audio conversion

Personally, I'd go for Alfred ( http://www.alfredapp.com/ ) over Quicksilver.

While Quicksilver is supposed to be more powerful, it just never really clicked for me and didn't feel very smooth. Alfred felt like it fit it better and let me do what I wanted to do - especially with the powerpack installed.

Mostly I just use it as an app launcher, file finder (start with ' and only searches files), and file browser (start with / and you're browsing the filesystem). Anything much beyond that was just overkill.

Don't forget:

Native shortcuts to take various screenshots (unrelated to anything, but so useful and cool): http://guides.macrumors.com/Taking_Screenshots_in_Mac_OS_X

* Sparrow http://sparrowmailapp.com/ - Gmail done right

* TextWrangler http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/ - Best text editor, for any purpose and free

* Pixelmator http://www.pixelmator.com/ - Mac equivalent of Paint.NET except it's not free. Worth it though!

* Transmit http://www.panic.com/transmit/ - FTP, SFTP, you-name-it client

* LittleSnitch http://www.obdev.at/products/littlesnitch/index.html - Software firewall for when you want to block certain apps outgoing web requests

Enjoy your new Mac!

Regarding the screenshots, I find that 90% of the time I'm taking screenshots it's to show somebody something, so I really like CloudApp. (getcloudapp.com) You do the usual shift-cmd-4, but instead of copying the screenshot to the clipboard it uploads it to their service and copies a link to the clipboard. On top of that, their site is really clean.

I like Skitch.com, similar idea, but it lets you choose what you want to take a picture off, and provides a basic image editor (handy for adding annotations, highlights, etc.) before upload.

Oh wow, that is brilliant!

Paintbrush makes for a good free image editor (http://paintbrush.sourceforge.net/) — I use Pixelmator as an almost-Photoshop replacement, but the former is good if you want something really light.

How did I not know about the command-shift-g shortcut? That is a awesome tip!

New iTerm user here as well, and I'm really liking it so far.

Don't forget VLC to play pretty much any video file you may get.

when I used a mac, I really preferred Terminal over iTerm (esp. for the large buffer size of term). I could do anything I wanted with Terminal (VT100 emulation etc. etc.)

Get yourself an SSD pronto.

They are worth the money, and as many software luminaries have said, they are the best upgrade money can buy right now.

You can take a Sandforce (or any TRIM enabled) ~64GB SSD and an optibay kit or similar and double to triple your load speed. Cost me ~$200 total.

Here's my account of an optibay-like installation on my 2010 MBP: http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=10814085&post...

According to Anandtech[1], TRIM only works on Apple purchased SSDs. However, it is recommendable to get one anyway with or without TRIM support.

[1]: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4205/the-macbook-pro-review-13...

OSX Lion is completely TRIM compliant for all capable drives now.

I really hate that I can't create a folder at the time I save a document.

There is a "New Folder" button in the bottom left corner of the (expanded) save dialogue box. But it is true that you can't edit folder names or move files around from within the save dialogue.

While I realize that a save dialogue should be focused on saving, it annoys me to no end that I can't do some basic editing while I'm in there.

I'm not sure what definition of multiuser you're using, but all the Windows NT-based OSes meet the normal definition of multiuser.

> I like that Macs are true multi-user operating systems. I can separate work and leisure better that way.

I've heard this a couple of times in the last days, and it has left me wondering, in what ways isn't Windows a "true" multi-user system?

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