Switching to MAC from Windows
Syed Monowarul Islam
Senior SQA Engineer at Flarie || Ex : Sendhelper by PropertyGuru
Hi, I have been a Windows user for most of my life. I also used Linux (Ubuntu) for development?. But I never got the chance to use a Mac?. Mostly because I never really had the need for it and it was not financially smart for me?, but being in the software engineering industry I had to get a mac to enlarge my knowledge base . You cant make IOS apps on Windows or Linux. Having said that when looking for a portable productivity machine , buying a mac with the new Apple Silicon chips (M1 , M2 etc) really does make sense as they could give you more power with the portability (more than 10 hours of battery ).
Having to switch to a new OS can be a bit difficult even if we have a tech background . In this article I would like to introduce you to some of the features that you should know to get started with a Mac. The topics would be :
Apple Menu :
First thing that you are going to notice on the Mac is the top Menu bar . It is called the Apple Menu. Probably because you have the Apple logo there on the left . This is always going to stay there on the top part and based on the Application you are using this menu will change its contents .
If you click on the Apple Icon you will see you will be able to see :
Now coming to the Right side of the Apple menu . On the Very right to left you have the calendar , Siri, Control center (Wifi,Bluetooth , sound , Display brightness etc ) ,Spotlight (used for searching the mac ) Wifi Signal, Battery charge indicator , Keyboard layout, Media controls , Fig (Installed manually)
Rest of them are self explanatory .
Spotlight :
Spotlight is used to search on the Mac and internet. You can search for Files, Docs, Applications etc using this.It is very easy to use . You can bring it any time by pressing the "Command + Space" button .
Bottom Toolbar (Named "Dock" ) :
If you notice the below part of the Screen , you will notice a list of Icons . Usually When you install the Computer for the first time the default applications are listed here . You can customize this as you wish by removing and adding applications here .
There is a black dot below the Safari and Firefox Icon (3rd and fourth icon from the left) this means those applications are running .
Windows vs Mac System apps:
Knowing the names of the system apps on Mac compared to windows really helped me . It helped me get used to the Mac a lot quicker . I hope the list helps you as well.
File Explorer and Organizing :
You had Windows Explorer in Windows but on Mac it is called Finder . Idelogically htey are not build the same because there are some noticeable Difference between them .For starters the concept of Drives is not present on the Finder Application . Instead you will be using your home/root folder(usually named with your username) , Desktop to organize Your files.
All of your Installed applications can be found on the "Application" folder on Root and also on "Launchpad". You can search for "Launchpad" on "Spotlight" .
A Thing I did to feel at home is add the "Hard disk" icon to my desktop . You can do this by going to the Finders preferences.
It gives me the Feeling I am using "My computer" on windows and also it gives me a place to see where all the folders are located .
For Managing my files I have adopted to Apple's recommendation . I use the 'Documents' folder to store my Documents . I created a separate folders inside it based on projects.
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I used the "Downloads" folder to store my downloaded files , I have additional folders under it such as Installers ,Movie, Music, Books, Study etc .
On the Root folder I created a 'Development' folder and added it to the right side of the Finder' so that I can navigate to it fast.
Finally You can use one of Macs features Called 'Stacks' to sort many files of the same type under one folder . You simply navigate to a folder and go to "View" on the "Apple Menu" and click on "Use Stacks' as I did below and you will see the same type of Files stacking on top each other as a single icon . You can tap on the newly Stacked icon and you will be able to see all of the files of that type then under the same folder.
Keyboard shortcuts :
The below shortcuts made my life a whole lot easier . There are more but there are lifesavers.
Gestures :
Gestures are better explained in this support page of Apple Link .
But if you ask me what is my most favorite one.I would say switching between active Applications. You simply flick to the right or left with 3 fingers on the track-pad. One thing to remember in while doing it is that you need to keep the applications maximized otherwise this wont work.
Installing Applications :
In Windows We used an Installer .exe/.msi file to install applications . On mac you will be installing applications From a .dmg file . You open the .dmg file and something like the below image will pop up .
Then you just drag the "Application" icon (This case its VLC) to the "Applications" folder . that will install the app. And you will be able to find the application in the Application folder.
2nd way to install the an application is to search for an application straight from the app store. You just simply need to login to the "App Store" and search for your app . and press on the "Get" button.
There is another way you can install applications . In that process we will install applications from the terminal with commands .For it to work, we would need "Homebrew" Link , a separate terminal based application.
You would need to install "Homebrew" first then we would be able use "Homebrew" to install an Application . To install "Homebrew" on your Mac simply enter the below code on the "Terminal".(You can open terminal from searching from "Spotlight")
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
If the above code is not working . You might need to go to here and get the latest code for installing.
Uninstalling Applications :
To Uninstall an app simply go to the "Applications" folder and hold over an application icon ,the Cross button should appear . You can click on it to uninstall the app.
Final Thoughts :
I tried to make this article in such a way so that with one glance you get an idea about it and start your journey.
Thank you for your time . I would appreciate every constructive criticism . Thanks.