So last week AJ finally persuaded my to buy a Macbook. My HP Windows laptop was a couple of years old, slowing down and getting temperamental (although that was probably my fault for never cleaning out the fan…), and after it gave me two shocks in quick succession, I decided it was probably time to look for a change.
Except I don’t like change.
So, the Mac is pretty. It has a great battery life. It’s smaller than my HP and while I miss the numberpad on the keyboard, I can still type fine. I’m getting used to the American keyboard layout, but Windows or Mac I’d have had an issue with it so I won’t blame the new preshus for that inconvenience. AJ had all the software so I didn’t have to spend extra — win!
On the other hand… I miss right click like I’d miss my right arm. Replacing that simple feature with a variety of shortcuts linked to not one but four buttons — control, option, command, function — is stupid, stupid, STUPID. Making some of those functions require the pressing of two command buttons at once just adds to the stupidity. I have an infinite possibility of shortcuts before me which guarantees that whenever I try to copy and paste a link, I’ll end up closing my browser or opening twenty-seven tabs or splitting my screen so I can see every open program at once, or something else equally unwanted. And then when I want to actually use one of those functions, I won’t remember it. So most of my time right now is spent googling trying to do something that used to take me a single mouse-click. Ugh.
Then there’s Excel. I flove Excel. I used to work for a company whose motto was essentially, “Why have one spreadsheet when a dozen will do?” I bitched at the time but now I have all sorts of fun spreadsheets on which I manage everything from my weekly book sales to my taxable expenditures. They are things of beauty. Except now I can barely navigate them. And sure there’s a learning curve between Mac and Windows but dammit it’s the same software and why can’t I add strikethrough to the menu command banner instead of having to press ⌘⇧X every time, and why does that instruction have to look like it’s written in Klingon?
I love my iPhone and iPad because they’re so intuitive (most of the time: *glares at autocorrect*). I wish the Mac was more of the same. Instead of closing a program, even when you press the red “shut down” button all it does is send the program away somewhere where you don’t know it’s open but it is and you still have to close it by pressing ⌘Q (or ⌘⇥ to see which programs are hiding on you before having to press ⌘Q to be able to close them — but not all of them! because some will run and run and won’t allow you to quit *glares at Finder*). That’s at least two steps more than are really necessary, because I for one can live with the three seconds it takes for Word or Excel or whatever to open up again after I’ve closed it.
Will I get used to it? Yes, eventually. And the way Windows is fucking up (*still can’t talk about 8 and was too skeered to try 10*) I’m better off out of it. But until then, I reserve my right to piss and moan like a whiny teenager 😀
5 Comments
Theo Fenraven · October 30, 2015 at 12:11 pm
I was forced to use a Mac when I worked at the background place. It was like landing in a foreign country and not understanding the language. Even finding a file was traumatic. I didn’t know where to look, and everything was hidden from me, the user. It was not intuitive at all.
I learned just enough to do my job and no more. I didn’t like it. Windows sucks, but at least it’s the devil I know.
Marleen Kennedy · October 30, 2015 at 5:19 pm
I’m the only Windows user in our house. Well, Tara has one of each but both she and Dermot swear by their Macs. I can’t make heads nor tails of their computers and avoid using them at all cost. Just a simple ‘would you just have a look at this or that’ from either or them is enough to send me into a minor panic attack. I can’t see myself switching anytime soon – if ever. And I wish you luck with the getting used to it process. Please post again once you’re fully converted 🙂
Kate Aaron · October 31, 2015 at 12:28 pm
So I’ve now been informed you -can- use right-click on Mac! *does happy dance* Although, heh, I thought I was listening to my white noise soundtrack through my headphones and apparently…no. Everyone could hear it. lmao. I’ll experiment further and report back!
Renee · November 1, 2015 at 6:51 am
I’ve never had to use a Mac but I feel your pain. FYI, Windows10 works great.
Victoria Zagar · November 3, 2015 at 8:16 pm
Yeah, you can definitely use right-click on a Mac – doing it right now! You can properly close apps that way too. I actually like that it doesn’t close them completely as it makes it much quicker to bring stuff up when you need it. The Magic Mouse is pretty awesome if you need a mouse.
Took me a little while to get used to Mac back in 2006, but once I did, I never looked back. It’s so nice not to have to virus scan your computer constantly or deal with the Blue Screen Of Death or the horror that is Windows 8. Had a few issues with my Mac mini but I’m looking to upgrade again back to the all-in-one desktop iMac I like so much – hopefully next year!
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