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I appear to now have a mac laptop, can someone tell me how to use it...

I am, so far not a big fan. Shiny and cool it maybe, but it doesn't want to do the things I want it do and it won't play my old PC games... which is a bummer.

I anyone out there have one and like it?

Annpan, I have a Macbook Pro. I don't know how one adapts from the world of Bill Gates to Macs. The Apple stores offer free classes, which include some things about making that switch.

I upgraded to this from a very old Apple notebook.

There are some forums for Mac users. I have yet to find one which addresses things suitable for beginners.

I send and receive emails, visit forums, look up things on search engines, and fiddle around with photos a bit, use nifty info on the dashboard and use the clock, and the calendar.

I need to go take a class....

I really like my Mac, can't imagine having anything but an Apple.

Wish I could tell you something that would make the transition easier.

I'm not totally sure (aging brain resembling a sieve) but I'm pretty convinved that you can download Windows emulators for the Mac. Those will enable you to run any of your Windows software on your new machine.

I think ...

I'm ALMOST sure ...

EDIT: - Yep. Google for free Windows emulator for Mac and take an hour to read through them - there are loads of these things. There's even one which will allow you to turn your Mac into a PC, to the extent of loading the complete Windows installation and running your machine from that environment.

Yes, you can actually run windows on the mac I have (alongside whatever the apple version is) , but I only have one version of windows and you are not allowed to run it on both machines.

If anyone knows of a decent free emulator that I can use to run windows 98 games?

I am getting really frustrated now.

I do feel like I am out of the loop, like somehow everyone else knows how great a mac can be, meanwhile I can't figure out why the esc key doesn't work

You can put your copy of Windows on as many machines as you like, Annpan. The licensing merely states that you can use only one copy at a time. So, as long as you're not running a word-processing pool, you'd be OK and fully legal.

I converted to mac 4 years ago, and now I hate to use a PC. The way I learned to use everything was a friend that was already mac user, and whenever I didn't know how to use something I would IM him and ask how to do it. Once you figure them out, you realize macs are easier than PCs to use, they were made for dummys.

Got it all worked out now It is much better than a PC, still does odd things and I never did get my old PC games to run (OH is installing some kind of gamebox windoze thingy on it... he won't explain it to me, I am a thicko) I found a game called freeciv and that has been keeping me going

Every now and then I go to the apple website and find a new shortcut button or a new way to edit photo albums or the like... still loads that I haven't used yet.

yay! another convert!
My dad's a london engineer type, and started his business when computers and the internet got off the ground, and he's always had macs. Up until a while ago i loved PC's (games ), but going into architecture school next year, i decided i might need a laptop, and started drooling over the mac website (can't see how anyone would want a windows based laptop, they are either ugly and cheap, or way too expensive and slow).
So i was going to fork out a thousand quid on a new one, but he gave me an old G4... was a bit miffed, until i started it up, it may be old, but its small, and does everything i want it too, and as for games, i've found two online ones that work for me, World of Warcraft, and Vendetta Online.

I now can't bare to touch my windows machine as it is slow, and has the annoying habit of starting messenger, a system i have never used, everytime i want to do something.

Long live macs!

oh yes, and depending on the model, you should have a piece of software called Bootcamp, which allows you to run Windows and Apple OX at the same time, this is on machines with Intel Processors, Ie. anything less than 2 years old. you can run all your games on it that way. Don't quite know how it works, as i have a 4 year old model, but fish around...

Ah yes, bootcamp.... I think our problem was that you needed to use a more recent version of windows than we had. I think it only worked with XP and vista... I spit at the word vista (ach-put)

ay, vista is horrible, but XP is probably the best thing that has fallen out of the Windows monstrosity, no tips on how to get a cheap copy though... someone might be able to lend you one, or you could find a multi computer licence one from someones office... all practices thoroughly frowned upon by Windows

my dad made the mistake of installing bootcamp, he gets all sorts of problems with his mac 'freezing', I think the Mac OS is fab, much better to get to know it rather than trying to make a mac into a PC IYKWIM

Don't get me wrong Muscroj Mac OSX is superb, I just have a bunch old, much loved games for windows which, as yet I can't play on my mac I miss them so... and it is about £40 each to buy them for mac (about £5 now for PC )

Ann, have you look on the apple download site (link). You might find an interesting game to reduce the withdrawal symptoms. Some simple ones are free, and some of the demos are quite good, I think, although I don't really play games on my Mac so perhaps I'm not the best to judge.

I have heard before that the Mac is not something you should buy if your main use is going to be games. Windows PC's seem much more a games machine.

Thanks, yes, I check out the downloads periodically... I am not really a gamer. But if I am on a low, or fancy having...achem... I mean when I get the chance for some 'me' time, and when that 'me' time is genuine and not one of my many, many chores dressed up to be 'me' time (like digging in the garden, working on the 'puter, doing DIY, knitting things to sell, cooking, anything that isn't childcare) THEN I do enjoy a little game on my 'puter.


My faves are 'Ceasar III' and 'Pharoh' (or 'Wee Romans' and 'Wee Egyptians' as I call them) but I am enjoying 'freeciv', I think it is the only game of it's type (ie. designed specifically to be open source)

I might stumble on something again in the future, or OH might get round to puting the games box thing on the macbook...or I'll hyjack his Eeepc (which he has just installed windows2000 on)

Have a look here, Annpan ...

http://guides.macrumors.com/Free_Mac_Games

Mike