What does a new mac user need to know?

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>FYI Crouchback, regarding your blog post, many schools don’t allow kids to set up wireless networks of their own. Also I agree with most of your post but most kids I know stick their MacBooks in a drawer rather than on the desk as they use an external monitor. A stand is a nice add-on but it’s not essential. I also think screen size needs vary a lot by major. A humanities major will generally be happy with a smaller screen, maybe 19 or 20". A 23" screen is a luxury. </p>

<p>I agree that a kid needs Word because almost everything is submitted in Word compatible format. A big key is LEARN TO TRACK CHANGES. If a kid is lucky, the teacher will type in all sorts of notes, more than you’d get on a typical typescript. I also prefer Pages and my kids do too and they export their work to Word sometimes because Word can be cumbersome. </p>

<p>I don’t use SuperDuper now. I use Carbon Copy Cloner, which does the same thing - and they each quibble about the other’s methods but both are fine. CCC is free. I think you should accentuate this point even more in your blog post: BUY A DRIVE FOR BACKUP. I know you point to a FireWire 800 model, but kids can very easily pick up a huge capacity USB drive for maybe $100. Those work fine. You might also mention they must follow the instructions to make sure the drive is bootable under OS X. Then CCC lets them do incremental backups, just like SuperDuper. I tell people that this drive is then your exact computer. You can take it somewhere and work with it on another machine as though you’re on your computer - especially if you boot into it. If your drive dies, then you have your exact computer right there. </p>

<p>I am not an iCal fan and it is nearly useless for task management. There are a few solutions, including online ones - from Google Calendar, which a lot of kids already use, to Remember the Milk. I use Things. Check it out. I enter tasks into it, can attach emails, contacts, url’s, put in notes, can schedule repeats, organize into projects and then put together projects and tasks into “areas,” etc. It isn’t an alarm clock but it is, IMHO, the best task manager on the market. </p>

<p>Anyway, I liked your post. It’s full of great tips.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the tip on CCC, Lergnom. I had somebody else recommend SuperDuper, and I had no idea there was a free alternative. A couple of questions: Do you think there is any problem with overheating if you stick a MacBook in a drawer? Also, have you ever used a program called Schoolhouse? I saw it recommended on another site to do what you say you use Things for, except it is supposedly designed specifically for college students. Finally, you mention a blog post that had some good tips, but I don’t see it. Can you tell me where it is.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the help; I’ve seen your posts in a lot of these threads, and they are very useful.</p>

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<p>I believe the post was removed because it linked inappropriately. Which means I can’t link to it either. </p>

<p>I’ve never used Schoolhouse. You should download it and give it a whirl. Things can also be tried before buying. It’s more important, IMHO, to have something to organize yourself than to have the best method. Many kids are happy with Google Calendar.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t suggest running any computer in a closed drawer for a long time. What I meant was that you don’t need a stand; you can open a drawer and drop it in if your cables are long enough. Just watch how much heat builds up.</p>