[k88dad]

DisabledTrucker, on 31 May 2010 - 06:28 AM, said:

First thing I do is fix the damn mouse so that I don't have to play around with the Opt-Click to "right click" a folder, (which is wrong terminology, as it's a "LEFT CLICK" on my mouse, since I'm left handed!!!) The next thing I do is install a virus scanner, then upgrade the system, then add my second account. After I've done all that, I tweak all the settings in System Preferences, install "Secrets", "Perian", and "Flip4Mac" then Skype, Googles Chrome and Earth, a few Video softwares, (handbrake, fairmount, metax, img2icns, Hulu, Quicktime Pro), then iWork/iTunes then tweak it all to my liking. If I set it up for someone else, the first thing I still do is tweak the mouse for me, it's not till I set up their account do I set the mouse up for them...

No need for a virus scanner, but Perian and Flip4Mac are all that you need for video on Mac.

[justjim]

[quote name='vintagegeek' date='25 May 2010 - 11:48 AM' timestamp='1274816902' post='819250']
... Grab iStat so you can watch the Temp rise on your MacBook and watch those fans crank up.

iStat is no longer free; now it's feeware ($16).

I prefer MenuMeters - proudly FREEware ($0) and, as far as I can tell, at least as good.

[hopfrog]

I don't understand this "pseudo-desktop" folder thing.

Do you simply put this folder on your desktop and put things into it instead of directly on your desktop? So that nothing appears on your desktop except the mounted disks and devices you care to show?

If this is the case, why do you need Exposé to show the desktop? It sounds like there's almost nothing to show.

Also, if this is what it is, I don't see the improvement over just using the desktop -- given that you go through it on a regular basis.

So I'm guessing that I'm misunderstanding. Could you clarify?

Thanks,
-H.

[RyanMorgan]

I just let my Mac take me. I use the force...

[sprale]

There is so much I do to a new system that it takes me more than a simple thread post to outline. A spreadsheet helps, but I usually just fire up the old next to the new Mac and begin customizing and installing.I have found that the migration assistant doesn't really work great, in that it seems to migrate any issues with the same level of success.

I always have at least one admin account, screensavers are password locked, don't touch FileVault, disable many of the paranoid dialogs in the OS...

Having new hardware that contains the same software as the old system rather makes me forget that it's new hardware after a bit. I like to have each Mac slightly different in visual appearance, as well as functionality. If I have two identical Macs serving different purposes, I like them to look different in the system as well. My black MacBook and the white one connected to my TV are similar in spec, but vastly different in usage.

[k88dad]

hopfrog, on 31 May 2010 - 08:41 PM, said:

I don't understand this "pseudo-desktop" folder thing.

Do you simply put this folder on your desktop and put things into it instead of directly on your desktop? So that nothing appears on your desktop except the mounted disks and devices you care to show?

If this is the case, why do you need Exposé to show the desktop? It sounds like there's almost nothing to show.

Also, if this is what it is, I don't see the improvement over just using the desktop -- given that you go through it on a regular basis.

So I'm guessing that I'm misunderstanding. Could you clarify?

Thanks,
-H.

Two reasons to not litter your desktop with icons. One, it isn't visually appealing (and you will eventually run out of room.) Two, there is a system performance hit as the number of icons on the desktop grows. Basically, the system tracks each desktop icon as if it were an open window.

Related story at Mac OS X Hints

[atsilver]

Very interesting to see the many ways anyone has to set up its new Mac. Surely there are as much as recipes as Mac owners. My only complaint is that you mention:

"...While I’m in the Finder's preferences pane, I also turn off the annoying warning when you change file extensions. (I sometimes need to change, say, a .txt file to a .html file, and don't want a warning every time I do.) Then I change the default behavior for Spotlight folder searches—that is, the searches you perform with those in-line search boxes in the Finder window toolbars. I prefer that those search the current folder by default, since I use the global Spotlight search when I need to look more broadly.

How to do it Finder -> Preferences, General tab, toggle checkboxes for Show These Items on the Desktop. Switch to the Advanced tab and uncheck Show Warning Before Changing an Extension. On the same tab, change When Performing a Search to Search the Current Folder."

Well, may be this is good for Leopard and later. I continue using Tiger (last version) because I'm still comfortable with it. And there is NO "Show Warning Before Changing an Extension" in the Finder -> Preferences -> Advanced tab. Is there any other way to turn off the annoying warning when you change file extensions, that could be used with Tiger?

[DanGribbin]

Though this article is titled "How I Set up a new Mac", I get the feeling that many new Mac users will use this as a template for how they should set up their new Mac, and I feel like you should perhaps clarify that these aren't the best options for all users. A lot of things you mentioned, such as turning off bluetooth, would confuse a lot of new users when they go to turn on their new trackpad or keyboard and they can't get it to connect. Additionally, I very much doubt that new Mac users would get much functionality out of Quicksilver that they couldn't get from Spotlight, and turning off Spotlight indexing for Mail and iCal is an equally bad idea for anyone using those programs. Just my two cents.

[Vik_R00553]

I install MaxMenus, ASM and Default Folder X. It makes accessing files and apps far easier.

[PhantomDude451]

It boggles my mind how many "experts" don't use the trackpad to it's full potential! Why program the lower right corner for Expose to show the desktop? It's an instant four finger swipe away!

Also, the defaults for the trackpad are also keeping people from using it to it's full potential. The "Two Finger right click" should be a default setting.

Finally... If you REALLY want to save usable desktop space put the dock on the right or left. When the iPad came out with the good old fashioned 1024 X 768 aspect ratio/pixel count screen even Apple has admitted that the "HD" aspect ratio of modern trends is a waste of space. It's too wide and too "short". Put the dock vertically on the side to use up some of this extraneous space.

[RonWaldon]

The first thing I do on both Mac OS X and Windows 7 is move the dock/taskbar to the left edge of the screen. This allows me to recover some valuable vertical real-estate, which I really miss sometimes now that the world has gone 16:10.

I know you can automatically hide the dock, but that seems less friendly to me. Having it on the left takes seconds to get used to, and really makes a difference in all your applications.

[PhantomDude451]

RonWaldon, on 28 December 2010 - 11:55 AM, said:

The first thing I do on both Mac OS X and Windows 7 is move the dock/taskbar to the left edge of the screen. This allows me to recover some valuable vertical real-estate, which I really miss sometimes now that the world has gone 16:10.

I know you can automatically hide the dock, but that seems less friendly to me. Having it on the left takes seconds to get used to, and really makes a difference in all your applications.

Right on Ron. See my post above yours

[n/a]

What I would like is to have every single file and folder on a new mac to be coloured.
with the label feature.

That way from day one I can see every thing (barring invisible files/folders) that has changed.


{'-'}

[gajones]

jaspermac, on 25 May 2010 - 12:54 PM, said:

Before Snow Leopard, one of my first installs was AppleJack. It's a great freeware/donationware system health utility that's saved my bacon many times.

Alas, it's not been updated for Snow Leopard yet.

Version 1.6 is SL compatible.