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Ask HN: Moved from Windows to Macbook Pro – How can I get up to speed quickly?

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Re: Ask HN: Moved from Windows to Macbook Pro – How can I get up to speed quickly?

#21

Post by duncan_bayne »

iends wrote: post #20
duncan_bayne wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd have assumed that people would flee from iTunes given the chance :) Perhaps it's improved in the years since I last used it (bought an iPhone when they were the New Hotness here in Australia) but I doubt it. When I migrated off iOS I encoded my iTunes music to .ogg, which was a pretty good experience. I don't know what the state of the art is now though. According to the forums, YNAB runs in Linux on WINE. Also p…

I use iTunes mainly for podcasts. I don't know of a good alternative to that. I also hate ruining a good linux installation with WINE. =)

:)

My podcast workflow is a little odd - I subscribe to RSS feeds with Newsblur, and as new podcasts come up, I save those I'm interested in to a directory that I synchronise with my home NAS with Unison.

I imagine gPodder (http://gpodder.org/) might be a more normal solution :)

Re: Ask HN: Moved from Windows to Macbook Pro – How can I get up to speed quickly?

#22

Post by woogle »

graeme wrote: post #19
woogle wrote: post #16

If you like speed as much as I do : 1. Total Space. Setup shortcuts and disable transitions 2. Disable (or speed up) OSX animation (I don't have the commands on my phone, just Google it) 3. iTerm and window splitting (Cmd d) and switch (Cmd [ or ]) 4. And The REAL time saver : Keyboard Maestro Create at least one macro per app. I assigned shortcuts like Cmd Shift L - iTerm Cmd Shift / - Atom Cmd Shift ' - Chrome Ctrl…

For the application shortcuts, is there an advantage over activating spotlight (cmd + space) and typing the first few letters of the application name? I've been thinking about making screenflow workflows to open up a set of files, which could be quite powerful.

Yes. For those you often switch (eg Atom > Chrome > Atom). O(1) access FTW.

I use Spotlight for app I launch but don't really switch Mostly CSGO, Heroes of The Storm, Mumble and TS (Games!)

Actually I use shortcut a lot more for switching than for launching. For instance I launch atom from iTerm. A standard flow could be code, test, terminal commit, chat on Slack/IRSSI, IDE.

Re: Ask HN: Moved from Windows to Macbook Pro – How can I get up to speed quickly?

#23

Post by notduncansmith »

Alfred is amazing (and the Power Pack is totally worth it). F.lux is great if you plan on spending any significant amount of time on it after dark. Bartender is quite nice to have. As others have mentioned, iTerm2 is a must, it offers a vastly superior experience to the native Terminal.app. Disable Caps Lock and switch it to Alt, you'll save yourself some pain in the palm/thumb (Google how). Enable Dark Mode (subjective, but I and most people I know greatly prefer it). Enable Autohiding on your dock, and Google how to speed up the animation and reduce the delay. Make heavy use of Spaces. Enable 4-finger swipe to switch spaces, and three-finger drag for click-and-hold. Get rid of the Widgets space (useless). Wish I could provide more links but I'm on my phone at the moment. Hope this helps, enjoy your new MacBook!

Re: Ask HN: Moved from Windows to Macbook Pro – How can I get up to speed quickly?

#24

Post by saluki »

This podcast/show notes gives some good info. http://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/episodes/episode-185-m...

I moved to mac last year from windows I would recommend:

Mac App Store:

Window Magnet (drag and drop your windows/automatic resize) Skitch (Screen Shots)

I also use:

sublime text Virtual Box/Vagrant MAMP Sequel Pro

Other than installing your favorite browsers and extensions you should be good to go.

Re: Ask HN: Moved from Windows to Macbook Pro – How can I get up to speed quickly?

#25

Post by elyrly »

thomble wrote: post #7

Get to know Mission Control (formerly Exposé), and configure it to your liking. Personally, I use hot corners to quickly show all running app windows or the desktop at my whim. This is (for me) an perfect replacement for Alt-Tab and the Start Bar in Windows. You can also drag and drop while using Mission Control, which is really handy when dragging between Windows, or to and from the desktop. I think this feature is…

Mission Control or Alfred has contributed the most to increase my efficency whilst my transition from PC to Mac

Re: Ask HN: Moved from Windows to Macbook Pro – How can I get up to speed quickly?

#27

Post by justinv »

matznerd wrote: post #11

One thing that took me a while to get up to speed on was the different in alt+tab here switching between entire apps vs individual windows as on a PC. To be able to get that functionality back, install Witch http://manytricks.com/witch/

You can use Cmd+` to switch between windows within apps.

Re: Ask HN: Moved from Windows to Macbook Pro – How can I get up to speed quickly?

#29

Post by infiniteseeker »

notduncansmith wrote: post #23

Alfred is amazing (and the Power Pack is totally worth it). F.lux is great if you plan on spending any significant amount of time on it after dark. Bartender is quite nice to have. As others have mentioned, iTerm2 is a must, it offers a vastly superior experience to the native Terminal.app. Disable Caps Lock and switch it to Alt, you'll save yourself some pain in the palm/thumb (Google how). Enable Dark Mode (subject…

Please provide some links when you get a chance :)
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