New Users of Macs

This post was originally set up for a seminar I held in 2009 and was aimed at new users of Macs.
____________________________________________________________________________
If you are a windows native who is now learning the new environment of the Mac, here's a few pointers.

1. With the modern Macs dating back to the first Intel Core II Duo models, you don't have to say goodbye to Windows. With the right software* you can run both, at the same time!
2. Think of the Dock as your Start Menu.
3. The Mac Software does a lot that the Windows software does, but in some cases it just does it better.
4. Some Microsoft software you have used on Windows is not available on Mac OS X. However, if you run Windows, that's not a problem.
5. Web Browsers: Microsoft stopped supporting Internet Explorer on the Mac OS a few years ago. Apple have their own browser, Safari but there are a lot of other browsers out there. I recommend Google Chrome and Firefox.
6. Troubleshooting your Mac: You don't always need a technician. If you can use disk utilities, you can solve a lot of issues yourself.
7. iWork: The Mac alternative to Microsoft Office
8. iLife: Integrated multimedia applications working together
9. Managing students- Remote Desktop

*There are two main software packages that you can use to dual boot in Windows and OSX. I have used Parallels, but ask your ICT professional  about others. Bootcamp is another alternative and it's free. However you have to choose which OS to boot and can only run one OS at a time.