Making the Transition from a PC to a Mac
One of the many things I am learning as a Terracotta developer is how to do my work on a Mac. Prior to this job, I had developed software professionally only on PC’s. (I did do all of my Java development in grad school using Solaris on Sparc Stations, but that feels likes a long time ago now.)
Below is my attempt to document (i.e. sear into my brain) all of the various shortcuts I’m accustomed to using with Windows, and their equivalents in Mac. There’s already some good documentation on this subject out there, but this is tailored to my experience coming from a PC. This page will likely improve as I learn more.
So far I love my MacBook! I’ve been joking for weeks that I can’t wait to join the cult, and I’ve not been disappointed.
| Item or Task | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| system settings | Control Panel | System Preferences (under Apple icon menu) |
| file system | Windows Explorer | The Finder |
| manage open apps | Taskbar | The Dock |
| switch between apps | alt-tab | ⌘-tab |
| change password | ctrl-alt-del, change password | System Prefs -> Account |
| context menus | right mouse click | Ctrl-click |
| Scrolling (laptop) | use edge of mousepad | two-fingers on mouse |
| cut | ctrl-x | ⌘-x |
| copy | ctrl-c | ⌘-c |
| paste | ctrl-v | ⌘-v |
| select all | ctrl-a | ⌘-a |
| quit | File->Quit | ⌘-q |
| hide current window | minimize window | ⌘-h |
| show desktop | minimize all | F11 |
| save | File->save | ⌘-s |
| create shortcut | various | drag icon onto Dock |
Eclipse
To pass args to Eclipse (ex: -vmargs -Xms128M -Xmx512M -XX:PermSize=64M -XX:MaxPermSize=128M), find the Eclipse icon in the Finder, hold the control key down and click on the icon, select “Show Package Contents”, find the Eclipse.ini file in the new window, and open with a text editor. (This is contained within the Eclipse application bundle.)
Misc
Taking Screenshots in Mac
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