I just received an iMac as a gift and I am a little lost. I'd prefer not to have to buy Microsoft Office and Adobe to put on this new computer, but I don't know if I can do what I want to without them. I have been using Thinkfree Office for Write, and Show but miss MS publisher. I have wanted this computer for a long time, but I am so confused! Any help or any tiny tips would be appreciated. Thank you.
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What tasks are you trying to accomplish? Macs have some great software pre-loaded but it's more for what I'd call creative expression. Their iLife suite has great tools for doing things with photos, music, creating your own music and podcasts and making movies. But, I can't think of any pre-loaded Mac software that's equivalent to MS Publisher.
I have used our old PC and almost new laptop for publishing apps, manipulating my own photographs, scanning and manipulating images to make my own stamps, photoshop type stuff, etc. I have played with iphoto, and it's fast and easy, but it doesn't seem to do all the same things MS does.
gmail.com has a great program built in and it's free! It is an email, office, spread sheet, art, etc. It is great for simple normal work. I use it for writing constantly.
Sign up at gmail.com
You will like it.
Antoinette,
I have not used a Mac, I use Linux and Windows, but I know free open source software known as freeware.
I agree with the person who reported the Google Documents (gmail) is good. I would add OpenOffice (http://www.openoffice.org) for a complete Office Suite. For a desktop publishing tool you can use Scribus (http://www.scribus.net).
Hi, I am a iMac owner.
I was warned not to put any Microsoft products into my Mac because it opens the doors for viruses to find you. Mac's are virtually virus safe unless you install Microsoft into them.
Also, I strongly recommend that you buy (it's cheap) the "Apple Care" from Apple. You get 3 yrs of UNLIMITED phone help otherwise each call to them is big bucks.
Also, the Apple Store in your area, must offer what ours in Canada offers......once a week they have free classes or you can do what I did.
I bought the $99.CDN personal tutorial pkg for 1 year.
The Mac's are so user friendly compared to the PC's......really they are. I too was so confused when I first got mine and I was told to calm down and NOT to think PC, as the Mac is way easier. In other words, I was making it more complicated, like the PC system.
I found a Mac forum and it is great for support. I wanted to learn how to rip youtube videos and the members really pitched in.
I am not familiar with the program that you are trying to use, but I know that the members of this forum will be more than happy to help you. Mac owners are a great group of people. Once you get past your confusion and realize just how user friendly it is, you will never, ever go back to a PC. btw: the Mac help tab is much clearer to understand than the PC help tab. Just remember, with the Mac, it is learning a new computer language, thats it.
Here is the forum web link:
Good Luck and remember, relax, your just learning a new language.
I am checking out all suggestions. Thanks so much to everyone who has replied, I will continue to check for more responses. I already have a gmail account that I almost never use, so I will be there, first. But I was under the impression that google has copyrights over posted material, as in blogs, does that extend to the use of their software? Probably not. I don't know, but I will read all the fine print and I will figure it out. Does anyone out there have any feedback on iWork? It is reasonably priced, but I cannot get it by mail here. Thanks again, you have all been so generous with your information.
Yes, I have iWorks, what did you want to know about it?
btw: did you check out the mac forum that I mentioned in my other post?
Do you like and regularly use iwork? (Is it worthwhile for me to buy?)If I hear positive things I am going to purchase it. Is Open Office comparable? I have downloaded and played with it a bit, but have already hit a few snags. However, I don't have a printer hooked up to the iMac yet, so it's hard to tell if I am just thrown by the format. Any suggestions on a photo printer or should I just shop for one the way I would for any computer?
And yes, I checked and bookmarked the forum site and have looked at a few comments from users, thanks again. Mac people do seem to be very generous with their information. Weekends are hard for me, though, because the whole family is home, during the week I will have a better chance to sit down and figure more things out...
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