Crossing Platforms: A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook
Book review by Rick Stringer
Most
people that I know tend to pick a computer platform and stick with it for a
long time. Over time you get familiar with it. We all feel good about things
that we are familiar with. Then as time goes on, things in our lives can change.
I’ve used Macintoshes since 1985. I’m very familiar and comfortable with my
Macs. My job has evolved over the years, and one of the things that I’ve had
to do is spend more time working with a PC or emulation software running Windows®.
Even though I am familiar enough with Windows to get by, I’ve never considered
myself to be an expert with that system. I’m not comfortable with it like I
am with my Mac. That is why I was thrilled to have the chance to review Crossing
Platforms: A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook by Adam Engst & David Pogue.
Adam Engst is the publisher of the wonderful free email
and web publication, TidBITS,
and books like Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh and Internet Starter
Kit for Windows.
David Pogue writes the Desktop Critic column for Macworld
magazine, and has 15 best-selling books, including PalmPilot: The Ultimate
Guide, The iMac for Dummies, and Macworld Mac Secrets.
These two have combined to create a translation dictionary-like
reference book. Crossing Platforms: A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook gives
you a quick reference between platforms. It is divided into two parts, one for
translating from Macintosh to Windows and the other for translating from Windows
to Macintosh.
It is quick and easy to look up something that you are familiar
with and translate it to the other platform. If what you want to do can’t be
done in the other platform, the book tells you that too.
*Three Important Windows Differences
(taken from “The Ten Most Important Windows Differences” in “Crossing
Platforms”)
- Turning the machine on and off. There’s no keyboard on/off
button on the PC, as there is on every Macintosh. Instead, your PC probably
has a power button on the front panel; push it to start the computer. To
shut down, chose Shut Down from the Start menu at the lower-left corner
of the Windows screen.
- Mouse buttons and contextual menus. The Windows mouse
has two buttons instead of one. Use the left button for everyday clicking.
Use the right mouse button where you would control-click something on the
Macintosh—that is, to bring up contextual pop-up menus.
- Menu bars. In Windows, a separate menu bar appears at
the top of every single window. There’s no single menu bar at the top of
the screen, as on the Macintosh.
*Three
Important Macintosh Differences (taken from “The Ten Most Important Windows
Differences” in “Crossing Platforms”)
- Emptying the trash. The Mac OS never removes files from
the trash automatically, as Windows does with files in the recycling bin.
To remove files from the Trash manually, chose Special—Empty Trash.
- Mouse buttons. The Macintosh mouse’s single button corresponds
to the left mouse button on a Windows PC. To summon the pop-up contextual
menus—the right mouse button’s traditional job—you Control-click something
on the Macintosh.
- Keyboard shortcuts. Most keyboard shortcuts are the same
on the Macintosh as in Windows—except that you should substitute the Command
key (which has a clover leaf and apple logos on it) for the Ctrl key, and
the Option key for the Alt key.
This book is one of the most useful reference books that I’ve
seen. When you spend most of your time working with one platform and just some
of your time working with the other, you will find this book to be a most helpful
addition to your library. If you need to work with both Macs and Windows, you
want this book. I’ll give it five cherries!
*From a recent press release by
O’Reilly & Associats Inc.
Crossing Platforms: A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook
A Two-Way Reference
By Adam Engst & David Pogue
1st Edition November 1999 (US)
1-56592-539-4, 336 pages, $29.95 (US$)
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
http://www.oreilly.com