Frequently Asked Questions
What can I expect to happen on your first visit?
Together, we will quickly inventory your current needs and skills. For those with little or no experience using a computer, we will learn to use a computer mouse, introduce the basics of the Internet, learn how to search the Web, and set up an e-mail account. If you already have an e-mail account, we will learn how to send group e-mail messages, link to a webpage, or attach a photo or a document.
Intermediate users might want to learn how to share photos online with ShutterFly or Flickr, create your own blog, or get started on Facebook. Learn to create, format, illustrate, save and print documents using Microsoft Word, Apple's own Pages, or Bean, an excellent and free word processor.
More advanced skills training is available, but I specialize on the beginning to intermediate user, where my patient style of teaching really pays off.
Does Microsoft Office run on a Mac?
Microsoft has manufactured Microsoft Office for Mac for years. Read more about it here at < http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products >. I only recommend Microsoft Office for Mac for users who need it for their employment.
For most, Microsoft Office for Mac is beyond overkill in office productivity suites. At less than half the price and many times over the ease of use is Apple's own productivity suite, iWork, which consists of three separate applications. Pages for word processing. Numbers for spreadsheets. And Keynote for presentations. Each Apple suite will open and save to the corresponding Microsoft Office product; Pages <>Word, Numbers <> Excel, Keynote <>PowerPoint. And by separate, I mean Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are available for individual sale - you do not need to purchase all three together.
Ninety percent of my clients could find themselves completely happy with a totally free word processor for the Mac, Bean. Read more about it here - < http://www.bean-osx.com/Bean.html >. Perfect for the occasional written letter, Bean is a friendly, familiar word processor that has the added bonus of also being able to open up those Microsoft Word documents that people may email you from time to time. Not bad for free!
What kinds of security issues should I be concerned about as a Mac owner?
Phishing is the leading threat to your security while on the Internet. Phishing messages arrive in your e-mail in-box looking like they came from official financial websites. The bad guys hope that you will click on a link in the message and supply them with your real login and password to your financial accounts. In other words, phishing scams exploit the vulnerability of humans, not machines. So no computer can completely protect you against such attempts, though the Safari web browser is updated with known phishing websites to help protect you. But you cannot rely on the protections within Safari to totally protect you against phishing websites. Never suspend your skepticism and common sense while on the Internet. Don't install pirated software, because it is possible that a malicious payload could be on-board. Only install software from reputable sources.
Do I need anti-virus software?
You do not need anti-virus software on the Mac. I do not recommend it. I do not run it on my own Macs.
Walt Mossberg, the influential technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal, tackled this subject on May 1, 2012. He pointed out that while "there are hundreds of thousands of malicious programs targeting [Windows], [there are] just a handful of known ones for the Mac." "So, my take on this is that while Mac users must be careful where they surf, ...an unprotected Macintosh is still, in daily use, far less likely to become infected than an unprotected Windows PC. How users handle this depends on their habits and their tolerance, both for risk, and for the downsides of constantly running security software, which can sap resources and be annoying. I advise all Windows users to run such software. But I see it as optional for Mac users, at least today. Time will tell if that changes." I agree.
Are there any other protective steps I should take with my Mac?
Always stay current with updates from Apple. By default, the computer will automatically check once a week with Apple for updates, and advise you of availability. Some of these updates will affect the overall security of your computer. Almost all the updates will help speed up your computer incrementally. It adds up. Again, my best advice: always stay current with updates from Apple.
You can also turn on the firewall of the computer, especially if you own a laptop and want to access the Internet away from home. Under the Apple menu, go to System Preferences. Click on the Security icon, then on the Security pane's Firewall heading. Click the checkbox next to "Set access for specific services and applications."
Is there any other software that I should install on my Mac?
There are two applications that I recommend all Mac users install. Both are free.
Search for the free Flip4Mac WMV. Download and install it. This installs a plug-in which will allow Quicktime to play Windows Media files, which will greatly increase your enjoyment of the multimedia experience available on the Internet.
Visit Adobe.com to download and install Flash Player. While declining in popularity across the web, Flash still remains a frequently-needed application to run video and animation that you will come across on the Net.
There is no need to install Adobe Reader. Apple's own Preview application, included with every Apple product, will automatically open PDF files, and much more quickly than Adobe Reader.
Optionally, take a pro-active step and visit Firefox.com. Download and install Firefox, a worthy competitor to Apple's own Safari. With Firefox installed, on the slim chance that Safari has a problem, you'll still be able to get out on the Net. You may also run into an occasional website that prefers Firefox to Safari, though this is rare.
Other Questions? E-mail me: [email protected]
Together, we will quickly inventory your current needs and skills. For those with little or no experience using a computer, we will learn to use a computer mouse, introduce the basics of the Internet, learn how to search the Web, and set up an e-mail account. If you already have an e-mail account, we will learn how to send group e-mail messages, link to a webpage, or attach a photo or a document.
Intermediate users might want to learn how to share photos online with ShutterFly or Flickr, create your own blog, or get started on Facebook. Learn to create, format, illustrate, save and print documents using Microsoft Word, Apple's own Pages, or Bean, an excellent and free word processor.
More advanced skills training is available, but I specialize on the beginning to intermediate user, where my patient style of teaching really pays off.
Does Microsoft Office run on a Mac?
Microsoft has manufactured Microsoft Office for Mac for years. Read more about it here at < http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products >. I only recommend Microsoft Office for Mac for users who need it for their employment.
For most, Microsoft Office for Mac is beyond overkill in office productivity suites. At less than half the price and many times over the ease of use is Apple's own productivity suite, iWork, which consists of three separate applications. Pages for word processing. Numbers for spreadsheets. And Keynote for presentations. Each Apple suite will open and save to the corresponding Microsoft Office product; Pages <>Word, Numbers <> Excel, Keynote <>PowerPoint. And by separate, I mean Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are available for individual sale - you do not need to purchase all three together.
Ninety percent of my clients could find themselves completely happy with a totally free word processor for the Mac, Bean. Read more about it here - < http://www.bean-osx.com/Bean.html >. Perfect for the occasional written letter, Bean is a friendly, familiar word processor that has the added bonus of also being able to open up those Microsoft Word documents that people may email you from time to time. Not bad for free!
What kinds of security issues should I be concerned about as a Mac owner?
Phishing is the leading threat to your security while on the Internet. Phishing messages arrive in your e-mail in-box looking like they came from official financial websites. The bad guys hope that you will click on a link in the message and supply them with your real login and password to your financial accounts. In other words, phishing scams exploit the vulnerability of humans, not machines. So no computer can completely protect you against such attempts, though the Safari web browser is updated with known phishing websites to help protect you. But you cannot rely on the protections within Safari to totally protect you against phishing websites. Never suspend your skepticism and common sense while on the Internet. Don't install pirated software, because it is possible that a malicious payload could be on-board. Only install software from reputable sources.
Do I need anti-virus software?
You do not need anti-virus software on the Mac. I do not recommend it. I do not run it on my own Macs.
Walt Mossberg, the influential technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal, tackled this subject on May 1, 2012. He pointed out that while "there are hundreds of thousands of malicious programs targeting [Windows], [there are] just a handful of known ones for the Mac." "So, my take on this is that while Mac users must be careful where they surf, ...an unprotected Macintosh is still, in daily use, far less likely to become infected than an unprotected Windows PC. How users handle this depends on their habits and their tolerance, both for risk, and for the downsides of constantly running security software, which can sap resources and be annoying. I advise all Windows users to run such software. But I see it as optional for Mac users, at least today. Time will tell if that changes." I agree.
Are there any other protective steps I should take with my Mac?
Always stay current with updates from Apple. By default, the computer will automatically check once a week with Apple for updates, and advise you of availability. Some of these updates will affect the overall security of your computer. Almost all the updates will help speed up your computer incrementally. It adds up. Again, my best advice: always stay current with updates from Apple.
You can also turn on the firewall of the computer, especially if you own a laptop and want to access the Internet away from home. Under the Apple menu, go to System Preferences. Click on the Security icon, then on the Security pane's Firewall heading. Click the checkbox next to "Set access for specific services and applications."
Is there any other software that I should install on my Mac?
There are two applications that I recommend all Mac users install. Both are free.
Search for the free Flip4Mac WMV. Download and install it. This installs a plug-in which will allow Quicktime to play Windows Media files, which will greatly increase your enjoyment of the multimedia experience available on the Internet.
Visit Adobe.com to download and install Flash Player. While declining in popularity across the web, Flash still remains a frequently-needed application to run video and animation that you will come across on the Net.
There is no need to install Adobe Reader. Apple's own Preview application, included with every Apple product, will automatically open PDF files, and much more quickly than Adobe Reader.
Optionally, take a pro-active step and visit Firefox.com. Download and install Firefox, a worthy competitor to Apple's own Safari. With Firefox installed, on the slim chance that Safari has a problem, you'll still be able to get out on the Net. You may also run into an occasional website that prefers Firefox to Safari, though this is rare.
Other Questions? E-mail me: [email protected]
