I'm glad you saw and heard the videos and mostly happy that you have a machine that supports the new web.
You're not the only one to have no patience for guides. Nobody I know can read those things. The main idea behind the computing and the web is to "route around obstacles". This strategy can be applied to the use of software. Use the features that are clear, forget the rest. Come back to it later, perhaps what was an obstacle before will be clear.
What follows, is my attempt to explain what I think are the best possibilities for continuing your work in this new environment. It turned into a much too much text, so I don't suppose it is any more useful than those guides that no one can read, but, in case my suggestions and instructions are helpful, here goes:
TextEdit, which is pre-installed on your Mac, supports Microsoft Word docs. It will open them and create them. The idea of using this instead of Word, is that it is a simpler application, only the basic necessities. If you can free your writing of the need for exact formatting early in the process, the formatting can be applied to the text later. Word did a disservice to writers by focusing on formating instead of treating the text as what it is, data. As data, the text may be displayed in many forms, for example, if the text data is published off-line, it needs one kind of format, if it is published in a blog or webpage it needs another, it is published as a PDF, it needs another. This way of writing, respecting text as data separate from the display formating would have you writing in "Rich Text" with only basic margins, tab and font formatting. Later, when finished, apply Word-like formatting, as needed for your specific purpose.
If after some attempts, TextEdit proves unworthy of your attention, consider the alternatives before you buy a Microsoft product (Works or Office).
In the new web, the model for working has shifted from the desktop to using the web-connected browser for as much of your work as possible. It is safer and more convenient to have your documents on web servers. They are backed up professionally, you can access your documents from any web-connected computer (or device). You can give others access.
In this new model, there are many choices for web-based word-processing. The one I use is Writely. You register, choose a username and password and then use the application for writing and document storage. You could go to it from your Windows ME machine, copy your existing Word documents and paste them onto Writely pages for access on your Mac or any other machine. You can copy and paste emails into Writely, also lists of addresses, anything you want access to. You can save Writely pages as Word docs , Open Office file, PDF or plain text. This should take care of all needs.
If you will be more comfortable remaining within the busom of Microsoft, you may want to use their new web services: Microsoft Live and Live Office This new direction for Microsoft is being lead by new Chief of Technology, Ray Ozzie, who developed the original office suite, Lotus Notes, in the '80s. His vision now takes office software to the web and this move has the respect of, even the most Microsoft-adverse, techies and it is expected to result in all Microsoft applications becoming web-based. Actually, this transition may occur sooner than the release of the new Microsoft attempt at a Operation System, "Vista".
Meanwhile, if the desktop application, 'TextEdit" or the web service, 'Writely" don't do what you want, then, before you spend money on any Microsoft desktop applications, consider downloading and installing Open Office
Although some menus are arranged different than Word, all the functions are there. The reviews are good on this free open-source Office Suite. This suite will inter-operate with all existing Microsoft formats and natively supports the universal Open Document format which is gaining popularity and being mandated for pubic documents by the the E.U., China, India, and the State of Connecticut, among others perhaps, Canada. Even Microsoft has been recently forced by reality to support Open Document standards.
Of course, you can always buy either Microsoft Works or Office for Mac, if you wish. Just consider that, if you put in some investment in an adjustment period now and move on from these legacy programs, you will gain an unlimited future of free software and web services.
Since the new web is dependent on a browser, you need to be using a good one. I assume you are using Safari now, which is ok. I hope you are not using Internet Explorer, the Mac version is old and no longer good - no longer supported by Microsoft, Apple or many websites. The better browser, both for Macs and PCs is Firefox. A simple download and install process will get you running with this, the most capable and safest browser.
After you have Firefox running, it is customizable for your use thru extensions and add-ons. I'll recommend some handy ones later, but now, right away, I recommend you install the "IE tab" E View Lite which will allow Firefox to mimic Internet Explorer when necessary to fool websites which are still using IE-only code (perhaps your College or Banking sites).
(All Firefox extensions have a clear installation process, you click on a "Install" button on the extension's web page, the browser's Download Manager shows you the progress, lets you know when it's done. Then you quit Firefox, then restart it, the extension will now be part of your Firefox browser.)
One new thing for you coming from Windows is that on a Mac, you can close a window of an application and the application itself will still be running. To quit an application on Macs, you pull down the application's upper left menu choose "Quit". Or become a real Mac pro and use the Command Key (the one with the apple on it) plus the "Q" key - push those both and the application completely quits.
To restart an application, look in the dock for its alias or shortcut icon, click (in the case of Firefox, wait a minute - it's slow to start). If you don't find an application's icon in the Dock, click on the desktop, pull down the "Go" menu at the top of the screen, choose "Applications". Look for the application you want, select it gently, pull down the "File" menu at the top, choose "Make Alias" or use "Command" + "L", the alias icon will appear in the application window just below the Application's icon, drag the alias icon to the Dock.
Ok, now you know how to install, quit, make alias, and start an application. And you have the world's best browser.
Other immediate things you may need to know include: Transferring files from Windows to Mac: You may need a little tech help to do it, but you can connect your Windows ME machine to the iMac with an USB cord and transfer all your Windows documents to the iMac. The Windows machine needs to be told to share, the iMac needs a new network connection made, then, from the iMac you look into the Windows hard drives and drag all the documents over. A little mysterious at first, but basically, a simple process -- if no one is around to help you buy the cord and assist setting up the connection, I may be able to walk you through it.)
I hope you have the Windows ME machine off-line and keep it off. Its days of being a spam-zombie are over. The internet will be a better place when all old Windows machines are off-line.
One note on passwords. In this new world of computing, you need to create, remember and use many passwords. They should have 7 or more characters, appear to be random and use a combination of letters, numbers and changes in capitalization. They will be case sensitive. They should not be the same for all services. But, you need to remember them instead of having them written down where you can loose them. It is not absolutely critical, you can use the web-service's "lost password" process and make a new password, but it takes time, better that you have a system which will work for your memory. This is a pain, of course. It is a temporary situation, new ways to identify one's self are being developed, in a year or so, we will look back at this era and laugh, but for now, we need to play the password game.
I suggest you take a 7 letter word, figure a crazy way to write it, like if the word is "password", you write it like p@sSw*rD then add 2 or 3 letters taken from the web service where you are making the password, like for "Writely" you take the first 2 letters of "Writely", put them at the beginning of the password and use the last letter at the end, so your Writely password would be come "Wrp@sSw*rDy". Use the same system on all the web-services and you'll have unique passwords for each.
What we are doing here is attempting to fool machines, not people. Generally, people will not try to break into our web service accounts, machines may. Machines are fooled by long passwords and randomized mixtures of letters, numbers, characters. The password process is ridiculous, but it's the price we pay for the greater convenience and productivity which comes from using web services.
If me writing out these attitude-infected instructions is worth anything to you or our readers, I'll continue from time to time, taking my cue from your reactions, questions or requests coming from your new Mac experience.
Do you know you can use the iMac as a camera? either for stills with PhotoBooth or for video with iMovie? or for audio recording with GarageBand?
Do you know that you and I will now be able to video conference?
That you will be able to easily listen to audio and watch video podcasts?
Let me know when and if you get interested in any of that.
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