Supporting Macs

[FarmerPete]

I've used nothing but PC's for my entire life. From a young age I was fascianted with fixing PC's and I shortly learned all the ins and outs of Windows. I have mastered just about every aspect of the PC world, and I use that information in my job. I work for a fairly large company in their IS department. The problem is, not a single person there knows how to do even simple functions on a Mac. Our company has ~40-50 macs, and they are normally able to half support themselves. The thing is, I would like to get the knowledge to be able to help people with most Mac software issues. I am a fast learner with just about anything computer related. I'm planning on going and buying myself either a MacMini or one of the new iMacs so I can learn to use it, and eventually support it. I don't have a great fondness for Macs, and my primary machine will probably be a PC for a long time. (I currently have 2 PC's I use, 1 for gaming, and another next to it for doing multitasking stuff that I believe just about any Mac should be able to do.)

My question is, is there a good book or (even better) a free site out there that would help me pick up the basics/advanced issues of macs faster than me just diddling around with it? Anyone have any suggestions? Since I am looking to "Support" macs more than just use them, I was hoping that there might be a more specific book out there. Unfortunetly, I have been unable to locate such a book. I know that the insides of most Macs are hands-off, (an issue that I am quite honestly a little pissed about), but considering Macs are supposed to be so easy to use, we sure get a lot of people who have problems with them.

[MisterMe]

My suggestion is that before you try to support other users' Macs, that you develop knowledge and experience with the platform. It makes no sense to try to "support" users who know more about their systems than you do. The kind of experience that you have with PC's is virtually useless when dealing with Macs. Before you buy a book, you would do better having a serious conversation with an experienced Mac user who is more than a novice Windows user.

[nixgeek]

If anything, you will definitely learn a lot here, but find yourself some older Macs that are able to run OS X and play around with it. When it comes to technology, there's nothing like getting hands-on with the software and equipment. Of course, reading materials do help in getting the theory down.

[adambyte]

Ergh.... can't say that I've read any Mac books lately, but I hear the Mac OS X "missing Manual" by David Pogue is good. (i've read other stuff by David Pogue years ago in the past. He is a funny and good technical writer)

That should get you started on at least all of the basics, and even some basic maintainence. You'll probably be pretty much halfway there after reading it and using your new Mac.

Troubleshooting a Mac, however, is usually a completely different process from Windows. And re-installing the OS is very often the last resort. Otherwise... good luck on your mission for knowledge.

P.S. Lesson #1: There is no registry. To unstiall a Mac application, drag it to the trash. And if you're a real nitpicker, trash its 300k "Preference" file.

[FarmerPete]

A lot of the stuff that I want to learn aren't even the real complicated stuff. A good example is, we had someone call up a few days ago and they needed to setup a printer on their Mac. All of our printers are networked. Something simple like that shouldn't be hard to do, but since I've pretty much never used a Mac before, I wouldn't even know where to begin. My company uses dozens of home made apps and stuff that I could never begin to know every thing about. The trick is to know the important parts of each peice of software so you can support it. 90% of the people calling get stuck on the same 10% of the peice of software. So if you just know the important 10% you can impress and wow them. :-) Anyways, I guess the better question is, is there a book that caters to the PC Literate who are switching to Macs? I don't want a book that is designed for a novice. I have a high level of knowledge of computers, and I don't want a book that my Grandma could use effectively.

[powermac]

Nixgeek has a great point. If you really feel the need, getting hands on experience is very valuable. Depending on the level of technical knowledge you acquire, you could learn the basics of Unix, while learning the specifics of OSX. A far as books, hit your local store, and check out what books appeal to you written about OSX.
The missing manual series are usually well balanced books for novice, and experienced users. If your like most learners, reading a section of the book on how to configure a printer, and not having a Mac in front of you to actually use and experiment, may not be the best learning experience.
Be cautious that if you purchase a Mac, whether it is used or new, you just may be a future Switcher

[FarmerPete]

Wont even consider switching my main PC till a few things happen. 1) 99% of games are written for Macs/Both. 2) I can build/upgrade a Mac as easily as a PC. 3) Apple opens up computer/hardware to other companies who want to make Mac systems.

[Lt Major Burns]

i switched properly about october 2004. i joined here the following january. i knew nothing, and really needed a lot of help, as i was completely au fait with supporting other people's pc's, and i was frustrated that i couldn't help my own computer.

within about 6 months i changed from being the frightened tech supportee to a tech supporter. all thanks to this site.

generally, many problems recur over and over again, and the solutions are similar time after time, you see the popular problems, and learn how to fix them. you learn the system behind these problems, why these problems are happening. with this in mind, diagnosing strange problems becomes easier. i reckon i could fix most people's mac now. spend time on here reading peoples posts, seeing what the problems are, and what the solution is to fix them.. my experience of life so far is that books are very concise, but don't offer the real world anomalies of experience. you will learn a lot from here, if you put the time in.