This PC girl's Mac conversion

As I mentioned earlier this week, I've moved from the dark side (my Dell was dark gray) and have seen the light and bought an iMac. It's very pretty and sleek and white and quiet.

Love the quiet.

I'm learning my way through its intuitive system and really haven't had any problems in a major way....but I do have some questions for those Mac users who happen by this blog (some of whom encouraged my conversion!).

First...what's up with the END key? I lived by that key in my PC. I use (used?) it constantly, mainly because I am always editing while I'm writing, so I use the arrow keys to go up or down a line or two, and then hit END to go to the end of the row, instead of stopping to pick up the mouse.

Well...it doesn't work for me on my Mac except when I'm in Word. Which isn't helping. 'Cause I need it in all my applications. So, is there something, some setting, that I'm missing?

I need my END key!!!

Okay. Deep breath.

Second thing: keyboard issues. My Mac came with a lovely, business-like sounding white keyboard (non-ergonomic) with a really short cord.

My desk is set up such that I have a higher level for my monitor, then a regular desk-level surface for other stuff (ie, clutter), and then a pull-out drawer for my keyboard. Unfortunately, the keyboard cord isn't long enough to let me use the pull-out drawer unless I put the monitor/Mac on my regular desk-level. So what's the point of that?

Now I'm using the regular desk level to hold my keyboard, which, by the way, isn't the ergonomic one I'm used to, so that's another issue.

Therefore, I may have to use one of my PC ergonomic keyboards (preferably my wireless one, but I don't think it will work with my Mac). And that ugly Microsoft/Dell gray will really clash with my sleek white Mac, which really won't do at all.

Help!

And...hmm...oh, yeah. The control key.

I tend to use my keyboard and keystrokes more than my mouse, so getting used to those keys and the difference in the functions has been probably the hardest thing. However, I finally remembered what my friend Noah had told me about the control key on the Mac: It's not the one one that says "Control."

Gotcha.

We PC people are used to that CTRL key being the god of our keyboard, and it's in the same place on both a Mac and Microsoft keyboard...however, the Control key on the Mac doesn't do the same thing the CTRL key does on a PC. Therein lies the confusion.

But now that I've figured that out, I'm a lot happier.

And did I mention I love the way my keyboard sounds when I use it? So industrious, like I'm actually accomplishing something.

Anyway, I'd love some suggestions and feedback on my conversion issues. They're not that bad--after all, I've been using a PC for more than twenty years, and never a Mac--but that END key thing is really getting to me.

If someone can solve that problem for me, I think there's probably a free book in there for that person.


(Oh, and P.S.: As I'm writing this blog entry, I keep typing "Max" instead of "Mac." Wonder why that is.)

This PC girl's Mac conversion

http://colleengleason.blogspot.com/2006/12/this-pc-girls-mac-conversion.html