New to Mac Mini - Good Resources?

[supermum]

I received my first Mac (well... my first Mac since I was 4... my parents apparently were all about the 1984 commercial) a couple days ago and feel like I am banging my head against a wall (and yet am somehow enjoying it).

I have spent most of the time Googling how to use the thing. For example, I I spent forever trying to figure out how to maximize the windows easily (downloaded Right Zoom so I could see a website from the couch), to find a 64 bit VLC not listed on the website that would work for Handbrake on my Mini (WTF is VLC? My PC didn't use this for Handbrake... though it needed DVD43), to uninstall a program (figured out you drag it to the trash and spend forever hunting down the other pieces of the program in various folders), etc.

I am finding my answers but never on the same website twice... and generally need to read numerous websites or forums to get the info.

Is there one (or two) comprehensive websites that would answer the following:

1. How to help a long time Windows user who is transitioning to a Mac understand the differences (and not Apples 1 minute video)

2. A mecca of Mac Mini HTPC info in one place

Please don't knock the things I want to do. I know there is much controversy surrounding those people who want the Mac to perform in certain ways that a Windows computer does (ex. Right Zoom or Add and Remove Programs). I switched to a Mac because I wanted a Mac... just need some time to adjust and learn the differences. There are plenty of idiotic things my Windows PCs does.

Thanks!

 

[Hellhammer]

MRoogle will answer most of your questions.

For deleting apps, download AppCleaner, it hunts down the library files created by the app

VLC is very popular media player because it supports pretty much every format and it's also pretty light. HandBrake is for video converting so you can convert the video to better format and also reduce its size to be suitable for iPhone for example

Feel free to ask anything, there are no stupid questions here

 

[supermum]

MRoogle will answer most of your questions.

For deleting apps, download AppCleaner, it hunts down the library files created by the app

VLC is very popular media player because it supports pretty much every format and it's also pretty light. HandBrake is for video converting so you can convert the video to better format and also reduce its size to be suitable for iPhone for example

Feel free to ask anything, there are no stupid questions here

Awesome... Thanks! I will check it out.

One quick question... my Windows PC needed DVD43 to bypass the copyright so I could rip a disk with Handbrake.

My Mac version of Handbrake wouldn't do anything before I installed VLC... but if it is just a media player, why did I need it? Does it serve the same purpose of DVD43 (bypassing copyright and allowing to rip)?

 

[mrfoof82]

Try http://www.myfirstmac.com.

Seemed to be the first decent non-Apple result on Google. I also wouldn't be surprised if TUAW has done a series of segments on this.

 

[indg]

My Mac version of Handbrake wouldn't do anything before I installed VLC... but if it is just a media player, why did I need it? Does it serve the same purpose of DVD43 (bypassing copyright and allowing to rip)?

vlc is used to bypass the copy protection.

some options:
- find a nightly dev version of the 64-bit vlc to use with the 64-bit handbrake 0.9.4.
- use the 32-bit vlc 1.0.5 with the 32-bit handbrake 0.9.4.
- use fairmount to decrypt and mount the dvd as a disk image and use either version of handbrake to encode
- use a dvd ripping tool (e.g. mactheripper) to rip the dvd to hdd first, then encode.