MacValleyUG

My Apologies and Rationale for such a rude post.

Look, I regret the tone of what I wrote about WWDC 2019 tonight. I copy the style and tone of Bill Maher, which is not a good thing to do for a technical writer.

I did so because I do not believe you. need the latest and greatest hardware and software to produce great results. Microsoft pretty much worked out the design of the modern word processor, spreadsheet and presentation program by 1997. Since then, bug fixes and interface updates.

So by way of apology and to advance the conversation, let me offer some tips on how to keep your Mac and its users happy.

1. Backup the Mac. Backup, backup, BACKUP! If you only take away one thing, it's to get over to Frys/Staples/Best Buy/Office Depot/Office Max/Apple Store/Costco/Walmart/Sam's Club. Buy at least 1 USB External Hard Drive of at least 1 Terabyte of capacity.

Take it out of the packaging. Now connect the USB cable and plug it into the Mac. The Mac, if it's running above macOS 10.5, will guide you through setting up a backup drive and backup schedule.

LEAVE THE DRIVE CONNECTED TO THE MAC. You want to back up every hour. Let it do its thing.

There. That was easy. You just saved yourself hours of heartache if your Mac's hard drive or SSD crashes. And they do crash. I know from personal experience.

2. At least once a week, restart your Mac. Let it clear out the digital cruft to start with a fresh memory. Your Mac will run better for it.

3. Want to see if your Mac slowed down since you first got it? Well then, set up a second user account. Call it "Test Account". Don't install anything in it.

When you run from this account, you'll see how much your Mac has slowed down due to all the stuff you've added to it.

4. Hate your laptop's keyboard? Just find a USB keyboard you like, buy it and plug it into your Mac. This is something you can do to improve your Mac experience.

5. Won't stop drinking with a glass on the same table as your laptop? That's asking for trouble from an accident. Pop! Sizzle! Bye-bye $1200 Apple laptop.

To save yourself from admitting you're a klutz who just wasted $1200, do the following. When you get up this morning.

Get something to elevate your Mac above the spill zone. My ideas include several old college textbooks (an all-in-one Shakespeare is perfect).

A box from Box City or Box Brothers. Here in Los Angeles we have stores that sell a wide variety of cardboard boxes. Buy 1 or 2.

A flower pot. It's heavy enough to not slide away. It's waterproof. And you can find them in a large enough size to elevate your Mac laptop to the desired height.

A stack of magazines. You can adjust the height to exactly your preference.

If you really want to go fancy, get a laptop stand. Apple.com and Amazon.com have plenty to sell you.

Now get a wireless keyboard. I saw a nice keyboard and mouse combo for less than $25 at Costco.

OR get a waterproof keyboard and mouse. Search on-line for this item. You'll find waterproof keyboards used in dirty or infectious environments where they need daily cleaning.

These five tips should save you a lot of grief.

Tom Briant
Editor, MacValley Blog

http://macvalley.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-best-tips-from-professional.html

MacValley | The MacValley blog: The Best Tips From Professional Organizers – Life at Home –... An online Apple Users Group serving Los Angeles San Fernando Valley. Founded 1985.

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Thanks,

Cristael