Chapter 1: Shaking Hands with OS X

     I t’s human nature to require instant gratification from your software. I’ve seen it countless times: Someone runs a program, immediately feels comfortable with it, and then spends the rest of his days using that program religiously. Or another person plays with the same program for 120 seconds and dismisses it as too difficult or too confusing. It’s rather like watching a fashion show runway in Rome or Paris: There had better be eye appeal pretty quickly, or the bucks won’t flow.
     Ditto for modern computer operating systems. An operating system (OS) is the basic software that determines the look and feel of your entire computer and usually extends to the programs that you run as well. Microsoft felt the pinch of an old-fashioned OS when Windows 98 and Windows Me (Millennium Edition) were starting to appear rather plain. Then came Windows XP, where menus fade in and out like fireflies on a summer night, puppies help you find files, and other animation abounds. With Windows Vista 7, and now 8, Microsoft is attempting to match some of the elegance and power of OS X Mavericks (and its predecessor, OS X Mountain Lion) in the PC world.
     Sure, OS X looks doggone good. Forget the minimum requirement of shirt and shoes because this OS is wearing an Armani suit. What’s really exciting for Macintosh owners around the world, however, is the heart that beats beneath the pretty form. At its introduction, OS X was an OS revolution, and it still delivers some of the most advanced features available on a personal computer while remaining easy to use. (And yes, I do own, use, and enjoy both PCs and Macs — in the end, what’s important to me is which computer does the best job the fastest and easiest.)
     Now, I’m not going to just haul off and proclaim that OS X can run rings around — well, you know, the W word — without solid proof. In this chapter, I introduce you to the advantages of OS X and why it’s such a step ahead for those running Windows. I also cover the hardware requirements for running OS X version 10.9 (Mavericks) as well as guidelines on switching from Windows. Finally, I familiarize you with the steps you encounter the first time you fire up the Big X.