Llllllllloyd IM'd me to ask for my top 3 tips of using OS X so I figured it would be a quick and short post. I have 3 sections instead: OS Tips, Apps I Use, Etc!. These are only valid for Leopard 10.5.2+.
.:OS Tips:.
Get a mouse with many buttons and set the non useful ones (e.g. beyond left/right/middle) to things like show desktop, show Spaces (a.k.a virtual desktops), show all windows of app. Very useful.
I don't use TimeMachine. I do regular backups with CarbonCopyCloner. This reminds me to donate some funds to the project...
I am not paranoid enough to turn on FileVault but I do use the screensaver password utility.
I have a UPS plugged into my Mac so it will gracefully shutdown when (not if) the power goes out.
Install Bonjour on Windows clients and you can do printer sharing with 2 clicks on the Mac.
.:Apps I Use:.
I use apps that have lots of goodness and/or Mac'ness baked in so ports of Windows apps and ugly Java apps really need to kick bottom for me to use them. Cool doesn't cut it for me.
Email/RSS feed management: GMail and Reader - I just find it easier to keep it all online (or in the cloud as the cool kids says these days) than sync with various products. Mail is nice but meh, Calendar is nice but meh, Address Book is really lacking.
Skype: IM & Voice calling
AdiumX: Instant messaging for everyone
VoodooPad Lite: a personal wiki, still kicking the tires on this one to see if I should buy it or not (i.e. do I use it regularly)
Firefox3 and Safari: some sites don't like one or the other. FF3 wins on plugins/extensibility and Safari wins on native OS integration.
VirtualBox: for free virtualization - it runs Ubuntu Server 8.04 lovely
AppFresh: keeps everything up to date or at least lets me know when I am lagging
OpenOffice 3 Beta: works, a bit buggy, definitely an early beta in the classical sense
.:Etc!:.
I will not use MobileMe/.Mac. It costs too much and doesn't offer a compelling feature set for me to use. I am savvy enough to emulate the functionality through other means or just don't need the tools they offer at that price point.
iPhoto: you will either love it or not. I love it but wish it had better metadata gathering functionality.
I really like our HP printer it works great with OS X.
Always, Always, Always buy AppleCare. Always.
