Newbie to Apple O/S

[Rob.Skully]

Hello Everyone,
I hope to learn ALOT from this forum so please bare with me.
I have been using a CPU since about 1988 before Windows became popular.
Started out using the DOS version of AutoCad then went to the Windows
O/S platform since then. I was introduced to the I-phone & I-Pad idea
this past Winter. Was driving up North to snowmobile and while I was driving
my buddy hooked up his I-phone to his I-pad and was surfing the web
as I drove. I thought ... Way Too KEWL !
He showed me a few apps he had loaded and I thought it was neat.
So now I need something so versitile like this for accessing the Web
during lunch ;-) because it is frowned upon at work. Also seamed nice
to have since I do not own a smartphone (just a regular cell phone).
I want to do some side work and figured it would be of great use to
have access to the Web anytime & anywhere. It look to be pretty easy
to use (I-Pad 2) and I think I will get ahold of the Apple O/S down once
I get to use it alot. I am not fimilar with the whole "App's" idea yet :-(
One question I have not been able to get answered yet either from the
Apple site, the Apple Store (near where I work) or the few people at
work (they also mostly DOS based users). Is how do you handle non music or video files ?
I am use to using File Manager (older Windows version) or Explore (not
Internet Explorer). I plan on getting the 64 Gig WiFi/3G version.
I was wondering if someone sends me a file via an E-mail how do I file it
to a certain directory ? In the DOS O/S you make directories and folders.
While I was at the Apple store playing with an I-Pad I could not figure it
out and the store person could not explain it to me the way I could understand.
They did say something about using an App some how. I seen where
the have a dongle thing for connecting to a camera but it only transfers
pic & video. Sorry for the long post and if I should be asking these questions
in another forum please direct me to the right forum here.
Thanks .....
Rob .....

 

[SweetPoison]

Welcome, from Cali!

I would take my individual questions, Rob, and take out a thread in the proper forum. You will get better assistance ~

Normally, I would bump this thread for you, but you have more than one inquiry. Sorry!

Glad you found us!

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

As Marie said, you have a few questions here - so let me get the ball rolling.

As you say, in the DOS and Windows world the computer has a central file repository to which all programs have access. So a word processing file is held on disc - perhaps in a folder with other similar files - and any program that can handle that particular type of file has access to it. So a .doc file could be accessed by MS Word (of course) but there might also be other programs that can handle this type of file - OpenOffice, for example.

The iPad is entirely different. There is no central file repository. Each and every program (the iPad calls them apps - applications) lives in its own isolated world - Apple calls this 'sand boxing' the apps. Apps cannot communicate with each other directly and each app has its own private and inviolate file space. So, no central file repository, no Windows Explorer or central file handling system.

If you have a .doc file and, on the iPad there are, say, 3 apps that can handle that file each has its own copy of it in its own entirely isolated and private file space.

The reason Apple went down this route are many - but one advantage is that, as a result of this isolation and the lack of ability of apps to interact there can be no iPad viruses. On the iPad one app simply cannot interact with another. There is no facility for that to happen. The only interaction is indirect - via the iPad's operating system, iOS.

When you write a program for the iPad you can register with iOS your ability to process certain types of file - say .doc.

In another app, say the iPad's email app, Mail, if a .doc attachment arrives then Mail can offer the 'Open with' facility (as any app can). This tells iOS that the app has a particular format of file and it can offer it to iOS in order that it can be processed by another app.

Those apps that have previously registered with iOS their ability to process that type of file will be suggested to the user. So, in this case (the .doc file) any WP app that has told iOS it can handle .doc files will be suggested. You, the user, choose one and iOS *makes a copy* of the .doc file and puts it into the file space of the app that you have chosen and then transfers you to that app. You can then edit, print, read or whatever that .doc file, but you're operating on a copy of the original that was received by Mail.

You could go back to Mail again and repeat the process, this time choosing a different app to process the .doc file and, yes, iOS would make yet another copy of that file and place it in the local and private filespace of the app you had chosen this time.

Because of this 'sand boxing' and the way apps can't directly influence each other, it would be impossible to write a virus, because one app can't affect directly the files of another app.

OK - enough for now....I'm sure other Members will help with some of the other questions you had.

Tim

 

[Rob.Skully]

WOW .. Tim that was an EXCELLENT reply to my question.
Now I see why apple O/S is so virus proof !
It is very interesting how they handle files compared to DOS O/S.
Thanks ...
Rob ....