After making my switch from Windows to Linux to Mac, I realized how helpful it could be to others to highlight a few key Mac features that I personally find essential. It always bothered me how most other Mac users I see use the mouse just too much. They move it all the way to the menu bar, click, and then move back down the list to select something... when they could just use a keyboard shortcut to get it done instantly. I guess it's a productivity thing, and unproductivity has always been one of my pet peeves.
On Windows, many users like to use the keyboard to tab from button to button and then hit enter to select whatever they want. Mac users seem to enjoy moving the mouse all the way to the button and clicking, and I have to admit this was one of my biggest turnoffs with using a Mac. But I knew there just must be a shortcut, and when I found it, boy was I glad:
*If a button or icon in a form or pop-up menu is highlighted with a blue border, hitting the spacebar is equivalent to clicking that button.
*If a button is entirely blue, hitting enter is equivalent to clicking that button.
*If you want a shortcut to "cancel" in a pop-up dialog, hitting the escape key will do the trick.
*If you want to tab between all controls, open System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts and look for the words "Full Keyboard Access" located at the bottom of the menu. Normally, "Text boxes and lists only" is selected, but selecting "All controls" lets you tab among all controls.
These were just a few key things that made me more productively use my mac and helped me transition from Windows and Linux.
More info: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1343.
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