I am using a MacBook Pro running Mac OS X 10.5. I am new to this development environment, and previously worked on Windows.
How can I right click on the Mac? Whenever I click on my mouse pad, it only has the effect of left clicking the mouse.
just click over the trackpad with two fingers at the same time you can watch this video if you want more tips about using the trackpad!
its an awesome tool, its the main reason why i love my macbook
Ctrl-Click is the easiest way on the older MacBooks. The newer MacBooks support multi-touch so you can click with two fingers on the trackpad to produce a right-click.
Here's a rather detailed article on right-clicking in OS X.
If you're using a newer macbook, (any one with a buttonless trackpad) and are used to the PC approach with a physical click on the right, you may want to set the trackpad to treat a click in the lower right corner as a "right click".
You can set it to behave that way if you go to "System Preferences" (it looks like a set of gears), and then "Trackpad". There, you can set it to treat one a click in one of the lower corners as a "Secondary Click," which is equivalent to a right click on a PC.
For what it's worth, I agree with the other responders that the two-finger tap is the most convenient once you get used to it, but this may feel more similar to your previous experience.
Since you are using 10.5 I'm guessing you do not have a unibody macbook pro. In that case go to System Preferences > Trackpad and choose the two-finger click option for "Secondary Click".
You can also hold the control key while clicking.
You may consider plugging in your favorite portable mouse :)
In some instances I've seen people using a mouse with the option to use the right click button for secondary click, turned off. I'm not sure whether it was set that way by defaut when they connected the mouse, but checking the appropriate box in the System Preferences turned on right clicks.