Making a launcher
Using the 'Run' command or typing into a terminal isn't the easiest way to launch maya.
Step 1: Right click on a blank space on the panel.
Step 2: Select Add To Panel > Launcher ...
Step 3: You will be greeted by this window.
Step 4: Set the command to be what you type to launch maya. Change other stuff if you want.
Step 5: Press Ok. Tada!
Fixing Window Movement with Alt-Click
Sometimes you want to rotate the view in maya only to end up moving the entire maya window -- this is because Alt-LeftClick is a key used to mean 'move window'.
The following simple steps change the key combination to WinKey-LeftClick:
Step 1: Select Hat > Preferences > Windows
Step 2: This dialog will appear
Step 3: Select 'Super' instead of 'Alt'