[pdftex] pdf on Mac -- trouble recognizing documentclass{article}

[Alexandru Scorpan]

> Some help getting off the starting block would be MUCH appreciated;
> haven't found these errors in either the manual or the list archive.

You should join and re-post your question on the Mac TeX mailing list, 
which is introduced for example at
	http://www.esm.psu.edu/mac-tex/

(For your second error, it seems like you are running TeX instead of 
LaTeX on your file.)

-- Alex