Mac Kindergarten

It’s not only about the operating system, one uses. What makes a computer great is the software you can run on it - and for Macs there is a lot of great software out there.

In the next two post we will have a installing-software roundup. We will cover all forms, software for your Mac can come in, how to handle different file types and how to install applications. In the following post we will look at how to remove software from your Mac again.

At the end of this post we have a list of great sites to get (mostly freeware) applications for your Mac.

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The PDF file format is the de facto standard for document exchange on the internet. So you probably came across it already (manuals, instructions, etc.). In Mac OS X, PDF creation is built-in into the print dialog. This means that, whenever you can print something, you can also create a PDF from it.

Let’s find out how you can save a document, a web page, an email or anything you can print, as a PDF allowing you to send it to somebody.

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Today two important updates were released by Apple. One is a security update for Mac OS X and the second Safari 3.1.

Get both updates via the Apple menu > Software Update…

You have all your stuff in your personal home folder, so why keeping the hard disk icon on the Desktop?

You don’t have a home network, so why keep the Shared area in the Finder sidebar?
Let’s get rid of all that stuff. Or let’s get it back (in case we accidently deleted something).

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Some switchers might miss the key on their keyboard to take a screenshot. Certainly the functionality is not missing. The opposite is true, as we will see.

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In the previous post we looked at the difference of closing a window and closing a program. Today we will look at the dark side of a closing a program - terminating it.

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One thing that is a bit different from other platforms to Mac OS X is what happens, when you close a window of an application. On a Mac, closing all windows of a program, does not mean the application is automatically closed. Instead, you remain in power to decide, when to actually shut down a program… (more…)

If one screen is not enough for you, then just go out and buy another monitor! What!?

Don’t worry, just kidding…

With Mac OS X Leopard, Apple introduces a feature called “Spaces”. The idea is to give you multiple, (virtual) desktops on only one screen (cool, saves you money).

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In the default configuration, the Dock at the bottom of the screen is quite big. This is good, if you have a hard time seeing and don’t want to reach for those glasses all the time.

However, it also takes up some screen space. So we will make it a bit smaller and we will show you, that there is still an option for all those out there, who would really need glasses (but what’s a “would really need” worth, eh?)

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As you start to get more comfortable using your Mac, keyboard shortcuts provide a great way to do things quickly.

Mac OS X has great support for keyboard shortcuts. For now, we will only look at the most basic ones.

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