Written by: hexley on Tuesday January 29th 2008, 10:39 am
Whether you are a Macintosh user, Windows, or Linux, you need a web browser of some type to get on the Internet. Your browser of choice is the application you use to view websites. With most people using Windows, you are going to get a good deal of advice to install Firefox. Let’s talk about why that may be a good or bad idea.
All versions of OS X come with Safari, which in my opinion is a great browser for OS X. You are free to install any number of other browsers, such as Firefox, OmniWeb, or even some of the lesser-known alternative browsers.
Windows PC’s have Internet Explorer as their default browser. Over the years, Internet Explorer has gotten a bad reputation, and most people have moved to Firefox. Many Windows users, who do not know or understand the Macintosh, will tell you to use Firefox. The trouble with this advice is they are assuming the default browser, Safari, is as poor an experience as Internet Explorer.
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Written by: hexley on Tuesday January 22nd 2008, 6:29 am
The Finder “Window” menu is probably the mot drab of them all, so we will not waste a lot of time on it.
Minimize
Selecting “Minimize” will take any finder window, and scale it down into your Dock. Your Dock is the row of icons either on the bottom of your screen, or on the side.
To bring the window back, simply click on it, and it will un-minimize and come back to the front. If you have a window open, and it is in your way, you can minimize it to your dock. The window is now out of your way, but also in a state in which you can get back to it as needed.
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Written by: hexley on Tuesday January 22nd 2008, 6:05 am
Only two menu’s left in the Finder. We will get to the icons at the top right of the Finder soon enough, for now, relish in the fact that there are only two more little menu’s that you will need to learn about.
The “Go” menu controls what Finder windows you can go to. You will find there are folders and places on your Macintosh that you frequent. Apple has made this a simple process. Whether you need to jump to your Applicaitons folder, or access System Utilities, the Go menu helps you get to these folders and locations.
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Written by: hexley on Monday January 21st 2008, 5:45 am
The “View” menu in the Finder is one I find myself using often. In short, it controls the view of folders and files. Starting at the top, you have view as Icons, List, Columns, and Cover Flow.
Each of these selections is dependent on the current window you have selected, or in focus. To the best of my memory, the default, and what you are probably most familiar with is icon view. Let’s go through each view mode.
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Written by: hexley on Sunday January 20th 2008, 5:20 am
In the Finder you can find the “Edit” menu. This menu is carried throughout most applications. You will find it does near the same thing in all applications. Even the most beginner computer user is generally familiar with this menu.
The edit menu provides access to the most widely used commands on any computer. Namely, the copy and paste features.
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Written by: hexley on Wednesday January 16th 2008, 2:23 am
I know, it seems never-ending. These last few steps in regards to the Finder menus should go rather quick. Let’s just go through the list, an item at a time.
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Written by: hexley on Thursday January 10th 2008, 3:58 pm
Everyone’s computer is plugged into a power outlet. Not all home power is of the same quality. Some power is clean, other power is dirty, and in strange cases, power can be “noisy”; all non conditioned power is potentially problematic.
Ever turn on an appliance only to have the lights dim? If you do not have an uninterruptible power supply, you are sending those power fluctuations down to your computer, and all the parts inside it.
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Written by: hexley on Thursday January 10th 2008, 12:23 pm
In yesterdays post, we covered the Apple menu. Today we will dig into the “Finder” menu.
The Finder menu item is to the right of the Apple menu. If you are in another application, you will not see this menu, which at times can be confusing. Just click on your Desktop, which is the main area of your computer screen, and the Finder menu will show up.
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Written by: hexley on Wednesday January 09th 2008, 4:21 pm
Before you start using any applications or programs, right after you login, OS X will drop you into it’s file manager, known as the Finder.
The Finder is the first place you can start to customize your computer to your liking.
Starting in the upper left corner of your screen is a small Apple logo. Since the inception of OS X, the Apple logo has resided in this location.
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Written by: hexley on Tuesday January 08th 2008, 5:00 am
Filed under: Misc
I look at my computer as a reflection of myself. I can even make analogies about my computing setup being similar to an early twenties girl accessorizing for a night out on the town.
All to often, I walk up to a clients Macintosh and see the dock, looking just as it did when Apple set it up at the factory. The one that really kills me is seeing the little spring icon on the right of the dock that takes you to Apples registration pages. I have seen this icon on computers several years old.
I can take only one thing away from these experiences. Users are afraid of messing something up, so they just leave it well enough alone.
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Written by: hexley on Sunday January 06th 2008, 12:50 pm
Since the introduction of Macintosh hardware, there have been several ways to turn your computer on and off. In the old days there were real mechanical switches. Today’s modern hardware has illuminated, touch-sensitive power buttons that at times can confuse new users. Especially those coming from a non-Macintosh environment.
The easy part… turning your computer on.
If everything is hooked up correct, press the power button once. You will hear what is collectively known as the “startup bong” or “startup tone”. While this button has been placed in some less than ideal locations on certain Macintosh models, most people figure out how to turn on their computer with little hassle.
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Written by: hexley on Sunday January 06th 2008, 12:06 pm
Filed under: Misc
Welcome to the new site. If you have been here before, you probably remember the site being a public tech support forum. We hope you enjoy the new direction the site has taken on, if you have any questions, please drop us an email.
The site is exclusively targeted to the Macintosh user who just unpacked their new computer. This does not mean if you are more advanced, you cannot learn a few new tricks. We certainly hope to learn some new ways of doing things from those of you veterans out there.
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