Written by: Caroline Merchiers on Wednesday May 14th 2008, 12:46 am
Here’s a useful little tip. OS X actually has a separate dictionary program, other than Dictionary.app, that will quickly give you the definition of a word without leaving the application you are currently working in. Most modern applications support this in OS X, though some older applications may not be able to take advantage of the pop up dictionary. Some of you may be aware of this little gem, and others will probably be pleasantly surprised, just as I was when I found out about it.
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Written by: hexley on Tuesday April 15th 2008, 5:52 am
With OS X Leopard 10.5, Apple brought forward a pretty strange change to the menu bar. The main menu bar had a mandatory translucency applied. This meant you could see your desktop image through the menu bar.
The internets were quite upset about this “feature”. In my opinion, rightly so.
Luckily, so much noise was made about the change, that as long as you have ran your software updates, you can finally turn this “feature” off.
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Written by: hexley on Thursday April 10th 2008, 11:53 pm
There have been a few comments on the site asking for us to cover RSS. I have several direct emails from readers asking the same. Today, we will explain what RSS is, how it can help you keep up to date with the rapidly changing web, and in general, what a near mandatory tool it is.
My gut tells me new users have no idea what RSS is, let alone the value it holds. I suspect that since there are links to RSS feeds on nearly every site, people are curious, but just have no idea where to turn to for good advice.
A Google search will show you nice definitions of RSS. You may walk away understanding that it is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication. Even knowing that, to this day, those three words do little to help me in knowing what the heck RSS is good for.
Let’s fix that right now.
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Written by: hexley on Wednesday April 02nd 2008, 3:17 am
Every now and then, you are writing and will get stumped on how to spell a word. Perhaps you know the beginning letters, and not the ending letters. Or perhaps you just want some hints.
OS X has a built in system for pulling words out of its dictionary, and showing you a list of those words. While not something I use all the time, it can be handy once you learn how to access it.
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Written by: hexley on Sunday March 30th 2008, 5:43 am
As Apple says, “opening files is so 2006″, we tend to agree. As our first post to the quick tips section, otherwise known as the Little Smokies category; we will explore just a little of Quick Look.
Quick Look saves time. For every file on your computer, if you want to view the contents of the file, you have to open the file. You then have to wait for it’s parent application to launch, and finally, you get to see what is in the file.
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Written by: hexley on Wednesday March 26th 2008, 7:10 pm
If there ever was an area in which there seems to be massive confusion on OS X it is with downloading files. Time and time again, I see a user download a file, and not know what to do with it. Worse, once they figure out what to do with the file, they have absolutely no idea what to do with the remnants left behind.
If you are a new Macintosh user, and you only read one post on OS X Help, please, read this post. Downloading files is something almost all of you will do on a daily basis. From applications to photos, there is no shortage of file downloads to contend with.
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Written by: hexley on Friday March 21st 2008, 12:10 am
With every post, I am getting emails or comments from users who are experiencing some small technical problems. I am learning there is one common thread amongst these users.
They have all bought a used Macintosh. Whether it was from eBay, a friend, or a donation, one way or another, they have a less than brand new machine.
Nothing wrong with this at all, everyone needs to eventually get a Mac. I would like to take this time to explain what you need to do to your newly acquired computer, to make sure it is trouble free.
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Written by: hexley on Wednesday March 19th 2008, 8:26 pm
It finally happened. Apple rolled out a software update, I can now write a post that will help some of you understand what the Software Update tool is.
The programmers at Apple are not perfect; from time to time, bugs will be found, and fixed. Apple’s software update tool is how those bugs are repaired. Oftentimes not only are bugs repaired, but new features are implemented as well.
Today we will cover the Apple Software Update tool. From how it works, when you should run it, to ignoring it and updating manually. If you continue reading, you should be able to keep your Macintosh up to date and in relatively smooth working order.
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Written by: hexley on Wednesday March 12th 2008, 10:56 am
Every window you open in the Finder of OS X has what is called a “sidebar” attached to it. The sidebar is nothing more than a quick way to get to places you often visit. Apple has been kind enough to seed it with some common items. These default items may or may not be useful to you personally.
The good news is, you are free to change the sidebar to your liking. You can even close off the sidebar and make it disappear if you are so inclined.
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Written by: hexley on Thursday March 06th 2008, 12:01 am
Most Macintosh users have a clock and some other small icons in the upper right corner of their screen. These items are generally referred to as “menulets”. If you are running Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, you probably see a clock, a small speaker, a magnifying glass, and perhaps a few other items.
The items you have as a default will largely depend on your computer. Laptop users will almost all have an Airport icon, and sometimes a Bluetooth icon.
What many people have not learned is that those menulets can be repositioned, deleted, and customized.
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Written by: hexley on Wednesday March 05th 2008, 12:01 am
How you name your files and folders on your computer is important. It is one of the best ways to locate them later. Often times, I will save a file, and give it the wrong name, spell the name wrong, or just want to change it later.
I would guess the reason many people have issues with how to change a file or folder name is that there is no menu item or command in OS X to start the process. I have a feeling many people stumble on the methods by accident; it certainly is not immediately clear.
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Written by: hexley on Tuesday March 04th 2008, 8:19 am
Safari seems to be riddled with small features that go unnoticed at times. One such feature is called “SnapBack”.
If you find yourself frequently pressing the back button in Safari, the SnapBack tool may save you a bit of time. Users that frequent large sites, such as Amazon.com, or Apple.com, or perhaps Ebay.com will find snapback to be valuable.
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Written by: hexley on Friday February 29th 2008, 1:45 am
Since the beginning of the web, sites have been created with two major themes. First and foremost was the propagation of information. In the beginning, the web was largely text only, with perhaps a few sparse images for context.
Today’s web browsing experience is as much driven by beauty and design as it is by putting out information. People have been pushing the limits of design in a web browser since the old days of modem connections and slow internet speeds.
While a browser is rather flexible in what can be displayed; all browsers do have various nuances in how they display a site. A well designed website should look near identical in every browser you view it in, whether it be Safari, FireFox, or Internet Explorer. The great news is Safari and FireFox both do a great job at trying to follow standards and give you a high quality viewing experience.
Today’s tutorial will cover one of Safari’s preferences that gives you a small amount of control to over-ride how a site is displayed. In general, these Appearance preferences should be reserved for those with eyesight disabilities. However, many people will at times find a site has type that is too small to read; Safari has you covered, and provides simple tools to make your reading a little more pleasurable.
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Written by: hexley on Wednesday February 27th 2008, 10:30 am
Every browser I am aware of has the ability to save a bookmark. A bookmark is nothing more than a way to get back to a site at some later time. Most users, at some point, will bookmark a site, with the idea that they can come back to it later and keep updated on what the site has to offer.
The problem as I see it, with bookmarks, is you end up with an unmanageable list of links to sites. Over time, this list will grow to the point that it becomes easier to simply search Google for the site. If your bookmarks menu has gotten somewhat out of control; this tutorial will teach you basic organizational tactics allowing you to tame your bookmarks.
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Written by: hexley on Tuesday February 26th 2008, 2:00 am
Web browsing can be a semi-hostile environment. I am sure most of you have heard at least one story where someone you know has been the victim of some online scam. In general, there are two core parts to online security.
First is whether the site you are connecting to is trustworthy. This can often be difficult to determine. Second is the data your browser collects as you browse the web. Safari has built in tools to help you keep your experience as safe as possible. With a little foresight and education, you can protect yourself from being taken advantage of.
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Written by: Caroline Merchiers on Monday February 25th 2008, 1:01 am
We are taking a one day break on the Safari tutorials. Don’t worry, we will be back on schedule tomorrow.
I find the Application Switcher to be a pretty handy tool of OS X, which I use now without even thinking about it. It’s not a complex application, but it can make navigating your computer a breeze.
The Application Switcher allows you to easily toggle through all programs you have open, hidden or not, in a clear and rapid manner. For instance, you are copying and pasting from your email program into Word. Instead of using your mouse to move between the two, which can take time, especially on a laptop, a simple keyboard command will bring the other program up in a flash.
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Written by: hexley on Thursday February 21st 2008, 1:01 am
All browsers have the ability to bookmark a website. Bookmarks are a simple way have your browser remember a certain website you were on, so you can visit it again later.
Today, we will explore a subset of Safari’s bookmarking feature, the Bookmarks Bar. The bookmarks bar has so much utility to it; I do not know how I managed to get around without it.
Think of the bookmarks bar as an always-visible short list of your most visited places. Rather than digging through a large and unwieldy list of bookmarks, the bookmarks bar affords you quick access to your most frequently visited sites.
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Written by: hexley on Tuesday February 19th 2008, 1:01 am
There are a small handful of hidden tricks in Safari. I am not sure when and where I picked these up. As far as I can remember, they have been around since version 2 of Safari.
All these tricks are useful under certain situations, some more than others. Make sure you have read our tutorial on keyboard shortcuts. If you have not read it, take a second to skim it over, as it will be helpful in understanding some of the terminology.
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Written by: hexley on Friday February 15th 2008, 1:01 am
Tabs are all the rage these days. Most of the people I run into either have not discovered them, or were not made aware of their value. Today, we will show you a web browser feature, which once learned, will make you wonder how you lived without it.
Long gone will be the cluttered computer screen, filled with many windows. Say goodbye to clicking the back button ten times over. Say hello to tabs.
Tabs are something common to most browsers these days. FireFox certainly has them. Heck, I think even Internet Explorer has finally caught on. While these steps will not apply to all browsers exactly, in concept, they are very much the same feature.
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Written by: hexley on Thursday February 14th 2008, 1:01 am
At the top of Safari, where you type in the address of a website you want to go to, is called the URL bar. In classic Apple form, the URL bar does more than just show you an address of a website.
The URL bar has a number of useful features to it. Of course, the first useful feature of the URL bar is to let you know what web address you are at, and give you the ability to enter in a new address.
Safari takes something simple, keeps it simple, but adds more value to it than you first notice.
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Written by: hexley on Wednesday February 13th 2008, 1:07 am
If there is one feature to Safari that should be enabled by default, but is not, is the “Status Bar”. This seemingly uninteresting feature can tell you, at a quick glance, exactly what Safari is doing, or about to do.
Perhaps the reason it is not enabled is that Apple feels it would be too confusing to new users. I on the other hand, think it is a near mandatory option to enable.
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Written by: hexley on Tuesday February 12th 2008, 4:39 am
Our past post ‘Safari or Firefox on OS X, which should you be using?‘, drew quite a bit of discussion. It is good to know the next feature tutorial will be one that is of interest to all our users. Given that Safari is probably the one application most new users spend the most time in, it seems important to try to make that time as comfortable as possible.
Safari is a great browser, even with its default settings. With a few small changes to the settings and preferences, you can custom tailor it to be even better.
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Written by: hexley on Tuesday February 12th 2008, 1:35 am
Find yourself doing the same things many times over with your computer? If that is the case, you are a prime candidate for learning some of the many keyboard shortcuts built into nearly every application on OS X.
Keyboard shortcuts are simply a way to invoke a command, without actually using your mouse and digging around in a menu. In most cases, it will result in timesaving.
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Written by: hexley on Monday February 04th 2008, 3:27 pm
For as long as I can remember, the Macintosh has been a second-class citizen in regards to video playback. What many of you may not know is there was a time when the Mac could play, perhaps, only one of two video formats.
A lot has changed since then, however, we still do not have 100% playback of all video formats. Mac’s can play back most formats, and with the proliferation of sites like YouTube, our odds of locating a duplicate copy of a video we can’t play, are pretty good.
This post will show you how to install two components that will allow almost all video formats to play back cleanly on your computer. The nice part is they are both free of cost.
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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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