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Home , Alias (Mac OS), Control Strip

Mastering : v1

Power BASICS: Power On · Button Power Off · Button · Menu Sleep · Button · Menu · Lid · Energy Saver Wakeup · Space Bar

What's a GUI? GUI stands for Graphical User Interface, and it is a term for how the computer interacts with you as a user. The MacOS is a GUI based on the concept of manipulating "windows". Thus a program runs in window. Data is copied from program to program by copying data from "window" to "window", etc…

GUI Basics You will usually interact with your "windows" via a device held in your hand called a mouse. Moving the mouse left and right, or up and down results in the cursor on your screen moving left and right, or up and down.

Programs and Files are represented on your computer screen via Icons. The Mac mouse usually has one button. The button is used to select or activate programs or files represented by an icons. You can click once on an icon to select it, or quickly click it twice (Double Click) to activate the icon. The mouse button can be used along with the ctrl key for secondary functions like calling up a program's properties.

Example: · click on an icon to select and move it · double-click on an icon to run the program or the folder/document · cntrl click on the icon to change the program's properties

Using the Volumes and Folders: When you start at the top level of the finder, you’re at the desktop. Unlike Windows, you don’t begin your session with a login prompt. Instead, you start using the programs and files located on the computer immediately. On a typical machine the desktop might include icons for "Macintosh HD", "Browse the Internet ", "Mail", and more. You can

1 customize the appearance of your desktop, save and open files, and run programs from it. Important: For security purposes, you should "save" files only to your home on the Enterprise (see below).

You will normally open a folder by double-clicking its icon. You can also open a folder by double clicking on an “” of it.

Once the folder is open, you can move it's window by clicking on the "drag" bar which runs along the top of it. The 3 little boxes along the drag bar are used to minimize, switch from windowed to full screen, or to the window. You can minimize the size of a window by double clicking on the drag bar. You can also resize any window by clicking on an outside edge or corner and dragging it to the desired size.

You close a window by clicking on the close button found on the upper left-hand side of the drag bar. You can close/minimize all open windows at once by pressing the appropriate button along with the .

Programs: You will normally launch (run) a program by double-clicking its icon from the folder it is stored in. You could also launch a program by double clicking on an alias of the program, or a file associated with it.

Once a program is running, its documents will exhibit the same behavior as the folders discussed above. Thus you resize/minimize/maximize its windows in the same manner. You can also switch between multiple opened programs by clicking on the MultiFinder or by pressing the "tab" key while holding down the "alt" key. The MultiFinder can also be drug off and onto the desktop as an Application Dock.

You exit a program by selecting “Quit” from the program’s Files Menu or by pressing (Apple)Q. Common Error! Closing the program’s document does not close the program!

2 Aliases: For programs you access regularly, you may want to create an alias to allow accessing it from locations other than the volume/folder it is installed in. To create an alias, click once on the program’s icon and then do one of the following: · select “Make Alias” from the Finder’s file menu · press (Apple)M · (ctrl)click on the icon and select “make alias”

Then drag your alias to a convenient place. You can make aliases of programs, documents, volumes, or just about anything on your Mac. You should also be aware of these specialized forms of aliases: · “Favorites”: a collection of alias which you can access from the · “Recent Applications”, “Recent Documents”, and “Recent Servers” which are all automatically generated by the finder. (And controlled via the “Apple Menu Options” control panel). · “Launcher”: controlled by the launcher control panel, this puts popular aliases into a which floats on the desktop

3 Local Volumes: Harddrives, floppy disks, CDROMS, DVDs, etc… are all volumes which contain programs and files for your computer. These volumes all appear on your Mac’s desktop, contain folders and files, and each folder contains subfolders and files. The complete description of how to get to a file is known as a . i.e. the path for “Microsoft Word” might be Macintosh HD:\Microsoft Office 98\Microsoft Word.

Removable Volumes such as floppies, CDs, etc. appear on the desktop after being inserted and are ejected by dragging their icon to the trashcan or by selecting their icon and pressing (Apple)Y.

Network Volumes: On the Mac, network volumes are accessed through the which we’ll discuss in detail later. For now, select chooser from the AppleMenu and click on the AppleShare icon to list all available Appleshare servers.

4 When you locate the server you’re after, double click on its name in the list to get a network authentication window. · Choose Authentication Method (note: you may not have a choice of authentication methods, in which case your Mac goes directly to step 2)

· Enter username and password (note: you can change your network password from here)

5 Choose the Network Volume you wish to work with (note: all faculty and student home directories are located on the Enterprise)

Once mounted on your desktop, network volumes work the same way as local volumes. You can create aliases of often-used volumes and/or folders/files on these volumes and you eject them throwing them in the trash.

Very Important: All important data should be saved to your network home directory! Your network home directory gives you the following advantages: · Security: Files on the network can only be access by users with proper credentials · Saftey: Files on the network are backed up to DAT on a nightly basis. Any deleted or damaged files can be restored if Roy is notified within 5 days. · Access: any computer on our network (assuming user has proper credentials) can access files on the network

Saving from Programs Saving "files" is accomplished in the same manner for most programs. While the program is running, go to the "File Menu" and select "Save". Save (brings you to the File Requestor Window (first time only)). · “Save in” · “File Name” · “Save as Type”

6 After saving your document once, future saves will replace the original document with the one you are currently using. "Save As", brings you back to File Requestor and should be used when you wish to change any of the following: · “Save in” location · “File Name” · “Save as Type”

Hot Tip: (Apple)S can be used to save files

Opening from Programs Opening "files" is accomplished in the same manner for most programs. While the program is running, go to the "File Menu" and select "Open". "Open" brings you to the File Requestor Window. · “Look in” location · “File Name” · “Files of Type" · “Find File” which uses the Finder’s search engine (discussed later)

7 Hot Tip: (Apple)O can be used to open files

Managing Files You’ll have better luck finding your files if you organize your desktop and volumes with folders and subfolders. You create folders and subfolders by clicking on the desktop or appropriate volume and selecting “new folder” from the File Menu (or pressing (Apple)N). Files can be moved from folder to folder by using “” as follows: · click and drag to move (going from volume to volume creates copies) · (option)click and drag to copy · drag to trashcan to delete TRASHCAN: Items put in the trashcan will remain there until you empty it. You empty it by selecting “Empty Trash” from the “Special” menu. · Note 1:Locked items won’t allow the trashcan to empty unless you press and hold the option key when emptying the trash. · Note 2: When deleting items from a network volume, please empty trash before ejecting the network volume.

8 · “Find”: (a.k.a. ) Found in the File Menu or accessed by pressing (Apple)F, this utities will let you search all local and network volumes for files based on criteria you input such as date created, size, name, etc…

· Views: You can also change the way icons appear and are arranged in your folders by using the View menu. Viewing items as a list, includes additional information such as and creation dates.

· Arrange allows you to sort files based on name, date, size, or kind (i.e. Word files vs Excel files, etc.)

9 Apple Menu · About this Computer: Provides important information about your computer such as available memory, , etc.. · Control Panels: This is where you control every aspect of your Mac. More info below. · Chooser: Handles your connections to network volumes and printers. More info below. · Favorites: mentioned earlier, this is a collection of aliases that you create for your “favorite” volumes, programs, etc.. · Sherlock: mentioned above

Chooser · AppleShare (as previously mentioned) · AppleTalk: must be on for network services to function · Printers: The choose will include an icon for each printer type installed on your computer. Click on the icon of the type of printer you hope to connect to and locations that these printers are available at will appear on the right-hand side. This includes networked printer or ports on your Mac i.e. USB, serial, etc…. The exception to this would be USB printers shared on the network via Apples USB printer software.

10 Control Panels (): When you startup your Macintosh, it loads a number of small programs called extensions and control panels which give the computer additional capabilities such as networking etc. Many of these control panels are also available on the Control Strip. Here follows some of the more important ones you should be aware of: · Appearance: Allows you to alter how your computer sounds and looks. Apple include many themes which include a combination of the attributes. · AppleTalk/TCP/IP: Your Mac has numerous ways of attaching to a network. Using an iBook as an example, you can connect via Ethernet (wired), AirPort (wireless), or Remote Access (Modem). It is very important that these control panels are set to use the same port you have plugged/unplugged. If you’re using a Bow School District Mac, it has already been programmed for the correct medium or has the Location Manager setup to accommodate multiple mediums (as with the iBooks). Along with being set to the correct medium TCP/IP has to be manually set for an IP number which is unique to your machine. If you suspect this information has been messed with, please contact your building’s Tech Assistant to verify that your computer has the correct IP numbers. · Location Manager: Allows you to set your Mac to use different settings when being used in different environments. I.e. the Ibooks have the Ethernet environment to be used when connect via wire to our network and the AirPort environment to be used when connecting via wireless to our network. · Date and Time: Self explanatory, thought the time-zone information is often over looked · Energy Saver: Does your Mac seem to freeze up whenever you’ve left it alone for 15 minutes or so? If so, the Energy Saver is probably the culprit. Designed to save energy by shutting off parts of your system when not in use, it can create havoc with networked applications i.e. email.

11 · General Options: allows you to alter some of the Mac’s behavior such as where documents are saved, warning you when you’ve restarted from a crash, etc.. · Memory: Allows you to switch virtual memory on or off · Monitors: Allows you to change the resolution of your screen as well as the number of colors displayed · Sound: Allows you to pick your sound inputs and outputs and system warning sounds · Speech: Allows you to modify how your computer’s speech synthesizer works with other applications

Troubleshooting: I can’t get on the network…… As mentioned above, there are a number of different ways for your computer to access the network. It is very import that the way your computer’s software is set to access it matches up with whatever cable you’re trying to use. · Ethernet when wired to a network jack (RJ-45) · Airport when unwired to a wirless network hub. You also need to make sure that your Airport software is attempting the appropriate wireless connection (ad Hoc, Computer to Computer, BowNET). In Bow school’s that should be BowNET. · Modem when dialing in over a phone line. · Location Manager: Can be used to change these settings as you change your environment. · TCP/IP: Sometimes, you might be able to connect to the network but not the Internet or Internet related software. You can test this , by going to the chooser and seeing if you can find an Appleshare server. If you see any servers, your network settings are fine, but your TCP/IP settings might beoff. Make sure that TCP/IP is set to use the correct medium (Ethernet, Airport, etc.) and that you have the correct IP numbers entered. Call your local Tech Assistant for the correct IP numbers.

I’m on the network, but I can’t get to the Internet…… · The Bow School District uses a proxy server to connect our internal computers to the internet. If you have your TCP/IP settings configured correctly and can’t connect to the Internet, you probably have a problem with your Proxy Settings. On Internet Explorer, these settings are found by going to preferences in the edit menu and then scrolling down to the proxies section.

12 I’m out of memory……… · Storage vs Memory: In my experience, few computer related concepts get more mangled by users than the concepts of storage and memory. While both are measured using the same terminology Kilobytes, Megabytes, Gigabytes, etc… they serve different functions and will cost you very different amounts of money.

In the most simplistic terms, storage is the cheap and slow space that programs and files exist when they aren’t being used. Storage would include hard drives, floppy disks, etc… 64MB of storage would currently cost you about a nickel (if you could buy that little). When you turn your computer off and back on again, the files you had in storage are still there.

Memory a.k.a. RAM is the expensive and fast space that programs and files exist in when they are being used. 64 MB of memory would cost you $100. When you turn your computer off and back on again, the files you had in memory are gone.

When you launch Word, it gets copied from storage to memory. You create a new document in memory and then save it. When you save it, the document is copied from memory to storage. If your computer crashes before you save your document to storage, your work is gone. Moral of the story? Save and Save Often.

· “About this Computer”: If you choose, “About this Computer” from the Apple Menu, it will tell you how much memory you have (real and virtual) as well as how much memory each program is using. This important information to have when you’re trying to troubleshoot and “out-of-memory” problem.

13 · HEAP Size: Probably the weakest part of the Macintosh OS is the way it assigns memory to a program. Your computer can have plenty of RAM and still generate memory errors if your programs aren’t set to use an appropriate amount of RAM.

In order to change the amount of Ram any given program uses, you have click on the program’s icon and press (APPLE)I to get the program’s info. Then swtich to the memory section and set the minimum and maximum memory settings to your satisfactions. Note: Minimum has to be less than maximum and maximum should always be at a few MBs less than your total available memory (i.e. “About the Macintosh”).

· Virtual Memory (Storage as Memory): Not to confuse you, but it is possible to use your storage as memory, but there is a severe performance penalty to pay as storage is much slower than memory. If you’ve ever encountered a slow computer who’s harddrive light is always flashing, it is probably using a lot of virtual memory.

14 I’m frozen……. · USB Issues: On the newer iMacs and G4 computers, you’ll sometimes encounter what appears to be a frozen computer (i.e. the mouse doesn’t move and keyboard doesn’t click). This could be due to a crash, but often it is just a rogue USB port. Unplug the USB keyboard and mouse and then replug them to bring them back to life. Note: This only works on USB Macs, Never unplug/replug the keyboard or mouse of ADB Macs while they are running. · 3 Finger Salute: If an application crashes, you can often force that application to quit by pressing (APPLE)(Option)(ESC) all at once. Should this let you out of the application, restart your Mac ASAP. If that doesn’t work, try pressing (APPLE)(CONTROL)(RESET) to reboot the Mac. · Reset Button: Many of the newest Macs don’t have a reset button (cause you’d never need it?), but they usually have a smaller reset button called a “crash” button which should work. · Power/Battery: Can’t get it to restart? Pull out the battery and unplug the sucker. It will restart.

I can’t print….. · Chooser: Always start by checking the obvious! Is the printer on, does it have paper and ink in it. If attached to your computer, make sure it is selected and connected to the correct port before printing.

If the printer is connected to a different computer (printing over the network), make sure that the computer it is connected to is on and can print to the printer. Then go to your chooser and make sure you’re printing to the correct computer on the network. NOTE: If it doesn’t print the first time you press print, pressing the button over and over again without going over the steps above will only make the problem worse.

· USB Printer Sharing: If you using a USB Mac and are printing via the network to USB printer being shared by another USB Mac, you might need to use Apple’s USB Printer Sharing Control Panel to troubleshoot your printing. Make sure that USB printer sharing is switched on and then switch to the “Network Printers” page to find a shared printer.

15 HOT KEYS to Know! There are certain keyboard shortcuts, which are universal to most Macintosh programs. These shortcuts are also know as "hot keys" and are usually indicated in a program's menu, right next to the related menu item. Some Common Hot Keys: · Save: (APPLE)S · New: (APPLE)N · Open: (APPLE)O · Print: (APPLE)P · Select All: (APPLE)A · Cut: (APPLE)X · Paste: (APPLE)V · Copy: (APPLE)C · Undo: (APPLE)Z · Quit: (APPLE)Q · Find: (APPLE)F · Make Alias: (APPLE)M · Get Info: (APPLE)I · Put Away/Throw Away (APPLE)Y

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