Mac OS X Basics
From ITS Wiki - Information Technology Services - University of Rhode Island
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Contents |
Operating Systems
OS X is a significant change from pervious versions of Macintosh operating systems. Its base is codenamed 'Darwin'; written on an open-source version of Unix called BSD (Berkley Software Distribution). So far there have been five versions of Mac OS X with a sixth ready to launch.
- 10.2 - Jaguar (updates to 10.2.8)
- 10.3 - Panther (updates to 10.3.9)
- 10.4 - Tiger (updates to 10.4.11)
- 10.5 - Leopard
- 10.6 - Snow Leopard (Not yet released)
Using a Macintosh
The base of the system is called Finder. This is where you can browse your system files and folders and also where you'll find the Desktop. All windows on the screen can be modified with three buttons on the top left of each window. By default, these buttons are red, yellow, and green. They close, minimize, and expand the window, respectively. Closing a window does not usually quit an application.
To launch applications, either use the Menubar at the top of the screen (click on Go and select Applications) or the Dock at the bottom of the screen, to which users can drag applications (to remove an application, simply drag it off the dock). To change settings for an open application, click the name of the app in the Menubar, and select Preferences.
When looking for folders or files, use Spotlight, located in the upper right-hand corner of the screen (designated by a magnifying glass icon). Click on this and type in any keyword, title, or even text within a document. Click "Show All" to open the results in a window.
To change system-wide settings, click the Apple logo in the Menubar and select System Preferences. From here, you can change your password, turn on your firewall, change your desktop and screensaver, manage hardware, and much more.
Maintenance
Disk Utility
Whenever files are installed through the apple installer (including OS X), .bom files are stored in a receipt folder. This file keeps a record of all the files that are installed and their valid permissions. The Disk Utility can check if current permissions match against the .bom files.
It is good to verify and repair permissions at least once a month:
1. Open the "HD"
2. Open the Applications Folder.
3. Open the Utilities Folder.
4. Double click on "Disk Utility"
5. Select your hard drive.
6. Select the "First Aid" tab.
7. Click on the "Repair Disk Permissions" button.
Preferences
Settings for all the applications used in OS X are saved in the Preferences folder. If a program fails to start up or crashes in the middle of a session, a corrupted preference file may be the culprit if permissions are not. To check for this:
1. Go to MacintoshHD-->Your Username-->Library-->Preferences.
2. Preference files are formatted in this fashion: com.companyname.applicationname.plist or org.companyname.applicationname.plist (for example iTunes would be com.apple.iTunes.plist). Select the preference file associated with the offending application and move it to the desktop.
3. Try and restart the application, if the problem has not been remedied, move the preference file back. If this does remedy the problem, move the offending preference file to the trash.
Note, preference files will be rewritten by the application, so removing them will only remove your settings, but will do no harm to the application itself.
Adding Printers
10.3+
To access the Printer Utility, go to the Utilities folder (located in the Applications folder) and double-click on Printer Setup Utility. To add a printer, click the Add button. You can browse for printers on a network by selecting "Default Browser" on the left, or enter an IP address by selecting "IP Printer" on the right.
10.5
To add a printer, open any document and go to File, then Print. In the Printer drop-down menu, select "Add Printer". The setup utility will launch, allowing users to add Bonjour, Fax, IP, Windows, Bluetooth, Appletalk, or physically connected printers. Users may also go to System Preferences and select "Print & Fax".
Widgets
With OS 10.4 (Tiger) came widgets, snippets of Javascript and HTML code that act like web-enabled applications. Widgets can be calculators, weather maps, clocks, and much more. They are available for download at http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/ and can be installed by double-clicking the downloaded file.
To access widgets, press F12 on the keyboard (this can be altered in System Preferences under Expose). To manage widgets, click the plus (+) sign on the bottom-left corner, then click "Manage Widgets". This window will allow you to hide (uncheck) widgets from the menu or delete (-) them to the trash.
Key Commands
| Alt+F1 Alt+Sound Opt+Cmd+Esc Ctrl+Alt+Cmd+8 Cmd+O Shift+Cmd+A Shift+Cmd+U |
System Preferences (Laptop) System Preferences (Desktop) Force Quit Stealth Mode Open File/Folder/Application Applications Utilities |
During Startup
| Shift Press C Press X Press N Press T Press V Press S |
Safe Mode Startup from CD Force OS X Startup Startup from Network Server Startup in Firewire Target Disk Mode Startup in Verbose mode (display details) Startup in Single-User mode (troubleshooting) |
Related Links:
Mac OS X Overview A Guide to OSX
