Chapter 2 - Desktop

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1 - Log in

Chapter 2 - Desktop/Finder

Chapter 3 - Windows

Chapter 4 - Dock

Chapter 5 - Preferences

Chapter 6 - Home

Chapter 7 - Virex

Chapter 8 - Resources

Chapter 9 - Assessment

 

The desktop, as seen above, should look familiar to Macintosh users. The concept is the same. Your desktop is a place where you can keep files and applications without having to search for them in your files. This is actually a special folder on your hard drive. Anything in this folder shows up on your desktop. Let's take a closer look starting with the menu bar across the top.

 

The Apple Menu

Apple Menu changes: In addition to some familiar items there are many new items under the Apple Menu.

  • About This Mac - brings up a window with memory and OS version information.
  • Software Update... - newly located in Panther, this brings up the Software Update application to check Apple's servers to see if there are any updates to your current system.
  • Mac OS X Software... - links to a page from Apple with software download links. The software on this page may contain licensing costs and outside of approved titles is not supported by the district.
  • System Preferences... changes options for the OS. More on this in Chapter 5.
  • Dock - sets preferences for the Dock. More on this in Chapter 4.
  • Location - is related to network settings and should not be changed.
  • Recent Items - lists your most recent files and applications. Think of it as a short-cut to where you were.
  • Force Quit... - allows you to force the current application in which you are working to quit. Doing so will mean a loss of data in any unsaved files. From the Finder, this menu item force quits and restarts the Finder.
  • Sleep - puts your computer in a low power mode.
  • Restart... - restarts your computer. Save your work before you do this!
  • Shut Down... - turns off your computer. Save your work before you do this!
  • Log Out... - closes your current session and returns you to the Log In screen. This can be a useful option to try if you suspect the system is not behaving correctly. It is much faster than restarting the computer, but it will require you to log in as described in Chapter 1. Save your work before you do this!

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The Finder Menu
The next item over in the menu bar is the Finder. This is a new application level menu item that appears for each OS X application. For example, if you are using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Word appears in this menu location. This is where application specific options are located, such as preferences. About Finder displays the Finder version number. Finder Preferences include choosing which items show up on the desktop and the behavior of windows. Setting new windows to open at Home brings users to their Home Directory where all of their files are kept. More information about the Home Directory can be found in Chapter 7.
You can also select options for new windows, either in separate windows or within the same window, or select the default view of new windows. More information about "Column View" can be found in Chapter 3. "Spring-loaded folders" sets how long it takes for a folder to open when you are dragging an item onto the folder icon. Clicking on the Labels tab allows you to define label names. This is a return of a feature that used to exist in OS 9. The Sidebar tab defines what shows up on the left side of a Finder window. More on this in the next chapter. The Advanced tab let's you set preferences for "Show warning" to enable or disable the warning that comes up when you empty the trash and "Show all file extensions" enables or disables the view of the .doc or .txt part of a file name.

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The File Menu

The next menu, File, we find some familiar choices. Notice one change at the top of the menu, for New Finder Window. The old keyboard shortcut to create a new item now opens a new window. You can still create a new folder, but you will no longer be plagued by multiple Untitled Folder folders all over your desktop. Open With is also a new feature. If you have a document selected, all applications that think they can open it will be listed under this menu item. This is handy for opening up one file type with another application. For example, you can open a text file with Word instead of TextEdit. The File menu is also where you can add a particular item to your list of favorites, delete items, eject disks, or if you have a CD-ROM burner, burn a CD. Some new additions for Panther include the option to create an Archive of a selected item (creates a .zip compressed archive) and the ability to add a color label to a selected item. The Find... menu option is shown below.
In the Find window, brought up by selecting Find... under the File menu or by using the keyboard shortcut, you can ask the computer to look for specific items on your hard drive. You can refine your search parameters by clicking on the small "+" sign on the right side or by modifying any of the drop down menus circled in red. You can also add or remove specific locations or folders in which to search in the area at the top of the Find window. Results come up in a separate window.

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The Edit Menu

The Edit menu items should all be familiar. By the way, the Undo option at the top will also undo file movement. If you accidentally move a file into another folder, you don't have to guess where it went, just Undo to put it back where it came from. Another addition for Panther includes the Special Characters... option at the bottom of the Edit menu. This brings up a pallet that allows you to select special characters and accent marks. An example is seen below.

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The View Menu

The View menu allows us to customize how we look at files. A detailed look at folder view options will be presented in Chapter 3. Clean Up and Arrange both organize the contents of your folders when they become disorganized. "Show View Options" brings up the window to the right. You can set the size of icons on your desktop, or in folders, the size of the text (the name of the file or object), and where the name of the file is located (bottom or off to the right). Additional options relate to placement of the items in relation to each other, which information shows up about the file or item, and the order of arrangement. Each of the last four choices is independent of each other and can be used in any combination.

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The Go Menu

Also new to OS X is the Go menu. This menu keeps short cuts to frequently used folders

  • Back, Forward, and Enclosing Folder- help you navigate around your hard drive in open windows.
  • Computer - opens a window at the level of the hard drive.
  • Home - takes you directly to your home folder (your documents) on this computer.
  • Network - browses your local network for servers.
  • iDisk - is only for users who pay for and register for this Internet-based service from Apple. This option is not supported by the district.
  • Applications - opens the Applications folder.
  • Utilities - takes you to the Utilities folder in the Applications folder.
  • Recent Folders - return you to items you recently visited.
  • Go to Folder - brings up a short way to go to a folder by typing in the name of the folder. This option requires an in-depth knowledge of your computer's file structure.
  • Connect to Server... - replaces the Chooser when connecting to a file server.

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The Window Menu

Window menu items:

  • Minimize Window - temporarily moves the window out of the way by placing it in the Dock (minimize).
  • Bring All to Front - brings up all open windows in the current application (even the finder) above any other application windows.
  • Individual folder names that are already open will be listed below the "Bring All to Front" item.

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The Help Menu

The Help menu brings up a handy Help application. Type in specific key words to see if your question is already listed. Some applications also take advantage of the Help menu to provide easy access to specific questions for that application. Give it a try when you get stuck.

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The Date and Time Menu

The other items on the menu for setting your monitor, volume level, or date options can be changed in the System Preferences, discussed in more detail in Chapter 5.