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Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983
T h e R o a d L e s s T r a v e l e d
Little secrets of Mac OS X, Part 1
May 12, 2004
By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2004, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2004, The Post-Standard
Mac OS X computers have just as many little secrets as Windows PCs do. But unlike the PC kind, Mac mysteries tend to be endearing. Here is a sampling:
DOCKING MANEUVERS: You can't drag folders to the dock unless you drag them to the far-right area (or bottom area if your dock is vertical). Likewise, you can't drag applications to the doc unless you drag them to the regular area (the left and middle, or top and middle if it's vertical).
Why? Because the dock creates menus out of folders, but reserves that action for a special area. The folder section starts at the dividing line about two-thirds or three-quarters of the way across the dock.
To get a menu to pop out of a folder in the dock, hold your mouse button down on the folder for a few seconds.
(And what's that dividing line for anyway? It's a drag handle, for dragging the dock narrower or wider, and it's also, for reasons that make no sense, a menu activator. Ctrl-Click (or right click) on that dividing line to see a menu of dock options.
WHEEL GOOD: Mac OS X users who have a now-unused Windows PC can plug their Windows USB mouse into the Mac and use the right button and the wheel if it's equipped with one. They just plain work without added software. If you don't have a mouse with a wheel and a second button, give yourself a Memorial Day present and buy one. Make sure it's a USB mouse, not an old-style PS 2 mouse.
OFF-PUTTING: Need to turn off your OS X Mac? If you do it from the power button, be sure to hold the button for more than seven seconds. Less than that and you simply put the Mac to sleep. (Modern PCs work the same way.)
HERE'S THE ANTHER: OS X 10.3, called Panther, has many features lacking in the previous version of OS X. The sidebar in every finder window is my favorite by far, but other users probably like Expose just as much. Drop into your local Apple store and see Panther in action if you're still using an older version. Upgrading might make a lot of sense.
YOUR NAME IN LIGHTS: Well, not in lights, actually, but you can get your name to appear at the upper right corner of the screen if you use OS X 10.3 (Panther). Just turn on fast user switching under Accounts, then Login Options in System Preferences. You don't have to use fast user switching; turning it on is all you need to see your name on high.
RENAME THAT TUNE: To rename a file or folder in OS X, don't twiddle with the mouse. Just click once, press Return, type the new name and press Return again.
ADOBE, ADIEU: You don't need Adobe's expensive PDF-creation software to make PDFs in OS X. Just click the Print button (or click the File menu, then Print) and choose to save the file as a PDF document. (That's how it works in Panther. In older versions, you might have to do this from the Print Preview menu.)
OPEN, SEZ ME: To open or close the CD/DVD drawer on desktop OS X Mac, press the key at the upper right of the keyboard.
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