Session 1 [Wed 060110] - Introducing the MacOSX GUI/ Keyboard Shortcuts/ Setting Up For Work/ Printing/ Printing Head Start Brief

Welcome to the course web log for Intro To Mac. This is the place where you can catch up with any important information you may have missed.

Homework First
Each blog entry begins with a reminder of the homework allocated in the session. Please note that homework is officially set at four hours per each two hour class session. With three courses a week of classes and their accompanying homeworks you will have completed a standard working week [without pay ;-) ].

You have the following things to achieve for Session 2 -

1. Purchase A3 layout pad, class note book and a USB stick for document storage.
2. Download and read the Syllabus and the Head Start Brief
3. Finish your titled and subtitled 3 paragraph biography
4. Make a drawing or multiple drawings of what you think the person in the text would look like. Spend a good amount of time on the drawing[s]

Remember also, we have a five question quiz at the beginning of Session2.

Introducing the MacOSX GUI
The Finder - On logging in you are confronted with the Finder and your first interaction with the MacOSX GUI or Graphical User Interface

The GUI - can be customised through the System Preferences Panel. You saw a few of the features in the preferences set. The Universal Access panel for Screen Zooming and the Desktop & ScreenSaver panel to change your desktop image to the professional level mid-grey Desktop Screen.

The Dock - You also saw how to drag application icons to the Dock available at the edge of the Finder for handy use. Also, how to change the position of the Dock via Apple Menu > Dock > Position… and to show/hide the Dock via Apple > Dock > Turn Hiding On/Turn Hiding Off.

The Traffic Lights and Avoiding Minimalizing Windows - At the top left corner of any full Finder window are a set of what are often nicknamed Traffic Lights for obvious reason. The Red Light closes the window just like Apple-W, the Green Light toggles between custom window size and smallest window size to accommodate the window's contents. The Yellow Light Minimalizes the window, sending it off to the Dock.

Minimize is a poor feature as there is no short cut to retrieve the minimalised window and it leads to memory problems in applications such as Photoshop as you can get into the bad habit of minimalising multiple memory intensive file windows leading to a clear performance go-slow. So, AVOID MINIMALISING where you can.

Keyboard Shortcuts
For almost every action we took today in managing the MacOS GUI, you learnt the equivalent Keyboard Shortcut to each related Menu item command. Shortcuts are achieved by using some combination of Modifier Keys [Apple, Shift, Alt, Ctrl, etc]

Some shortcuts included -

• Apple-N equivalent to File > New Finder Window
• Apple-Shift-N equivalent to File > New Folder
• Apple-W equivalent to File > Close Window
• Apple-Shift-A equivalent to Go > Applications
• Apple-1, Apple-2, Apple-3 in an active FInder window is equivalent to clicking on the Window View Icons
• Apple-Alt-D equivalent to toggle showing/hiding of the Dock

If you go to the Help Menu in the FInder menu bar and type shortcuts you can scroll through and learn a comprehensive list of shortcuts for Finder management activities.


Briefing on Head Project
There will be briefing for the Heads project next session.

PS. Thanks for all your contributions today. That was fun!