Introduction

Mac OS X is the operating system found in all current Apple computers, the latest version of Mac OS X is 10.6 (also known as Snow Leopard). Mac OS X is unique from previous Macintosh operating systems because it is Intel based, as opposed to PowerPC, which makes it more in common with a Windows computer. Although Mac computers are still not compatible with Windows software, Windows can be installed on a Mac.

Video Tutorial

Click to open Apples's Video Guides to Mac OS X
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Version Compatibility & History

Updating your Mac OS X version does not wipe your hard drive and can be updated like any program by simply using the Install Disc. Version updates will maintain compatibility on all first-party Apple applications, but errors may arise on third-party applications so make sure to download the latest versions. Hardware drivers are downloaded automatically for Mac and will update once new versions are released.

Mac OS X is unlike early Mac OS's as it is Intel based, rather than PowerPC based (Mac OS 9 and earlier). Macintosh computers with earlier Mac OS's installed can not upgrade to Mac OS X. While Mac OS X has limited support for PowerPC, this has been discontinued in Snow Leopard.

The last three versions of Mac OS X are as follows:

• 10.6 - Snow Leopard (Released June 2008) - New features are mainly back-end updates for performance improvements.
• 10.5 - Leopard (Released June 2006) - Updated visuals for the Menu Bar and Dock. New features include Stacks, Spaces, Time Machine, and updated Finder.
• 10.4 - Tiger (Released May 2004) - Introduced Spotlight and Dashboard. Is now unsupported by Apple.

Using the Mouse

The official Macintosh mouse differs slightly from the typical PC mouse. Macintosh mice only have a single button, opposed to two on a PC mouse. Although, PC mice work fine on Macintosh computers and you may use a PC mouse on your own personal Mac.

The Macintosh Keyboard

Macintosh Keyboards contain several unique keys to the Mac OS, not found or compatible with Windows. Because of this, several keyboard shortcuts are different than Windows.

Modifier keys on Mac computers not found on PC keyboards:

Fig. 1 - The Modifier Keys are next to the Spacebar.

Command Key () - Found to the left and right of the Space Bar. Older Mac keyboards may also have an Apple icon on this key. This key is used for most keyboard shortcuts in Mac OS X. It is the equivalent to the Windows Control (CTRL) key (Mac keyboards also have a Control Key, but it has a different function).

Option Key () - Most commonly used in keyboard shortcuts, often in conjunction with the key. Holding down the key while typing will print Special Characters. Alt is also printed on the key which applies to non-Mac applications.

Control Key (CTRL or ^) - This key is used much less frequently than other modifier keys listed above. It is sometimes used in keyboard shortcuts, most often in conjunction with one or both of the and keys. It is also used in conjunction with one-button mice to initiate right-click actions.

fn Key - You will notice with newer Macintosh keyboards the Function buttons (F1-F12) have graphics on them depicting things from volume control to brightness, the fn key flips the function of these buttons between standard F1-F12 functions to Mac specific controls as illustrated on the buttons. This button can also be found on some PC laptop keyboards with the same functionality.

Mac OS X Interface

Mac OS X has a simple interface with emphasis on "drag-and-drop" so most icons and tools are large and visible. To new Mac users the interface may seem overwhelming, this section aims to introduce you to the functions of the Mac OS X interface for easier navigating.

Desktop Interface

Fig. 2 - Mac OS X v.10.5 Leopard Desktop Interface

Menu Bar Desktop Icons/Drives/Mounts Application Dock

Finder Interface

Finder is the Mac OS X file manager, similar to Windows Explorer in Windows environments. All files, folders, applications, drives and directories can be accessed through Finder. Finder is the backbone to the Mac OS X interface and can never be Quit by the user and can never be removed from the Dock. If Finder is frozen, the Force Quit window will not allow Finder to be Force Quit, instead you may simply Relaunch Finder to ensure it is always accessible to the user.

Fig. 3 - Finder Interface

Window Control Buttons - From left to right: Close Window, Minimize Window, Expand Window. Close will close the current window, but will not exit the application which can be found on the Dock. Minimize will drop your window onto the right-end of the Dock near the Trash. Expand will maximize your window either to fit the screen or to the correct proportions for the page/file (in the case of webpages or PDFs). These buttons are found on all windows, not just Finder windows.

Hide/Show Toolbar Button - This icon allows you to simplify or expand Finder windows to either show or hide the top Finder toolbar as well as the left sidebar. This minimalist layout keeps things simple and is useful for when using multiple Finder windows simultaneously.

Toolbar
	Navigation Buttons As you navigate through Finder you can use these buttons to move back one folder or forward one.
	View Buttons Icon View: lists files in a grid with small square thumbnail previews. List View: Organized list useful for large number of files, folders can be expanded displaying content through an indented list. Column View: Showing all contents of a folder in a column. New folder contents are displayed in proceeding column (this is previewed in Fig. 3). Cover Flow View: Not available in 10.4 - Tiger and earlier. Lists contents in List View with large, dynamic preview above that sweeps left and right allowing for live preview of videos.
	Quick Look Button Opens a preview block with a large preview of the file or the ability to play a video file accompanied by basic file info like name and size.
	Action Button Contains options for selected file/folder. Is the equivalent of Right-Clicking the selected file/folder.
	Search Bar Similar to Spotlight, this search will find files through keywords and filenames. This search bar allows you to search Entire Mac or just in the current folder.

Sidebar - The Sidebar contains places of interest. The top group is "Devices" which are connected Drives or Discs. Under is "Places" which displays common areas of your computer and can be customized. Other groups can include "Search For" showing recently searched items or all files of a certain filetype, as well you can display connected computers here.

Content Area - This area shows the contents of whatever folder you are currently viewing. The view of the content depends on your View Button settings. This preview shows the Column View.

Additional Information - This bar shows the number of items in the currently selected folder as well as the available space on your computers hard drive.

Mac OS X Dock

The Dock is typically found at the bottom of the screen in Mac OS X, though on your personal computer, the dock size, look, and position (bottom, left, or right side of screen) can be changed through System Preferences. The dock contains "docked" applications, typically the most used applications are found here. Applications can be added by dragging them from Finder to the Dock, which will permanently save them to the Dock. Any open application not already on the Dock will be added to the right end only while open and will leave the Dock when closed. The dock can also be hidden off-screen and will appear when the cursor rolls over that edge of the screen. A blue dot appears beneath an application icon that indicates that application is currently open and running (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4 - The Dock as seen in 10.5 Leopard

You will notice a dotted line near the right side of the Dock that displays the separation between Applications and Folders, Windows, and Trash. The right side of this line will by default display the "Downloads" and "Documents" folders for quick access. You can add and remove folders by dragging them from Finder to this part of the Dock. Notice that attempting to drag applications to this part of the Dock will not create a space for them. Also, if you minimize a window, it will shrink to this area of the Dock, always to the left of the Trash.

When an application had a notification or wants the users attention for something important it will appear to "bounce" on the Dock either once (indicating a single event) or until the user selects the application. The bouncing icon can be seen even if the Dock is hidden.

The two icons that can never be removed from the Dock are Finder and Trash which are important elements of the Operating System and are only found on the Dock. These icons always maintain their positions at opposite ends of the Dock.

Stacks

Beginning in v.10.5 "Stacks" became part of how the Dock operates. Stacks are how files are viewed in the Docked Folders at the right end of the Dock. When a Docked Folder is clicked, the most recently added documents appear in a "stacked" formation. Depending on how many files are found within the specified folder, the Stacks may appear in one of three ways:

• Grid: When an intermediate number of files are in the folder, too many to fit in the Fan view, Stacks will arrange them in a grid of most recently used.
• Fan: If few enough files are in the folder to all be visible on screen, Stacks will "fan" the files out of the dock on a slight angle.
• List: When there are many files within a folder Stacks will arrange them in a list of most recently used.

Fig. 5 - Stacks, from left-to-right: Grid View, Fan View, List View

Menu Bar

The Menu Bar is the dynamic bar found across the top of the screen in Mac OS X. On the left end, it contains the Apple Menu (the Mac equivalent of the Start Menu in Windows) as well as the current applications Menu Bar, changing applications changes what options are found on the Menu Bar, no application is open, the Menu Bar defaults to Finder.

Fig. 6 - Condensed v.10.5 Leopard Menu Bar

To change an applications Preferences or to Quit, you must select the name of the Application (in bold, to the right of the Apple button) which contains these commands.

On the right side is the Menu Extras which includes time, Spotlight, Sound, AirPort (Wi-fi), Bluetooth among other options. Third-party programs may offer to include a Menu Bar icon, MacBooks also add battery information to the Menu Extras. You can change which icons are visible through System Preferences.

Spotlight ( + Space)

Fig. 7 - Spotlight in the Menu Bar

Spotlight can be accessed via the Magnifying Glass icon on the top right end of the Menu Bar. Spotlight is the dynamic Search feature for Mac OS X that will search for specific terms across the entire system. Search results are broken up based on filetype. Spotlight does not just search filenames, but also the contents of a file in some cases. Searching for a term within an essay for example will return the essay file in the search results. You can also apply "Spotlight Comments" to any file, folder, or application by right-clicking the file and selecting "Get Info" ( + I) and adding any term you wish to the "Spotlight Comments" text field (Fig. 8). This will help make certain files easier for Spotlight to find based on this additional cataloguing information.

Starting with 10.5 - Leopard Dictionary definitions have been added to Spotlight search results and can offer a quick, easy, and internet-free definition resource for students. Also, Spotlight can serve as a calculator for quick mathematical solutions for students.

Fig. 8 - Spotlight Comments in a file's Info.

Hot Corners & Exposé

Hot Corners are an important, but not mandatory, part of managing windows and organization in the Mac OS X environment.

Fig. 9 - Exposé in System Preferences.

Hot Corners are customized and enabled within System Preferences > Exposé & Spaces (Fig. 9). Select the Exposé tab and set your Hot Corners in the "Active Screen Corners" window.

Each corner of the screen can have a selected action set to it. This is completely customizable and is not activated by default. Functions that can be added to corners include:

• All Windows
• Application Windows
• Desktop
• Dashboard
• Start Screen Saver
• Disable Screen Saver
• Sleep Display

Once set, simply move the cursor into the specified corner and the action will occur. This is very useful to quickly view and access the desktop or to view all open windows for quick switches between multiple. Viewing either All Windows or Application Windows uses the process known as "Expose". Snow Leopard (10.6) altered Expose to size windows based on their current usage (e.g. most used window will be the largest, least used being the smallest). Alternatively, if you do not want to use Hot Corners then Expose, Desktop, and Dashboard functions can be performed via the Function keys on the Macintosh keyboard.

Programs/Applications & Force Quit

By default, Mac OS X applications are located in the Applications folder in Finder. The default web browser for Mac OS X is Safari, Email application is Mail, image viewer is Preview, and text-editor is TextEdit.

If a program stops responding, you can Force Quit by right-clicking the application on the Dock and selecting Force Quit. Alternatively, if the Dock is also frozen, press COMMAND + OPTION + ESC ( + + ESC) which opens the Force Quit window, select the frozen application from the list of open applications and select "Force Quit".

New users may be confused with compatibility of applications of Mac OS X. It is important to remember that Windows programs are never compatible with Mac OS X and can not be installed. Inserting a Windows program disc into a Mac will have no effect, the Operating System will not recognize the disc. This also applies to downloading programs, you must make sure it is the Mac OS X version. You may be able to tell by the file extension. Windows install files have the .exe extensions which are not recognized by Mac OS X, Mac OS X install files are .dmg and these will not recognized by Windows. Also, programs from Mac OS 9 and earlier will not work on Mac OS X, just as Mac OS X programs will not work on Mac OS 9 and earlier.

To uninstall an application from your Mac, there are two ways to do so. First, go to your Applications folder and first check to see if the specified application has an Uninstaller saved with it. If there is no uninstaller (typically only large applications have them), you simply need to drag & drop the application to the Trash on the Dock, or right-click the application and select "Move to Trash". Empty the Trash and the entire application and it's package contents will be removed from your Mac.