Tips / How to Use a Mac /
2 - Get Going
Let's look at the geography of the monitor screen.
There are three "countries" on the monitor screen.
• Menu bar
• Desktop
• Dock
Let's look at each country.
2 - Top: The Menu Bar
Only at the Top
Every window, with a Windows computer, has its own menu at the
top.
Mac windows don't have a menu at the top.
Instead, there's a menu bar at the top of the monitor screen.
Only at the Top, But It Changes
The menu bar changes to reflect the program you're using.
For example, when a Mac starts up, the Finder menu bar is always
displayed initially.
If you open Photoshop Elements, the Finder menu bar will change
to the Photoshop Elements menu bar.
An Example
Here, again, is the Finder menu bar.
Finder is like Windows Explorer.
We'll look at it in detail
below.
You can tell that it's a Finder menu bar because Finder is the
word following the Apple logo.
The menus under each of the Finder menu bar headings are similar
to those on a Windows computer.
 |
 |
|
The Apple menu is always present.
• Preferences
• Recent Items
• Restart
• Shut Down
|
Finder is similar to Windows
Explorer.
• Empty Trash
• Hide Finder
• Hide Others
• Show All
Finder is described
below.
|
 |
 |
|
• New Finder Window
• New Folder
Creates a new folder in the folder
highlighted.
• New Burn Folder
Creates a folder you can drag
files to, to later burn to a CD or DVD.
• Open
• Open With
• Close Window
• Save
• Save As
• Print
• Get Info
• Make Alias (shortcut)
• Move to Trash
• Eject
• Burn Disc
• Find
|
• Undo
• Cut, copy, & paste
• Show Clipboard
• Special Characters
|
 |
 |
|
• View as Icons
• View as List
• View as Columns
|
The Go menu is like the Start
menu on a Windows computer.
• Back
• Forward
• Computer
• Home
• iDisk
• Applications
Including Utilities > Disk Utility
• Favorites
• Recent Folders
|
 |
 |
|
• Minimize
• Zoom
|
• Help |
3 - Middle: The Desktop
In the middle of the monitor screen, there's the Desktop.
The Mac Desktop is similar to the Desktop of a Windows computer.
If you insert a CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, an icon for the
device will appear on the Desktop.
The term mounted means that a disc or USB flash drive is on the
Desktop.
If you want to see what's in your CD, DVD, or USB flash drive,
double click the icon to open a
Finder
window.
4 - Bottom: The Dock
At the bottom of the monitor screen, there's the Dock.
The Dock, similar to the task bar on a Windows computer, is a
panel of icons.
If the Dock is not visible, move the cursor to the bottom of
the monitor screen to make it appear.
Look for the vertical separator line in the Dock.
The icons to the left of the line are applications (programs).
The icons of folders, minimized windows, and Trash, are to the
right of the line.
Move your cursor over the icons in the Dock to make their names
appear.
When you click on an icon in the Dock, it will dance for a moment,
and a black triangle will appear below the icon indicating that
the program is running.
▲
You can reposition the Dock.
Go to the Apple menu > Dock, and select Left, Bottom, or Right.
You can hide the Dock.
Go to the Apple menu > Dock, and select Automatically hide and
show the Dock.
5 - How to Click
Single Click Everything Except to Open
Use a single click, except when you want to open a folder or
file.
Icons in the Dock, at the bottom of the monitor screen, and those
in the Tool Bar in every window, need only be clicked once.
Double Click
Double click to open a folder or file.
Right Click
If your mouse only has one button, you can use the Ctrl key to
right click.
Press Ctrl, hold, and click.
Contextual Menus
Right click, and hold, on the inside of a window, or on an icon,
folder, or file.
A contextual menu will appear.
A contextual menu has commands that pertain only to the selected
item type.
6 - Keyboard Differences
There are a few difference between Mac and Windows computer keyboards.
Control Key
Right Click
As described above, if your mouse has only one button, you can
use the Control key to right click.
Press Control and click.
Contextual Menus
As mentioned, press Control, click, and hold, on the inside of
a window, or on an icon, folder, or file, to make a contextual menu
appear.
A contextual menu has commands that pertain only to the selected
item.
Command Key = Ctrl Key
The Command (Cmd) key, denoted with a cloverleaf symbol, is usually
equivalent to the Control (Ctrl) key on a Windows keyboard.
The Command key is sometimes called the Apple key, and may have
the Apple logo.
Option Key = Alt Key
The Option key is usually equivalent to the Alt key on a Windows
keyboard.
Del & Delete Keys
The Delete key deletes text to the left of the insertion point
(the previous characters).
It's like the Backspace key on a Windows keyboard.
The Del key deletes text to the right of the insertion point
(the next characters).
It's like the Delete key on a Windows keyboard.
The red text below is being deleted.
| Backward delete |
Delete key |
The red|apple |
| Forward delete |
Del key |
The red|apple |
Home & End Keys with Text
When editing text, the Mac Home and End keys will take you to
the top or bottom, respectively, of a document.
The keys won't take you to the beginning or end of a line, like
they do with most Windows programs.
Use the following commands instead, when you're editing text
with a Mac.
| Go to the beginning
of a line. |
Command + left arrow |
|See Dick run. |
| Go to the end
of a line |
Command + right arrow |
See Dick run.| |
Now, let's open Photoshop Elements.
To continue, use the menu
above, or click Next below.
