498 mean solar day and 68 object lesson later , it ’s time to use the decorative ribbon to Mac 101 . It was fun while it lasted , but I ’m done . As part of our journeying we’vestarted with the most basic of basic ; taken long looks atthe Finder ; dived into the Mac’sFind features ; exploredMailContacts , Calendar , andMessages;gone on Safari ; definedcommon jargon ; previewedPreview ; and even dipped our toes intoiPhoto , iMovie , andGarageBand . In short , I ’ve churn out enough cloth to create a goodly - sized Holy Scripture ( he say , hinting broadly ) .
If you ( or , more likely , someone you ’ve urged to learn more about their computer ) has travel along along through the calendar week and months , you ’ve acquire enough knowledge to elicit glassy - eyed stare when , at your next cocktail political party , you keel off sempiternal Mac small beer with no more urging than someone humming the letterMwithin earreach . Congratulations .
While we could end this with a cheery wave , I ’d like to pull out your attention to a broad construct before issuing the final helping hand wiggle . And it ’s this : The beaut of the Mac OS and its go with applications is that — when implemented correctly — it ’s predictable . hearken back to the Mac ’s earliest day the operating system and design guidelines were draft so that with a basic understanding of the Mac ’s core principles , you could navigate and operate intimately every piece of software that you take on .
model bristle — from common menu instruction to keyboard shortcuts to gestures to left and right clicks . If you may work a text editor , there ’s a salutary chance that you may manage to create and send an email message . If you may discover a file stored in a distant location on your strong parkway , you may credibly locate an even more hidden website with Safari .
There are exceptions , of course . Media app like iPhoto and iMovie rely more on principles pulled from their analog counterparts than something like a word C.P.U. or spreadsheet diligence . But there remains enough “ Mac - ness ” about them that once you grasp the core whim of a timeline editor in chief or histogram presentation you’re able to make some clearance using technique you ’ve picked up from the OS and other applications .
And what does this intend for a recently - strike Mac user ?
Do n’t panic .
If you ’ve learned the first harmonic of how a Mac ferment there should rarely be a time when you gawk doltishly at the screen and wonder“What the heck do I do now!?”With the faith that the designers of the cock you ’re using want you to bring home the bacon , take a deep breath or two and ask yourself“If I design this thing , how would I expect it to operate?”More often than not , you ’re going to arrive at the correct reply .
Of course there will always be Mac 201 features that you ’ll miss because they were designedly shroud to protect the newborn , so little - used that the intriguer choose to bring in more common features to the prow , or , quite candidly , because the caper you ’ve tasked your Mac with is complicated and the pawl of a single obvious push button wo n’t do . In such cases cursing and random clicking are often the first resort , but you may observe it more helpful to select the Help menu and insert an appropriate keyword or , failing there , chaffer the developer ’s support page .
And with that I wish well you the honest with your Mac . Thanks for taking the time to follow along . I desire you ’ve enjoyed the drive .
