Just got 24" iMac, got some OS X questions

[xxbrankxx]

1. Is there a way to stretch the windows for like Safari, Finder, etc to be full screen instead of just in the middle of the screen?
2. When I have a program opened I click the little red dot to close it but in the left hand corner it still says the name of the program...I have to quit program each time I wanna exit out of the something? I thought that's what the red dot is for...?
3. My wired keyboard cable is too short (I have a keyboard tray on my desk) and it won't reach behind the desk and back up into the back of the iMac. Do they sell extenders?
4. I'm not really digging the Mighty Mouse they gave me, is there a better mouse with the feel of a Intellimouse with the hump instead of this flat mouse?
5. Is it normal to be moving and moving and moving the mouse to click on something at the top of the screen? This 24" screen is huge and it takes a lot of swipes to move to click something that is at the top of the screen...or is my mouse moving too slow?

 

[davidjearly]

1. Is there a way to stretch the windows for like Safari, Finder, etc to be full screen instead of just in the middle of the screen?

In Safari, when a page has loaded that is wider than your browser window, you can click on the green button in the top right corner and this will fit the browser to the page.

If you would like to manually make the window take up more desktop space (an old Windows habit), you can drag it out from the bottom right hand corner.

2. When I have a program opened I click the little red dot to close it but in the left hand corner it still says the name of the program...I have to quit program each time I wanna exit out of the something? I thought that's what the red dot is for...?

For some applications, clicking on the red button acts as a Quit command, but for others it doesn't and sometimes it only closes the open windows, leaving the application running in the background. To quit an application, it is best to either right-click in the Dock, and choose 'Quit', or select the 'Quit' command from the menu bar. You can also use the keyboard shortcut 'Command + Q' to quit the current open application.

3. My wired keyboard cable is too short (I have a keyboard tray on my desk) and it won't reach behind the desk and back up into the back of the iMac. Do they sell extenders?

You can purchase any USB extension cable and it will work with the iMac.

5. Is it normal to be moving and moving and moving the mouse to click on something at the top of the screen? This 24" screen is huge and it takes a lot of swipes to move to click something that is at the top of the screen...or is my mouse moving too slow?

You can change the speed of tracking in System Preferences, which is on the Dock by default or in your Applications folder. Once open, select 'Keyboard & Mouse', and customise using the sliders presented to you.

HTH

David

 

[bigrell486]

1) You can adjust windows to any size by dragging the corner of the window

2) You have to quit the program by pressing command-Q or Selecting Quit from the Application's Title menu. The red X just closes the window

3) You can buy a USB extension cable

4) You can use any USB mouse with your computer

5) Mouse Settings can be changed in the System Preferences

 

[reclusivemonkey]

When you click on the "Maximise" button in OSX, it makes the window just large enough to fit all the content in. It can be quite frustrating coming from Windows/Linux but I think once you get used to it, it makes a lot of sense. If you REALLY need your browser window to maximise, then if you download Firefox, it will behave in this way. You won't make any of the native OSX apps do this though (unless of course they have enough going on in the window to make it fill the screen).

 

[gnasher729]

1. Is there a way to stretch the windows for like Safari, Finder, etc to be full screen instead of just in the middle of the screen?
2. When I have a program opened I click the little red dot to close it but in the left hand corner it still says the name of the program...I have to quit program each time I wanna exit out of the something? I thought that's what the red dot is for...?
3. My wired keyboard cable is too short (I have a keyboard tray on my desk) and it won't reach behind the desk and back up into the back of the iMac. Do they sell extenders?
4. I'm not really digging the Mighty Mouse they gave me, is there a better mouse with the feel of a Intellimouse with the hump instead of this flat mouse?
5. Is it normal to be moving and moving and moving the mouse to click on something at the top of the screen? This 24" screen is huge and it takes a lot of swipes to move to click something that is at the top of the screen...or is my mouse moving too slow?

You've got the complete list of items where the Mac developers will tell you: It's a Macintosh. It's not Windows. We have been developing this stuff for more than 25 years, and we have put quite a bit of thought into it. It's actually better they way we do it.

1. Why would you want Safari or Finder to cover the whole screen? There are plenty more things going on on your computer that you want to see.

2. Why would you want to quit an application? Leave it running. It's fine. Trust me.

3. ??? Apple keyboard is in front of the monitor, and plugs into the monitor. You don't have one of these horrible "computer desks" I hope?

4. If you want a mouse with the feel of an Intellimouse, buy an Intellimouse. On the other hand, I think the Mighty Mouse is the best I have used so far.

5. Go to "System Preferences" and check the mouse settings. You should get to the top of the screen in one quick movement.

 

[jnc]

1. Why would you want Safari or Finder to cover the whole screen? There are plenty more things going on on your computer that you want to see.

2. Why would you want to quit an application? Leave it running. It's fine. Trust me.

3. ??? Apple keyboard is in front of the monitor, and plugs into the monitor. You don't have one of these horrible "computer desks" I hope?

...

Please please PLEASE tell me that was some twisted sarcasm. Because... I can believe there are people out there who actually think like this, and it's scary.

 

[davidjearly]

Please please PLEASE tell me that was some twisted sarcasm. Because... I can believe there are people out there who actually think like this, and it's scary.

If you are referring to what he said about the Mac method being superior to the Windows method for the parts he quoted, then I agree with him.

 

[bigjnyc]

I think the OP is suffering from a little bit of Window-itis which happens to most new switchers, eventually you stop trying to do things the windows way and adapt to the OSX ways... shortly after that you realize the OSX way is much better for most things (certainly not all because nothing is perfect but definitely most)

at least thats how it went for me, and i'm sure i'm not alone on this.

 

[agentphish]

4. I agree...if you want an intellimouse, use one, Mighty Mouse RULES all other mice on a Mac.

Just keep working with your Mac, you'll learn that the Mac way is the best way, and in the end makes so much more sense from a user interface standpoint than anything Microsoft has to offer.

There's even a study on user interface friction that would agree.

 

[jzuena]

4. I agree...if you want an intellimouse, use one, Mighty Mouse RULES all other mice on a Mac.

Just keep working with your Mac, you'll learn that the Mac way is the best way, and in the end makes so much more sense from a user interface standpoint than anything Microsoft has to offer.

There's even a study on user interface friction that would agree.

My work MBP is hooked up to (the horror!) a Dell USB keyboard and mouse from the last laptop I had. They are willing to spend the big bucks on a top of the line laptop and 30" Cinema display, but not the little bucks for a keyboard and mouse! Then again, the Dell keyboard and mouse work fine.

My home mini is connected to a bluetooth Apple keyboard and Logitech MX900 mouse. My wife hates the lag in the bluetooth mouse, so we also have (double horror!) a Microsoft USB mouse hooked up. In the 2.5 years I've had my Mac I could never warm up to the Mighty Mouse.

 

[xxbrankxx]

Hey thanks for all the help! I have some more questions if you guys can help me out.

How do you save pics as wallpaper? Like in Windows you can just right click and Save As Wallpaper. Is there a quick way to do that in OS X?
How can you enable right click?
How can you make VLC player as your default player to play all video files?
Is there a good program like SuperJPG (old Windows program)? Cause I'd really hate to have to install Windows on here just to use SuperJPG.

 

[spinne1]

How do you save pics as wallpaper? Like in Windows you can just right click and Save As Wallpaper. Is there a quick way to do that in OS X?

In Safari, right click any image and an option is "Use Image as Desktop Picture."

How can you enable right click?

It should be enabled automatically. (It is for me.) Also, install the software that came with your mouse. (Microsoft mice come with software for OS X.)

How can you make VLC player as your default player to play all video files?

Right click a file of the type you want to associate (such as an .avi file), select Get Info, go to the Open With section, select VLC as your default app to open, then hit the Change All button. You must also repeat the process for all media types you want to change (.mpg, .mov, etc)

Is there a good program like SuperJPG (old Windows program)? Cause I'd really hate to have to install Windows on here just to use SuperJPG.

I've never used it but there are many, many image programs on the Mac. Go to Versiontracker.com and check some out. I'm sure something will catch your fancy. Or also try here:

http://www.pure-mac.com/

I really like this site for finding new software.

PS I'm not a gamer, but I really, really like a game I downloaded on a whim called Midnight Mansion. I liked it so much I bought it. There are tons of custom mansions as well. Give it a try. http://www.actionsoft.com/midnightmansion.html

 

[Verdanice]

You've got the complete list of items where the Mac developers will tell you: It's a Macintosh. It's not Windows. We have been developing this stuff for more than 25 years, and we have put quite a bit of thought into it. It's actually better they way we do it.

1. Why would you want Safari or Finder to cover the whole screen? There are plenty more things going on on your computer that you want to see.

2. Why would you want to quit an application? Leave it running. It's fine. Trust me.

3. ??? Apple keyboard is in front of the monitor, and plugs into the monitor. You don't have one of these horrible "computer desks" I hope?

4. If you want a mouse with the feel of an Intellimouse, buy an Intellimouse. On the other hand, I think the Mighty Mouse is the best I have used so far.

5. Go to "System Preferences" and check the mouse settings. You should get to the top of the screen in one quick movement.

All of what you just said (except for number five) is extremely narrow minded and very much only your personal preference being preached (which seems to have been molded completely by what Apple wants you to prefer).

Making a window larger is a Windows habit? What the hell? I'm not even going to explain why that's ridiculous.

Another one I don't feel the need to go into depth on. The response to 'how do I close applications' is 'don't, trust me'?

Right! When you buy a Mac, you have to buy the perfect desk for it. The thread started must have forgotten that. The 12" cord on Apple's keyboard could not possibly be too short in some cases.

The Mighty Mouse is disgusting. It's the best example of aesthetics over function I can think of. There's damn near nothing good about it whatsoever, and it bothers me that Apple has yet to replace it.

 

[scotty96LSC]

We have those 24" screens at our work for the sole purpose of running several applications across that 24 inches of real estate. We don't try to fit the apps across the whole screen as that would be a lot of mouse time. Instead we run our development apps, photo apps and browser in certain sections of that screen and go to what we need.
•Oh right, that mighty mouse thing, I think that is the only place Apple has stumbled. Get a Logitech mouse.

 

[davidjearly]

....The Mighty Mouse is disgusting. It's the best example of aesthetics over function I can think of. There's damn near nothing good about it whatsoever, and it bothers me that Apple has yet to replace it.

And this isn't your preferences that are being preached? My advice? Tone down the hypocrisy.

I personally think the MM is a fantastic mouse. I have used plenty of mice in my time with both Macs and PC's and I still find the MM to be excellent (although I use the wireless, laser MM and not the optical wired one which ships as default).

As for the window resizing, to constantly have a browser take up the full screen is a habit developed from Windows. Simple. There is nothing wrong with making it larger, but there is no logical reason for it to consume the entire display. It only needs to be as large as the page you are viewing.

David

 

[TheAnswer]

2. When I have a program opened I click the little red dot to close it but in the left hand corner it still says the name of the program...I have to quit program each time I wanna exit out of the something? I thought that's what the red dot is for...?

The rule in the Mac OS seems to be that any app which can have multiple windows open stays open after you close a window using the red button. Some of those with only one window (System Prefs, iPhoto, etc.) close after you close the window.

4. I'm not really digging the Mighty Mouse they gave me, is there a better mouse with the feel of a Intellimouse with the hump instead of this flat mouse?

You can buy an Intellimouse. I have the Razer Pro|Click mouse, which I love. Logitech also makes some lice for Macs, so there are lots of options.

How can you enable right click?

Open the Keyboard & Mouse panel in System Preferences, make sure the right button is set to "Secondary Button". Also, remember you have to raise your fingers off of the left portion of the mouse in order for the MM to register a right click.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

And this isn't your
As for the window resizing, to constantly have a browser take up the full screen is a habit developed from Windows. Simple. There is nothing wrong with making it larger, but there is no logical reason for it to consume the entire display. It only needs to be as large as the page you are viewing.

David

This is where your narrow mindedness shines. I personally agree, I don't like to have a window take up the whole screen unless I'm working in Aperture or Final Cut. But suggesting that they need to lose their old habits because they come from windows is ridiculous. It's not a 'windows way' it's a personal preference. Sure it may evolve from Windows, but some people may want to have an app take up the whole screen. I'm sure there are many Mac users who have been using Mac OS for years and they maximize their browser window (my mom is one of them)

 

[davidjearly]

This is where your narrow mindedness shines. I personally agree, I don't like to have a window take up the whole screen unless I'm working in Aperture or Final Cut. But suggesting that they need to lose their old habits because they come from windows is ridiculous. It's not a 'windows way' it's a personal preference. Sure it may evolve from Windows, but some people may want to have an app take up the whole screen. I'm sure there are many Mac users who have been using Mac OS for years and they maximize their browser window (my mom is one of them)

I am not being narrow minded as I did not say that those who have not used Windows before have picked up this habit.

The OP implied it was their first time with OS X, yet they seem familiar with computers. I assumed (accepting that Windows is the most commonly used OS), that this is what they had used in the past.

Now, what I am suggesting is that he/she has inherited this method of browsing (which is all I am talking about here, not all apps) from Windows, and that they should accept there is another way of doing things.

At the end of the day, it is a preference. I believe Apple have the correct implementation and I believe that it is worthwhile trying to adapt to it.

That is all.

 

[xxbrankxx]

Wow thanks for all the replies, you guys truly are great. Got a couple more questions if you don't mind...

I had some large downloads going but I wanted the monitor off while downloading so I put the iMac in Sleep Mode but the files stopped downloading. Is there a way to download files without the monitor on?

Is there a way to have my Cntrl key do what Command does for copy and paste?

Is there a fast way to jump to the desktop? Like in Windows XP you can hit the Windows key + D and it takes you right to the desktop.

Is there a way you can get the End key to take you to the end of a sentence like in Windows?

I installed the DropClock screen saver but it's not listed in the Screen Savers list. Is there a certain way to install it?

Thanks!

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

Wow thanks for all the replies, you guys truly are great. Got a couple more questions if you don't mind...

I had some large downloads going but I wanted the monitor off while downloading so I put the iMac in Sleep Mode but the files stopped downloading. Is there a way to download files without the monitor on?

Is there a way to have my Cntrl key do what Command does for copy and paste?

Is there a fast way to jump to the desktop? Like in Windows XP you can hit the Windows key + D and it takes you right to the desktop.

Is there a way you can get the End key to take you to the end of a sentence like in Windows?

I installed the DropClock screen saver but it's not listed in the Screen Savers list. Is there a certain way to install it?

Thanks!

and here is where I draw the line.

GO BACK TO PC's!

Don't you dare turn your back on the command key. The control key? pfft


but in all honesty it sounds like you'd be happier with windows as right now you're trying to turn OSX to Windows, so why not go to Windows?

 

[bobr1952]

4. I agree...if you want an intellimouse, use one, Mighty Mouse RULES all other mice on a Mac.

Just keep working with your Mac, you'll learn that the Mac way is the best way, and in the end makes so much more sense from a user interface standpoint than anything Microsoft has to offer.

There's even a study on user interface friction that would agree.

Maybe this was a cleverly designed test by Apple to gauge when switchers were totally indoctrinated with their Mac. It seems everyone hates the Mighty Mouse when they first use it--maybe even after they first SEE it. I was that way and bought a different mouse that I used for only a week or so. Then decided to give the Mighty Mouse another try. Now, I totally love it--the shape and feel as well as the ease of use.

I agree--Mighty Mouse Rules!

 

[TheAnswer]

I had some large downloads going but I wanted the monitor off while downloading so I put the iMac in Sleep Mode but the files stopped downloading. Is there a way to download files without the monitor on?

Not while in sleep mode. However you can change your Energy Saver preferences so that your monitor sleeps before your hard drive does.

Is there a way to have my Cntrl key do what Command does for copy and paste?

Just get used to using the Command key. I don't believe there is a universal way to change this, so unless you want to spend hours customizing keyboard shortcuts in every program, just get used to it.

Is there a fast way to jump to the desktop? Like in Windows XP you can hit the Windows key + D and it takes you right to the desktop.

One of the Exposé keyboard shortcuts (F14, I think?) will clear all your windows off the screen, effectively taking you to the Desktop.

 

[Hates]

I had some large downloads going but I wanted the monitor off while downloading so I put the iMac in Sleep Mode but the files stopped downloading. Is there a way to download files without the monitor on?

Yes, you want to sleep the display, not the computer. I've set my bottom left corner as a hot corner to sleep the display if I put the pointer there. Sleeping the machine is basically like turning it off.

Is there a way to have my Cntrl key do what Command does for copy and paste?

Not that I know of. You get used to CMD-C/V/X pretty quickly. I actually prefer it now.

Is there a fast way to jump to the desktop? Like in Windows XP you can hit the Windows key + D and it takes you right to the desktop.

Yes, CMD-EXPOSE, on the new aluminium keyboards that CMD-F3.

Is there a way you can get the End key to take you to the end of a sentence like in Windows?

CMD+LEFT/RIGHT ARROW to jump to the start/end of lines, which makes sense as you can do ALT-LEFT/RIGHT to jump to the next word instead.

I highly recommend you pick up a copy of "Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual". It really quickly cleared up a lot of the things I didn't know how to do when moving from a PC only a few weeks ago. You'll learn so much that, you realise how much more productive you can actually be. Using a PC at work is like having someone put handbrake on.

 

[Verdanice]

And this isn't your preferences that are being preached? My advice? Tone down the hypocrisy.

I personally think the MM is a fantastic mouse. I have used plenty of mice in my time with both Macs and PC's and I still find the MM to be excellent (although I use the wireless, laser MM and not the optical wired one which ships as default).

As for the window resizing, to constantly have a browser take up the full screen is a habit developed from Windows. Simple. There is nothing wrong with making it larger, but there is no logical reason for it to consume the entire display. It only needs to be as large as the page you are viewing.

David

I'm not saying that I hate the Mighty Mouse personally (although of course I do), I'm saying that the thing is loaded with design flaws that I don't think can be justified as features or in any way defended as improvements or high points. It's very likely that the flaws in the design do not affect you to a noticeable extent, and you're very much entitled to your own opinion of course. I wrote a long, long email to Apple when my wireless Mighty Mouse finally gave in about why the thing is absolutely horribly thought out. I got it replaced to fix the issues specific to mine (all of which are coming back a couple months later on the replacement mouse) and was told my long, long description of the issues on the product would go forward to the design team (whether it did or not, I can't say).

To list the main components I have issues with (I'm not particularly inclined to post my entire email):
- The base of the mouse (optimized for the most friction possible as well as the greatest amount of wear, leading to more friction)
- Battery cover (specific to the wireless model, flimsy)
- Sensitivity of side buttons (specific to wired model, too sensitive)
- Inability to disassemble the product to clean roller ball (which is crippled by dust after weeks of use in many situations), in most cases without breaking it and requiring glue if you can do it
- Default OS X setting disabling secondary click (WHY?)
- The entire click mechanism (if you use a mouse pad and reach the end clicking + dragging, the motion is very awkward to continue clicking and move the mouse back to the opposite end of the pad)
- Touch sensitive buttons (can't right click with your left finger on the button, fails sometimes regardless. Tell me the reason to go with a visible single button wasn't purely an aesthetic one)

I went into a whole lot of detail on these, and I don't think the points could be refuted.

But this thread's not about the Mighty Mouse. Sorry about that. I agree with Hates, you should pick up a manual - you seem to be very unsure of a lot of the basics, which is understandable, but if you need to ask every question that comes to mind, it'll take ages to get a firm grip on the OS. Some reading material would be much better. Good luck!

 

[qacjared]

I installed the DropClock screen saver but it's not listed in the Screen Savers list. Is there a certain way to install it?

Thanks!

No one seemed to answer this:

Doubleclick the .saver file which should look like this:

Then this will pop up. Click install.

From there you can select it in Screen Saver Preferences