May 9, 2007 at 04:27Effective Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a very beautiful axis with many usefulnesses and is ugly easy to manage and use even with the default settings and settings - this is a fact. But I'm interested in efficiency and, so to speak, ample use of the entire OS. This prompted me to write this post and explain in detail what I am doing to increase the FE * when working on my 12 "iBook. Also this post and my skills can be useful to the switchers who just bought their first mac. So, from word to deed.
I hate crap desktop. Excessive icons, files and folders on the desktop - in FIG! all icons and files, folders - everything is on figs from the desktop. I leave only the most necessary: the icon on the hard drive, maybe one or two smart-daddies, some kind of file. No more. Icons of drives, usb flash drives, digital cameras, etc. when connected, appear / disconnect themselves, so I don’t even think about them. Downloaded files are immediately sent to the Downloads folder. The desktop should always be clean .
If you think that they are for convenient and quick launch of programs, then you are mistaken. Do not think that I am a fan of “delete”, but ... I do not have a single extra icon in the dock on Mac OS X. I have only 3 of them at all: finder, dashboard & trash. Have you noticed that when you start a program, it appears in the dock? So, dock is needed to fill it with running programs.
It is important to install dock where it seems most convenient to you. It’s most convenient for me to keep it in the bottom center, while the dock itself does not take up much space, I reduced it in System Preferences.
How a person uses a computer is a whole philosophy. Purely psychologically, any user is structured so that, often, daily working with a computer, he launches a certain set of programs in a certain sequence. This is such a subtle moment that you barely notice it when you work with your computer every day.
Actually for this very reason, by placing the dock in a convenient place, you will automatically get used to hovering the mouse cursor for a particular action with a certain program (close, restore a window, open properties, etc) to a specific place on the screen.
And for the same reason, a wonderful program was invented, which I talk about in the next block.
At first glance, Quicksilver may seem like a terrifying tool and very uncomfortable. It would seem, why remember the names of programs if you can set icons in dock? And why change Spotlight to QS? Quicksilver is a mega-cool tricked-out program launcher, a search engine for your poppy and take a word, it makes life very easy.
As I said earlier, usually every user uses certain programs in their daily lives. For example, I immediately turn on Safari, Adium, Skype, Mail, Textmate, and sometimes I need to work in Lightroom, iGTD or play a couple of my favorite toys. Quite a bit familiar to me names, is not it?
Using Quicksilver is very simple - it is called a hotkey, which is configured at your discretion. The standard view of the program appears:
We drive in the keyword in the upper part, and a short description and possible action appear in the lower part as the word is typed, and on top under the name of the program / file we see the location on the hard drive. In addition, on the right there will be a drop-down list with all the results. Pressing the Return button will launch what you stopped when typing keywords.
In QS, it’s not at all necessary to type the full name of the program; it’s what you need for it. And this is just a small part of what Quicksilver can do. By and large, it deserves special attention and a very large overview of the possibilities. You can write entire chains of actions, open a link on a key URL in your favorite browser, you can configure different triggers, there are a bunch of plugins .
You can also add Sticky Windows . If you have an iBook, then the 12 ”screen is sometimes a little small. Anyway, clogging the desktop with a bunch of open windows of different programs is disgusting :). Sticky Windows solves this problem. Watch the off -screen demo screencast .
Another important point. Mac OS X thinks for you where you need it. Therefore, buying yourself a Mac, get used to simplicity and order immediately. :)
* KE - efficiency coefficient.
The original of this post can always be read on my blog .
Clean desktop
I hate crap desktop. Excessive icons, files and folders on the desktop - in FIG! all icons and files, folders - everything is on figs from the desktop. I leave only the most necessary: the icon on the hard drive, maybe one or two smart-daddies, some kind of file. No more. Icons of drives, usb flash drives, digital cameras, etc. when connected, appear / disconnect themselves, so I don’t even think about them. Downloaded files are immediately sent to the Downloads folder. The desktop should always be clean .
Dock Icons
If you think that they are for convenient and quick launch of programs, then you are mistaken. Do not think that I am a fan of “delete”, but ... I do not have a single extra icon in the dock on Mac OS X. I have only 3 of them at all: finder, dashboard & trash. Have you noticed that when you start a program, it appears in the dock? So, dock is needed to fill it with running programs.
It is important to install dock where it seems most convenient to you. It’s most convenient for me to keep it in the bottom center, while the dock itself does not take up much space, I reduced it in System Preferences.
Why is it important to immediately put the dock right?
How a person uses a computer is a whole philosophy. Purely psychologically, any user is structured so that, often, daily working with a computer, he launches a certain set of programs in a certain sequence. This is such a subtle moment that you barely notice it when you work with your computer every day.
Actually for this very reason, by placing the dock in a convenient place, you will automatically get used to hovering the mouse cursor for a particular action with a certain program (close, restore a window, open properties, etc) to a specific place on the screen.
And for the same reason, a wonderful program was invented, which I talk about in the next block.
Quicksilver is our everything
At first glance, Quicksilver may seem like a terrifying tool and very uncomfortable. It would seem, why remember the names of programs if you can set icons in dock? And why change Spotlight to QS? Quicksilver is a mega-cool tricked-out program launcher, a search engine for your poppy and take a word, it makes life very easy.
As I said earlier, usually every user uses certain programs in their daily lives. For example, I immediately turn on Safari, Adium, Skype, Mail, Textmate, and sometimes I need to work in Lightroom, iGTD or play a couple of my favorite toys. Quite a bit familiar to me names, is not it?
Using Quicksilver is very simple - it is called a hotkey, which is configured at your discretion. The standard view of the program appears:
We drive in the keyword in the upper part, and a short description and possible action appear in the lower part as the word is typed, and on top under the name of the program / file we see the location on the hard drive. In addition, on the right there will be a drop-down list with all the results. Pressing the Return button will launch what you stopped when typing keywords.
In QS, it’s not at all necessary to type the full name of the program; it’s what you need for it. And this is just a small part of what Quicksilver can do. By and large, it deserves special attention and a very large overview of the possibilities. You can write entire chains of actions, open a link on a key URL in your favorite browser, you can configure different triggers, there are a bunch of plugins .
What's next
You can also add Sticky Windows . If you have an iBook, then the 12 ”screen is sometimes a little small. Anyway, clogging the desktop with a bunch of open windows of different programs is disgusting :). Sticky Windows solves this problem. Watch the off -screen demo screencast .
Another important point. Mac OS X thinks for you where you need it. Therefore, buying yourself a Mac, get used to simplicity and order immediately. :)
* KE - efficiency coefficient.
The original of this post can always be read on my blog .