If you’ve never used a Macintosh, there are a few basic features and commands you need to be familiar with before you can start experimenting with the applications demonstrated in How ComputersWork.
IN THE BEGINNING
When the computer is first turned on, and all your folders are closed, you will see a mostly blank screen. This is called the DESKTOP—it’s where you prepare and use disks, start up software programs and store and manipulate documents. In some programs, the desktop is called the FINDER.
The POINTER is that black arrow that jumps around the screen whenever you move the mouse. You use it to tell the computer what you want to do.
Icons
ICONS are small pictures that can represent a disk, application, folder or a document. The icons shown here represent your HARD DRIVE, a Microsoft Word application, a unnamed FOLDER and the TRASH CAN, which is used to clear your desktop.
Menu bar
The MENU BAR, which runs across the top of the screen, displays the list of menus that contain different actions you can take while you work.
On-Screen Help
If you are using version 7.0 of the Finder, there’s a small balloon with a question mark in the upper right hand corner of your screen. This is actually another item on the menu bar, offering ON-SCREEN HELP from the pop-up menu. If you CHOOSE SHOW BALLOONS, when you place your cursor over a button or MENU title, a small balloon will come up, describing what it does. To turn off the balloons, go back to the HELP window and choose HIDE BALLOONS.
TELLING THE COMPUTER WHAT TO DO
Macintosh follows a basic two-step process for telling the computer what to do: You first identify the object you want to use, then tell the computer what action to take.
BASIC MOUSE TECHNIQUES
There are several basic kinds of commands you can give with the mouse:
CLICK—You click by first pointing to an object with your pointer, and then pressing and quickly releasing the mouse button. When you click an icon, it becomes highlighted. Programs often used the words click, highlight and select to mean the same thing.
PRESS—You press by first pointing to an object, and then pushing down steadily on the mouse button. Don’t move the mouse while doing this. Practice pressing all the titles of the menus. Move the pointer over a title in the MENU bar, and then press and hold the button. The menu appears below the title. These are called POP-UP MENUS (see below). When you’re finished looking at the menu, release the button.
DRAG—You drag by PRESSING on an object, then moving the mouse in the direction you want to move. When you release the button, the object moves to that new location.
CHOOSE—To choose a command from a POP-UP MENU, position your pointer over FILE on the MENU BAR (for example), and PRESS while moving the mouse down. Each command in that menu is highlighted as you pass your pointer over it. When the command you want is highlighted, just release the mouse button.
pop-up menu
DOUBLE-CLICK—You double-click by pointing to an object, then clicking the mouse button twice, quickly. Don’t move the mouse while doing this.
OPENING APPLICATIONS AND FOLDERS
Macintosh has two basic ways of opening an application or folder on your desktop. You can DOUBLE-CLICK on the icon, or choose OPEN from the FILE menu. A shortcut is to DOUBLE-CLICK on the document in the application you want to open. This will automatically open the application and the document. If more than one window is open, clicking on a window makes it the active window. Click on another window when you want to switch.
THE DOCUMENT WINDOW
When you open an application or document, you will usually see the standard Macintosh window, which looks something like this:
There are some basic features common to most Macintosh windows:
TITLE BAR—displays the document title in the middle of the bar across the top. This is also used for dragging a window to a new location on the desktop.
CLOSE BOX—You can close a window by clicking the small box in the upper-left corner.
ZOOM BOX—Click the box in the upper-right corner to toggle between “Full Size” and a smaller “Resized” window.
RESIZE—You can PRESS and DRAG the box in the lower-right corner to change the size and/or shape of the window.
WHEN YOU DO WINDOWS
When a document window is active, the pointer often becomes an I-BEAM when it’s over text areas (see below). Your position in the document is marked by a cursor (the thin line between “good” and “men”).
cursor / I-beam
Reposition the cursor by moving the I-BEAM to the new location and clicking once.
SCROLLING THROUGH YOUR DOCUMENT
If you are working in a document that takes up more than one screen, you’ll want to scroll to view different parts of it. Use the SCROLL BAR at the right edge of the window.
scroll bar
—To scroll line by line, point to the DOWN SCROLL ARROW, and click.
Clicking the UP SCROLL ARROW moves it one line that direction.
— If you PRESS on an arrow, you can scroll—line by line—continuously, until you let go, or reach the beginning or end of your document.
—To scroll to the next window of text, point anywhere below the SCROLL BOX—that square in the middle of the bar—and click. A new block of text scrolls into the window. Clicking above the box will move it in the other direction.
—To scroll through a document quickly, press and drag the SCROLL BOX. This will instantly take you anywhere in the document. This feature is especially useful when you are working with a large document.
QUITTING
Choose QUIT from the FILE menu, or hold down the COMMAND {} and “Q” keys.
