4.1. Launching Mac OS X ProgramsMany of the techniques for launching (opening) a program work just as they do in Windows . For example:
As the program opens, its icon jumps up and down eagerly in your Dock (unless you've turned off the "Animate Opening Applications" checkbox in the System Preferences Dock pane). What happens next depends on the program you're using. Most present you with a new, blank, untitled document, just like most programs in Windows. Some, like iMovie and iDVD, automatically open the last file you worked on. And a few oddball programs don't open any window at all when first launched. 4.1.1. The Application MenuOnce a program is open, you'll notice a few changes to the menu bar at the top of the screen. The first menu appears with bold lettering and identifies the program you're using. It might say Safari, Word, or Mail, for example. This Application menu (Figure 4-1) offers a number of commands pertaining to the entire program and its windows, including About, Quit, and Hide.
4.1.2. Quitting ProgramsIn Macintosh lingo, you don't "exit" a program when you're finished with it, you "quit" it. And the command to do so isn't in the File menuit's at the bottom of the Application menu. But Mac OS X offers three much more fun ways to quit a program.
4.1.3. Force Quitting ProgramsMac OS X is a rock-solid operating system, but that doesn't mean that programs never screw up. Individual programs are just as likely to freeze or lock up as they are in, say, Windows. In such cases, you have no choice but to force quit the programor, in Windows lingo, to terminate it or "end its task." Fortunately, doing so doesn't destabilize your Mac, meaning you don't have to restart it. In fact, you can almost always reopen the very same program and get on with your life. You can force-quit a stuck program in any of several ways. First, you can Control-click its Dock icon (or just hold your mouse down on it). Once the pop-up menu appears, press Option so that the Quit command now says Force Quit (see Figure 4-2). Bingo: That program is outta here.
Second, you can press Option- -Esc, the Mac's version of the Windows Control-Alt-Delete "three-fingered salute." Third, you can choose Force Quit. Either way, proceed as shown in Figure 4-2. Note: The only downside to force-quitting is that you lose any unsaved changes in the program you just killed . |