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The Mac OS X screen can hold windows and other objects. In its simplest form, shown in Figure 1-1, you see a background scene, a menu bar at the top, a bar containing icons at the bottom, and an icon for the hard disk from which your Mac starts. You may also see icons for your Mac’s CD drive (or DVD drive) and any network drives that your Mac is connected to.
The parts of the screen are: the desktop, which takes most of the screen; the menu bar across the top; the Dock across the bottom; desktop icons, which can be anywhere on the desktop; and the mouse pointer, which can be anywhere on the screen.
The desktop is the entire screen except for the Dock and the menu bar. Windows, dialog boxes, and icons (such as the icon for your Mac’s startup disk) are displayed on the desktop. You can store aliases, which are icons for your favorite applications and documents, on the desktop (see Chapter 2). You can drag windows, dialog boxes, and icons around the desktop. Double-click an icon on the desktop to open it.
Highlight an Object on the Screen
Highlight an object (a button, an icon, a border) on the screen by pointing to it. Point at an object on the screen by moving the mouse until the tip of the pointer is on top of the object.
Select an Object on the Screen
Select an object on the screen by clicking it. Click means to point at an object you want to select and quickly press and release the mouse button.
Open or Start an Object
Open an object or start an application by double-clicking it. Double-click means to point at an object you want to select and then press and release the mouse button twice in rapid succession.
Open a Context Menu for an Object
Open a context menu, which allows you to do things to an object, by control+clicking it. control+click means to point at an object you want to select, hold down control, and quickly press and release the mouse button. If your mouse has two buttons, you right-click by quickly pressing and releasing the right mouse button.
Move an Object on the Screen
Move an object on the screen by dragging it. Drag means to point at an object you want to move, then press and hold the mouse button while moving the mouse. You will drag the object as you move the mouse. When the object is where you want it, release the mouse button.
The menu bar gives you access to the commands in the active application. Only one application can be active at a time; the active application is said to have the focus.
At the left end of the menu bar is the menu. This menu is referred to as the “Apple menu” and provides access to system-wide commands, such as configuring your Mac, logging out, or shutting down your Mac.
At the right end of the menu bar are information icons and small menus called menulets.
The Dock, which appears at the bottom of the screen by default, contains icons for frequently used applications, documents, and folders. “Use the Dock,” later in this chapter, shows you how to understand the icons on the Dock and work with them.
Note | Throughout this book you’ll see phrases such as “open File” or “choose Go.” These tell you to click a menu in the menu bar (File or Go in this case) in order to open it. |
A desktop icon represents an application or folder that can be started or opened and moved about. Double-click a desktop icon to open or activate it.
The mouse pointer, or simply the pointer, shows where the mouse is pointing. Move the mouse to move the pointer.
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