Configure the clock

Task #6

Difficulty Level 1

How could something as simple as a clock be so important? Try going without the correct time for an entire day! Apple recognizes the value of a good timepiece, and this is reflected in Mac OS X — where you can easily customize the appearance, behavior, and location of the desktop clock in the Date & Time pane of System Preferences.

Panther provides a time announcement feature that I highly recommend. Enable the Announce the Time check box and specify the time period that you want; I find that this automated announcement helps me keep track of passing time while I work.

If you are traveling with your Mac notebook, you will probably need to change the time zone often. Panther makes this easy: Just select the closest city to your current location in the Time Zone pane, which is also a part of the Date & Time pane.

Panther enables you to switch to an international format for your clock’s date and time — but because all international formats are handled from the International pane in System Preferences, you will find a convenient Open International button to take you to the proper settings.

Did You Know?

If your Mac has an Internet connection, you can configure Panther’s clock to automatically update the time from an Internet time server. To do so, in the Date & Time pane, click the Set Date & Time Automatically check box to enable it. You can then click the check box’s drop-down list box to select an Apple Internet time server.