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About OS X:
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OS X Desktop
Mac OS X continues one of the Macintosh platform's most cherished traditions - the freedom to personalize your own computer, right down to the little things that may not seem like a big deal to a systems administrator but that matter to you. Like the way you want to see your list views, the size of your icons, your desktop picture and so on.
The New Finder
By the way, in earlier versions of Mac OS, "Finder" referred to the entire desktop. In Mac OS X, the Desktop and Finder are different things. The Desktop is your work (or play) area and retains the behavior you're familiar with, easing the transition to Mac OS X. Based on feedback from Mac OS X Public Beta users, you'll find an Apple menu and a clock in the top corners of your desktop.
The redesigned Finder gives you three different options for viewing your file systems. In addition to the popular icon and list views Mac OS 9 users are familiar with, Mac OS X features a new column view designed to make it easier to navigate deep file systems and see what's in them at a glance.
This revamped Finder is your way into your computer and network. In fact, network access is incorporated into the Finder to make connecting to AppleShare volumes or other network file systems simple and as easy to navigate as a local drive. The new Finder gives you a single familiar interface for accessing files and applications, as well as all resources connected to your Mac - everything from externally connected storage devices like FireWire and USB hard drives to CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs, digital cameras and the Internet.
Want to keep using Stickies to remind yourself of things you need to do? Be happy: Stickies are one of the many fun things that have made a smooth transition from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X. So you can keep leaving little reminders to yourself in yellow, blue, green, pink, purple and gray. In that sense, the more things have changed, the more they've remained the same.
But you'll notice the enhancements, too. For instance, if you're a bit of a pack rat and can't bear to get rid of stuff (just in case you might need it later), we have good news for you: We've redesigned the Finder to simplify storing, organizing and retrieving your files.
Introducing the Dock
The Dock is one of many new features that come with Mac OS X. It stays at the bottom of your screen and gives you instant access to the things you use most on your Mac. It organizes everything from your documents and apps to websites and QuickTime movies, and it includes new takes on features familiar to Mac OS 9 users (like, for instance, the Apple menu and the Applications menu).
To put items within easy reach, simply drag and drop them into the Dock. You can even do this with website links dragged directly from Internet Explorer or finder folders.
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The Dock holds as many items as you want to keep there. As you keep adding items, the Dock expands until it reaches the edges of the screen - at which point the icons in the Dock begin to shrink proportionately to accommodate additional items. To make these sized-down icons more easily recognizable, Mac OS X includes a new feature called magnification: when you pass your cursor over the icons, they magnify to a preset maximum resolution.
The Dock displays icons that give you useful visual feedback about the items you store there. The icon for Mail, for example, tells you if you have new messages. Store an image file and the Dock shows it in preview mode, so you can tell what it is without opening it.
You'll never miss the old Application Switcher. From now on, to switch between tasks, simply click any application or document and it becomes the new active task. Not sure what an icon represents? Just move your cursor over it. The title of the document, folder or application will appear right above its icon.
What's up, Dock?
You can also use the Dock to modify the system preferences you use most, like the display preference shown here. Click and hold on the icon, and a handy popup window appears showing you your options. Select a new setting, and - presto - your changes are effective immediately.
In addition, the dock dynamically tracks the windows of running applications. That makes it easy to get to any window - even if you have 50 of them open. Just click and hold to see the document titles and even other options such as quitting that application. If you've stored a Finder folder in your Dock, clicking on its popup window will allow you to navigate the folder structure. Try it. You'll like it.
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