Here are tips to help you get the most out of your operating system.

GENERAL MAC TIPS

1. Scale Not Genie.

Using the "Genie Effect" to open and close items from the Dock is fun -- for the first time or two. But after the novelty wears off, you'll most likely discover that it draws more processing power than it's worth.

In Mac OS X 10.1 you have a new option called "Scale." It's still cool looking, but it's more efficient CPU-wise. To enable Scale, open the Dock Preferences panel and choose "Minimizing Using Scale Effect."

Switching to Scale doesn't mean that you can't still impress your friends, however. Hold down the SHIFT key while minimizing to create the slow-motion effect that you've seen performed in Apple demos.

2. Create a PDF file

Many people don't realize that you can create an honest to goodness PDF file from nearly any Mac OS X file. What's the advantage of this? PDF files can be opened by Adobe's Acrobat Reader, which is available for nearly every platform on the planet. You can send PDFs to your Windows, Linux, and even Palm OS friends, and it reads exactly the same as it does on your Mac. They're easy to make once you know how.

Open a document in your favorite application and then choose PRINT. At the bottom of the Print dialogue box you will see a button that reads PREVIEW. Click it and it will process your document and open the Preview application that's included with Mac OS X.

You'll notice that when your document is displayed in Preview, it already looks like a PDF file. Now all you have to do is choose FILE, then Save As PDF, and Mac OS X will convert your document into a real live PDF. Now you can send it to anyone, anywhere.

3. Access iDisk via AirPort.

In Mac OS X 10.1, you might have a hard time accessing your iDisk while connected to the Internet using AirPort. The solution? Get the IP address that your ISP uses and enter it in the Domain Name Servers box in the Network Preferences Panel. This trick also works when you're having a hard time connecting to a public network via your AirPort card.

4. Go International.

Mac OS X has more than 20 languages built right into it, and you can set up your computer to operate in any of these languages via the International Preference panel. If you really want to maximize this benefit, set up different user accounts in different languages. That way, you can decide which language you want to use when you're logging-in

5. Show Off Your Pictures.

Mac OS X has one of the best slide show applications ever created, and it's built right into the OS. Apple has cleverly disguised this gem as a screen saver. But don't let that fool you. You can use this application to show off your best images anytime you want.

Create a folder within the "Pictures" directory in your User account. The path is: Users --> Your Name --> Pictures. Give your slide show folder a descriptive name such as "Yosemite Vacation," and add a dozen or so images to the folder. The best size for these pictures is 1024 pixels wide.

Now open the Screen Saver Preference panel and choose "Slide Show" from the list of available options. Select the "Configure" button and you'll be greeted with a dialog box that allows you to choose your folder of pictures that will be the source for your slide show. If you want to preview your presentation, hit the "Test" button.

Finally, click the "Hot Corners" tab and indicate which corner of your display activates the slide show. When you want to show off your pictures to your friends, simply move the mouse pointer to your hot corner, and the slide show begins. Try it; it looks great!

6. Use Print Center for Hassle-Free Printing.

Hidden deep within your "Utilities" folder is Print Center, the hassle-free application that connects your Mac with any available printer. Just make sure your printer is connected to your Mac, or to the network your Mac is connected to, then launch Print Center and choose your printer. It's that easy.

7. Make Classic Your Friend.

As of Mac OS X 10.1, Classic launches with reasonable speed and puts many of your favorite "older" applications within reach. To make this process easier, try this handy tip.

Reboot your Mac so that it launches with Mac OS 9.2 (you can select this in the "Start Up Disk" Preference panel). Then load your favorite System 9 applications into the System 9 application folder. Launch them and get them configured the way you like. Then reboot again choosing Mac OS X.

Now that you're back in Mac OS X, configure Classic to your liking in the Classic Preferences panel and launch it. Once Classic is running, all you have to do is find your System 9 application -- in the Applications (Mac OS 9) folder -- and double-click it. The program will launch and appear on your monitor.

Once it's running, you'll see that the OS 9 program has placed an icon on the Dock. Hold down the CTRL key and click on the icon. You'll see a pop-up menu that gives you the option, "Keep in Dock." Highlight that option.

Now your favorite System 9 application will stay on the Dock alongside all of your brand-new Mac OS X programs. To launch the program, simply click on its icon on the Dock. Classic will automatically load, followed by your old program launching. It's as simple as pie.

Other Tips

• Mac OS X Command Key Tip: To select multiple noncontiguous items in list view, hold down the Command key (the Shift key equivalent in Mac OS 9)
• Mac OS X Create Alias Newbies Tip: To create an alias in a specific location rather than in the parent folder, hold down the Command and Option keys while dragging the item to the preferred location.
• Mac OS X Dialog Tip: Hit the Esc key to close a dialog.
• Mac OS X Dock Cycle Tip: Similar to Mac OS 9, hit Command + Tab to cycle through open applications in the Dock.
• Mac OS X Dock Enclosing Folder Tip: Hold down the Command key while clicking on an application icon in the Dock to open the application's enclosing folder.
• Mac OS X Dock Hide Tip: Hold down Option and click on an open application's icon in the Dock to hide the frontmost application's windows and bring the selected application to the front.
• Mac OS X Finder Window Move Tip: To move a Finder window without making it active, hold down the Command key and drag the window.
• Mac OS X Folder Open Tip: While in the Finder, to open a folder in a separate window, hold down Command and double click on a folder.
• Mac OS X Force Quit Tip: Similar to Mac OS 9, hit Command + Option + Esc to force quit an application (a window will open with a list of open applications so that you can select the one you wish to quit).
• Mac OS X Help Newbies Tip: While in the Terminal app, type in man "command" to display the online manual or "help" pages for a particular command. For instance, to find out additional information about the cd command, type: man cd.
• Mac OS X List View Folder Open Tip: While in list view, hit the Right Arrow key to open a selected folder and the Left arrow key to close a selected folder.
• Mac OS X List View Newbies Tip: Did you know that to select an icon in list view you don't have to click on just the name or icon? You can also click on any part of the listed information for the file (date modified, size, kind, etc.) to select.
• Mac OS X Packages Tip: Interested in seeing the package contents for an application? Control click on the application and select Show Package Contents
• Mac OS X "SloMo" Effect Tip: Hold down Shift while minimizing a window to (or maximizing a window from) the Dock to display a "slow motion" effect.
• Mac OS X Startup Tip: Hold down Command + V while starting up Mac OS X to start up in verbose mode.
• Mac OS X Startup Tip II: Hold down Command + S while starting up Mac OS X to start up in single-user mode.
• Mac OS X Terminal Tip: Type in a letter in the terminal app and hit Control + D to see a list of commands that begin with said letter.
• Mac OS X Terminal Completion Tip: In the Terminal app, hit the Tab key to complete directory names or filenames. For example, type: cd /A"Tab" to complete to: cd /Applications/ This allows you to navigate deep into the hierarchy with only a few keystrokes (usable for both completing filenames and command names). In case there is ambiguity, a list of possibilities is displayed.
• Mac OS X Terminal Directory Open Tip: While in the Terminal app, type in open . to open the current terminal directory in a new Finder window (make sure to type in open space period)
• Mac OS X Terminal IP Address Tip: While in the Terminal app, type in ifconfig -a to see your current IP address and associated information.
• Mac OS X Terminal Processes Tip: While in the Terminal app, type in ps -aux to see what programs are running on your Mac.
• Mac OS X Terminal System Stats Tip: While in the Terminal app, type in top to show an ongoing sample of system usage statistics.
• Mac OS X Terminal Users Tip: While in the Terminal app, type in w to see what users are logged in and what they are doing.
• Mac OS X TextEdit Unsaved Tip: When a document's changes have not been saved, a dot appears in the close button of the document's window.
• Mac OS X Trash Tip: Hold down Option while selecting Finder menu item: Finder > Empty Trash to bypass the Empty Trash confirmation dialog.
• Mac OS X Unix Calendar Newbies Tip: To display the current month's calendar, type in cal in a shell window in the Terminal app.
• Mac OS X Window Collapse Tip: To "collapse" all open Finder windows to the Dock, hold down Option and double click on the active Finder window's title bar.
• Mac OS X Window Move Tip: Similar to Mac OS 9, to move a background window without making it active, hold down the Command key and drag the window.
• Mac OS X Public Beta Command Key Tip: To select multiple noncontiguous items in list view, hold down the Command key (the Shift key equivalent in Mac OS 9 and below).
• Mac OS X Public Beta Dock Cycle Tip: Similar to Mac OS 9, hit Command + Tab to cycle through open applications in the Dock.
• Mac OS X Public Beta Dock Enclosing Folder Tip: Hold down the Command key while clicking on an application icon in the Dock to open the application's enclosing folder.
• Mac OS X Public Beta Dock Folders Tip: Drag a folder to the document part of the Dock as a "pseudo" replacement for popup windows.
• Mac OS X Public Beta Dock Hide Tip: Hold down Command + Option and click on an open application's icon in the Dock to both hide other open application windows and bring the selected application's windows to the front.
• Mac OS X Public Beta Dock Hide Tip II: Hold down Option and click on an open application's icon in the Dock to hide the frontmost application's windows and bring the selected application to the front.
• Mac OS X Public Beta Force Quit Tip: Similar to Mac OS 9, hit Command + Option + Esc to force quit an application (a window will open with a list of open applications so that you can select the one you wish to quit).
• Mac OS X Public Beta Items/Free Space Tip: In Mac OS X Finder windows, the left side of the window can show both the number of items and the amount of free space. If the window is not big enough to show both, only one is displayed. To toggle between the two, click on the one displayed.
• Mac OS X Public Beta Packages Tip: Interested in seeing the package contents for an application? Control click on the application and select Show Package Contents.
• Mac OS X Public Beta Restart Tip: The Special Menu in Mac OS X doesn't have a Restart command by default. Hold down Option while selecting the Special Menu to make Restart available.
• Mac OS X Public Beta "SloMo" Effect Tip: Hold down Shift while minimizing a window to (or maximizing a window from) the Dock to display a "slow motion" effect.
• Mac OS X Public Beta Startup Tip: Hold down V while starting up Mac OS X to start up in verbose mode.
• Mac OS X Public Beta Terminal Completion Tip: In the Terminal app, hit the Tab key to complete directory names or filenames. For example, type: cd /A"Tab" to complete to: cd /Applications/ This allows you to navigate deep into the hierarchy with only a few keystrokes (usable for both completing filenames and command names). In case there is ambiguity, a list of possibilities is displayed.
• Mac OS X Public Beta TextEdit Unsaved Tip: When a document's changes have not been saved, a dot appears in the close button of the document's window.
• Mac OS X Public Beta Trash Tip: Hold down Option while selecting Desktop item: Special > Empty Trash to bypass the Empty Trash confirmation dialog.
• Mac OS X Public Beta Window Collapse Tip: To "collapse" all open Finder windows to the Dock, hold down Option and double click on the active Finder window's title bar (assumes double-click title bar to minimize is active in the General Preferences pane).

• Seven Mac OS X Tips by Derrick Story posted at http://www.macdevcenter.com
• Mac OS X Tips by William Bailey posted at http://macos.about.com