Mac Hacks

Chapter 4. Hacks for a More Informative Mac

Using your Mac is a two-way street: you create things and send them to the larger world and, in turn, you can see what’s going on just about anywhere and digest it in front of your computer. What if you want to get the information that’s important to you in a more passive manner? You could use something like News Notifications (which costs 99 cents in the App Store) and have Notification Center notify you of stories, but perhaps that seems disruptive. What if you want to see information that doesn’t demand your attention and appears on your desktop unencumbered by Finder windows and desktop items? You can have all that with just a little bit of effort that pays off over time as you use your computer. This chapter explains how.

Hack 19. Quit the Finder

The Finder is just another program, so why run it if you’re not using it? If you’re using the Dock, Spotlight, or a third-party launcher as your primary method of navigating to and launching files, the Finder isn’t doing you much good. Don’t be frustrated by the lack of control over the Finder—add an option to quit.

The Finder in OS X is likely both the most-used program and the most loathed. The Finder seems perpetually stuck halfway between behaving like the Finder in Mac OS and behaving like a web browser. Fortunately, there are many options to use instead of the Finder. Users who like raw speed can rely on Quicksilver (http://qsapp.com). Those in love with Spotlight are more than happy to ...