Mac OS X Pocket Reference

Chapter 5. Task and Setting Index

This final section of the book shows you how to configure and administer your Mac OS X system using the System Preferences and the Applications and Utilities that come with Mac OS X.

The book wraps up with a table that lists the special characters you can create from the keyboard.

Task and Setting Index

After rooting through all of the System Preferences and looking at the Applications and Utilities that come with Mac OS X, you’ll quickly find that there are literally hundreds of ways to configure the settings for your system. In some cases, we’ve provided instructions for how to perform tasks using the GUI tools and by issuing Unix commands in the Terminal. Which is faster or easier to use is up to you to decide (but you’re likely to realize quickly that the power of Unix is unmatchable by most GUI tools).

This section provides shorthand instructions to help you configure and use your Mac OS X system as quickly as possible. Each task is presented as the answer to a “How do I . . . " question (e.g., How do I change the color depth of my display?), followed by the shorthand way to execute the answer (e.g., System Preferences → Display). We’ve divided the tasks into the following ten categories:

Customizing the System (Section 5.1.1)

Files and Folders (Section 5.1.2)

Fonts and Font Management (Section 5.1.3)

Searching for and Locating Files (Section 5.1.4)

Obtaining Information About the System (Section 5.1.5)

Internet, Web, and Email (Section 5.1.6)