Mac OS X in a Nutshell

Logging Out and Shutting Down

When you’re done using your Macintosh, there are two ways to bring your session to a close: shutting down, and logging out.

Because Mac OS X is a multiple-user system and a server platform, you should choose to shut down the computer only if nobody else on your local network is using it or the services it provides. This includes both the other human users on the system, who might be logged into it remotely (see Section 7.5 in Chapter 7) or using network-shared volumes (see Section 13.7), as well as people or programs using any running network services (described in Chapter 7).

For example, if you are using printer sharing (as described in Chapter 8) to let other computers in your home or office use the printer connected to your Macintosh, then shutting down the Mac will also make that printer invisible to the other machines. The same goes for any web, mail, or other network services the machine may be running. On the flip side, if you are the sole account holder of your Mac, connect through the Internet via dial-up, and do not run any public network services, then it won’t hurt to shut down when you’re all done for the day.

Logging out is the better option for Macs that are shared by many users, or that act as network servers. When you log out (via

→ Log Out, or Shift-

-Q), then all the programs you launched since you logged in will terminate (Aqua ...