Moving, Copying, and Renaming Objects
Moving a file or folder in Finder is as easy as dragging its icon. Some rules apply to what you can move and where you can move it, however, and you can perform more specific actions—such as copying files or creating aliases—through modifier keys.
File Permissions
First
of all, due Mac OS X’s strict, Unix-style file
permissions, you might not be able to move or otherwise modify a file
or folder. Anything in your home folder is generally malleable, and
if you’re in the system’s
admin group, you can choose to modify certain
system-level folders, such as /Applications.
Otherwise, you may see a dialog box like the one in Figure 2-15, informing you that you lack the credentials
to perform some action with the filesystem. If you still need it
done, contact an administrator of this Mac. If you
are an administrator (or the
Mac’s sole user!) and see this dialog, then you may
be trying to manipulate root-owned files that
the system doesn’t want people messing with, such as
those in the /System folder. Refer to Chapter 5 for more information about these and other
special folders.
Figure 2-15. A permission-denied dialog box
Exactly what fate befalls a file when you drag it depends upon where you drop it, and if you were holding down modifier keys at the time.
See Chapter 5 for detailed information about Mac OS X’s file permissions system and user accounts. ...
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