Mac OS X in a Nutshell

Chapter 4. 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. Finding all these items in the interface can sometimes be a challenge.

This chapter provides a comprehensive listing of settings and tasks that can be performed with the System Preferences, Applications, Utilities, and from the command line in the Terminal application. In some cases, we’ve provided instructions for how to perform tasks using the GUI tools and by issuing Unix commands in the Terminal. It’s up to you to decide which is faster or easier to use (but you’re likely to realize quickly that the power of Unix is unmatchable by most GUI tools).

The tasks in this chapter are sorted alphabetically by their function, rather than by the application or utility name. Headings show major functional groupings (like “Accessibility” or “Display”). These group miscellaneous entries up until the next functional grouping.

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 (for example, “How do I change the color depth of my display?”), followed by the shorthand way to execute the answer (e.g., System Preferences → Displays).

If you’re new to Mac OS X, or if you just want to jog your memory when you ...