Mac OS X Power Hound, Second Edition

Setting Up

Whether you’ve just started using Mac OS X or switched a long time ago, you should take some time to individualize your new computing world. After all, the odds that Apple came up with an operating system that perfectly suits you, NASA scientists, and the 8-year-old down the street are pretty slim.

Saving Memory

Like it or not, Mac OS X comes with a number of built-in features that you may not need; they also drink up memory and horsepower that could be used for stuff you do care about. Called services in Apple-speak, they include Personal File Sharing, Windows Sharing, Personal Web Sharing, Remote Login, FTP Access, Remote Apple Events, Printer Sharing, and so on.

To limit the amount of memory these services use, simply turn off the ones you don’t need. If you’re not on a network (or the Internet), you don’t need any of them. If you share files with a Mac or a Windows PC on a network, though, leave on Personal File Sharing (for sharing with other Macs) and/or Windows Sharing (for sharing with networked PCs).

To turn these features on and off, choose

→ System Preferences. Click the Sharing icon, click the Services tab, and check off the corresponding checkboxes.

Printer Sharing

It’s a classic problem. You’re sitting in a large office, with printers scattered all over the premises. You print an important document and have no clue where to pick it up. (This situation is especially ...