Robin Williams Mac OS X Book, Jaguar Edition, The

Finder Windows vs. Document Windows

Below you see two different windows. On the top is a Finder window, sometimes called a Desktop window, the kind you’ll see when you open a folder or disk on the Desktop. A document window is the kind you’ll see when you are using most applications, or programs, in which you create your work. You’ll notice both sorts of windows have a number of similar features, but the Finder windows are more complex and confusing. I’ll first explain the details of the Finder window, and later in this chapter you’ll see how those features are also built into document windows.

You can tell this is a Finder window because in the menu bar across the top of the monitor, just to the right of the apple, is the word “Finder.” The ...