Aoraki Macintosh User Group Home Page

Snippets from Previous Meetings

New From Apple

Sheryl gave a brief outline of some of the new hardware and applications available from Apple:

Macbook Pro laptops now come with enhanced specifications (and prices!). Safari 3 is the latest version of Apple's web browser. It needs MaxOS 10.4.9 to run, and has a number of new features including an Inline Find, Text Field Selection, and Private Viewing, which prevents other users from knowing what has been browsed.
Final Cut Pro (professional movie editing software) is available in a new version.

Thank you Sheryl for giving us this up-to-date information.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Several computing queries and suggested solutions included:

TOAST DVD COPY

When IÕve used Roxio Toast to copy a DVD, the file seems to remain on my computer, even after quitting Toast. Where is it, and what can I do about it??

• When Toast writes a CD or DVD it 'converts' the audio/video files into CD/DVD tracks which it then refers to as 'Converted Items' and it keeps copies of these. To find where the copies are stored, click on the Toast Menu/Preferences, then click on the Converted Items button. This shows you the Converted Items Folder Location, which defaults to the Roxio Converted Items folder in your User Documents folder - you can select another location if you want to.

Also on the Preference Pane is a pop-up menu where you can select if/when you want the Converted Items deleted - if you select 'When Toast Quits' it allows you to make multiple copies in a session if needed. One of the choices is 'Never' - which means that copies of items burned to CD/DVD will accumulate on your HD.

PREVIEW SIZES

How can I see what size an image will be on the page before I print it? ?

• Other than the

KIDPIX SLIDESHOWS

A slideshow made in one version of KidPix sometimes won't play in a different version. What can be done?

• There are sometimes problems moving files between KidPix 3 (MacOS 8.1+) and KidPix 4 (MacOS 8.6-9.2 and MacOS X native). One possible solution would be to save the pictures as JPEG files, then play them as a slideshow in another application such as AppleWorks, QuickTime or PowerPoint.

ADDRESS BOOK PHOTOS

How do I insert a photo into an Address Book card?

• A photo can be be inserted into the square frame to the left of the name fields on an Address Book card. Before making any changes to a card you must click the Edit button at the bottom left corner of the card, then you can add/delete fields as well as changing the information in them:

Double-click on the photo field to bring up an editing window (above, right), then drag the photo into it - or you can copy then paste it (Apple C then Apple V). Fine-tune its appearance by dragging the image to place it as desired, and zooming in/out by dragging the blue button on the zoom slider at the bottom. Click Set to place the photo in the card.

Sessions

MacBASICS: FINDER TIPS

You've probably heard these tips before, but have you remembered them? Tony shared a variety of basic Finder Tips with members, some of which were...

• Moving Items Between Drives: We all know how simple it is on Macs to move items from one location on the computer to another by dragging their icons, but when we drag items between drives (eg. from Hard Drive to flash drive)the item is copied, not moved. If you want to move instead of copy, press Apple while you drag.
• Making an Alias: If you make an alias of an item by selecting it and going to File Menu/Make Alias (or by typing Apple L) an alias is created with the suffix 'alias'. If you do it by holding Apple,Option while you drag the item to a new location, no Ôalias' suffix is appended to the resulting alias.
• Dock Icons: Add icons for documents/applications/folders by dragging them to the Dock, and rearrange them by dragging within the Dock. Application icons must be placed to the left of the vertical dividing line, and folders/documents to the right of it.
• Column View Preview: You can preview many files without opening them by using Finder's Column View. Previews of drawing/painting documents, audio/video files and images can all be seen/heard.
• Finder Window Switching: Quickly switch between Finder Window Views by typing Apple 1 (Icon View), Apple 2 (List View) or Apple 3 (Column View).
• Faster Mac: Want to speed up your computer? DonÕt have too much on the desktop - or put the items into several folders on the desktop. Also, if you use Dashboard, have open only the widgets you use frequently.
• Exposė: Quickly switch between open windows by using Keyboard Shortcut keys: F9 (all windows), F10 (application windows), F11 (desktop) and F12 (Dashboard). These are the default keys, and are customisable in System Preferences.
• Default File Opener: Choose which application you want to always open a specific file by selecting the file, then typing Apple to open its Info Window. Under Open With, select the application you want.
• Finder Window Switching: Quickly switch between Finder Window Views by typing Apple 1 (Icon View), Apple 2 (List View) or Apple 3 (Column View).
• Fast Trash: Trash items quickly by selecting them, then typing Apple + Delete.

Acknowledgements to MacGroup Detroit for the article in which these tips were listed.

ITUNES - NEW FEATURES

Ricky (our resident iTunes expert) gave us an update on several new features which have been introduced in the current version (v 7.3) of iTunes:

Cover Flow Full Screen View: Cover Flow, in which albums can be selected by browsing through their downloaded artwork, now has a full-screen display option as well as the Cover Flow panel view in the main iTunes window. Switch by clicking the Ôfull screenÕ button on the Cover Flow panel:

This facility in the iTunes Store contains downloadable research articles on a variety of topics from selected US universities.

Another optional extra which gives a better-than-usual audio quality on downloaded tunes, at a slightly higher cost.

Thank you Ricky for introducing these new features.

SEARCH APPLICATIONS

Sheryl and Tony compared the principal features of Spotlight (MacOS X's inbuilt search facility) and Google Desktop, which Hugh mentioned at the May AMUG meeting. Both provide the ability to search your computer to find information, but in different ways. Quoting from the the May AMUG minutes:

• Google Desktop allows you to search your computer for files, e-mails, web history and other files in much the same way as Spotlight, but goes much further. Whereas Spotlight indicates in which files/folders the relevant search material is found, Google Desktop displays the material in context, eg:

• It also displays search results found in previous versions of the file which are cached on you computer - even if they have been deleted and the trash has been emptied!

Visit http://desktop.google.com/mac/ for detailed information and download.

Thank you to the presenters of this session for this further explanation.

SHEEPSHAVER

Last year Barry introduced us to Sheepshaver, which is described as 'an open-source PowerMac emulator'. It is a freeware application which enables a PowerPC environment to run on a computer which uses a different operating system, such as the newer Macs which are powered by Intel chips, as these do not support Classic (pre MacOS X) applications. Sheepshaver is a 1.2MB download, and runs applications in MacOS 7.5.2 through to MacOS 9.0.4. Barry gave a demonstration of how Sheepshaver works, and commented that it may not be straightforward to configure (contact Kim if you necessary!)

Thank you Barry for this demonstration.

GOOGLE MAPS

Tony gave an introduction to several features of Google Maps. This website enables you to enter a position and have it located on a map, and also gives directions on how to get from one place to another and provides maps on which suggested routes are marked. Zooming in on the maps gives a high degree of detail:

Visit http://maps.google.com/ More available on-line information!!

Thank you for this session.

WWDC KEYNOTE

Barry gave an overview of the Apple World-Wide Developers' Conference held in San Francisco. Unusually for Apple no new hardware products were announced at the conference (which given the release of the iPhone wasn't surprising), but instead Steve Jobs gave demonstrations of a number of features which are to be included in Leopard, AppleÕs latest version of Operating System X (MacOS 10.5). View a QuickTime Movie of his keynote address at: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/wwdc07/

Thank you Barry for this summary.