Abby Stokes
Page 12
Now, we’re going to use the Close Box. Move the mouse arrow to the Close Box and click once. Good-bye, Solitaire window. Now go back to step 1 on page 110 and bring the Solitaire window back up on your screen, then meet me on page 128. It is the repetition and practice that will make you master of your computer.
• The Solitaire game is now minimized onto the Task Bar.
Welcome, Mac Users
As your computer starts up, you will hear a “ding,” perhaps more of a “bing”—you get the idea. That’s the Mac’s way of saying “hello.” The first thing to appear on your screen will probably be the Mac logo with a spinning circle below it.
The First Step
If you’re turning on a new Mac for the very first time, there are some one-time-only setup procedures that you must go through.
• As the Mac starts up, the screen looks something like this.
If an Everything Mac guide came with your Mac, consult it. Read it along with these simplified instructions. The appearance of a round spinning ball in place of the mouse’s indicator arrow tells you that the computer is working on something and it is best not to use the keyboard or mouse until the spinning ball goes away.
GET THEE TO A COMPUTER
If you haven’t purchased a computer yet but want to continue reading—beware. Much of the book from this point forward is based on information that will appear on a computer screen. You will become very confused if you do not have a computer as a point of reference. Get yourself to someone’s computer so you can follow along.
Identify Yourself
The next thing to appear on your screen may ask you to accept the license terms, then choose the location of the computer (i.e., U.S.). The computer may ask you to choose an Apple ID. Follow the instructions step by step. Once you’ve completed a step, move to the next by clicking on an arrow, the word Next, or the word Continue found on the bottom right of the screen. If any of this becomes too much for you, call a friend over to walk you through the steps, but I suspect you’ll do just fine. For example:
Type whatever ID you want to have on the computer. (You can name it after yourself or your cat—anything you want.) If you want to have the first letters of the name capitalized, you need to use the Shift key, as you would on a typewriter. (There are two Shift keys—one near the bottom left of your keyboard, next to the Z key, and one on the right, next to the ?/ key. It doesn’t matter which one you use.) Depress Shift and hold it down as you type the letter that you want capitalized. If you make a mistake, use the Delete key.
If you are asked to enter a password, you don’t have to. The password feature is really designed for computers that are part of a network or if you’re going to have confidential information on your computer that you don’t want anyone else to access. For the average at-home user, having a password means having to remember it and type it in every time you turn on the computer, which is unnecessary. You can instruct the computer to accept that there is not a password. If you choose to have a password, please be sure to write it down and include it in the packet where you will be storing all your computer information. No one will be able to help you rediscover your password if you forget it.
Wait patiently while this setup process takes place. There may be times that several minutes will go by while the computer is working. You may be asked to register your computer or to set up your Internet connection. Skip both of those steps for now.
A GENTLE TOUCH
If you hold down a key on the keyboard, it will keep ttttttttttyping. Use a quick depress and release to hit the key you want without having it rrrrrrepeat.
The Mac Desktop
A non-laptop computer is called a “desktop” computer. The main screen display of your computer is also called the “desktop” (whether it is on a desktop or laptop). Isn’t the English language a beautiful thing?
Your screen is now displaying the desktop. Think of it as the top of your desk in a virtual office. From this screen you can access everything that your computer has to offer, just as you can access what you need on your office desk. The desktop is your home base.
While you are here, find the brightness control on your monitor. If you have a desktop the brightness control could be a dial somewhere on the bottom or side edge of the monitor. (Refer to your computer manual to locate it if you can’t find it.) The brightness control could also be located on one of the keys of your keyboard (it is on laptops). Look for a small image on a key (usually found above the row of number keys) that resembles a sun. Fiddle around with the control until the brightness of the screen is right for you. There is no standard about what is the appropriate brightness—it’s what you find comfortable.
What you see in this illustration may not exactly match your screen. The small icons offer access to different programs and parts of your computer. They are like doors but instead of knock, knocking to open the doors, you click, click, or “double-click” on them. You will get to know each of these icons and their capabilities in due time. But for now let’s learn more about how to move about the computer.
• Your Desktop may appear slightly different from this one, but it will offer the same basic features.
Oops—I Made a Mistake
If you make a mistake, you can erase your typing (from right to left) by using the BkSp (Backspace) or Delete key. (Both can usually be found on the upper right section of your keyboard next to the + = key.) Depress it once for each letter that you want to erase. If you hold your finger down on the key, it will continue to move and delete until you lift your finger up. You definitely have more control when you depress and release the key with each character than when you hold the key down.
Manipulating the Mouse
Learning how to use the mouse is not unlike learning how to drive a standard-shift automobile. Do you remember how awkward it was trying to figure out when the clutch was in the right position to give the car gas or hit the brake? And do you remember how many times the car stalled before you got the clutch timing right? Well, welcome to the mouse. As you eventually conquered the clutch, you will eventually conquer the mouse. I promise. Let’s try.
TENSION IS YOUR ENEMY
There’s no reason for you to feel any tension or strain in your hand. Manipulating the mouse is a task that requires accuracy, not strength. If you feel strain, your hand is not relaxed, and it should be. You’re probably concentrating too hard or your hand is in an awkward position. Periodically stop what you’re doing and focus on your hand. If you feel any strain, relax your hand and try a slightly different position.
• If you bought a desktop computer, gently rest your hand on the mouse with your index finger positioned on the upper portion of the mouse. If you bought a laptop with a touch pad, place your index or middle finger on the pad.
• Slowly move the mouse or your finger around, and you’ll notice that the arrow on the screen moves according to your manipulation of the mouse. If you have a desktop computer, lift the mouse off the mouse pad and move it around. You’ll notice that when the bottom of the mouse doesn’t have contact with a surface, there’s no movement of the arrow on the screen. Place the mouse back on the mouse pad. If you find you don’t have enough surface space on the mouse pad, simply lift the mouse off the pad (your arrow will stay in place on the screen) and reposition the mouse on the center of the pad.
• Do not press down on the mouse yet, and be careful not to put pressure accidentally on the mouse while you move it around. If the mouse seems out of control, use very small hand or finger movements to make it move much slower. Over time you can go faster, but for now we are striving for optimum control of movement.
• Whatever type of mouse you use, try to keep your hand relaxed and tension-free. It takes very little physical effort to move the mouse.
CLICK AND GO
1. Move mouse to upper right corner.
2. Move mouse to lower left corner.
3. Move mouse to lower right corner.
4. Click on File.
>
5. Click on New Folder.
• Slowly move the mouse arrow to the upper left corner of your screen. Now move it to the upper right, lower left, and lower right corners. Did the arrow ever disappear off the edge of the screen? Sometimes that happens when you get close to the edge of the screen. No harm done—gently move the mouse around a bit and the arrow will reappear on the screen. Don’t ask me where it goes when this happens—it’s the computer’s version of hide-and-seek.
• Now slowly move the mouse arrow to the word File at the top left of your screen. If you’re using a desktop computer or an external mouse, depress and release the button under your index finger. If you’re using a touch pad, use your thumb to depress the button below the pad and release. There is no need for the mouse to move when you depress the button. Keep your eye on the screen and your hand steady.
• Now move the mouse arrow onto the words New Folder, and then release the button. Keep your hand very steady so the arrow won’t move from its position. If you’re having trouble hitting your mark, take your hand off the mouse. Give your hand a rest; maybe shake it a bit. For some people this is easy, and for others it takes a few tries. When you’re ready, try again.
CLICK AND GO
6. Click on Untitled Folder.
7. Click on File.
8. Click on Open.
9. Click on Close.
• When you release the mouse button, a new icon looking like a file folder with the words Untitled Folder enclosed in a box below should appear on the screen. We need to open this folder to produce a window. Move the mouse arrow onto the folder itself (not the words below) and depress the mouse button and release. The folder should now be highlighted.
• Move the mouse arrow back up to the word File (at the top left of the screen). Depress and release the mouse button. Now move the mouse arrow down to the word Open and depress and the mouse button. You have just opened a window on your computer screen!
• Now we’re going to close the window. Find the red circle box in the upper left corner of the window. This is the Close Box. Move the mouse arrow inside the Close Box. An X appears in the circle. It is important that the tip of the arrow is inside the Close Box, not on the edge of the box. Keep your hand steady so the mouse won’t move from its position. Depress and release your mouse button. The Untitled Folder window has now disappeared. Well done.
If the box hasn’t disappeared, there is nothing wrong with you or the computer; you simply didn’t click the mouse correctly inside the Close Box. Keep your eye on the mouse arrow on the screen and do not move the arrow when you depress the left button of the mouse. It’s very common to move the mouse as you depress the button. That will unfortunately make the mouse click off-target. Keep trying—you’ll get it eventually. Remember it is like driving a car—keep your eye on the road (the screen), not the steering wheel (the mouse).
AN INDICATOR ARROW BY ANY OTHER NAME…
There are many names for what appears on your screen and moves according to how you manipulate the mouse. I tend to call it the mouse arrow, the arrow, or the mouse (e.g., move the mouse arrow to the happy face). You may find it called the pointer, indicator, or cursor elsewhere. Whatever it’s called, it gets the job done.
EEK! It’s a Mouse!
The mouse has a variety of functions. All of the tasks that the mouse performs are accomplished by moving the mouse to the designated area and depressing the button.
In some ways it is more chameleon than mouse. You won’t see its many mutations until later, but the chart on the next page shows the different faces and what they mean.
* * *
“I thought I would never be able to control the mouse. It took me a long time to feel comfortable with the clicking and the movement. I made a lot of mistakes along the way, but eventually it got easier. Sometimes I don’t even think about it now—I just do it.”
—Eileen
* * *
To Click or to Double-Click, That Is the Question
As I’ve said before, to click the mouse means to depress and release the button. Clicking the mouse instructs the computer to perform a task (such as open a document). This can take a single or a double click. A single click is accomplished by depressing and then quickly releasing the button. To double-click, you depress, release, depress, release in quick succession.
There is no clear way to explain when to single- or double-click. Generally, you double-click on an icon to open it, allowing you to access an application software program. Remember, think of it as a knock, knock to allow entry to the program. Usually when you’re in a program (typing a letter or playing a game), you single-click on something to perform a task. You’ll get the feel for what’s best to do when. If you single-click when a double-click is necessary, you’ll know because you won’t accomplish your desired task. If you double-click when a single click is called for, nine times out of ten nothing is affected. On occasion the double click opens another window unexpectedly, but you can press Esc (Escape key—upper left on the keyboard) to correct things or click on the Close Box or a blank area on the screen to get rid of the unwanted window.
What It Means
This is the most common look for the mouse arrow. In this form it tells the computer where to take an action. When you move the mouse arrow, you need to be sure that the point of the arrow is on whatever you want to click on.
When you move the mouse arrow into a text area, it changes into an I-beam. This shape can be positioned easily between letters or numbers to mark where you want to make editing changes. This shape can be referred to as the cursor.
This round spinning ball indicates that the computer is busy performing a task. You shouldn’t use the keyboard or the mouse until the clock changes back to an arrow.
A hand with the index finger pointing indicates that if you press the mouse button, more information will become available. This configuration is seen often when you’re on the Internet. It is the finger of the hand that must be on the item desired—just as it is with the point of the arrow.
I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN, BUT MAYBE I CAN’T DOUBLE-CLICK
It may be that double-clicking is giving you some trouble. You have a second option. When you’re required to double-click to open an icon, you can single-click (to highlight the icon) and then depress and release the Return key on your keyboard.
Let’s Experiment
It’s time to experiment with the mouse arrow on your desktop screen to become familiar with its movement.
1. Place your hand on the mouse (with the tail or cord of the mouse pointing away from you) and move the mouse arrow to a blank space on the desktop screen. (Don’t click on an icon yet.)
2. Click the mouse button by depressing and releasing it with your finger.
3. Now depress and release the mouse button two times. Try it again and do it as fast as you can. Continue double-clicking until you’re comfortable with the action. For some people, double-clicking can be kind of tricky.
Learning the Parts of a Window
Reopen the Untitled Folder that you created on page 121 by moving the mouse onto the folder (not the words below) and double-clicking. If you are having trouble with the double click, you can single-click on the folder to highlight it, then click on the word File at the top left and single-click on the word Open. Your Untitled Folder window should now be open.
Look at the window. The words at the top of the screen are contained in the Title Bar. In the far left corner of the Title Bar is the Close Box. In the left corner of the Title Bar are two more circles. The green circle on the right is the Zoom Box, and the yellow circle in the middle is the Collapse Box. There is also the Size Box (sometimes called the Grow Box) in the bottom right corner. (We’ll go over this later.)
These same features will appear on most windows that you open on your computer. There will always be a Title Bar at the top that tells you which window you are viewing. There will always be a Menu Bar, a Close Box, Zoom Box, and Collapse Box. Once y
ou learn to use these features in this window, you will be able to use them on any window.
Zoom Box
When you use the Zoom Box, it makes the size of the window as large as possible. The advantage of this is that you will see more of what is contained in that window.
Move the mouse arrow to the Zoom Box and click once. It’s a little tricky to position the arrow exactly inside the box. If you’ve clicked successfully on the Zoom Box, you’ll see that the Untitled Folder window now takes up more of the screen. Note: Sometimes the window thinks it’s maximized, but it isn’t taking up the entire screen. In that case the window can be maximized by using the Size Box. We’ll play with the Size Box later.
To restore the Untitled Folder window to the size it was when you started, move the arrow back onto the Zoom Box and click once. If the window is now the original size, you did it right.
Collapse Box
When you use the Collapse Box, it shrinks the window to its smallest form on the Dock at the bottom or left of your screen next to the Trash. The advantage of this is that you can access the window quickly but it isn’t taking up space on your screen.
Let’s see the Collapse Box in action. Move the mouse arrow onto the Collapse Box and click once. If it seems as though the box has disappeared, leaving behind only the Title Bar, you have successfully collapsed the window. To restore the window to its original size, move the mouse arrow onto the Dock and click on the Untitled Folder once. The Untitled Folder window is back on your screen.