h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi,

I'm not a Mac user at home(Linux actually) but we have a MAC computer cluster at university, it's very nice, but I can't quite work out how to do the following on it.

1. switch windows without using the mouse.

2. Refresh "My Conversations" window.. F5 doesn't work, and you can't left click and refresh that way...

Any ideas guys?



Z

Hi Z

I think most Mac users have a tendency to use windows rather differently from PC users. We have overlapping windows all over the place that don't fit the screen so we just click on the bit of the window we can see.

Command - tilde (Command is the key next to the space bar and tilde means ~ ) should cycle through the windows in a given appication but it doesn't work on some keyboards. To choose a window in a given application, use the Windows Menu.

f5 refreshes the page for me. Alternatively you can click and hold on the page you want to refresh and a contextual menu should appear. Holding down Control while clicking does the same thing. Or you can provide a toolbar for the Conversations window by selecting the appropriate bit from the view menu.

Amy

Gosh that's all a bit complicated, - I don't think it's as easy to use a Mac in a less fasion as it is a PC. Where I very rarely use a .

But I'll give it a go next time I'm in the CC..

Try Command-R for the refresh too - it really depends on which web browser you are using. The Mac keyboard commands tend to be mnemonic whenever possible - "R" for refresh, "P" for print, etc., much easier to remember than F5. And you're right, the Mac tends to be a little more mouse-intensive than windows.

And thanks, Amy. I've been using a Mac since 1986 and never new about the tilde key switching windows - but it's command-tilde for me, not control-tilde. Maybe that's an OS X versus OS 9 thing.

That's what i said, i think. Command - tilde.

The University Macs have IE and Netscape installed I tend to use IE for some reason, though I'm an opera user at home. But they don't let you install your own softwear.

I'll try command and R to refresh..

Indeed you did. Somehow two paragraphs coalesced in my brain.

Instead of right clicking, click and hold will work as already mention, or ctrl - click for something a little more instant

The latest version of the Mac OS, version 10.3 Panther has a new feature called "Expose'" that allows for elegant ease in switching between open windows ... hopefully, your university will be upgrading soon. They'll be quite pleased if they do.

With Expose', all it takes is a touch of the F9 key to tile all your open windows on the desktop, allowing you to click on the one you wish to use, or you can simply browse through them using the TAB key. The F10?thread="smiley - ok" title="ok" class="smiley" src="http://www.h2g2.com/h2g2/skins/Alabaster/images/Smilies/f_ok.gif"/> Let's keep it coming, Apple.

There is no mention of the system software being used by Z.

And I am disappointed that nobody has been childish enough to visit all the unintentional links...

turvy

...or which uni...

Can't be Verginia Tech with the 1100 unit G5 cluster...

turvy

That would be Virginia...



turvy

We know which Uni - Birming-ham, England. Therefore we can deduce which OS and didn't need to ask .

Speak for yourself, JT. I was certainly childish enough to check out all the unintentional links.

Yes, good point ... one that I was aware of, but failed to ask ... which Mac OS version is being used at the aforementioned uni?

Ah.

It's Birmingham University, I don't know which OS is being used on them, but they're iMacs and have been there since 2000 when iMacs first came out, and we all thought that they were exiciting and new.

I'm afriad that we're busy raising money for a new lecture theatre. So we won't be getting new computers or softwear for a while.

So, my dear Watson, it'll be 8.6 or 9 as I imagined.

The question remains Amy, how could you work that out from knowing which Uni I'm at..

I'm talented, all right?