1. Introduction to Computers
Mac

2. Mac OS Basics Like Linux it was based on UNIX
Instead of being open source, Apple decided to make their design proprietary
Mac OS is a very closed system, designed only to run on certain hardware and software
It’s possible to get around some of these limitations with third party software, but it requires work

3. Mac OS Versioning
The current MAC OS version is OS 10, or OS X. It has been around since the early 2000’s, but it is kept up-to-date by having different versions
We can refer to these different version as either their number (10.12) or their name (Sierra)
Each version provides new features and utilities like new versions of Windows

4. Mac Keyboard Keys
The Mac keyboard has a few different keys that Windows users will not be familiar with, or may work differently than they expect
Command works like the control key in Windows. For example, if I wanted to copy some text, I would use command-c and command-v
Control is used for other keyboard shortcut commands, including control-click to “right click”
Option usually works in conjunction with control or command to alter keyboard shortcuts. For example command-h hides the current app, command-option-h hides all apps except for the current app
Function is used to access the F1-F12 keys. Without pressing this, the function keys will perform different system functions. This may be familiar to laptop users

5. HFS+ File System and System Compatibility
Stands for Hierarchical File System
The important thing to know about this is that Mac uses different file types and stores files differently than Windows, so a hard drive created in a windows computer will be incompatible in Mac OS and vice-versa
Mac OS will not recognize Windows programs since it does not use .exe files and will not be able to run them. Instead they use .app files

6. How An App Works in Mac OS
An .app file is actually a directory
Remember in UNIX files and directories are not differentiated. A directory is just a file that lists other files
An app file is a directory that holds the necessary files to run the app on the system, including the UNIX executable
To install an app Mac OS will use a .dmg file. This is a disc image file, and when run it creates a virtual disc drive that contains all of the files to install in a compressed format
Due to how .app files work, when installing most applications you can usually just place the .app file in your applications directory, and to uninstall it, just remove it

7. The Dock This is the equivalent of the taskbar in Windows
The dock is where currently running apps will be displayed
This is where we can add frequently used apps and frequently accessed files and folders for quicker access
Apps get added to the left, and files and folders get added to the right, called the stack
On the far right is the trash. This works similar to recycle bin in Windows

8. Mac OS Settings
Just like Windows, we have a lot of customization options for features
The main difference between Mac OS and Windows for settings is that Windows requires you to apply changes, while Mac OS applies the changes as soon as the option is selected

9. Spotlight Utility
Spotlight allows you to search your computer for files, applications and folders
Its functionality has been expanded to to also search the internet and provide quick answers to questions for example asking the weather or currency conversions

10. Mac OS Menu Bar
Apple menu - view system info, configure system options, and access power options
App menu - like Windows 8 app bar this is a context sensitive menu bar for the open app
Status menus - shows the status of your computer and offers quick access to certain functions

11. Finder App This is the Mac equivalent of file explorer in Windows
Left hand side has your favorites, which is populated by frequently used folders as well as user-added folders

12. System Preferences
This is a unified location to change system settings, including OS appearance, desktop appearance, security, network settings, etc.
Equivalent to Control Panel in Windows
Searchable. When you enter a search item, it will highlight the appropriate categories for that entry

13. Key Chain Password and security utility
Holds system root certificates as well as website passwords, router passwords and network logins
You can also use it to store secure notes, banking information for example
Can be encrypted so that you need to login in order to see its information

14. Mission Control
Allows you to see all running applications and refocus the computer like alt + tab in Windows
Accessed by pressing control + up or dragging an app to the top of the screen
Allows us to access multiple virtual desktops like task view in Windows 10

15. Terminal App Equivalent to Windows Command Prompt
Commands are similar to Linux, since both were built on Unix
For example; pwd displays the present working directory
Great tool for troubleshooting for networking and file permissions

16. Force Quit
When an app becomes unresponsive you may need to force it to quit
You can do this by bringing up the force quit window from the apple menu or by pressing command + option + escape
For critical system functions, the option to force quit will change to relaunch, since we cannot run the system without it