The Mac *OS *Operating System

How to find your
Mac’s OS
• Click the Apple Menu in the
upper left corner
• Notice there are a lot of
choices!
• All of them will eventually be
covered but for now...
• Scroll to and release on About
This Mac

About This Mac
• Tells you your Mac’s OS Version
• Gives you direct access to
Software Update (also available
from the Apple Menu)
• Tells you details about your
Mac’s processing power,
memory and the hard drive that
is running your Mac
• Gives you access to More Info
about your Mac

What is an Operating System (OS)?
An Operating System consists of the programming code that makes your
computer functional. It comes with your computer and, for all intents and
purposes, you cannot alter it. There are a number of operating systems,
including the Mac OS, Windows, and Linux.
As with all operating systems, the Mac OS has undergone a number of
transformations (also known as versions), with the current version being
OS X. OS X has developed in leaps and bounds, and its most current
version is 10.5.2, also known as Leopard.
You can learn more about Leopard by watching a guided tour on Apple’s
web site: http://www.apple.com/macosx/guidedtour/

The Less Technical Explanation
(not that the previous explanation was exactly technical!)
All people have a Human Operating System.
It’s what allows us to walk and talk and process information. It comes
hard wired into us from inception.
The computer’s OS is what allows it to communicate with devices
(such as printers) and process information, and is hard wired into the
computer as it is manufactured.
Just as humans have different personalities, so, too,
do computer operating systems, for instance, OS X
for the Mac, and Windows Vista. (Not to confuse
the issue, but it is now possible for Macs to run the
Windows OS!)
Sometimes the Human OS has a glitch, leading to
differences in learning styles. The Computer OS also
sometimes has glitches, accounting for why things do not
always work as expected. In both instances, it is worth
enjoying the OS’s for the marvel they are!

And the last thing I’d like you to know about the
Mac OS ...
It is a GUI, which stands for Graphical User Interface.
The Interface is the portion of the Operating System with which you, as the user,
interact. It is the combination of icons and menus with which you communicate
with your computer.

Made for My Mom
(Using Apple’s Keynote)
My Mom (seen at right at The
Apple Store in White Plains, NY)
has a 20 inch iMac. She’s pretty
cool with using it for email and
reading the news online. This
series of Keynote slide shows is
to answer all of her questions
(well, maybe not ALL, but
hopefully a lot of them!) and to
introduce her to more of her Mac.