Washington Apple Pi

A Community of Apple iPad, iPhone and Mac Users

January 2008 Retired SIG: Got Leopard? Session 2

By Len Alder

We took a survey of the group before launching a review of Leopard--and guess what? Of the 15 attendees, some got it but had yet to install it, one knew nothing about it (having just ordered his first Mac and waiting for it to arrive), several owned copies but were waiting for a moment of greater clarity and confidence, and a few had been working with it. The question of how to protect existing files when loading the new operating system came up. Apple suggests backing up all data just to be safe. Without opening an application, we looked at the means of storing and then finding files.

Quick Look and Cover Flow, two new features, work well to show photos, iTunes albums and graphic files without having to open a program. Use these features when you have an idea what to find, but can’t remember what name you labeled the file.

Attention then turned to creating a screen saver out of your photos.  There are now three display styles available, and you can experiment with them using the buttons under the preview screen in the “Desktop & Screen Saver” pane of System Preferences.

Two visitors joined. One came with a friend from DC and was a self-described “virgin;” he decided we were his kind of people: “congenial” and we welcomed him. Another had recently come over from the Dark Side, saw notice of the Retired Pi on the Internet, and came because we were discussing Leopard.

Since we did not get to even half of the 300 new features, we will continue learning about Leopard in future months. The essence of the Pi is members sharing knowledge and support with other members, and that’s what goes on at Retired SIG meetings that make attending fun too.

Next month’s focus: “Let’s Make a Movie:” during the session, using photos and movies brought in, we will play with iMovie and iDVD to produce our own blockbuster product.