BeginnerMac.com

It’s no lie that the Mac community is a colorful bunch. They have their own Expo, there are numerous magazines , books , and countless blogs and websites. So it’s not that far out that they would have their own language right? I mean, the computer industry itself has all these different terms, definitions, etc… just in order to communicate what’s going on with our beloved tech gadgets. So I thought I’d take a couple of minutes and hopefully be able to define some of the Mac jargon.

Apps: (applications) – sometimes referred to as “programs”. There are the actual components on your Mac that allow you to accomplish a task. Mail would be an app. iCal would be an app, and so on.

Bluetooth: a wireless technology used to create a temporary connection between two blue-tooth enabled devices. Bluetooth technology is used in instance where the two devices are in close proximity, such as a cell phone and headset or a mouse and your mac.

Dock: usually located on the bottom of a Mac’s desktop, the Dock holds icons, minimized and running applications.

Force quit: to force an application to shut down. On a PC, it’s known as Control+Alt+Delete. On a Mac the key combination is Option+Apple+Esc (but you won’t really have a use for it).

MobileMe: an online service offered by Apple. Having a MobileMe subscription allows you to have server/storage space online. It’s great for hosting pictures, files, syncing calendars, and even hosting a blog or website. More to come on this…

Screenshot: also referred to as a “screen grab” – to take a picture of what’s on your screen.

This is literally just the “tip of the iceberg”. There are a thousand other terms. Some are related specifically to the Mac platform, and others could be just general computing terms. So, I’d like to know what terms you are confused about. Click the “Comment” button on this post, leave a comment, and I’ll do my best to answer you question. If you like, you can subscribe to the newsletter by going up to the top of this page, and fill in your name and email. Make sure you check back, or subscribe to the RSS feed to stay updated. Another option is if you’re on Twitter, you can follow @beginnermac and speak your question there.

(The picture used at the top of this post is from a great book entitled “The Cult of Mac”. If you are interested in some of the genesis of the Mac culture, this is a great read.”

The Cult of Mac (Paperback edition)