By BRIAN SCHWARTZ Cybertalk

Last month’s column covered some interesting programs, shortcut keys and features inside Microsoft Windows XP. Because we do have quite a few Apple users reading this column, I’ll dedicate this month’s column to some neat and useful features, shortcuts and other interesting items within Apple Mac OS X.

Shortcuts

Just like Microsoft Windows XP and Vista, Mac OS X also allows users to use shortcut keys. In Windows, you would use the Ctrl key to initiate shortcuts on the keyboard. Mac users will use the Apple or Command key to use shortcuts. Some of the basics include copy by hitting Command+c, cut by hitting Command+x, paste by hitting Command+v, undo by hitting Command+z, etc. Using redo is a little trickier. You can use redo by pressing Shift + Command+z. You can hide a window by hitting Command +h, however, this does not minimize the window to the dock. To minimize a window to the dock, press Command +m.

If you are running Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, here is a keyboard shortcut exclusively for you. Not all programs in Leopard can do this yet, but once the programs get rewritten in the newer OS, they will gain the Dictionary Lookup shortcut.

If you use any programs built into Leopard, you can find out the definition of a word by placing your pointer over the word and pressing Control+Command+d on your keyboard. A small little bubble will pop up next to the word with a definition. You also can look up the word in the thesaurus from the same little bubble. It’s a nice feature if you stumble into some new words now and then.

Features

Mac OS X comes with many powerful and cool programs. There is a calculator program just like in Windows XP. There also is a simple program called Preview. Basically, it is a preview program. Try and open any picture, PDF document, etc. and Preview will open it quickly and easily. But just as the name implies, it is a preview only. You can’t edit what you open. You must use a different program for that.

A full New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, an Apple Dictionary and direct access to Wikipedia also can be found in the Dictionary program.

All versions of Mac OS X also come with the full iLife Suite. Depending on when you purchased your Mac depends on what version of iLife you have. iLife includes an outstanding photo organizing and editing program called iPhoto, a DVD movie creator called iDVD, a Web site-creating program called iWeb and a movie editing program called iMovie.

Apple Mac OS X has tons of options to offer prebuilt right into the operating system. With the so-so success of Microsoft Window Vista thus far in its existence, many people have made the jump from PC to Mac.

Schwartz, a graduate of Cloverleaf High School and the Medina County Career Center, is a student at the University of Akron.