Mac OS X Configuration

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Yet another Mac OS X page on this wiki... This time I try to write down my personal preferences how to configure a new user on a Mac OS X system. I only include details about the main elements of the system (e.g. the Finder and some System Preferences) and the most important applications (e.g. Firefox).


Finder

Preferences

  • Do not display any symbols (e.g. hard drives) on Desktop
  • Display "Computer" in sidebar, do not display "iDisk" in sidebar
  • Display all suffixes
  • Do not confirm suffix change

Desktop

  • Symbol size = 128
  • Nach Raster ausrichten

Default Finder window

  • Size
  • Column view


System Preferences

Dock

  • Icon size = Large
  • Position = Right

Exposé & Spaces

  • Spaces
    • Activate Spaces
    • Display Spaces in menubar = yes

Desktop & Screen saver

  • Desktop
    • Set picture
    • Transparent Menubar = no

Bluetooth

  • Enable = false
  • Display Bluetooth status in menubar = no

CDs & DVDs

  • Music CD = do nothing
  • Picture CD = do nothing
  • Video DVD = do nothing

Printing & Fax

  • Add printers

Keyboard & Mouse

  • Keyboard
    • Repeat rate = maximum
    • Delay = minimum
    • Use F1, F2 etc. as standard function keys = yes

Trackpad

  • Two fingers on trackpad + trackpad key executes a secondary mouse click = yes

Sharing

  • Set device name

Users

  • Create users
  • Login options
    • Automatic logon = deactivated
    • Enable quick user change = yes
    • Display type of Quick user change in menubar = short name

Time Machine

  • Disable TM
  • Display TM in menubar = no


TinkerTool

  • Enable the "Quit" menu item of the Finder = yes
  • Use transparent Dock icons to show hidden applications = yes
  • Highlight the current selection when using stacks in grid view = yes
  • Dock position = bottom
  • Scrollbar arrows = together on both ends
  • Enable the diagnostic menu of the Address Book = yes
  • Enable extended options for conversion of disk images = yes
  • Disable the quarantine security warning when opening downloaded objects = yes
  • Allow the Help Viewer window not to be always in the foreground = yes (only available in 10.5)
  • Play titles when importing or converting in iTunes = yes


Firefox

  • When Firefox starts = Restore previous windows and tabs
  • Close Download window when all downloads are finished = yes
  • Languages = en-gb, en, de-ch, de
  • Remember passwords for sites = no
  • Search for text when I start typing = yes
  • Check my spelling as I type = no
  • Automatically check for updates = all no
  • Install CAcert level 1 and 3 root certificates (because Firefox unfortunately does not use the system's keychain)


TextWrangler

  • Editor Defaults
    • Soft wrap text = yes
    • Wrap to = Window width
  • Menus
    • View
      • Next Document = Command + <
      • Previous Document = Command + Shift + <
  • Text Encodings
    • Default text encoding for new documents = Unicode (UTF-8)
    • Note: "If file's encoding can't be guessed, use ..." does not include any of the UTF-8 variants because the guessing algorithm already has eliminated these encodings as a possibility
  • Prevent TextWrangler from adding Type/Creator attributes to the files it writes: defaults write com.barebones.textwrangler Filing:WriteExtendedAttributes Never