Introduction

Mac OS X, now in the Lion release (version 10.7 for those of you who aren’t crazy about big cats), is the software that runs all Macintosh computers from the top-of-the-line Power Mac to the extremely popular MacBook laptops. This software provides the desktop from which all your activities start, enables you to configure and personalize your Mac, and controls all the applications and the many processes that are required to make your Mac do all the great things it can do. Along with the operating system itself, Mac OS X Lion includes many applications that you can use to surf the Web, email, chat (text, audio, and video), keep track of your time and contacts, and much more. Learning how to use Mac OS X Lion enables you to get the most fun and productivity from your Mac; this book helps you tame this lion (sorry, I had to make a bad pun with this at some point so I figured I’d get it out of the way early).