Learning method

General points
Window
Files and Folders
The Finder
Softwares
Dock*
Apple menu*
Scanning panel
Mouse action
Internet
Electronic mail
Keyboard shortcuts
Markers
Tricks*
Preferences
System Preferences*
Researches*
Making scanning panels I*
Making scanning panels II*
Internet

The first thing to do, is to choose an access provider, and ask for an internet junction. Most are free, for example :

http://www.yahoo.com/

http://www.aol.com/

http://www.lycos.com/

When you have an email address and your connection parameters, you connect your computer to the phone plug and you introduce your connection parameters, given by your access provider.

Configuration : choose “Network Preferences” after “Location” in Apple menu. A window appears, click “Assist me” at the bottom of the window. It opens “Network Setup Assistant” application, and then let yourself be guided through.

Internet Connect : its icon is a white and purple disc, first key, third column, last row of the Keyboard and Mouse bis scanning panel. You open this application if you have a simple phone connection. If you have ADSL, you do not need it, for when you switch on your computer, it automatically branches to your access provider. If the Internet Connect icon is not in the Dock, I recommend you put it, not for your sake, but for others who do not use SwitchXS. Once connected to your access provider (choose “Connect” in the Connect menu, or type “Command D” () keyboard shortcut, or type Return), open Safari, its icon is a compass (second key, second column, last row of the Keyboard and Mouse bis scanning panel). 

Safari : it is the browser (see chapter Softwares) given with Mac OS X operating system, but there are plenty of others, the most known one is Netscape (see chapter Softwares to download it). Write in the white field, top window, the address (called URL) of the web site you want to reach ; most ones start by http://www., but sometimes you do not have “www” ; then type Return. You are on the web site.

Bookmarks : if you know you will often come back to the site on which you are, you can index it, by choosing “Add Bookmark” in the Bookmarks menu, or by typing “Command D” () keyboard shortcut. The next time you want to go on that site, no need to type it’s URL, just choose it in the Bookmarks Bar of the Bookmarks menu. If you have plenty of indexed URLs, you can put them in folders, by choosing “Show All Bookmarks” or “Add Bookmark Folder” in the Bookmarks menu.

Links : clicking a link of a web page makes you go to another web page, or another part of the same web page. Generally links are words or groups of words, in blue, and underlined, but it is not always so (on this page, links are black) ; links can also be pictures. You can recognise them by approaching the mouse cursor, which takes the shape of a hand when being on a link. To avoid using mouse, which is not convenient for SwitchXS users, you can scan all over links of a web page by typing “Tab” or “Option Tab” (second column, forth row of Keyboard and Mouse bis scanning panel), when you reach the right link, a switch will stop the scanning, type Return to pass to the attached page.

Text Fields : are white rectangulars intended to writing. When approaching mouse cursor on a text field, it takes shape of a vertical stroke, as in a text. You can scan all over text fields and buttons of a web page by typing “Tab” or “Option Tab”, you choose it in “Advanced” of the Safari Preferences. Ticking “Press Tab to highlight each item on a webpage”, makes Tab scan the links and Option Tab scan the text fields and buttons, not ticking it, makes the opposite.

AutoFill Form : you often have to fill text fields of a web page, with name, address, phone numbers, etc…, which is long and boring, Safari can do it for you, either with what is written in your Address Book, either with what you filled a first time, and your computer remembers. You go to the first text field, and choose “AutoFill Form” in Edit menu, or type “Shift Command A” () keyboard shortcut. But just filling the first text field is often enough, Safari finishes the task.

History : in the History menu, you can pass to the site’s Home page, which is the first page, you can pass to the previous page (either by choosing “Back”, or by typing “Command [“ keyboard shortcut), or to the next page (either by choosing “Forward”, or by typing “Command ]” keyboard shortcut). But the most interesting in that History menu is finding rapidly web pages on which you went the days before.

View : when you have left a web page for a time, you need to reload it in order to make it active again ; either choose “Reload Page” in that View menu, or type “Command R” keyboard shortcut. You can make text bigger (either by choosing “Make Text Bigger”, or by typing “Command +” () keyboard shortcut), or smaller  (either by choosing “Make Text Smaller”, or by typing “Command -” () keyboard shortcut). For those who can read HTLM language, it can be interesting to read how the page is written, so choose “View Source” in that View menu.