Can anyone tell me how to get one of these photos as my background? When we had a PC I would just right hand click and choose background. On the Mac it does not give me this option.

I think there is a probably quicker way, but this one works for any version of OS X:
1) Download the picture, saving it in the folder of your choice. The [your home] > Library > Desktop Pictures is a good choice, but it doesn't matter as long as you remember where it is.
2) Open System Preferences (probably in your dock or available from the Apple menu, but otherwise in Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities
3) Choose the Desktop & Screen Saver option.
4) Choose the tab for Desktop.
5) In the list of folders on the left, either choose the appropriate folder or choose the Choose folder... option and select it from the dialogue box.
6) Choose the picture you want from the box on the right.

Alternative method:
1) Use firefox (which does have the "set as desktop background" option).

- cfr

press the "apple key/button" and click...that should be the same as a right click i believe...


...and how do i know this? I'm like the anti-mac.

I right click and choose "Save image to desktop". Then right click on the desktop and choose "Change Desktop Background". Then "Choose Folder", choose the "Desktop" folder, and click on the image.

auntie mac? ... is that YOU ??? .. after all these years .. you never write


I'm not going to mention how the original poster pointed out, in blind innocence, that things are easier on a PC


auntie mac .. call me

I just open up the full size image and drag it to my desktop pictures folder.

wow, this changing-the-wallpaper-on-a-mac-talk is hurting my little brain....

Trash the stupid thing and go back to a PC. Macs are PC's now anyway after their big sellout and sacking their processors for the Intel version. All hail AMD.

actually macs are good...dont trash it. I want one. quality > quantity

yes, windows are so good they had to get mr.ives from apple to redesign the Vista interface for them when the preview got booed off stage....

vista and mac os...huge difference. Havent you seen the video with the guy talking about the differences? ;-)

of course they are different, superficially at least, but apple have managed to shoe horn some distinctly mac like features into longhorn :-)

right click on PC = ctrl + click on mac (if you're stuck with Apple's one-button mouse)

Dare I mention... viruses? worms? trojan horses? Which would you bet on: an unprotected PC running Windows with a broadband connexion or an unprotected Mac running OS X (or earlier)? Some of this is just market share, but not all of it. (Outlook Express anybody?)

Also, try compiling software on a Windows machine without forking out the extra dollars... or running TeX, which can be done, but isn't easy and is somewhat restricted...

And... and... and...

Except fractal software sucks.

- cfr

i'm confused...which side are you for?

Who runs an unprotected PC on the Internet?

me _

Wanna buy some virus cleaning software? I guarantee you need it.

My computer is running fine. It just slows my computer down and ooooo, they do crazy things to it...i think anti-virus software is overrated.

(*Computer crashes*)

I would bet any amount of money you have anywhere from 6 to a dozen or more viruses on your computer right now. Not to mention a ton of spyware and a keylogger or two.

As long as I don't notice it, I'm happy. :-)

Happiness is not hiding ones head in the sand. One day your puter will just bonk....keep current backups....sadly though all those viruses, spyware, and keyloggers will be in your backups too....that's a no win.

I keep a little voodoo doll on my monitor ... so far it has worked ..


(*throws salt over shoulder, burns effigy, knocks on wood*)

Oh then you use Norton Anti Virus.

NEVER! NORTON IS THE DEVIL. I would take 1000 viruses over norton's anti-vi.

i think this one has run as far as it needs to - never an elephant gun to hand when you really need it.

I take the blame for going wwaaayy off topic. Anyways, did the applekey + click work?

It's _ctrl_ + click for "right click" - not the command (apple) key. Unless you've remapped the keys, of course.

I'm on the side of open-source, though I'm using a Mac and I'd take Mac over Windows any day. Except I can't find any decent fractal software for Mac. Suggestions welcome...

And lots of people run unprotected or under protected PCs on the net. If they didn't, my students would not have sent me so many viruses by email - when I had students, that is. And they were all entitled to free antivirus software with free updates.

- cfr

Why doesn't oh so clever Mac just do a right click? Too easy maybe?

it does do. and has done for quite some time now.

Ok.....that settles that....can I kill this thread now?

yes please.

Ok consider it done.

Mac does right click, but apple ships single-button mice...

- cfr

no - they ship the mighty mouse either wired or bluetooth, which may look like a single button but actually isnt (has 4 plus a scroll ball). OSX has always been able to use any USB mouse - even microsoft ones - with as many buttons as you like.

can that be the end of it?

Done.

I didn't realise they were doing that now - about time. And I know you can use other mice, as I'm using a three-button one from Logitech. But a lot of Mac users still only have single-button mice because that's what came with their Mac and these are not ancient Macs, so I'd always _say_ ctrl+click because that will work whatever.

I wasn't trying to start an argument about it, though. Just if I told my mother to right-click, she wouldn't know how to substitute for it as she only has a single-button mouse which came with her eMac.

- cfr

Ok, my curiosity was peaked ... so, I offer this for consideration and clarification.

Kind of a cool mouse methinks.

I have one of those. Had to take one back as the scroll stopped working properly, but hopefully it was a one off. The other problem is that because it looks like a one button mouse you sometimes forget to click in the right spot and get the right click menu when you don't want it.

Oh and yes, that is the standard mouse that comes with macs now. I think that was probably what you were actually after.

I actually don’t like the mighty mouse - maybe because of the psychological block with the design that Sam mentioned - been using a Logitech MX Revolution on my Mac at home which is fine and as close as you'll get to tablet accuracy with a mouse but I have found that using it for more than an hour at a time and your hand/wrist starts to ache a little. Still prefer my Intuos 3 tablet at work but that costs about four times as much as the laser mouse.

... and laptop users still need ctrl+click unless they've a mouse on them, don't they? I haven't used one of the Intel portables, so can't be sure. I know they've done marvellous things with touchpads, though...

- cfr

no, as you mentioned they have marvellous touchpads, solid-state trackpads infact; that support two-finger usage for independent scrolling, tap, double-tap, drag and contextual menu access.

c-m access? hmm... PowerBooks have the rest (the later ones), but c-m access would be great. so they have right click now? I've got: click, double-click, horizontal and vertical scrolling and dragging etc., but still need ctrl for c-m access...

according to the apple tech specs all the current range of books - standard and pro - can access the CM's though the trackpad. I havent tried it myself so i can only say what i read :-)

just checked - to do this you apparently either click whilst having two fingers on the track pad or tap with both fingers at the same time and voilà :-)

very neat - still don't want one though. definitely not worth lugging one of those monsters around for. I'd rather have a 12" and be stuck using ctrl for those times I don't have my mouse with me...

(hint to Apple: guess what this means about my _next_ laptop?!)

wonder if this is a hardware or software thing. I know earlier laptops can be jazzed up with different drivers - wonder if the PowerBook touchpads are capable of more than Apple's drivers acknowledge?

being without my own machine at the moment at all, this will have to wait... only hope Apple don't keep it for too long...

- cfr