Mac 101: The desktop in dialog windows

Hmmm... Extra Time. Definately going to be spent doing more important things...
like youTube, Facebook, and uuuhh reading TUAW.

Here is a great one I use. To get to the folder that is one step higher in the path than the item you click on: hold the command key as you click. That is if you want to go to the applications menu you can command+click upon anything that is in there. I often command+click on my dock applications to get into the apps folder and find what I'm looking for.

Yes, those black window ads are a pain.

By the way, you can also hit Command-Shift-D in dialog windows, which I always do (and I thought everyone knows that).

I'm started to get really deterred from reading this site with those black full window ads.

Yeah, awesome tip, but be wary of duplicating folders. One time I hit Command-D in the Finder, thinking it would take me to the Desktop, but it turns out I was duplicating my Applications folder. So, when you are in the Finder, similar to how you can press Command-Shift-A for Applications and Command-Shift-U for Utilities, you can get to the Desktop folder by pressing Command-Shift-D.

Hmm. Let me see.

I decide to open a file. I grab the mouse, click on 'file', then click on 'open'.

My hand is still on the mouse. The time it takes me to move my hand to the mouse is, umm... exactly zero seconds.

And you're suggesting that I move my hand from the mouse to the keyboard, which takes... some time. And then after I type the keyboard shortcut I'll have to move my hand back to the mouse to select the file I want. More time.

I'm sure there are times where keyboard shortcuts make sense. This doesn't seem to be one of them.

uh...is it me...or does that command duplicate the folder you're on?

The time you "save" with keyboard shortcuts has actually been debated by usability professionals. Older or less experienced users who don't regularly use keyboard shortcuts might actually be slower because they end up hunting for the appropriate keys—instead of just moving the mouse to where it's needed.

Obviously not all users fall into this category... especially those users who been using shortcuts since OS 9 (and before) and those shortcuts have been drilled into our motor-memory.

I love this tip, but because I've become so used to it, I keep doing it in the Finder and end up duplicating whatever I had selected. Grrrrr....