Feedback: How to change the modifier keys on your keyboard

Some people who have switched from a PC to a Mac complain about the fact that Windows uses Control (CTRL) as a modifier key to get things done, while a Mac uses the Command key.  For example, in Windows, to copy something you press Control-C, but on a Mac you press Command-C.  There's not a big difference, except for the fact that the keys are in different places, and after doing something the same way for many years, you build up muscle memory that can be difficult to change.  You might instinctively reach down with your ring finger to copy something instead of your thumb.  How frustrating!  


No sweat.  It's possible to easily change the modifier key layout in OS X Lion.  Here's how:


Go into your System Preferences and select the Keyboard preferences.

Once opened, look down in the bottom right-hand corner for the button labeled "Modifier Keys".

Click the button, and a new window will pop out as follows:

From here, you can change the layout of which key operates as which.  This can get a little confusing, but as long as you know which key is which, that's all that matters.

If you want the Control button on your keyboard to act as the Command button (which would be most "Windows-like"), change the Control option in the right column to Command, and the Command option in the right column to Control.  Or is you'd prefer to use the Option key as the Command key, switch those two.  If you have any problems, or want to go back to the default settings, click the Restore Defaults button on the left.

The important thing to remember is that you want at least one key for each modifier key.  OS X will let you set up two Command keys and no Control key for example.  This is not recommended, as you never know when you might need to use one of those keys.

If you have any other questions, comments or suggestions for topics, email me at  

josh.lifeaspixels@gmail.com.  And don't forget to follow us on Facebook!

AirDrop — Not just for wireless!

This post is meant for those of us with a bit more experience with the Command Line Interface.  If you aren't familiar with the command line in OS X, this post will still be useful to you, but take note that you should be very careful when using the command line.  Although nothing in this post is harmful to your computer, what we are about to do is unsupported by Apple.  I'm confident that there's nothing here that will damage your computer, but the point is, if you get into some trouble, or if this feature stops working for some reason, don't bother calling Apple for help.
  
AirDrop is a very cool and simple way to share files wirelessly with other Macs.  But what about computers that are hooked up to your network with a wired interface like Ethernet?  Not to worry, as you can trick OS X into using AirDrop with those Macs too.


(It is also important to note that these commands should be performed on the Mac with the wired connection.)


Go into the Terminal.app (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal... or type Command-Shift-U in the Finder to open the Utilities folder) and type the following:


defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser BrowseAllInterfaces 1


Hit return.  Now it's time to restart the Finder.  This can be achieved with the following command in the Terminal:


killall Finder


The Finder will restart, and the Mac with the wired connection can now use AirDrop.  If you want to turn off AirDrop on your wired Mac, change the 1 in the above command to a 0 as follows:


defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser BrowseAllInterfaces 0


Restart the Finder again with killall Finder and you should be back to your default configuration.

AirDrop — Wirelessly share files with zero configuration

Now that you've learned the basics of file sharing, it's time to take a look at a neat feature unique to OS X 10.7 Lion called AirDrop.


AirDrop lets you share files with another Mac running 10.7 with nothing else required aside from having a wireless card turned on for both your Mac, and the Mac you want to send the files to.  You don't even need to be on the same network!  AirDrop does all of the configuration for you, and people "just appear" when you turn AirDrop on.


You will find AirDrop in the sidebar of your Finder windows.  Below, AirDrop is selected in my Finder window:

The icon next to AirDrop changes to a circular sweeping motion when AirDrop is actively looking for other computers.

If you don't see AirDrop in your sidebar, first make sure you are in the Finder, then go to your Finder Preferences to make sure that AirDrop is checked.  Click on Finder in the menubar, and then click on Preferences.  If you want to use a keyboard shortcut to do this, you can simply press the "Command" and comma keys.   You will see the following window:

AirDrop must be checked under "Favorites" if you want to see it in your sidebar.

Once AirDrop is checked, go back to your Finder window, and click on its icon in the sidebar.  The icon will jump into motion, and it looks like a RADAR, sweeping the surrounding area for other Macs running 10.7 Lion (again, this is a REQUIREMENT).

My wife's Mac has been located!

  Once it finds one (or more) Macs, you can copy files to that Mac by dragging files onto the icon representing that Mac.  A dialog box will pop up asking if you would like to send the file to the targeted Mac.  Click "Send" and a window will popup on the receiving Mac, asking that user to verify the transfer.  

The receiving user has the option to decline any and all file transfers.

This last step is important, because otherwise not only could you drop files onto other people's computers without their knowledge, but they could do the same to you, which is a security risk.  The AirDrop connection is encrypted, so there's no need to worry about anyone snooping in on what you're copying.


Once the file transfer is complete, the person on the receiving end can find the file(s) in their Downloads folder within their User folder.  It couldn't be more simple!