Mac Browser Choices

Macs constitute a minority of internet clients. However, that doesn't mean there's a lack of choice in web browsers on the Mac platform. Quite the contrary--there are many to choose from:

1. Safari is Apple's homegrown web browser that ships free on all new Macs. Based on the KHTML rendering engine (now dubbed WebCore by Apple), this browser has been steadily improving over time, and is standards-compliant. Safari is quick to launch, fast at loading pages, offers tabbed browsing and pop-up blocking, and sports best-of-breed bookmark handling. Safari is only available for OS X, but has quickly become the default browser for many Mac users.
2. Firefox from Mozilla is the cross-platform, open standards champ, running on Windows, Mac and Linux. It is stable, mature, and renders most pages well and consistently across platforms. Firefox also offers lots of bells and whistles, such as improved tabbed browsing, spell checking, integrated search with suggestions, live titles, and RSS newsfeeds. See Mozilla.com for the latest details and to download Firefox.
3. Camino is another web browser built on the Mozilla engine, and specifically designed for Mac OS X. It exhibits some of the design finess that Macs users appreciate, with a familiar look and feel. Learn more about it atcaminobrowser.org.
4. Omniweb Omniweb was the initial alternative to Internet Explorer in OS X. It developed a reputation for rendering the best looking pages. Most recently Omniweb has switched to the same WebCore rendering engine that powers Safari and has elected to compete on features and user interface. Omniweb costs $29.95
5. Opera has long been the speed darling of the PC platform and there's a speedy version of Opera for Mac OS X. See Opera Software's site for the latest details.
6. Internet Explorer is still available from Microsoft but the company has officially stopped development on it and it is antiquated enough that no one recommends it any more. If you are (still) using Internet Explorer, we recommend you switch to one of the other browsers listed above.
   

In order to print to our networked printers on campus...

1. You must be logged in to GCfile.
2. You must be logged in for about five minutes.

Don't even try printing until you've been connected for at least five minutes. If you aren't connected to GCfile, your print jobs arrive at our central print queue, and are immediately deleted. You will not receive any message back that your document didn't print.

If the printer is not already in your list of configured printers, you'll need to set that up. See Printer Configuration for instructions on how to add a campus printer to your list.

Where to Store Big Projects

Big projects such as movies need to be stored locally on Lab Macs, because...

1. Audio/Video editing over a network connection is problematic, and
2. ITS cannot provide sufficient network storage for projects that may grow to gigabytes in size.

So store your big projects locally on the Mac's hard drive. Storage locations:

• The "Local Storage" folder at the top level of the hard drive, for general projects, such as photo or audio collections in progress.
• The "Video" volume for iMovie, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro projects.
• The "DVD" volume for preparing finished projects to burn to DVD.
  

Respect the work of others - do not disturb - and hopefully others will treat your projects with the same respect. If you are concerned that someone might delete your project, then back it up to CD-R or DVD-R. (All our G5 Lab Macs have SuperDrives capable of burning archival CDs and DVDs.)

Four of our Lab Macs have Firewire-attached Digital Video (DV) decks for importing video from tape. These computers are the first to run short on space. So temporarily store your raw video on their local "Video" volumes, but as soon as possible move these files to another Lab Mac.

Guest Access for Moving Files from One Place to Another

Before moving your files, set permissions so that anyone can read/write. This will allow you to move your project to another computer.

Decide where you want to work on your project. Each Lab Mac has a name, such as "un001-03-g5". Move your project to another Mac that is not being used for video capture.

• Select your project folder and "Get Info" on it.
• Check the "Ownership & Permissions" section; you should be the owner.
• Set "Others" access to "Read & Write", and then click the "Apply to enclosed items..." button to set these same permissions on everything inside your project folder.

Now you can go to another Lab Mac where you want to do your video editing. Log in, and then connect to the video capture station. (In this example, it's name is un001-11-g5.goshen.edu.) You will connect to the video capture station using the "guest" login. (If you don't know the guest password, ask for it at the Help Desk.) The "guest" login allows you to select the video volume where your project is located. Drag the project over to the Video volume where you're intending to work on your project. Then delete it from the original location.

Changing Your GC Password

You can change your GC password any time using the "Change GC Password" tool in GC Online. Your single GC password gives you access to all of our GC network services, such as Email, Webmail, Oracle Calendar, GC Online, connecting to GCfile, Dialup and more. It will also be the password you use to log on to a Lab Mac.

Whenever you change your GC password, your Mac may need you to also update passwords on your computer, or (in the case of Lab Macs) in your hosted Mac Home directory on the Xserver. Specifically, your Keychain Access password, and your Oracle Calendar password (if you use Oracle Calendar) will probably need to be updated. You may also need to update your password in the Mail application on your Mac.

It may help to print this page for easy reference in doing any of the following password changes.

Office Macs and Student Macs

Most GC employees with office Macs (and students with their own Macs) log on to their computer using a local username and password. Changing your GC password will not automatically change the local password on your Mac. To update your local password to match your GC password, launch System Preferences and click on the Accounts icon. This is where you change your local password. Provide your old password in order to authenticate and make changes to this panel.

Mac OS X Mail

If you are like most Mac users, you have Mail store your password so you don't need to type the password every time you want to check for new mail. So after you've changed your GC password, Mail will try using the old stored password, and it won't work. It will ask for the new password, and will remember it for you from then on.

Keychain Access

Keychain Access is a Utility in Mac OS X that can remember all kinds of passwords for you. Your keychain has its own password that you will need to update in order for it to automatically log you into various network services. To change this password, launch Keychain Access. (It's in Applications > Utilities.) If it is locked, click on the padlock icon in the toolbar to unlock it, using your old password. Then select the menu command "Edit > Change Password for Keychain..." Provide your current (old) password, and your new (new!) password, and confirm your new password. Now your Keychain password matches your new GC password and won't ask you for it again... until the next time you change your GC password!

If you need any further help with synchronizing your Mac passwords with your new GC password, please call the Help Desk.

Any Mac on the campus network can connect to GCFile. Sometimes known as "M: Drive" to the Windows users, it is where you "My Documents" folder is if you log into  a Windows PC. To connect to GCFile, go to the Finder menu, and select Go > Connect to Server. The address to connect to is smb://username@gcfile.goshen.edu/HOMES (replace "username "with your username). When prompted, enter your GC username and password.