System Preferences
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.png) System Preferences application in Mac OS X Snow Leopard. |
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| Developer(s) | Apple Inc. |
| Stable release | 7.0 (7.0) / August 28, 2009 |
| Operating system | Mac OS X |
| Type | Settings |
| License | Proprietary |
System Preferences is an application included with the Mac OS X operating system that allows users to modify various system settings which are divided into separate preference panes. The System Preferences application was introduced in the first version of Mac OS X to replace the control panel that was included in previous versions of the Mac operating system.
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[edit] Overview
[edit] History
Before the release of Mac OS X in 2001, users modified system settings using control panels. Control panels, unlike the preference panes found in System Preferences, were separate applications that were accessed through the Apple menu. Mac OS 9, the last release of the Mac OS before Mac OS X, included 32 control panels.
[edit] Organization
When Mac OS X was released, preference panes replaced control panels. Preference panes are not applications but subsections of the System Preferences application. By default, System Preferences organizes preference panes into several categories. In the latest version of System Preferences, included with Mac OS X v10.6, these categories are "Personal", "Hardware", "Internet & Wireless", and "System". A fifth category, "Other", appears when third-party preference panes are installed. Users can also choose to sort preference panes alphabetically. Originally, System Preferences included a customizable toolbar into which frequently-used preference pane icons could be dragged. This was removed in Mac OS X v10.4 and replaced with a static toolbar that featured back and forward navigation buttons and a search field.
Apple has added new preference panes when major features are added to the operating system and occasionally merges multiple panes into one. When Exposé was introduced with Mac OS X v10.3, a corresponding preference pane was added to System Preferences. This was replaced by a single "Dashboard & Exposé" pane in Mac OS X v10.4, which introduced Dashboard. When the .Mac service was replaced by MobileMe, the corresponding preference pane was also renamed.
[edit] Included preference panes
Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard" includes the following preference panes:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Accounts | control user creation/deletion, administrator privileges and user limitations. |
| Appearance | changes the general color scheme of the OS (Aqua or Graphite), as well as placement of scroll arrows and font smoothing. |
| Bluetooth | pair Bluetooth devices and edit Bluetooth settings. |
| CDs & DVDs | used to set default settings upon inserting blank CD/DVDs, as well as music CDs, picture CDs and video DVDs. |
| Date & Time | used to set the date and time of the computer, as well as how the clock appears on the menu bar. |
| Desktop & Screensaver | used to set the desktop picture as well as the screensaver, and their settings. |
| Displays | used to set screen resolution and color settings. |
| Dock | adjust the dock size as well as magnification and position on screen. |
| Energy Saver | optimize energy settings as well as set sleep times and processor usage. |
| Exposé and Spaces | set Active Screen Corners and keyboard and mouse settings to activate Exposé, and set application settings for Spaces. |
| Ink | set handwriting recognition settings (only appears when a graphics tablet is connected). |
| International | set the default OS language as well as numerical, measurement, currency, date, and time formats. |
| Keyboard & Mouse | set keyboard settings, as well as change keyboard shortcuts, and mouse settings. |
| MobileMe | used to set preferences for the user's MobileMe account and iDisk. |
| Network | set Ethernet, AirPort, Modem and VPN Settings. |
| Parental Controls | manage parental controls for accounts, and view account usage data. |
| Print & Fax | set the default printer as well as fax settings. |
| QuickTime | set network speeds, plug-in settings, update plug-ins, and register Quicktime Pro. |
| Security | set "FileVault" and account security settings, and setup the firewall. |
| Sharing | set the computer name, and sharing and remote management services. |
| Software Update | set default times to check for updates, and view updates already installed. |
| Sound | set alert sound, volume and input/output options. |
| Speech | set the computer's default voice, set up speech recognition, and other speech settings. |
| Startup Disk | set the default disk, for the computer to boot into. |
| Time Machine | set the Time Machine drive and backup options. |
| Trackpad | (only appears on Apple notebooks) adjust tracking, clicking, and scrolling speed. Also allows users to adjust multi-touch gestures on newer MacBooks |
| Universal Access | make the system more accessible for those with sight, hearing and other impairments. |
