{"id":8370,"date":"2017-09-14T09:09:40","date_gmt":"2017-09-14T08:09:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.mentor.com\/colinwalls\/?p=8370"},"modified":"2017-09-14T09:09:40","modified_gmt":"2017-09-14T08:09:40","slug":"mac-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.stage.sw.siemens.com\/embedded-software\/2017\/09\/14\/mac-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"Mac apps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although it has been a while, from time to time, I have written<\/a> about the apps that I use on my iPad [and iPhone]. There are so many to choose from that I am always pleased to get recommendations and advice. This is a topic that I will revisit before long, but today I am thinking about my Mac. It is now a little over two years since I made the switch away from Windows. I have never looked back.<\/p>\n

My way of using the computers has gradually evolved. There is no right way to get the best from a Mac, but I happy with my approach. I thought that I might review what I have found to be useful \u2026<\/p>\n

I have an iMac desktop for everyday use and we have a MacBook Pro for mobile use. I will talk about my use of the iMac here, but almost everything is also applicable to the laptop.<\/p>\n

I tend to only shut down the computer completely [barring a very occasional restart for whatever reason], when I am away from it for more than a day or so. When it boots up, I log in and start up a number of apps that I use all the time. Other apps are run on an as-needed basis. I use the Launchpad to invoke apps, as this is easily customizable, does not get in the way and is somewhat similar to the iPad\/iPhone. I have placed all the apps that I normally use on the first Launchpad page so they are immediately to hand. I use the dock [normally hidden] mostly to keep track of running apps.<\/p>\n

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I make good use of what Apple calls \u201cSpaces\u201d [virtual screens – I would rather they were called \u201cworkspaces\u201d]. This enables me to put apps\/windows mostly side by side in a vast virtual screen area, which I navigate using the 3-finger swipe or CONTROL-n shortcuts. I have 5 spaces set up normally:<\/p>\n

Space 1<\/strong> is for communications. Here I have Outlook<\/strong>, for my work email, the WhatsApp<\/strong> client to talk with a few people and I currently use Spark<\/strong> for my personal email, as it nicely supports 3 different accounts.<\/p>\n

Space 2<\/strong> is for information. Here is have a browser window – I currently favor Chrome<\/strong> – with a couple of tabs always open. I also have Calendar for Google<\/strong> to access the personal calendar that I share with my wife.<\/p>\n

Space 3<\/strong> is for Evernote<\/strong>. I have one main window open and another note window for my week plan<\/a>. This is my main control center from where most of my activity is controlled and initiated.<\/p>\n

Space 4<\/strong> and Space 5<\/strong> are initially empty. They are used for specific items of work. For example, if I am writing an article, I would probably have it [a Word doc] open and be using a presentation [PowerPoint file] and maybe a PDF as reference. These would all be in one space. With a 27\u201d 5K screen, I can have them all side by side and they are quite easy to read.<\/p>\n

The other main apps that I use:<\/p>\n