Well on a Mac it’s kind of different. The application itself is seperate from the windows, so you can have multiple windows open related to the application, close any one of them, and still have the application running in the background. Before the creation of “spaces” and even the utilization of window minizing, this was a nice way to close windows yet still have the benefit of the app running in the background. Take Mail for instance, You don’t necessarily need it up and in your face all the time, so by closing the window but keeping the app running, you still get to keep your mail coming in, but save the space. There are many more complicated benefits and uses for this technique which I won’t go into here, but you’ll get the hang of it once you tool around.

The best way to quit a Mac application is by using 1 of 2 different techniques.

1st Option – Using the Mouse

1. Go to the Menu Bar at the top of the screen
2. Select the Application Name in Bold ie: Mail or Firefox
3. Scroll down the menu to Quit “Application Name” at the very bottom, ie: Quit Mail
4. Apple does the rest.
5. If you have any open documents, web pages, or emails, Most applications will ask you if you wish to save the document for later use.

2nd Option – Keyboard Shortcut

1. Hit this keyboard combination Apple Key ( ⌘) + Q
2. Apple does the rest.
3. If you have any open documents, web pages, or emails, Most applications will ask you if you wish to save the document for later use.

Now… for those of you wonder why your beautiful Mac is running slow, I have a nifty trick you can add to the toolbox. Maybe it’s because you’ve got all those applications running in the background?

Check out my next article on creating an iCal Alarm to close those pesky brain drainers here.

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My dad is really, really good at email… and streaming public radio via iTunes… and using Voice Recording Software… and Skype, he’s really good at Skype… and leaving absolutely EVERYTHING OPEN. He never closes anything. He has had a computer since 1994 and yet for some odd reason, he never learned to Quit out of an open application. Now this is not exactly a skill I would put at the top of the must learn pile, but if you have a slow computer, and you have 25 OPEN APPLICATIONS, you might want to look into it. I’m just saying.

So here is an awesomely simple way to solve this age old issue.

1. First up, get a Mac.
2. Open Automator
3. Select Library in the left column
4. Select Calendar or iCal in the left column
5. Drag Get Specified iCal Items to the Main Window
6. Click the Add or + Button in the “Get Specified iCal Items” Window
7. Choose which Calendar you want to control your Techy Events. I created a new calendar called Tech Support, I think if you leave it blank Automator will create one for you called… Automator.
8. Now select Utilities in the far left column of Automator
9. 2nd column, scroll down to the Q’s and drag “Quit All Applications” over to the Main Window.
10. In the Main Window make sure Ask to save changes is checked.
11. In the Do not quit: window you can select applications you would like to leave open no matter what. I have selected my Mail, Firefox, Quicksilver, iCal & Skype. A quick way to get this combination right is to open all the Applications you love, close all the Applications you don’t and then select the Add current applications button
12. Select File > Save as Plug-in…
13. Give it a relevant name. I called my Quit All Applications. 10 points for originality.
14. Select iCal Alarm in the drop down menu.
15. Click Save.
16. Automator now opens iCal if it isn’t already open and adds a new event on the current date and time.
17. Double click the event to edit it’s guts.
18. Make it repeat however often you wish. For my father I selected it to run Every day at 9am. That way he starts fresh every morning. Set yours to whatever frequency you wish.
19. Click Done and you are away.

That’s all there is to it folks. No more sneaky applications chewing up your memory in the background without your knowledge. And no more excuses for the lazies, or the ones who just don’t know any better.

A final note. Remember to save and save frequently.

_theSheik

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