What is Mac OS X?  Well, let's start off with the name, it's made of up the letter "O", the letter "S", and the Roman Numeral "X" and is called Mac O-S-Ten.

Mac OS X is not only one of the most modern operating systems on the market, but it is also one of the most secure and stable platforms one can choose.  The core of Mac OS X relies on Darwin, the UNIX-based foundation that does the work behind the scenes.

The "Apple" key is found on both sides of the space bar on an Apple keyboard.  It is called the Apple key because it has the famous Apple Computer icon on it.  It is also referred to as the Command key.

The Home folder is the location where Mac OS X stores documents, files, preference settings, pictures, music, videos and so on.  Windows users will recognize this folder structure as it is similar to the "My Documents", "My Pictures", and "My Music" folders found on recent Windows versions.

Mac OS X has been designed with three key isolation features: System Isolation, User Isolation, Memory and Application Isolation.  This guide is a brief overview of the article Key Isolation Features in Mac OS X at our main site and is specific to the Library Folders.

You can get some basic information about your Mac thanks to the Mac OS X "About This Mac" feature.  You have the option to view detailed information as well.

When you initially setup a new Mac you run through a program called Setup Assistant and create the initial account on your Mac known as the Administrator after which you are then logged into your Mac.

Whenever you shut down a Mac you also are logged out of your account.  If there are multiple users on your system, you can log out and allow another user to log in without having to perform a restart.

Power Up
To start things off you will need to turn on your Mac.  The placement of the power button depends on the Mac model you own.

Thanks to the Aqua user interface you have different options to browse through your system with simple clicks of the mouse and keystrokes.  If you prefer the command line you can launch the Terminal applications and browse with keystrokes.

Applications in Mac OS X are programs.  Mac OS X ships with a number of built-in Applications that allow you to do things such as create documents, chat with friends, store contact information, and modify the settings on your Mac.