Stop Automatically Updates

OS X has a handful of features that are dependent on a constant internet connection, and one of those is the new automatic update feature. Undeniably convenient, OS X and all apps installed from the Mac App Store will automatically download and update themselves, but if you have metered internet or are using Personal Hotspot you’ll probably want to save the bandwidth and stop those updates from downloading themselves in the background.

1. Open System Preferences from the  Apple menu
2. Choose “Software Update” and click the lock icon to unlock the preferences
3. Uncheck “Download newly available updates in the background”
4. Optional but not recommended: uncheck “Install system data files and security updates”

Leave “Automatically check for updates” enabled to behave like versions of OS X before 10.8, where the system would alert you to new updates available but would not download them without your permission.

You can also save bandwidth by disabling the automatic app downloads feature, which is borrowed from iTunes and previously only applied to iTunes media and iOS apps.

Manually Checking for Updates
With automatic downloads disabled you will have to manually install OS X updates and updates to apps from the Mac App Store, all of that is now done through the App Store itself, unless the app came from a third party.

Avanced users can continue to use the Terminal and check for and install OS X updates from the command line instead using the following to list available updates:

sudo softwareupdate -l

That will list the available updates, after which you can install them using the -i flag.

Desktop

Elements of the desktop

1. Apple menu () - Access Software Update, System Preferences, Sleep, Shut Down, and more.
2. Application menu - Contains menus for the application you're currently using. The name of the application appears in bold next to the Apple menu.
3. Menu bar - Contains the Apple menu, active application menu, status menus, menu bar extras and the Spotlight icon.
4. Status menu - Shows the status of your computer or gives you quick access to certain features—for example, you can quickly turn on Wi-Fi, turn off Bluetooth, or mute your computer's volume.
5. Spotlight icon - Click it to bring up the Spotlight search field, where you can search for anything on your Mac.
6. Desktop - This is where your applications' windows will appear. You can add more desktops using Spaces, see this article.
7. The Dock - Quick access to your most frequently used applications, folders, and files. With a single click the application, folder, or file opens.

Organize your desktop files and folder
If you download and create files on your desktop, it may become cluttered after some time. You can organize your desktop files by grouping them into folders on your desktop. Just select the items you want to group, Control-click one of the selected items, and then choose "New Folder with Selection" from the shortcut menu. Then enter a name for the folder. All of the selected files will be grouped in the new folder.

Customize your desktop
You can change the size of icons, arrange them in a grid, and set other preferences for items on your desktop by changing the view options on your desktop. To change your desktop view options, click the desktop, and then choose View > Show View Options from menu bar. You can try the different settings to see which ones you like—you will immediately see the effects of your changes.

Change your background
You can change the picture that's displayed on your Mac's desktop. You can choose one of the desktop pictures that comes with your Mac, a solid color, or one of your own pictures.

1. Click the Launchpad icon (or System Preferences icon for Mac OS X v10.6) in the Dock.
2. Click Desktop & Screen Saver, and then click Desktop.
3. Select the picture you want in the box on the right.

To select the kind of desktop picture you want to use, do one of the following:

1. To use an image that come with your Mac, select a folder under the Apple section.
2. To use a solid color, select "Solid Colors" under the Apple section.
3. To use your own picture, select the Picture folder under "Folders," if the picture you want is stored in your Pictures folder. If your image is in another folder, click the Add button (+), then find and select the folder that your picture is in. Then click Choose.

Change what's displayed on your desktop
You use Finder preferences to choose what type of items appear on your desktop.

Finder preferences window in OS X Lion

1. Click the desktop.
2. Choose Finder > Preferences, and then click General.
3. In the "Show these items on the desktop" section, select the items you want to appear on your desktop, such as hard disks and external disks.

Get quick information with widgets

Dashboard contains a collection of handy “widgets”: small apps for a wide variety of tasks such as checking stock prices, finding local or global weather information, looking up words in the dictionary, and more. You can use Dashboard to get information and do common tasks quickly.

Some widgets are linked to larger apps. With the Address Book widget, for example, you can search for a name and address without opening the full Address Book app. Other widgets, such as Weather, provide information from the web without opening a web browser.

Dashboard is a full screen app that’s always available. To get there, just swipe up with three or four fingers, and then click Dashboard (first thumbnail on the far left next your desktop). Or press the Dashboard key on your keyboard. If your keyboard doesn’t have a Dashboard key, press F12 (Fn-F12 on portable keyboards).

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