Dorchester — Feb 11th 2020

Mick talked about the Finder on the Mac and how iCloud Drive offers filing not dissimilar to IOS. He started by running through the Finder Preferences including Finder new window settings and various options that can be switched on and off in the side bar. He showed how other folders, files and documents, can be added or removed from the sidebar. You can move/drag a file within a drive, but when you move/drag to a different drive, the file is copied. To copy, not move, a file to another location on the same drive hold down the option key as you drag. For smaller screens, Mick reminded us of the convenience of Tabs in the Finder window.

If iCloud Drive is turned on then it shows as a Folder like any other, and you can build a hierarchy of folders as elsewhere in the Finder: Apple automatically includes Folders for each of their applications such as Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Preview etc. but files from those apps can also be stored elsewhere and new folders can be added.

Mick then turned to IOS, particularly the iPadOS version where the recent Files app brings a more Mac-like filing system to iPadOS. The File Browser shows the various locations, but he concentrated on iCloud Drive, showing that the files mirrored those on the Mac, though the majority have a small cloud icon showing that they need to be downloaded from the Cloud to be accessed. Dragging down to show the top of the window reveals the Add Folder icon and also options for sorting the files and folders. Top right of the window is the familiar Select option and this reveals actions at the bottom of the window relevant for the item selected. Mick showed how to move a file and then showed how the file had also been moved to the same location on the Mac.

Critically Mick showed that deleting a file from the device removes it from the Cloud and all connected devices. There is a 30 day recovery period.

After Q&A, David M gave a talk about Virtual Network Computing which enables one to view and/control another device across a network. Mac has a built in Mac to Mac VNC using the Messages App, Buddies Share My/Your screen. But there is also the Screen Sharing.app best opened via Spotlight which enables screen sharing using Apple ID, without the need of a Messages conversation. Screen Sharing.app is hidden in System>Library>Core Services>Applications. For even quicker access than via Spotlight you can keep it in the Dock.

Watching a fellow member in Bournemouth access his Mac remotely via his iPad sparked David M’s interest. So David demonstrated the free version of RealVNC he had seen in Bournemouth along with Google Remote Desktop. Both take a bit of setting up but David suggests Google is easier. Download/Open the Chrome Browser and then enter http://remotedesktop.google.com and follow instructions to set up Mac as the Server. The Google viewer app for iPad can be downloaded from the Apple App Store.

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