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OS X Odds & Ends: Force Quit from Dock; Disable single user mode; Type/Creator vs. file extensions

OS X Odds & Ends: Force Quit from Dock; Disable single user mode; Type/Creator vs. file extensions

CNET staff
Tip: Force Quit from the Dock In the popup menu that appears when you click and hold on an icon in the Dock, if the application is currently open, holding down the Option key changes the Quit item to Force Quit.

    Update: A reader claims this may not work all the time. Using Command-Option-Escape is more reliable.

Disable Single User Mode booting If, for security reasons, you would like to disable the ability to log into single user mode at startup (by holding down the Command-S keys, as described more here), this securemac.com web page describes a way to do so. Essentially, you use a package that will modify the mach_init. [Note: we have been having trouble accessing the site this morning.]

File Type/Creator vs. extensions to names Recently, we covered how OS X figures out what application to open when double-clicking a document. We noted that OS X shifts from using OS 9's Type and Creator format to a preference for three-letter extensions/suffixes to a document's name. On MacInTouch, there is a heated debate about the pros vs. cons of doing this. Also see this MacCentral article.