One of the nice new features in OS X 10.4.8, released this week, was the improved zooming technique using a mouse scroll wheel; hold down Control and scroll, and everything on screen zooms in and out very nicely.
I just noticed this evening that the same trick applies when you’re using the two-finger scroll trick on a notebook computer’s trackpad; try holding down control while you two-finger scroll. Everything zooms. Three-finger zooming.
I use the zoom feature quite a lot, usually to concentrate on a paragraph of text I’m reading or writing. It’s one of those things, like Quicksilver, that I miss most when I’m using someone else’s Windows machine. The new keyboard command for it is much more convenient that Command+Option 8 - which still works, incidentally.
This trick also works if you hold Control while moving the scroll wheel on a USB mouse.
Never mind my previous comment. It looks like you already mentioned that.
The control mouse zoom was possible in 10.4.7.
Don't you also miss Quicksilver when you're using another person's Mac that doesn't have Quicksilver? I mean, it doesn't come in the box...
I certainly miss Colibri (kinda like Quicksilver for Windows) when I use a Windows box that doesn't have it.
Here's to hoping (against hope?) that in Leopard, onscreen text will zoom all smooth & pretty. What are the chances?
What do you guys actually use quicksilver for? I only use it to start apps that i don't often use. Am i missing the key function of this program?
I didn't know this - awesome tip!
Thanks,
daddydoodaa
It also works on my Windows box at work (although I'm using a Mighty Mouse with this machine, but I doubt it has anything to do with it).
@Yama - Check out the Quicksilver-related posts on 43 Folders (http://www.43folders.com/category/quicksilver/). If you navigate to the earliest posts, they are likely to be the most helpful. It's worth scanning the forums at Blacktree.com as well.
While launching seldom-used apps is handy, launching frequently used apps is a lot more handy. I don't bother with the dock any more except for drag and drop-- even that can be done by QS, but I just haven't gotten in the habit.
When QS really starts to shine is using it for more than just launching-- looking up addresses, appending text to files, etc. While writing this I took a phone call, used QS stop iTunes before I picked up the phone and then again to bring up my calendar. Once the call was done, I started iTunes again, and sent a one-line email to my girlfriend. Other than looking at my calendar in iCal, none of those actions required me to change apps or take my hands off the keyboard.