We call them computers, but given the way we use them, maybe they should be called communicators. Today, we configure two essential communication apps: Phone calls and instant messaging via Skype and email via the uniquely named Mail.

Skype

Calling home from across the globe makes Skype essential. Conference calls and work related chat rooms earn Skype its place on the Dock.

• Preferences
  • Notifications
    • Event: Contact Becomes Available
      • ✗ Play sound
  • Chats
    • Emoticon Set: Emoticons — Please no animations.
  • File Transfers
    • ✓ Automatically accept files — else I have to hunt around for the space where the confirmation dialog deigns to appear.
  • Avanced
    • ✗ Keep call windows in front — else they hop from space to space always in the way.
    • ✗ Enable Mood Message Feed — I don’t care what you had for breakfast. (I gave Twitter an honest try. Lasted less than a month.)
• Keyboard Shortcuts (via System Preferences > Keyboard) — I set these keys because I use their default bindings (⌥⇧→ and (⌥⇧←) to select one word moving forward and to select one word moving backwards respectively.
  • Select Next Tab ⇧⌘]
  • Select Previous Tab ⇧⌘[

Mail

Though Gmail’s browser client is quite good, we still don’t live in a magical always online world. I don’t really write email while offline nor do I read email while offline, why then is offline access so extremely valuable? Reference: looking up the forgotten flight, address, and phone number. Email is my correspondence history.

For no good reason, I’ve used POP in the past. It’s time to upgrade to IMAP. IMAP keeps your local and remote mailboxes in sync. POP just downloads emails. Since I’m regularly using a desktop and a laptop, I really need the consistent view.

• Gmail > Settings — IMAP syncs your mailboxes, but I don’t need to sync my spam!
  • Labs
    • Enable Advanced IMAP Controls
  • Labels
    • Spam
      • ✗ Show in IMAP
• Preferences
  • General
    • New message sound: Submarine
  • Junk Mail
    • ✗ Enable junk mail filtering — Google’s job.
  • Composing
    • Message Format: Plain Text — Substance over style.
    • When quoting text in replies or forwards: Include all of the original message text — I’m one of those who selects text as he reads.
• Custom Toolbars
  • For all: ✓ Icon Only
  • Viewer Window: Mailboxes, New Message, Reply All, Forward, Threads, Note/To Do, Get Mail, Flexible Space, Search
  • Read Message Window: Reply All, Forward, Long Headers
  • New Message Window: Send, Flexible Space, Attach
  • Reply to Message Window: Send, Reply, Flexible Space, Attach
• View Window
  • Select Inbox and Sent.
  • Hide mailbox pane.
  • Sort by Date Received descending,
  • Columns: Status, From, Subject, Date Received

Next Time?

System Preferences including some secret defaults.