Lesson 21: Installing Software on Your Mac

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Installing software on your Mac

Your computer allows you to do some really amazing things. Digital photo editing, sophisticated computer gaming, video streaming—all of these things are possible because of different types of software. Developers are always creating new software applications, which allow you to do even more with your computer.

Since Microsoft bought Wunderlist a while back, they've been using that to help develop their own task management software called Microsoft To-Do. And it just recently became available on the Mac. With Microsoft To-Do, managing your tasks has never been easier. You can create as many lists as needed, and assign them all a color for easy. The graphics of thisfree animation software for Macand the other features are extremely user friendly. One can give the best visual effects for gaming, animations and films using this software. Pros of cinema 4D: Thefree animation software for Macis easy to use and the after effects do not need to be rendered. It happens on its own.

Installing from a CD-ROM

From the mid-1990s through the late 2000s, the most common way to get new software was to purchase a CD-ROM. You could then insert the disc, and the computer would walk you through through the installation.

If you install software from unknown sources, it could also lead to an infection. For best results, only use software that’s either from the Mac App Store or signed with a legitimate developer certificate. As covered above, even if you do that, your system isn’t immune, but it does provide a good deal of protection. 3D software allows you to create both models and wire-frames but it’s more expensive than 2D software and can run into thousands of dollars on Mac. Note that most professional 3D CAD software such as AutoCAD and ArchiCAD have now been updated to include support for 3D printers.

Now, almost all software has moved away from this model. In fact, Apple no longer sells computers that include a CD-ROM drive.

Installing software from the Web

Today, the most common way to get new software is to download it from the Internet. Applications like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop can now be purchased and downloaded right to your computer. You can also install free software this way. For example, if you wanted to install the Google Chrome web browser, you could visit this page and click the Download button.

The installation file will usually be saved to your computer in the .dmg format. Pronounced dot d-m-g, this is the standard extension for installation files on Mac computers. You can follow the steps below to install an application from a .dmg file.

Locate and download a .dmg file.
Locate and select the .dmg file. (It will usually be in your Downloads folder.)
A dialog box will appear. Click and drag the icon to your Applications folder.
The application is now installed. You can double-click the icon to open the program.
On the desktop, there will probably be a disk drive icon with the name of the application. This is known as a volume, and it is not needed after the application has been installed. You can simply drag it into the Trash on the dock.

Some applications will use the .pkg extension instead of .dmg—in this case, you can simply follow the instructions to install the software.

Tips for finding software

In our experience, the easiest way to find new software is to search the Web. For example, if you were looking for a way to edit some personal photos on your computer, you could run a Google search for free photo-editing software. If you're not exactly sure what kind of software you're looking for, try describing the tasks you want to complete. For example, if you wanted a way to create to-do lists and organize your appointments, you might search for something like free calendar organizer software.

The Mac App Store

If you're using macOS, you can download and install software from the Mac App Store. The Mac App Store is meant to simplify the process of locating and installing software from third-party developers—when you find an app, you won't have to do any extra work to install it.

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NOTE:

Between mid October 2019 and mid February 2020 everyone in the Army was migrated to use their PIV Authentication certificate for Email access. You no longer use the Email certificate for Enterprise Email or any CAC enabled websites

Mac users who choose to upgrade (or already have upgraded) to Mac OS Catalina (10.15.x) will need to uninstall all 3rd Party CAC enablers per https://militarycac.com/macuninstall.htm AND reenable the built in smart card ability (very bottom of macuninstall link above)

If you purchased your Mac with OS Catalina (10.15.x) already installed, you can skip the uninstall part above and follow the instructions below.

6 'high level' steps needed, follow down the page to make this a painless systematic process

1.	Is your CAC reader 'Mac friendly'?
2.	Can your Mac 'see' the reader?
3.	Verify which version of Mac OS you have
4.	Figure out which CAC (ID card) you have
5.	Install the DoD certificates
5a.	Additional DoD certificate installation instructions for Firefox users
6.	Decide which CAC enabler you want to use (except for 10.12-.15)

Step 1: Is your CAC reader Mac friendly?

Visit the USB Readers page to verify the CAC reader you have is Mac friendly.

Visit the USB-C Readers page to verify the CAC reader you have is Mac friendly.

To Do Software For Mac Computers

'Some, not all' CAC readers may need to have a driver installed to make it work.

NOTE: Readers such as: SCR-331 & SCR-3500A may need a firmware update (NO OTHER Readers need firmware updates).

Information about these specific readers are in Step 2

Step 2: Can your Mac 'see' the reader?

Plug the CAC reader into an open USB port before proceeding, give it a few moments to install

Step 2a: Click the Apple Icon in the upper left corner of the desktop, select 'About This Mac'

Step 2b: Click 'System Report..' (button)

Step 2c: Verify the CAC reader shows in Hardware, USB, under USB Device Tree. Different readers will show differently, most readers have no problem in this step. See Step 2c1 for specific reader issues.

Step 2c1: Verify firmware version on your SCR-331 or GSR-202, 202V, 203 CAC, or SCR-3500a reader. If you have a reader other than these 5, Proceed directly to step 3

Step 2c1a-SCR-331 reader

If your reader does not look like this, go to the next step.

In the 'Hardware' drop down, click 'USB.' On the right side of the screen under 'USB Device Tree' the window will display all hardware plugged into the USB ports on your Mac. Look for “SCRx31 USB Smart Card Reader.</