Ethnographic screencaps
I’m looking for a piece of screencapture software, or a methodology. I want to use it as follows - recommendations are welcome.
I am interested in studying how people use technology, in an ethnographic kind of way. When I visit someone’s house, I might take pictures of where the computer is. I might also want to take some screenshots. What I need is a way to make screenshots on pretty much any computer (varying OS’s).
As long as it’s Windows, I think I can do this: use CTRL-PRT SCR to make a screencap. Open M$ Paint (which is installed on all computers). Paste in the picture and save it. Then either save it on a diskette (most computers) or email it to myself (internet cafe where diskettes are disabled).
Any tips for macs?
August 21st, 2004 at 9:45 am
On a Mac the key combination SHIFT-APPLE-3 will take a screen shot. Depending on the version of the OS, the computer will do different things with the screen shot. On any mac running an OS made in the last 3 years, the computer will put a document called ‘Picture-1.pdf’ on the desktop. Older macs put ‘Picture-1′ root level on the hard drive, and the file format is PICT, not PDF. There’s also an OS version in between these 2 behaviors where the file is put on the desktop, but it is a TIFF file.
If a Mac has a floppy dive or Zip drive — it can read and write to PC formatted media. Don’t expect to be able to format any media as PC format though. The built-in Disk burning software automatically burns the disks in such a way that they can be read on PC’s as well. BTW — Macs have not shipped with floppy drives in about 4 years.
August 21st, 2004 at 9:48 am
Also, really old Mac OS’s (we’re talking about 1998 here, OS version 7 or 8 and lower) will stop taking screenshots after the ‘Picture-9′ screenshot has been taken and saved. If you need more, just move or rename the screenshot files.
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