Basic set up question on 30" CD and macBook Pro

Question

I have not used a external monitor before with my macbook pro late 2008 15". Have successfully connected the 30"CD to the MBP . I understand that you have two options on the primary display and you can either mirror or extend the workspace.
Using a BT mouse ....how do you move from one display to another? I will be on one workspace and the next window will open on the other display. For example ....I launch safari from the macbook display and the windows open on the 30CD. Then I can t get over there to select a screen to launch.
My primary issues right now are basic set up and navigation....where should I be looking for guidance. I understand that applications themselves may incorporate the preference on displays to be used ..but with out basic navigation between the two screens this is painful.

Answer 1

If you go into Displays Preferences, whenever an external monitor is attached and both the built-in screen and the external monitor are being used, you will see some extra options. There should be an Arrangement tab under which you will find those options. One thing that can be done is to toggle the mode of operation between extended desktop mode (which it sounds like your system is already in) and mirror mode. Mirror mode means the same image will be on both screens. This is useful for those times when you want to run a projector to make a presentation. The opposite of mirror mode is extended desktop mode where the two screens are used as independent workspaces.
Another thing to notice under the Arrangement tab is that you will see small representations of the two screens shown as blue rectangles. Notice that one of them will have a white bar across the top. This is meant to represent the menu bar. You can click on and drag that small white menu bar between the two blue rectangles and the real menu bar will move between the two displays accordingly. In this way you can choose which display, the built-in or the external, will have the menu bar and OS X dock. The other thing you can do in this view is drag the blue rectangles into any position you like so that their arrangement and ordering (which is the left screen and which is the right screen) will match the ordering of the real displays. This is so when you move the cursor (or anything else) from one screen to the other, it follows an expected path. What I mean is, if the external monitor is off to the right of the MBP, you rightfully want it so that when you drag the cursor off the right edge of the MBP's screen, it shows up on the left edge of the external monitor's screen. It sounds like the arrangement of your set up might be opposite of this right now which is why you are having trouble moving the cursor between the screens. By moving those little blue squares around, you can tell OS X what the screen alignment is in order to match exactly the real-world alignment of the true screens.