HT4689 do i have to use mission control or can i set it to another method ?

Question

I don't have a sensor mouse, i am using an old mouse and don't really feel like buying a whole new mouse.  Do I have to use mission control or can I get an app to customize the computer to my personal style?

Answer 1

Mission Control is just one way someone can navigate their mac.
I personally never use it.
There are plenty of application for using your mac, but there are a lot of built in shortcuts you can make for it too.
If you did, sort of want to use mission control, but don't have a touch sensitive device to bring it up, you can do a couple of things that the mac already is capable of doing without having to purchase anything new or download a third party app.
1. Hot Corners.
Hot corners are a way to access some of the most important tasks for your computer. you can set hot corners in System Preferences>Mission Control then click "Hot Corners" button on the bottom left of the window and the settings will slide down and look like this. Choose the pulldown menu for whichever corner you want mission control to be in and then move your mouse cursor to that corner. As you can see there are other options for hot corners to help you better control and customize your machine.
2. Spotlight.
spotlight is a powerful tool and is often times overlooked by novices.
hit cmd and space bar at the same time (cmd+spacebar) and up pops a search box in the upper right corner of your screen. start typing an application or a file you want to be opened. spotlight automagically begins guessing what you're searcing for.
I use spotlight a lot and it keeps my desktop very clean of anything that I'm not working on or with.
if the first selection in the list is what you wanted you can hit enter. Sometimes all I need to do is type in a few letters and then "enter" and the application is loading up in no time. It also bring open apps to the front.
3. Keyboard Shortcuts
there is a way to make your keyboard's Function keys act as "hotspots" as well.
go to system preferences>keyboard and you can set your own keyboard shortcuts or see the ones that are preset in OSX. These are here to help you navigate your mac faster.
Another keyboard shortcut I like is cmd+tab. if you hold down the command key, and you tap on the Tab key, a thing called "Application Switcher" appears. This lets you see what is open and also lets you select which one you want to come to the forefront. you can continue to hold the command key down after hitting tab to use your cursor to select the application or continually hit tab with the command key down until it is highlighting the app you want.
Not completely sure what you wanted or didn't want mission control for or what alternatives you wanted to know but here are a few that will make your workflow fast and you, one step closer to being a power user.