Selecting files in 10.6 Snow Leopard

This feature is so insanely great it demands a separate entry all by itself. In 10.6 Snow Leopard, selecting multiple files by holding down the shift key and moving the cursor around using the arrow keys now works as expected. i.e., it works in the same way it works in every other OS or application.

If you're still using 10.5 Leopard (or maybe earlier), try selecting multiple files by holding down the shift key then press the cursor keys. The highlight can only grow from the original file by expanding out. If you accidentally went past the last item you want to select, there's no way to de-select the extra items by moving in the opposite direction. You have to either do the selection process over again, or pick up the mouse and command-click on the extraneous items to de-select them.

But in 10.6 Snow Leopard, the file selection bar is now controlled by the cursor keys. So if you overshoot the last item, just press in the opposite direction and the extraneous items are de-selected. Magic!