Andy's Un-Official Unsolicited Mac Advice Thread

[DavidTO]

Oh, please, let's cut back on the g33k talk!

Look, here's (http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008805090392) something that's:

a) interesting
b) helpful

:deal

[SloYerRoll]

Lol.
that's as g33k as it gets. :D

Now let's continue our more inteligent discussion of... oh, nevermind :rofl

[CatOne]

I thought the different flavors of nix had a much stronger presesnce then those numbers show as well.

As a percentage of machines that people use to surf the web?

Nah.

There are like zero Sun or HP-UX boxes in use at peoples' homes these days. They are workstations, and people are doing CAD/CAE/etc., on them and not surfing the web. They're using their Macs or PCs next to them to do that.

[ian408]

There are like zero Sun or HP-UX boxes in use at peoples' homes these days. They are workstations, and people are doing CAD/CAE/etc., on them and not surfing the web. They're using their Macs or PCs next to them to do that.

Desktop workstations are PC's running Windows and using VNC or Exceed
or Linux. Gone are the days people get two machines--too much of a support
burden.

[DavidTO]

:snore

[ChrisJ]

Desktop workstations are PC's running Windows and using VNC or Exceed or Linux.Cygwin has been stable for me for years now, though I must admit Exceed was a bit better when I used it at Equator.

Gone are the days people get two machines--too much of a support burden.
Please tell that to my current manager! :wink
:snore
:poke

[SloYerRoll]

:snore:rofl

[SloYerRoll]

From lifehacker.com. Better links on the bottom of the post as well.

http://lifehacker.com/390226/top-10-things-you-forgot-your-mac-can-do

BTW: If you don't read lifehacker. You should.

[blalor]

From lifehacker.com. Better links on the bottom of the post as well.

http://lifehacker.com/390226/top-10-things-you-forgot-your-mac-can-do

BTW: If you don't read lifehacker. You should.
Ok, does anyone else have problem with the Gawker family of sites (Lifehacker, Jalopnik, etc.) when using Safari 3.1 on OS X 10.5.2? For me, it defaults to the iPhone "theme" on all of those sites. If I force the user-agent to Mozilla (or open it *with* Mozilla) it displays fine. I reported the problem to Ray Wert (Jalopnik editor) and he was forwarding it on to their techies, but it's been going on so long that I feel like I must be the only one seeing it!

[cmason]

Ok, does anyone else have problem with the Gawker family of sites (Lifehacker, Jalopnik, etc.) when using Safari 3.1 on OS X 10.5.2? For me, it defaults to the iPhone "theme" on all of those sites. If I force the user-agent to Mozilla (or open it *with* Mozilla) it displays fine. I reported the problem to Ray Wert (Jalopnik editor) and he was forwarding it on to their techies, but it's been going on so long that I feel like I must be the only one seeing it!

works fine for me, same specs

[blalor]

works fine for me, same specs
Effing weird. And frustrating. :dunno

[BradfordBenn]

So how soon before there is a Smuggy icon?

[cabbey]

So how soon before there is a Smuggy icon?

Huh? :scratch

[barrotj]

Ok, does anyone else have problem with the Gawker family of sites (Lifehacker, Jalopnik, etc.) when using Safari 3.1 on OS X 10.5.2? For me, it defaults to the iPhone "theme" on all of those sites. If I force the user-agent to Mozilla (or open it *with* Mozilla) it displays fine. I reported the problem to Ray Wert (Jalopnik editor) and he was forwarding it on to their techies, but it's been going on so long that I feel like I must be the only one seeing it!

Works fine for me as well, same specs!

[StevenV]

Ok, does anyone else have problem with the Gawker family of sites (Lifehacker, Jalopnik, etc.) when using Safari 3.1 on OS X 10.5.2? For me, it defaults to the iPhone "theme" on all of those sites.

do you have developer tools, perhaps including the iPhone SDK, installed?

I've heard talk of using Safari to intentionally mimic the iPhone (to gain free WiFi access at Starbucks, which iPhone users get automagically); maybe you've accidentally triggered the same sort of behaviour.

[BradfordBenn]

Huh? :scratch

One of the lifehacker tools is how to change the icons and devices in Mac... so the question is how soon before a Smuggy icon for the desktop items.

[cabbey]

One of the lifehacker tools is how to change the icons and devices in Mac... so the question is how soon before a Smuggy icon for the desktop items.

That took all of 10 seconds.

[SloYerRoll]

That took all of 10 seconds.SM icon is only a temp folder. UGH.. :D

I need to get some of that time juice you have cabbey. You can crack WEP in 20 seconds and do an icon in 10? :wink
(j/k on both parts)

[cabbey]

SM icon is only a temp folder. UGH.. :D

I need to get some of that time juice you have cabbey. You can crack WEP in 20 seconds and do an icon in 10? :wink
(j/k on both parts)

:rofl

Actually that's a raid volume... nice fast stripe set for temporary files like video I'm editing etc.

The 20 second WEP cracker was cmason. :wink

For the folks that asked....


install MacDaddy uploader
get info on the application
click icon and hit apple-c to copy it
get info on the volume you want to change
click icon and apple-v to paste
restart finder if it doesn't take


To restart finder, open a command prompt and issue this command:

osascript -e "tell application \"Finder\" to quit"

Then click the now-deactivated finder icon on the dock.

[gus]

My new dilemma guys. Im using the default email for Leopard. If i try and copy & past a link to a single photo from my smugmug account into an email that im replying to...its invisible. I know the link pastes for sure & ive tried changing colours but it stays white on white. The curser moves & i can see the red underlines alerting me that is a spelling mistake so i know its there...just invisible.

Actually it shows its face when i highlight it. Still white on white tough.

However i can copy & paste the URL of the album just fine.

Any ideas ?

[BradfordBenn]

My new dilemma guys. Im using the default email for Leopard. If i try and copy & past a link to a single photo from my smugmug account into an email that im replying to...its invisible. I know the link pastes for sure & ive tried changing colours but it stays white on white. The curser moves & i can see the red underlines alerting me that is a spelling mistake so i know its there...just invisible.

Actually it shows its face when i highlight it. Still white on white tough.

However i can copy & paste the URL of the album just fine.

Any ideas ?

My gut says that you are sending HTML formatted mail which is following the typical default of white text from SmugMug and you do not have a background. I am surprised that changing the colors does not work. I do not use Mail to know how to fix it. I am solely guessing based on the symptoms.

[Van Isle]

For those not checking:

there are reports of a serious incompatibility between OS X 10.5.3 and CS3

discussion here (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=95408) in "Digital Darkroom Gear."

VI

[CatOne]

For those not checking:

there are reports of a serious incompatibility between OS X 10.5.3 and CS3

discussion here (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=95408) in "Digital Darkroom Gear."

VI

It's when you save files directly to a network share from within a CS3 application. Apple changed something in 10.5.3 which breaks whatever CS3 was doing.

Note, that this has NEVER been supported by Adobe -- they have always recommend you save files locally. The crux of the problem is that Photoshop has some VERY VERY old and crufty code in it where save operations are concerned. If they were to update to the OS X POSIX APIs instead of using old Carbon routines that give compatibility with stuff that worked in System 6 and earlier, this wouldn't be a problem, but Adobe hasn't done that yet.

Someday, maybe with the update to CS5 which will require them to migrate from Carbon to Cocoa to get 64 bit, this problem may go away. But for now, it's using some old/crufty APIs which seem to be affected in negative ways when Apple fixes OS bugs.

[ivar]

I have two macs that I use. I also use Mac Mail on both of those. One is showing a junk button near the top, the other one is not. Oh, and it is annoying the crap out of me :D

This is one:
http://img.skitch.com/20080602-m1343e4wcp3hkeb5uu925ux48j.jpg
this is another:
http://img.skitch.com/20080602-qtr1g3jmdxwf9uktbm1uwacetw.jpg

Now why am I not seeing a junk mail button in the second one? :scratch

The junk mail settings are the same on both:
http://img.skitch.com/20080602-1ecpc5nnk21sh5rbnmq1kh439i.jpg

and the version is also the same on both:
http://img.skitch.com/20080602-bky6cxu1s6d89a5w7tmmd2a69s.jpg

Suggestions, anyone? :ear

[zweiblumen]

I have two macs that I use. I also use Mac Mail on both of those. One is showing a junk button near the top, the other one is not. Oh, and it is annoying the crap out of me :D

This is one:

this is another:


Now why am I not seeing a junk mail button in the second one? :scratch

The junk mail settings are the same on both:


and the version is also the same on both:


Suggestions, anyone? :ear

right (or ctrl) -click on the tool bar and then select the bottom "customize" option. There is a default tool bar at the bottom you can drag over or individual buttons.

HTH

[ivar]

right (or command) -click on the tool bar and then select the bottom "customize" option. There is a default tool bar at the bottom you can drag over or individual buttons.

HTHw00p! That worked, didn't even know it was there. I must have done something like that before without remembering. It's back to normal, thanks!

[SloYerRoll]

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this.. Never hurts to ask though..

Is there a way for me to get a MacBookPro re-certified so I can sign it up for Apple Care?
The machine is less than three years old. It's a 17" upper end MBP.

I have a friend that wants to trade me for x hours of web development for his old MBP. He's a good friend and he's been fully up front about the machine and the state it's in. But I'd love to be able to use Apple Care instead of having to spend $$ if the machine breaks down.

TIA

-Jon

[DavidTO]

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this.. Never hurts to ask though..

Is there a way for me to get a MacBookPro re-certified so I can sign it up for Apple Care?
The machine is less than three years old. It's a 17" upper end MBP.

I have a friend that wants to trade me for x hours of web development for his old MBP. He's a good friend and he's been fully up front about the machine and the state it's in. But I'd love to be able to use Apple Care instead of having to spend $$ if the machine breaks down.

TIA

-Jon


No. You pass the 1 year mark by any amount and AppleCare is no longer an option.

[SloYerRoll]

No. You pass the 1 year mark by any amount and AppleCare is no longer an option.TYVM David :thumb

[Seamus]

I'm using Dropbox (https://www.getdropbox.com/) to share and sync files between two computers. I have two invites left. If anyone wants one pm me your email address.

It seems like a good app.

Shay.

[cabbey]

Sigh, I upgraded my quad G5 to 10.5.3 a couple days after it came out. Ever since then it's been locking up more and more often. Before then it never did. Now I can't even boot the box, firmware throws up a 'no' logo in place of the apple logo. Nothing else changed, and when it is running there's no indication that anything is wrong with hardware... cooling seems to be fine, the temps are stable and not growing rapidly. I can't even boot in to firewire target mode. :scratch Going to have to haul the box up to the apple store this weekend and see what they can do. :cry

[DavidTO]

Sigh, I upgraded my quad G5 to 10.5.3 a couple days after it came out. Ever since then it's been locking up more and more often. Before then it never did. Now I can't even boot the box, firmware throws up a 'no' logo in place of the apple logo. Nothing else changed, and when it is running there's no indication that anything is wrong with hardware... cooling seems to be fine, the temps are stable and not growing rapidly. I can't even boot in to firewire target mode. :scratch Going to have to haul the box up to the apple store this weekend and see what they can do. :cry


I had this problem on my laptop while in Scotland. Couldn't boot from an external, target mode, nothing. They replaced the hard drive and all was fine. This was pre-10.5.3, though. Anyway, short story, it was the hardware. :deal

[Andy]

click for original

http://andytheme.smugmug.com/photos/311554683_fSgHa-XL.jpg (http://andytheme.smugmug.com/photos/311554683_fSgHa-O.jpg)

[greenpea]

click for original


I can claim past ownership of the 1984 Macintosh, the 1990 Macintosh Classic, then there was the time I now refer to as the dark ages, and finally the 2006 Mac Book Pro.

there are a few other bits and peices I can claim ownership of, but that's the main jist of it.

[cmason]

Ah, at one time I managed, a Power Mac 6100, two Quadra 800s, Powerbook, Power Mac, and two 'clones'. This was 1996-7.

The Macs were more troublesome than the Windows PCs in the office, mostly because the graphic artists had all these plug ins that they were constantly needed to restart their Macs to initialize. It was a mess. I believe this was OS 7 or so.

[greenpea]

I also remember playing with the Apple Lisa thinking it was the coolest thing ever.

[cmason]

Just slightly off topic (although OS X brings it back in ) Will never forget going to a seminar on the Next computer during Grad school. I was blown away, the OS was beautiful, and it came with an OPTICAL drive, which was just so amazing. All boring now, but I remember thinking there has to be a way to find $10,000 to get one of those things.

[ian408]

The NeXT box was pretty cool. We had one for a time and used it for some
comparison of News based UI on SGI boxes.

[Richard]

Just slightly off topic (although OS X brings it back in ) Will never forget going to a seminar on the Next computer during Grad school. I was blown away, the OS was beautiful, and it came with an OPTICAL drive, which was just so amazing. All boring now, but I remember thinking there has to be a way to find $10,000 to get one of those things.

The Next just blew my socks off. Coolest machine ever. :ivar

[patch29]

Is there a way to determine how much bandwidth is used over the course of a month on a mac?

I am trying to figure out if I could use a laptop connect card vs traditional home DSL, but most are capped at 5gb per month.

[DavidTO]

Is there a way to determine how much bandwidth is used over the course of a month on a mac?

I am trying to figure out if I could use a laptop connect card vs traditional home DSL, but most are capped at 5gb per month.


I found this (http://www.simplehelp.net/2007/09/27/how-to-monitor-your-internet-bandwidth-usage-in-os-x-redux/) via google. :dunno

[patch29]

I found this (http://www.simplehelp.net/2007/09/27/how-to-monitor-your-internet-bandwidth-usage-in-os-x-redux/) via google. :dunno


Thanks, I'll give it a try.

[aquaticvideographer]

My up-to-date, Leopard-running Mac mini (Intel) had a kernel panic. I was using Firefox and it crashed. I tried rebooting it, and when I rebooted it (about 12 times), all I got was a blue screen, much like the BSOD. I am able to boot from the Leopard install DVD and run Disk Utility, but to no avail. The AppleCare phone support guy suggested I do an Archive and Install from the Leopard DVD, but there's not enough room on my HD for an Archive and Install installation.

Before I schlep the mini to the local Genius Bar, does anyone have any sage advice? :scratch

[DavidTO]

My up-to-date, Leopard-running Mac mini (Intel) had a kernel panic. I was using Firefox and it crashed. I tried rebooting it, and when I rebooted it (about 12 times), all I got was a blue screen, much like the BSOD. I am able to boot from the Leopard install DVD and run Disk Utility, but to no avail. The AppleCare phone support guy suggested I do an Archive and Install from the Leopard DVD, but there's not enough room on my HD for an Archive and Install installation.

Before I schlep the mini to the local Genius Bar, does anyone have any sage advice? :scratch


Are you backed up?

Do you have access to another Mac?

[aquaticvideographer]

Are you backed up?

Do you have access to another Mac?

I am fully backed up :clap, and I have access to a PC (from which I am writing this).

[DavidTO]

I am fully backed up :clap, and I have access to a PC (from which I am writing this).


PC doesn't help with what I was thinking, which was booting into Firewire Target mode. Only Mac to Mac for that.

If you're fully backed up, then just erase and install and then restore from your back up.

But a kernel panic is 9x out of 10 a hardware issue, in my experience. If not more. It is really rare that it doesn't indicate the need to replace something.

[aquaticvideographer]

PC doesn't help with what I was thinking, which was booting into Firewire Target mode. Only Mac to Mac for that.

If you're fully backed up, then just erase and install and then restore from your back up.

But a kernel panic is 9x out of 10 a hardware issue, in my experience. If not more. It is really rare that it doesn't indicate the need to replace something.

Jeez I hope you're wrong...but my instinct says, you're right.:cry

[DavidTO]

Jeez I hope you're wrong...but my instinct says, you're right.:cry


How old is your Mac?

[aquaticvideographer]

How old is your Mac?

It's just over two years old...and I've had it worked on a LOT. Unfortunately. It's been really troublesome, which is weird because I've never had many issues with Apple hardware in the past.

But I guess if worse comes to worse, we can get that new MBP that I've been lusting after. :wink

[DavidTO]

It's just over two years old...and I've had it worked on a LOT. Unfortunately. It's been really troublesome, which is weird because I've never had many issues with Apple hardware in the past.

But I guess if worse comes to worse, we can get that new MBP that I've been lusting after. :wink


Is it covered by AppleCare? If so, you may want to just take it in and have it repaired. You could even end up with a HD upgrade. :dunno

[StevenV]

be aware that your hard disk, with it's current (maybe private) data on it, may (http://www.scripting.com/stories/2007/12/22/macsAreEvenMoreExpensiveTh.html) never come back to you.

[Richard]

be aware that your hard disk, with it's current (maybe private) data on it, may (http://www.scripting.com/stories/2007/12/22/macsAreEvenMoreExpensiveTh.html) never come back to you.

Sadly, I don't think Apple is very different from other computer manufacturers in customer service. Public trust in computer repair has fallen below auto repair, which was never high. The good news is that computers fail less often than they used to, but when they do, basically you're screwed.

[DavidTO]

be aware that your hard disk, with it's current (maybe private) data on it, may (http://www.scripting.com/stories/2007/12/22/macsAreEvenMoreExpensiveTh.html) never come back to you.


If Apple replaces the drive your old drive is not returned to you (in my experience).

[aquaticvideographer]

I've still got a year left on AppleCare so I took the computer into the local Apple Store. I was able to get a same-day appointment. It took about 45 minutes but they have me back up and running. They did an Archive and Install and I am now happily re-updating my system to 10.5.3. :barb

Thanks for the help, guys!:thumb

[DavidTO]

I've still got a year left on AppleCare so I took the computer into the local Apple Store. I was able to get a same-day appointment. It took about 45 minutes but they have me back up and running. They did an Archive and Install and I am now happily re-updating my system to 10.5.3. :barb

Thanks for the help, guys!:thumb


Glad to hear it was a simple fix. Meaning, not hardware. :D

This is a good example of why you should do occasional disk maintenance with a utility like Disk Warrior (http://alsoft.com/).

[pathfinder]

1977 Apple II

1980 Apple III

1983 Apple IIe

abandoned to Windowsland:scratch

2004 PowerMac G5

2008 Mac Pro quad core desk top and Mac Book Pro

[CatOne]

If Apple replaces the drive your old drive is not returned to you (in my experience).

Correct. It can be if you specifically request it and if it gets manager approval.

Note for warranty replacements you will likely NEVER get the original drive back, as Apple has to get reimbursed by the drive manufacturer for the bum part. For a 3+ year old drive this isn't the case, but standard policy is to not ship the dead drive back.

[gus]

Guys im entering a competition which requires me to write a story (10k 1st prize !). I have word on my old PC but was wondering what programme i have already got (but dont know it) on my imac to do it as i like the keyboard better...im using leopard.

Or maybe there is a free one i can download. Tks

[zweiblumen]

Guys im entering a competition which requires me to write a story (10k 1st prize !). I have word on my old PC but was wondering what programme i have already got (but dont know it) on my imac to do it as i like the keyboard better...im using leopard.

Or maybe there is a free one i can download. Tks


Personally, I'm fond of Google Docs, but there is also OpenOffice (http://download.openoffice.org/index.html) which is free.

[Richard]

Personally, I'm fond of Google Docs, but there is also OpenOffice (http://download.openoffice.org/index.html) which is free.

Open Office will look familiar to you, as its GUI is based on Word. Works fine. Did your machine come with iWork? There's a text processor in it called Pages, which will probably be adequate for simple documents.

[DavidTO]

I'm not sure why anyone looking for a one-off use would look beyond TextEdit. :dunno

[gus]

Tks ZW & richard...im checking those out now. I actually didnt know to look for iwork. Its prob the best (at first glance) as i need to insert photos.

[colourbox]

Doesn't OpenOffice require running it inside X11? I wanted my mom to have as simple a setup as possible so I set her up with NeoOffice.

The way I see it they break down like this:

TextEdit: Free. Like WordPad on Windows. Supports pictures, basic formatting, margins, RTF.
OpenOffice: Free. MSOffice clone. Requires X11.
NeoOffice: Free. Same as OpenOffice but no X11 required: One icon, double-click to run, like any other Mac app.
Pages: US$79 if you use it past 30 day trial, because then you have to buy all of iWork.

[DavidTO]

Doesn't OpenOffice require running it inside X11? I wanted my mom to have as simple a setup as possible so I set her up with NeoOffice.

The way I see it they break down like this:

TextEdit: Free. Like WordPad on Windows. Supports pictures, basic formatting, margins, RTF.
OpenOffice: Free. MSOffice clone. Requires X11.
NeoOffice: Free. Same as OpenOffice but no X11 required: One icon, double-click to run, like any other Mac app.
Pages: US$79 if you use it past 30 day trial, because then you have to buy all of iWork.



And MS Office is $149.

[cmason]

And MS Office is $149.

Abiword is supposed to be good, but can't figure out how to download it? I gave up.

I hear great things about Scrivener, which is supposed to be ideal for book/screenplay writing, and its only $40. I tried it, liked it, but bought Word since my kids needed Word for school.

http://literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html


Also, Mellel is said to be very good as well: ($49)

http://www.redlers.com/index.html

[DoctorIt]

Doesn't OpenOffice require running it inside X11? I wanted my mom to have as simple a setup as possible so I set her up with NeoOffice.Yes, that was my understanding as well. Seems Neo is more geared towards Mac OS X - i don't know much beyond that. All I know is I put NeoOffice on MrsIt's Powerbook not too long ago, and was very impressed. It's super light, easy, but familiar (and free :D).

[DavidTO]

I put NeoOffice on MrsIt's Powerbook not too long ago, it's pretty awesome. Light, easy, but familiar (and free :D).


Familiar to someone who's worked on a Windows system. To me it's fugly. :D

[DoctorIt]

Familiar to someone who's worked on a Windows system. To me it's fugly. :DYeah yeah.

But seriously, is there a non-Microsoft word processor that can integrate with Mathtype and EndNote (de facto standards for scientific paper writing)? If it exists, I don't know any colleagues that use it.

[cabbey]

Sigh, I upgraded my quad G5 to 10.5.3 a couple days after it came out. Ever since then it's been locking up more and more often. Before then it never did. Now I can't even boot the box, firmware throws up a 'no' logo in place of the apple logo. Nothing else changed, and when it is running there's no indication that anything is wrong with hardware... cooling seems to be fine, the temps are stable and not growing rapidly. I can't even boot in to firewire target mode. :scratch Going to have to haul the box up to the apple store this weekend and see what they can do. :cry

Yet another case where AppleCare saved my 4$$. Long story short, 3.5 hours in the SouthDale apple story at the genius bar trouble shooting and we finally tracked to down to processor 0 being borked. 2 seconds of serious work on it and it locked up tight. A couple days later and they called to say I could come up and get it. AppleCare covered the entire cost of repairs, I was just out two drives to the twin cities from here. (~350miles total) and a few hours of sitting around at the genius bar and otherwise wandering the store and mall.

One thing I re-learned and want to pass on to everyone... if you take a mac in for repairs and don't expect to be leaving with it the same day, especially if it's a long drive for you... TAKE THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING CONTAINER!!! I saved mine specifically for the case of needing to ship the box off for repairs, or moving with it, or selling it later... but did I take the 15 minutes to pull it down from the rafters and toss it in the car when I headed up? NO. idiotic move on my part there. They would have return shipped it back to me for $12. Note that this is a quad G5... the heaviest mac ever made. Most shippers would want 5x that to ship it.

[patch29]

Are there any good sites to look at to determine the value of an old mac, other than ebay? I am thinking about selling my G5 and Macbook and moving to a Macbook Pro, but I want to figure out what they are worth.


Here are the basic specs.

G5 dual 2.7ghz, 8gb ram, 250gb hd, superdrive.

Macbook, Core Duo 2.0ghz, 2gb ram, 60gb hd, superdrive.

[DavidTO]

You could check out some of the retail stores that sell used macs and see what they ask for it. Like Small Dog (http://www.smalldog.com/).

[kini62]

You can also check ebay recently completed auctions for similar setups and see what they went for.

Gene

[patch29]

Thanks for the replies, hopefully I can figure out an easy way to sell the computers. :thumb

[patch29]

Can drives be daisy chained out of order/connection type?

I am looking at some new drives, but they come with 2x800FW and 1x400FW, so could I go from my Macbook 400FW to the 400FW on the first drive, then out of the first drive via 800FW to the second drive's 800FW connection? :dunno :scratch


I found a partial solution, a 400 to 800 cable, but I am still curious if the drive can have a cable in via 400 and out via 800 or maybe even USB. :dunno

[cabbey]

Can drives be daisy chained out of order/connection type?

I am looking at some new drives, but they come with 2x800FW and 1x400FW, so could I go from my Macbook 400FW to the 400FW on the first drive, then out of the first drive via 800FW to the second drive's 800FW connection? :dunno :scratch


I found a partial solution, a 400 to 800 cable, but I am still curious if the drive can have a cable in via 400 and out via 800 or maybe even USB. :dunno

FW is designed for daisy chaining, if the drive has more than one connector of the same type then odds are good you can daisychain through that bus. If they're not the same type (i.e. 1x400 + 1x800) then it's a crap shoot if the bridge board designers did it right to daisy chain. In my experience, about 2/3 to 3/4 of them get it right and you can diasy chain across speeds. In you case of course the limiting factor will be the fw400 link.

[DavidTO]

Anyone have any idea why my MBP won't start up in SafeBoot? I hold the shift key down after the chime, and it doesn't initiate SafeBoot.

I was trying to follow these instructions from macfixit.com for upgrading to 10.5.4:

Update procedure recommendation

General principles.
Leave all Apple-installed components where they are. Don't, for example, move Safari out of /Applications, or move your user Home folder.
In System Preferences > Software Update, make certain that "Download important updates in the background" is not checked. If your computer has multiple users, do this for every user. It might also be wise to uncheck "Check for updates"; one user, the administrator, should then be responsible for checking manually for updates from time to time. (To do so, choose Apple > Software Update.)
When an update is available in Software Update, do not press the Install button in the Software Update window. Instead, download any desired update packages individually and without actually performing the installation. Software Update allows you to do so, but this feature is not at all obvious, so here are instructions:
Make sure there is a checkmark at the left of all and only the packages you want to download.
Choose Update > Download Only. After performing the download(s), note the location, on your hard drive, of the downloaded material.
[Note: Alternatively, go to http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/ and click the download link for the desired package. In the case of major system updates, this is the way to obtain the full "combo update", which is often better than the incremental update offered by Software Update.]
Restart into Safe mode, by holding down the Shift key from the moment you hear the startup "bong" to the moment the "spinning gear" appears. Expect this startup to take longer than usual. Don't be alarmed if the fans whir loudly during the "spinning gear" display. Eventually you will be presented with the Safe Boot login screen. Log in as the administrator.
Without launching any other applications, double-click one installer package and perform the installation. Do nothing else; just sit there and wait until the installation is complete.
Repeat step 3 after every installation. Finally, restart normally. This, too, may take longer than usual, and you may experience a "double-restart." Be patient!

[CatOne]

Anyone have any idea why my MBP won't start up in SafeBoot? I hold the shift key down after the chime, and it doesn't initiate SafeBoot.

I was trying to follow these instructions from macfixit.com for upgrading to 10.5.4:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455?viewlocale=en_US

Seriously, David, going through all that voodoo to install an update if you're not having problems is a waste of time.

Download the Combo updater and install it, and you're good to go. You will get a double reboot -- they all double reboot these days.

[DavidTO]

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455?viewlocale=en_US

Seriously, David, going through all that voodoo to install an update if you're not having problems is a waste of time.

Download the Combo updater and install it, and you're good to go. You will get a double reboot -- they all double reboot these days.


I figured, but I wanted to try out the voodoo. My main concern is that my lappy won't boot into SafeBoot no matter what I do. It just boots normally, as if the shift key weren't held down, and my SHIFT KEY works! <<<<

SafeBoot has some important uses and it concerns me that I can't access it. I saw that knowledgebase article, and it's not answering my question.

Could it be that you can't access SafeBoot if you've set up an Open Firmware password? :ear

[Richard]

Could it be that you can't access SafeBoot if you've set up an Open Firmware password? :ear

You could easily test this theory by deleting the password. :dunno

[colourbox]

Could it be that you can't access SafeBoot if you've set up an Open Firmware password? :ear

There is a high possibility of this. Safe mode does disable all kinds of startup key actions.

[Moogle Pepper]

I just bought a macbook pro, used and with my educator's discount.

So... when it arrives, what should I expect?? :ear

[cmason]

I just bought a macbook pro, used and with my educator's discount.

So... when it arrives, what should I expect?? :ear

Well, there will be no need to carry the box into the house, as it will levitate itself. When you open the boxes, angels from heaven will descend, singing harmonious hymns in celebration. When you power it up, suddenly, solutions to problems that were bothering you will suddenly pop into your mind, and finally once you get it running, that evening, an amazing announcement will be heard on the news...like world hunger being solved or some such.

At least, thats what happened to me, YMMV

[Moogle Pepper]

Well, there will be no need to carry the box into the house, as it will levitate itself. When you open the boxes, angels from heaven will descend, singing harmonious hymns in celebration. When you power it up, suddenly, solutions to problems that were bothering you will suddenly pop into your mind, and finally once you get it running, that evening, an amazing announcement will be heard on the news...like world hunger being solved or some such.

At least, thats what happened to me, YMMV

:clap:barb

YES!!! I WILL FEEL THE POWER!

[SloYerRoll]

Well, there will be no need to carry the box into the house, as it will levitate itself. When you open the boxes, angels from heaven will descend, singing harmonious hymns in celebration. When you power it up, suddenly, solutions to problems that were bothering you will suddenly pop into your mind, and finally once you get it running, that evening, an amazing announcement will be heard on the news...like world hunger being solved or some such.

At least, thats what happened to me, YMMVFYI:
You won't get the newscast w/ the educator discount.

[Moogle Pepper]

What Newscast?:wink

haha!

[Mike Lane]

I just bought a macbook pro, used and with my educator's discount.

So... when it arrives, what should I expect?? :earIf you've got my luck, you'll see the fedex man get out of his truck go back to get your package, stumble coming out of his truck and drop it fairly spectacularly right on the ground.

"uh, you weren't supposed to see that." he said.

[gluwater]

If you've got my luck, you'll see the fedex man get out of his truck go back to get your package, stumble coming out of his truck and drop it fairly spectacularly right on the ground.

"uh, you weren't supposed to see that." he said.
:lol3 I mean :cry:doh

[Moogle Pepper]

If you've got my luck, you'll see the fedex man get out of his truck go back to get your package, stumble coming out of his truck and drop it fairly spectacularly right on the ground.

"uh, you weren't supposed to see that." he said.

:cry

[SloYerRoll]

"uh, you weren't supposed to see that." he said.It's the world on time. They said nothing about intact.. :rolleyes

Don't worry Ted. These boxes are designed to defeat the clumsiest of fed ex weenies. Your stuff will be fine :D

[DavidTO]

I just bought a macbook pro, used and with my educator's discount.

So... when it arrives, what should I expect?? :ear


You should expect the gamma to be set to 1.8 and you need to change it to 2.2 by some means of calibration. Either by eye in the displays preference panel or with a hardware device. But don't leave it on 1.8, it'll fool ya. :deal

[Mike Lane]

It's the world on time. They said nothing about intact.. :rolleyes

Don't worry Ted. These boxes are designed to defeat the clumsiest of fed ex weenies. Your stuff will be fine :Dyeah, I forgot to note that everything was a-okay with that 17" mbp.

Not that it matters since it was stolen in Dec 06 (should have had undercover!) :dunno

[Moogle Pepper]

You should expect the gamma to be set to 1.8 and you need to change it to 2.2 by some means of calibration. Either by eye in the displays preference panel or with a hardware device. But don't leave it on 1.8, it'll fool ya. :deal

When it arrives, I will be tinkering with the settings! So be prepared cause I Am gonna be asking questions! :D

[BladeFlap]

Posted this in Finishing school also.

When I open LR on my Mac, the window is sized so that the title bar (the one with three dots on upper left corner) is placed behind the menu bar (the bar that says "Lightroom, file, edit, library,etc)

The result is that I can no longer drag my LR window over to my external monitor.

I can't resize the window to fit by dragging the lower right corner, nor can I resize it by using the maximize button (it's one of the three that's trapped behind the menu bar)

It was not always like this, must have got fouled up at some point.

Any advice???

[patch29]

Posted this in Finishing school also.

When I open LR on my Mac, the window is sized so that the title bar (the one with three dots on upper left corner) is placed behind the menu bar (the bar that says "Lightroom, file, edit, library,etc)

The result is that I can no longer drag my LR window over to my external monitor.

I can't resize the window to fit by dragging the lower right corner, nor can I resize it by using the maximize button (it's one of the three that's trapped behind the menu bar)

It was not always like this, must have got fouled up at some point.

Any advice???


Have you tried the f key? It should cycle though different window options each time it is pressed, maybe that will fix it. :dunno

[colourbox]

When I open LR on my Mac, the window is sized so that the title bar (the one with three dots on upper left corner) is placed behind the menu bar (the bar that says "Lightroom, file, edit, library,etc)

Did you accidentally put it into one of the full screen modes? Check Window > Screen Mode.

Pressing the F key cycles through the screen modes. If you pressed F accidentally, you switched it.

[BladeFlap]

Have you tried the f key? It should cycle though different window options each time it is pressed, maybe that will fix it. :dunno



Hitting F fixed it.

Thanks to both who suggested it.

[Moogle Pepper]

How do you take the wait for your shipment? I am getting antsy and see that my package from FedEX is still in Nevada!! Since last Thursday! ..granted 4th july Friday and FEdEx doesn't work on the weekends...

[Mike Lane]

How do you take the wait for your shipment? I am getting antsy and see that my package from FedEX is still in Nevada!! Since last Thursday! ..granted 4th july Friday and FEdEx doesn't work on the weekends...Spend your last remaining moments of free time with your family :deal

[SloYerRoll]

Spend your last remaining moments of free time with your family :dealThat's the best answer I've heard to date :thumb

[Moogle Pepper]

Spend your last remaining moments of free time with your family :deal

It comes in tomorrow! Sadly... I guess my free time with family ends now. :cry:D:barb

[ian408]

It comes in tomorrow! Sadly... I guess my free time with family ends now. :cry:D:barb

Who?

































:hide

[Moogle Pepper]

:lol3

[Moogle Pepper]

I got it, and gamma'd it to 2.2!

[DavidTO]

Wow. Apple got scammed (http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/07/09/i-can-has-passwurd-nows-how-apple-was-scammed), and it ain't purty!

[Moogle Pepper]

That reminds me.. I need to change my passwords.. and take my CC accounts away...

[Moogle Pepper]

How do I right click?? :lol

[cmason]

How do I right click?? :lol

Ha! went insane till I figured this out: System Preferences>Keyboard and Mouse>Mouse. If you are using the MityMouse, it will show four configurable button locations. For the right mouse button, choose "Secondary Button". if you are using a Macbook, I think it is something to do with gestures (or buy a laptop mouse).

[Andy]

iPhone 3G, who's got theirs? I went this morning and got mine, was in and out of the store in about 10mins and it's all set up already.

Wow it's SO much lighter, it feels like 1/2 the weight :)
yes, I'm an Apple whore, ok ok

[DoctorIt]

iPhone 3G, who's got theirs?Not me, I don't get paid nearly enough.

But I did watch all the lines on the news. Craziness down here. Just like it was in the US last year for the first release.

[Moogle Pepper]

haha!! I was reading about the craziness for the first iphone, and I figured the newest iphone would be no different!! People lining up for days to get one.

Is it as spiffy as they say it is, Andy?

I wouldn't be able to afford the iphone, and don't have a need for it.

[colourbox]

How do I right click?? :lol

You have several options.

A. Press Control as you click. This works on any Mac.
B. On a Mac laptop, click with two fingers on the trackpad. If the two-finger click doesn't work, go into your Keyboard and Mouse preferences, click Trackpad, and under Two Fingers, turn on Secondary Click.
C. Plug in a 2-button mouse. This one also works on any Mac.

[Moogle Pepper]

I got it to work!!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/07/11/iphone.sales.ap/index.html

trouble for Iphone users!

[Andy]

Is it as spiffy as they say it is, Andy?
:nod

I have a buncha cool apps, I dig AIM and twitterific on my iPhone - and of course, SmugShot!

[bigwebguy]

:nod

I have a buncha cool apps, I dig AIM and twitterific on my iPhone - and of course, SmugShot!

twitterrific is probably the best designed iPhone app i've found. Really outstanding job.

Shazam is just black magic, and so cool.

Remote is just fun

and a tip: hold down the home and lock buttons to take a screenshot of your iPhone

[gus]

With leopard ..how do i find the 'preferences' area for my mail ? Its the leopard standard mail i assume.

[CatOne]

iPhone 3G, who's got theirs? I went this morning and got mine, was in and out of the store in about 10mins and it's all set up already.

Wow it's SO much lighter, it feels like 1/2 the weight :)
yes, I'm an Apple whore, ok ok

Still rockin' the "retro" version m'self. I'm sure I'll get upgraded sooner or later. Maybe later.

We can compare phones in about 6 weeks, Andy :wink

[CatOne]

With leopard ..how do i find the 'preferences' area for my mail ? Its the leopard standard mail i assume.

In Leopard, it's in mail.

Command-comma in all applications opens the preferences window. Or Mail->Preferences.

[gus]

My gut says that you are sending HTML formatted mail which is following the typical default of white text from SmugMug and you do not have a background. I am surprised that changing the colors does not work. I do not use Mail to know how to fix it. I am solely guessing based on the symptoms.
ta-darrrrrrrrrr...fixed.

Mail Preferences/Composing and set message format to Plain Text

[cabbey]

Command-comma in all applications opens the preferences window.

*Except those coded by drain bamaged crack monkeys, or Adobe.

[gus]

*Except those coded by drain bamaged crack monkeys
Can i apply for that position & is there medical/gym in it ?

[DavidTO]

twitterrific is probably the best designed iPhone app i've found. Really outstanding job.

Shazam is just black magic, and so cool.

Remote is just fun

and a tip: hold down the home and lock buttons to take a screenshot of your iPhone


I added Google Talk, or GTalk, or whatever it is they call it. http://google.com/talk from your iphone, then save the bookmark to your home screen. :deal Not exactly an app, but close to it.

Where oh where is adium for the iPhone? :D

[DavidTO]

Oh, BTW: Shazam IS magic. I've managed to stump it, but I had to work hard at it. I put in some of my more esoteric reggae, and it got it. The one mistake it got right the second time at a different part of the same song. WOW. :clap

[gus]

How do i remove programmes of a mac ? Is there an area equiv to a PC's 'add/remove' where i can see them listed & delete them ?

Its an desktop widget (its on there twice) and a the odd other programme.

[DoctorIt]

How do i remove programmes of a mac ? Is there an area equiv to a PC's 'add/remove' where i can see them listed & delete them ?

Its an desktop widget (its on there twice) and a the odd other programme.Just chuck it in the bin

[Moogle Pepper]

Just chuck it in the bin

No weird voodoo magic to uninstall?

[zweiblumen]

No weird voodoo magic to uninstall?

Not unless you consider "Empty Trash" to be weird voodoo magic. :D

[gus]

Just chuck it in the bin
Nup...that does not work.

[colourbox]

Tossing an app in the trash bin works if the entire application is contained in one file. Many apps, including Apple apps like Final Cut, have various and sometimes rather sizable pieces of the app strewn around in other locations like Application Support. If the program is or installs kernel extensions or other non-application files (Parallels does this among others), you must use a developer-provided uninstaller or other manual removal method.

Unfortunately, if the developer does not provide an uninstaller, Mac OS X lacks a central Windows-like "Add or Remove Programs" to help with these tasks.

[gus]

Tossing an app in the trash bin works if the entire application is contained in one file.
Tks CB..thats sort of what i was thinking. So i have 2 of the same weather widgets on my desktop & they are not in my widget section. How would you go about removing one of them ?

[colourbox]

If you are talking about Dashboard widgets, when Dashboard is open, try this? Click the plus sign at the bottom left corner of the screen, then click Manage Widgets, then see if the two copies show up in the list, and click the minus sign to delete one.

If that does not work, then try looking in these two locations to delete the widget file manually:

[harddrive]/Library/Widgets
[harddrive]/Users/[username]/Library/Widgets

[DavidTO]

OH.

MY.

I'm completely stunned by this.

I'm having problems running Final Cut Pro on my home system. Fair enough. Could be bad RAM, a bad firewire card, or many other things.

But in troubleshooting it I tried running it from a new user account (to eliminate any preferences issues or software conflicts).

Then, I got the following dialog. Each button does exactly the same thing as the other buttons: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Man, I'm ticked at Apple on this one. How ridiculous is this dialog?

http://img.skitch.com/20080720-eiegpyjmh5rb3kyt3hu1giunny.jpg

[ian408]

Was this after an upgrade or did it just happen?

[DavidTO]

Was this after an upgrade or did it just happen?


I got it when I tried to run it in a new user account (troubleshooting step).

Anyway, no matter how I got there, or how I could fix it, that is the single stupidest dialog box EVER. :ptptptptptptpt :D

[ian408]

I got it when I tried to run it in a new user account (troubleshooting step).

Anyway, no matter how I got there, or how I could fix it, that is the single stupidest dialog box EVER. :ptptptptptptpt :D

Stoopit or useless. i prefer useless.

[CatOne]

OH.

MY.

I'm completely stunned by this.

I'm having problems running Final Cut Pro on my home system. Fair enough. Could be bad RAM, a bad firewire card, or many other things.

But in troubleshooting it I tried running it from a new user account (to eliminate any preferences issues or software conflicts).

Then, I got the following dialog. Each button does exactly the same thing as the other buttons: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Man, I'm ticked at Apple on this one. How ridiculous is this dialog?

http://img.skitch.com/20080720-eiegpyjmh5rb3kyt3hu1giunny.jpg

LOL.

David, I think something's wrong. I just don't know what. But that does not look like a standard Final Cut Pro dialog. And Apple's HIG specifically forbid "Yes, No, Cancel" dialog boxes... because they suck, and because they are not clear. So I really don't know what's going on there.

[DavidTO]

LOL.

David, I think something's wrong. I just don't know what. But that does not look like a standard Final Cut Pro dialog. And Apple's HIG specifically forbid "Yes, No, Cancel" dialog boxes... because they suck, and because they are not clear. So I really don't know what's going on there.


I knew that about the yes, no, cancel. It's definitely something under the hood, not intended for public consumption.

They got an earful from me, that's for sure! :wink

[Richard]

I knew that about the yes, no, cancel. It's definitely something under the hood, not intended for public consumption.


Maybe they're just trying to make recent Windows converts feel welcome. :D

[Moogle Pepper]

Maybe they're just trying to make recent Windows converts feel welcome. :D

Home sweet home! :D

My zen didn't work on my mac, so I got an ipod touch. :cry:D

[Richard]

Anybody know of a good, free tool to migrate data from Windows to a Mac? Simple files aren't a problem--I'll just use an external drive or the LAN--but I would like to move Firefox bookmarks, cookies, passwords and settings as well as Thunderbird addresses and mailboxes without having to hunt all over a new filesystem to figure out where they are supposed to go. Just to clarify, FF and Tbird will also be on the new machine.

Thx.

[cmason]

Anybody know of a good, free tool to migrate data from Windows to a Mac? Simple files aren't a problem--I'll just use an external drive or the LAN--but I would like to move Firefox bookmarks, cookies, passwords and settings as well as Thunderbird addresses and mailboxes without having to hunt all over a new filesystem to figure out where they are supposed to go. Just to clarify, FF and Tbird will also be on the new machine.

Thx.

Richard: I migrated FF from Windows to Mac easily. I simply installed FF on the Mac. Then I copied the entire FF default profile directory from my Windows PC the the Mac. Everything came over including add-ons.

Rather than typing it all in, I found this via Google that saves me the time of typing, but this is what I did. Simply copy FROM the Windows directory listed, and TO the Mac directory listed. Install FF on Mac first.

I do not remember doing the terminal command, as I had not launched FF on the Mac, and I believe I deleted any profile that was there to begin with. ( but I may have, don't recall):


Here’s how to do it (from the Mozilla knowledge base):

Completely close Firefox
Copy the profile folder to wherever you want to store it. You can copy it anywhere except the application’s program directory.
Windows XP
C:\Documents and Settings\<Windows login/user name>\Application Data\Mozilla\
Windows Vista
C:\Users\<Windows login/user name>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\
Mac OSX
~/Library/Application Support/
Start the Profile Manager:
Windows:
Go to Start > Run
Type in “firefox.exe -profilemanager” and hit enter
Mac OS X:
Open Terminal
Type in “/Applications/firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -profilemanager” and hit enter
Click on “Create Profile…” and, in the dialog that opens, enter a descriptive name for the profile you copied.
Click on the “Choose Folder…” button. A “Browse for Folder” dialog will open.
Select the profile folder you copied and click OK.
Review the path shown in the “Completing the Create Profile Wizard” dialog to make sure it is correct, then click “Finish” to create the new profile.
Select the new profile and press the Start button to start Firefox using the moved profile.

[Richard]

Thanks, Cmason. :thumb

[cmason]

For Thunderbird, the operation is the same, simply copy your profile folder from Windows to Mac, deleting whatever default profile folder the installer puts on the Mac. You may have to set your pop passwords again.

Btw, I actually switched to Apple's Mail.app, I like it better. It also includes a migration tool from Thunderbird under the Import setting. (I did not use it since I use Gmail IMAP, and no 'import" is needed for IMAP)

[DavidTO]

Congrats, Richard! Details?

cmason: IMAP FTW! POP sux. Why a service like GoDaddy would not offer IMAP is beyond me. :wxwax

[Richard]

Congrats, Richard! Details?

cmason: IMAP FTW! POP sux. Why a service like GoDaddy would not offer IMAP is beyond me. :wxwax

Actually, the congrats go to my wife. My daughter and I bought her a Macbook as a birthday present. Me, I just get to be the sysadmin, and it has been quite a while since I did anything with Macs. :rolleyes

[wowhot]

why does my favico not work. i carnt see it in internet explorer


i had help from andy but it still is not showing

what do i do

help please

[DavidTO]

why does my favico not work. i carnt see it in internet explorer


i had help from andy but it still is not showing

what do i do

help please


You're running IE on a Mac? Seriously?

[wowhot]

You're running IE on a Mac? Seriously?


no ie on a pc

[Richard]

1) Anybody know why the local hostname of a Macbook isn't showing up in the DHCP table of my router? The machine is there and connectivity is fine, but the hostname is blank.

2) In researching the above question, I noticed that TextEdit does not seem to provide access to the Unix system directories. I suppose this is a good thing in most cases, but I am running as admin so I would expect complete access to the file system. I would hate to have to start using vi again after all these years--and don't get me started on emacs :humungus

Maybe the more general question is: can I expect to do all my system administration work without leaving the Apple GUI, if only I know where to look? Under what circumstances do you drop down into a Unix shell?

Thx.

[Ann McRae]

Search isn't my friend this a.m..so I need to ask a stupid question.

I want to check how much memory space I have left, so I can decide on an external drive (or enforcing the 'no itunes on mom's computer' rule).

I thought I should be able to find that with the apple icon top left, but :scratch

Also, I bought this last fall, and still haven't upgraded to the new OS. Should I?

ann

[patch29]

I want to check how much memory space I have left, so I can decide on an external drive (or enforcing the 'no itunes on mom's computer' rule).



Right click on hard drive icon and choose get info. It should show the drives capacity, available and used hard drive space.

[Ann McRae]

Right click on hard drive icon and choose get info. It should show the drives capacity, available and used hard drive space.


Thank you - exactly what I needed. I am a third full.

Now I need to figure out why my response time while working in LR or Bridge seems to be slow. Don't imagine that is due to lack of free space.

Thanks Patch.

ann

[DavidTO]

Thank you - exactly what I needed. I am a third full.

Now I need to figure out why my response time while working in LR or Bridge seems to be slow. Don't imagine that is due to lack of free space.

Thanks Patch.

ann


Or, any Finder window will show space available on the current volume. Open a window and click on your drive, look at the bottom.

http://img.skitch.com/20080802-xm7759cshnd9wscqfw1w6qr2et.jpg

Also, if you do option-command-i, the Get Info window will persist, and will get info on whatever you click on.

[DavidTO]

1) Anybody know why the local hostname of a Macbook isn't showing up in the DHCP table of my router? The machine is there and connectivity is fine, but the hostname is blank.

2) In researching the above question, I noticed that TextEdit does not seem to provide access to the Unix system directories. I suppose this is a good thing in most cases, but I am running as admin so I would expect complete access to the file system. I would hate to have to start using vi again after all these years--and don't get me started on emacs :humungus

Maybe the more general question is: can I expect to do all my system administration work without leaving the Apple GUI, if only I know where to look? Under what circumstances do you drop down into a Unix shell?

Thx.


Richard,

I have a hard time helping computer g33ks like you, since you approach the whole thing so differently.

Anyway, you should be able to do everything in the GUI. Unless you're a computer g33k looking to do something the average joe wouldn't, then you can go into terminal and break out your UNIX commands.

You're an admin, not a root user. Root is the all-powerful god who can wreak havoc on your system. If you ever need root, get in, get out and don't go back unless you really need it. Root is dangerous and unecessary. So, don't expect to have all powers as admin.

I don't understand DHCP tables, or your router. But is it that your mac isn't showing up on the network with a name or a label? Are you expecting the mac to provide that? My best guess at what you're asking is System Preferences>Sharing>Computer Name. It should have one, though, by default, so I'm not sure that's really going to help.

[Richard]

Richard,

I have a hard time helping computer g33ks like you, since you approach the whole thing so differently.

Anyway, you should be able to do everything in the GUI. Unless you're a computer g33k looking to do something the average joe wouldn't, then you can go into terminal and break out your UNIX commands.

You're an admin, not a root user. Root is the all-powerful god who can wreak havoc on your system. If you ever need root, get in, get out and don't go back unless you really need it. Root is dangerous and unecessary. So, don't expect to have all powers as admin.

I don't understand DHCP tables, or your router. But is it that your mac isn't showing up on the network with a name or a label? Are you expecting the mac to provide that? My best guess at what you're asking is System Preferences>Sharing>Computer Name. It should have one, though, by default, so I'm not sure that's really going to help.

Yeah, I looked there and it does have a name, but the name is not showing up on the router, though the machine's MAC address and IP address is there. Actually, there is a computer name and a local hostname and they are not the same. Dynamic global hostname is not enabled, and to be honest, I don't know what that does or when one would use it. All my (ahem) Windows machine names show up without me having done anything special on them.

I understand the dangers of root fully, and I'm really not a cowboy (any more:D). So far, the only suggested solution I have found involves editing hosts.config. While that doesn't sound all that scary to me, it just seems like there ought to be a more user friendly way to accomplish it. Guess I'll keep looking.

[Richard]

Yeah, I looked there and it does have a name, but the name is not showing up on the router, though the machine's MAC address and IP address is there. Actually, there is a computer name and a local hostname and they are not the same. Dynamic global hostname is not enabled, and to be honest, I don't know what that does or when one would use it. All my (ahem) Windows machine names show up without me having done anything special on them.


OK, found it. It was in System Preferences->Network->TCP-IP->Advanced.

Onward: Is it possible to lock the contents of the dock? My wife is regularly dragging shortcut icons off the dock by accident and doesn't really grasp how to get them back. It would save me some time. :rolleyes

[DavidTO]

OK, found it. It was in System Preferences->Network->TCP-IP->Advanced.

Onward: Is it possible to lock the contents of the dock? My wife is regularly dragging shortcut icons off the dock by accident and doesn't really grasp how to get them back. It would save me some time. :rolleyes


Don't think so. I suppose you could try locking the file ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist, but that's pretty risky, messing with a preference file like that. There's also a file called com.apple.dock.db that you could try locking, but like I said, it's risky, and unknown territory.

[Richard]

Don't think so. I suppose you could try locking the file ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist, but that's pretty risky, messing with a preference file like that. There's also a file called com.apple.dock.db that you could try locking, but like I said, it's risky, and unknown territory.

I have read about some file locking tricks, but I don't feel knowledgeable enough about OS-X yet to go around the approved interface to the Apple stuff. If she doesn't get the hang of it soon, I might be able solve the problem by enabling parental controls on her account, as long as the granularity permits locking down the dock without interfering with other stuff. Shhhhh...don't tell her :D.

[DavidTO]

I have read about some file locking tricks, but I don't feel knowledgeable enough about OS-X yet to go around the approved interface to the Apple stuff. If she doesn't get the hang of it soon, I might be able solve the problem by enabling parental controls on her account, as long as the granularity permits locking down the dock without interfering with other stuff. Shhhhh...don't tell her :D.

Good idea. I hadn't thought of that.

[cabbey]

2) In researching the above question, I noticed that TextEdit does not seem to provide access to the Unix system directories. I suppose this is a good thing in most cases, but I am running as admin so I would expect complete access to the file system. I would hate to have to start using vi again after all these years--and don't get me started on emacs :humungus


Admin only gets you complete access to the Macintosh system layers, it does not get you complete access to the Unix under layers. However, you can get to them and make use of them in the Mac layers by way of the terminal. The 'open' command is likely the most useful bridge between the two. You can cd into a normal unix path at the command line (once you gain super user privs with sudo) and use open to open a given file with the default handler. One of my personal favorite uses is open . which will open the current directory in finder.


Maybe the more general question is: can I expect to do all my system administration work without leaving the Apple GUI, if only I know where to look? Under what circumstances do you drop down into a Unix shell?

Thx.

Yes, 99.9% of mac admin work on a 'single node network' can and should be done through the GUI. Many of the places a normal unix nerd would look are only empty shell files anyway... they don't actually have anything in them that the system is using.

I have a console open at all times. I do a lot of work in it. Both on my local system and across the network. But there are really only two times I do any thing really "admin"ish in there:


I'm remotely running software update on the wife's machine via an ssh session.
I'm doing something beyond the normal user expectations, usually, dorking with kernel extension that I've built. The expectation is that kernel modules will be installed via bundles and the system rebooted to pick them up. When you're doing development, that stinks. So I load/unload them from the command line dynamically right out of my build tree.

[eoren1]

Thank you - exactly what I needed. I am a third full.

Now I need to figure out why my response time while working in LR or Bridge seems to be slow. Don't imagine that is due to lack of free space.

Thanks Patch.

ann

It's not your system unfortunately. There are a few threads on the Adobe Forums right now about the speed (or lack thereof) of LR2. It does not seem to be a RAM issue but rather a coding one. This is especially seen with the new local adjustment tools.
E

[Richard]

Admin only gets you complete access to the Macintosh system layers, it does not get you complete access to the Unix under layers. However, you can get to them and make use of them in the Mac layers by way of the terminal.
Thanks, cabbey. I played around a bit but as far as I can see, there's a wall between Unix and the Mac stuff. For example, in a terminal session, I can cd to / and ls will show /etc, but etc does not show in the Finder when I do open . I then tried sudo open . but the result was the same--Finder shows the Mac stuff and assumes that the rest is none of my business. It's probably right. :wink Anyway, it's not a big deal...I hope to need it seldom. I'll just put on some CSNY and try to feel nostalgic when using vi. {singing} Our house is a very very very fine house... :rofl

Oh, yeah...I found out that you can lock the dock using parental controls without necessarily restricting anything else. The only downside I could see is that there seems to be no way of disabling logging altogether on a managed account, though you can limit the log size to 24 hours. I'm guessing that the performance hit of logging is imperceptable, so it seems to be a decent solution for now.

[DavidTO]

Providing long distance support.

I'm pretty good at helping others with their Macs, but my mom will soon be relying on me much more in providing her with support. She's smart and quick, but no g33k.

What I'm looking for are ideas on how best to provide support to someone long distance.

Here's what I'm doing already:

I'm going to be setting her up on Leopard so that I can do the whole remote desktop thing with her.

I'm going to make sure she's doing regular backups via Time Machine to a dedicated drive.

I'm going to make sure that her most important files are backed up offsite. I'm open to ideas on what that should look like.


What else should I think about? She's going to be taking over the household finances, which is new to her. Aside from that it will be the normal email, word processing, web surfing stuff. Nothing too tricky.

[zweiblumen]

Providing long distance support.

I'm pretty good at helping others with their Macs, but my mom will soon be relying on me much more in providing her with support. She's smart and quick, but no g33k.

What I'm looking for are ideas on how best to provide support to someone long distance.

Here's what I'm doing already:

I'm going to be setting her up on Leopard so that I can do the whole remote desktop thing with her.

I'm going to make sure she's doing regular backups via Time Machine to a dedicated drive.

I'm going to make sure that her most important files are backed up offsite. I'm open to ideas on what that should look like.


What else should I think about? She's going to be taking over the household finances, which is new to her. Aside from that it will be the normal email, word processing, web surfing stuff. Nothing too tricky.

Having the remote desktop will make the biggest difference. That will be very key. Additionally, I'd set it up so you can SSH into her machine for fixes that don't require a full user interface. CLI much faster. Just my 2 cents.

Outside of that, patience. My mother is bright, but horribly computer illiterate. She has a lot of trouble with the simplest of concepts, so I set her up with Applecare and their full support package. She's been very happy with that (which makes my life SO much easier). That being said, it's not necessary for someone that you can talk problems through with or show them once and they will at least be able to take notes to reference from in the future.

[DavidTO]

Additionally, I'd set it up so you can SSH into her machine for fixes that don't require a full user interface. CLI much faster. Just my 2 cents.



I'm good on a Mac, but I truly don't understand what this means. I mean, I get the basic concept, but I have no idea how to implement it or use it. Given my own need for support around it, is it really worth doing? :ear

Thanks for the help!

[zweiblumen]

I'm good on a Mac, but I truly don't understand what this means. I mean, I get the basic concept, but I have no idea how to implement it or use it. Given my own need for support around it, is it really worth doing? :ear

Thanks for the help!

:D

This would just be a tool for accessing your mother's computer remotely when you don't want to go through the whole rigamaroll(sp?) of using remote desktop.

Don't know if it would be necessary for you given your lack of experience with it, but if you want to set it up:
System Preferences -> Sharing
select "Remote Login" and it will tell you how to access that in the box on the upper right.

Additionally you may need to open port 22 on her router for access (just as you need to open the remote desktop port there).

HTH
-Trav

[cabbey]

Thanks, cabbey. I played around a bit but as far as I can see, there's a wall between Unix and the Mac stuff. For example, in a terminal session, I can cd to / and ls will show /etc, but etc does not show in the Finder when I do open .

cd into /etc, then run open .

;)


OR, just "open /etc"

[cabbey]

Providing long distance support.

zweiblumen brings up a KEY point that has cost me the better part of the last couple nights. Just because you enable remote access doesn't mean it's going to work. I just sent my mom a new mac mini to replace her old iBook. The old remote access setup hadn't been used since she moved from dialup to dsl, so I'd never noticed that her dsl modem has a nat firewall in it. Remote access is dead at the moment, her address is 192.168.0.2. Ain't that useful.

This weekend we'll be using copilot (it's free on the weekends now) to get her email configured. And I'll likely take a shot at turning the firewall in her dsl modem off too.

[Kirk Watts]

zweiblumen brings up a KEY point that has cost me the better part of the last couple nights. Just because you enable remote access doesn't mean it's going to work. I just sent my mom a new mac mini to replace her old iBook. The old remote access setup hadn't been used since she moved from dialup to dsl, so I'd never noticed that her dsl modem has a nat firewall in it. Remote access is dead at the moment, her address is 192.168.0.2. Ain't that useful.

This weekend we'll be using copilot (it's free on the weekends now) to get her email configured. And I'll likely take a shot at turning the firewall in her dsl modem off too.

Logmein is a great site/tool, it's free (last time I checked), now available for OS X, and allows you to use a web interface. I've had no problems getting it to work through any sort of firewall/NAT either.

[cmason]

Logmein is a great site/tool, it's free (last time I checked), now available for OS X, and allows you to use a web interface. I've had no problems getting it to work through any sort of firewall/NAT either.

+1 on Logmein Free, works great and I use it on both PCs and Macs

[RogersDA]

I have two internal drives for a PC formatted NTFS. Can I just connect these drives to a MacPro's drive bays (there will be two available bays) to get the data to the pre-installed drives (and then reformat them after copyig the data over)?

[DavidTO]

I have two internal drives for a PC formatted NTFS. Can I just connect these drives to a MacPro's drive bays (there will be two available bays) to get the data to the pre-installed drives (and then reformat them after copyig the data over)?


Should work.

[colourbox]

I can cd to / and ls will show /etc, but etc does not show in the Finder when I do open .

If you want to do this a lot, download free TinkerTool (http://www.bresink.com/osx/0TinkerTool/details.html) and flip the switch that makes invisible files and folders visible. The file system windows will get a lot more cluttered, but you can turn it back off after you're done.

TinkerTool is one of those apps that contains an easy GUi to many switches that are otherwise accessible by Terminal command line only. But with this, you don't have to remember any commands. There's a bunch of cool stuff in there.

[RogersDA]

Should work.Thanks, David. I'll find out (hopefully) today. I am awaiting the FedEx truck to drive up with my new toy.

[Richard]

If you want to do this a lot, download free TinkerTool (http://www.bresink.com/osx/0TinkerTool/details.html) and flip the switch that makes invisible files and folders visible. The file system windows will get a lot more cluttered, but you can turn it back off after you're done.

TinkerTool is one of those apps that contains an easy GUi to many switches that are otherwise accessible by Terminal command line only. But with this, you don't have to remember any commands. There's a bunch of cool stuff in there.

Thanks for the tip. Sounds like just what I want. I'll check it out. :thumb

[RogersDA]

Is there any difference between the RAM that you get when you order a MAC from Apple and the memory you can get from other online sources (assuming the same basic specs; e.g., both are listed at 800 MHz DDR2 fully buffered)?

Apple's prices are HUGE compared to Kingston's price at Newegg.com.

[StevenV]

yea, the prices are huge.

and, I suppose, under warranty and/or AppleCare.

crucial.com is your friend, no matter what brand hardware you use.

[colourbox]

Is there any difference between the RAM that you get when you order a MAC from Apple and the memory you can get from other online sources...?

No need to buy Apple RAM. You definitely don't want to get just any RAM with the same specs. Best to go with a known good supplier of Mac RAM. Fortunately that list is long. Crucial, Kingston, Ramjet, OWC, Transintl...You can basically shop on price as long as the company has a lifetime exchange warranty so that any failures are guaranteed to be taken care of.

I've got OWC RAM (http://macsales.com/) in a few Macs with no failures. You can comparison shop at ramseeker.com (http://ramseeker.com/), a Mac-specific site.

There are plenty of companies just as reliable as Crucial but often cheaper.

[RogersDA]

yea, the prices are huge.

and, I suppose, under warranty and/or AppleCare.

crucial.com is your friend, no matter what brand hardware you use.

No need to buy Apple RAM. You definitely don't want to get just any RAM with the same specs. Best to go with a known good supplier of Mac RAM. Fortunately that list is long. Crucial, Kingston, Ramjet, OWC, Transintl...You can basically shop on price as long as the company has a lifetime exchange warranty so that any failures are guaranteed to be taken care of.

I've got OWC RAM (http://macsales.com/) in a few Macs with no failures. You can comparison shop at ramseeker.com (http://ramseeker.com/), a Mac-specific site.

There are plenty of companies just as reliable as Crucial but often cheaper.
Thanks for the replies. That's what I figured. I got 4 GB preinstalled as I am not sure when I will be getting more (if I ever need to).

[RogersDA]

A few more questions:

Which one: Bootcamp? Fusion? Parallels?

I am awaiting arrival of a MacPro. I will still need to run WinXP Pro for some Windows-only apps that I must use. Should I just run Bootcamp, or do I need Fusion or Parallels? Is one option better than others?

Also, data files created in the WinXP environment - will they be available only in the WinXP VM?

Also, if I want to backup all my datafiles to an external drive, will I have to have one backup media formated for MAc and one formated NTFS?

What backup software is suggested?

[Andy]

A few more questions:

Which one: Bootcamp? Fusion? Parallels?

I am awaiting arrival of a MacPro. I will still need to run WinXP Pro for some Windows-only apps that I must use. Should I just run Bootcamp, or do I need Fusion or Parallels? Is one option better than others?

Also, data files created in the WinXP environment - will they be available only in the WinXP VM?

Also, if I want to backup all my datafiles to an external drive, will I have to have one backup media formated for MAc and one formated NTFS?

What backup software is suggested?

VMware Fusion, ftw.

I run it on two macs. I have WinXP and Win Vista on both machines, and I moves files back/forth all the time.

[RogersDA]

VMware Fusion, ftw.

I run it on two macs. I have WinXP and Win Vista on both machines, and I moves files back/forth all the time.Thanks, Andy. :thumb
What about backup software? I prefer to have something run daily. Does the MacPro come with that, or do I need to get a 3rd party app?

[DavidTO]

Thanks, Andy. :thumb
What about backup software? I prefer to have something run daily. Does the MacPro come with that, or do I need to get a 3rd party app?


It will come with Time Machine (http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/timemachine.html). It backs up every hour, every day, every week. Drop dead simple. If you want to make a bootable drive, then the answer is SuperDuper (http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/), which is inexpensive shareware, and awesome. :thumb

[RogersDA]

It will come with Time Machine (http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/timemachine.html). It backs up every hour, every day, every week. Drop dead simple. If you want to make a bootable drive, then the answer is SuperDuper (http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/), which is inexpensive shareware, and awesome. :thumbThanks for that info David.

[W.W. Webster]

It will come with Time Machine (http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/timemachine.html). It backs up every hour, every day, every week. Drop dead simple. If you want to make a bootable drive, then the answer is SuperDuper (http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/), which is inexpensive shareware, and awesome. :thumbThat's a winning formula IMHO! :thumb

[DavidTO]

Providing long distance support.

I'm pretty good at helping others with their Macs, but my mom will soon be relying on me much more in providing her with support. She's smart and quick, but no g33k.

What I'm looking for are ideas on how best to provide support to someone long distance.

Here's what I'm doing already:

I'm going to be setting her up on Leopard so that I can do the whole remote desktop thing with her.

I'm going to make sure she's doing regular backups via Time Machine to a dedicated drive.

I'm going to make sure that her most important files are backed up offsite. I'm open to ideas on what that should look like.


What else should I think about? She's going to be taking over the household finances, which is new to her. Aside from that it will be the normal email, word processing, web surfing stuff. Nothing too tricky.


So, here's what I ended up doing:


Upgraded her to Leopard
Got her set up with Time Machine
Showed her how to to screensharing via iChat
Got her set up with all of her banking passwords (she's taking all that over from Dad, so it's all foreign territory) with 1Password (https://agilewebsolutions.com/). :thumb Gotta love that app.
Got her set up with MobileMe.
Set up Quicken to automagically backup to MobileMe
Showed her how to save other important docs offsite with MobileMe
Got her set up with syncing her contacts, keychains, bookmarks on MobileMe.
Installed SMART Reporter (http://www.corecode.at/smartreporter/) and set it up to send me an email if her drive starts to show signs of failure.

[Mike Lane]

After my macbook pro has been on for a day or so, I get a message that my startup disk is getting full (and when I look at the HD info I'm nearly out of space, so it's a true message). But when I restart and look at the HD info, I have 5gb of space available.

WTF? :scratch Any ideas how to stop that. I'm guessing it has to do with how the mac handles virtual memory. Anything that's too much for the RAM, I'm guessing, gets sent to free space on the HD. Looking on Disk Inventory X, I can see that the volumes that fills up are /private/var/vm, /private/var/folders, and private/var/db. Why does it take a restart to clear it if I'm right about the virtual memory?

If it isn't the virtual memory handling, what else could it be and would there be a way to clear it without a restart?

[DavidTO]

After my macbook pro has been on for a day or so, I get a message that my startup disk is getting full (and when I look at the HD info I'm nearly out of space, so it's a true message). But when I restart and look at the HD info, I have 5gb of space available.

WTF? :scratch Any ideas how to stop that. I'm guessing it has to do with how the mac handles virtual memory. Anything that's too much for the RAM, I'm guessing, gets sent to free space on the HD. Looking on Disk Inventory X, I can see that the volumes that fills up are /private/var/vm, /private/var/folders, and private/var/db. Why does it take a restart to clear it if I'm right about the virtual memory?

If it isn't the virtual memory handling, what else could it be and would there be a way to clear it without a restart?


I had a friend who had the same problem. It had to do with his Windows installation.

[zweiblumen]

After my macbook pro has been on for a day or so, I get a message that my startup disk is getting full (and when I look at the HD info I'm nearly out of space, so it's a true message). But when I restart and look at the HD info, I have 5gb of space available.

WTF? :scratch Any ideas how to stop that. I'm guessing it has to do with how the mac handles virtual memory. Anything that's too much for the RAM, I'm guessing, gets sent to free space on the HD. Looking on Disk Inventory X, I can see that the volumes that fills up are /private/var/vm, /private/var/folders, and private/var/db. Why does it take a restart to clear it if I'm right about the virtual memory?

If it isn't the virtual memory handling, what else could it be and would there be a way to clear it without a restart?


One problem with the way that OSX works.... it really needs about 15-20% of your harddrive free to work properly.

It's kind of like VRAM, but it also does a lot of overhead stuff there and storing temp things that the system doesn't like to leave in memory. I've not found a workaround for this other than leaving a healthy chunk of your boot drive free. I will say, it's my biggest complaint about OSX. You loose a lot of your primary disk for this. (note, you don't need to do this on non-boot drives.)

[DavidTO]

One problem with the way that OSX works.... it really needs about 15-20% of your harddrive free to work properly.


This is very true. Well, 20% is a bit of overkill, but you do need free space.

[Moogle Pepper]

How difficult is it to replace the hdd in a macbook pro? I am getting the feeling I am going to be using up my 200 gigs. I can always use my external hard drive, but it is such a pain to lug around.

[DavidTO]

How difficult is it to replace the hdd in a macbook pro? I am getting the feeling I am going to be using up my 200 gigs. I can always use my external hard drive, but it is such a pain to lug around.


If you do it yourself you void the warranty, it's kinda buried in there.

[zweiblumen]

If you do it yourself you void the warranty, it's kinda buried in there.

My (out of warranty) PowerBook G4 just had the hdd crash on me, so I'll be getting very familiar with that as soon as my replacement comes in the mail. We'll see how the surgery goes.

[Richard]

This is very true. Well, 20% is a bit of overkill, but you do need free space.

Actually, I remember 20% free space as being the recommended minimum on all manner of big iron and minicomputer systems. Of course, that may also have had something to do with how long it used to take to get funding for new drives. :wink

Most operating systems reserve disk space for virtual memory in advance. You want it to be contiguous and in a physical location to minimize seek time. I'm guessing that the problem is due to temp files created by applications.

[cmason]

Actually, I remember 20% free space as being the recommended minimum on all manner of big iron and minicomputer systems. Of course, that may also have had something to do with how long it used to take to get funding for new drives. :wink



Well it was called DASD back then Richard, and having a 1GB drive meant you were involved in some top secret government defense project.:rofl

[ian408]

This is very true. Well, 20% is a bit of overkill, but you do need free space.

Not really. What OSX (and many others) do with the space is run disk defrag tools. You can't defrag effectively with less than 20% or so of free space. Especially when you've got large files.

[ian408]

Well it was called DASD back then Richard, and having a 1GB drive meant you were involved in some top secret government defense project.:rofl

RP05 :lol3

[Andy]

WTF Safari icon won't stay in my Dock, it's possessed :yikes

http://img.skitch.com/20080812-d1nn6jgqiestjd6h8bgebymd1h.jpg

And if I close Safari it won't be in my Dock any more :cry

[Moogle Pepper]

WTF Safari icon won't stay in my Dock, it's possessed :yikes

http://img.skitch.com/20080812-d1nn6jgqiestjd6h8bgebymd1h.jpg

It doesn't want to be next to Firefox!

[Richard]

It doesn't want to be next to Firefox!
:lol3

[Moogle Pepper]

Hmm.. .maybe it is possessed, cause I just docked safari next to firefox and it was buddy buddy. Then again, my laptop isn't connected to the internet... so maybe they don't know that they are next to each other...

[cmason]

Hmm.. .maybe it is possessed, cause I just docked safari next to firefox and it was buddy buddy. Then again, my laptop isn't connected to the internet... so maybe they don't know that they are next to each other...

do you have the dock locked using some tool like Onyx or something that simplifies the terminal settings?

[RogersDA]

Thanks for all of the great information everyone.

The MacPro arrived today. I got it all hooked up and running (took 2 minutes vice the normal 2 hours on a Windows machine). Tonight I will start adding the software and restoring the data from the now dead PC.

[Moogle Pepper]

Thanks for all of the great information everyone.

The MacPro arrived today. I got it all hooked up and running (took 2 minutes vice the normal 2 hours on a Windows machine). Tonight I will start adding the software and restoring the data from the now dead PC.

Congrats on your macbook pro!!

do you have the dock locked using some tool like Onyx or something that simplifies the terminal settings?

Oh I was joking around! :rofl

[RogersDA]

Congrats on your macbook pro!!Close - just a MacPro.
Thanks, too!!

[Moogle Pepper]

oh... >.>

I meant Mac Pro!

[RogersDA]

Learn me some more:

I downloaded firefox to the computer. Dragged the firefox icon to the applications folder as instructed. From the applications folder I then dragged the firefox icon to the dock as instructed. Clicking on the dock's icon runs firefox. That's great.

Now, what do I do with a) the dowloaded file in the downloads folder (firefox 3.0.1.dmg which is 17.2 MB) and b) the firefox disk image on the desktop?

[cmason]

Learn me some more:

I downloaded firefox to the computer. Dragged the firefox icon to the applications folder as instructed. From the applications folder I then dragged the firefox icon to the dock as instructed. Clicking on the dock's icon runs firefox. That's great.

Now, what do I do with a) the dowloaded file in the downloads folder (firefox 3.0.1.dmg which is 17.2 MB) and b) the firefox disk image on the desktop?

you can toss them both. The dmg is basically like a zip file, and the disk image is basically an installer. They are actually far more than that, but it is a useful analogy to the Windows world. The Firefox file in your Applications folder is the app. Removing it from the Applications folder is the same as uninstalling.

[cmason]

Extremely good 'new Mac owner' reads:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2514?viewlocale=en_US

http://www.myfirstmac.com/index.php/mac/categories/C7/

http://paulstamatiou.com/2005/11/29/10-things-every-new-mac-owner-should-know

http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/

Useful, but not so helpful attitude:
http://danwarne.com/mistakes-made-by-new-mac-users/

[colourbox]

Now, what do I do with a) the dowloaded file in the downloads folder (firefox 3.0.1.dmg which is 17.2 MB) and b) the firefox disk image on the desktop?

DMG is short for Disk Image, so think of it as like a physical installer disk, since it behaves exactly the same way (mount, install, "eject"). If you still have a disk image on your desktop (not talking about the DMG here) then eject it now (File menu/Eject). Leaving it around would be like leaving an install CD mounted. That will leave you with the DMG file, which you can keep as long as you like.

I keep large disk images on an archive drive because I don't want to have to download them again in the future if I need to reinstall for some reason. For example the Mac OS X 10.5.4 Combo Update is