Andy's Un-Official Unsolicited Mac Advice Thread

[cmason]

I found this online backup solution (http://photojojo.com/content/buy-this/back-up-your-photos-backblaze/). It's $5/month no matter how much you're storing. I'm just trying it out and it seems really really easy, easier than Jungle Disk, which I may ditch. The Mac version is in private beta, but there's a link to an invite in the link above. Check it out.

I also highly recommend Mozy Home (http://mozy.com/home). Its $4.95 a month for unlimited backup, and the Mac version is very mature, not in beta like the above. They offer a free version with 2GB limit, so its simple to try. I have an account for my Mac, and free accounts for all the other computers in the house (2GB free).

Basically it runs in the background. You can choose files, file types, directories etc to be backed up. It does not appear as a virtual disk, however you can open the client (or web client) for easy access and download of any file that has been uploaded.

[Pupator]

I use Mozy Pro with a company whose data I'm responsible for - it has worked very well. It doesn't sync like SugarSync, but if all you need is backup it's an excellent solution. :thumb

[DavidTO]

I also highly recommend Mozy Home (http://mozy.com/home). Its $4.95 a month for unlimited backup, and the Mac version is very mature, not in beta like the above. They offer a free version with 2GB limit, so its simple to try. I have an account for my Mac, and free accounts for all the other computers in the house (2GB free).

Basically it runs in the background. You can choose files, file types, directories etc to be backed up. It does not appear as a virtual disk, however you can open the client (or web client) for easy access and download of any file that has been uploaded.


Thanks! I'm going to try it. :D

[BradfordBenn]

You might also want to check with your bank :) My bank is offering a Virtual Safe Deposit box that is pennies a month. Offsite backup etc. it is not a true realtime connection you have to upload files but also something to consider.

I also think about what happened to JournalSpace last month, their backup was a RAID system. So a disgruntled employee just erased the data. No way to get it back. No drive failure etc.

[DavidTO]

For $200 you can have your MBP screen converted to matte (http://techrestore.com/xcart/product.php?productid=18467&cat=0&page=1).

[CatOne]

OK, this is serious. I'm in love. :D

...

CAUTION: At present Dropbox does NOT copy the resource fork. Maybe my love isn't so strong, after all. It borked the Quicken files I had uploaded to it. The solution here is to put these files into a DMG. That works fine. Good thing I had a backup of my Quicken, cause the files I had put in the Dropbox were unusable!

Resource fork. LOL.

Oh, that's right, we _ARE_ talking about Quicken here. You know they actually CAN'T make that thing a universal binary without a complete rewrite, the code is so old? They actually have some parts of Quicken for which THERE IS NO SOURCE CODE anymore... they lost it! So they have the object files and they can link with those, but there's no source. L O L.

Anyway, yeah, it's a problem for super old code that has its roots in the OS 9 and earlier days. Disk images will work tho'

[bike21]

How many of you mac users use boot camp or parallels on your macs? I just got a new Macbook Pro and don't want to 'infect' it with Windows :D

That said, I need IE for my company's website to fully function and currently use Microsoft Money for my finances and don't really want to switch. I might load up boot camp w/ XP but I have heard even with the partition it can slow down the overall performance of Leopard. Any truth to this or is it unfounded anti-windows mongering?

I love the new mac, but still need some windows functionality. I appreciate any help/success/horror stories of using windows on a mac.

[Pupator]

I might load up boot camp w/ XP but I have heard even with the partition it can slow down the overall performance of Leopard. Any truth to this or is it unfounded anti-windows mongering?

Unfounded anti-windows mongering. It slows down nothing. If you're only doing it to run IE you should probably consider VMWare Fusion or Parallels instead of boot camp. Seems like a waste of time, energy, and hard drive space to use Boot Camp. (I on the other hand spend more time in Windows than OSX, so Boot Camp is the way to go.)

[W.W. Webster]

I appreciate any help/success/horror stories of using windows on a mac.Perhaps your question is better directed to Andy's Un-Official Unsolicited Mac Advice Thread (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=7386).

[kd2]

I just loaded VMare Fusion on my desktop Mac two days ago. I want to run a customer database program and it's Windows-based. So far, absolutely no problems at all.

[bike21]

Cool, thanks for the notes & ideas. I think I might do Boot Camp for now since it pre-installed and I have a copy of XP ready to go.

Not to get too far off topic, but has anyone tried Moneydance for personal finances? I just found it, and it looks like a great alternative to using MS Money.

[DavidTO]

Really? those apps will keep my calendar and address book synced between iphone, home Mac, and anywhere I can login to me.com?

I'll happily take back my me.com account if you show me something that does it as seamlessly (that's not baiting or sarcasm, it's serious).


Here you go (http://www.google.com/mobile/apple/sync.html), Doc. Calendar and contact syncing without mobile me. :thumb

[DavidTO]

If you're using DropBox, I just figured out how to make it better and easier! :thumb

Well, this will seem complicated, and it takes some set-up, but here's the thing: once you've done this the file/folder you're syncing can be where you want it to be--it doesn't have to be in the DropBox folder.

First, download this Automator Action (http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/automator/createsymboliclink.html).

2) Install it by double clicking it. Do this on both computers you're syncing.

3) When it's open in Automator, you can edit it so that it will create the symbolic link wherever you determine. I put it in DropBox>Symbolic Sync. It doesn't matter what you call it, just make sure that you have this folder in your DropBox and that you choose it in the action.

4) Save this action as a plug-in. Name it something like DropBox Symbolic Link

5) Now, any file you want synced to DropBox, you just need to right click, More>Automator>Whatever you named the action.

Now, on the second computer, go to your DropBox. After making sure that the file is fully up-to-date, quit DropBox, drag the file from DropBox to wherever it is that you want to keep it, and run the same action to create a symbolic link, then re-launch DropBox.

Now when you make a change in either folder it will show up in the other. You can maintain the folder structure you want (don't have to keep things in DropBox) and also keep things in sync. This is also great if you're syncing things that have to be in a certain place, like in Library>Application Support.

Try it, let me know if it works! :lol3

[Pupator]

Now when you make a change in either folder it will show up in the other. You can maintain the folder structure you want (don't have to keep things in DropBox) and also keep things in sync. This is also great if you're syncing things that have to be in a certain place, like in Library>Application Support.

Try it, let me know if it works! :lol3

I'll mention here that this is the way SugarSync works. You choose which folders (including the folder structure) you want sync'd and it does it. For example - I have the "Documents" folder under my user account selected. That folder is duplicated 1) on the cloud (access from any browser) 2) on my windows laptop in /user/Documents and on the mac side of the laptop under /documents. Everything is right where it should be.

(SugarSync also has a folder called the magic briefcase that works the same was as dropbox - as best I can tell from your description.)

[thebigsky]

I don't know if anyone else has suffered iPhone battery issues after the latest update, there seems to be quite a lot of people including me who have.

Basically the phone went from going 4 or 5 days without needing a charge to needing one every day.

Anyway I fixed the issue on mine by running the battery right down and then doing a full recharge and then doing a restore via iTunes.

Battery life is now back to normal.

Charlie

[Milan]

I don't know if anyone else has suffered iPhone battery issues after the latest update, there seems to be quite a lot of people including me who have.

Basically the phone went from going 4 or 5 days without needing a charge to needing one every day.

Anyway I fixed the issue on mine by running the battery right down and then doing a full recharge and then doing a restore via iTunes.

Battery life is now back to normal.

Charlie

I did install the update and initially thought that I have some battery issue, but as it turned out it was just me leaving the wifi on.:D So no issues at all.

[thebigsky]

I did install the update and initially thought that I have some battery issue, but as it turned out it was just me leaving the wifi on.:D So no issues at all.

At first I turned off lots of services, WiFi, Location, Bluetooth etc but since resolving the battery issues I've been able to leave them all on and still get about 4-5 days of standby.

Charlie

[Milan]

At first I turned off lots of services, WiFi, Location, Bluetooth etc but since resolving the battery issues I've been able to leave them all on and still get about 4-5 days of standby.

Charlie

I have to test that. Usually I turn Wifi and bluetooth off.

[wholenewlight]

I did do a search (search is my friend) and looked through recent threads but didn't find the help I was looking for.

I've been a PC user for years (but owned a mac in the early 1990's - ancient history). I just bought a new Dell screamin' i7 processor, 6gb ram, Vista 64, desktop machine. It is fast but I'm still having pc/windows/vista problems:

only boots up correctlyabout half the time, other times it stalls and freezes
when it freezes, I have to go through the whole windows restore process, ugh
it "forgets" USB devices including the internal memory card reader
I do have a new premium brand powered usb hub. Sometimes it forgets devices attached to it (my iphone). Must reboot when that happens.I have not gone through any Dell support troubleshooting.

Anyway, the computer came from Costco and I'm within the 90 day return policy. I also separately bought a new Dell 24" inch Ultrasharp monitor - I probably can't return it.

When I bought the new PC, I considered the iMac but tried to go cheaper. . . :dunno

So, now I'm considering changing to the new Mac Mini - config something like this:

Apple Mac mini Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz,4GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, SuperDrive with VMware Fusion and Microsoft Windows XP Home pre-installed

With this I could still use my new monitor (realizing that the iMac would have a sweeter monitor).

My photoshop cs2 would still need to be windows for the current time (I hear Adobe will let me switch to Mac version but how do I upgrade and switch OS at the same time? The upgrade will require the old version already installed I believe) and maybe temporarily use ms office as windows versions.

Sorry for the long message - any advice appreciated. Am I on the right track? Will the Mac Mini (new version) with 4gb Ram give me enough horsepower to do photoshop tasks with relative ease? Even under VM Fusion (at least for awhile)?

I'm on a budget and my wife would already think I'm crazy to do this.

[DavidTO]

I did do a search (search is my friend) and looked through recent threads but didn't find the help I was looking for.

I've been a PC user for years (but owned a mac in the early 1990's - ancient history). I just bought a new Dell screamin' i7 processor, 6gb ram, Vista 64, desktop machine. It is fast but I'm still having pc/windows/vista problems:

only boots up correctlyabout half the time, other times it stalls and freezes
when it freezes, I have to go through the whole windows restore process, ugh
it "forgets" USB devices including the internal memory card reader
I do have a new premium brand powered usb hub. Sometimes it forgets devices attached to it (my iphone). Must reboot when that happens.I have not gone through any Dell support troubleshooting.

Anyway, the computer came from Costco and I'm within the 90 day return policy. I also separately bought a new Dell 24" inch Ultrasharp monitor - I probably can't return it.

When I bought the new PC, I considered the iMac but tried to go cheaper. . . :dunno

So, now I'm considering changing to the new Mac Mini - config something like this:

Apple Mac mini Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz,4GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, SuperDrive with VMware Fusion and Microsoft Windows XP Home pre-installed

With this I could still use my new monitor (realizing that the iMac would have a sweeter monitor).

My photoshop cs2 would still need to be windows for the current time (I hear Adobe will let me switch to Mac version but how do I upgrade and switch OS at the same time? The upgrade will require the old version already installed I believe) and maybe temporarily use ms office as windows versions.

Sorry for the long message - any advice appreciated. Am I on the right track? Will the Mac Mini (new version) with 4gb Ram give me enough horsepower to do photoshop tasks with relative ease? Even under VM Fusion (at least for awhile)?

I'm on a budget and my wife would already think I'm crazy to do this.


I don't know about the Mini and its horsepower for PS, but you would not need to have PS installed to upgrade, I don't think. If you call them, give them your PC serial for PS they should sell you the upgrade to CS4 and it will install no problem, I would think.

You can avoid using office in windows if Open Office works for you.

[colourbox]

Will the Mac Mini (new version) with 4gb Ram give me enough horsepower to do photoshop tasks with relative ease? Even under VM Fusion (at least for awhile)?

It will be OK for a while. 4GB RAM is not that high an amount if you work with high megapixel images. It would be better if you didn't have to do it through Fusion, since then you burden your computer with the RAM and CPU overhead of one OS running through another. For using Windows Photoshop, it would be better if you gave the drive a Boot Camp partition so you could run Windows natively on the mini.

Actually what would be most efficient, and by far the biggest boost to speed after RAM, regardless of platform, would be to plan to use the mini with one or more fast external FireWire hard drives. Especially since the mini can't hold enough RAM to allow Mac OS X or Windows RAM buffering for the Photoshop scratch files (that doesn't really start working until around 6GB+), if you used a fast external FireWire hard drive for the Photoshop scratch disk, it would take a huge load off the mini's internal hard drive which is only 2.5" - yes, the mini is basically a laptop in a desktop box. You might also be able to use a second spare hard drive to boot Windows from although I'm not sure if that really works, but if it did you wouldn't have to partition the internal drive if you wanted to run Windows natively.

As for Adobe, everything I have read is that you cannot switch and upgrade Photoshop at the same time. You must do them separately, but I'm not sure if they want you to do it in a specific order, you would have to talk to them. But the platform switch is said to cost almost nothing.

I am not sure the iMac monitor would have been better than the Dell monitor. You might be OK with that one.

[DavidTO]

In other news, I hereby give up on Quicksilver. It's gotten to be useless. I'm back to Launchbar, and much happier. Hey, it works!!! :clap

[Moogle Pepper]

my Mac runs hot when I am running lightroom, itunes, and Firefox. My smcFanControl says that I am at avg. 150 degrees F even with a high fan RPM.

My friend... recently melted her mac, so I am spooked.

[CatOne]

In other news, I hereby give up on Quicksilver. It's gotten to be useless. I'm back to Launchbar, and much happier. Hey, it works!!! :clap

Launchbar is hella powerful. Too bad I only have learned to use like 3% of the functionality, in 5 years of use. :dunno

[zweiblumen]

In other news, I hereby give up on Quicksilver. It's gotten to be useless. I'm back to Launchbar, and much happier. Hey, it works!!! :clap


Interesting... I've been in love with QS since I got my first mac, and still find it to be incredibly useful. How has it lost functionality for you?

[DavidTO]

Interesting... I've been in love with QS since I got my first mac, and still find it to be incredibly useful. How has it lost functionality for you?


It just stopped working. Stopped finding things, icons were generic. I updated to the latest version, helped a for a bit, then stopped. It also slowed down. I assumed it was the lack of development. Anyway, I had been using LB a while back, and just returned. It's just better, IMO.

[WolfOnDigital]

Anyone using a 17" Mac Powerbook?

I have had it for three years now and all of a sudden there is zero sound to my laptop speakers?
However, when I plug in a headphone the sound is fine.
No sound only when I use the Macs internal speaker.


Any thought other then a logic board problem?


Thanks.

Jeff

[DavidTO]

Anyone using a 17" Mac Powerbook?

I have had it for three years now and all of a sudden there is zero sound to my laptop speakers?
However, when I plug in a headphone the sound is fine.
No sound only when I use the Macs internal speaker.


Any thought other then a logic board problem?


Thanks.

Jeff


You did check the sound preferences, right? Sometimes just changing something in there will fix that kind of problem.

You could also try resetting the PRAM (hold down cmd-opt-p-r all at once after the startup chime, and hold it down for 3 more chimes before letting go and allowing the system to start up).

[WolfOnDigital]

You did check the sound preferences, right? Sometimes just changing something in there will fix that kind of problem.

You could also try resetting the PRAM (hold down cmd-opt-p-r all at once after the startup chime, and hold it down for 3 more chimes before letting go and allowing the system to start up).


I will try that

[WolfOnDigital]

You did check the sound preferences, right? Sometimes just changing something in there will fix that kind of problem.

You could also try resetting the PRAM (hold down cmd-opt-p-r all at once after the startup chime, and hold it down for 3 more chimes before letting go and allowing the system to start up).


First time I noticed this.
When you go sound prefs and click on output it does not show internal speakers or headphones but only DIGITAL OUT
"This device has no output sources????"

Never seen tha before.


Any thoughts?

Thanks

[DavidTO]

First time I noticed this.
When you go sound prefs and click on output it does not show internal speakers or headphones but only DIGITAL OUT
"This device has no output sources????"

Never seen tha before.


Any thoughts?

Thanks


Yah, sounds like hardware failure, but I would first try deleting your prefs.

User/Library/Preferences/com.apple.soundpref.plist

Delete that and restart the machine. Probably won't help, but might! :D

I think it needs service.

[Ann McRae]

my Mac runs hot when I am running lightroom, itunes, and Firefox. My smcFanControl says that I am at avg. 150 degrees F even with a high fan RPM.

My friend... recently melted her mac, so I am spooked.


hmmm, how do you check the temp?

My iMac has recently started to randomly shut down. It is always really warm on the back when it does.

I haven't sorted out what combo of programs are always associated with this yet.

Advice?

ann

[W.W. Webster]

First time I noticed this.
When you go sound prefs and click on output it does not show internal speakers or headphones but only DIGITAL OUT
"This device has no output sources????"

Never seen tha before.


Any thoughts?

ThanksHave you booted in "Safe Mode'. :dunno

[DavidTO]

hmmm, how do you check the temp?

My iMac has recently started to randomly shut down. It is always really warm on the back when it does.

I haven't sorted out what combo of programs are always associated with this yet.

Advice?

ann

Here (http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatpro/) ya go, Ann.

[WolfOnDigital]

[quote=DavidTO]Yah, sounds like hardware failure, but I would first try deleting your prefs.

User/Library/Preferences/com.apple.soundpref.plist

Delete that and restart the machine. Probably won't help, but might! :D

This file is not found on my laptop anywhere? I can't delete it because it can't be found.

[DavidTO]

[quote=DavidTO]Yah, sounds like hardware failure, but I would first try deleting your prefs.

User/Library/Preferences/com.apple.soundpref.plist

Delete that and restart the machine. Probably won't help, but might! :D

This file is not found on my laptop anywhere? I can't delete it because it can't be found.


How are you looking for it? Did you follow the path I outlined, or use spotlight?

[DavidTO]

[QUOTE=WolfOnDigital]


How are you looking for it? Did you follow the path I outlined, or use spotlight?


It could also be in your root preferences folder.

Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/com.apple.soundpref.plist

Two of my computers each have it in different places.

[WolfOnDigital]

[quote=DavidTO]


It could also be in your root preferences folder.

Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/com.apple.soundpref.plist

Two of my computers each have it in different places.


the root preferences fold first. Not there.
Where do I look in your first example?
NOT trying to sound dense here...lol

[DavidTO]

[quote=DavidTO]


the root preferences fold first. Not there.
Where do I look in your first example?
NOT trying to sound dense here...lol


The first is your User Folder, which I don't know the name of. In the Finder, to to your Home Folder (another name for your user folder), and navigate down in the Library there.

[WolfOnDigital]

[quote=WolfOnDigital]


The first is your User Folder, which I don't know the name of. In the Finder, to to your Home Folder (another name for your user folder), and navigate down in the Library there.

Found the folder names for my name that is why I couldn't find it under user or home because you can rename your home folder. Looked down the library and on. NO sound pref file. ??
Strange

[saurora]

Found the folder names for my name that is why I couldn't find it under user or home because you can rename your home folder. Looked down the library and on. NO sound pref file. ??
Strange

Try Finder, user name, library, preferences, sounds, and I think you will find the sound pref file, if you haven't already. I'm a total iMac n00b of less than a month, so this info could be totally wrong here!!! :D

[Richard]

Hey Mac people: What's the OS-X equivalent of Keycaps? The Google results I looked at made it sound complicated, and that's not very Apple-like, so I'm guessing there's an easier way. For those who have never used Windows, Keycaps is a little utility that displays foreign and otherwise weird characters that you can copy and paste when you need them.

Thanks.

[DavidTO]

Hey Mac people: What's the OS-X equivalent of Keycaps? The Google results I looked at made it sound complicated, and that's not very Apple-like, so I'm guessing there's an easier way. For those who have never used Windows, Keycaps is a little utility that displays foreign and otherwise weird characters that you can copy and paste when you need them.

Thanks.


It's one of the weirdest things in Macland. I think you're looking for Character Palette:

http://img.skitch.com/20090604-nhrnrb1dijcun7sbsnumfshw1c.jpg

You get to this this way:

System Preferences>International>Input Menu>Character Palette

It shows up as under a flag in your menu bar (determined by your language preference).

[Richard]

It's one of the weirdest things in Macland. I think you're looking for Character Palette:


You get to this this way:

System Preferences>International>Input Menu>Character Palette

It shows up as under a flag in your menu bar (determined by your language preference).
✌ ☂ ☺ ♡

Thanks. I thought so. :thumb

[DavidTO]

✌ ☂ ☺ ♡

Thanks. I thought so. :thumb


Cool. Is that the same answer you got via Google?

[Richard]

Cool. Is that the same answer you got via Google?

The first things I saw involved scripting, so I got impatient.

[cabbey]

Most applications also expose a simplified version under the edit menu called "special characters". It's a system wide input screen, so you can open it under one application and use it in others just by changing what has focus.

[DavidTO]

Most applications also expose a simplified version under the edit menu called "special characters". It's a system wide input screen, so you can open it under one application and use it in others just by changing what has focus.


I never knew that! After all these years.....

And it doesn't look simplified, looks to be the same thing!

[cabbey]

I never knew that! After all these years.....

And it doesn't look simplified, looks to be the same thing!

Yeah I just realized it feels "simplified" for me because I have it trimmed down to a bunch fewer options normally so as to use less screen real estate. View: code tables, top box shrunk down to only a couple lines, bottom box showing about 6 to 8 lines, font panel compacted.

I use it a lot to find unicode and utf-8 values for things, or to test shoving "random crap" into systems... did you know there are websites that will *take* a "password" of "❷㖪〷⧕⤶⡇◩"? :D Some others spew massive chunks when you try to do that. :rofl

[W.W. Webster]

I see the proposed international release programme for the breakthrough to the next frontier of information technology has been announced (http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10258946-75.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5).

However, while it will be a great privilege to lead the world, I'm sure we would happily defer to any other hemisphere that might wish to be at the front of the pack! :D

[DavidTO]

This (http://flexibits.com/) looks cool, it changes your Mac's behavior (which app it launches) based on which camera is connected. P&S in iPhoto, DSLR in LR, for example.

[emeraldrose]

Ok so this may sound dumb, but how do you copy the link to share an image from smugmug on a mac (which doesn't have a right/left click mouse)? I click the link and it says copied, but when I com+v to paste it doesn't come up. I mean yes I could just look at the link, and write it down or remember part of it and go back and forth till i've typed it all out, but it take too long, especially when you have more than one you want to do, like linking to a blog. So if anyone has any ideas i'd love to hear them (btw I've tried highlighting the link and then copy paste, but it won't highlight.)

[DavidTO]

Ok so this may sound dumb, but how do you copy the link to share an image from smugmug on a mac (which doesn't have a right/left click mouse)? I click the link and it says copied, but when I com+v to paste it doesn't come up. I mean yes I could just look at the link, and write it down or remember part of it and go back and forth till i've typed it all out, but it take too long, especially when you have more than one you want to do, like linking to a blog. So if anyone has any ideas i'd love to hear them (btw I've tried highlighting the link and then copy paste, but it won't highlight.)


control-click is right click if you've got an ancient non mighty mouse. If you've a mighty mouse, you only need to turn on right click in the prefs.

[emeraldrose]

control-click is right click if you've got an ancient non mighty mouse. If you've a mighty mouse, you only need to turn on right click in the prefs.

thanks I'll try both, i'm on a laptop btw, don't know if that makes a difference

[DavidTO]

thanks I'll try both, i'm on a laptop btw, don't know if that makes a difference


None. If you're using the trackpad and your laptop isn't ancient, then two-finger click is right-click. You also have to turn that on in prefs, as well. It's called secondary click.

[emeraldrose]

None. If you're using the trackpad and your laptop isn't ancient, then two-finger click is right-click. You also have to turn that on in prefs, as well. It's called secondary click.

thanks guys, i'm not really sure what a mighty mouse is lol my laptop is from 2007 i believe lol, The com click worked well, i don't use trackpad b/c i'm always clicking on things when i don't mean too. working on saving up for a new imac :}

[W.W. Webster]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_12665600_txt_1/?ie=UTF8&docId=1000410511

[Andy]

Soooooo, I got one of the first Mac Pros, back in August 2006.... I know this because my AppleCare is expiring tomorrow, August 9th :D

That's three years of bliss, happiness and ease of use. Three years of no viruses, no hardware issues, no worms, spyware or malicious software.

Three years of being able to just use my computer, instead of my computer using me :clap

[RogersDA]

Soooooo, I got one of the first Mac Pros, back in August 2006.... I know this because my AppleCare is expiring tomorrow, August 9th :D

That's three years of bliss, happiness and ease of use. Three years of no viruses, no hardware issues, no worms, spyware or malicious software.

Three years of being able to just use my computer, instead of my computer using me :clapYeah :thumb:thumb:clap:clap
Apple just called me to sell me an extended warranty for my Mac Pro (whose existing warranty expires tomorrow. I politely declined. Home owner's policy is cheaper, and the Mac is fully covered (along with all the photo gear). :deal

[heatherk9]

I'm tired of searching the web so I'm bothering you with a quick, but probably repeated, question. I am moving my photos from the pc to the new mac. Should I put them in the photo folder within iPhoto or create a new folder for them elsewhere? I don't really plan on using iPhoto and I've read that once you put photos in that folder, you shouldn't touch them outside of the application. I've got over 14,000 to move so I'd like to just do it once. (Yes. I keep them on an external drive as well. I don't know why I like to keep them all on the laptop as well. I just do.)

Thank you! Heather

[DavidTO]

I'm tired of searching the web so I'm bothering you with a quick, but probably repeated, question. I am moving my photos from the pc to the new mac. Should I put them in the photo folder within iPhoto or create a new folder for them elsewhere? I don't really plan on using iPhoto and I've read that once you put photos in that folder, you shouldn't touch them outside of the application. I've got over 14,000 to move so I'd like to just do it once. (Yes. I keep them on an external drive as well. I don't know why I like to keep them all on the laptop as well. I just do.)

Thank you! Heather


If you don't plan on using iPhoto, then just put them in your Pictures folder, organized as you will.

[heatherk9]

So I just figured out that rather than clicking on the hard drive icon, I had to click on the home icon and there was a "Pictures" folder. Duh. :rolleyes I guess I'm putting my pictures there.

I'm tired of searching the web so I'm bothering you with a quick, but probably repeated, question. I am moving my photos from the pc to the new mac. Should I put them in the photo folder within iPhoto or create a new folder for them elsewhere? I don't really plan on using iPhoto and I've read that once you put photos in that folder, you shouldn't touch them outside of the application. I've got over 14,000 to move so I'd like to just do it once. (Yes. I keep them on an external drive as well. I don't know why I like to keep them all on the laptop as well. I just do.)

Thank you! Heather

[heatherk9]

Thanks David. I hadn't seen the Pictures folder because I didn't know about the home icon. :rolleyes

If you don't plan on using iPhoto, then just put them in your Pictures folder, organized as you will.

[DavidTO]

So I just figured out that rather than clicking on the hard drive icon, I had to click on the home icon and there was a "Pictures" folder. Duh. :rolleyes I guess I'm putting my pictures there.


Macintosh HD>Users>yourhomefolder

[colourbox]

I don't really plan on using iPhoto and I've read that once you put photos in that folder, you shouldn't touch them outside of the application.

It's important to know there's a difference between iPhoto and the Pictures folder.

To be more precise, iPhoto does not have ultimate control over the Pictures folder. You can safely put your photos in the Pictures folder. What you do not want to do is put pictures into the iPhoto application. That's where iPhoto will start "managing" them for you. As long as you don't drag any photos into iPhoto, you're fine using the Pictures folder however you like. The only part of the Pictures folder that is managed by iPhoto is the iPhoto Library.

Basically the Pictures folder on the Mac is just like the My Pictures folder in Windows. Any program can manage pictures in there. My Adobe Lightroom catalog is in my Pictures folder.

The only thing to remember is to ignore iPhoto unless you want to use its features on a couple of photos now and then.

[Art Scott]

Soooooo, I got one of the first Mac Pros, back in August 2006.... I know this because my AppleCare is expiring tomorrow, August 9th :D

That's three years of bliss, happiness and ease of use. Three years of no viruses, no hardware issues, no worms, spyware or malicious software.

Three years of being able to just use my computer, instead of my computer using me :clap

my last HP Vectra that was at least 2 yrs old when I purchased it died a week ago.....can't get it up past the black screen that says i moved a hdd and the keyboard...i ran it hard (24/7/365 1/4) for 6 years ....it was only off if I lost electricity......no viruses only 2 hdd failures......I paid a whole whopping 325.00 including S/H from a ebay resellar of off lease equipment........now way a mac can live up to that......now if the one I just built will last for 4 yrs with a whole 400 invested (all parts were on sale....nothing retail prices) then I can be happy as a lark..........ofcourse I just might have to upgrade my processor to a quad core abd add the other 12gbs of ram the MB will actully hold and right now that will run me another 350+s/h........even at 750 cheaper than a low end mac..........

So I am not seeing a mac in my future unless the cost for a real screamer comes waaaay down.

[Art Scott]

So I just figured out that rather than clicking on the hard drive icon, I had to click on the home icon and there was a "Pictures" folder. Duh. :rolleyes I guess I'm putting my pictures there.

Why not get an external Hd to put all of your photos in so it is not part of your actualy system Hd and if your system HD dies on you, you will not lose them.......I keep a 3 deep file system for photos....actually 5 deep when you count smugmug........I may be letting 1 or 2 hdd's out of the filing system if i go with Mozy to file all my raws, dngs and 1 set of finished jpgs.....at what they say they charge I can't buy HDD's for 60-70 $ a year..........

[Andy]

.......now way a mac can live up to that......

No, you're right. Yours is still a PeeCee. :lol3

[W.W. Webster]

... I am not seeing a mac in my future ...You're at the wrong forum - Macs are all we talk here! :D

[CatOne]

my last HP Vectra that was at least 2 yrs old when I purchased it died a week ago.....can't get it up past the black screen that says i moved a hdd and the keyboard...i ran it hard (24/7/365 1/4) for 6 years ....it was only off if I lost electricity......no viruses only 2 hdd failures......I paid a whole whopping 325.00 including S/H from a ebay resellar of off lease equipment........now way a mac can live up to that......now if the one I just built will last for 4 yrs with a whole 400 invested (all parts were on sale....nothing retail prices) then I can be happy as a lark..........ofcourse I just might have to upgrade my processor to a quad core abd add the other 12gbs of ram the MB will actully hold and right now that will run me another 350+s/h........even at 750 cheaper than a low end mac..........

So I am not seeing a mac in my future unless the cost for a real screamer comes waaaay down.

Given the time I'm in front of the computer, I can't be bothered with crap. My high end Mac Pro costs me less than 10 cents/more per hour than yours over a multi-year period :D

[Art Scott]

You're at the wrong forum - Macs are all we talk here! :D

Just exercising my freedom of speech
and NEEDLING.......:D

[DoctorIt]

I love it when this generally useful thread goes through its every-so-often spurt of "mine is better than yours :bad"

[Pupator]

Just in case anyone else experiences what I was being bothered by, I found a solution.

I've got one of the new 13" Macbook Pros and every 5-6 minutes I was getting the pinwheel of death for about 10-15 seconds. I disabled the hard drive's shock sensor (google for the terminal command) and the problem has completely gone away.

[CatOne]

Just in case anyone else experiences what I was being bothered by, I found a solution.

I've got one of the new 13" Macbook Pros and every 5-6 minutes I was getting the pinwheel of death for about 10-15 seconds. I disabled the hard drive's shock sensor (google for the terminal command) and the problem has completely gone away.

It's strange that it would kick in that often. Are you using the MacBook on a bus going across a road in northern Afghanistan?

[DavidTO]

Just in case anyone else experiences what I was being bothered by, I found a solution.

I've got one of the new 13" Macbook Pros and every 5-6 minutes I was getting the pinwheel of death for about 10-15 seconds. I disabled the hard drive's shock sensor (google for the terminal command) and the problem has completely gone away.


If it's still under warranty I would turn it back on, and take it in. No reason you should have to disable that to get it to work.

[Richard]

If it's still under warranty I would turn it back on, and take it in. No reason you should have to disable that to get it to work.

I agree. A disk shock sensor is a really good idea on any portable device, and there's no inherent reason it needs to create a performance penalty. Something's not right here.

[Pupator]

I agree. A disk shock sensor is a really good idea on any portable device, and there's no inherent reason it needs to create a performance penalty. Something's not right here.

The notebook is about 2 weeks old so it's certainly under warranty, but the internet consensus is that it's a firmware problem that Apple will have to update. There are hundreds of people on the Apple forums complaining about the problem with the newest 13, 15, and 17" MBPs. If you take it in they can't fix it and just give you another with the same problem. Hopefully Apple will address this via an update sometime soon. I haven't gotten around to installing Windows (via Bootcamp) to see if the problem persists.

[Richard]

The notebook is about 2 weeks old so it's certainly under warranty, but the internet consensus is that it's a firmware problem that Apple will have to update. There are hundreds of people on the Apple forums complaining about the problem with the newest 13, 15, and 17" MBPs. If you take it in they can't fix it and just give you another with the same problem. Hopefully Apple will address this via an update sometime soon. I haven't gotten around to installing Windows (via Bootcamp) to see if the problem persists.

Many disk drive manufacturers are now building accelerometers into the drives themselves, so you may find that it is third-party firmware that is at fault. Still, Apple needs to step up to the plate and accept responsibility for a fix or replacement.

[Pupator]

Many disk drive manufacturers are now building accelerometers into the drives themselves, so you may find that it is third-party firmware that is at fault. Still, Apple needs to step up to the plate and accept responsibility for a fix or replacement.

The speculation (for what that's worth) is that you're exactly right. If these drives have some sort of native vibration control the Apple firmware may be triggering it or vice versa. Either way, a fix will be nice. Of course, if that's the case, then even with the Apple controls turned off my drive is still protected.

[Richard]

The speculation (for what that's worth) is that you're exactly right. If these drives have some sort of native vibration control the Apple firmware may be triggering it or vice versa. Either way, a fix will be nice. Of course, if that's the case, then even with the Apple controls turned off my drive is still protected.

That would be nice to know. I recently had to replace the C: drive in my Lenovo ThinkPad T61. It has its own accelerometer and shock protection firmware. I specifically chose a replacement drive that did not have this feature, as I did not want two separate subsystems trying to solve the same problem. Generally speaking, the solution isn't twice as good. :rolleyes

[W.W. Webster]

I'm pleased to note that the new beta of Google Chrome which has appeared for download on VersionTracker (http://www.versiontracker.com/macosx/leopard/) today now displays my site's opening slideshow (http://rosscollins.smugmug.com/) correctly. This was the only problem area I had identified in the previous pre-release.

Chrome has also adopted the Safari feature that allows input text boxes to be stretched, which is very useful, for example when maintaining SmugMug site customisation code.

As the feature set is built out in successive betas, and so long as conformance with W3C standards (http://www.w3.org/) is maintained, this browser could be very attractive for many users. whether in Mac or Windows environments. Does anyone agree?

[W.W. Webster]

But wait - there's more, like a claimed 34% performance improvement over Safari being reported by Gizmodo (http://gizmodo.com/5336976/google-chromium-on-mac-kicks-every-other-mac-browsers-ass).

[JCC]

I dropped my trusty Macbook this morning. Fortunately, the hard drive is recoverable, unfortunately the screen isn't. So, it looks like I'm going to have to spring for a new one.

Anyone out there using/looked at the new Macbook pro's?

1. Is there a noticeable difference in speed between the two graphics chips in the 15" (9400 & 9600M G) and the single 9400 Nvidea GeForce available in the 13 or 15"?

2. Anyone using the solid state memory? Can you tell if it's faster? Is it worth the trade-off (it's more expensive and is only available up to 256GB)? Is it worth it just to avoid the annoying accelerometer/shock protection conflict?

3. Apple is really hyping the increased color gamut. Does this mean the discrepancy between "Apple color" and "Windows color" will diminish? There used to be a great explanation of this somewhere on SmugMug but I can't find it today.

Thanks in advance!
Jill

[CatOne]

I dropped my trusty Macbook this morning. Fortunately, the hard drive is recoverable, unfortunately the screen isn't. So, it looks like I'm going to have to spring for a new one.

Anyone out there using/looked at the new Macbook pro's?

1. Is there a noticeable difference in speed between the two graphics chips in the 15" (9400 & 9600M G) and the single 9400 Nvidea GeForce available in the 13 or 15"?


Yes, if you're running Aperture or Motion or playing games. I would expect with Snow Leopard, you may see differences in other programs due to OpenCL. The differences in speed are fairly clearly laid out on the "performance" pages on Apples MacBook Pro site.



2. Anyone using the solid state memory? Can you tell if it's faster? Is it worth the trade-off (it's more expensive and is only available up to 256GB)? Is it worth it just to avoid the annoying accelerometer/shock protection conflict?



It's somewhat faster; it depends on the circumstance. IMO, the big benefit is the increased reliability. I've gone through 3 laptop drives in the last 3 years. I've never lost any data because I have a good backup strategy. But it's a pain. Laptop drives live hard lives and the 7200 RPM ones I use seem to be particularly fragile.



3. Apple is really hyping the increased color gamut. Does this mean the discrepancy between "Apple color" and "Windows color" will diminish? There used to be a great explanation of this somewhere on SmugMug but I can't find it today.



I'm unsure what you're referring to here. There is increased color gamut on the displays. Often laptop displays aren't that great (they tend to be 6 bit per pixel and use dithering, as opposed to 8 bit per pixel on high end desktop monitors like Apple's... NOT Dell's $250 displays). It used to be that the gamma on Macs was 1.8 and on Windows it was 2.2, but Snow Leopard defaults to a gamma of 2.2, and if you ever use a monitor calibrator on a Mac it changes it to 2.2, or strongly recommends you do so.

[colourbox]

Mac and Windows color differences are usually the result of a difference in "gamma," not "gamut." As CatOne said, if you simply calibrate to gamma 2.2 you will match the Windows default, and Snow Leopard 10.6 is supposed to make the gamma match by default. But that is all unrelated to color gamut, which varies largely depending on each laptop model.

Rob Galbraith thinks the new MacBook Pro (http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-10041-10146) screens are a remarkable improvement.

[Pupator]

The 15" and 17" MBP screens are better (wider color gamut) than the 13". I'd get the 15" matte screen version.

[RogersDA]

Anybody here ssh to a remote mac located behind a router?

I am having a bugger of a time getting ssh to connect via an FVG318 VPN router at my house. The mac at home is set for remote login. I can establish a ssh via the local network just fine. I just can't get the darn thing to work outside of the network.

[CatOne]

Anybody here ssh to a remote mac located behind a router?

I am having a bugger of a time getting ssh to connect via an FVG318 VPN router at my house. The mac at home is set for remote login. I can establish a ssh via the local network just fine. I just can't get the darn thing to work outside of the network.

Do you have port forwarding enabled on the router? The router needs to forward the ssh port (er, 22?) to the IP address of the Mac. Oh, and of course, you need to _know_ the IP address of the Mac; in many cases it changes regularly due to DHCP. If you use a Dynamic DNS service (either on the router or the Mac) you can often address this.

This definitely works, it's just tricky to set up if you're not familiar with network setup.

[RogersDA]

Do you have port forwarding enabled on the router? The router needs to forward the ssh port (er, 22?) to the IP address of the Mac. Oh, and of course, you need to _know_ the IP address of the Mac; in many cases it changes regularly due to DHCP. If you use a Dynamic DNS service (either on the router or the Mac) you can often address this.

This definitely works, it's just tricky to set up if you're not familiar with network setup.Yeah - the FVG "port forwarding" is set for ssh port 22 to go to a specific IP on the LAN (192.168.0.14 - which I set in the router to always be the MAC I am trying to get to). With this router I can do port forwarding to an IP and not to another port.

So far using terminal with ssh -p 22 RogersDA@Modem_IP_Address does not get me a password prompt (the username is correct, and I checked the IP address assigned by Comcast).

What I need to do is find an open WiFi connection somewhere and just sit and play. I can https into the router from anywhere, so I can change its settings if needed.

[zweiblumen]

Yeah - the FVG "port forwarding" is set for ssh port 22 to go to a specific IP on the LAN (192.168.0.14 - which I set in the router to always be the MAC I am trying to get to). With this router I can do port forwarding to an IP and not to another port.

So far using terminal with ssh -p 22 RogersDA@Modem_IP_Address does not get me a password prompt (the username is correct, and I checked the IP address assigned by Comcast).

What I need to do is find an open WiFi connection somewhere and just sit and play. I can https into the router from anywhere, so I can change its settings if needed.


Dumb question, but is the service running? And if so, when you are behind the firewall are you able to access the machine via SSH? (FWIW, the '-p 22' shouldn't be necessary as that's the default)

[RogersDA]

Dumb question, but is the service running? And if so, when you are behind the firewall are you able to access the machine via SSH? (FWIW, the '-p 22' shouldn't be necessary as that's the default)

Just for clarification - what "service" should be running? And the FVG router is firewalled - but the port-forwarding should override that in the router's settings.

and - yeah - the -p 22 setting is redundant. i am doing just to make sure.

[zweiblumen]

Just for clarification - what "service" should be running? And the FVG router is firewalled - but the port-forwarding should override that in the router's settings.

and - yeah - the -p 22 setting is redundant. i am doing just to make sure.

On your target machine (where you want to end up eventually) still needs to be running the Service. On that machine you want to access go to System Preferences -> Sharing and then select "Remote Login" This will turn on the SSH Service.

-Travis

[RogersDA]

On your target machine (where you want to end up eventually) still needs to be running the Service. On that machine you want to access go to System Preferences -> Sharing and then select "Remote Login" This will turn on the SSH Service.

-TravisYeah - that's the first thing I did. I can remote login via the LAN, just having a bit of a time doing it from outside the LAN.

Thanks Travis...

[RogersDA]

Yeah - that's the first thing I did. I can remote login via the LAN, just having a bit of a time doing it from outside the LAN.

Thanks Travis...Bah...drop-down menu in the router's config screen had the port-forwarding set to "run" on a schedule but no schedule was set. Changed to "always on" and now I can ssh with no problems.

Now - getting iTunes to stream is the next step.....got the settings, just need to start testing it. Off to the bagel place tomorrow morning where free WiFi is running. :barb

[lynnesite]

Soooooo, I got one of the first Mac Pros, back in August 2006.... I know this because my AppleCare is expiring tomorrow, August 9th :D

That's three years of bliss, happiness and ease of use. Three years of no viruses, no hardware issues, no worms, spyware or malicious software.

Three years of being able to just use my computer, instead of my computer using me :clap

:lust THough I can't believe you've kept anything for 3 years!

[Moogle Pepper]

Snow Leopard is out on the prowl this Friday! anyone pre-ordering?

[Pupator]

Snow Leopard is out on the prowl this Friday! anyone pre-ordering?

I got my pre-order in, only because I qualified for the $10 upgrade. I'm hoping that it runs better on this 13" Macbook Pro than Leopard does. Otherwise it'll be back to Windows 7 for me.

[Moogle Pepper]

I got the $30 deal. I am also going to pick up windows 7.. a little later.

[colourbox]

I have multiple Macs, so the $49 Snow Leopard Family Pack is like, who would pass up a bargain like that?

Already pre-ordered my half-price Windows 7 (I will successfully manage to completely skip Vista).

[lynnesite]

I got my pre-order in, only because I qualified for the $10 upgrade. I'm hoping that it runs better on this 13" Macbook Pro than Leopard does. Otherwise it'll be back to Windows 7 for me.

Pupator, how far back in this thread are the stories of your MacBook Pro woes? Assuming you've done the usual like running something that routinely repairs your permissions and something that repairs the catalog like Disk Warrior?

[Pupator]

Pupator, how far back in this thread are the stories of your MacBook Pro woes?

Lynne,

I haven't mentioned them much because the Macbook Pro is very new to me. The solution to the constant (I mean ever 4-5 minutes) beachball of death was to disable the hard drive's shock sensor. Not an idea solution but it worked instantly. The other problem is just general sluggishness. I just upgraded it from 2GB --> 3GB about 5 minutes ago.

Now the computer takes 4-5x as long to open applications (cold) but everything else runs a bit faster. I sort of expected the cold-start slowdown because this memory performs best in matched pairs and I didn't have the budget to do that right now.

Assuming you've done the usual like running something that routinely repairs your permissions and something that repairs the catalog like Disk Warrior?
Nope. I thought Macs were just supposed to work. Especially when they're two weeks old.

[DavidTO]

Nope. I thought Macs were just supposed to work. Especially when they're two weeks old.


Oh, come on.

Anyway, there is something wrong with your system. It should not be working like that. It's not Leopard.

[Pupator]

Oh, come on.


:dunno

The suggestion was that I needed to routinely "repair my permissions" and "repair my catalog." You think I'm unreasonable to wonder how that jives with "It just works" ?

Disabling the shock sensor and adding the extra gig of RAM have helped.

[DavidTO]

:dunno

The suggestion was that I needed to routinely "repair my permissions" and "repair my catalog." You think I'm unreasonable to wonder how that jives with "It just works" ?

Disabling the shock sensor and adding the extra gig of RAM have helped.


All I know is something is wrong, and those two things could help. I, for one, run Macaroni ($8) to repair perms behind the scenes. You will need to run Disk Warrior from time to time, I would recommend at least every 6 months. Your directory will corrupt over time. I know yours is new, but there is something wrong. It could be hardward, it could be the directory, or it could be that you need to reinstall your OS. But it's NOT the MBP/Leopard combination generically. It's something specific to you.

[BradfordBenn]

Snow Leopard is out on the prowl this Friday! anyone pre-ordering?
Pre ordered off my Amazon associate link.... feel free to use it :).

http://bradfordbenn.com/blog/2009/08/snow-leopard-is-here-early/

[RogersDA]

Pre ordered off my Amazon associate link.... feel free to use it :).

http://bradfordbenn.com/blog/2009/08/snow-leopard-is-here-early/Click where?

[cabbey]

The suggestion was that I needed to routinely "repair my permissions" and "repair my catalog." You think I'm unreasonable to wonder how that jives with "It just works" ?

You don't. Those suggestions are years out of date and really aren't applicable to modern OS/X. I own many macs, I don't do any of that BS.

[DavidTO]

You don't. Those suggestions are years out of date and really aren't applicable to modern OS/X. I own many macs, I don't do any of that BS.


You might be right about the permissions, but a disk's directory will corrupt over time and running something like Disk Warrior once or twice a year, or when you are having problems, is a very, very good idea.

I had a problem with spinning beachballs on my MacPro for a long, long time, but ONLY when I was running Final Cut Pro (which I don't do all that often at home). I reinstalled the OS, tried making a new, fresh user, had the motherboard replaced, and nothing fixed it. It was only when I did a completely fresh reinstall of the OS (erase and install instead of archive and install) that I managed to purge whatever it was that was causing the problem, and now it's all good.

Pupator's problems are not normal, expected, or the result of running Leopard on a 13" MB. There is something wrong. Yes, even cowgirls get the blues and even Macs can have problems. It's not magic, ya know!

[BradfordBenn]

Click where?

If you just go to my blog (http://bradfordbenn.com/blog/2009/08/snow-leopard-is-here-early/) and click on the Shop now icon or Click this link, I think (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000410511&tag=bradfordbennc-20&camp=15405&creative=392817&linkCode=ur1&adid=1J66ENQ93BF2AK3HNGF9&)

[BradfordBenn]

It was only when I did a completely fresh reinstall of the OS (erase and install instead of archive and install) that I managed to purge whatever it was that was causing the problem, and now it's all good.

Nuke and Pave as I call it. My plan for Snow Leopard install.

[Richard]

Interesting statement from John Nack's blog (http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/):

As I say, we have reason to expect that all meaningful issues of running Photoshop CS3 under Snow Leopard have been resolved. However, because we have not done the level of testing that true certification demands, we need to stand by our statement that we don't officially support CS3 on Snow Leopard.
The key word here is "meaningful." What may be a minor annoyance to some could be a real PITA to others. I have always recommended not being the first on the block to install brand new software. What Nack mentions in his blog seems trivial enough, but if you are running CS3, it's probably a good idea to wait a bit and see what other issues arise in the real world.

[Pupator]

Snow Leopard upgrade complete.

I was able to re-enable the shock sensor and the spinning beach-ball of death hasn't returned, so that's good news.

Speed feels the same as Leopard to me. I do like the new way the Documents Stack works - much more helpful.

In other news, I've been trying to use Pages. It has some features I really, really like, but I'm afraid there might be a deal-breaker. Yes, it will open (nearly perfectly) my .docx MS Word files. But, it can't save them?

And even if I save them as a .doc, I have to save a copy, which means that I have two identical documents in the folder (one .doc and one .pages)? In fact, if I'm opening a document from one of my other computers I have three files there - the .docx, the .doc, and the .pages. Is this really how it works? :dunno

[RogersDA]

:scratchMacBook Air + Flash = HOT computer. :scratch

So I have read various other forums, and it appears that Adobe Flash is the culprit as far as I can tell. Websites with embedded Flash (most sites that my daughter visits for online games (Bella Sara, PBS Kids, etc.) cause the processor(s) to greatly heat up, the cooling fan kicks in, internet comes to a halt (as I think one of the processors is shut off due to the heat).


Anybody else experience this as well? Any solutions? Will Snow Leopard fix this?

Should I get a Macbook Pro?

[DavidTO]

I'm very impressed with the Snow Leopard install. Especially after my wife thought it was a good idea to close her laptop halfway through the install! She "forgot" that I was installing it, and when I reopened the lappy, I couldn't get it to do anything useful, so I had to do a hard power down by holding the power key. Very ungraceful.

I restarted the computer, and it picked up right where it left off and finished the installation, no problem.

There's no huge new features, but lots of nice, subtle changes, and it's leaner and meaner. There's better feedback throughout the OS. One thing I love love love (even though I've not had the opportunity to use it yet) is smart eject. I always hated that message "try quitting applications until you stumble on the one that's keeping you from ejecting the media, and good luck!!!" (paraphrased).

And shutdown is really fast.

[Pupator]

:scratchMacBook Air + Flash = HOT computer. :scratch

So I have read various other forums, and it appears that Adobe Flash is the culprit as far as I can tell. Websites with embedded Flash (most sites that my daughter visits for online games (Bella Sara, PBS Kids, etc.) cause the processor(s) to greatly heat up, the cooling fan kicks in, internet comes to a halt (as I think one of the processors is shut off due to the heat).


Yes, I had this experience as well. For me the culprit was DTD (http://www.handdrawngames.com/DesktopTD/Game.asp), which I spent way too much time playing anyway. On the MBA it was only a few minutes before it got really hot and after about 15-20 minutes the game became unplayable.

Should I get a Macbook Pro?
I did, but it depends on what you want. I switched to the 13" MBP because the weight was still tolerable, the speed was much (much) faster, and the battery life was incredible. After the MBA was only about 18 months old I was down to <2 hours of battery life. With the MBP I'm near 7. Even if I'm doing everything you shouldn't do to preserve battery life I still get 4-5.

I've played DTD on the MBP and, though it does it warmer than usual, game play does not come to a screeching halt.

Will Snow Leopard fix it? I dunno, but for $29 it's probably worth a shot. That'll be much cheaper than upgrading to the MBP.

[DoctorIt]

There's no huge new features, but lots of nice, subtle changes, and it's leaner and meaner. There's better feedback throughout the OS. One thing I love love love (even though I've not had the opportunity to use it yet) is smart eject. I always hated that message "try quitting applications until you stumble on the one that's keeping you from ejecting the media, and good luck!!!" (paraphrased).

And shutdown is really fast.Good news :thumb

(especially now that I'm diving into the world of video, I can use all the lean and mean I can get)

[BradfordBenn]

Hello All-

Before I dive in this evening to the upgrade, does anyone have any comments on using Snow Leopard with CS3?

Thanks

[Jack'll do]

Hello All-

Before I dive in this evening to the upgrade, does anyone have any comments on using Snow Leopard with CS3?

Thanks

I've been using CS3 with Snow Leopard since Saturday. The only issue I've come across is that Bridge seems to take significantly longer than before to load and display all the images when you switch from one folder to another. I haven't found any problems with ACR and PS but then I haven't done a whole lot of editing in the last few days.

Having said that I just ordered the CS4 upgrade to take advantage of the $100 discount that expires today. :D

[BradfordBenn]

I've been using CS3 with Snow Leopard since Saturday. The only issue I've come across is that Bridge seems to take significantly longer than before to load and display all the images when you switch from one folder to another. I haven't found any problems with ACR and PS but then I haven't done a whole lot of editing in the last few days.

Having said that I just ordered the CS4 upgrade to take advantage of the $100 discount that expires today. :D

Thanks for the heads up, but think I am going to stay with CS3 since it is a hobby for me.

[Andy]

FYI, I upgraded my Macbook Air and my Mac Pro (4th year of service!) to Snow Leopard, no problems or issues.

FYI SL ships with a slight back level of flash, you'll want to head to Adobe's site and update Flash to the newest version.

The "Remote Install OS X" feature of OS X rocks, I was able to install to my Macbook Air (sans optical drive) from my Mac Pro. Easy peasy! :jfriend

[Andy]

FYI, I upgraded my Macbook Air and my Mac Pro (4th year of service!) to Snow Leopard, no problems or issues.

FYI SL ships with a slight back level of flash, you'll want to head to Adobe's site and update Flash to the newest version.

The "Remote Install OS X" feature of OS X rocks, I was able to install to my Macbook Air (sans optical drive) from my Mac Pro. Easy peasy! :jfriend

Once again, what is usually such a trauma for "those other guys" is a painless simple thing for us. Mac just makes it easy.

[Pupator]

Once again, what is usually such a trauma for "those other guys" is a painless simple thing for us. Mac just makes it easy.
:rolleyes

Andy, you must avoid the rest of the internet (and reality) at all costs. Plenty of problems abound with SL upgrades - including the one you mentioned: outdated Flash (http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/snow-leopard-ships-with-old-version-of-flash-great-for-hackers/) that opens users to a security hole.

Some light reading for you: :deal
http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/31/snow-leopard-whats-broken-for-you/
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/31/my-snow-leopard-casualties/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/171129/snow_leopard_users_4_biggest_gripes.html?tk=rss_ma in

My SL upgrade went fine, and I wouldn't have cared to post this except, in typical Mac user fashion, you can't go two minutes without voicing your superiority over Windows users. Ya'll say stuff like this so often I often wonder if you're trying to convince us, or yourselves? :rofl:rofl

[DavidTO]

:rolleyes

Andy, you must avoid the rest of the internet (and reality) at all costs. Plenty of problems abound with SL upgrades - including the one you mentioned: outdated Flash (http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/snow-leopard-ships-with-old-version-of-flash-great-for-hackers/) that opens users to a security hole.

Some light reading for you: :deal
http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/31/snow-leopard-whats-broken-for-you/
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/31/my-snow-leopard-casualties/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/171129/snow_leopard_users_4_biggest_gripes.html?tk=rss_ma in

My SL upgrade went fine, and I wouldn't have cared to post this except, in typical Mac user fashion, you can't go two minutes without voicing your superiority over Windows users. Ya'll say stuff like this so often I often wonder if you're trying to convince us, or yourselves? :rofl:rofl

I'd hardly call that plenty of problems. There are some apps that aren't compatible, but it's relatively few in the big picture, IMO.

[Andy]

:rolleyes

Andy, you must avoid the rest of the internet (and reality) at all costs. Plenty of problems abound with SL upgrades - including the one you mentioned: outdated Flash (http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/03/snow-leopard-ships-with-old-version-of-flash-great-for-hackers/) that opens users to a security hole.

Some light reading for you: :deal
http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/31/snow-leopard-whats-broken-for-you/
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/31/my-snow-leopard-casualties/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/171129/snow_leopard_users_4_biggest_gripes.html?tk=rss_ma in

My SL upgrade went fine, and I wouldn't have cared to post this except, in typical Mac user fashion, you can't go two minutes without voicing your superiority over Windows users. Ya'll say stuff like this so often I often wonder if you're trying to convince us, or yourselves? :rofl:roflIt's a problem to go to Adobe.com and hit update? Haha.

This was a cinch.

And, hey - this is a MAC Thread :D I don't go into the Windows thread and try and talk smack there, do I? :rolleyes

[Pupator]

I'd hardly call that plenty of problems. There are some apps that aren't compatible, but it's relatively few in the big picture, IMO.

David, there could be 4,453,768 problems and you'd still "hardly call that plenty of problems." You're the biggest Mac fanboy I've ever seen. Here's more for you: http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1337

:rofl:rofl


And, hey - this is a MAC Thread :D I don't go into the Windows thread and try and talk smack there, do I? :rolleyes

:dunno
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=674991&postcount=20
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=728657&postcount=188
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=756134&postcount=245
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=783909&postcount=283


(For those who might take this too seriously - it's all in good fun. I use both PCs and Macs. Andy and David are long-time helpful internet "friends." No harm intended.)

[Andy]

David, there could be 4,453,768 problems and you'd still "hardly call that plenty of problems." You're the biggest Mac fanboy I've ever seen.

:rofl:rofl


:dunno
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=674991&postcount=20
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=728657&postcount=188
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=756134&postcount=245
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=783909&postcount=283


(For those who might take this too seriously - it's all in good fun. I use both PCs and Macs. Andy and David are long-time helpful internet "friends." No harm intended.)All of my friends (and co-workers, we're 100% Mac here at Smuggy) have 0 problems with SL.

But I have dozens and dozens of friends that are still scarred for live over their Vista "upgrade" and other Win OS updates.

Nuff said :evil

[Andy]

:dunno
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=674991&postcount=20
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=728657&postcount=188
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=756134&postcount=245
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=783909&postcount=283


Oops! I do go to the Windows thread and post :lol3

I consider those to be evangelical "missions" :bad

[DavidTO]

David, there could be 4,453,768 problems and you'd still "hardly call that plenty of problems." You're the biggest Mac fanboy I've ever seen.

:rofl:rofl



Dude, I looked through the links you posted and I'm just saying: for a major OS update the problems are few, and they all seem to be centered around 3rd party incompatibilities. Just doesn't seem like that big a deal.

[W.W. Webster]

Oops! I do go to the Windows thread and post :lol3
I consider those to be evangelical "missions" :badMany have long considered you to be doing God's work! :D

[Andy]

Many have long considered you to be doing God's work! :D
http://www.fakesteve.net/2009/08/sneak-pic-from-itablet-keynote.html

[W.W. Webster]

http://www.fakesteve.net/2009/08/sneak-pic-from-itablet-keynote.html:rofl :rofl :rofl

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/apple_introduces_revolutionary

[Miguel Delinquento]

I'm in the mood to pile on Windows. For good reason.

Here's my experience tonight.

I recently purchased a used telescope for my family. It's about 8 years old, a very popular Meade ETX 90. It has a computerized controller that takes you on guided tours of the universe nightly. Very cool.

Anyway I noticed that the firmware of the handheld controller ROM is at version 22 and the current version is 43, so i figured it was time to upgrade. The challenge was the hardware connections from the controller to any computer. The controller has an "old-style" single serial connection as you would find in a telephone jack. To connect to a modern PC or Mac I had to purchase a special serial-to-DB9 cable, and then a separate DB9-to-USB cable, which in turn plugs into the computer.

I loaded the cable drivers on the PC, followed the manufacturer's directions, and used the official Windows-only (XP) application. No matter what I did I just couldn't get the connection between the PC and the controller to stay good enough for the upload. In fact, it failed in the middle, rendering the controller unusable.

I then entered panic mode and did furious research on how to restore the controller to some usable state. Some forum posts say the ROM has to be in this folder, no no, the one above it and so on. Some brands of cable just don't work well on PCs, or is it their driver?

In my research, I discovered that a kind soul created a stripped down Mac version a few years ago that only installed the upgraded ROM file (unlike the Windows version that promised to install third party databases of even more heavenly bodies and perhaps heaven itself).

So I moved the scope and controller over to the Mac side of the room, installed the serial cable drivers on the Mac, and really felt that this serial-to-DB9-to-USB spaghetti situation was very un-Maclike. But what did I have to lose? I was desperate. The kids would be broken hearted if I broke the telescope hours before our last camping trip before school, to the high desert with clear skies.

So I plugged in the USB end, fired up the one-click application, and low and behold the thing worked. Just like that. No drama. And done.

And we leave for our camping trip in a few hours with star charts and smiles.

Macs rule.



M

[cabbey]

we're 100% Mac here at Smuggy

Does it still count if they took the mac hardware, installed vista on it, and never boot it up to OS/X? :dunno

'cause we gots at least one of "those" kinds of "mac users" I'm afraid to report. :puke

[Andy]

Does it still count if they took the mac hardware, installed vista on it, and never boot it up to OS/X? :dunno

'cause we gots at least one of "those" kinds of "mac users" I'm afraid to report. :puke
Shoot me on a technicality. OK 98 and 44/100s percent pure then :D

[W.W. Webster]

Does it still count if they took the mac hardware, installed vista on it, and never boot it up to OS/X? :dunnoSounds oxymoronic to me! :D

[Richard]

Sounds oxymoronic to me! :D

Well, maybe without the oxy. :lol3

[W.W. Webster]

Well, maybe without the oxy. :lol3It seemed more than a little pathetic, but I was trying to keep some decorum befitting the cultured folks for whom this forum exists! :wink

[BradfordBenn]

So I did the Snow Leopard upgrade last night/this morning (insomniac). So far so good, except for a few little things. The one that has me puzzled is this one:

The battery status in the corner of my MacBook Pro says "Service Battery: The battery isn’t functioning normally, and you may or may not notice a change in its behavior or the amount of charge it holds. Have your computer checked by an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP). You can continue to use your battery before it’s checked without harming your computer."

So the question is, how real is this or is it a ploy to get me to buy a new battery?

Thanks

Now where did I put that serial number.....

[Miguel Delinquento]

[deleted]

So the question is, how real is this or is it a ploy to get me to buy a new battery?

Thanks

Now where did I put that serial number.....
The question is: how old is your battery and how much use do you put it through? If it is more than two years old then most likely it's time for a new one. I just replaced one for an original MacBook.

M

[colourbox]

Go into System Profiler, click Power, and look at the numbers there. If your Cycle Count is above 300 or your Full Charge Capacity is getting to be a small a fraction of the original, then the warning alert is not a scam...your battery would be getting old. The utility CoconutBattery (http://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/) tells me that my battery started out at 5600 mAh, but can currently be charged to 4740 mAh or 84% of original capacity.

The battery health warning is probably just a user-friendly way of translating those numbers into a reasonable alert.

Calibrating the laptop's power manager (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490) can sometimes restore some capacity if the battery meter has gotten out of sync with the battery's actual capacity.

[DavidTO]

Actually, System Profiler will say Check Battery if there's an issue with it. This message or the one you're getting in the menu are an indication that the battery is reporting a problem. I would replace it. And make sure you recycle the old one! :thumb

[BradfordBenn]

So i reinstalled the iStat Pro (http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatpro/) widget and it also says the health is at 51%. The plus side is that I thought that my AppleCare had run out last month, it turns out it runs out next August. So it looks like this will be covered :clap

[DavidTO]

So i reinstalled the iStat Pro (http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatpro/) widget and it also says the health is at 51%. The plus side is that I thought that my AppleCare had run out last month, it turns out it runs out next August. So it looks like this will be covered :clap

Unless it's a defect, Applecare doesn't cover it, as it's a consumable part. If it fails before 300 cycles they will most likely replace under warranty. Other than that, no.

[RogersDA]

We are trying to redistribute a CD that has a Mac and PC programs on it. I used Mac's Disk Utility to create a .cdr file, and then burned that image to the CD-R. Disk Utility settings used were
Image Format: DVD/CD Master
Encryption: None.

The .cdr file was created on the desktop, and I burned that to a CD-R

All Macs can read the disk and see the DMG file. PCs, however, just see a desktop.ini file. :scratch

[Miguel Delinquento]

For mixed platform requirements I use Toast to burn a standard ISO format disc. I would think that Disc Utility has a similar format option.

M


We are trying to redistribute a CD that has a Mac and PC programs on it. I used Mac's Disk Utility to create a .cdr file, and then burned that image to the CD-R. Disk Utility settings used were
Image Format: DVD/CD Master
Encryption: None.

The .cdr file was created on the desktop, and I burned that to a CD-R

All Macs can read the disk and see the DMG file. PCs, however, just see a desktop.ini file. :scratch

[RogersDA]

For mixed platform requirements I use Toast to burn a standard ISO format disc. I would think that Disc Utility has a similar format option.

M
If the option is there then I couldn't find it. At any rate, Toast was ordered this morning.

[Miguel Delinquento]

In Disk Utility>File>New Disc>Blank Disc Image
In the dialog box where you title the disc, go to the partition drop down menu and choose the last item>single partition CD/DVD ISO

That's all.

M

If the option is there then I couldn't find it. At any rate, Toast was ordered this morning.

[BradfordBenn]

Unless it's a defect, Applecare doesn't cover it, as it's a consumable part. If it fails before 300 cycles they will most likely replace under warranty. Other than that, no.

I have called and after a quick check it looks like it will be covered...

Health Information:
Cycle count: 178
Condition: Check Battery

[DavidTO]

I have called and after a quick check it looks like it will be covered...

Health Information:
Cycle count: 178
Condition: Check Battery


Great!

I had one replace at 299 cycles! :lol3 That's when they told me 300 was the cut-off. They also saw some slight swelling in the battery, as well, which I think helped my case.

[patch29]

What is everyone using for password management between a mac and an iphone?

I was going to try 1password, but I cannot access their site (http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password) today. :dunno

Are there any other apps that work as well?

[DavidTO]

What is everyone using for password management between a mac and an iphone?

I was going to try 1password, but I cannot access their site (http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password) today. :dunno

Are there any other apps that work as well?


Wait for 1P. They'll be back up, and they're the way to go, IMO.

[patch29]

Wait for 1P. They'll be back up, and they're the way to go, IMO.


Is the PRO app worth the extra money?

Their site seems to be back up. :clap

[DavidTO]

Is the PRO app worth the extra money?

Their site seems to be back up. :clap


Heh. I don't know, TBH. When I got it they had it at basically the same price, maybe $1 more, so I just got it without really thinking it through. Don't even know what the price differential is. :dunno

[DavidTO]

Heh. I don't know, TBH. When I got it they had it at basically the same price, maybe $1 more, so I just got it without really thinking it through. Don't even know what the price differential is. :dunno


Oh, $8 vs. $5? You gonna sweat $3? Just do it! :clap

[Andy]

Oh, $8 vs. $5? You gonna sweat $3? Just do it! :clap
1P, we ALL use it at Smuggy.

[patch29]

Oh, $8 vs. $5? You gonna sweat $3? Just do it! :clap


No, but I'm adding the $8 to the $40 to buy the desktop version. :yikes

[patch29]

Does it sync with the iphone only over wifi or can I use usb?

[DavidTO]

Does it sync with the iphone only over wifi or can I use usb?


wifi

[DavidTO]

1P, we ALL use it at Smuggy.


I should get a commission!

[patch29]

I should get a commission!

or at least a discount code for all the new users. :deal

[W.W. Webster]

FWIW, I'm also a very satisfied 1P user, after being introduced to the product by DavidTO. :thumb

[patch29]

FWIW, I'm also a very satisfied 1P user, after being introduced to the product by DavidTO. :thumb

I'm coming around the spending the $48 total. I'll break down soon. :D

[BradfordBenn]

Great!

I had one replace at 299 cycles! :lol3 That's when they told me 300 was the cut-off. They also saw some slight swelling in the battery, as well, which I think helped my case.

New Battery picked up @ Genius Bar, very easy to do and made a big difference, about an hour more of length. They gave me hints on battery management, like draining it every so often etc... AppleCare came through.

Now back to messing with VMware Fusion 3....

[CatOne]

New Battery picked up @ Genius Bar, very easy to do and made a big difference, about an hour more of length. They gave me hints on battery management, like draining it every so often etc... AppleCare came through.

Now back to messing with VMware Fusion 3....

For those of you that don't have the time to pay a visit to the genius bar to get tips on optimizing battery life, Apple has been kind enough to post a page on it:

http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

:wink

[Seamus]

I set up gmail with imap for my mac and iphone. The "all mail" and spam folders showed unread mail and the spam folder wouldn't sync with the junk folder on my mac. I googled and this is the solution if anyone else has this problem (http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=6462551&postcount=16).

I hope this isn't a 205 :)

Shay.

[BradfordBenn]

Hello All-

So I have put Snow Leopard on my Mac Book Pro. A complete new install, and then reinstalled CS3. I am not a power user (yet) so I have not need to go up to CS4. However what I am having trouble with is the update process. I know how to turn off the update, however how can I make sure that I have all the updates and install them?

When I launch a CS3 item such as Acrobat Professional, I get a error of
Process: Acrobat [4713]
Path: /Applications/Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional/Adobe Acrobat Professional.app/Contents/MacOS/Acrobat
Identifier: com.adobe.Acrobat.Pro
Version: 8.0.0 (8.0.0)
Code Type: X86 (Native)
Parent Process: launchd [122]

Date/Time: 2009-11-09 21:11:24.668 -0500
OS Version: Mac OS X 10.6.1 (10B504)
Report Version: 6

However I know that there is an 8.1 out there. Anyone know a good solution to get all the updates at once instead of having to search for them on the Adobe Site?

Thanks

[RogersDA]

So - anybody know of a script or other such item to pull an image (random) from a user's smugmug gallery using geektool?

[colourbox]

However I know that there is an 8.1 out there. Anyone know a good solution to get all the updates at once instead of having to search for them on the Adobe Site?

Not sure if you already covered this, but I manually start Adobe Updater and let it go get whatever any Adobe app needs. There may be more than one version of Adobe Updater to run depending on how many versions of CS/Acrobat you have.

Adobe Updater is in Utilities/Adobe Utilities, though I just use Spotlight to launch it.

[BradfordBenn]

Not sure if you already covered this, but I manually start Adobe Updater and let it go get whatever any Adobe app needs. There may be more than one version of Adobe Updater to run depending on how many versions of CS/Acrobat you have.

Adobe Updater is in Utilities/Adobe Utilities, though I just use Spotlight to launch it.

Thanks, the problem is that the Adobe Updater itself crashes. So I am working on doing all the updates manually, which Adobe doesn't make easy. It is like they want you to buy the new version ;)

[BradfordBenn]

So - anybody know of a script or other such item to pull an image (random) from a user's smugmug gallery using geektool?

I don't know geektool, but would this section from the Wiki help?
http://wiki.smugmug.net/display/SmugMug/Random+Photos+Code

[DavidTO]

So - anybody know of a script or other such item to pull an image (random) from a user's smugmug gallery using geektool?

You could probably adapt this (http://macfidelity.de/2009/03/22/mac-using-geektool-to-display-comics-on-your-mac-os-x-desktop/) to suit your needs?

[patch29]

I now have the iphone app, guess I'll have to step up for the desktop version too. :D


To celebrate Thanksgiving, Agile Web Solutions is giving thanks to its customers this week in the form of a free iPhone app. Previously $7.99, 1Password Pro touch is completely free until December 1st.

Source TUAW (http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/24/gobble-up-this-deal-on-1password-pro-touch/)

[RogersDA]

I don't know geektool, but would this section from the Wiki help?
http://wiki.smugmug.net/display/SmugMug/Random+Photos+CodeMight have to look at that - Thanks!

[RogersDA]

You could probably adapt this (http://macfidelity.de/2009/03/22/mac-using-geektool-to-display-comics-on-your-mac-os-x-desktop/) to suit your needs?Thanks, David...Might try to see what I can do with this, too.

[patch29]

Does anyone know if I am currently running Creative Suite CS3 and have an older copy of PS CS2 can I upgrade the CS2 version to CS4 and run it on a mac with the CS3 suite running? I don't really need to update the entire suite at this point, it can wait until CS5.

Thanks,
Patrick

[RogersDA]

I don't know geektool, but would this section from the Wiki help?
http://wiki.smugmug.net/display/SmugMug/Random+Photos+Code
Well crud...

The "random.mg" works - it produces a random image. But the url redirects to a static page (as it should) that shows the random image.

I was trying this curl script to follow the redirect (the -L setting) to ouptut (the -o setting) the resultant image to a file:
curl -o /var/tmp/greyleaf.jpg -L http://greyleafphoto.smugmug.com/photos/random.mg?AlbumID=4413851&AlbumKey=9wjJu&Size=300x300This does not work (no output file is created).

If I use the following to test image saving (obviously not a random image grabber here)
curl -o /var/tmp/greyleaf.jpg http://greyleafphoto.smugmug.com/photos/465596324_vJWLs-300x300.jpg
then the file is saved to /var/temp.

I can't figure out out how to make the curl redirect work. :scratch:scratch:scratch


EDIT: random.mg is not an http redirect. From the curl pages
4.14 Redirects work in browser but not with curl!

curl supports HTTP redirects fine (see item 3.8). Browsers generally support at least two other ways to perform directs that curl does not:

- Meta tags. You can write a HTML tag that will cause the browser to redirect to another given URL after a certain time.

- Javascript. You can write a Javascript program embedded in a HTML page that redirects the browser to another given URL.

There is no way to make curl follow these redirects. You must either manually figure out what the page is set to do, or you write a script that parses the results and fetches the new URL.

This was more of an see-if-I-could-do-it thing which could be applicable to other commercial sites. For my images there are certainly alternatives (using images already stored locally).

[DoctorIt]

Does anyone know if I am currently running Creative Suite CS3 and have an older copy of PS CS2 can I upgrade the CS2 version to CS4 and run it on a mac with the CS3 suite running? I don't really need to update the entire suite at this point, it can wait until CS5.

Thanks,
PatrickI've got CS2, but I use the (free) CS4 Bridge for sorting and viewing. And before the trial expired, I had CS4 and CS2 both running.

[RogersDA]

Well cr*p.

The Air zoned-out while sitting on the desk and while connected to/sharing iTunes on my MacPro in the basement.

Powered off. Powered on. Repeating thee beeps of death.

This is just a few days over 3 months old.

Cr*p. :bluduh:splat

[Andy]

The Air zoned-out while sitting on the desk and while connected to/sharing iTunes on my MacPro in the basement.

Powered off. Powered on. Repeating thee beeps of death.

This is just a few days over 3 months old.

Cr*p. :bluduh:splatWell, it's covered by Applecare, so call Apple ASAP. There might be some magic over-the-phone stuff to do.... Next choice is to go to a Genius Bar.... last choice would be to send it in to Apple - no matter what, they'll fix it or replace!

[RogersDA]

Well, it's covered by Applecare, so call Apple ASAP. There might be some magic over-the-phone stuff to do.... Next choice is to go to a Genius Bar.... last choice would be to send it in to Apple - no matter what, they'll fix it or replace!Yeah - that's about the plan. Just irked that's all. No data lost really - it was used mostly for browsing. All photos had been moved to other locations already.

[patch29]

I've got CS2, but I use the (free) CS4 Bridge for sorting and viewing. And before the trial expired, I had CS4 and CS2 both running.

I'm going to download the demo and try that for a while. :D

[emtajim]

OK I finally made the switch and have a new 17"MBP and a refurbished Mac Pro on their way (I'm pretty sure it's Andy's fault by the way).

Anyway I decided to opt out of the $99.00 One-on-one option and have decided to try and transfer my PC files. e-mail, pictures, etc over myself. I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on a program that will help expedite the process for me? I'm about half way through this thread but yowzer there's like 394 pages. Googling I found Move2Mac and Parallels(I plan on running straight OSX and no Windows so this one might be overkill). Are these any good or are there better solutions out there?

:scratch

Thanks
Jim

[cmason]

I just networked my old PC to the Mac (Finder>Go>Connect to Server), and dragged stuff from the folders on my PC to my Mac.

I use Gmail , so I didnt have to move email, so I dont have any info on how to do that. (this might help: http://guides.macrumors.com/Moving_Email_from_PC_Outlook_to_Apple_Mail)

For Firefox, I copied my FF profile from my PC, and it started on the Mac exactly as I had it on the PC. Google this as well for step by steps. An even better idea is to install Xmarks on your Firefox/IE on the PC and the Mac, and sync.

Safari will import bookmarks from the PC as well with the Import function. Xmarks is available for Safari as well.

[colourbox]

Googling I found Move2Mac and Parallels(I plan on running straight OSX and no Windows so this one might be overkill). Are these any good or are there better solutions out there?

I don't know anyone that's used Move2Mac. Like cmason said, you can just drag stuff straight from one machine to another. Look at the names of the folders inside your Windows and Mac user accounts: They're almost identical. My Documents on Windows = Documents on Mac, My Pictures on Windows = Pictures on Mac, and so on. You can just move your files from a Windows user folder to the same one on the Mac side, like from My Music on Windows to the Music folder on the Mac. User preferences and configuration files are inside your Library folder.

If you have been using a mail client on Windows, you can try importing the mail files into Apple Mail.

Parallels is one of the two top PC virtualization environments sold for the Mac. The other one is VMware Fusion. Both are quite good and competing head-to-head. Both have new versions out to support Windows 7. I use Parallels and am happy with it, but I don't use it for heavy-duty work, and only occasionally. Ars Technica just gave Parallels one of their exhaustive reviews (http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/11/parallels-desktop-5-review.ars/) if you want to read that. There is also a free one called VirtualBox.

[Andy]

(I'm pretty sure it's Andy's fault by the way).
Exxxxxcellent

[CTUphoto]

OK I finally made the switch and have a new 17"MBP and a refurbished Mac Pro on their way (I'm pretty sure it's Andy's fault by the way).

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on a program that will help expedite the process for me?

Thanks
Jim

Hey Jim. I just went through this a couple of weeks ago. I actually bought a little device...I think it was a USB to USB connector cable with a little gadget in between--the basic thought being connect the two, and transfer your files over the USB cable. All that said, I didn't even break the thing out of the box. Not sure what your home network looks like, but my old PC was hooked to a lynksis router and my new iMac had built in wifi. I simply shared out the folders I wanted--My Documents from my C Drive, and my entire D drive. Once they were shared on the PC, they showed right up in my Finder on the iMac. I simply dragged and dropped them on to my Western Digital drive I had hooked up to my iMac. It was a little slow, but I didn't have to pay a penny to do it (returned the USB cable). :D

~jb

[emtajim]

Thanks for all the replies!

Looks like it will be a whole easier than I thought. Guess I'm still thinking like a PC guy, you know things can't be that simple right? Every thing should be here next week so I'll let you all know how it goes.

Had a bit of a billing issue with Apple and my credit card company last night at 20:00. Gave Apple a call and they networked us in with my credit card company and had everything sorted out in 15 minutes, and that was on Black Friday and right at quitting time to boot. :clap And they say customer service is dead. Guess they forgot to tell them that at Apple.



Jim T

[Seamus]

Soooooo, I got one of the first Mac Pros, back in August 2006.... I know this because my AppleCare is expiring tomorrow, August 9th :D

That's three years of bliss, happiness and ease of use. Three years of no viruses, no hardware issues, no worms, spyware or malicious software.

Three years of being able to just use my computer, instead of my computer using me :clap

My macpro had it's 3rd birthday today. Same hassle free experience as Andy and, hopefully, I will post a similar story in another 3 years :)

[colourbox]

My macpro had it's 3rd birthday today. Same hassle free experience as Andy and, hopefully, I will post a similar story in another 3 years :)

My Mac Pro just turned 3 last month. I just upgraded to a Canon 7D which more than doubles the number of megapixels the machine must process per frame, and I wasn't sure if I would feel a performance slowdown in Lightroom. Crossed my fingers and was happy to find that it doesn't feel any less responsive, I don't need a new computer. Looks like I could be hanging on to this Mac Pro for another 3 to 5 years...:thumb

[RogersDA]

Well, it's covered by Applecare, so call Apple ASAP. There might be some magic over-the-phone stuff to do.... Next choice is to go to a Genius Bar.... last choice would be to send it in to Apple - no matter what, they'll fix it or replace!Dropped-off today at the store. New motherboard to be installed next week.

Now pondering the purchase of the extended applecare warranty.

[BradfordBenn]

Now pondering the purchase of the extended applecare warranty.

I would say worth it, mine has already paid for itself in the battery. Plus when call for questions, like why my Airport is being troublesome and not letting me connect to a USB drive, they will still answer the questions.

[BradfordBenn]

Hello All-

I am still using CS3, not sure there is a reason for me to go to CS4, but each time I launch an application of CS3 I get the Adobe Updater failed report under Snow Leopard.

So I googled it and found the directions at http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/408/kb408711.html and well they are not exactly the clearest thing I have read. I asked a programmer friend of mine, and he came up with this as the code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>Disable.Update</key>
<true/>
</dict>
</plist>

So I tried it and still got the failed report.

Anyone do this successfully or can point me in the right direction?

[RogersDA]

Hello All-

I am still using CS3, not sure there is a reason for me to go to CS4, but each time I launch an application of CS3 I get the Adobe Updater failed report under Snow Leopard.

So I googled it and found the directions at http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/408/kb408711.html and well they are not exactly the clearest thing I have read. I asked a programmer friend of mine, and he came up with this as the code:
.
snip
.

</plist>Curious - did you place the file in /Library/Preferences or in Users/USERNAME/Library/Preferences? A lot of the adobe & apple plists are in the later location.

[Richard]

My wife's MacBook (4.1) is having frequent wireless failures, generally timeouts. They are not application specific--Safari, Firefox and Thunderbird all show the same problem. Other machines on my home net (XP, Win2K and Win7) are working fine.

Running OS-X 10.5.7. The problems started about two months ago, and I cannot tie them to any config or installation changes that I have made. Looking at some of the Web resources, I see that complaints are not uncommon, but Apple seems to be stonewalling the issue. I suspect that some automatic system software update may be responsible, but I haven't been able to find the update history.

Are there any (preferably free) tools I can use to help diagnose the problem? I know little about the exciting world of OS-X, so I'm at a bit of a loss here. All advice welcome.

[RogersDA]

My wife's MacBook (4.1) is having frequent wireless failures, generally timeouts. They are not application specific--Safari, Firefox and Thunderbird all show the same problem. Other machines on my home net (XP, Win2K and Win7) are working fine.

Running OS-X 10.5.7. The problems started about two months ago, and I cannot tie them to any config or installation changes that I have made. Looking at some of the Web resources, I see that complaints are not uncommon, but Apple seems to be stonewalling the issue. I suspect that some automatic system software update may be responsible, but I haven't been able to find the update history.

Are there any (preferably free) tools I can use to help diagnose the problem? I know little about the exciting world of OS-X, so I'm at a bit of a loss here. All advice welcome.Disable/uninstall any and all browser add-ons/plug-ins and see if that helps? Your wireless is secured (WPA AES) I hope - so no one else is piggy-backing on your network. Also - get something like KisMac and monitor the wireless connections around you. Are others using the same channel as yours (if so - change your channel to one that no one else is using).

[Richard]

Disable/uninstall any and all browser add-ons/plug-ins and see if that helps? Your wireless is secured (WPA AES) I hope - so no one else is piggy-backing on your network. Also - get something like KisMac and monitor the wireless connections around you. Are others using the same channel as yours (if so - change your channel to one that no one else is using).

Given that I have used four other machines (plus an IPod Touch) on the same net without problem, I think the reasonable place to look is on the MacBook. I am using Safari straight out of the box and Firefox extensions are disabled. I tried changing the net channel some time ago, and while it seemed to help for a time, it has not proved to be a durable solution. In any event, I don't see why a Mac should be more susceptible to interference than my other machines. Nevertheless, I'll give KisMac a whirl and see what it reports.

How do I find the update history of the OS and drivers? The built-in help was no help, but I'm sure it has to be there somewhere. :scratch

[RogersDA]

Given that I have used four other machines (plus an IPod Touch) on the same net without problem, I think the reasonable place to look is on the MacBook. I am using Safari straight out of the box and Firefox extensions are disabled. I tried changing the net channel some time ago, and while it seemed to help for a time, it has not proved to be a durable solution. In any event, I don't see why a Mac should be more susceptible to interference than my other machines. Nevertheless, I'll give KisMac a whirl and see what it reports.

How do I find the update history of the OS and drivers? The built-in help was no help, but I'm sure it has to be there somewhere. :scratchYeah - I was just shooting for some quick trouble-shooting. Not much else I can offer here. Perhaps a posting over at MacRumors.com's forums?

[colourbox]

How do I find the update history of the OS and drivers? The built-in help was no help, but I'm sure it has to be there somewhere. :scratch

Open System Profiler, click Software/Logs, click Software Update.log

The consumer-oriented help files usually don't go to this level of assistance. You're more likely to find it in Apple's online support database or forum. As for this particular piece of info...I just guessed. There's all kinds of arcane info in System Profiler.

[DavidTO]

My wife's MacBook (4.1) is having frequent wireless failures, generally timeouts. They are not application specific--Safari, Firefox and Thunderbird all show the same problem. Other machines on my home net (XP, Win2K and Win7) are working fine.

Running OS-X 10.5.7. The problems started about two months ago, and I cannot tie them to any config or installation changes that I have made. Looking at some of the Web resources, I see that complaints are not uncommon, but Apple seems to be stonewalling the issue. I suspect that some automatic system software update may be responsible, but I haven't been able to find the update history.

Are there any (preferably free) tools I can use to help diagnose the problem? I know little about the exciting world of OS-X, so I'm at a bit of a loss here. All advice welcome.
Try this? (http://forums.macosxhints.com/showpost.php?p=317027&postcount=12)

[Richard]

Try this? (http://forums.macosxhints.com/showpost.php?p=317027&postcount=12)

The instructions didn't exactly correspond to what I could see in the network systems preferences window, but I did add a new location and it made no difference. I installed KisMac and it discovered a dozen wireless nets in range but none was using the same channel I'm using. I also updated the OS to the latest 10.5 release, but nothing changed.

I am starting to suspect hardware--the airport icon doesn't show full signal strength even when the machine is right next to the router. The machine is no longer under warranty, and I'm guessing it will be quite pricey to repair (relative to the machine's worth). One solution would be a very long ethernet cable (it works fine when cabled to the router), but that's a little inconvenient. Another idea would be to attach a USB wireless dongle instead of the airport interface. Anybody have experience with this on a MacBook?

[DavidTO]

The instructions didn't exactly correspond to what I could see in the network systems preferences window, but I did add a new location and it made no difference. I installed KisMac and it discovered a dozen wireless nets in range but none was using the same channel I'm using. I also updated the OS to the latest 10.5 release, but nothing changed.

I am starting to suspect hardware--the airport icon doesn't show full signal strength even when the machine is right next to the router. The machine is no longer under warranty, and I'm guessing it will be quite pricey to repair (relative to the machine's worth). One solution would be a very long ethernet cable (it works fine when cabled to the router), but that's a little inconvenient. Another idea would be to attach a USB wireless dongle instead of the airport interface. Anybody have experience with this on a MacBook?


Which model? Many have slots you just slide the Airport Card into. I think they're $50-70ish? I guess the newer laptops have the airport hardwired in, though. I forget when that changed.

I'm also pretty sure that if it doesn't have an easy to change card, then it's the motherboard that needs replacing.

As you can tell, I'm a bit foggy on these details, haven't been keeping up. For years, perhaps. :D

[RogersDA]

I saw two other suggestions - one was to create a new user on the MB and see if that new user had the same problem(s).

Also this post (http://macosx.com/forums/1482646-post1.html) suggests a possible link to printer driver conflicts.

[Richard]

Which model? Many have slots you just slide the Airport Card into. I think they're $50-70ish? I guess the newer laptops have the airport hardwired in, though. I forget when that changed.

I'm also pretty sure that if it doesn't have an easy to change card, then it's the motherboard that needs replacing.

As you can tell, I'm a bit foggy on these details, haven't been keeping up. For years, perhaps. :D

There is no model number visible--it's just a low-end white MacBook that's about 18 months old. The sys info says it's a MacBook 4.1. It does not have any expansion slots at all as far as I can see. That's why a USB solution occurred to me. :dunno

[Richard]

I saw two other suggestions - one was to create a new user on the MB and see if that new user had the same problem(s).

Also this post (http://macosx.com/forums/1482646-post1.html) suggests a possible link to printer driver conflicts.

I'll try the new user tomorrow and see if that helps. The printer drivers have not changed since we got the machine, and it prints OK, or at least it did when the net connection was working. Thanks for the suggestions. I appreciate it.

[DavidTO]

Here you go if you want to roll your sleeves up and repair it yourself (http://www.powerbookmedic.com/xcart1/pages.php?pageid=45).

You also might want to check and see which version of the Airport Firmware you're running. May not be up to date on that machine.

[BradfordBenn]

</plist>Curious - did you place the file in /Library/Preferences or in Users/USERNAME/Library/Preferences? A lot of the adobe & apple plists are in the later location.

I placed it in "/Users/BradfordBenn/Library/Preferences" which does not work. However from your post I tried placing it in "/Library/Preferences" and that seems to have worked:clap

Thanks

[RogersDA]

I placed it in "/Users/BradfordBenn/Library/Preferences" which does not work. However from your post I tried placing it in "/Library/Preferences" and that seems to have worked:clap

ThanksGreat!

[RogersDA]

First the MacBook Air cr*pped out on me. Fine - things happen. It's under warranty. I hope to have it back soon.

Then yesterday I upgraded to 10.6.2 on the MacPro and added a second external drive (firewire chained to an existing firewire-based external drive).

What a cluster-@&%$%@!.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2251884&tstart=0

[patch29]

Hello All-

I am still using CS3, not sure there is a reason for me to go to CS4, but each time I launch an application of CS3 I get the Adobe Updater failed report under Snow Leopard.

So I googled it and found the directions at http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/408/kb408711.html and well they are not exactly the clearest thing I have read. I asked a programmer friend of mine, and he came up with this as the code:

So I tried it and still got the failed report.

Anyone do this successfully or can point me in the right direction?


I think you solved it, but I recently had the same issue and found this from adobe (http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/402/kb402251.html).

I did it manually as posted on that page and it worked for me. I did it both for the Adobe Updater 5 & 6.

[RogersDA]

Dropped-off today at the store. New motherboard to be installed next week.

Now pondering the purchase of the extended applecare warranty.
Went to the Apple store to reclaim my Air. A new main board had been installed. Before signing for it I turned it on.

It booted - Yeah!!

Then the kernel panic started immediately after logging on.

Rebooted and all seemed fine. Signed the repair sheet and went on my merry way.

At home, opened the computer to see another kernel panic. Cr*p.

Rebooted. Another kernel panic.

SMC reset.

Better. I start to use the computer.

No - hold on. Still getting panics.

Phoned Apple. Told to do a PRAM reset.

Hey - not bad. The Air stays on. I can't get to the internet because of where I was. No problem. I will go home and play with it.

Spoke too soon. Kernel panic.

Cr*p.

[Andy]

Spoke too soon. Kernel panic.

Cr*p.
Something strange. I had an air for a long time - no issues. Just tell Apple you want a NEW machine.
:deal

[RogersDA]

Something strange. I had an air for a long time - no issues. Just tell Apple you want a NEW machine.
:dealThat was mentioned by me - their "rule" is it needs to be 3 repairs for a new unit.

[RogersDA]

I managed to keep the Air running long enough to copy the few files from the harddrive to the MacPro via sharing over wireless. It wasn't much - just some dmg/zip files and a few still-available docs from the internet.

Booted from the SL dvd. Used disk utility to zero-out the harddrive. I then reinstalled SL.

Now it runs just fine. Not a single kernel panic since 0200 this morning.

There is no way this could not have been noticed by the Apple folks at the Genius Bar.

[RogersDA]

Woot!! Running fine now.

http://www.greyleafphoto.com/photos/740832550_MpTTb-M.jpg (http://www.greyleafphoto.com/photos/740832550_MpTTb-XL.jpg)

[Moogle Pepper]

Good thing it is running!

Has anyone used the magic mouse? Do you like? hates?

[RogersDA]

I got it a few weeks after it came out. One small quirk with it not auto-reconnecting after computer woke up or powered on. However that was fixed by cycling the mouse's power. I like the new mouse. It tIes a bit to get used to with the left/right swiping. But, other than that, it is great.

[DoctorIt]

Has anyone used the magic mouse? Do you like? hates?No like. Right idea, but come on! My MacBook Pro touchpad recognizes way more gestures (three- and four-finger swipes for expose, app-switching...) why can't the magic mouse? At this point, a mouse that can't do expose is a step backwards for me. Lame-o! If its just a firmware thing, then shame on Apple for releasing it too soon. Or, why couldn't they just put the squeeze-y buttons on it just like the Mighty mouse?

[DavidTO]

No like. Right idea, but come on! My MacBook Pro touchpad recognizes way more gestures (three- and four-finger swipes for expose, app-switching...) why can't the magic mouse? Lame-o! If its just a firmware thing, then shame on Apple for releasing it too soon.
You're seriously going to three or four-finger swipe your mouse? Or which swipes are missing? (I've never used one, so I dunno what I'm talking about, btw! :lol3 )

[RogersDA]

That...and the fact that there is no more mini track ball to get crudded-up. I had to disassemble the old mouse to clean that ball. What a pain that was. And, I never could get any logitech mouse to work well via Bluetooth. So I am quite happy.

[cmason]

That...and the fact that there is no more mini track ball to get crudded-up. I had to disassemble the old mouse to clean that ball. What a pain that was. And, I never could get any logitech mouse to work well via Bluetooth. So I am quite happy.

Yeah I went back to a $20 wired Logitech mouse, and could not be happier. The ball on the mity mouse died after 2 mons, and I tried the magic mouse, but trying to do touch motions on a mouse that moves across the table was just not useful. And it does not support all the same touch motions as the track pad that I am used to.

I am eyeing this as a possible solution to the problem...

http://www.wacom.com/bamboo/bamboo_pen_touch.php

[Moogle Pepper]

Thinking about picking one up. hmm..

[DoctorIt]

You're seriously going to three or four-finger swipe your mouse? Or which swipes are missing? (I've never used one, so I dunno what I'm talking about, btw! :lol3 )Yeah, of course, it's not a full touchpad, so I don't expect it to do everything the multi-touch pad on the MBP can do. But, and this is the big BUT: as it stands, it has LESS functionality than the mighty mouse. Maybe I'm the only one hooked on expose, but that omission is a deal breaker.

Like I said, I appreciate the fact that I wouldn't have to clean the mighty-mouse ball every month, but no expose, no way.

How hard would it have been to make it "squeeze-sensitive"???

Not bad, just half-baked, that's all.

[RogersDA]

Yeah, of course, it's not a full touchpad, so I don't expect it to do everything the multi-touch pad on the MBP can do. But, and this is the big BUT: as it stands, it has LESS functionality than the mighty mouse. Maybe I'm the only one hooked on expose, but that omission is a deal breaker.

Like I said, I appreciate the fact that I wouldn't have to clean the mighty-mouse ball every month, but no expose, no way.

How hard would it have been to make it "squeeze-sensitive"???

Not bad, just half-baked, that's all.With OS 10.6.2 and the minimize to application feature made Expose/Spaces more or less redundant (at least for me). I can click and hold the app icon in the dock and bring up all active windows for that application.

Besides, so many apps on my macpro machine wouldn't support spaces in the right way anyway, and my hand was always inadvertently triggering expose because I squeezed the mighty mouse too hard.

[BradfordBenn]

I use a logitech 7 button mouse. Yup, I know odd, but here are how they break down

1: Left Click
2: Right Click
3: Far Thumb All Apps
4: Close Thumb Just Apps in this space
5: Scroll Wheel/Center Button: Dashboard
6: Left on scroll wheel, scroll left (sometimes I reprogram to home) only in VMware
7: Right on scroll wheel, scroll right (sometimes I reprogram to end) only in VMware

So it can be customized as much as I want, but that seems to work

[DavidTO]

I have to stop using mice altogether. It's constant with Final Cut Pro, one hand nearly always controlling the mouse.

For years I would go back and forth between the mouse and stylus, but I got lazy and didn't alternate for a long time, just using the mouse. Now my hand is painful and has lost a lot of strength. I'm back on the stylus, and mending. I'm going to try the bamboo, as well.

Short story: be careful of mice, they're hard on your hands.

[BradfordBenn]

Short story: be careful of mice, they're hard on your hands.

Agreed. I am looking for a good trackball solution but have not been able to find one yet to try, so I am thinking of just going in and guessing on the Kensington as I used to have one I liked; it was apple desktop bus.....

[David_S85]

I have to stop using mice altogether. It's constant with Final Cut Pro, one hand nearly always controlling the mouse.

For years I would go back and forth between the mouse and stylus, but I got lazy and didn't alternate for a long time, just using the mouse. Now my hand is painful and has lost a lot of strength. I'm back on the stylus, and mending. I'm going to try the bamboo, as well.

Short story: be careful of mice, they're hard on your hands.

+1. I use a cycling glove (with the padding in the middle) on my "mouse hand" which has provided some relief for the RSI issues. With the open fingers I can still grip a pen, etc.

I am wondering if anyone has invented a foot mouse - a trackball affair one could navigate with the feet.

[BradfordBenn]

+1. I use a cycling glove (with the padding in the middle) on my "mouse hand" which has provided some relief for the RSI issues. With the open fingers I can still grip a pen, etc.

I am wondering if anyone has invented a foot mouse - a trackball affair one could navigate with the feet.

Wii Balance Board? It is Bluetooth....

[CatOne]

You're seriously going to three or four-finger swipe your mouse? Or which swipes are missing? (I've never used one, so I dunno what I'm talking about, btw! :lol3 )

There are few buttons on the Magic Mouse, so it can be frustrating due to the lack of what you can do. There is only one gesture right now to do anything besides scroll.

I'm hoping OS X supports more gestures going forward. It's no track pad, but I know the laptop track pad got more gestures over time.

In the meantime, there's a 3rd party tweak which brings oodles of gestures to the Magic Mouse:

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/macupdate/~3/eHKlJnI1T2w/magicprefs

[emtajim]

OK I finally made the switch and have a new 17"MBP and a refurbished Mac Pro on their way (I'm pretty sure it's Andy's fault by the way).

Anyway I decided to opt out of the $99.00 One-on-one option and have decided to try and transfer my PC files. e-mail, pictures, etc over myself. I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on a program that will help expedite the process for me? I'm about half way through this thread but yowzer there's like 394 pages. Googling I found Move2Mac and Parallels(I plan on running straight OSX and no Windows so this one might be overkill). Are these any good or are there better solutions out there?

Thanks
Jim

Thought I would give you all an update

I received both computers and have them both set up and I couldn't believe how easy it was. Spent a couple of days playing with them, yowzer can't believe how easy it was.

I went into work and had to reset the work computer, you guessed it a PC. Holy clicking Batman hmmm click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click or drag and drop, let me think about that one. Anyway thanks for everyone's help!


One happy switcher
Jim

[RogersDA]

I am wondering if anyone has invented a foot mouse - a trackball affair one could navigate with the feet. http://www.google.com/patents?id=mmkYAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&img=1&zoom=4&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U37V0CIzcG7IMDbLXa1SkaugiZ_qA&ci=81%2C82%2C851%2C968&edge=0 (http://www.google.com/patents?id=mmkYAAAAEBAJ&zoom=4&pg=PA1&ci=81%2C82%2C851%2C968&source=bookclip)

[Richard]

My wife's MacBook (4.1) is having frequent wireless failures, generally timeouts. They are not application specific--Safari, Firefox and Thunderbird all show the same problem. Other machines on my home net (XP, Win2K and Win7) are working fine.

Running OS-X 10.5.7. The problems started about two months ago, and I cannot tie them to any config or installation changes that I have made. Looking at some of the Web resources, I see that complaints are not uncommon, but Apple seems to be stonewalling the issue. I suspect that some automatic system software update may be responsible, but I haven't been able to find the update history.

Are there any (preferably free) tools I can use to help diagnose the problem? I know little about the exciting world of OS-X, so I'm at a bit of a loss here. All advice welcome.

Update: It looks like something either in software or hardware is making the MacBook more vulnerable to out-of-channel interference than my Windows machines are. KisMac provided the info I needed (thanks to RogersDA for that tip :thumb). But I live in a dense urban area and at any given time, I can see a dozen or more wireless nets around me, and these change over time. So it's a bit of a pain to be reconfiguring the router whenever the MacBook networking craps out, but it does seem to be working for now. Still, I would expect better from a company that charges a premium because their stuff "just works."

[RogersDA]

One happy switcher
JimThat's kind of how I felt when I switched. Got my MacPro and it was (and still is) extremely reliable. I have not had a single major issue aside from some third-party software not behaving well and making me reboot the computer. My daughter's iMac performs flawlessly. My MacBook Air is great (aside from having to replace the motherboard - which -hey - things do go bad so I am not too concerned here). I like how everything commicates together with ease. I like how easy it is to quickly share screens, deliver files via the dropbox on the LAN, share files via bluetooth with others when out. I know that PCs can do this, but my past experience has shown these to be a bit more involved and a sometimes prone to just not working.

[RogersDA]

Update: It looks like something either in software or hardware is making the MacBook more vulnerable to out-of-channel interference than my Windows machines are. KisMac provided the info I needed (thanks to RogersDA for that tip :thumb). But I live in a dense urban area and at any given time, I can see a dozen or more wireless nets around me, and these change over time. So it's a bit of a pain to be reconfiguring the router whenever the MacBook networking craps out, but it does seem to be working for now. Still, I would expect better from a company that charges a premium because their stuff "just works."Maybe you just have a bad device, Richard. I am sitting here in San Francisco and there are no fewer than 20 wireless access points that I can see and all located on just a handful of channels. We did not have any problems when our channel is the same (though I did change the router's channel later on just to be safe). Can you update to 10.6.2 and see if that helps? Any updates to the AirPort client that you can install?

[Richard]

Maybe you just have a bad device, Richard. I am sitting here in San Francisco and there are no fewer than 20 wireless access points that I can see and all located on just a handful of channels. We did not have any problems when our channel is the same (though I did change the router's channel later on just to be safe). Can you update to 10.6.2 and see if that helps? Any updates to the AirPort client that you can install?

Yeah, it could be a bad device. I spent a lot of time researching it, but although there are many complaints about wireless problems, there is no consensus on the solution. Many folks swear that their problems started when they upgraded to Snow Leopard, but these problems go back several years. I did update to the latest and greatest version of Leopard and related drivers but it made no difference. John Rizzo of MacWindows.com gave me some pointers to WiFi USB dongles that claim to work with OS-X. Sadly, none of these are available in Spain, but if the problem persists, I'll probably order one from the States. It would be a whole lot cheaper than replacing the Airport module in the machine or having Apple replace the antenna.

[RogersDA]

Yeah, it could be a bad device. I spent a lot of time researching it, but although there are many complaints about wireless problems, there is no consensus on the solution. Many folks swear that their problems started when they upgraded to Snow Leopard, but these problems go back several years. I did update to the latest and greatest version of Leopard and related drivers but it made no difference. John Rizzo of MacWindows.com gave me some pointers to WiFi USB dongles that claim to work with OS-X. Sadly, none of these are available in Spain, but if the problem persists, I'll probably order one from the States. It would be a whole lot cheaper than replacing the Airport module in the machine or having Apple replace the antenna.I have a Hawking Wireless G USB device and it works fine when I need to have extended range. I even took off its antenna and used a lager antenna from a FVG318 router for better range).

And I have read that some USB-based wireless adapters (as well as software like KisMac) are illegal in some areas in Europe. So be careful with them where you are, Richard.

[Richard]

And I have read that some USB-based wireless adapters (as well as software like KisMac) are illegal in some areas in Europe. So be careful with them where you are, Richard.

Well, if I get busted, I'm really going to be down on Apple. :rofl:rofl:rofl

[David_S85]

I am wondering if anyone has invented a foot mouse - a trackball affair one could navigate with the feet.


http://www.google.com/patents?id=mmkYAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&img=1&zoom=4&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U37V0CIzcG7IMDbLXa1SkaugiZ_qA&ci=81%2C82%2C851%2C968&edge=0 (http://www.google.com/patents?id=mmkYAAAAEBAJ&zoom=4&pg=PA1&ci=81%2C82%2C851%2C968&source=bookclip)

Oh fer... this happens all the time!!! I mention something, someone else reads my post(s), goes back in time and patents the damn thing.

[RogersDA]

Oh fer... this happens all the time!!! I mention something, someone else reads my post(s), goes back in time and patents the damn thing.That's why I use Apple's Time Machine. And you all thought is was only for data backups.

Nope. Sorry - ssh into it to access the hidden time travel components.

Steve Jobs - he's that good.

[DavidTO]

My wife needed a new laptop, so she got my old one (1st gen MBP), and I got an upgrade to a new 15" MBP. It's nice, I likey.

I did have a significant problem migrating my user. Everything got there OK, but I had tons of odd permissions problems, especially in my Library. I called Apple, and the tech guy was stumped when the standard fixes weren't working, and had to ask a senior tech guy for help.

Turns out the solution was simple, and something I did not know about. This is in Snow Leopard, obviously (it being a new Mac), so I'm not sure if this will work in earlier systems.

On the install disk that comes with the Mac, in the Utilities menu is an application Reset Password. This I had known about. What I didn't know is that this application will also reset permissions and ACLs. This is different than Permission Repair in Disk Utility (AFAIK), and the ACL bit does not exist in DU at all.

Anyway, it took a few moments and everything was perfect after.

This is my first time having any issue with migrating a user. Dunno what went wrong, but I'm glad they found the fix for me. :D

[DavidTO]

Sneak Peak Photo (https://www.code-line.com/software/sneakpeekphoto/) is a plug-in that takes your quick-look to the next level, giving you histogram, EXIF and other info right in the quick-look window in the finder.

[DavidTO]

Cell phone touch screen test (http://labs.moto.com/). Guess which one performed best? :D

[RogersDA]

MacBookPro:


Hi-Resolution Glossy Widescreen Display
Hi-Resolution Antiglare Widescreen Display
Which one is better for photo work? Can either of these be calibrated (I have an x-rite from Eye-1) successfully?

[goldenballs]

I am using the glossy display and am very satisfied.

I got the 17" mbp partly for making presentations to clients. The image quality never fails to impress - a wow effect.

I guess your decision depends a bit what you define by "work". You do get reflections in some light conditions and they may be disturbing. Personally I either move the PC or change the ambient lighting if reflections are disturbing - not often by the way.

The Mac comes with a calibration utility which works fine and responds to your own judgement and taste. I never found the need to use it in day-to-day work and rely on default settings all the time. Again this suits me for presentation work - it would perhaps be different if I had to interface with a printer.

This display decision was a bit worrying when I purchased the Mac as so many "experts" on the net were chuntering on about the glossy screen. Now I am glad I chose for the standard.

[colourbox]

photo work? Can either of these be calibrated (I have an x-rite from Eye-1) successfully?

You will probably find this article interesting, it is specifically about MacBook Pro screen quality, calibrating with an X-Rite Eye-One Pro for professional photography, and comparing glossy to antiglare
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-10041-10146

The matte vs glossy pictures in the article will probably push you toward the antiglare...

The Mac comes with a calibration utility which works fine and responds to your own judgement and taste. I never found the need to use it in day-to-day work and rely on default settings all the time. Again this suits me for presentation work - it would perhaps be different if I had to interface with a printer.

RogersDA, since you already have a very reputable hardware calibrator, you should not touch the Apple calibration utility, ever. It's a software-only utility which is fine for basic uses, but cannot come close to the color quality your Eye-One can achieve with its sensor. From the article:

For a laptop display to show colour as accurately as it can, a good profile must be created and loaded into the system. We've never seen a default profile that has come close to wringing out a display's full colour capabilities, and the newest MacBook Pros are no exception.

[RogersDA]

Thanks for the insight and links. I never use the Mac's color calibration tool.

I may be getting a MacBook Pro - we'll see how things go in the next few weeks. The wife keeps disappearing with the MacBook Air a lot.:dunno

[cmason]

I am going to wait for the jesus tablet to be announced before I consider anymore Apple gear :wink

[RogersDA]

I am going to wait for the jesus tablet to be announced before I consider anymore Apple gear :winkWell - you will probably want to wait for 2 days plus 6 more months so that the initial bugs get worked out.

[RogersDA]

I am going to wait for the jesus tablet to be announced before I consider anymore Apple gear :winkIt is good.:barbMight have to suprise the wife with a new toy (or two - I want one, too).

[RogersDA]

No Multitasking. Only one application runs at a time according to official documentation.

No Flash Support on the browser. Too many sites (SmugMug included) run flash-based components. Will it be able to upgrade to html5? Probably not a big deal on that as html5 is not being pushed anytime soon.

WiFi + 3G, but not 4G. Why not just integrate 4G into it?

No Camera. O.k. the camera is just gimicky - but come on, even the iPhone has one.

Stuck with AT&T for 3G. O.k. now their 3G network is really going to go to hell. And it's not as extensive as Verizon's 3G.





I still want one though.