Andy's Un-Official Unsolicited Mac Advice Thread

[patch29]

So we're going to have to put up with Mac weenies wetting themselves over every Jobs anouncement as they watch the webcasts tomorrow... aren't we? :bluduh


Here (http://www.glennwolsey.com/2007/01/09/where-to-watch-live-apple-keynote-updates/) is a long list of sites with live updates, enjoy. :bad

[Andy]

we are kibbitzing here:

http://smugmug.jot.com/SmugChat

[W.W. Webster]

How cool is that new iPhone? :wink

[DavidTO]

Amidst all the MacWorld hoopla, I'm going to post a very mundane little tip.

If you need to open a Word document, and there's nothing really fancy about it, and you don't want to waste a lot of time with all the MS overhead, open it in TextEdit. TE opens about a gajillion times faster than Word, and displays most docs just fine.

[wxwax]

David, your opinion?

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/17111

Or....

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/11582

[DavidTO]

David, your opinion?

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/17111

Or....

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/11582


I have and am familiar with OnyX. The other is news to me. Seems fine.

Here's what I use:

1) Macaroni (http://www.atomicbird.com/macaroni): automagically runs in the BG, repairing permissions, running the UNIX crons, and I use it to remove all localized files (you can save a bunch of space that way, you don't need them). It's $9, and it's set and forget. Awesome.

2) Install AppleJack (http://applejack.sourceforge.net/AppleJack) and run it when things seem wonky. It'll repair your disk without the need to start from another volume. It repairs permissions, repairs the volume directory, cleans the cache and swap files and validates permissions.

That's it. Keep Disk Warrior on hand for when things go really bad, but that's all I do.

Leave Macaroni running, run AppleJack when you think you need to.

[wxwax]

I have both. Does when does Macaroni run? When I'm done I close the lid, putting the thing to sleep. I assume that means Macaroni can't dance while I doze?

[DavidTO]

I have both. Does when does Macaroni run? When I'm done I close the lid, putting the thing to sleep. I assume that means Macaroni can't dance while I doze?


No, it runs in the bg. Check out the pref pane, it tells you when it last ran. And you can set the pref for how much idle time it waits for.

[phuong]

is anyone having problems with bluetooth not working properly after hot-swapping batteries in MBP (C2D)?

i did the hot swapping as guided: close lid, allow the computer to dump its RAM onto the HDD (the front led indicator will start to pulse when this is done), then swap the battery.

after swapping battery, i can wake the computer up and start using it. everything is fine except the Bluetooth always becomes "Bluetooth Not Available". It won't work until i restart the computer (which is kinda making the battery-safe-sleep-swapable feature pointless)

[Mike Lane]

It is so ordered (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=11932&A=details&Q=&sku=465482&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation)!

[Pupator]

It is so ordered (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=11932&A=details&Q=&sku=465482&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation)!

Phew. Looks like a great computer, but I'll never get over the sticker shock I have every time I look at a Mac.

[DavidTO]

Phew. Looks like a great computer, but I'll never get over the sticker shock I have every time I look at a Mac.


Huh. There's been two posts here in the last month by die-hard Windows fans who want to buy Mac because they can't find a better deal on a similarly featured quality built machine than a Mac.

EDIT: Oh, and I looked at the order. He got the 3GB RAM which includes an insanely expensive 2GB stick. It's expensive everywhere. The kind of expensive where you're actually better off getting it from Apple than 3rd party. Supply and demand. The price of that RAM greatly increases the cost of that machine.

[Mike Lane]

Huh. There's been two posts here in the last month by die-hard Windows fans who want to buy Mac because they can't find a better deal on a similarly featured quality built machine than a Mac.

EDIT: Oh, and I looked at the order. He got the 3GB RAM which includes an insanely expensive 2GB stick. It's expensive everywhere. The kind of expensive where you're actually better off getting it from Apple than 3rd party. Supply and demand. The price of that RAM greatly increases the cost of that machine.Yeah that 3rd gig pushed it up there. But honestly, since there was no tax :wink and since I can transfer my APP from my stolen machine to this one, it was only $200 more than the total price for the old one. It actually may have been a bit cheaper if it were from Apple directly, but since they don't ship to apo addresses (boo) I had to go with a 3rd party. B&H seems to be as good a 3rd party as I can think of. :thumb

Anyhow, a similarly rigged winders machine would be at least as expensive I betcha.

EDIT: Yes indeed, a dell xps with 2 gb ram a blue ray burner (!) and everything else the same is $4400. They don't have a 3gb ram option but if you go for 4GB of ram you're looking at paying another $3000! So, uh yeah. The sticker shock for the macbook pro I got is more like sticker relief.

[marlof]

Congrats, Mike! Looks like a great machine.

My iBook broke, and my wife (shared living room computer) refused to let me buy another Mac, since in 4 years she didn't get to like Mac OS X. I think she just doesn't like computing much, and prefers everything in the way she knows (work dictated). So I ordered the second best notebook, a Sony Vaio. It shares some of the Mac greatness in design, but after using it for a bit again I realized that there are tons of subtle things in a Mac notebook that show how much thought goes into every little detail. I'm not a big Mac or Win OS fan (both are far from the easy to use computers I'd like to have), but I am a big fan of Apple industrial design.

[colourbox]

Huh. There's been two posts here in the last month by die-hard Windows fans who want to buy Mac because they can't find a better deal on a similarly featured quality built machine than a Mac.

I've even heard of one or two cases where people bought a MacBook with the intention of solely running Windows on it. That I just don't get, but whatever. They thought the hardware was a good deal.

[cabbey]

While welcoming roseelliot to the mac train a moment ago I started to sing the praises of an application and figured I'd move it over to this thread so everyone can see it.

OmniGraffle (http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnigraffle/). If you're ever in need of a tool to snap together a quick chart, diagram, illustration, etc.... or a tool to slave over a huge complex flow chart, illustration, or diagram... OmniGraffle is it. It's a perfect companion to iWork, and you can generate PS objects from it that drop right into iWork's Pages and Keynote applications. And the best part is you can test drive it for free, and the standard upgrade is dirt cheap compared to Visio or some of the competition.

[patch29]

Possible Apple Special Event on February 20th? Read the rumors here (http://applerecon.com/2007/01/23/apple-special-event-on-february-20).

[wxwax]

Possible Apple Special Event on February 20th? Read the rumors here (http://applerecon.com/2007/01/23/apple-special-event-on-february-20).
Makes sense. Be nice if the 8 core knocked down the prices of the other Mac Pros.

[utah1]

OK got a new Macbook intel 2 core laptop and want to try out the Boot Camp XP option. Anyone have a legal extra copy of XP pro with SP2, mine are all pre SP2. Also anyone got a copy CS2 or 3 or simular software they would like to deal on? Fantastic machine but wow the MAC software is pricey!!

[DavidTO]

Fantastic machine but wow the MAC software is pricey!!


What are you referring to?

[utah1]

It seems most new PC's ship with at least Office and a few other pieces of essential software. The MAC has some basic stuff and a few 30day trials thrown in. I’ve got at least a grand or two $$ into PC version Adobe titles and video stuff and replacing them all with MAC is really going to hurt. Nevertheless the machine rocks and my stolen Dell D620 will not be missed!

SM

[wxwax]

If you have Photoshop on your PC, you can switch the license to Mac.

[DavidTO]

It seems most new PC's ship with at least Office and a few other pieces of essential software. The MAC has some basic stuff and a few 30day trials thrown in. I’ve got at least a grand or two $$ into PC version Adobe titles and video stuff and replacing them all with MAC is really going to hurt. Nevertheless the machine rocks and my stolen Dell D620 will not be missed!

SM


OK. I thought you were saying that Macintosh software is more expensive than PC, which I don't believe to be the case at all.

If you have specific recommendations for software, let me know. It's got iMovie built in, so you can cut video off the bat. I use FCP every day for my work, so maybe I can help you in that area, too.

[utah1]

I've got PC Photoshop Elements 4.0 and Premire Elements 2.0, do you think they transfer over? I dont really need the full versions yet but if it's better to get the whole suite so be it. What a machine, I have not used Mac's since grade school and man have they come a long way.

[DavidTO]

I've got PC Photoshop Elements 4.0 and Premire Elements 2.0, do you think they transfer over? I dont really need the full versions yet but if it's better to get the whole suite so be it. What a machine, I have not used Mac's since grade school and man have they come a long way.


I don't know about PS Elements, but that's a cheapy program, anyway.

Premiere is not Mac compatible ATM. It was, and they've announced that it will be, but it hasn't been for a while.

Try iMovie. It's right there.

[utah1]

Ouch! Yea but on the PC the full version PS was overkill and just waiting for the damm thing to process files was brutal. The Elements seemed like a good balance but I'm guessing the MBP will not have an issue. I wish I had a job that would purchase for or justify the purchase. This is the look the kid gave me when I told him his college fund was going to the purchase of a new laptop and editing software for dad!

http://render2.snapfish.com/render2/is=Yup6GPG%7C%3Dup6%3DzqH%3AxxqUD7qRUrKxzX7BHpUUKxgXPJG%3F87KR6xqpxQQPox0nQxnPQxv8uOc5xQQQ0oelJaGolGqpfVtB%3F*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXPJG%7CRup6aQQ%7C/of=50,285,442

I don't know about PS Elements, but that's a cheapy program, anyway.

Premiere is not Mac compatible ATM. It was, and they've announced that it will be, but it hasn't been for a while.

Try iMovie. It's right there.

[colourbox]

I read on another forum that somebody called Adobe to switch their PC license to a Mac license and the license switch cost $6.95.

Photoshop Elements is on the Mac, but I think it's a version behind. It isn't Intel-native yet, but it will run. Photoshop Elements will probably be updated after Photoshop CS3 comes out.

Premiere Elements is a different story. Premiere is coming back to the Mac as Premiere Pro, which exists on Windows as a Final Cut Pro equivalent...the very top of the line. Adobe hasn't said that there will be a low-end Premiere Elements on the Mac. I haven't used it, but I think it's probably more than iMovie and less than Final Cut Express.

[utah1]

The kid is happy again. You guys/gals are top! I've got more info in 30 min on this site than I could get in a month talking to the folks at the Apple store. Imovie seems cool and FCP looks like a something to dream about. Thanks David, Colour and others!

[DavidTO]

Don't forget Final Cut Express. A mighty-fine application for the price.

[cabbey]

if you're woried about the cost of photoshop for the mac, you could give the gimp a try (http://www.gimp.org/macintosh/). I *highly* recomend the "gimp.app" approach, rather than the "fink" approach, unless you're already using fink for something else. If you're completley addicted to "the Adobe Way", you can try gimpshop (http://www.gimpshop.net/), which is a UI hack to the Gimp to make it look/feel/behave like photoshop.

[DavidTO]

Colbert wags his finger at Apple (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGXwtkXOjZw)

[wxwax]

Last time I visited the Apple Store, i thought the 30" was too much. I understood why folks preferred dual 23-inchers.

Yesterday I went back. And changed my mind. That 30" is freakin' cool.

On a side note, I wouldn't do final work on a photo on either a MBP or an MB screen. Neither is reliable. The MBP screen washes-out colors. And the MB screen artificially enhances them.

[colourbox]

The reason is easy to see if you use Apple ColorSync Utility to compare the profiles you made for your monitors. Here are the 3D plots for my PowerBook and my Apple 20" after calibrating them with the Eye One.

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/125954918-M.jpg

If you are using ColorSync Utility you can rotate the 3D plot to see gamut coverage at all colors and tonal levels. I faked the side-by-side comparison in Photoshop, CSU doesn't do that. It can superimpose them if you right-click the graph.

[cabbey]

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/125954918-Th.jpg

Wow. I hadn't realized the laptop LCDs were that far away from the desktop LCDs. Was that MBP on AC power with the brightness turned up to something "normal" (i.e. not 100% bleached beyond recognition)? or was it on battery with the display dimmed?

[colourbox]

Yeah, I always calibrate the PowerBook at full brightness on AC. The Apple Cinema Display, on the other hand, was calibrated at only a few bars of brightness to get down to the range the calibrator wants. The ACD turned up all the way is very bright! A laptop can't reach the same power level as a desktop monitor on AC power, so I would be surprised if a laptop was brighter than a desktop when both are turned up all the way.

As for the desktop LCD gamut being bigger than the laptop LCD, you can see this yourself with the default Apple profiles for the monitor and laptop. The Cinema profile will still be larger than the Color LCD default laptop profile. Although when I did this, I found that the laptop profile I had the Eye One generate was smaller than with the Apple default Color LCD profile. I can't explain that one except that the default profile is probably a more idealized (less individualized) representation.

And my very old CRT now profiles to a smaller gamut than the new ACD.

[Mike Lane]

Mike Lane, checking in with macbook pro c2d 3gb! :wink

[Poseidon]

Is there an easy way to reduce the number of options in the "Open With" after right click? Say when I right clock a picture, I would like a list with

PS
iPhoto
Preview

and maybe a few others... DPP or whatever...

The list I have now is HUGE!

[Seamus]

From a thread in advrider (http://www.advrider.com/)

http://spagthorpe.smugmug.com/photos/126510289-L.gif

[wxwax]

Are Apple's Promo (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=3A357264&nclm=Promos) deals stackable?

For example, they offer rebates if you buy Final Cut Express and a new Mac, or a new printer and a new Mac.

If I do both, do I get both rebates?

[DavidTO]

Are Apple's Promo (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=3A357264&nclm=Promos) deals stackable?

For example, they offer rebates if you buy Final Cut Express and a new Mac, or a new printer and a new Mac.

If I do both, do I get both rebates?


I don't know, and I wouldn't trust their site, either: meaning that if the site were to say no, you can't, I'd give a call and talk nice to the sales rep and try to get both.

I do think that if they were going to limit it, they'd be up front about it.

Also, inkjet printers. Blecch. patooey. :D

[wxwax]

I don't know, and I wouldn't trust their site, either: meaning that if the site were to say no, you can't, I'd give a call and talk nice to the sales rep and try to get both.

I do think that if they were going to limit it, they'd be up front about it.

Also, inkjet printers. Blecch. patooey. :D
Not for documents, they aren't.

Thanks for the advice.

[DavidTO]

Not for documents, they aren't.

Thanks for the advice.


Yes, for documents, too. Laser printer much betterer, IMO.

Sid, I'm on a rant against ink-jet lately. I hate the things. They cost way too much in the long run. Ink is $10k/gallon.

Just my personal tirade. :D

[wxwax]

Yes, for documents, too. Laser printer much betterer, IMO.

Sid, I'm on a rant against ink-jet lately. I hate the things. They cost way too much in the long run. Ink is $10k/gallon.

Just my personal tirade. :D
Fair enough. I haven't plugged my 1999 Espon into the Mac, maybe it'll work. Doesn't on my PC. :bluduh

[patch29]

Yes, for documents, too. Laser printer much betterer, IMO.



I agree. I replace my laserjet toner cartridge at most once a year, inkjet cartridges seem constant and the laser looks better for text. :thumb :thumb

[rosselliot]

I don't know, and I wouldn't trust their site, either: meaning that if the site were to say no, you can't, I'd give a call and talk nice to the sales rep and try to get both.

I do think that if they were going to limit it, they'd be up front about it.

Also, inkjet printers. Blecch. patooey. :D


I just got my new mac (LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! definitely recommend! how are y'all living with one?!) and I got $100 off a new printer. I got he HP c3180 and it was 99.00 so it was technically free, and it's GREAT. it has a scanner on the top so you can copy and scan stuff too. it's great! and yes, when you check out, you'll be able to choose to pre-install final cut and then when you further in the process you'll pick the printer you want (if you want one). so yes, I'm pretty sure they're stackable.

- RE

[Mike Lane]

I just got my new mac (LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! definitely recommend! how are y'all living with one?!) and I got $100 off a new printer. I got he HP c3180 and it was 99.00 so it was technically free, and it's GREAT. it has a scanner on the top so you can copy and scan stuff too. it's great! and yes, when you check out, you'll be able to choose to pre-install final cut and then when you further in the process you'll pick the printer you want (if you want one). so yes, I'm pretty sure they're stackable.

- REWhy hasn't your printer made it into your signature yet? :rolleyes






:hide

[rosselliot]

Why hasn't your printer made it into your signature yet? :rolleyes






:hide


what a GREAT idea!

:)

- RE

[wxwax]

Paging davidTO, davidTO to the chartreuse courtesy phone, please.

What's your answer to this guy, in post 61?

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4064888#post4064888

[DavidTO]

Paging davidTO, davidTO to the chartreuse courtesy phone, please.

What's your answer to this guy, in post 61?

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4064888#post4064888


Well, I don't compare prices, but there've been 3 posts lately here with people switching because of cost. They did the research and found comparably equipped Macs to be a better deal than the PCs.

As for the comparison to XP/Vista, you probably know better than I do. You have more experience on XP, I have virtually none.

OSX is a safer, more reliable, less frustrating and more advanced OS than XP. Not sure it wins on all those counts against Vista, but it's several steps ahead of Vista. The next release will leave Vista in the dust, IMO.

There are some people who are interested in Mac, but just not enough. Like Gus. He most likely made the best decision for himself sticking with PC. If he HAD switched, he probably would have been happy, too, but the things in PCland that drive me nuts, just don't bother him.

So, I dont' really know how to answer it, not sure if it's worth the time, if you know what I mean. That poster is just one of those people that I don't think will cross the line.

[wxwax]

Cool, thanks David. I believe him re: price. I suspect there may be machine combos in which a mac turns out to be a better or equal value, perhaps just not in the range he was looking at.

[DavidTO]

Cool, thanks David. I believe him re: price. I suspect there may be machine combos in which a mac turns out to be a better or equal value, perhaps just not in the range he was looking at.


Well, I'm no expert on price. I did go to the Dell site and give my best to pricing one and comparing to Apple, and I gotta say, they're really close.

[Mike Lane]

OSX is a safer, more reliable, less frustrating and more advanced OS than XP.OSX isn't always less frustrating than XP. Things that could be so simple sometimes require so much effort, it's ridiculous.

Having said that, OSX is clearly a better OS than XP.

[DavidTO]

OSX isn't always less frustrating than XP. Things that could be so simple sometimes require so much effort, it's ridiculous.



Like what? :ear

[Mike Lane]

Like what? :earCompare what I had to do to get something working in XP versus getting something to work in OSX here (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=479978).

[DavidTO]

Compare what I had to do to get something working in XP versus getting something to work in OSX here (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=479978).


Well, it's hardly a run of the mill thing, but versiontracker lists several free PNG crushing apps (http://www.versiontracker.com/php/search.php?str=png&tfBasis=&afterYear=&afterMonth=&afterDay=&beforeYear=&beforeMonth=&beforeDay=&rtfBasis=&rAfterYear=&rAfterMonth=&rAfterDay=&rBeforeYear=&rBeforeMonth=&rBeforeDay=&ptfBasis=&pAfterYear=&pAfterMonth=&pAfterDay=&pBeforeYear=&pBeforeMonth=&pBeforeDay=&action=search&srchGuid=412796cbd290367e%3Adb7aae%3A1107bfd43d2%3A-8000db7aae%3A110a74b3e47%3A-71e5&by=dl&dir=descending&perPage=20&pg=1). Do none of these do what you want? (I know that the link has many irrelevant apps, but there are several in there that are relevant, I think.)

[DavidTO]

Or this (http://optipng.sourceforge.net/)?

[Mike Lane]

Well, it's hardly a run of the mill thing, but versiontracker lists several free PNG crushing apps (http://www.versiontracker.com/php/search.php?str=png&tfBasis=&afterYear=&afterMonth=&afterDay=&beforeYear=&beforeMonth=&beforeDay=&rtfBasis=&rAfterYear=&rAfterMonth=&rAfterDay=&rBeforeYear=&rBeforeMonth=&rBeforeDay=&ptfBasis=&pAfterYear=&pAfterMonth=&pAfterDay=&pBeforeYear=&pBeforeMonth=&pBeforeDay=&action=search&srchGuid=412796cbd290367e%3Adb7aae%3A1107bfd43d2%3A-8000db7aae%3A110a74b3e47%3A-71e5&by=dl&dir=descending&perPage=20&pg=1). Do none of these do what you want? (I know that the link has many irrelevant apps, but there are several in there that are relevant, I think.)I browsed through the apps on the 1st 2 pages and even googled them to see if they did what I needed (simply to remove the gamma info from a png). None of them do. All the googling that I've done points only to the way that I had to do it. It was by sheer luck that I came across 1) a working version of darwin ports (whatever that is) and 2) the fact that I had to download xCode to get darwin ports to work.

It was infuriating to say the least.

[DavidTO]

Mike, I believe that GammaSlamma is exactly what you need. Download Link. (http://www.plasticated.com/GammaSlamma-1.0.dmg)

[Mike Lane]

Or this (http://optipng.sourceforge.net/)?I saw that one. If it removes the gamma chunk, then that is an unadvertized feature. I in fact found a site that specifically mentions that they used OptiPNG for reducing the png file size and another program (which was windows only) to remove the gamma chunk.

[Mike Lane]

Mike, I believe that GammaSlamma is exactly what you need. Download Link. (http://www.plasticated.com/GammaSlamma-1.0.dmg):lol3 Where was that 2 days ago???

It was still a frustrating process. I stand by that. :D

[DavidTO]

:lol3 Where was that 2 days ago???

It was still a frustrating process. I stand by that. :D


It's the top result in a google search: osx remove gamma png :D

[wxwax]

How to (http://www.hardmac.com/articles/71/page1/) convert your Macbook to the new, faster 802.11n WiFi module. Be brave! :lol3

[DavidTO]

How to turn off the display "half dim".

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20070217052629138

[Mike Lane]

Has anyone tried macFUSE (http://code.google.com/p/macfuse/)? I've been searching for a way to mount my dreamhost account in the finder for a while now. I initially tried doing it using webDAV but for some reason it didn't really work all that well. Besides, webDAV is completely insecure ... or so I'm told. Well macFUSE allows me to easily mount my folders that are hosted on dreamhost in the finder using ssh (by using the sshfs that you can find when you click show all in the featured downloads part on the macFUSE page). :barb And using some of the help that DavidTO gave me earlier, I can even make it mount on login automatically. :clap

Anyhow, now my remote server is incredibly useful. Once Leopard comes out with time machine, I'll even be able to use dreamhost for that - though it may be too slow for that, I don't know.

[patch29]

Any Camino users?

I just downloaded the latest beta to test out. It has been a long time since I have used it and so far it looks good.


One question, does it display favicons with the bookmarks? I see them in the URL and in my Firefox bookmarks, but not there, even after I have loaded the page. I would also like to not display the bookmark icon in my bookmark bar. Any suggestions or is that how it is right now?

[CarnalSigh]

Up til now I've been using my laptop to do my photo editing. Luckily, the monitor is decent so the prints come out pretty close to what I see.

I want to upgrade my processing machinery, but I'm not sure which way I should go. The options I'm thinking of are :

A) pc with AMD 64 fx at 2.4 with a gig of ram, a semi high end nvidia video card and a 19" viewsonic LCD monitor

or

B) An apple imac using an intel Core2 Duo processor 2.16GHz, a gig of ram, and a 20" apple monitor

I don't know jack about imacs....other than I've heard they are better with photo and video processing. No ideer why tho.

I use photoshop on my laptop, but I like the way aperture looks in the stuff I've read about it. Can I use photoshop on an imac? can I use aperture on a pc? I know there are a lot more software choices for pc's, but my primary use of it will be internet and photography, rather than gaming etc. So the software issue isn't my main concern.

Which set up would work better for my photo processing? Any opinions? Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

[pathfinder]

Up til now I've been using my laptop to do my photo editing. Luckily, the monitor is decent so the prints come out pretty close to what I see.

I want to upgrade my processing machinery, but I'm not sure which way I should go. The options I'm thinking of are :

A) pc with AMD 64 fx at 2.4 with a gig of ram, a semi high end nvidia video card and a 19" viewsonic LCD monitor

or

B) An apple imac using an intel Core2 Duo processor 2.16GHz, a gig of ram, and a 20" apple monitor

I don't know jack about imacs....other than I've heard they are better with photo and video processing. No ideer why tho.

I use photoshop on my laptop, but I like the way aperture looks in the stuff I've read about it. Can I use photoshop on an imac? can I use aperture on a pc? I know there are a lot more software choices for pc's, but my primary use of it will be internet and photography, rather than gaming etc. So the software issue isn't my main concern.

Which set up would work better for my photo processing? Any opinions? Thanks for any guidance you can provide.


I will start with a confession - I use a MAC.:D ( but I previously used Microsoft for over 20 years )

The iMac will run Photoshop just fine - if it is a windows version of PS, you can run it in Bootcamp on a MAC which allows one to run WIN XP as a virtual machine. You can get a MAC version of Photoshop from Adobe for your copy of Windows Photoshop.

Aperture is not availabe for Windows, and probable won't be in the future.

I rec you get more than 1 Gig of RAM - at least 2 Gigs would be my suggestion whether you use OS X or Windows XP or Vista.

[CarnalSigh]

Thx for the info. Any idea why macs are better for photo and video than pc's? Still looking for opinions on the choices I've laid out and which would work better.

[DavidTO]

Thx for the info. Any idea why macs are better for photo and video than pc's? Still looking for opinions on the choices I've laid out and which would work better.


Well, they aren't. And they are.

For photos, it's a toss-up. You can use Aperture on the Mac only. But that's not a compelling enough reason to get one. I'm a die-hard Mac fan, and I couldn't justify it based on Aperture alone. But I just don't like Aperture.

As for video, that's what I do for a living, and there's no better package than Final Cut Studio. You get a great video editor, motion graphics, audio and DVD authoring package all-in-one. Sure, you could get AVID for PC or Mac, and Premiere is on the PC, soon to be back on the Mac (after a long hiatus), but FCP is the app to have, IMO.

If that's too rich for your blood, then Final Cut Express is damn good, as well. And a lot cheaper. But that's just video.

Beneath that, are the built-in apps, iMovie, iDVD and Garage Band. The last one is fun, the first two are actually useful, IMO.

The rest of the story is the OS and the philosophy behind its design. OSX is a better OS. Period. I'll get flamed for saying it. But it's true.

[Punkybeth]

Hi CarnalSigh,

I actually use both PC (at work because I HAVE to) and a Mac a home...I just ordered a new iMac (about 2 hours ago...whoo hoo). I ended up with the 24" iMac with 2.16 processor and 2GB ram, with 500GB HD...I added the Aperture software with the package so it'll be pre-installed for me.:barb

In my opinion, I prefer the ease of use that the Mac offers vs the PC...but that could also be because I've been using Mac for the last 20 years.

I love my Macs...they are really just great machines!!!! Right now I'm using my eMac (love him) and my PowerBook G4 (love him too)...but Hubby said I was slowing them down with all my programs and photos...poor little eMac only has 1GB of Ram and a 1GB processor.

Good luck with your decision, but definitely check out the Mac...you can't go wrong!!!:wink



Up til now I've been using my laptop to do my photo editing. Luckily, the monitor is decent so the prints come out pretty close to what I see.

I want to upgrade my processing machinery, but I'm not sure which way I should go. The options I'm thinking of are :

A) pc with AMD 64 fx at 2.4 with a gig of ram, a semi high end nvidia video card and a 19" viewsonic LCD monitor

or

B) An apple imac using an intel Core2 Duo processor 2.16GHz, a gig of ram, and a 20" apple monitor

I don't know jack about imacs....other than I've heard they are better with photo and video processing. No ideer why tho.

I use photoshop on my laptop, but I like the way aperture looks in the stuff I've read about it. Can I use photoshop on an imac? can I use aperture on a pc? I know there are a lot more software choices for pc's, but my primary use of it will be internet and photography, rather than gaming etc. So the software issue isn't my main concern.

Which set up would work better for my photo processing? Any opinions? Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

[colourbox]

OK, now I strive to keep my life Mac-centered, because yeah I love Macs, but about those platform differences... If you spend all day in image processing and digital asset management apps, you may not even see the OS desktop for hours on end. Once you get into the Adobe universe, for instance, your interaction with the computer is through their interface, not Mac or Windows, and it's the same Adobe interface on both platforms. There is a myth that Windows doesn't have color management, but all the Adobe apps and other pro imaging apps on Windows do. You can calibrate your monitors, etc. just as well on Windows. The Mac used to be unquestionably superior for graphics, but that was a long time ago. Windows is perfectly workable for it.

If I were in your situation, I would budget for at least 2GB RAM regardless of platform. And then try Adobe Lightroom. Lightroom is more like Aperture than any other software out there now, some say it is better, and it is cross-platform. You may be just as happy with Lightroom on a PC as with Aperture on an iMac. At least you can try Lightroom's 30-day trial on your PC, while there is no Windows version of Aperture.

If you feel comfortable with Windows, you know how to keep malware under control, and you haven't reached the level of Windows rage that causes some to switch, then you really don't have to get an iMac to do great image processing. But if you're curious about a Mac, I would say that it is a simpler platform overall to maintain over the long term and more secure by design, and there is plenty of innovative software being written for it.

[CarnalSigh]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge folks.

[Van Isle]

+ 1 on more RAM.

I just today bought a 13" Macbook and upgraded to 2gb ram right away. I've never used a Mac much, but I'm sold on the OS, the "front Row" software, and lots of the other built in apps. And for me the worldwide extended warranty (for upcoming travels) is a big plus.

The jury is stil out on whether a dedicated video card makes a big difference for photo apps. Video editing, games, etc yes, but not so much for photos. I guess it depends on what else you want to use the 'puter for.

G'luck, and let us know what you got and why, and how it's working out for you.

VI

[LuckyBob]

Regarding the PC with the AMD processor, I'd shy away from the FX53 (which is what I was assuming you were looking at since it's the only AMD FX series processor at 2.4GHz) - it's single core and REALLY slow by today's standards as it was released in '04. You'd be much better suited looking at Intel's Core2 Duo processors or even AMD's newer X2 processors, given the recent price cuts - although AMD's processors are currently running with very little headroom and Intel's have quite a bit.

As far as Mac vs. PC - try them both. See what you like from a usability standpoint. Price out equivalent hardware and see what you come up with; I'm a PC guy personally but I do use Macs quite often for work purposes. As a generalization, Macs cost a bit more for a given hardware spec, but you do have the option of running Windows. PCs tend to cost less and are easier to expand later down the road, but (save for OSx86), no Mac interface. Good luck :thumb

[gus]

I will start with a confession - I use a MAC.:D ( but I previously used Microsoft for over 20 years )

The iMac will run Photoshop just fine - if it is a windows version of PS, you can run it in Bootcamp on a MAC which allows one to run WIN XP as a virtual machine. You can get a MAC version of Photoshop from Adobe for your copy of Windows Photoshop.

.

PF will there be a substantial speed diff with running standard mac CS against running CS2 windows version in bootcamp ?

Its hard enough buying a new computer without having to replace software.

[colourbox]

You can try googling "photoshop rosetta versus boot camp (http://www.google.com/search?q=photoshop%20rosetta%20versus%20boot%20camp)." In the results is this quick test (http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/archives/sep06/090506.html) which makes it look like, on an Intel Mac, it is much faster to run Windows Photoshop CS2 in Boot Camp than non-Intel-native Mac CS2 through Rosetta.

But Adobe has said for about a year that CS3 will ship Spring 2007 (assuming Northern Hemisphere :D ). That's getting close now. After CS3 ships, or if you play with the public CS3 beta now, Intel Macs should have no performance gap compared to Windows PCs.

And the reports are that if you want to switch your Adobe software license from Windows to Mac or vice versa, Adobe customer service will do it for a very small administrative fee (at least in the USA).

[Pupator]

Any opinions?Oh yeah. :wink

I rec you get more than 1 Gig of RAM - at least 2 Gigs would be my suggestion whether you use OS X or Windows XP or Vista. This (and those who later agreed with it) is 100% correct. 2GB! :deal

Any idea why macs are better for photo and video than pc's? They aren't, and no one can honestly say that they are. People can believe iMovie is better than WMM, or that Aperture is better than Lightroom, PSP, Photoshop, etc. - but you can't say that the hardware or OS is natively better in either case. DavidTO points this out well with his video editing example - it's all about the software!

The rest of the story is the OS and the philosophy behind its design. OSX is a better OS. Period. I'll get flamed for saying it. But it's true. Flame bait gets flamed. Period. :rofl Coke is better than Pepsi, too - because there's certainly nothing subjective about taste. :rolleyes

The jury is stil out on whether a dedicated video card makes a big difference for photo apps. Video editing, games, etc yes, but not so much for photos. I guess it depends on what else you want to use the 'puter for. Neah, it's not really out any more. The "high end video card" the OP mentioned is totally unnecessary. If you take the PC option in the end you'd be better served to upgrade your 19" monitor to a 20" and to buy a 2/4GB usb flash drive that Vista can use as (essentially) extra RAM when you're editing photos.

Regarding the PC with the AMD processor, I'd shy away from the FX53 ...You'd be much better suited looking at Intel's Core2 Duo processors Ditto. Intel has finally caught and passed AMD. AMD will come back - but if you're buying a processor right now, go Intel.

[claudermilk]

OK, now I strive to keep my life Mac-centered, because yeah I love Macs, but about those platform differences... If you spend all day in image processing and digital asset management apps, you may not even see the OS desktop for hours on end. Once you get into the Adobe universe, for instance, your interaction with the computer is through their interface, not Mac or Windows, and it's the same Adobe interface on both platforms. There is a myth that Windows doesn't have color management, but all the Adobe apps and other pro imaging apps on Windows do. You can calibrate your monitors, etc. just as well on Windows. The Mac used to be unquestionably superior for graphics, but that was a long time ago. Windows is perfectly workable for it.

If I were in your situation, I would budget for at least 2GB RAM regardless of platform. And then try Adobe Lightroom. Lightroom is more like Aperture than any other software out there now, some say it is better, and it is cross-platform. You may be just as happy with Lightroom on a PC as with Aperture on an iMac. At least you can try Lightroom's 30-day trial on your PC, while there is no Windows version of Aperture.

If you feel comfortable with Windows, you know how to keep malware under control, and you haven't reached the level of Windows rage that causes some to switch, then you really don't have to get an iMac to do great image processing. But if you're curious about a Mac, I would say that it is a simpler platform overall to maintain over the long term and more secure by design, and there is plenty of innovative software being written for it.

:wow:wow:wow Wow, I'm shocked. A well-reasoned, balanced reply from a Mac user. You give hope. :D

As a PC user, I completely agree with colourbox's post. PC or Mac, either one works equally well for image processing. The Mac advantage is long-past history and is now simply a myth; I did use a Mac in the days the advantage was a reality--it vanished a long time ago and is now mostly wishful thinking and inertia on the part of Apple and their fans. Today it's really a matter of preference, like pretty much any brand debate. Pick the one that you're happier with.

Both sets of specs will work, and the same general advice applies: get the most RAM you can stuff in the box, and get as much storage as you can.

[CarnalSigh]

Just to clear up a thing or two, so others will stop slamming me about it...
I would never have bought a puter for photo processing without having at least 2gb ram. My comparison request was more about the pc vs mac issue rather than the details of the builds. I just grabbed a couple of sample builds off the web for a comparison. The AMD processor I am looking at is a 64 bit dual core. Thank you all for your input tho. It gave me alot of food for thought.

I've pretty much concluded that as long as you have plenty of ram and HD space, and a decent monitor that allows you to calibrate it properly, you should be able to fine tune photos equally as well whether you use a mac or a pc. I think I'm gonna have a puter built for me. I have real fears about buying a branded desktop. I'll buy another HP laptop when the time comes, but with desktops (IMO) they are better if you have one built to your specs.

[cabbey]

One question, does it display favicons with the bookmarks? I see them in the URL and in my Firefox bookmarks, but not there, even after I have loaded the page. I would also like to not display the bookmark icon in my bookmark bar. Any suggestions or is that how it is right now?

:scratch I think you lost me on that.

One question, does it display favicons with the bookmarks?

Yes. Both in the bookmark bar and in the menu.
http://cabbey.smugmug.com/photos/132671234-S.jpg

I see them in the URL and in my Firefox bookmarks, but not there, even after I have loaded the page.

As near as I can tell, Camino loads favicons asynchronously from the page. One thing I have noticed, is that if I have bookmarked a page that has a page specific favicon it does NOT honor it. So if in the html head there is:

<link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="page_special.png">

then in the bookmark bar it will show it, but in the url bar it will show the server's /favicon.ico instead. (my internal project server has a single default favicon, that is overridden for each project I deploy on it to deliver that project's specific favicon... in Camino they all have the same icon in the url bar, but get their own unique icon in the bookmark bar/menu. Very confusing at times.)

I would also like to not display the bookmark icon in my bookmark bar. Any suggestions or is that how it is right now?

This is where you lost me... do you want favicon's for your bookmark bar or not? (as you can see in the screen scrape above, I live by them. Actually, that's my out of date Camino set....)
http://cabbey.smugmug.com/photos/132676173-L.jpg

To get rid of them, bring up about:config, search for favicons, this should show you browser.chrome.favicons.... double click it to change it to false, quit and restart. This *used* to work for me in both firefox and camino. I just tried it and it doesn't seem to do anything anymore. :dunno

[Mike Lane]

Ever wish that you could remap the enter key? I don't have any use for it and I'm always hitting it when I reach for the cmd or arrow keys. DoubleCommand (http://doublecommand.sourceforge.net/index.html) will let you map it (and lots of other keys). :thumb

[patch29]

:scratch I think you lost me on that.


Thanks, your answers were what I needed, even if my questions were not super clear.

Camino is only displaying the default favicon icon, not the correct one for the websites on my computer. In FF they do not display in my bookmarks bar, but they do show up in the URL and in my bookmark folders. So I can either try to fix it or just live with it in Camino. I want to not display them in the bookmark bar to save space.

[wxwax]

Ever wish that you could remap the enter key? I don't have any use for it and I'm always hitting it when I reach for the cmd or arrow keys. DoubleCommand (http://doublecommand.sourceforge.net/index.html) will let you map it (and lots of other keys). :thumb
I like this, thanks Mike. I'm a gonna make me a forward delete key. I hate the fctn-delete deal.

[kres]

Regarding the PC with the AMD processor, I'd shy away from the FX53 (which is what I was assuming you were looking at since it's the only AMD FX series processor at 2.4GHz) - it's single core and REALLY slow by today's standards as it was released in '04. You'd be much better suited looking at Intel's Core2 Duo processors or even AMD's newer X2 processors, given the recent price cuts - although AMD's processors are currently running with very little headroom and Intel's have quite a bit.


One of the best bang for buck AMD chips you can get a hold of right now is the AMD64 4000+ (90mn/HT2G) It is a single core chip that beats alot of the multicore's out there. It also costs a whopping $79 bucks. It's and older chip, but it can still hold it's own against machines 2 years younger in most cases. Family constraints have me buying my hardware on that curve, but my rig is as fast or faster then most big-brand boxes 2 or 3 years younger.

As for the Mac or PC battle, as a 15 year IT vet with Mac, PC, Unix, Linux, and some rather obscure platforms under my belt, I can say this: The Intel Macs + OSX Tiger are some of the most stable and troublefree platforms out there. Defiately fire and forget systems. You can't frakle them up like you can Wintel boxes, but they are the tools that I reach for when I want to get it done without worry of interruption. Not flamebait - I love both platforms for different reasons - but just my experience. Evanglism in Technology is just silly... they are tools. Some folks are better with a dremel then a cope saw.

[Andy]

I am seriously considering a move to Mac (the trojans/adware & viruses are just getting too hard to fight anymore)


Stay tuned....

[Seamus]

Quote:
Originally Posted by anonymous
I am seriously considering a move to Mac (the trojans/adware & viruses are just getting too hard to fight anymore)

Stay tuned....

Gus??

[wxwax]

Never say never. I always say that. :lol3

[DavidTO]

I'm really looking forward to the public release of Skitch (http://plasq.com/skitch). It's a toy, sure, but I could sure put it to use as a tool here on dgrin.

Plasq's app Comic Life came bundled on my MBP, and it's a nice little app, too.

I don't know how to do fancy digg buttons like Andy does, but I digged it, here (http://digg.com/software/Skitch_MacOSX_Screencapture_and_drawing_app/).

[wxwax]

Skitch is your preferred screen capture tool?

[DavidTO]

Skitch is your preferred screen capture tool?


It will be when it's released. Check out the video on the sight. It's not the greatest vid, but the features are awesome.

When you're capturing a selection, guides pop out from your cursor to go all the way across or down your screen.

You can resize in Skitch: no need to open PS.

You can annotate your screencaptures with words, arrows, drawings: again, no need for PS.

When you drag your screencapture the window you're working in (Skitch window) shrinks to get out of your way.

I think it'll be great for writing tutes, pointing out design ideas, and possibly even photo critiques.

[jdryan3]

Some folks are better with a dremel then a cope saw.

Or a Sawzall® :lol3 :lol3 :lol3

[dogwood]

I think I'm gonna have a puter built for me. I have real fears about buying a branded desktop.

Why not build your own? It's easy-- I'm a total bonehead and I figured it out-- and it's been working for over a year now! There are some excellent step-by-step websites (I used a book, but could have easily used a website).

Incidentally, I use an iMac at my day job and well, let's just say my homebuilt PC can run circles around the iMac. But part of it is RAM-- the iMac only came with 512K, my PC has 2GB (and six HD's... but that's another story).

Anyway, I can't help but smile when people claim a similar mac is better than a PC or vice versa. It comes down to the user. I guarantee I can do anything on a PC just as fast and effectively as someone on a similar spec Mac-- it all comes down to what OS you are most comfortable with. Seven years now I've used a Mac at my day job, and I still hate it! But that doesn't mean Mac suck... it just means they suck for me! :D

[DavidTO]

c at my day job and well, let's just say my homebuilt PC can run circles around the iMac. But part of it is RAM-- the iMac only came with 512K, my PC has 2GB (and six HD's... but that's another story).



yeah, 512 will slow down any computer, mac or pc

[DavidTO]

Hey, I haven't tried this, but it looks cool. Do Something When (http://www.azarhi.com/Projects/DSW/) does something when you do something else. Like when you eject your music drive it'll quit iTunes. Stuff like that.

[wxwax]

Is it possible to get rid of this annoying pop-up in Safari?

And David, what did you say your favorite screen grabber is currently?

http://www.wxwax.smugmug.com/photos/136526272-M.jpg

[DavidTO]

Is it possible to get rid of this annoying pop-up in Safari?

And David, what did you say your favorite screen grabber is currently?



I dunno how to disable that thing. Firefox has the same thing, but truncated. I could see how it would be annoying.

The screengrab thing you're talking about is two posts up, Sid. Use that fancy mouse of yours and scroll up! :D

Currently I use cmd-3, cmd-4 and cmd-4 spacebar, and I used SCIT to change the default file format to jpeg.

[wxwax]

I dunno how to disable that thing. Firefox has the same thing, but truncated. I could see how it would be annoying.

The screengrab thing you're talking about is two posts up, Sid. Use that fancy mouse of yours and scroll up! :D

Currently I use cmd-3, cmd-4 and cmd-4 spacebar, and I used SCIT to change the default file format to jpeg.
Skitch hasn't been released yet.

That would be why I used the word "currently." :lol3

[gus]

Never say never. I always say that. :lol3
It'll be a cold day in hell my friend. They say that a mac with 1.5g ram is about the same as 2g in a PC is this roughly correct or bullshit ?

[Mike Lane]

It'll be a cold day in hell my friend. They say that a mac with 1.5g ram is about the same as 2g in a PC is this roughly correct or bullshit ?There are so many other factors that go into it that it really doesn't make sense to even compare IMO. I'm betting 1.5 or 2 gigs would satisfy most peoples' needs irrespective of system.

[gus]

There are so many other factors that go into it that it really doesn't make sense to even compare IMO. I'm betting 1.5 or 2 gigs would satisfy most peoples' needs irrespective of system.
.

[Andy]

Skitch hasn't been released yet.

That would be why I used the word "currently." :lol3
It's scit and it is out. It's a one-tme tool you need to use, you chnage the "grab" default file format from png to jpg.

[DavidTO]

Waxy, for your Safari Tooltip question, it ain't easy (http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20061107125819464&query=spotlight). On second thought, you can take a look at that link, but it's probably pretty useless to you. Most likely the answer is no. I can't find a way to change that.

[wxwax]

It's scit and it is out. It's a one-tme tool you need to use, you chnage the "grab" default file format from png to jpg.
Thanks, it didn't show on the first page of Google, I assumed it was a typo. Skitch is the wonder vaporware that's drawing raves.

I'm looking for a free image editor I can paste the screen grab into. Bummer that irfanview doesn't make a Mac version.

[wxwax]

Waxy, for your Safari Tooltip question, it ain't easy (http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20061107125819464&query=spotlight). On second thought, you can take a look at that link, but it's probably pretty useless to you. Most likely the answer is no. I can't find a way to change that.
Wow, good research. Yeah, that looks pretty scary.

[wxwax]

It'll be a cold day in hell my friend. They say that a mac with 1.5g ram is about the same as 2g in a PC is this roughly correct or b
s ?
BS, from what I can see. The machines are equals now, the difference is the operating system.

[DavidTO]

Thanks, it didn't show on the first page of Google, I assumed it was a typo.

I'm looking for a free image editor I can paste the screen grab into. Bummer that irfanview doesn't make a Mac version.

Live Quartz (http://www.livequartz.com/) (I've never used it, and BTW, versiontracker.com is pri-tee darn useful! :D)

[wxwax]

Live Quartz (http://www.livequartz.com/) (I've never used it, and BTW, versiontracker.com is pri-tee darn useful! :D)
:thumb Thanks David. Yeah, I went through versiontracker at around 1am, wasn't comfortable with what I found (am tempted to try Imagewell (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/19042). Also Captureme (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/15496).)

[DavidTO]

:thumb Thanks David. Yeah, I went through versiontracker at around 1am, wasn't comfortable with what I found (am tempted to try Imagewell (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/19042).)


That's made by a friend of dgrin. I forget who posted that, but someone here said that their friend makes that app.

[Van Isle]

Mac tip of the day 18 Mar 07:

"A cool feature hidden in the Services menu (for Cocoa apps only, not Microsoft apps!) is the "Summarize" function. It uses a complicated algorithm to transform a long text and summarize it into a short paragraph. I wasn't convinced this would really work at first, but after using it, it works great. There is unfortunately no keyboard shortcut but you simply have to highlight some text and choose "Summarize" in the service menu"

Does this actually work? :dunno

The guy posting thought so. Wild, could be useful.

VI

[DavidTO]

Mac tip of the day 18 Mar 07:

"A cool feature hidden in the Services menu (for Cocoa apps only, not Microsoft apps!) is the "Summarize" function. It uses a complicated algorithm to transform a long text and summarize it into a short paragraph. I wasn't convinced this would really work at first, but after using it, it works great. There is unfortunately no keyboard shortcut but you simply have to highlight some text and choose "Summarize" in the service menu"

Does this actually work? :dunno

The guy posting thought so. Wild, could be useful.

VI


yep!

[gus]

BS, from what I can see. The machines are equals now, the difference is the operating system.
Why does the desktop one (20" to 24") only come with an anti-glare screen ?

[wxwax]

Why does the desktop one (20" to 24") only come with an anti-glare screen ?
The iMac?

Not sure, but it's not the same as the matte screen on the Mac Book Pro laptop, it looks a lot richer and better than that.

[gus]

The iMac?

Not sure, but it's not the same as the matte screen on the Mac Book Pro laptop, it looks a lot richer and better than that.

That laptop is just plain ordinary up against a LOT of PC laptops on the market as far as the screen goes...i looked at them & stopped looking 8 seconds later..yuk.

The imac was nice but if its not avail with a normal screen then its a shame as it has some rich colour that would improve a lot if it ditched that anti glare crap.

[W.W. Webster]

Interesting article here (http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,73005-0.html?tw=rss.technology).

[wxwax]

Rumormill cranking that a redesigned iMac is on its way. Makes sense, the design hasn't changed in years.

[jay]

i believe well see a core 2 duo mini first

[wxwax]

:dunno Mebbe so.

Here's (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2582) the iMac story.

[DoctorIt]

that anti glare crap.to each his own. I hate seeing my own reflection when I'm at the computer. the glossy screens might as well be a mirror.

[Noelimages]

The Mac/Apple just looks better. It's different and impressive to my clients. :rofl BTW, I'm a PC windows user by day. I own three pc's and a Mac Book Pro w/ 23" Monitor.

[gus]

to each his own. I hate seeing my own reflection when I'm at the computer. the glossy screens might as well be a mirror.
Cool...i just have the other idea that if your editing photos & need anti glare then your immediate enviroment is not good for colour/hue/contrast/anything editing.

[DoctorIt]

Cool...i just have the other idea that if your editing photos & need anti glare then your immediate enviroment is not good for colour/hue/contrast/anything editing.Very true, good graphics editors always work in a properly lit (read: dark) environment.

I can't comment on the desk jobs, but I know the glossy screen on the MacBook's is crazy reflective. Even just surfing/typing, I was really distracted by me, looking back at me. Also, even when I did put that glossy screen (my labmate lent it to me for a fully day of experience before I decided on my own, btw) in a "properly lit place" i noticed the contrast was just way too high. Really a trick to make the inexperienced viewer think "oooh ahh". Just like a point-shoot on full manual, contrast and saturation was way too high to make it pop.

My anti-glare flat MBP screen, now properly calibrated is awesome for colors. I just did my first test print the other day, and it came out as one of my best in terms of getting what I saw out of the printer.

[jay]

[quote=kres]One of the best bang for buck AMD chips you can get a hold of right now is the AMD64 4000+ (90mn/HT2G) It is a single core chip that beats alot of the multicore's out there. It also costs a whopping $79 bucks. It's and older chip, but it can still hold it's own against machines 2 years younger in most cases. Family constraints have me buying my hardware on that curve, but my rig is as fast or faster then most big-brand boxes 2 or 3 years younger.

i use a mac but do most of my photoshop work on a hp with a amd 3800 chipset with only 1 gig of ram it runs smoothly the imac with the core 2 duo would be all u need

[DavidTO]

I've been using SpamSieve (http://c-command.com/spamsieve/) for quite a while with Apple Mail, and I'm happy with it. They just added Thunderbird support (that's ThunderfoxFirebird for Sid). :D

[gus]

Very true, good graphics editors always work in a properly lit (read: dark) environment.
I only use a 21 inch sony CRT & get no reflection that distracts me at all...its got a deep rich colour. Buying another house atm so things could change but im going to build a studio so i wont have a light source other than what i design into it.

[W.W. Webster]

And the reports are that if you want to switch your Adobe software license from Windows to Mac or vice versa, Adobe customer service will do it for a very small administrative fee (at least in the USA).With Adobe's new Lightroom system, versions for both Mac and Windows are on the same disk for the boxed product, and presently availability at introductory pricing.

[W.W. Webster]

I've been using SpamSieve (http://c-command.com/spamsieve/) for quite a while with Apple Mail, and I'm happy with it.Me too, and also when used with Gyazmail. :thumb

[DavidTO]

Me too, and also when used with Gyazmail. :thumb


Why is it worth it to spend $18 on Gyazmail?

[W.W. Webster]

Why is it worth it to spend $18 on Gyazmail?I used Gyazmail as my e-mail client for more than three years for its stability, very rich feature set, and active enhancement and development, but particularly for its 'conventional' mailbox structure after the experience of mysteriously losing about five months-worth of e-mails from within one folder which I didn't know about until my backup cycle had moved beyond the period concerned.

If Mac applications have a persistent fault, it's Apple's propensity to adopt esoteric file structures that can trip-up the applications and cause undue frustration. In addition to Mail, iPhoto is another case in point, and the reason I never used Aperture (now discarded) until v1.5 when the referenced files capability came along so I knew where my files were at all times.

I came back to Mail with the advent of Tiger, hopeful (so far vindicated) that its stability had improved, and in the light of an almost total slump in Gyazmail development for an extended period, seemingly while the developer was thoroughly consumed by the effort to add IMAP capability (irrelevant for me), since delivered.

Make no mistake, it's a very well-engineered system that integrates well with other Mac applications (for example, Address Book) and is very familiar and intuitive for Mail users, but with the Mail feature set further extended in many ways. To me, $US18 for such an important application is nothing.

I'll continue to reassess my use of Mail, particularly on the impending release of Leopard when an upgraded Mail is expected and, on the basis of my prior experience, I would have no hesitation returning to Gyazmail in the future if the balance of advantage was there for me.

[DavidTO]

Thanks. Yeah, I don't mind spending some money when it's warranted. I've just always have been happy with Mail, and was interested to hear why someone wouldn't. Or why they wouldn't use another free option, like Thunderbird.

Thanks for the complete reply!

[wxwax]

I've been using SpamSieve (http://c-command.com/spamsieve/) for quite a while with Apple Mail, and I'm happy with it. They just added Thunderbird support (that's ThunderfoxFirebird for Sid). :D
I never download e-mail. I keep all of my accounts online. As long as I'm careful about attachments, no worries about foul things entering my domain.

[Van Isle]

My anti-glare flat MBP screen, now properly calibrated is awesome for colors. I just did my first test print the other day, and it came out as one of my best in terms of getting what I saw out of the printer.

How do I make my glossy screen not glossy? It's not calibrated, and for now all my pics are web-based and not printed, but someday...is there a decent sticker or something for my C2D blacbook glossy screen? :scratch I can just tell that it's soooo oversaturated. Thanks!

VI

[colourbox]

Coatings or stickers probably wouldn't help since the screen is practically an optical device like a lens or filter. You don't want to reduce its performance .Calibration--good calibration, with a hardware puck--is your best option.

[pathfinder]

I never download e-mail. I keep all of my accounts online. As long as I'm careful about attachments, no worries about foul things entering my domain.

Me to!!

[Seamus]

I've been using SpamSieve (http://c-command.com/spamsieve/) for quite a while with Apple Mail, and I'm happy with it. They just added Thunderbird support (that's ThunderfoxFirebird for Sid). :D

Thanks for the tip David, I am using it now. I get a few spam emails every day and they are a nuisance.

[DavidTO]

Problem: My daughter is blissfully unaware of the need to keep free space available on her startup disk. A couple of days ago it actually got down to 140mb of free space (it shouldn't fall below 10%, or 4GB, in her case.)

Solution: An applescript that's triggered by iCal. You make a new event in iCal, tell it to run this applescript at an interval that works for you (daily, weekly, etc.). This script will determine the free space on your startup disk, and if it's less than the target amount (10% in this case) it will send an email saying, "The startup disk has only XX percent of its capacity available," and then show a dialog box with the same message.

Here's the script:

tell application "Finder"
set the percent_free to ¬
(((the free space of the startup disk) / ¬
(the capacity of the startup disk)) * 100) div 1
end tell
if the percent_free is less than 10 then
tell application "Mail"

--Enter the name of the account in Mail you want to send from
set theAccount to "enter account name here"

--Enter your Subject line
set theSubject to "subject of email here"

--Enter the email address you are sending to
set theAddress to "anyone@something.com"

set theContent to "The startup disk has only " & the percent_free & ¬
" percent of its capacity available."
activate
set newMessage to make new outgoing message with properties {account:theAccount, subject:theSubject, content:theContent}
tell newMessage
make new to recipient at end of to recipients with properties {address:theAddress}
set visible to true
end tell
send newMessage
end tell

tell application (path to frontmost application as text)
display dialog "The startup disk has only " & the percent_free & ¬
" percent of its capacity available." & return & return & ¬
"Should this script continue?" with icon 1
end tell
end if


You'll need to set the account name, the subject of the email, and the address you're sending to.


You could probably re-write the applescript to use another mail app, but you could also set up Mail so that it would only send out these messages--i.e., tell it not to check for mail and to quit as soon as the email is sent.


Thanks to devbobo for all the help with searching for a solution to this, and for getting me thinking about using applescript!

NOTE 1: If you don't want to send the email, just lop off that part of the code, and it will just return a dialog box.

NOTE 2: The account name is the name of the email account in Mail. In the attached screengrab, I have 3 mail accounts set up, mac.com, BLT, and gmail. I could enter any of those as the account name. IOW, enter the account name as it appears in that pane of Mail.

[DavidTO]

Here's how you trigger it in iCal.

Here I've changed the name of the script to "Free Space Report."

[cabbey]

Interesting approach DavidTO, thanks for sharing it. I usually do that kind of thing in a unix fashion, so have implemented it with a shell script in a cronjob and sendmail. Nice to see a completely different take on the same issue.

[DavidTO]

Interesting approach DavidTO, thanks for sharing it. I usually do that kind of thing in a unix fashion, so have implemented it with a shell script in a cronjob and sendmail. Nice to see a completely different take on the same issue.


I would love to know how you did that. I worked with what I have. I was trying PERL, and got completely lost. Can you post a how-to? Or code? :D

[cabbey]

I would love to know how you did that. I worked with what I have. I was trying PERL, and got completely lost. Can you post a how-to? Or code? :D

Sure thing! Here's a trimmed down version of what I use:

EDIT: updated to add commends trying to explain what a lot of the parts of this do. All the lines that start with # (other than the very first one) are comments. I can't put comments inside the email, so I put all the comments for the email before it. (also fixed a minor copy/paste mistake from when I originally put this here, left off the -t from the sendmail invocation)

#!/bin/sh

#the subshell pipeline we're going to use is:
# df / | tail -n 1 | awk '{print $5}'
# the first part runs "df" the "disk free" command, and specifically asks about the root filesystem (called / in unix)
# df's output will look like:
# Filesystem 512-blocks Used Avail Capacity Mounted on
# /dev/disk1s10 489970768 236759336 252699432 48% /
# we send that output into the next command, tail, with an option to print the last line of input as output, this removes the header from what df output
# that output is then sent into the third command in the pipeline, an awk invocation.
# awk is a general purpose programming language which we give a very simple program to: print $5
# this simple awk script prints the 5th value on every line of input to output
# in our case, this 5th value is the Capacity percentage, so it will output "48%" in this case.
#finally we'll execute that and assign the results to a variable named percent
percent=$(df / | tail -n 1 | awk '{print $5}');

#strip off the trailing percent character, so num is now the integer, like "48"
num=${percent/%%}

# we test if the value in num is greater than 90, and if so we do the following block of code in { }s
test $num -gt 90 && {
# this bit of code is complex, but it basically boils down to this:
# we take a chunk of hard coded text here in the script, and shove it into the 'sendmail' command, telling it to take the address to send to from that formatted text.
# within the text, we do a couple of subshells with $() to invoke commands, like hostname, or df -h / which is a variation of our 'disk free' command from above, only with a switch telling it to use 'human readable' formating like "40G".
# later we do a more complex pipeline in three parts, it is: $(du -sk /Users/*/{Documents,Movies,Pictures,Music,Sites,Desktop,Public} | sort -n | head -n 10)
# the first part reports on Disk Usage, in Summary mode, in Kilobytes, for a list of directories.
# the second part does a numeric sort of these reports
# and finally we use the counterpart to tail, head, to keep only the top 10 lines from the sorted output.
cat <<EOF | sendmail -t
To: Person to Bug <machine_owner@cabbey.net>
CC: Me <cabbey@cabbey.net>
CC: other machine users <them@cabbey.net>
Subject: boot volume space on $(hostname) at critical levels!

Put your personal bitch note here, just remember to leave an empty line above it.

Here's df's output for root (boot volume):

$(df -h /)

and here's where all that space is going (top 10):

$(du -sk /Users/*/{Documents,Movies,Pictures,Music,Sites,Desktop,Public} | sort -n | head -n 10)
EOF
#the above EOF ends the block of hardcoded text that is the preformatted email we will send
}


Toss that bit of shell script into a file, say "check.space.sh" in your Home directoy, and make it executable. Then schedule that into cron with "crontab -e". The above assumes a multi-user machine, in which case you'll want to run that cronjob as root. Logged in as an Adminstrator you can do:


madhatter:~ cabbey$ cd /usr/local/bin/
madhatter:/usr/local/bin cabbey$ sudo cp ~/check.space.sh .
Password:
madhatter:/usr/local/bin cabbey$ sudo chmod +x check.space.sh
madhatter:/usr/local/bin cabbey$ sudo crontab -u root -e


If you're not on a multi-user, then this will work fine when run as yourself, just leave it in your home directory, or maybe put it in your local ~/bin/ if you have one. "crontab -e" from a command line will then bring you into editing your cron job list. For those that have never ventured in to this before, it can be a bit... ugly... at first. Regardless of which crontab you're editing, here's what to do in there for the un-initiated:

First off, you're in a vi editor... so hit 'G' to jump to the bottom of the file, yes the case matters, so it's shift-g. Next, 'A' to append to the end of the line, again case matters. Now hit enter to create a new line and fill in the cron specifier for your job. The specifier you want to add to this file will look something like this:


0 4 * * * /usr/local/bin/check.space.sh


that reads as:
zero minutes past, the 4th hour of every day of every month on every day of the week, run /usr/local/bin/check.space.sh. (note that if you are not on a multi-user, adjust the path as needed. A single user machine would use /Users/<your login name>/check.space.sh)

I'm sure there are parts of that that won't make sense, feel free to ask questions on them.


:deal This post and all content in it are licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2.0, and NOT any newer version. Stallman can kiss my fat ass if he thinks he can try to use my code to enforce his crackpot ideas of how society should be run.

[DavidTO]

Interesting, cabbey. I'll have to think long and hard about whether I want to delve into something I understand nothing of. Applescript I can't write from scratch, but I know what I'm looking at. I mean, it ain't broke....and if I start messing around with that stuff....it might be!!!

[Mike Lane]

I think we need an OS X terminal for n00bs thread. :deal

[DavidTO]

I think we need an OS X terminal for n00bs thread. :deal


Gee, too bad you don't have the powers to make one. Hmmmmm. I wonder what we can do about that? :scratch

[Mike Lane]

Gee, too bad you don't have the powers to make one. Hmmmmm. I wonder what we can do about that? :scratchI have powers but no knowledge unfortunately.

[DavidTO]

I have powers but no knowledge unfortunately.

What I'm saying is build it, and they will come. There are plenty of people like Cabbey that would help you out.

[cabbey]

What I'm saying is build it, and they will come. There are plenty of people like Cabbey that would help you out.

:agree

I'll even promise that no matter how noobish the question is, I won't hit ya with something destructive, like a fork bomb. :D

As I said, if there's some part of that code I posted above y'all need explained, just ask. In prepareation for the answer "the whole thing" I'm going to go edit the script to put some comments in it.

[JohnR]

Well, it's out now!

8 core mac pro! (http://www.apple.com/macpro/)

Eight cores or four
Opt for the 8-core Mac Pro and you get the power of two Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Clovertown” processors running at 3.0GHz. Or choose a quad-core Mac Pro featuring two Dual-Core Intel Xeon “Woodcrest” processors and decide how fast they fly: 2.0GHz, 2.66GHz, or 3.0GHz. At 3.0GHz, the quad-core Mac Pro runs up to 2x faster than the Power Mac G5 Quad.1


---------
when is Andy getting his?? :barb

[Andy]

when is Andy getting his?? :barb

How many yachts can I waterski behind?

I have pretty darn powerful machine right now, Mac Pro w/ 2x3Ghz Dual-Core processors, 6Gb Ram, etc etc...

[DavidTO]

How many yachts can I waterski behind?



:scratch




8?

[wxwax]

Can't wait for tests to see if it operates Photoshop more slowly than a quad core.

[Mike Lane]

Get all the options on a 3ghz octo core and it'll set you back over $18,000.

I don't suppose the wife would mind.

:huh

[wxwax]

Get all the options on a 3ghz octo core and it'll set you back over $18,000.

I don't suppose the wife would mind.

:huh
Just don't don't drink and drive it.

[jdryan3]

Hmmm. 8 way processing. I wonder if it'll run CS3. :lol3

Link here (http://www.apple.com/macpro/). And they're 3GHz, not just the 2.66 GHz 5355 chip.

[DavidTO]

Pretty cool, eh?

Oh, and it's already being discussed, here (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=7386). :D

[wxwax]

Pretty cool, eh?

Oh, and it's already being discussed, here (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=7386). :D
Is this some secret handshake thing, where you link to the same thread you posted in?

[Andy]

Is this some secret handshake thing, where you link to the same thread you posted in?
Nope I merged threads.

[kini62]

Does Andy already have one?:wink

Didn't see it posted, just in case anyone had $5000 laying around:D

Gene

[davidfisher]

I posted a question about the 8-core to MacRumors, and the general concencous was that it's far better to spend the extra $1700 on extra memory, and a faster hard drive array and possibily even the NVidia 4500 video card than the 8-core machine, when it comes to use with Aperture anyways.

I mean, is anyone here with a Quad Core intel pegging out all 4 processors reguarly with Aperture? Maybe if you're taking 40mp images from a Leaf or something.

[Andy]

Does Andy already have one?:wink

Didn't see it posted, just in case anyone had $5000 laying around:D

Gene
You haven't looked in the Andy unsolicited advice thread then :thumb Moved post.

[lynnesite]

I'm configuring a rush order for one of these 2.66 bad boys even as we speak. With a 30" display.

Boy, I love playing with the new stuff, even if I can't afford it myself. :lust

[wxwax]

I'm configuring a rush order for one of these 2.66 bad boys even as we speak. With a 30" display.

Boy, I love playing with the new stuff, even if I can't afford it myself. :lust
The 2.66 quad core has been out for ages, Lynne. :scratch

[DavidTO]

The 2.66 quad core has been out for ages, Lynne. :scratch


Sid,

:scratch

Lynne has forgotten more about the Macintosh than you'll ever know. :D

Seriously, she's a Mac guru, and has been doing Mac consulting for years. Believe me, she knows what she's talking about.

[lynnesite]

Speed bumped. Yeah. The one I picked for my customer is the middle speed, 2.66, quad core with dual 2.66s.

I've been doing a lot less of the bleeding edge things I used to do, mostly small office/home office. More time to be a starving artist that way. Haven't put much effort into the OS knowledge the way I used to, either.

"now in my 20th year" as a Mac consultant; left the PC world behind in '98

[wxwax]

This is (http://www.barefeats.com/octopro1.html) the first test I've seen of the new 8-core Mac Pro.

Of particular interest is the comparative times in the Photoshop test.

It's possible that the new generation of OS, and perhaps a revised Mac Pro, will take greater advantage of the 8 cores. But for my current usage, a 4 core seems more than adequate.

[dogwood]

This is (http://www.barefeats.com/octopro1.html) the first test I've seen of the new 8-core Mac Pro.

Of particular interest is the comparative times in the Photoshop test.

It's possible that the new generation of OS, and perhaps a revised Mac Pro, will take greater advantage of the 8 cores. But for my current usage, a 4 core seems more than adequate.

Interesting test indeed. Seems like sometimes the hardware improves faster than the OS can take advantage of it.

[colourbox]

Interesting test indeed. Seems like sometimes the hardware improves faster than the OS can take advantage of it.

Are we really talking about needing OS improvements? There is a memory bottleneck theory in the Bare Feats test and also by the Photoshop product manager (http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2006/12/photoshop_and_multicore.html) that imply that it is in fact the hardware that needs to improve further if those additional cores are going to matter. Can a better OS overcome memory bandwidth bottlenecks at the hardware level?

[wxwax]

It just looks like that from a practical point of view, 8 cores are four cores too many, maybe for another 12 to 18 months.

Neither the hardware nor the software seems to be ready for them.

[rutt]

Photoshop isn't going to scale with the number of processors beyond a certain point no matter what you do. But if you are trying to i2e thousands of images you just might get a linear scaling from 4 to 8 processors. Or run a couple of virtual machines at once. Or perhaps getting a huge shoot into Bridge or Lightroom or something like that. Video and rendering animation are much more like those tasks and these machines might be good at them as well.

Beyond a certain point, Amdahl's Law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amdahl's_law) is going to limit what more processors will buy when working on a single image.

[colourbox]

Yes, along those lines, I have seen Lightroom tax 4 cores when multiple jobs processing many images each are running in parallel. The CPU graphs looked saturated and the load average went above 3, which usually doesn't happen. I'll bet you're right that we wouldn't see that if working on a single image.

[rutt]

On the other hand, if what you really want it the most processors / $, perhaps so you can run i2e over lots of images in parallel, there are cheaper solutions. For example, Mac Minis are about $800 and have two processors. So you get about 6 of them for $5k which would be 12 processors.

The Core 2 Duo Extreme that's in the new Mac Pro is really just two Core 2 Duos in a big package and is priced appropriately (>2x Core 2 Duo) By June AMD is expected to ship a true 4 core chip and I know Intel has one in the pipe for the end of the year. Once those parts are available, the price of systems with 4 and 8 processors should drop. For example, expect Mac Minis, Mac Books, and iMacs with 4 cores for about the same price as we now pay for 2 processors. These parts should also be faster per processor.

One great thing about computers is that the future is always so great compared to the present.

[cabbey]

Well, looks like those of us that put our 10.5 release penny in the spring just lost it (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/04/12/apple_delays_leopard_release_until_october.html).

[DavidTO]

Well, the usefulness of the 8-core MacPro is now justified for video editing. The new Final Cut Studio 2 (http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/) makes great use of the 8-core machines, especially in encoding. The whole suite looks very...sweet! But the $500 upgrade...ouch! :D

[patch29]

Well, the usefulness of the 8-core MacPro is now justified for video editing. The new Final Cut Studio 2 (http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/) makes great use of the 8-core machines, especially in encoding. The whole suite looks very...sweet! But the $500 upgrade...ouch! :D


They are proud of it aren't they? They made it cheap to go from 4 to the studio, now comes the gotcha. :D

[greenpea]

Has anyone tried out Microsoft Expression Media (http://www.microsoft.com/Expression/products/overview.aspx?key=media) for the Mac?

In a former life the product use to be iView Media Pro (http://www.iview-multimedia.com/expression/) before MSFT bought it, and I read somewhere in this thread that iView Media Pro was a great photo management package.

EDIT: I just read (http://www.iview-multimedia.com/expression/#13) that the trial viersion of Expression Media is not yet available. So never mind.

[DavidTO]

Has anyone tried out Microsoft Expression Media (http://www.microsoft.com/Expression/products/overview.aspx?key=media) for the Mac?

In a former life the product use to be iView Media Pro (http://www.iview-multimedia.com/expression/) before MSFT bought it, and I read somewhere in this thread that iView Media Pro was a great photo management package.


I wouldn't imagine that MS has had enough time to mess it up yet. I have it, I've been using it less lately, haven't kept it up to date, but yes, it's great. Best option, I think.

[greenpea]

I wouldn't imagine that MS has had enough time to mess it up yet. I have it, I've been using it less lately, haven't kept it up to date, but yes, it's great. Best option, I think.

I tapped out my digital darkroom budget with the purchase of a MBP so now I'm looking for any breaks I can find on software (like having friends at MSFT get me the employee price on software).

Now if only I knew someone who worked for Adobe.

[Seamus]

Has anyone tried out Microsoft Expression Media (http://www.microsoft.com/Expression/products/overview.aspx?key=media) for the Mac?

In a former life the product use to be iView Media Pro (http://www.iview-multimedia.com/expression/) before MSFT bought it, and I read somewhere in this thread that iView Media Pro was a great photo management package.

EDIT: I just read (http://www.iview-multimedia.com/expression/#13) that the trial viersion of Expression Media is not yet available. So never mind.

I use iview and highly recommend it. I have all of my motorbike pics in one catalogue, keyworded and sorted in sub-categories.

[greenpea]

What do people use to work on html, css, and javascript on a mac? Hopefully something that enforces xhtml, and formatting of html and javascript and has intelliSence (MSFT word?) built in.

Or do mac users just do this stuff in a text editor?

[DavidTO]

I do precious little HTML (just a touch for smugmug) and no JS, but for CSS I HIGHLY recommend CSS Edit. It's aces! :D

[colourbox]

What do people use to work on html, css, and javascript on a mac? Hopefully something that enforces xhtml, and formatting of html and javascript and has intelliSence (MSFT word?) built in.

Or do mac users just do this stuff in a text editor?

Dreamweaver if you're building whole sites, BBEdit (http://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/) if you're more of a coder, TextEdit set to text-only mode if you're totally hardcore...

[DavidTO]

BBEdit has a lite, free version in TextWrangler. Might do the trick, and it's better than TextEdit.

[StevenV]

TextMate
http://macromates.com/

[Mike Lane]

What do people use to work on html, css, and javascript on a mac? Hopefully something that enforces xhtml, and formatting of html and javascript and has intelliSence (MSFT word?) built in.

Or do mac users just do this stuff in a text editor?Firefox webdev mostly but bigger stuff in smultron (http://smultron.sourceforge.net/). The really nice part about smultron is that you can set cyberduck (http://cyberduck.ch/) to recognize it and automatically use it to edit the html, js, php, whatever files on your server. Then when you save in smultron, the saved copy is automagically updated on your server. :wink

both easy, both free.

of course these days I use more macFUSE and sshfs than cyberduck.

[greenpea]

Next mac question. I've got most everything set up, now I need to move some files from my pc to my mac. I followed the instructions...

mac and pc both wired into the same hub, pc has firewall down and sharing open, I open the finder then Go > Connect to Server > Browse. I see my pc workgroup and my pc in finder, but when I try and connect to my pc it it says that the alias is no longer valid :huh. If I try and connect to my pc via typing the IP address directly it can't find anything at that IP address. I should also mention, it is just the pc and the mac connected to a simple hub, nothing else. What am I doing wrong? What am I missing?:dunno

[StevenV]

if you'd like to go the other way, http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.4/en/mh1161.html might be of assistance.

[greenpea]

Thanks, but I need to be able to network with my pc, its the pc that has all the files on it that my mac needs: 100+ Gb of images I want to make sure my mac has access to.

I found this: vhttp://www.apple.com/getamac/movetomac/network.html but so far its not going that smoothy.

[StevenV]

it's just a push rather than pull, either way should work.

[edit] oh, or are you just going to access the files on the pc (leaving them there), as opposed to copying them over to the mac?

[greenpea]

a mac can read a NTFS formatted hard drive? :huh

I plugged in the external harddrive from my pc which was formatted NTFS, and my mac had no problem reading it!

[Mike Lane]

a mac can read a NTFS formatted hard drive? :huh

I plugged in the external harddrive from my pc which was formatted NTFS, and my mac had no problem reading it!:nod

:thumb

[wxwax]

Writing to it is another matter, right? Risk of corruption?

[greenpea]

Writing to it is another matter, right? Risk of corruption?

I have 2 external drives. One is now mac formatted, one is ntfs. I can put all the data on one, and copy it to the other!

Now if I can just get Nikolai to do a mac version of star explorer, I will have everything I need.

[Mike Lane]

Writing to it is another matter, right? Risk of corruption?if that's true I need to know for sure :huh

[Milan]

if that's true I need to know for sure :huh

AFAIK, you can't write to it.

[Mike Lane]

AFAIK, you can't write to it.Sure you can, I do it all the time. I've got an HP external drive. It's the type of thing that just plugs right into a slot on my desktop. But it also comes with a usb connection. My MacBook Pro recognizes it with no problem (it was truly plug and play) and I've read and written tons to it like that.

However, if there is a chance that data can become corrupted, I won't do it again.

[Milan]

Sure you can, I do it all the time. I've got an HP external drive. It's the type of thing that just plugs right into a slot on my desktop. But it also comes with a usb connection. My MacBook Pro recognizes it with no problem (it was truly plug and play) and I've read and written tons to it like that.

However, if there is a chance that data can become corrupted, I won't do it again.

OK, I didn't know you can actualy write to NTFS disk from a Mac.
Have no use for it, only remember reading about it on Apple support dscussion forum.

[greenpea]

I don't know about mac and ntfs any more. I've been trying to copy about 150GB from ntfs to a mac-formatted drive. Twice my mbp has frozen up and given me a message telling me to restart the computer.

And now verify disk from the disk utility tells me that my "volume header needs minor repair". How do I do that when my "Repair Disk" button remains greyed out? :scratch

[DavidTO]

I don't know about mac and ntfs any more. I've been trying to copy about 150GB from ntfs to a mac-formatted drive. Twice my mbp has frozen up and given me a message telling me to restart the computer.

And now verify disk from the disk utility tells me that my "volume header needs minor repair". How do I do that when my "Repair Disk" button remains greyed out? :scratch


Which disk needs repair? If it's your boot drive, yes, you cannot repair it while you are booted from it.

There are several ways around this, but my favorite is AppleJack (http://applejack.sourceforge.net/). Download, install, then restart and immediately after the start-up chime hold cmd-s until you've started up in single user mode (bunch of white text on black background). As soon as you see the text you can let go of cmd-s. Once the sytem is done loading into single user mode, type: "applejack auto restart", and go get a cup of coffe. It takes 5-10 minutes to repair your drive, your permissions, your preferences and to clean up your cache files and something else I always forget. It's handy.

[greenpea]

Which disk needs repair? If it's your boot drive, yes, you cannot repair it while you are booted from it.

There are several ways around this, but my favorite is AppleJack (http://applejack.sourceforge.net/). Download, install, then restart and immediately after the start-up chime hold cmd-s until you've started up in single user mode (bunch of white text on black background). As soon as you see the text you can let go of cmd-s. Once the sytem is done loading into single user mode, type: "applejack auto restart", and go get a cup of coffe. It takes 5-10 minutes to repair your drive, your permissions, your preferences and to clean up your cache files and something else I always forget. It's handy.
David, you rock!!! :barb

What you suggested worked perfectly. Problem solved, all issued resolved!

Thank you!:clap

[DavidTO]

David, you rock!!! :barb

What you suggested worked perfectly. Problem solved, all issued resolved!

Thank you!:clap


Glad it helped. Now download and install (and pay the $8) Macaroni (http://www.atomicbird.com/). Once installed, you don't need to do anything, but I would recommend setting it to delete localizations that you don't use. You can safely delete all of them if you're using american english. I set it to do that monthly. The rest of the settings you can just leave as is. Deleting localizations will save you a couple of gigs of space, and reduce the number of files on your drive by a lot. Macaroni does other good stuff. Just install it and leave it be (make sure it's registered, or it will stop working).

[DavidTO]

I also should note that if the drive gets into more serious trouble, then the tool to reach for is DiskWarrior. Expensive, but nothing repairs a disk like it.