Andy's Un-Official Unsolicited Mac Advice Thread

[DavidTO]

Now that Andy's moved up to Apple, I thought that all of the non-digital darkroom advice we mac-heads are gonna give him could go here. You know, tips, hints and cool mac tricks.

I'll start off with my favorite (that's favourite, Gubbs) utility: LaunchBar (http://obdev.com/). You can easily access any file, application, URL, address, phone number, iTunes song etc. with a simple abbreviation. This app learns as you go, adapting to your behavior (behaviour). Brilliant.

Also, can't forget Exposé. F9, F10 and F11. Open a bunch of windows in different apps, and hit F9 to make them all cascade, put your mouse over the one you want, click (or hit F9 again), and voila! you've navigated to where you want to go.

F10 will cascade all the windows for the current app. So you can easily find that image you're working on in PS that's hidden, and F11 will clear everything away so you can access your desktop.

Want another neat trick? Do any of the above with the shift key modifier. Very cool!

[pathfinder]

Now that Andy's moved up to Apple, I thought that all of the non-digital darkroom advice we mac-heads are gonna give him could go here. You know, tips, hints and cool mac tricks.

I'll start off with my favorite (that's favourite, Gubbs) utility: LaunchBar (http://obdev.com/). You can easily access any file, application, URL, address, phone number, iTunes song etc. with a simple abbreviation. This app learns as you go, adapting to your behavior (behaviour). Brilliant.

Also, can't forget Exposé. F9, F10 and F11. Open a bunch of windows in different apps, and hit F9 to make them all cascade, put your mouse over the one you want, click (or hit F9 again), and voila! you've navigated to where you want to go.

F10 will cascade all the windows for the current app. So you can easily find that image you're working on in PS that's hidden, and F11 will clear everything away so you can access your desktop.

Want another neat trick? Do any of the above with the shift key modifier. Very cool!

And tomorrow we can purchase the new iWorks from Apple. What a cool word processor and publisher. And the new version of iLife as well. And I am still excited about the impending debut of Tiger as well. :D

[gus]

I see.......you blokes are dual addicted... glass AND computers. I used a mac once & liked it.


Sort of like a dirty admission 'eh ?

[wxwax]

Now that Andy's moved up to Apple, I thought that all of the non-digital darkroom advice we mac-heads are gonna give him could go here.


Ahem.

"Over."

:evil

[Andy]

Ahem.

"Over."

:evil

:lol sid... you really like to http://williams.smugmug.com/photos/14326051-L.gif the pot :lol3

i ran that speed test again (http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/145693) and my results were 19 seconds. down from i think 119 on my 2yr old sony single processer 2.4ghz with 1.5gb of ram :clap

[Andy]

so, what internet browser should i use?

on my pc, i've been using avant browser, it's very much like firefox i guess, no popups, tabbed browsing etc. i really like it.

so, what broswer do you use, and why? please provide download link, too if you can :D

thanks in advance.

ps: why on earth is internet explorer included with my mac??? :scratch

[pathfinder]

so, what internet browser should i use?

on my pc, i've been using avant browser, it's very much like firefox i guess, no popups, tabbed browsing etc. i really like it.

so, what broswer do you use, and why? please provide download link, too if you can :D

thanks in advance.

ps: why on earth is internet explorer included with my mac??? :scratch
Without Firefox, I think you need I.E. to import your bookmarks so you can transfer them to Safari if you want.

I got about 19 or 20 seconds for that radial blur filter too - Cool isn't it?

I use Safari and Firefox. I have kept Safari as new and only use it for financial work.
I use Firefox for everything else and imported my bookmarks from the windows world by exporting my bookmarks and cookies to a CD-R on my windows box and imported them into Firefox on the mac.
Firefox can be found at mozilla.org
I use Apple's mail program - works fine. I had used Eudora in Windows for years - pretty similar.

Other than Photoshop CS, the only software I have purchased for the mac was SuperDuper as a back up program for about $20. And disk Warrior for $99. And Keynote - a kick ass PowerPoint replacement. And Macaroni - it was about $10.

I do plan to order iWorks which was released today $79 - and will not use Msft Office at all on the MAC. My wife uses Office on her MAC and likes it a great deal. I will use iWorks and Keynote.

The only program I still use on my Gateway machine is Msft Streets and Trips which I find useful for trip planning - especially when on 2 wheels, as I almost never go the Interstates, but stick tightly to the blue highways and meander along. :rofl

Text editing is done a little differently in the MAC world, but it has been a very easy and pleasant experience.

I can't imagine going back to the experience of the Windows world - not because it din't function, but because of the insecurity of the OS and the continual need for updating and the real pain in the rear when it comes to reinstalling after a system failure. And they all fail sooner or later,even a MAC. Hours of work to rebuild - whereas if my main drive fails in my MAC ( and all hard drives are fungible) I will just hit boot from my external drive and copy eveything back to my main drive without any phone calls or authorization numbers etc. In 10 minutes I can be up and running again!

[DavidTO]

so, what internet browser should i use?

on my pc, i've been using avant browser, it's very much like firefox i guess, no popups, tabbed browsing etc. i really like it.

so, what broswer do you use, and why? please provide download link, too if you can :D

thanks in advance.

ps: why on earth is internet explorer included with my mac??? :scratch

Used to be that IE was all you got on the Mac. For some reason when they introduced Safari, they just left it there. Not sure why. Could be compatibility with the occasional banking site, or what-not.

Personally, I don't see why you should look any farther than Safari. It's a great browswer, IMHO. I installed Firefox to test it and had nothing but problems with it. It was very buggy. Could be that it improved since then (about 3-4 months ago), but Safari's fine. Tabbed browser, no pop-ups and it's INTEGRATED WITH KEYCHAIN ACCESS.

[Andy]

I see.......you blokes are dual addicted... glass AND computers. I used a mac once & liked it.


Sort of like a dirty admission 'eh ?

yup, i am now!

love this new 'puter gus.

[DavidTO]

And tomorrow we can purchase the new iWorks from Apple. What a cool word processor and publisher. And the new version of iLife as well. And I am still excited about the impending debut of Tiger as well. :D

I got iWork yesterday. Pages is amazing.

[JohnR]

I can't wait to get Pages :)

My favorite apps for my G5 are:
Safari
G5 optimized firefox (http://www.beatnikpad.com/archives/2005/01/13/firefoxG5nightlies)

ImageWell (http://www.xtralean.com/IW.html)

Transmit (http://www.panic.com/) for when I have to FTP

For weather, I like Weatherpop Advance (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/8084) (there is a free one too)

and of course upgrade Quicktime to Pro, Get WMP for OSX for those rare times you might need it (or get VLC (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/5758) if you don't want WMP.

http://www.macupdate.com is a good site to find updates.

[DavidTO]

Another thought, Andy:

The display defaults for OSX are going to be different than what you're used to in Windoze. The gamma defaults to 1.8 as opposed to 2.2. I would suggest running the monitor calibration in System Prefs>Displays>Color>Calibrate. You have to spend a lot of time squinting your eyes, but it works pretty well. At least it'll be fine until you use hardware to calibrate. Anyway, when you're calibrating, set the gamma to 2.2.

[DavidTO]

Andy, here's some unsolicited advice for you:

Build your own office. (http://davidrosenthal.smugmug.com/gallery/186374) The pics in that link are from construction. I still need to take some of it completed. Problem is, it needs to be completed first. All that's missing is some trim pieces, threshold, etc. Anyway, I got this cabin kit from Summerwood (http://www.summerwood.com).

And here's a shot of my set-up inside. I use it mostly for editing video.

[Andy]

Andy, here's some unsolicited advice for you:

Build your own office. (http://davidrosenthal.smugmug.com/gallery/186374) The pics in that link are from construction. I still need to take some of it completed. Problem is, it needs to be completed first. All that's missing is some trim pieces, threshold, etc. Anyway, I got this cabin kit from Summerwood (http://www.summerwood.com).

And here's a shot of my set-up inside. I use it mostly for editing video.

nice spread, david :D though i like it just fine where i am. we live an an old converted barn on 6acs... and my studio is in the large family room, it's a huge space, lots of room for me, wife, kids. and the 30" display, when i'm not using it, it displays my pics ...

[Ann McRae]

Okay, David, this is way toooooo much!
We have just moved to an acreage, and my hubby wants to build just such a thing for the far back corner! I thought he was, well, you know, unusual...... but it looks like not! :rofl

I am saving the summerwood link for him - even has a cdn pg!

ann

[DavidTO]

I am saving the summerwood link for him - even has a cdn pg!

ann

Of course they do. They're canadian!

The amazing thing was that shipping for my 8x12 ft Cabin Kit (a couple of thousand pounds) out here to California was only $400. Oh, wait. They had a special--the shipping was free. No idea how they do that!

[Andy]

omg the stuff that os x does is so uber-cool. i'm beside myself with visual and other glee hehheheh :lol3

[DavidTO]

omg the stuff that os x does is so uber-cool. i'm beside myself with visual and other glee hehheheh :lol3

I think Andy's had too much of the Koolaid...

[Andy]

I think Andy's had too much of the Koolaid...

well, you keep filling my glass :lol3

[Dee]

I can't wait to get Pages :)

My favorite apps for my G5 are:
Safari
G5 optimized firefox (http://www.beatnikpad.com/archives/2005/01/13/firefoxG5nightlies)

ImageWell (http://www.xtralean.com/IW.html)

Transmit (http://www.panic.com/) for when I have to FTP

For weather, I like Weatherpop Advance (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/8084) (there is a free one too)

and of course upgrade Quicktime to Pro, Get WMP for OSX for those rare times you might need it (or get VLC (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/5758) if you don't want WMP.

http://www.macupdate.com is a good site to find updates.

of good Mac stuff. I haven't even heard of Imagewell or VLC! Geesh, where have I been? LOL - Thanks!

[JohnR]

ImageWell was written by a friend of mine. He's also making some other software on that site.
http://www.xtralean.com

[DavidTO]

OK, here's some more unsolicited advice for Andy:

Want to make a screen grab? cmd-shift-3.

But whoah, unless Andy wants to gloat about his big 30" display, he probably doesn't want to do the entire screen.

cmd-shift-4 brings up a cross-hairs that you can drag around whatever you want to capture.

Now, if you hit cmd-shift-4 and after you get the crosshairs, you hit the space bar, you'll get a camera icon. This camera will grab any individual window that is open.

[Andy]

OK, here's some more unsolicited advice for Andy:

Want to make a screen grab? cmd-shift-3.

But whoah, unless Andy wants to gloat about his big 30" display, he probably doesn't want to do the entire screen.

cmd-shift-4 brings up a cross-hairs that you can drag around whatever you want to capture.

Now, if you hit cmd-shift-4 and after you get the crosshairs, you hit the space bar, you'll get a camera icon. This camera will grab any individual window that is open.

well, cool! in the pc world, i had snagit, but they went to a pay model, so that's very cool info to know, david!

[DavidTO]

well, cool! in the pc world, i had snagit, but they went to a pay model, so that's very cool info to know, david!

Snapz Pro X may have been bundled with your G5, which gives you more power with screen grabs. I never use it, since all I ever want to do I just listed above.

[patch29]

well, cool! in the pc world, i had snagit, but they went to a pay model, so that's very cool info to know, david!

or you can find the program "Grab" that came with the OS (in your utilities folder, there are some other handy programs in there too) and it will give you options of full screen, timed, selection, etc.

I wish it would capture a full window (the part off the screen that needs scrolling) that is my only complaint.

I will take a look at Snapz Pro X, maybe it can do it. :thumb

[pathfinder]

well, cool! in the pc world, i had snagit, but they went to a pay model, so that's very cool info to know, david!
In the Utilites folder in the Applications folder are two little programs - Grabber and Color something or other ( I am at work on a Windoz box right now). Grabber may be what you invoke with commnad shift 3, it lets you grab a screen shot or grab a window and save it as a gif. The color program gives you an eye-dropper that lets you read the actaul RGB data from any pixel on your screen. Kind of handy for evaluating images - even ones seen here on dgrin.

I looked up the program after I got home this evening - It is Digital Colormeter - and like I said, it will read the RGB data for each pixel on your monitor - allowing you to check for color balance of images you see on the web, or to adjust the color or several different images. Quite useful - like for checking the color of snow for Rutt.

[DavidTO]

In the Utilites folder in the Applications folder are two little programs - Grabber and Color something or other ( I am at work on a Windoz box right now). Grabber may be what you invoke with commnad shift 3, it lets you grab a screen shot or grab a window and save it as a gif. The color program gives you an eye-dropper that lets you read the actaul RGB data from any pixel on your screen. Kind of handy for evaluating images - even ones seen here on dgrin.

cmd-shift-3 or 4 must not be grab, as they save PDF files.

Grab, grabber may be what they're bundling now, but when I got my Pbook, it came with Snapz Pro X.

[Dee]

or you can find the program "Grab" that came with the OS (in your utilities folder, there are some other handy programs in there too) and it will give you options of full screen, timed, selection, etc.



GRAB -- will do drop down menus, coolness -- saves as .tiff.....

I just got "The Little Mac Book, Panther Edition" by Robin Williams out of the library, because when I switched to OSX there was a lot I didn't understand.

Like Grab.... didn't know about that, as I usually use command shift 4 and select the area I want to capture. PDF format doesn't bother me, can always make it a "save for web" or jpg out of photoshop.

I'm hoping the book will fill in the mising gaps of information -- just checked the index, I don't see Grab mentioned... Hmmm

So keep these tips coming, I'm learning a lot... and i thought I was a pretty advanced user... maybe I should say I was a good OS9 user? :rofl

[DavidTO]

Well, Andy just about messed his drawers when he followed the Exposé tips mentioned here. (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=5483&page=1&pp=10)

So I thought I'd give a preview to those who are not yet aware of what's around the bend in Tiger. Exposé will reach new heights when Dashboard is introduced.

Check it out here. (http://www.apple.com/macosx/tiger/dashboard.html) As Andy says, übercool.

[pathfinder]

Well, Andy just about messed his drawers when he followed the Exposé tips mentioned here. (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=5483&page=1&pp=10)

So I thought I'd give a preview to those who are not yet aware of what's around the bend in Tiger. Exposé will reach new heights when Dashboard is introduced.

Check it out here. (http://www.apple.com/macosx/tiger/dashboard.html) As Andy says, übercool.

When I watched Steve Jobs demonstrate Dashboard at MacWorld in his talk about Tiger, I screamed "I WANT THAT!! I'VE WANTED THAT FOR YEARS!!"

Now a personal computer that really does mullti tasking right. Dashboard looks to be a kickass product!

[Andy]

i have no snapz thingie and how d'you make grab work?

[Andy]

typing is slow in dgrin... i have in prefs "autofill" for forms turned off.

what else should i do?

[DavidTO]

typing is slow in dgrin... i have in prefs "autofill" for forms turned off.

what else should i do?

Hey, what are you trying to do, hijack this thread? The title clearly states that this is for UNSOLICITED advice. So stop soliciting.

Clearly, I do not know the answer to your question.

[Andy]

Hey, what are you trying to do, hijack this thread? The title clearly states that this is for UNSOLICITED advice. So stop soliciting.

Clearly, I do not know the answer to your question.

would you apple people please start guessing what my questions are?

[dkapp]

typing is slow in dgrin... i have in prefs "autofill" for forms turned off.

what else should i do?

User CP -> Edit Options -> Misc Options -> Basic Editor.

Thats all you need. You probably just type in your special smilies anyway.

:thumb
Dave

[Andy]

User CP -> Edit Options -> Misc Options -> Basic Editor.

Thats all you need. You probably just type in your special smilies anyway.

:thumb
Dave

uh, where's user cp?

[dkapp]

Right Here :D

[pathfinder]

i have no snapz thingie and how d'you make grab work?

Once you have the frame or screen you want to capture, go to the Applications folder, to the Utilities folder and click on Grab. (It is a good time to create an alias for Grab for your desktop also so you don't have to drill down into the Utilites folder again to find Grab).

Now look at the top most portion of your screen, and it should say Grab right to the left of the little blue Apple icon (If it doesn't say Grab, click on it in your Dock).

Click on Capture and choose Selection, Window, Screen, Timed Selection. Click on whichever you want and follow the bouncing ball. It is straight forward from that point. When you save the image it is saved as a .tiff so you will need to bring it into PS to convert to a jpg like this one I captured of this screen right here in the reply box. :thumb

[dkapp]

Once you have the frame or screen you want to capture, go to the Applications folder, to the Utilities folder and click on Grab. (It is a good time to create an alias for Grab for your desktop also so you don't have to drill down into the Utilites folder again to find Grab).

Now look at the top most portion of your screen, and it should say Grab right to the left of the little blue Apple icon (If it doesn't say Grab, click on it in your Dock).

Click on Capture and choose Selection, Window, Screen, Timed Selection. Click on whichever you want and follow the bouncing ball. It is straight forward from that point. When you save the image it is saved as a .tiff so you will need to bring it into PS to convert to a jpg like this one I captured of this screen right here in the reply box. :thumb

Or you could use keyboard shortcuts.

1.) Command (Apple key) + Shift + 3 = Entire screen
2.) Command (Apple key) + Shift + 4 = You can use the mouse to select what you want.

Dave

[pathfinder]

would you apple people please start guessing what my questions are?


These questions have been hermetically sealed in a Mason Jar, and the Great Carsoni( May He Rest in Peace) will answer your questions. I am holding the envelope to my forehead awaiting inspiration :D :D

[pathfinder]

Or you could use keyboard shortcuts.

1.) Command (Apple key) + Shift + 3 = Entire screen
2.) Command (Apple key) + Shift + 4 = You can use the mouse to select what you want.

Dave

I am a slow learner at keyboard shortcuts, but I'll give these a try!:scratch

[fish]

would you apple people please start guessing what my questions are?

be careful what you wish for, andrew. :evil

[Dee]

Why did I wait so long to switch to Mac? :-)

[Andy]

Right Here :D

got it, i was looking in safari's menus for this :lol3 :D

[Andy]

be careful what you wish for, andrew. :evil

i ain't afraid o' you you big toothy lug

[Andy]

Why did I wait so long to switch to Mac? :-)

heheheeh :lol3

[dkapp]

Did you start using Tabs in Safari yet? If not, get on it!

You can find all the settings in the Preference window of Safari. Its the best way to keep 20+ window organized.

Dave

[DavidTO]

Here's a meta-hint:

In Safari, or Finder, or Mail or most Apple apps, open Help (in the Help menu!), and type in shortcut. You'll see all kinds of pages on shortcuts to make your life easier.

[Andy]

i ordered for $20 the ilife disks (shipping only) on saturday by web order from apple, the disks were sitting in my mailbox when i got home.

apple rocks.

[DavidTO]

i ordered for $20 the ilife disks (shipping only) on saturday by web order from apple, the disks were sitting in my mailbox when i got home.

apple rocks.

Andy, it's time you got some ink. (http://www.theapplecollection.com/Collection/objects/tattoo.shtml)

[Andy]

Andy, it's time you got some ink. (http://www.theapplecollection.com/Collection/objects/tattoo.shtml)

and some of them are a bit of a turn on :lol3

[patch29]

and some of them are a bit of a turn on :lol3

boy does that suck when Apple makes changes to their logo. :rofl

I love my mac, just not sure if I love it that much.

[DavidTO]

boy does that suck when Apple makes changes to their logo. :rofl

I love my mac, just not sure if I love it that much.

Nah, not a problem, then you're just old-school!

[Dee]

Did you start using Tabs in Safari yet? If not, get on it!

You can find all the settings in the Preference window of Safari. Its the best way to keep 20+ window organized.

Dave

You know I had to switch to OSX so quickly, there's a lot I'm not up on, and now they want to introduce Tiger.... geesh!

But what the heck are tabs in Safari?

I haven't gotten far in my OSX book yet.. just finished reading about how to mouse... LOL

[DavidTO]

You know I had to switch to OSX so quickly, there's a lot I'm not up on, and now they want to introduce Tiger.... geesh!

But what the heck are tabs in Safari?

I haven't gotten far in my OSX book yet.. just finished reading about how to mouse... LOL

You can enable them in the Safari prefs. Many windows in one. Very cool. And you can set a folder of bookmarks to all open at once. I do that with mac news. They all open, and then I browse them at leisure.

[lynnesite]

and some of them are a bit of a turn on :lol3

Something for the Mac Man that has everything:
Your own silhouette, Apple-style (http://www.ipodmyphoto.com/)

or, make your own! (http://www.photoshopsupport.com/tutorials/jennifer/ipod.html)

Lynne

[DavidTO]

OK, here's nother unsolicited tip.

The Dock. Cool. Snazzy. Maybe a little too snazzy?

Here's my tip. You can access all of the dock prefs by right clicking on the divider. If you just plain ol' click on the divider, you can drag and resize your dock.

Here's what I recommend: turn off hiding and magnification. It's just too hard to chase the dock around, and all the icons just get too squirrely. Then place the dock where you want it (left, bottom, or right) and make it as small as you can (and still see it well enough for it to be useful.)

That's it. Just take some of the bells and whistles off of your dock, and make it unobtrusive.

[dkapp]

OK, here's nother unsolicited tip.

The Dock. Cool. Snazzy. Maybe a little too snazzy?

Here's my tip. You can access all of the dock prefs by right clicking on the divider. If you just plain ol' click on the divider, you can drag and resize your dock.

Here's what I recommend: turn off hiding and magnification. It's just too hard to chase the dock around, and all the icons just get too squirrely. Then place the dock where you want it (left, bottom, or right) and make it as small as you can (and still see it well enough for it to be useful.)

That's it. Just take some of the bells and whistles off of your dock, and make it unobtrusive.

I love the dock magnification! haha

[DavidTO]

I love the dock magnification! haha

It's fun, but I truly believe that it's not really useful and is bad UI design.

Just my opinion!

[DavidTO]

Here's a couple more:

How do you make an app launch at startup?

Go to your System Preferences>Accounts>Startup Items. You may see stuff in there that you have no idea what they are. That's OK. You can add any app.

Aside from LaunchBar (http://www.obdev.at/products/launchbar/) (mentioned earlier), one of my favorite startup items is DesktopCalendar (http://homepage.mac.com/takashi_hamada/Acti/MacOSX/DesktopCalendar/).

Enjoy!

[fish]

Did anybody mention Macaroni (http://www.atomicbird.com/) yet? (the atomic bird kind, not the pasta kind).

http://www.atomicbird.com/files/macaroni/images/macaroni-165x165-flat.png

Why should you have to remember to clean up your Mac every day, every week, and every month? Shouldn't a computer be able to remember for you?

Macaroni is a tool which handles regular maintenance (http://www.atomicbird.com/macaroni/faq.php#whatjobs) for Mac OS X, including the Mac OS X repair privileges process as well as Unix-style maintenance. Without Macaroni, some of these tasks normally run in the middle of the night, and don't get run unless you leave your Mac on all night. Others don't run automatically at all, and won't happen unless you remember when they're due.

Macaroni remembers the schedule for you!

Macaroni runs these maintenance tasks on a regular schedule, regardless of when your Mac is on. If a scheduled maintenance task is not run when it's normally scheduled, Macaroni automatically ensures that it's run at the next opportunity, whenever the Mac is on.


$9 USD for one machine.

[Dee]

Something for the Mac Man that has everything:
Your own silhouette, Apple-style (http://www.ipodmyphoto.com/)

or, make your own! (http://www.photoshopsupport.com/tutorials/jennifer/ipod.html)

Lynne

Thanks Lynne -- that was a really neat tutorial! Of course I know how to do this already, but I did pick up a tip or two by reading the tutorial!

[DavidTO]

Did anybody mention Macaroni (http://www.atomicbird.com/) yet? (the atomic bird kind, not the pasta kind).

I love Macaroni. It's in my Macintosh Maintenance Page (homepage.mac.com/david_rosenthal/MacintoshTroubleShooting.htm), so yes, it was mentioned here (http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=35383&postcount=71&highlight=macaroni#post35383) and here (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=41996&highlight=macaroni#post41996), but unfortunately, not here, as in this thread.

Way to go Fish! Macaroni rocks.


;)

[gregneil]

Sorry if this one's been posted... I've been following, but may have missed it.

You can turn on spell check in Safari. I avoid many embarassing mistakes this way when posting to dgrin and other internet communities.

From within Safari go to Edit--> Spelling--> Check Spelling As You Type.

Piece of Pie.

[Andy]

Sorry if this one's been posted... I've been following, but may have missed it.

You can turn on spell check in Safari. I avoid many embarassing mistakes this way when posting to dgrin and other internet communities.

From within Safari go to Edit--> Spelling--> Check Spelling As You Type.

Piece of Pie.

now * that's * useful.

[patch29]

now * that's * useful.

Now that you have two macs, have you looked at getting a dot mac account?

It has a few cool features, one is that you can sync all you Safari bookmarks between your computers (along with syncing some other items). It will keep your mac address book, ical, online and your bookmarks too, so if you get to a computer, but don't have yours, you can log in and get to that info. It is helpful to have access to your bookmarks if you are at a friend's house and cannot remember that web address. There is also a lot of handy iapp integration, easy posting of imovies and it gives you storage online (idisk) for files other than photos (photos too, but not as slick as SM).


If you use it often it is money well spent.

(If you are going to sign up PM me and I can give you my referral info, they give referrers a credit and you get 60 days free to try it. :D )

http://www.mac.com/1/memberbenefits.html

[Andy]

thanks for this one, but i do prefer to have the dock disappear. :D


OK, here's nother unsolicited tip.

The Dock. Cool. Snazzy. Maybe a little too snazzy?

Here's my tip. You can access all of the dock prefs by right clicking on the divider. If you just plain ol' click on the divider, you can drag and resize your dock.

Here's what I recommend: turn off hiding and magnification. It's just too hard to chase the dock around, and all the icons just get too squirrely. Then place the dock where you want it (left, bottom, or right) and make it as small as you can (and still see it well enough for it to be useful.)

That's it. Just take some of the bells and whistles off of your dock, and make it unobtrusive.

[Andy]

Now that you have two macs, have you looked at getting a dot mac account?

It has a few cool features, one is that you can sync all you Safari bookmarks between your computers (along with syncing some other items). It will keep your mac address book, ical, online and your bookmarks too, so if you get to a computer, but don't have yours, you can log in and get to that info. It is helpful to have access to your bookmarks if you are at a friend's house and cannot remember that web address. There is also a lot of handy iapp integration, easy posting of imovies and it gives you storage online (idisk) for files other than photos (photos too, but not as slick as SM).


If you use it often it is money well spent.

(If you are going to sign up PM me and I can give you my referral info, they give referrers a credit and you get 60 days free to try it. :D )

http://www.mac.com/1/memberbenefits.html

thanks patch. i'm considering .mac - but i won't avail myself of ical or the addybook so not sure if i need it. we'll see :D

[JohnR]

Here's a cool tip...have OSX make a web gallery!

Open a new Finder window.

Go to [Boot Drive]---»System---»Library---»Image Capture---»Automated Tasks...

(note: System THEN Library. NOT Hard drive then Library)

Inside this folder, you'll see "Build Web Page."

Drag the "Build Web Page" icon to your Dock to create an alias.

Open a folder that contains a bunch of JPEGs.

Select as many as you want and drag them, en masse, to the alias you just created.

Voilà! You have just created a photo gallery web page, with thumbnails and links to larger images. This page should show up—with all files gathered together in a folder—in the same folder you dragged the image files from.

A quick sample of what you can do:
http://www.mac-yak.com

[Andy]

thanks patch. i'm considering .mac - but i won't avail myself of ical or the addybook so not sure if i need it. we'll see :D

signed up for .mac - i like the iDisk function, that'll come in handy for me.

[DavidTO]

signed up for .mac - i like the iDisk function, that'll come in handy for me.

can't hurt to try the 60 day trial.

[Andy]

... told me about application switcher? cmd+tab is great, i used that all the time in windows.

[JohnR]

I was going to tell you about that....but figured you would like it more discovering it on your own. ;)

yeah...that's the ticket. :D

Address book has some cool features. Here are 3.

Right click (or Control + Click on mouse) on the phone number of someone in your Address Book and choose Large Type and you get this:
(note, I edited it, but it appears over everything on your monitor)
http://www.mac-yak.com//images/465gij.jpg


Right click on someone's address and this appears:

http://www.mac-yak.com//images/gdfs74.jpg



Right click on someone's iChat name and you can select to talk to them.

[DavidTO]

Hey, that large type come up when you use Launchbar, too.

My favorite shareware utility.

[T_S__Garp]

I asked a simple question
All I got was a smarmy response!

CAN WE USE CROPPING IN A NO PHOTOSHOP CHALLENEGE....THE RULES DO NOT OUTLINE CROPPING. ATLEAST THEY DON'T TO THE NEWBIE. ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE ALLOWED SEEM FAR MORE SERIOUS THAN CROPPING SOOOO...........?????????????????????????????????? ????

*** when we have a no-photoshop challenge, the following applies ***
only basic editing is allowed. this includes minor adjustments in color, contrast, exposure, sharpness. black and white conversion is allowed (including toning for same). that's it - no cloning, filters, special effects, etc

Sorry if this comes across a rude but I've been trying to find the answer for this for an hour and all I got from someone was "READ THE RULES" ...I'm aggrivated, SORRY.

[dkapp]

I asked a simple question
All I got was a smarmy response!

CAN WE USE CROPPING IN A NO PHOTOSHOP CHALLENEGE....THE RULES DO NOT OUTLINE CROPPING. ATLEAST THEY DON'T TO THE NEWBIE. ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE ALLOWED SEEM FAR MORE SERIOUS THAN CROPPING SOOOO...........?????????????????????????????????? ????

*** when we have a no-photoshop challenge, the following applies ***
only basic editing is allowed. this includes minor adjustments in color, contrast, exposure, sharpness. black and white conversion is allowed (including toning for same). that's it - no cloning, filters, special effects, etc

Sorry if this comes across a rude but I've been trying to find the answer for this for an hour and all I got from someone was "READ THE RULES" ...I'm aggrivated, SORRY.

Yes. Minimal cropping is allowed to straighten horizons. If you do crop, you need to state that with your entry.

In the future, do hot hijack a thread with your rant. Please start a new one.

Thanks
Dave

[patch29]

... told me about application switcher? cmd+tab is great, i used that all the time in windows.

I found a new tip today and feel really dumb for not knowing about it or trying it.

If you are in a Safari window, say looking at some super long posts and need to find a word, the find feature will do that in a window, do I feel dumb I never tried that. I had cut and pasted in to word docs to do it.

command-F (set and do first find) command-G to find next.

[Andy]

In the future, do hot hijack a thread with your rant. Please start a new one.

Thanks
Dave

pm the host? :deal

[fish]

In the future, do hot hijack a thread with your rant. Please start a new one.


Shouldn't that line include at least one of the following smilies?

:whip:splat:grim:thwak:hung:hack



:)

[patch29]

Andy, Apple wants to hear from you (and any other switchers from PC to Mac :D). :ear

http://www.apple.com/switch/tell/us.html

[Dee]

I found a new tip today and feel really dumb for not knowing about it or trying it.

If you are in a Safari window, say looking at some super long posts and need to find a word, the find feature will do that in a window, do I feel dumb I never tried that. I had cut and pasted in to word docs to do it.

command-F (set and do first find) command-G to find next.

I never even thought to use the find command that way! Didn't know about command G either... Geesh! :rolleyes

[Andy]

I never even thought to use the find command that way! Didn't know about command G either... Geesh! :rolleyes

yes, thanks patch and dee,
cmd-g is cool

[Andy]

david was after me to get disk warrior, so that if ever i had a disk problem i could easily repair... well of course i *intended* to get it, but never did. then i had a power failure in the middle of my disk writing, which causes things to go a bit kerflooey. i thought i was hosed, but no! lynne and david said, hang in there, get disk warrior, and run it.

well, after getting the proper version of disk warrior for my g5 system, it took all of 90 seconds to repair and restore what i thougth was a fried 250gb hard drive.

this happened to me once before in the pc world, and i recall a long time working on it with a battery of experts, and then finally i had to send the disk away, paid $50 to have someone restore it. they sent it back, unrestorable.

anyhow, get disk warrior, i'm impressed :clap

[patch29]

then i had a power failure in the middle of my disk writing, which causes things to go a bit kerflooey.


Time for one of these (http://www.apc.com/products/category.cfm?id=13), not sure how much power you need for the G5 and 30", but it will save a lot of headaches. :nod

[Andy]

Time for one of these (http://www.apc.com/products/category.cfm?id=13), not sure how much power you need for the G5 and 30", but it will save a lot of headaches. :nod

you guys just love reaching into my wallet, dont you? :uhoh

[patch29]

you guys just love reaching into my wallet, dont you? :uhoh

Not me. :D You are bringing the 400/2.8 to Yosemite? :thumb :clap :1drink :wxwax

[DavidTO]

david was after me to get disk warrior, so that if ever i had a disk problem i could easily repair...

Actually, don't wait until you have a problem, run it periodically and repair problems before they become noticeable.

So glad it worked out OK.

And the UPS is a great idea. You just need one that will give you enough juice to save and shutdown properly.

And yes, who's money could be more fun to spend than yours?

[patch29]

Fish, how long does it take to process a 20D raw file in C1 on you imac?

Anyone else running C1 on a Mac? What are your processing times, camera and computer specs? :ear

My friend did a test today on his G5 Dual 2.5 and it took 7.5 sec/file for a 1DmkII to an 8 bit tiff, on my 1ghtz Powerbook it takes about 105 sec/file. I really need a new computer, but the towers is very pricey. I have become very adept at setting a batch up to run overnight in C1.

[DavidTO]

Fish, how long does it take to process a 20D raw file in C1 on you imac?

Anyone else running C1 on a Mac? What are your processing times, camera and computer specs? :ear

My friend did a test today on his G5 Dual 2.5 and it took 7.5 sec/file for a 1DmkII to an 8 bit tiff, on my 1ghtz Powerbook it takes about 105 sec/file. I really need a new computer, but the towers is very pricey. I have become very adept at setting a batch up to run overnight in C1.

I run Capture One on a Mac (it's no longer C1, BTW, as they found that they were infringing on the use of the name).

I have a dual 2ghzG5 and a 1ghz Titanium Powerbook. I haven't done any scientific testing, but I can tell you that the G5 goes fast, and the Powerbook goes slow. I guess this means that if you get the iMac G5, it'll go at a pretty good clip.

As you can tell, my POV is, don't worry about it too much, unless your livelihood depends on speed, get what you can afford. The answer to the question is the iMac G5 fast enough is yes, it is, if that's what you have it's fast enough.

Maxing out your RAM is a good idea, as Capture One's speed will improve with more room.

[patch29]

I run Capture One on a Mac (it's no longer C1, BTW, as they found that they were infringing on the use of the name).

I have a dual 2ghzG5 and a 1ghz Titanium Powerbook. I haven't done any scientific testing, but I can tell you that the G5 goes fast, and the Powerbook goes slow. I guess this means that if you get the iMac G5, it'll go at a pretty good clip.

As you can tell, my POV is, don't worry about it too much, unless your livelihood depends on speed, get what you can afford. The answer to the question is the iMac G5 fast enough is yes, it is, if that's what you have it's fast enough.

Maxing out your RAM is a good idea, as Capture One's speed will improve with more room.

Odd I did not know that I am on C1 PRO 3.6.1 and that is how it is listed. :dunno

I have a gig of ram on my PB. A new G5 dual 2.5 would be a stretch, but if I did get it I should not need a new machine for a long time. I really like the PB & PM setups so I can run dual displays. I wish they made a pro-imac with PB like features, mainly a second out for another monitor, until they can make a G5 PB (that is really what I want and I am waiting for, sort of). I would like to see how the imac does speed wise, if it were close in speed I might make the move up to it.

[DavidTO]

Odd I did not know that I am on C1 PRO 3.6.1 and that is how it is listed. :dunno

I have a gig of ram on my PB. A new G5 dual 2.5 would be a stretch, but if I did get it I should not need a new machine for a long time. I really like the PB & PM setups so I can run dual displays. I wish they made a pro-imac with PB like features, mainly a second out for another monitor, until they can make a G5 PB (that is really what I want and I am waiting for, sort of). I would like to see how the imac does speed wise, if it were close in speed I might make the move up to it.

You might want to check out the Pictureflow Mac Platform Forum (http://www.pictureflow.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?daysprune=&forumid=32&x=8&y=6), which may provide better info.

[DavidTO]

Found this through macintouch.com.

Yet another way to scam you.

Here. (http://flashrocket.worldoptimizer.com/article/21/phishing-an-apple-with-idn-domains)

[DavidTO]

Found this through macintouch.com.

Yet another way to scam you.

Here. (http://flashrocket.worldoptimizer.com/article/21/phishing-an-apple-with-idn-domains)

I read this article, downloaded Saft Lite, clicked on the spoofed URL, and the attached message popped up.

[Andy]

I read this article, downloaded Saft Lite, clicked on the spoofed URL, and the attached message popped up.

i've installed it on my pbook and my home system. saft light is free and simple to install.

thanks david.

[Andy]

i've installed it on my pbook and my home system. saft light is free and simple to install.

thanks david.

saft lite (free) right here (http://haoli.dnsalias.com/Saft/Download/index.html).

[Andy]

a pretty cool app for loading files when burning cds and dvds here (http://www.kaisakura.com/thf/thehotfolder.html).

[jimf]

david was after me to get disk warrior, so that if ever i had a disk problem i could easily repair... well of course i *intended* to get it, but never did. then i had a power failure in the middle of my disk writing, which causes things to go a bit kerflooey. i thought i was hosed, but no! lynne and david said, hang in there, get disk warrior, and run it.

Another thing you can do to help keeping this from happening again is turn on journaling (if it isn't already).

Fire up Disk Utility, select the filesystem you're interested in, and select the "Enable Journaling" button.

Journaling treats the disk a lot like a database; when it writes information it does so in such a manner that either any change happens or doesn't happen, it's never halfway done. This keeps important disk data (like the structure of the filesystem) from being corrupted.

[patch29]

Andy, you need the new 21" Wacom Cintiq (http://www.wacom.com/lcdtablets/index_21UX.cfm) monitor/tablet. It is really awesome. A perfect match for your 30". :nod :thumb

[Andy]

Andy, you need the new 21" Wacom Cintiq (http://www.wacom.com/lcdtablets/index_21UX.cfm) monitor/tablet. It is really awesome. A perfect match for your 30". :nod :thumb

i'm on it. (can i borrow $2999?)

[patch29]

i'm on it. (can i borrow $2999?)

I think I saw it for $2400 or $2500 here, don't worry I am helping sway Gus towards Canon and to buy the 65 macro with twinlight, here. (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=72843#post72843)

[patch29]

Andy have you seen this article? (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=948) Do you have any trackpad issues?

[pathfinder]

Andy have you seen this article? (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=948) Do you have any trackpad issues?

PatchI bought the newest 15 in PB with 2Gb RAM before I went west a few weeks ago. I have never been able to scroll down using two fingers like they described when reading a WEB page. It ended up loading new pages or going back to older pages or somewhere. Calling it unpredictable is putting it mildly. SO I just don't use the trackpad for scrolling; never did before so what the heck. :dunno

But the new PB with the faster G4 processor - 1.67 GH I think? - is great for editing with PS. It is fast - not like my Dual G5 at home, but very useful - I don't feel slowed down by it at all. I wrote all my RAW files to its hard drive AND to DVDs at the end of the day. Worked like a charm.

Maybe Apple wil fix the track pad scrolling issue - maybe not - I really don't care - I did also buy a small two-button mouse to use on the road, but actually never did use it for the limited editing I did on the road - mostly just experimental RAW to evaluate image sharpness and color balance to see if a file should be discarded or was worth keeping on DVD.

[Andy]

Andy have you seen this article? (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=948) Do you have any trackpad issues?

nawp... i can track up/down and side/side no problem, using two fingers on the track pad. it's quite kewl!

[patch29]

nawp... i can track up/down and side/side no problem, using two fingers on the track pad. it's quite kewl!

My friend just passed the link along, wondered if you had seen it. I have tried the scrolling feature a few times and I really like how it works, hopefully whatever problems exist they will resolve quickly.

[handlebar]

Well as andy would say I was lurking in the rafters, but I was more so waiting until I made my switch to a mac and got a good high speed internet provider. I purchased the imac g5 20" and so far it has been the best experience I have had from a computer. The next step is to get a digital slr I have a feeling that is still a couple of months down the road. (at least) This set me back a bit. I really appreciate all of the shortcuts you guys have posted it is helping me make this switch pretty easy.

[Andy]

Well as andy would say I was lurking in the rafters, but I was more so waiting until I made my switch to a mac and got a good high speed internet provider. I purchased the imac g5 20" and so far it has been the best experience I have had from a computer. The next step is to get a digital slr I have a feeling that is still a couple of months down the road. (at least) This set me back a bit. I really appreciate all of the shortcuts you guys have posted it is helping me make this switch pretty easy.

:wave hey there handlebar, congrats and welcome!

[patch29]

I found some very useful Safari tips, here (http://apple-x.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1413). :thumb

[patch29]

Now that Tiger is coming out, are there any apps that will make use of the 64 bit processing with Tiger?

What about the new Final Cut Studio products? I cannot find it stated anywhere, just wondering if there will be a noticeable speed bump via software upgrades if you are on a G5?

[DavidTO]

Now that Tiger is coming out, are there any apps that will make use of the 64 bit processing with Tiger?

What about the new Final Cut Studio products? I cannot find it stated anywhere, just wondering if there will be a noticeable speed bump via software upgrades if you are on a G5? I'm not sure, either, but I would think that Core Image, which moves rendering and effects to the graphics card would speed things up, I'm just not sure if FCP5 takes advantage of that yet. We'll be getting it at work for testing when it is available, and I'll let you know.

Edit: Also, not that I understand it, but I dont' believe that Tiger is fully 64 bit compatible. It's a partial implementation.

[patch29]

I'm not sure, either, but I would think that Core Image, which moves rendering and effects to the graphics card would speed things up, I'm just not sure if FCP5 takes advantage of that yet. We'll be getting it at work for testing when it is available, and I'll let you know.

Edit: Also, not that I understand it, but I dont' believe that Tiger is fully 64 bit compatible. It's a partial implementation.

Thanks, I guess we continue to wait. I really only need the speed in PS and Capture One PRO. The new G5 is on the top of my list, just waiting for the speed bump to be announced, may a price drop if I am lucky or they will bundle them with a free 23" CD. :rofl

[DavidTO]

Thanks, I guess we continue to wait. I really only need the speed in PS and Capture One PRO. The new G5 is on the top of my list, just waiting for the speed bump to be announced, may a price drop if I am lucky or they will bundle them with a free 23" CD. :rofl
Reading the fine print on the FCStudio site, it looks like only Motion supports Core Image, and that Tiger is required for that support. It's interesting that FCP is actually not that major of an upgrade. What's truly astounding is Sound Track Pro, and how tightly integrated it is with FCP.

Check out this movie about cleaning up audio (http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/soundtrackpro/quicktours/noisereduction.html). Can't wait for that.

But hey, we're talking pretty specialized software, especially on a photography forum. How 'bout that Dashboard, eh?

[patch29]

Check out this movie about cleaning up audio (http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/soundtrackpro/quicktours/noisereduction.html). Can't wait for that.

But hey, we're talking pretty specialized software, especially on a photography forum. How 'bout that Dashboard, eh?

That is cool, why can't they make a noise filter for photographers too. :D

Dashboard looks cool. I am curious how the new mail program will work. It looks a lot nice. I hope Safari gets a little better. Automater could be very cool for saving time.

[pathfinder]

Reading the fine print on the FCStudio site, it looks like only Motion supports Core Image, and that Tiger is required for that support. It's interesting that FCP is actually not that major of an upgrade. What's truly astounding is Sound Track Pro, and how tightly integrated it is with FCP.

Check out this movie about cleaning up audio (http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/soundtrackpro/quicktours/noisereduction.html). Can't wait for that.

But hey, we're talking pretty specialized software, especially on a photography forum. How 'bout that Dashboard, eh?


David - I plan to wait a few weeks before upgrading to Tiger - I want to see how Tiger gets along with PS CS and ImagePrint 6, befoe I change anything. Tiger looks really neat and I look forward to it, but I want to hear that PS CS and ImagePrint 6 all get along together without issues.

[wxwax]

Reading the fine print on the FCStudio site, it looks like only Motion supports Core Image, and that Tiger is required for that support. It's interesting that FCP is actually not that major of an upgrade. What's truly astounding is Sound Track Pro, and how tightly integrated it is with FCP.

Check out this movie about cleaning up audio (http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/soundtrackpro/quicktours/noisereduction.html). Can't wait for that.

But hey, we're talking pretty specialized software, especially on a photography forum. How 'bout that Dashboard, eh?

Wow, that noise cleaner is great. Huge. Thanks for posting it.

[DavidTO]

Wow, that noise cleaner is great. Huge. Thanks for posting it.
You guys cut on FCP?

[wxwax]

You guys cut on FCP?
:nod

[JohnR]

Edit: Also, not that I understand it, but I dont' believe that Tiger is fully 64 bit compatible. It's a partial implementation.

I think it is fully 64-bit, but will ask a buddy of mine who works at Apple.

[JohnR]

Thanks, I guess we continue to wait. I really only need the speed in PS and Capture One PRO. The new G5 is on the top of my list, just waiting for the speed bump to be announced, may a price drop if I am lucky or they will bundle them with a free 23" CD. :rofl


It's announced. And they dropped the price of the 20 and 23inch monitors!

[patch29]

It's announced. And they dropped the price of the 20 and 23inch monitors!


Thanks, I saw that and I have priced out a system, now to decide if I am going to spend that much. :deal

[JohnR]

Hmmm....according to this article http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/macosx-10.4.ars/4 Tiger ISN'T fully 64-bit!

"I just wonder how much benefit there will be from introducing any of that support piecemeal. For example, it'd seem unfair for Carbon to be 64-bit while Cocoa was not. All the higher-level GUI libraries rely on lower-level services like Quartz and Core Foundation anyway. So it seems to me that the best move in the future will be to roll out a complete 64-bit system all in one shot. That's a tall order, which is why I think it'll be a while."

[patch29]

I upgraded to Tiger today, all seems to be going well.

One thing that is different are my displayed fonts on certain webpages. The front page of dgrin looks different, the main forum fonts look fatter/blurrier than before. Anyone have any ideas on what could be causing that?

[DavidTO]

I upgraded to Tiger today, all seems to be going well.

One thing that is different are my displayed fonts on certain webpages. The front page of dgrin looks different, the main forum fonts look fatter/blurrier than before. Anyone have any ideas on what could be causing that?

I don't know. It doesn't bother me, but you could check the Appearance preference pane in System Prefs.

Hold down cmd-ctl-d and pass your mouse over the word Appearance, while holding down the three buttons. You can move your mouse and the window will update!

[patch29]

I don't know. It doesn't bother me, but you could check the Appearance preference pane in System Prefs.

Hold down cmd-ctl-d and pass your mouse over the word Appearance, while holding down the three buttons. You can move your mouse and the window will update!


I tweaked the settings in Appearance, still not what I was used to, but now I am getting used to it.

[patch29]

A cruel, cruel very well done joke webpage, here. (http://64.233.167.104.search.q=cache:5iRmnZTn43cJ:www.app le.com+applehl=en&lr=&c2coff=1hl=en&client=safari%&strip=1@homepage.mac.com/dzweben/pr/jun/pbg5.html)

Perhaps Monday it will come true? Where the praying smilie? :D

[patch29]

I finally did it, ordered a G5 dual 2.7, 8gb ram, 20" CD and a few other odds and ends, oh yeah went with an Epson 2400 a couple weeks ago too. :deal

I cannot wait any longer, I am sure they will announce that they are putting the dual cores in next week, even so this is a massive jump for me going from a 1ghtz PB with 1gb ram. :clap

[pathfinder]

I finally did it, ordered a G5 dual 2.7, 8gb ram, 20" CD and a few other odds and ends, oh yeah went with an Epson 2400 a couple weeks ago too. :deal

I cannot wait any longer, I am sure they will announce that they are putting the dual cores in next week, even so this is a massive jump for me going from a 1ghtz PB with 1gb ram. :clap

Welcome aboard, Patch, you're gonna love it.

Do you think you really will need 8GB of RAM?? - Even I think that's a lot.:D I spent the money instead for the 23" display. But you could always add a 2nd 20" display to hold the palettes in PS. Or use an older monitor as a 2nd display; that is what I used to do on my previous windoze box.

[patch29]

Welcome aboard, Patch, you're gonna love it.

Do you think you really will need 8GB of RAM?? - Even I think that's a lot.:D I spent the money instead for the 23" display. But you could always add a 2nd 20" display to hold the palettes in PS. Or use an older monitor as a 2nd display; that is what I used to do on my previous windoze box.


I have a 19" Lacie and those two will use all the space I currently have. I would have gotten at least 5gb, so what is 3 more? :D I can dedicated 4gb to PS and still have plenty to run a lot of other programs at the same time. :dunno I just want to go through this once for the next couple years. My next computer will probably be a new Powerbook when the Intel switch is figured out.

[patch29]

Wow. I am loving my new G5, why didn't I do this sooner. :scratch :rofl Oh yeah, because a G5 with no ram is no fun.

The 20" Cinema Display is awesome, of course I am coming from a 15" laptop. My 19" Lacie seems so small. I cannot imagine the 30" at home, you probably could run one monitor with the 23". This is plenty for me. Still installing software, but PS is running and printing to the 2400. :thumb

What will I be wanting in 2-3 years when the intel chips are in full swing. :D

[DavidTO]

I finally did it, ordered a G5 dual 2.7, 8gb ram, 20" CD and a few other odds and ends, oh yeah went with an Epson 2400 a couple weeks ago too. :deal

I cannot wait any longer, I am sure they will announce that they are putting the dual cores in next week, even so this is a massive jump for me going from a 1ghtz PB with 1gb ram. :clap


Congrats! Sweet, eh?

[patch29]

Congrats! Sweet, eh?


:nod :nod :nod You truly do not know what you are missing until you see how the other side works. :D

[Andy]

:nod :nod :nod You truly do not know what you are missing until you see how the other side works. :D

hey, cool news, patch! enjoy your new system :thumb

[patch29]

hey, cool news, patch! enjoy your new system :thumb


Thanks right now I am getting everything running and trying to see if I can slow it down making batch raw conversions with a lot of other apps open. It keeps on trucking. :thumb

[pathfinder]

:nod :nod :nod You truly do not know what you are missing until you see how the other side works. :D


:D :D I told you, you were going to love it!! And Spotlight is cool too!!

[patch29]

:D :D I told you, you were going to love it!! And Spotlight is cool too!!

I do love it. I am surprised how much I like the new monitor. I guess working on my old Powerbook monitor tainted my view of LCDs, but the Cinema Displays are awesome. I can see why CRTs are going away. I believe even Lacie announced that they are stopping CRT production, from what I heard. If I knew that, I might have seriously gone with a 23", anyone want to buy a new 20" and few month old 19" Lacie. :D

I am still a little mixed on spotlight. I wish it had display prefs that the user could set for viewing options, but I am getting used to it.

[patch29]

Anyone have a battery backup for their Powermac G5? If so, what do you use? :ear

[pathfinder]

Anyone have a battery backup for their Powermac G5? If so, what do you use? :ear


Patch I got several battery b/u devices scattered around for my desktop boxes. I have an APC 1100 for my Win XPbox and a Belkin 900VA for my MAC.
Both seem to work fine. I do not use software to power down my machines by the battery B/U boxes though, since when I am not at my desk I put the boxes to sleep anyway - but not turned off, so I don't have to reboot when I return.

[patch29]

Patch I got several battery b/u devices scattered around for my desktop boxes. I have an APC 1100 for my Win XPbox and a Belkin 900VA for my MAC.
Both seem to work fine. I do not use software to power down my machines by the battery B/U boxes though, since when I am not at my desk I put the boxes to sleep anyway - but not turned off, so I don't have to reboot when I return.

Thanks for the info, since I posted I bought an APC 1050va UPS. I tried it and it makes the power supply on the Powermac G5 make a lot of noise, so I google it and it turns out the cheaper units use a stepped (edited to be correct?) sine wave vs a pure sine wave. The users state it is fine, but disturbing no less, so off to APC's website. They do recommend this unit for the G5 I have, but the SMART units they sell have a pure sine wave, so I anted up the dough for the APC Smart-UPS 750 (http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=SUA750), which is a lot more than I want to spend, but after trying it, it does work without the noise caused by the other unit. So all is well and a small price to protect my new computer. There have been a lot of thunderstorms lately and I have had short outages, so it will work well for me.

FYI, OS X users. Many of the units now have a USB connection to the computer, at least Tiger automatically recognizes the UPS and gives you many options to power down the computer after a designated amount of time. I did test it and it works well. It pops up a message informing you to save your work, because it will only power down, not save. So I feel this is a lot better than having the computer's power cut from a power loss. I thought that was very cool that it is built in, just one more small thing Apple does right, no extra software to add. :thumb

[wxwax]

I thought that was very cool that it is built in, just one more small thing Apple does right, no extra software to add. :thumb


Do Apple online sales count as pr0n?

Just asking, because everytime someone buys one they have little orgasms all over the place.

:flip

[patch29]

Do Apple online sales count as pr0n?

Just asking, because everytime someone buys one they have little orgasms all over the place.

:flip


You'll never know. :stud :bad

[Andy]

You'll never know. :stud :bad

don't worry, patch - it's just mac-envy :lol3

[lynnesite]

Thanks for the info, since I posted I bought an APC 1050va UPS. I tried it and it makes the power supply on the Powermac G5 make a lot of noise, so I google it and it turns out the cheaper units use a squared (?) sine wave vs a pure sine wave. The users state it is fine, but disturbing no less, so off to APC's website. They do recommend this unit for the G5 I have, but the SMART units they sell have a pure sine wave, so I anted up the dough


Step-sine wave. My G5 is running off of the year old APC Back UPS 800 because I haven't bought a more industrial strength unit. It doesn't make noise and it's handled two electrical outages so far. I'd rather have the sine wave Smart-UPS, but am enjoying the cost savings. Have had SmartUPSes before for desktops and networks.

Congrats on your new box--me too, after years of powerbooking, my posture is better already! Just bought the G5 2.3 dual a couple of weeks ago, with 3 gb of RAM and the 23" inch dispay. Ran the display off of my powerbook for a couple of weeks and there was NO speed degradation, totally surprised by that.

Am very happy about going for more screen vs more RAM. The RAM came from otherworldcomputing (macsales.com) for $209 for 2 gb, best I'd seen. Also from them a 2 drive 500 gb RAID external setup in a nice chassis that looks like the G5. It was only $399 and it's where my media catalog files live, the offline CD/DVD thing wasn't working. Spending spree included updating to CS2 and the complete from the select version of Nik Color Efex 2.0, and lastly DxO Pro which is wonderful for batching event RAW photos for shadow/highlight, noise, optics corrections.

Lynne
broke but productive and happy

[patch29]

Step-sine wave.


Thanks, that sounds better, I read squared on a forum somewhere.

It is a different world now having a lot of ram. I watch the activity monitor to see if I can peg out the ram yet. I think I used just about six GB the other day and it was a chore to get it to go there, even then there was a block labeled inactive vs free.

When I watch the CPU monitor it show user, system, nice and idle in %. What does nice stand for and when is that active? :dunno Just curious.

[lynnesite]

Thanks, that sounds better, I read squared on a forum somewhere.

It is a different world now having a lot of ram. I watch the activity monitor to see if I can peg out the ram yet. I think I used just about six GB the other day and it was a chore to get it to go there, even then there was a block labeled inactive vs free.

When I watch the CPU monitor it show user, system, nice and idle in %. What does nice stand for and when is that active? :dunno Just curious.

I'm pretty sure it refers to programs that have reserved a chunk of memory for scheduled things (like checking e-mail on an interval) which are well-behaved! Making a reservation rather than barging in wearing flip flops and a tank top.

[gluwater]

I can't believe I just read this entire post:huh.

Well I think I'm going to get a MAC eventually. Anyone know when or if they are ever going to release a G5 Powerbook? Dual processor would be nice:clap .

Nick

[patch29]

Apple finally did it. The Might Mouse. (http://www.apple.com/mightymouse/) but it is wired. :huh :scratch When do we get a wireless version?

[patch29]

Anyone know when or if they are ever going to release a G5 Powerbook? Dual processor would be nice:clap .

Nick


Probably never. I would be the next Powerbook revision will be with the new Intel chips.


I just converted a friend of mine to Apple. He bought a 17" imac and he was amazed at how easy it was to set up. He said he plugged his camera in, it downloaded the images and he printed a couple out. He is not a computer or photo guy, but a dad just happy to have an easy to use computer. :clap

[DavidTO]

Probably never. I would be the next Powerbook revision will be with the new Intel chips.


I just converted a friend of mine to Apple. He bought a 17" imac and he was amazed at how easy it was to set up. He said he plugged his camera in, it downloaded the images and he printed a couple out. He is not a computer or photo guy, but a dad just happy to have an easy to use computer. :clap


My dad just upgraded to a Mac, he was tired of reinstalling XP over and over and all the slow-downs he was experiencing. He really likes his Mac, but I have to say, what's up with Intuit making it such a pain in the butt to migrate from PC to Mac? You'd think that with Quicken would be easy to move files from one to the other, if they'd designed it right.

I was talking my dad through some Mac basics over the phone. My mom was watching him, and the moment she saw the widgets she asked if the Mac laptop could do that, too. The day before she had been saying that she wished he had just gone and bought another Dell. After that little demo she wants one, too.

[jimf]

I have to say, what's up with Intuit making it such a pain in the butt to migrate from PC to Mac? You'd think that with Quicken would be easy to move files from one to the other, if they'd designed it right.

It's just divergent codebases, although I was surprised too. It shouldn't have been that hard to make it automagic.

I have a house full of Macs and PCs and find myself recommending Macs more and more. They just work better, presuming you can find the software you need.

[colourbox]

what's up with Intuit making it such a pain in the butt to migrate from PC to Mac? You'd think that with Quicken would be easy to move files from one to the other, if they'd designed it right.

It's sad. Quicken started on the Mac many years ago, then they lost touch with their roots when they moved away from home.

[wxwax]

Apple finally did it. The Might Mouse. (http://www.apple.com/mightymouse/) but it is wired. :huh :scratch When do we get a wireless version?
A review (http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,122072,pg,1,00.asp) by PC World.

[pathfinder]

A review (http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,122072,pg,1,00.asp) by PC World.


But Nightingale just HAD to have a Mighty Mouse. I ordered it for her last night :dunno

[DavidTO]

But Nightingale just HAD to have a Mighty Mouse. I ordered it for her last night :dunno

I'd love to hear her review. It looks pretty cool. I either use a small travel mouse with my powerbook, or with my desktops I use a Wacom, so I can go between mouse and stylus for different purposes and also to change it up so my arm doesn't get all sore and carpall-tunnelly.

[lynnesite]

I'd love to hear her review. It looks pretty cool. I either use a small travel mouse with my powerbook, or with my desktops I use a Wacom, so I can go between mouse and stylus for different purposes and also to change it up so my arm doesn't get all sore and carpall-tunnelly.

I ordered one. You know how I like a smaller mouse, using a Kensington pocket mouse pro optical now, which I guess will go with the laptop. We'll see how it works, though like you I switch to the Wacom to break things up.

[DavidTO]

We'll see how it works


Here's how it works (I know, not what you meant).

Dissecting Mighty Mouse (http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/hardware/dissect.ars)

[Andy]

safari to firefox bookmarks exporter (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/11550) it takes about 10secs to export your safari bookmarks to firefox.

sweet little app.

[Andy]

i'm 100% mac now at home, having just rid myself of the last pc :lol3 it served me well but in the end, i've been tech support nearly every night and that sucks. did i say sucks?

mac mini up and running for wife and kid, and that is sweet.

[Andy]

outlook to mac converter (www.littlemachines.com) it's a sweet little $10 program that runs on a pc. i needed to move my wifes outlook express email from the old pc to mac mail. well, outlook express only let's you export to outlook, that's fine... created an outlook data file (.pst) and then used littlemachines to convert the file to mac mail ready.

easy as eating steak with patch next to b&h!

[patch29]

I found this app, SCIT (http://www.daniele.ch/downloads.html) that will:

SCIT 1.0 - Mac OS X
Screen Capture Image Type

Use this app. to change the image format for the screen capture function, known types are:
BMP, GIF, JPG, JP2, PCT, PDF, PNG, PSD, TIF
The changes takes effect immediately, no need to logout and then re login.

Requires Mac OS Tiger (10.4 or above)

It does not change how GRAB saves files, but it does work for the key commands. :thumb

[DavidTO]

I found this app, SCIT (http://www.daniele.ch/downloads.html) that will:



It does not change how GRAB saves files, but it does work for the key commands. :thumb

I use Capture (http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/business/capture.html), a widget that allows you set filetype and size of your captures.

[patch29]

I use Capture (http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/business/capture.html), a widget that allows you set filetype and size of your captures.


I have it this just seems even easier. I don't have any widgets running I can access most of what I need by keys or via the internet. I guess I would use widgets more if I was not always on the internet. :dunno

[DavidTO]

Here's another tip you may or may not know, and it comes in really handy for all those purchases you make at B&H and Amazon.

After you've made your purchase and your browser is displaying your receipt, hit cmd-p to print the page, but DON'T PRINT IT!

Just select the PDF button in your print dialog box (or whatever OS X is calling them) and a pop-up menu will appear. In there you can do many things...and one of them is to save the page as a PDF to your Web Receipts Folder.

This is a handy way to keep confirmation of purchases, bank transfers, online bill payments, tons of stuff.

This tip is written for Tiger. Panther has the ability to do this, but it takes some work to set it up. Tiger's done the work for you!

[pathfinder]

Here's another tip you may or may not know, and it comes in really handy for all those purchases you make at B&H and Amazon.

After you've made your purchase and your browser is displaying your receipt, hit cmd-p to print the page, but DON'T PRINT IT!

Just select the PDF button in your print dialog box (or whatever OS X is calling them) and a pop-up menu will appear. In there you can do many things...and one of them is to save the page as a PDF to your Web Receipts Folder.

This is a handy way to keep confirmation of purchases, bank transfers, online bill payments, tons of stuff.

This tip is written for Tiger. Panther has the ability to do this, but it takes some work to set it up. Tiger's done the work for you!


This looks like something I will use frequently - good tip!!

[Andy]

i've been just using "grab" or whatever that key sequence you taught me is, apple key, shift, 4.... then putting the recpts in a folder - i'm looking forward to using this one :D

Here's another tip you may or may not know, and it comes in really handy for all those purchases you make at B&H and Amazon.

After you've made your purchase and your browser is displaying your receipt, hit cmd-p to print the page, but DON'T PRINT IT!

Just select the PDF button in your print dialog box (or whatever OS X is calling them) and a pop-up menu will appear. In there you can do many things...and one of them is to save the page as a PDF to your Web Receipts Folder.

This is a handy way to keep confirmation of purchases, bank transfers, online bill payments, tons of stuff.

This tip is written for Tiger. Panther has the ability to do this, but it takes some work to set it up. Tiger's done the work for you!

[DavidTO]

i've been just using "grab" or whatever that key sequence you taught me is, apple key, shift, 4.... then putting the recpts in a folder - i'm looking forward to using this one :D


The beauty of this is that it gets the whole page, not just the part you happen to have visible at the time.

Here's another very cool Tiger tip. In Safari, type cmd-i and the current page will be turned into an HTML email (works with Mail, not sure about other apps like Entourage.) All you gotta do is address it and change the subject if you want (the subject is the page name, by defualt).

You can also use cmd-opt-i to just send the link to the page, but I love sending a whole webpage in an email, it's cool! In fact, that's how I announce my latest smugmug galleries, cmd-i and address it to friends and family. They get the first page right there in the email (I usually log out first, so that they don't get my version of the page, but the public version).

[DavidTO]

And here's a new one I just picked up.

Go to your System Prefs and select Sharing. Click on the Firewall tab and then select Advanced. You'll see the attached dialog sheet, where you can turn on Stealth Mode. The explanation's in the attached image.

[DavidTO]

Last one for the night.

You all use and love Exposé, right? Try this. Open several apps, each with at least one window open. Invoke Exposé's show all windows option (F9, usually).

Now, you ready?

Hit cmd-tab. Yep, the application switcher. You have to release it for this to work. Hit it again. And again. And again.

Wow.

Now do the same thing, but just hit tab, without the command key. Pretty neat, huh? You don't need to release if you're just hitting tab. In fact, just hold the tab down and sit back and watch the show.

When you're in this Exposé application switcher mode and you hit F9 again, you go back to Exposé. One more hit, and you're back in your normal view.

Enjoy!

[patch29]

iTunes 5

It can have a couple different windows open. I am not sure how many or types you can have, but I have the store in one and my library in another. :clap Now just give me tabs in the store so I can multitask my music purchases and bookmark your favorite artist.

[DavidTO]

You can use Spotlight to find a file rather than just open it. From the Spotlight menu, select the file and type cmd-return and it will be revealed in Finder.

If you're in the Spotlight window, right click and select reveal in finder from the contextual menu.

[DavidTO]

Exposé.

A great way to compare images in PS. F10, baby.

[patch29]

imovie help needed.

I shot a quick AVI clip on my S70 this weekend, not even thinking about it. I shot it vertically. Is there an easy way to rotate a movie? :ear :bash

[Andy]

Is there an easy way to rotate a movie? :ear :bash

yes. turn your head, and cough :lol3

[DavidTO]

imovie help needed.

I shot a quick AVI clip on my S70 this weekend, not even thinking about it. I shot it vertically. Is there an easy way to rotate a movie? :ear :bash


Depends on what you call simple. (http://www.versiontracker.com/php/search.php?mode=basic&action=search&str=imovie+rotate&plt%5B%5D=macosx&x=0&y=0)

[patch29]

Depends on what you call simple. (http://www.versiontracker.com/php/search.php?mode=basic&action=search&str=imovie+rotate&plt%5B%5D=macosx&x=0&y=0)


Thanks, I will try one of those out. :thumb

[DavidTO]

Keep your widgets up to date with Widget Update (http://www.dashboardwidgets.com/showcase/details.php?wid=940)

[patch29]

Depends on what you call simple. (http://www.versiontracker.com/php/search.php?mode=basic&action=search&str=imovie+rotate&plt%5B%5D=macosx&x=0&y=0)


I just noticed they are all shareware, can FCP do this? I have it at home, but cannot access it at the moment. I am about to just post the clip. It is only 7 seconds long and they can just use andy's method. :D

[DavidTO]

I just noticed they are all shareware, can FCP do this? I have it at home, but cannot access it at the moment. I am about to just post the clip. It is only 7 seconds long and they can just use andy's method. :D


Yes, FCP has a Rotate filter.

Effects>Video Filters>Perspective>Rotate

I also read somewhere that QT 7 can do this, in the player, I think. Don't know, I looked and couldn't figure it out.

[patch29]

Yes, FCP has a Rotate filter.

Effects>Video Filters>Perspective>Rotate


Perfect. I will just wait until I get home. I knew you would know the answer. :D

[DavidTO]

Perfect. I will just wait until I get home. I knew you would know the answer. :D


That's what I get paid for!

[Andy]

well, i finally got 'round to upgrading to tiger.
thanks david, for reminding me how utterly simple apple stuff is to deal with.

i took standard precautions that one should do prior to any system upgrade:

* ensured all me docs, pics, files, folders were backed up
* made sure my disks were in good shape

i shoved in the tiger disk and literally the system did the rest. super fast, super easy

thanks apple!

[Andy]

thanks apple!

tiger seems faster for photoshop

i ran this test (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8440&page=1&pp=15) and it came in in 48 seconds flat. bt, before tiger, the test ran in 58 seconds.

cool!

[Andy]

Keep your widgets up to date with Widget Update (http://www.dashboardwidgets.com/showcase/details.php?wid=940)

is that a widget for widgets?

[Andy]

Hold down cmd-ctl-d and pass your mouse over the word Appearance, while holding down the three buttons. You can move your mouse and the window will update!


this is so cool!

[Andy]

Do Apple online sales count as pr0n?

Just asking, because everytime someone buys one they have little orgasms all over the place.



jealous, sid? :flip

[Andy]

widget-gasm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/categories.html)


:lol3

[DavidTO]

widget-gasm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/categories.html)


:lol3


Beware of the copycat. (http://microsoftgadgets.com/)

[Andy]

Beware of the copycat. (http://microsoftgadgets.com/)

why not? the pc world has been copying the mac since forever :lol3

[DavidTO]

why not? the pc world has been copying the mac since forever :lol3


Of course, Apple isn't innocent (http://konfabulator.com/), either.

[DavidTO]

why not? the pc world has been copying the mac since forever :lol3


I think the first line is hilarious.

Have you ever wondered how new technologies get developed in Microsoft?

No, I don't wonder, I know---they steal them from Apple!

[gus]

why not? the pc world has been copying the mac since forever :lol3
Was'nt Amiga running windows before man started walking upright ? I remember my old 1000 having windows about '91 or '92 :scratch

[DavidTO]

Was'nt Amiga running windows before man started walking upright ? I remember my old 1000 having windows about '91 or '92 :scratch

The first Macintosh was released in 1984. (http://homepage.mac.com/bkerstetter/movies/mac1984ad.html)

More info on the ad (advert, Gus) here. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_(television_commercial))

[ziggy53]

Was'nt Amiga running windows before man started walking upright ? I remember my old 1000 having windows about '91 or '92 :scratch
The Amiga 1000 series could run a pre-emptive, multitasking, windowed OS from floppies. They also had a very nice and inexpensive video display and system called HAM (Hold And Modify) that used minimal RAM.

A little company called, "Electronic Arts" got considerable attention writing graphic and paint software for the Amiga. (After selling a bizillion games for Apple, Atari and Commodore computers, of course.)

Amigas are still collected by an almost rabid group of technogeeks and compu-wizards for their unique traits and qualities. (Quit looking at me that way.)

Rant off,

ziggy53

[DavidTO]

Exposé.

A great way to compare images in PS. F10, baby.


I just realized what a fantastic tip this is that I gave. Here's the real gold:

Say you're working on a shot. You've got the original open, another version you worked up, and now you're in LAB working up curves on the third version. You want to compare this new version to the others without committing to the curves? NO PROBLEM! Just use expose. The curves dialog disapears, along with all the palettes. All you're left with is the three images you want to compare.

[Andy]

I just realized what a fantastic tip this is that I gave. Here's the real gold:

Say you're working on a shot. You've got the original open, another version you worked up, and now you're in LAB working up curves on the third version. You want to compare this new version to the others without committing to the curves? NO PROBLEM! Just use expose. The curves dialog disapears, along with all the palettes. All you're left with is the three images you want to compare.

details - please - i'm still a macn00b

[DavidTO]

details - please - i'm still a macn00b

Unless you've changed your prefs, F10 will, by default, hide everything but the windows in the active application, which it will tile.

In PS the palettes and dialog boxes are NOT windows. Hence they do not show up Exposé.

This means that if you have multiple versions of the same image open, and you happen to be doing something like working on the curves of one, and you want to compare it to the other without actually clicking OK and applying the curves first, you can just hit F10, and all open windows in PS will tile--hopefully including the one that you want to compare to.

It goes from this:

http://davidrosenthal.smugmug.com/photos/36411853-M.jpg

to this:

http://davidrosenthal.smugmug.com/photos/36411892-M.jpg

And you don't have to click OK to get the dialog box out of the way!

Hit F10 again, you're right back where you started, working on your curves, but now you're smarter, because you've had the chance to compare it to your other image.

[Andy]

Hit F10 again, you're right back where you started, working on your curves, but now you're smarter, because you've had the chance to compare it to your other image.


thanks david, excellent examples! apple just rawks man.

[patch29]

Yes, FCP has a Rotate filter.

Effects>Video Filters>Perspective>Rotate

I also read somewhere that QT 7 can do this, in the player, I think. Don't know, I looked and couldn't figure it out.


I finally made it home to my computer. I tried FCP, but it was not working well. It rotated, but stretched the image. So I decided to see what Canon offered in their software, of course they have a movie edit tool and it easily rotates and exports to QT. Mission accomplished. :clap

[Andy]

I finally made it home to my computer.

who are you again :scratch

[patch29]

who are you again :scratch

:bad

[LOVEphotos]

widget-gasm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/categories.html):lol3

Thanks for the link!

I just upgraded to Tiger ... & diggin' the widgets :clap

Sooo many to choose from ... this will keep me busy for the next week, maybe next month, who knows maybe a couple of months :D

Where do I start? ... so many choices ... so little time :1drink

[Andy]

Thanks for the link!

I just upgraded to Tiger ... & diggin' the widgets :clap

Sooo many to choose from ... this will keep me busy for the next week, maybe next month, who knows maybe a couple of months :D

Where do I start? ... so many choices ... so little time :1drink

try not to gloat too much, it makes waxilocious get all hot n bothered :lol3

[DavidTO]

try not to gloat too much, it makes waxilocious get all hot n bothered :lol3


Widget, widget, widget.

[LOVEphotos]

Widget, widget, widget.

Ha Ha ... i luv the sticky note (Get more widgets) :lust :thumb

[DavidTO]

Ha Ha ... i luv the sticky note (Get more widgets) :lust :thumb


I actually didn't open all my widgets--it was way too much.

[Andy]

Now that you have two macs, have you looked at getting a dot mac account?[/URL]

i've been on .mac since day one with my mac. and they just upgraded .mac, they keep enhancing it.. i use the backup 3.0 feature, it's wonderful. backups are done automatically, each night, without fail (incremental backups) to a location of my choosing (i send my backups to an ext hd). you choose what you want to backup, once, and then boom, it's done.

[DavidTO]

There are certain things that we know about Andy:

1) He loves food.

2) He likes instant gratification.

3) And a distant third, he likes to share his photography with the rest of us

;)

Now this means that at times he'll find himself in Starbucks madly quaffing his Venti Triple Mocha Latte (extra foam), and realize he must upload his latest images of lunch NOW.

So he hops onto his laptop, logs onto his T-Mobile Hot Spot account and opens his computer to all kinds of security issues.

T-Mobile has tried to make this more secure by using 802.1x, but they don't directly support OS X.

Here's (http://mackephotography.com/tmobile/default.html) the link that saves Andy's butt. 802.1x,T-Mobile and Andy on his so-new-he doesn't-have-it-yet Powerbook all nice and compatible.

[Andy]

Now this means that at times he'll find himself in Starbucks madly quaffing his Venti Triple Mocha Latte (extra foam)

in hot summertime: iced quad grande latte
rest of year: five-shot grande no-foam latte (first a.m.). triple grande no foam latte (subsequent drinks during the day).

thanks for the tips david!

[DavidTO]

in hot summertime: iced quad grande latte
rest of year: five-shot grande no-foam latte (first a.m.). triple grande no foam latte (subsequent drinks during the day).

thanks for the tips david!


Well, it sounded good. Me, I like a small redeye. Drip with an add shot.

[DavidTO]

Just stumbled on this 800k PDF (http://www.mac-hints-tips.com/pdfs/9.05_Hints_Tips.pdf) that is chock-full o' Mac tips from basic (check your camera battery before travel) to advanced (use System>Library>Core Services>Menu Extras>Eject.menu to remove a stuck disk).

It's updated monthly, and you can sign up for notification here. (http://www.mac-hints-tips.com/notification.htm)

This issue is 16 pages long, and is chock-full. Really.


EDIT: I should note that it includes Photoshop hints that aren't Mac specific, so all you Windows folk may benefit from a read, too.

[DavidTO]

Here's one that's new to me, from the July newsletter:

cmd-i in the finder will get info on any item (I knew this).

What's new is add an option to it (cmd-opt-i) and you'll open an inspector, that will update as you click through items.

[lynnesite]

in hot summertime: iced quad grande latte
rest of year: five-shot grande no-foam latte (first a.m.). triple grande no foam latte (subsequent drinks during the day).

thanks for the tips david!

How do you handle that kind of "load" without getting the shakes? Do you have withdrawal on the weekend? :huh I have to really watch it on the caffeine load before event shoots particularly. Guess I'm just a lightweight, yet caffeine IS my drug o' choice.

[patch29]

What's new is add an option to it (cmd-opt-i) and you'll open an inspector, that will update as you click through items.


Cool. :thumb

[Andy]

How do you handle that kind of "load" without getting the shakes? Do you have withdrawal on the weekend? :huh I have to really watch it on the caffeine load before event shoots particularly. Guess I'm just a lightweight, yet caffeine IS my drug o' choice.


:wave hiya lynne :D at night, and on the weekends, or whenever i'm not near a starbucks, i can make my own... this is the machine i have at home, it's wonderful.

http://www.rmeade.com/matinee.jpg

you can get them from dick meade's website (http://www.rmeade.com)

[Andy]

so, on friday i received a new ipod i had ordered. turns out, it has a faulty drive. i called apple, they said "no prob, we'll ship you a return box, send it to us and we'll get you a new one." that was friday. today is monday, 940am, and the dhl driver just stopped at my house with the empty box for me to return ship it. i gave the dhl driver a quick espresso (see above) and then opened the box, put my ipod in it, and it's already on it's way back to apple. now the *really* smart thing is that apple included in the box, a bunch of peel-off packaging tape, so i could reseal the box easily. and the shipping label to me, was a two-parter, so i tore off the top, and the return label was already on the box properly addressed back to apple. i gave it to the dhl driver, and done...

[Andy]

i bought some new ram for my g5 - 2gb more. mushkin (http://www.mushin.com) was recommended to me by a geek friend of mine... he even sent me the link to order. trouble is, he fat fingered the link and i got next day 2gb of pc ram, not apple mac guaranteed ram. no biggie - i called mushkin (they answered the phone with a live person) and the next day i had the correct ram in my hands via fedex, and it's in the machine now.

good service, good prices.

[patch29]

Kudo's to Applecare.

I have a Ti PB, bought in Dec 2002 along with the Applecare ext warranty.

A month ago I noticed it really starting to show its age. The case was separating, the airport card reception not so good (not that it ever was on this model) and I had many stuck pixels on the LCD screen, along with the dreaded keyboard markings on the LCD.

I took it back to Apple on August 30th, I received it back yesterday, almost a month. This part did not make me happy, but my PB was also sent to their Houston, TX repair facility, so they were evacuated for a few days due to Rita. It was also delay due to parts needed, which is understandable since it has been out of production for so long.

The good news:

new LCD screen
new lower half case, plus trackpad
My airport card work extremely well vs how it was before I sent it off. I had to previously use an PC card modem to have decent reception.

So nice job, sooner would have been better, but it sure it nice and feels as close to a new laptop as it can. :thumb

I did have an old PB 3400 repair under Applecare years ago and it was returned blazingly fast within 48-72 hours including the shipping time back and forth.

[Andy]

Kudo's to Applecare.

I have a Ti PB, bought in Dec 2002 along with the Applecare ext warranty.

A month ago I noticed it really starting to show its age. The case was separating, the airport card reception not so good (not that it ever was on this model) and I had many stuck pixels on the LCD screen, along with the dreaded keyboard markings on the LCD.

I took it back to Apple on August 30th, I received it back yesterday, almost a month. This part did not make me happy, but my PB was also sent to their Houston, TX repair facility, so they were evacuated for a few days due to Rita. It was also delay due to parts needed, which is understandable since it has been out of production for so long.

The good news:

new LCD screen
new lower half case, plus trackpad
My airport card work extremely well vs how it was before I sent it off. I had to previously use an PC card modem to have decent reception.

So nice job, sooner would have been better, but it sure it nice and feels as close to a new laptop as it can. :thumb

I did have an old PB 3400 repair under Applecare years ago and it was returned blazingly fast within 48-72 hours including the shipping time back and forth.

i put applecare on everything. great story, patch.

[Andy]

so, on friday i received a new ipod i had ordered. turns out, it has a faulty drive. i called apple, they said "no prob, we'll ship you a return box, send it to us and we'll get you a new one." that was friday. today is monday, 940am, and the dhl driver just stopped at my house with the empty box for me to return ship it. i gave the dhl driver a quick espresso (see above) and then opened the box, put my ipod in it, and it's already on it's way back to apple. now the *really* smart thing is that apple included in the box, a bunch of peel-off packaging tape, so i could reseal the box easily. and the shipping label to me, was a two-parter, so i tore off the top, and the return label was already on the box properly addressed back to apple. i gave it to the dhl driver, and done...

one day after they got the ipod, i got a nice email saying a new ipod was in the mail to me, unit replaced. they really have customer service down pat.

[lynnesite]

Andy, caffeine hound first class--you never have to go through withdrawal.

I may have mentioned my AppleCare experience, a small nagging display problem and after a few trips over the warranty period, in within one month of expiration they gave me a new PB, current-shipping-product.

When they started doing the "you have to wait for the BOX" thing, I was a little frustrated, but soon saw how it streamlined the turnaround, not to mention the prepay and the anonymity of their box--nobody knew it was a laptop inside. Well, a good laptop.

I get AppleCare on my laptops, but usually don't recommend it on the desktops unless they're first gen.

[SnapHappy]

What a cool thread. :D
I have learned some neat tricks that I never knew before and I've had a mac for the last 7 years!!

Does anyone perchance know what's wrong with my keyboard on my powerbook. It won't type the lowercase Q as some might have noticed in some of my posts. I have tried an external keyboard and the same applies.
I didn't purchase the applecare ext warranty, :thwak and it happened just after the 12 month warranty expired.

I might just ride it out till they release a new G5 Powerbook.

[DavidTO]

I might just ride it out till they release a new G5 Powerbook.

Maybe you haven't read, but that's never going to happen. Intel, baby.

Does anyone perchance know what's wrong with my keyboard on my powerbook. It won't type the lowercase Q as some might have noticed in some of my posts. I have tried an external keyboard and the same applies.



The fact that it happens with the external points to it not being hardware, I would think.

Have you run basic maintenance? (http://homepage.mac.com/david_rosenthal/MacintoshTroubleShooting.htm)

[SnapHappy]

Maybe you haven't read, but that's never going to happen. Intel, baby.




The fact that it happens with the external points to it not being hardware, I would think.

Have you run basic maintenance? (http://homepage.mac.com/david_rosenthal/MacintoshTroubleShooting.htm)


Thanks for that link, I shall spend some time going through it to try and sort the problem out.

[DavidTO]

Having trouble convincing your friends that Mac is the way to go?

Here's a great piece written by a tech writer that upgraded from years of Windows use to the Macintosh. You can read the full, monthly log here (http://securityawareness.blogspot.com/2005/05/mad-as-hell-i-switching-to-mac_25.html), but the shorthand conclusion is this PDF (http://www.thesecurityawarenesscompany.com/TCO/Winn%27s%20TCO%20WinTel%20vs%20Mac.pdf) and this Excel spreadsheet outlining the Total Cost of Ownership: warning, this link will download the file. (http://www.thesecurityawarenesscompany.com/TCO/Winn%27s%20TCO%20WinTel%20vs%20Mac.xls)

[KevinKal]

Nice article David, thanks for the link. I've been working the Dell & Apple webpages pretty heavily the last few weeks trying to decide if the cost is worth it to switch to Apple - my Dell laptop is on its last leg and as I've just upgraded to a 20D, I need a more powerful machine to process my images. This article pretty much sums up all the conclusions I've come to from my research. Let me just pose a quick question for you and all the other Mac users: I'll probably end up buying a Power Mac G5 2Ghz dual with 1 GB RAM.

Could you please comment on if this will be suitable for PS CS2 & the 20D RAW files? Also, which video card is recommended (ie do I really need the most expensive one or will the factory card do as well)? Finally, as the Apple 20" cinema display adds an extra $700 (with a student discount), are there other suitable alternatives that you could recommend (and I've been doing massive amounts of research on the net for this, but haven't come to any solid conclusions).

Thanks,
Kevin K.

[Andy]

Let me just pose a quick question for you and all the other Mac users: I'll probably end up buying a Power Mac G5 2Ghz dual with 1 GB RAM.

Could you please comment on if this will be suitable for PS CS2 & the 20D RAW files? Also, which video card is recommended (ie do I really need the most expensive one or will the factory card do as well)? Finally, as the Apple 20" cinema display adds an extra $700 (with a student discount), are there other suitable alternatives that you could recommend (and I've been doing massive amounts of research on the net for this, but haven't come to any solid conclusions).

Thanks,
Kevin K.


1. factory card is just fine
2. get your ram from crucial.com or mushkin.com (i've used both) and put it in yourself, you'll save a load of cash - buy the g5 with the base 512mb of ram. putting the ram in the g5 takes about 90 seconds.
3. i'd get more ram - by buying ram from crucial, you'll be able to get 2gb for the same price as the apple ram.
4. lots of displays out there, go into a compusa or bestbuy and look at all of them... it's a personal thing. i really really like the apple display, but others are really fine, too.

you won't regret the upgrade.

[DavidTO]

Yes, it'll be fine. Get more RAM. Third party, I recommend crucial.com.

Don't worry about the graphics card.

When I process 20D RAW files and hit save, by the time I get back into Bridge to open the JPEG for editing, it's already there. It's fast, and I have the dual 2ghz.

I'm not the guy to be recommending displays other than Apple, as I have no experience and have done no research. Dell makes a good one, I hear, but someone else should guide you there.

This (http://www.xvsxp.com/) is a handy site, too.



Nice article David, thanks for the link. I've been working the Dell & Apple webpages pretty heavily the last few weeks trying to decide if the cost is worth it to switch to Apple - my Dell laptop is on its last leg and as I've just upgraded to a 20D, I need a more powerful machine to process my images. This article pretty much sums up all the conclusions I've come to from my research. Let me just pose a quick question for you and all the other Mac users: I'll probably end up buying a Power Mac G5 2Ghz dual with 1 GB RAM.

Could you please comment on if this will be suitable for PS CS2 & the 20D RAW files? Also, which video card is recommended (ie do I really need the most expensive one or will the factory card do as well)? Finally, as the Apple 20" cinema display adds an extra $700 (with a student discount), are there other suitable alternatives that you could recommend (and I've been doing massive amounts of research on the net for this, but haven't come to any solid conclusions).

Thanks,
Kevin K.

[DavidTO]

Great minds think alike, some just type faster.

Actually, I spent some time digging around for that link. Check it out, it's pretty cool.

1. factory card is just fine
2. get your ram from crucial.com or mushkin.com (i've used both) and put it in yourself, you'll save a load of cash - buy the g5 with the base 512mb of ram. putting the ram in the g5 takes about 90 seconds.
3. i'd get more ram - by buying ram from crucial, you'll be able to get 2gb for the same price as the apple ram.
4. lots of displays out there, go into a compusa or bestbuy and look at all of them... it's a personal thing. i really really like the apple display, but others are really fine, too.

you won't regret the upgrade.

[KevinKal]

Andy & David,

First rate, thank you for the information and quick replies. When I was shooting my 717 I had no idea how expensive this hobby was; now that I have the 20D, I want a Crumpler backpack, 17-40 L, upgrade to PS CS2, Power Mac G5 with 20" screen....sheesh!

I'll place my Apple order then and get on with the addiction:D

Thanks again,
Kevin K.

[DavidTO]

This (http://www.xvsxp.com/) is a handy site, too.


BTW, if you do go to this site, think about making a small donation. This guy's put a whole lotta work into that site, and if you find it of value, help him out!

[jmathew]

Anyone out there have experience with Virtual PC?

My imac is coming this week :clap (last mac I used was a IIc...remember that?) but I still need a windows system to get into the hospital network for work - cant do it off a mac.

I was wondering if virtual PC would help with this - or should I keep my pc running on the side?

This is also interesting....creating a dual mac-pc system:

http://www.lifehacker.com/software/productivity/how-to-turn-your-dualmonitor-pc-into-a-dual-macpc-system-106123.php

David - please don't be upset that I didnt come to you first!

-Jeff

[DavidTO]

Anyone out there have experience with Virtual PC?

My imac is coming this week :clap (last mac I used was a IIc...remember that?) but I still need a windows system to get into the hospital network for work - cant do it off a mac.

I was wondering if virtual PC would help with this - or should I keep my pc running on the side?

This is also interesting....creating a dual mac-pc system:

http://www.lifehacker.com/software/productivity/how-to-turn-your-dualmonitor-pc-into-a-dual-macpc-system-106123.php

David - please don't be upset that I didnt come to you first!

-Jeff


That's what the forum is for, and posting in this thread, you are coming to me first! ;) (How's that for cocky?)

I've never run VPC, but it's not as good as running on a PC, obviously. Slower and buggier. It'll do, though. Hold onto your PC and do some more research first.

[jmathew]

Ha - I expected that though!

There will be PLENTY o' questions from me as I get re-aquainted with the mac world in the upcoming few days and weeks!




That's what the forum is for, and posting in this thread, you are coming to me first! ;) (How's that for cocky?)

I've never run VPC, but it's not as good as running on a PC, obviously. Slower and buggier. It'll do, though. Hold onto your PC and do some more research first.

[Andy]

Ha - I expected that though!

There will be PLENTY o' questions from me as I get re-aquainted with the mac world in the upcoming few days and weeks!

:wave hiya jefy! :D

[luke_church]

Anyone out there have experience with Virtual PC?

VPC on a Mac is slow. Probably because on a Mac it has to do instruction translation, rather than just a form of boxed execution.

Hence you really shouldn't judge the speed you will get on a Mac by the speed VPC runs on a PC, in case you've tried it... The slowdown is no-ones fault, just an inevitable side-effect of the instruction translation process... (Or so I guess)

I was wondering if virtual PC would help with this - or should I keep my pc running on the side?
I would keep the pc. I have a friend who develops for both PC and Mac, and found VPC so slow on a fairly good Mac that he had to buy a PC to do testing. Scarily he found that his ~800Mhz PC runs better than VPC on a good Mac (sorry, I don't know the spec). They may not be typical, but it should give you some indication.

Hope this helps,

Luke

[jmathew]

Thanks for the help -

In terms of what I need, speed may not be a big issue. I mainly need to just be able to get on to web-based hospital information systems - citrix based, and as long as I can make the connection and get on I'd be happy, even it its a bit slower. I wont need to be running any applications that I couldnt do on the mac....I think....or at least I hope. Hopefully the buy/sell boards on here and FM wont work on my mac, so I can quit spending so much $$$.

[DavidTO]

Thanks for the help -

In terms of what I need, speed may not be a big issue. I mainly need to just be able to get on to web-based hospital information systems - citrix based, and as long as I can make the connection and get on I'd be happy, even it its a bit slower. I wont need to be running any applications that I couldnt do on the mac....I think....or at least I hope. Hopefully the buy/sell boards on here and FM wont work on my mac, so I can quit spending so much $$$.


Well, then it becomes a trade off in convenience. A little slower, buggier as VPC, and you gotta boot into it. And now your mac has all that ugly windows stuff on it (you'll understand once you get into it)

-or-

You have an extra box sitting around, taking up space, cluttering the nice space you've got set up for that beautiful little mac...

see? all about trade offs

[jmathew]

see? all about trade offs

I thought it was all about food....!

[jmathew]

Well the imac arrived, and I REALLY had no idea how huge this thing was going to be! Its gorgeous though - and its an incredible screen.

They shipped it with Panther instead of Tiger though - so Im very annoyed 'cause I was planning on playing with widgets all night!

Annoyance #2 - I need a scroll button, too much screen real estate to not have one!

Hows the mighty mouse? Any opinions yet?

[colourbox]

Hows the mighty mouse? Any opinions yet?

Mice are very personal, but I am much happier with a standard 2-button scroll wheel mouse. If you want to scroll sideways, just scroll with a key. (It's Shift-scroll in some apps, and a different key in some other apps.)

[DavidTO]

Well the imac arrived, and I REALLY had no idea how huge this thing was going to be! Its gorgeous though - and its an incredible screen.

They shipped it with Panther instead of Tiger though - so Im very annoyed 'cause I was planning on playing with widgets all night!

Annoyance #2 - I need a scroll button, too much screen real estate to not have one!

Hows the mighty mouse? Any opinions yet?


Who sold it to you with Panther? That's ridiculous. I would complain. Vociferously.

Mighty Mouse is mighty cool, but yes, it's a very personal decision, and it's not cheap enough to give it a whirl without a test drive. Try one out, if you can. Shift-scroll is horizontal scrolling everywhere that I know of that it's availalble.

Congratulations!

After you've given it a few days and just played, we can start covering the basic care and maintenance of your new Macintosh.

[DavidTO]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but Tiger was released in April. The last iMac update was in May. So by my thinking, you got the previous generation iMac. Who was the reseller?

[colourbox]

If this is a new machine (not used or refurbished) the only acceptable way to receive it with Panther is if they also included Tiger in your stack of discs that should be in the box. That's how it was with my PowerBook because I bought around the time they had released a new OS. Nobody should be selling new Macs with Panther today. Check that stack.

[jmathew]

I got it from macmall - the 1.8ghz 20" and on the website it clearly says Tiger 10.4 included: Its the first one on the last row on the link below-

http://www.macmall.com/macmall/families/newimac/

I called, and they said too that the disk should be provided, but its nowhere to be found. I got a "we will have to look into this and get back to you" initially, which generated a not so good reaction for me. The last he said was that they'll be getting it out to me once they clarify that its what I should have gotten.




If this is a new machine (not used or refurbished) the only acceptable way to receive it with Panther is if they also included Tiger in your stack of discs that should be in the box. That's how it was with my PowerBook because I bought around the time they had released a new OS. Nobody should be selling new Macs with Panther today. Check that stack.

[DavidTO]

I got it from macmall - the 1.8ghz 20" and on the website it clearly says Tiger 10.4 included: Its the first one on the last row on the link below-

http://www.macmall.com/macmall/families/newimac/

I called, and they said too that the disk should be provided, but its nowhere to be found. I got a "we will have to look into this and get back to you" initially, which generated a not so good reaction for me. The last he said was that they'll be getting it out to me once they clarify that its what I should have gotten.


Yeah, well, see that's not the current iMac. That's the previous generation, which may be the problem. You can't get a 1.8 20" from the current line up.

Let us know what happens.

[jmathew]

Yea - I knew that going into it - but I thought the .2 ghz difference wasnt worth $200 (I got 1gig ram instead), esp. since the website AND the salesperson I spoke to when ordering assured me it came with the lastest OS (he even admitted to remembering my asking about that).

I really think they are going to make this right, I havent gotten any indication that they wont yet at least - so far its just a minor annoyance - I had hoped to spend my weekend off figuring out what widgets I've been missing all my life.

[jmathew]

Wow - Its taking some getting used to but its fun. I'd forgotten alot of keyboard shortcuts mainly.

For storing/saving files (hmm lets say - photos for example) - do most people just create various folders, or is it possible, or necessary to partition the hard drive/create a virtual one etc? Does it make a difference?

[vogel]

So I didn't read through ALL 25 pages, so please forgive me if this is a repeat, but since upgrading to OSX 10.4 I've found myself using the Spotlight feature to launch applications a lot. I simply hit Apple + Space then type the first few letters of the program I want to launch, arrow-key down once to the top hit and hit enter. It sounds like a lot, but if I'm typing in Word and I want to open Firefox there's no need to go to the mouse to launch it from the dock. Also, here's a list of apps that I find very handy as a photographer and general mac user:

PhotoMechanic - AWESOME lightbox software for viewing and tagging images. My first stop to get stuff imported after a shoot.

Firefox - Great browser, can be buggy, but usually not. With extensions found on their homepage and the Google/whatever search bar it's a major time saver.

Mail, iCal, Address book, iSync - So many features that integrate the first three and iSync to copy it all to my Sony-Ericsson T637 make them WAY more useful than Micro$oft Office.

Voodoo Pad - You know how Wikipedia works, well if you've got a lot of documents that reference other documents and each other, then Voodoo Pad is a great little person-Wiki program. And it's free for the lite version! I use it for class notes, but it makes a great idea scratch pad too.

Mac the Ripper and Roxio Popcorn - Want to make travel copies of your DVD collection, but don't have the $$ to invest in burning 9GB dual-layer DVD's? Well, with Mac the Ripper (free) you can copy an entire DVD (VIDEO-TS, AUDIO-TS, et all) onto your harddrive. Next, pick up a copy of Roxio's Popcorn ($20-some-odd) and it'll compress those 9GB of entertainment onto a plain-old, buy 'em at Staples, 4GB DVD. Heck, it'll even compress it to a CD, though you'll lose the quality that way. But even at half the size you are VERY hard pressed to notice a quality difference. VERY MUCH worth having if you have an in-car passenger entertainment system and find Finding Nemo is scratched after a month.

Transmit - I'm sure you all know this wonderful FTP tool, but did you know that with Mac's built in FTP server enabled you can use the Synchronize tool to do quick and easy backups to an external HD?

Simply enable the FTP server in the Sharing window in System Preferences
Open up Transmit and create a new favorite with these settings (use your login username as password):http://homepage.mac.com/vogela/images/transmit.jpg
Once connected and you have selected the folder you want to backup (maybe your Pictures folder, or your user folder) and have the same folder selected on the "Their Stuff" side (which should be on your external HD). Just hit the "Synchronize" button. Select the "Upload" button and the "Update" button in the dialog box then click OK and you're backing up!
OpenOffice.org - This is an M$ Office replacement office suite that is still in the works. I just learned that they're ditching the ugly and clunky X11 interface and going to work full-time on a native Aqua interface! Keep an eye out for that version. I've used past versions and the compatibility with your friends' M$ Office is really good. There are some menu placement options missing, and not nearly as many templates, but if you're just typing a letter or a term paper then you're golden.

Hope those help, I know some are redundant and some are kind of complex, but that's the stuff that I use and love and I wanted to share 'em with everyone.

[DavidTO]

Vogel,

All good info. Don't feel bad for not reading all 25 pages. Most of it's us blathering on, anyway.

Ever try Launchbar? Download and check out the demo. I used to program it to cmd-space, but since the advent of spotlight, I use ctl-space. It's an awesome application launcher, works a lot like spotlight, but it learns from you, so you can type "x" for Excel, for example. Or "sd" for SuperDuper. It's also better than spotlight for phone numbers, since it doesn't open the Address Book app to get to them. It just goes to that large display you could get from Address Book.

Anyway, great post, lots of good info. Keep it coming!

[vogel]

Vogel,

All good info. Don't feel bad for not reading all 25 pages. Most of it's us blathering on, anyway.

Ever try Launchbar? Download and check out the demo. I used to program it to cmd-space, but since the advent of spotlight, I use ctl-space. It's an awesome application launcher, works a lot like spotlight, but it learns from you, so you can type "x" for Excel, for example. Or "sd" for SuperDuper. It's also better than spotlight for phone numbers, since it doesn't open the Address Book app to get to them. It just goes to that large display you could get from Address Book.

Anyway, great post, lots of good info. Keep it coming!I'll check that out, sounds like that phone number thing is pretty pretty cool.

Another program that some people might like is Salling Clicker (http://www.salling.com/). This is a program you can use with a lot of Bluetooth enabled cell phones for controlling a TON of things on your computer. Got a presentation to give? Use Salling Clicker on your cell to do move between slides. Using iTunes in your computer room to send music to your living room stereo? Don't get up to change tracks, use Salling Clicker to browse your entire library and change tracks, volume, etc. There is SOOOO much more this little wonder can do with a Bluetooth phone.

Some of you may have a lot of windows open at once - Mail, iCal, Word, Photoshop, iChat are almost always up on mine. But that makes for a lot of clutter. While the hot corners and f-keys are nice with Expose, SpiritedAway (http://drikin.com/spiritedaway/en) will hide windows which are inactive for a specified amount of time. So, if you're not working in Mail and just want to leave it open to have it check your email every so often, just work on something else and after a minute or two Mail will be hidden and free up your desktop. Just clik on the dock icon or cmd + Tab to it and it reappears!

Oh, and perhaps MOST IMPORTANTLY, everyone should be partitioning their hard drives into at least a System partition and a Data partition. I use iPartition (http://www.coriolis-systems.com/iPartition.php) which comes with a copy of iDefrag Lite. iDefrag Lite defragments and compresses the data currently on your hard drive, then iPartition uses the newly free space to set up mulitple partitions on your internal HD. Once that's done you can safely copy your user folder and all the data in it to the Data partition. Once that's done go into Netinfo Manager (in the Utilities folder), find the users menu, then find your user name in the list. Highlight it, and find the "home" property and change its value to the directory where you copied your user folder to (see image at bottom). That was easy, right? Now you can reboot, then safely delete your old user folder. Perhaps a writeup w/ full pictures is in order here? That way you can do a completely clean install of your next upgrade to the OS and keep all your data from the old system. To do this on an internal HD which is currently running your OS you'll need to make a bootable CD. This can easily be done with BootCD (http://www.charlessoft.com) from Charlessoft. Just make a bootable CD which has a copy of iPartition and iDefrag Lite on the image and you're good to go.

Something else you can use iPartition for is to create multiple partitions on a large external HD (at least 200+ depending on if you're storing large amounts of photography). Then, with these partitions, use OS X's Disk Utility's RAID function to make a mirrored RAID-1 setup on the external. I think you need at least 2 partitions to make that work. I don't personally do this, but it's something I've seen done for the SUPER data safety conscious.

Here's the image of how to change the folder that is your user folder. Just make sure it is a exacte duplicate of the original user's folder found on the HD.
http://homepage.mac.com/vogela/images/netinfo.jpg

[DavidTO]

Good info, except for the "everyone needs to partition their drive" part. I'd have to disagree with that.

Spirited Away is new to me, gonna check that one out.

[jmathew]

Update: Tiger is on the way - will be here monday