for torrents:
BitTorrent
for flac conversion:
xAct
not much into widgets, tho i do have istat pro, and some guitar chord references... but to be honest i don't ever really use them.
if you get into using iphoto much, iphoto buddy is a must
toast titanium for disc burning
my advice for itunes and iphoto is to let them organize things the way it wants to. this really really bothered me at first (starting with OS X the system is more inherently designed to run the show, with OS 9 and earlier- not so much). i was used to having things organized my own way cause i've been using macs since the early early days. then i finally realized that there wasn't much point and it's just a helluvalot easier to let the apps do it for me. there are some things that bug me, but whatever. i can deal.
Mac advice: s/w and other stuff
Moderators: Cleantone, harrymcq, Phrazz
When you are Apple(Command) Tabbing through Apps you can press Q to quit the selected one (while still holding apple) You can also Apple-Shift-Tab to go the other way. (easiest way to do it is just keep holding down Apple and use modifiers.)
One little trick I love that works in Safari and some other apps is moving your cursor over a word and hit Control-Apple-D and it will give you a dictionary definition.
iStumbler is great for WiFi monitoring and even has a nifty little widget that shows you if your channel is conflicting with your neighbor's.
TubeSock is also also great for snagging YouTube and other Flash vids if you want them for your iPod though for some reason version 2.0 isn't working for me.
I am always searching for the perfect note taking/outlining app to keep myself together. I really like Circus Ponies Notebook at the moment but OmniOutliner is good for a more straightforward outlining style app.
One little trick I love that works in Safari and some other apps is moving your cursor over a word and hit Control-Apple-D and it will give you a dictionary definition.
iStumbler is great for WiFi monitoring and even has a nifty little widget that shows you if your channel is conflicting with your neighbor's.
TubeSock is also also great for snagging YouTube and other Flash vids if you want them for your iPod though for some reason version 2.0 isn't working for me.
I am always searching for the perfect note taking/outlining app to keep myself together. I really like Circus Ponies Notebook at the moment but OmniOutliner is good for a more straightforward outlining style app.
Also some sites:
VersionTracker - Great resource for downloading freeware/shareware as well as keeping up to date with commercial apps. MacUpdate is very similar and also good.
MacFixIt is from the VersionTracker people and has the latest dirt on Apple Updates and other problems. If you are ever wondering whether to install the latest Apple Software updates of if something is weird with your Mac go there. Apple's Discussion forums can also be helpful if you run into problems.
VersionTracker - Great resource for downloading freeware/shareware as well as keeping up to date with commercial apps. MacUpdate is very similar and also good.
MacFixIt is from the VersionTracker people and has the latest dirt on Apple Updates and other problems. If you are ever wondering whether to install the latest Apple Software updates of if something is weird with your Mac go there. Apple's Discussion forums can also be helpful if you run into problems.
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Dan
- Camp Shuey Counselor
- Posts: 1060
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 1:15 am
- Location: The Inner Ear
- Contact:
so will 10.5 Leopard run ZFS? take some snapshots... sounds like time machine...
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
<a href="http://www.theslipstream.org">
<img src="http://www.theslipstream.org/images/ban ... stream.gif"> </a>
<img src="http://www.theslipstream.org/images/ban ... stream.gif"> </a>
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Dan
- Camp Shuey Counselor
- Posts: 1060
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 1:15 am
- Location: The Inner Ear
- Contact:
i have used nothing...
but i do have an external firewall
but i do have an external firewall
<a href="http://www.theslipstream.org">
<img src="http://www.theslipstream.org/images/ban ... stream.gif"> </a>
<img src="http://www.theslipstream.org/images/ban ... stream.gif"> </a>
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magpie
- Flood of Joyful Existence Waters
- Posts: 526
- Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:56 pm
- Location: humboldt county, ca
there simply aren't as many viruses out there for macs, that's one of the simple beauties of it. i can't say that i've *ever* had a virus attack one of my macs (or, at the very least, have never had any issues as a result. i wouldn't know since i've never used any anti-virals), and i've been a mac loyal since the days of old...
spyware is actually something i know very little about. i just googled and found this. maybe worth looking into...[/url]
spyware is actually something i know very little about. i just googled and found this. maybe worth looking into...[/url]
<i>become...
but remember that you already
are</i>
but remember that you already
are</i>
The only OS X Mac viruses so far have been proof of concept type things which have since been fixed with Apple's security patches but AFAIK they haven't been found in the wild. Same with spyware. There are a few keyloggers and that type of thing but someone would need access to your machine and your password to install it. There were a handful of OS 8/9 viruses but they were extremely rare but OS X is a completely different OS than the previous ones.
One thing I would mention to anyone using a Mac laptop at a public WiFi hotspot or on an unknown network if you have file sharing turned on is to make sure you A) Have a user password (lots of people just put in a bank one to make their lives easier... stupid.) and B) make it a word not in the dictionary, put some numbers into it etc.
Now to say that there aren't Mac viruses in the wild now certainly doesn't mean that there can't or there won't be. OS X is strong, much much stronger than Windows in my opinion and people theorize about how virus writers want to go after the largest population and/or have a personal vendetta against Windows but sooner or later there is probably going ot be a Mac virus that's really in the wild. I don't run virus protection on my Mac (I do on my boot camp/parallels installs of course) because I figure that if something does really get out there it will be big news.
If you live in fear of that kind of a situation your options are primarily Norton, Intego or ClamXAV. Norton for the mac isn't quite as invasive as its windows cousin but still can conflict with things. Intego seems to be better than Norton to me at least and that is what I generally recommend if someone REALLY wants virus software on OS X. ClamXAV is free which is a distinct advantage as well and seems to work just fine but it is more suited to the tech-savvy than grandma.
All in all I wouldn't sweat it at this point in time.
One thing I would mention to anyone using a Mac laptop at a public WiFi hotspot or on an unknown network if you have file sharing turned on is to make sure you A) Have a user password (lots of people just put in a bank one to make their lives easier... stupid.) and B) make it a word not in the dictionary, put some numbers into it etc.
Now to say that there aren't Mac viruses in the wild now certainly doesn't mean that there can't or there won't be. OS X is strong, much much stronger than Windows in my opinion and people theorize about how virus writers want to go after the largest population and/or have a personal vendetta against Windows but sooner or later there is probably going ot be a Mac virus that's really in the wild. I don't run virus protection on my Mac (I do on my boot camp/parallels installs of course) because I figure that if something does really get out there it will be big news.
If you live in fear of that kind of a situation your options are primarily Norton, Intego or ClamXAV. Norton for the mac isn't quite as invasive as its windows cousin but still can conflict with things. Intego seems to be better than Norton to me at least and that is what I generally recommend if someone REALLY wants virus software on OS X. ClamXAV is free which is a distinct advantage as well and seems to work just fine but it is more suited to the tech-savvy than grandma.
All in all I wouldn't sweat it at this point in time.
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rhythmicstorm
- Get Me with Fuji
- Posts: 124
- Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2005 5:02 pm
ok, here's a question.
i learned a trick for tabbing through open windows within an application. i forgot it though! it was so excellent. so say you have 4 different word docs open, you can tab through them without using the cursor or selecting it from the menu. i used it a lot in cubase, where there would be a mixer, all my plug-in windows, etc...
Anyone know it?
i learned a trick for tabbing through open windows within an application. i forgot it though! it was so excellent. so say you have 4 different word docs open, you can tab through them without using the cursor or selecting it from the menu. i used it a lot in cubase, where there would be a mixer, all my plug-in windows, etc...
Anyone know it?
You that love lovers, this is your home. Welcome!
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magpie
- Flood of Joyful Existence Waters
- Posts: 526
- Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:56 pm
- Location: humboldt county, ca
another question:
anyone here used Crossover yet?
i'll admit, there are a few windows apps i'd like to be able to run (birding and language software, kids games, and some audio stuff)... crossover seems to be a brilliant solution to avoid having to actually install windows, but not much has actually been tested on it.
harry are you using parallels? you mentioned boot camp and parallels in the same breath, but they're not really one and the same. do you use both?
any thoughts/recommendations?
anyone here used Crossover yet?
i'll admit, there are a few windows apps i'd like to be able to run (birding and language software, kids games, and some audio stuff)... crossover seems to be a brilliant solution to avoid having to actually install windows, but not much has actually been tested on it.
harry are you using parallels? you mentioned boot camp and parallels in the same breath, but they're not really one and the same. do you use both?
any thoughts/recommendations?
<i>become...
but remember that you already
are</i>
but remember that you already
are</i>
Don't know if I've ever known that keyboard combo for switching windows, could it be part of Expose?
As far as Boot Camp and Parallels you can run Parallels off your boot camp partition. I had to re-register windows again and call Microsoft to get a new key because windows noticed my hardware had changed but they were cool about it, you just have to tell them it's the same computer. (and I didn't tell them it was a Mac.) It limits Parallels in that you can't freeze a state and quit, you have to re-launch windows every time you open Parallels but since I don't really use Windows that often and I want the full Hardware compatibility that Boot Camp offers I'm willing to deal with it.
As far as Crossover, I haven't used it yet but from what I've heard/read it seems that it really only works for the specific apps they list on their website and it is even a bit funky in those. Seemingly worth a try if the apps you need to use are on their list...
As far as Boot Camp and Parallels you can run Parallels off your boot camp partition. I had to re-register windows again and call Microsoft to get a new key because windows noticed my hardware had changed but they were cool about it, you just have to tell them it's the same computer. (and I didn't tell them it was a Mac.) It limits Parallels in that you can't freeze a state and quit, you have to re-launch windows every time you open Parallels but since I don't really use Windows that often and I want the full Hardware compatibility that Boot Camp offers I'm willing to deal with it.
As far as Crossover, I haven't used it yet but from what I've heard/read it seems that it really only works for the specific apps they list on their website and it is even a bit funky in those. Seemingly worth a try if the apps you need to use are on their list...
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Cleantone
- Zion Gatekeeper
- Posts: 2150
- Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 5:24 pm
- Location: Western, MA
- Contact:
I am thinking about getting a Mac mini. My TiBook maybe shitting the bed. I can't afford to jump to a Mac Pro. Although I may be able to if I get on the two film projects I am banking on in a few months.
Right now I am still using a TiBook PowerPC 800mhz G4 with 1gig of RAM and a 7200rpm internal.
The mac mini seems to have Firewire which is important as I have many FW drives and some audio and video interfaces as well. I couldn't tell if it was FW400 or FW800 but that wouldn't make too much difference to me. FW800 works with FW400 devices as far as I know.
One major question I have is whether or not I would be able to use a PC monitor I bought a few years back. I do not have the cash nor the desire to get a big flat widescreen. I feel like you can use these types of monitors but I am not too certain. Anyone know about that?
Another question is Airport. Do these come with Airport for internetting? If not what? Ethernet only? My homes router is not near my setup so wireless would be ideal.
Can I run OSX.3.9? I would assume so. I have some audio applications that I cannot afford to upgrade that run on OSX.3.9.
How about upgrading RAM? I assume it is better to buy one with 512 and upgrade yourself? Hard?
Lastly any comments on heat or noise?
Right now I am still using a TiBook PowerPC 800mhz G4 with 1gig of RAM and a 7200rpm internal.
The mac mini seems to have Firewire which is important as I have many FW drives and some audio and video interfaces as well. I couldn't tell if it was FW400 or FW800 but that wouldn't make too much difference to me. FW800 works with FW400 devices as far as I know.
One major question I have is whether or not I would be able to use a PC monitor I bought a few years back. I do not have the cash nor the desire to get a big flat widescreen. I feel like you can use these types of monitors but I am not too certain. Anyone know about that?
Another question is Airport. Do these come with Airport for internetting? If not what? Ethernet only? My homes router is not near my setup so wireless would be ideal.
Can I run OSX.3.9? I would assume so. I have some audio applications that I cannot afford to upgrade that run on OSX.3.9.
How about upgrading RAM? I assume it is better to buy one with 512 and upgrade yourself? Hard?
Lastly any comments on heat or noise?
Clinton,
Yes you should be able to use a VGA/CRT type monitor with it, though you will most likely need a dvi/minidvi -> vga converter, though that should only set ya back 20 bucks I think.
RAM on the mac minis are upgradeable, however I have read of some issues with doing so, that it is hard to take apart and access etcetera compared to a laptop or macpro, so you may want to look into it first. A good place to check is here:
http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa?categoryID=1
Not sure on the other questions.
good luck
Yes you should be able to use a VGA/CRT type monitor with it, though you will most likely need a dvi/minidvi -> vga converter, though that should only set ya back 20 bucks I think.
RAM on the mac minis are upgradeable, however I have read of some issues with doing so, that it is hard to take apart and access etcetera compared to a laptop or macpro, so you may want to look into it first. A good place to check is here:
http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa?categoryID=1
Not sure on the other questions.
good luck
~good energy perpetuates good energy~
It comes with a DVI>VGA adapter, no need to spend $20 so you should be able to use almost any kind of monitor. It is FW400 only. They do come with Airport included. (unlike the original mini's.) I haven't installed RAM in one of the Intel ones yet but traditionally they are a real PITA to get into, I have some spackle knives I keep in my toolbag for that purpose only. Once you get the hang of cracking 'em though, it's not that bad. It's just a little freaky the first time. Slightly easier than cracking an iPod.
As far as your issues, 10.3.9 seems to me to be the biggest hang-up as Minis are Intel machines now and they will only run 10.4.4 and onwards. Also no Classic/OS9 at all anymore.
Maybe a used G5 tower would be a good option?
As far as your issues, 10.3.9 seems to me to be the biggest hang-up as Minis are Intel machines now and they will only run 10.4.4 and onwards. Also no Classic/OS9 at all anymore.
Maybe a used G5 tower would be a good option?