Recently in OS X/Mac Category

I really like my Apple products. I like their computers, I like their software, and I like their gadgets (e.g. iPod, iPhone, AppleTV). I loathe their support. Apple, and many companies like Apple (in the tech industry), simply don't know how to let their tech support personnel make sensible decisions. Here is my example for the day:

I purchased the Leopard Family Pack installation DVD about a week after Leopard came out. I really had no intention of using it on my main machine (right now a 17" MacBook Pro - still running 10.4/Tiger), but I wanted a chance to try out some of the "improvements" on one of my workstations that I use as a backup to the MBP. A few weeks later, I got around to installing it on a Mac Pro and it worked like a charm. (I'm not overly enthused with the performance of Leopard on any of the machines I have had a chance to install it on, but I like certain software features, like Time Machine and the improvements in Apple Mail, that it has made sense to install it on a few coworker's machines. I have had nothing but problems, however, installing it on PowerPC based machines. We have three identical 17" iMac G5's that were purchased at the same time. The installer crashed every single time in every imaginable way on all three machines. The only way I eventually got Leopard installed on the machines is by installing using Target Disk Mode on a PowerMac that we use as a backup and test server. I read somewhere in the Apple Support Discussions that others had experienced similar problems with Leopard 10.5.0 install media and that they had been able to get Apple to swap their install discs. In my case, I didn't want to waste the time dealing with AppleCare on the phone, so I put up with the problem. That was until this weekend, when I tried to do a fresh install on a PowerBook G4 (1 GHz), the installer crashed (again) in every single imaginable fashion - i.e. I tried a dozen times in a dozen different ways to get it to work, and it didn't. Write me if you want the details. It would take far too much time to explain it here. Suffice it to say, I really did try everything - except installing via Target Disk Mode.

Yesterday, I bit the bullet and called AppleCare/Apple Support and went through the process with a tech. An hour later, we ended the conversation with, "Steve... please take the PowerBook and install media to the Apple Store and get them to replace the media..." Nice. 60 miles (one way) and over $20 in gas and 3 hours of my time (which on the low end, equates to a total trip cost of $160 plus the waste of me driving a vehicle because somehow my problem - which we all agree is with the media - cannot be solved by them sending me another copy of the software). What a friggin' waste. Today, however, I had the chance to make it to the Apple Store in Milwaukee (Mayfair) because I had to go to Milwaukee for business anyway and the 20 min. extra drive would be worth it. I made an appointment and went through the motions with the Apple Genius dude - who was extremely helpful and pleasant, by the way - to get the media replaced. After explaining my experiences, showing anyone who would listen an example of said experiences, everyone we have talked to agreed that the install media was the problem and it needed to be replaced.

Read that last sentence again.

Instead of shipping me a package in a very efficient manner - via UPS/FedEx/DHL - I drove 120 mi. and wasted 3 hours to replace a 8 oz. package that has a DVD that was defective. 120 miles... round-trip. for a dvd.

This is the type of waste that companies promote because people don't use their brains - or aren't allowed to. Now... I don't think I had one tiny minute impact on the environment, etc. Sorry, I don't play that game or buy into that religion. But, I do believe that the over-all impact to me and society was negative. It was a waste of time and energy; time and energy that could have been applied to something productive. Shame on Apple and shame on businesses that promote waste and laziness because their policies and systems don't let people make decisions that simply make sense.

I love little applications that just work™. Back in my Windows days, I remember coming across an application for network throughput monitoring at analogx.com (NetStat Live) and thought, "how awesome! I don't need anything complicated, just a small app that shows network throughput on my system... and here it is!" The same thing occurred today. Now that OS X 10.5 (aka Leopard) supports bluetooth stereo audio via the A2DP BT profile, I purchased a BT dongle that I can hook my headphones up to so that I'm not tethered to my office desk. (See the IOGear Audio Transport.) Once I got the dongle paired up with my workstation, I couldn't seem to connect to the stereo side of the headset. I was getting monaural sound, but not stereo. (Which, by the way, worked previously in 10.4. You could connect to a bluetooth stereo headset, but it would only pass audio in mono to the headset, not stereo.) I'm very familiar with how OS X handles audio input and output vis a vis System Preferences, but for some reason, I couldn't get stereo output.

I did a quick search via Google of the A2DP profile in 10.5 and found mention of Rogue Amoeba's SoundSource in a forum (I can't find the forum right now). I downloaded the app and had my problem solved in 30 seconds - literally. SoundSource is very good at showing sources and outputs for audio (the headset I'm using doesn't show up as well on their menu as in the Sound menu in System Preferences, but it is more intuitive). Just select and change source or output on the fly. It is that simple. To top it off, since it is free, there isn't a reason not to try it.

Screenshot:

I cannot believe it has taken this long for me to figure this out:

Multiple identities in one account with Apple Mail.app (link)

I work with an average of five different email accounts to separate work from personal from junk. Essentially, all of the email addresses I use pour into one single account except for those associated with email lists (because of the sheer bulk of messages I would receive and can't process). The problem is that I thought Apple's Mail.app didn't have an easy way of sending from these "identities" unless you added the identity as another mail account. Not true. If you follow the instructions in the above link, all you have to do is take the one account you wish to change and add every email address (i.e. identity) you want to send from in a comma separated list in the Email Address field where you set up your account. I know this works on OS X 10.4 (aka Tiger) and will test on 10.5 (aka Leopard) later. Props to Jonathan for finding this very simple solution.

I think the keyboard one uses (i.e. the one built into the laptop you work on or the one you attach to your machine at home or office) has a big effect on how you use your machine. I find that if I don't have access to my [personal] environment, I'm less likely to do the things I normally take time to go through. I buy a new keyboard every six months because I never feel comfortable with the one I'm using for longer than that. I'm always in search of that end-all-be-all device that brings me back to those memorable ThinkPad 770ED days. That was the first laptop I had that I loved to type on. (It was far from the first laptop I've ever had, but was the first for me where the pointing and typing devices were exactly what my hands called for. The tactile feedback, key size and location were all just right.) I wrote volumes with that machine and even though laptop keyboards have a tendency to be cramped, I really enjoyed using the 770. (In fact, there lies a completely dead shell of a 770ED on a shelf in my office - for posterity's sake.)

I happened to be at the Mayfair Mall Apple Store in Wauwatosa, WI (dropping off a new, but dead Mac Pro) and saw that they had the new Apple wireless keyboards (small, laptop-like, bluetooth devices). Other than the built in, back-lit keyboard on my MacBook Pro, I usually don't like Apple keyboards - and especially not their mice. I was drawn to the new keyboard, however, because of the size, and thought, “what the hell...” I have a $100 in-store credit for my “early adopter iPhone purchase” and wanted to see what it was like.
After opening up the packaging and registering the keyboard with my laptop, I started typing. Oh wow. Yeah... really... wow. It was like being transported back to the days of typing research papers on the 770. There are a few very basic characteristics I like about the wireless keyboard: tactile feedback, key size, key spacing and over-all layout/location of the keys. I can't tell you why the spacing works so well for me. I love the old IBM click! keyboards, which make this one look like a midget. While I comment that I like the over-all size, that is a bit misleading, because I like bigger keyboards, too. I think most heavy computer users would find it troublesome to explain what they like and don't like about their favorite keyboard, except when it comes to tactile feedback. The responsiveness of a key depression is the single most irritating factor in explaining why a keyboard sucks. I think I'm in the slight majority when I say: squishy keyboards suck. Perhaps I should come up with a better phrase than “suck,” but that word sums it up. They suck the life out of your hands when you type on them. This is a point where this keyboard (ironically) excels and beats my expectations. When you press a key, you know it. It isn't loud and doesn't yell HEY THERE! like the click! keyboards, but you know that you've typed a key after depressing it.
Of all wireless keyboards I've used over the past four or five years, this one has been the most responsive and easy to manage. When I sat down to write a short recommendation to buy the keyboard, I thought, how ridiculous... a review of a tiny, little keyboard from Apple? Then again, what is it that makes us like our work areas? I think many are like me; part of their desire and ability to get things done is having access to the tools they like using. So, since I spend the better part of my day working on one, why not. I've read lengthy reviews of pens and pencils, why not of a keyboard?
If you're on the fence and don't need number keys (I'm wondering if Apple will consider bringing out a bluetooth number keypad to match) - AND you sometimes like using laptop keyboards - I highly recommend you try this one. If you do go off my recommendation, I'd appreciate a note of what you think after actually using it. I've found this to actually make thinking about typing secondary to doing. That has a tendency to make life a little easier.

This is simply a note for the internet archives. I spent the better part of 45 minutes following very, very simple instructions as to how to get Patchstick to boot on one of my Apple TVs. I had two 2GB USB thumbdrives and neither worked. I was able to get two Apple TVs to reboot, but never read from either USB drive. Finally, I dug through an old backpack and found a 1GB USB drive that I immediately tested my luck with. It worked. No problems. There was obscure mention of this problem in a 123macmini.com forum note. Later in the thread from the link above, there is mention of a fix by changing a line in the "createPatchstick" script. If you make the appropriate changes, the 2GB drives will work, too. I have some other build notes relating to nitoTV that I'll post later.

Today is one of those rare occasions where I'm not schlepping my 17" MacBook Pro around with me. It's bad enough that I have 20lbs (7kg) of camera gear with me. I decided to put my Fujitsu P1610 to work on this trip and take it with, since the situation I'm in is where I intended to use it. I really don't like using Windows, though. It is less of a disdain for Windows than I have when doing technical things with that OS that bother me, it is more of I could be doing this more easily...
Anyhow. What I wanted to make note of is two tools I really take advantage of on the Mac - for which there really is not a good Windows alternative (that I can find as of today):
- Quicksilver
- Spotlight
Yes, Google Desktop could be compared to Spotlight, but sorry. It is an amazing resource hog on my system that I end up turning off all the time just so that I can conserve battery power when not plugged in. Every time I restart my system, it spends far too much time re-indexing things and creates a frustrating experience. Quicksilver just makes it so easy to do so many things, too. Its API has been used by many hackers out there to add very simple functionality - from posting to Twitter to changing volume and songs in iTunes. Do the above applications mean that OS X is better as an OS? Perhaps one could argue this, but my argument follows the thought that it is indie OS X developers who really have a knack for developing software that is pointed, simple, and amazingly useful. It could be that in the Windows world, because of the sheer size and mass, that it is hard to wade through all that is out there and find your perfect application. If that is the reason why I find applications written for OS X better than those that are similarly written for Windows, then so be it. I think OS X users are generally more demanding and therefore the software tends to be better. There is no way for me to empirically prove this.
Either way, if you are on OS X, try learning and using quicksilver and Spotlight. (Especially for those who avoid the mouse, quicksilver is a godsend.)

Links:
- Ten quicksilver alternatives for Windows
- quicksilver Software
- Apple's Spotlight

I didn't pre-order Leopard (aka Mac OS X 10.5) like I have with every other OS X release since 10.2. Do I feel like I need to rush off to the nearest store to do so? No. Do I want a bunch of goodies offered with the new version of OS X? Absolutely. My life won't be complete until I get my hands on the new Finder functions, improved AppleScript and Automator functions, and Mail improvements. (Apple Mail is a program I love to hate. I love it because of how searchable the "database" of email I have collected is. I hate it because on my MacBook, it loves to hang from time to time when I come out of suspend mode. Plus, for some reason - and I can't explain this in a scientific and well thought out manner - it flakes out with IMAP accounts and my process usage goes to over 100% until I quit Mail and restart it.)
My current situation is proof that I'm getting older and finally am less inclined to obsess over new technology. It feels good. Unfortunately, I can't seem to apply this same patience with everything I become obsessed with (ahem, photography, etc.). Maybe with more time...

This is a random, random post. I'm working on a customer's warranty claims and am finding two things missing on my Mac that I would find quite useful.
1) Somehow link my del.icio.us bookmarks tagged “weblogs” to my NetNewsWire account. All of the items tagged weblogs should automatically show up on my list of accounts under NetNewsWire. I'm not surprised no one has done this, but I am that no one else has mentioned how useful something like this would be. The problem I have with using disparate programs that keep track of the same data (in this case a web “application” and a real desktop application) is that there are seldom good ways to link the two.
2) I want more hosting providers to offer receiving email via ssl. Even if email in it, of itself is not secure (and it *isn't*), I'd like to see more show explicit support for at least encrypting email passwords. I travel a lot and am becoming more and more wary of snooping on wifi hotspots.
3) The wonderful and invaluable OpenBSD pf ported to OS X. Yes, a ridiculous request because of a) the difficulty I imagine something like this would entail and b) I haven't seen anyone else make the request through the right channels. I still prefer pf over ipfw for so many reasons, not the least of which that the designers/hackers of pf really do *understand* how a normal person uses a firewall.

While the title may sound sad, it isn't meant to be. I quit because Elgato finally released EyeTV 2 with a one-button Apple TV export option. Thank you Elgato!!! I didn't note many of the other attempts I made to find the perfect recording settings because each time, I had to wait hours to see whether or not what I did was worth it. For anyone wondering, last night I was able to view a few of the transcoded HD tv episodes from the "one button" export feature and am extremely pleased. HD native from a Mac Mini will always be more ideal, but considering the hoops one needs to jump through to get to the right episode, press play and constantly tinker with a keyboard, exporting for use with Apple TV just works better. I'd love to post a few of the clips I was able to transcode, but alas, that's probably illegal (even if it were fair use) and I am not willing to take the chance. Just upgrade EyeTV 2 to the latest version and you'll be happy.

Technorati Tags: apple tv, transcoding, video

This is something I searched high and low for after making the mistake of trying to run a virtual machine from a networked drive: once I had added that machine (which doesn't work because of limitations imposed by the design of Parallels - at the time of this writing), I couldn't remove it from the list of virtual machines (guest machines, whatever you want to call it). This presented a huge problem because I had done this on my MacBook Pro, which is a mobile machine and doesn't always have access to the network shares. To further exacerbate the problem, if Parallels could not find the shared folder where the machines were supposed to be loaded, it would eventually slow my MacBook to a crawl until the OS simply locked up. The solution is simple, yet only documented in one place, and not one of the directories removed when you uninstall Parallels. Delete the directory ~/Documents/.parallels-vm-directory (or, 'rm -r /Users/yourusername/Documents/.parallels-vm-directory'). Once this directory is removed, your machine list - aka the list that shows the virtual machines you have installed on your computer - you will lose the list you had (I'm assuming you'll be able to find where you installed your virtual machines on your own), but Parallels will again work as it should when away from those networked volumes.
I can't believe this isn't well documented since it causes a great deal of harm on a system where someone has tried to run a virtual machine from a networked drive. It is the only reason why I am beta testing VMWare Fusion.

Technorati Tags: parallels