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February 16 2012
OS X (10.8) Mountain Lion: Unifying the Computing Experience
OS X (10.8) Mountain Lion: Unifying the Computing Experience
Within a year of Apple’s release of Lion (Mac OS X 10.7), they’re preparing to unleash Mountain Lion – providing even more of an integrated experience for those people who rely heavily on iOS devices (or, as I like to call ‘em: the gateway drugs). If you take the time to watch the teaser video [...]
by Chris Pirillo for LockerGnome.
May 02 2011
How to Use a MagicWand to Join an Apple Wireless Keyboard and an Apple Magic Trackpad
The Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup was a pioneering exercise in the wonders of blending two wonderful things together (“your chocolate’s in my peanut butter!”) into an aesthetically amiable, palate-pleasing package, and the clever souls at Twelve South pick up this principle and carry it to your laptop or desktop with the device-docking MagicWand. Got an Apple Wireless Keyboard? Got an Apple Magic Trackpad? Voila! With a wave of this MagicWand, the twain shall meet and become one — as inseparable as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, or Starsky and Hutch, or Laurel and Hardy, or Penn and Teller, or Chan and Tucker, or Turner and Hooch, or Sheen and Cryer! (Oops. Too soon?)
When you’re using the MagicWand to join together your Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple Magic Trackpad, you can be more mobile than ever. This handy little gizmo keeps the keyboard and trackpad flush with one another, so there’s no need to even rely on a tabletop for the clumsy maneuvering of a mouse or an uneven positioning for a track pad. The MagicWand ties it all together nicely, like a tidy, personal control panel from which you can direct your missives and tirades to the world with the greatest comfort known to humankind. Sit in your captain’s chair and shout “Engage!” with confidence and style instead of awkward fidgeting and endless searching for one or the other loose device. (Or just quietly enjoy more table room for your latte and scone if a coffee shop is more your style).
Or, if you prefer to use the MagicWand on your Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple Magic Trackpad for the desktop, it’ll help keep some of that inevitable clutter at bay by making it so that you only need to move one device instead of two — that decreases your cleanup time by 50% right there! Who needs a fairy godmother to keep your computer affairs in order when you’ve got use of your own MagicWand?
April 25 2011
OS X Forensic Tools and Utilities
At some point, you may find yourself in a position where you need to do some heavy data recovery or other forensic related tasks that need to happen. With the exception of stuff limited to those in law enforcement, I have found that there are a number of great forensic tools available for the OS X platform.
In this article, I will be highlighting some fantastic forensic utilities that I think will yield the kind of results you might be looking for. As a reminder however, I don’t believe that these are applications that would be considered anything above enterprise grade. The law enforcement stuff is for just, law enforcement. So do ask for links to those items please. Wherever possible, free or open source solutions will be listed.
Disk Arbitrator – designed to basically act as a user interface to the Disk Arbitration framework; Disk Arbitrator provides its users with the ability to keep data intact on the target disk. While not really a software write blocker in the truest sense, it’s been compared to one more often than not.
AD Triage – I like to call AD Triage forensic software for newbies. If you have no idea what you’re doing, this would be a good place to start. Built on FTK technology, AD Triage allows its user to preserve evidence immediately without struggling with the normal learning curve associated with this sort thing.
Mac Marshal Forensic Edition – A very nice OS X solution for analyzing OS X partitions, log files and it will poke holes right through FileVault protected directories. Best suited for newer Macs, this will run on OS X going back more than a few releases.
Who needs forensic tools?
Most of us don’t need forensic utilities, to be honest. And in most regions, there are strict laws forbidding you from using this software on anyone’s computer without express permission. So common sense applies. If however, you own a small business and suspect that something has been going on with a PC you own, then one of these tools might be a good idea to put into play.
April 22 2011
How to Choose Between Two Computers
A LockerGnome reader asks:
I’m going to be starting college in the Fall of 2011 and I am in the hunt for a laptop. I don’t really need a Mac, but I love the ease of use the OS offers. While most of my experience is with a Windows PC, I can’t help but to consider the Mac due to its looks and overall reliability. What do you think?
Deciding between what you need and what you want can be tricky, especially when what you want can help you get the job done in much the same way without failing to achieve the need your alternative would fulfill.
Here are a few suggestions to help you decide between two computers you want, no matter what their brand or operating system may be:
Can I Afford Them?
This is a common question among people considering differences between two pieces of similar technology. Often, the computer with the most power and/or eye candy comes complete with a higher price tag. In this case, you’re deciding between a Mac and a PC, but this decision could easily be between two systems with matching operating systems.
Before you even begin to consider anything else, you should determine if you actually have the financial capacity to grab the pricier option. If you bite off more than you can chew financially, it could lead to serious problems in the short and long term. The sticker shock of some text books, for example, comes as a nasty surprise for many students as they enter college.
Which Choice Will I Be Happier With in a Year?
If you’ve determined that both computers are within your buying range, the next question to ask yourself is whether or not you believe you’ll still be happy with each system a year from your purchase date. Usually, when you buy a computer, it is expected to last anywhere from 2-5 years before becoming obsolete. For many power users, that time period can be perceived to be much shorter and create a buyer’s remorse after the fact.
Even though it is important to consider immediate needs when making your decision, you also need to take in to account what you may be taking for the next year or two. Chemistry doesn’t require powerful hardware to study or work on, but a graphics design or video editing course may. Does the operating system on the computer you choose have the ability to work with the programs you may need to use to get through your coursework?
What Are My Software Needs?
When deciding between OS X and Windows, you may also want to take in to account any software you may need to use to get through your coursework. Are you taking a class that needs you to become proficient with a program that is only available on Windows? This is less of a problem now thanks to more universal programs being developed. Macs are also able to run Windows through programs like Boot Camp or Parallels.
Some systems come with an included suite of software to help you get started. For example, new Macs come with the iLife Suite which gives you fairly powerful video, music, and photo applications that allow you to get right to work without spending more on software. With a Windows machine, you’ve got access to Windows Live Essentials as well as some third-party programs included through the manufacturer.
Do I Have Time to Learn a New Operating System?
If you need to be up and running with your new computer right away, you may not have time to tackle the learning curve of a new operating system. Early frustrations, intensified by stress of a deadline or project, can lead to serious buyer’s remorse. If you’re unfamiliar with an operating system, it’s important to make sure you have a few days to get accustomed to things prior to any desperate deadlines requiring proficiency.
What Are Their Weaknesses?
Lastly, if it looks like a stalemate, examine each option by its weaknesses rather than its strengths. This is where computer shopping can get really confusing. By wiping your mind of all the bells and whistles and concentrating on which one has faults your most willing to overlook, you’re probably going to end up with a choice you’ll be happier with in the long run.
Does one have terrible battery life? Is battery life that important to you? Is one heavy and hard to lug around, especially when compared to the other? Do you plan to take it with you often? Hopefully using this method, the choice will be easier than concentrating on the shiny bits. 16 gigs of RAM doesn’t amount to much if the battery dies on you during class.
April 20 2011
Make Older OS X Releases Feel Like Lion
As you sit there reading this on your Snow Leopard installation on your Mac, you might be thinking it would be fun to make your OS X desktop feel a bit more like the one on OS X Lion. Fair enough, there are a few different ways to make your older Snow Leopard feel a bit newer. Following these tips below is likely to be the best approach next to actually going ahead with an actual upgrade to the new OS release.
1) GrowlMail - Hardly a must have option, it’s still worth pointing out that using GrowlMail is a fun way to see incoming email in real time. Beats keeping the client open all the time. It’s a free app, extremely simple to setup and something of a bonus to gain a bit more life out of your desktop. Well, it’s giving your existing email client a bit of an edge.
2) MagicPrefs – Because OS X continues to embrace multitouch in everything it does with each upgrade, there’s no sense in older release users being left behind. I suggest using something like MagicPrefs to refine even more multitouch functionality in with their recently acquired Magic Mouse.
cc licensed ( BY SD ) flickr photo shared by amadeusrecord
3) DropCopy – Perhaps not a straight across OS X Lion offers with AirDrop, but I suspect that it’s pretty darned close. DropCopy makes the ability to share files across different Macs very simple. The visuals during the process aren’t too bad either.
4) Hyperspaces – Clearly not the same thing exactly as we might find with Lion’s own Mission Control, it’s still pretty darned close if you ask me. Create your space, name it and then go with it to meet your needs. It’s a neat way to customize your desktop in a very creative sort of way.
And there you have it. Four completely separate applications you can try to make your existing Snow Leopard installation feel a little bit more like Lion.
April 01 2011
Why Macs Cost More Than PCs
Every time I hear the same argument about Macs costing so much more than a Windows PC, part of me wants to break out the calculator and explain exactly why there is a price difference. Believe it or not, you’re not paying for a “brand” as much as you are paying for actual differences in hardware and software.
First, let’s talk bloatware. Bloatware is this generally software installed in a new computer that is intended to advertise something. These are usually shareware and trial programs that offer anti-virus protection, office programs, etc. What happens here, is the computer manufacturer gets paid a significant amount of money to include these programs on their computers. This then offsets the cost and allows the company to pass on the savings to the customer. That $700 laptop is really a $900 laptop with a couple hundred dollars worth of sponsored software pre-installed.
Another difference between the two systems is included software. It can be argued that OS X and Windows are roughly the same in terms of cost and overall functionality. One does things differently than the other, but they’re both operating systems. Where the big differences lie is in Apple’s decision to include the iLife Suite with each new Mac. This suite includes a basic photo manager, audio, music, and video editors, and a DVD creation program. If you searched for programs with the same basic functionality on the PC, they would come with a significant price tag. Microsoft has made significant improvements in Windows Movie Maker and other programs offered with their Windows Live suite, giving Apple some added competition in this area recently.
Build quality is usually brought up in the Mac vs. PC debates to a roll of the eyes. The fact of the matter is that unibody designs, polycarbonate and aluminum built materials with actual glass over the trackpad and screen, and other little touches make Macs a strong competitor to even the highest priced PCs in terms of build quality. If you wanted to buy an all-in-one PC with the same screen resolution as an iMac, you’ll easily find yourself spending the same amount for either machine. You may also trade off build material quality for a touch screen, which may work out better for you depending on your actual needs.
Hardware specs are one area where PC users feel they have the best value. Macs usually come with lackluster video card choices, so-so CPU options at lower price points, and have a reputation for being behind the times. What PC users don’t take in to account is the higher demands of a Windows-based PC. Just sitting on idle, the Windows machine eats clock cycles and RAM at often double the amount of the Mac. OS X also addresses kernel requests differently than Windows. If you were to watch a movie in 1080p on a Windows machine and a Mac with the same exact hardware specs, you might find the Windows machine takes longer to load the video and may have more jerks during playback. This is because of a few fundamental differences in how the operating system communicates with the processor. There is a reason the majority of the movie industry does their edits on Mac machines, and have for quite some time.
While this article may appear to be strongly supportive of OS X and bashing of Windows, it’s important to remember that each system has its own areas where it absolutely excels. If you’re a gamer, for example, you probably want to go with a PC since they not only get the first crack at most games, but they also have targeted hardware for that very purpose. Apple has recently started to push their systems as a gaming platform, but frankly the PC is leaps and bounds ahead of the Mac in this area. There are many advantages to going with Windows over OS X in this regard. What matters most is what you intend to do with the computer.
The cost difference between the two isn’t as high as one might think. You get a strong value in included software, no bloatware, better build materials on average, and in many cases more punch per clock cycle. If you wanted to achieve all of this on a Windows machine, you’d likely be spending the same, if not more.
March 31 2011
Mac OS 10.7 Lion Developer Preview 2 Released, Fixes Bugs, Close to Release Candidate?
Apple developers got a present from Cupertino last night in the form of an updated developer preview of Mac OS 10.7 Lion. The previous build, which we reviewed about a month ago, contained significant issues that developers complained made their Lion systems next to impossible to use for development. This new build, however, claims to fix many of the issues present in the original release and is down to about 12 known bugs.
Could Apple be getting close to a release candidate / Gold Master? It would seem that way, with the planned release of Lion set for this summer. It seems likely that Apple is planning on releasing the gold master to developers during their June WWDC event, which would put the public release a few weeks later, right on schedule.
If you’re a registered Apple developer, look for the update to appear in the Mac App Store. If you don’t see it, make sure that you’ve installed the update 1 for the original preview build through Software Update. This new preview build feels faster and more responsive, is definitely more stable, and is clearly much closer to being ready for prime time than the last one was–impressive for only an additional month of development. There are no new features here, but it seems likely that Apple has a few things up its sleeve that they might be holding back until WWDC’s keynote event.
Here are the major bugs remaining in this release:
- If running Developer Preview 1, please make sure to install “Mac OS X Lion Developer Preview Update 1″ from Software Update (available under the Apple menu) prior to downloading Mac OS X Lion Developer Preview 2. If you do not perform this update, your download will not begin when you redeem the code and the code will no longer function.
- The Recovery HD may not be created when installing Lion on a drive with an unsupported partition scheme.1
- Installation of Mac OS X Lion onto a software RAID volume, or while booted from a software RAID volume, is not currently supported. Attempting to do so may render the volume non-bootable. Software RAIDs can still be used as data volumes.
- Network migrations are only supported from Mac OS X v10.6.6 with the Migration Assistant compatibility update installed.
- If you intend to migrate a user with FileVault enabled from another system, make sure the user is logged out on the source system before you begin.
- Thunderbolt devices are not fully supported.
- Videos purchased from the iTunes Store will not play on Early 2011 MacBook Pro models.
- Screenshots may be black on Macs with integrated graphics.
- If you get a warning that ‘FaceTime does not support video calls’ when using FaceTime, please quit and re-open the application.
- iPhoto 9 crashes when trying to create a book, card, or calendar from an event or album, and when clicking a photo’s info button.
- Users with NTFS volumes (such as BootCamp) may experience a panic when rebooting or shutting down. To work around the issue, unmount the volume before rebooting or shutting down.
March 28 2011
How Much Will Mac OS Lion Cost?
Mac OS 10.7 Lion, the next major release of Mac OS X, is set to be released this summer. You’ve read about and seen all the new features like improved gesture support, a redesigned finder and automatic saving and file version archiving, but one important question remains: how much will it cost? Apple has not officially released pricing information for Lion, but by taking a look at previous versions of OSX, we can get a sense of what the pricing might be. Let’s take a look:
Up until version 10.6 (Snow Leopard), Apple has priced most major releases of Mac OS at around $120. Aside from 10.1, which was given away for free based on the major bugs in 10.0, it was a pretty consistent pattern. Each release had significant new consumer-facing features that justified the upgrade price, and most Mac users jumped on board and paid for the upgrade. With 10.6, however, there was less of a focus on brand new features and more of a focus on optimization of existing features. Because of this, the price was much lower, only $30 for an upgrade from Leopard to Snow Leopard.
Because of all the great new features, it’s unlikely that the upgrade to Lion will cost $30. However, there are reasons to believe that it will be less than $120, and here’s why that is.
- Apple has essentially spoiled their customers with the dirt-cheap Snow Leopard. Even though there weren’t many new features, it was still a significant upgrade with many performance improvements. People lined up to upgrade for only $30, and Apple might want to ease people back in to paying full price for an operating system. $120 might come with sticker shock for some, so they might price it lower.
- The Mac App Store is quickly becoming Apple’s favorite way to distribute software, and Apple’s own software like Aperture and iWork is cheaper in the App Store than it is if you buy the physical box. If Apple decides to distribute Lion through the App Store, look for it to cost less than a physical box copy.
- While Lion does have lots of awesome new features, it’s still not quite on the same level as Tiger or Leopard before it. There’s some good stuff here, but unless Apple has some tricks up their sleeves, these changes are simply not worth $130.
Because of these things, look for Lion to check in this summer at a price somewhere between $50 and $100 for an upgrade. Definitely more than Snow Leopard, but probably less than Leopard and Tiger. The App Store effect has been bringing down software prices across the board, so look for OS prices to fall as well. However, we will not find out for sure until this summer. Stay tuned!
March 10 2011
Why I Love the Idea of a Cloud OS
This morning, I wrote an article detailing why I hate the idea of an OS built with cloud dependence in some of its core features. The fact is, there are many reasons why an OS built with the cloud in mind at its base is a good idea. This is especially true for users that are frequently doing work from the road that needs to access the most up-to-date copies of files.
Files and Content Remains Synced
Doing work in the cloud can be a tremendous help, especially when you’re collaborating with a team that aren’t in a single physical location. Cloud-based office applications like Google Docs have revolutionized the way many businesses think of telecommuting and allowed them to save significantly on overhead costs and infrastructure.
Chances are, something you’re doing on a web-heavy system will likely be backed up and synced across all of your machines no matter their build and specs. My desktop at home will have the same access to the same content my Chrome OS notebook would from the coffee shop down the street.
Hardware Costs are Much Lower
While I did cite hardware is getting cheaper and faster every day, the current state of the economy can’t be ignored. Spending thousands on a powerful system capable of doing tasks that can be done on a web-based platform isn’t always a viable solution. If I can accomplish the same output from a $200 netbook or a $1,000 notebook, I’m going to pick the netbook every time.
Battery Life is Generally Better
Wi-Fi and 3G connections eat at battery life, but not nearly as quickly as a system running hot because of clock cycles being spent running intensive programs. If I streamed music from Pandora and updated my blog on a Chrome OS system, I’m more likely to have a lot more battery life than I would playing music from iTunes and running Microsoft Word on Windows 7.
A Hardware Failure Doesn’t Destroy Anything Important
If you do a lot of work on the computer, you’ve probably had a hard drive, motherboard, or other major system component die on you at one point or another. A hard drive going out is a terrible event that has causes countless hours of work, photos, and other important data to be lost. The most important benefit to working within the sphere of the cloud is that your data is completely backed up. The chances of losing your online data to hardware failure is minimal as long as you’re using reliable services.
Overall, I think the idea of a cloud OS can be both good and bad, depending on your perspective on things. It might not hurt to have one of these resource frugal operating systems installed as a dual boot option for times when you’re on battery power and need to get something out on the net. What does concern me is how Microsoft and other major operating system developers intend to integrate the cloud in to their flagship desktop systems. If they do it right, it could be the best of both worlds.
February 28 2011
OS X Dock Replacement
You have to admit, there is just something about using the dock in OS X that makes life a little easier. Heck, I’ve been known to duplicate dock usage on my Linux computers simply because it just makes everything easier to work with. Rather than having to slide to the desktop, just hit the dock for what you need! Makes complete sense. Unfortunately though, the regular dock that comes with OS X can be a little overwhelming. Yes, improvements made in Snow Leopard are a great start, but in the end there was still a need for greater sorting of what is available on the dock itself.
Enter DragThing
Not really my first choice for an application name, DragThing provides some fairly neat functionality to an already decent application dock provided by OS X. Being able to better segment your own layout of application within the dock, is a powerful concept. The problem is being able to do this while not inhibiting your overall experience. This can be pretty tricky. But when using software like DragThing, you’ll find that bundling applications, documents and various folders into your dock becomes quite painless.
Perhaps the biggest advantage to using DragThing is the ability to manage multiple docks, each setup exactly how need it. Yes, even with modern offerings of OS X, multiple docks can be a massive time saver. To make things easier, you can also use keyboard shortcuts to make things with your multiple docks even faster. Switch from one running application to another, without ever needing to bother with the mouse. Even setup “hotspots” designed to react to mouse movement to any assigned area of the screen. Great for easily starting up an app without thinking twice or saving something mid-stream.
As cool as all of that is, the ability to run multiple dock instances is easily what makes this a killer app. Rather than looking for a dock alternative, why not just improve on the one you already have? Seems fairly obvious to me!
But wait, there’s more!
Now for the fine print. DragThing is shareware. Yes, you will need to pony up a little extra cash for an app that has been out since OS 9 and will give you a more productive experience with your Mac. Sorry, sometimes the best things in life aren’t free. But aren’t there other dock alternatives out there that would be just a good? Surely there will be someone out there who will point out how many other alternatives out there. I understand this and counter with this thought. Why offer a list of crap, when I can offer a single product that I think fits the bill perfectly? Seems like a good idea to me.
February 27 2011
Mac OS 10.7 Lion Developer Preview Video Walkthrough
I got my hands on the Developer Preview of Mac OS 10.7 Lion, and in addition to writing up my thoughts on the new features, I also made this 5 minute video so you can get a closer look at all the fancy newness and things I talked about in the walkthrough. For the best experience, I recommend watching the following in full-screen HD.
Check out the video below:
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: Sneak Peak Preview
The Mac OS X 10.7 Lion developer preview was released along with new MacBook Pros on Thursday. I had the chance to download Mac OS X 10.7 and play around with some of the new features that Lion brings to the table. Apple said in their Lion press conference that 10.7 Lion brings some iOS style improvements to core parts of the OS, and it’s very clear from this preview that Apple is going all-in with touch-based controls. Apple’s new desktop OS and existing mobile OS feel very similar.
Here are some of the most notable changes and useful new features that I’ve found so far.
Improved gesture support
To take full advantage of 10.7 Lion’s new features, you need to be using a trackpad. Whether it’s a MacBook trackpad or a Magic Trackpad, Apple has focused on seriously improving the control of the OS through the pad. Two-finger scrolling now follows their touch interfaces in direction by default (move fingers up to go down, and down to go up), but you can switch it back if you’d rather have it the way it was in 10.6 and below.
With three finger gestures, the default behavior now is to switch between Spaces. You can literally fling the spaces around as if they are all lined up in a row (a la iPhone home screens), and the new Dashboard space is lined up to the left of everything. Dashboard no longer appears as an overlay on the desktop, but is rather given its own Space, and the new “Mission Control” feature can be accessed in the space “above” all of the other spaces.
Flinging around in between Spaces and to Mission Control with finger gestures feels like computing in the future, like I’m manipulating those giant screens in Minority Report and throwing information around with my hands. It’s definitely a happy medium between a desktop OS and touchscreen-style controls.
“Mission Control” and Launchpad
Apple has introduced two major new UI enhancements in 10.7 Lion, “Mission Control” and Launchpad. Mission Control takes spaces and expose and merges them, giving you access to every application window and Space you have set up in one convenient screen. Launchpad brings the iOS Springboard to Mac OS X, allowing you one-button access to every app you have installed on your Mac. The days of having to navigate to the Applications folder to launch a non-dock app are over, just load the Launchpad and you can see all your apps in one place.
Redesigned Finder & Core Apps
Finder has undergone a small makeover as well, most notably losing the colored buttons in the sidebar and adding a few useful features. “AirDrop” lets you copy files to any other Mac on your network’s Downloads folder, and “All My Files” shows you a handy view of every file on your machine, sorted by type of file. Other than that its the same old Finder that we’re used to, and some may be disappointed that much-wanted features like tabbed file browsing are left out of this one.
The core apps in OSX have also undergone a bit of a makeover, most notably Mail.app, which now sports a dual-column layout like Mail for iPad, and also features threaded messages. GMail users have been enjoying threaded messages for years, so its nice to finally have desktop mail apps supporting this very important feature.
iCal and Address Book also feature much-needed updates, making their interfaces much nicer on the eyes and adding a few new features, but nothing huge.
Full Screen Apps, Auto-Save and App Freezing
Taking more cues from iOS, 10.7 Lion has a few features that we are used to on our mobile devices. A button in the top-left of every supported app window allows you to send that app into full-screen mode, where the app will take up the entirety of your Mac’s screen. Once you full-screen an app its window becomes a Space, and you can flip between that app, other full-screen apps, and your desktop spaces normally. I can see this being very useful for media apps such as Aperture, where you could edit some photos in full-screen mode and then switch to your desktop and do something else without having to exit full-screen.
I wrote this post in Safari full-screened, and much enjoyed the large workspace experience along with the ability to switch to doing something else quickly without exiting full-screen mode. I just swipe over to my desktop space or use Mission Control to select the window I’d like to switch to.
Safari running in full-screen mode
There’s also new APIs in Lion for applications auto-saving documents and “freezing” their state–meaning if you quit an app its state will be saved, and the next time you open the app it will be right where you left it. Apple introduced this as a substitute for full multitasking in iOS, but it works even better in the desktop environment. If you accidentally quit Mail in the middle of writing a message, when you reopen it will be right there ready to be finished. I haven’t had a ton of chances to use this feature, as no third-party apps support it yet. Once more developers get their hands on Lion I can see both of these features being very useful.
Overall it looks like Apple is heading in a touch-based direction with Lion, and its an absolute pleasure to use with a trackpad. Once the inevitable touchscreen Mac is released I think Lion will fit wonderfully.
February 22 2011
Best Photoshop Alternative For Mac
For many Mac owners, a copy of Photoshop is a given. After all, it’s the definitive photo editing application for not only OS X, but Windows as well. Unfortunately whether or not the hefty price tag for the software matches up with the delivered value, is in the eyes of the beholder. In my own home, it’s worth it to my wife. She’s a photo pro. For someone like myself who tinkers with graphics and photo editing, I would rather use something MUCH cheaper.
Enter GraphicConverter
While I wouldn’t actually claim it replaces Photoshop, I think that many of the more common features work great with GraphicConverter. In addition to the photo editing features you might expect, you will also be glad to hear that there are also some great scripts and plugins that can be added if needed. Key functionality basically comes down to import/export, organizing/workflow, plus a few other goodies. That’s the short list, believe me. The full list would fill this page.
For someone looking to keep their software costs under $50, doesn’t require a completely new skill set, there is no question that using GraphicConverter fits the bill nicely. Easier to use than GIMP, while also allowing OS X users to forgo dealing with GTK hassles.
The GIMP
Often confused with this Gimp, The GIMP based on GTK allows users to have a Photoshop-like experience. Brushes, filters, layers, the entire package. About the only shortcomings are specifically missing CMYK and cleaner text functionality found in Photoshop. For most people who are willing to stop looking to duplicate Photoshop exactly, using GIMP actually works really well. Sadly most Photoshop users will still resort with their “it sucks” and “it’s not Photoshop” comments rather than simply admit it’s their unwillingness to try something new.
At the end of the day, it really comes down to preference. If you need Photoshop, buy it and move on with your life. But if price is a barrier for you, either buck up and use the alternatives available or find employment that provides you with the disposable income to buy the software you need. The choice of what works, thankfully, belongs to each of us.
February 21 2011
Do You Need a Virtual Machine?
What are the benefits of virtualization? This was a question asked over on Lockergnome Q&A recently, and I thought the answers may just benefit several of you out there. Now, we know that many of you already use virtual machines. Why not leave a GOOD comment on the video, explaining to those who don’t why it is they might want to look into doing so? See how that works? We all help each other! Remember – YOU were a n00b at one time, too!
Virtualization isn’t emulation: it’s using the computer hardware to run an operating system within an operating system. You can run umpteen dozen operating systems at the same time – all doing something different if you so choose. I run Windows 7 in a virtual machine on my Mac so that I can quickly and easily do anything I might need to do within Windows.
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In my mind, the largest benefit to a virtual machine is when you’re trying something new. Take a snapshot of your current VM… try out whatever it is you have your eye on. If it doesn’t work – no big deal! Just revert your VM to the snapshot and you’re good to go. That’s a beautiful thing, in my mind. You can instantly go right back to where you started without having to back everything up, reinstall your operating system and adding your programs/documents back.
Which VM software do you recommend – and why? Keep in mind that I have coupons for Parallels, VMWare and even more!
February 20 2011
How to Capture a Web Page as an Image
Having the ability to capture a web page as an image is vital for tech bloggers, IT professionals, video podcasters, and web developers. Being able to capture the entire page instead of just a visible portion requires some additional help not available in most browsers by default. Below are some tools and suggestions that can help you achieve your goal.
Capturing Web Pages in Firefox:
Firefox has an overwhelming number of plug-ins and add-ons that allow this functionality. Below are a few that the community have taken a liking to. Keep in mind this isn’t an all-inclusive list.
Screengrab captures pages either in their entirety or just what you can see in the current Firefox window. It captures mostly everything you can see in Firefox including flash components.
Abduction! adds a right click option to take screenshots of an entire web page or just part of a web page to save as an image.
FireShot boasts the most forward thinking compatibility being compatible up to 4.0b9pre. That’s not to say others aren’t either heading in that direction or already there. Unlike other extensions, this plugin provides a set of editing and annotation tools, which let users quickly modify web captures and insert text annotations and graphical annotations. Such functionality will be especially useful for web designers, testers and content reviewers.
Capturing Web Pages in Chrome:
Webpage Screenshot, is it’s called, does exactly that. It takes a picture of either part of a page or the whole thing and sends you to a built-in editor that allows you to add annotations and small edits before saving it or sending it to a free hosting service. This is one of the more robust page capturing tools I tested doing research for this article.
Capturing Web Pages in Windows:
IECapt is an open-source solution that captures images of pages rendered using the Internet Explorer engine. This is a pretty standard image capture program and it works for a variety of site styles out there. If it loads in default IE, it will capture in IECapt.
Capturing Web Pages in OS X:
Paparazzi! is a free stand-alone program that allows you to capture an entire web page as an image file. It has a simple interface that asks for the URL you wish to capture and size requirements. You can set a minimum and maximum capture area or let it capture a page in its entirety and tell you the results.
Paparazzi! is based on WebKit and Cocoa, and while it captures a lot of different web code bases, it doesn’t render anything that requires a plug-in such as Adobe Flash. This might also be a great way to test a site for compatibility across desktop and mobile browsers. As an example, Jquery and HTML5 resources pull up fine where Flash and Silverlight do not.
If you’ve ever found yourself in the need of capturing an entire web page in the form of an image file, Paparrazi! might be worth a look at. The failure to render embedded YouTube videos, scripted menus, etc. is a drawback, though at a price tag of free there isn’t much of a reason not to keep Paparazzi in mind when searching for a solution to this often nagging problem.
February 18 2011
How To Update Mac Software Easily
Even though we live in an era where the Apple Mac Store allows its users to easily find, install and keep their applications up to date, there is still something lacking. What about those applications purchased outside of the app store? Last time I checked, you were on your own if you think that this will update non-Mac App Store software. Well that is not entirely true. In some instances free software will be updated, but not other software. And to be honest, the whole thing appears to be pretty convoluted. Paid apps purchased outside of the app store are non-updating. Not really too down with this? Neither was I. So I ended up looking for an alternative.
AppFresh
By no means something that is going to seriously replace the functionality of OS X updates or even the Mac App Store, it could however be an interesting alternative assuming the project manages to keep itself afloat. The idea behind the project seems simple enough: install the updating tool, allow it to provide you with updates for all of your software as supplied by http://osx.iusethis.com/. It’s really quite something. Too bad it’s still in development stages while the Mac App Store is being used right this very minute.
Where things are going to likely get interesting is mixing and matching of software that was already owned. This article about updating existing OS X applications indicates there may be some issues you need to be concerned with. So based on this, I see room for tools like AppFresh to pick up the pieces where perhaps the Mac App Store dropped the ball. After all, it’s not the end users fault the app store isn’t able to sort things out. All that matters is there’s likely frustration to be had by all.
To Mac Store or Not
Sometimes easier isn’t always better. While the Mac App Store looks cool, I already have enough to worry about with the next potential exploit to iTunes accounts. So adding to this by putting the mix with yet another hub of opportunity isn’t really in my bucket of necessity. Besides, unlike iOS, I can install OS X software without “needing” to rely on any sort of app store. So to me, this just feels like I am dumbing down the experience.
For those of you looking to update their Mac software with ease, going with the App Store makes sense. But be warned, existing software can be put into jeopardy. So it’s best to stick with new titles. And also remember that just because you haven’t experienced something first hand doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. So be aware and install safely.
February 16 2011
Lock Your Screen in OS X
Matt Ryan of The Frugal Geek blog on Lockergnome shows you how to lock your Mac OS X Screen using a password protected screen saver.
From the Desktop & Screen Saver settings in Mac OS X, be sure you have turned on a screen saver. You then configure a hot spot on your screen to activate the screen saver when you move the cursor to that location. Configure the password for your Mac OS X user account. From the Security System Preferences page, check the box to require your password be entered when screen saver is activated.
February 08 2011
How To Manage OS X Processes
Remember in Windows when you’d open the task manager to terminate a problem program or process? Perhaps you’ve been told that it’s best to not worry about such things, because OS X will do this for you? All of this is great, except that you’re not on Windows anymore and you do, indeed, need to kill off a stalled program that would otherwise force you to reboot. When I had Finder stall on me not too long back, the first thing I ended up doing was rebooting. Why? Because I’m not a full time Mac user and options didn’t occur to me!
Task Manager is Activity Monitor
Apparently Mac users have “activities,” not “tasks” to monitor? Whatever, the point is that the Mac provides a very solid tool with its activity monitor in which you can find what’s running, if its eating through your resources, and what you can do about it. Yes, the famed Force Quit is available from this menu as well, so you can kill off problem applications from here instead of the Apple Menu if you like. What struck me the most is how similar this is to the system monitor in Linux, especially the one provided to GNOME users with distros like Ubuntu. It’s laid out almost exactly the same way.
Where things might get a little spotty, however, is how different this is from what Windows users are used to working with. The process names are completely different. You have both user processes and system wide processes. During your exploration with this tool, you find that some of the software it shows running sounds familiar. Other parts of it, not so much. So it’s helpful to only kill off programs you’re familiar with and basically use this as a voyeur tool instead.
Speeding up OS X
Now if you’re under the impression killing off some of the running processes is going to make a significant difference in how well your Mac is running, you would be wrong. The best bet for speeding up your Mac is simply to make sure you’re working with enough RAM, not to mention your machine is reasonably new. If you’re finding that the old PPC Mac mini isn’t cutting it anymore, it might be time for an Intel iMac instead.
January 17 2011
Does A Mac Need Antivirus Software?
Clearly Windows is a victim of its popularity, as finding malware to infect it is very simple to do. However it has long since been believed that *Nix options such as BSD based OS X (Darwin) and Linux, are somehow immune to catching the crud that stems from the Web. Folks, malware exists for all platforms, including OS X. Where things differ, is how users catch it and how big the risk is based on platform.
The shut-in mentality
Many folks out there might be thinking if they stayed inside all the time, avoided people, they’ll never catch the flu. Granted, they’ve managed to greatly reduce the likelihood of it. But the fact of the matter is that it’s still entirely possible. Merely avoiding those situations that make catching the bug doesn’t make the bug cease to exist. I think people miss this sometimes.
Coming back to the software side of things, the same thing applies. Fact is, you can indeed be infected by malware on OS X. The trick is to understand that it may differ than how you’d be affected on Windows. See, OS X users are generally hit when they installed bad software, carrying malware they were unaware of. Windows users by contrast, can be hit with that is called “Drive-By” malware where all the user needs to do is turn on their PC and connect to the Internet. Remember Windows XP and the Blaster Worm? If you think that Windows 7 protects you from this type of threat (another worm threat), think again. Best to have Windows Security Essentials installed on that platform.
Best antivirus for OS X?
If this was for Windows, I’d easily say Windows Security Essentials. After years of Microsoft being spanked by malware providers, other security suites doing a lousy job of protection, Microsoft finally had enough research to get it done right.
The problem here is that OS X doesn’t have its own security suite. A firewall, yes. But not a de facto security package. Based on what I’ve been told, you are still largely fine without one, so long as you are aware of where your software is coming from. Geeks running Macs, will be fine without a security suite.
However if you have kids or others who download everything that installs, best to look into something now before you have a problem. Think it doesn’t exist? You’d be wrong about that. It most certainly does, it’s just more difficult because of Darwin’s superior security setup.
December 23 2010
How To Screen Capture Video On OS X
It’s something that has been posed to me on countless occasions, how exactly does one successfully learn how to screen capture video on OS X? I mean, is it with included software or would there be a good application available elsewhere, that makes this doable?
The short answer is yes, but like with Windows, you will get what you pay for. Ranging in prices from under $20 to the triple digits, this type of screen capturing software for OS X remains a cost consideration for those looking to make this sort of thing happen.
At the end of the day, most of the software available seems to lack the ability to record sound or provide other expected functionality unless you’re willing to climb up the ladder of cost. If you’re going to be spending the money anyway on decent screen recording software for OS X, might as well do it right the first time with software called Camtasia for the Mac.
Yes, there are some really lame free options out there, but if you care to produce something worth watching, you will need to spend a few bucks to make this a reality. Some of the reasons why I see Camtasia as being the most logical choice include.
Photo by PHOTOGRAPHER NAME HERE
1) Record: The smart focus technology used, is the one thing that makes recording a desktop presentation with Camtasia a real pleasure. It zooms in where it needs to, as if you were working with a camera’s zoom function.
2) Edit: Unlike other applications out there, you can actually make needed edits on the fly with Camtasia. This translates into ready to upload to YouTube screen capture videos made simple.
3) Share: Lastly, there is the ability to share the video screen capture with others. Camtasia makes this simple for uploading to YouTube or broadcasting over social media.
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