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Mac OSX Noob thread of OSX noobs

M

Mecha_Infantry

Banned
Urrgh

Web-browsers suck man.

Webkit/Safari is so beach-ball happy I had to quit it, but it's PDF view was fucking perfect for all the stuff I'm researching

Chrome doesn't want to open my uni email, nor does it want to automatically close the download bar.

Firefox is Firefox, Camino seems OK but some sites it's just not rendering correctly. Fucking hell
 
D

Dreams-Visions

Member
Mecha_Infantry said:
Urrgh

Web-browsers suck man.

Webkit/Safari is so beach-ball happy I had to quit it, but it's PDF view was fucking perfect for all the stuff I'm researching

Chrome doesn't want to open my uni email, nor does it want to automatically close the download bar.

Firefox is Firefox, Camino seems OK but some sites it's just not rendering correctly. Fucking hell
Click to expand...
Opera FTW. better javascript handling, better flash handling, tab stacking, better memory management.
 
U

Ulairi

Banned
LCfiner said:
if the ATI Radeon happens to have a displayport outlet, it will work with the ACD with a cheap DP to Mini DP connector.

If the Radeon only has DVI or HDMI, then a 150 dollar adapter would be required to connect it to the ACD.
Click to expand...


I ordered my 27" Cinema Display today, should be here Thursday. However, I couldn't find a mini dp to display port adapter on Apples website. Is this something I could pick up in store?
 
D

DEAD RABBIT

Member
Polk said:
Am i screwed GAF?

Boot time increased lately up to 3-4 minutes on my mac.
I tried to use disc utilities on the OS disc but without luck (sure it can verify permissions and look for errors but cannot repair them).
So is my only option now reinstall the os?
Click to expand...


You can also try to reset the System Management Controller (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964). I had some weird laggy issues after several power failures. This fixed it for me.
 
U

Ulairi

Banned
I'm back. I have a SAPPHIRE 100281-3SR GPU with a display port. I should be able to get a mini dp to dp adapter and hook it up to my PC? I heard that I'll need to set the brightness with my MBP as some PCs have issues with that, which I don't mind doing.
 
D

Dr. Feel Good

Banned
This might not be the best place to post but I thought I'd give it a shot.

I just ordered a new Macbook Pro (13 inch) and was hoping to list my old Macbook on eBay to salvage some costs (and likely buy an iPad with the profits). My problem is I don't really know much about tech information to know "how good" my Macbook still is. It's the black Macbook that they no longer make and I bought back in August of 2007. Could help me with relevant information I should contain within a listing to make sure potential buyers know what they are buying?
 
J

Jasoco

Banned
Dr. Feel Good said:
This might not be the best place to post but I thought I'd give it a shot.

I just ordered a new Macbook Pro (13 inch) and was hoping to list my old Macbook on eBay to salvage some costs (and likely buy an iPad with the profits). My problem is I don't really know much about tech information to know "how good" my Macbook still is. It's the black Macbook that they no longer make and I bought back in August of 2007. Could help me with relevant information I should contain within a listing to make sure potential buyers know what they are buying?
Click to expand...
Well, my August 2007 white MacBook has fallen apart completely. Just be glad it still works and is worth something.

Maybe $500. It's old but it's still relevant. Pop it up on eBay with a $550 or so BIN and offer free shipping. That always works for me.
 
D

Dr. Feel Good

Banned
Jasoco said:
Well, my August 2007 white MacBook has fallen apart completely. Just be glad it still works and is worth something.

Maybe $500. It's old but it's still relevant. Pop it up on eBay with a $550 or so BIN and offer free shipping. That always works for me.
Click to expand...

Well the battery and hard drive have both been replaced within the last year. So I think it should be able to get a somewhat decent price, despite it's outdated specs (likely $500).

But my issue is I don't know what to say about the model. I have no idea what the hard drive size is, I know I'm running Leopard but not sure which version, no idea on the processor, etc.
 
O

onegoodlogan

Member
Dr. Feel Good said:
Well the battery and hard drive have both been replaced within the last year. So I think it should be able to get a somewhat decent price, despite it's outdated specs (likely $500).

But my issue is I don't know what to say about the model. I have no idea what the hard drive size is, I know I'm running Leopard but not sure which version, no idea on the processor, etc.
Click to expand...
Apple icon in the top left corner > About this Mac
 
D

Dr. Feel Good

Banned
onegoodlogan said:
Apple icon in the top left corner > About this Mac
Click to expand...

Ahhh, thanks! So including information that the hard drive and battery have been replaced would obviously be beneficial, I'm assuming?

Ooor, anyone interested in purchasing an old Macbook?
 
V

VOOK

We don't know why he keeps buying PAL, either.
Hey guys on my iMac I keep getting a 'kernal_task' running like at over 500meg, and it's slowing things down. Any ideas?

Google seems to have no firm idea. :/
 
J

Jasoco

Banned
VOOK said:
Hey guys on my iMac I keep getting a 'kernal_task' running like at over 500meg, and it's slowing things down. Any ideas?

Google seems to have no firm idea. :/
Click to expand...
kernel_task is the mother process for the entire OS. Everything that gets launched is launched as a child of kernel_task.

Mine's at 187MB right now and I have 8GB RAM. How much RAM do you have?
 
D

Doytch

Member
Just want to confirm a few memory-related things for my white Sep 2010 (7.1) Macbook. From the info screen I know I'm looking for 1067 mhz ddr3 sticks, but I've read from a few places that using 8GB is unstable. Should I stick to 4 or 6GB? Or is that only an issue for older models?
 
D

Dreams-Visions

Member
New program I'm happy to recommend.

http://www.whatsizemac.com/

I was struggling trying to figure out what files I could move off of my SSD and onto other drives/partitions or simply delete entirely. This app shows the files on your machine and, how much space they take up For example:

I'll be moving the entire DVD Studio Pro folder to one of of my SSD and onto one of my HDD partitions, then creating a simlink. So far, I've gone from 15GB free on the SSD to 36GB free and counting.

screenshot20110202at315.png


Edit: correction, make that 45.59GB free (post DVD Studio Pro move)!

It's worth the cost of admission for this kind of functionality. I'm not sure if this kind of feature is available in another program for free, but it's saved me a ton of time and space.
 
J

Jasoco

Banned
Why is iPhoto '11 so buggy? And why is FaceBook integration so shitty? How hard is it to cancel a sync when I tell it to cancel the fucking sync? If I want to quit the program, and it's trying to sync my FaceBook albums, even though it never starts and is perpetually at "Pending" even though it already synced apparently even though it never gave me any visual notification that it actually worked, it won't let me quit the fucking program while it's syncing. And it won't let me cancel it. Instead it gets stuck. I have to force quit the program every time and it just starts up again the next time. But I actually like FB integration. I just hate how shitty the program is now.

It's not hard to cancel a connection. Obviously it's not actually canceling it. Just getting stuck. Apple, what the hell? iPhoto is one of the few iLife programs I actually like and use. But why is it so baaaaaaaaad?
 
C

cooljeanius

Member
So Adobe Reader somehow managed to replace Preview as the PDF reader Safari uses for in-browser PDF viewing without my permission... any idea how I can switch it back? Preview is still my default PDF viewer for downloaded PDFs...
 
F

Firestorm

Member
Doytch said:
VMWare Fusion 3 for Mac is showing as $42. Am I missing something? Signed up with a UToronto student email.
Click to expand...
ah, VMWare Fusion 3 was free for a year for me when I signed in with my SFU student email. Maybe different depending on school?
 
V

VOOK

We don't know why he keeps buying PAL, either.
Jasoco said:
kernel_task is the mother process for the entire OS. Everything that gets launched is launched as a child of kernel_task.

Mine's at 187MB right now and I have 8GB RAM. How much RAM do you have?
Click to expand...

I have 8gig too, mine got up to about 650mb last night and then got a 'Please shutdown' warning thing. :(
 
J

Jasoco

Banned
cooljeanius said:
So Adobe Reader somehow managed to replace Preview as the PDF reader Safari uses for in-browser PDF viewing without my permission... any idea how I can switch it back? Preview is still my default PDF viewer for downloaded PDFs...
Click to expand...
Uninstall Adobe Reader. Take it out back and shoot it down like a duck. Fuck that shit in the anus and the ears. Unless you need it, in which case, open Preferences and check for an extension called "PDF Viewer".

VOOK said:
I have 8gig too, mine got up to about 650mb last night and then got a 'Please shutdown' warning thing. :(
Click to expand...
What "Please shut down" thing?
 
C

cooljeanius

Member
Jasoco said:
Uninstall Adobe Reader. Take it out back and shoot it down like a duck. Fuck that shit in the anus and the ears. Unless you need it, in which case, open Preferences and check for an extension called "PDF Viewer".
Click to expand...
Unfortunately there is the occasional PDF that Preview can't open that I need Adobe Reader for, so I can't just uninstall it. I looked in Safari's preferences, and didn't see anything called "PDF Viewer" or "Adobe Reader," but when I looked in Adobe Reader's preferences, there was an option under "Internet" that said "Display PDF in browser with Adobe Reader 10". Unfortunately this option was grayed out and I couldn't uncheck it...
 
Q

quaere

Member
Dreams-Visions said:
Opera FTW. better javascript handling, better flash handling, tab stacking, better memory management.
Click to expand...
Opera is probably not going to work for someone complaining about web site compatibility issues with Webkit and Gecko browsers...
 
J

Jasoco

Banned
cooljeanius said:
Unfortunately there is the occasional PDF that Preview can't open that I need Adobe Reader for, so I can't just uninstall it. I looked in Safari's preferences, and didn't see anything called "PDF Viewer" or "Adobe Reader," but when I looked in Adobe Reader's preferences, there was an option under "Internet" that said "Display PDF in browser with Adobe Reader 10". Unfortunately this option was grayed out and I couldn't uncheck it...
Click to expand...
That's very odd. Adobe pisses me off sometimes. The only thing I have by them is PhotoShop, and I had to actually put it on a diet by deleting apps I didn't want and removing things I didn't need from the app and all the folders it threw all over the place. Reader was one of those things. I don't even have Air installed. If something requires it, I stop using that app immediately without question. I don't put up with that shit. No Adobe bloatware will go on my system. Even PhotoShop has been de-bloated by way of Monolingual and removing the PPC binary and removal of the helper apps I never use anyway. Even the Help system is gone. If I want help with an app in this day and age, I USE THE FUCKING INTERNET. Not some bloated help documentation app.

This has turned into an Adobe rant.

I Googled and it said there was an extension in Safari that caused it. If it's not in your case, I don't know what it could be.
 
J

Jasoco

Banned
I'm a WebKit fanboy now. I won't use anything not WebKit anymore. And Firefox only for DownloadHelper when I need to download a Flash video. Opera using yet another rendering engine is a no-no in my book. More power to them, but not for me.

*puts on giant foam WebKit #1 hand*
 
D

Dreams-Visions

Member
Jasoco said:
I'm a WebKit fanboy now. I won't use anything not WebKit anymore. And Firefox only for DownloadHelper when I need to download a Flash video. Opera using yet another rendering engine is a no-no in my book. More power to them, but not for me.

*puts on giant foam WebKit #1 hand*
Click to expand...
COME AT ME BRO
 
D

Dre3001

Member
Alright so I just ordered my first Macbook Pro. It is a refurbished 2.4 ghz with aluminum unibody and 250 gb harddrive.

I was wondering though with the refurbished Macbooks does Apple put a new battery in them when they are ordered or are u stuck with the same battery that it had before from its previous owner??
 
D

dmshaposv

Member
Dre3001 said:
Alright so I just ordered my first Macbook Pro. It is a refurbished 2.4 ghz with aluminum unibody and 250 gb harddrive.
Click to expand...

I dont know if this was a good call, considering apr-2010 macbook pros would slash in prices with the imminent refresh (whenever it happens).

I'm also tempted to buy a 15" i5 macbook pro now, but am holding off as best as I can!

If the reviews of sandy bridge (if apple does adopt) are good I'd go with them, otherwise would settle for gen one i5 pros at reduced prices.
 
D

Dre3001

Member
dmshaposv said:
I dont know if this was a good call, considering apr-2010 macbook pros would slash in prices with the imminent refresh (whenever it happens).

I'm also tempted to buy a 15" i5 macbook pro now, but am holding off as best as I can!

If the reviews of sandy bridge (if apple does adopt) are good I'd go with them, otherwise would settle for gen one i5 pros at reduced prices.
Click to expand...


I already realized that updates are on the way for the macbook but I couldnt hold out since my current laptop has gone fubar.

Also with no guarantee when Apple is dropping a refresh and the news that Intel had to recall Sandy Bridge I decided to get one now.
 
D

Dreams-Visions

Member
Dre3001 said:
I already realized that updates are on the way for the macbook but I couldnt hold out since my current laptop has gone fubar.

Also with no guarantee when Apple is dropping a refresh and the news that Intel had to recall Sandy Bridge I decided to get one now.
Click to expand...
I agree with you. Good call as long as you got a good deal.
 
H

hirokazu

Member
Jasoco said:
Why is iPhoto '11 so buggy? And why is FaceBook integration so shitty? How hard is it to cancel a sync when I tell it to cancel the fucking sync? If I want to quit the program, and it's trying to sync my FaceBook albums, even though it never starts and is perpetually at "Pending" even though it already synced apparently even though it never gave me any visual notification that it actually worked, it won't let me quit the fucking program while it's syncing. And it won't let me cancel it. Instead it gets stuck. I have to force quit the program every time and it just starts up again the next time. But I actually like FB integration. I just hate how shitty the program is now.

It's not hard to cancel a connection. Obviously it's not actually canceling it. Just getting stuck. Apple, what the hell? iPhoto is one of the few iLife programs I actually like and use. But why is it so baaaaaaaaad?
Click to expand...
I lost 2000 photos from my holiday while trying to take it off my iPhone into iPhoto '11. It's an unbelievably shoddy piece of shit.
 
J

Jasoco

Banned
hirokazu said:
I lost 2000 photos from my holiday while trying to take it off my iPhone into iPhoto '11. It's an unbelievably shoddy piece of shit.
Click to expand...
I never import directly into iPhoto or iMovie. I import to my desktop then import them from there into the program and delete the originals.
 
H

hirokazu

Member
Jasoco said:
I never import directly into iPhoto or iMovie. I import to my desktop then import them from there into the program and delete the originals.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I learnt my lesson the hard way. :|
 
N

NumberTwo

Paper or plastic?
Also, one more thing. For Dragon Dication, is it better to use something like the Plantronic Calisto bluetooth headset, or a connected USB headset?
 
J

Jasoco

Banned
hirokazu said:
Yeah, I learnt my lesson the hard way. :|
Click to expand...
Also, make sure to turn off "Delete from camera". That way, if the import fucks up, it won't delete the originals. I'd much rather take an extra step afterwards to delete them than risk it fucking up while trying to import them.
 
M

mrkgoo

Member
Jasoco said:
Also, make sure to turn off "Delete from camera". That way, if the import fucks up, it won't delete the originals. I'd much rather take an extra step afterwards to delete them than risk it fucking up while trying to import them.
Click to expand...
I've always I porter my photos directly into iphot, but I don't have iphoto 11. Also, I agree, never delete the photos format he camera except via the camera itself.
 
H

hirokazu

Member
Firestorm said:
Need compress PDF files because fuck PowerPoint and my Photoshop PDFs are too big :( Any programs?
Click to expand...
You can create Quartz filters to do this in Automator. A bit complicated, but a Google search may be able to help you.

EDIT:
Here's one I prepared earlier for myself: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10569001/Compress PDF to 150dpi.qfilter

Copy the Quartz Filter file to ~/Library/Filters. The next time you save a file as PDF, in the Save As dialog, there should be a Quartz Filter drop down menu, choose "Compress PDF to 150dpi" from the menu (same as the file above) and then save the file. It should come out at a much smaller size, depending on how big the source images are.

OS X actually already has a preset Reduce File Size filter, but it basically puts the compression settings to the extreme, so you end up with a small PDF with basically useless embedded images. Shame, because they could've made a really handy filter that'd save people time from doing it themselves.
 
H

hirokazu

Member
Jasoco said:
Also, make sure to turn off "Delete from camera". That way, if the import fucks up, it won't delete the originals. I'd much rather take an extra step afterwards to delete them than risk it fucking up while trying to import them.
Click to expand...
I got lazy and complacent, because nothing ever went wrong before. Put too much trust in the program.

Oh well, can't undo it, but at least I know to always be more careful than necessary in the future..
 
L

luoapp

Member
hirokazu said:
You can create Quartz filters to do this in Automator. A bit complicated, but a Google search may be able to help you.

EDIT:
Here's one I prepared earlier for myself: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10569001/Compress PDF to 150dpi.qfilter

Copy the Quartz Filter file to ~/Library/Filters. The next time you save a file as PDF, in the Save As dialog, there should be a Quartz Filter drop down menu, choose "Compress PDF to 150dpi" from the menu (same as the file above) and then save the file. It should come out at a much smaller size, depending on how big the source images are.

OS X actually already has a preset Reduce File Size filter, but it basically puts the compression settings to the extreme, so you end up with a small PDF with basically useless embedded images. Shame, because they could've made a really handy filter that'd save people time from doing it themselves.
Click to expand...

The Quartz filter is great. Thanks.
 
F

Firestorm

Member
hirokazu said:
You can create Quartz filters to do this in Automator. A bit complicated, but a Google search may be able to help you.

EDIT:
Here's one I prepared earlier for myself: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10569001/Compress PDF to 150dpi.qfilter

Copy the Quartz Filter file to ~/Library/Filters. The next time you save a file as PDF, in the Save As dialog, there should be a Quartz Filter drop down menu, choose "Compress PDF to 150dpi" from the menu (same as the file above) and then save the file. It should come out at a much smaller size, depending on how big the source images are.

OS X actually already has a preset Reduce File Size filter, but it basically puts the compression settings to the extreme, so you end up with a small PDF with basically useless embedded images. Shame, because they could've made a really handy filter that'd save people time from doing it themselves.
Click to expand...
Timan said:
Guys at panic, did something like that

http://www.panic.com/blog/2010/02/shrinkit-1-0/
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'll try those. And yeah, I had tried the Reduce File Size thing and it killed my images x.x
 
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