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Mac OSX Noob thread of OSX noobs

B

Blackhead

Redarse
Are there any good apps for organizing and searching PDF magazines? Not Calibre, iTunes nor Yep...

Barkley's Justice said:
Sparrow users: Have you noticed Sparrow constantly accessing the network?

I set up a Yahoo! account and then couldn't help but notice in Little Snitch (Network monitor resource) that Sparrow was constantly pining Yahoo's imap server. Literally non-stop.

I only see it using a Yahoo account, not Gmail.
Click to expand...
yep. That's how Sparrow gets up to the minute alerts. I've had recurring problems with Sparrow and Yahoo where it keeps losing access and requiring me to re-enter my password. I got tired of Yahoo's shenanigans and got Gmail to grab my Yahoo emails so I never have to use that website directly anymore
 
S

scorcho

testicles on a cold fall morning
Melhisedek said:
Guys if I wanted to format my MBP, how would I do it? Or just reinstall the OSX?
Click to expand...

you need to have your OSX installation files on a separate partition or external drive. once you have that figured out, boot from that media (hold onto the option key while your MBP reboots) and follow the prompts to install OSX. somewhere within that will be the option to use Disk Utility to wipe your current partition/drive.
 
Q

QualityPixel

Banned
Hey Mac Gaf. ITunes question here. Sorry, I'm using a PC (but I do have a MacBook Pro).

I just installed a SSD, installed windows, and iTunes, copied my music/app library to the location I want it in (which is not going to be on the SSD). And I was wondering if anybody knew how to get it to import my old library.

I already have it setup to use the location where I have library now (f:\music\itunes music), and all my files are in the same place. But I can't get it see that my files are there already.

Thanks!
 
X

xero273

Member
Hi Mac gaf, What do you guys recommend for text editors for coding? If it matters, I'll mainly be doing java and a little bit of xml.

Thanks
 
T

tsigo

Member
xero273 said:
Hi Mac gaf, What do you guys recommend for text editors for coding? If it matters, I'll mainly be doing java and a little bit of xml.

Thanks
Click to expand...

TextMate used to be it, but lately it seems to be all Sublime Text 2, unless you have an interest in learning Vim or Emacs, which wouldn't be a bad idea.
 
X

xero273

Member
tsigo said:
TextMate used to be it, but lately it seems to be all Sublime Text 2, unless you have an interest in learning Vim or Emacs, which wouldn't be a bad idea.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I should have also said free in my original post. Sorry. emacs kind of sounds familiar. I think in college I used that. I might take a look at emacs.
 
S

scorcho

testicles on a cold fall morning
Sublime Text 2 and BBEdit would be my recommendations. If you want to get a feel of BBedit, download TextWrangler, which is the freeware version of the editor.
 
A

anonymous_abc

Member
Really silly question how do I get the F keys to work on my iMac.

Any combination with alt, cmd ctrl shift won't work... o_O

Wanted to get a screen capture in steam (F12)



Oh and another question that has been bugging me for ages.
If I get a popup how can I use and switch the buttons by only using the keyboard?
 
B

bananas

Banned
QualityPixel said:
Hey Mac Gaf. ITunes question here. Sorry, I'm using a PC (but I do have a MacBook Pro).

I just installed a SSD, installed windows, and iTunes, copied my music/app library to the location I want it in (which is not going to be on the SSD). And I was wondering if anybody knew how to get it to import my old library.

I already have it setup to use the location where I have library now (f:\music\itunes music), and all my files are in the same place. But I can't get it see that my files are there already.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

There should be a iTunes Library.itl file in your music folder (or where ever you were storing your iTunes stuff). Hold shift down when opening iTunes and it'll ask you to choose an .itl file.
 
S

Syracuse022

Member
Another vote for Sublime Text 2. I use it for Coffeescript, Javascript, HTML, and CSS right now. I've been doing web and iOS apps (for the iOS side of things I've stayed with XCode).
 
R

RBH

Member
I just received a brand new 13" MBA, and I've been having some problems updating iMovie and iPhoto.

I opened up the Mac App Store when I first started using the laptop and noticed that there were two app updates available, one for iMovie and one for iPhoto. I click on "Update All" and this comes up:





iGc4CIZCtaayB.png




I've been looking online through countless threads on MacRumors and other forums for an answer, and then I came across this proposed solution:


The fact that they were preinstalled is why they are supposed to appear in the Purchased pane, in a temporary area labeled Purchases, for you to accept. Not doing so soon after you got the Mac has messed this process up.

To get things back on track properly try these steps;

Updating Pre-installed iLife apps -
1 - Log out and quit iTunes and the Mac App Store (MAS)
2 - Go to System Prefs/Users & Groups/~user/Password and enter the Apple ID connected to your iTunes/Mac App Store account. Close Sys Prefs
3 - Delete /Mac HD/Library/Caches/com.apple.appstore/adoption.plist
4 - Reboot your Mac
5 - Open Mac App Store
6 - Go to the Purchased pane and Accept the three iLife apps. Enter iTunes/MAS username/password if prompted.
Click to expand...
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4057229?start=0&tstart=0



So after following those instructions, I open up the Mac App Store and click on the "Purchases" tab. When I go to click on "Accept", this comes up:




iP1U8tVnvOVhn.png






I was hoping that someone here could help me figure out how to solve this. I would really really appreciate it.
 
G

giga

Member
Call Apple Support and they'll probably give you new redeem codes.

Edit: You could try deleting the three apps and then restart to see if it allows you to accept the purchases. Also try signing in and out of the App Store (Store -> Sign out)
 
R

RBH

Member
giga said:
Call Apple Support and they'll probably give you new redeem codes.

Edit: You could try deleting the three apps and then restart to see if it allows you to accept the purchases. Also try signing in and out of the App Store (Store -> Sign out)
Click to expand...
Tried signing in and out and also tried deleting them. Neither worked. I've read some posts from people who were able to get new redeem codes, but some of them had to go through numerous calls/people before they got them. I'll certainly give that a shot though if all else fails.

Timan said:
Did you register/sign in with your apple id on first boot?
Click to expand...
Yes.
 
G

giga

Member
Try signing out of your apple id, deleting the apps, and then creating a new user login on the computer. Try the purchases tab from that login.

Also try deleting com.apple.appstore.plist from /user/library/preferences
 
R

RBH

Member
giga said:
Try signing out of your apple id, deleting the apps, and then creating a new user login on the computer. Try the purchases tab from that login.

Also try deleting com.apple.appstore.plist from /user/library/preferences
Click to expand...

I'll give both of those a try, thanks.



Edit: Got it fixed by doing this:


SOLUTION:

[for iLife apps e.g. iPhoto, iMovie & Garageband installed under/associated with Apple ID you do not have access to]

Unable to update through Mac Apps Store or Accept iLife App after putting previous version in the trash.

1. Finder: go to applications

2. Right click on application [iPhoto, iMovie or Garageband]

3. select Show Package Contents

4. open or expand _MASReceipt folder

5. delete the receipt file [requires administrative priveleges for the Mac you are working on]

6. run Software Update from Apple Menu; the applications update should now appear here and not in the Mac App Store [at least as of this writing]

7. Optional: empty trash
Click to expand...
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3792349?start=0&tstart=0
 
T

terrdactycalsrock

Member
Oh man, I have only had my Imac for about 3 days but I am crazy in love with Lion. Its clean, fast, and I really love how the app store and finder works. But I do have a couple of questions about the dock. What is up with that blue dot in front of the app? I know its signifies that it is open, but even when I close out a window it doesn't close the application, I have to right click on the icon and it quit for it to do that. Am I missing something about the blue dot? Also, is there a name for the grey bar with the time and icons showing your wi fi connection?
 
A

Ambitious

Member
terrdactycalsrock said:
Oh man, I have only had my Imac for about 3 days but I am crazy in love with Lion. Its clean, fast, and I really love how the app store and finder works. But I do have a couple of questions about the dock. What is up with that blue dot in front of the app? I know its signifies that it is open, but even when I close out a window it doesn't close the application, I have to right click on the icon and it quit for it to do that. Am I missing something about the blue dot? Also, is there a name for the grey bar with the time and icons showing your wi fi connection?
Click to expand...

That's the way most Mac apps work. Closing app windows in general doesn't terminate the app (there are exceptions, like iPhoto). Which makes sense. Years ago, when I had a very shitty laptop running Windows, I always avoided closing the last browser window, because it would take ages to start it again.
Just get used to the CMD+Q keyboard shortcut.

The bar's simply called the menu bar.
 
T

terrdactycalsrock

Member
Ambitious said:
That's the way most Mac apps work. Closing app windows in general doesn't terminate the app (there are exceptions, like iPhoto). Which makes sense. Years ago, when I had a very shitty laptop running Windows, I always avoided closing the last browser window, because it would take ages to start it again.
Just get used to the CMD+Q keyboard shortcut.

The bar's simply called the menu bar.
Click to expand...

So they dont terminate the app because it allows them to be faster then, right? If thats the case isnt it drawing CPU power?
 
G

giga

Member
terrdactycalsrock said:
So they dont terminate the app because it allows them to be faster then, right? If thats the case isnt it drawing CPU power?
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. A process (such as chrome) can be running without any windows, but it's usually just sitting idle in memory and not using any cpu cycles.

If you really want to totally kill a process from memory, get used to using cmd+q.
 
A

Ambitious

Member
terrdactycalsrock said:
So they dont terminate the app because it allows them to be faster then, right? If thats the case isnt it drawing CPU power?
Click to expand...

It's just a different concept of windows-/application management, possibly born out of how the OS's handle them in the UI: the Windows task bar shows windows, the OS X dock (mainly) shows apps.
Though since Windows 7, the task bar is very similar to the Mac dock, apart from the terminating of apps.
 
C

CrudeDiatribe

Member
terrdactycalsrock said:
What is up with that blue dot in front of the app? I know its signifies that it is open, but even when I close out a window it doesn't close the application, I have to right click on the icon and it quit for it to do that. Am I missing something about the blue dot? Also, is there a name for the grey bar with the time and icons showing your wi fi connection?
Click to expand...


Since the Multi-Finder was introduced in the late '80s:

Single-window applications are supposed to quit when their window is closed (e.g. iPhoto; Garageband displays the startup menu instead).

Document-based applications are supposed to stay open. In Lion, there are a few such apps that will actually quit automatically if the OS thinks they aren't doing anything after the last window closes (TextEdit). You can read more in John Siracusa's comprehensive Lion Review at Ars.
 
M

mrkgoo

Member
terrdactycalsrock said:
So they dont terminate the app because it allows them to be faster then, right? If thats the case isnt it drawing CPU power?
Click to expand...

There's a difference between closing a window and quitting the app.

As mentioned some single-windows will quite when closed, because they typically have no other purpose once closed. For example, iPhoto, with no window, it has no purpose.

It's not just about faster opening. Other apps have a purpose to stay 'on' even when the last window is closed. For example, iTunes remains open, because you may be playing audio in the background. The email client will remain on, to keep receiving mail. Same with most message apps.
 
Chuckpebble

Chuckpebble

Member
Hey, I've got a strange issue. I have an old G4 tower that I use to share music on my home network as well as print. I had everything working fine a while ago, but then my wireless router started to get flaky, it was a D-link DI514. I replaced it with a Netgear router from my cable provider and now I am completely unable to share the printer attached to the computer over the network.

I guess what I need help with is figuring out where to look for an answer. I keep googling my problem, but I find google to be almost useless when the description of your issue more than fills the search box.

Here are all of the variables:
netgear router
Powermac G4 with OS X.5 wired to router and printer, sharing printer
Macbook C2Duo w/ OS X.6 connected wirelessly, unable to setup shared printer, file sharing works fine, itunes sharing also works fine.

Anybody have any ideas? I'm really sorry, I should get the exact router details too. I'll have to add that later.
 
C

CrudeDiatribe

Member
Chuckpebble said:
Anybody have any ideas? I'm really sorry, I should get the exact router details too. I'll have to add that later.
Click to expand...

Plug the MacBook into the G4 via ethernet. You don't need a crossover cable, the MacBook (if not the G4) will autosense and take care of it.

You may need to set up an 'automatic' network location, but afterwards, the two devices should self-assign non-conflicting addresses. If the printer is shared correctly on the G4, you should be able to see it at g4hostname.local.

If not, see if filesharing works, if it does, screw around with printer sharing until it works.

Assuming printer sharing works like this, the problem is the router, and you'll have to go digging through its config.
 
M

Mr. F

Banned
Had my Macbook Pro for about 2 years now (mid-2010) and while it's by no means unusable I feel as if the performance is dipping a lot steeper than it should this early in its life.

I've noticed the guest account feels quicker and snappier in comparison, yet despite doing some pretty consistent cleaning things still feel a bit sluggish in my own account.

Any suggestions on how to deal with this (outside a RAM upgrade)?

Also, as a last resort I was considering doing a fresh install, but have read around that some recommend against it. What's OSX-GAF's stance?
 
A

Ambitious

Member
I'm thinking of giving my old MBP to my sister. Is there something I have to be careful concerning the (Mountain) Lion license or can I simply reinstall it and be done?


giga said:
entire desktop: cmd+shift+3
choose your own area: cmd+shift+4
isolate a window: cmd+shift+4, and then press the spacebar
Click to expand...

And holding ctrl in addition puts the screenshot in the clipboard instead of saving it to the desktop.

The file type of screenshots can be changed via the Terminal or by using one of the many OS X tweaking tools like TinkerTool


edit: Uh.. anyone got any idea why playing a song in iTunes restarts my Finder everytime?
 
J

Jo Shishido's Cheeks

Member
My MacBook came with the most recent iLife pre-installed.
However when I go into the Appstore, despite showing up under 'purchases' as they should, the separate applications are showing as being uninstalled.
When I click install, I am told 'We could not complete your purchase, GarageBand/iMovie/iPhoto is already installed on this computer.'
This wouldn't ordinarily be a problem but I can't update any of them.
Anybody experienced this issue?
 
K

kennah

Member
Jo Shishido's Cheeks said:
My MacBook came with the most recent iLife pre-installed.
However when I go into the Appstore, despite showing up under 'purchases' as they should, the separate applications are showing as being uninstalled.
When I click install, I am told 'We could not complete your purchase, GarageBand/iMovie/iPhoto is already installed on this computer.'
This wouldn't ordinarily be a problem but I can't update any of them.
Anybody experienced this issue?
Click to expand...

... They talk about this problem and how to fix it at length on this very page.
 
Chuckpebble

Chuckpebble

Member
CrudeDiatribe said:
Plug the MacBook into the G4 via ethernet. You don't need a crossover cable, the MacBook (if not the G4) will autosense and take care of it.

You may need to set up an 'automatic' network location, but afterwards, the two devices should self-assign non-conflicting addresses. If the printer is shared correctly on the G4, you should be able to see it at g4hostname.local.

If not, see if filesharing works, if it does, screw around with printer sharing until it works.

Assuming printer sharing works like this, the problem is the router, and you'll have to go digging through its config.
Click to expand...

Thanks much, I'll give that a shot. I just don't know what to do with the router. I mean, obviously it couldn't be the firewall, that only affects traffic between my network and the internet, not things within my network, right?
 
T

The Real Abed

Perma-Junior
Cross-posting from the Hardware thread. Hope it wasn't posted already:

Just thought I'd bring this up. Carbon Copy Cloner is no longer free. It used to be donationware, but now it is a paid product. It costs $40. But right now is 25% off until August 19th. (For the "Get Ready for Mountain Lion" promotion.)

If you have DONATED to them in the past, it should know this automatically. But if it doesn't, and your copy turns into a trial, you can retrieve a serial code using your email address. Now, my copy somehow forgot I had donated and wanted me to pay for it, so I clicked the "Retrieve" button in the "Purchase" window and sent them an email with my information and the nice Sarah emailed me my new code within 3 minutes. I am now all registered. And I only donated $5 back in 2008. I really wish I had donated more because CCC has been a lifesaver. Shame they don't do donations anymore. Hopefully they'll still get lots of purchases because CCC really does kick SuperDuper's ass. Even if SD is cheaper. (Which is unfortunate. CCC should be $20 to counter competing products. But oh well.)

Even if you haven't donated, $30 isn't a bad price for something that will save your bacon. I've been a proponent of CCC for years and this doesn't change anything. I'm sad I won't be able to say "You should definitely use CCC for backing up because it's powerful and FREE" anymore because it was a real big plus. But things change.

Just a public service announcement as it only now came to my attention. So they must have just switched over. They just released version 3.5 after a long Mountain Lion beta period. Plus the app has come a long way since its early days as a simple AppleScript Studio wrapper for Rsync. (I used to use it even way back then too!)
 
G

GreatMightySymp

Member
Does anyone else have a 2011 iMac and has run across an issue dealing with image persistence?

I usually have my display brightness set to the third-highest (i.e. two bars left in the brightness meter). Since I do web development work I usually have Safari and Espresso open and both are the same dimensions window-wise. I've noticed when I switch between desktops that a faint line will appear in the top-left corner of where the window was.

It's somewhat faint and it goes away once the display is put into sleep mode for an hour or two, but I'm not sure if the display has an issue (I have AppleCare) or if it's a known issue.
 
M

MutantCyborg

Member
Whats the best way to play Windows only games on a Mac? I'm entirely new to MacOS and I've heard about Wrappers and BootCamp. Not sure how much of what I heard was factual or whatnot.

Where should I start looking?
 
C

CrunchinJelly

formerly cjelly
MutantCyborg said:
Whats the best way to play Windows only games on a Mac? I'm entirely new to MacOS and I've heard about Wrappers and BootCamp. Not sure how much of what I heard was factual or whatnot.

Where should I start looking?
Click to expand...

The 'best way' is BootCamp... you will boot in to Windows and it means 100% of the system resources go to that. http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/boot_camp_install-setup_10.7.pdf

For specific apps you could use WINE. But if you're talking games-only it really is just worth going the BootCamp route.
 
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