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Mac OSX Noob thread of OSX noobs

xelv said:
So I just wanted to let everyone know that Firefox 3.6 is super fast on my C2D 2.53 Ghz Macbook Pro. Pages load as fast as in Safari, javascript intensive pages(like the google services) seem to load even faster. Because I quit using Firefox a while ago and went to Safari for speed reasons, using Safari doesn't seem to have a huge advantage to me now. So guys, if you like Firefox, try it now and see if its speed convinces you. Speed + Firefox remembers page-specific zooms + addons + works on more pages than webkit browsers do makes it a winner for me right now. :)

Love my Mac, but Safari is garbage IMO (mostly for lack of add-ons, etc.). I've been using Google Chrome for the most part and right now the only thing I'm lacking is integration with 1Password - which is a 1Password issue.
 

mrkgoo

Member
Mr. Dobalina said:
Love my Mac, but Safari is garbage IMO (mostly for lack of add-ons, etc.). I've been using Google Chrome for the most part and right now the only thing I'm lacking is integration with 1Password - which is a 1Password issue.

I wouldn't say it's garbage, just because it's not suitable for you.

I want the bare minimum in browser ( I guess I don't know what I'm missing out on), so I enjoy Safari.
 

RubxQub

φίλω ἐξεχέγλουτον καί ψευδολόγον οὖκ εἰπόν
I noticed that Firefox is just as fast as Safari, maybe a bit faster, on my 13" MBP. But the problem is that it's a gas guzzler. Eats up a lot of RAM and uses more CPU than Safari and Chrome. So I pretty much stick to those two browsers now. And FF looks like ass, too. Can't find any theme that makes it look decent while not eating up screen space.

I'm really liking Chrome now. The tab system and combined address/search bar are great. I've moved over to it on my PC and have pretty much used Chrome exclusively on my Mac recently. I don't care for extensions or add ons. I just want a no-nonsense, lightweight, quick browser with some handy features built in.
 

SnakeXs

about the same metal capacity as a cucumber
mrkgoo said:
I wouldn't say it's garbage, just because it's not suitable for you.

I want the bare minimum in browser ( I guess I don't know what I'm missing out on), so I enjoy Safari.

I'm with you. Fast, light, stable.

Plus the Top Pages with marker for updates, and fully searchable history are godsends, and I also prefer autofilling URLs to the awesome bar.
 

mrkgoo

Member
SnakeXs said:
I'm with you. Fast, light, stable.

Plus the Top Pages with marker for updates, and fully searchable history are godsends, and I also prefer autofilling URLs to the awesome bar.

I don't really use Top Pages, but fully searchable history is amazing. Just type a small phrase you read on a website to go back to it. Is that a feature unique to Safari? Or a function of Spotlight?
 

SnakeXs

about the same metal capacity as a cucumber
mrkgoo said:
I don't really use Top Pages, but fully searchable history is amazing. Just type a small phrase you read on a website to go back to it. Is that a feature unique to Safari? Or a function of Spotlight?

I might be wrong but I don't think other browsers search inside the pages.

And yeah, having the sites I visit only to heck for updates all in a row, letting me know when there's new content, just fits perfectly into my web workflow.
 

oatmeal

Banned
This is a Mac question, but not OSX related.

My wife has a white (non-unibody) Macbook and it is cracking. I just found out yesterday that Apple is covering that. She has 3-4 pretty bad cracks in it, and we want to get it fixed...it's beginning to cause a problem with she uses the track pad.

So, what do I do with it? Do I take it to an Apple Store and complain?

She didn't get Apple Care, but I guess that doesn't matter (as I read).

One problem that I might see...she bought it in Canada.

Thoughts?
 

mrkgoo

Member
oatmeal said:
This is a Mac question, but not OSX related.

My wife has a white (non-unibody) Macbook and it is cracking. I just found out yesterday that Apple is covering that. She has 3-4 pretty bad cracks in it, and we want to get it fixed...it's beginning to cause a problem with she uses the track pad.

So, what do I do with it? Do I take it to an Apple Store and complain?

She didn't get Apple Care, but I guess that doesn't matter (as I read).

One problem that I might see...she bought it in Canada.

Thoughts?

Warranties are international. The cracks are covered under warranty, but since you're out of warranty, it's entirely up to the person you speak to. Since you're out of warranty and out of country, I suspect it'll be a no go. That said, the worst they can do is say no, so it's worth a try.

The most common crack I've come across is on the palm rest where the lid ridge meets the bottom unit. It's mostly cosmetic, but if your one has more functional issue you have a more pressing need.

SnakeXs said:
I might be wrong but I don't think other browsers search inside the pages.

And yeah, having the sites I visit only to heck for updates all in a row, letting me know when there's new content, just fits perfectly into my web workflow.

Can the Windows version of Safari do it? Or does it rely on Spotlight technology?
 

oatmeal

Banned
mrkgoo said:
Warranties are international. The cracks are covered under warranty, but since you're out of warranty, it's entirely up to the person you speak to. Since you're out of warranty and out of country, I suspect it'll be a no go. That said, the worst they can do is say no, so it's worth a try.

The most common crack I've come across is on the palm rest where the lid ridge meets the bottom unit. It's mostly cosmetic, but if your one has more functional issue you have a more pressing need.



Can the Windows version of Safari do it? Or does it rely on Spotlight technology?

I read that the warranty doesn't matter any more at this point? The computer is about 3 years old (almost), and the site I read it on (macrumors, I think) said it didn't matter if you have Apple Care or not or if you're out of warranty.

Would I just run to the Apple Store, or should I call Apple directly?
 
I was using Safari for a long time, almost 6 or 7 months, but Top Sites was ruining my experience with it–everytime I opened a new tab it would freeze for 30 seconds or just all-out crash. I would reset Safari various times and it still didn't work. I went back to the new version of Firefox with the bare minimum extensions (greasemonkey, download statusbar, and a top sites-equivalent) and have had a great experience with it. Blazing fast and great gif load-up, with no freezes or crashes.
 
oatmeal said:
I read that the warranty doesn't matter any more at this point? The computer is about 3 years old (almost), and the site I read it on (macrumors, I think) said it didn't matter if you have Apple Care or not or if you're out of warranty.

Would I just run to the Apple Store, or should I call Apple directly?
Set up a Genius bar appointment on the Apple website: http://www.apple.com/retail/

You're likely going to get it fixed for free since it's a known defect. I've had a cracked one fixed out of warranty.
 

mrkgoo

Member
DeathbyVolcano said:
I was using Safari for a long time, almost 6 or 7 months, but Top Sites was ruining my experience with it–everytime I opened a new tab it would freeze for 30 seconds or just all-out crash. I would reset Safari various times and it still didn't work. I went back to the new version of Firefox with the bare minimum extensions (greasemonkey, download statusbar, and a top sites-equivalent) and have had a great experience with it. Blazing fast and great gif load-up, with no freezes or crashes.


You could always just not use Top-Sites. Gifs are no longer an issue on Snow Leopard for me. ARe you still running Leopard? That said, if another browser is giving you what you need, then go for it.

Oatmeal: As Liu Kang mentioned, just try go and see them. If it's a no go, just try on another day :p
 
Mr. Dobalina said:
Love my Mac, but Safari is garbage IMO (mostly for lack of add-ons, etc.). I've been using Google Chrome for the most part and right now the only thing I'm lacking is integration with 1Password - which is a 1Password issue.
If you search the 1password forums, there is a beta extension out there. It's buggy, but it's usable.
 
oatmeal said:
Sweet...how do they fix it exactly? Do they replace the case?
There are about 20 screws they take off the bottom casing, and they'll replace the top part and screw it all back together. The bottom half of the laptop is pretty much just top piece, keyboard, and bottom piece. If you're lucky the guy/girl will just do it in front of you in about 15 minutes. Worst case is if they're busy and they'll take it to the back and you come back the next day or something.
 
mrkgoo said:
You could always just not use Top-Sites. Gifs are no longer an issue on Snow Leopard for me. ARe you still running Leopard? That said, if another browser is giving you what you need, then go for it.

Oatmeal: As Liu Kang mentioned, just try go and see them. If it's a no go, just try on another day :p

I'm on Snow Leopard, and I use Top Sites extensively. It got to the point though where I was so frustrated by it that I made my home page, both for new windows AND tabs, the main Google page, and tabs STILL took forever to load.
 

mrkgoo

Member
DeathbyVolcano said:
I'm on Snow Leopard, and I use Top Sites extensively. It got to the point though where I was so frustrated by it that I made my home page, both for new windows AND tabs, the main Google page, and tabs STILL took forever to load.

Something else is going on if Google takes an age to load. That said, I've had some weird issues with my computer not managing to get to sites quickly, yet my iPhone can. Maybe there is something to Safari on Mac. I don't use other browsers enough to figure it out.
 

oatmeal

Banned
Another question...this one about my Mac Pro.

My Apple Care expires in about 2 weeks...what are my options? Can I renew?

Can I just destroy my computer and get a new Mac Pro :)D)?

What should someone who spent 5-6 grand on their computer 3 years ago do?

(EDIT)
Genius Bar reservation SET. Thanks :)
 

Phobophile

A scientist and gentleman in the manner of Batman.
oatmeal said:
Would I just run to the Apple Store, or should I call Apple directly?

Honestly, try both.

When Apple had the Sony laptop battery recalls, I got mine replaced. Less than a year later, the battery wouldn't hold a charge. It only had a couple dozen cycles on it and there was the charge strength was really high. On paper, there was no reason why the battery wouldn't charge. I went to an Apple Store and the Genius said that batteries aren't covered by APP and so I was turned down. Later that afternoon, I gave the 800 number a call and after being put on hold and having the guy on the phone talk to their supervisor, they agreed to replace my battery at no charge.

A lot of it is rather arbitrary but because one person turned you down doesn't mean someone else won't help.
 

mattiewheels

And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
I just wanna make sure I'm not crazy here, I have a 27" iMac:

do the speakers on the windows 7 side put out a much lower quality sound than on the osx side? And the colors look like lo res from all the banding. Anyone have these issues?
 
How can I play a divx file in quicktime? I have perian and I thought that's what you needed but it's not working for this divx file I have.

I don't really want to install the official divx player if at all possible.
 

Particle Physicist

between a quark and a baryon
criesofthepast said:
How can I play a divx file in quicktime? I have perian and I thought that's what you needed but it's not working for this divx file I have.

I don't really want to install the official divx player if at all possible.


perian should work. :/ i have yet to encounter a file i couldn't ope in quicktime. make sure you have the latest version. also install Flip4mac.

There are also other programs for such files like VLC, and MPlayer OSX Extended


mattiewheels said:
I just wanna make sure I'm not crazy here, I have a 27" iMac:

do the speakers on the windows 7 side put out a much lower quality sound than on the osx side? And the colors look like lo res from all the banding. Anyone have these issues?


which drivers did you install? the ones from your OS X disk?

Do an apple media update (or whatever it is called) and make sure you have the latest windows 7 drivers. Initially, there were many sound issues, but at least on my macbook pro, they have been fixed.
 
quadriplegicjon said:
perian should work. :/ i have yet to encounter a file i couldn't ope in quicktime. make sure you have the latest version. also install Flip4mac.

There are also other programs for such files like VLC, and MPlayer OSX Extended
Damn. That's strange. I have flip4mac too. I don't recall ever being able to get a divx file to play in quicktime, though. Does anyone have a divx file I can download that works for you in quicktime, so I can test it on my mac?

Also, I have version 1.1.4 of perian and just updated flip4mac today.
 

Particle Physicist

between a quark and a baryon
i don't have one to test, but maybe it has to do with the encoding?

here is the official list from http://perian.org/#detail

Perian enables QuickTime application support for additional media:

* File formats: AVI, DIVX, FLV, MKV, GVI, VP6, and VFW
* Video types: MS-MPEG4 v1 & v2, DivX, 3ivx, H.264, Sorenson H.263, FLV/Sorenson Spark, FSV1, VP6, H263i, VP3, HuffYUV, FFVHuff, MPEG1 & MPEG2 Video, Fraps, Snow, NuppelVideo, Techsmith Screen Capture, DosBox Capture
* Audio types: Windows Media Audio v1 & v2, Flash ADPCM, Xiph Vorbis (in Matroska), and MPEG Layer I & II Audio, True Audio, DTS Coherent Acoustics, Nellymoser ASAO
* AVI support for: AAC, AC3 Audio, H.264, MPEG4, and VBR MP3
* Subtitle support for SSA/ASS and SRT

Oh. Perian is up to version 1.2.

try updating it. But the earlier versions should work.
 
quadriplegicjon said:
i don't have one to test, but maybe it has to do with the encoding?

here is the official list from http://perian.org/#detail



Oh. Perian is up to version 1.2.

try updating it. But the earlier versions should work.
Thanks. I updated perian to 1.2 and it still doesn't work. But, I did find an article that seems to touch on this issue. It has somethign to do with "AC3 soundtracks" and quicktime 10 not playing nice with it.

The strange thing is, I tried to open the file in Front Row and it DOES work. It's like Front Row uses a different quicktime or something.

Article: http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20090831140052352

I hope Apple fixes this.
 
mattiewheels said:
I just wanna make sure I'm not crazy here, I have a 27" iMac:

do the speakers on the windows 7 side put out a much lower quality sound than on the osx side? And the colors look like lo res from all the banding. Anyone have these issues?
The color banding is normal. The drivers are fucked up. It's stuck in 16-bit color even if you set it to 32-bit. You can manually install older drivers to get it right again.
 

mattiewheels

And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
Liu Kang Baking A Pie said:
The color banding is normal. The drivers are fucked up. It's stuck in 16-bit color even if you set it to 32-bit. You can manually install older drivers to get it right again.
rolling that driver back worked like a charm.

i wish i could do something similar to get the speakers sounding nearly as good as they do on the OSX side, but i guess there's not much of a workaround for that one.
 
Phobophile said:
Honestly, try both.

When Apple had the Sony laptop battery recalls, I got mine replaced. Less than a year later, the battery wouldn't hold a charge. It only had a couple dozen cycles on it and there was the charge strength was really high. On paper, there was no reason why the battery wouldn't charge. I went to an Apple Store and the Genius said that batteries aren't covered by APP and so I was turned down. Later that afternoon, I gave the 800 number a call and after being put on hold and having the guy on the phone talk to their supervisor, they agreed to replace my battery at no charge.

A lot of it is rather arbitrary but because one person turned you down doesn't mean someone else won't help.

I have already gone through 3 fucking batteries. Between that, a failed HDD, and a topcase swap along with both fans I am kind of pissed about Apple's build quality. Not only that, but on my screen I am beginning to see the circular like marks on the lcd that make an almost halo shape. You can only see them on a pure white background or in lighter environments, but I am scared it will get worse.
 
The_Inquisitor said:
I have already gone through 3 fucking batteries. Between that, a failed HDD, and a topcase swap along with both fans I am kind of pissed about Apple's build quality. Not only that, but on my screen I am beginning to see the circular like marks on the lcd that make an almost halo shape. You can only see them on a pure white background or in lighter environments, but I am scared it will get worse.
Okay can someone tell me what this is exactly? I have this too. It only happens on lighter backgrounds like GAF for example. I see two little white dots maybe half a millimetre in size. I've had them for over a year and they have not gotten bigger or smaller. But it only happens on light backgrounds so what the hell does that mean? I wish I could take a picture but it would be hard to capture.
 
My Macbook battery died, costs about $150 to buy a new one, however it is pretty old, bought it in 2007, Core 2 duo though. I am just not sure if it is worth to spend $150 on a battery at this point.
 

mrkgoo

Member
criesofthepast said:
Okay can someone tell me what this is exactly? I have this too. It only happens on lighter backgrounds like GAF for example. I see two little white dots maybe half a millimetre in size. I've had them for over a year and they have not gotten bigger or smaller. But it only happens on light backgrounds so what the hell does that mean? I wish I could take a picture but it would be hard to capture.

I don't know what you're going on about. It sounds like both your 'issues' are entirely different. His sounds like a backlighting issue, and yours just sounds like stuck pixels, or maybe just dust.
 
mrkgoo said:
I don't know what you're going on about. It sounds like both your 'issues' are entirely different. His sounds like a backlighting issue, and yours just sounds like stuck pixels, or maybe just dust.

Yeah mine def. is a back light issue. it like two arcs of light about 90 degrees in length around the center of my screen. It's not always visible, but on certain webpages it is def. visible.
 
mrkgoo said:
I don't know what you're going on about. It sounds like both your 'issues' are entirely different. His sounds like a backlighting issue, and yours just sounds like stuck pixels, or maybe just dust.
I know what a stuck pixel is and this is not it. My problem and The_Inquisitor's problem are similar in that it is not always visible and seen mostly on white or lighter backgrounds. It completely disappears for me when the background is dark.

Here is a picture of what I see. Tough to capture but it's the best I can do right now. Notice the two white dots below each arrow.

2881qbs.jpg
 
criesofthepast said:
I know what a stuck pixel is and this is not it. My problem and The_Inquisitor's problem are similar in that it is not always visible and seen mostly on white or lighter backgrounds. It completely disappears for me when the background is dark.

Here is a picture of what I see. Tough to capture but it's the best I can do right now. Notice the two white dots below each arrow.

2881qbs.jpg

Holy shit yes! Except mine are long arcs. I will take a picture later.
 

oatmeal

Banned
Took the wifes computer in...guy was a real dick. They're fixing it, but they're holding it overnight.

That's not why he's a dick, btw. He just wasn't friendly. And definitely was not knowledgeable. Genius Bar my ass.
 
Just ordered a 21.5" iMac (1TB, ATI model). I may have some questions later on this week. First time Mac user here. I'm excited... should I be?
 

SnakeXs

about the same metal capacity as a cucumber
thewesker said:
Just ordered a 21.5" iMac (1TB, ATI model). I may have some questions later on this week. First time Mac user here. I'm excited... should I be?

Yes. Yes you should.
 

mrkgoo

Member
criesofthepast said:
I know what a stuck pixel is and this is not it. My problem and The_Inquisitor's problem are similar in that it is not always visible and seen mostly on white or lighter backgrounds. It completely disappears for me when the background is dark.

Here is a picture of what I see. Tough to capture but it's the best I can do right now. Notice the two white dots below each arrow.

That does look different to a stuck pixel. When he mentioned halos, I was imagining halos that spanned the entire screen.
 
I just recently got a 720p HD camera, and when I import the AVCHD files into iMovie, they get really big. I just imported a 18:50 minute video, and according to finder it's taking up 6.18 GB. That's insane!

I'm going on a trip at the end of this week, and I'm going to be shoot somewhere from around 2-3 hours of video. This is going to fill up my whole HDD. Why does this 18:50 minute clip fit fine on my 4 GB SD card, but when transferred to my computer turns out to be 6 GB?
 

SnakeXs

about the same metal capacity as a cucumber
Why are you adding it to iTunes? iTunes is likely converting it to a format it/iDevices like. If you want it in your iTunes library you should probably use something else to convert it or something.

That said, I have almost no experience with video so I could be completely off base. :p
 
SnakeXs said:
Why are you adding it to iTunes? iTunes is likely converting it to a format it/iDevices like. If you want it in your iTunes library you should probably use something else to convert it or something.

That said, I have almost no experience with video so I could be completely off base. :p
I meant to say iMovie. Typo. Sorry.
 

wolfmat

Confirmed Asshole
Blu_LED said:
I just recently got a 720p HD camera, and when I import the AVCHD files into iMovie, they get really big. I just imported a 18:50 minute video, and according to finder it's taking up 6.18 GB. That's insane!
... it's really not. It depends on the codec, and the codec settings.
I'm going on a trip at the end of this week, and I'm going to be shoot somewhere from around 2-3 hours of video. This is going to fill up my whole HDD. Why does this 18:50 minute clip fit fine on my 4 GB SD card, but when transferred to my computer turns out to be 6 GB?
AVCHD usually turns out really big - they get converted to AIC because iMovie can't handle AVCHD.

What you can do is you can archive the raw AVCHD files on your HDD. Then you import them piece by piece.

There are also programs that can handle AVCHD directly, FinalCut is such a program. But AVCHD is incredibly CPU-intensive in general.

The easiest way to handle this is buying lots of HDD space. Buy a terabyte or so.
 
So I have an older macbook still running Tiger and I'd like to upgrade my bootcamp from Vista to Windows 7. Am I out of luck unless I buy Snow Leopard or is there some kind of workaround?

Edit: Nevermind I figured it out.
 
Hey guys. I'm using Pages and exporting the files to .doc so I can turn the papers in to school. However when ever I open the file up in Microsoft Word it gives and error message saying that the borders are messed up and the pages are spaced awkwardly.

How do I fix this problem? I assume that I just have to change the boarders in Pages before hand? If so what should I set them to so this doesn't happen?
 

SnakeXs

about the same metal capacity as a cucumber
I'm sure it's been said but I just now launched AppZapper for the first time in forever and was prompted for the greatest App update ever.

Holy shit is this thing amazing, on all fronts.
 

oatmeal

Banned
I have a Mac Pro 1.1 (Dual 2.66GHZ Dual Core Xeon) and want to upgrade to a Quad or Octo.

I've read some things on both xlr8yourmac.com and Anandtech.com about being able to drop in new CPU's. However, I'm not sure which ones I can buy...it's pretty specific. But the reviews I've read said that they spent about 600 total on TWO chips, and I can only find them for that much EACH.

Am I looking in the wrong spot?
 
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