How long should it take to update to iOS 10.3? My iPhone and iPad show an update and I'd like to know how long this update takes.

Is this a quick update?

The update from iOS 10.2 to iOS 10.3 is a very large update under the hood, so it's not the typical update that is a quick download and quick restart. You'll likely need 10 minutes to check backup and 20-40 for the actual update (excluding download time of the update which depends on server load and network conditions).
You won't notice a ton of new features and changes like from iOS 6 to iOS 7, but the entire storage system that holds all your apps, photos, movies and files is changed to a newer filesystem format without losing any of your data. I believe the older devices skip this filesystem reformat (iPhone 5 for example) and they might be faster udpates.
The new APFS filesystem for 64 bit iOS hardware runs storage on iOS 10.3 instead of HFS+ which has been Apple's main format on both iOS and macOS for decades.

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1893 iOS 10.3 changes

For most people, I would recommend the following:

If you don't normally update your apps, postpone this upgrade for two or three days. Instead, go to the App Store and apply all updates. If you haven't checked if your backups are good, please go to iCloud settings or connect to iTunes and make sure your backup is complete and recent.

If you do have recent backups and have been updating your apps in the last week, you should plan for 30 minutes to apply this upgrade since it runs a conversion step when the device restarts.

For many people, it might be best to schedule the update for the evening when the device is plugged in to power and connected to WiFi. These timing allow 5 minutes to download the installer - that’s the shortest portion of this update.

My iPhone 7 (256 GB) took 28 minutes to update
My iPad Air 2 (64 GB) took 32 minutes to update


Messages: Setting to Always Display Time Stamp? Is it possible to display the Time Stamp of messages by default in both the Desktop Messages app, and the mobile app?

This is the default view:

Obviously, the time stamps are viewable by hovering the mouse over a message for the desktop version, or swiping left in the mobile app.

But having them always displayed without the mouseover popup like this:

http://www.macissues.com/2014/04/28/view-timestamps-in-messages-on-your-mac-and-iphone/

Would make far more sense. There doesn't seem to be a setting to always show the time stamp in either Messages.App or Messages for iOS, and I'm aware this doesn't seem to be an Apple-supported option, but perhaps it would be achievable through Terminal or an add-in.

They are displayed by default, as well in the left navigation panel as in the messages list on the right side....


Upgrading to PHP 5.4 using Mac Port I tried following the excellent instructions on this gist to upgrade my Mac to PHP 5.4, but before I do, I need to know:

Is there an easy way to find out which php extensions do I have installed currently? I'd like to have the same list for 5.4.
I tried port list | grep php53- but got way too many responses...

To show installed php extensions from port, try port installed | grep php53- or  instead of port list.


Open Terminal to a Specific Directory On Windows I can Shift Right-click in a folder and I am presented with the option to Open a Command Window Here. Is there a way I can do this on my MacBook Air? Or, do I need to open the terminal manually, and then cd to the destination folder?

You can do this on a Mac by typing cd and then just dragging the folder from Finder into the terminal and typing Enter.


Upgrade Mac OS from El Capitan to Sierra How can I find the build date of a serial number like W89072N87WY to check if an upgrade from El Capitan 10.11.6 is possible.

What’s the process to check for Sierra?

Apple has machine friendly names for Sierra  here.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208202

Since you didn’t show that, use Everymac's Ultimate Mac Lookup

This is a MacBook "Core 2 Duo" 2.0 13" (Unibody), maximum macOS 10.11.x - so, no, it's been upgraded as far as it will go.


POP account issues with El Capitan Why is my POP account not working after I upgraded to El Capitan? I sometimes can get mail and then it stops working so the problem is intermittent.

Think I may have found a solution. Went to mail preferences - then accounts - then advanced - then UNCHECKED "automatically detect and maintain account settings"... my mail seems to be coming in without disruption...


What is the "maybe" caller id suggestion in the call log based on? I got a call from a phone number that is not stored in my address book, and in the call log, under the number, a name was suggested: "Maybe: X" (where X is the guessed name).

Where is this guess coming from?

iOS scans your email for contact info.  If the phone number is not in your Address Book, for matches, it looks to your email to see if anyone with this number sent you email.  If it finds the phone number associated with a contact from your email, it will show you "Maybe:" with its guess of the person's name.

You can disable this feature, if you want, by:

Go to Settings --> Mail, Contacts, Calendars
Under Contacts, toggle the switch labeled Contacts Found in Mail to the OFF position


Powerbook G4 not fully booting to login screen I wanted to change the boot logo for my Powerbook G4 so i used MacOS X to find the location. I changed it and had to change some permissions to do so. I then restarted the computer. It reached the grey apple screen and then the blue screen...then it stopped...and never continued to the login screen. if anyone knows how i could somehow force start the computer without resetting it and without losing all of my information that would be EXTREMELY helpful.

If you have another Mac nearby with a FireWire port, you can likely book the PowerBook in Target Disk Mode. Power it down, then hold the T button when you turn it back on until a FireWire logo appears on screen. You can mount it as a drive on another Mac, and restore the files you altered from your backup.

If you don't have a backup, you could at least use Target Disk Mode to make a backup of your data so you won't lose it when you restore the PowerBook from its restore CD/DVD.


MacBook Pro Mid 2010 13" freezes/restarts when applying pressure on specific part on the back I own a MacBook Pro Mid 2010 13" that has been running fine up until now and it has already survived 2-3 minor falls off a table but after the last one every time I apply only slight pressure on the back (more or less around the letter p on the keyboard), for example when I pick it up to carry it around, it crashes. Sometimes the screen freezes (can be in different colors) and then restarts (showing the message "you need to restart your computer. hold down the power button..."), sometimes it just freezes without showing this message and it has also been freezing and then making a beep tone and repeating it with a few seconds pause in between. Also, sometimes when I open the MacBook it doesn't "wake up" and I have to force it to shut down before I can start it again.
Sometimes those problems also happen if I have a lot of programs running or if I have a lot of tabs open in Safari and sometimes during the freezing or the moment before the fan runs on full speed.

I've made the following modifications to my MacBook:
- I've changed the RAM from the original 4GB to 8GB (already a few years ago)
- I've gotten rid of the optical drive and I now have to SSD's installed (also longer than a year ago)

I've never had problems after those modifications so the crashes have to be because of the last fall. I've already checked all the connections on the logic board (drives, screen, RAM, battery) but they seem to be ok.

Today I started the MacBook without the bottom case to try to check exactly where the pressure has to be applied so that it freezes. I used a plastic spudger to apply some slight pressure on different parts of the logic board and found that it only freezes when pressure is applied on the two marked parts on the picture attached. (I know that pressing around on the logic board of a running MacBook is probably not the best thing to do but know at least I know exactly where the problematic parts are and well it still seems to work)

What exactly are those to parts for? And what could be the problem here? A lose connection? Is the only fix to change the logic board?

I used to repair these computers, but I'm not up-to-date with service options. My answer assumed that the computer hasn't been repaired before.

tl;dr: I suggest visiting an Apple Store or an Apple Service Provider and asking for a new top case, bottom case, and logic board.

It sounds like you're describing two issues:

The MacBook crashes when you press in a certain area.
The MacBook randomly crashes with the "you need to restart your computer" message.

The second issue sounds like a kernel panic. That might be a software issue, but more often than not, it's a logic board hardware issue in these Mid-2010 MacBook Pros. There used to be a quality program (or replacement program) for the logic board's video issues, but it has ended. So, odds are, you're overdue for a replacement logic board. But eight years is pretty good for a computer that has survived falls and third-party modifications.

However, replacing the logic board might not resolve the first issue. It sounds like there is something shorting out the logic board, which causes the computer to restart. The "something" might be a dent in the top case (the top part of the computer containing the keyboard, power button, and trackpad) or the bottom case (the bottom part screwed into the top case) making contact with the board. I've seen cases like this before where the customer kept coming back for the logic board every time, when it was a dented bottom case all along.

In any case, you definitely do need a new logic board if any part of it is damaged. A service technician might be able to offer a more definitive answer. I don't think it's very expensive to get these computers repaired at an Apple Store (it's at least cheaper than a new computer), and I don't think that Apple Stores care very much about third-party modifications.


Skype with bluetooth headset on MacBook Pro I have AKG K830BT bluetooth headset which works perfectly with my MacBook Pro (Mac OS X 10.6.7). The only problem is while using Skype. It looks like Skype wants to use my built-it speakers disregarding the BT headset which is already successfully paired. So the result is that I can head system signals (e.g. a sound assigned to the activity of closing a Skype conversation window) in my headset but not the conversation.

Is there any fix for this?

In Skype's Audio/Video preferences you need to see the microphone and speaker source to the BlueTooth headset in order for Skype to use them. So CMD-` to open Skype preferences, click the 'Audio/Video' tab icon and then check your settings.

In my own Skype install you can see I have to set it to use my Plantronics .520 headset if I want to use that for input or output:


Where is iCloud after an upgrade to ios11 I upgraded to ios11 and not only have my iCloud files disappeared - the entire iCloud app is not available.   There were no errors during the installation.

There are other issues:  there are no "Recent Files" and in the Adobe PDF Viewer the iCloud document that I had been viewing disappeared. (Why was it not stored/copied locally when I was viewing it??)

The iCloud Drive app has been replaced by the Files app in iOS 11. You'll need to open the Files app to refind your files.


Has anyone working Parallel 7 on Mavericks? I am using Parallels 7. And I was not going to upgrade to Mavericks because I don't have any money now :(

But surprisingly, Mavericks is free!!! And this made me to think about upgrade... The only problem is Parallels 7 on my desktop. I already received a mail from Parallels company that PD7 won't work on Mavericks BETA. Anyway production release may different with beta, so I want to ask is there any people who can success to run PD7 on Mavericks.

And if it runs, but not perfectly, please let me know what part doesn't work.

I have to run Windows (7/8), OS X (Lion/Mountain Lion), FreeBSD server (9/10), CentOS server, Ubuntu server.

From meme1255's reply here

ExtensionsPath="/Library/Parallels/Parallels Service.app/Contents/Kexts/10.6/"
cd "$ExtensionsPath"

sudo kextutil prl_hypervisor.kext/
sudo kextutil prl_vnic.kext/
sudo kextutil prl_hid_hook.kext/
sudo kextutil -d ./prl_hypervisor.kext prl_netbridge.kext/
sudo kextutil prl_usb_connect.kext

open /Applications/Parallels\ Desktop.app

And you have to give parallels permissions to accessibility to get keyboard/mouse working:
System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy Tab > Accessibility section

You also need to reset Parallel's network setting.


How to restore select files from Time Machine and fix permissions issues I like doing things from the command line (eg copying only 24 select files by wildcard from my time machine backups) and Time Machine's extra permissions and protections catch me out every time.

Information on how to work around all the permissions is out there, but you have to know what you're looking for and find solutions to about 3 different problems.

So how do you restore those files with correct permissions?

Full Disk Access

You're stuck at the following:

sudo ls /Volumes/BrainDump-Chris/Backups.backupdb/MyMac/Latest/Macintosh\ HD/Users/me
Operation not permitted

You need to give iTerm2 (or whatever terminal emulator you use) Full Disk Access permission.

Fixing File Permissions

Ok, now you've copied over some files, but you can't modify them. This is because extended permissions with explicit denies were also copied over.

You'll need to remove those extended permissions as described at backdrift.
You might also want to remove extended attributes as described in this answer

sudo chmod -NR <your restored files and folders>
sudo xattr -rc <your restored files and folders>


How did NordVPN implement the kill switch in their iOS app? NordVPN provides an app for their customers that manages the VPN connection to their servers. The app comes with a kill switch feature that ensures that all network traffic goes through this connection. NordVPN claim on their website (emphasis by me):

  The Mobile version of the Kill Switch, used in our Android and iOS apps (as well as the IKEv2 version of the Mac app), disables system-wide internet access if the VPN connection suddenly disconnects - that way it protects all apps, without terminating them. It will also try to reconnect you to the last server you were connected to.

How is this possible? I find it hard to believe that the iOS API allows access to such an important system-wide function to an app. Can anyone explain how NordVPN implemented this?

Kill switches on iOS only work with the IKEv2 protocol.

IKEv2 provides resilience to the VPN connection. When the VPN client moves from one wireless hotspot to other, it automatically disconnects all internet activities when a VPN connection is lost and re-establishes the connection upon successful connectivity.

Mobile users specifically can benefit from such a protocol. However, it is not supported on many platforms as it is fairly new to VPN services.

Apple has a very strict process for getting the entitlements to allow an app to control system wide network access. You need to contact them and answer all kinds of questions before you get the entitlements.


MacBook Pro won't boot. Ideas? MacBook Pro won't boot. Getting various grey screens. When try to do straight boot, get flashing folder.

Other things not working: OS X recovery, start up manager, single user mode, verbose mode, safe mode. Will go to Internet recovery, enter password, stall (-2002F- error).

Tried resetting NVRAM and SMC, but nothing.

Tried with new hard drive, but exact same results with old hard drive (I thought old hard drive might be corrupted, so got new one, but getting identical results).

Any ideas? Could go to Apple service centre, but closest to where I am is 3 hours drive.

Should note, that many attempts ago Mac booted fine (by some divine intervention I think), so backed up everything right away, but after using computer as usual for an hour (mostly Internet browsing using both Safari and Chrome), computer slowed down to snail pace, so tried rebooting but again got results as listed above.

Any help or ideas greatly appreciated. Thanks!

That error means it failed to connect to the network. Is your network perchance WPA or WPA2/WPA mixed with a password? Apparently Internet Recovery doesn't play well with those (another link).

Did that new hard drive have OS X installed or not? If not, it wouldn't be able to boot for obvious reasons. Just to make sure.

Have you tried creating a bootable version of Apple Hardware Test?


Right speakers malfunction on MacBook Pro Retina My laptop has this crackling sound on the right speakers no matter the volume. The noise is not heard with a headset. I noticed this after updating my software to the latest one.

To isolate whether this is truly a hardware or software problem..

Launch /Applications/Utilities/Audio MIDI Setup.app
If it doesn't already show, select Audio Devices from the window menu
Select your Speaker output on the left Sidebar; the tab on the right should show Output highlighted & Input greyed out
Bottom right, select Configure Speakers…
In the new dialog that drops down you should see 'front left' & 'front right' each with a drop menu beneath.  The channels are likely just labelled 1 & 2.

Swap the channels - set left to 2 & right to 1.
Test with some audio playback.

If the right speaker still crackles - it's a hardware problem.

If the left speaker is now the one affected - it's a software problem.

Add a comment if it's software & we can test further.
If it's hardware, it's a trip to the Apple shop, I'm afraid.

Late Edit:
Because comments seem to be trying to break the laws of physics, let me explain further what is the most likely damage, & why it cannot be due to "magnetisation".
So, lets do a very quick 'physics 101' on the principles of loudspeakers.

The basic elements of a speaker are

a housing to keep all of the following in place.
a permanent magnet.
a coil of electrical wire [usually copper] on a hollow cylinder, placed to intersect that magnet & free to move, within tolerance, inside the magnet.
a cone of paper or plastic, fixed to the coil at one end & the housing at the other, used to project the sound from the coil into the room.

By definition, a permanent magnet is... permanent. Break it & both halves are still magnets. grind it to powder & every particle will still display the same characteristics. They are, for the purposes of this explanation, immutable.

As alternating current is passed through a coil of wire, it induces a magnetic field in the coil - positive & negative depending on the current flow, first one way then the other. As every schoolboy knows, opposite magnetic poles attract & similar poles repel.
The result of this is that the coil is forced first in one direction then the other in relation to the permanent magnet.
By having the coil connected to a larger cone, this transfers the movement into air pressure waves... sound.

The copper coil can never be permanently magnetised, because that can only happen [broadly] to ferrous metals - those which contain iron.

The most common ways to break this finely-balanced setup are :-

Stressing the join where the cone meets the housing - causing softening &/or eventual fracture at the join. This will make the speakers buzz at high volumes.
Overheating the coil until it permanently distorts. This will cause distortion at almost all volume levels.

Both of the above are usually caused by running the volume too loud for tolerance.
Over-compressed audio [Google 'The Loudness War' for background] or sound applications designed to 'make it all louder' (Boom, I'm looking right at you:/ ) will contribute to early failure.

A third, often overlooked cause is moisture. Paper cones & coil substrates don't like moisture.. whether it's just continuous high humidity or inelegantly-applied soda.

The tolerances between magnet & coil are measured in microns. Distort the coil or the cone & your speaker is as good as dead.

With an analog amplifier, running at low battery power would contribute by adding distortion to the signal at lower volumes. Computers don't really suffer from this, as their batteries are designed to give close to full output until recharge.


Writing to plist file multiple preferences same time I need to write about 50 preferences to a .plist file. Is there any way to write just once to plist file? My current code has 50 defaults write lines.

do shell script "defaults write testing.testing mypref " & "Kjlk"
do shell script "defaults write testing.testing otherpref " & "something"
do shell script "defaults write testing.testing thirdpref " & "whateva"
...

Mac's default command is not designed to work like that.

You will see a substantial speedup by having Applescript make (or call) one shell script to issue all 50 commands. You can wrap both versions of the script in a date call or use the time function to time the shell script if you are not sure where the delay lies on your Mac.

The vast majority of the delay will likely be Applescript looping and then forking each an environment for each script to be executed. By writing one script, not only will the startup be reduced to 1/50 of the time, it will likely execute far faster overall.

If you really wanted to, you could write yourself a function to parse multiple inputs; but it's probably easier for you just to have 50 lines of shell script.


How do I Force Google Maps Links to Open the Google Maps App on iOS6? In the past (iOS5 and earlier) clicking on a link for directions within a website opened the separate maps app and provided directions. How do I force links in websites, that would normally open a google maps link in a "desktop" web browser, to open the new external google maps app? I do not find the current google maps website adequate (can't figure out how it would provide dynamic (voice) directions) and the new apple maps app is not opened by those links.

As Matthieu Riegler said, when you go to the Google maps site you will be prompted to launch the app. Unfortunately, there is no way to do this automatically.


How to get Apples Human Interface Guidelines 2016 as epub or pdf file? How to get iOS Human Interface Guidelines 2016 as epub or pdf file?

Download iOS Human Interface Guidelines book in iBooks.app then drag and drop the file out of the "shelve" into the Desktop (or any other folder). It'll appear as .epub.


Will MacBook (Mid 2010) work with 1333MHz RAM instead of 1066MHz RAM? I've a MacBook White (Mid 2010, 13-inch) with 2GB 1066MHz DDR3 RAM. I want to upgrade it to 4GB RAM. I'm looking for 1066MHz RAM in local stores but couldn't find one. Instead everywhere I can find the 1333MHz DDR3 RAM only. So before buying RAM, I want to be sure if 1333MHz RAM will work on my MB White without any troubling issues. So please give me an expert's advice. Will 1333MHz RAM work on my MB White Mid-2010 model? Or I'll just continue using my MB with 2GB RAM?

1066MHz RAM is not available in my city and making order from Amazon (or similar sites) is not possible for me as these websites do not provide services in my country.

My MB White (Mid 2010, 13-inch) specifications--

Processor- 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Memory- 2 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

Graphics- NVIDIA GeForce 320M

OS- OS X Yosemite 10.10

Thanks in advance for your valuable suggestion

Usually there is no issue with using faster-rated RAM as long as all the other specs of the RAM match what is required. It will run at the speed of the onboard memory controller.


Getting rid of the annoying Photoshop CS6 timeline Every time I open Photoshop, here it is, the annoying and obtuse timeline box. I hide it. I create my own workspace and save it. But every time I run Photoshop CS6 the timeline window is there. I close it, and open a file. Every time a file opens, the $&&%#$ window is back.

How do I get rid of this disgusting window?

thanks.

This was happening to me on a single file, because I'd messed around with animation a little and then deleted it.

What I had to do in the end to stop the timeline opening every time I opened that file, was to copy everything into a new PSD.


Free for a day Apps - legal for use in Apple Configurator? Today, several paid apps we have our eyes on to purchase for use on our classroom iPads through the VPP program are available free for the day, so I downloaded them and installed them in Apple Configurator, where they indeed show up as being free in the list of apps and can be installed on iDevices without problems.

I'm concerned that somehow this is not legal to do, but I cannot find any verbiage indicating this illegality. I'm assuming that if the app is free at the time of download, it remains free to install on devices despite the app's previous, and future, availability as a paid app.

Does anybody have any definitive information?

Most software has an EULA | End User License Agreement associated with it — which is essentially a contract between the licensor and purchaser, that defines how the established purchaser can use the software along with the liability of the licensor.
EULA's are deployed in many different ways; often you might never see or know where to look for one within an application and/or on the developers website. Each application has it's own agreement(s), rules, and fine print. For every app you have it's likely to have an agreement that is completely different from another.
I had very tough time finding the EULA for Comic Life, since the website contained nothing that I could find. I eventually found it in the application under Window > Software License Agreement. I downloaded the trial version, so the eula associated with my version likely differs from yours. I'll spare you the entire agreement, since it's roughly 2383 words long.
Here's Section (B):

B. Comic Life Single User License. This License allows you to install
and use the plasq Software (whether trial or full version) on all your
personal computers. These are computers that are exclusively used by
you alone.

So for this version you would need to be the only person in your classroom using the application or the computers, which seems a bit comical really :D


Photos - "You have a new memory" "You have a new memory"...
No I don't, I have the same dodgy recollection of the past that I always did.
"What was for dinner yesterday?"... not a clue unless I look at the dribbles down my shirt.

Anyway, Photos seems to think I ought to be reminded of people & places I haven't recalled in years & announces out of the blue, "You have a new memory"...

I click on it & I'm greeted with an image from 2007, of my partner.
Well, honestly I do remember who she is, I'm not that bad - in fact I just saw her, seconds ago, she's still fine...

...but when did Photos turn into Facebook & decide to prompt me with this kind of thing?

More importantly, how do I switch it off?
Not just the notification, I want it to simply not do that.
I'm not still at school, taking selfies & pictures of my food every day, I don't want my professional environment besmirched by 'social media'-type actions.

Plus points for how it's actually doing this. Does it just flip a coin & present me with some random picture, or is it more insidious?
I don't have any photos stored or shared on iCloud.

[Facebook, you'll be happy to know, I dissuaded from this kind of thing years ago. People still use it to try to contact me... eventually they'll learn ;-)

 btw, question is a somewhat flippant rant [look up Victor Meldrew, or One Foot in the Grave], answer is still important ;)

In a more serious tone - how does this sit with GDPR?
I didn't opt-in to this.

Hum...
Even though I think your question is actually not a real one - you seems to know that Apple tried to implement a Facebook-like feature and made it impossible (or really hard) to disable, a piece of answer is that Photos is not designed (in my opinion) for a professional use.

Photos is intended to store photos of your family, your friends, your trips and holidays or other annoying every day's stuff like that. Every feature is design in this purpose: moments, collections, faces, locations as well as shared albums and ... memories!

I'm afraid you only have few solutions available including turning of memories notifications you mentioned (and never tap the memories album again). If you don't want [your] professional environment besmirched by 'social media'-type actions you may have to choose a different photo app to separated your professional and private life.

Concerning the algorithms behind memories, it is obviously based on similarly between groups of photos (location, date, people...). From my personal experience 2 différents types of memories are highlighted by the App:

Regular memories that gather photos from a recent event (a trip, a week-end, a party). They are usually pushed froward few weeks after the event ends.
Special memories that are usually highlighted many month (sometimes years) after the event ends. Such memories could contain only photos of a specific person (the memory titles "[Person X] over the years", "[Person X] birthday", [Person X]'s Home) or photos taken a specific amount of time ago (a have a "5 years ago" one, here are some other examples: "last Winter", "On this Day", "Chrismas day", "Halloween" and even "Best of Last Week/Mounth/Year").

I guess that you dislike this second category. This is quite intrusive I reckon but Photos App IS a social App since Apple designed to encourage photo sharing and viewing between family and friends rather than for professional use.


Can iBeacons work directly with remote servers? Can iBeacons work directly with remote servers? in other words can you store notifications or information you want pushed out to users on a server and have that information retrieved from a server when the user gets within range of an iBeacon?

I am almost done with building my app but need to store information I want pushed out to users on a remote server rather than locally in my app. For some reason I cannot find a direct answer to this or anywhere online that talks about iBeacons working with servers to populate information to users.

An iBeacon can't communicate directly with a remote server. iBeacons are low-energy bluetooth devices that only performs a broadcast of it's UUID (unique user identifier), a major and minor numbers.

On your iOS app using CoreLocation framework you can intercept this broadcasted signal and use it as you please. An example of this is GeoHopper app that has easy integration with web hooks of your choice. You will also be able to get the proximity of the iBeacon device within your app, the proximity is given in four values: Unknown, Far, Near and Immediate.

The video What is new in Core Location (Apple developer account required) has a good introduction to the iBeacon technology.


How to configure the calendar not to sync a specific Google calendar? I am using my iPhone 4S to sync with Google Calendar. I don't want it to show the items of the "Sports"-calendar though, because it's a full list of possible group activities at my local gym and it would clog up my calendar.

After unselecting "Sports" in the list of calendars, the iPhone still keeps showing entries of the "Sports" calendar.

Rebooting the iPhone does not help either. Going to calendars and settings still shows the Sports-calendar unselected. When I press on "Spinning (18:45-19:30)"  it would automatically add the Sports-calendar back to the list of calendars to sync.

What can I do to not see the calendar items from the Sports-calendar?

This is odd. I'd presume that your Sports calendar events somehow got to one of your other calendars without you knowing. What I'd do is:

first tap on "Hide all" when in Calendars
Next ensure that you do not see Any of your "Sports" calendar events (any events at all from other calendars shouldn't be visible either)
Next start selecting to show the rest of your calendars one by one without ever selecting the "Sports" calendar
The first time you see the culprit events appear - this is the malignant calendar which contains events from "Sports"


upgraded on storage of iPhone 6 i have iPhone 6 of 16GB, which is upgraded to 200GB, it's not showing upgrade storage capacity on the iPhone, still showing only 16GB

Upgrading your iCloud storage does not add internal storage/RAM to your phone. If you need more storage on the phone itself you need to buy a bigger model.


OS X - Create a personal bin directory (~/bin) and run scripts without specifying their full path So, what I am trying to do is to create a personal bin directory at my home folder. I created the following folder:

/Users/thi/bin

I put my scripts in this folder, but if I type in the Terminal:

myScript

It doesn't run.

I was told I have to export this bin path, something related to echo $PATH, but I don't know how to do it.

You need to add the following to file ~/.profile:

export PATH=/Users/thi/bin:$PATH

Then source ~/.profile

Note, that you may need to create this file, and because it begins with a . it might not be visible in the finder for editing via an application like a text editor.  To list all files including hidden ones, use:

ls -la ~/


Can you update in safe mode? I am running Mac 10.6.2 and I want to update to 10.6.8. I have downloaded the update dmg already but want to install in safe boot and not normal. I am aware that many kexts are not loaded except from the core ones but will this stop the installer from installing?

It worked fine. In fact I updated to 10.10 successfully in safe boot.


I can't switch text messaging back from my email address to my phone number. iPhone 6 iOS 9.2 So I just got a replacement iPhone, and activated it. I tried sending a text message and it wouldn't go through. I went to my messaging settings and clicked send and receive, and it had my phone number and email under "you can be reached by message at." However, next to my phone number, it had the loading wheel and there was no option to "Start new conversations from."

I reset my phone and when I try to click "use your apple id for iMessage and sign in, it says that I can't connect to the server.

Is there a way to troubleshoot this or alternate steps?

The loading wheel indicates that the servers that handle messaging on Apple's end are still busy processing your request.

It's kind of a busy day and you might have done everything correct - but if the servers are overloaded, you won't be able to use the activation / iMessage.

Some things to check:

http://apple.com/support/systemstatus
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201422

The second link is a great checklist - if you've done everything listed, it might be time to contact your cellular carrier and have them verify you can send/receive SMS. Once that's done, Apple's support is the next step to have them look into your account specifically if there isn't a general slowdown or outage. It does say that 24 hours can be the time needed for an activation to be processed. I presume they have engineers that look at all the failed activations and process or clear them manually or programatically - but I can't say that for certain.


How can I set Mail.app *back* to the mailto: protocol handler? After following the steps in:

How can I use Gmail as the default mail client app in Mac OS X?

How can I undo these settings?

How can I set Mail.app back to being the default mailto: protocol handler?

I tried unsetting the mailto: protocol in chrome://settings/handlers, but the only result is that now mailto: links don't open at all.  (They still switch focus to Chrome.)

According to this answer, the file that needs to be edited is ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.plist.  However, checking the file contents with the file command shows that it is a binary file:

$ file /Users/(me)/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.plist
/Users/(me)/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.plist: Apple binary property list

What else can I try?

(I am running Mac OS 10.7.4.)

In the General pane of Mail settings, there should be an option for setting the default mail client.


Download Apple developer videos for offline usage I would like to download Apple developer videos https://developer.apple.com/videos/ they release each year to watch them at double speed or to watch them offline. I am a registered developer with full access. Just right clicking and hitting download doesn't work. How can I do that?

Open the video from the intro page (e.g. WWDC 2015). At the bottom of each (streaming) video switch to "Resources" and download the linked HD/SD mp4 video:

A developer account or an Apple ID is not needed.


:wq command not found When opening terminal, this line shows every time:

-bash: :wq: command not found

How can I stop it from appearing every time Terminal opens ?

It looks like there exists a line :wq in one of your shell’s profile files, such as ~/.bash_profile, which was probably added as a failed attempt at quitting Vim when editing such a file.

To edit the bash profile with TextEdit, run open -e ~/.bash_profile in Terminal. Edit the file to remove the :wq line only. Save it, quit TextEdit and restart Terminal to see changes. You might want to make a copy of the file in case you're worried: cp ~/.bash_profile ~/.bash_profile.bak.

If you don’t want to use Terminal at all, see this answer How to add the PATH for mysql bin on Mac? with instructions on how to edit a profile file only using GUI.


How to make non-editable non-savable PDF into editable and savable? My university provides forms such as here in non-editable and non-savable form (it also has some odd sign such as 'Print form' that I need to remove). I am able to print the document with Illustrator and edit it this way even without the 'Print form' but if I print it through browser, it has this odd sign 'Print form'. I don't want to rewrite things again-and-again. Is it possible to make the PDF so that people without Illustrator were able to edit and save it?

Is there a way to make the PDF editable and savable in OS X?
Is the only way do it with Adobe Illustrator?

Preview in Mountain Lion allows you to inform all the fields available in that form. If you need to actually remove fields, you can use Infix to convert it to a standard PDF.

I just tried on the link you gave and it worked perfectly.


hardware issues / SMC reset: keyboard, trackpad, flickering screen Macbook Pro, 13" retina Early 2015, macOS Sierra 10.12.6

I had my laptop's screen replaced a couple of months ago, and I'm wondering if the bugs I'm seeing are symptoms of a faulty repair job? An SMC rest seems to work for a little while, so could it really be a hardware malfunction? And why would I have not seen any symptoms sooner?

Here's the detailed list of bugs I'm experiencing:

The haptic feedback on my trackpad comes and goes. It's working correctly most of the time though.
Occasionally the mouse cursor will continue to move itself after I stop pushing it, like it was lagging or something.
Today, for the first time, the cursor was completely unresponsive. Haptic feedback, however, was still happening.
After rebooting the OS failed to connect to either the keyboard or trackpad.
There was a slight flickering/shimmering in the lower right corner of the screen that took about 20 seconds to settle down.
I performed an SMC reset, and everything was back to normal for a couple of hours. But now the mouse cursor and/or haptic feedback is intermittently coming and going again.

Any suggestions? I'm quite frustrated at the moment, and worried that something worse is coming down the pike...

You have a hardware issue - possibly two - and you should take it in (back) for service.

The two issues: flickering on the screen and trackpad/keyboard issues are most likely coincidental and have nothing to do with each other.  Given that you just had it in for service on the screen and it's showing issues, I would've taken it back already.

The SMC reset really has nothing to do with any of this.  The SMC is just Apple's name for the what the rest of the industry calls the PMU or Power Management Unit.  Resetting it just sets the sensors, counters, watchdogs etc. back to "zero."  The SMC just regulates where power goes and how fast to spin fans based on data it gets back from the rest of the system.

The fact that you have intermittent failing haptic feedback, an unresponsive cursor and a failure to connect to either the keyboard/trackpad, indicates there's a hardware issue.

If it appears  SMC reset "fixes" your problem for a little while but then it returns, there's a good chance there's a power issue like a faulty component (resistor, capacitor, etc.) but in the end, the item needs to be serviced.  Chances are, you'll need a new top case assembly.


Notification window at certain time with traffic jams from work to home Wow, today I saw a great window.

This is a notifier from google maps or apple maps that shows me a way to home from work at certain time (when I usually go home) with traffic jam.

Does anybody know what is it and which app / service show me that window?

I suppose that it can be a google chrome plugin or apple os x service. Not sure

This sounds like the Google Now feature.  If you have chrome installed and running, you can click the alarm-bell-like icon in your menu bar to configure it.
From Google's support page:

How Google Now works in Chrome
If you use Google Now on your mobile device, you can see certain Now
cards on your desktop computer if you're signed into Chrome, including
weather, sports scores, commute traffic, and event reminders cards.
Some of these cards may be based on the location of your mobile
device. Learn how to sign into Chrome
To see these cards, open the Chrome Notifications Center by clicking
the bell icon  in the system tray on the lower right corner of your
computer screen (on Windows) or in the menu bar on the upper right of
your computer screen (on Mac).

Emphasis added.
Below is a screen shot showing where the bell is on my menubar (YMMV).


Unmerge all cells in Numbers xls file In this situation I have 2 cells merged into 1. How can I unmerge it so the result will be 2 cells with the same data?

I have cases with up to 7 cells merged in the xls file. How can I unmerge them all?

There's no automated way to do this.

As you would know, when you merge two or more cells the data all ends up in the new merged cell. However, if you unmerge the cell in future, Numbers will retain the data but keeps it in the left most cell (or, in the case of merged cells across rows and columns, data ends up in the top left cell when unmerged).

This behaviour is standard across spreadsheeting software (e.g. MS Excel, etc). Typically, if you want to unmerge the cell and then retain the data in the other cells as well, you would first unmerge the cell and then copy/paste the existing data from the first cell into the others.

If you needed to automate this because you had a large number of merged cells to unmerge and retain the data in all cells, you would need to look at using something like AppleScript to achieve what you want. Of course, this assumes you're talking about Numbers in macOS rather than in iOS.

Finally, your question refers to an Excel file (the .xls file you mention), so another option would be to use Visual Basic in Excel to make the changes first before opening the file in Numbers. However, this too would require coding a custom solution just like you'd have to using AppleScript. Any such option would have to be done within Windows or macOS (i.e. not Excel for iOS or Android).


How do I focus a specific window with applescript without doing an activate and bringing other windows to the front? I'm looking for a method w/ AppleScript to select/focus a specific window of an application without actually doing an "activate" which brings all windows to the front.

Here's what I have so far:

tell application "Google Chrome"
    set windowTitle to title of first window whose title contains "whatever"
end tell
tell application "System Events" to tell process "Google Chrome"
    click menu item windowTitle of menu 1 of menu bar item "Window" of menu bar 1
end tell
tell application "Google Chrome" to activate

The problem is the "activate" in the last line. That brings everything to the front, but I just want the one window.

You're right that the activate command raises all windows. The open shell command only raises one window though:

tell application "Google Chrome" to set index of window 1 where title contains "whatever" to 1
delay 0.05
do shell script "open -a Google\\ Chrome"


External NVMe Sabrent SSD not recognised by Catalina Macbook Pro 16" over USB-C, only USB-A I recently bought a 2TB SSD hard drive, placed it in a USB 3.1 enclosure and formatted it to Mac OS Extended (Encrypted). I began to do a straight copy from another SSD (Sata), both connected via USB-C, the transfer was working fine, then froze. I cancelled the transfer, and the finder bar froze on "stopping". It was frozen for a while and eventually the entire Mac crashed.
After a restart, the new SSD (NVMe) would not appear, not in Disk Utility, Terminal or System Information. All that would appear in System Information was the enclosure with the name "JMS583". The SATA drive worked as normal. I physically reset the drive in it's enclosure, and it had no effect. Eventually I connected it to my old Macbook Pro 13" via USB-C to USB-A and it appeared. I re-formatted it and successfully copied everything across.
However, the drive still refuses to appear on my new laptop over USB-C, it only appears when connected to a USB-A port on my HyperDriveNet (which then converts to USB-C). If I connect to a USB-C port on the HyperDriveNet (USB-C to USB-C) it does not appear.
I've tried repairing via terminal over USB-A and it's had no effect. I've seen similar posts here and here. But nothing has helped. I unfortunately have no access to another USB-C laptop to check whether it's my laptop (I would not be surpised, Catalina and the MacbookPro 16" have been a real disappointment) and I would rather see if it can be solved without buying an additional enclosure/drive.
What I have gathered from my attempts is that...
• The SSD, enclosure and format will work with my mac, as seen over USB-A.
• The mac is detecting the enclosure over USB-C, just not the actual storage ("JMS583")
• The drive as a whole has worked before over USB-C as seen on the first attempt that led to a crash.
Could something have happened in that crash that meant it will no longer be seen over USB-C. I've pre-ordered an OWC thunderbolt enclosure... But waiting till August is not really an option.
Any help much appreciated!
Thanks

I had the same issue. You need an NVME enclosure that has the ASM2362 chipset and not the Jmicron JMS583 chipset. All NVmE enclosure with that chipset have compatibility issues on the Macbook Pro 16 only and maybe the newer Macbook Pro 13. My older Macbook pro has no issues. Ugreen NVME enclosure on Amazon has the ASM2362 chipset which work well on the Macbook pro 16.
Hopefully Apple fixes it or Jmicron comes out with a patch. Same issue with Big Sur as well.


Are cheap cable remotes for the iPhone and iPad good for listening to podcasts I like to listen to podcasts while driving - but I can't use the iPhone's touch interface to play/pause podcasts because it requires looking at the iPhone long enough to cause an accident.

I'm looking for a physical pause/play button I can operate by touch and I've found this product on eBay Cable Remote Music Control for Apple iPod Nano 6 Touch 3 Classic iPhone 4S 4 3GS

I've had issues before with a car's built-in iPod control that would mark a podcast as completely played even if I listened only to a short part of it and that made that car's iPod control completely useless for me.

Does anyone here has experience with that iPhone remote and knows if it works well for podcasts?

Recommendation for alternative products are also welcome, as long as the alternative is cheap

if it makes any difference the iPhone is connected to the car's radio speakers with a cable connected to the phone's earphones jack.

I have the same issue, and here's the workaround I use:

I create a playlist and add the podcasts I want to listen to that day.

It's a little time consuming but then I do not have to try and find the podcast on my ipod while driving.


Finance app for personal and business I am trying to find an iPad app which I can use to keep track of my personal and business finances. I am currently both employed by a company and self-employed working on my own projects in my spare time which make a little money. It's a hobby business really but turns over enough money to warrant keeping track of.

I would like to be able to have one section for business where I put income and expenses for that and then a separate personal bit where I can put the income from my business as well as the income from my 'real' job and then be able to make note of my own personal spending and bills.

So far I've only been able to find 2 separate apps.

Edit
Must be able to work in the UK!

I'm not sure it would be as good as you need for business finance but you should give a try to Mint.com.


Does iTunes Match just 'match' your library with songs in the iTunes Store? I subscribed to iTunes Match a few days ago and it is obvious to me that it will not upload my entire library i.e. it only seems to be matching my library with songs only available in the iTunes store. For example, I have quite a few CD's of my own that are not available in iTunes Music Australia and I can see that iTunes Match is not allowing these tunes to be played on other devices, even Apple Devices! They are appearing 'greyed out' and won't play.

My understanding from subscribing to this service was that it didn't matter what songs you had in your library, it would upload ALL of your music (that's right, it said EVEN your own CD's when signing up).

This, to me, is a hoax. They don't actually Match everything if it is not available in the iTunes Store.

Does anyone out there have any answers? I have read quite a few threads out there, I have tried updating iCloud Music Library, unchecking and checking iCloud in preferences and to be honest there does not appear to be any other way to allow my own personal CD music to show in Apple Play unless it is available in the iTunes Store.

If this is indeed the case then there is absolutely no point in me subscribing to iTunes Match for $35.99 a year. I may as well just stick with the regular music streaming service at $11.99 per month.

Apple scans your library, if it identifies your file as part of the iTunes Store collection, it will 'match' it. If not, it uploads the file to your cloud. In your iTunes library you should see an iCloud icon next to your filenames - use the Show View options to add the column 'iCloud Status' - that will tell you if the song has been matched, uploaded, or waiting. Check if your CD uploads are in the correct format to sync.

If you right click on the song there's an option to 'Remove download' - this will delete your file off your local device. If you make a backup of your  current library, you could 'remove download' for your entire iTunes Match library - all the music should be stored in iCloud, and if it's matched, it will play the iTunes Store quality version. Sometimes there's issues with multiple devices on the same iTunes account conflicting sync.


Unlock iPhone from Japan to Kazakhstan Is there any way I can unlock an iPhone 6 in Japan and use it in Kazakhstan?

I heard from reading other forums that it's got to be unlocked, but aside from that how can I be sure it will work back in Kazakhstan?

Also what are the cons of buying and using in different country?

Following some answers, to clarify

I know where to get an unlocked iPhone 6. I want to use the iPhone 6 in Kazakhstan. The cost of iPhone 6 is expensive in Kazakhstan. Want to buy it in Japan and bring it to Kazakhstan to use.

I want to make sure the unlocked iPhone 6 I buy in Japan can be used with networks in Kazakhstan, and if there's any disadvantages to this approach as opposed to buying the iphone 6 in Kazakhstan.

Thank you.

update 27/05/2015

found this link: http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/ but it doesn't mention Kazakhstan, so not very assuring.

If you buy a mobile phone that is locked to a carrier (as is common practice in the US), then you can only use it on that carrier. If you buy an unlocked mobile phone, then you can use it on any carrier. This is true for all mobile phones, including the iPhone.

It sounds like getting an unlocked iPhone in Japan might be difficult, but other Asian countries only sell phones unlocked, as it is illegal for a carrier to lock them in those countries. (This is certainly the case in Thailand, where I live.)

Hong Kong and Singapore also sell all their iPhones unlocked.

It sounds like you might be better off sourcing a phone from one of those countries. It might be possible to buy an iPhone on the 'grey market' in Japan also, but if you do, make sure that you test that the phone works with SIM cards from two different carriers, and that it is not jailbroken, before you buy it. This is because a jailbroken iPhone can be 'software unlocked' to use with any carrier, but doing an OS update in the future would then return the phone to its previous locked state.

My recommendation is to buy an iPhone from a reputable dealer in a country that does not lock its phones (e.g. Hong Kong). Note that unlocked phones are much more expensive than locked phones.


New USB C MacBook - status light for charging without turning computer on For the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (and also the old tiny MacBook) that uses USB-C charging - is there something like a "status light" to see if your MacBook is charging (or full) without turning the screen on?

No light is provided on Apple cables, adapters or the MacBook.

The device makes a quiet charge sound when you connect the USB cord, so unplug and listen for that sound when you reconnect the charging cable.

It is similar to the sound made when an iPad or iPhone connects.

For those that prefer light to sound, some docks and adapters have a charging indicator, and probably more will follow suit.

https://www.moshi.com/usb-c-multiport-adapter#silver
usb c to usb a cable with charging led
Usb c to usb a adapter with charging indicator


received an sms from my stalker after changing number If anyone is experienced with iphone imessage and sms, please enlighten me.

There is someone stalking me by keep calling and texting even though I told him not to. It's been going for too long. The following things are the sequence of some key events in this:

Both of me and him own iPhones
I changed my number (same provider but different number, but did not change my apple ID). I also put my new number in the "my number" entry in the settings and did the same things to all my apps and blocked his number.
Four Months later, I receive a message from an unknown number and I asked who it was and it turns out it is the stalker to my surprise
his number in the form +61-4xxx-xxxx which is a standard Australian mobile number was showing at the top in his message (like the attached image although please note that the thread if not the actual message from him but it is a similar example as the text bubbles were blue and gray were showing in the thread from him yesterday)
I never put my new number on FB or anywhere
When I asked him how he found out my number, he just said "I just replied to the same conversation in our conv" which I think is a lie
Yesterday, I changed my number again, and this time even my apple Id and blocked his new number. Reflected the new number in all apps
He works for a major telco company and has about 10 smart devices and probably unlimited number of sim cards. This is not the first time he tried contacting me from different numbers. Because his work involves testing phones, he is quite knowledgeable with iphones

My question is: how he could've texted me although I got a completely new number? Is he telling the truth? Or do you guys think he somehow got a hold of my new number from someone? Is it because I did not change my apple Id and he was indeed able to get to my by getting a new number and imessaged me? I do not understand the imessage versus sms business. Please help me, so I know how to prevent him from getting my new number.

Thanks.

If the message is in a green bubble, it came as sms, if it's in blue, is came through Apple/iMessage. If you go into the Messages settings on your phone, you will see Send & Receive addresses and you should see how his message arrived. It will probably your apple id email there and he won't need your new phone number.


Problem with "Always Open With" in OS X I want know how can I apply a software to open all my same document, for example I want to open all my PDF document with Skim but when I right click on it> open with > other and choose my desired application and check the "Always Open With" it just do for that specific file.(mean always open A.pdf with skim if I want to open B.pdf still open with "preview").

How can I force OS X to open all pdf type with Skim.

From the Finder, select a PDF file, open the Info panel (File ➔ Get Info or ⌘I), select your preferred application and then click Change All…


Disable Cmd + , in Safari I'm currently doing a lot of chemistry writing in Google Docs. Google Docs is great for it because Cmd+. formats as superscript and Cmd+, formats as subscript... both of which supersaturate chemical writings (fear not, that's my only pun). Superscript works great, but Safari has an overriding Cmd+, which brings up Preferences-General and highlights Homepage, so subscript doesn't work. I haven't yet found a way to disable Safari's particular shortcuts, so I'm hoping someone here does.

looks like this answer related to a similar problem might do the trick:
https://stackoverflow.com/a/20692071/620141

in short:

Edit ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.symbolichotkeys.plist (you can use Xcode).
Find the code for kCGHotKeyLookUpWordInDictionary (70), and set 'enabled' to OFF (if it's not there just create an entry '70' with 'enabled' = OFF).
Restart your system

EDIT:
In your case, it should be:

Key Down
    Characters: ,
    Unicode:        44 / 0x2c
    Keys:       ⌘,
    Key Code:   43 / 0x2b
    Modifiers:  1048848 / 0x100110

so you should be using key code 43 with modifier 1048848

Extra help:

answer's source & extra guidance
Tool to find the key code (older macs only)
Alternative tool that works on Yosemite (Apple Store, free)


Is there any way to specify "not" in iTunes search? Whenever I want to listen to songs from a particular band in iTunes, I'll just type the name in the search box, select shuffle, and start playing. For most bands this works very well, but I've run into a few situations where I'm unable to narrow it down to a single band due to the fact that the name of the band I'm looking for is a subset of the name of a different band. A classic example is "The Who" - every time I type "the who" in my search bar I get "The Guess Who" as well.

I've tried some of the basic tricks like using quotes or minus symbols but nothing seems to work. Is there a way to do this, or do I have to create special playlists for these problem bands?

iTunes doesn’t seem to exhibit any sort of smart searching built into the search box. Possibly, the best way to deal with these things is to use an external tool.

In my case, I have Coversutra (not free), that allows you to press “tab” (can be changed) to select different things:

I know there are free alternatives that can possibly do the same thing.

An additional alternative could be using an AppleScript and Automator to “ask” for the values… but that might be too much.

tell application "iTunes"
  activate
  set results to (every file track of playlist "Library" whose name contains “some track" and artist contains “some artist")
  repeat with t in results
    play t
  end repeat
end tell

Something like that, if you can make automator (or the script) to ask you for the two “some” values, you’re set.

My opinion: iTunes should support spotlight like search strings!

UPDATE Ok, you’re right about that one, Coversutra (and others) all use iTunes “syntax” which is… no syntax.

Spotlight, however, is a different beast.

In trying to replicate your scenario, I’ve found that I have two “artists” that are similar in name: Metallica and Metalium. They both contain “Meta” in their names.

So when I search for artist “meta” I get both, which is annoying, because I really don’t like Metalium that much…

So I have two solutions for you:

a. Use Launchbar (or quicksilver), to quickly find the artist (this is a nice way to do it and what I really use most of the time when I want to find a song or an artist, it works faster than anything else). I use Launchbar. Pressing enter there creates a temporary playlist (called Launchbar) that contains all the tracks in question, but you could have dig a little bit more if you wanted an album or song. Very easy.

b. Use Spotlight:

This brings both bands:

kind:mp3 author:meta

but this excludes the unwanted one:

kind:mp3 author:meta NOT author:metalium

Not the best but… what can we do :)


Airpods seem to have a Chinese name by default When I set up a pair of airpods, the name shown is in what appears to be Chinese + English:

This isn't a big deal, but I'm wondering why it does this. What do those Chinese characters mean?

my name is Mei, and to answer first character 枫 ( fēng ) is a component to a chinese name and literally means "Maple" and second character 的 ( de ) is a possessive particle or meaning "of" or belonging to, to put simply it means "Feng's AirPods"


Open iTerm and execute some commands automatically I need to open some terminal sessions via iTerm 2 and execute commands on each terminal (e.g. rails s ; rails c)

How to do it via automator or alfred?

You could do it with an Alfred Worflow (you need the Powerpack).

First create a Blank Workflow and fill the data:

Use the plus symbol in the right cornet to add Trigger → Hotkey action. Define your prefered hotkey and save it.

Add Actions → Run script. Use /usr/bin/osascript as language. Paste the following script and save it. Change ls -l to whatever command you want to execute.

tell application "iTerm"
    activate
    set the clipboard to "ls -l"
    delay 0.5
    tell application "System Events"
        keystroke "v" using command down
        keystroke return
    end tell
end tell

Connect the two actions and you will be ready.

Type your hotkey and it will open iTerm and execute your command.


How to hide/show a specific icon on Mac OS X Desktop I have managed to write a piece of code in .profile file in bash to hide/show all the icons from the Desktop, running from Terminal.

I need the same functionality just for 1 icon to work with after I have hidden all in the first place.

So I need something like showicon %1 command, where %1 is the name of the icon on Desktop.

Any Suggestions on how do I do it?

The Terminal command chflags can be used to hide and unhide files:

    chflags hidden /path/to/file.ext

or

    chflags nohidden /path/to/file.ext

You can create a simple alias called hideicon that invokes chflags hidden, and similarly for showicon to invoke the opposite command:

    alias hideicon='chflags hidden'

and

    alias showicon='chflags nohidden'

Add these to your ~/.bashrc file, and they'll load with each new instance of your shell.


How to debug an AppleScript intended to be run by a Mail rule? I found a template in the Script Editor for a script intended to be run by Mail as the result of matching a rule (File -> New From Template -> Mail -> Mail Rule Action) and it starts out with:

using terms from application "Mail"
    on perform mail action with messages these_messages for rule this_rule

My question is how can I (for example) pick a message and then cause this script to execute as that message being part of these_messages so I can debug it?  I'm new to AppleScript and so I mostly want to poke around, display intermediate results, and slowly build up the script.

I created a mailbox on the same imap server and moved some junk mail into it (5 or 6 messages).  I then created my rule that called the script.  I disabled the other rules just to make sure that they were not doing anything weird.

Then select one or more messages in the sample mailbox and do Mail => Message => Apply Rules which will send the selected messages through the rules which ends up calling the script.  This is tied to CMD-OPT-L so its possible to cycle from compile and save in the script editor, switch to Mail to run the rules and back to the Script Editor all from the keyboard.


How remove weather from today view in os X notification center? In my notification center in os x, I have disabled the weather widget. But still, under 'today' there is weather information. The weather widget itself still shows as disabled though!

How to completely remove weather info from the notification center?

You can't remove weather from Today without removing Today. The Weather widget is a separate interactive Weather widget, not part of Today. If you don't want weather to show within Today, you need to remove the Today widget.


GarageBand doesn't let me import a file [ipad] The file is grayed out and it doesn't let me drag it in, it only lets me delete it.

GarageBand only supports those MP3 audio files which have a sample rate of 44.1 kilohertz (kHz) and a bit depth of 16 bits.

I guess you have to convert the MP3 files to GarageBand's more compatible AIFF file format. Use iTunes to convert MP3 to GarageBand more compatible AIFF format.

The following site could give you wider clearance: http://www.bigasoft.com/articles/mp3-to-garageband.html

If you have all the required format as expected and still if it is giving an issue, I would suggest you check your project. It does this when your project has become too full. Try deleting tracks out of your project and then drag the audio file back into Garage Band and it should turn up blue


Apple Pages: Make a cell span two columns I have a table. I want a cell that spans two columns, so that text in this cell with span two columns. In Microsoft Word, I can use erase tool to erase a line between two cells but I don't know how to do this in Apple Page. Please teach me.

Thanks :)

do you want to merge two cells? select all the cells you want to merge and merge them together by selecting "format" menu->"table"->"merge cells"


Mac OS X locks up when I plugin in headphones on MacBook Pro Every time I plug in (or off) my headphones (even white iPhone ones), Mac OS X locks up for about 10 seconds, and then works as normal, and even displays the beach ball. Not everything locks up, as I can still switch screens, etc, but I think the Finder does.

Initially I thought this was related to Flash, as the Flash Player would stop working, but this happens even when the browser is closed.

I don't have any audio related apps installed.

Does anybody have any ideas of what could causing this, or tips on how to track down the problem?

Could you try creating a new user and see if it happens there? Create a new user. Restart your computer and log with the new user. Make sure you don’t have anything in the “Login Items” (nothing starts at login).

Also try starting your Mac in “Safe Mode” as described here and see how it goes.

This could be related to a Kernel Extension (ktext) problem.


"fatal: Not a valid object name develop" error when running brew upgrade/cleanup Whenever I run brew upgrade or brew cleanup I get this error in the output:

fatal: Not a valid object name develop

Although, it seems that upgrading works as expected. Where does the error come from and how to fix it?

It seems that the error has been caused by a misbehaving tap. After I've cleaned up taps with

brew untap <tapname>

the error disappeared.

P.S. to list all installed taps, just run:

brew tap


How to enable screen saver for login screen? I have macOS 10.13.6 running on my MacBookPro (15-inch, 2017). I went into Energy Saver and set "Turn display off after:" to 1.5 hours. I went into "Screen Saver" and set it to start after 20 minutes. When I press the lock icon on my TouchBar, the computer locks, and then within 5 seconds the displays turn off. As a result, the screen saver never kicks in... But I'd like to see the screen saver on the lock screen.

I ran a web search for the problem and found mention of a "com.apple.screensaver" plist file but this file doesn't appear to exist in /Library/Preferences, which is where it is supposed to exist. I suppose this file has been renamed or something similar, for this OS release...

So I'm grasping at straws now. How can I enable the screen saver on the lock screen?

To the best of my knowledge, it's not possible to trigger the screensaver from the lock screen. However, you could consider triggering the screensaver instead of going to the lock screen, then changing your security settings to lock your device in the background as soon as the screensaver triggers.

To do this, go to your Security & Privacy preferences in System Preferences, check the checkbox next to Require password [time interval] after sleep or screen saver begins, and select immediately from the dropdown (or 5 seconds if you want a little leeway—this setting dictates the length of time after the screensaver starts before you'll need to put in your password to unlock your computer). See the screenshot below:

Next, you'll simply need to add a shortcut to start the screensaver to your Touch Bar. As this CNET article explains, go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Customize Control Strip and drag the Screen Saver control to your Touch Bar's Control Strip. From now on, instead of locking your display, press the Screen Saver icon on the Touch Bar to both lock your device (i.e., prevent access without a password, but without showing the login screen) and start the screensaver.


Can I turn to Dark Mode only for specific apps in macOS Mojave? The new macOS Mojave Dark Mode function makes all of Apple's built-in apps get the Dark Mode treatment, that is Safari, Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Maps, Photos, Messages, FaceTime, iTunes, Apple Books, etc.

However, is it possible to selectively activate Dark Mode, i.e.,  only for a specific subset of apps? For instance, what if I want to keep Safari in Light Mode and turn Finder to Dark Mode instead? Am I somehow allowed to do that?

There's a command that works for this:

defaults write <Bundle-Identifier> NSRequiresAquaSystemAppearance -bool yes

It's explained here: https://www.tekrevue.com/tip/exclude-app-dark-mode-macos-mojave/

If you don't know the app's bundle id, you can query it using AppleScript, which you can run from the command line with osascript:

osascript -e 'id of app "<App-Name>"'


Is there a built in command line utility for airport and other wifi networks? Is there a built in command line utility to show information about Apple Airport networks and other wireless networks? Where? What's its usage?

There is a command line wireless utility called airport, but it is not in the user $PATH to be able to call it without remembering where it is.

/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport

so to make it available at the line, and put it where it really belongs, in Terminal:

 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$ sudo ln -s /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport /usr/sbin/airport
 chillin@stack:~$

And when calling it, gives great info about the wireless network you're connected to:

 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$ airport -I
      agrCtlRSSI: -53
      agrExtRSSI: 0
     agrCtlNoise: -84
     agrExtNoise: 0
           state: running
         op mode: station
      lastTxRate: 48
         maxRate: 54
 lastAssocStatus: 0
     802.11 auth: open
       link auth: none
           BSSID: c0:a7:50:5d:46:b9
            SSID: starbucks
             MCS: -1
         channel: 3
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$ # ok, what else?
 chillin@stack:~$ # run a wireless scan!
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$ airport -s
                             SSID BSSID             RSSI CHANNEL HT CC SECURITY (auth/unicast/group)
                   MOTOROLA-616F8 b4:22:ed:3d:69:e4 -86  1       Y  -- WPA2(PSK/AES/AES)
                        starbucks c0:a7:50:5d:46:b9 -50  3       N  US WEP
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$

for syntax and quick help:

 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$ airport -h
 Supported arguments:
  -c[<arg>] --channel=[<arg>]    Set arbitrary channel on the card
  -z        --disassociate       Disassociate from any network
  -I        --getinfo            Print current wireless status, e.g. signal info, BSSID, port type etc.
  -s[<arg>] --scan=[<arg>]       Perform a wireless broadcast scan.
                                    Will perform a directed scan if the optional <arg> is provided
  -x        --xml                Print info as XML
  -P        --psk                Create PSK from specified pass phrase and SSID.
                                    The following additional arguments must be specified with this command:
                                   --password=<arg>  Specify a WPA password
                                   --ssid=<arg>      Specify SSID when      creating a PSK
  -h        --help               Show this help
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$

outputs what looks like a man page, for examples and full help, call command without arguments:

 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$ airport
 Usage: airport <interface> <verb> <options>

         <interface>
         If an interface is not specified, airport will use the first AirPort interface on the system.

         <verb is one of the following:
         prefs   If specified with no key value pairs, displays a subset of AirPort preferences for
                 the specified interface.

                 Preferences may be configured using key=value syntax. Keys and possible values are specified below.
                 Boolean settings may be configured using 'YES' and 'NO'.

                 DisconnectOnLogout (Boolean)
                 JoinMode (String)
                         Automatic
                         Preferred
                         Ranked
                         Recent
                         Strongest
                 JoinModeFallback (String)
                         Prompt
                         JoinOpen
                         KeepLooking
                         DoNothing
                 RememberRecentNetworks (Boolean)
                 RequireAdmin (Boolean)
                 RequireAdminIBSS (Boolean)
                 RequireAdminNetworkChange (Boolean)
                 RequireAdminPowerToggle (Boolean)
                 WoWEnabled (Boolean)

         logger  Monitor the driver's logging facility.

         sniff   If a channel number is specified, airportd will attempt to configure the interface
                 to use that channel before it begins sniffing 802.11 frames. Captures files are saved to /tmp.
                 Requires super user privileges.

         debug   Enable debug logging. A debug log setting may be enabled by prefixing it with a '+', and disabled
                 by prefixing it with a '-'.

                 AirPort Userland Debug Flags
                         DriverDiscovery
                         DriverEvent
                         Info
                         SystemConfiguration
                         UserEvent
                         PreferredNetworks
                         AutoJoin
                         IPC
                         Scan
                         802.1x
                         Assoc
                         Keychain
                         RSNAuth
                         WoW
                         AllUserland - Enable/Disable all userland debug flags

                 AirPort Driver Common Flags
                         DriverInfo
                         DriverError
                         DriverWPA
                         DriverScan
                         AllDriver - Enable/Disable all driver debug flags

                 AirPort Driver Vendor Flags
                         VendorAssoc
                         VendorConnection
                         AllVendor - Enable/Disable all vendor debug flags

                 AirPort Global Flags
                         LogFile - Save all AirPort logs to /var/log/airport.log

 <options> is one of the following:
         No options currently defined.

 Examples:

 Configuring preferences (requires admin privileges)
         sudo airport en1 prefs JoinMode=Preferred RememberRecentNetworks=NO RequireAdmin=YES

 Sniffing on channel 1:
         airport en1 sniff 1

 LEGACY COMMANDS:
 Supported arguments:
  -c[<arg>] --channel=[<arg>]    Set arbitrary channel on the card
  -z        --disassociate       Disassociate from any network
  -I        --getinfo            Print current wireless status, e.g. signal info, BSSID, port type etc.
  -s[<arg>] --scan=[<arg>]       Perform a wireless broadcast scan.
                                    Will perform a directed scan if the optional <arg> is provided
  -x        --xml                Print info as XML
  -P        --psk                Create PSK from specified pass phrase and SSID.
                                    The following additional arguments must be specified with this command:
                                   --password=<arg>  Specify a WPA password
                                   --ssid=<arg>      Specify SSID when creating a PSK
  -h        --help               Show this help
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$
 chillin@stack:~$ exit


How do I "NOT require" a passcode in Apple Configurator Since apparently I can't set a passcode automatically with configurator I'd like to not have a passcode required (I'm okay with the user setting one themselves as long as it'll get wiped when I reset the device). Is it possible to have configurator do this?

If you deployed a Configuration profile that mandates a password requirement, you will need to remove that profile via your MDM or Apple Configurator.

In the Profiles section of either Prepare or Supervise, ensure that none of the configuration profiles that are being deployed contain a payload requiring a passcode.


Permanently Delete IMAP Account I'm unable to permanently delete an IMAP account under MacOS 10.12.2.

Deleting the account from System Preferences > Internet Accounts removes it, the entry in Mail,and the related keychain item, but they all reappear after several seconds.
Using Keychain Access to remove the related keychain item achieves the same frustrating result.
Disabling iCloud Keychain allows removal of the offending account, but it returns when iCloud Keychain is reenabled.
Repeatedly resetting iCloud Keychain according to Apple's instructions hasn't helped.  I've disabled the security code option, then disabled iCloud keychain on all my devices following the instructions to reset and empty it, and then removed it using Keychain Access.  Reenabling iCloud Keychain causes it to reappear.

It seems the problem centers around the removal of a single item from iCloud Keychain and none of the techniques my research has discovered work.

Suggestions?

The problem was an intractably corrupt iCloud keychain.  The cure:

Disable iCloud Keychain Security code approval on every device.
Disable iCloud Keychain on every device.
Use Keychain Access to reset a Mac's keychain to the empty default.
Re-enable iCloud Keychain and security code approval on every device.
Use Keychain Access to manually move desired items from the corrupt keychain into the new pristine one.


Copy Text from Quicklook In previous versions of OS X a plist addition to com.apple.finder (outlined here for instance) could be used to enable select and copy in quicklook previews.

This (hidden) feature doesn't appear to work anymore in Mavericks. Any workarounds? Or is the setting merely named differently?

Running

defaults write -g QLEnableTextSelection -bool true

and relaunching applications works for me. defaults write com.apple.finder QLEnableTextSelection -bool true only applies to Finder but defaults write -g QLEnableTextSelection -bool true applies to all applications.

If it doesn't work, see what Quick Look generator handles plain text files:

$ qlmanage -m|grep public.plain-text
  public.plain-text -> /System/Library/QuickLook/Text.qlgenerator (555.0)

If it is not Text.qlgenerator, try to delete it and run qlmanage -r.


Q: Mid-2009 15" MBP Line-out / Headphone-out jack not working properly - how to resume behaviour without replacing Logic Bus? I'm in the unenviable position of having a pretty maxed out Mid-2009 15" MacBookPro (1TB SSD+8Gb memory), and I've been getting almost 6 years of continuously decent behaviour out of it...

Except...

The line-out / headphone-plug jack has never been amazingly solid.

And in the last week or so, I've started experiencing behaviour where even if I plug in a cable, OS X or the hardware might not recognise that the cable is plugged in, so I will sometimes be stuck with laptop speaker output only.

Are there tricks that I could use / try out to make the plug "work better"?

Unfortunately, Apple just discontinued mid-2009 15" MBP Logic Bus manufacturing / sales - so I cannot dish out the 700Eur to get the Logic Bus replaced at repairs.

You will be amazed what can collect in the headset socket over the years, hindering its proper functioning. Giving them an occasional good cleaning will keep them running.

First, use a tooth pick and try to remove anything that could be stuck in there.

Next use a q-tip soaked with alcohol and swipe in there to clean the contacts.


Custom notification tones for WhatsApp iphone12 I know how to customize the ringtone on WhatsApp, however, when I try and customise the notification tone, the list to select from only includes the default Apple tones - i.e. Aurora to Synth and Bell to Xylophone.  That's very frustrating. The custom ringtones I've made using garage band or uploaded aren't listed as options (which they are on the ringtone list)

This isn't possible. Under the hood, WhatsApp notification tones are Apple Alert Tones and not ringtones. This is why your list of options is restricted to the small subset that you've mentioned. Sadly, you cannot create custom Alert Tones.


How do I fix my iPhone 5s? Now first of all, I assure you, there is not a single issue like mine. Let me list the steps taken with corresponding error messages/new problems to each step taken.

The problem started when the SIM card was changed at a Movistar branch, 3G for 4G. Mind you, the phone is brand new, 2 months on it.

  iPhone continually searches for signal "Searching...".

  a. Attempted to soft reset iPhone, with/without SIM card. No visible effect.

  b. Removed SIM card and it was not installed again after this point. Attempt at a Hard Reset from Settings in iPhone (Erase all content and settings) Strangely, apps+contacts were not erased. Attempted again. No visible effect

  c. Attempt at a iTunes managed complete factory setting restore. Newest iOS as of Today, 15 minutes ago.
  After step 2a the iPhone prompts a "connect to iTunes" message. There is no functionality enabled. It stays in this state throughout the rest of the steps.

  a. New problem. During restore an error was encountered (Error 1). Progress bar freezes for 3 hours, finally decide to disconnect it.

  b. Attempt it again after downloading and installing new Windows updates(Restarted computer), same results as mentioned with slightly different error message (Error -1)
  a. Attempt to install earlier version (iOS 8.0). (Error 3197) Failure.

  b. Fix Hosts file in respect to what Apple support says about the error. Disable Firewall, attempt to install iOS 8.0. Same Error.

  c. Attempt to install latest iOS, new error (Error 1671).

  d. Read similar question , followed the top answer's guide to putting iPhone in DFU mode and only then restoring. Recieved same error as step 2a around the same part of the progress bar. This was the point I gave up.

Special thing about this error (Error 1671) is that it does not appear among the specified "unknown" errors on Apple support page. It is a new kind of unknown altogether.

Back the the question, How do I fix my iPhone

SPECS

  iPhone 5s (GLOBAL) A1533

An iPhone 5 I had got stuck searching for signal forever also, it was caused by the data settings.
I had to turn Cellular Data ON to correct the secondary setting; LTE I believe. Then I could turn it back off (Cellular Data).


Spaces: Rename Desktops Is it possible to dynamically rename spaces, (as if I was renaming a folder or file),
so I can write small descriptions of the ongoing project contained in each?

It is possible to rename spaces using an app called Spaces Renamer. It is available on GitHub for free.

  The compressed view after pressing F3

  The expanded view after hovering

  The interface for renaming the spaces

Image sources: the GitHub page
Please note that to use it you have to disable System Integrity Protection to use this tool. You'll need to download MacForge to use it. All of the installation instructions are on the GitHub page.
It does not work for the time being on macOS macOS Big Sur due to increased system protections there. Only time will tell if it will be supported there. However, it works perfectly fine on macOS Catalina.


TextEdit El Capitan file-transfer open file text missing I'm trying to get started on a new work machine. Both my old and new machines are running El Capitan. My problem is when I try to move a ".txt" file from one computer to the other, via usb-stick, it keeps coming across blank(missing all text). I get this problem when transferring both directions. I've tried both UTF-8 format and using Automatic formatting. I've tried changing the permissions of the file after the fact, using "Get Info". None of this has given me any success.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks

it was a formatting issue

I changed the USB drive format from GUID to Apple Partition Map.

It seemed to fix the problem


my icloud is saying that it is not verified. What do I do? I cannot get my icloud to come on.  It is statiing that my icloud is not verified

You should start with logging into iCloud at https://appleid.apple.com from a computer. Once you're sure your Apple ID is OK, then log in to https://icloud.com to check that iCloud is fine.

Lastly, you can go to settings in the iPhone and make sure the time zone and clock are set to within 4 minutes of the real time. Then try signing into iCloud on the device.


How can I disable animation when switching desktops in Lion? I would very much like to disable the sliding animation that occurs when switching desktops via ctrl+→/← or ctrl+[number] in Lion.   This was previously accomplished in previous versions with this command:

defaults write com.apple.dock workspaces-swoosh-animation-off -bool YES && killall Dock

This new animation is even more slow than in Snow Leopard - nearly 1 second to switch - a real productivity killer.

Any help greatly appreciated!

I posted a bug on Radar#28495374 and here is the response from Apple:

Fixed in 10.12.  Go to Accessibility and Turn on Reduce Motion…
Please let us know whether the issue is resolved for you by updating your bug report.


Adding binary to ~/.local/bin In short, I have a working executable in my home directory. I want to make the executable available in the Terminal for the current user in any directory.

More context: The executable is geckodriver. The book I am using, Test-Driven Development with Python by Harry J.W. Percival, says "For macOS or Linux users, one convenient place to put [Geckodriver] is ~/.local/bin"

Based on this suggestion, I thought I should do something like mv geckodriver ~/.local/bin. Turns out ~/.local/bin is an executable, not a directory on my machine. This is keeping me from simply creating a bin directory in ~/.local.

I think there is something fundamental I do not understand here. Any clues?

What you did was move the geckodriver executable into ~/.local, and rename it to bin. The directory must exist first before mv can move anything into it, or it will assume you intend to rename the file at the destination. You can either delete ~/.local/bin with rm ~/.local/bin and make the directory with mkdir ~/.local/bin, then redownload it, or you can run the command mv ~/.local/bin ~/.local/geckodriver && mkdir ~/.local/bin && mv ~/.local/geckodriver ~/.local/bin, so you don't have to redownload it.


Undoing calendar sync between iPhone and Outlook I was trying to save the calendar data on my iPhone to my Outlook calendar. I connected via iTunes and the sync caused all my iPhone calendar data to disappear, overwriting it with the data from the Outlook calendar. How can I restore my iPhone calendar data?

You may be able to restore your Calendar from a previous back-up in iTunes.
Check the time and date of the previous back-ups.
Windows: Edit > Preferences > Devices tab
Mac: iTunes > Preferences > Devices tab

Restore from your back-up and see if your events come back. Restore by right-clicking (Option+click on a Mac) on the device and selecting "Restore from back-up"

The best way to sync with Outlook would be to download the iCloud Control Panel. This lowers your risk of losing Calendar data, as in your case. Of course, you need to have iCloud enabled on your device as well. This requires iOS 5 or later.
You can check this under: Settings > iCloud
You can download the iCloud Control Panel here: http://apple.com/icloud/setup

Make sure that when it is installed and you are signing in, that you use the same AppleID that is used with iCloud on your device.


Use clamshell mode without power adapter One of the requirements to use clamshell mode is to have the power adapter plugged in.  Is their any file modification or app that will work around this?  Like to switch throughout the day from a sit down desk to stand up and bringing the power adapter back and forth, is becoming more of a hassle.

You can use Insomniax to disable sleep when the display is closed. This will mean that you can close the lid and display the screen on a secondary monitor mode without needing to have a power adapter connected as the Mac will not sleep when you close the lid.

Insomniax is now abandonware and no further updates or binaries will be supplied. Further info.


cant open any apps on my ipad I got a iPad (1) and no mbp or windows for itunes so I hooked it up to another persons mac to get the latest updates for it.

It was all good for a while till the battery died the other day. After I charged it I was not able to open any apps except the ones that came pre installed.

not being able to play plants vs zombies any more makes me :(

how to fix please

There seems to be an issue with the permissions for your ipad and the installed apps.

Not sure if you've tried this.  But try installing any free application, the ipad will ask for your iTunes store password.  Once it has finished downloading, try and start another app.


Can I mix DDR3 1333 MHz memory with 1666MHz memory on my iMac? I have 2x4GB 1333MHz RAM (Mac memory).  Could I add it to my 2012 iMac  with 2x4GB 1666MHz RAM so I have 4x4GB RAM?.  Will it just run at the slower speed or will this just not work?

You can mix memory speeds so long as the memory is faster than the memory specified for your computer.

The 2012 iMac calls for PC3-12800 DDR3 and the minimum RAM speed is 1600Mhz (all models iMac in 2012; 21" and 27").  So, the 1666MHz RAM will work, but the slower 1333MHz RAM will not. Many, many years of experience has told me not to mix RAM speeds.  While it is "supposed" to work just fine, some memory modules aren't very tolerant and can cause issues.  Stick with what's recommenced for best reliability.


Why system-wide socks proxy doesn't work for Chrome? First of all, I'm not asking how to enable proxy in Chrome. I've already done it with SwitchySharp extension.

The question I'm about to ask, is the mechanism under OSX's network preference setting and chrome's mechanism.

The phenomenon:

I used ssh -D 7001 my_user@my_host to build a local socks server.
And I set System Preferences -> network -> current_wifi -> Advanced -> Proxies -> "Select" SOCKS Proxy -> "Input" 127.0.0.1:7001
At this time point, when I use safari to open a website, it use this 7001 socks proxy, but when use chrome, it doesn't.

So, when I set that socks proxy parameters in System Preferences, what did OSX do? And how did Chrome bypass this socks proxy setting?

It isn't that Chrome bypassed it, it "ignores" it (because it might not have implemented reading the values).

I did find some docs that show how to manually set Chrome on Mac to use SOCKS:

https://www.chromium.org/developers/design-documents/network-stack/socks-proxy

(if my memory bank properly translated what I read).

I couldn't find any docs from Google that said: Chrome on MacOS will obey SOCKS prefs.

Before someone down votes this because it sounds incorrect...

Proxy support for apps usually comes down to three things:

Support for HTTP proxy (FTP is really HTTP), HTTPS (Connect) and SOCKS of two versions.

Each of these is pretty different than the other, but the standard dialog boxes originally designed by Netscape made them look like they were simply operating in parallel. Users assume that a browser that works with one setting in the dialog should work with all the others, that simply isn't true from a feature/support/protocol/code perspective.

For MacOS browsers, the browser developer had to decide if they would support the proxy type, and then how would they read the system settings, if they supported the system settings. This is why for a long time Camino (Mozilla browser for MacOS-only supported OS settings, but Firefox (Mozilla browser for all platforms) did not.

(As best as I can remember... I was Proxy QA for Netscape/Mozilla back in the day.)


Installed refind to a separate HFS+ partition alongside macOS 10.14, but can't set it as the startup disk I use refind as my boot manager on my 2015 MacBook Air. Originally I had it installed on to my internal drive's EFI partition (and installed it in the recovery environment) but every time I update macOS on my main drive or an external drive, which is frequently due to the nature of my work, macOS sets itself back as the main startup disk and I have to boot back into the recovery environment to rebless refind. This is a pain in the ass.

I noticed that refind has the option of installing itself on to a separate HFS+ partition using the --ownhfs option, which is supposed to allow selecting that partition in the Startup Disk system preferences. I thought that'd be a good solution since every time I update macOS, all I'd need to do is use that pref pane to set the startup disk back to refind. So I made the partition and installed refind to it in the recovery environment. Everything worked okay so far.

However, as soon as I tried to use the Startup Disk pref pane to change my startup disk back to refind, it would give me an error that reads "Running bless to place boot files failed". Here is a screenshot of the error:

Is there anything I can do to get this working? Or is it perhaps the case that this particular feature of refind (installing with --ownhfs) no longer works with macOS 10.14?

Please note that I cannot disable system integrity protection on my system because I routinely need to test software that requires it to be fully enabled. I'm hoping there's a solution that allows me to more easily set refind as the startup disk without disabling SIP.

First of all, you do not need to disable System Integrity Protection (SIP) to install rEFInd. Second, you do not need use the bless command to make rEFInd the default on startup. Third, while installing to a HFS+ partition does work on a 2015 Mac, eventually this will no longer be possible on the 2018 and newer Macs. (See the recently posted question: Bless error when installing rEFInd)

As for your specific question, recent versions of macOS will not allow rEFInd to be selected from System Preferences. However for a 2015 Mac, you should be able to select rEFInd as the default on startup by using the Mac's Startup Manager. Restart the Mac and immediately hold down the option key until the Startup Manager icons appear. Next, hold down the control key while selecting the partition rEFInd is installed on. In your case, this partition should by default be labeled the same as HFS volume. Now on subsequent starts, the Mac should boot to rEFInd.

I should also point out that if Windows is installed with the Windows Support Support software, then rEFInd may be set as the default at startup from the Windows Control Panel. This option is only possible when rEFInd is properly installed to a HFS+ partition.

  Note: The rEFInd Boot Manager can also be installed 2015 or newer Macs to either an EFI partition or a MSDOS (FAT) formatted partition. You can use the default EFI partition or on any additional EFI partition of your choose to add. If installed properly, rEFInd can be blessed by the Startup Manager.

One final comment. If you install rEFInd to a MSDOS FAT partition, then you can change the default operating system, that rEFInd will boot, directly from macOS, Windows or Linux. This can be done by using a text editor or by installing a script. (The use of these scripts is shown in this answer.) The same is true if rEFInd is install to an EFI partition, except accessing the EFI partition usually requires elevated permissions.