How to reduce Safari/WebKit logging verbosity? I only recently updated to Sierra (10.12.4). Now when I use the Console program to view console messages, I see a massive amount of logging by WebKit, especially about "Current memory footprint":

This makes it very hard to use Console to view messages by any other application.  Is there any way to hide specific application messages in the new version of Console? Failing that, is there a way to make Safari stop logging this level of detail, or log them elsewhere?

While the accepted answer probably represents the right thing to do, there’s another way to narrowly answer the question, i.e. how to reduce the logging verbosity of the WebKit subsystem (permanently):

sudo log config --subsystem 'com.apple.WebKit' --mode "level: error"

Now, only error-level messages should be logged.  (Caveat:  I haven't tested it.)

But I won't recommend this;  rather just filter for the messages you need.


Which Mac Mini is the earliest able to run Yosemite? I plan to buy a used Mac Mini, my only requirement is to be able to run on in Yosemite.

See http://www.apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade/:

These Mac models are compatible with OS X Yosemite:

iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
Xserve (Early 2009)


Macbook Pro random shutdown Has anyone experienced this problem? Does anyone have a solution? I have scoured the internets for solutions and found many different answers. I am on a Macbook Pro 6,1. The one that has worked for me is reset the SMC, switched to the integrated card using gfxCardStatus, not plugging in an external monitor and jacking up my fan speed to 6k RPMs. This has made my machine usable and has only shutdown 2x in the past 3 days. Anyone else have any insight? Solutions?

It sounds like your motherboard has suffered heat damage.  The most likely culprit is doing something 3D graphics intensive, because the graphics chip can get a lot hotter than the CPU but the fan speed is controlled by the CPU temperature.  Another possible cause of overheating is running Windows in BootCamp.

I've had that happen on a couple of different Macbook Pros (earlier models) and once it reaches this state you need a new motherboard.  In my case, they were still under AppleCare so it was free.  Since then I've always made sure to crank up the fan speeds before doing anything 3D intensive, and I installed fan controllers on the Windows side.


Folder management app for iPhone photos? Is there any iPhone app available that allows you to create folders in iPhone while using their Photos app?

It is kind a annoying that every time I must connect to iTunes and do the folder management there.

Looks like there are a couple out there if you search the App Store for 'sort photo albums'. Of the results returned Pics looked the best to me. Plus it had an interesting WP7 style to it.


Change smb://new-host-4.workgroup to smb://whatiwant.workgroup For some reason macOS won't obey my preferences for host name. If I set my computer name to whatiwant, then change the NETBIOS name to whatiwant and workgroup name to workgroup under WINS configuration in Network settings, when I go to Sharing in System Preferences, I see:

  Other users can access shared folders on this computer, and administrators all volumes, at smb://new-host-4.workgroup.

I don't know where else I need to change the host name to stop making it use new-host-4.

I tried rebooting, but that didn't fix the problem.

This is a MacBook Pro, connecting to a home network and being assigned an IP address via DHCP on a typical broadband router. Here's the DHCP config. Perhaps the issue is related to the highlighted checkbox.

I tried renewing my DHCP lease but that didn't change the SMB hostname.

Did you try the local hostname setting in Sharing preferences? It's found by clicking the Edit... button in Sharing preferences.

If that doesn't work, check that the DHCP Client ID isn't set. Some DHCP servers will use it to assign a hostname.

You can find it from the Advanced section of Network Preferences, under the TCP/IP section. Make sure that you have the proper network interface you use selected when you click the Advanced button.


PageUp and PageDown keys for Irssi (IRC) in Macbook? I cannot find the keys on my mackbook. I need them to go page-up and page-down in irssi (IRC). I have tested the tips here but they do not work. They model some different Up/Down, not the traditional Up/Down as on larger keyboards.

How can I press PageUp and PageDown buttons with Macbook? Irssi is running behind ssh and GNU Screen with UTF8 support.

It took me a while to guess that and I didn't find anything on Google, so at least, if somebody needs it, it's fn + Up/Down in iTerm 2.


How can I browse the hard disk attached to my Airport Extreme from my iPhone? I have a gen 5 AEBS which has a total of 3 HFS+ partitions across 2 USB hard drives (USB hub in the middle).

On my Macbook Pro Retina, I can see all 3 HFS+ partition in the Finder. Finder shows the AEBS on the left side (under "shared) and clicking on the AEBS in Finder shows me all the 3 HFS+ partitions "on" the AEBS.

In a similar manner, I want to access the AEBS USB hard drives from my iPhone 5 but I couldn't find an app for that. Does anyone know of an app or in-built way for me to access the drives attached to my AEBS? I'm looking for access when I'm on the AEBS WiFi but if I can also access it from the internet, that'll be a nice bonus!

Try FileExplorer Free from the AppStore.  I got my iPhone to see the files on a HD attached to my Airport Extreme Router.

The HD has to be formatted as HFS+ (Mac OS Extended Journaled)


macOS Sierra 2.1 to 5.1 upmixer? Is there any way to play music through all of the speakers in a 5.1 (or 7.1) surround system in Sierra? I've looked at options like Soundflower, but everything I've looked into is 3+ years old.

To clarify:

I'm looking for a way to play 2.1 sound out of all speakers on a 5.1 surround sound system. I have already configured my 5.1 speakers properly, I do not need help with that. For Windows, there is a handy program called Speaker Fill, but it is not available for Mac.

Below are screenshots of my audio configuration. The 5.1 surround it connected via a USB Sound Card. I have verified that all 5 speakers are connected to the correct channels via the test in MIDI Setup.

Yes, you can do what you want with Vox Music Player and maybe also Jack OS X.

In terms of which option you'd be better using, it really gets down to what you want to do? If you just want to be able to play music, Vox Music Player is the easier option (it's confirmed as macOS Sierra compatible).

However, if you want to use all your speakers for other uses and/or want the ability to control which applications do and don't use your speakers, then Jack OS X provides more flexibility in that regard (however I have not used it with macOS Sierra - it does, however, do what you want on earlier systems).

Unless something has changed, both options are free to download.

If you do want to try using the Jack OS X option, use the instructions below.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR JACK OS X

I have not tested these steps in macOS Sierra, so please be sure to report back with how you go as it may help others.

Download Jack OS X (be sure to download the appropriate version)
Install Jack (Note: To be able to actually install the software, you may need to manually go to the download and press the Control key while clicking on the app icon and then choose Open from the shortcut menu. Then, when the message appears, click on Open.)
After installation, reboot your Mac
Open JackPilot from within the Jack folder (This should be located in your Applications folder)
In Preferences set the Interface to match how it is your speakers are connected (e.g. USB sound card)
Ensure that both the virtual inputs and outputs match the Interface you selected at Step 4
Now go back to Finder and launch the Audio MIDI Setup app (This should be located in your Applications/Utilities folder)
Select the properties for JackRouter (Note: If you don’t see JackRouter, make sure you have Started it in Jack)
Click on Configure Speakers…
Set your speaker outputs by using the drop-downs to set the output for each speaker. (Note: You can click the speaker name to do a sound test for that speaker).
Click on Done
Open iTunes and play some music
Go to JackPilot and click on Start
Click on Routing (may take a little while to appear)
Choose iTunes by pressing the drop-down arrow
You should see some outputs labelled as out1, out2 etc. Choose out1.
In the second column, use the drop-down arrow for System and double-click on the option that applies to you (e.g. double-click on playback_2,3,6 (where 2 and 6 represent side speakers, 3 represents a subwoofer)
For out2 choose the remaining playbacks. (Note: Do not choose any you didn’t select in Audio Midi Setup earlier at step 6 - 10.

NOTE: Where I refer to iTunes at steps 12 and 15, you can select other apps instead (including games etc).


What are the technical and security features of the iPhone 7 fingerprint reader? I'm looking for technical material that describes the quality of the iPhone 7 fingerprint reader, and ideally previous models as well.

My hope, is that the specification is more in alignment with NIST/FBI requirements.

these links may help. The first link is apple's Touch ID privacy info, and the second is about federal government forcing people to unlock their phones using Touch ID.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204587

https://9to5mac.com/2016/05/02/federal-court-touch-id-fingerprint/


Adding SMB share to sidebar in OSX Mountain Lion Is there a way to add an SMB share to the sidebar in Finder, such that when I click on the alias, it mounts the share and opens it up like a regular folder? You can do this in Linux and Windows, and if I recall correctly, OSX Lion.

It doesn't work on Mountain Lion (10.8.[0-2]).

It works on 10.8.2 without creating an alias. You can drag the shared folder to the sidebar. It will auto mount after you have disconnected.


Macbook Pro screen keeps randomly going black after login, weird issues A couple days ago while I was using my 15 inch Macbook Pro 2015 Retina Display laptop (got it brand new 2-3 months ago, running latest version of Sierra), the screen flashed black a few times, and then completely went to sleep on its own while I was in the middle of something. I couldn't get it to wake up, so I had to force restart it. After that, I couldn't get it to turn back on unless it was connected to a power source. As soon as I would turn it back on and login, the screen would go black again. Even just opening finder or safari or sitting on the desktop would make it go black.

I looked online and attempted resetting the SMC and PRAM several, several, several times. Sometimes, I would login and the screen would be completely distorted and discolored. I attempted logging in via the Guest account, and browsed Safari for 2+ hours just fine, but as soon as I went back to my user account the problem started again. I rebooted and ran the disk utilities and even re-installed Mac OS completely. I still have no luck, and now, sometimes when I turn it on, the "startup chime" will play over and over again every 2 seconds like it's trying to start up but can't.

I'm not sure what to do at this point as I've already tried a fresh install of Mac OS. Next, I was thinking of erasing my drives but before I do that I want to see if there's anything else I can do. I even changed all of my system settings to not dim the screen display and to never go to sleep because the screen was randomly dimming at times.

Any thoughts?

P.S. I'm currently typing this on the Macbook after booting it with command+r and clicking on "safari help", again it works fine in when logged in as Guest too, it's only after I login to my user account that this happens. Sometimes it's immediate, sometimes it takes a few minutes.

I got into the Apple store today to see if someone could take a look at the problem. I waited about an hour and a half and during that time I was able to use my Macbook just fine. I found that if I left the mouse idle for more than about 10 seconds that the display would shut off. However, while playing a graphics intensive game like League of Legends, it was just fine, so that's what I did for an hour and a half.

When I brought it in I was able to reproduce the problem immediately by just leaving it idle for a few seconds. They ran their diagnostic test and found that something failed with the display's backlight sensor I guess. They sent it in and it was covered under warranty.

So looks like back to my slow 4gb RAM Acer laptop for 3-5 days while they fix it! I've only had it for around 90 days so I'm not sure if it's just a defect or something I did. I haven't dropped it or spilled anything on it. Who knows.


How to restore to Leopard/Snow Leopard from Lion without any disk? My friend has a Mid 2010 Macbook pro with Mac OS X Lion installed on it. She wants to restore it (as in format/erase and get a fresh start). However she does not have any disks.

When trying to restore using the CMD+R option during the boot process she is asked to sign in with her account but then a message saying she does not have OS X Lion purchased under her account prevents her from continuing with the installation. Is there a way to buy this online so she can proceed?

Also, she has the Recovery Partition in her HD so going back to Leopard/Snow Leopard is also an option. Is it possible? How?

Any hints on how to proceed without having to get an actual physical media is appreciated.

Thanks

There are two possible solutions from my limited knowledge:
First method
Install the OS X Recovery Disc Assistant on a USB drive and reinstall Lion.
From the OS X Recovery Disc Assistant guide:

To create an external OS X Recovery, download the OS X Recovery Disk Assistant application. Insert an external drive, launch the OS X  Recovery Disk Assistant,  select the drive where you would like to install, and follow the on screen instructions.
When the OS X Recovery Disk Assistant completes, the new partition will not be visible in the Finder or Disk Utility. To access OS X Recovery, reboot the computer while holding the Option key. Select Recovery HD from the Startup Manager.

If her Recovery partition won't let you install already, I'm guessing there's a chance this might fail, but it's a least free to test and see.
Second method
Buy OSX Lion from Apple.
OS X Lion is still sold by Apple, so you could just buy a new disc and install using it.


Swipe big working what next? My iPhone 4s will not let me swipe to unlock, power down or go to the next screen. I am currently accessing it through Siri... How can I fix this?

Apple has a list if things to do when the touch screen is not responsive since it could just be a software issue:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414

I would start there and then call AppleCare if a reset and restore doesn't fix the screen. It could be broken and just need to be repaired.


Upgrading to Snow Leopard without optical drive I am currently running 10.4- Tiger.  I never updated because my optical drive went out and I never got it fixed. I called Apple and they said that I could upgrade to Snow Leopard, but not Lion.  So I have purchased Snow Leopard, but don't know how to load it.  Here's what I've tried:

1) Remote Install- from an imac and mac mini.  It won't recognize the connection.

2) I made an .iso of my Snow Leopard disc in disc utility.  I put it on a flash drive and tried to boot.  No going.
I also tried to mount the .cdr directly from my desktop.  It goes through the beginning prompts and then says that I need to reboot to begin installation.  I suppose when it reboots, it loses the mount and doesn't begin the installation.

Long story short, any suggestions?

You will need a USB drive (8GB) and access to another Mac. You can use any external drive instead of a USB drive, but be aware that you'll have to format the drive and you'll loose any content on it.

Insert the Snow Leopard DVD and the USB drive into a Mac with a working optical drive
Start 'Disk Utility'. You should see your USB drive and the SL disk in the left pane.
Select the USB drive in the left pane.
In the right pane: Select Volume Scheme: 1 Partition
Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Enter a name for the USB drive in the 'Name' field. You can use "Mac OS X Install DVD".
On the bottom: click 'Options' and choose 'GUID Partition Table' and click 'OK', then 'Apply'. The USB drive will be partitioned and reformated.
When that is done select the 'Restore' Tab
There are two fields: 'Source' and 'Destination'
Drag the SL Installer DVD from the left pane to 'Source'
Drag the newly formated USB drive from the left pane to 'Destination'
Click 'Restore'
Once the restore is done eject the USB drive, put it in your Mac and reboot. Hold 'Option' while your Mac is booting, this will get you to the boot selection list. Choose your "Mac OS X Install DVD" and you're ready to go.


Is there a simple MacOS Bluetooth Toggle Shell Command? I have found this answer that shows how to toggle WiFi using a keyboard shortcut: https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/194372/406298.
I have created a new Action in the automater app to run the shell command provided in the answer:
networksetup -getairportpower en1 | grep "On" && networksetup -setairportpower en1 off || networksetup -setairportpower en1 on

Then, I have added the Actions shortcut in the keyboard's Touchbar to toggle WiFi from the Touchbar.
This works great as a quick WiFi toggle from the touchbar. However, I would like to do the same for Blutooth. Is there a similar simple shell command to toggle Bluetooth?
Thank you in advance.

There is a third-party utility named blueutil that makes it easy:
blueutil --power toggle

Toggles the Bluetooth power state.
See the Usage section on the linked webpage for additional usage information.
Note: If you do toggle the power state, turning Bluetooth off, make sure you can control your Mac's keyboard via USB or built-in if a notebook.


Thunderbolt to VGA monitor blank in Boot Camp Windows 7 I have a 22" external monitor connected to my MacBook Pro (late 2011) via Thunderbolt to VGA. When I boot into Windows 7 x64, the screen seems to work and is mirrored during the boot screens, then it goes blank at the login screen. It stays blank after I log in to Windows. The built-in screen on the laptop works fine.

The monitor works fine in OS X Lion.

Note that it appears the Thunderbolt may work a bit differently on Windows in Bootcamp than it does on the same computer when running OS X. As noted below on Thunderbolt ports and displays: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

  Why isn't my device recognized when I plug it directly into the Thunderbolt port when running Windows 7 via BootCamp?

  Windows 7 scans and activates devices connected to the Thunderbolt port only during the startup process. If a device isn't connected when the computer starts up, Windows 7 will not recognize the device. Restart the computer with the device connected to the port. Thunderbolt devices may also need a driver when running on Windows 7.

Additionally after trying the above, you may need to manually activate and configure the 2nd display in Windows 7, it may not automatically configure and turn on with the first connection attempt.

Make Sure you have the Apple Provided BootCamp Drivers installed.
Right click on the Windows 7 Desktop, click on "Screen resolution".
From there you may need to click on "Detect" and further configure the add on displays resolution and so on.

If the above does not work it appears that there may be some driver issues with the graphics card drivers in Bootcamp that may be causing issues with the Thunderbolt a.k.a. the Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter. There are quite a few discussion occuring on Apple's Support forms  and on the internet dealing with this issue. One solution found:

  Finally solved the external display resolution problem.

  Just purchased a new Core 2 Duo, MacBook Pro, 15.4'' display with the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT video card. Loaded Windows7 32-bit with BootCamp 3.0 and then upgraded the Windows NVIDIA video driver with the latest NVIDIA driver (version 196.75) from www.laptopvideo2go.com. Side note: Before updating the NVIDIA driver, I also loaded all of the laptop drivers in Windows with the MacBook recovery disk and completed all Windows updates. I then ran into the same resolution disply problem everyone here is having, which is why I ended up here...

  Solution:

  1) Update BootCamp from 3.0 to 3.1 (http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/).

  2) Uninstall NVIDIA 196.75 driver and the accompanying NVIDIA software bundle.

  3) Install NVIDIA 195.81 driver bundle with the modified INF file - downloaded from www.laptopvideo2go.com.

  4) Display works perfectly and tested the solution on 3 difference projectors.

If all else fails I recommend contacting Apple and letting them know of the issue so that they can develop a fix or workaround for it.


My email for my APPLE ID is deactivated what do I do? So I've finally remembered my APPLE ID that I used in the beginning to activate my Iphone but I forgot the password which I tried too many times and it disabled. Now my yahoo account I used for it is deactivated due to the fact I haven't logged in 12 months. What do I do?! My phone won't activate unless I use the ID I used in the beginning. I really need help! :/

First, try to reset your Apple ID through https://iforgot.apple.com/password/verify/appleid. And chose the security questions instead of Email authentication.

If that doesn't work or you don't remember the answers to your security questions you should try to contact apple support either by phone https://support.apple.com/kb/HT5699 or by visiting an apple store. They'll be able to restore your account for you.


OSX ML Terminal - Switching tabs I am a terminal junkie and use it all the time...literally. Is there any way to be able to switch between tabs with Command+Number (eg. Command+1 for tab 1).

Yes, I know about iTerm, I'm just wondering if its possible to do this with stock terminal, since I am quite fond of it.

Thanks

You can move left and right through tabs with CMD + SHIFT + ] for right and CMD + SHIFT + [ for left.

Not necessarily choosing  exactly which tab.


Can songs be added to an iPhone library without using a computer or the iTunes store? I wish to use my iPhone without having a computer.

However, the iTunes music store is not available in India. So, is there any way for me to directly add music to my iPhone Music app without using a computer? I do not want streaming solutions, or any 3rd party apps to store the music.

I couldn't find any way to do this, but thought I'll confirm here once.

You can’t do that without jailbreaking. Even with jailbreaking, the apps are so buggy or expensive that I won’t recommend anything.

You have to use iTunes to sync music to your iPhone because you don’t have the Music Store in India.

The second best thing you can do is use third party apps to store music.


Install Windows 10 on VMWare Fusion 8.5.3 I have a MacBook Pro running MacOS 10.12.2. It has VMWare Fusion 8.5.3.
I have a Windows 10 usb install thumb drive for installing both 32bit and 64bit Windows.

How do I install 64 bit windows into a virtual machine?

I have tried to Google, but it keeps turning up instructions for how to install using an iso image.

I have looked at the USB drive and cannot find iso images.

I have tried:

File->New ...
Create a custom virtual machine
Drop disk image into the file selector window that pops up.

I ended up downloading the ISO from Microsoft and installing it from the ISO.  I try not to accept my own answers so if someone wants to post this as the definitive answer explaining why the USB drive is not suitable for installation I will delete this answer and accept yours.


Extract SMS messages off iPhone 4 Ok, I've read past posts, and found good articles on Lifehacker, but I want to crowdsource my worries for a moment: Can I safely extract my SMS messages from my iPhone 4 running iOS 4.3 without jailbreaking or paying money?

I'm not scared of the SQLite db holding the info and would love to learn a bit about it in the meantime. I would likely use my MBP running 10.6 to do so, but have SUSE Linux and Win 7 systems on hand if that's easier.

Do a backup of your iPhone.
Backups are located here here ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup.
Find there a file called 3d0d7e5fb2ce288813306e4d4636395e047a3d28 (it might have some extension, can't remember from top of my head if it has one at all).

It is an SQLite db file so you can open in in SQLite browser of your choice then and access all your text messages.


Show all windows on hover/click doc icon (Mac Yosemite 10.10.5) I just switched from Windows to Mac and having a hard time figuring out this.

In Windows, when I click on the application icon in task bar, it shows me all the open windows and then I can open any of the window. Is there a way to do same in Mac? Basically I want to see all the open windows when I click/hover on the open application icon in the doc.

Currently I'm doing following but not liking it -
* Use CMD +' to switch between open windows
* Set hotspot corner to show all windows.

But given I'm so used to click the icon to show the window, I want to do same in Mac too.

Any advice appreciated

Thanks

Double tap (not click) the open application icon. This will display all open windows for that application and you can select the one you need.

If you are using a non-Apple mouse/trackpad you can right click or two-finger click an open application icon to reveal a list. The top entries are the open windows for that application. You can then select one of the open windows from that list.


How can I prevent Cisco AnyConnect VPN from opening on startup? Cisco AnyConnect VPN opens whenever I log in and its screen covers everything for a few minutes and can't be minimized. It's really annoying and I'd like to know if there's something, maybe in its config.plist, that will prevent it from opening on startup. Does anyone know?

I have to use Cisco AnyConnect for work, so I can't delete it.

Yes, I'm pretty sure you can stop apps from opening on startup even though it ignores Login Items. It is most likely in LaunchDaemons.

There are two locations for these, one is for Apple daemons only:

  /System/Library/LaunchDaemons

The other is to include 3rd party processes:

  /Library/LaunchDaemons

You may also need to remove from:

  /Library/LaunchAgents

Just remove the files of the app you don't want to launch on startup and it shouldn't show up on launch anymore.


How to restrict access to applications in Big Sur? How do I put FaceTime in a folder and assign a password to the folder? The aim is not to have access to the apps without password.
I actually want to restrict access to minimize distraction ( tv app, FaceTime, App Store) and I was able to do that without any problem in Catalina, but with Big Sur it's another story.
I have already tried using screen time but I don't think parental control is the solution to my problem as I want to use the Mac for academic use.  I wanted to prevent myself from being distract by them, but still use safari without any problem. I actually did try activating screen time, but it's not effective (as I explained in screen time, we aren't able to to activate "Downtime limitations" and "limits apps" but still use Safari) so I'm looking for solutions.

I personally don’t recommend blocking things that you as the administrator can unblock, but I understand friction can be good for many people so I would encourage use of screen time - if only to show you the amount of time you spend so you ca track that and build healthy habits over time. Also, it’s quick and easy so start with it while you wait for other answers to arrive.

You can not delete apps in a meaningful way to accomplish your goal in Big Sur. It’s not easy and you have to circumvent the sealed system / patch and update process. Plus you may waste more time than you save in a week, but have at it if someone documents a solution there.
Use Screen Time to block whole apps.
Use the SelfControl app to block sites in Safari (and other browsers) https://github.com/SelfControlApp/selfcontrol/wiki/FAQ

Be sure you read the self control FAQ. It has some amazing gems of wisdom in it. Good luck tailoring your experience - don’t be out off by parental controls or screen time instructions - that’s the best way to block things without breaking the OS.


How do I configure Gmail on an iPad? I just purchased an iPad 2. I was trying configure mail in my new iPad.
I followed this tutorial for configuring mail on my iPad. But after I enter the required information and click Next, I receive this message :

  Cannot connect Using SSL
  Do you want to try setting up the account without SSL?

If I click Yes I receive a message :

  The IMAP server "imap.gmail.com" is not responding.
  Check your network connection and that you entered the correct information in "Incoming Mail Server" field.

Only OK button appears this time. I have checked my network and all the text fields a number of times. Still no success.

Where did I go wrong?

Don't use that guide. In fact, don't use the gmail option either, if you can help it.

Use google's own advice which suggests setting it up as a Microsoft Exchange server. that will get you syncing with mail, contacts and calendars. But the main benefit is that it gives you true push syncing!

It's probably a little redundant, but here is a shortened version of the list of instructions.

Select Microsoft Exchange account
In the Email field, enter your full Google Account email address. If you use an @googlemail.com address, you may see an "Unable to verify certificate" warning when you proceed to the next step.
Leave the Domain field blank.
Enter your full Google Account email address as the Username.
Enter your Google Account password as the Password. (If you are a 2-step verification user, please use an application-specific password instead.)
Tap Next at the top of your screen.
Choose Cancel if the Unable to Verify Certificate dialog appears.
When the new Server field appears, enter m.google.com.

You can then choose which items to sync, choose whether to keep existing contacts on the iPad etc.


Change Apple Analytics download format from CSV to PDF When I first started downloading Metrics reports, the download button gave me choices and I meant to click PDF, but accidentally clicked CSV format. Now it won't bring up the selection list, and I'm forced to download CSV reports. How can I switch it so I can download Metrics reports in PDF? Thanks.

Readdle has a nice PDF converter that you can use in the meantime to convert it on your iPhone from csv to pdf.

https://readdle.com/products/pdfconverter


Use AppleScript to append text to document without new line I want to append text to a document without new line with AppleScript. I can do it with this:

do shell script "echo -n 'text_to_append'>> mydocument"

Is there a solution that does not exploit a shell script?

If I set the text body the content of document is overwritten!

set f to POSIX file "/path/to/mydocument.txt"
write "text to append" to f starting at eof

The write and get eof functions are both part of AppleScript's standard additions.  If the starting at parameter is omitted, it writes the text starting at the last write position (which in this case would be the beginning of the file) and overwrites characters as it goes.
eof denotes the end of the file.
EDIT (2020-10-26): Thanks to a comment, I should clarify that the file needs to exists prior to using the write command.  The POSIX file specifier is also superfluous.  A more complete version of the above example would look like this:
set f to "/path/to/mydocument.txt"
close access (open for access f)
write "text to append" to f as "utf8" starting at eof

The second line will create the file if it doesn't exist, and have no effect it already exists.  It's now recommended to declare the data type when writing out, for which "utf8" is a good choice if writing plain text.


Prevent partitions from Spotlight indexing each other I have a single MacBook Pro partitioned into two drives, each running a copy of Mountain Lion. In Partition X, I would like to disable Spotlight from indexing Partition Y. In Partition Y, I want to disable Spotlight indexing of Partition X.

Clarification:

Under System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy, setting Partition X to prevent indexing of Partition Y also prevents Partition Y from indexing Partition Y. I.e., the privacy settings are preserved across partitions. I am looking for unique privacy settings for each partition.

System Preferences.. > Spotlight > Privacy
Add the mount path you don't want indexed to the list by selecting the device you want excluded also. However, if it's hidden use ⌘ +⇧+G and enter the path name for example /Volumes/Partition Y.

Note
After some testing this method does not work with multiple partitions of like OSs (eg. 10.8 on partition A and 10.8 on partition B) but does seem to work if each OS is different. Still not 100% clear on why this is since each drive has it's own /.Spotlight-V100/VolumeConfiguration.plist or /.Spotlight-V100/Store-V1/Exclusions.plist


Are WhatsApp voice calls recorded on your device? I know voice calling on WhatsApp is logged but is it stored on the device in a way you can re listen to the conversation?  I looked in the WhatsApp folders and everything is there from voice notes, photos, videos, etc. and there is nothing there for voice calling.

Are WhatsApp calls recorded and stored on the device or is it just a log where you can see you made a call?

The audio of the calls is not recorded and is not available in the app container.


Is MacBook Air 2017 used for programming viz Java or Python and also for Web development? I'm planning to buy a MacBook Air 2017 8 GB RAM with 256 GB SSD. The reason I'm going with a MacBook Air is primarily for portability and Battery life, since I see that it gives at least 10 hours.

Is it good for performing the below activities? Please suggest. I have looked into MacBook Pro line as well, since, it is heavy, it would be difficult to carry around where ever i go.

My Primary Work:

I would like to do only programming on this laptop, by installing IntelliJ IDEA IDE, PyCharm and WebStorm etc.
I primarily work on programming languages such as Java, Python and Node.js for web development (even though am very new to web development)... I would like to run couple of containers on this device.

I forgot to mention earlier that, in INDIA, we are having a amazon sale of Air 2017, which might end soon, hence, i was interested in going only for Macbook Air and nothing else, for now.

To answer your question about the Air: Yes.

You may want to consider broader options as well. For MacBooks in general, the biggest advantage to doing development on a them is that you get XCode and the best possible experience when developing iPhone/iPad apps and Mac apps.

However in your case, it seems you're not doing mobile development, and price and/or weight are a concern since you're considering a MacBook Air.

if you're open to windows, take a look at something like the HP x360 which is well reviewed and has advantages over the MacBook air:

MBA is limited to 8 GB of RAM, while the HP allows 16 GB. This can be significant for software development.
MBA only supports old style USB 3. The HP supports USB type C 3 .1 that can charge the laptop or drive an external monitor.
HP has a watch band hinge that allows folding the screen back to be like the tablet. Not a big use case but actually helpful sometimes.
MBA resolution is 1440x900, while the HP resolution is full HD 1080p.

Price and battery life are very similar between the two in a 256GB/8GB configuration.

Of course, Apple consistently has the best support and ability to use their stores.

If you have a hard requirement to stay on the Apple platform, I would suggest reconsidering the MacBook Pro 13. In general it's better suited to be a development machine, and it's really not that heavy to carry around.


Maximized window on both displays on OS X 10.8.3 I have a dual monitor setup on the Mac. I want to work on a tool, in full screen, on display 1 and simultaneously check few things, on Final Cut Pro, on display 2.

When I maximize the tool in  display 1, I can't see the FCP in display 2.

Is there any third party tool to solve this, or is it an OS X limitation.

UPDATE 2

These are the support instructions for using multiple monitors with Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) and earlier. You will likely want to use the Extended Desktop Settings. If you still doesn't let you see the other app, then check to see if FCP has an Always On Top setting which may be turned off, and don't have the apps set to full-screen mode.

UPDATE

This solution will only work if you are running Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) or later. (Apologies as I missed in your question that 10.8 was Mountain Lion and not Mavericks).

If you do find it, then set that. Then go to one Desktop and Ctrl + Click on the FCP icon in the Dock and under Options, select This Desktop.

Then go to another desktop, Ctrl + Click on the other apps icon and under options select This Desktop.

Then you should be able to go to one monitor and select the FCP Desktop, move to the second monitor and select the other Apps Desktop and that should display both apps on the respective monitors.

This is Apple's support page for Multiple Displays.


Request for Comment - late 2008 MacBook as starter Mac I am refreshing my home technology stack and considering a Mac. I could use some advice about new versus used.

I am currently running a hodgepodge of old 2005-era machines running iTunes, web sites, dev, etc, all Windows/Ubuntu. Want to reduce that footprint and maybe start learning Mac.

A Mac seller in my hometown is offering a MacBook from 2008 for $399 with the following specs:

Late 2008 model, 2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 13.3-inch glossy
widescreen display
2.0 GB RAM (upgradable to 4 GB), 120 GB hard drive
Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard installed
Comes with iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, iTunes, iChat, Photo Booth and the Safari web browser

Based on those specs I believe this is a MacBook 4.1.

I'm looking for something which would support the following roles:

Convert programs recorded on Tivo to iPhone/iPad format for transfer to devices;
Watch iTunes movies on TV (could connect directly to TV);
Experiment with XCode development - would like to learn iPhone app development;
Host an Apache/Tomcat type stack for internal development.

My questions:

Right now price is more important than portability. How much future-proofing would I buy with a new Mac Mini for another $200? I am just looking to learn about Mac, I don't use it for work so not keen to drop a lot of money here without some experience. Not interested in the Craigslist route.
I know newer Macs are more user-maintainable but it seems like a lot of that changed during 2008. Can I upgrade this model's internal components myself, esp. the RAM? Have done lots of upgrades on PC cases, new motherboards, CPU/Fan, power supply but Mac is new to me and not sure about this model.
What is the software support picture like for the apps I've listed under Snow Leopard? Will I have to upgrade to Lion for XCode, iTunes updates, etc?

From your description, this is a MacBook4,1 or MacBook4,2. They both have the same compatibility, and are essentially the same machine for considering the future:

That MacBook will run Lion once the RAM is upgraded. It will not run Mountain Lion. Today's Mac mini would. The MacBook4,1 and 4,2 have less than a month before it becomes unsupported by the next OS. The Mac Mini probably has several years.
Macs are not generally user maintainable. (Edit: To be clear, I mean to the degree that you're used to.) The RAM in that model is user upgradable. I believe it's just three screws in the battery compartment.
You will need Lion for the current version of Xcode. In a month or two, you'll probably need Mountain Lion for the latest Xcode. Apple may ship the next Xcode with compatibility with Lion (say, 40% odds), but certainly next+1 won't be compatible.

Sources:

OS X Mountain Lion (Wikipedia)
MacBook Model Specifications (Wikipedia)


How can I report security vulnerabilities for open source OSX applications? In the event of finding a security vulnerability in the Linux world, the procedure involved would be to report the vulnerability...

...to the developers or the maintainers of the package in a particular operating system.
...to the security team of that particular operating system.

Then patches are made and CVE's are released.

I'm curious about how does open source vulnerability reporting work in the OSX world? Do the developers release CVE's if a security issue is brought to their notice?

You can contact Apple about this at product-security@apple.com (or you can open a Radar report if you're a developer), or you contact the maintainer of the package.
Often the mail addresses can be found in the README (or AUTHORS) of the source code, or on the project's website.

Yes - both Apple (specifically) and the open source developers (in general) do reference CVE in patch and security emails and participate using that mechanism for tracking reported vulnerabilities.


Synchronizing Gmail Contacts to my Mac How do I sync GMail contacts into my Mac?

If you are using Mac OS X 10.5 or later, it's just a matter of enabling in in your Address Book:

Address Book --> Preferences --> Accounts --> Synchronize with Google


Inkscape on OSX copies rasterized images from SVG I'm trying to copy an object out of an SVG file using inkscape, however when I paste it back in to a new inkscape file it's no longer the svg version, but a rasterized version.
I'm not sure if it's because inkscape runs in XQuartz and the clipboard is behaving odly.

Here someone had the same problem.
They solved it by turning off X11's Pasteboard Syncing:

  Disabling ‘Sync PasteBoard’ Functionality within X11 (Which is
  Included in XQuartz App for OSX Mountain Lion) solves the problem of
  converting vector object to Bitmap after pasting the same object in
  another SVG file.

  Do This (Go to): X11 > Click on ‘Preferences’ tab > Choose
  ‘Pasteboard’ tab > Uncheck ‘Enable Syncing’


iPhone Not Showing Notification Content in Banner This seems like a privacy setting, or some sort of notification setting, but I can't seem to find any option to reenable this functionality.

Current settings:
http://imgur.com/a/0rKSn

Issue at hand:
http://imgur.com/a/nXfav

If it helps, I was on the iOS 10.2.1 beta before downgrading back to 10.2. And if it is due to some form of corruption from iOS 10.2.1b1 how should I go about fixing the issue? Should I do a full restore?

In your screenshot of your current settings you are actually on the correct page, you just hadn't scrolled down far enough. If you go back to 'Settings > Notifications > Messages' and scroll down to below the "Messages Options" section the feature you want to enable to fix your problem is called "Show Previews".
Hope this helps! And if it does not fix the issue you're having could you post a new screenshot of what it shows below the "Messages Options" cutoff point in your original 'Settings' screenshot?


Do "Click to Tweet" and "Click to Post" still exist? Mountain Lion had "Click to Tweet" and "Click to Post" buttons in Notification Center if you had Twitter and Facebook configured in System Preferences>Internet Accounts. However, I can't find them. I'm using El Capitan. Did Apple remove this feature? I can't find anything on the Internet saying so.

You have to add the widget. Open Notification Center, choose Edit, then drag the Social widget.

(The Twitter widget in the screenshot is from the Twitter app and shows tweets. That's not what you want. You don't need Twitter installed for this — Social is a system widget.)

If Twitter/Facebook doesn't show in the Social widget, make sure the Share Menu option is enabled for the account in System Preferences → Internet Accounts.


iCloud storage fail when trying to reset games I have recently been trying to reset data for a few of my games on iOS 10. I am aware that i have to go into iCloud and then documents and data to delete this. But somehow i managed to remove the games from documents and data, they are no longer there. Yet the app still saves my data. Help?

If you reset the iCloud data and the game data persists, you have likely discovered the game vendor is storing your game data and just linking it to the app install or to your AppleID / account.

The best place for help would be the vendor or a second question listing precisely what app you are using, what version of that app and what steps you take to clear iCloud - if other devices are syncing data, removing data on one device might not remove it from the cloud / other devices.


Bind Secondary Groups to Active Directory w/ Unix Extensions I'm running Windows Server 2012 R2 w/ Active Directory and Unix Extensions. I have several linux/bsd hosts already connected to the domain via ldap and mapping the uid/gid/secondary groups properly.

I'm running a few mac's on 10.9 and 10.10 beta, I'm trying to figure out if its possible to map secondary Group IDs to the AD UnixGID and not the GID that AD creates..

for example, if i run id mikedevita on a linux box it gives me this:

% id mikedevita
uid=40001(mikedevita) gid=30000(Domain Users) groups=30001(Domain   Admins),30002(VMWareAdmins)
,30003(VPNUsers),30004(LinuxUsers),30005(media),30006(LinuxAdmins),30000(Domain Users)

if i run the same command, id mikedevita on my mac it gives this:

base% id mikedevita
uid=40001(mikedevita) gid=30000 groups=30000,701(com.apple.sharepoint.group.2),519395259(DEVITA\media),693256891(DEVITA\MacAdmins),703(com.apple.sharepoint.group.4),501(access_bpf),599473300(DEVITA\VPNUsers),613468898(DEVITA\VMWareAdmins),12(everyone),62(netaccounts),79(_appserverusr),80(admin),81(_appserveradm),1446817776(DEVITA\Domain Admins),401(com.apple.sharepoint.group.1),1873589173(DEVITA\RouterAdmins),416683223(DEVITA\Denied RODC Password Replication Group),206(com.apple.access_loginwindow),702(com.apple.sharepoint.group.3),33(_appstore),98(_lpadmin),100(_lpoperator),204(_developer),398(com.apple.access_screensharing),399(com.apple.access_ssh)

as you can see, the uid, and gid fields are mapped properly (40001, 30000) but all of the domain level groups which the user belongs to as secondary groups don't use the right group ID.

Is there a way to remap this?

It sounds like you have the user records' gid attribute mapped, but not the group records' gid. You can check this from the command line with dsconfigad:

$ sudo dsconfigad -show
[...]
Advanced Options - Mappings
  Mapping UID to attribute       = uidNumber
  Mapping user GID to attribute  = gidNumber
  Mapping group GID to attribute = gidNumber
  Generate Kerberos authority    = Enabled
[...]

Note the "Mapping group GID to attribute = gidNumber" -- that's what I think you're missing. You can set it from the command line with sudo dsconfigad -ggid gidNumber, on with the GUI program /System/Library/CoreServices/Directory Utility.app (click the padlock to authenticate as admin, double-click the Active Directory connector, click the triangle to "Show Advanced Options", click the Mappings tab, then enable "Map group HID to attribute" and set it to "gidNumber").


Issues installing Mcrypt PHP module I am trying to install Mcrypt PHP module but encountering some issues:

Version of PHP installed: 7.1.16
macOS version: macOS High Sierra 10.13.6

Is the following command that I am running correct?

  Install the correct package, for me was 7.1.7 => homebrew/php/php71-mcrypt

brew install homebrew/php/php71-mcrypt

The formula you are trying to install is deprecated. There was an announcement the 19 january 2018:

  By 31st March 2018 we will deprecate and archive the Homebrew/php tap. Unfortunately we have been unable to maintain an acceptable, consistent user or contributor experience and CI workload through non-core formula taps in the Homebrew organisation so we are continuing to migrate widely used formulae into Homebrew/core and encourage more niche formulae and options to be supported outside the Homebrew organisation.

Some of the PHP extensions are maintained by Kevin Abel in its Github repository but there is no mcrypt extension.

Moreover mcrypt is itself deprecated and is considered as an abandonware for nearly a decade. It is removed from PHP 7.2. Read  this stackoverflow question for alternatives: mcrypt is deprecated, what is the alternative?


iCloud on Mountain Lion: one account per Mac or one per user? Before installing Mountain Lion and using iCloud for the first time, I would like to know how it can be configured.

My iMac has three standard user accounts and one admin account. If I understand correctly the John Siracusa review, the install procedure asks for an Apple ID for iCloud. Here are my questions:

Does that Apple ID apply for the whole Mac, for the admin account alone or for one standard account to be specified?
Is it possible to assign a distinct Apple ID to each user account?

That apple ID applies only to the user account that is created during the setup process. If you look in System Preferences, you'll notice the following option called "Apple ID", under a test account I created:

Additionally, when logging into the new test account, I was presented with the iCloud login screen which you saw during initial setup of the OS install on your Mac.

If you restored your iMac from a backup, or installed Mountain Lion over Lion,
you will already have access to those accounts without seeing the iCloud setup screen. In that case, open System Preferences, click on Users & Groups, and set up your iCloud account as you wish.

So, one iCloud account per local account. This would appear to be the case on Lion as well.


Is it possible to prevent TextEdit's "The file has been changed" dialog from appearing unnecessarily? Every so often, I  will be doing something on my computer (e.g., in Google Chrome), when an alert dialog from TextEdit.app randomly pops up. The dialog looks like this:

The dialog asks if I want to save changes made to an open or minimized RTF document in TextEdit. The dialog sometimes appears even when TextEdit is not the active application; the dialog comes out of nowhere.

My answer to this dialog, 100% of the time, is Save Anyway. This is because hitting the Revert button irrevocably changes the file to the last-saved version of the file (which is obviously undesirable).

If the document is not being edited in another application, then why does this message appear? Or, how can I figure out which application (i.e., "another application") is responsible for the changes to the document, exactly?
Is it possible to prevent this dialog from needlessly appearing? Or, is it possible for Textedit to "save anyway," by default?

OS X El Capitan, version 10.11.6.

I've never seen this sheet without the underlying file being changed. Try opensnoop on the file to determine the process which is accessing the file:

$ sudo opensnoop -f /path/to/file.txt
  UID    PID COMM          FD PATH
  501  32092 Finder        14 /path/to/file.txt
    0     81 mds           28 /path/to/file.txt
  501  41898 mdworker       9 /path/to/file.txt
  501  42646 TextMate      16 /path/to/file.txt
  501  42646 TextMate      16 /path/to/file.txt
  501  42646 TextMate      25 /path/to/file.txt
  501  42646 TextMate      26 /path/to/file.txt

This is a live printout, so keep the opensnoop running until you get the sheet, then check your Terminal window and look back to see the process. ⌃C stops opensnoop when you're finished. You will need to disable System Integrity Protection to use opensnoop and can be re-enabled afterwards.


Image Quality of Images Shared via Messages MMS On iOS 8 on an iPhone 6, if I go to the Photos app, select one photo, and share via Messages, it will transfer at excellent quality.  However, if I select 20 photos and share via Messages, it transfers at noticeably poor quality.

Why is this?  Is there a way to fix this besides tediously sending one at a time?

Note: This is with iMessage disabled, images are being sent via MMS.

Typically the size of the SMS package is controlled by the network provider but it is on average 3 Meg per message.

So a single photo will look sharp. How ever if you try to send multiple photos they have to fit in the 3 Meg bucket, and will be reduced in size.

You best option is to use Dropbox or Google drive, Photobucket ect.... if you want to send larger then 3 Meg files.

Basically select all photos and just upload to one of the services and then share (send link) to the other party.


Whiteout (missing UI graphics) on toolbar icons in Yosemite Getting this weird UI whiteout on all toolbar icons all of a sudden. Any idea how to get rid of this? I have been using this version of OS X for a while with no problems at all.

Restart into Safe Mode by holding Shift on boot, then log in, then reboot normally. This clears any broken caches.

Also try disabling TotalFinder and other Finder extensions if the problem persists.


Time Machine asks for a backup disk by the wrong name I have a time machine backup drive that I have renamed to Home Backup. Whenever I forget to take backups, OS X tells me "you haven't backed up to the drive My Passport for 10 days"

Running tmutil destinationinfo I get this:

Name          : My Passport
Kind          : Local
Mount Point   : /Volumes/Home Backup
ID            : XXXXXXX-XXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXX

I looked in the /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine.plist file, but it doesn't contain the destination name.

How can I get the volume name and the time machine internal name to match again?

To be clear, this is more of an annoyance than a problem, the backups work flawlessly when I remember to give OS X the Home Backup disk when it asks for My Passport. :)

Right click the My Passport drive and go to Get Info and change the name in the "Name and Extension" section


Update style button not appearing in Pages This issue occurs for me constantly in Mac Pages. When I want to update a style, such as changing line-spacing or fonts, the "Update" button will not appear next to the selected style in the format section. Therefore I cannot make global changes to the style.

Sometimes I am able to "force" the button to appear by changing line spacing to a different number then click Update, then change it back, then click Update again. But this does not always cause the Update button to appear either. The appearances are totally random.

I think this has to do with your current selection. I think Pages makes a distinction between paragraph and character styles, just like MS-Word (bleh). I seem to remember that in older versions of Pages this was a bit more obvious (are character styles even a thing in Pages anymore?). In typical Apple fashion, things seem to be handled "automagically" now.

I'm using v8.2.1 here, and I seem to be able to get the "Update" button on the style whenever the current selection is clearly "an entire paragraph". Line spacing will always be a paragraph-only property, so the "Update" button will appear, even if the selection isn't just a paragraph. Changing the color of a single word on the other hand, will not offer the "Update" button. But the button does appear when you select an entire paragraph first, and then change the color.

I still keep a copy of good ol' Pages '09 around, because it has some features that are still missing in the rewrite (mirrored page margins for example). I'm not a fan of this type of "productivity" software, but Pages is the least annoying of the bunch (MS-Word being the worst, Google Docs way too limited for anything serious).


Make Caps Lock behave like in Windows I use VoIP programs, and I use Caps Lock for Push-To-Talk (PTT) on those. The problem I experience is that when I push Caps Lock, I toggle the Push-To-Talk, which means that if I release Caps Lock, PTT is still on, and I have to push the button again to stop PTT. While on Windows this works fine, I have to hold down Caps Lock to talk. Any idea how I can make it so that I need to hold down Caps Lock on OSX as well?

I used Seil (OSX app to manipulate caps lock) to rebind Caps Lock to F13, and I bound F13 to PTT, so now it works.


Get Perian to work in Lion I've been trying to get Perian to work in Lion, basically QuickTime simply refuse to play any files other than the standard QuickTime supported file types (Perian is supposed to add this functionality).

I tried uninstalling Perian and installing it again, but doesn't seem to be working. From a quick google search it seems that so many people has this problem, and some of them seems to get this working again by reinstalling but I didn't. Anyone got any ideas how to fix this?

It looks like a widespread problem. Tried following all those tips without luck. Maybe someone can tell me which things to delete in /Library/QuickTime?

Edit: I found the ticket(http://trac.perian.org/ticket/622) and the developer says that this is not Perian bug and they won't fixed it.

Another shot in the dark...but this page suggests downgrading to Perian 1.2.2 on Lion (see "Solution 1").

  The latest version 1.2.3 of Perian doesn't work on Mac OS X Lion. So if you have a Mac running Mac OS X 10.7, say, Lion, you have to downgrade the previous version, say 1.2.2. The version of 1.2.3 of Perian does not support QuickTime 10 in Lion and  fails to fix the loss of audio after one second in xvid files with ac3. So if you have a Mac with Lion, converting video to QuickTime is highly recommended.

However, that particular page is all about how to play AVI files with Quicktime, so it may not work, but might be worth a try?


How to make a cheatsheet/crib sheet using Pages I am starting a Developers Meet-up group at my sons' middle school, and I am trying to get ready for the first one.  I need to make a cheatsheet/crib sheet for the participants ala http://www.cheatography.com/ in Pages, but I am struggling with getting the boxes to work.

What I need to make is something like a bordered Text Box, with the first line being a title section that has a background color, followed by some text in the body of the Text Box that is simply white background.  Basically it should look like a little "window", with a colored title at the top and contents under it.

I can get the Text Box inserted, and I have a 1px border setup no problem, but I can't figure out how to get the title section to work.  In fact, I can't even find where to set the background color of the text.  I don't use Pages very often so I am struggling a lot to figure out where things are.

Once I get the Text Box working, I then need to be able to quickly replicate the Text Boxes for the various sections of the cheatsheet.  I am hoping I can simply copy/paste more of them into the document and resize them as needed.

For the curious:  The reason I am trying to do this in Pages is because my sons' school is an Apple Distinguished School.  All the computers at the school are Macs, and all the students have iPads.  Doing it in Pages allows them to park the digital copy somewhere the students can get to it to view/edit/print as necessary.  I don't want to use http://www.cheatography.com/ because some of the details I need to include in the cheatsheet would not be appropriate to share outside of the school.  My fallback will be to simply do this using HTML, but I'd rather this be in Pages.

I would use Numbers.app and it's tables.

You get better control over tables in Numbers. With simple things like resizing and not having to change setting to make the table stick in place like tables in Pages.

For this example I simply pasted the info from the site you provided straight into a blank sheet because they use tables. Which means the data will past as a Numbers table.

I then added a row for the title header.

I could easily make the table from scratch and also coping a whole table is as easy as selecting the table, copy, paste.


Setup config of ssh macOS I have set incorrectly the sshd_config on both these path:

/private/etc/ssh/sshd_config
/etc/ssh/sshd_config

The two file seems alias, but they aren't.

Can someone post the original files please?
I'm working with macOS 10.12.3

/etc is a link to /private/etc, so /etc/ssh/sshd_config and /private/etc/ssh/sshd_config are the same file.

The default sshd_config file in macOS 10.12 looks like this:

#   $OpenBSD: sshd_config,v 1.98 2016/02/17 05:29:04 djm Exp $

# This is the sshd server system-wide configuration file.  See
# sshd_config(5) for more information.

# This sshd was compiled with PATH=/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin

# The strategy used for options in the default sshd_config shipped with
# OpenSSH is to specify options with their default value where
# possible, but leave them commented.  Uncommented options override the
# default value.

#Port 22
#AddressFamily any
#ListenAddress 0.0.0.0
#ListenAddress ::

# The default requires explicit activation of protocol 1
#Protocol 2

# HostKey for protocol version 1
#HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_key
# HostKeys for protocol version 2
#HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key
#HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_dsa_key
#HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
#HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key

# Lifetime and size of ephemeral version 1 server key
#KeyRegenerationInterval 1h
#ServerKeyBits 1024

# Ciphers and keying
#RekeyLimit default none

# Logging
# obsoletes QuietMode and FascistLogging
#SyslogFacility AUTH
#LogLevel INFO

# Authentication:

#LoginGraceTime 2m
#PermitRootLogin prohibit-password
#StrictModes yes
#MaxAuthTries 6
#MaxSessions 10

#RSAAuthentication yes
#PubkeyAuthentication yes

# The default is to check both .ssh/authorized_keys and .ssh/authorized_keys2
# but this is overridden so installations will only check .ssh/authorized_keys
AuthorizedKeysFile  .ssh/authorized_keys

#AuthorizedPrincipalsFile none

#AuthorizedKeysCommand none
#AuthorizedKeysCommandUser nobody

# For this to work you will also need host keys in /etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts
#RhostsRSAAuthentication no
# similar for protocol version 2
#HostbasedAuthentication no
# Change to yes if you don't trust ~/.ssh/known_hosts for
# RhostsRSAAuthentication and HostbasedAuthentication
#IgnoreUserKnownHosts no
# Don't read the user's ~/.rhosts and ~/.shosts files
#IgnoreRhosts yes

# To disable tunneled clear text passwords, change to no here!
#PasswordAuthentication yes
#PermitEmptyPasswords no

# Change to no to disable s/key passwords
#ChallengeResponseAuthentication yes

# Kerberos options
#KerberosAuthentication no
#KerberosOrLocalPasswd yes
#KerberosTicketCleanup yes
#KerberosGetAFSToken no

# GSSAPI options
#GSSAPIAuthentication no
#GSSAPICleanupCredentials yes

# Set this to 'yes' to enable PAM authentication, account processing,
# and session processing. If this is enabled, PAM authentication will
# be allowed through the ChallengeResponseAuthentication and
# PasswordAuthentication.  Depending on your PAM configuration,
# PAM authentication via ChallengeResponseAuthentication may bypass
# the setting of "PermitRootLogin without-password".
# If you just want the PAM account and session checks to run without
# PAM authentication, then enable this but set PasswordAuthentication
# and ChallengeResponseAuthentication to 'no'.
UsePAM yes

#AllowAgentForwarding yes
#AllowTcpForwarding yes
#GatewayPorts no
#X11Forwarding no
#X11DisplayOffset 10
#X11UseLocalhost yes
#PermitTTY yes
#PrintMotd yes
#PrintLastLog yes
#TCPKeepAlive yes
#UseLogin no
#UsePrivilegeSeparation sandbox
#PermitUserEnvironment no
#Compression delayed
#ClientAliveInterval 0
#ClientAliveCountMax 3
#UseDNS no
#PidFile /var/run/sshd.pid
#MaxStartups 10:30:100
#PermitTunnel no
#ChrootDirectory none
#VersionAddendum none

# pass locale information
AcceptEnv LANG LC_*

# no default banner path
#Banner none

# override default of no subsystems
Subsystem   sftp    /usr/libexec/sftp-server

# Example of overriding settings on a per-user basis
#Match User anoncvs
#   X11Forwarding no
#   AllowTcpForwarding no
#   PermitTTY no
#   ForceCommand cvs server

File permissions:

-rw-r--r--  1 root  wheel


Antennagate: how much of the phone's side should I not touch? Antennagate indicates that I should avoid touching that spot of the iPhone where the two metal pieces nearly touch each other - touching here would electrically bridge the two pieces and decrease antenna performance... but it's nearly impossible to hold the phone and not touch it there! So here's my question:

Question: Should I not touch the two metal parts simultaneously at all, or just not put a finger precisely over the gap? It is okay to touch one centimeter from both sides of the gap? Two centimeters? Half a centimeter?

If I were to just put a little bit of tape over this side, how long should that piece of tape be?

Most cases are cheap and will resolve this issue for you completely (and if you have enough money for an iPhone, then you have enough money for a case). I got one and the problem was solved.

UPDATE: Based on the comment, if a piece a tape really is necessary, then by the looks of this product (currently sold out) , you are looking at roughly 1 in/2.5 cm in length starting at the mic/speaker hole on the bottom-left. Good luck!


Any DvdFab/DvdShrink comparable program for Mac? I want to rip a dvd (and/or blu-ray) to an ISO, but remove some of the features on the disk (i.e. menus, extra features).  DvdFab and DvdShrink for Windows allow users to do this.  Any similar programs for Mac?

RipIt is the best I've seen. You can try it free, it is paid software with a novel guarantee. If you can't rip a title, they will buy that title and fix their software for you.


git commit editor error 'subl -n -w' On my ElCapitan, I have vim installed but my git commit is giving errors:

  $ git commit
  subl -n -w: subl: command not found
  error: There was a problem with the editor 'subl -n -w'.
  Please supply the message using either -m or -F option.

Is there a way to fix this? Thanks

It appears that Your default editor is Sublime Text instead of vim. You can change it with this command:

git config --global core.editor vim


How do I gain access to wireless network logs in iOS (iPad Pro)? I have an iPad pro that will connect to my 5GHz wireless network, gets an IP from the DHCP server (verified on the iPad and on the router itself), and then after 10-20 seconds it disconnects for no apparent reason. It repeats this in a cycle if I have auto-connect turned on. There are no error messages that I can see which would indicate the reason for the disconnect, and examining the logs from the wireless access point it appears that the iPad just decided to disconnect on its own. I have tried forgetting the network on the iPad and reconnecting. I have tried rebooting the device. All to no avail.

I am hoping I can enable logging on the iPad and determine the reason for the disconnect. This iPad is the sole Apple device I have. I do not have a Mac, so am unable to use XCode. How do I get to the logs? Is there any other way to determine what's happening?

I found this post: How to capture iOS Console Logs on Windows PC - iOS 11 Compatible
You can also google it: "ios log on windows"
And perhaps Charles for iOS can help you to get through https://www.charlesproxy.com/documentation/ios/


Time Capsule showing monitor icon in Finder sidebar Normally my Time Capsule is seen in the Finder sidebar under "Shared" with an icon of a disk drive by the name of the Time Capsule. Now it keeps showing a monitor icon by the name of the Time Capsule, and when I click on it, it will change back to the disk drive icon.

I don't see any problems when I open Airport Utility and check the Time Capsule setup.  Anyone know why this is happening?

I'm using Mavericks, and a 3rd-gen Time Capsule

Also I have this problem in OS 10.10 Yosemite and it's continues to give me the inconvenience, so I googled till I find the answer. Finally, I'm trying to do this: make sure that the TC is not mounted (or dismount it). Then
in finder menu use Go -> Connect to Server. Type AFP://TCnetworkname or IPaddress (replace with the real IP or real network name). When the computer finds the TC, you need to give a password (public for default) type in your password if you changed it or public if not, then save it in your keychain. That's it.


AppleScript export variable to Numbers / Excel / SQL I would like AppleScript to add a new row on a number or excel sheet (or on a SQL database)

I have my data saved on a .plist which I can retrieve with

set myDateFromPlist to value of property list item "myDate" of p_list

the idea is to create a database or sheet with all the variables in the same row
(and add a new row with more data when running the script again

e.g

date |var1|var2|var3
date |var1|var2|var3

What I tried so far

tell application "Numbers"
    activate
    try
        if not (exists document 1) then error number 1000
        tell document 1
            try
                tell active sheet
                    set the selectedTable to ¬
                        (the first table whose class of selection range is range)
                    tell the selectedTable to add row below last row
                    tell the selectedTable to set value of first cell to myDateFromPlist
                    tell the selectedTable to set value of second cell to myTimeFromPlist
                    tell the selectedTable to set value of third cell to theIDFromPlist

                end tell
            on error
                error number 1001
            end try
            tell selectedTable
                -- editing statements go here
            end tell
        end tell

the issues with that :

1: numbers have to be open (but I guess that's might be a requirement anyway)

2: the data is always added to the 1st row

Row Allocation for Data Entry
To get data added to a new row, you were on the right track with your first script where you wrote tell the selectedTable to add row below last row.  You simply then had to reference this newly created row when setting the values of cell 1, cell 2, and cell 3, which were otherwise being referenced as belonging to the selectedTable instead of a specific row in the selectedTable:
    set dataToAdd to {¬
        myDateFromPlist, ¬
        myTimeFromPlist, ¬
        theIDFromPlist}

    tell application "Numbers" to tell ¬
        the front document to tell ¬
        the active sheet to tell ¬
        table 1

        set R to add row below last row

        tell R to ¬
            repeat with i from 1 to count dataToAdd

                set value of cell i to ¬
                    item i in dataToAdd

            end repeat
    end tell

I decided to wrap the setting of cell values inside a repeat loop, because—in theory—you could have 50 cells to assign values to, and this saves a bit of typing, plus make the code a bit easier to read.
Note, however, that cell i inside the repeat loop is, itself, part of a tell R statement, where R is the reference to the new row just created.  This tells the script that it's cell i of this new row that should be assigned the values stored in dataToAdd, and not simply cell i of table 1 (I'm assuming your sheet only has one table, in which case there's no need to bother with the lengthy first table whose class of selection range is range.  If, however, I've assumed wrongly, then it's still better to give your tables names, which you can then reference specifically from your script, rather than by way of a very tenuous hope that the selected table is always going to be the correct table).

Some Points About Your Question Content and Code Snippet
At the moment, this is the most assistance I can give.
If I might advise you, in posting a question, whilst it's great that you posted your code snippet, it's far more helpful to a) post a code snippet that compiles (yours does not; Script Editor reports an unexpected end of file when attempting to compile it, because your code snippet is incomplete); b) include enough of the code out of the greater whole such that it can be run on someone else's system, which means that variables and such should be defined within the code snippet—currently, I have no idea what the variables myDateFromPlist, myTimeFromPlist, and theIDFromPlist are or contain, so can't, for instance, help you with regards to why your RAM usage escalated.
I suspect there's a bunch of code that precedes this Numbers block, in which you've accessed your plist file to retrieve its data.  It might be something in the way you've done this that has your memory being consumed.
As a final critique, whilst error-handling is a good idea, I would leave it out until your script is being finalised, because its current entrapment blocks include too many lines of code where different errors could be caught: for instance, if you receive an error code of 1001, it could be because there is no active sheet; or there is no selection range; or that something went wrong with assigning values to a cell, which could be cell 1, cell 2, or cell 3, but may have been a result of a problem with row 2 or one of the variables.  Also, you have two try blocks nested inside one another, which is pretty cavalier.

Should You Want More Help...
If you're happy with the solution this answer provides to your issue of row allocation and data insertion, then I'm happy it was an easy fix.  If you have any other queries about this, leave a comment and I'll get back to you.  If you want to provide more information regarding your script, variables, and what not, we can try and suss out where this memory consumption is coming from.  As you said in your comment "with this method though is my RAM is jumping out of the window", it would be helpful to know what was different between your first method and the one that generated the memory consumption, which may, of course, require you to post two scripts.
What you can do for the purposes of this is use an online paste bin.  Pastery doesn't require usernames or passwords, and has AppleScript syntax highlighting, but it's one amongst many.  Paste Bin doesn't require any login whatsoever.  It's useful to use on Stack Exchange websites when you want/need to supply additional code that is requested specifically, but isn't actually needed for the main focus of the question itself where a code block was already supplied and supplying more would risk drowning the question in a sea of grey.


How can I listen to Apple Music from my web browser? Is there a web player for Apple Music I can use to stream songs from my web browser?

You can either use Apple's official web player (which is in beta) or a third party one:

Musish
Zachary Seguin Music

I would recommend trying one of the third party players, they have some nice features like last.fm scrobbling support and a full screen now playing view not available in the official one.


Run GUI Applications from Terminal with root privilege So it has been well documented that GUI applications (like gedit or textedit) should NOT be run with sudo. Ubuntu et al get gksu and gksudo (and the like) so question: what do WE (Mac users) get? Given that the Darwin kernel is built on some *BSD code, I assume the same issues apply, but how do we go around this?

To edit /etc/hosts with Sublime Text:
sudo /Applications/Sublime\ Text.app/Contents/MacOS/Sublime\ Text /etc/hosts

If you have to do this on the regular basis, you can add this snippet to your ~/.bash_profile

#   sudoapp: Runs .app with root privileges
#   Usage: sudoapp /Applications/Name.app /etc/hosts
#   --------------------------------------------------------------------
    sudoapp () {
        sudo "$1/Contents/MacOS/$(defaults read "$1/Contents/Info.plist" CFBundleExecutable)" $2
    }

Apps running with root privileges will use /private/var/root as home folder, thus all config and temporary files owned by root that will be created in the process will stay where they should be - in the root home directory.
This is the same as logging in as root and running the app, but without the hassle of user switching.

This method works on 10.6 — 10.11

Update: Apple's own TextEdit refuses to start if run as root in 10.11 and newer, so I changed my example to use Sublime Text instead


Does iTunes iPhone Restore wipe the encryption key and securely wipe your data? I know that using Erase all Contents and Settings destroys the encryption key, securely wiping your data, but does simply doing the restore through iTunes then setting it up as a "New iPhone" do the same thing?

Yes, as long as the iPhone is returned back to non-activated state, all contents are erased with no trace. The iPhone is returned back to non-activated state during both "Erase all Contents and Settings" and iTunes set up as new iPhone.


MacBook Pro integrated GPU drawing too much power when CPU monitoring app is running Main problem:

When I run an app that monitors CPU temperature, it rises from 40° to 76° in 3 minutes. Even though the CPU usage is 12%, CPU package power draw maxes out at 31W. I checked the clock speeds and temperatures from iStat Menus. The CPU core power draw was only 7W at maximum and integrated GPU power draw was at 21W.

My Question: How do I fix this?

Additional information:

But GPU frequency was at 0MHz. When I use apps like Macs Fan Control that only displays temperatures as numbers not graphs, temperatures don't rise. Also, when using Intel Power Gadget, temperatures keep rising up to 92°. And when I close the lid of my Mac, it overheats, exceeding the CPU temperature limit and crashes. But when using iStat Menus, temperatures hover around 70°.

Fixed it! Driver issue. I was using an older version.


Keep Mac from locking after sleep A brand new Mac locks after it goes to sleep, or when the screensaver happens.

How can I keep the Mac from locking?

Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy and disable the "Require password x seconds after sleep..." by unticking the checkbox:


standalone upgrade from older version to current version osx I want a standalone upgrade from an older osx (10.7.4) to the current mavericks.

There is the free upgrade in the app store which normally would be perfect -- but my internet connection at home is slow and spotty.  The upgrade is 5GB in the store.  I get about 1GB, and my connection drops, and now I have to start over.

So what I want to do is get a standalone way of doing the upgrade -- this would allow me to use my other computer (faster connection) and sneakernet (use a USB stick) to transfer the file(s) to the Mac.

The combo and delta standalone updates you can get only apply within the same version.

Does anyone know of a way to do this standalone upgrade, even if I would have to apply multiple installs / updates / upgrades?

I suppose other solutions could include a multiple smaller file solution, or give the ability to resume the download from where it left off.

You could get the installer from wherever you have a decent connection, and then create a USB key with the installer.

Once you have downloaded the installer on any machine, see the quick instructions here:

  Create a single GPT (GUID) partition on the USB key, and format it.
  Then run:

sudo "/Applications/Install OS X Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia" --volume /Volumes/untitled --applicationpath "/Applications/Install OS X Mavericks.app" --nointeraction

  "/Volumes/untitled" is the mount point of your USB key. For the
  verbose version with pictures, see here.


Why does OS X show a forgot password prompt when trying to boot or wakeup screen? Something came up today that bugged me a bit, I left my laptop on battery power before going to bed. When starting it up the battery was dead. I plugged it in, and here is what happened:

The startup progress bar came up for a while and then a forgot password prompt came up, with questions like:
"set a new password"
+ 2 other options that I can't remember (they weren't relevant)
and a previous and next arrows.

Puzzled, I hit previous and the dialog froze. I proceeded to restart again and ended up on the same dialog, I reset my password to the same as my previous and that was it.

Any idea what might have happened?

Brian's answer was right on. The issue in my case was related to the backlight. Here's how I got around it:

While the password dialog is up, move your mouse cursor to the top of the screen until you get an apple menu.
Select "Restart" from the Apple menu
Use a flashlight to shine a light through the Apple on the back of your MacBook screen and you should see that the computer is on, but the backlight is not.
Use the right and left arrow keys to toggle between accounts and hit enter to login on the one you want, using the flashlight to see what you are doing.
Once logged in, the backlight should function normally.

I have not determined the root cause yet.


I can’t hear anyone and they can’t hear me iPhone 6 My phone won’t let me enable speaker and no one can hear me and I can’t hear anyone else anyone know why? I’m not connected to Bluetooth and the speaker phone has a different colour basically saying u can’t enable it

Have you tested the microphone using the Voice Recorder or confirmed the audio works when playing music? If neither of those work, sounds like you've got a hardware fault that needs an Apple diagnosis


Is there any better solution to protecting tabs from being lost? I have on a number of occasions recently lost a lot of tabs on my iPad. I have accidentally pressed the “close all tabs” button and I once had a frozen Safari window which I without foresight swiped to close and then realized I couldn’t just reopen. There is that trick where you hold down your finger on the new tab button to see some recently closed tabs, but it’s not sufficient - it didn’t record the closed tabs of my entire closed window, and it has a limited number of recent tabs, so if you close 500, you can’t get them all back. Going through your history is not much of a solution, as there’s too much to scour through.
Closed windows and tabs should be effortlessly retrievable, in my opinion.
Is there any clear solution to this? Is there a browser extension, perhaps?

This answer isn't meant to be flippant or disparaging in any way.  The purpose here is to present a critical evaluation exercise to evaluate the scenario from a wider perspective.

Closed windows and tabs should be effortlessly retrievable, in my opinion. Is there any clear solution to this? Is there a browser extension, perhaps?

Emphasis mine.
There's no problem to solve
There's no solution because there's no problem to be solved.  As far as a browser extension goes, I'm assuming you searched but couldn't find one.  Let's examine why....
As you state, it's your opinion that closed windows and tabs should be "effortlessly retrievable." I'm sure there are many people who agree with you.  However, there are many who believe the opposite, that a closed window should be closed and the data irretrievable (i.e. for privacy and security reasons).  So, given that there are two entirely conflicting positions, where does the developer land?
Exactly where it is now.
Existing functionality
Why?  Because there are existing remedies to dealing with accidentally closed windows:

There is the "trick" that allows you to see some of the recently closed tabs
Your browsing history is available

Nothing is without limitations
As you state, "it's not sufficient."  Unfortunately, no application on your iPad (or any device for that matter) is without a constraint.  You mentioned "500 windows," if Apple were to "solve" this tomorrow, you'd have someone complaining that it's not 600.  "Going through your history isn't much of a solution because you have so much to scour through" is not a failure or shortcoming of the app.

Solution: Structure your workflow in line with the tool

...it didn’t record the closed tabs of my entire closed window...

Why would it?  It already tracks your browsing history.  This expectation is outside the functionality of every other app and how they manage windows.  If they record or remember anything, it's usually the file or workspace you recently had open, but that's what history is.
If you have that many windows open (and I'm assuming they're all important), it's up to you to record what you deem necessary to remember.  I too, have many windows open however, when something is important, I take an active step to ensure that the window I'm on somehow gets recorded for posterity; and Apple gives you a way to do this: the Share function.

There are so many destinations you can send your page to:

Contact as a message or email,
AirDrop it to another device
Copy the link
Add a bookmark
add to your reading list
print it
Send it to Notes, OneNote, Evernote, etc.  I use OneNote extensively and if there's a tab I want to keep it get's sent to OneNote.

This requires you to make a small change in your workflow - if you see something important, make a note of it.  You won't have to scour history, you eliminate the imposed limitations of Safari and it will be flexible enough that you decide what should be retained and what shouldn't.
The bottom line is not to be too quick to perceive a fault or failure of an application because it doesn't meet a standard you've defined for yourself.  Many times, the "solution to the problem" is actually there, but we need to take a step back to see it.  Sometimes it requires modifying our workflow rather than the software.


View music size by artist on iOS I'm trying to free up space on an iPhone. Most of the space is used by music.

Is there a way to see which artists are using the most amount of space?

Logically this would be displayed under "System Settings app > General > Usage > Music", but unlike the "Usage > podcast" there is no break down beyond "All Music : x GB"

Can this be done easily in either iOS or iTunes, on a per-device basis (I only have a subset of music sync'd to the iPhone, so cannot just look at folder sizes in the "iTunes Music" directory)

You can view all the music on your iPhone in iTunes, and can then sort by size of the each individual song. I don't think there's a way to sort by the size of the artist.

Note, you can only delete items from this list is you are using "manually manage music".


What's needed to install a software upgrade Friend of mine has a Powerbook G4.
He came across some install disks for 10.4.6, in an envelope, with a bar code on the back.

He's asking me if that's all he needs to install the software.

Can anybody provide guidance on this?

This should be all he needs, the install is only one disk. But there may be some things that hold up the install:

If the disk notes its for a particular machine, it does a check to see if it is the correct type of machine. There are ways to get around this, but you usually you should use the disk that is made for your machine, or a retail copy.
If it can't install, it shouldn't damage his current installation

If you give more information on what the disks actually say (like on the front, or a picture), it would help answer more.


How to get icons in Safari favorites (aka favicons) to display correctly? I am using Safari on macOS Sierra. I have added several commonly-used sites to my favorites section, like so:

(there are 10 icons, and all but 2 of them are displayed as the proper, correct icon from the site. For example, the Wikipedia icon has the large W icon. However, for Google Drive and Gmail, the icons are just big, ugly, generic G's)

I would like for the two Google sites to correctly display their icons as well. At first, I thought it was because all 8 of the "correctly displayed" sites had successfully configured their "Safari settings" or something like that, while Google failed to do this (although this doesn't sound too plausible).

However, if I instead go to the top menu in Safari, click Bookmarks > Show Bookmarks, I get the following:

Strangely, this time, the two Google sites do have correctly displayed icons, while it is instead three other sites (out of the 10) that aren't displayed: namely Wikipedia, Amazon, and New York Times.

So it seems that there are two sets of icons, "big" and "small", and for big icons, Google Drive and Gmail are not displayed correctly, while the other 8 are, and on the other hand, for small icons, Google Drive and Gmail are displayed correctly, while Wikipedia, Amazon, and NYTimes are not.

I actually don't care too much about the small icons, but I would really like for all the big icons to display correctly. How can I do that?

Here's a hack that works very nicely (it takes a moderate amount of simple image manipulation though. Also, see a note at the very bottom of this answer in order not to completely lose this fix and have to redo it). it seems that the issue is that the the icons given by the websites were designed for the bookmark bar, which has smaller icons, and not the safari favorites screen, which has larger icons (at least 144 x 144).

The icons themselves are stored in ~/Library/Safari/Touch Icons Cache/Images/, with very long names (something like "908F6BBF6DA814ABAF917C4E7BB9E36F.png"). When a new Favorite is added (say New York Times, in the case of the original question), and the icon correctly displays in the Favorites screen, then a 144 x 144 png file appears in the aforementioned Cache folder, and everything's good and spiffy. However, if, say Gmail is added, and a big ugly, non-descript G appears instead of the nice Gmail icon, then that means a tiny png (designed for a bookmark bar instead of favorite screen) appeared in the Cache folder. (alternatively, if not even an incorrect tiny png appears in that folder, simply favorite another "decoy" site that does make a png file appear, perform the following, and then modify the Name and URL of the favorite later).

So in order to correct the icon, simply create another png that has the correct 144 x 144 resolution (see note below), then use that created png to replace the tiny "incorrect" file in the Touch Icons Cache folder, making sure to keep the long filename constant. Exit out of Safari (Command-Q) and restart, and the icon appears perfectly, as so:

Note that Gmail and Google Drive now have the correct icons. I had to do the same thing for The Economist as well, since that site also did not provide a proper 144 x 144 favicon.

For a very simple way of creating a 144 x 144 icon using just Preview, simply download a high-res image of the icon (Gmail, Google Drive), or whatever, open in preview, then tools->adjust size to 144 width. Now put this image aside and call it "image A". Note that transparency sometimes causes trouble for safari favicons (e.g. if a region of a picture is colorless, the color actually displayed in those regions might be inconsistent). If this happens, we can make a white background. To do this, simply do command-shift-4 and drag a rectangular portion of any white portion of the screen, then take the resulting screenshot and resize to 144 x 144. Finally, take "image A" from before, and copy and paste onto this white space. This usually creates a very nice icon.

Important note: If you happen to have the "Developer" menu item (e.g. at the very top of the screen, near "Bookmarks" and "Window") enabled in Safari preferences, make sure not to select "Clear Caches", or else this will delete all the icons you made too. Also, simply Clearing History does the same thing. Alternatively, if you really want to clear history or clear cache for more disk space, save the custom icons you created before you clear; that way you can put them back afterwards without having to create them again.

Caches can also be automatically cleared at times, so it is a good practice to create backups of icons.


Organizing user home directory between SSD and HDD I've installed an SSD into a new Mac mini. I've installed ML, and used the migration tool to copy programs and user settings from the stock 500GB drive.

What doesn't fit onto this 64GB SSD drive though, are the Pictures, Music, and Movies directories. Maybe 200GB worth. I use the Finder's shortcuts often for these directories, and like the different icons.

How can you configure OSX to take advantage of the large HDD for these directories that won't fit onto the SSD?

How can I wipe that HDD of the previous OSX install? A simple 'move to trash'?

I've got external drives to help shuffle directories and files around if need be.

You can use aliases for those directories containing lots of data. Example:

/Users/you/Movies -> /Volumes/MyStuff/Movies
/Users/you/Music -> /Volumes/MyStuff/Music
/Users/you/Pictures -> /Volumes/MyStuff/Pictures

The easiest way to wipe the contents of the previous drive is to open Disk Utility, select your drive, and then select the 'Erase' tab. Choose the options you want and wait until it finishes.


Mavericks Time Machine is stuck in the middle of backing up, other times stop unexpectedly After upgrade to Mavericks I fail to complete a single backup with Time Machine. Tried it both for third-party NAS (QNAP TS-210) having a Time Machine service, and for a simple external HDD enclosure (Mac OS Extended Journalled format).

Some attempts to backup just stop itself long before the estimated time, with no result or error message; with no backup actually completed.

Others just stuck in the middle of copying (not Preparing, but in MBs backed up progress bar) for several hours without anything that could look like activity in progress.

Mavericks 10.9.2; QNAP firmware 4.0.3; Macbook Air Mid-2011.

Other Mac (MBP 2010, Mountain Lion) backs up to the same NAS just fine.

For external HDD, console is full of messages like this:

03-05-14 20:18:49,000 kernel[0]: memorystatus_thread: idle exiting pid 6522 [backupd-helper]
03-05-14 20:18:49,549 com.apple.launchd[1]: (com.apple.backupd-auto[6522]) Idle-exit job was jettisoned. Will bypass throttle interval for next on-demand launch.
03-05-14 20:18:49,550 com.apple.launchd[1]: (com.apple.backupd-auto[6522]) assertion failed: 13C1021: launchd + 43413 [425516B6-9F3E-342F-87B3-EC461EBA6A1A]: 0x9

For NAS, I didn't find anything relevant in Console for hours since the progress got stuck.

Update: For USB-attached external HDD, putting Mac to sleep and back helped to resume the copying--and helped to complete first backup.

Update: For NAS, the following lines appeared in Console just before a backup stopped itself prematurely--happened every time, several times:

04-05-14 16:03:24,545 com.apple.backupd[16637]: Error writing to backup log.  NSFileHandleOperationException:*** -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Input/output error
04-05-14 16:03:24,645 com.apple.backupd[16637]: Error writing to backup log.  NSFileHandleOperationException:*** -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Input/output error
04-05-14 16:03:24,647 com.apple.backupd[16637]: Error writing to backup log.  NSFileHandleOperationException:*** -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Input/output error
04-05-14 16:03:24,648 com.apple.backupd[16637]: Error writing to backup log.  NSFileHandleOperationException:*** -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Input/output error
04-05-14 16:03:24,697 com.apple.backupd[16637]: Error writing to backup log.  NSFileHandleOperationException:*** -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Input/output error
04-05-14 16:03:24,699 com.apple.backupd[16637]: Error writing to backup log.  NSFileHandleOperationException:*** -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Input/output error
04-05-14 16:03:24,701 com.apple.backupd[16637]: Error writing to backup log.  NSFileHandleOperationException:*** -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Input/output error
04-05-14 16:03:25,169 com.apple.backupd[16637]: Backup canceled.

After that, upon clicking "Backup Now" in Time Machine, the total amount of files to back up seem to become smaller by the amount reached previous time.

Update: Installed QFix hoping to fix the "I/O error", per some reports of success on QNAP forums. Got stuck "Preparing to backup..." which lasts at least an hour, with no messages in Console, and no network and disk activity per Activity Monitor--the same in several attempts tried. "Preparing..." problem solved with a simple OS X reboot. With QFix installed, backup became much faster. I/O error still happened twice, but at least no more stuck in the middle of backing up (since QFix, done full backup from the scratch: 27GB).

To summarize how I worked around the problem:

made sure the problem only exists for Mavericks: made sure that another Mac (pre-Mavericks) still backs up to QNAP NAS seamlessly
made sure that problem is only related to QNAP NAS and Mavericks together, not to Mavericks alone. For this, performed back up to external HDD

when external HDD backup got stuck with progress bar frozen, Standby-Resume of Mac helped to "unfreeze" Time Machine most of the time

to achieve first successful backup with NAS, I first excluded every folder that is on "Macintosh HD": Time Machine Preferences > Options > Exclude these from backups > +. Having minimal successful backup, I added folder by folder, from smallest ones (all <1MB, then all <1GB, then one by one more and more large, largest in the end.

when backup stopped itself long before the estimated time, it turned out that it actually copied the part last displayed on progress bar. The next time you invoke Back Up Now, the total amount of files to back up becomes smaller by the amount reached previous time.

for QNAP NAS, installed QFix (reboot OS X before invoking new backups). QFix seriously improved copying speed and made the speed consistent, plus resolved "frozen progress" problem at least for a full backup from the scratch.

Still, the problems left for Apple and QNAP to solve are:

progress bar which frequently gets frozen in the middle of copying
stuck "Preparing backup..." after QFix before OS X reboot
backing up stopping itself in the middle of copying, and/or "I/O error" which forces backup progress to stop


Is FaceTime available on iPad? I'm trying to decide if I want to buy an ipad.  My question is, Will I be able to connect with family members who have iPhones on FaceTime if I have an iPad ?

Yes, the iPad also comes with the Facetime app, except not if you buy it in Saudi Arabia or the UAE, and if you buy it in China the audio will not work.

I think Skype works everywhere, and I have sometimes found it more reliable than facetime, but others have the opposite experience.