Is it possible to use mac trackpad gestures on, say, a linux virtualbox machine? Specifically, I would just love to use the trackpad to do "three finger swipes" and switch between Linux workspaces (desktops), that would be extremely slick.

I imagine this might require a plugin or some such thing, in addition to the disabling of the underlying Mac OS's responding to the gestures, which is what it currently does.

Using BetterTouchTool on the Mac host machine,use a application specific rule for the VirtualBox VM to map the swipe gesture to keyboard shortcuts to change desktops. To tie the rule to the VM and not the prefs app, issue ln -s /Applications/VirtualBox.app/Contents/Resources/VirtualBoxVM.app ~/Desktop/VBVM.app, to create an alias to the VM's app bundle on the desktop. Next, make the rule and set the app as the alias on the desktop. Finally delete the alias on the desktop and try it out.


How to export groups from an iCloud Address Book account using Automator? I’m using Mac OS X Lion with iCloud. My address book ‘lives’ on iCloud and I’ve gat a number of groups in the address book.

Under Snow Leopard I used Automator to export addresses from a group using the following actions:

Get Selected Address Book Groups (Get selected “groups”)
Get Contact Information (Export Format “Spreadsheet (tabs)” with all fields selected, and Add Labels checked)
New Text File (Save as: “addresses.txt”, where “Desktop”)

– this worked like a charm, but since I got to use Lion, I only get the header filled with the labels, no addresses.

Although I do have a workaround (i.e. selecting all cards of a group and using “people” instead of “groups” in the first action of the workflow), I run in other problems like the fact I can’'t export to the MAC Roman encoding but must use UTF-8. In that case the address lines are garbled with mysterious spurious characters.

Is there a way to retrieve the individual contacts from a selection of Address Book groups in Automator, or is this a bug in Lion?

Apparently, Lion’s Automator actions are a bit more finicky about implicit data conversion between actions than Snow Leopard’s. In your case, the issue is the “Get Contact Information” action does not perform a conversion from groups into their contained  contacts. This can be solved quite easily by inserting a “Get Selected Address Book Items” action set to “people” after the first one (which retrieves the selected groups) before the “New Text File” action. This will allow you to select groups in Address Book instead of having to select all their constituent members.

As to the encoding issue, that does not seem to have anything to do with the Automator workflow: testing with my iCloud address book (German, with lots of Czech and French contacts) neither your nor my variant produce any issues writing UTF-8 text as long as the “New Text File” action’s file format is set to “text (.txt, convert if necessary)”. If the issue persists on your system when using these settings, possible causes I can think of are

TextEdit (or your editor of choice) is set to display the file as another encoding than UTF-8; in that case, it would mangle them on display.
your address book might contain differently encoded characters, possibly from importing from older systems: Address Book is very good at hiding these, but they can cause a number of odd issues. There are a number of utilities out there claiming to fix broken Address Book records, but I have never tested them – YMMV.


Automator: How to send an email to multiple recipients with Font colour and attachment image? I have done a program of 'Send-Email-To-Multiple-Recipients' in Automator as see an attachment image below.

But, it does not work to retain font colour of texts in a message body within this program.
Also, wondering how to attach an image between the lines.
It might be to use AppleScript rather than Automator.

Please give me a piece of advice or useful example if you are kind.

Cheers,

M

As far as I can tell, there is no direct way. You would have to use applescript to select the text and set the formatting in the Mail application after the fact... (Example below taken from the web...)

tell application "System Events" to tell (process 1 where frontmost is true)
    set {c1, c2} to value of attribute "AXSelectedTextRange" of text area 1 of scroll area 1 of window 1
end tell
tell application (path to frontmost application as text) to tell document 1
    tell characters c1 thru c2
        set font to "Menlo"
        set size to 18
    end tell
end tell


Time Machine thinks the size of my backup is bigger than the source I have a new MacBookPro 16" with a 500Gb SSD. Currently it has 332Gb of files on it.
I'm trying to run the first Time Machine backup, and it keeps failing because there's "not enough space".
By default, it estimates a full backup to be 674Gb.

Even if I exclude the entire source drive, it reckons it will take 353Gb.

Both drives show no errors when analysed with Disk Utility. Anybody know what might be going on?

I eventually resolved this, though I'm not sure exactly what the issue was. Steps I took:

Wiped and reinstalled the OS using a SuperDuper backup.
Initially, Time Machine then showed the 'correct' size estimate, but then quickly changed to the incorrect version again. At this point, it was also showing me a phantom Time Machine backup drive that I couldn't remove.
Now suspecting some corrupted settings, I switched to my admin account. Having wiped my SuperDuper backup to use as a Time Machine drive again, I tried to set up Time Machine there instead. Here, I could remove the phantom drive, and the size estimates looked correct.
I switched back to my user account, and added back my TM exclusion folders. Everything still looked good.
First backup completed successfully \o/

It's possible trying to sort things out in the admin account may have worked in the first place, without the full reinstall. I guess we'll never know...


Repeating Text Within a Word Document? Using OS X 10.6.8 and Word 2011 for Mac. I have developed a Word document template for a client which is used for surveys.  Each time the document is used, it has a different property address.  Is there a way of linking the address which appears in the main part of the text on the Front Page to the centre section of the header on the following pages so that you only have to type it in once?

Eg:

Front page says:

  20 Feb 2013 Survey for Mr & Mrs Bloggs, 23 Anytown Street, Anytown

  On the following pages it says:

  Briggs & Co                (   )                                 Page
  1

  I want it to say is:

  Briggs & Co       (   )             23 Anytown Street, Anytown      (
  )         Page 1

  Briggs & Co       (   )             23 Anytown Street, Anytown      (
  )         Page 2

etc

At the moment I have to type the address in the header of each new section (there are nine sections!). I need a macro or hyperlink or something which will pick up the address on the front page and automatically insert it in the centre section of the header on the following pages.

Any ideas?

There are many different ways to accomplish this, but I think that the easiest is through Document Properties.

In your document, go to File -> Properties.  In your case, I'd probably create a new Custom Property.  Here, I've called it "Address", given it the type "text", and entered in the address of 23 Anytown Street, Anytown.  Click OK when you've completed this.

Back in your document, place the cursor where you'd like this text to appear.  Then go to Insert -> Field, select "Document Information" in the left list, then "DocProperty" in the right list, and finally enter (with quotes!) "Address" below, and click OK.  Repeat this anywhere that you want the address to appear.


Can I change the color of the folders in iOS7? I want to change the folder colors on my home screen. Can it be done?

The folder colors change based upon the background image. So, in that sense, yes, you can. However, they do not have their own UI element to allow you to edit their colors independently.


Why can't I turn off my right click? I'm running 10.10, and have a wireless mighty mouse. I want to turn off the right click on the mouse. I went to System Settings > Mouse, and set the "Right Click" function to "Primary Button" instead of Secondary. However, this has no effect, and the right click still functions as a right click. Why is this?

For my Magic Mouse, Setting the Secondary click option to "click on left side," simply makes it so that the "right click" (contextual) behavior is reversed.  i.e. left-clicking brings up a menu, and right-clicking is a normal click.  UNchecking the checkbox beside Secondary Click turns off the "right click" behavior altogether.


Can you break an iPad by keeping it in a warm place? I left my iPad mini 2nd gen in my car last night and it was fully functional, today I went to get it out and it is really hot outside 30C or 86F and sunny and inside of the car feels like sauna. iPad seems to be of and not responding if I try to switch it on. I thought it might run out of charge even though it would display charge me icon. I plug it in to charge and it is still not showing a sign that it is charging. Is it possible that it could have been boiled inside of car or has anyone had anything similar in the past?

You didn't say if you had let the iPad cool down, but the inside of a sealed car on a hot sunny day can go over 125°F.

If it has cooled down and still does not work, perhaps it has been baked to death. You might want to take it to an Apple Store, if convenient.

From Apple Support:

Environmental Requirements:

Operating ambient temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)


Power a MacBook Off-Grid I'm interested in working remotely- very remotely off-grid in fact. How can I power a Macbook Pro & related peripherals using Solar Power?

I've worked as far afield as Northern Nigeria as a technologist (Infrastructure & Network Engineering), where reliable power is always an issue. Indeed, reliable energy is a problem endemic to many lesser developed nations across the globe.  Closer to home, many folks are looking to go off-grid to escape the rat-race but still want to stay connected to the wider world.

Since powering a Mac (my solution can be used to power any AC device) seemed of broader utility to a wider audience, figured I'd share my documentation on design considerations & physical connectivity to save others solving the same-very complex - problem. Lots of annotated pictures are included at end of post to visually detail the physical connectivity between the components.

SYSTEM OVERVIEW: I'll explain the system conceptually in (2) parts:

COLLECTION: Solar Panels sends Direct Current (DC) to a 12v battery (also DC) via a “Solar Controller” that regulates transfer of DC from panels to battery to ~12v.  Without a Solar Charge Controller the Solar Panels could create an over-voltage condition sending as much as 20v+ to a 12v battery.
DISTRIBUTION: On the other side of the battery an “AC Power Inverter” is connected that converts battery’s Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC) when connected end-user devices draw power.
POWER EQUILIBRIUM: The COLLECTION side of the system should ideally replace what is being drawn from battery on DISTRIBUTION side.  If more is drawn out than replaced, battery will start to drain to its' Depth of Discharge ("DoD) limit and the inverter your devices are connected to will cut-out.

CHOOSING SYSTEM COMPONENTS: Key considerations:

SOLAR PANELS: These convert sunlight to DC which is sent to a 12v battery (also DC) for storage. The Solar Panel’s nominal wattage is sum of all panels configured into in an array: ie, my 200 watt solar panels are actually an array of (4) x 50 watt solar panels.

SOLAR PANEL EFFICIENCY: you’ll see a figure such as “19.8” in the manufacturers specs.  So for my 200 watt panels, that would be the conversion of 1000 watt/m2.  Under ideal test conditions.  The Earth rotates and both duration of sunlight & intensity can vary with both season & geography. “200 watts” is nominal; effective wattage will be some degree less.
APPROPRIATE WATTAGE: Calculate your power requirements FIRST and THEN buy Solar Panels that will keep the battery topped-up at at least the same level devices are drawing power from the battery.  You can only know what panels you require after you’ve determined what devices you want to power with the Solar Power System ie, a 96 watt 2018 MacBook and a printer of X watts
WEIGHT: My 200 watt panels panels weigh 5.15 KGs. If I bought the 150 watt model- (3)x50watt- I could have reduced their weight by 25%. Keep wattage sizing of panels as close to your actual power requirements as possible to avoid killing your luggage weight allowance.
PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS: Check length & width measurements of any panels (fully folded) BEFORE buying to ensure they’ll fit in your suitcase!

SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER: This device sits between your solar panels and battery storing panel’s DC output. Controller regulates flow of electricity from panels to battery ensuring panels don’t send 20v to a 12v battery.

(2) Types:  “PWM” vs “MPPT”:  Ref: https://www.solar4rvs.com.au/buying/buyer-guides/choosing-the-right-solar-charge-controller-regulat/

PWM (“PULSE MODULATION WIDTH”):
MPPT (“Maximum Power Point Tracking”):

REDUNDANCY: If Controller fails, you’re out of the game.  They’re not expensive and very lightweight, so only a downside to not keeping a spare.
BATTERY COMPATIBILITY: Ensure battery to be connected to Solar Controller compatible with battery. Do NOT connect the Controller to any random battery without checking compatibility, or you could damage the Controller.  The Controller’s user manual should have have details about battery compatibility, providing codes for battery types that work with it. Batteries will be discussed in §3 “12v BATTERY”(only b00-b03). Use below list to interpret codes specified in the Controller’s manual if required:

b00: Lithium Battery
b01: Sealed Battery
b02: Gel Battery
b03: Flood
b04: Iron Lithium 4 strands
b05: Iron Lithium 5 Strands
b06: Lithium Ion 3 Strands
b07: Lithium Ion 4 Strands

BATTERY:  The 12v battery receives DC output from Solar Panels (via Solar Charge Controller) and also supplies an Inverter connected to it which converts battery’s DC power to AC for end-user devices; your MacBook.  You require a battery “vocabulary” when Googling to source an appropriate one, or you either won’t know what to search for, or won’t be able to interpret the results.

COMPATIBILITY WITH SOLAR CONTROLLER:  Read your Controller’s user manual to determine what battery to source. Using a battery which is NOT can potentially damage Controller!
BATTERY CAPACITY (Ah):  A battery’s capacity is described in terms of “Ah” (“Amp Hour”), ie, a 100 Ah battery theoretically can power a  1 amp device for 100 hours, or a 10 amp device for 10 hours. However, this is a nominal number and MUST be multiplied by battery's “Depth of Discharge” to determine practical capacity of the battery.
“DEPTH OF DISCHARGE” (“DoD”): Large 12v batteries are not designed to be fully drained like a flashlight’s batteries. DoD is the *USABLE capacity  of a battery’s Ah rating, ie, a 100 Ah battery with a DoD 50% means that for all practical purposes your inverter is connected to a 50Ah battery.  Forget the other 50Ah, you can’t use it...
BATTERY TYPES:

STARTING, LIGHTING, IGNITION “SLI”: Batteries designed to start a car and power its’ lights.  “STI” batteries NOT desirable for use with Solar Power Systems. Shallow Depth of Discharge cycles- around ~10%. Not very suitable for Solar Power Systems.
DEEP CYCLE: Ideal battery for Solar Power Systems.  Deep Cycle batteries are  designed to have a much greater DoD over a sustained period- usually around 50%- then cranking batteries which can have a DoD of as high as 70%.  Check both Amazon & Google “12v Deep Cycle Batteries” and you’ll see many shops selling them in the following flavours:

LEAD ACID BATTERY:  Although “CALCIUM” is a type of “LEAD ACID” battery, it’s found in “SLI” (cranking”) batteries and should be avoided.  You’d probably be better off using a cigarette lighter powered inverter to power your devices off the rental vehicle’s battery. (2) Types Lead Acid Batteries:

FLOODED: When the term “FLOODED” is seen in a Solar Controller’s user manual it’s referring to a “wet” Lead Acid Battery found in cars. Being “flooded”, not desirable for environments of extremes of hot & cold. Identified by both apertures to add water and a “sloshing” noise when moved.  Cheaper to buy & have excellent comparative useful life, but require maintenance.  Unless you’re willing to be bothered maintaining them, avoid Flooded batteries.
VALVE REGULATED LEAD ACID (“VRLA”): Unlike “Flooded” batteries which CAN’T be sealed because of the need to add water to them, VRLA batteries are referred to as “SEALED** because they require no/little maintenance. More expensive than “Flooded” batteries. (2) Types:

Absorbed Glass Mat (“AGM”)
GEL

LITHIUM ION BATTERY: More expensive than LEAD ACID batteries and only have a 3 year life- regardless of use.

SIZING BATTERIES: Let’s put it all together. Your goal is to ensure the battery remains level- putting in an amount equal to what the devices connected to the inverter are sucking out of it. You want to avoid- or delay- as much as possible more draw-down than top-up as if you slip down to the DoD max, the inverter will (hopefully) start beeping and just shutdown. Ideally, size the battery a bit larger than you require- unless you can guarantee tomorrow won’t be a cloudy day. Since the Battery is rated in Ah, and our panels and inverter watts, we need to convert watt hours (“Wh”) for the panels and devices drawing on the battery through the inverter into Ah.
Using an example of 200 watt Solar Panels charging the battery and (2) x 96 watt MacBook Pros (2018) drawing on that battery for a 1 hour period:
 Solar Panels: 200 Watts  x 1 hour = 200 Wh
. MacBook: 192 Watts  x 1 hour = 170 Wh.
Next convert Wh into Ah:
 Solar Panels: 200  Wh / 12.7 volts = 15.74 Ah (Power Collection)
.  MacBook:          192  Wh / 12.7 volts = 15.12 Ah (Power Distributed) (https://convert-formula.com/ah-wh)
.  If you had a 75 Ah cranking battery with a DoD of 10%, that’s just 7.5 Ah available for the two MacBooks.  And not even that! there’s about ~10% loss when the Inverter converts the DC from the battery to AC for the MacBooks!  Hopefully this underscores the importance of both using Deep Cycle batteries.
SOURCING BATTERY ABROAD: Identify sources that sell/rent DEEP CYCLE batteries types compatible with your Solar Controller BEFORE travelling, or risk spending 1 or more days searching for suitable batteries or failing altogether.  In the US or Europe sourcing a Deep Cycle battery should be possible, but the more remote your destination, the more challenging sourcing a battery for your Solar Power System in-country will be.

INVERTER:  Converts battery’s Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC) when drawn by devices connected to inverter.

TYPES:

PURE SINE WAVE:  Best voltage waveform output, works with all devices
MODIFIED SINE WAVE: Cheaper alternative than Pure Sign Wave, but CAN (not guaranteed) introduce interference into audio equipment, monitors & TVs.  Not recommended for devices with “high surge” startup power requirements.  Modified sine wave also might not work with power tools and/or battery chargers for cordless tools.  Finally, I’ve read many people are using modified sine wave inverters to power computers without problems; YMMV…

APPROPRIATE WATTAGE:  (2) things you need to consider when choosing a wattage.

INVERTER CONTINUOUS AC OUTPUT POWER:  If the inverter is “1000” watts and the continuous wattage is 1000 watts, theoretically you should be able to power 10 x 1000 watt devices (assuming the battery and solar panels can support that!).  However, I bought a 500 watt Modified Sine Wave Inverter (it was cheap) only to read in the user manual the *continuous, was just 400 watts; 20% less than then advertised.  Do your homework to avoid surprises. First determine your wattage requirements for the devices you’ll connect to it.
INVERTER SURGE POWER: Check surge power wattage of inverter you’re considering buying can additionally meet surge power demand to accommodate any devices being greedy on startup.
CALCULATION: Add the wattage of the devices that you want to power off the inverter; it’s simple addition.  ie, (4) x 96 watt MacBook Pros 2018 and (1) x 85 watt MacBook Pro (2014) equals 469 watts.  My “500” watt Modified Sine Wave inverter would be insufficient for these requirements… I’d recommend using a Pure Sine Wave over the Modified and sizing the wattage higher than you require.

EFFICIENCY RATING: Percentage of DC input that is converted into AC output by inverter.  ie, an efficiency rating of 90% implies a 10% loss from the conversion.  So on the COLLECTION side of the system you need to factor this loss into your calculations sizing the Solar Panels & battery.
Inverter Cables Sizing: Although cables are packages with an inverter, If you need to buy longer ones, ensure you buy the correct gauge for your inverter’s wattage:
     General Recommendations:
     (Inverter Size/Cable Gauge)
 1000 Watts/#4
, 1500 Watts/#2
, 2000 Watts/#1/0
, 2500 Watts/#1/0
, 3000 Watts/#3/0

INSTALLATIONS INSTRUCTIONS: Physical Connectivity

PREPARATIONS:

Solar Panels: Closed (folded)
Inverter: Switched to the “Off” position
NEVER LET LIVE ELECTRIC LEADS TOUCH!!!!!

CONNECTION:

Connect SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER to BATTERY FIRST

NEGATIVE FIRST
Positive last

Connect SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER to SOLAR PANELS
Connect INVERTER to BATTERY

DISCONNECTION:

Disconnect INVERTER from BATTERY

POSITIVE FIRST
Negative Last

Disconnect SOLAR PANELS from SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER
Disconnect SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER from BATTERY LAST!!

The connections should look as follows:

That may seem a lot, but trust me: this is a huge subject and to condense all the key detail into this was a huge effort.  Hope it helps others trying to work off-grid tapping away happily on their MacBooks (or Min-Macs, iMacs, etc....).  I'll post the link to accompany this post which shows me charging my 85 watt MacBook 2014 using solar panels shortly.  Video is done, just have to render it and upload to YouTube, but thin connectivity at the 'mo.

UPDATE:

Having returned from the Omani Desert and sourcing a 5 meter extender cable to allow placing the battery and the inverter in the shade away from the solar panels, I've had a moment to pictorially document a more ideal configuration.

To avoid any ambiguity or confusion, everything is expressly labelled.

The Grounding Rod & cable for the inverter cost me the princely sum of £6.50:

If you still require further clarification, I've also created a companion video implementing my portable Solar Power solution in Oman which should fill in any questions about how confguring a portable solar power system-


How to include a tab in an Excel for Mac cell - Mac equivalent of char(9) I'm writing some guides for a procedure which involves using an Excel formula which places tabs into a cell. This guide will be used by staff on both Windows and Mac, and I want to make sure it works on both. I don't currently have access to a Mac for testing.

On Excel for Windows, =char(9) places a tab character. This tab character doesn't show within Excel, but does appear correctly when the content of the cell is copied and pasted, which is what I need.

Some of the Excel character numbering is different between Mac and PC, for example, non-breaking space is char(160) on Windows and char(202) on Mac.

What's the Excel for Mac way to add a tab character by a formula? Specifically Excel-2011 for Mac, but I don't believe it changes between versions.

I've tried looking it up in this table - http://www.alanwood.net/demos/macroman.html - but that doesn't include the Tab character.

If it's possible, I'd love an option that works on both Mac and Windows and is standard to spreadsheet programs e.g. not just MS Excel but others too. But I'm guessing this is probably impossible, so just knowing the Mac exquivalent of =char(9) would be enough.

Bonus points for a link to a reference to the complete character table Excel for Mac uses so I can just look up any question like this in future.

Believe it or not, the TAB character on a Mac has the same ASCII code -- 9, so =char(9) should just work.


Can I enable file removal in the open window on OS X? Can I enable file removal in the open window on OS X?

The open or save dialogs do not allow you do do many opeations, like removing a file or renaming it.

Is there any hidden defaults preference that could enable this?

I've been using Default Folder X (35$) for years to add this capability, among many others.


Re-map keys on keyboard I know how to re-map my modifier keys, so my caps lock can act as a ctrl key, for example.

I'm wondering if there's a way to re-map they dash/underscore key (next to +/=). Instead of it producing a dash or hyphen, I'd like it to produce an em dash. And pressing shift+opt+dash (the current shortcut for an em dash) key would produce a normal dash.

Based on Karl's answer, I tried using BetterTouchTool (as Global shortcuts and also TextEdit specifically), but remapped keypresses just seem to be ignored.

Install and launch Karabiner. In the menubar open the menulet Karabiner -> Preferences. Then hit the tab "Misc & Uninstall" and "Open private.xml"

Paste the following lines into the opened xml file:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
    <item>
      <name>Swap Minus and Alt+Shift+Minus</name>
      <identifier>remap.minus_and_optionlshiftlminus</identifier>
      <autogen>
        __KeyToKey__
        KeyCode::MINUS, ModifierFlag::NONE,
        KeyCode::MINUS, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L | ModifierFlag::OPTION_L
      </autogen>
      <autogen>
        __KeyToKey__
        KeyCode::MINUS, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L | ModifierFlag::OPTION_L,
        KeyCode::MINUS,
      </autogen>
    </item>
</root>

and save the file.

Return to the tab "Change Key", hit "ReloadXML"  and enable "Swap Minus and Alt+Shift+Minus". It should be the first entry listed.

If you are left-handed you may replace _L by _R in the xml file.


Siri Voice Feedback Not Functioning on iPhone 6 (iOS 9) I have an iPhone 6 running iOS 9 – Siri has become speechless all of a sudden. It appears to have went dumb; there is no voice feedback whatsoever.

Siri answers all of my questions correctly with an on-screen response, but there is no voice feedback at all. Can this be sorted without a restore?

PS: I have already performed a Soft Reset.

Voice feedback can be enabled/disabled in Settings -> General -> Siri.


Macbook retina 15 3 external screens I've read reviews about 3 external screens for late 2013 macbook pro 15 retina, and looks like there are different opinions about that. Some of videos I saw demonstrates the fact that it is possible connect all three screens at once.

But before buying all necessary components I would like to show what kind of screens I would like to purchase and what type of adapters I am about to use.

Could you please take a look for my build and let me know your opinion if it is going to work and if not, could you please describe correct way of connecting it.

3 BENQ Screens (1920 x 1080, 2 ms, VGA, DVI-D, HDMI)

2 screens will be connected using mini display port to HDMI Adapter

1 screen will be connected directly on HDMI port.

Do you think that build would work?

I have had problems with third party video adaptors, so I'd be hesitant to try that. Since your monitors have DVI ports, I'd go with two Apple Mini Display Port to DVI adaptors and use an HDMI cable for the third monitor.


Problem with homebrew recipe for ctags I was trying to install ctags using homebrew:

>brew install ctags
==> Downloading http://downloads.sourceforge.net/ctags/ctags-5.8.tar.gz
Already downloaded: /Library/Caches/Homebrew/ctags-5.8.tar.gz
==> Downloading patches

curl: (22) The requested URL returned error: 404
Error: Failure while executing: /usr/bin/curl -f#LA Homebrew\ 0.9.4\ (Ruby\ 1.8.7-358;\ Mac\ OS\ X\ 10.8.5) https://raw.github.com/gist/4010022/8d0697dc87a40e65011e2192439609c17578c5be/ctags.patch -o 000-homebrew.diff

Any idea how I can troubleshoot this?

HTTP 404 Error: Not found. This means the URL referenced something that no longer exists at that location. The problem isn't with curl, the problem is with the homebrew recipe for ctags -- it's out of date.

You can see this for yourself by pointing a browser to the patch URL that the homebrew recipe is trying to the URL that curl is trying to download from: https://raw.github.com/gist/4010022/8d0697dc87a40e65011e2192439609c17578c5be/ctags.patch

You get a 404 Not Found error from GitHub.

Try updating your recipes, it's likely the ctags recipe is out of date:

brew update

If that doesn't resolve the problem, report it as an issue for the ctags recipe here: https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew/issues


Transfer iPhone 5 photo library on to a Network Storage Device I'm running out of space on my iPhone and would like to transfer my iPhone photos to a NAS and then delete them. I like to view my pictures from NAS via an app.

Can somebody recommend a good NAS and app that can help me achieve that?

Instead of using a local solution for your media, you could consider using Dropbox. With Dropbox you can stream videos, photos, and even use it for storage. You get roughly 2 GB for free (more if you refer users), but if you need more space you can easily upgrade your account, for a fee, to the Pro version which provides much more storage.


After 10.9.2 updated, OSX crashed, contextual menu broken 1/After I updated to 10.9.2 this morning, my OSX keeps crashing over and over again. Up to now is almost 10 times or more.
2/Besides that issue, I also found my Contextual Menu in Finder really weird. It's messy and lost "Services" menu item. (see image below)

I doubt that some of my Apple Scripts may be incompatible with 10.9.2 and caused such crash. Can anybody guide me how and where to remove those add-on scripts?
3/ Also when I press any keys from the Hot Keys section above on the keyboard, it caused OSX to crash. Does anybody know how to fix the crashing?

It is very probably caused by Total Finder app. Try to update it or simply quit it and run again. It worked for me and contextual menu is back.


How to remove a user from staff group in macOS? How on earth do I remove one of my local user accounts from the default "staff" group in macOS? I've tried many of the obscure commands in the command-line to no avail, i.e dscl, dseditgroup.

This is what I tried:

dsmemberutil checkmembership -U someuser -G staff

Response:

user is a member of the group

Tried removing:

sudo dseditgroup -o edit -d someuser -t user staff

Checking membership:

dsmemberutil checkmembership -U someuser -G staff

Response:

user is a member of the group

How come?

I want to remove a particular local account from the staff group so that it doesn't have access to the contents of home directories of other local accounts, amongst other things.

Any commands and/or GUIs that you can recommend for this?

I was also having trouble with this, all the other resources/answers I had found didn't work for me. I finally figured it out (have only tested on my machine on Catalina). This is kind of a kitchen sink approach so some of these steps might be unnecessary, but this is what I did and it worked. I'm not an apple engineer so YMMV and do at your own risk.
Say we want to remove staff group for a user with the name "someuser"

Setup a shell script like this: https://superuser.com/a/395738 it'll make debugging easier. Assuming you've saved it in a file members.sh with executable permission, You can double check that it is working by doing:

./members.sh  staff

and seeing if someuser appears in the list.

From the system preferences UI create a new group, you can do this by under "Users & Groups" hitting the plus sign and selecting group in the drop-down box. It doesn't matter what you call it, we'll say "new_group"

Select that group in the UI and check the box next to "someuser"

Right click on "new_group" from the UI and select advanced options, copy the Group ID # (not UUID), it should be a regular number. Say the number is 1234.

Now we are going to change someusers's primary group to new_group instead of staff (see also: https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/81553/409162). Do the following:

sudo dscl . -create /Users/someuser PrimaryGroupID 1234

(where 1234 is the number you copied in step 4)

Right click on someuser from the UI, select "Advanced Options" and in the "Group" textbox, change "staff" to "new_group". If you close and re-open this "Advanced Options" window it should stay set to new_group.

Finally remove the user from staff. Run the following (note: I got this from the "EXAMPLES" section of man dseditgroup you may want to double check there to confirm)

sudo dseditgroup -o edit -u someuser -p -d someuser -t user staff

You may have to enter your password because it is a sudo command, but when it says "Please enter user password" this refers to someusers's password.

Run ./members.staff to check that someuser was successfully removed. If someuser is still in the list:

Restart your computer
Re-run the command in step #7
Check again

I've tried this a couple times, sometimes restarting was necessary, other times it wasn't. Sometimes re-running the command was necessary, other times it wasn't


Can I give something using my iTunes gift card? I want to give an itunes movie to a friend but can I use the credit I have on my iTunes gift card?

You should be able to click the present option or give to a friend or whatever it is called.
You pay, so it works without any problem.

Why would you think using a prepaid card like that does not work? It's a great method used  worldwide by people who don't have a credit card, or do not want to  link them.


iphone pdf app that doesn't scroll I often use my iphone to scan through presentations that are stored as pdfs. Often, the information on the following page of a document is the same as the previous page plus some extra information. What I find annoying is that the pdf readers I have tried so far all "animate" the scrolling to the next page. All I want is an instant "next page", like one gets when one makes the presentation.

I have looked at myPDFs and Adobe acrobat.

Can anyone suggest an app that has ability?

iBooks, the free ebook reading app from Apple, paginates both ebooks (in epub format) and pdfs. It is not instant, though.


What are my options for syncing a folder between a Mac and a PC? Suppose I have 2 computers attached to the wireless network in my house, one a Mac and one a PC.  Suppose I want to continuously sync a folder on the Mac with a folder on the PC.  What options do I have?

My first thought would be to use something like Dropbox, but in this case I don't want the files to leave my network and go to the cloud.

Edit: NAS not available here, nor is an external drive.  Just the 2 computers.

Dropbox does have an option called LAN sync, which syncs files between computers on a LAN directly. However this still also syncs them to the cloud, it just saves you some internet bandwidth.

As @woz suggested, a file share on either computer or a NAS (including Time Capsule) would do the job. You could also run rsync from a cronjob, or use GoodSync, which has a neat GUI for that.


Mini DVI port male to thunderbolt female I use the old 2007 white macbook (that works great). There's a thunderbolt display lying idle in our office, and I wish to connect it to my macbook. The macbook has a mini DVI port. I searched online for a mini DVI male to thunderbolt female adapter, but couldn't find anything. Does such a thing not exist?

No.
The Thunderbolt Display works only on Thunderbolt ports. Not even on mini-display-port (even if the connector is the same)


iPad air - text messages won't send I have a new iPad air wifi no cellular and set up iMessage but I cannot send messages to non iPad or iPhone users from Messages. It always tries to send  the message but every time, it just stops and outputs that it has not been delivered. When  I turn iMessage off every time I want to send a text message it asks to login.  I can send messages on my iPhone to the same people that I want to message to using my iPad, with no problem.

iMessage is actually an instant messaging service, like Google Talk or AOL Instant Messenger, except iMessage is made by Apple and is only for Apple products. Only an iPhone with cellular can send SMS messages as well, and can automatically associate phone numbers of registered iMessage users with iMessage accounts, so if you try to use the app to send a text to a phone number registered to an iPhone, it will send an iMessage instead. iPads cannot send SMS messages to non-Apple devices nor an iMessage to a phone number not registered with iMessage from a Wi-Fi-only device.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3529


Garageband only recognizes one plugin of three installed I have three plugins installed in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components however Garageband only finds the first one I installed, Crystal. The others, Synth1 and TAL-Bassline are ignored, even when I restart Garageband. Crystal works fine, and is available.

Has anyone else come across this? What should I do?

I have Garageband 10.0.3 running on OSX 10.9.5. All plugins are AU (.component) plugins.

Update: This is the what shows up in console when Garageband starts up (this is all of it; there's no filter):

5/11/15 12:37:27.595 PM MIDIServer[5093]: 12:37:27.594 NOTE:      [0x7fff75d32310] MIDIServer.cpp:353: FullInit: MIDIServer [5093] starting; arch=x86_64
5/11/15 12:37:28.665 PM GarageBand[5082]: Application with BundleID "com.apple.ImpulseResponseUtility" is not present on this system
5/11/15 12:37:31.447 PM GarageBand[5082]: Invalid color System, labelColor (warning given only once)

What plugin-type are they?
GarageBand will only use AU plugins, with a .component extension, it can't use VST etc.

Each plugin type ought to be in its correct sub-folder - Components, Digidesign, HAL, VST etc

See
Interface types explained (VST, RTAS, AU, etc.)
Finding Audio Units plug-ins on your computer &
How to Install plugins for Garageband - Add Audio Unit Filters to Garage band (AU)

You can force the AU cache to rebuild by deleting the cache file in ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.audiounits.cache while GarageBand is not running, then launch it again


How do iOS devices handle music storage when iTunes Match is enabled? I have an iPhone 3GS 32GB which was packed to the brim with music. Yesterday I signed up for iTunes Match, and I noticed that the Music section of the device settings in iTunes (which used to allow me to select which playlists/songs/genres/artists I wanted synced) has been replaced with this:

iTunes also says my phone has 22.6 GB of free space, despite most of the bar appearing full.

How does my iPhone manage its free space when the device fills up? Will downloaded music automatically be removed when something else needs it, like an app installation or a new podcast? If so, how does it decide what to remove? Or, will I have to manually remove songs one by one if I decide to install all 782 MB of Rage HD again?

Some research led to this article from AllThingsD about how an Apple rep had confirmed that the service does indeed stream the music, but it also saves to the device, thus taking up storage space.  It starts playing before it finishes downloading, but it does actually download and save.

MacRumors and a video from InsanelyGreatMac are somewhat unclear about this, but MacWorld agrees that on an iOS device, it's downloading (scroll down to "Playing iTunes Match songs on your Mac and on iOS").

UPDATE as per comment:
As of iOS 5, the device will delete cached data from apps when it's low on space.  This caused some controversy at first because apps had no way to prevent cached data from being removed automatically.  In the linked article, Marco Arment provides an example:

  A common scenario: an Instapaper customer is stocking up an iPad for a
  long flight. She syncs a bunch of movies and podcasts, downloads some
  magazines, and buys a few new games, leaving very little free space.
  Right before boarding, she remembers to download the newest issue of
  The Economist. (I think highly of my customers.) This causes free
  space to fall below the threshold that triggers the cleaner, which —
  in the background, unbeknownst to her — deletes everything that was
  saved in Instapaper. Later in the flight, with no internet
  connectivity, she goes to launch Instapaper and finds it completely
  empty.

This was fixed in iOS 5.0.1 (Apple Developer documentation) so that developers can differentiate between cached data that is and isn't important.

So, the short version: Once free space gets below a certain level, the device will regain whatever space it can by removing cached data from installed apps.  If it can't do that, or if you're completely out of space, it'll probably just tell you that you don't have enough space to do what you're trying to do.


iPhone shows Connect to iTunes screen after turning off and back on I have iPhone4 and I shut it down by using power off button. Now I can't open the device unless I connect it to iTunes. I don't have backup and I don't want to lose my data and restore to factory setting when I connect to iTunes.

How should I proceed to bring it back up with all my actual data?

You can use TinyUmbrella to force your iPhone out of recovery mode:

Open TinyUmbrella, connect your device and click Exit Recovery.

For more information, see this forum post:

http://www.whited00r.com/forum/index?topic=2835.0


Who is hosting the remote disc when reinstalling OS from remote disc I have a used mac book pro and have to reinstall the OS from remote disc. My question is: is the remote disc in this case (OS install) hosted by Apple or is it hosted by some other users' laptops?

Remote Disk is a method for sharing another user's CD/DVD drive over your local network, if your own Mac doesn't have an optical drive. It's not a method for installing an OS onto a blank Mac.

For that you would use Internet Recovery to reinstall your OS from scratch;
hold  Cmd ⌘   Opt ⌥   R   at the boot chimes.
This will load the image directly from Apple.

See Apple KB: How to reinstall macOS


Problems creating OS X installer with AppleScript I’m trying to create a bootable OS X Installer (Including Mavericks, Yosemite and El Capitan) on an external disk with AppleScript. But now I have some trouble. Here is the code:

display dialog "Which version of OS X Installation would you like to create?" with icon caution buttons {"OS X Mavericks", "OS X Yosemite", "OS X El Capitan"}
if the button returned of the result is " OS X El Capitan" then
    tell application "Terminal"
        activate
        do shell script "sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app --nointeraction"
    end tell
end if

My working direction is:

Choose which version you would like to create.
Activate Terminal and ask Terminal to execute the code (It works well within Terminal):

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app --nointeraction

There is an error (picture below) when I try to run the script. It seems there is something wrong with the path, and it seems AppleScript cannot recognize a path with space like this: Install\ OS\ X\ EL\ Capitan.app.

I tried the following script (this one works well)

set pathwithSpaces to "/Users/John/Desktop/This is a test.docx"
do shell script "rm -r " & quoted form of pathwithSpaces

But my updated one still doesn’t work.

Could you give me some hints? Or am I in a wrong direction?

Just a hint how to start but to long to add it as comment:

Start with this:

set the_results to (display dialog "Which version of OS X Installation would you like to create?" with icon caution buttons {"OS X Mavericks", "OS X Yosemite", "OS X El Capitan"})
set button_returned to button returned of the_results
if button_returned is "OS X El Capitan" then tell application "Terminal"
    activate
    set currentTab to do script ("sudo /Applications/Install\\ OS\\ X\\ El\\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\\ OS\\ X\\ El\\ Capitan.app --nointeraction;")
end tell
if button_returned is "OS X Yosemite" then tell application "Terminal"
    activate
    ...

You still have to handle the sudo password.


Create new Apple ID solely linked to new @icloud.com email? I am attempting to create a new Apple ID for use with an Organization Apple Developer Account.
I want this new Apple ID to have a new ____@icloud.com email address.
I do not want to use any existing email address for this account. The Apple ID should be entirely new, with no links to any 3rd party email address.

When I go to Create Apple ID via the Mac App Store, it prompts me to provide an email address that will "become your Apple ID".
It seems to want an existing email address; it's not creating a new email address for me.

Create Apple ID
Email - This email address will become your Apple ID.

If I attempt to type a new @icloud.com email address into this field, I'm given the error:

You cannot create a new Apple ID using an existing iCloud email address. If you have an iCloud account you can cancel and Sign In using your iCloud account information.

Is there a way to create a new Apple ID with a new @icloud.com email address, without signing up with an existing 3rd party email address?

It does not seem possible to create an iCloud-only Apple ID after the fact.

However, you can create such an Apple ID during the initial setup process of an iOS device or macOS user account.

  Create an Apple ID when you set up your device

  Tap Use your current email address, or tap Get a free iCloud email address.

  https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204316

I've confirmed that this works from both iOS and macOS. Wipe an iOS device or create a new macOS user account and you will be allowed to create a new @icloud.com address rather than provide a 3rd party email address.

Each Apple device additionally seems to have a strict limit for the total number of iCloud Apple IDs it can create: Why won't my secondhand iPad let me activate an Apple ID?


What can slow down/How can I speed up the pre-kernel boot steps? I've got a late 2007 Macbook Pro with 4 GB of RAM and an SSD.  I am running Boot Camp and have an OptiBay.  I have partitioned the SSD and secondary drive to devote half of each to Lion and half to Windows 7.  There is an additional Lion 'Recovery' partition - I've considered re-partitioning with gparted to remove this as I don't need it, but have left it alone for now.

The SSD especially makes things very fast; I can boot from the boot selector (this thing) to my Lion desktop (ignoring password entry times) in 23 seconds and to my Windows 7 desktop in 26 seconds. Both are a marked improvement over booting to just Lion with my 500 GB, 5400 RPM Scorpio Blue hard drive, which took some 45 seconds.

However, the time to reach the boot selector has increased greatly: It now takes 25 seconds to reach the boot selector, where previously the computer would spin up the drive, chime, and reach the Apple logo in just two or three seconds.  The increased time to this screen negates the improved boot times in the actual OS.

Is there something I'm doing wrong in my partition scheme to cause this slow boot up?

The boot sequence doesn't seem to have this much work to do in these steps.  The documentation says that the operations performed which are taking 25 seconds are:

Power On: Boot-ROM/RAM check is initialized
BootROM-POST: Power-on self test of Boot ROM
BootROM-EFI: Boot chime
Boot EFI: Mounts drives and loads drivers and other files needed to start the OS

After that, I select a disk (or let the default disk load) and the following steps occur:

Kernel: Grey screen with Apple logo and spinning gear
launchd: Brushed metal screen
loginwindow: Login window appears
User Environment Setup: Desktop and dock appear

It does boot, so I can only assume that the BootROM-POST passed.  Is it possible it's 'barely passing' and testing multiple times or moving slowly?  I don't see how the first three steps could take much time at all, so I assume that it's the Boot EFI step that's taking forever.  I've also read the refit documentation on the boot process, which goes into a bit more detail about hardware discovery and driver loading.  Is it possible that the new drives are re-installing their drivers each time I boot?

Any assistance towards removing or even simply better understanding this delay would be much appreciated!

The boot selector scans all possible boot devices, including network, firewire, and USB devices.  Try disabling WiFi, unplugging everything, resetting PRAM (like cksum said) and then rebooting again.  The fewer choices the boot-loader has, the faster it will load.  The ultimate speed up, is to go into System Preferences -> Startup Disk to select the desired partition.  It sounds like that is not what you want, but it illustrates the process.


How to install Monkeysphere on OSX El Capitan I tried to install Monkeysphere via Homebrew but it complains of an unmet dependency.

monkeysphere: Unsatisfied dependency: Crypt::OpenSSL::Bignum
Homebrew does not provide Perl dependencies; install with:
   cpan -i Crypt::OpenSSL::Bignum
Error: An unsatisfied requirement failed this build.

So I attempted to run the aforementioned command and towards the end it errors out.

Writing Makefile for Crypt::OpenSSL::Bignum
Writing MYMETA.yml and MYMETA.json
cp Bignum/CTX.pm blib/lib/Crypt/OpenSSL/Bignum/CTX.pm
cp Bignum.pm blib/lib/Crypt/OpenSSL/Bignum.pm
/usr/bin/perl /System/Library/Perl/5.18/ExtUtils/xsubpp  -typemap     /System/Library/Perl/5.18/ExtUtils/typemap -typemap typemap  Bignum.xs > Bignum.xsc && mv Bignum.xsc Bignum.c
Please specify prototyping behavior for Bignum.xs (see perlxs manual)
cc -c   -arch x86_64 -g -pipe -fno-common -DPERL_DARWIN -fno-strict-aliasing -fstack-protector -Os   -DVERSION=\"0.06\" -DXS_VERSION=\"0.06\"  "-I/System/Library/Perl/5.18/darwin-thread-multi-2level/CORE"  -DPERL5 -DOPENSSL_NO_KRB5 Bignum.c
Bignum.xs:5:10: fatal error: 'openssl/err.h' file not found
#include <openssl/err.h>
     ^
1 error generated.
make: *** [Bignum.o] Error 1
KMX/Crypt-OpenSSL-Bignum-0.06.tar.gz
/usr/bin/make -- NOT OK
'YAML' not installed, will not store persistent state
Running make test
Can't test without successful make
Running make install
Make had returned bad status, install seems impossible

I got it working like this

#configure perl
sudo perl -MCPAN -e shell
perl> o conf init
#update perl (this takes a while)
sudo perl -MCPAN -e 'install Bundle::CPAN'
#link openssl
brew link openssl --force
#installing this dependency that monkeysphere was originally complaining about
cpan -i Crypt::OpenSSL::Bignum
#installing monkeysphere
brew install monkeysphere


Upgrade 2009 iMac airport card? I am having performance issues with my 2009 20" iMac. The wifi signal is not what it used to be, meaning the signal never dropped or loaded blank pages. Have tried Google Chrome and Firefox but both exhibit slow loading pages. I
was wondering if anyone knew of an upgrade for the airport card?

The airport card is usually pretty stable.  You may want to start with the wireless router / air port.  You can pick one up at your local store and return it if it does not fix the problem.  As for the card itself it's replaceable but not really upgradeable from a quick google search.  If you have a free USB port you can use a Wireless AC USB adaptor like this... https://www.amazon.com/Edimax-Adapter-Supports-MU-MIMO-EW-7822ULC/dp/B01MY7PL10?tag=macworld05-20&ascsubtag=US-002-3187363-001-1437949-web-20


iPad Keyboard shortcut to show keyboard shortcuts While in Safari, I accidentally hit some unknown keys on an external keyboard connected to my iPad, and it popped up a panel with all the available keyboard shortcuts, that looked like this:

This is super-handy, but I have no idea what I pressed to get it in the first place.

How do I get it back?

According to this apple doc, to see a list of shortcuts you can use with an app, press and hold the Command ⌘ key when you're using the app or on the Home screen.


Apple TV crashes internet upon startup for 5 minutes We just got the Apple TV 4K and are having a weird problem. When Apple TV is plugged in and setup and we turn on our TV (Samsung), our internet completely crashes. After about 4-5 minutes everything reconnects and once it reconnects, everything that was connected to wifi works perfectly (including the Apple TV).
I thought it was the Apple TV but we bought another one and are having the same issue. What's weird is that we used to have a Roku stick and didn't have any issues - it's only with the Apple TV. Internet also only drops when we turn on the TV (which boots up Apple TV) but not during any other time.
I have the Apple TV right next to my Verizon Fios router and again, haven't had any issues prior to using Apple TV. I've tried looking at my router settings and have upgraded firmware but can't figure it out.
Has anyone else ever had this problem?
Thanks,
Jeff

Perhaps there is some IP address conflict created by your router and the devices on the network.
If you are not using the WiFi/ethernet connection on the Samsung, disable WiFi or unplug the ethernet cable to remote it from your network.


Issue with app store downloading When I need to download any app from the App Store, it is directly taking me to put in my Apple ID and password to confirm the way of purchasing.  This app is free.

Previously, there was an option "None" then credit card or phone number.  Now "None" is not appearing and I have to purchase the app.

There are several reasons why you can’t select none:

You have unpaid balance or a payment due.

If this is the case you have to pay your balance until you select none.

  You can't select None as your payment type until you pay your balance. To see which order you need to pay for, view your purchase history on a Mac or PC.

You have an automatic renewing subscription.

  You might not be able to select None until you cancel the subscription. If the subscription has a free trial period, we use the payment method that you have on file to make sure that your service won't be interrupted after your free trial period is over. If you don't want to continue a subscription after the free trial, you can cancel the subscription to prevent any charges when the free trial ends.

If you are not in the country or region you created an Apple ID for.

  If you're creating an Apple ID for the first time, and you’re not physically located in the country or region at the time you create the Apple ID, you must enter a payment method. When this happens, you can't choose gift cards or store credit as your payment method. For example, if you’re in the United States, but you're creating an Apple ID with a billing address in China, you won't be able to choose None as payment method.

If you changed your country or region.

  When you change the country or region of an existing Apple ID, you must provide a payment method and update your billing options. When this happens, you can't choose gift cards or store credit as your payment method. If you want to remove your payment method after you change the country or region, you can change your payment information to None.

If you’re part of family sharing

  When you set up Family Sharing, the family organizer must provide a valid payment method. This payment method will be used for all purchases initiated by family members and can only be changed by the family organizer.

(Source)


Getting old calendar events back I didn't know that the Calendar doesn't display events older than 1 month. How do I get the older events displayed?

And, can I avoid this problem in the future by exporting an archive of my calendar monthly?

I'm guessing you are viewing on an iOS device because the default setting is to only sync events one month back.

If my guess is right you can set it to sync all events in:

Settings >  Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Sync (down under the Calendars heading)


update_dyld_sim_shared_cache is taking up a lot of memory I just noticed that update_dyld_sim_shared_cache is taking up 5.5GB of memory. It is significantly slowing down my MacBook. Would it be safe to force quit this?
I am using macOS Big Sur Version 11.1

This specific program is used to update a separate dynamic linking cache for the Simulator app that comes with Xcode. It runs to update the cache at times such as for example after updating Xcode and after installing new iPhone/iPad/iOS/iPadOS models/versions in the simulator.
Normally it should run to completion within a reasonable time, and then go away until the next update.
If it keeps running for hours and hours, it is safe to stop the process. The cache will be updated automatically later as necessary.


Auto run a shell script when connecting to a network? (wifi or utp) Is there a way to make macOS run a custom script whenever it (re)connects to any WiFi or Ethernet network?

Basically, whenever my macbook connects to any network (wired or wireless) I would like to automatically run a shell script, e.g. I want ~/AutoRunOnConnect.sh to be executed. Is that possible somehow?

FYI I'm running macOS 10.15 (Catalina) with all the latest updates.

I use a program named EventScripts which among the events it monitors, there are Network Events, i.e., Internet became available, Internet became unavailable, External IP address changed and Wireless network changed. Update: In the latest release there is also a Wireless network reconnected event not shown on the linked webpage.

It uses AppleScript scripts to preform the action(s) you want to have happen when a given event is triggered.

You can execute a shell command/script using the AppleScript do shell script command.

Not sure if any of these can be adopted for your use, and it will probably require some additional coding, either in AppleScript or shell script to validate the conditions are met for wanting the main shell script to run. Just wanted to offer a possible solution.

It is a paid app, $4.99 USD, but does have a demo version you can download to test with before purchasing.

Mac App Store Preview (US)
Download for Demo

Note: Other then being a paid user of this app, I have no affiliation with its developer.


Best way to get Linux on a Macbook Air I have aquired a macbook air from work after a collegue left.

I have tried, but I can't deal with the locked down nature and lack of customization available in OSX, so I want to get Linux on as soon as possible.

There seems to be two options, dual boot as I have on my other laptops, or running it in a virtual machine.

So will it be fast in a virtual machine? It seems to be reasonably recent, OSX 10.8.5 (Mountain Lion), 8gb Ram, 128GB SSD.  If I use a VM, do I still need to boot in OSX, and essentially have Linux running in "another window"? Do I loose out on anything hardware wise, or can I still access everything as I could from Linux?

Or would I be better with a normal install (this looks to be difficult from teh searching I have done so far). Assuming I partition the disk, will I be able to read / write both partitions from Linux easily?

I will likely use the machine for the usual websurfing, plus a bit of python development. Nothing heavy, and number crunching.

Any recomended tutorials to expalin how to do it along with your answer would be greatly apreciated.

VM

Running in a VM would be the easiest way to go. There are a number of virtualisation apps available on OS X, but I recommend Parallels Desktop. This lets you use OS X and Linux at the same time, but it means that you sacrifice some performance in the VM.

VMs are very simple — select the ISO as the install media, and let Parallels Desktop's automatic install do the rest.

Dual-boot

Alternatively, you can dual-boot using Boot Camp. Begin the Boot Camp process as normal for Windows, but when you reboot after the partition has been created, simply insert your Linux media instead of Windows install media.


How to re-download Lion to create a VMWare Fusion 4 virtual machine? I have a MacBook with Lion installed.

I bought VMWare Fusion 4 because I want to create a Lion VM.

As far as I can tell I need to point VMWare to the Lion installer that is downloaded from the App Store, but that file deleted itself after Lion was installed.

How do I re-download the Lion installer (and keep it around) to create a VMWare Fusion 4 virtual machine?

What you need to do to re-download the Lion installer is to HOLD down the OPTION/ALT key whilst opening the App Store and keep holding it all the way through to the purchased tab, from here you should see the option to install. Just download that.


How to force a diff format for TextMate? I have this alias:

alias hgd='hg diff|mate'

The problem is that for some reason the temporary file thus created will be a .txt, while I'd need it to have the diff syntax highlight.

If I manually change the highlight to diff, then every .txt I'll open in future will use the diff highlight too.

What can I do to fix that?

TextMate can use either the file extension or the first line of a file to divine what filetype it is.

For my diff bundle (I think it's the original), this is:

firstLineMatch = '(?x)^
        (===\ modified\ file
        |==== \s* // .+ \s - \s .+ \s+ ====
        |Index:\
        |---\ [^%]
        |\*\*\*.*\d{4}\s*$
        |\d+(,\d+)* (a|d|c) \d+(,\d+)* $
        |diff\ --git\
        )
    ';

I don't have mercurial, but it appears as though its diff's first line may look something like diff -r 2278160e78d4 hello.c.  As such, you can add another line to that big OR switch:

        ...
        |diff\ --git\
        |diff\ -r\
        )
    ';

Note that the final character in the line is a space.

As another alternative, it appears as though you may be able to define your alias as alias hgd='hg diff --git|mate' to use the same format as git, which is already recognized by TextMate.


How do I force iPhoto to download new photos in my Photo Stream? I'm listing some items for sale online, and have taken a bunch of pictures with my iPhone.  About half-way through the process, iPhoto '11 stopped downloading new photos into its local Photo Stream.  I've quit iPhoto and re-opened it.  I've gone into the Photos app on my iPhone and confirmed all the pictures are there.

Is this normal behavior? Is there any way to tell iPhoto to download my pictures?

I have found a better way. One that doesn't involve resync'ing the entire stream.

Quit iPhoto
Open up Activity Monitor
In the search field enter: photostreamagent
Select all the PhotoStreamAgent processes listed
Click the Quit Process button
In the confirmation dialog that pops up click the Quit button
Confirm that all the PhotoStreamAgent processes are no longer alive by waiting for the Activity Monitor window to show no processes with that name
Re-start iPhoto

When you restart iPhoto it will re-start the PhotoStreamAgent process for your iPhoto session and kick off a new Photo Stream sync. You'll get your lastest pictures updated and you won't have to sit through a full re-sync of all your Photo Stream.

Update for Yosemite where the process name has changed to iCloud Photos. This is the what you want to kill:

Update for Yosemite 10.10.4 where the process name has changed to Photos Agent. This what you want to kill:

You can also do this, quickly, from the command line like so:

sudo pkill cloudphotosd
sudo killall cloudphotosd


RAM upgrade options for a first generation 15" MacBook Pro I am working on one of the first 15" Unibody MacBook Pro's (Late 2008 - MB470LL/A - MacBookPro5,1).

According to EveryMac (and other sources), this machine really only supports 4GB of RAM. It looks like higher may work, but unsure.

The machine is base with 2GB of RAM, 2 x 1GB chips. I would like to upgrade the RAM in this, but unsure of what path to take.

Can you just purchase one 4GB stick and it be ok?
What happens to these machines when you put 8GB in them?
Does anyone actually sell 2x2GB chips anymore? Looking quickly on newegg I did not find any.

I have upgraded the RAM to 8GB for my MBP470.  See the config below.  No problem happened. Be noticed that, 470 only support 1066MHz DDR3 RAM.  Do not use 1333MHz RAM. The 8GB RAM is from Sumsung.


How to change 2 properties in Xcode 4? I would like to do 2 things in the xCode:

enabling spelling correction in the comments.
unrolling the lines of code/comment, I mean like when I have a long line of code xCode won't break it to 3-4 lines and it all be in one long line.

For the first one Press,

A quick way :

cmd + shift + :

A permanent way

Click on Edit>Format>Spelling and Grammar>and then select "Check spelling while typing"

For the second question,

Goto Xcode>Preferences>Text Editing>Indentetion and then select "Wrap lines to editor width".

As shown in this picture,


Can't load music onto my iPhone 5S with my Mac running 10.6.8 My laptop (a MacBook) runs 10.6.8 and I want to use my iTunes to move my music across to my new iPhone 5s, but the two won't 'talk' to each other.

That is, there seems to be no drag and drop solution, like with other Apple products.

Do you know why, and how I can fix this? Is my laptop too old? Do I need to upgrade?

There are 2 options for putting music on your iPhone. Manually or Syncing. If syncing is enabled then there's a Music-Section when your iPhone is selected, where you can check playlists, artists etc. that you'd like to sync. Alternatively there's a checkmark that says "Manage Music manually" (or something alike - my system is german). When you can put music on your iPod/iPhone via drag and drop.


What photo organizer software can store keywords/tags in EXIF without mangling other EXIF metadata? I would like to organize my photos into folders with labels/tags/keywords, possibly also with captions or descriptions for each photo. I would like that information put into the EXIF metadata of the photo files, so that it can be read by other programs (like digikam or f-spot, for instance). I would NOT like to overwrite other unrelated metadata (like Picasa does with various fields).

digikam can do this, but requires compilation via macports.


Install OS X on replaced blank SSD in iMac I have a 2009 27 inch iMac and hard drive died. I have a new 750 GB SSD drive for the iMac. How do I get OS X installed? i have no backup or installation  discs.

The 2009 iMac does not support Internet Recovery, so you'll not be able to download and install Mac OS X directly from the iMac without any external installation medium.

You'll to acquire the installation DVD, insert it into the drive and power on the Mac while holding down the C key on the keyboard.

If you have another Mac, you could possibly download the installation DMG from the App Store and burn it to a DVD or transfer to a USB drive for the iMac.

Another option would be to request the installation discs in an Apple Store - if they still have a supported OS for sale.

A third option is to use eBay or similar to purchase a used installation disc.


Do iphones require a carrier plan? I am currently looking to purchase a used iphone4s solely for testing apps. I was wondering if there are any service requirements like "you must have a service plan or the device will not operate". I just want to sideload apps for debugging.

If an iPhone does not have a SIM card, it will work with WiFi.

However, if the iPhone is locked to a specific carrier, you can only activate it by plugging in a valid SIM card for that carrier. Once activated, the iPhone will be usable without a SIM card.

In the US (I am assuming you are in the US), most iPhones are sold as being locked to a carrier, and unlocked iPhones are rare. Outside the US, unlocked iPhones are more common.


Can I build a smart playlist populated by songs I’ve loved within the last x weeks? I have a smart playlist that basically features the songs I’ve “loved” (❤) within the last two weeks. To make this playlist work it would mean that I’d need to know when that song was “loved”.

Is this even tracked by iTunes? If not, is there a workaround?

Thank you!

The workaround I use is the use the "Grouping" info for each track (in addition to or instead of the rating).  That won't help you if you use Grouping for something else already, but updating the "grouping" will change the "modified date" for the track, which could then be used as a criterion for a smart playlist.


How can I disconnect my profile from a dead OSX Server? I had a mac mini server with OSX server. The profile I user on my iMac was created on the server, and some groups where on the server, which was also a server for TM backups. For now, the user on the iMac is Admin, Managed, Mobile.
The server died recently (in fact, with the different downgrades of the server App by Apple, at the end it was just serving files), but the user on the iMac is still locked to it.
For example, I can't change password anymore...
What can I do to transform the managed account into a normal independent account on the iMac?

You should be able to unbind your account from the active directory by going to
System Preferences -> Users & Grops -> Login Items -> Network Account Server -> Open Directory Utility -> Active Directory -> Unbind.

Apple official documentation


How do I revert my iPod touch 8 GB (2nd Generation) to ios 3.2? I have a couple questions regarding this:

Is there a good source for old firmwares, including 3.2? (iClarified doesn't have 3.2)
Does Apple support downgrading for OS compatibility testing?

Thanks

As bckbck already said, you need the SHSH blob from the earlier version. If you don't have it for the desired OS version, it's too late.

And iOS 3.2 was only supported on the iPad, so it won't run on iPod touches.

Should the data on http://theiphonewiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=SHSH be correct, then you can downgrade to iOS 4.1 with your device.

And you can get all firmwares at http://www.felixbruns.de/iPod/firmware/.


Time Machine Restore Button Greyed Out For External Hard Drive I recently brought my computer (Mid 2010 Macbook pro) into the Apple Store because it had been crashing recently. The first time I brought it in, they did a clean wipe of the hard drive and restored it back to 10.9 Mavericks. When I restarted the computer, I chose not to perform a restore from Time Machine.

Upon dragging a file to the desktop from the external hard drive, the laptop crashed again. I brought it back to the Apple Store and had the logic board replaced. After I got it back, I decided to try upgrading to Yosemite, and then perform a restore from Time Machine on to my computer.

However, when I go into the Time Machine timeline and select the folder I want restored (it's something like Backups.backupdb > Christine's MacBook Pro > 2014-10-10-235138)), the 'restore' option is greyed out. Additionally, the timeline only allows me to perform restores from as far back as today (10/26/14).

To restore all my files back to their normal places, am I doing something wrong? Or do I need to downgrade to Mavericks and restore from Time Machine? Any help is appreciated!

I'm currently running OS X Yosemite (10.10).

Guess I needed to boot while pressing command + R and choose to restore from my hard drive. Though it will down grade me to Mavericks.


Files and Folders services do not appear I'm running macOS Catalina 10.15.2.

I enabled "Files and Folders" in Services under Shortcuts in the Keyboard tab and I enabled all services under Files and Folders.

The services do not appear in the Finder's Services menu. I tried relaunching Finder, entering /System/Library/CoreServices/pbs into a terminal, and restarting my computer. It still does not work. What might be going on?

Well, that was silly.
As @Prado points out in the comment above, I had to select a file or folder first to access these services.


Calls from and to my iPhone 4 I can make and receive phone calls from everyone and anyone except for my boyfriend. All it says is my call can not be completed and the same goes for him. So what's causing this?

Open Settings and go to General > Phone > Blocked. Make sure there's nobody on that list.

Also, if there's a moon icon in the status bar, open Settings and turn off Do Not Disturb.

Otherwise, I think both of you should call your service provider because this is most likely a problem on their end.


How can I determine after how many minutes of inactivity, Mac automatically logs off without admin privileges? I cannot access the Advanced page under System Preferences → Security & Privacy to check or change the automatic logout settings. I don't think I can change this setting, and I tried using sudo in the terminal to change it without success.

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences.plist com.apple.autologout.AutoLogOutDelay -int 3600

I'd just like to know how long I can be away from the computer without being logged out. I am on a university Mac desktop.

Without sudo privileges, you can't access that information, neither read nor write.


Learn OS X hacks/tweaks and resources I bought a MBP a month ago and as a developer and a first time Mac user I want to get my hands dirty with the OS, I found a lot of tweaks and hacks for example:

$ defaults write com.apple.dock no-glass -boolean YES; killall Dock

Instead of just coping commands I want to learn and understand these commands, any recommended resources - books, sites, etc.  Running OS X Lion.

Thanks,

T

There is a book called "Mac OS X Internals: A Systems Approach" by Amit Singh. It is a little bit old and covers 10.4 (with the occasional outlook on 10.5) but is very detailed about the core stuff. I learned a great deal from it.


Installing Previous Firmware in iPhone | New Firmware keeps Rebooting iPhone After upgrading to iOS 14.4.2 my iphone keeps rebooting every 5 mins! I would like to restore my iphone to iOS 14.3.7. After finding signed firmware I tried using iTunes but kept getting error 9 . I found the solution in iFixit where Barry's answers stated that (in short) this is Apples way of giving trouble by removing signed firmware! However he suggested a solution that utilizes paid version of the software to flash earlier version of firmware (ISPW) into iphone, using Reiboot
Now my iphone is completely unlocked, with my account signed in and everything is legit, yet if I restore earlier ISPW, then iTunes keep giving me error that I cant install old firmware! I need to know if there are any free tools online or Github project that can flash old firmware into iPhone? or anyway to check what is causing kernel panic.
When I say old firmware i mean just one step earlier revision where my iphone didnt keep rebooting!

(update 1) iOS 14.4.2 is known to have heating issue which is perhaps why my iphone is rebooting - source

If I have to be honest (and it’s really neat that you are doing this), you probably shouldn’t install previous firmware. It’s probably rebooting for a reason. There might be some broken blocks or code. It could also be infected, possibly malware or an app that uses your device for Crypto Mining. It could also be your device. Please let me know if this helps!


Is 5-6 hour of battery life normal for 4-year old mid-2013 13" Macbook Air? My MBA mid-2013 usually lasts for about 6 hours; it's been used for almost 4 years now. I use Chrome for internet browsing, mostly Facebook, Reddit and go over to other websites from these two websites. No other streaming or song playing or any other app runs that continuously syncs over the Internet.

I do use a number of extensions on Chrome - adblocker, lastpass, Evernote, hover zoom+.

My questions is, is 5-6 hours a normal battery life for 4-year old mid-2013 MBA with these settings or is is it time for me change the battery?

A 17% drop in capacity over 4 years is not an issue.  Batteries have a useful life of 3 to 5 years depending on cycle count; if you get 1000 cycles, you've gotten the full life out of it.

The key here is the number of cycles.  It's important to note that it's not what you do, but how many times you charge the battery.  It doesn't care that you're reading reddit, browsing with Chrome, or rendering video.  What matters is how often your battery is drained and recharged.

Note:  A cycle is one complete drain and recharge.  If you drain only 5% and then recharge, it's only a 5% of one cycle; you have to do that 20 more times to to equal one whole charge cycle.

See:

Fully charged MacBook Air turns off when power cord removed
How to preserve MacbookPro battery from degradation?
Why does a 12 inch Macbook refuse to turn on with a lot of battery remaining unless it is plugged in?


Secure erase OS X disk via terminal If there's an encrypted (filevault) volume, both of these methods in terminal will erase the given drive. However, what differences exist between the two? Which is more secure?

Option 1:

diskutil eraseDisk JHFS+ Macintosh\ HD disk22

Option 2:

diskutil cs list
// find logical volume group UUID
diskutil delete *UUID*

I think the most secure way is to use diskutil zerodisk and then follow up with either command. Both of those commands remove the reference to logical structure on the disk but a good file recovery tool would still be able to recover most material on the unstructured volume by matching file templates to successive sets of bits. You want to write over everything with 0s or garbage before you dereference the volume.

UPDATE: It was negligent of me not to mention that diskutil secureErase also exists and it combines the two commands with options for multiple passes of zeroing the disk.


MacOS High Sierra: An error occurred while verifying firmware I have a Mid 2011 iMac currently running MacOS 10.12 Sierra. It’s not my main machine, but I would like to install 10.13 on it.

Updating starts smoothly enough, but when it comes to restarting, I get the following message:

  macOS could not be installed on your computer
  An error occurred while verifying firmware.

I understand that my Mac is on the edge, but I read that any machine which supports 10.12 will also support 10.13

The iMac is running from an external SSD, due to a problem with the logic board, so I know that I have some problems. The iMac no longer boots from the internal drive (or recognises the DVD), but still works otherwise.

However, the problems don’t seem to be invove the actual firmware, and the iMac is happily running 10.12.

What does this message mean, and can it be resolved?

Apple has introduced a new file system APFS in High Sierra. The easy fix is to verify your backup and then erase the volume and run the installer against a blank / erased main storage drive.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

Because the APFS requires support from a new version firmware, your mac's firmware will have to be updated to the latest version during the installation of High Sierra.

After the first restart, the installer prepares the latest version firmware which suitable for your mac model onto EFI system partition of your main disk with bless command. Then restart automatically and trigger the firmware upgrade process. (marked as point A)

After the upgrade process (regardless success or fail), the installer continues. It double checks the version of firmware to make sure it was updated successfully in previous process (namely point A). As a result, the installer find out that your firmware is NOT a latest version still. Hence, it reports "An error occurred while verifying firmware". Yes, it is what you saw on the screen.

The root cause of the failure at point A, in your case, is no internal drive in main bay. The firmware upgrade process only recognize the ESP (EFI System Partition) of primary internal drive. That means the upgrade process was interrupted.

So, you might have to get the primary SATA port work and connect your disk to it. It's said that, most of time, it is the hard drive cable which is out of order, instead of the chipset. If that is the case, it probably  can be fixed within $20 to get a replacement. And that was my case. :)


transfer video file to iphone from macbook over shared internet connection My iPhone is USB-connected to my macbook and my macbook has internet sharing turned on.

How can i send a video file from my macbook to the iphone using the command line?

[Not a full answer; not re CLI]
I don’t know if the transfer is possible in a useful manner, but look at iExplorer from Macroplant & especially its feature to use device as USB drive. Whatever limitations exist to this (e.g., no root directory access) would suggest to me that those limitations are fundamental to iOS.


What cable do I need for 2560 x 1440 resolution on my Mac Air mid 2013? My LG Monitor has HDMI input only I have an LG monitor with only HDMI outlets. My cable is HDMI to my MacAir mini port. Max resolutionis 1920. Is there an adaptor I can purchase that will bring my monitor up to 2560 x 1440? Thank you!

You need an HDMI cable that conforms to the HDMI 1.3 (minimum) specification.  When looking for this adapter, be sure to specify "4K" so that it brings up relevant results.  The Plugable Active Mini DisplayPort to HDMI 2.0 Adapter will work for your application.

That doesn't guarantee that you will display 2560x1440.  Your monitor must support it as well.

Reviewing the specs of the MacBook Air, it will support resolutions on an external monitor of up to 2560x1600 so you will have no problem here.


Use option-arrows with Unicode Hex Input I recently switched to the Unicode Hex Input to make typing technical symbols easier. It seems, though, that the way it uses the option key to detect unicode input overrules the ⌥+arrow method of navigating text.

Is there any way to use both Unicode Hex Input and this shortcut?

I've disabled the ⌘+⌥+space shortcut for Spotlight window (since I never used it anyway), but enabled the same shortcut to switch to the next input method. (You can configure this in the Keyboard preference pane.)

So whenever you need to use the ⌥ key to navigate, you can punch the three keys, do your navigating, punch them again, and be back in Unicode mode (if you only have two input sources; otherwise you'll cycle through them.)


xterm commands (ls, cd, ...) unable to access Desktop, Documents after updating to Catalina I have been using the beta versions of Catalina, and mostly have not had any problems.  However, I often run XQuartz and use several xterms.  These are run from TWM.  Before Catalina I would be able to run ls, cd, vi, and other shell commands from within an xterm, even on the Desktop and Documents folder.  I have added XQuartz to the list of apps for Full Disk Access in the Preferences.  That doesn't fix the problem.  I have also given /opt/X11/bin/xterm Full Disk Access, but that doesn't fix it either.  Can anyone suggest what I might do to give the xterm commands permission to access these folders?  Thank you.

The solution (at least for me) was to add the binary xquartz to the list of app with "Full Disk Access" (in the "Privacy" tab of the "Security and Privacy" setting of the "System Preferences"). The path to the binary is:

/opt/X11/bin/Xquartz

I also added

/opt/X11/bin/xinit

since it's a running process, although I don't think it is needed...

However, I am still having problems accessing iClouds folders (Document, Desktop, etc.)


Set number of audible rings I've found articles on setting the number of rings before my phone goes to voicemail, but I want something different:

I want something in between "silent" and "ringing out loud the default number times (7 or so)".

I want the phone to ring out loud once or twice, and then continue to "ring" silently -- ie, I would still have time to get to my phone before it went to voicemail.

The problem is that 7 rings is almost never needed, since I hear the phone on the first or second ring -- the remaining rings are just an insistent audio annoyance.

There in no setting/configuration available in iOS which can be used to achieve the desired customization.

I think the prevailing solution is to silence the audible ringer and wear an Apple watch so you can discretly check on a call and answer directly or choose to handle the call on the phone. For the near future, the phone will likely ring when it's ringing and not when it's not.


Continuity: Can you make iPhone cellular calls from a Mac while connected to the phone via Instant Hotspot? I have a MacBook Pro that's Continuity-connected to an iPhone 6+ running iOS 10, and when they share a Wifi connection provided by a third device, making and receiving iPhone cellular calls from the laptop works fine.

Now my intent is to provide the MacBook Pro's internet connection via the iPhone's Instant Hotspot, using Wifi, while still being able to make and receive cellular calls from the Mac.

Is this setup possible?

I fear it is not (but I cannot verify it myself, unfortunately), because an Apple support article states states as one of the prerequisites:

  Each device is connected to the same network using Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

While the iPhone and the Mac are clearly connected in my scenario, the iPhone itself provides the Wifi network, but isn't itself connected to it.

Is there any way to make this work?

Answer

No, unfortunately it is not possible to make or receive cellular calls from Mac that is connected to an iPhone using Personal Hotspot.

You can avoid this limitation using a dedicated mobile hotspot.

What happens if you try it

Trying to do so will result in a message like this ("iPhone Not Available", "Your iPhone and Mac must be on the same Wi-Fi network.").

Explanation

As you already pointed out, it is only possible to handoff a cellular call to another Mac/iOS device, if Each device is connected to the same network using Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

If you connect your Mac to your iPhone's Personal Hotspot, your devices do not use the same Wi-Fi network. In fact, only your Mac is connected to a Wi-Fi network created by your iPhone. Your iPhone isn't connected to a Wi-Fi network at all. It connects using GPRS/Edge/3G/LTE using its cellular modem.

In order for some handoff (including cellular phone calls) features to work on a Mac, your iPhone and your Mac need a Wi-Fi network to stream the phone call's voice data reliably. While this may result in some negligible lag, it's much more reliable than Bluetooth. You don't need to be in your phone's proximity for this to work as long as both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network.

Futher details

This is technical limitation.

The iPhone has two built-in network adapters; en0 (Wi-Fi) and pdp_ip0 (cellular data). When you turn on the Personal Hotspot and a device connects to it, your iPhone transfers the cellular data connection (pdp_ip0) to another network adapter. It's very similar to the macOS's built-in Internet Sharing (System Preferences > Sharing > Internet Sharing). Now the name of this network adapter is not en0 (Wi-Fi), but instead ap1 (Wi-Fi Access Point). This is the Wi-Fi module running in a different mode.


iPad (Air) as 2nd screen using Lightning cable? I travel a lot and use a MacBook Air as my primary machine with an iPad Air for secondary tasks. Occasionally I find it would be useful to have a second screen, but because I don't have a fixed work location carrying around a second monitor would be troublesome.

I've seen apps like DisplayPad and AirDisplay, which seem really useful. Unfortunately, all of the ones I've seen require you to be on the same Wifi network. This is a problem for me; quite often I use my iPhone's 4G network or have no network at all.

So, basically I'm looking for an app that will extend my desktop onto my iPad as a second screen over either Bluetooth (though I feel this may be too slow) or over my USB/Lightning cable. I've seen TwomonUSB, but currently that is Windows only.

Are there any other solutions out there?

Bluetooth is not possible:

  Bluetooth does not provide enough network bandwidth, or throughput, to be able to support Air Display.

If the device is jailbroken, you can tether the device to your computer over USB and use Air Display this way.

Install Air Display on both OS X and iOS.
Install MyWi and connect the device to OS X using USB.
Turn on USB in MyWi.
Select the device from Air Display's list of available devices.


Cannot activate iTunes Connect account as a team I came across this question which is my exact issue:
Do I have to enroll an Apple Developer Program to access itunes connect as a team member?

I am part of a team and have access to the developer part of apple. But I cannot activate my iTunes Connect invitation.

However, when i get the last step of the answer to "click the activation link" I am not asked to login, but rather enter a new password, and type a secret question.

When I enter this information and click "Save" it tells me "You need to sign in with your Apple ID to change your secret question."
What? I'm trying to activate my iTunes connect account so i can publish to the app store as part of the team, everything else is already setup...

Does anyone have a workaround or anything to get my activation link working?
I assumed it would just ask me to sign in, not change my password and secret question...

Surely I myself don't need a paid developer account to access the team I was added to.

It is not clear but you have to authenticate here first: https://appleid.apple.com/#!&page=signin


Screen Share connects to wrong device I have a Mac mini (Mac mini 2) set up in New York which I can connect to just fine via the Share Screen... button on Finder. However, when I try to connect to my other Mac mini in Miami (Mac mini 3), it says Connecting to Mac mini 3... then shows the screen for Mac mini 2. What's going on? I am able to successfully SSH into both.

Bonjour can mess up machine names.

I would use ssh or ARD to set the host names to be different.

sudo systemsetup -setlocalsubnetname pear

(Or in ARD, you can specify that without the sudo but to run as root)

If you need more help, you'll need to ask a follow on question explaining how you have things set up. Is iCloud back to my mac the service for locating the remote IP address?

If so, you can browse things from terminal:

 dns-sd -B _ssh

Look for remote machines to be like

12:27:50.451  Add        2   0 12345789.members.btmm.icloud.com. _ssh._tcp.           mini-3

Changing the registration for each Mac so that it's names of fruit, for instance would make it easier to know if you are connecting to apples or oranges.


Are 'coreservicesd' & 'syslogd' disguises for keylogger apps? this article says so, they may be shilling for osx uninstaller app thoughh

  Look for ‘coreservicesd’ to find Aobo
  Check for ‘Elite Keylogger’ when searching Elite Keylogger. However, the version I installed was free and it did not hide, so I don’t know how the process name will change for someone who buys a product.
  And finally, ‘Refog’ appears as ‘syslogd’

Check Code Signatures

If you suspect a process on your Mac is disguising itself as part of macOS, check the process's digital code signature. You can do this with the codesign binary:

/usr/bin/codesign -d -vvvv /System/Library/CoreServices/coreservicesd

If there is no signature, it is not from Apple.

If the Authority fields do not list Apple Root CA, then it is not signed by Apple or one of their partners.


Download OS X App Store updates to update multiple Macs I have two MacBook Airs, but I have very limited bandwidth. I would prefer to download updates once and then copy them onto all the other MacBook Airs. How can I download App Store updates once to update multiple Macs?

There are two types of update.

OS X software updates are updates for the OS and OS components (e.g. iTunes). These used to be delivered through a separate software update app, but since the introduction of the Mac App Store, the OS X updates have been combined with Mac App Store updates in the Updates tab of the Mac App Store. However, the CLI tool remains, giving you more flexibility in Terminal and allow the downloading of updates without installing them, perfect for copying to other machines before the installation takes place.

You can download OS X updates without installing them (which would automatically remove them) so you can copy them, using the following command:

softwareupdate -dav

The 10.9.4 update is distributed externally, outside of the Mac App Store; the Mac App Store just provides the UI for the installation process.

Conversely, for Mac App Store apps, you need OS X Server's Caching service, as the apps are 'non-transferrable' and the app receipt must match the Apple ID that downloaded the app for the app to be updated in the future. However, if you're using the same Apple ID, or don't care about updating the app from the second machine, update the app normally then copy the .app bundle from /Applications to the other Macs as necessary.


How to get a fall-through behavior in case statements in bash v3? I just tested the following syntax on Linux:

case "$OSTYPE" in linux-gnu*) ;;& linux*) echo $OSTYPE; ;; esac
case "$OSTYPE" in linux-gnu*) ;& linux*) echo $OSTYPE; ;; esac

which works without any problems (See: Can bash case statements cascade?) with GNU bash, version 4.2.37(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu).

But on OSX I've the following errors:

-bash: syntax error near unexpected token `&'
-bash: syntax error near unexpected token `;'

It's GNU bash, version 3.2.51(1)-release (x86_64-apple-darwin13).

Any clues how to achieve the same fall-through behavior on bash v3?

Either upgrade your bash (homebrew) or you'll have to recode it using a series of if statements:

case "$OSTYPE" in linux-gnu*) ;;& linux*) echo $OSTYPE; ;; esac
case "$OSTYPE" in linux-gnu*) ;& linux*) echo $OSTYPE; ;; esac

would be

# first case
if [[ $OSTYPE == linux-gnu* ]]; then
    : # nothing in this branch
fi
if [[ $OSTYPE == linux* ]]; then
    echo $OSTYPE
fi

# second case
function print_ostype { echo $OSTYPE; }
if [[ $OSTYPE == linux-gnu* ]]; then
    # nothing in this branch
    # include the next branch
    print_ostype
elif [[ $OSTYPE == linux* ]]; then
    print_ostype
fi

I used a function in the 2nd case to reduce code duplication, in case there's multiple statements.


iPhone Screen Recording simulation on Windows I need to make a video of browsing websites on iPhone. I don't have a Mac so I can't make Airplay mirroring and record it there.
Is there any way to do it on Windows 10? I need to keep video resolution same as iPhone has.
It's one time thing, freely is the best.

You can use the program AirServer on Windows to let your iPhone AirPlay mirror to the PC in order to record the stream.

AirServer has a free 7-day trial, so for a one time thing, it could be done without paying.

Download it from here: AirServer Download

Other similar programs are Reflector 2 and X-Mirage. However, Reflector 2 watermarks the video during the trial period.


What is the app used to make this kind of videos? (examples inside the post) I'm wondering what is the app that used to make this kind of these videos/screen-casts with awesome 3d effect.

I found these two videos which I guess both made using the same app.

Analog: http://vimeo.com/23201595
KickOff: http://vimeo.com/23480804

Any idea?

They don't use any one app. I'm guessing they first change the desktop background to green and capture the screen with some screen capturing app, like Quicktime X for example.

They record and then they edit the video in either After Effects or Apple Motion, where they can key off all the green and make it a "3d layer". They take a screenshot of their windowless desktop and throw it behind the recorded window, maybe add some soft lights to create a dim shadow and after that its all a mater of playing with the camera.

In After Effects or Apple Motion you can also make the effect of "switching between monitors", like on the kickoff video. You simply put it all inside another composition, that atop the picture of a Macbook air, and then move it all together. You can think of Apple Motion and After Effects as the "Photoshop" of videos: you can make pretty cool stuff with them. I use After Effects ;)