Snow Leopard arrived yesterday right when Apple said it would be delivered.

I ran the install on my iMac this morning. I can’t rightly say how long it took because I went off and did other things while it worked away.

However, it installed without a hitch.

By default it runs in 32-bit mode for compatibility reasons. You can check this by doing a

uname -a

in a terminal window.

You can also use System Profiler and check the “64-bit Kernel and Extensions” under “Software” if you’re a clickety-click type person.

I will have a little issue getting 64-bit working on my Macbook 2,1. While the processor supports it fine, the Firmware has limited it to 32-bit. I hear there are work-arounds for this and will need to investigate. To check if your firmware supports 64-bit mode run the following command in a terminal window:

ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree | grep firmware-abi

Check the EFI result, 64 is what you’re wanting to see.

To boot your new install into 64-bit mode, simply hold down the 6 and 4 keys while the computer boots. Reboot to go back to 32-bit mode.

To make the 64-bit switch permanent edit the file:
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist

find:
Kernel Flags


change to:
Kernel Flags
arch=x86_64

and reboot.

If you then wish to duck back into 32-bit mode just hold down the 3 and 2 keys while the system is booting.

Tags: OS X, apple

My new 24” iMac has arrived. Up until about thirty minutes ago it was still in the box. I finally got time to unbox it and turn it on.
It is everything I expected. As expected.

I ordered the full size wired keyboard and wired mouse, I still don’t really trust this wireless stuff. I also took the 640GB HDD over the 1TB, after all, how do you backup 1TB??

Anyway, now starts the arduous task of finding and copying all my mac-apps over to the iMac from the Macbook. The good thing is, it’s so much more easier than on windows.

I still cannot quite believe how fast it is. I guess the real test will be Photoshop CS3 and scanning negatives at 4000dpi. Fun Fun Fun.

Update: 18/04/09
All apps have been migrated or installed. The new iMac is now a fully armed and fully operational battle station.

Tags: OS X, mac

The discussion at work (ok, between Paul and I) is how to get Windows 98 running in Parallels 4.0. You see, it crashes just after the file copy. I’ve installed a good many Windows 98 machines in my time, I’m ashamed to say, and of all the Windows OS’s, I prefer Windows 98SE. The “almost” best of a bad bunch if you like.

I’m also ashamed to say I own (through OEM) the following Windows versions:

Windows 3.0
Windows for Workgroups 3.11
Windows 95 (A and D)
Windows 98
Windows 98SE
Windows NT Workstation
Windows 2000 Professional
Windows XP


Anyhow, from time-to-time, I find a bone that I just can’t stop chewing on... and this is such a bone.

After tinkering around for about 15 minutes I found a solution. This solution isn’t your normal “insert CD... next... next... next...”, but rather, how I’ve installed Windows 98 since time out of mind. I’m typing this up as my Windows 98SE installation is completing. Sorry, no screen grabs... I don’t care THAT much.

1. Create your virtual machine in Parallels 4.0 selecting Windows and “Other Windows” NOT “Windows 98” and leave all the machine defaults.

2. Insert your Windows 98 CD, boot from it and select the “run setup from CD”.

3. Allow the installation to start but you only want it to run to the end of the formatting of the hard drive. There will be several reboots (gotta love Windows) and once it gets to the “Checking the hard drive” force your machine to reboot again.

4. This time, boot from CD but select the “Boot with CDROM support” option.

5. You’ll end up at the DOS prompt, but importantly you’ll have an A:\, C:\ and D:\ drive. Ignore these for the moment and type the following at the prompt:

set path=d:\tools\oldmsdos;%path%

You need the tools in the D:\TOOLS\OLDMSDOS directory... namely XCOPY.EXE

6. Now type the following at the DOS prompt, ignoring the comments in inverted commas:

C: “changes to C: drive”
md win98 “creates the c:\win98 directory on c: drive”
D: “changes to D: drive”
cd win98 “changes to the win98 directory on d: drive”
xcopy *.* c:\win98 /s/e/v “copy the installation files to c:\win98 and all subdirs, even if they’re empty, and verify”

Once the copy has finished you have everything you need for the installation copied to C:\ and we no longer need the Windows 98 CDROM.

7. Now that the files are on the C: drive type the following at the DOS prompt:

C:
cd win98
setup /is /nr /id “skips the scandisk, registry scan, and disk space checks”

8. Complete the installation to your requirements.

9. To get the necessary Parallels Tools drivers to install (of which there aren’t many) you’ll need to switch the operating system version from “Other Windows” to “Windows 98”. This makes it easier to install the two drivers that are compatible with Windows 98... sorry no drag’n’drop to the desktop on this little puppy. I installed these manually.

Note: to get any type of performance out of your Windows 98 machine, I recommend you disable all the fancy effects like menu fade and the like.

Done! How easy was that eh?

The benefit of copying the installation files to the C:\ drive is that if you want to install or change something later, you don’t need the CD.

Enjoy your Win98SE virtual machine. I don’t want to know what you do with it.. that’s your business.

Tags: OS X

Since OS X update 10.5.5 I have been having a few issues with AirPort on my “Black MacBook”.

Namely, AirPort plays up when switching locations.

At worst, AirPort settings are lost for the location I switch to. At best AirPort takes several start/stops to acquire an IP address from a DNS server (no there is nothing wrong with my DNS server). The most common however is, AirPort doesn’t turn ON if it is OFF as part of the location I’m switching from.

I believe Apple have supplied an update in AirPort Extreme Update 2008-004.

However, I’ve only just applied this update so I’m not sure if it has solved my problem. I’ll know tomorrow.

Prior to finding this update (thanks Paul...again) I was tinkering around trying to figure out what was occurring. It all seemed hit-and-miss in the Network Preferences pane so I switch to the terminal. Lo and behold, I found a quick work-around.

ifconfig en1 down

followed by...

ifconfig en1 up

This immediately and without fuss, fixed my AirPort connection. Why this doesn’t do exactly what the GUI does I’m not sure, but there does seem to be some difference.. perhaps that’s part of the problem as resolved in the update?!

This may or may not work for you but give it a shot if you haven’t had time to install the above update, which requires a reboot - There goes my record uptime attempt AGAIN.

Tags: OS X, apple

OpenOffice.org 3.0 was released today. The demand was so great there were problems with the site. Give it a couple of days before you download the new version and hopefully the rush has subsided.

There are apparently quite a few new things in this version, one being compatibility with M$ Office 2007 format.

I am running this version on OS X 10.5 and the final release is a bit quicker than the original public Beta. However, it’s no Audi R8.

I was flicking through some of the online discussions and found that by disabling the Java runtime environment you can speed up the whole app quite significantly. Jump into preferences and click on the Java option, then remove the tick.

So far it’s looking good and I’m glad it’s finally out of Beta.

I’ll be interested to see how it goes on Ubuntu, but I’ll wait for the official release in the updates for that one.

Tags: OS X, ubuntu

I was getting to know my mac a bit better today, I had some spare time and was looking for ways to keep the relationship interesting.

I came across two little terminal utilities that, for me, have a “cool” factor.

bc

bc is a terminal window calculator. Just run bc in a terminal and then plug in what you’d like to calculate. The calculator follows the BODMAS rules of calculation and calculates internal brackets before external ones. Type man bc for more options.

cal

cal by default, displays the current month calendar in the terminal window. Type cal in the terminal window. If you’d prefer the Julian calendar type cal -j. Type man cal for more options.

So if you spend your time in a terminal window, you don’t need to leave it do calendary mathematical things.

Tags: OS X

What catalogs your CD’s, movies, books and a swag of other stuff... and tastes delicious?

Delicious Library!

This beaut little program uses the iSight camera built into your MacBook to scan the ISBN bar-code on your books, movies and whatever else then looks them up on the interweb and puts them in your library. How easy is that!?

It can search through ISBN libraries in other countries just in case your “item” was imported.

Not only can it do this, but it also hooks into your iTunes library as well.

Once you’ve cataloged your tools and the like, you can then add “friends” from the Address Book so you can check out items to them. Never again will you forget who you loaned that widget-remover to. Even have Delicious Library notify you when they’ve had that doovey for too long.

Go to www.delicious-monster.com and check out the latest version.

Tags: OS X, mac

OpenOffice.org version 3.0 beta has been released, and finally drops the X11 requirement on OS X.

Open Office is everything you need and nothing you don't. Why pay money for Microsoft Office (over bloated behemoth that it is) when OOo is FREE?

I've been using OO for a while now on Linux(home) and Windows(work) and I've been waiting for a Aqua version of it so I could run it on the MAC without X11. NeoOffice is available (and I do have it installed) but nice as it is, it was a change in interface/icons that annoyed me.

Now that particular issue has vanished.

There are a number of nice new things in version 3.0 and you can read about them here, but mostly I'm impressed with the compatibility with latest version of MS Doc and XLS files, as well as the GoogleOffice format.

Version 3.0 is still in beta and it is rather obvious. It is horribly slow on Windows and passable on OS X. I'm still using version 2.4 on Ubuntu and will wait until the final release before upgrade on that OS.

If it's been a while since you last looked at OOo, it is time to have another look.

Remember:

OpenOffice = FREE
MSOffice = $$$

Tags: openoffice.org, Linux, mac, OS X

The worlds best browser is getting even better.

Firefox 3 is now in Beta 3 release, and ready for you to download and try. You can get it here.

One of the many new features is the redesigned location bar. You can read about that here.

At the suggestion of the Mac Guru at work (aka Paul) I renamed my current Firefox application to Firefox2 so the install of the beta wouldn't overwrite it. I can now run the two versions side-by-side with nary a problem. Windows users shouldn't need this step. I haven't tested it (because I no longer use Win) but from memory the beta installs as a separate program, but you might want to pay attention during the install.

Be prepared for the bug or two, but as yet I haven't found any with the Mac binary. Most of the themes/plugins I was using no longer work, but I expected this. FF3b3 is doing it's update check each time I launch it and it will grab them as they become available. I'm not really concerned with themes as the out-of-the-box theme is so close to the minimalistic one I use in FF2. All is good.

Switch to Firefox, because friends don't let friends use IE.

(Now.. me wonders when the new version of Thunderbird will be released.. last news was late this year 2008.)

Tags: firefox, mac, OS X, Linux

This always makes me laugh.

... and laugh

... and laugh

Tags: firefox, mac, OS X, Linux

Microsoft would have you believe they have the only computer operating system in the world. But nothing could be further from the truth. There are much more capable OS's out there than Windows. More capable in every way.

People move away from Microsoft Windows for many reasons, and they're all good ones. I have made the move away from the endless security updates, virus scanning, failed promises, poor performance, lockups and all the other problems that are endemic to a Windows world. There are so many better options than a Microsoft operating system and the world is starting to realise this.

I thought I'd share the strategy I used to move away from Windows, which is also the one I recommend to my friends.

Step 1 - Find open source equivalents to the windows software that you use

This is actually a very easy step. I have blogged about some of the open source software on this site but there is so much more. First of all I made a list of the windows software I used and went hunting for replacements. It also helps if you have an idea of which OS you think you'd like to move toward. I wasn't sure but figured it would be Linux of some flavour but also considered MAC OS X, so the software I went looking for ideally would work on all three platforms. Once you have your list you can now install your Open Source software on Windows so you become familiar with it and ensure that it meets your needs.

OpenOffice replaces Microsoft Office
This is an easy one for me. I'd been using OpenOffice for a while and already new about the product before I decided to make the move. Thanks to the Novell/Microsoft agreement, you are guaranteed that documents created in on will work in the other.

Thunderbird replaces Outlook
Thunderbird is a worthy replacement for Outlook. It has most of the bells and whistles and all the features you need in an email client. It's also available for Windows, Linux and OS X.

Firefox replaces Internet Explorer
This is a no-brainer. If you're not using this Web Browser already, you should be. Firefox has been available for Windows for a long time, and is usually where Microsoft gets their improvements for IE from. Just look at the Tabbed interface. Firefox also has a built in pop-up blocker and enhanced security features that are lacking in IE. Even if you decide to stay with Windows, you should be using this browser.

RealPlayer replaces Windows media player
Not much to add here, they both play media files.

The GIMP replaces ...MS Paint????
Yes, you noticed this too.. Windows doesn't have a half-decent image editing application. The GIMP is a powerful Open Source image editing package. It has a lot of the features of the VERY costly Adobe Photoshop, and if you're not in the image editing area this is still worth a look. All those digital photos you take and store on your computer can be touched up beautifully with this application.

There are many other applications, and I'll let you find them. Remember, GOOGLE is your friend. You might also wish to have a look at www.theopendisc.com

Step 2 - Practice
Now that you have your software, spend a good 6 months getting used to it and how they work. Learn how they work, how to back them up and restore them. Now is also the time to look at the hardware you use. Start researching support for your devices under other Operating systems. Search for drivers and software to support your devices. 6 months may seem a long time and it will depend on the individual. Only you will know when you're ready.

Step 3 - Testing the waters of a new Operating System
This step is the most exciting one and it's fortunate that Linux especially has many options that boot from a "Live CD". A Live CD is a bootable CD/DVD that contains the operating system. You can boot from it and load up the OS into memory without effecting your installed OS. This enables you to test the waters without actually taking the plunge. Ubuntu is my favourite choice for Linux, for the home user. Novell's SuSe Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) is also an excellent choice but doesn't come as a Live CD. All Linux distributions are essentially the same under the hood. So you could trial one but select another.
Another option is to download the Free VMWARE player software or Microsoft Virtual PC software. These applications allow you to create a virtual workstation on your Windows computer and use it like any other application. You could trial every OS you wanted this way and get comfortable with how they work.
You should be using the Internet to good effect. There are uncountable support forums for every OS available. All of them are filled with people just waiting to help you out and answer your questions. Make good use of these resources, ask lots of questions.

Step 4 - Ripping out that hapless water-buffalo
You're now ready. You're comfortable with your new software suites and you have all the drivers for your hardware (bare in mind that recent OS's have nearly all the drivers built in). Backup your data to an external drive. If you've decided to go with a version of Linux that comes on a Live CD then all you need to do is double click on the install icon and you're away. Otherwise, follow the install instructions that come with the version you've chosen.
If you've decided to go Mac OS X then you've bought yourself a new bit of kit. Either way, have fun and start enjoying the world without Windows.

Conclusion:
There is no reason to stay with Microsoft Windows. Unless of course you want to.. but that couldn't possibly be the case. Why would you want to pay large amounts of money for all the bits and pieces you need to maintain a Windows OS? The saying "It just works" doesn't really apply anymore to Windows (not that it ever did).

Anyway.. this is the process I followed. I ended up going to both Linux and Mac OS X. There were two reasons for this and the first was Adobe Photoshop. I use it rather heavily for photography and well, Adobe don't release Photoshop for Linux...yet. The other was I had only just bought a new Dell PC and so I went Linux on it. I've been happily Windows free for nearly 12 months. During this time, Vista was released, but there is nothing that I've read that could tempt me back. I haven't missed Windows at all.

Tags: Linux, mac, OS X

So clean. So... Intelligent.

Tags: apple, mac, OS X

Well I've been fiddling around with Leopard for a few days now and am fully back up and running. The entire process was hassle free.

This is the process I followed:

1. took an image with carbon copy cloner to my external drive
2. took a second image with CCC to my external drive
3. then copied my documents folder to the external drive
4. the booted of my OS X 10.4 CD and used Disk Utility to take a clone of the entire hard drive to my external disk.

5. Inserted the OSX 10.5 CD and started the install
6. I think the term is "nuke 'n pave"

Done.

All the good stuff you've probably heard about is true.. it's all good!

Even on my MacBook Leopard is quite a bit faster in just about everything.

Updates as the come in...

Tags: apple, mac, OS X

October 26 is the date.

I don't get too excited about much I.T. related, however this has got me hopping with anticipation.

OS X Leopard is a rather large update from Tiger with some 300+ new things. Hop on over to the Apple website for a sneak preview on what will devastate the Windows Vista devotees.

I have never bought an operating system without a PC to go with it. That is, I've always received an OS via the OEM. Leopard is the first OS that I have laid down the plastic for.

Since embracing the Mac way of life my computing experience has never been better. It just works.

I can empathise with those who are unsure about making the change. All the doubts about software compatibility, range of software and usability went through my head before I took the leap. All of them, bar none, were worries I shouldn't have been having and I quickly learned this... with the help of a Mac redi-reference at work (Paul, you're a legend). I recommend you just do it.. you won't look back and you'll be living in PC nirvana.

I have pre-ordered Leopard and eagerly await it's arrival some time after the 26th. I live in the 'Bush' so I don't expect to get it on that Friday.

In preparation for the new arrival, I have been preparing my little MacBook. Thanks again to Paul, I have a great little tool called Carbon Copy Cloner that can make a DMG image of my hard disk. This is my backup strategy should I wish to roll-back for some reason...can't think of one at the moment but there may be some weird kind of software that I desperately need and can't do without that won't run on Leopard.

Anyway... Tiger was/is great, Leopard looks positively Grand, and if those Apple dudes continue their trend Leopard is going to be a jaw dropper!

Check back from time-to-time as I'll be putting up my impressions of the new animal.

Tags: OS X, mac, apple

So... this is my MacBook.
Friends at work (on ya Paul and Rob) through subtle and subliminal advertising convinced me to buy one and I'll be forever grateful.

The history of this purchase is... I was looking for something to take traveling with me, that would be portable, stable, run Photoshop, and have enough storage to take multiple Gigs of images from my Canon 10D. I do a fair amount of travel and I'm an avid photographer so I needed something that would cater for all this. I was originally looking at an image viewer from Epson, however this wouldn't allow me to backup to DVD if required. Something I tend to do regardless of what they say about X-Ray screening machines. Plus I couldn't run PS.

I also looked at a tiny Dell laptop however, after checking out a MacBook owned by one of the other guys at work, I was hooked.

Down went the plastic and as they say, the rest is history.

Quick specs:
Dual core 2Ghz processor
2 Gb RAM
120Gb Hard drive
SuperDrive
Firewire/USB
Built in camera (iCam)
OS X Tiger

I mentioned stability. According to iStat Nano the longest I've had my MacBook running is 30 days 21hrs. That's with constant daily use. Try that with windows!
For PS work, I connect to a 24" Dell monitor and colour manage with a ColorVision Spyder2.

Tags: apple, OS X