Linking files together have a lot of different uses. Here are some examples:
In my case I use MacVim and a lot of different programming languages. However I do frequently use the regular terminal Vim. The problem is you either stick with using the outdated built-in Vim version or you have to update through source. But you have MacPorts, so why go through all that trouble when 2 commands will do it? First just install the Vim through MacPorts (
see previous post ) then to make sure that you use the newer Vim all the time just use a symbolic link. To do this do
sudo ln -Ffhinsv /opt/local/bin/vim /usr/bin/vim and there you go from now on any time that your computer goes to look for the Vim at /usr/bin it automatically is forwarded to the MacPorts installation.
Now, not only is this convenient and useful for Vim, but also programming languages. For example TextMate has a lot of bundles that make use of Ruby installed at /usr/bin/ruby, it would be tedious to manually change all them to /opt/local/bin/ruby so you use a symbolic link:
sudo ln -Ffhinsv /opt/local/bun/ruby /usr/bin/ruby
And it automatically knows to look at the MacPorts installation.
So there you go, try it out and enjoy!
I, like Omer, dislike how Stacks automatically shows the file that’s at the top of the list as your Stacks icon. It looks ugly and it’s not very informative either. I tried using Omer’s method but it still looked a littlelooked tacky to me (no offense). That’s why I was enthralled when I came across these Stacks Icons.
They’re little translucent icons that you drag into your stacks manually (no installation needed) and they appear over everything else, kind of like a plastic drop box you’d find in a cubicle. After dragging the icon into the Stack, they immediately apply themselves, then end result looks like this:
Product Page: Optica-Optima [via Lifehacker (they have a pic of the icons on the leopard dock)]
Note: the site is in japanese, just click the download link
A quick and painless way to make your dull Terminal turn into a cool Terminal! Go to Preferences, Settings Tab, then choose a premade theme or create a new one by clicking the “+” button. I have here my own personal concoction which I call, Barney the Dinosaur.
Not only is it possible to change the color of your prompt, you can change the font as well. The Text tab deals with font color/style; Window adjusts the background colors, etc; and the other ones adjust things that I won’t pretend to know about.
Note: I did this in Leopard’s Terminal, I have no clue if this works in Tiger, if it does, please say so in the comments.
If you were to guess what application that window came from, what would be your first guess; Aperture? Photoshop? Nice try, but it actually comes from Preview.app. By hitting Option+Command+C, you can obtain this little popup that let’s you adjust the color levels in your photo. Here is a picture of my sister with a baby panda before modification. Notice all the annoying fake shrubbery in the background.
After some cropping and a few quick adjustments (mainly on the contrast and sharpness, we get this as our final product
Without any photoshopping at all, I’ve managed to get rid all the annoying foliage. If you look closer and compare the two pictures, it also becomes apparent that the colors appear much warmer as well. This took all of 30 seconds to do which is about the time it takes Gimp to even start up!
Suppose you and a friend are at a hotel room with one ethernet port, but you both want to use the internet. Do not fear, you can come to the rescue by establishing a wireless network through your Macintosh’s built in AirPort card.
1) Plug the cable into your computer
2) Open System Preferences and go to the sharing section.
3) Locate the check box next to Internet Sharing and activate it.
4) Have your friend connect to your computer’s network
5) To change the settings/password of your network (default password is your admin password), uncheck the Sharing box then click AirPort Options
It’s an extremely simple process that is also useful in many scenarios. I recommend copy-pasting this article into a Word/Pages document so in case you forget how to do it, it’s only a Spotlight/Quicksilver search away.
Note: This article is about Leopard,Lifehackerhas an article about how to do it in Tiger but it is essentially the same thing, just a different interface.
The end of the year is quickly drawing to an end. It’s been a great year to be a Mac user with Leopard and the iPhone both debuting in 2007. This entry takes a look back at the top 10 mac tips of 2007. Most of these are from MacTips, some of them aren’t–they’re all great tips however.
10. Speed up Mail.app
Mail.app can get bloated with too many messages. SpeedMail is the easy way to trim down the index so it starts faster. If you don’t want to use an application, the following terminal command accomplishes the same thing: sqlite3 ~/Library/Mail/Envelope\ Index vacuum subjects;
Crash reports help Apple and developers debug crash issues. It’s good practice to actually send these because they help make better software. That being said, some users will never send these. If you’re one of these users, you might as well disable crash reports with the following terminal command:
For some users it may make sense to "detach" widgets from the Dashboard and leave them above all windows. This can be accomplished easily with StayWidget or the following terminal command:
defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode YES; killall Dock
One of the hidden features in Leopard is displaying titles in Exposé. This can be accomplished by holding the Option key while hovering over a window. This is extremely useful for distinguishing windows from one another.
Mac users vote with their docks. If you use an application a lot, it will probably be in your dock. It makes sense then, to have a fast way to access your dock for saving even more time. A quick way to do this is by pressing Control+F3. Note if you have volume or brightness assigned to F3, you will need to press Fn+Control+F3.
Quickly select the icon you want by moving side to side with the arrow keys or typing the first letters of the application.
One of the little annoyances with Leopard is not automatically removing the print icon after printing is complete. This featured is tucked away in the contextual menu of the icon. Simply Control click the print icon and select "Auto Quit."
One of the best ways to personalize your Mac is by changing the login background. This instantly sets it apart and gives you something more appealing to look at while logging in. Leopard user can replace the following image with the desired background:
/System/Library/CoreServices/DefaultDesktop.jpg Don’t worry Tiger users, you can customize your background with the following command: sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow DesktopPicture '/Path/To/Picture.jpg'
Folder and stack icons determine their icon by the first item inside their folders. An easy way to change the icon is by adding spaces to your desired image, so it comes up first when alphabetized.
Quick Look is one of the best features introduced in Leopard. The following plugins make it even more useful. To get these plugins working, re-launch Finder after placing them in: ~/Library/QuickLook/ There is a full list of Quick Look plugins if you’re interested, here are our favorites:
This was the single coolest tip of the year for me and the biggest reason for my lust over the iPhone. With Telekinesis you can access your Mac through your iPhone anywhere in the world. There is a video below demonstrating this:
That’s it for our 10 best Mac tips of 2007. What do you think is missing from the list? What were your personal favorite tips of 2007? Below are a few runners up that didn’t quite make the top 10:
Hope everyone enjoyed the list. Here at MacTips we’re doing some very exciting things. We have more writers than ever and lots of ideas for directions to take the site. Have a Happy Holidays everyone!
I love leopard, but I’m not a huge fan of the translucent menubar, with some wallpapers, it seems distracting. I found a nice little application that will fix this, and add the nice gradient.
Time Machine is a great backup tool, but one of the frustrating aspects is that there is no really obvious way to have it back up at a time other than the regularly scheduled intervals. You can’t just double click on the volume on the desktop or even tell it to back up through it’s System Preferences pane. I finally found a way to make Time Machine back up on command a little while ago, and it is surprisingly simple.
All you need to do is place a Time Machine shortcut in the dock. I had removed the Time Machine icon from my dock long ago, because for the rare times I launch Time Machine, a quick Quicksilver command is enough, I don’t need it taking up my Dock space. To create the alias in the dock, you can drag-and-drop the application file from the Applications folder over to the dock. Then, simply on the icon and select “Back Up Now.”
Here’s a command-line hack that allows you to add a “Recent Things” Stack/Grid to the Dock. “Recent Things”; as in Recent Documents, Recent Volumes, Recent Applications, Recent Servers or Recent Items. Here’s the command:defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-others -array-add '{ "tile-data" = { "list-type" = 1; }; "tile-type" = "recents-tile"; }' then runkillall DockEnjoy!
Crash reports help Apple and developers debug crash issues. It’s good practice to actually send these because they help make better software. That being said, some users will never send these. If you’re one of these users, you might as well disable crash reports with the following terminal command:
For some users it may make sense to "detach" widgets from the Dashboard and leave them above all windows. This can be accomplished easily with 
One of the hidden features in Leopard is displaying titles in Exposé. This can be accomplished by holding the Option key while hovering over a window. This is extremely useful for distinguishing windows from one another.
One of the best ways to personalize your Mac is by changing the login background. This instantly sets it apart and gives you something more appealing to look at while logging in. Leopard user can replace the following image with the desired background:
on the icon and select “Back Up Now.”
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