The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Inc.

[aryayush]

​

Hello!

This is the thread for the few Mac users on this forum to discuss anything about the platform we use and adore.

Non-Mac users are welcome to weigh in with their opinions and doubts, but any comparison to other operating systems or any other post considered as flame bait will be ignored and hopefully, deleted.

I request the mods to try and ensure that this does not turn into another “fight” and I request posters to ignore any sort of flame bait.

This is basically for us Mac users to discuss the Mac and other Apple related stuff. This includes the iPhone, iPods, TV and everything related to Apple Inc.

We haven’t quite figured out what to do with it yet but there’s also an Apple group you can join if you wish to.

The prestigious Mac lineup currently looks like this:

*i34.tinypic.com/2h7p8b8.jpg
*idisk.mac.com/aayush/Public/Pictures/Skitch/overview_bigair_two20080115-20080910-192155.jpg
*i34.tinypic.com/2h7p8b8.jpg
*idisk.mac.com/aayush/Public/Pictures/Skitch/imackeyboard_2_20071026-20080910-192504.jpg
*idisk.mac.com/aayush/Public/Pictures/Skitch/design_smartdesign_hero20080108-20080910-192601.jpg
*idisk.me.com/aayush/Public/Pictures/Skitch/design_angled20090303-20090414-192241.jpg​

The iPods, all lined up:

*idisk.me.com/aayush/Public/Pictures/Skitch/ipodshuffle_image5_20090311-20090414-191256.jpg
*idisk.mac.com/aayush/Public/Pictures/Skitch/ipodnano_image2_20080909-20080910-190856.jpg
*idisk.mac.com/aayush/Public/Pictures/Skitch/ipodclassic_black_image2_20080909-20080910-191023.jpg
*idisk.mac.com/aayush/Public/Pictures/Skitch/overview-hero20080909-20080910-191101.jpg​

TV:

*i28.tinypic.com/8wxnpy.jpg​

And last, but certainly not the least, the iPhone 3G:

*idisk.me.com/aayush/Public/Pictures/Skitch/iphone_hardware1_20081217.jpg-20090414-191912.jpg​

To start the proceedings, I have a really cool link that rounds up all the tutorials and screen casts for the legendary and unparalleled application, QuickSilver. Here’s the link:
*www.simplehelp.net/2007/05/10/quicksilver-tutorial-and-screencast-roundup/


Enjoy!


Update 01: I’ve added a poll for your voting pleasure. Here’s a quick pic of the Mac family in full attendance:

Update 02: The Mac family has now been updated to welcome the newest, sexiest member. Bye, bye - old white iMac. We’ll (hardly) miss you!

Update 03: The line-up has now been refreshed. We welcome to the party Apple Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard, the heart of all Macs, the iPhone, iPod touch and TV.

Update 04: Added a (constantly updated) list of the active Mac users in this thread (and, by extension, on the whole forum).

Update 05: Added a basic profile for each Mac user.

Update 06: Added a cute little orange Apple logo.

Update 07: Had the title of the thread changed (by requesting drgrudge) and updated the description.

Update 08: Removed the stupid profiles.

Update 09: Brought back the profiles due to popular demand.

Update 10: Added a little information about this social group thing.

Update 11: Substituted the picture of the Mac lineup for a more classy one.

Update 12: Added Sunny’s profile.

Update 13: Added Mehul and Preshit’s profiles.

Update 14: Added pictures of the iPods, TV and the iPhone.

Update 15: Updated the iPhone to iPhone 3G.

Update 16: Updated the members list to reflect the new mod in our midst.

Update 17: Added Jimmy to the list of Mac owners.

Update 18: Welcome, Prasad, the owner of an iPod mini, among other Apple gear.

Update 19: Added everyone’s .Mac IDs to the profiles.

Update 20: Added Nishant to the list of Mac users.

Update 21: Added Nikhil to the list of Mac users. [goobi]

Update 22: Added the brand new iPods and better pictures of Macs. Linked them all to their respective pages on Apple’s website.

Update 23: Added the new iPod shuffle to the lineup, fixed the iPhone 3G image, and removed the list of Mac users.

 

[iMav]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

1. arya could u list some useful 3rd party or apple's own softwares tht are not bundled with the mac os x specifically 10.4.8

2. does the normal office 2k7 version run on a mac? or theres another version?

 

[gxsaurav]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

@ mav 3

Use VLC Player, Cocktail, Quicksilver. They are must, whose gonna pay $30 just to see full screen videos in quicktime

Office 2007 for Windows doesn't work in Mac, there will be Mac version soon either wait for it or use NeoOffice which is based on Openoffice

 

[aryayush]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

1. Well, you need to be a bit more specific. I could list hundreds of cool software but it would be a tedious job. If you want some software for a particular purpose, I'm sure I can be of some assistance.

2. No. No Windows software will run directly on a Mac. If you want it to run natively, it should be coded to run on a Mac. Mac applications have the extension 'APP'. The latest version of Microsoft Office for Mac is 2004. The 2008 version is coming soon.
You can, however, still run Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows on a Mac in several ways. The best way is to use an application called CrossOver. It fools Windows applications into thinking that the software is being installed on Windows. I have tried µTorrent and Opera and both worked fine. The second option is to use Parallels Desktop for Mac. Install Windows XP or Vista on it and then install Office 2007. Then set it to run in coherence mode. The Windows operating system disappears leaving you with what appears to be Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows running on Mac OS X along with Mac applications such as Safari and iChat.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend using Cocktail. It is a carbon application that has not been updated in a while and appears to be quite buggy.

If you want to fiddle around with invisible settings on Mac OS X (which I don't do and won't recommend anyone else to either because in general, Mac OS X works best in the default state with some exceptions), you can use TechTool Pro, an application recommended by Apple itself.

 

[iMav]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

hmmm... thanx gx didnt expect u to be the first to reply

@arya name me some apps tht u wud say are a must if im using mac os x and wud show some mac magic and as far as cross over is concerned i am gonna give it a try will post the result here

 

[aryayush]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

You've installed Mac OS X?

I can recommend these applications I use:
OmniWeb - A very good and beautifully designed (paid) web browser.
Acquisition, Inquisition, NewsFire and Xtorrent - P2P client, Safari search plug-in, RSS reader and torrent client respectively.
Transmission - Free torrent client. Most people, including me, prefer it to Xtorrent.
Adobe Creative Suite 3 - Self explanatory.
Adium - Multi-protocol, free and open source instant messaging client.
Delicious Library - An applications to catalogue your collection of Books, Movies, Music and Games done Mac style. It is a lovely application.
Skype - The native and official Skype client for Mac that has a several times better interface than the Windows version (due to some reason I fail to fathom).
Toast Titanium and Disco - CD/DVD/Blu-Ray burning with style.
Forklift - A much better alternative to the aging Finder.
Cha-Ching - An application to manage your personal finances, one of the most beautiful applications on the Mac platform.
CoverSutra - Global shortcuts for iTunes, integration with last.fm and more.
iClip - Multiple clipboard manager.
PandoraBoy - Fan of Pandora Radio? This is an absolute must have.
SuperDuper! - Makes a complete, bootable back-up of your Mac. Absolute must have till Time Machine comes along. No use to you.
TubeSock - Downloading YouTube videos made easy.

I could go on and on and on and on... I'd thought I'd recommend a few applications and then I just couldn't stop.
Most of these applications are universal Cocoa applications, so are beautiful and easy to use - just like Mac applications are supposed to be.

 

[gxsaurav]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

@ Arya

Just to notify you, Mac application do not have any extension. It is simply a binary file which executes.

The user has an option to install & configure MacOS X as he wants, so recomendations are for those who are afraid to tinker

@ mav3

Install MacFuse & NTFS 3G driver for Mac, google for these. With these exensions installed you will be able to properly read & write on NTFS partitions. They are safe & proper .dmg is also available.

Also install MacDrive 7 for WIndows. Using this you will be able to read & write to Mac HFS+ Partition through Vista\XP. It will show up in My computer as a "Mac Drive"

 

[assasin]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

^^^ gonna try them when i install Mac OS X on my rig 2morrow.

 

[aryayush]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

@ Arya

Just to notify you, Mac application do not have any extension. It is simply a binary file which executes.

If the three letter value after the dot in a file name is called an extension, then Mac applications have the 'APP' extension. Click on any Mac app and hit 'Command + I'. The 'Get Info' windows will appear. Look at the 'Name & Entension:' dialog. To verify that the 'APP' extension is compulsory to make Mac OS X recognise a file as an application, you can try deleting the extension. You won't be able to launch the application anymore until you restore the extension.

All this leads me to believe that Mac applications do indeed have the 'APP' extension.


The Little Things: Infinitely Large Targets

Published: Yesterday, @ May 11, 8:30 PM
Source: The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
Author: David Chartier

*www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/2007/05/activescreencorners.jpg​

Some of the unsung wonders of working in Mac OS X are the features influenced by Fitts' Law. I first saw this concept mentioned and articulated by John Gruber in his Fitts's Law and the Apple and Spotlight Menus portion of a Tiger Details page he was maintaining after the launch of 10.4. In fact, I might as well just uote John for a summary on the basics of Fitts' Law:

The gist of Fitts's Law is that the time it takes to point to a target - in our case here, with your mouse or trackpad - is a function of the distance and size of the arget. Bigger and closer targets are easier to hit.

The beauty here is in how Apple has leveraged this concept with Mac OS X's UI, right down to the reason behind the menubar being pinned and always accessible at the top of your display. Basically speaking, there are five primary targets that are dead simple to hit, without even having to look at them: the four corners of your display and the menubar (and sure, the Dock could count as a sixth, but I'm leaving it out for now). You can easily just fling your mouse 'up' and hit the menu that governs the application you're working in (or any you can quickly switch to); it might seem like a minor detail, but it's one that makes it a lot easier to land on the menu you need and keep working.

Read more...


I've always admired the fact that Apple strictly adheres to the Fitts' Law but as David Chartier rightly said, it is one of the "unsung wonders". Neither Apple boasts about it, nor is it often mentioned. So I wanted to draw the attention of fellow Mac users to this wonderful (but very small) article about it.

To read a little more on it, you can visit this webpage.

 

[gxsaurav]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

Omniweb - Seriously, Firefox is better. Just that it is not native to Mac
^^^^ arya, do not post things which boast MacOS X feature for no reason. You are yourself deviating from the thread.

 

[aryayush]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

No, I am not. I am sure Mac users would love to read posts that boast features of Mac OS X. This thread is for us. We can discuss anything about our Macs. I want this thread to be like the ones we have on Apple centric forums, full of rabid, unrestricted "fanboyism". No one objects to posting about and discussing the pluses in Mac OS X there, so please don't hinder here. All I ask is that you spare just this one thread. Is it really too much to ask?

As for Firefox being better than OmniWeb, it boils down to personal choice. Only Windows users can prefer a non-native application to a native one. OmniWeb has a loads better interface and a bucket-load of features too. Only thing it lacks is extensions.

And the one thing that Firefox lacks and I simply cannot do without is resizing the browser window according to the contents of the page. Thankfully, Mozilla is now taking inputs from the Mac community about what features should be implemented in the next version of Firefox and the three features that top the list of demands are the three I want most:
1. Make it a native Cocoa application.
2. Have it resize the size of the window according to the contents within. This is standard behaviour for good Mac applications.
3. Integrate it with Keychain Access.

 

[nepcker]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

Yes, Firefox is good, but I think Safari is even more better. I use it most of the time. At other times, I use Camino, which I believe is also from Mozilla (like Firefox). As for OmniWeb, I haven't tried it yet. How is it?

 

[aryayush]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

OmniWeb is simply a much better version of Safari. It has all the features of Safari but has a lot of its own such as ad blocking, movable tabs (a no-brainer that for some weird reason, Safari lacks), search shortcuts (a total blessing and a feature I cannot live without), etc.
The interface is also better than Safari (no brushed metal).

Yes, Camino is from the folks at Mozilla and while it has all the native goodness, it seriously lacks in the features department. For one thing, it does not have the extremely important feature of resizing the window to fit just the contents within.

 

[nepcker]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

Thanks, I downloaded OmniWeb's trial. I'll purchase it if I like it.

 

[Ray]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

y do mac's cost so much?
can i get spare mac parts?

 

[aryayush]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

1. They don't.

2. I didn't understand the question. If you mean to ask whether you can assemble a Mac yourself, then the answer is no, you cannot.

 

[nepcker]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

y do mac's cost so much?

As aryayush said, they don't!

can i get spare mac parts?

From what I can make out of your question, you can get some Mac-only hardware such as iSight from Apple stores.

 

[aryayush]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

I know it was just an offhand example but just to serve as a gentle reminder, the standalone iSight cameras have been discontinued.

 

[mayneu]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

one little question ayush, do u have an apple pc or u have installed on intel...
even i want to install mac os on my dell laptop. if u can lend me some help, that would be of great help for me and prove ur avatar perfect....
i tried several times in the past to install patched mac os 10.4.6 for x86 copy.... well it installed actually, but refused to show up the desktop.....
so pls tell me A-Z of installing MAC OS on Intel or just give me the site where everything is available pls.....
if its illegal to discuss here, pls pm me the link.... waiting for ur reply soon....

 

[iMav]

Re: The official thread for any and all discussion related to Apple Macs.

well mayneu its illegal to install osx on a dell ... and arya has a mac book i think

@ arya there seems to be a small problem ... the boot screen for apple appears and after tht it freezes any ideas