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News & Opinion
Products & Services
Software
News & Opinion
OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Ships in July for $20
Cnet's Jason Parker reports:
"Mountain Lion,
originally seeded to developers in February, will be available from the
Mac App Store in July for $19.99.
"Apple's new operating system takes the Mac OS in a new direction,
with Apple integrating a number of iOS-inspired features from its
mobile devices. Apple SVP Craig Federighi says the new OS has over 200
new features, including notifications, Reminders, Game Center,
Documents in the Cloud, and Messages."
Link:
Mountain Lion Shipping in July
Save As... Returns to OS X with Mountain
Lion, but Apple's Being Stupid About It
Cult of Mac's John Brownlee notes that one of the more bizarre
changes Apple introduced in OS X 10.7 Lion was completely
abandoning the Save As option in documents, part of its
[unfortunate and misguided - cm] quest make the file system
invisible - and extremely counterintuitive to Mac owners who'd actually
been using Save As for the last 20 years. Brownlee reports that
Apple has quietly restored Save As to OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, sort
of, hidden like some sort of shameful secret and only accessible
through a convoluted Command-Shift-Option-S keyboard shortcut with no
corresponding menu selection.
However, we'll still gladly take it.
Link: 'Save As' Quietly
Returns to OS X in Mountain Lion, but Apple's Still Being Stupid About
It
Apple Doesn't Exactly Update the Mac Pro
Forbes' Connie Guglielmo reports:
"Andy Hertzfeld . . . took [Apple] to task yesterday for quietly
releasing - as in not mentioning it onstage at the Worldwide Developers
Conference yesterday - a meager update to the Mac Pro desktop....
"When Hertzfeld . . . went to the Apple store, he found that Apple
did indeed update the Mac Pro....
The current Mac Pro page at the online Apple Store.
"This is what Hertzfeld had to say about it:
"The specs for the 'new' Mac Pro had hardly changed,
except for a tiny, inconsequential processor clock bump. Still no
Thunderbolt, still no USB 3.0, no SATA III or RAM speed improvements -
it seems like it's stuck in time in 2010. The only thing that's still
high-end about it is the bloated price."
"The Mac Pro, starting at $2,499, hadn't been updated since 2010, so
some mention of it might have been warranted. What does Apple say?
"An Apple spokesman just told me that new models and new designs of
the Mac Pro are in the works and will likely be released in
2013."
Publisher's note: It's an odd world where Apple's pro desktop is
using outdated CPUs and an aging video card, yet it's still Apple's
most powerful computer with 64-bit Geekbench
scores ranging from 9,688 (2.8 GHz 4-core version) to 24,269 (2.93
GHz, 12 cores). The top-end 21.5"
and 27" 2011 iMacs outperform the two lowest-end Mac Pro
configurations, as does the entry-level 2.3 GHz MacBook Pro with Retina
Display at 11,248, and the top-end Retina MacBook Pro (13,409)
nearly catches the 2.4 GHz 8-core Mac Pro (14,174). Regardless of raw
power, the Mac Pro needs to offer the same Thunderbolt and USB 3
connectivity that Apple has made the standard with its newest MacBook
models. dk
Link:
Apple's Minimal Mac Pro Update Ticks Off Loyalist Andy
Hertzfeld
Apple's Tim Cook Confirms Updated Mac Pro for
2013
AppleInsider's Mikey Campbell reports:
"An email from Apple CEO Tim Cook confirms that the company is
indeed working on a professional-level Mac to be released sometime in
2013, allaying fears of current Mac Pro owners that the desktop had
reached its end of life."
Link: Tim Cook Confirms
Updated Mac Pro Coming in 2013
What Happens During Permissions Repair?
That's a question I've long somewhat idly wondered about. I run
permissions repair from time to time along with a slate of other
maintenance routines with OnyX,
my favorite OS X maintenance utility, but I have always been hazy as to
what was being accomplished.
Now MacFixIt's Topher Kessler has posted an explanation, noting that
the permissions structure in OS X helps prevent inadvertent file
access, and a permissions repair ensures the integrity of this
structure, noting that there are two types of permissions in OS X,
the first being traditional Unix permissions that just manage access on
a full read or full write basis (allowing or denying each), and also an
"execute" permission that allows scripts and other code to be executed
as a process, with every file and folder in OS X containing
traditional permissions and optional ACL entries associated with it,
and that the permissions fixing routine in OS X checks the
permissions setup against a permissions database that is maintained on
the system, reading through all relevant receipt packages and files,
then comparing files on disk to those in the database and if a mismatch
is found, even if the mismatch is a benign alteration such as that
mentioned above, it will output an error regarding this discrepancy and
will revert the change.
Kessler notes that because standard use of the system will often
result in small, benign alterations of the permissions settings on
files, it is not uncommon for a permissions fixing routine to
repeatedly list a number of permissions discrepancies.
Link: What Happens
During Permissions Repair in OS X?
Products & Services
Sonnet's xMac mini Server Rack Enclosure Expansion
System Now Shipping
PR: Sonnet has announced shipment of its xMac mini Server, a
combination PCIe 2.0 expansion system and 1U rack-mount enclosure for
Mac mini with Thunderbolt
ports. This innovative Sonnet product recently received a Post Pick
Award at the 2012 NAB Show, granted to select best-in-show offerings
that are destined to have the greatest impact on post-production
workflows.
"Improving on already rock-solid design and incorporating valuable
feedback from partners and beta customers, our engineers did a
phenomenal job of creating a transformational product that enables
users to turn a Mac mini computer into something much more," comments
Greg LaPorte, Sonnet Technologies VP sales and marketing. "The added
features and design improvements make the xMac mini Server an even
more-compelling product. After months of refinement and testing, we are
pleased to begin shipping this week."
xMac mini Server transforms a Mac mini into a full-fledged
expandable rackmount server, mounting the computer inside a specially
designed 1U rackmount enclosure that contains two PCI Express (PCIe)
2.0 slots that connect to the computer through its Thunderbolt port.
The expansion system features a 100W power supply and employs variable
speed fans to cool the cards and computer. This system enables users to
plug in two PCIe adapter cards (one half-length/low profile and one
full-length/full-height) to slots connected to the Mac mini via an
included Thunderbolt cable, while enabling the daisy chain connection
of additional Thunderbolt peripherals to the xMac mini Servers second
Thunderbolt port.
The Mac mini's Gigabit Ethernet, USB, and HDMI interfaces are
extended to panel-mounted connectors on the back of the unit. With
these features, the Mac mini is able to use expansion cards normally
usable only in the Mac Pro, and is ideally suited as a stand-in for
Apple's now-discontinued Xserve for a
smaller, lighter, and more compact footprint. This makes it ideal for
use cases such as a back office RAID Server, a metadata controller or
mobile rack frequently used in mobile pro audio, or on-location shoots
for cinema and other media projects.
xMac mini Server requires the use of Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe
expansion cards. Compatible cards fall into numerous categories
including pro audio, Ethernet, Fibre Channel, SAS/SATA RAID
controllers, video capture, and editing, with the list continually
expanding as more cards are tested and certified.
xMac Mini Server (part number XMAC-MS) is available now for $1,295.
More information on the product and compatible PCIe expansion cards is
available at sonnettech.com.
Link: xMac mini
Server
Software
Adobe Flash for Mac Update Adds Silent Background
Updating
PR: Adobe's Stephen Pohl notes that the company released
Flash Player 11.3, including immediate availability of a new Background
Updater for Mac.
Pohl explains that the Background Updater on Mac works in much the
same way as on Windows, with the difference that it uses a LaunchDaemon
instead of a scheduled task and Windows service. After opting into the
Background Updater during the installation, the Background Updater will
trigger an update check with actual network traffic every 24 hours if
the system remains connected to the Internet. If an update is found, it
will be applied silently in the background.
This new update mode will end ambiguity over whether an Adobe Flash
update invitation that pop up on your Mac is genuine or a bogus attempt
to install Trojan Horse malware.
Adobe has also introduced new features in Flash Player 11.3 to
enable more immersive experiences, especially for gaming. Developers
can now build games allowing users complete keyboard input while
remaining in full screen mode, preserving full throttled immersion in
games.
Flash Player 11 and later require OS X 10.6 or newer on an Intel
Mac.
Link: Download Flash Player (version
10.3 is still available for OS X 10.4 and 10.5 users)
SixtyFour Reduces Memory Overhead by Opening Apps
in 32-bit Mode
PR: SixtyFour is a memory optimizer and system utility for
Mac OS X; its main purpose is the augmentation of overall system
performance on low memory systems by reducing the memory overhead
associated with apps running in 64-bit mode.
SixtyFour is compatible with any G5-based PowerPC or 64-bit-capable
Intel hardware running Mac OS X 10.5
Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow
Leopard, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, or higher.
SixtyFour facilitates setting a preference to force a 64-bit app to
open in 32-bit mode. Forcing a 64-bit app to open in 32-bit mode
reduces its memory usage significantly and shortens its startup
time.
SixtyFour presents a list of apps that can open in 64-bit mode. Apps
excluded from the list are apps that will not open, 32-bit apps, apps
that will only open in 32-bit mode, Java apps, and unregistered
apps.
A selected checkbox indicates that the app will open in 32-bit mode,
a non-selected checkbox indicates that the app will open in 64-bit
mode, and a disabled check box indicates that the app will only open in
64-bit mode.
SixtyFour is 7-day trialware.
Publisher's note: I just installed SixtyFour on my 2007 Mac mini
running OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard. As this Mac has a 64-bit CPU, the
program does run. However, it didn't find a single application on my
hard drive that could be switched between 32-bit and 64-bit operation.
Nice that you can try it before you decide whether to buy it.
dk
Link: SixtyFour
Foiling Apple's 'Kill the Finder' Agenda,
XtraFinder Adds Tabs and Extra Features to the Finder
NoodleMac's Ron McElfresh thinks Apple is trying to kill the Mac OS
Finder - or at least make it more obscure. McElfresh acknowledges that
we manage email messages within email client apps, photos within the
iPhoto app, music within iTunes, and there's no Finder on the iPhone or
iPad, with more and more OS X Lion apps discarding use of the
Finder to store files.
However, call him old school if you will, but McElfresh likes
knowing where his files live, and the Finder, despite some
shortcomings, gets the job done. Add the new free XtraFinder utility
and it gets the job done even better, faster, and easier taking a
diametrically opposite tack to Apple's anti-finder push.
XtraFinder adds these features to the Mac OS X Finder:
- Tabs (experimental).
- Arrange folders on top.
- "Copy Path" menu.
- "Show Hidden Items", "Refresh", "New File", "Copy to", "Move to",
"Launch as Root" ... actions.
- Cut & Paste.
- "Contents" menu displays contents of folder.
- "Select..." action let you quickly select items in a Finder
window.
- Path bar enhancements: Spring-loaded, Contents menu.
- Maximize on Zoom.
- Automatically arrange items by Name in Icons View.
XtraFinder requires Mac OS X 10.6.6 or higher
Link: Kill the Finder?
Or, Add More Features? This Free Mac App Aims to Improve the Mac's
Finder
Link: XtraFinder
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