Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with apple

Mac replacements for Windows software: Bonus points for open-source and/or freeware

curagea — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:35:50 -0800

I'm in the market for an MBP, and thus will need to migrate stuff from my PC eventually. I'm looking specifically for Mac software that are very similar in UI and/or features to the Windows software I'm using now. I found this AskMeFi post, which helps a bit, but doesn't cover everything I'm looking for

My list (sorry, this will be long):
- Notepad++
- FileZilla
- Trillian - I understand there's Adium
- Manga Studio EX - it's kind of stupid how the Debut edition is available in Mac, but not the EX version. Might downgrade.
- VirtualDub
- Combined Community Codec Pack (CCCP)
- MozBackup
- Bink and Smacker
- WinRAR
- I need CD/DVD burning software. Nero crapped on me a while back.
- A simple font viewer. Right now I have Free&Easy Font Viewer.
- Cabos - Am looking at AcqLite
- CamStudio
- MP3Gain
- Total Audio Converter
- PowerISO and MagicDisc
- if anyone can think of a better torrent client than Deluge, let me know
- OpenOffice - I know it's available for Mac, but I'd like to know if there are better suites.
- Acronis Disk Director (is partitioning available on Mac?)
- Notebook Hardware Control

Again, it'll be great to get Mac software that are similar in interface so I don't spend too much time hunting for some task that used to appear on the left hand side of my PC screen, or something like that.

Thanks in advance!

I have a big monitor, help me fill it

nitsuj — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:02:37 -0800

What are some good applications that take advantage of a big monitor? I recently acquired a nice, big 24" Dell widescreen monitor to hook into my Macbook Pro (running OSX5.4) and rediscovered the joys of Google Earth. What are some other fun applications I should I try out now that I have the larger real estate?

Games are OK, I guess, but I'm looking more for interesting applications that are especially awesome when viewing on a ginormous screen. Thanks!

How to best handle my iTunes library?

arniec — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:47:29 -0800

What is the easiest and best way for me to share my large iTunes multimedia library amongst 4 Macs? I have a multimedia library (mostly MP3 files ripped from my personal collection, a few purchased iTunes songs some with DRM somewithout, and one or two movies/TV shows purchased from iTunes) that is approaching 100GB. This is stored currently on a 100GB external hard drive.

My wife and I have 4 computers; we each have a desktop and a laptop. All 4 are authorized on our shared iTunes account for our content.

Currently the library is hooked into my Airport Extreme's USB port. As the router uses little power and is always on, it seemed the best way to share the files across the network. However we have 2 problems:

1) To add this library to a computer takes overnight. It must process all the files on the drive, then cover index, etc. This isn't a problem if it were a one time thing or even once per computer but...

2) When one of us purchases more music, etc. it only appears on one computer at most (if, for example, we make a DRM free purchase at Amazon it shows up on no computers).

As we like to keep our media organized by Artist, Album, Song, we end up having to purge our entire iTunes library and re-add it (taking, again, overnight) to find the few tracks added.

What I want is a simple way to have the library on all 4 computers and when any computer adds a file all computers see it.

Bonus points: 1) If one of us accidentally opens a file like an MP3 sent by e-mail in iTunes and then deletes it, it does not cause a dead link on all computers.

2) Uber bonus points if there is also a way to share these files with my X-Box/PS3/multimedia receiver to play my music in our living room.

Thank you hive mind! Help me see the links I can't see for myself in this conundrum.

How ya like dem apples?

spicynuts — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:06:10 -0800

Brand new Mac convert - haven't used one since the IISE back in college. So far I love it but I have some questions about converting my peripherals or moving data like music, etc. So I bought a Macbook Pro. I have a self-built PC at home. All of my peripherals including digital film scanner, photo printer, color diagnostics, external storage, iPod, etc are PC. I'm going to slowly start migrating stuff over. So with that in mind, two questions:

1) How do I get my music that is stored in my PC formatted iPod or iTunes folders into my Mac so I can at least use the mac to play my music through iTunes?

2) Is it possible to reformat my iPod for the mac and have it function properly with the dock that I have? Or do I need to buy a mac specific doc?

Thanks!

How to sell an iMac in NYC.

youcancallmeal — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:11:00 -0800

How to sell a two year old iMac in NYC? I have an Intel iMac that I bought in September of 2006 and that I'm looking to sell. I've listed it on NYC Craigslist for $950 OBO, but there haven't been any bites and I'm leery to use eBay since it seems to be pretty scammy lately. It has Applecare, but no box or anything. Just the computer, an upgraded keyboard and a mouse.

Is there anywhere in NYC that would buy this and not totally rip me off? Is there anywhere else I can list it for private purchase?

To buy or not to buy; apple forces consumer to make decisions

ageispolis — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:39:54 -0800

Looking to buy a MacBook through Apple's education store. I need it for the upcoming school year. I'm stoked on the free iPod-touch but heard an upgrade is coming very soon. Is it worth it to wait for the new line of laptops? Does anyone know when this is expected to happen? The idea of upgraded hardware / appearance is obviously appealing, and if I was certain the update was coming by some time in September, I do not mind waiting whatsoever. But what if it takes them to December to bring out the Macs? It may mean missing out on the iPod-touch deal (I need an iPod badly after mine was stolen). I wouldn't mind skipping the free iPod if it means buying the upgraded MacBook instead - insofar as I get it before the middle of Sept when classes really start to take off. Any chance it'll happen this summer and I could get the best of both worlds, the new build + the iPod touch deal? What would you do in my shoes?

New MacBook functionality for old MacBook?

alitorbati — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:49:37 -0800

I have the first generation intel MacBook with this keyboard. Some of the F keys have special functions like volume up/down, and screen dimmer controls. The newer keyboard has additional functions like play/pause, next song, previous song, etc. I want to add the functionality of the new keyboard buttons to my old MacBook's keyboard. Is there software that will do this? Is there some other solution? Thanks!

display/resolution problem with monitor/macbook

cg2 — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:17:50 -0800

display/resolution problem with monitor/macbook I have a View Sonic (VA2226w) 22 inch monitor plugged into my apple laptop. I found the correct resolution with no fuss when I first set up my desk, but then my laptop froze and I had to force quit. When i restarted it, the resolution was all wrong. I went through every resolution option under the display section for both the Color LCD and the monitor's make #, but none of them are right. I re-started again and the monitor messaged me to try 1680 x 1050 which is the right resolution, but it is now not using the full screen (there is a 1.5 inch boarder on the top, a 2.5 inch boarder on the right, a 1.25 inch boarder on the bottom, and a 2.25 inch boarder on the left). How do I keep this resolution but utilize all of my 22 inch monitor?

Help me keep my apps!

dondiego87 — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:26:45 -0800

Upgrading HDD in my MacBook. I'd like to preserve my apps and preferences while re-installing Tiger. I have a backup that would be bootable if not for the fact that it's sitting on a non-Firewire external HD. If I didn't want to re-install Tiger, I assume I could just boot from the Mac OS X Restore CD and restore from my USB backup. (If that's wrong, please let me know.)

BUT, since I do want to re-install the OS, how would I restore my applications and their preferences from the backup disk?

-- After re-installing Tiger, could I just drag and drop the contents of the backup disk onto my Macintosh HD? It seems like this might negate the benefits of re-installing the OS. I guess I could tell it to skip copying all duplicate items, and just write down all my preferences for the default apps whose preferences wouldn't get copied from the backup disk.

-- Is there some kind of preference-backup program available for Tiger that I could use for this?

-- Would all my app registrations be invalidated by this, requiring me to purchase them again or at least write a nice letter asking for another code? Or would they be preserved?

Thanks so much.

PS: Sorry, I feel like I've seen this question before but I can't seem to find it.

Can't delete my mail.

blaneyphoto — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:04:57 -0800

Mail won't let me delete one particular email! I've got a brand new 24" iMac, running OSX 10.5 (Leopard) and everything is fine - except this one email that I can't get rid of! I've tried everything I can think of but it still hangs out when deleted. Specifically, when I delete it, rather than going to the trash it just dims as though its been marked as "read". It then appears as unread in my inbox the next time I launch Mail. Its a message from a yahoo group if that matters. All the other messages from that group have been received, read and deleted just fine.

Any ideas???

Help me listen to my music ... please?

chairish — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:38:15 -0800

Tossing an idea around here ... I'd like to use my old Powerbook as a media server for my Windows network. 1. Me - Vista Business notebook, brand new. I also use an eeePC when I go away.
2. Beloved - almost new XP Pro notebook
3. Son - teenager at home - aging XP Pro desktop, aging Pocket PC, Windows compatible phone
4. Daughter - comes and goes - aging XP Pro notebook

And I have a spare G4 Powerbook that, although three and a half years old, is running nicely.

What I want to do is somehow turn the Powerbook into a media server for our Windows machines. We are a wireless household and we all love our music and movies (currently over 100GB of each on an external hard drive - NTFS). I'd love to be able to use the Powerbook as some sort of server for our media. Ideas?

What accessories do I need for a macbook?

donajo — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:52:15 -0800

First-time laptop buyer: What accessories do I need? I'm buying a MacBook in a few months, my very first laptop, and I'm trying to figure out what kind of accessories and peripherals I will need. I know I need a wireless router and a wireless mouse, but what else should I be thinking about/budgeting for? I'll be using it at home 90% of the time, but I'll also be using it occasionally at research libraries and on vacation. I already have a backpack with a built-in laptop sleeve.

Is there anything else a lifetime desktop-user needs to know about owning a laptop?

Warranty service for hacked iPhone?

aeighty — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:21:55 -0800

iPhone is freezing constantly. How do I send it back to Apple? I live in Canada and so have my phone jailbroken so I can use it with a canadain carrier. Unfortunately the last week or so the phone has started freezing to the point of being unusable. Of course this can be blamed on the "hacking" but the last software update was months ago. I suspect this is a hardware failure and as such, Apple needs to take care of it. I bought this phone last November, so it should still be under warranty.

Any ideas how to play this with Apple support?

3 more months! Noooooooo!

gergtreble — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:34:48 -0800

16gb iphone 3g shortage in the UK? Say it aint so! I just went into my local O2 store to register my interest in the new iPhone and to get my credit checks done.

I mentioned I wanted a black one, and the manager said not to worry as it was only the 16gb ones that come in white. I told him I actually wanted the 16gig model. Then he dropped the bomb:

"Oh we aren't expecting to get any 16gb iphones in on the launch day. In fact it may take up to 3 months to get them in stock"

That came from the store manager, but the guy I was dealing with seemed to think that there would be some 16gb iphones available.

I guess it wouldn't be a major product launch if there wasn't a shortage. But 3 months!

Any of you guys know anything about this? Do any of you work for O2? I don't think I could live with an 8gig one. I just hope that this guy didn't know what he was talking about.

Hope me please!

(And yes I WILL be at the sore at 7:02am on the morning of launch like the sad little fanboy that I am.)

Old XP Install to Boot Camp Partition?

nokry56 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:37:11 -0800

Is there a way to convert my current Windows XP install to a Boot Camp install for my just ordered Mac Pro? I'm currently running a 3 year old Windows XP machine that I am replacing with a 8 core Mac Pro. What I would like is to have my old Windows XP install available to dual-boot into via Boot Camp. Then I'll run that Boot Camp install via VMWare Fusion for times that I don't need to reboot.

Hopefully this makes sense. If it doesn't let me know and I'll try to explain it in a different way.

Thanks!

iWant, but should iBuy?

sjuhawk31 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:07:35 -0800

iPod PurchaseFilter: I've been itching to upgrade to an iPod touch, but I fear that they'll be updated soon after I buy. The Mac Buyer's Guide confirms my suspicion, but only with the general "Approaching End of Cycle," and my search of blogs doesn't seem to give any definitive answer. Does anyone have additional information that could further persuade me to hold off?

why does my iphone buzz/vibrate in the cradle EVERY 20 SECONDS?

tremspeed — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:28:34 -0800

why does my iphone buzz/vibrate in the cradle EVERY 20 SECONDS? sometimes when I plug in my iphone to charge it gives the usual 2-buzz when it receives power, and then KEEPS doing it over and over. it is SO annoying. it's usually every 20 seconds or so, sometimes more rapidly, sometimes it does three buzzes in a row, every like ten seconds or so. unless you've experienced this, you have no idea how annoying it is.

so... why? and what can i do?

OS X in a WHS Envirnoment?

kbanas — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:16:52 -0800

I have finally completed a overhaul of my home network. There's only one question left - how can I leverage the resources I have to backup my Mac? After years of doing a half-ass job, but I finally got my act together with my home computing infrastructure.

I now have a machine with Windows Home Server and a couple terabytes of disk space tucked into the corner of the closet in the bedroom (my girlfriend was surprisingly cool with that addition). I have a PC running Vista Ultimate acting as a media center of sorts, playing stuff from the 'ol Home Server. There are also a myriad of other Dell desktop PCs spread out over the house - one in the office, one in another bedroom.

All the Windows boxes backup every night to the Home Server, I'm able to stream media pretty effortlessly from one machine to another, I am, generally speaking, at peace.

Except there's my MacBook Pro.

I'd really like to be backing up this machine, as it has several (several, several) gigabytes of important work.

Time Capsule would work, except it's expensive and I already have several terabytes of empty disk space sitting on the network, so nuts to that.

A USB-disk drive with Time Machine would work, except that my laptop doesn't really have a "home" - it's always on me, so if I have to set it down, hook it up, and back it up on a schedule, well, that's not going to work for me.

I want to be able to back it up over the network to the Home Server. There have been rumors for some time that Microsoft is going to add a little Time Machine plugin for WHS, but as far as I can tell, that's never going to happen - or, if it is going to happen, it's not going to happen any time soon.

The one thing I can do is map a shared drive to the server on my MacBook Pro using Samba.

So, I guess what I need is a robust, reliable piece of OS X software that can backup over the network to a shared drive. Bonus points if it's free, but if it's not, well, my data's probably worth more to me than free dollars, so I'll pay.

I've found a couple pieces of software by browsing through Lifehacker and a couple other sites, but they mostly seem to focus on synchronizing over the network. I don't want that. I want incremental backups.

The end.

Why is my laptop so hot, and what laptop can I buy that won't burn me?

BuddhaInABucket — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:21:22 -0800

Do all laptops get this hot? I currently own a 15" powerbook g4 that gets so hot I can't actually put it on my lap. I had the same problem with my previous computer, a 12" powerbook g4. Does this happen with all Apple laptops, or is it just powerbooks that end up like this? It's bad enough that I'm considering buying a new computer, but I don't want to get burned (no pun intended) again. What's the coolest computer I can get?

Clean up my "Documents" folder!

mikespez — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:23:18 -0800

How do I hide folders in OS X that other programs need regular access to? If you're like me and use a Mac with Applications on it, you'll find that your Documents folder is frequently cluttered up with stuff you don't want to see. I Have folders titled "Microsoft User Data", "OmniFocus Backups", and "Quicken Backup Folder" to name a few.

I want to hide these so I'm not bothered by them. I don't think I can do the typical Unix trick, when you begin the filename with a ".", the file is made invisible without disrupting Office, OmniFocus, and Quicken by changing the name of the folder. Is there any other way?

Pimp Mom's clambook!

mdonley — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:08:23 -0800

What free/low-cost/simple kinds of things can be done to the clamshell G3 iBook my mom uses for really basic web stuff to make it function better? So mom got this thing from a friend of my teenage brother for, like, a hundred dollars or something. The friend wiped it, installed OS 10.2.8, and handed it over; she started using it. And she loves it! She's never had a computer of her own before. It runs pretty smoothly when she checks her e-mail or reads the news, considering its advanced age: Firefox can have multiple tabs open, starts up pretty quickly, no huge, glaring technical issues - day to day, it does what it says on the box, so to speak.

However (according to her):

- Things are slooooow...not achingly slow, but enough to be frustrating for her. It's got 128 MB of RAM, a 4 GB hard drive, and has a 366 MHz PowerPC processor. Are we doomed, or can we quicken things a bit?

- There's no word processor, so .doc attachments to e-mails aren't readable (as far as we know). Lightweight (but .doc-friendly) apps to solve this? Could the thing run a version of Microsoft Word that wouldn't paralyze it or be incompatible with what's around today?

- Lots of streaming web content doesn't work. She says that videos, audio, that kind of thing have caused problems or just been invisible. This isn't too surprising, but can anything be done? Are there plugins we can get to ameliorate this, or are we hosed?

Any other advice? We're happy to invest some money in this if it keeps it usable for a while. The primary uses of this machine are, again:

1) E-mailing (web-based only - not using Mail, etc.)
2) News reading
3) Pretty light web browsing: buying the odd plane ticket, reading a New Yorker article, looking at a Flickr album, that kind of thing.

Thanks!

Tracking stolen ipod and laptop possible?

nomadicink — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:43:52 -0800

Our house has been robbed. Some of the things they took were an 867mhz G4 laptop and a 80gb iPod classic. Is there any way to trace or find out if and when those devices attempt to get online again? And for future reference, is there anything we could do with such electronic devices so that they attempt to phone home or some such if stolen?

Help me understand Boot Camp and its limitations, please!

DMan — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:09:42 -0800

I'm purchasing an iMac sometime this weekend (yay!) and I'm trying to figure out how I want to partition the drive for Boot Camp... So I'm getting a new iMac, and as a computer engineering student I can definitely see where I'll want to test hardware or software on multiple platforms--Windows XP is a necessity, and I'd love to have Vista and Linux if possible.

So, first off, is this possible? I've seen some stuff recently about Linux being difficult to install on a Mac with Boot Camp, is that true? And also, can I have both a XP and Vista installation on my computer, on separate partitions? I have OEM versions of both OS's.

If this is possible, what's the best way for me to partition the drive, space-wise? Out of the 3 I'd like to install (XP, Vista, and Linux) I know for a fact I'll be using XP the most, mainly for gaming but also for Office and a few other Windows-only apps. So I was thinking about 60GB for XP, and the bare minimum for Ubuntu. So assuming I can install all those OS's, how much space should I save for each one? I'd rather partition it all at once rather than go back and do it later.

My final question is a bit more simple. Would I be able to create a separate partition on the drive to store my music? Rather than create a new copy of the music on each partition, I'd rather have a separate "Music" drive. I can't use an external because the only one I have is going to be used for Time Machine.

To recap:

- Can I install Windows XP, Vista, and Ubuntu on my iMac along with Leopard?

- What's the minimum space I'd need for Vista and Ubuntu? Drive is a 500GB; I'd like to leave, at bare minimum, 300GB free on the Leopard partition.

- Can I easily create a separate partition for music? About 20 GB would be all I'd need.

Thanks for all the help! I'm new to Apple computers, so this should be interesting.

Has Yelle ever been in a commercial?

speek — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:03:53 -0800

Has this songever been in an apple commercial? I am absolutely convinced that this song (Je veux te voir by Yelle) was once in an apple commercial, but I find no evidence of it...

Remember kids, the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.

Quicktime is Jerkytime

adrober — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:49:54 -0800

My boyfriend recently upgraded to QuickTime 7.5 on his G5 running Tiger 10.4.11. Now old Quicktime videos play back extremely choppy as if they're playing at the incorrect frame rate. What should he do??