Seeking a clean way to mount a directory on one HFS+ drive as a directory on another such drive on same machine I need to seamlessly mount (and automount, e.g. via fstab) a directory (folder) on one drive to appear at the commandline and GUI level as a directory on another, on the same machine. This is to defeat some "smart" software that detects that symlinks and aliases are not "real" directories and refuses to act on them.

In Linux, this would be trivially easy, with:
 mount --bind /path1/source_dir /path2/target_dir
However, Mac OS's version of mount does not support this bind functionality (in any form, including mount -o bind, or mount -B), as far as I can determine. It also appears that none of Macports, Homebrew, or Fink supply a ported version of mount with such an option.  Some available more specialized mounting tools don't seem to relate, either (e.g. xmount is for disk images, and djmount is for network volumes).

To be clear, I'm not trying to mount a disk or partition as a volume or as a local directory, nor to create a share to be mounted arbitrarily by various users on various machines. Rather, I want to mount a folder, owned and writable only by a particular user, on an HFS+ disk as if it were a folder on another HFS+ disk, locally, in a way that is effectively transparent, with the same permissions and no security/integrity issues.

A sloppy workaround is to create a CIFS share of the folder to be mounted, and (calling a custom, one-shot variant of smb.conf) limit its permissions in Samba just-so, such that it is not public, and has the same permissions as the target location, exactly the right file and directory mask, etc.; then mount it that way. But this would be inefficient, since it would be using the bletcherous Windows filesharing protocol, plus creating a visible share that shows up as a mountable volume from the SMB server, to anyone who can access this machine though SMB/CIFS (even if they cannot actually mount it). The Mac GUI will probably also represent it as a volume being shared.

To mount a hard drive on a custom mountpoint:

  You can do this with diskutil mount and the -mountPoint option.
  From the man page:

    mount [readOnly] [-mountPoint path] device

    Mount a single volume.  If readOnly is specified, then the file system is mounted read-only, even if the volume's underlying file
    system and/or device and/or media supports writing; even the
    super-user may not write to it; this is the same as the rdonly option
    to mount (8).  If a -mountPoint is specified, then that path, rather
    than the standard path of /Volumes/VolumeName, will be used as the
    view into the volume file con- tent; a directory at that path must
    already exist.

    From man diskutil, section 'Verbs'.

  The syntax to mount to a custom mountpoint is as follows:

diskutil mount -mountPoint /path/to/custom/mountpoint [volume (identifier/UUID/label)]

  Bear in mind that /path/to/custom/mountpoint must be a
  directory, just like with mount, and that your
  identifier/UUID/label are specific to the volume (i.e. /dev/diskXsY
  not /dev/diskX). Mounting to a custom mountpoint cannot be done with
  diskutil mountDisk, and only works with a single volume at a time.

From my answer to How to mount disk by UUID or LABEL in OS X El Capitan.

I've tested this by "mounting" a USB stick on an external hard drive. As an example,

$ diskutil list
/dev/disk0 (internal, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *500.3 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh SSD           499.4 GB   disk0s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk0s3
/dev/disk1 (external, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *1.0 TB     disk1
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk1s1
   2:                  Apple_HFS HDD-1T                  999.8 GB   disk1s2
/dev/disk2 (external, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:     FDisk_partition_scheme                        *31.6 GB    disk2
   1:               Windows_NTFS USB-32                  31.6 GB    disk2s1

As you can see, /dev/disk2s1, or USB-32 is the name of the USB stick I am going to mount on the hard drive, /dev/disk1s2, or HDD-1T. To do so, make use of the -mountPoint option. But first, make sure there is a landing directory to mount onto:

$ mkdir /Volumes/HDD-1T/mountpoint

And now, to mount:

$ diskutil mount -mountPoint /Volumes/HDD-1T/mountpoint /dev/disk1s2

The mounted disk will appear in the following locations: /Volumes,  and /Volumes/HDD-1T/mountpoint as USB-32 and mountpoint respectively.

Be sure to unmount (diskutil umount) your USB-32 equivalent before remounting on your HDD-1T equivalent.


After 10.9.2 updated, OSX crashed, contextual menu broken 1/After I updated to 10.9.2 this morning, my OSX keeps crashing over and over again. Up to now is almost 10 times or more.
2/Besides that issue, I also found my Contextual Menu in Finder really weird. It's messy and lost "Services" menu item. (see image below)

I doubt that some of my Apple Scripts may be incompatible with 10.9.2 and caused such crash. Can anybody guide me how and where to remove those add-on scripts?
3/ Also when I press any keys from the Hot Keys section above on the keyboard, it caused OSX to crash. Does anybody know how to fix the crashing?

It is very probably caused by Total Finder app. Try to update it or simply quit it and run again. It worked for me and contextual menu is back.

Repair your disc permissions after update might help. I updated last night and shut down for college this morning. Upon booting I have a grey screen with a flashing question mark folder. I've tried all the reset tricks the mac simply can't 'see' the hard drive. My directory is corrupted. I cant pin it to the update. I've done some tests and found my hard to be fine. But my mac cant read/ power of ANY internal hard drive! Any hard drive I put it won't spin up. external is ok but annoying since I have a 2.0 enclosure. I can only surmise the hard drive cable is faulty. It had to happen 2 days before a project in college is due. My mac is only a year and half old and only a few months out of warranty. Thanks apple. Thanks a lot.


Run a system wide keylogger I'd like to run a system wide keylogger (For purely educational/backup purposes of course) on Mac OS Sierra, how can I do it without buying expensive apps for that?

I've been using logKext from github but it stopped working after upgrade from El Capitan.

I almost got it working, but console is showing me Error: Daemon must run as root., I've tried to sudo chown root each file but to no use.

Any ideas? Thanks!

Update:
I got it running but it's not logging any keys. Console shows no errors connected with it.

try to:
rebbot with CMD + R
launch Terminal
I guess system gonna ask for the administration password
then type : csrutil disable
then reboot your system normaly
and instal Logkext


How can I change a file's creator code on vanilla Snow Leooard? When Xcode is installed your best bet to change a file's creator is SetFile.

I only found AppleScript. Unfortunately, while the type is set correctly, the second line silently fails on my 10.6:

set theFile to choose file
tell application "Finder"
    set file type of theFile to "TEXT"
    set creator type of theFile to "iDAT"
end tell

How can I change a file's creator code on a vanilla (just installed) system, even when Xcode is not installed?

I ran the following script on a variety of files on my system running 10.7.4. I ran it on files in my home directory, I ran it on files on a mounted FAT16 volume.

I was unable to get it to fail silently. If the file selected was locked or read only, the script failed with the error "Finder got an error: The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have the necessary permission."

Otherwise, in all the cases I tried, the script worked: regardless of the type and creator reported at the beginning, the type and creator reported at the end was TEXT and iDAT. Similarly, when I ran the script again on the same file, it initially reported type and creator of TEXT and iDAT, respectively.

So my advice would be to upgrade to Lion; if the script fails in 10.6, it seems to be a bug that has been fixed in 10.7.

set theFile to choose file
tell application "Finder"
    set myAlert to get file type of theFile
    display alert myAlert
    set myAlert to get creator type of theFile
    display alert myAlert
    set file type of theFile to "TEXT"
    set creator type of theFile to "iDAT"
    set myAlert to get file type of theFile
    display alert myAlert
    set myAlert to get creator type of theFile
    display alert myAlert
end tell

According to Wikipedia, in Snow Leopard, the Creator Code are ignored by Mac OS X.

On Textmate's Wiki, it's also advised to leave this field blank.


Start/stop internet sharing from a script? Is there a way to start/stop internet sharing from the command line or maybe an apple script?

The thing is that I move around my laptop between home and work. At one place I get wireless internet (and thus I have to disable internet sharing), and at the other I get internet from an ethernet cable and set up the computer to share the internet to other devices by creating a small wireless network.

But it's getting a bit tedious having to go into System Preferences and start/stop the internet sharing every time I switch locations, so I would like to have a quick command or script to launch and do the switch on demand.

Any hints or ideas?

To start Internet Sharing from the CLI:

sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.InternetSharing.plist

To stop, change the load to unload.

Note that if you have the pref pane open when you run this you will not see the change take effect immediately (the UI won't update), but it does work.

/usr/bin/defaults write /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.nat NAT -dict Enabled -int 0


Can I install and run Safari 8 on OS X 10.11 El Capitan? I'm a developer supporting Safari 8 and 9 and would like to be able to run both on the same machine. I assume Safari 9 won't run on Yosemite. Is there a way to install Safari 8 on El Capitan?

I'm a web developer as well with a need to test on older versions of Safari. Here's your best bet (caveat: this assumes you own VMware Fusion or a similar virtual machine emulator that can handle Mac OS).

Assuming you've upgraded your Mac through previous versions of Mac OS (Yosemite, El Capitan, etc), you can still access those in the AppStore under "Purchased." Find the OS you want and click the "Download" button.

Once it's done, check your /Applications folder for "Install El Capitan" (I forget the exact filename, but it begins with "Install"). With VMware Fusion, it's insanely easy to install this as a virtual machine. Open up Fusion and add a new machine, and choose "Install from disc or image" and simply drag/drop the Mac OS installer app onto the VMware import window.

Follow the usual steps to install a virtual machine, make sure you allocate enough RAM, and you're good to go! By doing this, I was able to install El Capitan as a virtual OS on my Sierra machine, and test on Safari 9.

While you can't install previous versions of Safari, you can emulate previous versions. From the Develop menu, select User Agent, and then Other....

From there, you can enter in a custom User Agent. For example, from the link in Tetsujin's above answer, you can replace the Safari agent thus:

Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_10_4) AppleWebKit/600.7.12 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/8.0.7 Safari/600.7.12

You should be able to emulate any prior version of Safari in this manner.


Can't rearrange Dock icons On OS X Yosemite, I can't rearrange my dock icons. I click one, and drag, but it just stays in place and stops highlighting.

Here's a demonstration

This has been so ever since I upgraded to Yosemite

I've tried killing it with

killall Dock

To no avail. It just stays stuck.

After restart, I can drag once or twice but I'm not sure what event causes it to stop. If I wait too long after reboot, that privilege is taken away from me.

Any idea what can be done?

So turns out, this problem extended to other parts in the system, namely: Xcode.
After some back-and-forth communication with Apple's support case team, the crash problem in Xcode turned out to be ibtoold and pboard processes are malfunctioning. They said it's a clipboard set of processes, and if I have any clipboard-relevant apps - they might be clashing with them.

So the only possible culprit on my system was CopyClip.

To make sure that was indeed the problem, I quit CopyClip, and restarted the processes, then restarted Xcode:

killall ibtoold pboard

And it worked. I made sure that was indeed the problem by starting CopyClip again, then running the same command again - and the problem returned. I then fixed it once more.

I figured the problem might be the same for the Dock, so I killed it:

killall Dock

And voila, it was functioning again!

TL;DR: Applications that provide special handling for the clipboard, such as CopyClip or PushBullet's "Universal Copy and Paste" collide with processes necessary for Xcode and Dock to function correctly. My problem was resolved by disabling or getting rid of that app and restarting.

You have to move the item before the menu pops up. So click and immediately move the icon.


Is there a way to get the TV sound being played on a MacBook Pro via HDMI? I have an LG HDTV and a 2019 MacBook Pro with a thunderbolt to HDMI adapter. What i would like to do is to watch tv normally but playing the tv's sound on the Mac's speakers. Is this possible? Does someone knows a way of doing this?
Thank you very much in advance

No.  This cannot be done.
Your MacBook doesn't have HDMI ports; they are Thunderbolt 3 ports meaning the display signal you're getting from it is DisplayPort.  So, they will not support ARC* (HDMI technology) as mentioned in the comments.  Secondly, the DisplayPort signal is one way; it's video out.
The Mac isn't designed to be an monitor with audio/video capabilities; it's not an HDMI endpoint device, it's the source.  This would be like asking your TV to send audio or video to your XBox or DVD player.
Now, this doesn't mean you can't input sound into your Mac; obviously it can because it has a line input port.  What you need to do is extract the audio channel from the HDMI with an HDMI Audio De-Embedder/Extractor then take the audio via a 3.5mm cable and input it into the Mac. You can then use a product like Audio Hijack or Soundflower to route the audio from the Line-In to the speakers.
While this is obviously possible, sending this into a computer will inherently introduce a audio delay as it has to be processed by the Mac.  Remember, your Mac isn't an amplifier where the audio is simply boosted, it's being processed.  Even a 1/4 second delay will be very noticeable and quite distracting.  Since you can't introduce a video delay on your LG, there will be no way to overcome this.
Bottom line...
Buy a cheap set of speakers or a soundbar for the TV.  A lot of the Bluetooth speakers have a AUX input and the LG TVs have a 3.5mm output.  If not, you can always get the HDMI audio extractor.

* Audio Return Channel. Wikipedia:  HDMI Ethernet and Audio Return Channel.

Disregard using HDMI.
Your TV likely has a 3.5mm audio output jack.
Your MacBook has audio input capability, either through the 3.5mm headphone jack or via a USB-C and/or Thunderbolt dongle.
Plug the TV's 3.5mm audio output into your MacBook, and then play that audio on the MacBook's speakers:

How can I play the sound from the audio in through my speakers?
Is there a way to listen to the input sound on Mac OS X?

There may be issues due to audio delay, but you should test that on your setup to see if it is satisfactory.


Looking to take a fixed screenshot at intervals while changing the page in safari for a book I am trying to screenshot all the pages of a textbook i have online. I am opening the book in safari, all i want is to automate in some way the ability to take a fixed location screenshot at intervals save it to downloads or desktop(wherever) and then have a my cursor click the next page button and retake a screenshot a multitude of times would this be possible in anyway?

You can do this with the new screenshot key command -  Cmd ⌘   Shift ⇧   5  set to 'Capture Selected Portion'.

Once set, it will capture nominally to Desktop, each titled ScreenShot date/time [eg ScreenShot 2021-03-15 at 4.42.15 pm, so they will file alphabetically. You can capture using Return/Enter or by clicking the Capture button. The selection area is remembered between snaps.
You could potentially automate this, but it's a swift process, so I doubt you'd really need to.
If you need to change the file save location, see How do I change the location of macOS screen captures?

Yes it is feaseble, you can do it using automator to:
[Repeat X times]
1 - Screenshot the whole screen.
2 - Activate your favorite image editor (ie Photoshop)
3 - Paste
4 - Activate Safari back
5 - Click
[End Repeat]
Later you will crop the image to the portion of the screen you want, and export each layer as a single page. Photoshop has a built in script for doing that.
Now the there are some issues, like waiting for the page to load, and cliking the right place. You can instruct automator to wait a few seconds, if you trust your connection and the textbook server - or else you might end up with a very messi situation. The click is also tricky, you can use third party apps like "cliclick" to set an absolute point like (1200x,800y), providing the "next page" button is always on the same position. Also, you may want to restrict it to, say 50 loops, because the images will eat a lot of memory if you do 2000 pages in a row, and the system can crash.
I would choose to avoid the click and loop. You can do everything else using a short cut. I know, it is tiresome, 2000 times the shortcut + a click, but if it is not something you do on a daily basis, I belive it worth the trouble.
But since you are pirating stuff, don't you think it is easyer to look it up on piratebay or something? Like others have said before, show us the URL so we can provide better answers.


Why won't closing the lid sleep my MacBook Pro with external monitor attached after upgrading to Lion? Up until yesterday (with Snow Leopard), closing the lid would cause my MacBook to sleep whether or not the external monitor was connected.

Since upgrading to Lion last night, closing the lid when the external monitor is attached just tosses all windows to that screen and keeps going.

I realize I can sleep via the Apple menu or keyboard before closing the lid. I'd rather not have to, and I'm wondering if there's a setting to restore the sleep-on-close behavior.

edit: See this as the behaviour has changed: Why won't closing the lid sleep my MacBook Pro with external monitor attached after upgrading to Lion?

There are two groups of people. Those who wish to have dual displays and have closing the lid go into sleep and people who wish to disable the monitor display, close the lid and use the external monitor as if you had 'docked' with it.

Previously, if you wished to switch from the macbook to an external monitor entirely then you had to perform the following to put the laptop into clamshell mode:

Make sure the computer is plugged in to an outlet using the AC power
adapter.
Connect a USB keyboard and mouse to your computer.
With the computer turned on connect the Apple portable (using the appropriate
Apple adapter if necessary) to the appropriate port on the external
display or projector and turn the display or projector on.
Once your computer's Desktop appears on the external display, close the
computer's lid.
Once the lid is closed, wake the computer up by
either clicking your mouse button or by pressing a key on your
external keyboard.

source: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3131

So to put the machine in clamshell mode required you to put it to sleep and wake it back up again. As far as user experience goes, that is somewhat jarring.

As you have the other options to put the machine to sleep, it seems very likely that this change will remain.

Right now, there is no way to alter this behaviour.

This similar to what I am experiencing:

I just upgraded to Lion on my Macbook (White 1.83 2007), I have an external Samsung XL2370HD monitor. The Macbook was sometimes running hot with the lid down with Snow Leopard.

The solution was to lift the lid half way to let it cool, and also to gain access to the built-in keyboard when the external keyboard was not hooked back up. Now with Lion, it switches back to the Macbook LCD display automatically when the lid is opened, and sometimes the colorsync settings get mixed up in the process, causing the second display to be off color until I manually reset the screen resolution to 1920 x 1080.

Also noticed that the ctrl+zoom wheel only zoomed in an area of 1280 x 800 on the samsung set to 1920 x 1080. This seems to be a bug, because restarting with the lid down into 1920 mode, all is well.

I can't find anyway to have the lid open except in mirror mode. Win 7 on Bootcamp works fine and I can lift the lid without it switching. It was very convenient to be able to close the Macbook to sleep it and then click the mouse to wake it on the ext monitor, then sleep and open the lid to wake the built-in display. That is the optimal way it should work, and has worked previously with dual displays.

Try restarting the Mac in just the external mode (lid closed with pull down menu restart). the lid switch now seems to toggle when you lift and close the lid. So opening it once does nothing, but opening it a second time switches it to the built-in screen, and then a third lift and close puts it to sleep again.
Click on the mouse in the third sleep mode and it returns to the external display (albeit with resized windows). I believe that Lion may adapt itself (learn?) automatically, which would be very cool, but I suspect that restarting in the different screen modes eventually may help reset the PRAM settings back to normal.
Also try changing resolutions on both sides. It seems to cache whatever you are doing, and may just be hiccuping on earlier saved PRAM data.
A last resort is a PRAM reset: Hold alt(option) + apple + p + r on reboot, after the chime. Hold the keys down and let it chime three times before releasing and booting up. BTW, Do this on an externally attached keyboard, lid closed if possible. This will give priority to the external monitor booted, hopefully.


Delete a failed bootcamp partition MacBook Pro I just tried to install windows with Boot Camp on my Macbook Pro running macOS Sierra. Just when Boot Camp wanted to split my Mac's hard drive into partitions, I stopped it, leaving some useless space taken up on my hard drive.

Now, I don't know how to delete that bootcamp space (about 40 GB); the bootcamp partition does not even appear in Disk Utility.

How can I delete this partition and free up its storage space?

I recall a few years back I had difficulty removing a boot camp partition with the boot camp utility.  I wound up using disk utility to remove the boot camp partition and resize my Macintosh hard drive back to its initial state.

Select the book camp partition in the pie chart and then just hit the minus button beneath

After that I just wound up using the Boot Camp utility again to start the whole process over of creating a new partition for Boot Camp

The only good way to delete a bootcamp partition is with BootcampAssistant. Period.


iPhone 6s Plus calendar not properly syncing to Outlook 2007 My boss has an iPhone 6s Plus + iPad Pro + Win10 PC with Outlook 2007. He set the devices so each has their own default calendar, but all calendars are set to sync in iTunes. He refuses to utilize any cloud services for calendar sync, and use iTunes exclusively to sync everything.

However, some events on iPhone were not synced to PC. Some events that can be seen on PC were not seen on iPad. Months of events go missing on iPad despite having set to sync and show all calendars. AFAIK events on iPhone is the "most updated" version.

Without going for iCloud or any cloud services (which he simply refuse to use), how to have all 3 calendars sync correctly? Is there a way to export calendars from iPhone and import in iPad?

Avoiding cloud in 2016 is strange, especially with Apple devices. However, you can set both devices to properly sync with Outlook 2007 using the software called Akruto. It works like Exchange server on your PC and allows syncing via Wi-Fi and over the Internet (without the cloud, through a 3-rd party DNS service).

Here's the link: http://www.akruto.com/sync-iphone-with-outlook/
What's good is that you don't have to install any apps on your boss' phone, everything will show up in the native calendar app.

I used a program called Sync2 to sync outlook calendar with iPhone. As far as I understand it synchronizes data via Google account. You can find out more at http://www.sync2.com/sync-outlook-calendar-and-contacts-with-iphone.aspx


Can sudo's annoying message be removed from Mountain Lion 10.8.0? After the upgrade to 10.8.0, whenever I do a sudo, I always get this message:

dyld: DYLD_ environment variables being ignored because main executable (/usr/bin/sudo) is setuid or setgid

I have checked my .bash_profile, .zshrc all I could think of, and I don't see anything related to the DYLD_ environment.

After googling for hours, I tried to put these two lines in my .zshrc:

unset LD_LIBRARY_PATH
unset DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH

But the annoying message still appears.

I go to a guest account and did a sudo but didnt' get this message. So I guess I have some custom library installed... But I don't know how to debug this.

Do you have any other DYLD_ variables set? Run set with no parameters to see all variables and unset anything that comes up with that prefix.

Note that it looks like this is really just a workaround for a bug, those messages shouldn't be printed unless you have DYLD_PRINT_WARNINGS enabled.

Also, the update to 10.8.1 seems to have patched this annoyance.

You probably have your LD_LIBRARY_PATH set.


Is it possible to update my iPhone 3G without a computer? I want new the new update for my iPhone 3G (used as an iPod) but do not want to mess anything up. Can I update it without a computer? I also have no SIM card for the phone.

No, you can't — you need a computer. Over-the-air updates were introduced in iOS 5. As the iPhone 3G can't run iOS 5, you can't do OTA updates, and therefore you need a computer to update it.

Also, 'the new update' (I presume you are referring to iOS 7) isn't compatible with the iPhone 3G, regardless of how you update.

No but there is a way you can update to iOS 7 how cool I haven't dun it though


DVD to iMovie converter for Mac 10.4.11 First of all, is there such a thing? All I want to do is be able to import film clips from DVDs into iMovie so I can make groovy youtube videos. Any suggestions for a Mac 10.4.11 user?

I use HandBrake. It's free and open, and works nicely.

Rip the DVD to an iMovie supported video format such as mov or mp4.


Why can't I FaceTime to a Gmail account from my iPhone? I am trying to FaceTime my daughter through her Gmail account from my iPhone and I cannot get it to work. I don't understand why I cannot connect to her mail.

Your daughter needs to make sure her gmail.com address is associated with her iCloud account. From an iPad or iPhone, can you send her an iMessage at that same Gmail account (i.e. does the conversation turn "blue" instead of green)?

Email addresses can be added to FaceTime through iOS Settings or through the preferences in FaceTime.app on a Mac.

People FaceTime me all the time at my Google Apps account, so it's possible.

FaceTime is not implemented in this fashion. FaceTime is an Apple-to-Apple communication platform. From Apple's FaceTime for Mac troubleshooting page, they list the following devices as supported by FaceTime:

Macs running Mac OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.6 or later
iPod touch (4th generation) or later
iPhone 4 or later
iPad 2 or later (including iPad mini)

FaceTime is not supported by Google devices or platforms, including GMail.


How to reorganize labels in iPhone contacts? How to rename and delete these customized labels generated during adding or editing contacts on the iPhone?

Install iContacts app then remove the Custom label


Can't exec "glibtoolize": No such file or directory I have a shell script autogen.sh, I run it under my project directory in terminal:

./autogen.sh

I get error:

  Can't exec "glibtoolize": No such file or directory at
  /usr/local/Cellar/autoconf/2.69/share/autoconf/Autom4te/FileUtils.pm
  line 345,  line 4.

Then, seems it can not find glibtoolize, so I tried to figure out where is my glibtoolize. Eventually, I find it is in this path:

/usr/local/Cellar/libtool/2.4.2/bin/glibtoolize

Then, I get stuck, how to solve my problem after I found my glibtoolize?

Looks like you already have libtool installed via brew but it is not linked so the required symlinks in /usr/local/bin are still missing. To create them,

brew link libtool

I had the same problem after adding glibtoolize to the PATH variable it worked.

PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/Cellar/libtool/2.4.2/bin
export PATH


How to install g++ or c++ without paying for xcode? I need to install node.js on my new Mac and it requires having c++ or g++ compiler installed.
How do I get one without paying for xcode?

You can still download Xcode 3.x for free with a free developer account. Xcode 3 comes with the GCC 4.2, LLVM-GCC 1.5 and LLVM 1.5 so everything you need to compile C++, C and ObjC code.

(Remark: LLVM 1.5 can't compile C++ code, so you have to switch back to LLVM-GCC or GCC for this.)

XCode does NOT come with the latest GCC and G++ (it comes with 4.2), so you still need to do your own install if you want the latest features. Macports and GNU do NOT provide sufficient instructions. So, it remains a mystery.

You can download XCode or find it on your install CD. That will give you you the older GCC/G++. Once you have that, you can download the latest GCC.

US, Tampa: http://mirrors-us.seosue.com/gcc/

BUT, how do you install??

All I know is..

Unzip the folder. It should be named    gcc-4.6.3  OR  gcc-4.7.3   etc.
Create a new folder ADJACENT to the gcc-4.6.3 folder, called     buidgcc
(the   buildgcc   folder and   gcc-4.6.3   folder  live in the same place. Possibly in the folder     Developer/usr    )
Open a terminal (Applications->Utilities->Terminal)
Navigate to the   buildgcc     folder that you created
Terminal Commmands
cd ..      brings you UP 1 level(note space between  cd  and  ..  )
ls         tells you what files & folders are in the folder you're in
cd/foldername         lets you navigate into a folder
If you're in the    buildgcc    folder, type:
 ../gcc-4.6.3/configure
WAIT.   Then type:
  make
WAIT a very long time.

Sorry. Here is where I'm stuck.


How to remove .DS_Store from command-line auto-completion using cd? I understand that .DS_store files serve a purpose. That said, they are a nuisance when auto-completing with the cd command. When I type cd in Terminal and press tab twice it lists all directories in the working directory.

Is there a way of removing .DS_store from this auto-complete directory listing in the terminal?

export FIGNORE=DS_Store works for me.

The GNU Bash manual provides extensive information on programmable completion.

Specifically, from the documentation on bash variables

  FIGNORE [is a] colon-separated list of suffixes to ignore when performing
  filename completion. A file name whose suffix matches one of the
  entries in FIGNORE is excluded from the list of matched file names. A
  sample value is ‘.o:~’

If you are concerned that there might be existing suffixes in FIGNORE, then you can use:

export FIGNORE=$FIGNORE:DS_Store

I would use this command:

zip -r foo.zip foo -x "*.DS_Store"

Found here:
https://superuser.com/questions/198569/compressing-folders-on-a-mac-without-the-ds-store


Is there a quick way to delete Foldered bookmarks directly from Safari bookmark bar? I like to group my bookmarks into Folders in the Bookmark Bar.

But I cannot find an easy way to delete these bookmarks!

The only way I know to do this is to go to Show All Bookmarks, then browse down to the shortcut and select it and delete it - this totally gets in the way of workflow.

Is there any way to delete a Foldered bookmark from the bookmark bar?!

NB - I am not talking about standalone bookmarks, deleting those is easy and intuitive.

Since it's a folder, hold down the Command and Option keys, then drag the folder off the Bookmarks Bar. You'll get a confirmation dialog saying "Are you sure?" Just click the Delete Folder button in the dialog.

Holding the Command and Control keys keys down gets you a contextual menu that allows you to edit the name of the folder, edit its contents (jumps you to the Bookmarks window to do that), delete it, copy it, and a few other things.

Just delete the whole safari folder in the library directory


2010 Mac Mini Downgrade I have a 2010 Mac Mini with no DVD drive and a 5,400 RPM hard drive. Of late, it's begun to get quite sluggish, and I'm fairly sure it's the slow HDD that's to blame.

I took a look at the means of upgrading it, but since it involves practically taking the entire thing apart to get to the hard drive, I decided it wasn't something I wanted to do myself.

My first option is to simply do a complete format of the machine (I only really use it for Plex media streaming), and see if that helps speed it up. This hasn't been done in the few years I've owned the Mini, I've just always kept it updated, and I guess it may have become bloated (though there's not much installed on it).

My second option is to attempt to downgrade the Yosemite install that's currently on it back down to something older (and presumably quicker). I can probably go back as far as Lion/Mountain Lion if need be, combined with the full format. So basically revert to stock Lion, re-install Plex, and away I go.

So, a couple of questions:

In this situation, is a complete format / re-install of Yosemite likely to help? If so, will the recovery partition handle this?
If not, what's the best means of downgrading back to an older OS such as Lion, and if I do this, am I likely to see speed increases purely because the older OS's are less demanding? Can I make an installer on a USB stick, since my Mini has no disc drive?

So I made a Mountain Lion boot stick, wiped it, reinstalled fresh, and it's blazing fast again. Either Yosemite / Mavericks beforehand had slowed it down, or the drive itself had just become very fragmented / clogged / heavy.

All good now, I'd forgotten how nippy the thing can be!

If you don't want to replace the drive (an SSD can make any computer seem much faster) then you could try defragging the drive. There are a number of utilities out there that defrag, however I remember hearing that Mac OS included an on the fly built in defragging service a few revisions back, making most defragging utilities a questionable investment.

That said your Mac may be suffering from a lot of installs/uninstalls. In other words the left behind cruft of previous installations that may still be having an effect on system performance.

Some of those are user specific and simply creating another user account might point out where the problem lies. Failing that checking for extra startup items or stuff left behind that doesn't show up in the startup items (~/Library/Startup Items and the one for the whole system) might point to some things that are still running that don't need to be. It requires a bit of sleuthing around in the filesystem but it might yield a thing or two.

The other thing it might be is that as you upgrade O/S versions they generally require more and more of the system (resources, drive access, RAM, etc.) and stepping back to an earlier version of the O/S might yield substantial performance increases.

Yes adding an SSD and/or more RAM would actually be the easiest route to go (check out iFixit for very good take apart instructions), if not the cheapest, as you are upgrading hardware to compensate for system slowness. But you can cheaply (at the expense of potentially a lot of your time) troubleshoot the slowness and/or back down to an earlier O/S and regain some of the snappiness you miss.


Disable system services to save data Is there any way I could disable the system services that use data when I am not connected to wifi?

Well, as long as your iDevice is not jailbroken, sadly there is no way to fully do that, but you can disable some of them here:

Settings > Privacy > Location Services > scroll all the way down to the bottom > System Services

(At least with the iOS versions up to 7)

Turn off the Cellular Data for the apps which are not important.
Make sure the backup on cloud is not via celluar
Go To "Reset" and click on "Reset Network Settings".
After Resetting "General" option will not appear in your System Services.


Any way to modify DISPLAY similar to how it works for X11 with the macOS display system / window manager so other users can display on active display? I have a scenario where I need to run graphical applications from other users from shell on the currently active display. In other words, I am logged in as user "A" and in Terminal I su to user "B" and need to run TextEdit.app as user "B" in user A's graphical display.
Currently if I start up (in Catalina) /Sys/System/Applications/TextEdit.app/Contents/MacOS/TextEdit I see the following in Terminal:
TextEdit[26292:293814] +[NSXPCSharedListener endpointForReply:withListenerName:]: an error occurred while attempting to obtain endpoint for listener 'ClientCallsAuxiliary': Connection interrupted
TextEdit[26292:293831] Spell server connection invalidated
TextEdit[26292:293792] In -[NSApplication(NSQuietSafeQuit) _updateCanQuitQuietlyAndSafely], _LSSetApplicationInformationItem(NSCanQuitQuietlyAndSafely) returned error -600

And while TextEdit renders on the display I cannot get the Menubar entries for it or save files, etc.
Similar behavior happens with all apps I try such as TextMate.app. I always seem to get this error:
TextMate[26365:295425] +[NSXPCSharedListener endpointForReply:withListenerName:]: an error occurred while attempting to obtain endpoint for listener 'ClientCallsAuxiliary': Connection interrupted

Is there any way to work around this?

No
X11 includes the ability to run an application on once machine with display on another.
For macOS the application and display must be the same machine.
What can be done is use screen sharing so that if you share B's screen to A. A can interact with the program running on A's machine.
There are also applications that allow you to broadcast from one machine to another - e.g. if running on B's machine, other machines can see B's interaction with the program.


Adding The Delete Option To The Right Click Contextual Menu? In Windows it is possible to permanently delete a file or folder from the right click contextual menu. The right click contextual menu in OS X, does not by default give the option to delete a file or folder in this way, only the option to "Move to Trash", which means you then have to empty the trash manually in order to delete the file or folder.

Is it therefore possible to add this option to the contextual menu, to aid quick deletion ?

The simplest way is to create your own Service and call it whatever you want to name it.

I created a service simply called Delete Now and put it in my context menu like I have done here:

Make Your Own Delete Service

Open up Automator (/Applications/Utilities/Automator) and create a new Service

At the top right pane, select files or folders in Finder

On the left most pane, select Utilities and drag the Run Shell Script option to the workflow

Change the "Pass input" field to arguments

Pase the following into the shell script body

for f in "$@"
do
rm -rf "$f"
done
afplay "/System/Library/Components/CoreAudio.component/Contents/SharedSupport/SystemSounds/finder/empty trash.aif"

6. Click File > Save on the menubar and give you service a name. Whatever you name it, is what it will be called

This will enable it immediately on your system. If you ever decide you don't want it, and need to replace this item, navigate to ~/Library/Services/ and you will see a list of folders called {servicename}.workflow. To remove the one you don't want, just delete it then in Terminal type

killall Finder

This will restart the Finder and remove it from the context menu straight away. Otherwise, it will clear up on next restart.

Add Keyboard Shortcut

To make a keyboard shortcut for the Service you created, follow these steps:

From the Desktop, click the word Finder in the top left hand corner of the screen, then go to Services > Services Preferences

Scroll down the list on the right until you find the service you created by name. In this example, you can see Delete All that I made earlier. Highlight it, and click on add shortcut.

This will bring up a box. Make sure your mouse cursor is in there and depress the keys that you want to use to set the shortcut. In my example, I have used the combination Control+Shift+L.

Press Show All to save your settings.

Keyboard Symbols

To help anyone new to Apple keyboard symbols, here they are as follows:

^ = Control
⇧ = Shift
⌘ = Command
⌥ = Alt/Option

Windows simply says delete but that's not what it does. Every time you "delete" something you are actually moving it to the recycle folder. There are only a few circumstances when a folder will not be sent to the recycle bin they are as follows.

1 When you close out of something without saving and it hasn't been autosaved or saved before.
2 If you cut an item then cut another item therefore over riding the cache.
3 If the folder is a temporary file.

The nice thing about windows though is that you can let the recycle bin build up without looking at an icon of a whole bunch of trash. I've got a terabyte hard drive I don't have to clear it ever 10 items I delete.


Can I block entire area codes from my iPhone? I get 4-5 telemarketer calls each day.  Each time they call, it is from a completely different phone number.  Including different area codes.

I've performed all of the usual procedures to combat this.

•  Contacted my carrier (AT&T).  They will block 30 or so numbers for free but then it costs after that.  This is useless because I get 30 different numbers in a week.  AT&T suggested changing my number (for a FEE).

•  I've changed my number.  It went from bad to worse.  I actually get more on this new number.  I swear I don't put my number out there, I don't sign up for garbage, etc.

•  I've tried telling these "companies" to remove me from their list.  They immediately hang up on me when I do that.  I've tried calling the numbers, it never goes through.  They are unreachable.  Even AT&T admitted they can't track them.

•  I've registered for the national "do not call" registry.  This hasn't helped at all.

I'm running out of ideas.  I'd love to just turn my phone off but I can't because of work.

For each number I get, I immediately add it to the block numbers.  But this only stops repeat numbers.

So, my question is, is there a way in iOS to literally block entire area codes?  I seriously don't care if I block a few legit numbers for the sake of sanity.  I sometimes get telemarketers from my area code but those are more rare.

I have an iPhone 6 with the latest version if that helps.

Yes, there IS a free and easy way to block incoming nuisance calls on an iPhone!

(1) Get and install a silent ringtone (I use one called "10 seconds of silence" which I found on the internet for free).
(2) You know who your regular callers are. Give each contact a ringtone other than the default. (Yes, it takes a few minutes, but it's a one-time thing.)
(3) Set your phone's default ringtone to "10 seconds of silence".

From then on known callers get cause your phone to ring with whatever ringtone you've assigned that particular caller.

Calls from unknown callers will not cause your phone to ring. These callers can leave a message if they wish. Most spammers don't bother.

Repeat nuisance callers can have their numbers added to a special "Spammers" contact which you can block so that such callers cannot even leave messages. Just remember that if you do this, you have to unblock and re-block this contact each time you add a number. Don't worry about whether you indicate the number is fax or mobile or whatever--doesn't matter. I used to do this last step, but found it was unnecessary. Plus I kind of like to look once or twice a day and see where the spammers are ostensibly calling from--of course, their really using spoofed numbers using VoIP over the internet.

Maybe it will help to think of these calls like junk mail? Without junk mail, the price of a stamp would be considerably higher... but yeah, that sucks.
Here's a review of iOS10 call-blocking apps which recommends the free app, Hiya

Hiya does require that users provide access to their contacts, which may deter some people from using the app over concerns about where their information might wind up. The company’s privacy policy is incomplete and a bit unclear about what it does with specific data, including contacts, but a company spokesperson provided extensive and official clarification on request.
Hiya says it uploads a user’s phone number and contact phone numbers to add to its global whitelist, because contacts tend, as it notes, not to be spammers. The app also uses your contact information to help with calls placed within the app, one of its features. The company says it keeps contact data otherwise private, and doesn't sell it to third parties, nor does it use the information to market to your contacts. Hiya also says it doesn’t give your phone number to third parties.

Here's another article with call blocking options. You might be interested in "Call Bliss" (not free) to only let known callers through.

If you're still receiving unwanted solicitations after registering your number with the do not call registry, then you should report the numbers to the FTC.

If you received an unwanted call after your number was on the National Registry for 31 days, report it to the FTC.

If you are being called by an actual person, instead of a "robo-call" recording, just immediately talk over them and tell them to cease and desist, that the call time and number are being reported to the FTC, and that you will personally sue them and their company if the continue to harass you. They usually hang up before I can get all that out and it seems to do a good job of preventing them from calling back.
Good luck!
From the Do Not Call Registry FAQ:

What are the penalties for breaking the law?
Those who violate the National Do Not Call Registry or place an illegal robocall can be fined up to $40,654 per call.

Also:

If you get unwanted calls from many different numbers, look into a call blocking solution. There are online call blocking services, call blocking boxes, and smartphone apps that block unwanted calls. Research whether the service costs money and whether it’s effective. Do an online search to look for reviews from experts and other users.


Mail App keeps hanging (not crashing) on Yosemite 10.10.3 Mail runs fine for a few hours, then hangs. I must force quit, then reopen. It runs fine for another few hours then crashes.

This is a fresh install of Yosemite, and I rebuilt the index and tried deleting things people suggest I delete in the library. It redownloaded all the messages already.

Here's the first bit of crash report, which is Greek to me:

Date/Time:       2015-06-10 19:20:29 -0700
OS Version:      10.10.3 (Build 14D136)
Architecture:    x86_64
Report Version:  21

Command:         Mail
Path:            /Applications/Mail.app/Contents/MacOS/Mail
Version:         8.2 (2098)
Build Version:   1
Project Name:    Mail
Source Version:  2098000000000000
Parent:          launchd [1]
PID:             24057

Event:           hang
Duration:        3.80s (process was unresponsive for 3984 seconds before sampling)
Steps:           39 (100ms sampling interval)

Hardware model:  MacPro3,1
Active cpus:     8

Fan speed:       586 rpm

--------------------------------------------------
Timeline format: stacks are sorted chronologically
Use -i and -heavy to re-report with count sorting
--------------------------------------------------

Heaviest stack for the main thread of the target process:
  39  start + 1 (libdyld.dylib + 13769) [0x7fff8a4c45c9]
  39  NSApplicationMain + 1832 (AppKit + 13140) [0x7fff8fadd354]
  39  -[NSApplication run] + 594 (AppKit + 551923) [0x7fff8fb60bf3]
  39  -[NSApplication nextEventMatchingMask:untilDate:inMode:dequeue:] + 346 (AppKit + 593768) [0x7fff8fb6af68]
  39  _DPSNextEvent + 978 (AppKit + 596411) [0x7fff8fb6b9bb]
  39  _BlockUntilNextEventMatchingListInModeWithFilter + 71 (HIToolbox + 205099) [0x7fff8c4bf12b]
  39  ReceiveNextEventCommon + 431 (HIToolbox + 205546) [0x7fff8c4bf2ea]
  39  RunCurrentEventLoopInMode + 235 (HIToolbox + 206191) [0x7fff8c4bf56f]
  39  CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 328 (CoreFoundation + 465912) [0x7fff88299bf8]
  39  __CFRunLoopDoObservers + 368 (CoreFoundation + 524416) [0x7fff882a8080]
  39  __CFRUNLOOP_IS_CALLING_OUT_TO_AN_OBSERVER_CALLBACK_FUNCTION__ + 23 (CoreFoundation + 524583) [0x7fff882a8127]
  39  CA::Transaction::observer_callback(__CFRunLoopObserver*, unsigned long, void*) + 71 (QuartzCore + 118553) [0x7fff860fef19]
  39  CA::Transaction::commit() + 390 (QuartzCore + 58286) [0x7fff860f03ae]
  39  CA::Context::commit_transaction(CA::Transaction*) + 242 (QuartzCore + 58898) [0x7fff860f0612]
  39  CA::Layer::layout_and_display_if_needed(CA::Transaction*) + 35 (QuartzCore + 61057) [0x7fff860f0e81]
  39  CA::Layer::display_if_needed(CA::Transaction*) + 603 (QuartzCore + 63485) [0x7fff860f17fd]
  39  -[_NSViewBackingLayer display] + 834 (AppKit + 401702) [0x7fff8fb3c126]
  39  _NSBackingLayerDisplay + 617 (AppKit + 415019) [0x7fff8fb3f52b]
  39  CA::Layer::display_() + 1546 (QuartzCore + 70716) [0x7fff860f343c]
  39  x_blame_allocations + 81 (QuartzCore + 120468) [0x7fff860ff694]
  39  ___ZN2CA5Layer8display_Ev_block_invoke + 59 (QuartzCore + 120535) [0x7fff860ff6d7]
  39  CABackingStoreUpdate_ + 127 (QuartzCore + 120668) [0x7fff860ff75c]
  39  __psynch_cvwait + 10 (libsystem_kernel.dylib + 90422) [0x7fff8293c136]
 *39  psynch_cvcontinue + 0 (pthread + 26908) [0xffffff7f80ed891c]

Process:         Mail [24057]
Path:            /Applications/Mail.app/Contents/MacOS/Mail
Architecture:    x86_64
Parent:          launchd [1]
UID:             501
Sudden Term:     Dirty
Task size:       57324 pages (+4)
CPU Time:        0.074s
Note:            Unresponsive for 3984 seconds before sampling
Note:            3 idle work queue threads omitted

I have had the same problem since updating to Yosemite. None of the advice posted on any website seems to work until I tried this and so far Mail is working fine
https://miapple.me/fixing-mac-os-x-10-10-yosemite-mail-not-responding/
give it a shot

I use the Mail client under OSX 10.10.3 and tend to let the system run for long stretches.

The other day, I determined that I wasn't receiving messages, and the situation deteriorated to where sent messages were sitting in the Outbox.

Solution was to Restart the Mac.


From command line on macOS, how to add a user group to the Sharing and Permissions list for a directory? The macOS gui, as shown in the attached image, provides a way to add users and user groups to the permissions of a file system directory.

There are also lots of examples of how to create groups from the command line, etc (dscl, and so forth).  But I don't see anything on how - from the command line - to add user groups to the permissions of a file system directory.

PS: The answers in How to manage users access to shared folders from the command line? covers network shares, but don't show how to do what the Finder does (on an unshared folder).

Yes, you can do it, but it's a bit complicated. Permissions on macOS are rather complex; the Finder hides most of the complexity, but at the command line it's fully exposed and you have to deal with it.

Really short answer: use chmod +a to add access control entries, ls -le to view them, and man chmod and man ls for details.

Medium-length answer: to add (or remove) Read only access for the group mygroup to the folder at /path/to/folder:

chmod +a "group:mygroup allow list,search,readattr,readextattr,readsecurity" /path/to/folder
chmod -a "group:mygroup allow list,search,readattr,readextattr,readsecurity" /path/to/folder

For a file, Read only access would be:

chmod +a "group:mygroup allow read,readattr,readextattr,readsecurity" /path/to/file.txt

To add Read & Write access:

chmod +a "group:mygroup allow list,add_file,search,add_subdirectory,delete_child,readattr,writeattr,readextattr,writeextattr,readsecurity" /path/to/folder

and for a file:

chmod +a "group:mygroup allow read,write,append,readattr,writeattr,readextattr,writeextattr,readsecurity" /path/to/file.txt

To examine these ACL and check your work:

ls -le /path/to/file.txt

Advanced usage you can call chmod =a# will rewrite the numbered rule instead of add or remove granularly the permissions.

To just remove an entry of the ACL chmod -a# wipes that entire entry like the - control does in the GUI.

Long answer: macOS has two different types of file permissions: standard POSIX (unix-like) permissions, and access control lists (ACLs) consisting of one or more access control entries (ACEs). All files and folders have POSIX permissions, consisting of one user (the owner), one group, and everyone else, and for each of those some combination of read, write, and execute (don't ask) access. They can (but usually don't) have a list of ACEs that allow (or deny, but don't worry about that) access to additional users and/or groups, and have much more detailed control over what access is being allowed (/denied).

The Finder hides the distinction between POSIX permissions and ACEs, but anytime you have more than one user or group, the additional ones are ACEs. So to add access for another group, you need to add an ACE. chmod +a does this. You also need to specify a full list of types of read and/or write (or other) access are being granted. The Finder's idea of "Read only" access corresponds to read,readattr,readextattr,readsecurity, and its "Read & Write" access corresponds to read,write,append,readattr,writeattr,readextattr,writeextattr,readsecurity.

The info you need are already posted on the site.

create a new user from the command line
create a sharing only account from the command line
manage users access to shared folders from the command line?


How can I tell if my Mac is keeping the clock updated properly? I would like to know what the default settings for OS X are in terms of keeping the clock adjusted when I enable automatic time sync in the Date & Time preference.

I do know that the venerable ntpd daemon on Mavericks (10.9) and Yosemite (10.10) is no longer responsible for adjusting the time and instead a new program pacemaker has been introduced — so how can I know things are working or need adjustment to keep time?

10.14 Mojave

Mojave still uses timed, but ntpdate and the helpers ntpq are removed. To check and update your system time, you can call sntp directly.

$ sudo sntp -sS pool.ntp.org
Password:
sntp 4.2.8p10@1.3728-o Tue Mar 21 14:36:42 UTC 2017 (136.200.1~2533)
2018-09-29 19:42:41.448103 (-0200) +1087.742403 +/- 725.183462 pool.ntp.org 188.68.36.203 s2 no-leap

Out of the box, a tracking file is missing. So if you get the error below when checking time:

kod_init_kod_db(): Cannot open KoD db file /var/db/ntp-kod: No such file or directory

create the file and change ownership to root. Some people reported this was actually breaking the ntp synchronization.

sudo touch /var/db/ntp-kod
sudo chown root:wheel /var/db/ntp-kod

Then run again to check if the error message is gone.

sudo sntp -sS pool.ntp.org

10.13 High Sierra

High Sierra uses timed, from /usr/libexec/timed, run by the system user _timed.

  timed maintains system clock accuracy by synchronizing the clock with reference clocks via technologies like NTP.  Inputs are merged inside of timed, where it calculates uncertainty to facilitate scheduling proactive time jobs. timed is also aware of power/battery conditions.

timed is managed by the LaunchDaemon /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.timed.plist. timed runs…

when the daemon is loaded at boot (RunAtLoad: true)
every 3600 seconds (StartInterval: 3600)
when Airplane Mode is disabled (com.apple.systemconfiguration airplane mode changed: com.apple.radios.plist AirplaneMode false, which appears to be carried over from iOS)

You can see how 'off' your clock is by looking at the contents of /var/db/timed/com.apple.timed.plist, under the TMLastSystemTime dictionary in the TMTimeError key and the TMScaleFactorError key.

$ sudo defaults read /var/db/timed/com.apple.timed TMLastSystemTime
{
    TMCurrentTime = "537303485.281592";
    TMReliability = 1;
    TMRtcTime = "351422.381868388";
    TMScaleFactor = "0.9999958233107684";
    TMScaleFactorError = "3.468751755688052e-05";
    TMSource = TMTimeSynthesizer;
    TMTimeError = "0.6127951619022057";
}

timed uses the time server set in /etc/ntp.conf, which by default is

server time.apple.com

timed also uses TMTimeSynthesizer, something which CoreTime on iOS uses to update the clock with but I'm unaware of its history on macOS:

Don't run the timed binary yourself, as mentioned in the man page:

  timed takes no arguments, and users should not launch it manually.

According to Apple Developer Forums user granada29 in the post ntpd, timed and chronyd in 10.13, timed performs the following:

  timed appears to be a simple sntp client - i.e. it polls the NTP periodically (15 minutes) and uses the settimeofday() system call to set the sytem clock. I assume it has some cleverness to avoid stepping the clock backwards but there is no way to tell.

10.11 El Capitan to 10.12 Sierra

pacemaker is the daemon responsible for managing the time in macOS. It uses adjtime to adjust the clock per the content of /var/db/ntp.drift.

You can see how 'off' your clock is by looking at the contents of ntp.drift — for example, my file contains the following:

-23.640

This means that the clock is -23.64 PPM away from the time that it should be. The units of this number is PPM, or Parts Per Million. 1 PPM is 1 microsecond/second, or 3.6ms/h.

You can make the clock update more often by running pacemaker with the -a option, providing a time in seconds to wait between time movements:

/usr/libexec/pacemaker -a 10

To see the parameters being used by OS X for pacemaker, open /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.pacemaker.plist.

{
    KeepAlive = { PathState = { "/private/var/db/ntp.drift" = :true; }; };
    Label = "com.apple.pacemaker";
    ProgramArguments = ( "/usr/libexec/pacemaker", "-b", "-e", "0.0001", "-a", "10" );
}

To find your current settings, run with the -i option:

/usr/libexec/pacemaker -i
Jan 19 18:20:08 g pacemaker[12544] <Info>: --- settings for external power ---
Jan 19 18:20:08 g pacemaker[12544] <Info>: interval = 1 seconds, tolerance = 0.000000, drift = -23.640000
Jan 19 18:20:08 g pacemaker[12544] <Info>: --- settings for internal power ---
Jan 19 18:20:08 g pacemaker[12544] <Info>: interval = 1 seconds, tolerance = 0.000024, drift = -23.640000

You can show the log by running with the -v option:

sudo /usr/libexec/pacemaker -v
Password:
Jan 19 18:23:17 g pacemaker[13202] <Info>: power status check: using external power
Jan 19 18:23:17 g pacemaker[13202] <Info>: created file monitor for /var/db/ntp.drift
Jan 19 18:23:17 g pacemaker[13202] <Info>: interval = 1 seconds, tolerance = 0.000000, drift = -23.640000
Jan 19 18:23:19 g pacemaker[13202] <Debug>: drift -23.640000 residue 0.000000 delta -23
Jan 19 18:23:20 g pacemaker[13202] <Debug>: drift -23.640000 residue -0.640000 delta -24
Jan 19 18:23:21 g pacemaker[13202] <Debug>: drift -23.640000 residue -0.280000 delta -23
Jan 19 18:23:22 g pacemaker[13202] <Debug>: drift -23.640000 residue -0.920000 delta -24
Jan 19 18:23:23 g pacemaker[13202] <Debug>: drift -23.640000 residue -0.560000 delta -24
Jan 19 18:23:24 g pacemaker[13202] <Debug>: drift -23.640000 residue -0.200000 delta -23
⌃C%

To check clock sync, similar to the answer which suggests to run ntpdate in debug mode, you can also run it in Query mode for less verbose output.

$ ntpdate -q pool.ntp.org
server 85.199.214.102, stratum 1, offset 0.006256, delay 0.05470
server 95.215.175.2, stratum 3, offset 0.005234, delay 0.05624
server 217.114.59.3, stratum 2, offset 0.007166, delay 0.06274
server 85.199.214.100, stratum 1, offset 0.006319, delay 0.05396
22 Jun 09:20:55 ntpdate[84112]: adjust time server 85.199.214.100 offset 0.006319 sec
$

This is from my Mac running High Sierra 10.13.2, which runs timed rather than the NTP daemon (ntpdate still works because it doesn't use the NTP daemon).


Prevent & disable iPhone iOS 9.2 from forced/ pushed auto downloading updates? Prevent & disable iPhone iOS 9.2 from auto downloading updates?

iPhone 5 iOS 9.2 -

Today morning found it had auto downloaded 9.2.1 update - Around 200-400 MB.

I have a data cap with ISP so I dont want this happening on Apple's control.

How can I prevent & disable this?

I found these older articles but does not seem to have worked/ stopped the download.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7256669?tstart=0

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7250272?tstart=0

The closest I came was preventing all my iOS devices from reaching the update server. This envolves configuring your internet router in order to do so.

Configure your router to block the following domain: mesu.apple.com

Doing so will still allow your iDevice to talk to the Apple Store, allowing you to download/update iOS Apps.

Some routers (like mine) only allow me to block 'web sites' not domains. Luckily, that is all we need to do. Blocking https://mesu.apple.com also does the trick.

I would say blocking the whole domain is a cleaner solution if possible however.

Really, if your iPhone is on Wi-Fi and an update is available, it will download the update when you're probably asleep (2:00-4:00AM). There is no way to disable this.

A workaround would be to turn Wi-Fi on your iPhone off when you go to bed.


Is there anyway to expand my MacBook Air's hard disk? I have a 2011 MacBook Air(11-inch), I am using OS X 10.9, but I only have 64GB Flash Storage, and I  want to expand the storage of MacBook Air's hard disk. I asked geniuses at Apple and they told me the answer is no. So, is this possible?

It is possible, although not from Apple themselves.

A company called OWC seem to specialise in SSD upgrades for macbook's and have upgrades for your model available here

These particular upgrades offer greater speed and capacity to some of the stock apple SSD's from 2011.

You could also ad a Nifty Drive to your mac. You plug that in your SD-Card reader (which is used by that then). http://eu.theniftyminidrive.com

It is slower than an SSD, but you could move some stuff over there.


Connect to FTP server in Finder not working I can get to my FTP server just fine from the command line but I cannot get to it from Finder. When I am in Finder and I "Connect to Server" and enter ftp://192.168.125.128/, then my credentials when prompted, it gives me the error:

There was a problem connecting to the server "192.168.125.128".
The share does not exist on the server. Please check the share name, and then try again.

I can however connect to it anonymously just fine, which is frustrating, because as stated before, I am able to log in just fine and browse around from the command line using my credentials.

ftp 192.168.125.128
Connected to 192.168.125.128.
220 (vsFTPd 2.3.5)
Name (192.168.125.128:name):
331 Please specify the password.
Password:
230 Login successful.
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.
ftp> ls
229 Entering Extended Passive Mode (|||26727|).
150 Here comes the directory listing.
drwxrwxr-x    3 1000     1000         4096 Dec 12 14:38 yadayada

Is there something else I need to do with Finder?

I figured out the problem. I sniffed the traffic from my computer to the FTP server and saw traffic go through when I connected as a guest. I did not, however, see any traffic when I connected as myself. No traffic whatsoever was going through. On a whim, I tried a blank password and saw traffic going through! After changing my password on the FTP server I was successfully able to connect with Finder. It apparently had something to do with my password??? I played around to see what the exact problem was with my password and, at the risk of revealing too much information about my security credentials, found that any password with an '@' symbol in it caused Finder to immediately display that error and not even try to send any traffic to the FTP server.

The solution to the cpanel problem that mandate an @ in the username (i.e. user@domain) is to use a separate ftp program like "FileZilla" which has a version for mac.


Syncing Contacts from iPhone to Outlook I'd like to sync my iPhone's contacts to Outlook. The account is linked, so my email is updating, but it won't sync the contacts.

How do I do it?

There is an exact guide offered by copytrans (mentioned in the previous answer) which shows how to transfer iphone contacts to Outlook on a PC: http://www.copytrans.net/support/how-to-transfer-iphone-contacts-to-outlook/

To sync contacts with your computer, choose "Sync Contacts with" within iTunes for Windows, or "Sync Address Book Contacts" on your Mac.

  You can sync your contacts with:

  Microsoft Outlook 2003, Microsoft Outlook 2007, Microsoft Outlook 2010 (Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7)
  Windows Address Book (Windows XP)
  Windows Contacts (Windows Vista / Windows 7)
  Address Book (Mac OS X)
  Microsoft Entourage 2004, Microsoft Entourage 2008, or Microsoft Outlook 2011 for Mac

  Note: If using Microsoft Entourage, use Microsoft Entourage 2008 12.1.2 or later if syncing with Mac OS X v10.6 or later. If you would like to sync data on your Mac with Entourage, enable syncing between Entourage and Address Book.
  Notes:

  When syncing contacts, you can choose to sync all of your contacts or only selected groups. The option to sync selected items may not show up until after the first sync.
  You can select a group of contacts to which all new contacts created on your iOS device will be added.

  Additional options for syncing include syncing your contacts with Yahoo or Gmail/Google Mail. You will need to configure it with the user name and password for your Yahoo or Google account.

If you want to import contacts without using iTunes, try using a third party tool to do so. We've used CopyTrans Contacts to do this.

Here is a link to a video showing the process.


Problems creating Yosemite USB bootable drive I was trying to make a USB boot loader for Yosemite using this command

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled 2 --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app --nointeraction

I borrowed it from the original

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app --nointeraction

Which has worked for tons of people. The issue is for some reason it doesn't recognize the name of my volume is Untitled 2.
Error message:

/Volumes/Untitled is not a valid volume mount point.

I don't understand why it isn't reading the 2. Is there another way to point the command to the partition without using the names given e.g. serial addressing?

Change

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled 2 --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app --nointeraction

to

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume "/Volumes/Untitled 2" --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app --nointeraction

or

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled\ 2 --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app --nointeraction

and it should work.

You have to escape spaces in paths in the command line either with a \ or quotation marks.


I want to create a script in script editor that will press a key and then press enter every 60 seconds I want to create a script in script editor that will press a key and then press enter every 60 seconds. However, I don't know how to make a script that presses a key. Does anybody know how to make a script that does this? I tried to keystroke "enter" but what is did was type out the word enter. Also, sometimes the code will crash and an error message will pop up saying that script editor cannot do keystrokes.

The aim for this script is to create an xp farming discord bot to farm xp on a server by sending messages.

How to send enter key using Applescript

In order to send the enter key in applescript you can use:

tell application "System Events"
  key code 36
end tell

Alternatively:

tell application "System Events"
  key code 76
end tell

The Difference between the two:

As shown here key code 36 is used to send the key Return.

key code 76 on the other hand is used to send Enter.

(@user3439894 Pointed out that key code 36 is typically used.)

Fixing Applescript not being able to send keystrokes

  Go to System Preferences --> Security & Privacy --> Accessibility. From there delete the application and add it again.

Article

More Info

Sending Keystrokes:
How to send special keys Applescript, How do I automate a key press in AppleScript? and List of Apple Key Codes

Fixing applescript not being able to send keystrokes: Application is not allowed to send keystrokes


can I change the iphone 5S text tone swoosh on sending to a more noticable sound can I change the text tone swoosh on sending to something louder/more noticable on my iphone 5S, if so how? Thanks

See the Settings.
Sounds: see under "Sounds and Vibration Patterns".
Self explanatory.


OS X switches resolution without monitor KVM This is a interesting one. I use a KVM switch on my Mac Pro and Cinema Display. While the display is on another computer, the Mac switches to a different resolution (not seeing a monitor). I know it does while switching back to the Mac as my screen windows have changed places, to the lower half of my screen while the resolution is back to normal.

Does anybody know how to prevent this from happening. I've searched for "fixed screen resolution" etc. I've tried SwitchXres and Stay to no avail. (These apps do not work if there is no screen.)

It would be great if I could set the screen resolution to only one setting (the max) and that there are no other alternatives where the Mac could choose from.

This is in all probability down to the KVM providing a fake monitor signal to OS X whilst the monitor is not "connected" to the OS X box; providing the KVM model would confirm this.

Generally, KVM fall into three monitor modes, usually these are priced low to high:

No signal - where the non active connections receive no indication that a monitor is connected
Fake - where the KVM provides a signal to the host that indicates a monitor is connected
Pass through - where the KVM emulates or attempts to provide through another fashion, the signal of the monitor to all hosts

EDIT: I did test adding a monitor to a Mac Mini and the resolution it first went in on was low, even after setting up the resolution, disconnecting the monitor (power off at the wall and back on) only sometimes caused the resolution to default back to a very basic one.

It's been a while,

I got rid of the KVM switch, I now remote control the other computer and don't have the problem anymore. The KVM switch has hit the road!

Thanks for helping to confirm this problem. I do not see any solution to this problem.

Frank


Homebrew doctor warnings requesting library deletions I got the following list of brew doctor warnings and was wondering if it's safe to  delete the libraries and .pc files listed. (I have no idea what they are used for!)

Warning: Unbrewed dylibs were found in /usr/local/lib. If you didn't put them there on purpose they could cause problems when building Homebrew formulae, and may need to be deleted.

Unexpected dylibs:
/usr/local/lib/libtcl8.6.dylib
/usr/local/lib/libtk8.6.dylib

Warning: Unbrewed .pc files were found in /usr/local/lib/pkgconfig. If you didn't put them there on purpose they could cause problems when building Homebrew formulae, and may need to be deleted.

Unexpected .pc files:
/usr/local/lib/pkgconfig/tcl.pc
/usr/local/lib/pkgconfig/tk.pc

Warning: Unbrewed static libraries were found in /usr/local/lib. If you didn't put them there on purpose they could cause problems when building Homebrew formulae, and may need to be deleted.

Unexpected static libraries:
/usr/local/lib/libtclstub8.6.a
/usr/local/lib/libtkstub8.6.a

I got the same warnings, and worked it around with the following:

So first back up these files:

mv /usr/local/lib/libtcl8.6.dylib /usr/local/lib/libtcl8.6.dylib.bak
...

Then install tcl/tk with Homebrew:

brew tap homebrew/dupes
brew install tcl-tk --with-tk

Then link the files, so that R can find the tcl/tk installed by Homebrew:

ln -s /usr/local/Cellar/tcl-tk/8.6.1/lib/libtcl8.6.dylib /usr/local/lib/libtcl8.6.dylib
ln -s /usr/local/Cellar/tcl-tk/8.6.1/lib/libtk8.6.dylib /usr/local/lib/libtk8.6.dylib

Please double check that the linked location is where tcl-tk is installed.

Now both Homebrew and R are happy.

More details can be found on my blog. Hope this helps.

I had the intention of uninstalling R completely from my Mac and re-installing it using Homebrew.

CAUTION: DON'T FOLLOW THESE STEPS
Please read to the end of the post before taking any action.

The steps I took were as follows:

1) Remove the R app and framework:

rm -rf /Library/Frameworks/R.framework /Applications/R.app \
   /usr/bin/R /usr/bin/Rscript

2) Remove the packages accompanying R (my understanding was that R installed some packages). On my system, I identified the following packages:

$ pkgutil --pkgs | grep org.r-
org.r-project.R.Leopard.fw.pkg
org.r-project.R.Leopard.GUI.pkg
org.r-project.R.Leopard.GUI64.pkg
org.r-project.R.x86_64.fw.pkg
org.r-project.R.x86_64.GUI.pkg
org.r-project.x86_64.tcltk.x11

To see which files make up the Tcl/Tk package, for example, you may type:

pkgutil --files org.r-project.x86_64.tcltk.x11

I used the following command to remove all the files and (sub-)folders from that package:

# DO NOT RUN THIS it will delete /usr
# pkgutil --files org.r-project.x86_64.tcltk.x11 | xargs sudo rm -rf

That turned out to be a very bad idea as it resulted in a kernel panic and I ended up having to re-install Mavericks!  Apparently, according to the geniuses at the Apple Store, the above packages come pre-installed with Mavericks and, for some unknown reason, deleting the files from the above mentioned package removes some essential system files!

I concluded that using Homebrew causes a lot more trouble instead of making my life easier!  Originally, I dumped MacPorts for Homebrew because Homebrew was faster and MacPorts seemed to keep a lot of "leaves" on its trees! Also, both require regular maintenance.

Finally, I'm giving up both!


How can I charge and output audio from iPhone 5 in a car? I want to charge my iPhone 5 and listen to the music using AUX in my car. How can I do this using one cable? I have such a cable for my iPhone 4. Is there any good option for iPhone 5?

My 2013 Ford Ranger (the T6 international version) has an audio system with a USB port on it, and it plays audio through that regardless of whether it is the old 30-pin connector or a Lightning connector on the other end. When I plug in my iPhone, it says "Connecting iPod" on the audio screen. It also supports audio over Bluetooth.

(When saying "in a car", please be a little more specific about the car and/or its audio system. They are all different)

There's more expensive $30 option on amazon
And ten time cheaper slew of cables offered on aliexpress for $3


Where can I find default Microsoft fonts Calibri, Cambria? If I want to test or use default Microsoft fonts on my Mac, and I own a post-2006 copy of Windows or Office, I believe I can legally use Calibri and Cambria although IANAL. This would be especially helpful when collaborating with colleagues using Office products like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Right now, I get a warning like: "Calibri not found. Trebuchet MS used instead." Where can I find them?

To find and install default Microsoft fonts on a Mac:

Navigate HERE in your browser.
Download the .ZIP file.
Unzip it (double-click it).
Open the folder that appears.
Select all the .TTF files inside the folder.
With the files selected, right-click.
From the pop-up menu, choose "open with → Font Book".
Click "Install Font" for each font.

Note: Changes to fonts take effect when an application is opened or a user logs in to the account or computer on which the changes occurred, see support.apple.com.

Use the official Fonts distributed by Microsoft

If you have installed any Microsoft product, there is a chance you already have all Microsoft Fonts in your Mac.

For instance, the path to the fonts of MS Word is:
"/Applications/Microsoft Word.app/Contents/Resources/Fonts"
In general:
"/Applications/some_ms_app/Contents/Resources/Fonts"

Using terminal, you can copy any font to your font folder: ~/Library/Fonts

Below, the step-by-step instruction in case you are not familiar with terminal:

Open Finder and go to the Applications Folder (SHIFT+CMD+A)
Locate MS Word or MS Excel or MS PowerPoint.
Right-click and select Show Package Content.
In Finder navigate through Contents/Resources/Fonts.
You will see all the installed MS Fonts.
Drag and Drop (press the Option key) the desired fonts to your Desktop (or any other user folder).
You must press the option key to create a copy of the fonts and not a link.
Select (in your Desktop) the fonts to install. Right-click and then Open.
The "Font Book" Application will check the fonts and probably it will give you some warnings.
Select the fonts in Font Book app and click Install.
Delete the extra copies you have in the Desktop.

Do not try to install right from the application package or you will receive a fatal error. That is why in 5. you must make a copy to some user folder (ex. your Desktop)


Looking for OpenSource Cleaning / cache deleting application for Mac In the times of small SSD harddisks, I was looking for an open source software to delete caches and other space wasters like logs, unused application remains and such on Mac OSX, and all over the web people are telling me there's plenty of OSS projects doing exactly that. Sadly, I couldn't even find one of them.

I want to play around with an open source software that does this kind of things. I'd like to know the most complete and if possible documented open source project for hard disk cleaning, if any exists at all.

(Please don't tell me if it's useful to delete caches, that's not the question)

You can use CCleaner to delete caches and other things, and it's free


Revenue for individual apps? I'm relatively new to the App Store (not new to Objective-C, though) and I'm wondering how easy it is to track how much money each individual app you have in the app store is making.

I have an App in the store already, and I haven't received any sort of income statements yet so I don't know how they're split up, but I have a friend who wishes to work on my next project with me - we want to split the profits 50-50.

Say I have two apps in the app store, is there a way to find out how much each app is making, if they both use the same revenue models (fremium, iAds w/ IAP)?

Absolutely. They will report and provide a way to export that date each individual sale or in-app purchase. So you will be able to break it down by app, by country, by time etc.

Not being part of the Mac development program or iOS development program, I have never used iTunes Connect, but just off the top of my head it wouldn't make any sense if Apple was not reporting sales by individual app. The short answer is yes, they do.

There is a guide available here that details the information provided in Sales Reports. There is also another one within iTunes Connect.


Unable to install Internet Explorer on MAC OS X 10.7.4 I have a mac mini containing MAC OS X 10.7.4

I must need to go through some sites / links which are strictly allowed only for InternetExplorer,

So that i installed ie on my mac,

while open ie application it doesn't opened and prompt amessage like as follow,

You can't open the application Internet Explorer because PowerPC applications are no longer supported.

what should i do.. i need internet explorer very usrgently

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/17963475/unable-to-install-internet-explorer-on-mac-os-x-10-7-4?noredirect=1#comment26256483_17963475

There is no Internet Explorer for Mountain Lion.

If you must have IE you need to run Windows virtually (e.g., with Bootcamp).

I would try the Chrome or Firefox (or Safari) on Mac and see if they can work for you.

In Safari, you can try this:

Go to Safari > Preferences > Advanced > click on Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar.
In Develop menu > User Agent > Internet Explorer 9.0

This might trick the websites into thinking that Safari is Internet Explorer.

Download Wine And Install The Windows Version Of IE


My iPhone 6 is frozen after resetting it while jailbroken My friend wanted to jailbreak my phone and she took it and jailbroke it then I told her I didn't want it so I restarted it and now my phone is stuck on the apple logo with a loading bar at the bottom. Is there a way I can fix it? Will apple fix it if I tell them?

You can restore your iPhone follow this instruction OR ask Apple do the restore for you.

Run iTunes on PC and make sure that you are using the latest iTunes.

Then connect your Device with computer via USB cable, and then Tab on summary option, see in the left side bar of iTunes

Now Select restore option from iTunes and then confirm the Restore Message for better results. After this unplug your Device and Restart it.


Can I direct the audio signal from Apple TV? I have the following equipment:

I have all my music files stored in iTunes on the pictured iMac.  When I play music it follows a path from the iMac through the Time Capsule to the Airport Express.  The Airport Express connects by hard wires to a stereo power amplifier (that has no volume controls, selector switch, or additional connections available) and from the amp to the stereo speakers.  I control all of this directly from the iMac using the iMac's volume control.  This all works great and sounds great.

As the diagram also shows, I have an Apple TV that connects to the TV.

In our house we predominantly watch Netflix or other content via the Apple TV.

I'd like to direct the audio signal from the Apple TV to the Airport Express and thus to the amp and speakers.

I know I could put in an additional device and hardwire the TV's audio outputs, stereo amplifier, Airport Express into it (essentially use it as a  switching device), but it just seems that I should already have everything one really needs already.

Any way to do this?

Follow up...

Looking at the suggestions offered and doing a bit more research on my own it seems like the easiest solution would look something like this:

This idea adds an analogue switch, which both the TV's analogue audio output and the Airport Express's analogue audio output (the Airport Express has a built in digital to analogue converter, DAC) run into.  The switch's output goes to the amplifier.

This solution depends on a few of things:

The TV's audio output has sufficient level to drive the amplifier.
The TV's volume control (from its remote) can adjust the level of its audio output enough that the speakers reach desirable listening levels -- both low enough and loud enough.
Nothing nasty happens switching between audio sources.

A remote control for the switch would be nice.

Any suggestions for such a device?

I don't believe it is possible to send your audio signal from the appleTV to the Airport Express. You will need to use the amp as your switcher.

On the Apple TV , Go to Settings:
Airplay:
Speakers:.....you should see your airport express as an option for wireless audio out


How to take a full length screenshot of the iPhone Messages app? How can we do a "full page" (full length, from first message to the last message) screenshot?

For example, this should be the resulting image:

It's just one unified image, not multiple screenshots.

Is there a way to do this easily?

(Taking multiple screenshots and merging them together with Photoshop like what we have above is not a real solution.)

Stich It! is the App you're looking for I believe.

[Drumroll please....]

This can be accomplished by using Quicktime to create a "Movie Recording"

http://www.apptamin.com/blog/capture-iphone-ipad-screen-video/


How to convert my music to ringtones for the Iphone 5 I am trying to convert some of my favourite music files to ringtones on my iPhone 5. It has been pretty confusing maneuvering iTunes to do so, so I'm looking for a much easier way to do so.

I connect my iPhone (iOS 6.0.2) to a PC running iTunes 11.0.1.12.

GarageBand can do it. Import a song, select a 30-second range, export it as a ringtone.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1358

Edit:just saw the PC bit.

Haven't tried it, but there's an app:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/ringtone-maker-make-free-ringtones/id390929278?mt=8

And a website: www.iringer.net/

Check out this tutorial, it walks you through it. http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/10/26/ios-5-how-to-create-custom-ringtones-and-alerts-for-the-iphone/


How to trim many files using adobe photoshop I have 300 png files. I want to trim each of them. But for this I need open each file and make changes (even if I make script for trimming and save it will be long to open each file and do trimming). Is there already made solution or some advice how to do it better and quickly.

Thanks in advance.

Another option using ImageMagick:

mogrify -trim *.png

You can install it with brew install imagemagick after installing Homebrew.

Here is step by step guide inspired from bassplayer7

How to trim multiple images in Photoshop http://tech-with-us.blogspot.com/2016/12/how-to-trim-multiple-images-in-photoshop.html


How can I save a template email on my iPhone so I can send it repeatedly? I am about to head to a Meetup, and I would like to be able to share my contact information with other people I meet. I wanted to save a "template" email on my iPhone containing my contact information with my vCard attached so I could open it up, enter a person's email address, send it to them, and then repeat for the next person I met.

If I save a draft email and send it, then the draft goes away and I can't send it again. Is there any way to resend an email from the iPhone to a new address, or any way to edit a sent message and send it again?

How can I save a template email on my iPhone so I can send it repeatedly?

Use the Note App! Just type your email subject on the first line of the note. Hit return and type your body text. Each time you want to send this info to someone use the email function within the note. Your email is populated correctly and it's a really quick process. I use this system to send payment receipts to my guitar students.

Try out Crisp, the email template keyboard, just released for iOS. It allows you to save unlimited templates and has iCloud sync across your devices. The best part - you can quickly send the template from any app (email, messages, social media) just by using the custom keyboard. You can download the Crisp - Email Template Keyboard at
https://appsto.re/us/ax-I8.i


iPhone Hotspot: who is connected? Sometimes, when I start to use my iPhone as a hotspot, I see 2 connections. Since I am the only one supposed to be using it, and I’m only using wifi (not USB as well), I can’t work out why there is a second connection.

After a while, it often goes down to 1 connection. I wonder whether the second connection is someone else trying to use it.

The question is: how can I tell who is accessing the hotspot?

BTW, the initial problem was to resolve why I appear to be having more connections than I could account for, and that is indeed covered in another question. However, I would still like to know whether it’s possible to see who is actually connected.

Other devices (including iPads, iPods, Macs, and other iPhones) connected to the same iCloud account as your iPhone will, if in WiFi range, automatically connect to your iPhone's hotspot when it's turned on (according to this Apple Support page and my personal experience). That means if any of your other devices are lying around, they will automatically connect to your iPhone's hotspot using iCloud.

tl;dr: Other devices tied to the same iCloud account might automatically be joining your iPhone's hotspot network.

When we use use bluetooth and usb wire at the same time while setting up hotspot, it will show 2 connections... if we remove usb cable it will show 1 connection... not to worry...nobody else is using your hotspot .... relax...


How safe is it to use Apple's wireless keyboard? Apple's Magic Keyboard is a bluetooth device which means that the hacker can potentially intercept the signal and decrypt messages or say get control over the input.

Question: Is Magic Keyboard secure enough? What does Apple do in order to make it secure?

It’s actually quite safe to use Bluetooth keyboards.
Since 2009 on, bluetooth keyboards have encrypted all traffic end to end with the exception of service discovery.  In other words, only the advertising packets that basically say “I’m a keyboard” or “I’m a trackpad or mouse” are unencrypted.  Everything else, including the authentication is encrypted.
How does macOS Sierra securely pair with Bluetooth keyboards without a code?
Entering a key or a passcode is not part of the security mechanism; its a form of Simple Secure Pairing or SSP.  The passkey is just a way to identify devices to be paired.  It’s definitely not a way to prevent MITM attacks.
So, is Bluetooth safe?
It’s more accurate to say “it’s safe enough for US Government standards.

Bluetooth adheres to U.S. federal security regulations, ensuring that all Bluetooth devices are capable of meeting and exceeding strict government security standards.

NIST Compliant: The National Institute of Technology develops security standards and guidelines for federal agencies to protect their information and information systems.

FIPS Approved: These Federal Information Processing Standards are developed by NIST in accordance with the Federal Information Security Management ACT (FISMA).

Further reading:
NIST Special Publication 800-121 Revision 2N Guide to Bluetooth Security

Unless there is an unknown vulnerability in Apple's bluetooth implementation, the actual data transfer is encrypted and secure. However, all wireless keyboards necessarily leak information about when you press keys:

It can be used to determine when you are using your keyboard. Probably not of use to many people.
Keypress timing can be used to make e.g. password guessing easier, but this is not a very practical attack as there is still a lot of guessing involved.


Can't enable Apple Two Step Authentication I see from all of the various blogs and news sites that Apple finally has two step authentication with their Apple ID. That's great -- especially with the latest security hole where you can now reset someone's Apple ID password with just the ID and the user's birthday.
However, I don't seem to be able to turn on two step authentication:
Here's what I do:

Go to https://appleid.apple.com/
Click on the Manage Your Apple ID button.
Sign in.
Click on Password and Security.
I'm now asked my security questions.
I answer my security questions.
And, now I can change my password, security questions, my rescue email, and my birthdate.

Why can't I turn on Two-step authentication? Am I not going to the correct place? I'm trying to follow the directions on Apple's website, but I don't get the two-step verification option.

Response:

When I first went to the Password and Security page. I answered the questions. And then got the normal setting page for Password and Security. But I could not see an option for the two-step. What I missed was its above all the settings. You may be doing the same. Thats an actual screen shot of the top of the Password and Security page and show the "Get started"

Nope. I don't see that...

I'm going to see if I can contact Apple tomorrow on this. Maybe take my Macbook to the Apple Store tomorrow.

I missed it the first time. It should be at the top.
of the the Security page.

I was so upset when I got my phone Ana found that I had to wait for 2 days for the two step authorization.  Here is what I did.  I created a new Apple ID using a different email address I already had (you can't use an apple url address), I used a gmail account.  Then I set it up and created a password thru apple. Just go into your iCloud from the menu, scroll to the bottom and sign out.  Then replace it with the new temporary account until your 3 days pass and you can log back in to your original Apple ID.  It worked!  I can use the watch now!!!


How can I view the original (or "master") version of a photo in Photos without reverting all edits? Most photo applications provides some way to toggle between the original (unedited) version of a photo and the current (edited) one.

In Aperture, "M" toggles between the two, many iOS photo apps let you touch the screen to compare the edited or filtered version to the original, etc.

I can't find any way to show the original in the new Photos app other than "reverting," which removes all the edits.

I don't want to remove them, I just want to compare the two.

I realize that I can "revert" then undo, but it's hacky, slow, and worse, dangerous - counting on undo to preserve work in any app is iffy, at best.

Note: The fact that Aperture edits are saved "less destructively" than Photos shouldn't be relevant here.  Both applications DO retain the original, in edition to the edited version.

While in Edit mode, hold down the Control and M keys.

This will show you the original version of your photo, with no edits applied. If you want to temporarily undo the effect of the color adjustments but keep the cropping and rotation the same, hold down M by itself.

Unlike Aperture:

It doesn’t work in “view mode”; you have to be in edit mode. (To get into edit mode via the keyboard, press Return.)
It’s a hold, not a toggle, so you only see the original photo for as long as you have the keys held down.


Maximize iPhone battery lifespan by keeping it plugged into power whenever possible I know, sometimes it can explode, but is it a good advice to let the iPhone - whenever possible - plugged in to a power outlet in order to maximize battery lifespan (so it's almost always at 100%)?

If it matters, it is an iPhone Xs.

Also, I know, from time to time (few times in a month at least) every battery should be used until it's empty and then fully recharged, that's clear to me.

Yes - keep your iPhone XS and newer plugged in unless you put it in long term storage. Then 50% charge and power it off.
There is no reason to not fully charge and keep attached the latest iPhone and iPad devices that run iOS 11.3 since there are now charge management enhancements to avoid voltage pressure and lack of discharge that can cause issue on older devices and operating systems.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208710

iOS includes a charge management feature to maintain battery health when iPad or iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, or iPhone XR is connected to power for prolonged periods of time, such as when used in a kiosk or a point of sales system, or stored in a charge cart.

Your XS is better off to leave plugged in since that reduces charge cycles. Unless you aren't going to use if for a couple months, then discharge or charge to 50% and shut it off:

https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/

Older devices and older operating systems do require you to balance the need to have it charged with the need to delay eventual failure. Every single lithium battery will eventually swell and/or disconnect itself electrically if it doesn't fail some other manner prematurely.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208387 - information on chemical aging of batteries

iPad being using in wall mount battery swollen

It's actually bad for a battery to retain 100% of its capacity at all times. It will shorten its lifespan.

I have charged my iPhone 200 times now and still have 100% of my capacity. I charge it from 40 to 80 procent. Which means I've fully charged it like 75 times, but it's still at 100%. I do a full cycle once a month.

A nice read:
https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/mobile-phone/charge-phone-properly-3619623/


Why is my App Updates linked to my wife's AppleID? I can't change it I recently purchased a mac pro w Yosemite.  I left my wife set herself up as an additional user, which later I removed.  Now 3 apps (numbers, Keynote and Pages) which need to be updated are listed under her apple ID and requires her password.  Being my laptop, I want to correct this and use my ID.

Unfortunately the OS doesn't allow me to delete them. When I tried to re-purchase them, it only allows me to update the apps, and then shows my wife's ID and wants her password. I can use her password but would rather correct the problem.

if she 'bought' them, even on 'your' machine, they are tied to her Apple ID. You would need to re-purchase under your own ID.

App Store purchases are not tied to a machine, they are tied to an ID

… or set up Family Sharing, which would allow you both to download/use any app purchased under that share, without impinging on general privacy.

I had to delete the apps indeed, and then purchase them at $20 a pop.