Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, the founder and former CEO of Apple computers, died this evening at age 56. He had been battling pancreatic cancer for eight years.

Barely one month ago Jobs resigned from his position at Apple to pass it on to Tim Cook, who was on stage at Apple headquarters yesterday to announce details on the iPhone 4S. Jobs himself had unveiled the original iPhone back in 2007.

Apple released a statement today which became available to the media at around 7:30 pm ET this evening that reads, “Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.”
rt.com

Related posts:

1. Steve Jobs On Medical Leave – What’s Next for Apple? The media is rife with speculation about Steve Jobs health...
2. Life of Steve Jobs: 9 Lessons That We Can Learn From The death of Steve Jobs rocked the world as he...
3. The Mac Aqua GUI The Macintosh, commonly known as the Mac, is a range...

Here is a list of 10 cool AppleScripts that you should try.

1. Add to Folder Names

With Add To Folder Names you can add something at the beginning or end of all folder names on the front-most Finder window. Items on the desktop will be used by the script, if no Finder windows are open. This saves a lot of time as you don’t have to go through a large group of folders one by one just to add something to the folder name.

2. Add to File Names

Similarly, Add To File Names changes files in the front Finder window, instead of folders.

3. Trim Folder Names

The next two scripts are the opposite of the two mentioned above. Trim Folder Names lets one trim the text from the beginning or the end of a folder. This helps in altering the folder names that you want to change or shorten.

4. Trim File Names

Trim File Names is similar to Trim Folder Names, except that instead of folder names, this can cut the start or end of file names.

5. Finder Windows- Hide All

All the Finder windows that are open can be minimized into the dock by using the Finder Windows – Hide All script.

6. Finder Windows-Show All

Finder Windows – Show All will do the exact opposite, and bring all Finder windows that are in the Dock back out onto the Desktop.

7. Crazy Message Text

On running Crazy Message Text, a dialog asks the user to type the text to create the “crazy” mail message with. After entering text and on hitting OK, a Mail message is created, on which the text is pasted with each letter in a different size, font and colour.

8. Create New Message

The Create New Message Script is useful to browse the Web or RSS feeds. It lets you make a Mail message from whatever application you’re in at the moment. A small dialog asks the receiver’s name, address, the subject, content, signature, and the “from” address. After clicking OK, Mail opens and the message that you entered can be sent.

9. iTunes Remote Control

The iTunes Remote Control is the perfect substitute for an iTunes controller. On running the script, a dialog pops up and you can make iTunes “pause”, “play,” or “stop” among other commands.

10. Clipboard Viewer

The Clipboard Viewer script shows a dialog with whatever is on the clipboard. If you have a file copied, the filename will be displayed.

The Scripts folder contains tons of other cool Applescripts. And what’s more, You can even customize or even write your own AppleScripts!

For more Macintosh articles, resources, tools and downloads visit Macintosh Tools

Related posts:

1. Top Five Mac Tweaks The Mac (short for Macintosh) is a wonderfully versatile system...
2. iPod Error – ‘Firmware Update Failure’ iPod is the Apple provided brand of portable media players...
3. How to Backup Your Mac Data With Time Machine Mac is a line of personal computers developed by Apple...

iSquint is known as its fast conversion speed, easy-to-use interface and totally free. It supports batch processing for multiple files. You can convert video files in batch with iSquint. Moreover, iSquint provides with quality setting, and you can get the quality you want by moving quality bar. Easy enough, right?

System Requirements:

• Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher
• Universal Binary for PowerPC and Intel Macs.

Features of iSquint

• Supports most of video formats DivX/XviD AVIs, all forms of MPEG video, and many other formats QuickTime chokes on are supported.WMV 7/8 files supported. With the Flip4Mac plugin, all WMV files are supported – including WMV9.
• Batch conversion Batch Processing of multiple files. Save in-place, or to a different folder.
• Really easy to use Just drag your files in and click “Convert”, you can begin the converting. You can choose the size of the TV and iPod, set the conversion quality.
• Powerful compatible function On a 1GHz G4 PC, iSquint can convent most videos to the file fits for the iPod screen. It does not need the QuickTime Pro and DivX codec.
• Fast conversion speed Fast convert the most main stream video files to MPEG-4 and H.264 or 3GP, XviD files. It supports batch conversion.

In a word, iSquint is a good choice for Mac users to convert video formats and transfer to iPod.

If you want get more information, you can click here:
http://www.downloadatoz.net/download/isquint/

Related posts:

1. How Can I Play Windows Media Files (Wma and Wmv) On a Mac? Introduction Apple’s Quicktime movie format (recognizable by its *.mov extension)...
2. iPod Error – ‘Firmware Update Failure’ iPod is the Apple provided brand of portable media players...
3. How Safe Are Mac Users From Spyware? Currently, it is true to say that any Spyware program...

The water themed user interface first made its introduction at the January 2000 Macworld Conference and Expo, San Francisco. The debut appearance of the Aqua GUI in a commercial product was during the July 2000 release of the iMovie 2. In that the scroll bar and the buttons had the Mac Operating Systems’ all-new Aqua look. Its second appearance was in the Mac OS X Public Beta in September of the same year. This was followed by a feature in iTunes in January the following year. Aqua was made Mac’s official graphical user interface after the release of the Mac OS X. The two basic colours which highlight Aqua’s style are blue and white.

Two of the main features of the Aqua GUI are:

1. The gel-like buttons that control wind, which come in red, yellow and green colours.
2. The dock which helps to launch and navigate between applications. David Pogue, a technology columnist for the New York Times, described the scrollbars as “lickable globs of Crest Berrylicious Toothpaste Gel”.

The brushed metal windows and the standard pinstriped are the two basic types of windows that come with Aqua. Both these styles seem to have the navigational button embedded into the window but in versions of Mac before 10.2, the buttons appear on top of the pinstriped windows.

As newer versions are released, the Aqua GUI has been made increasingly subtle. For instance the pinstripes have been made fainter. Also the menus as well as the system dialogs have been made more translucent. Even the appearances of the buttons and the widgets have been made softer.

Quartz Compositor which handles the underlying graphics management of the user interface powers Aqua.

To find out more about the Mac, as well as tips, downloads and reviews, visit: Macintosh Tools.

Related posts:

1. The Mac Terminal – A Short Introduction Introduction No doubt, Apple’s Mac OSX has the most streamlined...
2. iSquint – Freeware For Mac Users to Convert Video As for Mac users, iSquint is a good iPod video...
3. How to Buy Your Mac Laptop A Mac laptop is an extremely attractive option for anyone...

No doubt, Apple’s Mac OSX has the most streamlined and user-friendly user interface of the commonly used operating systems on the market. Sometimes, however, using your mouse to complete a task can be cumbersome. This is where the Terminal can come in handy.

The Terminal is a command line tool which lets you send commands to your Mac by typing text instead of using your mouse with the user interface.

To start the Terminal application navigate into your Application folder, and from there into the Utilities folder. Alternatively you can press CMD+Space and type ‘Terminal’.

The ls command

When you start Terminal you will be presented with the so-called prompt. This prompt tells you when you last logged on and what folder in your file structure the terminal is currently pointed at (if this is the first time you use Terminal this will be your account’s home folder)

To see what files are in this currently active folder type the ‘ls’ (without the quotation marks) command (a small L, not an I) and hit enter. ‘ls’ is short for list, not surprisingly terminal will list all the files and folders in your home directory. One of those folders should be ‘Desktop’. This is the folder where everything you see on your Desktop is located.

If you want to see what files and folders are in this Desktop folder type the command ‘ls Desktop’ (again, without the quotation marks, and hit enter).

The cd command

The ‘cd’ command (short for change directory) will let you navigate to a specific folder. Assuming that you are still inside your account’s home folder type ‘cd Desktop’. The Terminal is now ‘pointing’ at your Desktop folder. If you use the ‘ls’ command now, you will we presented with a list of files and folders in your Desktop folder.

To navigate back to your home folder type ‘cd ~’. Alternatively you also use ‘cd $Home’.

To navigate to the current folder’s parent folder type ‘cd ..’

The help command

Probably the most helpful command for a Terminal beginner is the ‘help’ command. Type ‘help’ (without quotation marks) and hit enter. Terminal will present you with a list of all available commands.

If you need help with a specific command, simply follow the ‘help’ command with the name of the command you need help with. For instance, ‘help cd’ will offer you help with the change directory command.
Brian Leanza

Related posts:

1. How Do I Make Safari Open Pages in a New Tab? Introduction You most probably have ran into this situation: there...
2. 10 Cool AppleScripts You Should Try The scripting language built in to the Mac’s OS is...
3. All About the Apple Desktop Computer Can you even recall the days when there were no...

What You Need
This works with Apple’s Safari Browser 4.x and on a Mac only. If you use Safari on Windows this will not help you.

Change Safari’s Beahaviour
To force Safari to open every link in a new tab you need to use an utility you already have installed on your Mac: the Terminal. To open the Terminal open the Finder, navigate to Applications, from there into the folder Utilites. In this folder you will find the Terminal application. Start it and type in the following text (best copy and paste from here):

defaults write com.apple.Safari TargetedClickCreateTabs -bool true

NOTE: you will have to restart Safari for the change to have effect.

Undo the Change
To undo the change simply open the Terminal again and type in the following (it’s the same command as before with the parameter changed from ‘true’ to ‘false’)

defaults write com.apple.Safari TargetedClicksCreateTabs -bool false

NOTE: you will have to restart Safari for the change to have effect.

Summary
Having Safari open links in new Tabs by default can save you quite a bit of time and will reduce desktop clutter tremendously. And, it was not hard to do, was it?
Brian Leanza

Related posts:

1. The Mac Terminal – A Short Introduction Introduction No doubt, Apple’s Mac OSX has the most streamlined...
2. 5 Mac Security Tips You Can’t Live Without So, you’ve bought a new Macintosh, and now you may...
3. 10 Cool AppleScripts You Should Try The scripting language built in to the Mac’s OS is...

1. Download all of the software updates available. This seems like a no-brainer, but some Mac users forget to download the newest updates. You can even set your computer to automatically download new updates. However, some dial-up users encounter trouble when trying to downloaded updates. If you are a dial-up user, the best suggestion is to leave your Mac on overnight and let it download. Apple releases many programs that fix bugs in iLife applications, and in Mac OS X. Probably the most important of these updates are the security updates. Apple periodically offers security updates for its operating systems (Panther and Tiger).

2. Be careful what you download. Some people use P2P downloads for Macintosh (I.E. Poisoned). Be careful when downloading using a P2P because you do not know where the music or file is coming from. Some P2P users specifically make corrupted files to send via music downloading programs. Generally, it is a good idea to stick to iTunes, because those files are ACC Protected and offered through Apple so they certainly won’t have viruses.

3. Choose the best and safest Internet Browser. Safari comes standard on all new Macs as part of iLife. However, some people do not enjoy Safari as much as others. Some say that Safari is not as safe from hackers as other browsers. Safari can also be a problem if you are going to a web page that requires a version of Internet Explorer or Netscape to view it. You can download Internet Explorer and Netscape for Mac, but again, some believe that these browsers are not as safe from hackers. Many people believe that Mozilla Firefox (my personal favorite) is the safest browser to use because of its customizable features. Firefox is available for downloading on the Macintosh.

4. Don’t be afraid to buy anti-virus software. If you have to download files from the internet as part of a job or hobby, then it is probably a good idea to have some sort of anti-virus software on your Macintosh. Apple provides a wide-variety of anti-virus software that is constantly updated.

5. Finally, keep an eye on those e-mail attachments and instant messages. Some hackers have programmed viruses to IM you from one of your friends’ screen names. Don’t click on any link without knowing what it is first. Most e-mail providers use virus scans automatically, but you should always be extra careful when downloading an attachment. If it is from someone you do not know, don’t trust it.

Apple computers are very safe from hackers, but they can always be improved. Keeping a computer safe, and running well requires a great amount of time and energy. Just remember that if your computer is safe, your Apple experience will be much more rewarding.

Paulo Fretowski enjoys writing about computers because he uses them for his job with BizNicheMedia.

Related posts:

1. Laptop Locks and Security Tips There are several things to keep in mind when deciding...
2. How Safe Are Mac Users From Spyware? Currently, it is true to say that any Spyware program...
3. All About the Apple Desktop Computer Can you even recall the days when there were no...

While trying to update or restore your iPod, you might receive the below error message:

“Firmware update failure. Disk write error”

This error message suggests that iTunes cannot read/write any information from/to iPod.

Cause

Possible reasons for this error message are:

• You are using an outdated version of Windows or Mac OS X operating system
• You computer is not updated
• You are using some software that are interfering with iTunes
• One or more music files are damaged
• If you are using Windows, unregistered .dll files could be the issue
• Damaged iPod photo cache
• Connection is lost
• Damaged or incompatible hardware
• iPod disk structure is damaged

Solution

Try resolving this issue using these steps:

• Make sure that you have installed all latest updates of your Windows or Mac OS X operating system, including device connections updates
• Ensure that you have the latest updates available for your computer
• Try uninstalling any software and disabling add-ons that might be interfering with iTunes
• Check for damaged music files and delete them
• Register the unregistered .dll files, if any
• Delete the corrupted iPod photo cache
• Check the system for valid connection
• Diagnose your system for damaged and incompatible hardware and replace or remove them
• Restore your iPod using latest version of iTunes. Restore lost data from backup or alternatively use iPod Recovery tools if you face backup concerns. iPod Data Recovery applications perform safe and effective lost data recovery.

Stellar Phoenix iPod Recovery is a complete iPod Reocvery solution to recover lost data. Available for both Windows and Mac operating systems, this non-destructive tool supports iPod generations like iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPod Shuffle and iPod Mini. It comes available with advanced features like File Mask, File Filter etc. It can restore all music files, pod casts, audio books, documents and graphic files.

Simpson has 6 Years of Experience in the Software Technology field working as a freelancer with Stellar which offers data recovery services, ipod recovery and unixware data recovery software for more than 10 years.

Related posts:

1. Data Recovery Services – Choose Wisely When looking for reliable data recovery services in Kenya there...
2. iSquint – Freeware For Mac Users to Convert Video As for Mac users, iSquint is a good iPod video...
3. How to Use FileVault Found on Mac OSX 10.3 and later, FileVault is a...

Installing the Time Machine to the Mac is pretty simple. On connecting an external drive, Mac asks the user whether the drive is meant to be for backup and on saying yes, everything else will be taken care of by the Time Machine. After installation, all the back up will be done automatically and the user won’t have to worry about this anymore.

During installation, the software copies the Mac’s entire contents to the backup drive. Without compressing anything, all files are copied as it is. After the initial backup, only periodic backups are done and that too only for files that have been modified since the previous backup. Time Machine also creates links to all the files that are unchanged so that you can see the entire contents of the Mac on any given day.

Like every other backup software, the Time Machine also copies every file on the Mac, but there is something that sets the Time Machine apart from all these other softwares. It not only keeps a spare copy of all the files but also remembers exactly how the Mac looked on a particular day.

By searching on the Time Machine browser for missing files, the user can find long-lost files which you might have lost ages ago, but still need. You can also find the most recent changes by specifying the precise date or you can even do a Spotlight search to locate exactly the file you are looking for. As per the user’s requirement, the Time Machine can restore the entire folder or just the required files. Even the entire computer can be restored using Time Machine, if need be.

By default, a backup of everything is saved by the software, but files can be excluded by going to preferences and changing the Options. Files that are to be skipped can be set here. The user can also delete files whose backup has already been made by selecting the files he/she wishes to delete and then by choosing ‘Delete from all backups’ from the action menu in the Folder toolbar, all unwanted backups are eliminated instantly.

Eventually the program is bound to run out of space, as no matter how large the backup drive is, it will one day be filled. Hence, the software will start deleting the files, oldest first, but before doing so it informs the user. Moreover, before deleting anything, the software copies files that might be required to completely restore the user’s disk for future backups.

For more hints, tips and articles visit Mac Tools.

Related posts:

1. How to Use FileVault Found on Mac OSX 10.3 and later, FileVault is a...
2. iPod Error – ‘Firmware Update Failure’ iPod is the Apple provided brand of portable media players...
3. How to Buy Your Mac Laptop A Mac laptop is an extremely attractive option for anyone...

Mac tweak number one: handle your auto start programs and applications well.

Whenever you log into your Mac, come programs open up automatically, taking up a lot of time and memory space in the process. Therefore, it would be a good idea to remove those programs that you do not need or are not keen on using immediately after logging on. Some of these programs are Quicksilver, iTunes helper, Geektool, Twitterrific, Instantshot! and Magical. In system preferences, go to the Login Items tab and disable the programs you don’t need immediately to open up upon logging in.

Mac tweak number two: enabling and utilizing the tab key.

Go to System preferences, and then to the keyboard and mouse pane. At the bottom of this pane, click the ‘all controls’ radio button. This will enable the Tab key to move between the controls apart from and in addition to moving between text boxes and lists. Saves a ton of time and is really simple too!

Mac tweak number three: allot custom icons for the hard drive components.

This is a great way of easily and quickly differentiating between several application icons. Xcode has an Icon Composer software. This is usually available in your OS x install disk. If not, you can easily download it from Apple website. Icns2Rsrc converts the icon into a proper file format and creates your chosen icon to be assigned to whatever component you want to assign it to. This is another way to make your drive area both user friendly as well as well organized.

Mac tweak number four: a new addition to finder’s toolbar – the Path Button.

This is a smart tweak which helps you save a lot of time and agony in the long run. Have you ever noticed that in the path finder, the chain of command of the programs is usually difficult to estimate? Does this bother you? Wish you could change it? Well, you can. All that you have to do is drag and drop the Path button. To help you out, the Path button resembles a set of steps which clearly differentiates each level.

Mac tweak number five: application shortcuts added to the Finder’s toolbar.

This will allow you easy access to your applications as well as save considerable time while searching for the relevant applications. You can add application shortcuts to the sidebar also. To do this, simply assign drag and drop to useful and helpful accessories and applications on your system. This will enable you easy access to your favorite applications in a click while all the time making the whole process a stress free affair.

Use these tips and enjoy your Mac’s hidden capabilities!

The Latest Macintosh Resources, Software and Tools can be found at: Macintosh Tools.

Related posts:

1. Speed Up Mac OS X The MAC computers run on the operating system X known...
2. How to Backup Your Mac Data With Time Machine Mac is a line of personal computers developed by Apple...
3. How Safe Are Mac Users From Spyware? Currently, it is true to say that any Spyware program...