macOS Archive

NeXT Fans Give Up the Ghost

Among the many milestones in the tech world this last year, one occurred almost without notice. The Bay Area NeXT Group, an important user group formed 15 years ago around Steve Jobs' second great computer design, slipped into history in 2005, even as the technology that sparked it reached millions of users under a new name: OS X.

Mac OS X 10.4.4 Development Winding Down

The development of Mac OS X 10.4.4 update appears to be in the final stages at Apple Computer, as tipsters say the latest developer builds of the software are accompanied by only a few outstanding issues. According to sources and reports already present on the Web, Mac OS X 10.4.4 stands to deliver over 120 bug fixes to the Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger operating system. Targeted areas are said to include audio, AppleScript, Bluetooth, Dashboard widgets, DVD Player, graphics, graphics drivers, iChat, Safari, and Spotlight.

Pretty Useless Widgets: Games

"Over the weekend I was checking the Apple site to find some useful widgets. I found some good ones, but in the process of browsing I came across some rather useless 'Gaming' widgets. Between all of the strange ones I installed, here are the ones that I find the most useless."

Dharma: Cocoa on Windows… Again?

"A first time poster to MacGeneration forums posted the contents of an email, which was originally sent to another website. The writer claims that Apple is reviving 'Yellow Box for Windows' - a development environment which promised Mac OS X developers the ability to develop and then deploy of both Mac OS X and Windows environments. The original plans for Yellow Box were promised during early developer sessions by Apple, but later killed. The letter claims that the project has been relaunched internally under the name 'Dharma'. Resultant applications will be true 'Universal Binaries', allowing developers to released their applications under the Windows environment also." Of course this is highly speculative, but interesting nonetheless. What is your opinion on this?

Give Your Mac a Hostname with DynDNS

"This article will show you how to easily setup a free DNS service that will give your Mac computer a static hostname. There are a lot of possibilities you can use this for, as most of the Internet connections offer dynamic IP addresses. Having a dedicated hostname can make it easier to remotely connect to your computer and run any kind of server."

When a Linux User Buys Apple’s Mac Mini

"In 2005, Apple announced the Mac Mini. It was the answer to what I was looking for in a computer, so I bought one. This is a report about the early months with my new Mac, and how it compares to a Linux computer (I have never owned a Windows computer). In short, I am now both a Mac and a Linux user - Apple gets GUI simplicity, usability, and coherency right, and Linux everything else."

Rosetta Emulation to Feature Altivec Support

The Rosetta emulation platform in 10.4.3 build 8F1111A has been upgraded to feature full G4 support, including Altivec. This not only adds a new layer of compatibility to Rosetta, but also improved speed for Altivec-equipped applications. Also, new ATI drivers available in 10.4.3 seem to offer much greater support for PC ATI graphics chipsets.

Crackers Again Crack OS X for x86

Sources indicate that OSx86 10.4.3 - which contains increased hardware restrictions - has now been cracked in the same fashion as 10.4.1. It was initially thought that these restrictions would slow the progress of hackers, but it appears that it has done little to deter those tackling the challenge. It appears that "Maxxuss" has outdone Apple yet again.

Secure Backup, Storage Using a Disk Image and an iPod

"In case you lose your iPod (or any other external drive for that matter) or it gets stolen your data is in danger. I'm one of those people that constantly carries data on their iPod between two locations and I want to keep it safe. What follows is a brief tutorial aimed at those that want their data protected without investing in commercial software. In case you didn't know, you can increase your privacy pretty easily with features embedded directly into Mac OS X."

Apple Mac OS X on x86: a First Test

ZDnet has installed the x86 version of Mac OS X and did some preliminary tests. Their conclusion? "Mac OS X looks in amazingly good early form on the x86 platform. As far as power consumption and OS performance are concerned, it can already keep up with Windows XP. Application performance clearly lags behind, though, and still needs to improve." Now, let's wait and see if Apple dares to send angry letters to ZDnet too.

Using Network Services in Mac OS X Server

This chapter explains why you need a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server and a domain name system (DNS) server. You'll also learn how to configure DHCP services on Mac OS X Server to provide address, lease and renewal, and directory information. You will then change settings on the client computer to access Internet Protocol (IP) information via DHCP.

Apple: System and Method for Creating Tamper-Resistant Code

On Nov. 3, the US Patent & Trademark Office revealed that Apple has filed patent application 20050246554 titled “system and method for creating tamper-resistant code.” James D. Batson is listed as the sole inventor for application 837413 originally filed in April 2004. This appears to be related to Apple’s forthcoming Tiger-Intel platform. Elsewhere, 10.4.3 for x86 is in sync with the PowerPC version.