macOS Archive

I have written (and continue to write) an application called Desktop Manager for OS X. It provides virtual desktops to those refugees from Unix like myself :). Recently it became apparent that it would no longer work under Apple's forthcoming Tiger release of OS X. This proved a little bit of a problem for me since I have no copy of Tiger to test with and don't wish to risk Apple's wrath by obtaining a less-than-legitimate copy. Instead I have relied on a network of people I correspond with via my blog to tell me when things break. It also means I have to attempt to reverse engineer something I don't have in front of me. I am indebted to these people and would like to thank them for their hard work.

Apple has been criticised for letting an 'egregious error' in the way the latest version of its OS handles Java slip through its testing process. More info here.

"10.4 "Tiger" is the strongest OS X release yet and a worthy competitor to Windows XP. Though it is marketed by Apple as a major release, Tiger is in fact a minor upgrade with few major new features, more akin to what we'd call a service pack in the Windows world" says WinSuperSite.

"It's our biggest leap forward since the original Macintosh in 1984," Apple Chief Executive Steven Jobs said of the release of OS 10.4 Tiger. Certainly, Tiger is proof that Apple isn't ignoring its traditional business. Many of its features are the kinds of behind-the-scenes capabilities that are unlikely to attract much attention but are nonetheless important.

Point-counterpoint at DaringFireball's interesting editorials.

According to AppleInsider, build 8A428 has been declared gold master.

As we already know, the performance of DOOM 3 for Mac in comparison to its Windows counterpart is a little depressing - but those tests were on a Mac running Panther. Now running Tiger, some have seen an incredible performance boost. A clean install of both the latest Tiger beta (8A414) and DOOM 3 saw a steady 35-40 FPS at 1024x768 on High quality, with 2x Anti-aliasing enabled. Quite an improvement over Panther.

Security vendor Symantec is warning that Apple's OS X operating system is increasingly becoming a target for hackers and malware authors.

CherryOS is available for trial and download. Requires a 1.6 Ghz PC or more and at least 256 MBs of available RAM.

Who said that the iPod can only be used as a music player? Pod2Go is here to transform your iPod from a mere music player and file storage gadget to a (sort of) PDA.

Recently Apple added the ability to scroll with your trackpad on the new series of Powerbooks. However, most Mac OS X users were already able to do just that and much more by using the SideTrack utility which works on most iBook and Powerbook models.

"My work involves administering Unix Web servers and a mix of office desktops, along with developing the applications we run on them. I use Mac OS X to do it because it is something like a superset of those other popular OS choices. While much of the software I deploy is free, both as in speech and as in beer, I'm willing to open my wallet for OS X." Read the article at NewsForge.

Most recent PalmOne/Clie devices and some PocketPC ones come with Bluetooth instead of WiFi. Imagine yourself in a WiFi-enabled hotel room with your dual wireless *book on your lap and a BT-enabled PDA/phone device. How do you route networking to these devices *from* your Mac?

This article explains how I’m able to use an aging but still capable Mac for database development in a company that develops commercial decision support software for hospitals. I wrote this article because I think the results of the search I made for software that allows me to work productively on this machine may be of use to others.