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Mac OS X Hints
Addressing the Obvious
The most immediate question I had when I heard that O'Reilly would be publishing a book containing hints from macosxhints.com was, of course, Why I should get the book when the hints are already on the site for free? Both the author and the publisher also thought of this, understandably enough. Here's how Rob Griffiths answered the question in a post on the site, when the book was first announced: "The book isn't just a 'cut and paste' job from the site-to-print form. Every hint was rewritten and retested from scratch, and hundreds of screenshots were added to help clarify and explain the hints. In addition, many of the scripts and programs posted here are included (the author of each program was contacted for approval to include their original work in the book -- thanks to each of you for agreeing!)."
The response included in the O'Reilly press release for the book is along the same lines: "'The 500-plus hints in this book are based on tips published in the Mac OS X Hints web site,' explains Griffiths. 'But it's not just a rehash of what's there. Every hint has been rewritten, expanded, organized, indexed, tested for compatibility with the latest version of Mac OS X 10.2, and in many cases, illustrated, making the book an even better resource than the web site."
So the question then becomes: is this really the case? Are the differences between the hints as posted on the site and as printed in the book really significant enough to merit shelling out $24.95?
The short answer is that, in my opinion, the book is worth its price. The long answer is (predictably) a little more complicated. There are, of course, people who are more than willing to do the extra digging on the web to get the relevant content for free -- they'd rather do without the little perks (increased readability, revision, testing, screenshots) than spend potential beer money for a glossy O'Reilly book. And that's fine -- I'm more than sympathetic with this position, being frequently hard up for beer money, myself. But of course there are also people for whom the convenience is just as important as the cost, and who consider the price of the book well worth it in terms of the time saved. If you fall into the former category, don't bother buying the book -- but then, you weren't going to buy it anyway, were you? As for the latter group, rest assured that your investment will not, in this case, be wasted.
What I LikedI've read several other books on Mac OS X. The one I believe everyone should start with is still David Pogue's Mac OS X: The Missing Manual . If you've already read this book (and enjoyed it) or didn't read it but are confident you've already got the equivalent experience, then Mac OS X Hints is a good next step.
Griffiths assumes you're comfortable using OS X for basic tasks: he doesn't tell you how to log in, or what the Dock is. If you're fuzzy on those kind of basics, you're not quite ready for this book (but you're positively crying out for a copy of the Missing Manual). Additionally, he pushes some not-entirely-obvious processes to the introduction, so you don't have to read the same instructions over and over in the meat of the book itself. After all, once you've been told the first time how to view the contents of a package, you're probably all set in that regard. This is one of the aspects of Mac OS X Hints that I found most appealing, actually - Griffiths just explains in the beginning that he's assuming certain things, and then doesn't bother dumbing anything else down.
I've been a fan of macosxhints.com since I first installed OS X, but it seems like Griffiths's style has really improved for the book -- this may be a function of Pogue's role as editor, as the writing in Hints displays the same familiar, comfortable tone while not skimping on depth or details. Like other books Pogue has been involved in, this one is highly readable but not oversimplified.
It seems like the revision process the hints went through during their transition from site to print has been pretty successful, as well -- despite being familiar with the site, there was a great deal of material in the book that I had never seen, even after reading other OS X books. Additionally, the testing involved in the book's creation removes a great deal of the frustration inherent in the site. As much as I like the site, there have been several hints that have mysteriously declined to function on my own system for whatever reason -- but everything I've tried from the book worked without a hitch.
I also enjoyed the fact that this book, like Mac OS X Hacks , is made for sampling. Each article is short and to the point, and while related hints are grouped by chapter, no single tip depends on the reader having already performed one of the others (unless otherwise specified). You don't have to read the book cover to cover -- you can flip around at will without getting lost.
Incidentally, another plus is that 15% of all Griffiths's profits from this book are being donated to the Doernbecher Children's Hospital. That in itself isn't a reason to buy the book, but it's good to know.
What I Didn't LikeIf I can be nitpicky for a moment, I was bothered by the frequency of purely typographical errors. Little things like "than" being used instead of "then," or the bottom edge of a line in a sidebar getting cut off. It didn't keep me from enjoying the book, and I'm sure it's the sort of thing that will get corrected in future printings, but this sort of error occurred often enough that I noticed it, anyway.
Another little thing: I wish URLS had been included whenever a third-party shareware program was mentioned. Of course I know I can Google for DragThing and find it immediately -- but if I'm paying for a book, it seems to me that I shouldn't have to.
There is also the fact that this book is undeniably a book, and that limits it in certain respects (at least when compared to the site). The index is comprehensive and useful, but it's just not as useful as the ability to search the entire text of the book. It's also inevitably dated to a certain degree -- new hints posted to the site, even if they're infinitely more fabulous than ones already present in the book, just won't show up in print for a long time to come. Similarly, if a new version of the OS breaks one of the hints, you'll be able to find out somewhere on the web, but it won't be immediately obvious when you're just reading the book. Of course, these are problems shared by all print technical books, and not just Hints.
One final note: there's a lot of overlap between this book and Mac OS X Hacks, although each book has a significant amount of unique content. If you own one, you probably don't need to get the other, but it's difficult to say which I'd buy if I had to choose. Hacks contains only 100 articles, but they're more in-depth and the tasks they cover are often trickier or less obvious. Hints contains over 500 tidbits, but they're much shorter and often deal with things like key commands that allow you to increase your efficiency, and things of that ilk.
The Bottom LineIf you're the sort for whom time is at a higher premium than money -- maybe you're the kind of person who would buy a boxed *nix distribution instead of downloading it -- then I'd say go ahead and get this book. It's well worth its price as long as you understand that what you're paying for is ease of use and reliability, as well as content. If, on the other hand, you're living on Top Ramen for the foreseeable future, you're probably better off sticking with the site. If you do buy it, I think you'll find it will make a happy addition to your bookshelf -- stick it next to the Missing Manual and dip into it whenever you're sitting through an install or reboot.
You can purchase the Mac OS X Hints from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Is it me, or do these books always come out 3 months before a new version of the operating system comes out??
Another little thing: I wish URLS had been included whenever a third-party shareware program was mentioned. Of course I know I can Google for DragThing and find it immediately -- but if I'm paying for a book, it seems to me that I shouldn't have to.
That's a bit of a downer. The popular misconception about Macs is that lack of software. You'd think a book that aims to show you the true power of the MAC would lead you to every little cool piece of software for it.
Perhaps some day when jobs are stable I'll shell out the moola for a powerbook. Until then, linux thou art my savior.
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Free your mind.
Tip 1. Throw apple mouse in trash, plug in 2 button scroll wheel.
Now can we have an intelligent conversation?
---- The real Slashdot is still here. You just have to browse at -1 to read the comments.
Those are the two big questions in my mind. I've submitted a few hints myself.
If there's a PDF version, then it should be searchable, making it FAR more useful.
Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).
I dont see the need for this to be posted as a main slashdot headline. I would put in under the apple section. Unlike some other things that is Apple related but is also of an interest to Non apple users that should be placed up in the main section.
Well Goodbye Karma.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Some OSX Books in pdf format here.
P.S. I just bought a new Power Mac(1.25GHX x 2) and I love it! Install an X windows server and you can run just about any existing X app. Really impressive.
mp3's are only for those with bad memories
first the reviewer says that he wants url's in a book because he's paying for the book and shouldn't be bothered with google, but then he says something along the lines of "if you're the type of person who values your time"... well, google is much faster than a flip through reference manual where you have to type in the result yourself. make it even faster and learn to use mozilla's type ahead feature. get away from that silly mouse sitting so far away from the control panel ;).
Here's a Mastering Mac OS X review from not to long ago.
The entire section devotec to switching to a new operating system. It just seemed out of place in what I thought was a pro-Mac OS X book.
He's not lying. I have always been shocked at OS 9's inabililty to multitask with any speed. And Appletalk file transfers are dog-slow. It's improved in OS X, but you have that wacky interface to deal with. It drives people nuts that have used the same basic interface since 1985 (Apple menu, Finder, etc...)
i like my mac because it's not a 8600.
I for one love the website. But I'd also love to buy the book, being that occasionally I'll run up against a knotty problem that prevents me from getting online to check to see if there is a solution. The site tends to have a lot of really neat obscure things you won't find easily anywhere else.(yes, in true geek fashion, I have multiple machines, they just aren't always available)
the cover of the book is a picture of a cover of another book.
what the hell? mod this -1 redundant!
Anyone have a reliable method of changing the caps-lock key to a control key on an ibook? I've tried some utility and messing with some various settings but obviously I'm not getting it right. It's easy to do on FreeBSD and Linux; a pain to do on Win2k (but do-able) - now I'm just missing my Mac.
"Mac OS X Hints"
1. IBM clone--- Amd, Chlamydia, Intel etc...
2 FreeBSD
3.saved $$$
The story notes that this book is about power tips for Mac OS X, "amazingly enough". As a Mac OS X user, this is upsetting... it seems to me that the poster finds it unusual or ironic that ORA would release a book of "power tips" for OS X?
For one thing, they've released countless books on Windows (and I remember the times when their only books on MS issues were the "(X) Annoyances" series). For another thing, OS X is actually quite a serious system. Have you used it? Try it, it's Neat(TM).
I used to run Debian (yes, Debian) "on the desktop". Now, I run OS X. I am not regretting my move one bit. Mac OS X has a nifty GUI and all the open-source goodness I could need.
Honey, I shrunk the Cygwin
Oreillynet has some examples from the book. I didn't really find any of them worth paying for, especially when you can just surf to macosxhints.com.
A lot of people contributed time and energy to make that site better, free of charge.
Sorry to pick nits, but "FAR" is an acronym for False Alarm Ratio and the "far" is the word meaning "By the greatest extent or degree." Sorry, but it bugs me to no end when I see people spell it that way.
He's also a troll who posts this exact same message in every new Apple story and never listens to suggestions that might actually help.
NOT LYING: goatse dot christmas island could change your life!!!1!1!!11
These days whenever I hear anything about macintosh I imagine a room full of BSD developers with wine saying - "prior to BSD involvement Apple operating systems were the software equivelent of a bicycle, muha, muhaha, ,muhahahah"
They then toast to their sucess and the linux v SCO problems.
Or I could just have an over-active imagination.
What kind of question is that?
Do these $2000 machines support usb mice?
It's not linux, you know.
I really like the OReilly's Safari online bookshelf. There are some definite advantages to using it over pdf's.
I flipped through his book and was impressed to see that the hints where not just aimed at newbies. There where some nice back-end changes that you could make (the kind I like to make) if you have some experience with BSD already and are not afraid of terminal.
I don't know if I'd buy it though, since I do have enough skill to find all the hints on the site, without the pretty screen shots and all. It is a great book if you're on the cusp of getting deeper into how OS X works and getting the most out of your Mac.
As a Mac OS X user, this is upsetting...
I think the reviewer was just trying to inject a little humour, read that sentence again. It was a joke, i.e. of course a book entitled Mac OS X Hints is going to contain hints about Mac OS X, what else would it be expected to contain?
If there's a PDF version, then it should be searchable
Ummm... Use the book's index?
haven't i read this on slashdot 2 or three times in the past?
Linux is to the internet as Duct Tape is to the Universe.
-------
And we also have a cancel button...in case you don't want toast.
I haven't read the book, although I would imagine a fair number of the hints published are from earlier in MacOS X's lifecycle. This would be good to help new users adopt to the OS, although with all the hints available online for free (with a decent search engine attached), is there really enough incentive for people to get the book as well?
Cheers.
...hasn't this book BEEN REVIEWED on slashdot before? I mean, another O'Reilly plug never hurts, but still.
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
STOP posting this stupid troll. It doesn't even make sense. I think you are actually a mac lover and you are posting this to make the anti-mac trolls look even more stupid.??
This comment is fucking hilarious. How it has not been modded up is beyond me.
I have always been shocked at OS 9's inabililty to multitask with any speed
This is because the multi-tasking architecture in System 9 is cooperative, not pre-emptive.
In other words, System 9 does not multi-task any better than Windows 3.0 did in 1990.
This has been my biggest complaint of Apple up until the release of OSX. No matter how fast the PPC chip, if System 8 or System 9 was running the system, just playing an MP3 and doing something else would skip the music. Or do something in Finder and watch the rest of the system literally stop responding until Finder was done. (And the concept of playing two MP3 files at the same time was just crazy talk for System 9 users.)
OSX is the first (desktop) Apple OS that has true pre-emptive multitasking. This and its new memory management model (System 9 and lower memory management was just archaic) are two big reasons that if you are a Mac User still using System 9, you should Run to get OSX.
With System 9 and older Mac System software, you are basically using an OS technology that is a technically on the same level as Windows 3.0. (Not something people want to hear, but true none the less.)
(And please donâ(TM)t post about Windows95 having a 16bit Mutext. This is not a flame war of OS relgion. We all know that when running 16bit applications, the 16bit mutext in Win95 would also be cooperative. However when running only 32bit (WIN32) applications, it was fully preemptive. And yes, WindowsNT and Linux were designed to be and are pre-emptive multitasking OSes that are more than 10 years old.)
Again I repeat if you are a Mac user running System 9 â" run, do not walk, to get OSX.
Thanks for clarifying my sarcasm - that's exactly what I meant; I didn't realize it could be interpreted differently, but in retrospect I guess it could be read either way. (Thanks, also, for not referring to me as "he".)
Which is it, folks?
Socialism: A feeling of discontent and resentment caused by a desire for the possessions or qualities of another.
I would, but the software that some of my users have to use will only run in native 9...running in compatibility mode is "not supported." And the upgrade is $$$.
but that's latin, you silly billy you...
Pfft - Sorry, what?
Learn how to speak English you fuck.
If correct English and Grammar is that important, then you should add a comma to your statement. Without it, the verb can be misconstrued.
In example: Learn how to speak English, you fuck.
*smile*
jeezus.. let the trolls have some fun :-D
I would, but the software that some of my users have to use will only run in native 9...running in compatibility mode is "not supported." And the upgrade is $$$.
This is when you should be yelling at the providers of this software to provide at the very least a compatible version, if not a native OSX version.
I hate when software vendors pull stuff like this to users, especially considering that OSX has been out a few years now.
BTW, there are ways to dual boot for the older software (even thought it would be a pain to restart just to access a single program). But you could at least have fun with OSX when you aren't running the other software.
Truly scream at the incompatible software vendors to get their attention.
Take Care,
The Net Avenger
Given the BSD core of OS X, I wonder:
Tubal-Cain smokes the white owl.
how the hell to keep duplicate email addresses from appearing in the OS X Address Book when importing updates to existing .vcf files...???
.vcf format, it will populate the "All" listing of the address book with duplicate entries (assuming you have several address groups with the same people in them - after all, that's the reason for "grouping", right?)
that is to say:
if you clear your address book of all individuals and groups, and then import several brand new groups in
now - here's the fun part!
without deleting anything, go ahead and reimport the groups.
you will further replicate the individual entries in "All".
so, import Democrats.vcf 10 times into the address book, and you wind up with 10 instances of each Democrat in the "All" listing.
any "power tips" or tricks for this one?
You use a VIC20 for your hAx0riNG? Thats a lot gayer than any Mac.
Oh, you must mean PA's?
I can't believe my earlier post was modded "Troll" when so many goatse and BSD IS DYING posts get modded up. But that's slashdot modding I guess...I should start ignoring Karma. In any case, I completely agree that they should provide a native OS X version for little extra cost, especially since we've dumped so many thousands of dollars down the toilet over the years for their "service contracts." I went through the same thing with SurfPatrol/Control on the change from Netware 5 to 6. They wanted almost $10,000 for an "upgrade" when all we wanted to do was install it on a 6 machine. But of course it wouldn't work. And I told them to go goatse themselves, basically, and use Squidguard now.
Redundant? Oh the mods have been smoking the good stuff. Cmon you know its funny, you just don't wanbt to admit it.
Why not fork?
I bought the book primarily because I use Rob's Site constantly and he's had a very plain policy on no advertising to put any of his editorial into doubt on the site.
The guy has a full-time job, he's got one of the best resources on the web to help with under-the-hood OS X action, and he's got principals I happen to dig. He also busts his ass on the site.
I bought my copy of the book to support him, period. I've got several more on order now to give as gifts to friends who are making the transition (art director and photographer types) who could use a guided tour under the hood of OS X that doesn't make them feel like morons or *cough* 'Dummies'. Let's face it -- the dummies, missing manual and like books are made for grandma. I'm trying to show these guys all the cool new stuff you can do once you peek under the hood to get them excited about the change instead of dreading it.
Just the simple fact that his site has a way to re-enable Sendmail within a day or so of a patch that cripples it is enough for me -- I've gotten my money's worth out of the osascript stuff already as well.
I'll happily spring for the Panther/Smeagol (dual personality?) version once it's released as well. It's the least I can do.
if System 8 or System 9 was running the system, just playing an MP3 and doing something else would skip the music.
I must be doing something wrong: I never noticed anything like that...
Sorry, can't resist:
And please donâ(TM)t post about Windows95 having a 16bit Mutext. This is not a flame war of OS relgion. We all know that when running 16bit applications, the 16bit mutext in Win95 would also be cooperative. However when running only 32bit (WIN32) applications, it was fully preemptive.
Unfortunately, the GDI was 98% the same as the GDI in Win 3.11 which meant it was a Win16 thing and needed the mutex because it was not reentrant. This means that any win16 application that locked up would apparently make the OS lock up too. The Win16 app would freeze while holding the mutex. As each of the other apps (win16 or win32) tried to grab the mutex to draw something on the screen they would apparently freeze too. Your OS then had the appearence of being totally frozen, but it could be recovered by ctrl-alt-deling and killing the frozen app.
All I want is a secure system where it's easy to do anything I want. Is that too much to ask ~~ Randall Munroe
The most interesting one (one that I use myself and one that I believe is shown on the example pages on the O'Reilly site) is the entry in the com.apple.Dock.plist file that allows you to specify that hidden applications should appear as transparent icons in the dock. I find that kind of visual feedback useful and cannot image why Apple would have created such a feature and then fail to include a simple checkbox to activate it in the dock preferences pane.
Weird. And there are quite a few hints like that. Enough that programmers routinely release software to put a GUI on them. (Tinkertool and several Safari-related apps come to mind, but there are several others.)
--Rick "If it isn't broken, take it apart and find out why."
you will further replicate the individual entries in "All".
so, import Democrats.vcf 10 times into the address book, and you wind up with 10 instances of each Democrat in the "All" listing.
any "power tips" or tricks for this one?
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gotta be a punch line here.
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I have OS X, and haven't seen this specifically. Maybe if it were named Greens.vcf or Righties.vcf, the names wouldn't replicate like Tribbles?
Ask the genii at the tips site.
Your Technology General Contractor http://www.birddogdigital.com
Sometimes, it depends what I am HACKING.
I think you are too LAME to realize that hacking a UNIX based computer from a VIC20 is 31337. I am sorry for this lack of incompentence on your behalf, but I suppose I should forgive you - you do use a MAC.
Besides which, my perfered hacking platform is a VAX running VMS. The fact that EVERYTHING can be implemented in one ASSEMBLY instruction is 31337.
I, however, did score myself a GIBSON last nite - using YOUR MOM!
PROPS TO AXJ.
So fucking true. Extra mouse buttons SUCK you infidel weasels!!!
Why would you even want one instance of all those Democrats?
Keep in mind that precision can be as important as grammar when speaking and/or writing in the English language. Thus, a better sentence construction would be:
Learn how to speak English, you stupid fuck.
I dont own a Mac. ANY mac. But I am always interested in folks like you that troll /. looking for topics to post MAC=GAY on. People like you keep me entertained. A VAX????? please.
You know Pogue Mahone means kiss my ass, I like the idea of a Pogue Press....
Prince Alberts?
Unfortunately, the GDI was 98% the same as the GDI in Win 3.11 which meant it was a Win16 thing and needed the mutex because it was not reentrant. This means that any win16 application that locked up would apparently make the OS lock up too. The Win16 app would freeze while holding the mutex. As each of the other apps (win16 or win32) tried to grab the mutex to draw something on the screen they would apparently freeze too. Your OS then had the appearence of being totally frozen, but it could be recovered by ctrl-alt-deling and killing the frozen app
The 16bit Mutext in Win9x had nothing to do with the GUI and screen drawing, nor was it 98% the same as Win16.
Win9x was significantly different than Win3.1, by not only having a 32bit preemptive design, but also a multiple message input queue, but also have full 32bit drivers throughout the OS, including video. The last two are something that OS/2 didn't even have.
You are confusing your facts a bit regarding the 16bit mutext in Win9x.
For example, a hung application would not freeze the mouse unless it was a 16bit application or using 16bit functions that dropped through the 16bit mutext. Additionally, if what you say was true, things like WinG and DirectX would not even function on Win9x, but they do, because of the full 32bit driver implementation in Win9x.
Let me repeat, only applications that used 16bit technology and dropped through the 16bit mutext were subject to the cooperative problems of the 16bit mutex.
The Win32 GDI functions which Win9x was based on, DID NOT pass through the 16bit Mutext as you suggest.
I am not going to defend Win9x any further, as I see it only as a building platform, and not even in the same league as NT or other modern *nixes.
My point stands, Mac OS System 9 has poor memory management, doesnâ(TM)t take advantage of the hardware it is running on, and is a cooperative multitasking based OS.
Lets move on to NT/WinXP/Linux/FreeBSD/Solaris/or Mac OSX and leave the other legacy OSes where they belong, in the past.
don't be so sensitive.
It's hard to believe that this kind of material is still being printed in book format, especially since it's based on a Web Site.
HTML offers so many more advantages than books -- hyperlinks, unlimited page sizes, color, better indexing. I understand that some people "like" the feel of a book to curl up when they go to bed, but at what cost? Destroying the environment?
Sheesh.
OSX is the first (desktop) Apple OS that has true pre-emptive multitasking. This and its new memory management model (System 9 and lower memory management was just archaic) are two big reasons that if you are a Mac User still using System 9, you should Run to get OSX.
Unless, of course, you depend on an Application which doesn't run in OSX well, or your hardware doesn't support it well (or at a decent speed), or your production workflow just isn't ready for OSX for all of the above. Your advice is like telling someone whose favorite game is GTA that they should dump their playstation and grab an xbox.
OSX is great and all, but I just downgraded an ibook from OSX to OS9 after the person who owns it had been wanting OSX for 6 months or so (500MHz processor, 384ram, etc).
They went from infrequent crashes to large amounts of kernel panics, mostly due to wake from sleep. Their music notation software doesn't run that well in classic. Printing worked great before, but was sporadic with OSX and as of 10.2.5 won't print at all, and yes everything was tried...
Of course Apple said to do another clean install, which was eventually done... except back to OS9. No issues whatsoever now except for the occasional IE crash.
As opposed to: Learn how to speak, English you fuck.
You will not drink with us, but you would taste our steel? - Walter Matthau, The Pirates
Donâ(TM)t let me mislead you, OSX is not perfect. I was just stating that it was technically in the same class as Windows 3.0 and 3.1, which are VERY OLD OS designs.
Mac System software does not take full advantage of the processing power in the PPC chip like OSX can. However, OSX being a *nix variant has some of the same flaws as other *nixes. And bringing the System 9 applications over to OSX posed a major problem for Apple.
No OS is perfect. So far OSX is the best Apple has produced.
I can also understand your compatibility issues. Microsoft was careful to include a full 16bit WIN16 and DOS compatibility layer in WindowsNT back in 1993, and even this was not enough to cover everything. It wasn't until Win2k and WinXP that the market had progressed far enough with the WDM model and non-legacy applications for WindowsXP to be the first non-legacy replacement for the Win3.1/Win9x/DOS OSes.
It may also take Apple a while. No matter how well they do their compatibility, it won't be the same and they are going to be reliant on vendors for better OSX support to bring OSX to the rest of the Mac mainstream.
As your story states, there are times when people can't move to OSX for compatibility or known conflict issues. One of my good friends in the journalism depart at the University have kept Mac System 9 on almost all their system just because of the lack of support from vendors like Quark.
Just like Microsoft did with WinXP, Apple will have to pave a road for the software and hardware vendors to move to OSX and leave behind software for System 9 completely.
One nice part about Microsoft's road is that WinXP runs Windows 3.1 and DOS software often better than the original Windows 3.1 and DOS did themselves.
Apple made a huge mistake by making their OSX System 9 Compatibility run a full version of System 9, instead of layering in the compatibility like WinXP does with DOS/Win9x/Win3.1, where the user doesn't even have to know or realize that the application is running in an older subsystem extension, it just runs.
Give Apple some time, they will get it down. OSX is still a new leap for them, just like NT was a new leap for Microsoft 10 years ago.
Good Luck,
The Net Avenger
As opposed to: Learn how to speak, English you fuck.
Exactly!
*LOL*
TheNetAvenger
Well, it takes considerably more work (design and coding) to have a UI. My take on this is the reverse - it is great that they make it possible to tweak so much of the system by having parameters in plist files instead of just hard-coding them.
And Rob did email the contributor of each hint asking for permission to include it in the book. And he sent an autographed copy of the book to each of these contributors. As one of the contributors of a few hints that made it into the book, I feel this was very generous.
And even though I've been following the site almost since it began, I learned several new things from the book.
Hey, any punk can have a web site (I've had several, including a fairly popular one) but seeing your name in blank ink on white paper in an actual book is an ego boost that has no equal.
Besides, I still find reading actual paper easier than reading web sites for long periods of time.
Clear, Dark Skies
How is it "bload" when someone tells me how to get my iBook to work with my company's highly structured active directory? That problem stumped me for weeks...
Clear, Dark Skies
I did not know that... I checked the site and it doesn't seem to mention it.
Clear, Dark Skies
My "payment" for my hint (scripts for automatic command line aliases of .app files) was a free copy of the book - which is more than I expected.
I'm happy to see Rob get a little compensation for all the work he does.
Clear, Dark Skies
ROTFL. I have never seen a more egotistical statement. Thousands of people read those words, grinned and moved on. You and one other person failed to see the humor - but they are wrong and you are right.
Damn. You must be in Congress.
Clear, Dark Skies