50 Things Every Mac Geek Should Know

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50 Things Every Mac Geek Should Know

Posted 03/04/2009 at 6:01:09am | by Mac|Life Staff

Out of the box, many of the multitouch gestures available on new trackpads built into the MacBook Air and the unibody MacBooks and MacBook Pros will only work with a limited number of applications. You can add this functionality to many more apps with help from MultiClutch (donationware).

Imagine changing tabs in Firefox with a three-finger swipe to the left. Or launching the spell checker in Mail or Microsoft Word with a three-finger swipe to the right. Or raising the volume of iTunes with a two-finger rotate to the right. Or zooming in on your photos in older versions of Photoshop with an outward pinch of your fingers. You get the idea. You’re going to love MultiClutch.

Relaunching the Finder comes in handy when a force-quit or some other gremlin hangs up your machine to the point where it just won’t budge. To do this, press, Option-Control-click on the Finder icon in the Dock, then choose Relaunch. Or just Option-right-click on the Finder icon if you have a two-button mouse.

Big Brother is always watching, but we can’t figure out why Apple insists on stamping each song we buy from the iTunes store with your name and email address. If that gives you the heebie-jeebies, you can strip that data—which, by the way, is only accessible with a bit of Terminal know-how—using a freebie app called Privatunes.

If you’ve got just a single Ethernet cable attached to one Mac and multiple Macs in your home or office, you can all get online if you share your Internet connection via the built-in AirPort card (MacBooks, late-model iMacs, and certain Mac Pros have this; Go to Apple > About This Mac to determine if your Mac’s got built-in AirPort. Go to System Preferences > Sharing. Select Internet Sharing. Change your options to share from Ethernet in the drop-down list and then click AirPort in the “To Computers Using” box. Click AirPort options to give your network a name and password. When you have everything the way you like it, turn Internet sharing on.

If you use the Apple Remote and have more than one Mac in a room, you can inadvertently control both Macs at once.

The fix is to pair your Apple Remote to just one Mac, so it will only control one machine. On the Mac you want to control, Go to System Preferences > Security > General. Click the Pair button. Now hold the remote a few inches from the IR port on your computer. On the remote, hold down the Menu and Next buttons at the same time. The computer will display the paired-remote graphic when it’s done pairing.

Mozy.com (free for up to 2GB) and Dropbox (free for up to 2GB) are two options for backing up your files online instead of to an external drive. If you use MobileMe, you can even have the included Backup app archive important files to your iDisk--just not anything too large, since your iDisk storage tops out at 20GB. (You can upgrade to 40GB for $49 a year or 60GB for $99 a year.)

Productivity whiz Merlin Mann--a true Mac geek--uses Path Finder ($39.95) instead of the Finder. It works like the Finder, but with more features: drawers for information about volumes and files, a handy Drop Stack area for corralling files, plus a built-in Terminal emulator, text editor, PDF viewer, and image converter.

Zapping your PRAM (parameter RAM) erases settings stored by the internal battery.

1. Shut down the computer, and locate the Command, Option, P, and R keys on the keyboard. We’re not being cheeky, but we want you to be prepared because you’ll need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 3.

2. Turn on the computer.

3. Press and hold Command-Option-P-R. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.

4. Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time, then release the keys.

feet
Let your feet do the walking after your fingers do the clicking.

In case you hadn’t noticed, Google Maps now offers biking or walking directions to a destination. In major cities, you can even get directions for taking public transit. To hoof it, in Google Maps, just click Walking when your directions come up. Mother Earth thanks you, by the way!

COMMENTS: 45

TAGS: Safari, MacBook, QuickTime, Garageband, Terminal, iChat, iLife 09

COMMENTS

iChat can have Growl notifications!
Submitted by caw61 on Wed, 2009-03-04 08:29

It's true!

Through the use of Chax (Latest Version 2.2)

http://www.ksuther.com/chax/

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We danced in the streets
Submitted by Markweee on Thu, 2009-08-13 04:51

We danced in the streets when we heard the news. We figured a few
hundred apps would be released. We'd play a few games, send a few
tweets from the road, and make a few Facebook friends while waiting in
line at our favorite taqueria.

english degree AND online doctorate degree

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Always wanted to change
Submitted by Heribertos Ellers on Mon, 2009-10-05 15:01

Always wanted to change Safari so that new 'windows" open in a new tab
instead. Unfortunately "defaults write com.apple.Safari
TargetedClicksCreateTabs –bool TRUE" doesn't work. Returns "Unexpected
argument TRUE" Medifast and lipotrim diet plans

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Neato
Submitted by GamreMack on Thu, 2009-10-22 21:43

My only beef with macs is that they don't work on a lot of mmorpg games =[. I'm a big gamer so I need to have a windows pc nearby to play my MMOs. Free MMORPG

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Mousing Over Dock Icons
Submitted by soxboston on Wed, 2009-03-04 10:32

Shift-Command isn't the right shortcut for this function. Shift-Control will enlarge the dock icons.

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thanks for the heads up
Submitted by Roberto Baldwin on Wed, 2009-03-04 12:58

It's been fixed.
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Enlarge icons in Dock
Submitted by edwinblaw on Thu, 2009-03-12 14:11

Must not have the right touch. Couldn't get to work. Dock preferences is only thing I've found to change magnification. ????Ed The only love you can buy is that of a dog.

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Calculator
Submitted by Jamie on Wed, 2009-03-04 11:56

Actually, Spotlight does your calculations for you right in the Spotlight bar. Pressing return exits Spotlight and launches Calculator, sans the math you were just doing

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Saving PDF's
Submitted by thebendds on Wed, 2009-03-04 13:36

That screenshot for saving PDF's is misleading. It looks like that computer already has Acrobat on it, in which case, yes you could save a PDF like that.

If you don't have Acrobat, go to File > Print, select the PDF button (near the bottom left of the dialog) and click "Save as PDF."

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Safari has a master password, sort of.
Submitted by execute on Wed, 2009-03-04 16:23

In Keychain Access, edit Safari Forms AutoFill's access control to: 'Confirm before allowing access' and check 'Ask for Keychain password'.

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Snake & Tetris in Terminal
Submitted by Tree.Boar on Thu, 2009-03-05 06:36

I am following the instructions to the letter, yet Snake and Tetris don't seem to be working.(Running OSX v10.4.11)

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I was thinking about buying an airport extreme...
Submitted by thefox on Sat, 2009-03-07 15:20

...so I could use wifi with my 1st Gen. iPhone at home, but thanks to tip #29 my iMac is now a wifi hub, for FREE!!! WOW!!! I'm a macaddict for life thanks mac life.

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I can't find my subscription ID
Submitted by eegoldbar1@mac.com on Sat, 2009-03-07 18:43

I would like to know what tip#29 is-I'm just starting. Thanks!

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Tip no 4: terminal
Submitted by paulori on Sun, 2009-03-08 12:27

Always wanted to change Safari so that new 'windows" open in a new tab instead. Unfortunately "defaults write com.apple.Safari TargetedClicksCreateTabs –bool TRUE" doesn't work. Returns "Unexpected argument TRUE"

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Safari tabs
Submitted by edwinblaw on Thu, 2009-03-12 14:21

Just select Safari Preferences>tabs>check box, cmd click opens a link in a new tab. Or did you already know that :-? Ed The only love you can buy is that of a dog.

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I don't think you need to
Submitted by LeftClicker on Tue, 2009-03-17 16:11

I don't think you need to restart, but I'm using Mac OS X 10.5.6. Remember: QUIT any application before you mess around with its defaults in the Terminal!!!

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defaults write com.apple.screencapture type JPG NOT WORKING
Submitted by Vstoklosa on Wed, 2009-03-11 22:18

Am I supposed to restart after typing defaults write com.apple.screencapture type JPG into Terminal? This isn't working after several tries.

os x 5.6

RSVP, thanks.

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JPG
Submitted by david67nyc on Tue, 2009-10-27 19:13

YOu'll need to log out and back in to see the cahnges take effect. :)

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defaults write com.apple.screencapture type JPG NOT WORKING
Submitted by Vstoklosa on Wed, 2009-03-11 22:20

Are we supposed to be in Root when we apply those Terminal commands? Just wondered cause I think I saw another one not working for someone. Thanks.

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Ah Contraré the Apple ][+ VisiCalc Applesoft Tutorial RULED 1980
Submitted by pegasus5327 on Sun, 2009-03-15 01:14

Then Apple //e rev (a), Applied Engineerings 1MB Ramworks, Beagle Brothers Super Macro Works, and Appleworks ruled in 1982. Then in 1983 came the ||GS.
Don't feel offended the Wikipedia site is damn spitefully misleading.

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#28 Privatunes ???
Submitted by romain.tweedy@v... on Wed, 2009-03-18 08:43

Has anyone actually looked for this tool, Privatunes? The page was last updated in 2007 and the link to the tool takes you to a dead end.

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My home name
Submitted by ideb61 on Thu, 2009-03-26 12:50

I bought my lil powerbook from a place called Second Rotation on eBay.
It has their damn name on my home icon for my docs (the one with the house on it) and I can't figure out for the life of me how to get it to mine. I changed me as the only user on the computer.. I don't understand why it didn't revert to my name dchamberlain61 like my user name?
Help

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short name can't be changed.
Submitted by maclifesubscrib... on Sat, 2009-03-28 00:15

short name can't be changed. use the system disks you got with the machine and do a clean re-install of the OS so it's really yours. Also, even if you're the only user, make an admin account used only for admin stuff, and surf/work/live in a standard user acct.

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#13:=404
Submitted by maclifesubscrib... on Sat, 2009-03-28 00:24

In bash, there is no command dscacheutil.
this would have been great (the kids know about private browsing, but never touch the terminal)
but IT DOES NOT WORK!

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Declutter Desktop
Submitted by mountaineerman87 on Sun, 2009-03-29 17:12

i executed this in the terminal and now i want to turn it off because it is really annoying!!!!!!! if anyone knows how to do so please tell me!!!!

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Reverse Declutter Desktop
Submitted by gadgetman007 on Sat, 2009-04-25 08:32

"defaults delete com.apple.dock single-app" then "killall Dock"

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Safari Private Browsing
Submitted by MaxMarco on Thu, 2009-04-16 09:45

I type this in the terminal:
$ dscacheutil -cachedump -entries Host

My terminal sends me the following:
-bash: dscacheutil: command not found

When I send: man dscacheutil
It sez: No manual entry for dscacheutil

What's up with that? What am I doing wrong on my Powerbook G4 w/
OS X Version 10.4.11?

"There are two things, science and opinion. The former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance."Hippocrates 460-377 BCE

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missing top 10 item-write to ntfs
Submitted by F3R on Sun, 2009-05-03 04:21

Read and write to any ntfs drive by installing macFUSE and NTFS-3G. This one is HUGE compared to most of the items that made your list.

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FYI: I quickly benchmarked browsers on my 10.4 Mac Mini.
Submitted by roystonlodge on Tue, 2009-05-05 05:35

With so many browser choices out there, I did a quick-n-dirty benchmarking exercise using http://www.futuremark.com/peacekeeper.

Firefox didn't come out looking so hot, falling well behind Safari. But the standard version of Safari didn't come out on top either. The browser that performed the best was the development version of Safari, otherwise known as WebKit. Of course, you have to put up with the bugs inherent with using a development version of a piece of software.

iCab, Shiira, and Omniweb all performed moderately better than standard Safari. Opera, Flock and Firefox were virtually identical. Camino and Seamonkey sucked ass.

The results are on my personal blog as a nice, eye-pleasing graph: http://web.ncf.ca/ao668/2009/04/benchmarking-os-x-browsers.html

(My computer's a 1.25mhz Mac Mini with 512MB of RAM running OSX 10.4.11)

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*shakes head* I love all my
Submitted by Nekollx on Fri, 2009-05-29 12:37

*shakes head*
I love all my PCs, Mac, Linux, Windows, PSP, but if you going to make a "50 tips" can you leave out the fluff.

I mean to optimize my Pro Tower do i REALLY need to know Steve Jobs Birth Day? And then spreading the lie that its more secure just because no one bothers to hack it is disingenuous at best and a outright lie at worse.

the rest of the tips...pretty nice

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Funny how there are more
Submitted by mickhhp on Fri, 2009-10-09 14:28

Funny how there are more people who will never use or buy a Mac commenting here than anyone else. If you guys hate Macs so much, just block the category. Other than that, you're just making lots of noise, and not convincing anyone of anything. rent a car | bijuterii

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Great list...
Submitted by Adult-Toys on Mon, 2009-09-14 22:14

Though, a top 25 would probably have been just as beneficial.

Adult Toys

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that's what i'm talking
Submitted by Nekollx on Wed, 2009-09-23 14:21

that's what i'm talking about. It like doing a report on "50 tips aboout your isp you should know" then including "land speed of the north african swollow" Just the (useful) facts man

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level of geekitude
Submitted by virgilm on Sat, 2009-09-19 00:39

Your level of geekitude depends on how deeply you strive to connect with your Mac and OS X

VirgilM part of Add Links team.

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Sorry mate but...
Submitted by artnok on Sun, 2009-09-20 15:05

Open Spotlight is CTRL + Spacebar.
CMD + Spacebar is nuttin'.
And that's one of the things YOU SHOULD KNOW.

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awww
Submitted by BabyCots on Thu, 2009-09-24 09:40

Nice list, but according to the list im no mac geek :( Baby Cots

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Thanks for sharing this
Submitted by sparesr4sissies on Fri, 2009-09-25 05:29

Thanks for sharing this information. I love the history stuff.
Painted Pine Furniture

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Great list indeed.. thanks
Submitted by lora.a on Wed, 2009-10-14 20:27

Great list indeed.. thanks for the classic pictures...

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This is an awesome post,
Submitted by JJFlemming on Sun, 2009-11-08 13:15

This is an awesome post, completely agree with the points made about the iPod!

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thank you ar..is
Submitted by ammarvvip (not verified) on Wed, 2009-11-11 08:35

thank you ar..is nice4657
شات صوتي, دردشه صوتيه, شات مصريه, شات دردشة دردشه دردشة موبايل شات دردشه

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thanks you ar..is
Submitted by ammarvvip (not verified) on Wed, 2009-11-11 08:36

thanks you ar..is nicegge4
شات صوتي, دردشه صوتيه, شات مصريه, شات دردشة دردشه دردشة موبايل شات دردشه

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thanksss ar..is nice شات
Submitted by ammarvvip (not verified) on Wed, 2009-11-11 08:37

thanksss ar..is nice
شات صوتي, دردشه صوتيه, شات مصريه, شات دردشة دردشه دردشة موبايل شات دردشه

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thank you
Submitted by ammarvvip (not verified) on Wed, 2009-11-11 08:39

thank you fffffffffffff
شات صوتي, دردشه صوتيه, شات مصريه, شات دردشة دردشه دردشة موبايل شات دردشه

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THanks
Submitted by christmassms on Sat, 2009-11-14 05:00

Thanks for sharing the 50 things, I think every one can get benefit by using this service. Thanks web hosting reviews

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