mac-os-x

recent posts related to the mac os x operating system

Mac Dropbox performance news - Dropbox 1.0 release

Mac Dropbox news: Dropbox.com has announced a new release of their Dropbox backup and syncing software, bringing them up to Dropbox 1.0. The new version offers "hundreds of bug fixes, vastly reduced resource usage, selective sync, and a new installation wizard."

Here's a quick look at the new Dropbox.com features, with a little focus on Mac Dropbox features:

Hundreds of bug fixes: Okay, nothing sexy there, but glad they're fixed.

By Alvin Alexander on October 20, 2012

Mac Safari shortcuts

Mac Safari shortcuts FAQ: What are the most common Mac Safari shortcuts (Mac Safari keyboard shortcuts)?

Here's a quick list of the most common Mac Safari shortcuts (Mac Safari keyboard shortcuts):

By Alvin Alexander on October 20, 2012

Mac Dock size (Dock icon size)

Mac Dock size FAQ: How do I change the Mac Dock size (increase/decrease the Mac Dock size), including the Mac Dock icon size, and how large the Dock icons get when I roll over them?

There are several ways to change the Mac Dock size, but they all involve getting to the Mac Dock Preferences window. The way I normally do it is:

By Alvin Alexander on October 20, 2012

Mac Finder font size (folder font size)

Mac Finder font size FAQ: How do I adjust the Mac Finder font size (also known as the Mac Finder folder font size)?

You can adjust the Mac Finder font size by right-clicking on an open area of a Mac Finder folder, then selecting the Show View Options menu item. From the dialog that is displayed you can adjust the Finder folder grid size, font size, and a couple of other things there, including:

By Alvin Alexander on October 20, 2012

Mac Desktop font size (and icon size)

Mac Desktop font size FAQ: How do I adjust the Mac Desktop font size? (Related: How do I adjust the Mac Desktop icon size?)

You can adjust the Mac Desktop font size (and Mac Desktop icon size) by right-clicking on an open area of your Mac Desktop, then selecting Show View Options.

From that dialog you can adjust the Desktop icon size, Desktop font size, and a couple of other things there:

By Alvin Alexander on October 20, 2012

Mac Spaces: Open a minimized window in the current Mac space

Mac Spaces minimized windows FAQ: How do I open a minimized Mac window in the current Mac Space?

I love the Mac Spaces feature, but it has nearly driven me insane that when I click a minimized Mac application window (a window minimized to the Mac Dock), it changes the current Mac Space to whatever Space that window was opened in before, and then opens the window. 98% of the time I want that minimized Mac window to open in the current Mac Space, not whatever the old application Space was.

By Alvin Alexander on October 20, 2012

Mac OS X debug tip - Check the log files

Mac OS X debug FAQ: Help, I'm having a problem with [fill in the blank] on my Mac OS X system, how do I troubleshoot it?

I just ran into a problem when trying to create a Safari web clip dashboard widget, where the web clip isn't properly updating itself, and I stopped for a moment to think about how to troubleshoot/debug this Mac OS X problem. That's when I thought, "Okay, a Mac is a Unix system, check the log files." So I cracked open a Mac Terminal window, and checked the system log file:

By Alvin Alexander on October 20, 2012

How to delete Mac dashboard widgets

Mac dashboard widgets deleting FAQ: Help, how do I delete Mac dashboard widgets?

As I was investigating the process of how to create a custom Mac dashboard widget from a web page using Safari, I remembered that the process of how to delete a Mac dashboard widget is not obvious at all. So, here's a quick look at how to delete Mac dashboard widgets.

How to delete Mac dashboard widgets

The process of deleting Mac dashboard widgets goes like this:

By Alvin Alexander on October 20, 2012

Create custom Mac dashboard widgets from web pages with Safari

Mac dashboard widgets FAQ: How can I create a Mac dashboard widget from a web page?

Some time back, I don't remember exactly when, Apple introduced the ability to create Mac dashboard widgets from web pages with their Safari web browser. The process of creating a Mac dashboard widget from a web page is fairly simple, and I thought I'd share the steps in a short tutorial here.

Create a custom Mac dashboard widget from a web page

I just created a Mac dashboard widget from an "aurora borealis" forecast web page, and these are the steps I followed:

By Alvin Alexander on October 20, 2012

The iMac brightness too bright problem

iMac brightness FAQ: Help, my iMac brightness is too bright, is there a way I can dim the iMac monitor brightness more than the standard iMac brightness control allows?

Yes, I have the same problem, and fortunately this "iMac brightness is too bright" problem seems to be a well-known issue. Even better, you can get free software to help dim the iMac brightness more than Apple allows with Mac OS X. Over a year ago I downloaded a free Mac application named Shades that does a good job of reducing the iMac brightness, and here's what I know about it.

By Alvin Alexander on October 20, 2012