I've decided to split my blog into an Apple=centric blog and into a more general blog (read: rants). I've toyed with the idea for several weeks now and last Friday during a state of excitement and inspiration I started blogging right of the bat about the impending release of Leopard. So I present to you the Davao Mac User blog where I cover all things Mac. News, tips and tricks. I will also use the blog as a way to document my experience with Leopard as I plan to get my hands on it very soon. I will also cover things other than the Mac. That means iPods, iPhones and other Apple related stories.
I will keep doing Brain On Ink for general discussions and rants. For now, I'm still excited over Leopard so the first 10+ posts over at the Davao Mac User blog is all about Mac OS 10.5. I've mixed in install guides and the problems some are having with their upgrade to Leopard.
So, see you on the other blog.
Davao Mac User blog
Leopard reviews
Here are some reviews of Leopard from prominent tech pundits and tech sites.
David Pogue of the New York Times: "Apple Offers New Goodies in Leopard System". He extols on Time Machine, Quick Look, and some of the other new features. Downside to Leopard is the see-through menus. If the menu overlays a document, things will just become a jumble of words. He ends with:
"Leopard maintains all the goodies of previous Mac OS X versions. To the amazement of many Windows refugees, Mac OS X requires no serial number and no “activation”. It doesn’t clutter the desktop with crippled bits of free-trial software from other companies. There are no nagging balloons or come-ons.Pogue writes a followup "More Goodies in Apple's New Operating System", where he discusses some of the little tricks that makes using Leopard fun and easy. He focuses on the new tricks Spotlight has picked up, which includes doing calculations, getting definitions, and looks like being an application launcher, too. (Is this bye-bye, Quicksilver?) He also talks more about Time Machine. I suggest you go over to Pogue's articles to get the whole story.
Leopard does well with backward compatibility, too. Thanks to modest minimum requirements (512 megabytes of memory, 867 megahertz).
Leopard is powerful, polished and carefully conceived. Happy surprises, and very few disappointments, lie around every corner. This Leopard has more than 300 new spots — and most of them are bright ones."
Walt "Uncle" Mossberg of All Things Digital has posted "Leopard: Faster, Easier than Vista", which takes a jab at Microsoft 7-year-old bloated operating system. Just like Pogue, Mossberg hails Time Machine along with Quick Look and Cover Flow and new ways to communicate with other computers as the "marquee features." His beef were the translucent menu bar, bland icons, and font problems on some webpages. He talks about his upgrade process (real fast) and how Leopard compares with Vista in booting up and doing certain tasks (Vista sucked). Final thoughts:
"Leopard isn’t a must-have for current Mac owners, but it adds a lot of value. For new Mac buyers, it makes switching even more attractive."Pogue and Mossberg have videos on their review of Leopard.
Edward Baig from USA Today calls Leopard as "one cool cat" ("Leopard, Apple's new Mac operating system, hits all the right spots"). Time Machine's in the forefront of the most exciting feature but Baig also mentions the newer and more fun iChat and the To Do and Notes enriched Mail. Quicklook and Webclip also get mentioned.
Wired's Scott Gilbertson ("New Treats and Tiny Tweaks Make Mac OS X Leopard Spot-On") says:
"The iPhone might have grabbed all of this year's headlines, but Leopard may well prove to be Apple's most revolutionary product release of 2007.Simson Garfinkel of Technology Review calls Leopard "...visually stunning, ...fast and stable" in his piece "Review: Apple's New Operating System." There's mention of Time Machine here but also mentioned are Parental Controls, Back to My Mac and Stacks.
...not only is Leopard fully of eye candy, it's perhaps the most thoroughly thought-out OS release from Apple yet."
A more comprehensive guide to Leopard installation
MacDailyNews has a link to one of the most comprehensive guide to installing Leopard. MacFixIt's guide enumerates the steps you should before, during and after the upgrade process. First on the list is backup. I used not to think about backing up before but I cannot stress it enough on how important backing up is. It's a long guide but really worth the read. Equally as valuable is the discussion from members that comes right after the guide.
MacFixIt also warns Leopard users not to run DiskWarrior or any other third-party disk utility program until these programs have been updated by the developers.
Leopard Screenshot Gallery
Can't wait to see what Leopard looks like even though it's only a few hours away from its release? Then head on over to AppleInsider for a visual treat. They've posted a slew of screenshots of Leopard. Five pages of kitty eye candy. A sample:
Check out the detail.
TUAW's 24 Hours of Leopard
Leopard's is just about out of the bag and TUAW will be posting a series of first looks and recommendations every hour in the next 24 hours. I'll be updating this post for those worthwhile mentions.
1. Time Machine
Who will use it: Anyone who hates losing files, folders, documents, or media unexpectedly. So, pretty much everyone."(Most are excited with Time Machine. I'm getting another external hard drive just for this one.) 2. Ruby on Rails
"Who will use it: Mostly people who develop applications for the web. But even though I personally don't code much, if you've ever done any coding, once you dive into Ruby and RoR, you'll probably have the same reaction that I do: wow this thing is neat!"(Ruby? Eh.) 3. Hot Spots
"Who will use it: Anyone into automation, who's waiting for a file to finish downloading, for a batch job to finish, or for a friend to come online. All of these state changes can be grabbed via the visual screen feedback they produce." (Can't imagine how this works. Is it like Growl? I'll soon find out.)4. Improved DVD Player.
"Who will use it: Anyone who likes movies is the obvious answer here, but I'm going to go a little more subtle-- anyone who likes movies and working on their Mac. So, you know, Roger Ebert. And the folks at Pixar." (Seems DVD Player had some improvements which most missed.)5. Spaces
Who will use it: Multi-taskers and people who like to have dozens of apps open at once.(I've used virtual desktops before. Resource hog. Not so sold on this one.)6. Core Animation
Who will use it: Developers will use it directly, but only who uses apps built on the Core Animation framework will benefit from it.(More eye candy for Mac users. Watch Windows users drool.)
Leopard tour [Update]
Only twenty-hour hours to go and Mac fans will be able to get their hands on the newest version of the Mac operating system, Leopard. To get a rundown on the new features of Mac OS 10.5, go to Apple's Mac OS X webpage. You can also go to AppleInsider where Prince McLean discusses the specifics as well as the history behind each feature.
Below is a summary of each of the features McLean discussed.
- Time Machine: This new addition to Leopard will try to make backing up as simple and as easy as possible for the average Mac user. Time Machine does differential and incremental backups. The difference between the two is "differential backups capture everything that has changed since the last full backup, while incremental backups only copy what's changed since the last partial backup." Restoring files gives the user a beautiful eye candy which makes retrieving a deleted file fun and easy. It is recommended to have an external hard drive with disk space equal or more than that of your Mac's. For screenshots of Time Machine, go to Apple's webpage.
- Dock: The Dock gets an upgrade in both appearance and function. The icons look three-dimensional on a glass shelf and Stacks will help de-clutter both desktop and Dock.
- Finder: Finder's sidebar has been changed to look like the sidebar in iTunes. It groups items into Devices, Shared, Places, and Search For. It's not the only thing that Finder has borrowed from iTunes. The new Finder now has Cover Flow. Browsing through your files is like browsing through your songs or albums in iTunes. The last addition to Finder is Quick Look. With Quick Look, you can browse your documents, view images and watch movies without having to open an application.
- Spaces: Virtual desktops allows you to have more than one desktop to work with. Spaces lets you put the spreadsheet you're updating, the email and surfing you're doing, and photo you're editing in their own desktops. Spaces also allows you to drag one window or app from one space to another. It has an Exposé-like feel when viewing of all your Spaces.
- Safari: Safari 3.0 offers better search in webpages, drag and drop tabs, and the ability to merge all windows into one. Safari also has Webclip which lets you select an area in a webpage and then makes it a widget in Dashboard.
- Spotlight can now be used as a calculator and as an application launcher. I'll see if Leopard's Spotlight can replace Quicksilver as THE application launcher of choice. Developers will find it much easier to make Dashboard widgets with DashCode. Desktop improvements are more visual than functional.
- System Preferences: The System Preferences icon is now identical with that of the iPhone. New icons for Display, Desktop & Screen Saver, Dock, and Exposé & Spaces. Added new icons for Parental Controls and Time Machine.
- iChat 4.0: iChat now allows screen and document sharing. A boon and a bane for Mac users because it makes it easier for their friends and relatives to ask for help with their Macs. Probably the most fun feature iChat AV 4.0 is its green screen-like effect. Backdrop replaces your cluttered room with any picture. You can now be chatting from the Bahamas, the Great Wall of China, even from the surface of the moon.
- Mail 3.0: Two features users have been clamoring for have been added: To Do and Notes. Also added are Stationery and an RSS reader.
- iCal: Much, much faster. Creating and editing appointments are quicker.
Prince McLean has posted another "Road to Mac OS X Leopard" AppleInsider Feature which deals with Quicktime, iTunes and other Media Features. I also missed the topic about Parental Controls. I highly recommend that you go over to AppleInsider by following the links. They are good read.
Prepare for Leopard
The Mac Observer's Jeff Gamet offers advice to those who are itching to get their hands on Apple's latest version of the Mac operating system. The quick tip covers the system requirements for Leopard, what you need in order to use Time Machine, advice on backing up your old data, and choosing for the upgrade method. You also need to check whether your current applications are compatible with Leopard.
If you are planning to upgrade it's worth checking out the tip. You may not be thinking of upgrading this Friday. Maybe a month from now so that the early adopters can work out the kinks, it's still worth a read.
Preparing for Leopard
I am eagerly anticipating Apple's latest OS, Mac OS 10.5 Leopard. For one thing, by mid-November my brother's switching. He's getting the latest iMac two weeks after Leopard hits the shelves. Apple pr0n again. Another reason is I'm selling my Powerbook to my friend and I'm excited to install Leopard on the Powerbook. So I got two switchers come November. Five if you count my brother's wife, daughter and son. I'm still not sure whether to get a Macbook to replace my Powerbook or not. It all depends on how things go in the next three weeks.
I'm planning to upgrade to Leopard and I need to know what are the necessary steps that should be taken to ensure a smooth, headache-free upgrade. So it's perfect timing that Macworld publishes an article that is an excerpt from Joe Kissell's book, Take Control of Upgrading to Leopard: Early-Bird Edition. Here's a summary of the tips. I encourage you to go to Macworld and read the full article.
- Update third-party apps. Don't focus on the apps in the in Applications folder but those that are installed in System Preferences, Dashboard widgets, and system enhancements.
- Spring clean your hard drive. Over time, our hard drives tend to accumulate stuff and junk that we don't need anymore. Kissell gives you a list of the places that you look into and find some stuff to trash.
- Use uninstaller utilities. Though uninstalling applications on a Mac is said to be as simple as clicking and dragging the application into the Trash, sometimes files can be left behind. That's where Uninstallers come in. The website lists a couple of the popular ones but there's a fee involved. AppDelete does the same thing for the price of free.
- Run Apple Hardware Test and Disk Utility. These are routine check ups prior to upgrading. You need to know if there are any hardware problems that might screw up the upgrade process. Disk Utility checks for common errors in the OS and repairs them.
Leopard's pouncing on October 26
- Stacks: Stacks is a Dock item for applications and folders. Click on a Stack and the files within it with spring out in a fan or a grid. Sure to help de-clutter your desktop.
- Finder: Sidebar's been revamped with files and folders arranged according to category. Cover Flow let's you flip through documents and files just like flipping through songs and albums in iTunes.
- Quicklook: This new feature lets you view files without opening them. Flip through multipage documents, watch videos and view Keynote presentations without having to open an application.
- Time Machine: Backing up has never been this easy. Aside from backing up your Mac's data, Time Machine will also keep older versions of files that you have edited or changed. You can go back in time and grab the clean, unedited version of a document, photo, or video. An external hard drive is required.
- Mail: Mail's been beefed with the addition of notes, to-do lists, and a tighter integration with iCal. You can now also search for email using Spotlight.
- Spaces: Spaces is virtual desktops Mac style. By grouping applications or tasks into groups, Spaces allows you to manage your workflow better.
- Boot Camp: You can now run Windows on your Mac with Boot Camp. Boot Camp is built into Leopard and setting things up is easy as pie.
How to take care of your Apple portable's power adapter
I've had the unfortunate experience of having my Powerbook's power adapter literally going up on smoke on me. What happened was that the wire inside the cable got frazzled because of the repeated winding and unwinding of the cable. One day I started hearing buzzing or cracking noises and a little after that, burnt rubber permeated the air. Needless to say my power adapter's cable was toast.
Avoid what happened to my power adapter by taking a look at Apple's support document "Reducing cable strain on your MagSafe power adapter." The document has tips on how to maintain your Apple portable's cable and though it features a Magsafe power adapter, I think it still is applicable to iBook and Powerbook adapters. 
I advise Apple portable owners to take the time, visit the site, and learn how to take care of your power adapter and avoid damaging the cable.
Free software for your Mac
In a previous post, I mentioned two freeware apps, Imagewell and Pixen.
For more free (or cheap) software, let's go to InformationWeek. They've listed some very useful applications some of which I use daily. A few notable mentions:
- Quicksilver: for most Windows users, this is something new. Quicksilver allows you to launch applications without using the mouse. With just 5 to 6 keystrokes I can launch any application in my Mac. Most of the time, whenever a Windows user sees me use Quicksilver for the first time, the most common reaction would be, "What was that?" But Quicksilver is more than an application launcher. It's amazing on how many useful features the developers of Quicksilver have managed to squeeze into a small application. I can write emails, open websites, and control iTunes. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. This is probably the most useful application I have installed. Lifehacker has a Quicksilver guide for beginners. I give this five stars and I highly highly recommended. Price: free!
- Adium: The Mac OS already has it's own instant messaging client: iChat. But the problem for most users is that it's limited only to AIM. Most probably prefer using Yahoo! or MSN. That's where Adium comes in. Adium is a multi-platform IM client that supports the most popular IM protocols. Adium is highly customizable and is based on a plugin architecture. It also supports file transfer. Limitations of Adium is in can't do voice over IP or webcams. Hopefully these features will be added in the near future. Adium is the best alternative to Yahoo! Messenger which, on the Mac is rather crippled. 4 stars. Highly Recommended. Price: Free!
- Flip4Mac is a plugin for Quicktime that allows you to play Windows Media audio and video though not all Windows Media embedded media in websites will play. 3 stars. Recommended. Price: Free.
- Skype: A popular VoIP client used for voice, video and chat over the net. You need to register to use the service. 4 stars. Recommended. Price: Free for the basic services. Calling to a landline in the US or anywhere else requires a fee.
"PowerPoint's world is full of bullet points and boring talking heads. Keynote offers the opportunity to augment a speech and facilitate effective communication."The iWork '08 suite, though not as full-featured as the MS Office suite, has all the functionalities a home user or small business owner may need. It's much cheaper than Microsoft's alternative, too. iWork 08 is only $80.
I am looking for more software gems for the Mac. Stay tuned.
Macs take school of journalism big time.
Are Macs gaining traction?
'Nuff sed.
Thanks to MDN.
Image editors for the Mac
The premier graphics and image editor for the Mac is of course Adobe Photoshop. But Photoshop might not be suitable for some users. First of all there's the cost and second, Photoshop is too darn big and resource hungry.
What if there applications out there that's not as expensive and as bloated as Photoshop but will still be able to the job intended? There are graphics and image editing programs that are not as resource hogs and cost less than $100. Actually, some of them are even free.
I got these software from Macworld's articles Image editors for the rest of us and More image editors for the rest of us written by James Dempsey.
Dempsey talks about Acorn ($40, introductory price) and Pixel ($38 now. $89 when it hits version 2), and his favorite, Pixelmator ($59).
...I covered two programs at opposite ends of the spectrum. One newly released image editor, Acorn, doesn’t go for flash or overloaded features, but its simplicity means that it does its tasks very well. Pixel, on the other hand, tries to do everything, but in my opinion, it fails at an unacceptable number of tasks. For me, the sweet spot is Pixelmator...If the $38 to $ 59 price tag still deters you from getting these Adobe Photoshop (or Elements) alternatives, then there's Imagewell and Pixen. Imagewell is an application you can use to resize photos, add drop shadows and add text quickly and painlessly. It is said to be really handy for bloggers. For icon designers or anybody who likes working with pixels, there's Pixen. Useful for making Web site favicons and les-res animated images.
I'm going to give Imagewell a try for those quick and dirty editing jobs. I'm not much into the creative beat but I'm also interested in trying out Pixen. I got them both on my Powerbook already. Imagewell is a small download compared to what it is says it can do: only 928 KB. Pixen is a 5.9 MB download.
Oh, I got both at the very low price of free.
I will be trying these two out and will post my unprofessional, mini-review if I am able to remember to.
Macs do better windows
Steven Frank writes in his blog the trials and tribulations of installing Windows on a Sony Viao. Annoyances noted include having no restore discs, dealing with a load of trial crapware (Norton, Trend Micro, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, etc.), failed authentication using the license key that came with the Viao (WTF?), and having to push the camel through the eye of the needle just to install drivers (which by the way, only 80% of the devices worked according to Frank). In the end, after installing he had to install again and then went on an uninstalling rampage on Remove Programs. With all the hurt involved, why did he put himself through this?I use Windows because it is a popular gaming API. I've maintained a succession of PCs over the years just to play a handful of games that never got ported to the Mac.
The irony? I'm amazed again by how much better the experience is (installing Windows on a Mac using Boot Camp) than using a Windows box built by an actual Windows box vendor.
The verdict? Windows installs much better on a Mac.
You just install Windows from a retail disc, install the Boot Camp drivers from a second disc, let Windows Update reboot about 20 times, and you're set. The resulting system is really fast and all the hardware works.
Financial reasons to use Mac OS X
Jacqueline Emigh of CIO writes eight financial reasons why Mac OS X is more cost effective as compared to that other operating system. Some of the reasons are:
- Macs bring a better overall value proposition.
If you consider a Mac and a low-end [Windows] PC, the Mac will carry a higher price tag. But let's not compare a Lexus with a Hyundai.
- Macintosh licensing fees are cheaper.
With one Xserve license, you can support unlimited numbers of users. In contrast, Microsoft's client access licenses (CALs) for Windows servers impose extra costs based on number of clients. As a result, customers can save money by deploying Mac servers to support both Mac and Windows.
- The Mac desktop spawns fewer calls to the help desk
Even little children are able to use Macs. A kid can open up 'Johnny's folder,' and there are Johnny's little docs and applications.
- Mac users are more productive workers
Whether in publishing/graphics/new media or in other fields, Mac desktop users also tend to be more productive at work, a finding that's long shown up in TCO and ROI analyses.
- Macs last longer
Users also concur about the Mac's relative longevity. Hall, for example, is still using the same Mac G4 system he purchased six years ago, although he's since bought two more Macs for use in his real estate practice.
"Before that, I was fortunate if I could get 12 or 13 months out of a Windows PC. It usually got corrupted long before that."
Mac 'virus' found.
Finally! This is all what the Windows fan boys have been waiting for. There is now a virus that affects the Mac. The Mac no longer is invulnerable. This is the end of the Mac.
Not exactly.
In the first place, Mac users are not asserting that the Mac is not vulnerable to viruses and other malicious programs. It's that to date, the Mac OS X, from 10.0 to 10.4.10, does not have a virus that is in the wild. Meaning, there's no virus that we Mac users can receive via email, IM or via a storage device that will take over our machine and make it feel like it's a Windows machine.
Secondly, the virus found is not the kind that the Windows world is so used to having. For Windows users, having a virus in the system is like breathing air. You need to have one or else you're not worthy to use the computer. Just like my brother said, "It's not the real world," when I told him why doesn't he give his wife and kids a Mac to use. The real world is the world of anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-trojans, which slows your system down and sometimes grinds it to a halt.
Unfortunately for you Windows fan boys (that doesn't even sound right) the virus is a "mechanical virus". The tale of the mechanical virus is told by Always Beta.
I found the story at 43 Folders.
43 Folders: because it's all about Getting Things Done.
Open source and freeware softwares for the Mac.
The Mac platform have a plethora of quality, useful software that are either freeware or shareware. For those who are interested in open source, the Mac also has its share of those. Macforge is a source to find open source projects that work or are likely to work with the Mac. Categories include applications for chatting, email, file sharing, games, graphics, video, and a whole lot more.
Speaking of freeware, Macworld has an article to briefly talks about the applications from app4Mac. These include an application launcher called RapidoStart, the autocorrection app, RapidoWrite, and a database software, RapidoSerial. You can also try out their the beta of their geotagging software, RapidoMap. All of these quality applications are for free. Give them a try. You don't lose anything.
What is means to use a Mac.
...The unexpected advantage I gained is that using my computer is more enjoyable. My concentration isn’t broken periodically by problems, updates, security pop-ups and the like. I’m not thinking that I’m using a Mac. I’m thinking about what I’m using the computer to do — what I’m reading, writing, figuring, buying, watching and so on. The Mac becomes just so much chrome wrapping the data I’m interacting with.From Scot Finnie of Computerworld in a repost in Macworld of his article "Mac vs. PC cost analysis revisited."
If you want a computer that supports OS X, Windows and Linux, the Mac is your only choice, says Rob Griffiths of MacWorld. In his Editor's Notes post entitled "What computer should I buy?" Griffiths intros a fictional conversation between Jane and Joe. Joe is interested in getting a computer and asks Jane for advice. Jane replies, "Buy a Mac." Joe objects that he doesn't even like the OS X operating system. Doesn't matter. A Mac can run either Windows or Linux.
- Buying a Windows machine bombards you with so many options. They say choice is good. I agree. But it some cases a plethora of choices only serves to confuse people. Does the average consumer need to worry about memory, hard drive space, video card, etcetera? When choosing a Mac, you only have 3 desktop models and 2 portable models to choose from. Windows machines may be seem cheap but the specs and the performance that you spend on may lead you wanting. What comes with the Mac is sure to serve the needs of the user. Another reason why a Mac is a good choice is...
- Industrial design. Apple has taken simplicity and made it into an art form. Each Mac has that clean, sleek, minimalist look and feel. The operating system makes it a joy to use. The design makes it a joy to look at.
- The myth of an Apple machine costing more is just that: a myth. If you configure a Windows machine to that of the same specifications with that of a Mac, the Mac turns out to be really price competitive. USB ports, Wi-Fi, bluetooth, Ethernet port; they all come standard to all Mac portables and to all the desktop except for entry level Mac mini.
- Switchers to the Mac operating system do not need to go cold turkey. If letting go is hard (though I can't imagine why you need to hang on), the Mac can run Windows and Linux if you so desired. Options such as running Windows in a virtual environment under Parallels or run it natively under Apple's Boot Camp.
The Black Macbook is Hot!
Literally.
I finally had the chance to get my hands on a Macbook, a black Macbook. It's probably because that I've read too much about the Macbooks in the net that when I finally saw one I was underwhelmed. I must admit that the display looks nice with the glossy screen. The colors are more vibrant and more crisp. The screen size is nice, bigger than my Powerbook. I didn't have much experience using the keyboard but while I was using it, it didn't feel any different. I guess that's a good thing.
When I saw it, it had five Quicktime screens open but they weren't playing. I looped playback all screens and played with Expose. I was impressed. There was no lagging. I then opened four Finder windows and Photobooth and played with Expose again. Wow! It was all smooth. No lag or sputtering. Nice. And it's just on a 512MB RAM.
I then felt that I've played enough and was ready to leave when I remembered to see how much it weighed. I picked it up and noticed that it probably was as heavy as my Powerbook but as I moved my hand under the Macbook... Ow! It was hot. Very hot. Much hotter than my Powerbook gets. Perhaps it was because it was running since morning but damn! It was hot!
So that's my first quick hands-on the black Macbook. I don't feel any need to get one anytime soon.
My two cents.
