Tuesday, March 09, 2004

Compucable FirePod Universal FireWire AC/DC adapter and USB/FireWire 12VDC charger kit (p/n FXU-PWR-KIT-DX)

Compucable FirePod Universal FireWire AC/DC adapter and USB/FireWire 12VDC charger kit (p/n FXU-PWR-KIT-DX): "3 pcs. FirePod Universal FireWire, AC/DC adapter and USB/FireWire 12VDC charger kit (p/n FXU-PWR-KIT-DX)"
I can't tell for sure from the description, but this $25 device might just charge my iPod, my phone, and my Tungsten E ...

Apple KB Fix: Mac OS X 10.3: Mail quits when you click Junk Mail

Mac OS X 10.3: Mail quits when you click Junk Mail
reset preferences.

Blogger Unofficial FAQ blog - archived version

Blogger FAQ blog
I couldn't find a more recent version, need to look further?

Fixing problems with OS X preference files (from Macintouch)

MacInTouch Home Page
Ben Levi's note yesterday about fixing common problems with Mac OS X preference files brought several tips:

[Byron Han] From the Terminal, you can issue the following commands:

find ~/Library -name '*.plist' -exec /usr/bin/plutil -lint {} \;

and it will scan all of the plist files in your Library directory to see if they are corrupt or not....

[Alan Goates] The nice thing about most preference files is that they are actually well-formatted XML with DTDs to validate against. You can
do this with any validating XML parser, but here's an easy and free way to validate them all in one command line.
First download Xerces for Java, then cd into that folder (i.e. 'cd Desktop/xerces-2_6_2') from the command line and type

java -cp xercesImpl.jar:xercesSamples.jar sax.Counter ~/Library/Preferences/*.plist

If the file is really corrupted, this should catch it.

[Andreas Junghans] I suggest running the following in a terminal window:
sudo fs_usage | grep 'Sherlock' | grep 'plist'

This line monitors all file system access (sudo fs_usage) and filters out everything except access by Sherlock (grep 'Sherlock') regarding preference files (grep 'plist'). Note that you will be asked for your admin password since monitoring file system access is not allowed for ordinary users.

With this command running, start Sherlock, and you get a nice output of preference files (ending in .plist) that Sherlock accesses. The preference file causing trouble will usually be in '/Users/[your username]/Library/Preferences' or '/Library/Preferences'.

[Randy B. Singer] The corrupted preferences problem in Mac OS X isn't as complex as the extension conflict problem in Mac OS 8/9, so dealing with it is not as difficult. All that is required is a utility program that can make a backup copy of all of your user preferences files when your Mac is working well, and which can substitute all of the good preferences files for the suspect ones when a problem arises. This [free] program does exactly that: Back up user prefs.

Monday, March 08, 2004

Mac Marginalization - thoughts on Apple's responses ...

Mac Marginalization (Part 2)
Some thoughts, which I need to write-up for MacInTouch:

1. Everyone needs a XP machine, so either:
a. emulation on Mac
b. apple branded headless xp peripheral
c. thin client for an XP machine -- use it to run Mac software/hardware.

2. European litigation.

3. Linux alliance: thin client, run Linux apps. Safari/Firebird alliance.

4. Need all of the above.

Lasersoft Imaging / SilverFast SE: Scanner software for Mac and PC

Lasersoft Imaging / SilverFast SE
This scanning software got an amazing review from a super guru. Demo version available and a "light" version for $50. I'm definitely going to take a look at this.

Tunes 4 library files: Apple Knowledge Base

What are the iTunes 4 library files?This is a great kb article. Note the piece about deleting older versions. It also suggests one could play with the XML file to fix various issues. The description here fits with what I've seen when I access a shared iTunes library from both Mac (maintains database) and PC (drag and drop folders into iTunes to update PC database. It does suggest some potentially interesting experiments with Mac and PC databases.
File Locations:
Mac OS X
/Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes 4 Music Library
/Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music Library.xml

Microsoft Windows
\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes 4 Music Library.itl
\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music Library.xml

iTunes 4 Music Library (iTunes 4 Music Library.itl in Windows)
This file is a database of the songs in your library and the playlists you've created. If you delete the file, iTunes creates a new, empty copy when you open the application, but any playlists, song ratings, comments, or other information you created is lost. The iTunes 4 Music Library file is only used by iTunes.

Tip: Older versions of iTunes you may have installed and used on the computer created their own version of the file, such as: 'iTunes 3 Music Library' or 'iTunes Music Library (2)'. When you installed and open a new version of iTunes, information from these older files is imported into the new database file. You can delete the older iTunes Library files.

iTunes Music Library.xml
This file contains some (but not all) of the same information stored in the iTunes 4 Music Library file. The purpose of the iTunes Music Library.xml file is to make your music available to other applications on your computer. In Mac OS X other iLife applications (like iPhoto, iDVD, and iMovie) use this file to make it easier for you to add music from your iTunes library to your projects.

So what happens if I delete this one? I need to look at it and try!