OS X: enabling root and creating global finder preferences

macosxhints - Set a permanent column view default for the Finder

I've experienced this too, especially since I run as a non-admin user for safety reasons. It's also a good reference on enabling and disabling "root". Nowadays it's best to keep "root" disabled.

A relatively trivial annoyance for several years, I've hated the fact my preference to change the Finder's windows to column view never seemed to 'stick.' I finally discovered that this apparent bug is actually a feature: The only folders your preferences will 'stick' on are the folders in your own home folder. Since permissions are an issue, nothing outside of it will adhere to your preference.

Enter root. Open Applications: Utilities: Netinfo Manager, then choose Security: Authenticate, enter your admin user password, then choose Security: Enable Root User, and provide the root user its own password. Now switch over to System Preferences: Accounts, and select the Login Options button at the bottom of the account list. Make sure that the the 'Display Login Window as' option is set to 'Name and password.'

Log off and back on as username 'root' (with the new root password). Once logged in, open Finder: Preferences: General, and check the 'Open new window in column view' item. Log off root, login as your normal user again, and now, every user will benefit from the much more productive column view as the default ... finally!

[robg adds: I would also recommend opening NetInfo Manager again and using Security: Disable Root User (after authenticating again) to disable root.]

New 30GB iPod Photo

MacInTouch Home Page

This is the iPod photo Apple ought to have released last year:

A 'slim' 30GB iPod Photo debuts at $349 with the chunkier 60GB version priced at $449, both said to be available 'immediately.' The Photo models include a USB 2.0 cable, but FireWire and audio/video cables are optional, as is the $39 dock. An optional iPod Camera Connector accessory is due in 'late March' at $29: "By simply connecting the iPod Camera Connector and a digital camera, customers can easily transfer digital images to their iPod photo, providing tremendous storage space so they can take more pictures. Imported photos are immediately viewable on iPod photo's crisp color screen, and can also be brought back to iPhoto on the Mac or various photo applications on the PC."

It was always nuts that the iPhoto photo couldn't act as a native repository (image bank) for digital images. These still aren't enough features for me to pass my 3G iPod on and get a new one, but it's a start. (I'm waiting for the ability to send sound streams to a car stereo via bluetooth.)

Digital Cameras and Color Profiles

Macintouch - Digital Cameras

This discussion confirms my conclusion on color profiles -- unless you really know what you're doing, use sRGB for everything. It's not only that the subject is quite complex, it's also that implementations of color profile technologies are very buggy and incomplete.

Microsoft has a free tool for screen video capture - Windows Media Encoder

At several points in my work career I'd have liked to record a screen video. SnagIt does a fairly poor job with video, and the higher end Camtasia solution costs a few hundred bucks. I didn't know of a real alternative, until I read Jon Udell's article from early 2004 wherein he mentions a free Microsoft utility: Windows Media Encoder 9. Jon writes:

The results were stunning. I set up a new session, pointed it at Outlook's main window, and began encoding.. Along the way I pointed with the cursor to items of interest, opened and closed dialog boxes, and drove the Outlook interface as I normally do. The resulting six-minute video had the same format as my Outlook window, which happened to be about 750-by-620. The file came in at just under 3MB. I FTP'd it to my Website and, because I'd chosen the progressive-download option, playback was immediate. It was also perfectly readable and audible. Elapsed time from the moment I thought of trying this to the end of playback: about 25 minutes. Next time it'll take 10. Why don't more people do this? Because it wasn’t this easy before. Now, it is.

More recently Jon writes of this as a part of "screencasting". I gave it a try. I wasn't surprised to discover that it was a bit bleeding edge -- Jon Udell basically defines the cutting edge. I can confirm, however, that it works. Next time I'll be able to do it in 20 minutes, and eventually it should be pretty easy. Sadly I don't know of an OS X equivalent, though if there were one it would be far more elegant.

The encoder is used for capturing screen video. There's little documentation, but you'll see the "wizard" when you start up. If you use a dual monitor hi-res display try capturing from a "defined window" and try dropping your screen res and colors. Using the wizard I got it to work, when I played with my own settings I got worthless error message with hex identifiers. Video can be saved locally and played in Windows Media Player -- but I had to manually locate and identify the codec update. (The automatic installation failed.) You can also drag and drop the video file into the XP Movie Maker application where you can add a voice track, edit it, combine clips, and save them externally.

I had one annoying and persistent bug. When I was capturing screen video double clicking didn't work. I suspect that dropping the frame rate or extending my click interval would take care of this problem but I just used the click-enter alternative. Also if you have two displays I think it croaks unless you tell it to record from a defined area (I selected an area on one of my displays).

It's not really ready for widespread use, but I think I'll get good use from this 2002 utility.

Using a print server with OS X

macosxhints - Improve print quality when using a Hawking Print Server

I think the trick her is bypassing the printer model setup and the source for the PPD file. I might try this.

Lexar's digital photography site

Lexar | Pro Photo

They make memory cards.

Improve iPhoto5 performance by setting thumbnail size

macosxhints - Improve iPhoto5 performance by setting thumbnail size

iPhoto 5.01 has several performance issues. Adjusting thumbnail and photo display sizes seems to help some people. I was surprised, however, to read that one of these might work in iPhoto 4 (requires plist editing):

There was another hint which mentioned keyboard shortcuts to change the size of the thumbnail view.

If you press 0,1,2 you will see different sizes of thumbnails.

0 - Minimum size
1 - Maximum Size
2 - 'Natural' thumbnail size

So pressing 2 should give you the same size as this tip without having to edit a .plist. This definitely speeds up iPhoto and worked well in iPhoto 4 (but had to be done by editing the plist).