Multiple Input Bug Finally Squashed
Charles Moore first reported on the return of the
multiple input bug
(which had been present in OS X through version 10.3.6 or so)
after installing the OS X 10.5.8 update over Labor Day weekend
2009. This bug makes it impossible to use one USB device for pointing
and another for clicking, which is important to many users with
physical issues. dk
From Danielle:
Hi Charles,
I just thought I'd send you a quick note to let you know that 10.6.3
gets rid of the multiple input bug.
Danielle
Hi Danielle,
Thanks for the very welcome intelligence.
I finally got around to buying a copy of OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard; now to
find the time to install it (I'm still also held back by the continued
non-availability of 10.6-compatible WindowShade X - living without it
would find more painful than living with the multiple input bug).
Charles
eBay Advice
From Dean:
Hi Charles,
I enjoy your articles on LEM very much and make a point to visit
several times a week to see what is new. I would like to give your
readers three basic tips to protect themselves when purchasing items on
eBay. I've been an eBay seller (and buyer) for almost 10 years, so
I've been on both sides, good and bad.
First tip: This may seem silly to have to point out, but Read The
Auction Carefully. Know exactly what you are buying and the
condition it is in before you bid. If there is something you do not
understand, ask the seller a question. There's a link right under the
seller's name called "Ask A Question." It's there for a reason. Don't
understand the condition or shipping prices/method? Ask. See something
in the picture that isn't described in the auction? Ask. If the seller
doesn't reply to your questions, cross that item off your list. Make
sure you know what you are bidding on before you bid. Shady sellers
often try to hide details in the auction description, often in smaller
fonts or different color fonts. I've seen Macs and HDTVs with fine
print that contradicts the rest of the auction, which claims the item
is in perfect condition, then the fine print says it is "motherboard,
hard drive, and memory not included" or "won't power on." When the item
arrives and the buyer complains, the seller says, "it was listed that
way in the auction." So read everything carefully, especially one final
time before you place that bid.
Second tip: Know Your Seller. Don't bid on any item until
you've read the seller's feedback. If they have more than 1% negative
feedback, I'd advise not to purchase from them. Especially if they have
thousands of feedbacks. A feedback rating of 98.2% positive may sound
good, but if they have 10,000 feedback, that's 180 people who have
complained about their purchase. Also, look at what the negative
feedback says. If it's simply a buyer complaining that shipping took
too long, that's one thing, but if they are complaining that the item
is vastly different from represented, or never arrived, I suggest you
find a different seller. Another red flag is if the seller is leaving
insulting replies to negative feedback. That shows they do not care
about their customers, and I won't do business with a seller who
doesn't care.
Third and final tip: Always Pay with PayPal. PayPal is a
buyer's best friend. If there is any problem with an item, the buyer
can file a dispute through eBay, and 99.9% of the time the buyer will
get a refund. This is one of the reasons sellers hate PayPal, but it's
there to protect buyers from shady sellers. I've used PayPal disputes
several times in the last few years as a buyer and always had success
getting a refund or the problem fixed. As a seller, I've never ripped
anyone off, so I've never had a dispute filed against me, but I have
had buyers complain about shipping times taking too long. I try to ship
within 48 hours of receiving cleared payment, but once a seller ships
the item, they have no control over how long USPS or UPS takes to
deliver an item. They've lost items on me and had some take 6 weeks to
show up instead of one.
If more buyers would just follow those steps, they would drastically
reduce the chances of being unhappy with an eBay purchase.
Best wishes,
Dean
Hi Dean,
Thanks muchly for the prudent counsel.
Charles
How Long Since I Restarted?
From Robert after reading Hot 'Book? It Could Be Your
Apps:
Dear Charles,
Many Unix geeks have probably deluged you with this tip, but if you
can't remember how long it is since you restarted your Mac and you
really want to know, open Terminal and type uptime
<return>. This will return a line that looks like this,
9:36 up 7 days, 21:02, 2 users, load averages: 0.18 0.15
0.16
I ran the command at 9:36 a.m., and the time given is days, then
hh:mm. Someone further into Unix than myself would be able to explain
the load averages to you, but the uptime figures are quite
straightforward. It can be quite useful to know this, on occasion.
Cheers,
Rob
Thanks Rob. A very useful tip and news to me.
Charles
Try Running Activity Monitor
From John:
Hi Charles,
You could try running Activity Monitor - it's installed as part of
Mac OS X by default - to keep an eye on the heat source. Besides for
GPU while gaming and hard drives during massive file transfers, the CPU
is the be all and end all of system heat. Set Activity Monitor to show
all processes sorted by CPU consumption, and even show a CPU history
chart for its icon in the dock, and you're all set to find out exactly
which apps are hogging the hardware, and when; instead of having to
infer it from overall temperature values.
iStat Menus is
a nice compact alternative, and I expect there are many more options as
well. I keep it minimal on my old PowerBook: I'll hit F12 and check
with the iStat Pro widget in Dashboard when I want to see what's going
on.
Let me guess that Flash plays a part in it on your MacBook, as well
as my G4. Just a hunch....
John
Hi John,
Thanks for the advice. Flash probably does play a
role, but the key for me was switching back to Thunderbird 3.0.3 from
the T-Bird 3.1 beta.
MacSpeech Dictate causes the temp to spike upwards to the
mid-70°s when in use, but happily seems benign when idling. I'm
cruising at a cool 61° right now with four browsers, T-Bird 3.0.3,
and Dictate, as well as a gaggle of smaller programs running.
Charles
Don't Hold Your Breath for WindowShade X
From John
Hi Charles,
I wouldn't hold your breath, or your OS update, for WindowShade X
coming to Snow Leopard. Unsanity's Haxies rely on Mac OS X's now
deprecated Input Manager system for code injection. Input Managers
weren't intended to be used that way, and Apple took a firm stance
against them with 10.6. I've no idea how Unsanity expects to find a new
route to make its haxies work. It's a tough task, and from what I've
heard they've stumbled.
I was reading up about Keyboard Maestro recently, considering buying
it to tweak my workflow, when I found this article at Daring Fireball:
Using
Keyboard Maestro to Intercept Keyboard Shortcuts Usurped by the
System.
"Ideally, I try to run with as few system
modifications as possible, and when I'm using one simply to enable a
habit, I try to break that habit. Sometimes it takes a while - I ran
Unsanity's WindowShade X for at least a year back in the 10.1 era
before my window-shading habit faded away."
I think John Gruber has the right idea. The deeper your
customisations and the longer you get used to them, the bigger the
trouble if and when they eventually break. I had a similar rough
landing when Google discontinued Google Browser Sync back in the
Firefox 2.x days.
John
Hi John,
Well, that explains a lot. I knew Apple took a dim
view of Unsanity's Application Enhancer add-on, so I guess they may
have proactively taken measures to block it's viability in Snow
Leopard. Boo, hiss to them. Depressing intelligence though.
In general, I'm philosophically in agreement with the
policy of running as few system mods as possible, but windowshading is
more than a habit with me - it has been an integral element of my
workflow habits for about 15 years and is embedded in my "muscle
memory". I may use it literally a hundred or more times in a workday. I
really hate (not too strong a word in this case) not having it
available (which I suffered through for four months on the cusp of
2007/08 after installing OS X 10.5 Leopard). I didn't
miss it a scintilla less on the last day than I did the first.
Apple's decision to dump windowshading from OS X was
spectacularly boneheaded. There is simply no other substitute for its
function that isn't woefully lame, e.g.: collapsing documents to the
Dock. If it's truly gone for good, it removes a major element of the
argument why I shouldn't consider migrating to Linux, which would be a
more congenial environment to my temperament than is Apple's
increasingly locked-down and control-freaky space.
Thanks for the info and comment.
Charles
Hot Mac? Disable Flash
From Peter:
Charles,
Have you installed ClickToFlash?
I am not the CEO or related in any way to the developer.
Promise!!!!
My heating problems are completely gone.
Honest to God gooooonnnnnnnneeeeeeeeee....
Try it out.
Peter
Hi Peter,
I hadn't yet, but it's now on my to-do list!
Charles
160 GB Drive Recommendation for Pismo
From Chris:
Greetings, Charles,
Just read the mailbag and saw a message from David regarding what
160 GB hard drive would be suitable for a Pismo or iBook.
The Samsung Spinpoint HM160HC* I used to have didn't have any
problems in my Pismo (though that wasn't the computer it was intended
for, hence why my Pismo still uses its original Fujitsu 6 GB
drive), aside from the 128 GB addressing
limitation of the Pismo's own IDE/PATA drive controller. FireWire
Target Disk Mode works just fine, unlike certain Hitachi TravelStar 40
GB 4,200 RPM drives.
The best part, though, was the price. US$50.98 shipped off of NewEgg
when I got it, but most unfortunately, they seem to have become
unavailable there.
As usual, I suggest shopping around on various sites for the best
price, be that OWC, NewEgg, Micro Center, or who knows what else,
regardless of what drive you do settle on. (I just happened to pick
that Samsung drive because it was cheaper than the 160 GB offerings
from Western Digital and Seagate while not having a notorious
reputation for failure.)
- Chris
Hi Chris,
Glad to hear that it worked out well for you.
I expect that IDE/ATA non-SATA hard drives will be
gradually fading from the scene, so it's probably wise to grab one
while the getting is good.
Charles
* Editor's note: This drive has been discontinued,
although it is still available on
eBay. dk
iMac G5 System Support Dilemma
From Jim:
Charles,
I have a dilemma with my iMac G5 that I purchased as my
primary home computer about 10 years ago. (I did so partially in
reaction to your enthusiasm for Apple, I might add. You were quite a
significant influence on my thinking.
Anyway, I have been having a lot of trouble with that Apple machine.
It increasingly will not work programs I want or need. I discovered at
tax time last year that it would not accept Turbo Tax (ditto this
year). Turbo Tax is the standard USA income tax figuring program. My
college has a license for Word for Mac that my machine will not
accept.
I bought the exact same (I thought) machine for my stepdaughter
about a year later, and she is not having the problems I am. It seems
that there was switch in chip but not in name of machine.
I just got a really nice deal on an HP printer, only to get it home
and find that it requires OS X 10.4 or above. My machine tells me
it is OS X 10.3.9.
One of my college IT guys told me that there are upgrades available
for me to go to OS X 10.4 and even 10.5. But he also said that
Apple does not make them available online anymore.
So, I drove to an Apple Store about 25 miles from here and asked if
I could get one of the upgrades. The Apple guy there told me that Apple
no longer makes available anything but current products.
I could not believe this. What kind of customer loyalty is that?
Knowing that you are an Apple expert and consultant, I thought I
would ask you if you have any idea how I can make my iMac OS X
10.3.9 operating system work with the new HP printer that is sitting in
my living room unpacked until I figure out whether or not I have to
take it back.
I will appreciate your counsel, Charles.
Many thanks,
Jim
Hi Jim,
It's not quite 10 years old. The G5 iMac was unveiled in August
2004, and I think yours is a bit newer than that.
However, it's still a really old computer in
computer years. That said, while I have a nice, contemporary
year-and-a-bit old Unibody MacBook, I also
have two 10-year-old Pismo PowerBooks in daily service and like them a
lot within their limitations, running OS X 10.4.
My brother-in-law is running a G5 iMac like yours,
also with OS X 10.4, although your machine has plenty of processor
power to run OS X 10.5, which will be the last supported system on
PowerPC Macs, and it is what I would recommend for you, provided you
have or upgrade to at least 1.5 GB of RAM.
OS X 10.3 is über-obsolete, and I'm not surprised
you're running into compatibility problems with contemporary software
and peripherals. It's doubtful that there is a driver for your HP
printer that supports OS X 10.3.
Unfortunately and maddeningly, Apple no longer sells
OS X 10.5 install disks - a policy that makes it prudent in general to
keep up to date with Apple OS upgrades. You will need to shop for an
install DVD elsewhere. I've checked around and they're very thin on the
ground. eBay might be a possibility.
MegaMacs still lists some multi-user family packs, but they're not
cheap (however, cheaper than buying a new computer).
There are still a few OS X 10.4 install disks to be
found, although software support is thinning out for that version now.
Try
eBay and Low
End Mac's Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals.
The good news is that your new printer does support OS
X 10.4, and it's a lot better system than 10.3 for a variety of
reasons, so it will solve your present dilemma.
Note: Make sure that any 10.4 or 10.5 DVD you buy is
the full retail install disk, not a software restore disk for a
specific Mac model. The latter probably won't work with your iMac.
Charles
Charles -
Thank you very much for going the extra mile for me in trying to
recommend a solution to my Mac OS X problem.
I have never used eBay, however, and rarely make an Internet
purchase. The sites on which I have made Internet purchases can be
counted on the fingers of one hand and include Laser Monks, Barnes and
Noble, and The Teaching Company. You get the idea, I am sure.
I am not a geek - and I fear digging myself into an even deeper
whole.
The lesson I get from this experience is not to trust Apple. By
refusing to help a good customer update a purchase, Apple has proven
itself unreliable and insensitive - since the company has the solution
ready at hand but refuses to make it available.
Henceforth, I will not purchase any Apple products.
Once again, I very much appreciate your efforts to help.
Jim
Hi Jim,
Apple: I'm frequently frustrated by the company's
arrogance, but nobody else offers anywhere near the overall user
experience.
Frankly, every time I'm on a Windows PC, it mystifies
me how so many folks put up with it, let alone the relentless malware
onslaught that is essentially nonexistent on the Mac.
The positives far outweigh the necessity and
relatively minor expense of keeping up to date with operating system
upgrades.
You could well be running into current software and
device driver issues with a six-year-old Windows PC as well, if you
hadn't kept up with the Windows OS upgrades and patches. Computer years
are even longer than dog years.
Charles
Charles,
Thank you for the advice and the assistance re: my computer
difficulties.
I'm kind of spoiled, I guess, having a college-supplied PC for my
principal computer. It is constantly updated by the college IT staff,
and any glitches are fixed immediately.
The need to update operating systems is something I was totally
unaware of.
Again, thanks for the help.
Jim
Hi Jim,
My pleasure.
I expect your college IT folks have been doing the
updates on your PC there.
Charles
A Great All-in-one Printer/Scanner Alternative
From Brian:
Charles,
You are right - all-in-one printer/scanner/fax machines are jacks of
all trades but masters of none. A better little-known alternative that
is especially good for Mac users is Axis brand
Network Document Servers.
These small standalone network-attached units do two amazing
things:
- turn a USB or SCSI scanner and a network-attached printer into a
copier
- scan documents, convert them to PDF format, and email the PDF'd
documents as attachments to a user-defined and user-selected list of
email destinations.
The unit is easily configured by navigating to its built-in Web page
and supports both monochrome and colour scanning and printing.
The best bets are the current models 70u (USB) and 7000 (SCSI). The
Axis site has a list of supported scanners for each model and work best
printing to a Postscript printer (mono or color).
They regularly appear on eBay, where I got both my 7000 (home) and
70u (office).
Regards,
Brian
Hi Brian,
I checked out the Web page, and it looks like a great
concept.
Thanks for the tip. I wasn't previously aware.
Charles
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