Quote a filename in a script passed to chmod?

fwiw, find [options] -print0, when used in conjunction with (piped to) xargs -0 [options], handles filenames with spaces, without messing with for loops or IFS:

find /Users ! -path '/Users/Shared*' -type f -print0 | xargs -0 -I {} \
    bash -c 'if [[ "$(file -b --mime-type -- "{}")" = "application/x-mach-binary" ]]; then
                 chmod 700 "{}"
             else
                 chmod 600 "{}"
             fi'


How to set ⌘ + H to enable show hidden files

Edit at Nov 2018
This is all now moot since High Sierra. In Finder,  Cmd ⌘   Shift ⇧   .  [period, full stop] will toggle invisible files on the fly, nothing else needed.

 Cmd ⌘   H  is the system-wide shortcut for "Hide frontmost app"

To try tie a new shortcut to that, you could maybe use Automator to add a Service - but I still don't know how you would persuade it to override the existing System default.

This works as a Service if you use a non-system key, but not with  Cmd ⌘   H

on run {input, parameters}

    set newHiddenVisiblesState to "YES"
    try
        set oldHiddenVisiblesState to do shell script "defaults read com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles"
        if oldHiddenVisiblesState is in {"1", "YES"} then
            set newHiddenVisiblesState to "NO"
        end if
    end try
    do shell script "defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles " & newHiddenVisiblesState

    tell application "Finder"
        set theWindows to every Finder window
        repeat with i from 1 to number of items in theWindows
            set this_item to item i of theWindows
            set theView to current view of this_item
            if theView is list view then
                set current view of this_item to icon view
            else
                set current view of this_item to list view

            end if
            set current view of this_item to theView
        end repeat
    end tell

    return input
end run

Edit for El Capitan…
I've noticed that the Finder window refresh no longer works in El Capitan, so this is a modified version, quitting the Finder instead.

on run {input, parameters}
    --Toggle Invisibles, El Capitan Version
set newHiddenVisiblesState to "YES"
try
    set oldHiddenVisiblesState to do shell script "defaults read com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles"
    if oldHiddenVisiblesState is in {"1", "YES"} then
        set newHiddenVisiblesState to "NO"
    end if
end try
do shell script "defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles " & newHiddenVisiblesState & "; killall Finder"
end run

I guess you could make it work for the Finder only, if you specified some other key command for Hide Finder - as it is visible as a Menu item it would be possible to override for that app alone [by putting something 'useless' as an alternative], leaving you free to then use  Cmd ⌘   H  to toggle invisibles from the Finder only.

Tested - does work this way


Unable to change the default directory in Finder?

Here are some quick suggestions. On newer OS, the files storing plist are not the final source of preferences. Instead, you will need to issue a delete command to the preference system that runs and contains a working copy of your changes.

defaults delete com.apple.finder

That should remove the preferences and then you would need to log out and log in to flush those deletions to disk. Next you would look at deleting any .DS_Store files in the folders or views where you had the wrong initial view. When you log in, you might then need to open the Finder preferences, use the general tab and re-set the initial folder view for new finder windows. Lastly, if there is corruption on the filesystem (rare - but could affect things), you might restart into Recovery HD and run Disk Utility to repair the boot volume.


How can I open password protected Word documents on my iPad for free?

Try GoodReader which is very inexpensive ($0.99) and most useful app on iPad. I use it all the time both on iPhone and iPad.


I have been fighting this issue myself, with some success - but mostly, I have reverted to getting more of my collection in MP4 in the first place.

Subler is a must have to begin. It effortlessly does remuxing of MKV to MP4, including soft subtitles and iTunes Metadata. So for most MKVs, it is a breeze to get them into iTunes in a tidy manner.

When it comes to AVI and other formats, it's a bit trickier. AVI tend to be used with video codecs such as DivX or XviD, and although they could be remuxed into an MP4 container, it seems iTunes will not read it.

If you wanna play around with remuxing, your best bet is ffmpeg. You will need to compile it yourself or Google for binaries.

I'd advice you to convert your MKVs using Subler, and to re-rip/re-download the AVIs in a newer format where possible. What is left you can transcode using Handbrake.


You will need to restore your iPad.  Hold down the top and bottom buttons till the screen goes black and you see the Apple symbol.  Then follow the instructions on this page http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1808  to restore your iOS.   I think once you do this and re-sync your ipad a lot of your problems (that you have posted about on here today) will be resolved.


How do you test network speed without an app?

SpeedTest.net has an iPad/iPhone/iPod app.


I can't guess what is hanging up, but I can show you how to determine where the shutdown process is hanging.

You will need to boot your mac verbosely by holding Command-V when you hear the post chime. Then open a terminal and type this command to force a shutdown.

sudo shutdown -h now

This will let you see step by step how the operating system is closing things off. Once the loginwindow closes and your normal mac graphics window disappears, you will see the verbose commands and can tell us exactly where this is hanging so it's not a guess what step is failing.


Rename home directory without causing double Time Machine backup

I just tried enabling Time Machine on a VM, saving one snapshot, renaming the home directory, and saving another snapshot, and Time Machine did save a second copy of the whole home directory.

When I tried it again but used bypass to rename the home directory on the Time Machine volume before saving another snapshot, Time Machine did not save a second copy of the whole home directory.

So try running a command like this after you rename the home directory:

for f in /Volumes/*/Backups.backupdb/*/*/*/Users/oldname; do sudo /System/Library/Extensions/TMSafetyNet.kext/Helpers/bypass mv "$f" "${f%/*}/newname"; done


Can I put my iPhone in quiet mode only for a limited period of time?

Source
Your best option is to use Do Not Disturb.

There are multiple new limited-time settings for Do Not Disturb in the Control Center, which automatically turn off after the specified time elapses.

For one hour
Until this evening (or afternoon/morning depending on the time - it's generally a few hours)
Until I leave this location
Until this event ends (if you have a timed event set in your calendar)   A single tap on the icon without selecting an option turns
on Do Not Disturb until you tap it again.


You need to install ipython in addition to python:

$ port search ipython

py-ipython @0.13.2 (python)
An enhanced Interactive Python shell

With

$ sudo port select --set ipython ipython24

you can then select the version you want.

It ill be installed in

$ type ipython
ipython is /opt/local/bin/ipython

Check that your PATH begins with /opt/local/bin and not with opt/local/bin/ (notice the beginning /)


How to unlock iPhone after completing the contract without jail breaking?

Official iPhone unlocking can be done and is handled by Apple. You need to call your mobile phone operator, ask for the unlock, and they contact Apple (or have a special application, I don't know) where they will send your phone's IMEI.

After a few days, when you sync your iPhone, iTunes will show you a screen telling you your iPhone has been unlocked.


USB keyboard, unaffected by settings, repeating keys when held together

Thank you to @tom-gewecke's suggestion! Trying a different keyboard worked, functioning normally without this issue.

So it seems to be a compatibility issue between the aforementioned keyboard and OS, possibly other versions of both.


How to index Evernote notes with LaunchBar?

I found this question and it made me go look for an answer! What I found is useful, though not directly addressing your question, it does provide the functionality. Perhaps someone coming here will find it useful as well.

To Search Evernote from LaunchBar

With LaunchBar 6.4 and Evernote 6.0.

Fire up LaunchBar
Call up Evernote by typing a few letters to select the app.
Press Spacebar. A text box appears
Type in some search text and press Return.

LaunchBar opens Evernote with a search in progress.

That is very slick for me.


Browsers don't restore tabs after quitting in macOS Mojave

Looks like you have found a bug,
I can reproduce your issue on my Mac running 10.14.1

It does work after logging out (and back in) or force closing Safari,
but when I close it normally and reopen, it does not reopen my last session,
until I click reopen last closed tab, and it suddenly restores all my tabs from the last session. Bit annoying but at least a work around (Cmd + Shift + T)

I needs a bit more testing I think, but looks like this should be reported to Apple if this behaviour is indeed consistent.


Which php.ini file do I have to edit on Mountain Lion?

/etc/php.ini.default serves only as a reference and is not read out by PHP at all. The built-in PHP installation will look for the file /etc/php.ini instead. This file is not present by default, but you can copy /etc/php.ini.default to /etc/php.ini and make your modifications in there. You could also just create an empty file and only add any directives you want to change from the default.

Make sure you copy or create the file as root, so in Terminal you could do:

sudo cp /etc/php.ini.default /etc/php.ini

After modifying the php.ini, also make sure you restart Apache for the settings to take effect.

It is good practice to not modify /etc/php.ini.default directly, so you can use it as a reference if anything goes wrong with your /etc/php.ini.


Bridge non-adjacent monitors in three monitor setup

Just thinking outside the box a minute…

…wouldn't this achieve something close to what you want, without the need for any external solution.

It would give you a clean 'jump' between the external screens, balanced against a slight loss of accuracy in the transition between the top left & your main screen.


Can a MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014) have their hard drives upgraded

Not possible. There's not enough room for a spinning hard drive to be connected inside any retina portable MacBook.

That being said - hose drive would work well externally via thunderbolt or USB and internal non-OEM replacements are available.

To install special SSDs. other than Apple branded look for resellers and online like OWC or RamJet.


Click on the first song in your library.
Scroll down and shift-click on the last song in the library.
Now everything is selected.
Two-finger tap on any of the songs to show the context menu
Select “add to playlist”.


localhost redirecting to https after Mojave upgrade

Safari did that before Mojave.

Try this to fix it

sudo killall nsurlstoraged
rm -f ~/Library/Cookies/HSTS.plist
launchctl start /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.nsurlstoraged.plist


How can I install both Windows 7 and Windows 8 on a Mac Mini 2012?

I have done this myself. First install REFIt, an utility for dual/triple booting. It adds a useful selection of OSes on startup. It also includes a EFI/MBR fixing tool which is very useful. You might need to restart 2 times. Using the Disk Utility, add 2 more partitions to your disk. Format them FAT or FAT32. Restart your machine, and this time, assuming you have installed REFIt, instead of choosing OS X, navigate to the partition inspector (the hard drive icon). Just apply the settings it suggests.

Reboot your mac and put the windows 8 disc in. The setup will allow you to format the partitions. Format both of the partitions. Install to the first partition. After installing drivers (optional) etc on win8, restart and install win7 to the other partition.

Sometimes the Win8 will find Win7 installed and integrate the bootloader. That means that in REFIt, choosing either one of Win7/Win8 won't boot. Choosing Win7/Win8 from REFIt will give you the option to boot Win7 or Win8. Hope this helps.

NB: Your Windows partitions won't be named. REFIt won't know which is win7/win8. Or you can name it when you've installed the first Windows.


Why can't I get the Windows installer to launch (Bootcamp)? iMac 13, 1 (late 2012)

Your Mac is suppose to EFI boot 64 bit Windows 10. You should not be using hybrid partitioning when installing Windows 10. You should use the Boot Camp Assistant to download the Windows Support Software. If you copied the Window Support Software correctly to the flash drive, then there should be a $WinPEDriver$ folder in the root folder of the flash drive. You should be able to remove hybrid partitioning  by using the Disk Utility application to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format the internal partition where you intend to install Windows. Or, you can use the diskutil command to JHFS+ format. You should EFI boot from the flash drive to install Windows 10.

The Problem

You view the Boot Camp partition in the Disk Utility and you see the partition contains either a MS‑DOS (FAT32) or ExFAT volume, as shown below.

When installing Windows, you will encounter the following error message.

This is a indication that the installation drive is hybrid partitioned. You need to remove hybrid partitioning in order to install Windows to UEFI boot.

Solution Method 1

If an action by the Disk Utility or diskutil command results in no Microsoft specific partitions existing on a drive, then High Sierra and newer versions of macOS will remove hybrid partitioning. Since there is only one Microsoft specific partition on this drive, the drive will be erased and formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) by the Disk Utility to remove the hybrid partitioning. The result is shown below.

When installing Windows you will encounter the following error message.

A solution is to follow the steps given below.

Highlight the partition where you were going to install Windows, then select the Delete button and the OK button.
Highlight the unallocated space, then select the New button followed by the Apply and OK buttons. The result is shown below.

(Optional)  Since the Boot Camp Assistant has always omitted the MSR (Reserved) partition when I have installed Windows to UEFI boot, I will delete this partition. Feel free to leave the partition, if you wish.

  Note: Microsoft documentation states there should always be an MSR (Reserved) partition.

Highlight the partition where you wish to install Windows, as shown below.

Select the Next button to install Windows. The installer will automatically NTFS format the partition.

Solution Method 2

If an action by the Disk Utility or diskutil command results in no Microsoft specific partitions existing on a drive, then High Sierra and newer versions of macOS will remove hybrid partitioning. Since there is only one Microsoft specific partition on this drive, the drive will be erased and formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) by the Disk Utility to remove the hybrid partitioning. The result is shown below.

When installing Windows you encounter the following error message.

A solution is to follow the steps given below.

Press the shift+F10 key combination to open a Command Prompt window. Enter the commands shown below.  If your drive and partition numbers are different, then make the appropriate substitutions. The last exit command will close the window.

Select the Refresh button.
Highlight the partition where you want to instal Windows, as shown below.

Select the Next button to install Windows. The installer will automatically NTFS format the partition.

Solution Method 3

If an action by the Disk Utility or diskutil command results in no Microsoft specific partitions existing on a drive, then High Sierra and newer versions of macOS will remove hybrid partitioning. Since there is only one Microsoft specific partition on this drive, the drive will be erased and formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) by the Disk Utility to remove the hybrid partitioning. The result is shown below.

To avoid the problems encountered with the first two methods, the partition will be erased and ExFAT formatted by the Disk Utility application. The result is shown below. With High Sierra and newer versions of macOS, the drive will not be hybrid partitioned by this action.

When installing Windows you encounter the following error message.

The solution is to select the Format button to NTFS format the partition. The result is shown below.

You can now select the Next button to proceed and install Windows.

A Note About Partitioning

There are two unique partition tables stored on a drive where macOS is installed. The first is a legacy Master Boot Record (MBR) table. This table is ignored by macOS. The second is a GUID Partition Table (GPT). If there are partition entries in the MBR table, then Windows with use this table and ignore the GPT. This is referred to a hybrid partitioning. If a UEFI booted Graphical User Interface (GUI) Windows installer detects partition entries in the MBR partition table on a drive, then the installer will not install Windows on that drive. In your case, hybrid partitioning needs to be removed from the internal drive in order to install a UEFI booting Windows 10.


Is AFP (specifically Time Machine) encrypted on the wire?

Short answer, no it's not. As with most of the file transfer protocols(SMB, FTP, NFS) it transfers data in plain text.


I can see another computer's shared iTunes library even though they are not sharing their library

are you guys on the same network. If so its possible that everyone on that network can access the everyone's shared library without any permissions as iTunes looks at them as home network.
If you change network sharing type to public places ... Then this should not happen .


How do I use Spotlight to find all MP3 that are encoded at 320 kbps?

Open up Finder and use the Spotlight/Search on the top right of the window.
Type .mp3 in the search bar and Finder will suggest you things like Filenames (Name matches: .mp3), Kinds (MP3 Audio), Downloaded from (...)
Select MP3 Audio type under Kinds section in the suggestion popup.
There is a secondary toolbar which appears below the main Finder toolbar and above the search results, which has options like Search (This Mac) (User home) (Shared)  Save button  (on right side) and + icon
Click on the Plus icon in the right most corner of this toolbar. This will give you a list of filters/attributes that you can apply to current search. For eg. Kind, filesize, created date etc
From the filter type menu choose "Other..." and enable "Audio bit rate" attribute.
Now select the newly enabled "Audio bit rate" attribute with equals condition and enter 320000 as the value.

You will see a list of files which are encoded with 320kbps bit rate.

To see files with 128kbps change the value to 128000


How do I make the play/pause button (F8) on my mac keyboard play/pause in the Amazon Music app

This article suggests using Magic Keys to reroute media keys to third party applications.


Using php5-rar to extract files with an RAR extension

There does not appear to be any freeware RAR compression software according to this Wikipedia article. However, if you are willing to consider trialware (or "nagware"), you can download the commandline RAR for OS X (also see here).


Uploading photos from MacOS Photos to Facebook?

You kind of answered your questions yourself.

Never trust a proprietary extension or app, because you never know what the app is doing. Today it's normal for an app to collect all personal data technically possible. Facebook is evil. Exception is an Open Source client, where you can see the code.

To grant Facebook as little as possible data, you need to use their web interface (not app) and install essential privacy extensions and Ad blocker. See PrivacyTools for a list of recommendations.


Apple's online store sells two Belkin USB hubs with support for "high-power devices":

  Power: Max. power output per port: 500mAh

Belkin USB 4-port Hub * Stellar
Belkin USB 7-port Hub * Stellar


How are System Preferences categorized in Catalina?

According to /System/Applications/System Preferences.app/Contents/Resources/NSPrefPaneGroupsBanner.xml, there appear to be 3 primary categories now:

__banner - Apple ID and Family Sharing pref panes
personal - the set of pref panes from General to Security
hardware - the set of pref panes from Software Update to Startup Disk (or more, depending on your hardware)

Two further categories are listed in the file:

net - empty, unclear what pref panes would go here
addons - this category is historically used for user-added PrefPanes, and presumably remains so in Catalina


How to fix Terminal error DYLD_ environment variables being ignored because main executable (/usr/bin/login) is setuid or setgid?

It seems that the problem might be with asepsis (If you have it installed).　http://asepsis.binaryage.com/

Re-install it to make sure that it's up-to-date. And then Download the Command Line Tools from XCode.

That fixed it for me...


How do I get the memory allocated to a ramdisk back?

The first command tells you which disk it is, e.g. /dev/disk2

Then diskutil eject /dev/disk2 will eject the disk and free the memory


Is there a way to pickup iPhone calls on my Macbook Pro?

This is a feature apple brought with the lastest OS X : OS X Yosemite.

OS X Yosemite is still a beta and will be released publicly in fall 2014.


How does System Information break down the Storage report?

Other is a catch-all by taking the drive's max capacity and subtracting the sum of all other counted file sizes. So, if your drive has corruption where many blocks are unavailable or lost, you will see large other "allocations".

If the other space remains the same after running disk utility to verify and/or repair the volume then you can assume it's really files taking that space.

The categorization comes from spotlight indexing, so you could search here how to rebuild that index if you suspect bad metadata leading to an incorrect storage report.

The simplest way to rebuild the metadata (spotlight) index is to simply add your hard drive to the spotlight privacy list in system preferences and subsequently remove it. The built-in help should have a guide if you're not sure how to refresh all spotlight data.


How do you create an APFS volume inside an ordinary file?

If you have a file that contains a raw image of a disk, you can use the following command in the Terminal:

hdiutil attach -imagekey diskimage-class=CRawDiskImage myimage.raw

If you haven't got an existing image, you can create a new, empty file named myimage.raw and then attach it without mounting:

hdiutil attach -imagekey diskimage-class=CRawDiskImage -nomount myimage.raw

Then you can create APFS volumes on there as you would have a physical disk and mount them. This can be done via the command line with a command such as:

diskutil apfs create disk5 MyNewVolumeName

where disk5 needs to be replaced with the device name, you've received from the attach command earlier.


We have had a very similar (if not the same) problem ever since we upgraded our server to Windows 2008 R2. (WinServer 2003 was fine.) However, the main symptom we encountered, is somewhat different:

We work in a mixed Mac / PC environment. Desktop operators work on Mac only, whereas our backend services are Windows based. Also some manual operations are done on Windows 7.

We call our problem "Ghost Folders". These are folders, that are inaccessible even for Windows Administrator account. Windows displays no privileges for anyone! Even admin user cannot see folder permissions or owner - nor can ownership be taken by Administrator. Total lockdown.

Such folders are created under following circumstances:

A windows share is mounted on Mac by SMB://<IP-address>
notation.
Mac or Windows user attempts to move or delete a folder with some files inside.
Mac Finder gives error "No access" or "Insufficient privileges", as does Windows.
Windows Server shows the folder as with no permission for anyone. This folder will disappear by itself some time later (!!) Time span can be anything from a few
minutes to several hours.
On Mac, the UNIX 'ls -la' command shows
the folder permissions as normal. However 'ls -la' for the folder contents lists nothing. Not even the "." or ".." for 'current' and 'upper-level' folders.

This scenario can be repeated at will - Deletion can be attempted either on Mac or Windows.

Similar behavior is also seen when attempting to save (overwrite) a file from a Mac application. This will give permissions error - and the original file disappears from the server. This suggests a successful deletion of the original file, but failed write of the new content.

This scenario will only take place if at least one Mac has the share mounted and any folder of the share is open in Finder. A share that is not accessed by any Mac does not produce this problem.

We have sketchy evidence that the initial deletion attempt (when unsuccesful) will actually (or partially) delete the folder from the Windows file system. We have seen deletion apparently to succeed on Windows Explorer. However, the Mac SMB connection appears to somehow, as if "re-create a shadow" of the folder - or "deny" the deletion after the fact, bringing the folder back to Windows file system, but with null permissions.

We would appreciate if someone checks for this behavior on their systems, if you see the same chain of events as we do. It may help us all to more accurately pinpoint the source of this elusive problem.

Any input will be greatly appreciated.


Dual monitor setup for a MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)

Short answer is yes, long answer is it-depends...

Apple's adapters get very mixed reviews and are very expensive. You are better off looking for some 3rd party solutions. A couple of things to consider though...

What kind of interface for external displays

If you are looking at HDMI displays, make sure either both ends (your USB-C to HDMI adapter, and external monitor) support DHCP 2.2, or both ends doesn't. Most adapters you find on Amazon doesn't support this.

Reason why they don't support this is that DHCP is design for billions of colors and 4k, which will draw too much bandwidth from USB-C port, so you won't be able to connect anything else except power-input. Similar issue with mini-displayport adapters.

My personal recommendation is to use 2 external HDMI displays that doesn't require DHCP 2.2, in which case you can use 2 external USB-C hubs that supports HDMI, 2 USB-A, and 1 USB-C power-delivery for power input. As for which specific device, you may have to try a couple of them and find the best one for you. The few I've tried all failed for one reason or another, so I gave up on HDMI and went displayPort.

Another option to try, is that there are a few TB3 to 2-DP adapters. Then you can drive both displays using 1 port (assuming they both support displayPort), and do whatever you want with the other.


Disable the Dock in all but one Desktop/Space only

I know, that I can just do Option-Command -D to hide/unhide the dock whenever, but is there a way, to have different Dock settings in different spaces?

No, the preferences of the Dock are global between Desktops/Spaces, however, there is a programatic way to automate the toggling of the autohide preference of the Dock as you switch between Desktops/Spaces.
This requires an application to be memory resident and able to respond to the target event.
As an example, you could roll your own in Xcode, or use any third-party application capable of responding to a Desktop/Space changed event, determine which Desktop/Space you are on, and then toggle the autohide preference of the Dock to hide/show it based on the conditions, effectively pressing the ⌥⌘D keyboard shortcut programmatically to avoid doing it manually.

With that said, I'll offer you a way that works for me and utilizes a free third-party application named Hammerspoon, along with using the free third-party Hammerspoon module hs._asm.undocumented.spaces to have access to the undocumented Spaces API.
Some Lua code, which is what Hammerspoon uses, along with some AppleScript code.
The example Lua code and example AppleScript code, shown further below, was tested under macOS Catalina and macOS Big Sur with Language & Region settings in System Preferences set to English (US) — Primary and worked for me without issue1.

1  Assumes all necessary and appropriate setting in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy have been set/addressed as needed.

In addition to Hammerspoon, the third-party Hammerspoon module hs._asm.undocumented.spaces to have access to the undocumented Spaces API, the Lua code and AppleScript code, as is and provided further below, all necessary Security & Privacy settings for operational control, one preference setting in particular is required to be unchecked in System Preferences > Mission Control:

[ ] Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use

This is of course to keep the main working Desktop/Space as the first one in the list, thus having a numeric ID of 1, as ascertained by the module that provides access to the undocumented Spaces API.
This also assumes the Apple default keyboard shortcut to hide/show the Dock is in play.

Option-Command-D: Show or hide the Dock.

    From: Mac keyboard shortcuts
Also, as coded, only a single display/monitor was used. Additional coding may/would be required for a multi display/monitor arrangement. However, not being able to test at this time, it is outside the scope of the solution offered herein.

Note that the download and install instructions assume Safari and default preference [√] Open “safe” files after downloading checked.

Download Hammerspoon

https://github.com/Hammerspoon/hammerspoon/releases/latest

Click the Hammerspoon-n.n.nn.zip link.

Download hs._asm.undocumented.spaces

https://github.com/asmagill/hs._asm.undocumented.spaces

Click the Code button and click Download ZIP

Note: During the initial install and setup of Hammerspoon and the hs._asm.undocumented.spaces module you will be presented with a number of Security & Privacy related dialog boxes and notifications to which you need to reply with an affirmative type response, e.g., [Allow], [Open], [OK], [Allow Anyway]. If the choice is [Move to Trash] or [Cancel] choose [Cancel], or if the choice is [Open], [Move to Trash], [Cancel] choose [Open]!

Install Hammerspoon

Open the Downloads folder and drag and drop the Hammerspoon application bundle into Applications.

Before you open Hammerspoon, add it to: System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility

Hint: Leave System Preferences open and unlocked as you will need it again shortly.

Open Hammerspoon from Applications or Spotlight, then:
From the Hammerspoon menu (hammer icon) on the menu bar, click it, then click Preferences…, and set them as follows:
Hammerspoon Preferences
Behavior:

[√] Launch Hammerspoon at login
[√] Check for updates
[ ] Show dock icon
[√] Show menu icon
[ ] Keep Console window on top
[ ]Send crash data (requires restart)

Accessibility: Accessibility is enabled. Your all set!
         Enable Accessibility (Should be grayed out.)
Close Hammerspoon Preferences.

Install the hs._asm.undocumented.spaces module.
Open: Downloads
Open the hs._asm.undocumented.spaces-master folder to verify the name of the included spaces-vX.Y.tar.gz file against the commands used in the next install step in Terminal.
Open Terminal and run the following commands:

The current version of spaces-vX.Y.tar.gz, as of the day of this answer, is: spaces-v0.2.1.1-universal.tar.gz
cd ~/.hammerspoon
tar -xzf ~/Downloads/hs._asm.undocumented.spaces-master/spaces-v0.2.1.1-universal.tar.gz

Close: Terminal (Assumes no error from previous command.)

Adding the Lua code to Hammerspoon
Open the Hammerspoon configuration file by clicking the Open Config command from the Hammerspoon menu (hammer icon) on the menu bar.
Add the example Lua code, from below, to the init.lua configuration file and save the document, then close it.

Important Steps
In this next step the init.lua configuration file will get reloaded from the Reload Config command on the Hammerspoon menu (hammer icon) on the menu bar.
Note: The Reload Config command will fail because the internal.so module cannot be verified.
Click: Cancel
Then on the System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > General pane:

“internal.so” was blocked from use because it is not from an identified developer.

Click: Allow Anyway
Close the Hammerspoon Console window and the Hammerspoon notification.
Again, click the Reload Config command on the Hammerspoon menu (hammer icon) on the menu bar.
It should not error this time, but click Open to the message:

macOS cannot verify the developer of “internal.so”. Are you sure you want to open it?

Phew! That's almost it! Your almost done and ready to go! Only one more security step to address when you switch spaces for the first time.

“Hammerspoon” wants access to control “System Events”. Allowing control will provide access to documents and data in “System Events”, and to perform actions within that app.Hammerspoon needs to send events to automate applications.

Click: OK

Yeah! Now you are done and ready to change Desktop/Space and the Dock will then automatically hide on all Desktops/Spaces except the main one.

Note: The example Lua code for Hammerspoon's init.lua configuration file is presented in two sections, the first is just the necessary Lua code and the second is commented code with URLs to each relevant Hammerspoon API and the hs.asm.undocumented.spaces module.
Example Lua code:
spaces = require("hs._asm.undocumented.spaces")

function spaceHasChanged()
    local asCommand = "tell application \"System Events\" to return autohide of dock preferences"
    local ok, theDockIsHidden = hs.osascript.applescript(asCommand)
    if ok then
        local spaceNumericID = spaces.activeSpace()
        if spaceNumericID == 1 and theDockIsHidden then
            hs.eventtap.keyStroke({"cmd", "alt"}, "d")
        elseif spaceNumericID > 1 and not theDockIsHidden then
            hs.eventtap.keyStroke({"cmd", "alt"}, "d")
            local asFile = "/.hammerspoon/Scripts/FSAWWODS.applescript"
            local ok, status = hs.osascript.applescriptFromFile(os.getenv("HOME") .. asFile)
            if not ok then
                local msg = "An error occurred running the FSAWWODS.applescript script."
                hs.notify.new({title="Hammerspoon", informativeText=msg}):send()
            end
        elseif spaceNumericID == "" or spaceNumericID == nil then
            local msg = "An error occurred getting the active space ID! Review Console log."
            hs.notify.new({title="Hammerspoon", informativeText=msg}):send()
        end
    else
        local msg = "An error occurred getting the value of autohide for the Dock."
        hs.notify.new({title="Hammerspoon", informativeText=msg}):send()
    end
end

spaceWatcher = hs.spaces.watcher.new(spaceHasChanged)
spaceWatcher:start()
-- spaceWatcher:stop()

    -- The multi-line commented section below is the
    -- commented code above, with URLs to each relevant
    -- Hammerspoon API and asm.undocumented.spaces module.
    -- This is provided for users new to Hammerspoon
    -- to help the user understand what the code is doing.

 --[[

    -- This module provides Hammerspoon with access to the undocumented Spaces API.
    -- https://github.com/asmagill/hs._asm.undocumented.spaces

spaces = require("hs._asm.undocumented.spaces")

    -- User created function for use with 'hs.spaces.watcher' submodule.
    -- Each time the Desktop/Space changes this function is called.
    -- https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.spaces.watcher.html

function spaceHasChanged()

        -- Use AppleScript to get the value of the 'autohide' preference of the Dock.
        -- https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.osascript.html#applescript

    local asCommand = "tell application \"System Events\" to return autohide of dock preferences"
    local ok, theDockIsHidden = hs.osascript.applescript(asCommand)

    if ok then

            -- The AppleScript command executed without error.

            -- Get the numeric ID of the currently active space.
            -- https://github.com/asmagill/hs._asm.undocumented.spaces

        local spaceNumericID = spaces.activeSpace()

            -- Toggle Hide/Show of the Dock as required.

        if spaceNumericID == 1 and theDockIsHidden then

                -- Press ⌥⌘D to unhide the Dock.
                -- https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.eventtap.html#keyStroke

            hs.eventtap.keyStroke({"cmd", "alt"}, "d")

        elseif spaceNumericID > 1 and not theDockIsHidden then

                -- Press ⌥⌘D to hide the Dock.
                -- https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.eventtap.html#keyStroke

            hs.eventtap.keyStroke({"cmd", "alt"}, "d")

                -- Use AppleScript to work around an apps window that does not
                -- go to its own Desktop/Space when placed in full screen view.
                -- This is included and coded for VLC media player. Other apps
                -- that fall into this category will need to have their own
                -- code added to ~.hammerspoon/Scripts/FSAWWODS.applescript
                --https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.osascript.html#applescriptFromFile

            local asFile = "/.hammerspoon/Scripts/FSAWWODS.applescript"
            local ok, status = hs.osascript.applescriptFromFile(os.getenv("HOME") .. asFile)

            if not ok then

                    -- An error occurred running the FSAWWODS.applescript file.
                    -- https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.notify.html#new
                    -- https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.notify.html#send

                local msg = "An error occurred running the FSAWWODS.applescript script."
                hs.notify.new({title="Hammerspoon", informativeText=msg}):send()

            end

        elseif spaceNumericID == "" or spaceNumericID == nil then

                -- An error occurred getting the active space ID.
                -- https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.notify.html#new
                -- https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.notify.html#send

            local msg = "An error occurred getting the active space ID! Review Console log."
            hs.notify.new({title="Hammerspoon", informativeText=msg}):send()

        end

    else

            -- An error occurred getting the value of autohide for the Dock.
            -- https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.notify.html#new
            -- https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.notify.html#send

        local msg = "An error occurred getting the value of autohide for the Dock."
        hs.notify.new({title="Hammerspoon", informativeText=msg}):send()

    end

end

    -- Each time the Desktop/Space changes, run the user created function.
    -- https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.spaces.watcher.html

spaceWatcher = hs.spaces.watcher.new(spaceHasChanged)

    -- Start the 'spaceWatcher'. The commented 'spaceWatcher:stop()' line is there for
    -- convenience to uncomment/comment it and 'spaceWatcher:start()' and reload the
    -- config file from the Reload Config command from the Hammer icon on the menu bar.

spaceWatcher:start()
-- spaceWatcher:stop()

--]]

Note: Because of the comments the Lua code is long. It ends with --]], so make sure you highlight all of it when copy and paste it to the init.lua configuration file.
Note: This example Lua code has been updated to include additional Lua code used in conjunction with the example AppleScript code in the Update to Original Answer section below.

Update to Original Answer
This update is to address an issue found after posting the original answer.
Applications whose window when placed in fullscreen view and is not moved to its own Desktop/Space and hides the Dock will cause the Lua code as originally written to show the Dock, the opposite of what's wanted.
The application in question is VLC media player. There may also be other applications that do the same thing and additional code can be added to accommodate as/when needed.
Note that if you do not use VLC media player you should still do this so the framework is in place to accommodate any application that will require such a workaround.
I have updated the original Lua code I posted, and you will need to copy and paste it into the init.lua configuration file, replacing the original code in your init.lua configuration file with it and save it, but do not reload it until the next steps are taken. Use the information in the Adding the Lua code to Hammerspoon section above to add the updated Lua code.
Adding the AppleScript script to Hammerspoon
In Terminal:
mkdir -p ~/.hammerspoon/Scripts
touch ~/.hammerspoon/Scripts/FSAWWODS.applescript
open ~/.hammerspoon/Scripts/FSAWWODS.applescript

Close: Terminal (Assumes no error from previous command.)

In Script Editor:
Add the example AppleScript code, shown below, to the opened FSAWWODS.applescript document, then save it, and close the document.
Close: Script Editor
With that done, you can now click the Reload Config command on the Hammerspoon menu (hammer icon) on the menu bar, as the update is completed.

Example AppleScript code:
--  #
--  # NOTE: Hammerspoon does not allow the use of the
--  #       AppleScript line continuation character.
--  #       Therefore code must be written in long form.
--  #       It also doesn't like the use of some characters
--  #       such as symbols for modifier keys and others
--  #       in comments and possibly in code as well.
--  #
--  # Name: FSAWWODS.applescript
--  #
--  #       Full Screen Application Window Without Own Desktop/Space
--  #
--  # Purpose:
--  #
--  # The purpose of this script is to workaround an issue in
--  # hiding the Dock when an application is in fullscreen view
--  # and is not moved to its own separate Desktop/Space.
--  #
--  # Currently this script is configured for the VLC media player.
--  # Each application that has this issue will need its own code.
--  # The code will be different based on the specific application.
--  #
--  # The issue with VLC is that when in fullscreen view it hides
--  # the Dock thus causing the Lua code to unhide it. I suspect
--  # other apps that do the same thing will need to press the
--  # Option-Command-D keyboard shortcut again in order to counter
--  # the Lua code from unhiding it in similar scenarios.
--  #
--  # VLC is only app I have encountered this issue with so far.
--  #

tell application "System Events"
    set |fmAppName| to name of process 1 whose frontmost = true
end tell

if |fmAppName| is "VLC" then
    tell application "System Events" to tell process "VLC"
        tell menu item "Fullscreen" of menu 1 of menu bar item "Video" of menu bar 1
            set isEnabled to value of attribute "AXEnabled"
            set isFullscreen to value of attribute "AXMenuItemMarkChar"
        end tell
        if isEnabled and isFullscreen is not missing value then
            keystroke "d" using {option down, command down}
        end if
    end tell
else if |fmAppName| is "NameOfApp" then
    --  # Add additional 'else if' as needed.
    --  # Code for NameOfApp app goes here.
end if

Notes:
Just a reminder that this update is only applicable to applications whose window when placed in fullscreen view is not moved to its own Desktop/Space and also hides the Dock.
Because of this particular issue, the Dock will appear to bounce as the value of its autohide preference is toggled by the extra ⌥⌘D needed in this instance. It is still better than having to manually press ⌥⌘D all the time.


Use iPhone to connect desktop to wireless

I think what you're trying to do is called tethering. There are several tethering apps available. They require your iPhone to be jailbroken though. Some apps are PdaNet, TetherMe, and MyWi.
I know that with MyWi you can connect to the Wireless Network, turn off cellular data in your iPhone, and use it to tether without charges.
-Notice, these apps are all Paid apps on Cydia, but if you're jailbreaking your iPhone there are ways to get the apps for free.


How can I edit a .docx file in Dropbox on my iPad?

I suggest QuickOffice Pro HD for iPad. It will allow you to connect to Dropbox and edit any Microsoft Office file.


You are safe. Anyone that requests vnc://192.168.1.100 has to enter both an existing user name and the matching password for that user.

If you enable the anyone may request, then the incoming request is shown and you make the choice to enable the sharing. Until you accept, no view happens.

If you enable the VNC password then it's like a guest account where the user name is not checked but that password will show the screen contents.


Force OS X to open .tex files with TexShop

Select the file in Finder, open Get Info (command-I) and set the app that you want to use to open the file, then click the Change All button underneath the setting.


Why Mac Handoff shows the model of my iPhone so weirdly?

No it's not normal. Hard to say what the issue was, but after changing phones it's now showing a much less verbose text:


How can I unmount a drive every time I reboot?

The following Hint on Mac OS X Hints details a way to do this. Basically you'll create (or modify) the file /etc/fstab and add a line similar to:

UUID=F0E430C1-5558-3BB3-9FA9-6904B663FEEA  none  hfs  rw,noauto

The actual UUID will vary, you can find the UUID for your disk in system.log:

  In Mac OS X Panther, Disk Utility and the diskutil command doesn't display the UUID value. But if you look in the system.log file, when the disk is mounted, you can see something similar to this (line breaks added for narrower display):

 … localhost diskarbitrationd[87]: disk1s9   hfs
   77F3E84D-E0ED-3194-96A5-BED10893FFF4  FireWire HD
   /Volumes/FireWire HD
 … localhost diskarbitrationd[87]: disk1s10  hfs
   F0E430C1-5558-3BB3-9FA9-6904B663FEEA  Mac OS X Disc
   /Volumes/Mac OS X Disc

  The string before the volume name is the UUID for the disk.


Open command doesn't like non escaped characters even between quotes?

It's not open, it's the fact that ~ only works when it's not in quotes. ~ isn't actually part of a standard file path, it's a shell metacharacter that the shell replaces in contexts where it looks like the beginning of a path (and quotes suppress this). Here are some examples:

$ echo ~
/Users/gordon
$ echo "~"
~
$ ls ~/Library
Accounts        Fonts Disabled      Printers
[...]
$ ls "~/Library"
ls: ~/Library: No such file or directory

Note the last command above: since ~ is inside double-quotes, it doesn't get replaced by the path to my home folder, and then ls just treats is as a normal filename (that happens not to exist). The same thing is happening in your open command.

Since the file you're actually trying to open has other shell metacharacters in its name, what you should do is partially-quote the path: leave the ~ outside the quotes, but make sure the filename part is inside quotes. Something like this:

open ~/"Library/Messages/Attachments/87/07/079C263B-0586-48C6-B721-3C6AABAC76DF/Messages Image(1020754653).jpeg"


Homebrew services - how to stream its log?

The mongodb-community service logs to the following places:

$HOMEBREW_PREFIX/var/log/mongodb/mongo.log
$HOMEBREW_PREFIX/var/log/mongodb/output.log

Usually this means that they're located in:

/usr/local/var/log/mongodb/

You can continually stream the logs using a command like this in the Terminal:

tail -f /usr/local/var/log/mongodb/*.log


Using my iPad with IOS 7.1.2, how can I sync my calendar from my iPad, iPhone, iPad mini to Google claendar?

If you add your Google account in the "Settings" app under "Mail, Contacts, Calendars" the sync works in both directions: Events entered on http://calendar.google.com appear in the iOS calendar app and events saved into the Google calendars on your iPhone/iPad will appear on the Google Calendar website.

However this works only for new events. If you have existing events that you would like to copy into Google Calendar you can use my free app SyncCal (iTunes Link).


Monitor with MacBook Pro 2016 not waking up

I had a similar issue.  I have two UltraFine 4K monitors connected to a 2016 MacBook Pro. When the Mac went to sleep both displays went to sleep, but only one would wake.

This has been resolved by the latest firmware.

Install LG Screen Manager. The LG site is still showing the old version.
It will push the most recent version, v2.06.
Upgrade your monitor to the latest firmware. (3.11, 3.4, 5226, 3.04, 0.2f)

For some unknown reason, LG appears to have removed the LG screen manager tool from their site. If you are looking for the latest firmware, it can be found via homebrew.

brew cask search lg
brew cask install homebrew/cask-drivers/lg-screen-manager


How do I make a bootable USB OS X installer on a Mac?

If Apple's supported method of using the createinstallmedia tool doesn't work, you can try other options below:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372 - Create a bootable installer for OS X

With OS X El Capitan, Yosemite, or Mavericks, you can use a USB flash drive or other removable media as a startup disk from which to install OS X.

Really - try the above if you can, but as an alternative, here is a simple recipe for making a USB version of the OS X installer + associated tools. (Migration Assistant, Disk Utility, Network Utility, Terminal (that auto mounts your internal drive as needed), Firmware Utility and Password Reset Utility.

1) Use Disk Utility backup/restore to image whatever Snow Leopard DVD you prefer onto a HFS+ formatted GUID USB drive. I usually first create a IMG of the DVD, but it should work in one shot. Watch for restore errors - you may need the Disk Utility menu command Images -> Scan images for restore... before restoring an IMG to the USB drive.

2) bless the USB drive by selecting it in Startup Disk or using the command line. (Note - the manual page for bless may be moved, but the command still works on Mojave to bless an alternate boot. You can’t set this to be the default boot with System Integrity Protection but for this use, bless should still work.

It's not that hard to make a bootable image and far more secure to DIY. It also avoids the need of downloading commercial software from the internet. Happy media shifting all!

If you simply want a bootable thumb drive, just install OSX onto that volume - turning off all the extras you may not need. You can have your USB on one side and the USB install disk on the other to make your bootable drive ensuring all the Air drivers are on your USB bootable drive (which is often an issue when using another install's image - sometimes the drivers are not all there on older builds of the OS)

The best trick I have when you don't have enough space on USB to create the final updated version is to stage the bootable image by install first to a 25G partition on an external hard drive.

You can finish installing with lots of free space on the HS, run all the updates newer than your installer (10.6.8 for example), make an admin account, install the tools and apps you need. At the end of the process,  you then thin out the things you don't need. DaisyDisk or WhatSize will show you all the large files and libraries. You can safely get rid of a lot of iLife and the associated Application Support. WhatSize has many options to strip out unneeded files, localizations and PPC code. Once you have slimmed down the bootable image on the HD partition, use the trick below to get it on the USB drive. Leopard was a tight fit in 8G but Snow Leopard is lighter and doesn't need to diet as much.

Edit: Here are terminal commands for rolling your own installer like the (read-only) one that ships with current MacBook Air. I have a Snow Leopard DVD as /dev/disk5 and my USB is /dev/disk6. The man pages for diskutil and asr are helpful if you run into little gotchas or have different needs than a basic one partition drive.

$diskutil list
/dev/disk5
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:     Apple_partition_scheme                        *7.8 GB     disk5
   1:        Apple_partition_map                         30.7 KB    disk5s1
   2:         Apple_Driver_ATAPI                         1.0 GB     disk5s2
   3:                  Apple_HFS Mac OS X Install DVD    6.7 GB     disk5s3
/dev/disk6
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                                                   *8.5 GB     disk6
$diskutil partitionDisk disk6 GPT HFS+ MacUSB 100%
Started partitioning on disk6
Unmounting disk
Creating partition map
Waiting for disks to reappear
Formatting disk6s2 as Mac OS Extended with name MacUSB
Finished partitioning on disk6
/dev/disk6
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *8.5 GB     disk6
   1:                        EFI                         209.7 MB   disk6s1
   2:                  Apple_HFS MacUSB                  8.2 GB     disk6s2
$sudo asr restore --source /dev/disk5s3 --target /dev/disk6s2 --erase
    Validating target...done
    Validating source...done
    Erase contents of /dev/disk6s2 (/Volumes/MacUSB)? [ny]: y
    Validating sizes...done
    Restoring  ....10....20....30....40....50....60....70....80....90....100
    Verifying  ....10....20....30....40....50....60....70....80....90....100
    Remounting target volume...done
$sudo bless --mount /Volumes/Mac\ OS\ X\ Install\ DVD\ 1 --setBoot

Note: that the USB drive was renamed to be the same as the installer and the mount point in /Volumes has a space and a 1 tacked on the end.

Note: SIP ensures the —setBoot portion of the commands above will fail. Remove that portion and/or ignore any errors. You will need to select the USB another way than having bless perform a one step command. This is another reason to just use createinstallmedia from Apple to perform this.


How can I diagnose intermittent network failures from my MacBook?

Firstly, do you have problems anywhere else, or just trying to connect to your NAS via your D-Link?

Consistent problems most other places could point to your Mac. Problems only with your equipment, issue is probably closer to home.

I posted an answer to a similar issue on a 2012 MacBook Air. Nutshell version: Apple has implemented Intel's newer power saving techniques which puts various parts of the computer to sleep a lot sooner and more often than older wifi routers will keep alive. I don't have hands-on experience with this issue and the 2011 MacBook Air.

First question I would ask: How old is your D-Link router? More than a year and it's probably my first target. Log into the router and see if you can find a place to increase the amount of time before a "connection timeout" occurs.

If you cannot find a place to extend timeout values, you might be better off looking to replace the router, especially if you have a computer store with liberal return policy. A safe test to see if it is indeed the router or your laptop is to pick up an AirPort Express (about $100, one WAN, one ethernet, one USB printer) or an AirPort Extreme (about $200, one WAN, three ethernet, one USB for printer or TimeMachine hard drive). Configuration with the AirPort Utility is straightforward.

Hook your NAS up to the ethernet port on the AirPort and start transferring files to and from it with your MacBook Air. If the problems disappear, you can either keep the AirPort or return it and purchase a newer wifi router from another company. I'm sure most newer routers support Intel's deep power saving modes, I just haven't used them.

If you still have problems keeping a connection even with an AirPort, then it's probably your Mac.

Good luck!


How to use Homebrew to install terminal based Lynx browser instead of Cask (GUI)

There is a formula and a cask named lynx. To install the formula just run:
$ brew install lynx
Warning: Treating lynx as a formula. For the cask, use homebrew/cask/lynx
==> Downloading https://homebrew.bintray.com/bottles/lynx-2.8.9rel.1_1.catalina.bottle.tar.gz
==> Downloading from https://d29vzk4ow07wi7.cloudfront.net/b7b36f0697736fc1744026c18968bec4d5c1433356678e853d734406f9dc3612?response-content-disposition=attac
######################################################################## 100.0%
==> Pouring lynx-2.8.9rel.1_1.catalina.bottle.tar.gz
  /usr/local/Cellar/lynx/2.8.9rel.1_1: 11 files, 2.2MB

Then:
$ lynx apple.stackexchange.com

shows:


Image Capture asks for 'iphone to be unlocked' but when unlocked still dosnt work - issue with iOS 10 / OSX 10.8 compatibility ?

I saw a couple of other posts on this issue where they suggested deleting the plist files for image capture, i tried this but to no avail.

In the end i upgraded from 10.8.5 to 10.10.5 and it seems to have solved the issue. Not sure if its a incompatibility issue between 10.8.5 and iOS10 or rather that image capture was corrupt and upgrading OSX fixed that, but either way issue was resolved.


Hotkeys (COMMAND-V ....) don't honor Dvorak layout

Maybe you are using "Dvorak - Qwerty ⌘".

How to fix:

Open "System Preferences" > "Keyboard" > "Input Source".
Click "+" and select "Dvorak".
Select "Dvorak - Qwerty ⌘" and click "−".


How to watch Apple TV+ shows on a TV without the Apple TV device?

You can watch Apple TV+ on the web at tv.apple.com.  From there, you can cast it to your Chromecast to watch on the LG tv.

LG has a few tv's that currently support Apple TV+ but there's only 4 of them right now and you need to use AirPlay 2 to send the content to the tv:

LG OLED (2019)
LG NanoCell SM8X series (2019)
LG NanoCell SM9X series (2019)
LG UHD UM7X series (2019)

As more manufacturers see if this is a success or not, you can expect to see changes in support.

I would recommend signing-up for the 7-day free trial and use a web browser to cast it to your tv.  You can then decide if it's worth buying an inexpensive/used Apple TV 3rd gen to continue (or not if you don't mind using the Chromecast).

For more info on devices and shows you can visit Apple's overview page.


import photos from iPhone and save them on Big Sur

I have found 2 Apple solutions which meets my needs, but no search came up with these methods.

NOTE - Both of these are documented in macOS Help

Import images from a camera into Preview on Mac
You can import photos from digital cameras or devices with cameras (such as iPhone) in Preview.
Connect your camera or device to your Mac, then make sure your Mac and the camera or device are turned on.
If the device is locked, use a passcode or Face ID to unlock it.
In the Preview app  on your Mac, choose File > Import from [camera name].
If more than one camera is connected to your Mac, choose File > Import from Camera > [camera or device name].
A window appears with thumbnail images of all the photos on your camera.
Use the buttons at the bottom of the window to view the thumbnails in a list, to see larger thumbnails or to rotate images.
Drag the slider in the lower-right corner of the window to change the size of the thumbnails.
To import only some of the photos, select them, then click Import. To import all the photos on the camera, click Import All.
Choose where to save the images, then click Choose Destination.
The images are imported to that location and opened in one window in Preview.
Transfer images in Image Capture on Mac
You can use Image Capture to transfer images and video clips to your Mac from many cameras, iOS devices, iPadOS devices and other devices that have a camera. Once you transfer the items, you can choose to delete them from the device.
Connect your device to your computer using a cable, then turn the device on.
You may be asked to unlock your device with a passcode or to trust the device.
In the Image Capture app  on your Mac, select the device in the Devices or Shared list.
The Image Capture window showing pictures to be imported from an iPhone.
Use the tools in the Image Capture toolbar to change how the thumbnails are shown:
Increase or decrease the size of the thumbnails: Drag the slider.
View images as a grid of larger thumbnails: Click the Icon view button.
View images as a list: Click the List view button.
Rotate images: Click the Rotate button as many times as needed. To rotate the item to the right, press and hold the Option key, then click the button as many times as needed.
Select images, if you don’t want to import all of them.
Click the Import To pop-up menu at the bottom of the window, then choose where to save the images or to create a PDF or a web page that contains them.
To download images to an app, such as Photos, choose Other, then the app.
Click Download (if you selected images) or Download All.
By default, items you download remain on your device. If you prefer to remove them from your device, click the Action button  in the Image Capture toolbar, then either unselect “Keep originals” or select “Delete after import” (the option available depends on the type of device you connected).


Tool to open apps automatically when internet / WLAN connection is established?

Context-aware actions are exactly what ControlPlane was born to do. You give it rules for determining where you are and then actions to take when you reach certain locations or states. It's not the easiest program to wrap your head around but once you've got it tuned and your rules tested it works pretty well.


Other users have also reported the same issue. TRIM may not actually be disabled on macOS even if forced. In my testing on a 3rd-party SSD, I could never disable TRIM on High Sierra.

On another note, it might be possible to improve your boot performance by following a guide I posted back when I was having similar issues.

The gist of it is that re-blessing the boot partition, and resetting SMC+NVRAM may improve boot performance. To re-bless, simply go to System Preferences > Startup Disk, select the desired boot partition, and restart from there.


Can't relaunch Finder and the menubar is missing

Try quitting Finder using Activity Monitor (in Utilities). It's in Launchpad there too. Scroll down the list of processes till you see Finder, click it and then choose Quit Process from the toolbar. Choose "Force Quit" at the dialog.

If Finder isn't in the list of applications in Activity Monitor, you can manually start it. It's located at /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app. If you can't get to it by browsing (because Finder isn't running!) you can always use Terminal. It's in Utilities too. Just type

open /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app

into the window and hit return.


The answer is simple as well (if a bit tedious) I have found that the iPhone does this from time to time, especially in situations where you don't have a lot of free space to begin with. there are a couple of ways to proceed.

The first I have not done myself but I understand that if you go to the iTunes store and attempt to buy a large-ish movie it will attempt to download to your phone but then report that there isn't enough space allowing you to cancel the purchase. Supposedly IOS will attempt to clear some space to download the movie and you should be left with some free space.

The procedure I have done to remedy this issue is simple. Backup your phone to your computer, download all the Apps too. Good idea to give the backup a password. Doing so allows iTunes to keep the passwords saved on the phone.

Once that is done go into Settings -> general -> reset -> erase all content and settings. And let the iPhone completely erase itself..

Once the reset is complete plug it back into your computer and in iTunes restore the phone from your backup (remembering to select the most recent backup).

This might take you an hour or so but when the procedure is done you should have regained your missing space. How much space will depend on what all you have on your phone. But the extra cruft will be gone, eliminated in the backup/restore.


How can I get my own phone number from an iPhone running iOS 8?

Go to settings > phone

First line is My Number


FileVault 2 encrypted drive not accepting unlock password in recovery mode

Just had this happen to me, error -69842 on a FileVault encrypted mid-2013 MacBook Air, and I spent a fair bit of time on it the last few days. I tried Recovery Mode, Target Disk Mode, fsck_hfs, and DiskWarrior with no luck. Disk Utility gave me an error 'Invalid thread record' or something like that. DiskWarrior indicated it was a 'disk hardware failure'. It was a corrupted FileVault volume no doubt.

I was finally able to get at my files by booting up in single-user mode. Hold CommandS while booting. You'll have to pick a user and enter your password, then it'll drop you to command line. The encrypted volume that would otherwise fail to mount with Disk Utility or 'diskutil coreStorage unlockVolume' will be already mounted in your Unix shell. Apparently single-user mode bypasses whatever filesystem check is failing when an error unlocking occurs. Perhaps this is because no fsck is being run, I'm not sure.

I was able to get my files off this way using a connected USB drive. Run mount -uw / && mkdir /Volumes/usb, then plug the USB in and do ls /dev/disk* to find the name. Mine was /dev/disk2s2, so mount_hfs /dev/disk2s2 /Volumes/usb and I had a way to copy files off. Use mount_msdos instead of mount_hfs if you formatted it for non-Mac use. I selectively copied user folders one thumbstick at a time, but if you have a large enough USB drive attached then just do a tar czpf /Volumes/usb/Users-backup.tgz /Users to get a copy of the entire /Users folder in tar-gzip format.

Recreating the FileVault volume is necessary. I did not find a way to repair it.


iMac not logging probably due to keychains problem

You need to boot your Mac into Recovery HD mode, and then use the Reset Password utility utility to reset your log-in password.

Shut down your Mac, and press the power button. As soon as you heard the start-up chime, hold down the Option key. Images of more than one boot volume will show up. Use the arrow keys to select Recovery HD. When bootup in Recovery HD completes, you can find the Reset Password utility in the menu commands. Sorry, I don't have a screen shot.


Reverting back to 10.6 from 10.8 , but did not back up my machine while on 10.6

The method you mention first is your best hope for going backwards. It will not work well and many programs may have changed - if so, you will get an error message if the older program were programmed to detect this backwards migration of data.

The system stores data in databases scattered in some non-obvious locations:

Contacts (Address Book)
Calendar (iCal)

So, you can also export the data from these programs or check that the data is in iCloud or some other sync service. Then you can see if those programs work back on 10.6 - iCloud won't since it's 10.7.2 or later and Mobile Me is no longer working so for that sort of data, you need to export everything you need to move back to 10.6 (Bookmarks, People, Events) to your desktop and make one last backup using Time Machine.

Now, you mentioned iPhoto - that too could be problematic, but the good news is the OS update doesn't include iPhoto. As long as you run the same version of the app from before the downgrade (from 10.8) to after the downgrade (to 10.6) - your iPhoto library file should work just fine.

Apple's Migration Assistant won't move the program and it's support files and settings backwards from 10.8 to 10.6, so you will need the original iPhoto install and have to reinstall all third party apps that are more than a simple program you can copy from /Applications.

So to make this long explanation short:

Apple's migration assistant will not help you move files or programs
Time Machine stores backups in a plain folder so you can use Finder to connect any TM backup drive to a cleanly installed Mac and copy any and all files by hand - you just have to know which files to move and how to work through any errors when a file or database is too new for an older program to use.


Stocks widget will not let me add new stock

You can find the default Dashboard widgets in /Library/Widgets. They are written using JavaScript, so it's pretty easy to access the code. For example if you right-click on the Stocks widget and choose "Show Package Contents" you will find a file called "Stocks.js" inside the bundle that contains the logic behind the widget.

On line 1319 of that file there is a function called "addOrSelectItem".

Aside from defining variables, the first thing that function does is check to see whether you are trying to add an existing stock (line 1321), if you are then it just selects the existing stock in the UI. However if you are adding a new stock the next thing it does is check if there are less than 20 stocks (line 1323), if there are less than 20 then it adds the new one. If there are already 20 stocks then it does nothing.

Simplified code below. The comments are Apple's comments. Clearly having more than 20 stocks is not "correct". :)

function addOrSelectItem () {
    var index = symbolAlreadyInSet(lastValidEntry.symbol);
    if (index < 0) {
        // make sure we have the correct number of items
        if (allTheData.length < 20) {
            ...
        }
    } else {
        // select the item that is already there.
        ...
    }
}

In theory someone could make a copy of that Stocks.wdgt file, open it up, change that single line in a text editor to allow more than 20 stocks and save it. Obviously distributing that modified version would be a bad thing, but modifying a copy for your own personal use shouldn't be a problem.

If you do create your own version you might need to kill the Dashboard process for it to notice the changes. Just select it in Activity Monitor and Quit it, it'll automatically relaunch.


iOS 6 Facebook Integration: How may I extract contacts from iPhone?

The answer lies in the Contacts applications for OS 10.7+. First, you must set iCloud in System Preferences to sync your contacts, or you can sign into Facebook (if you're using Mountain Lion).

Then, open Contacts and select the "All Facebook" item to the left of the window. Select all visible contacts by clicking within the contact list and pressing ⌘A.

Go to File > Export… > Export vCard… and save with the name and location you desire.


Some thoughts about how to track this down:

In System Preferences > Language & Text > Region, do you have any unusual settings?  (Some of these influence the formatting of the clock... from the video, you have the same settings as me, but I wonder if you have anything unusual here that perhaps Apple haven't tested too well?)
Is there any pattern to the absence / presence of the separators?  Eg, from your video, I see they are absent at 46, 47 and 48 seconds: is this true for every minute?  (In which case, perhaps the cause of this might be some logic bug in the code that determines whether the separators should be shown for a given number of seconds.)
I believe the SystemUIServer process controls many of the icons on the menu bar, including the clock.  If you use Activity Monitor to quit it, it will quickly relaunch, but you'll get some insight into what that process is doing.

Some thoughts:

Is SystemUIServer perhaps using a lot of CPU?
Try removing any non-Apple menu bar icons for the moment (by quitting the appropriate apps), and see if the issue goes away.  I suggest this because: even if SystemUIServer isn't using much CPU (and the system CPU load is low), I suspect that if one of the menu icons it controls blocks (that is: performs some system call which doesn't immediately return, perhaps because it is waiting for some data), then the updates of the clock might be paused.

After discussion below, seems that unfortunately none of this has helped to isolate the issue.  The only remaining possibility I can think of is that you've run into an Apple bug... in which case, you might consider reporting it at bugreport.apple.com.  (I have a paid developer account, but I believe that isn't required to report bugs there.)


How to unlock an iPhone 3G with iOS 4.1?

There is not yet a readily available iOS 4.1 jailbreak. Your best bet is to jailbreak using jailbreakme.com and stay on 3.1.3. With the baseband in 3.1.3, you can still install ultrasn0w (required to unlock and work with any GSM provider)

Once the iPhone Dev Team has published an update to pwnagetool that works with iOS 4.1, it will be safe to upgrade. You can currently unlock iOS 4.1 with redsn0w, but that DOES NOT allow for unlocking via ultrasn0w.


How do I prevent files from being saved as .webarchive

Here is another small tip, for downloading files like csv, pdf, mp3 etc, that are opened and viewable in a Safari tab/window and have been accessed directly through their urls (e.g. the url address in safari address bar is something like: www.example.com/mycsv.csv, or www.example.com/mymovie.mp4, and so on...)

Go and click inside the address bar, so it gets active.
Hold the ALT key down, and stroke once the ENTER key.

Safari will reload the current page, and immediately will start downloading the current file.


Scilab Error: Need to install legacy Java SE 6 runtime

I tried downloading Scilab and it runs fine on my Catalina, where I've done the steps below to get another Java application to run.

Download and install a recent version of the Oracle JDK, like Java SE 13 from https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase-downloads.html#JDK13

Then open Terminal (it's in Applications/Utilities) and write

cd /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/

and press Enter. This changes the working directory to where the Java Virtual Machines are installed. Then do

ls

to get a list of the installed versions. Enter the Contents directory of the one you're using by writing something like

cd jdk-13.0.2.jdk/Contents/

Replace the version numbers if you have a different Java version installed.

Open Info.plist in any text editor (if you want to do that from Finder instead of Terminal, write open . to open the current folder) and search for these lines:

<key>JVMCapabilities</key>
 <array>
  <string>CommandLine</string>
 </array>

Replace those with these lines

<key>JVMCapabilities</key>
 <array>
  <string>JNI</string>
  <string>BundledApp</string>
  <string>WebStart</string>
  <string>Applets</string>
  <string>CommandLine</string>
 </array>

and save the file. Then try opening Scilab again.

Sources: https://crunchify.com/os-x-mavericks-eclipse-java-issue/
and https://www.awareim.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=48828#p48828


Unable to pair two iPhone's via Bluetooth

iOS uses Bluetooth in a very particular way. Depending on what you want to achieve, you can use an App or an iOS feature:

For transfering files: iOS allows you to transfer stuff via AirDrop
For internet sharing, use the built in iOS hotspot feature

Typically, iOS pairs only with accessories such as bluetooth headphones or heart rate sensors.

There are other bluetooth features that are managed by iOS and work without user intervention such as continuity or bluetooth beacon detection.


Why do editors such as BBEdit and Textmate have the option of ending your file in a newline (line break)? Why is that important?

This is probably because some other users of files require  complete lines

e.g. C code will complain if there is no newline at the end of file - see this SO question

and one main use of Bbedit etc is programming

So the reason is not really specific to the Apple editors mentioned but more for what use the files is made of.

Also see the comment to that question

  Not really the reason, but it's very annoying if you cat a file and it does not have a trailing newline as the new shell prompt will appear after the last line of the file (i.e. not in column 0)


Not all Mac are built the same. Your Mac is probably just a year to early.

The industry switched to EFI booting of Windows in 2011. Apple did not catch up until 2012. This is also the year Apple starting to eliminate the optical drives from Mac models. However, since Windows 7 required a BIOS boot, Apple added the ability to BIOS boot from USB on models where the optical drive was eliminated. This continued through at least the 2014 model year. In 2015, Apple started to eliminate the ability to BIOS boot entirely, which effectively ended the ability to install Windows 7.

So your model probably can not BIOS boot from USB. However, the very next MacBook Pro model can BIOS boot from USB. For example, see the question Bootcamp “Missing Operating System” on external drive.

One possible way to come close to having Windows on an USB drive would be to put the System partition on the internal drive and Windows partition on the USB drive. The System and Windows partitions are described in the Microsoft document BIOS/MBR-based hard drive partitions. I have never tested such an arrangement to see if it would work with any Mac model. You would have to try this on your Mac to see if it would work.

Another option would be the following. Since you have Windows already installed on the internal drive, try rebuilding the BCD on the internal drive. Windows on the USB drive may be detected and included in a Windows boot manager.

A final note. Your question included the command which is repeated below.

sudo bless --device /dev/disk3s1 --setBoot --legacy

I believe the --device /dev/disk3s1 is a dummy option which is ignored. In other words, when specifying the the legacy boot option, the firmware tries to BIOS boot. There is no way to select the boot drive.


Malwarebytes is at best terribly ineffective from my experience. Why do you suspect a rootkit? I don't think you're wrong, possibly very perceptive but just wondering why.

The problem with rootkits is they will hide all evidence of their existence especially from a rickety Malwarebytes scan. Mac malware creators must be sophisticated enough to jump some of the small hurdles Apple attempts to create so keep that in mind in terms of the persistence factor at play.

What makes you think that the malware won't go hide in your NVRAM, xartstorage (secure enclave, graphics card, SMC, create a RAMDisk, etc. to make you think that it's gone and that Recovery Mode really is an almighty kill switch and isn't just a pacifier that effectively negates all legitimate and acceptable levels suspicion.

macOS (previously styled OS X) is inherently insecure. "It just works" is not the befitting of a truly secure operating system. In which case "I expletive hate it," would probably be more likely. Focus groups probably would have found that didn't go have quite the same cachet.

To assess the potential of this type of malware:

Open terminal and type cat /dev/ and paste the results if you wish.
When you reinstall the OS in Recovery, look for an process called "unknown" the the install logs (Command L and then be sure to select the option in the top left corner to show all progress and errors).
You could also enable kernel debugging and read the kextlog shown as your OS boots. In full disclosure this does require a high level of modest effort so it's perfectly acceptable and possibly most productive to dismiss the possibility of a root-kit in advance.
Obtain a copy of the entire disk with all volumes and mount it read only to a Windows VM then try various malware scans.


How do I perform a factory reset of my iPhone?

Doing Erase all Content and Settings from Settings / General / Reset will do the trick.

This process will remove all settings and information from the device, letting you configure it from the very beginning, as if you had done a reinstall.

The process won't delete nor modify the iCloud's account data.

Bear in mind, then, that you should either have an iCloud or iTunes backup or be sure that every possible information synchronizable with iCloud is, indeed, synchronized. To do so you should go to Settings / iCloud and check what's enabled and what's not.


MacBook Pro not filling the entire screen of external display

Yes, because the graphics card adjusts the resolution on both devices. If you want everything to be filled on your external monitor, you have to specify it in the Macbook settings under Monitors. (If you used sync screens).
Regardless of that, VGA cables would no longer be used in this age. There are many advantages to using an HDMI / Display Port. Try it out.


How do I get rid of this Danish iWeb homepage?

As both @IconDaemon and another user suggested, I noticed the MBP was just opening Chrome without the user asking it, it was on boot. This led to the "Login Items" prefpane under User Accounts which looked like this:

How did she get that 24538.html there... Once it was removed (via the minus sign), problem solved. I had no idea you could set a web page to open on login...

We cleaned up a bunch of these items after testing the removal of just the html file. Removing just the html file worked.


Are there any settings on my laptop that will tell my browser "I speak English"?

That may not be your best option as websites will often use your public IP address to assume your location, and that process is independent of both your browser and operating system.

If this is something that annoys you often enough you may be better to use a VPN service to make it appear as you're in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, etc (as they're natively English speaking locations).

If a VPN is not an option, then you could use something like the Opera browser instead which also includes its own VPN functionality. Of course, that is limited to Opera itself, and not your entire Mac (which may be either good or bad, depending on your requirements).

If you're bedded to using Google Chrome, then you could try and use the full macOS version of TunnelBear which will camouflage all your internet traffic, or opt just for the TunnelBear Chrome extension which only acts within Chrome itself. Either of these options will allow you to pick a geographical location that is predominantly English speaking.

If you opt for the Opera browser, it's entirely free. If you use either of the TunnelBear options, you get 500MB per month for free.

NOTE: I am not affiliated in any way with the Opera browser or TunnelBear.


Can AppleScript create an Open File Alert?

Quoting Calendar's AppleScript dictionary in macOS Catalina (but applicable since Mojave) :

"This class represents an 'open file' alarm. Starting with OS X 10.14, it is not possible to create new open file alarms or view URLs for existing open file alarms. Trying to save or modify an open file alarm will result in a save error. Editing other aspects of events or reminders that have existing open file alarms is allowed as long as the alarm isn't modified."

Additionally, having tested other types of calendar alarms in Catalina that do not have similar warnings against them, they too failed to be created.  Whilst the restriction in place for file alarms is most likely motivated by security concerns, the others feel more like a bug.


Macbook, Can't boot from USB because has no administrator in startup utility

You can try to run the installer on your USB directly in Recovery mode.
Open up terminal and run ls /volumes. Identify your USB, and then run /volumes/<USB Name>/Install\ macOS\ Catalina.app/Contents/MacOS/InstallAssistant. The macOS installer should appear.
If it did not launch, you can copy your installation partition on the USB over to your internal drive. In Disk Utility, you can create a new partition on the internal drive and "restore" the USB drive to the new partition you just created. Then, select your internal installation partition as a boot drive and proceed to standard installation.


Do app developers know when users disable notifications?

They can't tell when a user has turned off notifications.  Apple doesn't share that info with developers.

The developer can tell if a notification was dismissed or a button was pushed.

Those are types of notifications that you, the user, must take action on.  There's another type known as silent notifications that don't require you to take action.  These are used by Watch complications, VOIP apps, etc, and they do things like put badges on the icon.  These will be delivered to your device whether you have notifications enabled or not.

A developer is 'promised' by Apple that these notifications will be delivered so the developer knows if action was taken because of that (i.e. you read an email because an icon badge told you there was a new message).

The best thing to do is notify the developer directly that you don't like what they're doing.  Honestly, some developers don't care and won't change.  In that case, stop using their app and find something better suited to your needs.


A reputable jailbreak was released for iOS 10.3.3: Meridian. However, Cydia and Cydia Substrate are not available or functional. Developers have teased functional prototypes of Cydia on iOS 10.3.3 but no public release has been made.


How do I stop repeat by clicking away from active window or pressing a key using AppleScript?

After a bit of researching, I came up with a 75% solution to your question.  The script below will repeat the actions inside the loop until one of two assertions are met:

① The window that has focus now is different to the window that had focus before;

② A modifier key out of either fn, ⌃, ⌥ and ⌘ is pressed.

I tried to find a solution that permits testing for any keydown event, but was only able to find a solution involving the modifier keys.  AppleScript alone cannot listen for key events, however AppleScript-ObjC can.  Perhaps another person will be able to provide the full solution that allows for monitoring of any key pressing.

I've added comments within the script to help guide you through what each part does.  Bear in mind, this is just an example script demonstrating one possible way of implementing these methods to achieve your objective:

    use sys : application "System Events"
    use framework "Cocoa"

    set [firstText, secondText] to ["A", "B"]
    set [firstDelay, secondDelay] to [0.2, 0.3]

    # Open up a new TextEdit document into which
    # the keystrokes can produce output
    tell application "TextEdit"
        activate

        set D to make new document
    end tell

    # Get frontmost window of the frontmost application
    set P to a reference to (the first process whose frontmost is true)
    set W to the front window of P

    # Repeat loop will break if the focussed window changes
    repeat until the front window of P is not equal to W

        tell sys to keystroke [firstText, return] as text
        if modifierKeydown() then exit repeat # Exit on keypress

        delay firstDelay

        tell sys to keystroke [secondText, return] as text
        if modifierKeydown() then exit repeat # Exit on keypress

        delay secondDelay

        if modifierKeydown() then exit repeat # Exit on keypress

    end repeat

    close D without saving # Close the TextEdit document

    # Returns true if any of
    # { function, control, option, command }
    # are depressed; false otherwise
    on modifierKeydown()

        set __m to current application's ¬
            NSEvent's modifierFlags() as any

        return (__m > 262143)

    end modifierKeydown

Note that the repeat loop checks for modifier keydown status a number of times within a single iteration.  I experimented with checking once, which necessitated holding down the modifier key for such a time until the loop was able to arrive at the checkpoint; and three times, which shortens the waiting time but at the expense of time that might be otherwise spent processing other actions within the loop (i.e. it will add to the delay times already in place between commands).

There's no right or wrong there—you'll have to play around with it and see what feels best for you.

Likewise, the check performed on window focus is only done once per iteration, which is actually very sufficient.  However, you will notice that clicking away from the window is ever so slightly obstructed by the attention given to performing the actions inside the loop.  It's not a problem at all, it just makes changing windows something done with more intent that normal.

None of that is surprising, however, given what this script is doing and how it's doing it.

Let me know how you get on, and if you have any questions or problems, leave a comment and I'll do my best to assist.


You can extend the time out limit by pressing the Home Button until you stop speaking. This way Siri won’t stop till you release the home button.

As you have no home button try holding down the right side button while you speak.


What makes Catalina make a shell script quarantined?

This can be fixed in BBEdit by doing this:

  Check and see whether sandbox access is allowed (in BBEdit's
  "Application" preferences). If it is not, allow it and I think that
  will solve this for you.

Source: https://twitter.com/siegel/status/1161105160212484097


iCloudHelper spams system.log about accepting TOS

Open system preferences, click on each iCloud account and pause for a second or two and then accept the terms for that account.

Or, delete accounts that you don't need.

Either will remove the spamming.


What user identity is the Tomcat / Apache application running as? While you can read the file with your account, if the application server is running as a limited rights user or in a chroot'd environment, you'll not be able to see the file. Find out the user account it is running as and try suing to that account then see if you can read the file.


Had the same problem. Running this command fixed the problem to me:

curl -L https://iterm2.com/misc/install_shell_integration.sh | bash

It will re-install shell integration. You can found more details on the following link.


Would it be bad for Mac to use older printer drivers not meant for that OS?

Or would the issue just be if it works or not?

Most-likely this. Since 10.7 was released, there have been some big changes to the rules for macOS drivers (kernel extensions, or kexts).

The two biggest changes are:

Kernel extensions must be signed (unless you disable the signature check, which is enforced by System Integrity Protection)
3rd-party extension now need to be in /Library/Extensions, rather than /System/Library/Extensions.

Most-likely System Integrity Protection will prevent you from installing the driver, and even if you put the Kext in the right place, it may not be signed properly or even compatible.

So it's probably not even possible.


How do I turn off auto capitalization in macOS El Capitan?

System Preferences → Keyboard → Text and disable Capitalize words automatically.


Did the Java 1.6.0_31 update fix the Flashback trojan problem?

It fixes the vulnerability that Flashback used to install itself; this Gizmodo article gives some more info to check:

1. Run the following command in Terminal:

defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info LSEnvironment

2. Take note of the value, DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES
3. Proceed to step 8 if you got the following error message:

"The domain/default pair of (/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info, LSEnvironment) does not exist"

If you don't get that error message, well, time to head to F-Secure for your fix. If you're clean so far, you can move on to step eight:

8. Run the following command in Terminal:

defaults read ~/.MacOSX/environment DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES

9. Take note of the result. Your system is already clean of this variant if you got an error message similar to the following:

"The domain/default pair of (/Users/joe/.MacOSX/environment, DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES) does not exist"

If you don't have any anti-virus protection enabled, you might want to check out the excellent (and free) Sophos Home Edition


How can I upload audiobooks to iTunes Match, or sync w/out matching?

First, you can save some space by only up-converting to 128kbps m4a or even mp3, perhaps that is what you did already.

The metadata Kind should probably be set as "Music" if not already.

Finally, it's possible that Apple uses the audio fingerprinting to also detect whether it is music at all (but it seems unlikely).


I managed to catch the prompt to update to 10.15.4 which I tried - and failed. After this the 10.15.6 update downloaded the update (which it hadn't been before) and it worked. I will certainly use the combo update if the situation ever arises again.


The thing with backups is that they're just a copy of your data at a given point in time. Now, keep that in mind for a moment as I continue to offer another possible solution below (but read my caution afterwards).

It seems to me from your question you're just wanting a quick drag and copy solution. So, for instance, you could just make a copy of your Apple Mail data. To do this:

Go to Finder
Press and hold the option key while you click on the Go menu
Select Library
You can let go of the option key now
Within the Library folder you'll see a folder called Mail
Copy this folder (just right-click on the folder and select Copy "Mail", or press command+C)
Navigate to where you want to save your backup (obviously another drive!)
Now you can paste a copy (e.g. by pressing command+V)

There you have it, you've made a copy of all your Mail data.

A word of caution

However, you really need to consider if this will achieve the ultimate aim of what your boss wants? Remember I previously mentioned this was just a copy at a given point in time. This means if a month later you have a hard drive failure and need to restore your Mail backup, the data you'll restore is a month old (unless you've made a more recent copy - but that's something you have to remember to do manually).

This is where backup software (such as Time Machines) comes in. Time Machine automatically makes regular backups. Yes, the very first time TM makes a backup it will take a long time. However, after the initial backup, all subsequent backups take much less time. You may want to read: Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac.

Finally, there are other options to Time Machine, such as Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper!


Command line equivalent of Disk Utility, which is not diskutil, to obtain UUID

Update:

IOReg gives the partition UUID, not the volume UUID, as it operates below the HFS layer. I had incorrectly assumed that the device UUID was required rather than the volume UUID because it was substituting for a device node. To get the volume UUID, use hfs.util. For example:

/System/Library/Filesystems/hfs.fs/Contents/Resources/hfs.util -k disk0s3

Replace "disk0s3" with whatever the "device identifier" of your volume. This is different to the "device node" (which is "/dev/disk0s3" in this case").

Original IOReg details:

You can run ioreg -c IOMedia -r to show the device tree for the disk devices in your system. This should give a manageable amount of output (as compared to ioreg -l, which shows everything).

If you want to just extract UUIDs, you can ioreg -c IOMedia -r | grep UUID, but the downside is that you lose context.

The diskutil information is interesting; it obviously depends on daemons that do not run in single user mode.


Tab is used for moving between controls and arrow keys are used to move within the control group.
For example if your focus is on tabs control in 'Keyboard' window ('Keyboard', 'Text'... 'Dictation') then you can move between them with left/right arrows. Or if if you are on 'Shortcuts' tab you use tab to move into left pane, move there with up-down arrows, reach desired selection ('Accessibility' on your screenshot), use tab to move to the right pane and use up-down arrows to move there (and use space to tick / untick options).


Set iOS device into Kiosk mode and get the screen not to "sleep"

You can set the iPad display to never turn-off automatically. Go to Settings app → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock and select Never.


Will removing developer devices break apps with old UDIDs on Provisioning profiles?

I don't think that Apple reaches out and revokes certificates on devices when you wipe the slate clean, but they would be in their right to do so and they have the capability to do so.

Most likely, those devices will work until a certificate (or intermediate in the trust chain) expires. Or until the "testers" remove the app or wipe the device or remove the trust profile.


I do not have a iPod. I keep seeing iTunesHelper set to automatically launch

iTunesHelper uses little or no resources, so should not affect the operation of your Mac. IIRC, it is only used by iTunes to connect iPods and whatnot, and is not used for any other purpose.
Control over the launch of iTunesHelper at login used to be controlled from System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items tab:

If you see iTunesHelper in this list, select it, then click the minus [-] sign to remove it.
If you want to remove the app itself in iTunes 10.4 and later, it is found in the path /Applications/iTunes/Contents/MacOS/ which you can get to by right-clicking in the iTunes app to show its contents.
In iTunes 10.3 and earlier, iTunesHelper is found in /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Resources/


Missing swap file since latest update- Sierra

In previous versions of OS X I always had at least one swapfile. That never went 'away'. Regardless of how much RAM was available.

But since Mavericks the memory management improved steadily (including zram-like vm-compression) and on the latest macOS after a fresh reboot I also do not see a swapfile. It gets then created as needed.

Only if you have low amounts of RAM in the machine and never see such a file created is there a reason for concern.

If you open a few apps and then Safari with a few tabs filled you shall see those files again.