Tagged: Mac OS X

The problem with Mac OS X Lion’s Auto Save feature

The problem with Mac OS X Lion’s Auto Save feature

Auto SaveMac OS X 10.7 Lion’s Auto Save feature is one of the highlights of the operating system revision, especially for inexperienced users. It removes the need to remember to press Command-S (or take a mouse trip to choose File > Save) in applications that support the feature. Lion automatically and continuously saves every change to disk. However, one casualty of the feature is the age-old “Save As” command, used to create and then work on a new file with the same contents as the original. Save As has been replaced by a cumbersome duplicate-and-then-save behavior.

Tidbits goes into detail about how Auto Save works, and the problem with it replacing the ages-old Save As command. I’m not a fan of Auto Save, which is to say I absolutely hate it. I hope Apple makes it an option I can turn off in future OS revisions, but I suspect we’re seeing the beginning of the end of the file system methodology we’ve known for years. (more…)

Hide those pesky Mac OS X System Preference icons

There are a few icons found in the Mac OS X’s System Preferences that I just never seem to use. Ever. They used to taunt me every time I launch Sys Prefs to make adjustments to my Mac – such as the MobileMe icon that still exists in Lion’s prefs, for example.

Hiding System Preference icons

Why must the MobileMe icon taunt me? Oh. It doesn't!

You can hide any of those preference icons you want simply by visiting the View>Customize… while in the System Preferences. A small checkbox will appear next to each icon which you can untick to hide the icon. Once you turn off the icons you don’t use or for whatever reason wish to hide, simply hit the Done button at the top of the System Preferences window.

LittleIpsum for Mac makes generating filler text in your layouts easy

LittleIpsum iconIn publishing, graphic design and web development, lorem ipsum is placeholder text (filler text) commonly used to demonstrate the layout elements of a document or visual presentation.

The lorem ipsum text is typically a section of a Latin text by Cicero with words altered, added and removed that make it nonsensical in meaning and not proper Latin.

As designers, we all use it. There are web-based lorem ipsum genererators, but they’re all a pain to use because you have to launch a browser and go to the site to use them. It adds unnecessary steps. There has to be a better solution. Enter LittleIpsum. (more…)

Quicky check your hard drive’s free space

Quick Look storage

Quick Look is more than just image previews

The Quick Look feature in Mac OS X Lion is useful for previewing images, text files and websites. But you can also use it to quickly check the free space remaining on your hard drive.

Simply click on the Mac HD icon on the Desktop or in a Finder window and hit the spacebar.

Another quick way to check your free space is to turn on the Status Bar in Finder windows by visiting View>Show Status Bar (Command + /) and click on the Mac HD icon in the Finder window. The Status Bar at the bottom of the Finder window will display your free space.

Lion’s Mission Control keyboard shortcuts

Mission ControlMac OS X Lion brought us Mission Control, which brings together Exposé, Dashboard, Spaces, and full-screen apps to give you one place to see and navigate everything running on your Mac.

I was never a fan of Exposé, Dashboard or Space in previous OS X releases, but when full-screen apps came to Lion, I found it to be a dramatically different experience. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend you give it a chance. To make working with Mission Control easier, Apple have included a few keyboard shortcuts.

Invoke Mission Control

Control + Up Arrow or F3

Return to Desktop from within Mission Control

Control + Down Arrow or F3

Switch between Spaces

Control + Right or Left Arrow

The Graphic Mac Link Box #6: Mac OS X edition

The Graphic Mac Link BoxA collection of interesting or otherwise helpful links I’ve come across recently that you may not have seen, all focused on Mac OS X:

Steve: Who’s Going to Protect Us From Cheap and Mediocre Now?
Until the last sinew, the last synapse gives up, Steve Jobs will continue to influence the company he co-founded and later recreated. This article takes a look back at how Steve Jobs protected us from mediocre technology, and how Apple will continue to do so.

Things Mac OS X
While this web page has some outdated information, the list of Mac OS X resources is fairly extensive. The categories include browsers, FTP apps, databases, security, GUI and more. I love sites like this because I always seem to come across an app or a bit of information that I didn’t know about.

Shrine of AppleShrine of Apple
If you’re an Apple fan (which I assume you are if you’re reading this), then you need to check out Shrine of Apple. It’s a new website that aims to photograph every Apple product ever made, right down to adapters and cables. They’ve got quite a collection already.

OS X Lion GUI PSD files
If you’re a developer, or just want to comp-up some OS X GUI elements, you can grab the fresh-out-of-the-oven Mac OS X Lion GUI Elements. You can grab Lion UI Kit here, or OS X Lion GUI Kit here. Thanks to OSXDaily for finding these layered Photoshop files.

Lion’s Mail Favorite bar
Of course you know your web browser has a favorite bar (bookmark bar), but did you know Mac OS X Lion’s Mail app has one that you can customize with your preferred mailboxes. As a bonus, you can use keyboard shortcuts to access them.

Customize your OS X Lion installation with these Terminal hacks

Lion Terminal hacksLion has brought lots of small tweaks and changes to the Mac OS, and some people don’t like those changes. Here are a few ways you can change things using the Terminal in Mac OSX Lion to customize the OS to your liking.

Key Repeat
When holding a key down on your keyboard, Lion now offers a pop-up displaying the accent characters available by default, instead of simply repeating the character.

  • Turn on key-repeat (turning off the accent character pop-up):
  • cdefaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool false

(more…)

Extensis updates Fusion to support Mac OS X Lion and Adobe Creative Suite 5.5

Suitcase FusionThe Suitcase Fusion 3 update is available as a FREE download for the Suitcase Fusion 3 application on Macintosh and Windows operating systems.

This release updates Suitcase Fusion 3 for compatibility with Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion).

The new plug-ins automatically activate the exact fonts required for each file using the patented Font Sense™ technology to create a unique fingerprint for each font. Adobe Creative Suite auto-activation plug-ins now include:

  • Adobe InDesign® CS3, CS4, CS5, and CS5.5
  • Adobe Illustrator® CS3, CS4, CS5, CS5.1 (shipping with CS5.5)
  • Adobe Photoshop® CS4, CS5, CS5.1 (shipping with CS5.5)

Existing Suitcase Fusion 3 users may obtain the new plug-ins through the Check for Updates features of Suitcase Fusion 3.

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