Tell me more ×
Ask Different is a question and answer site for power users of Apple hardware and software. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 0 down vote favorite
1

Googling for terminal tweaks shows sites this one which show how to tweak OS X via the Terminal. Are there any Apple or exhaustive lists of these settings anywhere on the net?

share|improve this question
1  
What problem are you trying to solve? I'm tempted to just close this since it's the equivalent of "what books can be written with a text editor" or "what programs can be thought up with Xcode". Terminal is so powerful and self-modifies the system, so the true answer is infinite. – bmike♦ Mar 18 '12 at 16:42
Question seems straight forward enough - nathang pointed to one such list. 'Exhaustive'? Well, probably only Apple could answer that but 'comprehensive' is pretty darn useful. – JRobert Mar 19 '12 at 0:30

3 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

There is a pretty good database full of defaults write commands at http://secrets.blacktree.com/

They also have a PrefPane that allows you to use System Preferences to set these hidden preferences.

share|improve this answer
+1 That's a really good resource I like to just skim through! – gentmatt Mar 18 '12 at 15:50
up vote 2 down vote

Mac Kung Fu Book

It's not a free resource ($23), but I believe it should be mentioned here.

About the book:

  • Many of the tips in this book exploit settings or experimental features never officially made public.
  • "exploit secret settings and hidden apps"
  • "tweak your system"
  • "learn valuable security tricks"

enter image description here

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

As it turns out, there appears to be a way to scout for these settings yourself. Neat.[1]

[1] Props to this user for linking the above article in this answer.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.