Concerning the operating system and applications or programs that run under it, as opposed to matters concerning computer hardware. In troubleshooting, it is essential to distinguish between problems concerning software and problems concerning hardware.
26
votes
8answers
1k views
Anti-Virus Software for Mac OS X
Is it worth to buy an Anti-virus software for Mac OS X?
I heard both opinions like "it's not possible to get a virus on Mac OS X" and "Mac OS X is also vulnerable against virus... "
What is true?
22
votes
7answers
2k views
How do I uninstall a program completely on a Mac?
I come from a PC background... every time I want to uninstall an application, I must use add/remove programs. On the mac, you can simply run a .app file from wherever you want, and many say that the ...
16
votes
6answers
2k views
Is there a image editor like Windows' Paint for OS X?
I tried out several image editors mentioned on this site but I tested some of them like (Pixen and Seashore) I was very disappointed. These apps were so simple and was too low level.
What do you ...
12
votes
3answers
504 views
What is time machine backing up?
Is there a way to find out what time machine is backing up?
My time machine has been running fine, but it suddenly started to back-up 20GB a few days ago when I have not changed that much since last ...
10
votes
4answers
524 views
How to fully 'uninstall' an app on OS X
So, I've been a Mac user for about seven or so months now. And one thing I've been wondering is how to fully remove an application..
I know a lot of times applications leave extra junk on your ...
9
votes
3answers
117 views
Where should I put my custom applications?
I have downloaded some third party software, should I just put under /Applications or should I put under my home folder, e.g. ~/MyApps/?
9
votes
3answers
710 views
What tools are people using to check for Lion compatible software?
I don't have a lot of extra software on my Mac, but wondered what tools people are finding useful for aggregating or checking that existing software is ready for Lion.
I'm also wondering if I need to ...
8
votes
9answers
4k views
What are Mac OS replacements for Visio?
Visio is the most conspicuous example of a program that I found useful on Windows for which I have not identified a Mac-compatible replacement. What's out there?
8
votes
3answers
5k views
Is it possible to launch a program in a specific language?
I'm a developer, and my primary language is French, so I use Mac OS X in French. However, I need on a regular basis to open an application in English to do support.
Right now I'm going to the ...
8
votes
1answer
310 views
Should I use 32 or 64bit Mac OS X apps?
I have a 64bit Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro. A lot of times, software that I want to use is offered in both 32 and 64 bit.
What version should I prefer?
I know that even some Apple's apps are not ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
How are the sound effects in Final Cut Pro licensed?
What kind of license do final cut pro sound effects have?
Can I put them into nonmovies?
For example, can I use them in a Flash game?
Hypothetical:
If I'm distributing my own video editor, can I ...
7
votes
4answers
28k views
What's a good Mac app for making timelines (Gantt charts)?
What's a good native Mac app for making timelines on Macs? I'm looking for an easy-to-use program that I can use to create timelines easily without delving into graphics programs like Illustrator. ...
7
votes
3answers
8k views
How can I rotate a video?
I just recorded a video on my phone, but when I play it on my Mac it's in the wrong orientation.
How can I rotate the video by 90 degrees so that I can upload it to youtube?
Free solutions are ...
7
votes
3answers
8k views
Is there an OS X equivalent to the web debugging proxy Fiddler?
I do web development on Windows for my day job, and I rely a lot on Fiddler, which is web debugging proxy. What is an equivalent tool for OS X?
7
votes
3answers
395 views
How to ditch iTunes and find a suitable audio player?
With the recent features added to iTunes player I find it to be pretty heavy and resources consuming, just to do just what I would like it to do, which is play music. It is almost becoming a full OS ...
7
votes
3answers
759 views
What is the Elo of the Mac Book chess engine at top strength?
This will always have to be an approximation, but on a Mac Book Pro with the 2.8 GHz processor, plugged in, and with the engine set to the maximum strength setting, what Elo is it? I don't have direct ...
7
votes
2answers
4k views
How can I keep apps “always on top” in Lion?
With past versions of OSX, I used Afloat, but ever since I moved to Lion, it stopped working for programs like Evernote & Chrome.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a program that will let me keep ...
6
votes
3answers
3k views
How do I install an application from a disk image?
I've downloaded Firefox and it's now sitting on my desktop as Firefox.dmg. When I double click on Firefox.dmg it opens up a window with Firefox in it so I can use it - does this mean the application ...
6
votes
3answers
308 views
Centralized update for third party apps
I kind of hate it when applications, which I start, at first search for updates. It's not the updates. Well I fire up an app because I want / need to use it (now). I liked the centralized, system wide ...
6
votes
4answers
337 views
Tools or scripts for tracking a stolen or lost Mac?
Actually I do use the prey project but was wondering about other tools or scripts one could use to find back information about a lost/stolen Mac.
With features like:
-Getting the ip address or any ...
6
votes
1answer
2k views
Natively written packet sniffer / inspector for OS X
I am looking for a packet sniffer / inspector which runs natively on OS X (Cocoa) and not with some sort of compatibility layer like X.
Ideally I am looking for an application with the following ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Updating software from App Store not available for purchased items.
I have recently purchased Growl for handling my notifications. I had enabled my account from Greece since I was living there years ago before I got my mac. Now I have moved to Denmark and I followed ...
5
votes
5answers
233 views
Software written for Mac that was later ported to Windows
What notable software is there that was originally written for Macintosh and then later ported to Windows? What makes this software notable?
Let's stick to actual software packages that stand on ...
5
votes
6answers
424 views
Good simple Clipboard manager
I'm used to using Ditto on windows, and need something similar on my mac mini.
Any Suggestions?
5
votes
1answer
170 views
How should I submit bug reports and feature requests?
Inspired by Marco Ceppi's DS_store question, I became curious about what the current preferred mechanism for submitting bug reports and feature requests to Apple for their software. I'm aware that ...
5
votes
3answers
939 views
Application level volume control in OSX?
I recently switched from PC to Mac and one thing I miss Window's application level volume control (i.e. mute Firefox, turn up iTunes etc). How can I achieve the same on a Mac? Or better yet I want tab ...
5
votes
2answers
974 views
How do I handle HDR photos in Aperture 3?
What plugin do you guys use to handle HDR photos in Aperture 3 ?
5
votes
2answers
318 views
Some process is slowly taking over disk space…how do I find out what this is and how do I deal with it?
I have a Mac Book Pro, first generation. It is running 10.6.4. I usually keep it running. I put it into hibernation mode (i.e. it writes the state to disk and powers down) when I need to put it to ...
5
votes
2answers
5k views
Completely uninstall Adobe CS5
I once installed Adobe CS 5 as a Trial but now I pre-ordered the new suite. I've deleted the Adobe CS 5 suite, and installed the new suite. But whenever I try to open photoshop for example, the ...
5
votes
3answers
4k views
How can I open port 80 so a non-root process can bind to it?
I want to run a web server on my Mac as a non-root process. Normally only root processes can bind to port 80 (or to any port below 1024).
Can I open port 80 specifically so that non-root processes ...
5
votes
3answers
387 views
Why do some OSX progams have an installer (mpkg) instead of drag-drop?
Most OSX programs can be installed by dragging the app to the Applications folder (or wherever the user wants them).
However, some software must be installed by launching an .mpkg package, acting ...
5
votes
1answer
474 views
How can I choose to unrar with the default application?
I recently installed unrar for Mac Os X but i found it useless sometimes and bug-full.
So i uninstalled unrar. Now if i open a .rar file, another application (VLC) open it.
But i want the default ...
4
votes
5answers
239 views
Installing the most recent version of Ruby on Snow Leopard
I downloaded and compiled the latest version of ruby 1.9.2 which was installed in /usr/local/bin/ruby, however the system officially recognizes /usr/bin/ruby which is only 1.8.7 which came installed ...
4
votes
2answers
3k views
How do I change Software Update server to official one on Lion?
I recently bought a new macbook pro with Lion, had some problems and had it checked by Apple people. It was returned to me but the software update server seems to have been changed and will not ...
4
votes
1answer
976 views
Is there a CVS client for Mac OS X?
Could anyone recommend me a free tool to use on OSX for keeping my CVS projects?
I am using the integrated SVN on OSX for all my SVN projects; maybe there are similar commands on the terminal to ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
How useful is Motion 5 without Final Cut Pro X?
My video editing needs are very, very pedestrian and seldom. I have no real need for Final Cut Pro.
When I do make videos, however, I like to customize titles a bit more than what iMovie allows. So ...
4
votes
3answers
275 views
Why doesn't Microsoft Office/2008(& later) support RTL languages?
I have Microsoft Office/2008 on my MacBook Pro. Office doesn't support RTL languages like Farsi and Arabic, and I know that Office/2010 (for Windows) also has the same problem.
Do you think the lack ...
4
votes
3answers
339 views
How can I use the half-qwerty keyboard layout in OSX?
I'd like to use the half-qwerty keyboard layout on my mac, without actually buying any (ridiculously priced) hardware. I found a auto-hotkey script, but that appears to be windows-only. Are there any ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
Adobe Creative Suite CS5 - One License Multiple Macs
As freelance web designer I have a total of four macs. I have an office I use during the day with an iMac and MacBook for taking to client meetings. And I also have a iMac and MacBook at home for ...
4
votes
1answer
461 views
How can I view (offline) the full English Wikipedia on OS X?
I want to download the complete English Wikipedia (not just the 45,000 article version floating around) for viewing offline on my Mac.
I have downloaded Okawix, and downloaded a torrent with ...
4
votes
1answer
117 views
Preview in Lion fails when any document opened has changed
In Lion Preview.app, if I have many image files open in a single preview window (so that I can scroll through them) and one of them changes on disk (e.g., I remade the image with a plotting program or ...
3
votes
2answers
988 views
What file types can you convert from a Mac to Windows?
What types of files can I change from Mac- to Windows-based file types? What types "just work" on both systems? What types are simply non-transferable or won't work when moved between the OS types?
...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
What's the best way to use IRC on the mac? [closed]
Question in the title basically. Not sure what else I can say!
3
votes
1answer
617 views
Do I need to have system administrator permissions to install from the Mac App Store?
Where does the Mac App Store install its applications to? Is this a system-wide location, or somewhere inside my Home directory? Is it possible to use the App Store on machines where I am not a System ...
3
votes
2answers
264 views
What app/feature/software is this microphone image from?
What is this microphone image from? It appeared on my friend's MacBook and she can't figure it out.
3
votes
1answer
767 views
Optimizing system for installed software
What does it actually do when showing this message on the end of a installation?
3
votes
2answers
1k views
Espresso Libre theme for MacVim?
I recently changed editors from TextMate to MacVim. Thanks in part to vimtutor, things are going pretty well. But I miss the Espresso Libre color scheme:
Is there a place where I can get Espresso ...
3
votes
4answers
1k views
Is it bad or unhealthy to put my Mac to sleep?
I am wondering if it is bad or unhealthy to always put my Mac to sleep or should I shut it down instead? What I mean by putting it to sleep is that the display and hard drive are sleeping.
The reason ...
3
votes
1answer
33 views
How to Increase LaunchBar Width?
Is there a way of increasing the width of the LaunchBar bar? Especially when I enter something that results in a web page, this width is insufficient for showing the full title, not even talking about ...
3
votes
2answers
914 views
Preload and preconfigure an iPad for someone else
I need to preload and preconfigure some software on an iPad, and then give the iPad to someone else.
I thought about just buying the software with my App Store account, but is there a way that I can ...
