Like many Mac afficionados, I have to resort to using Windows for some of the work I do, and while working on a Windows machine, I rely on the familiar QuickTime and iTunes combo to add some music to my work day. The installer for this software includes a special stand-alone utility which helps keep the software up-to-date. Much like the Software Update utility on the Mac.
The most recent update from last week, though, presented a fresh copy of Apple's Safari webbrowser even if the software was not installed yet. And the discussion on the 'Net on whether this behavior is acceptable, or not, is now in full swing.
As much as I love working in a home-office setup, there's one thing I sorely miss: a little quiet corner to retreat to for a quick break from work. Who would have thought that I would find this in the form of a screen saver called Serene Saver 2 HD?
Have you ever kept track of how often you hit Command-S on an average day? However you use your Mac, whatever kind of apps you are using: chances are that hitting that comforting key combination every few minutes has become a subconscious habit for you. For me, it's so bad, I sometimes hit Command-S while filling out a web form, wondering where the heck that Save As… dialog box came from. The question is: Why? Why do we do this? Why isn't there a better way? Oh, wait, there is!
Apple has done a not-so-great job in documenting how to properly delete files from a Time Machine backup: Time Machine's online help doesn't explain how to do this, yet the solution is mentioned shortly on Time Machine's product page on the Apple website (it's under "Back up only what you need"). No wonder that, even though this topic has been addressed on several websites already, people keep asking how this works. Here's the answer to that question -- yet again.
Using templates is a major time-saver for those of us who need to create the same, or at least highly similar documents over and over again. But what do you do if a specific application does not support templates? As long as you're handling text files, there's a solution that works universally across your Mac.
Haven't been to Macworld Expo in January, or did not invest in a Conference pass? No problem: a wide selection of presentations from the Users Conference, MacIT Conference, and Specialty Programs tracks from this year's Macworld Expo San Francisco are now available online at Macworld Encore.
If you're using a non-Apple branded WLAN router and value your wireless freedom more than a non-transparent menubar and improved Stacks, installing the recent Mac OS X 10.5.2 update may not be such a good idea just yet.
As part of a redesign of their real estate Web site, German immobilienscout24.de have added interactive maps based on Microsoft's Virtual Earth technology. Unfortunately, though, Safari users don't seem to be welcome to navigate those maps just yet. Question is, why?
If you value your data, you must have a reliable backup strategy in place, because, sooner or later, you will lose data. It's "when," not "if." With Time Machine, Apple has included backup software with Mac OS X 10.5 that is both easy to use and reliable, so there is no more excuse for not backing up your data. How 'bout sharing some best practices for personal backups, then.
