Mac OS X Snow Leopard for Power Users

Book description

Mac OS X Snow Leopard for Power Users: Advanced Capabilities and Techniques is for Mac OS X users who want to go beyond the obvious, the standard, and the easy. If want to dig deeper into Mac OS X and maximize your skills and productivity using the world's slickest and most elegant operating system, then this is the book for you.

Written by Scott Granneman, an experienced teacher, developer, and consultant, Mac OS X for Power Users helps you push Mac OS X to the max, unveiling advanced techniques and options that you may have not known even existed. Create custom workflows and apps with Automator, run Windows programs and even Windows itself without dual-booting, and sync data on your hard drive, on your phone, and in the cloud—learn all of these techniques and more.

This is not a book that talks down to you; Mac OS X for Power Users is an essential book for experienced Mac users who are smart enough to know there is more to be known, and are ready to become power users.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. About the Author
  3. About the Technical Reviewer
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. 1. Introduction: Advanced Secrets of Mac OS X
    1. 1.1. Power Users and Mac OS X
    2. 1.2. What You'll Learn
    3. 1.3. What You Need to Already Know
  6. 2. Maintaining Your Mac
    1. 2.1. Managing & Upgrading Your Apps
      1. 2.1.1. VersionTracker Pro
      2. 2.1.2. AppFresh
      3. 2.1.3. MacUpdate Desktop
        1. 2.1.3.1. Settings
        2. 2.1.3.2. Updates
      4. 2.1.4. Bodega
      5. 2.1.5. Which One Should You Use?
        1. 2.1.5.1. Missed Software
        2. 2.1.5.2. Finding the Wrong Software
        3. 2.1.5.3. Finding Outdated Software
        4. 2.1.5.4. Cost
        5. 2.1.5.5. Who's It For?
      6. 2.1.6. Further Resources
    2. 2.2. Deleting Apps
      1. 2.2.1. AppZapper
      2. 2.2.2. AppTrap
      3. 2.2.3. AppCleaner
      4. 2.2.4. Further Resources
    3. 2.3. Keeping Your Mac Running Well
      1. 2.3.1. OnyX
        1. 2.3.1.1. Verify
        2. 2.3.1.2. Maintenance
        3. 2.3.1.3. Cleaning
        4. 2.3.1.4. Automation
        5. 2.3.1.5. Parameters
        6. 2.3.1.6. Info
      2. 2.3.2. Repair Permissions Weekly With Automator
      3. 2.3.3. Further Reading
    4. 2.4. Upgrading Mac OS X Point Releases
      1. 2.4.1. What to Do Before Your Upgrade
        1. 2.4.1.1. Search
        2. 2.4.1.2. Check Login Items
        3. 2.4.1.3. Perform Maintenance Tasks
        4. 2.4.1.4. Verify Permissions and Your Hard Drive
        5. 2.4.1.5. Create a Clone
      2. 2.4.2. What to Do During Your Upgrade
        1. 2.4.2.1. Downloading Manually
        2. 2.4.2.2. Downloading with Software Update
        3. 2.4.2.3. Which Option to Choose?
      3. 2.4.3. What to Do After Your Upgrade
    5. 2.5. Summary
  7. 3. Expanding Upon the Basic Tools
    1. 3.1. Improving the Dock
      1. 3.1.1. Navigating the Dock
      2. 3.1.2. A 2D Dock
      3. 3.1.3. Faster Force Quit
      4. 3.1.4. Adding Spacers to Your Dock
      5. 3.1.5. Lock the Dock
      6. 3.1.6. Hiding Instead of Minimizing Apps on Your Dock
      7. 3.1.7. Calling Out Hidden Dock Items
      8. 3.1.8. Making an App Dockless
      9. 3.1.9. Hovering and Highlighting Stacks
      10. 3.1.10. A Nicer List View for Stacks
      11. 3.1.11. Creating New & Useful Stacks
        1. 3.1.11.1. Recent Applications
        2. 3.1.11.2. Templates
      12. 3.1.12. Further Resources
    2. 3.2. Fixing the Finder by Improving Open and Save
    3. 3.3. Replacing the Finder
      1. 3.3.1. ForkLift
        1. 3.3.1.1. ForkLift's Cool Features
        2. 3.3.1.2. ForkLift's Annoyances
      2. 3.3.2. Path Finder
        1. 3.3.2.1. Comparison and Contrast of ForkLift and Path Finder
        2. 3.3.2.2. Path Finder's Cool Features
      3. 3.3.3. Xfile
    4. 3.4. Spotlight
      1. 3.4.1. Spotlight via the Command Line
      2. 3.4.2. Search for Files
      3. 3.4.3. Search for Files by Name
      4. 3.4.4. Search for Files in Specific Folders
      5. 3.4.5. Search for Files in the Current Folder
      6. 3.4.6. Search for Files by the Kind of File
      7. 3.4.7. Search for Files by Date
      8. 3.4.8. Learn About the Metadata Spotlight Knows About Files
      9. 3.4.9. Learn About Search Operators
      10. 3.4.10. Search for Files by Type (Kind)
      11. 3.4.11. Search for Images Taken with a Particular Camera
      12. 3.4.12. Search for Images of a Particular Size
      13. 3.4.13. Search for MP3s of a Particular Length and Bitrate
      14. 3.4.14. Construct Complex Queries Using Smart Folders
      15. 3.4.15. Use Complex Queries in Smart Folders
      16. 3.4.16. Further Resources
    5. 3.5. Summary
  8. 4. Using Safari to Its Fullest
    1. 4.1. Speeding Up Safari
      1. 4.1.1. WebpageIcons.db
      2. 4.1.2. Top Sites
    2. 4.2. Enabling the Develop Menu
    3. 4.3. Picking the Best Add-ons
      1. 4.3.1. The Safari Add-On Dead Pool
      2. 4.3.2. Glims
        1. 4.3.2.1. General
        2. 4.3.2.2. Tab Misc.
        3. 4.3.2.3. Search Engines
        4. 4.3.2.4. Bookmarks
        5. 4.3.2.5. Glims Annoyances
      3. 4.3.3. Xmarks
        1. 4.3.3.1. General
        2. 4.3.3.2. Profiles
        3. 4.3.3.3. Advanced
        4. 4.3.3.4. About
      4. 4.3.4. GlimmerBlocker
        1. 4.3.4.1. Setup
        2. 4.3.4.2. Filters
          1. 4.3.4.2.1. Creating and Modifying Filters
          2. 4.3.4.2.2. Working with Read-Only Filters
          3. 4.3.4.2.3. Keyword Expansion Caveats
        3. 4.3.4.3. History
        4. 4.3.4.4. Suspects
        5. 4.3.4.5. Network
        6. 4.3.4.6. Developer
      5. 4.3.5. 1Password
      6. 4.3.6. ClickToFlash
    4. 4.4. Working with the Bookmarks Bar
    5. 4.5. Adding the Best Bookmarklets
      1. 4.5.1. ToRead
      2. 4.5.2. Readability/Readable
      3. 4.5.3. PrintWhatYouLike
      4. 4.5.4. Bit.ly
      5. 4.5.5. Add to Amazon Wish List
    6. 4.6. Further Resources
    7. 4.7. Summary
  9. 5. Stepping Beyond Safari
    1. 5.1. Exploring Web Browser Alternatives
      1. 5.1.1. WebKit
        1. 5.1.1.1. What's Unique?
        2. 5.1.1.2. What's Good?
        3. 5.1.1.3. What's Bad?
        4. 5.1.1.4. Who Should Use WebKit?
        5. 5.1.1.5. Further Resources
      2. 5.1.2. Firefox
        1. 5.1.2.1. What's Unique?
        2. 5.1.2.2. What's Good?
        3. 5.1.2.3. What's Bad?
        4. 5.1.2.4. Who Should Use Firefox?
        5. 5.1.2.5. Further Resources
      3. 5.1.3. Camino
        1. 5.1.3.1. What's Unique?
        2. 5.1.3.2. What's Good?
        3. 5.1.3.3. What's Bad?
        4. 5.1.3.4. Who Should Use Camino?
        5. 5.1.3.5. Further Resources
      4. 5.1.4. Chrome/Chromium
        1. 5.1.4.1. What's Unique?
        2. 5.1.4.2. What's Good?
        3. 5.1.4.3. What's Bad?
        4. 5.1.4.4. Who Should Use Chrome/Chromium?
        5. 5.1.4.5. Further Resources
      5. 5.1.5. Opera
        1. 5.1.5.1. What's Unique?
        2. 5.1.5.2. What's Good?
        3. 5.1.5.3. What's Bad?
        4. 5.1.5.4. Who Should Use Opera?
        5. 5.1.5.5. Further Resources
      6. 5.1.6. Stainless
        1. 5.1.6.1. What's Unique?
        2. 5.1.6.2. What's Good?
        3. 5.1.6.3. What's Bad?
        4. 5.1.6.4. Who Should Use Stainless?
        5. 5.1.6.5. Further Resources
      7. 5.1.7. Others
      8. 5.1.8. Choosing Between Browsers
        1. 5.1.8.1. General
        2. 5.1.8.2. Browsers
        3. 5.1.8.3. Behaviour
        4. 5.1.8.4. Appearance
        5. 5.1.8.5. Advanced
        6. 5.1.8.6. Further Resources
    2. 5.2. SSBs: Site Specific Browsers
      1. 5.2.1. Prism
      2. 5.2.2. Fluid
        1. 5.2.2.1. General
        2. 5.2.2.2. Appearance
        3. 5.2.2.3. Advanced
      3. 5.2.3. SSB Icons
      4. 5.2.4. Further Resources
    3. 5.3. Summary
  10. 6. Using the Internet to Its Fullest
    1. 6.1. Building a Better Mail and Address Book
      1. 6.1.1. Making Mail Faster
      2. 6.1.2. Syncing Your Address Book with Facebook
    2. 6.2. Keeping Up with Twitter, Facebook, and Other Social Services
      1. 6.2.1. TweetDeck and Seesmic Desktop
      2. 6.2.2. Twitterrific
      3. 6.2.3. Tweetie
      4. 6.2.4. Socialite
        1. 6.2.4.1. Common to All Services
        2. 6.2.4.2. Twitter
        3. 6.2.4.3. Facebook
        4. 6.2.4.4. Flickr
        5. 6.2.4.5. Google Reader
      5. 6.2.5. Further Resources
    3. 6.3. Transferring Files
      1. 6.3.1. Cyberduck
      2. 6.3.2. Transmit
      3. 6.3.3. Speed Download
      4. 6.3.4. Further Resources
    4. 6.4. Torrenting Files
      1. 6.4.1. Transmission
      2. 6.4.2. TED
        1. 6.4.2.1. General
        2. 6.4.2.2. Look And Feel
        3. 6.4.2.3. Advanced
      3. 6.4.3. Miro
      4. 6.4.4. Further Resources
    5. 6.5. Summary
  11. 7. Securing Your Mac & Networks
    1. 7.1. Managing Passwords
      1. 7.1.1. 1Password
      2. 7.1.2. Further Resources
        1. 7.1.2.1. KeePassX
        2. 7.1.2.2. LastPass
        3. 7.1.2.3. Clipperz
    2. 7.2. Encrypting Your Data
      1. 7.2.1. Encrypting Your Hard Drive
      2. 7.2.2. Knox
      3. 7.2.3. Encrypting Your Data
      4. 7.2.4. Further Resources
    3. 7.3. SSH
      1. 7.3.1. Changing the Default SSH Port
        1. 7.3.1.1. Edit ssh.plist
        2. 7.3.1.2. Edit /etc/services
        3. 7.3.1.3. Restart and Test
      2. 7.3.2. SSH Into Multiple Sites Simultaneously
        1. 7.3.2.1. Set Up Terminal Settings
        2. 7.3.2.2. Create a Window Group
    4. 7.4. Summary
  12. 8. Backing Up Your Mac
    1. 8.1. Backing Up Your Files Offline
      1. 8.1.1. Time Machine
      2. 8.1.2. Carbon Copy Cloner
      3. 8.1.3. Synchronize! X
      4. 8.1.4. Further Resources
    2. 8.2. Backing Up Your Files Online
      1. 8.2.1. Dropbox
      2. 8.2.2. CrashPlan
      3. 8.2.3. Amazon S3
        1. 8.2.3.1. Transmit
        2. 8.2.3.2. s3sync
      4. 8.2.4. Further Resources
    3. 8.3. Summary
  13. 9. Manipulating and Sharing Pictures
    1. 9.1. Taking Screenshots
    2. 9.2. A Note on Screencasts
    3. 9.3. iPhoto
      1. 9.3.1. Speeding up iPhoto
      2. 9.3.2. Integrating iPhoto with Flickr
        1. 9.3.2.1. Photonic
        2. 9.3.2.2. FlickrExport
      3. 9.3.3. Integrating iPhoto with Facebook
      4. 9.3.4. Further Resources
    4. 9.4. Manipulating & Converting Images Quickly
      1. 9.4.1. Automator
      2. 9.4.2. Shrink O'Matic
    5. 9.5. Summary
  14. 10. Having More Fun With Audio & Video
    1. 10.1. Codecs and Containers
    2. 10.2. Codecs You Need
    3. 10.3. Exploring Alternatives to QuickTime and iTunes
      1. 10.3.1. VLC
        1. 10.3.1.1. 32 or 64?
        2. 10.3.1.2. Basic Features
        3. 10.3.1.3. Advanced Features
      2. 10.3.2. MPlayer OSX Extended
      3. 10.3.3. Cog
      4. 10.3.4. Further Resources
    4. 10.4. Converting & Manipulating Movies
      1. 10.4.1. FFmpeg & its Many Descendents
        1. 10.4.1.1. VisualHub & Its Children
        2. 10.4.1.2. Evom
      2. 10.4.2. MPEG Streamclip
    5. 10.5. Ripping DVDs
      1. 10.5.1. RipIt
      2. 10.5.2. HandBrake
      3. 10.5.3. Further Resources
    6. 10.6. Editing, Converting, & Fixing Music & Audio
      1. 10.6.1. Max
      2. 10.6.2. Media Rage
        1. 10.6.2.1. Track Numberer
        2. 10.6.2.2. Media Scrubber
        3. 10.6.2.3. Artwork Search
        4. 10.6.2.4. File Renamer
      3. 10.6.3. Further Resources
    7. 10.7. Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!
    8. 10.8. Summary
  15. 11. Key Utility Tools for Text & Archives
    1. 11.1. Automatically Inserting Text System-Wide
      1. 11.1.1. TypeIt4Me
      2. 11.1.2. Typinator
      3. 11.1.3. TextExpander
      4. 11.1.4. Other Programs
      5. 11.1.5. Which One Should You Get?
    2. 11.2. Archiving & Compressing Files & Folders
      1. 11.2.1. The Unarchiver
        1. 11.2.1.1. Archive Formats
        2. 11.2.1.2. Extraction
        3. 11.2.1.3. Advanced
      2. 11.2.2. UnRarX
      3. 11.2.3. Further Resources
    3. 11.3. Summary
  16. 12. Digging Deep as an Admin
    1. 12.1. Monitoring & Notifying
      1. 12.1.1. iStat Menus
      2. 12.1.2. Little Snitch
    2. 12.2. Automating
      1. 12.2.1. Automator
        1. 12.2.1.1. Application
          1. 12.2.1.1.1. Update Times Reader
          2. 12.2.1.1.2. Login Apps
        2. 12.2.1.2. Service
          1. 12.2.1.2.1. Convert Images to PNG
          2. 12.2.1.2.2. Attach Files to Messages in Mail
          3. 12.2.1.2.3. Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?
        3. 12.2.1.3. Folder Action
        4. 12.2.1.4. Print Plugin
        5. 12.2.1.5. iCal Alarm
        6. 12.2.1.6. Image Capture Plugin
      2. 12.2.2. Scheduling Programs, Scripts, and Jobs
      3. 12.2.3. Further Resources
    3. 12.3. Switching Your DNS
      1. 12.3.1. Why & How to Switch DNS
      2. 12.3.2. OpenDNS vs. Google Public DNS vs. DynDNS
        1. 12.3.2.1. OpenDNS
        2. 12.3.2.2. Google Public DNS
        3. 12.3.2.3. DynDNS
      3. 12.3.3. Testing Your DNS
    4. 12.4. Hardware
      1. 12.4.1. Acquiring Better Mouse Drivers
      2. 12.4.2. Controlling Which Apps Open When You Plug In Your Camera/iPhone
      3. 12.4.3. Keeping Your Monitor from Dimming
      4. 12.4.4. Further Resources
    5. 12.5. Summary

Product information

  • Title: Mac OS X Snow Leopard for Power Users
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: October 2010
  • Publisher(s): Apress
  • ISBN: 9781430230304