Archive for the 'OS X' Category

rdesktop: Connect to Windows Vista with ClearType font smoothing enabled

Published at March 10, 2008 in Development, Findings, Hack, Linux, OS X, Random and Windows. 3 Comments

So Windows Vista finally allows to enable ClearType font smoothing for Remote Desktop / Terminal Services sessions.
If you try to connect to a machine running Windows Vista using rdesktop, you won’t get smoothed font typing since at the time of this writing rdesktop does not officially offer an option to control this feature. However, here is a workaround:
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New Release: iTunes Alternative Encoders 1.5

Published at September 22, 2007 in OS X and iTunes. 0 Comments

Yet another minor release of my iTunes script-suite iTunes Alternative Encoders. This one fixes a character encoding issue in the Ogg Vorbis encoder script. I figured this one out while debugging my Quasar Media Player with files containing Umlauts and other non-latin characters. Ogg Vorbis files produced with the previous version of the script contained “#” in the tags instead of the correct characters.
Get the fixed version while it’s hot: Download here.

New Release: iTunes Alternative Encoders 1.4

Published at March 8, 2007 in OS X and iTunes. 0 Comments

I’ve updated the iTunes Alternative Encoders pack. The new version introduces a feature to split up the encoding process into simultaneously running parts, which essentially is a form of multithreading. This means you can now make perfect use of that multi-core/multi-CPU beast on or under your desk when encoding large amounts of files. ;)
Download here.

Installing OS X 10.4 Tiger (PowerPC) from a Firewire harddrive

Published at December 19, 2006 in Hack, OS X and Random. 0 Comments

Last weekend I had the pleasure (!) to install Tiger on an ancient PowerMac that doesn’t feature any DVD-ROM drive. I don’t happen to have the special CD-version of 10.4 and trying to boot from an external DVD drive somehow failed. However, this Mac already had Firewire, so here is a little hint on how to install Tiger using a spare Firewire drive:

First off, you’ll need psync. I’ve tried Carbon Copy Cloner, but for some reason that didn’t work.
So, if you have Fink installed, do this:

$ fink install psync

Format the Firewire drive with HFS Extended. You don’t need Journaling, so please disable it.
Now, assuming you’re Tiger Install DVD is mounted at /Volumes/Mac OS X Install DVD and your formatted volume is mounted at /Volumes/OSX, type this into your Terminal to clone the content of the DVD over to the harddrive.

$ sudo psync -d "/Volumes/Mac OS X Install DVD/" /Volumes/OSX

Finally make the whole copy bootable by blessing it:

$ sudo bless --folder "/Volumes/OSX/System/Library/CoreServices" --bootinfo

Now, you may unmount and install. Fin .

New Release: iTunes Alternative Encoders 1.3

Published at December 1, 2006 in OS X and iTunes. 0 Comments

I’ve just updated the iTunes Alternative Encoders pack with a new Universal Binary of aoTuV beta 5. Download here.

Zaurus ARM Cross Compiler on OS X (Intel)

Published at November 15, 2006 in Development, Gadgets, Linux, OS X and Zaurus. 12 Comments

Andreas Junghans has an excellent tutorial on how to set up a Zaurus ARM cross compiler on OS X. However, there is one problem: It will only compile on PowerPC.
So, here is my patchset for compiling on Intel:

gcc-patches.tgz

Use this file instead of the one offered on his page and just follow his instructions.
The fix is really simple in nature: I’ve just added one file, namely xm-openstep.h in gcc/config/i386. This does the trick.

BDS / Delphi alike key bindings for Xcode

Published at November 3, 2006 in Delphi, Development and OS X. 0 Comments

Lately, I’ve been using Apple’s Xcode to work on some C++ and ObjC code. The default key bindings in Xcode are really annoying if you come from a Borland background.
Luckily, there is a way to adjust these directly in Xcode. So, here is my first version of the Borland Developer Studio / Delphi / JBuilder / C++ Builder alike key bindings:

Xcode - BDS Similar.pbxkeys.zip

Simply place the included file “BDS Similar.pbxkeys” into:
~/Library/Application Support/Xcode/Key Bindings/
and activate it in the Xcode preferences.

Not every shortcut is available, but at least the basics are there. I see if I can improve it over time.

The Mac Mini external SATA hack

Published at November 2, 2006 in Gadgets, Hack, Mac Mini and OS X. 28 Comments

So, finally as promised, here is my short picture walkthrough on how to do the Mac Mini external SATA hack.
I’ve added quite a few comments to the images.
And before you start complaining about the bad picture quality, I’ve shot the whole procedure with my non-HD DV cam, sorry. The pictures are from several takes, so they might differ at some stage.
Anyways, just click on the first image below to start the slide show - navigate by clicking the left or right side of the photo.
I hope you like it and please leave me a comment afterwards. Thanks!
Continue reading ‘The Mac Mini external SATA hack’

iTunes Alternative Encoders

Published at October 21, 2006 in OS X and iTunes. 4 Comments

I’ve released a new version of my iTunes Ogg Vorbis Script. This version includes support for iTunes 7 and compilations. I’ve also added support for LAME. The package has been renamed to iTunes Alternative Encoders. Head over here to get the new version.

WD Raptor + Mac Mini Intel = external 10k rpm SATA madness

Published at October 16, 2006 in Gadgets, Mac Mini, OS X, Random and Thoughts. 2 Comments

Alright, I had this crazy idea last week: Let’s see if I can somehow route the internal SATA interface of the Mac Mini to the outside of the case so I could attach a bigger and faster external (e)SATA drive. Well, guess I wasn’t the only person with such ideas:
Perle over at 123Macmini.com already has brief instructions on how he did the internal to external mod.
I’ve made some refinements to his process which I will post shortly - along with a few pictures and links where to get the parts. Update: It’s here.

So, after doing the science (finding the right adapters and cables etc.) and tearing apart the Mac Mini with a pizza cutter (yes, you read right!), I finally have my fast drive (Wester Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150 GB @ 10k rpm) and the Mac Mini is still as energy efficient as previously - mostly due to the fact that another FireWire drive is now in standby mode most of the time.

That should make me the first person with a WD Raptor in use on a Mac Mini. W00t! ;)

Obligatory XBench results that mean absolutely nothing:
Madness
Comparison with modded 7200 rpm Mac Mini

I’m using the Pleiades Super S-Combo external enclosure with the WD Raptor. The enclosure is made of aluminium. No cheap plastic parts here. It’s pretty solid and the aluminium functions as passive heatsink. That way, even under load the Raptor won’t cross the upper 55°C specification limit. My initial thought was that given the S-Combos universal FW400/FW800/USB2.0/eSATA-bridge it may perform worse than when connecting the cable directly to the drive. This is not the case. Actually, some benchmarks performed slightly better. I can only assume this being due to some sort of caching going on inside the bridge.
Also, if you think the drive is loud with its 10000 rpms, I can assure you it isn’t. Actually, in idle mode it is very much on par with the latest Seagate Barracuda drives which have a reputation for being very silent. The only thing that’s loud are the access noises, but in my opinion it’s not annoying.