MacTech - By Thomas Kloos

In the PC world, PortableApps, is probably the best suite of applications you can get to put on a USB stick. Well after a little digging I came across quite a few Mac OS X portable apps.

• Portable Firefox OS X
• Portable Thunderbird OS X
• Portable Adium
• Portable Abi Word OS X
• Portable Nvu OS X
• Portable Sunbird OS X
• Portable Cyberduck

The list goes on, you get the idea… The website, FreeSMUG, doesn’t say what the minimum size USB stick needed for All the applications, but You get links to each program, and you can download and install only the ones you want to use. It’s really a nice collection.

Check it out at FreeSMUG

written by admin \\ tags: OS X portable apps

If you are like me, and use a normal keyboard with your shiny new mac, this tip is for you.

You can remap keys, for instance, F3, F4, F5, etc and do some of the things that the mac keyboard does for you.

First Download an app called Proxi by Griffin Technology.

Once you install proxi, Click the gear icon on the bottom left.

Then Click Insert Trigger, and select Hotkey monitor from the list.

Now click the set button in the right pane, and select your key or key combination.

Now click the gear icon to the bottom right, and select insert task, then select Keypress.

Now select your task from the drop down, and you are all set.

I mapped F1 to the eject task, F3 to mute, F4 to volume down, and F5 to volume up. It works really well for those of us who like a windows keyboard, or maybe have a mac mini where you supply your own keyboard.

Enjoy your new keys!

written by admin \\ tags: hot keys, map keys, monitor keystrokes, proxi

According to MacWorld magazine, it’s taken 9 years, but Apple finally got the patent on OS X’s application launcher know to all as the Dock. The legaleze reads:

To provide greater access and consolidation to frequently used items in the graphical user interface, a user bar is extablished which includes a plurality of item representations.

As suggested by the article’s writer, Derik Delong, it seems that includes any application lauching utility. Now that I think about it, there are several Dock look alike apps for Linux, does this basically mean that those can no longer be used? Honestly I found that these dock clones didn’t work all that well but still the freedom for programmers to create one should be a given right.

This brings up another case with apple. Apple sued the City of New York for using the Apple Logo, which I don’t think was “identical” to apple’s logo. Well Apple won the suit. How is that even possible? How can anyone patent or trademark the likeness of a piece of fruit? Was new york city called the “Big Apple” before apple was apple?

What are your comments?

written by admin \\ tags: apple, dock, os x

(If you are looking for My Digital Vibes, that blog has moved. Please click here.)

Welcome to MacTech. The blog for mac enthusiasts.

Since becoming a macintosh owner about a year ago, I have a new found interest in learning tips and tricks for the macintosh computer, and OS X specifically.

If you are a new mac owner, and switching from the windows/pc platform, I welcome you to this blog, a place for people like us.

written by admin \\ tags: classic mac, leopard, mac, os x, os9, tiger