Steps to setup remote administration on PC vs Mac

PC:
* Download the Radmin / VNC client
* Make sure you will remember or write down the IP of the computer
* Make sure network is available and that there's no connection problems
* Make sure you've set the password (especially on VNC)
* Make sure that remote server daemon is started (start r_server in case with first radmin installation)

Mac:
It just works (well yeah you just have to put one checkbox in system preferences after first OS installation)

Read More

Google loves to eat Apples om-nom-nom-nom!

I am begging you to let me start my technological blog and this is my first article I suppose. Google EATS THE APPLES!!! When I were using the docs.google.com I found out:

* That the hot key for editing cell is [Return] key,
* thaT when you press "Backspace" it deletes the cell - it works completely the way you expect to delete files on Mac OS (except for the fact that in Mac OS you have to hold Command key with Backspaces) The same way as you rename files on Mac OS system! (If you never used Mac OS, almost first thing you notice when you're starting your work on Mac OS is absense of built-in F2 shortcut for renaming file) * Another thing is thaT - look at how highly software for the Mac OS easy to use for Android phones - it brings the idea of some integration with Mac OS & Android - which can't sound the same for any Windows operating system (Which also says that Microsoft is against any Android based ph0nes since they haven't grew up even to the competition level of the Android!) What's wrong with it?  The fact that Apple computers are pretty popular within the U.S. - the place where Google Docs were developed affected the way Google Docs were made. But I don't think that it was made just by coincidence. It was made on purpose! According to 2012 Google right now having tough times with Apple mobile operating system products, but many Google employees are using Mac computers, and big lots of users will vote for Mac when it comes to the operating systems. There are few groups of people who like Windows over the Mac so hard, that they wouldn't exchange Windows for anything, and they dwell on Windows, but that's mostly people with age over 30 who's already having difficulties with changing their mindset. I regret such people. I don't know why, but I'm kinda always open for new ideas, and the day this will change, my current ME will stop existance. Yeah that's sad too because its very likely to happen to most of us. Probably not applies to YOU. Because you're special.

Read More

No, I can't switch to Safari and to iCloud Docs (without having a MacBook)

I'm stick to Google Chrome with its Google Drive service.
Here's my reason why I prefer Google Cloud products when it comes to documents instead of Apple Solutions (Pages, Numbers, Keynote):

Reason #1. Apple doesn't have such a wonderful blogger.com platform analogue, which is not only great for blogging, but also is really easy way to share thoughts along with just keeping your records about life, projects, philosophy and other aspects which needs to be recorded - e.g. I have my own premium domain and web-site, but I still use blogger for posting this article, since using blogger is easier and free!

Reason #2. Apple don't have smooth ways to access its documents (Apple Pages, Numbers) on the PC. Yeah I know about icloud.com, but it doesn't work properly the same way any other Apple product doesn't work properly on PC computers (iTunes is great example). And in many place its convenient to use PC sometimes when you don't have a MacBook with you.

Reason #3. Apple's Pages / Numbers format aren't compatible with Google Docs and there's no way to reconcile with it, since I need access to my Docs from any device. Yeah probably all of the 3 reasons aren't good enough for somebody who has MacBook + iPad and work only with Apple devices - since wherever you are, you can be sure that you will be able to use your MacBook to open your documents, but in this case the problem with printing arise. Mac OS are really bad at supporting most of the old printers, especially the ones which is used in companies I work for. So probably this task can be solved by purchasing some printing server which will solve problem of not having drivers for Mac OS printers. But I haven't found such solution yet. When I will find it, I will finally switch to Apple's Cloud products - Pages & Numbers.

Okay, once we figured out why I can't switch from Google Drive to iCloud, I want to cover up why I can't switch from Chrome to Safari. Here's the reasons:

Reason #1. I don't agree with solution for bookmarks at Safari - I don't like my bookmarks to be synced. I want them to be stored at the web, the same way Google Bookmarks does this for me.

Reason #2. I don't agree with the fact that I can't view all my opened web-sites on any devices - and with Chrome I can do it.

Reason #3. I don't agree with the fact that I shouldn't be able to restore the closed web-sites on my browser - in fact at Google Chrome I can do it in the most friendly way: by pressing "Shift" + "Command" + "T" - that restores last closed web-page. I even tried to find such an option on Safari and assign a shortcut from settings for it, but unsuccessfully. I'm just not ready to lose that kind of convenience, since I accidentally close necessary pages for me throughout the day, and I don't want to change myself to not do it. This topic was discussed on http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/safari_5_reopen_closed_tabs



Google now want to be friendly for all 3 major operating systems manufacturers: iOS / Android and Windows Phone too (or for Mac OS and Windows too) but I personally believe that Apple products are Google's favorite since many employees at Google uses Apple products - to many people has an iPhone nowadays (its the most popular phone!), and once people start using Mac OS - most of them never go back to Windows. And that's why Google Maps was released not long ago, and that's why they try to keep their YouTube app on iPhone updated. That's why they using Mac keyboard shortcuts pattern at the web Google Docs even if you're Windows user (more details in my article about how Google eat the Apples nom nom nom nom)

Read More

No way to cut files natively in Mac OS

There's just no such option. I knew about this long before making a decision to switch to Mac, but still this problem is pretty annoying since my position about operating system is that everything should work the way I want it by default.

But since benefits of Mac OS is yet overwhelming these trivial matters, I'm ready to change my habits without changing the system (which means that I won't install utility of adding "Cut" into Mac OS menu)

Read More

The problem with ntfs flash-cards

As many of users know - Mac OS can't work with NTFS in read/write mode (only read-only), which raises the problem of writing 4GB files onto FAT systems.

There's only one solution with filesystem problem for Mac - it is formatting the usb sticks or other external drives into Apple Mac OS filesystem, which will make your usb-stick incompatible to use with Windows / Linux computers natively.

So that's another inconveinience from Apple which users must get along with.

Read More

Some Mac OS programs windows too big to fit the screen

I faced this problem not very long time ago - e.g. Zoiper for Mac OS doesn't gives me any way of reducing its size of its window - I even tried to assign a hotkey for "Window" / "Zoom" option - which haven't helped me to access interface elements of the program - which is too big.

I suppose the only solution for this, is downloading some third-party software which will allow using keyboard arrow keys to move or resize window.

Annoying problem....

Read More

Tears of PC user. Tribute to Mac OS

All our life made of details big and small. Wasting a lots of time and wasting only few hours.

This is the note to Windows 7 / XP and bellow Windows users about the problems which they struggle with, and which any Mac OS device users don't have:
* Damn Drivers. Sometimes it gets too mofo life threatening to install the drivers on all computers you got. There's just too much maintenance to the thing which already have to be in history since too many people spent too much time for this. We on the Apple Macintosh computers overcame this by supplying users with high-end hardware which you usually don't touch inside and high-end software which has pre-installed drivers! You don't have to deal with even a one piece of driver on the Mac and that's already worth paying for our expensive computers! You can't agree that installing drivers are total pain - and that's the most difficult part of OS installation
* OS Installation. Damn OS installation which take away many lives of people in terms of their time.
* The Launcher is damn good alternative for Windows "Start / Run ... "
* No gestures, no smart mouses like magic mouse, no automation like automator, no other wonderful details which makes work on Mac SO EASY.
* Errors and glitches. That's another way to cry about your wasted life.

 If you're usual user who switches the computers once Windows dies, theN, no problem - then probably you won't have to deal with any of that problems mentioned here. But be aware that for greater sustainability of this expereience you better purchase computer at least every year (or more often), and also be ready to transfer all your previous files from the other systems (and don't sure any programs from old computer!)

Read More

Competition vs Safari vs Mozilla Firefox vs Google Chrome

Saving File As... option would be very convenient
Safari: No such choice
Firefox: No, gives no choice
Chrome: No such choice either

How fast can you disable the history logging PERMANENTLY:
1st place: Firefox: File / Preferences... / Privacy / Firefox will ... [choose: Never remember history]
2nd place: Safari: Safari / Private Browsing - will enable something like chrome's incognito mode, but no permanently disabling history settings unfortunately. Here some tip from macworld, on how to enable private browsing permanently with Apple Script - which is natively way easier than to do with Automator than finding the way to run Chrome's keys: http://www.macworld.com/article/1139714/enableprivatebrowsing.html - that's why safari gets 2nd place in this round
3rd place: Chrome: Only "Clear history" or Incognito mode is available (user have to figure out the way how to create shortcut with the --incognito keys in program running parameters in order to disable history permanently) - not good!

How fast could you remove bookmarks bar to see maximum space in full-screen mode (All of the three browsers support Command + Option + F hotkey to quit and enter full-screen mode):
1st place: Safari: has already optimized the space the way you can't remove bookmark toolbar but still lots of space in full-screen mode are saved.
2nd place: Chrome: Command + Option + B
3rd place: Firefox: You have to go thru "View" / "Toolbars" menu and manually remove the flags to remove two things from toolbar.

Read More

10 stupid n00bs (noob) myths about Mac OS (iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook)

Myth #1. Mac App Store is not the App Store. Its the myth that you install all the apps from Mac App Store the same easy way as you do it on iOS App Store. Many users still believe that Mac App Store the same way rich of software as App Store for iOS devices - but its currently not (at least in January 2013). For today Mac App Store has only 10,000 applications which can't be compared to the number of applications which you have in the App Store's (750,000) which can't be accessed on Mac since PC architecture and Mobile architecture are different and porting apps without emulation or creating code from scratch isn't possible. And of course one thing Mac users don't have on their Macs -- is convenience of apps moderation. Even though Mac well known to its users by its secure OS architecture (no viruses on the Mac) - you can't completely have trust to the app you're installing outside Mac App Store since programmer can make your mac whatever he wants to do, once you entered your master user account password per app request.
Myth #2. There's no app crushes, and Mac OS is stable system. Yes, Mac OS foundation is very firm - its UNIX with its wonderful architecture. But there's one problem with UNIX - graphic systems on UNIX aren't the same 100% stable as command line processes of UNIX which of UNIX so proud of. My Mac OS graphical system on Mac Mini were completely frozen few times. I already had similar problem on my Linux machines - there I at least could press Ctrl + Alt + Backspace to restart graphical system without rebooting computer or at least I could Ctrl + Alt + 2,3,4,5 to switch to other terminal screens to fix everything through command line, but there's no such thing on a Mac OS systems. And many apps on Mac OS runs significantly slower (such as GarageBand, iPhoto, Final Cut Pro).

Read More

Hotkey alternatives for Windows to Mac OS switcher

Unfortunatelly Apple doesn't includes paper tutorial or manual with all hotkeys especially for Windows switcher and in such short and convenient form as this article, thus I think, that its too bad - since such manual could be a huge time saver for Mac OS newcomers! That's why I'm going to fix it with this article.

First off - the ALL MENU ITEMS on Mac without shortcuts CAN GET their shortcuts through Keyboard Shortcuts setting which could be found in System Preferences. There's ability to set both global shortcuts for ALL apps and the shortcuts for the MAIN system Mac OS menu (e.g. you can set shortcut for running "System Preferences..." option.

ctuls

If you're Mac OS X n00b, then probably this list of shortcuts alternatives could be groundbreaking for you, because it can save you tonnes of searching time, for finding shortcuts which you had in windows:

* ]Win] + [D] or minimize all the Windows alternative: Pressing [CTRL] + [CMD] + H - Will call built in option to hide (minimize) all the Windows on Mac OS, then you close last open window manually. Yeah unfortunately there's no one built-in command which minimize all of the windows, but at least this hotkey does what you want, plus minimizing last open window is not such a key thing in your time management so you better get used to built-in hotkeys, so that you wouldn't needed to install any third party tweaks for that

Read More

One English Dictionary To Rule Them All or One Magic Javascript To Change Your Definition Finding Experience

First off this idea belongs to Earl Fox http://earlfox.com - he invented this way of using LDOCEONLINE.com web-site which is really helpful itself, and with this bookmarklet it become so efficient.

The Longman Dictionary Of Contemporary English known by its ease of words explanation which is especially useful for those who learn Engilsh as their second language.

The trick with bookmarklet is - that when you put it into your bookmarks taskbar in your browser, and press it - nothign happens. But once you double click any word on page after that - here's the MAGIC: POP UP window appears. So here's the bookmarklet code:

javascript:void((function()%20{var%20element=document.createElement('script');%20element.setAttribute('src',%20'http://earlfox.com/earlfoxlongman.js');%20document.body.appendChild(element)})());

Don't miss it :) Save this page to your bookmarks (better if it is Google Bookmarks since I love bookmarklets)

Read More

Firefox, Chrome & Safari hotkeys differences in Mac OS

Here we consider
Mozilla Firefox for Mac OS X
Google Chrome for Mac OS X
Safari for Mac OS X


Clearing the history:
Safari: only manually by picking History / Clear history... from main menu
Firefox & Chrome: ALT (Option) + [Shift] + [Backspace]

Getting to the home page:

Safari: Command + Home

Firefox: ALT (Option) + Home

Chrome: Command + Shift + H

Works in all three browsers:
Control + R - reload page
Command + [,] (comma) - go to settings
Command + L - focus cursor to the address bar
Command + P - print the page


Useless hotkeys:
* Command + D - bookmark page. Useless, because everybody should use cloud bookmarklet services like Google Bookmarks.
* Control + Command + F - enter/quit full screen mode

The hotkeys supported only by one browser:
Safari Unique Hotkeys:
* Show All Tabs (in Mission Commander style): [Shift] + [Command] + \

Firefox Unique Hotkeys:
* Command + Enter - Automatically insert the ".com" at the end of typed word and open the page. E.g. you type only "google" then browser automatically adds ".com" to immediately open Google web-page for you.
* Command + [Shift] + T - Restore previously closed windows from pages "Recycle Bin"

Read More