Unix permissions

I was looking for a nice, simple and straightforward tutorial about unix permissions, and came across these pages:

• http://www.tutorialspoint.com/unix/unix-file-permission.htm
• http://www.dartmouth.edu/~rc/help/faq/permissions.html
• http://www.perlfect.com/articles/chmod.shtml

Python 2.7 Mac OS X uninstall

The complete list is documented at http://bugs.python.org/issue7107. The following steps are done inside a terminal session and assume you know how to use the command line. All the terminal command lines below are single lines, even if they appear as two lines in your web browser or this blog post.

To completely remove Python 2.7 from my Mac OS X 10.6:

Remove the entry from the PATH variable by reverting my .bash_profile, edit or delete the file:

nano .bash_profile (remove the PATH lines added by the Python installer, they are commented, so you'll se them easily)

Remove the Python 2.7 framework:

sudo rm -rf /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7

Remove the Python 2.7 applications directory

sudo rm -rf "/Applications/Python 2.7"

Remove the symbolic that point back to the 2.7 framework in /usr/local/bin:
Find them with the following ls command, then remove with sudo rm -rf like in the previous steps.

ls -l /usr/local/bin | grep '../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7'

In my case, I typed the following commands following the output of the previous ls line:

cd /usr/local/bin 

sudo rm -rf 2to3 idle idle2.7 pydoc pydoc2.7 python python-32 python-config pythonw pythonw-32 smtpd.py smtpd2.7.py

Information taken from:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3819449/how-to-uninstall-python-2-7-on-a-mac-os-x-10-6-4
Credits to the users listed there, especially Ned, who answered the question in such a clear and concise way.

Python on Macs

If you need or want to install and use the latest versions of Python (2.7.1 and 3.2 at the time of writing this post) on Mac OS X, please make sure you read the following web page that contains essential information on what do download and install in order to have a better experience.

http://www.python.org/download/mac/tcltk/

In a nutshell:

"Important
Do not use IDLE or tkinter with the Python 3.2 64-bit/32-bit installer for Mac OS X 10.6 unless you can install ActiveTcl 8.5. Otherwise use the 3.2 32-bit-only installer instead.

Do not use IDLE or Tkinter with the Python 2.7.1 64-bit/32-bit installer for Mac OS X 10.6. Install the 2.7.1 32-bit-only installer instead.

Do not use IDLE or Tkinter with the Apple-supplied Python 2.6.1 in Mac OS X 10.6. Install a newer version of Python 2.6 or later.

Python's integrated development environment, IDLE, and the tkinter GUI toolkit it uses, depend on the Tk GUI toolkit which is not part of Python itself. For best results, it is important that the proper release of Tcl/Tk is installed on your machine." (IDLE and tkinter with Tcl/Tk on Mac OS X)

Day 1 with Snow Leopard

Let me start by saying that I'm a fan of clean installs, so don't expect to find any information about upgrading issues here.

So, what you'll find here is a summary of how I've set up Snow Leopard from scratch.

Make Leopard boot in 64 bit mode

For selected Macs models only*, you can enable this. By default, all Macs except Xserves (server machines) boot in 32 bit mode.

*Which models?

Open the Terminal and type the following:

ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree | grep firmware-abi

If you get the following output, you're all set to go. Otherwise, skip this section.

| | "firmware-abi" = <"EFI64">

OK, you're happy. You got the EFI64 message (that means your Extensible Firmware Interface is 64 bit) and (still inside the Terminal, type:

sudo nano /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist

Type in your password when asked. A handy text editor will open a configuration file. Carefully, change it so it looks like this:

Kernel

mach_kernel

Kernel Flags

arch=x86_64

So, the idea is to insert the line

arch=x86_64

Right after the "Kernel Flags" section. Press control and X simultaneously, then Y, then return. Now we're done. Restart, then open the Terminal again, and type:

uname -a

If you get something like the following, the magic worked! Congrats!

Darwin xxxxxxx 10.1.2 Darwin Kernel Version 10.1.2: Wed Sep 9 23:09:02 PDT 2009; root:xnu-1486.1.8~1/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64

2D Dock

Yes, we'll be using the Terminal utility again. Open it, and type

defaults write com.apple.dock no-glass -boolean YES

killall Dock

To set the Dock to a 2D look, or

defaults write com.apple.dock no-glass -boolean NO

killall Dock

To (re)set it to the 3D glassy look. I prefer 2D myself because it's easier to see which apps are open (the little dot).

Install MS Office 2008 without Rosetta

Rosetta provide PowerPC support for Intel Macs, and is not installed by default in Snow Leopard. I find a waste of space and time to install it, so... Guess what! Terminal again. I open it at login, as you may guess.

Obviously, you need to insert the MS Office 2008 DVD into your Mac's optical drive. After that, type inside the Terminal the following:

sudo installer -package /Volumes/Microsoft\ Office\ 2008/Office\ Installer.mpkg/ -target /

Type in your password, and wait. Wait! It takes a while, even on your shiny new Snow Leopard Mac or your recently upgraded system. You will get the familiar prompt back once the installation is done. No nags, no questions asked, just an old fashioned, straightforward install.

Don't run anything yet. First, download and install all available updates first. Just go to http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx to fetch them, then install them.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0

Nothing. You don't have to do anything. It's one of my favourite applications... I would recommend you, however, to run the Adobe Updater before you run any Adobe application. In the case of a default Elements 6.0 installation, you can find it in

Applications > Utilities > Adobe Utilities > Adobe Updater

or similar. Sometimes there's a number after updater showing the version of the utility (i.e. 4, 5)

Best luck and enjoy your Mac!

New to Mac OS X

At work I've been exposed to Macs, so I've had to learn how to use them.

The purpose of this post isn't to review or criticise the platform or the OS, but to help you if you're new to Apple Macs and OS X, like I once was.

Hope you will find these links useful. I was trying to find Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger" resources, but there are links to Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" as well.

(videos)

• http://www.vtc.com/online-tutorials/Mac-OS-X-10.4-Tiger-tutorials.htm
• http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/osx_tiger_orientation
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGVHKl0CCCE
• http://www.apple.com/findouthow/mac/

(tutorials, text+images)

• http://www.apple.com/support/osfamily/ (support for Apple's Operating Systems & software - main link)
• http://www.apple.com/support/leopard/ (everything that Apple as for the 'Leopard' 10.5 system is here)
• http://www.apple.com/support/tiger/ (everything that Apple as for the 'Tiger' 10.4 system is here)
• http://www.inspectmygadget.com/2007/08/21/mac-os-x-taming-the-tiger-a-guide-for-beginners-part-1/
• http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/ (this tutorial shows the newest system 'Leopard', very similar to 'Tiger' - there will be minor differences, though)
• http://guides.macrumors.com/Mac_Beginner's_Guide (collection of links)
• http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2477 (some essential info. on the system)
• http://osxhelp.com/ (more tutorials)