Mac Users and the Macs They Use by Giles Turnbull
When you read the articles and weblog posts by prominent Mac users and Mac pundits, do you ever find yourself wondering what kind of computer setup they're using? Giles Turnbull does. He recently contacted a spat of Mac professionals and asked them what they depend on. Here's what they had to say. 12/28/2005

O'Reilly Happenings at Macworld SF by Derrick Story
Macworld SF 2006 is shaping up to be a busy show for O'Reilly Media. We have great specials, lots of books, a full speaker lineup, and a menu of activities. Here's a comprehensive overview. 12/20/2005

A Look at Keychain Access (and Why You Should Care) by Giles Turnbull
Introduced in Mac OS 9, Keychain Access is an API and an application designed to provide secure storage for all your sensitive information. It has continued to evolve in Mac OS X, and Giles Turnbull helps you unlock its mysteries. 12/16/2005

Managing MySQL on Mac OS X by Robert Daeley
There are myriad ways to control and manipulate information on a MySQL server -- some are stand-alone GUI apps, some are web-based, and of course the venerable (and powerful) command-line option is always available. Robert Daeley shows some of the most useful tools. 12/13/2005

New Palm TX Forced Me to Address Mac Sync Options by Giles Turnbull
Palm devices were once the model of simplicity for Mac users. Giles Turnbull, late-'90s PDA geek, picked up a new Palm TX after a lengthy mobile device hiatus. But he soon discovered that syncing feeling that accompanies Palm/OS X connectivity these days. Here's his report. 12/09/2005

Dissecting a Dashboard Virtual Earth Widget by Luke Burton
Dashboard is a great container for your Web 2.0 application. In this tutorial, Luke Burton walks you through a Dashboard implementation of Virtual Earth, highlighting the various components and showing you what they do. 12/06/2005

Five Fun Ways to Play with Audio Hijack Pro by Erica Sadun
It's like a sound lab on your Mac -- with Audio Hijack Pro you can digitize legacy music, time-shift radio shows, and even repurpose your legally purchased music. Erica Sadun shows you five of her favorite AHP tips. 12/02/2005

Advanced Package Management with Fink by Koen Vervloesem
In this follow-up to his first article on installing Fink, Koen Vervloesem tackles more advanced topics, such as building binary packages, running your own binary distribution server, and creating Fink packages for your own software. 11/29/2005

HTML Tools on the Mac Command Line by Robert Daeley
It's time to dig around in your OS X Developer Tools and put some of those utilities to work. Robert Daeley takes you on a tour of handy CLI tools that, if you're not using them now, you will be after reading this article. 11/22/2005

Getting the Video out of Your New iPod--for Cheap! by Erica Sadun
Yes, you can spend extra dollars for Apple's sleek white video cable for TV connectivity, or you can hack your own together for cheap. Erica Sadun shows you how. 11/18/2005

What Is Bluetooth by Michael Juntao Yuan
Bluetooth--its name is cool, but what can you really do with it? If you're curious, let Michael Yuan take you on a tour through the myriad use cases for Bluetooth-enabled devices, from car kits to social networking. He also provides overviews on the technology behind Bluetooth, and how to use it. If you're considering Bluetooth, either for app development or to create your own cable-free personal area network, this is a good place to start. 11/18/2005

An Introduction to Tiger Terminal, Part 5 by Mary Norbury-Glaser
In Part 5, Mary Norbury-Glaser looks at how Tiger Mac OS X runs regularly scheduled commands and scripts to execute recurring jobs, like system maintenance and backups. She compares the "old" way, using the Unix tool called cron (for chronological), with the new Tiger method of using the launchd daemon. 11/15/2005

Web Apps with Tiger: Backups and Speed by Kevin Hemenway
In this, the fourth installment of "Web Apps with Tiger," Morbus shows you how to maintain and optimize your databases. 11/11/2005

What Is TurboGears (Hint: Python-Based Framework for Rapid Web Development) by Matthew Russell
TurboGears is a Python-based framework that enables you to quickly build database-driven, ready-to-extend web applications. In this article, Matthew Russell takes you inside this framework for a look at its internal mechanisms, then introduces you to its creator, Kevin Dangoor. 11/08/2005

Sync Services Framework (How It Works and What You Can Do) by Mary Norbury-Glaser
With Tiger, Apple introduced a new extensible Sync Services framework embedded into the OS. And it's available to any application, not just Apple programs. Mary Norbury-Glaser explains this framework and shows you practical examples of its implementation. 11/04/2005

Tiger's Improved Firewall (and How to Use It) by Peter Hickman
Among Tiger's many enhancements, Apple introduced a whole new firewall called ipfw2. It works just the like the old firewall, but has new features that allow greater flexibility and more control. In this article, Peter Hickman shows you some of the new features and how you can use them to more easily manage your firewall. 11/01/2005

An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence by Matthew Russell
Have you ever thought about using an iSight to take and classify images, such as those of a user sitting at the iMac? (Face-sensing engines have been in the news lately.) We have. And while we're working on that tutorial, we thought it might be a good idea to first publish a background piece on artificial intelligence. Check it out. 10/21/2005

TextEdit's Default Format: RTF... Why? by Giles Turnbull
Rich Text Format (.rtf) is the default choice for Mac OS X's TextEdit. Have you ever wondered why? Giles Turnbull takes a look at the RTF spec and discusses its strengths and shortcomings... and possibly uncovers why Apple chose it as the default for text processing. 10/18/2005

A Simple Mac OS X libpng Example with OpenGL by Michael J. Norton
When playing with OpenGL, most folks quickly tire of simple line-drawn polygon examples and want to play with more challenging concepts--such as putting texture maps onto those shapes. In this tutorial, Michael Norton shows you how to use the PNG format to create those texture maps. 10/14/2005

What Is Quartz (or Why Can't Windows Do That) by Matthew Russell
Quartz is the heart and soul of Mac OS X's graphics layer, which directly supports the defining features of the Aqua desktop experience. In this article, Matthew Russell gives you a short history lesson on Quartz, then shows you how it's implemented in Mac OS X. 10/11/2005

How to Record a Podcast Interview by Glenn Fleishman
Podcasting interviews involve two distinct tasks. First you have to record the audio and prepare it for listening. Then you need to syndicate it via RSS so others can subscribe to your programs. In this tutorial, Glenn Fleishman shows you some nifty tricks for recording your audio, especially if you want to capture phone interviews for syndication. 10/11/2005

Mac Security: Identifying Changes to the File System by Peter Hickman
Black-hat hackers often use a bundle of tools called a rootkit to secure access to your machine and cover their tracks. When working on your computer, they need to store files and be sure that you will not stumble across them and get suspicious. Peter Hickman explains how this works. 10/07/2005

What Is Activity Monitor (or How to Take Your Mac's Pulse) by Giles Turnbull
This little utility is easy to overlook, but it comes pre-installed with every new Mac and can be a big help when you're running a lot of applications. In this article, Giles Turnbull takes you on a guided tour of Activity Monitor's features, and suggests circumstances in which you might want to make use of them. 10/04/2005

Results from the Third Mac DevCenter Survey by Derrick Story
More than 1,300 Mac DevCenter readers responded to our third online survey. Here's who you are, what you like, and the directions in which you want us to go. 09/30/2005

Installing Fink on Mac OS X by Koen Vervloesem
The Fink project aims to port Unix software to Mac OS X and make it easy to install. In this article, Koen Vervloesem shows you the ins and outs of Fink, with some info about how it compares to DarwinPorts, another package management system for Mac OS X. 09/30/2005

What Is Darwin (and How It Powers Mac OS X) by Matthew Russell
Darwin provides the underlying foundation for Mac OS X. In this article, Matthew Russell takes you to the core of Apple's OS and explains how it powers your Mac. 09/27/2005

How to Set Up Backup 3 and Save Your Data by Derrick Story
Combined with a hefty 1GB of online storage, Backup 3 provides .Mac subscribers with a robust, easy-to-use workflow for protecting their most valuable data. In this tutorial, Derrick Story shows you how to get the most out of version 3, using both your iDisk and DVDs for preserving your work. 09/23/2005

Web Apps with Tiger: MediaWiki by Kevin Hemenway
In this, the third installment of "Web Apps with Tiger," Morbus shows you how to install a wiki, which is a web application that allows users to add content, but also allows anyone to edit it. He'll walk you through MediaWiki and have you (and it) up and running in no time. 09/20/2005

Tell Us What You Think: The 3rd Mac DevCenter Survey by Derrick Story
We're asking Mac DevCenter readers to participate in our third online survey. We've sweetened the pot with a chance to win books and Make magazine subscriptions. Here's how it works. 09/16/2005

Sweetening Your Xgrid with Cocoa by Drew McCormack
Last time, Drew McCormack took you through the changes that Xgrid has seen in Tiger, showed you how to setup a private Xgrid controller, and run simple jobs with the Xgrid command-line tool. This time he takes a look at XGridFoundation, a framework that allows you to integrate Xgrid into your Cocoa applications. 09/13/2005

An Introduction to Tiger Terminal, Part 4 by Mary Norbury-Glaser
In part four of our introduction to Tiger Terminal, you'll learn how to tap the power of shell scripting to automate repetitive tasks. Mary Norbury-Glaser walks you through the process, step by step. 09/09/2005

What Is Automator (and Can It Make Your Life Easier) by Matthew Russell
Automator provides an intuitive drag-and-drop workbench for quickly streamlining repetitive tasks. Here's a look at creating workflows and working around Automator's inherent limitations. 09/06/2005

Top Ten Digital Photography Tips by Derrick Story
You have a digital camera and have taken the typical shots of family and friends. Now what? Here are ten tips to make your next batch of digital images so impressive that people will ask: "Hey, what type of camera do you have?" Guess what? It's not the camera. 09/06/2005

Easy Access to the Applications Folder from a Disk Image by Ben Artin
Disk images in Mac OS X provide developers with a powerful mechanism for packaging and delivering software over the internet. A well-crafted disk image reflects well on the developer and shows attention to detail. Ben Artin provides some useful tips. 09/02/2005

Web Apps with Tiger: Security and MySQL by Kevin Hemenway
In this, the second part of "Web Apps with Tiger," Morbus focuses on protection. He'll replace the default PHP configuration with a more secure version, and explain some of the differences. Finally, he'll install MySQL and run through its own security tweaks. 08/30/2005

Tons of Good News by Derrick Story
Online version of the Mac Newsletter for August 26, 2005. 08/26/2005

Delve into DEVONthink by Giles Turnbull
DEVONthink Professional 1.0 has hit the streets, providing Mac users with a great opportunity to organize their thoughts. Giles Turnbull takes you on a insightful tour of what some people call a great snippet archiver, and others consider a full-blown reading and research tool. 08/26/2005

Distributed Tiger: Xgrid Comes of Age by Drew McCormack
In this first of two articles, Drew McCormack shows you how to set up a small Xgrid for testing purposes, submit simple jobs to the grid with the command line interface (CLI), and query their progress. The second article will be a Cocoa Tour de Force, involving new Tiger technologies like Automator and Core Image, in addition to Xgrid. 08/23/2005

What Is ClamXav (and do Mac users really need antivirus?) by François Joseph de Kermadec
Do Mac users need virus protection? We believe yes. In this article F.J. introduces you to ClamXav, a free, open source antivirus application for Mac OS X. And as a bonus, we're including an interview with the developer who added the GUI to the excellent ClamAV engine to create ClamXav--Mark Allan. 08/19/2005

Web Apps with Tiger: Getting Started by Kevin Hemenway
Morbus is back with more web serving tools and tricks, updated for Mac OS X Tiger. In this first article, he'll take you on a whirlwind through the basics: turning on the Apache web server, learning a teensy bit of its configuration, then enabling and testing PHP. 08/16/2005

Build a Simple 3D Pipeline in Tcl by Michael J. Norton
Are you interested in playing with 3D graphics for games? In this article, Michael Norton shows you how to assemble a game console to experiment with using Tcl, which is a great tool for playing with graphics algorithms. 08/12/2005

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Automator Automation - David Pogue's Podcast #3 by David Pogue
Listen to David Pogue cover Automator workflows that can help save on computing time. Learn how to use Automator to automate backups, zip up applications, and set alarms for automatic processing. (4 minutes, 26 seconds) 08/09/2005

What Is NeoOffice/J (and Can It Replace MS Office) by Matthew Russell
NeoOffice/J is the long-awaited Mac-friendly version of OpenOffice. This open source project provides Mac users with most of the functionality of Microsoft Office, but for free. Is NeoOffice robust enough to serve as your only office suite in a Microsoft-dominated world? Matthew Russell explores. Plus, an in-depth interview with its lead developer, Patrick Luby. 08/09/2005

Digital Photography Hack: A Hands-Free Shooting Rig by Romain Guy
Here's how to build a hands-free photography rig using an iSight, a Bluetooth headset, a backpack, and a dash of AppleScript that enables you to capture images on the go by simply speaking, "Take shot." Romain Guy shows you how to build it. 08/05/2005

Dashboard Widgets - David Pogue's Podcast #2 by David Pogue
Listen to David Pogue cover Dashboard Widgets--what they are, how to use the Widget Bar, and what Widgets can do for you. He provides tips on some of the crazy and fun widgets available for free download. (6 minutes) 08/03/2005

Using Perl to Manage Plist Files, Part 2 by James Reynolds
Part 2 goes into much more detail on managing Plist files. You'll change some values and save the altered Plist file back to disk. Then you'll loop over entries in a Plist file, get a dump of the NetInfo database, and print all the users in the database using Perl foreach loops. To do that you'll convert the Cocoa dictionaries and arrays to Perl hashes and arrays. Finally, you'll create a Plist file from scratch, build the sample Xgrid cal job listed in the Xgrid man page by creating the structure using Perl hashes and arrays, and then convert them to Cocoa equivalents. 08/02/2005

What Is Flickr (and Hot Tips for Using It) by Giles Turnbull
Flickr is an online photo management and sharing application. And it's also one of the most innovative photo services available today. In this article, Giles Turnbull shows you how Flickr works, then introduces you to some of the great tools you can use to interact with it. 08/02/2005

Using Perl to Manage Plist Files by James Reynolds
A common question is how to manage complex Plist files with scripts. The defaults command, which is often used to manage simple values in Plist files, does not easily manage the nested arrays or dictionaries that are present in most Plist files. In this first article of a two-part series, James Reynolds pulls together a little Perl and Cocoa to solve this problem. 07/29/2005

What Is FireWire (and How Best to Use It) by François Joseph de Kermadec
FireWire is a high-speed, data serial interface that has many practical uses. In this article, you'll learn the ins and outs of this powerful technology, plus some inside tips to take advantage of its unique features. 07/26/2005