macOS
Blog posts for the tag #macOS
16-Dec-2020
Uninstalling Java on macOS
I've recently had my Mac scanned for a corporate compliance test and the older Java 8 JDK has come up as a failure point. Even though I had newer JDKs installed, it meant that I had to go in and uninstall the one that was making me fail this test. There is good documentation online on how to uninstall a java version on macOS, but I thought that I would walk through the process here anyway...
I've recently had my Mac scanned for a corporate compliance test and the older Java 8 JDK has come up as a failure point. Even though I had newer JDKs installed, it meant that I had to go in and uninstall the one that was making me fail this test. There is good documentation online on how to uninstall a java version on macOS, but I thought that I would walk through the process here anyway...
18-Nov-2020
How to fix 'Operation not permitted' error in macOS terminal and ~/.Trash
I've been poking around in the terminal on my Mac recently and tried to list the contents of my Trash, using the `ls ~/.Trash` command, only to be presented with an error...
I've been poking around in the terminal on my Mac recently and tried to list the contents of my Trash, using the `ls ~/.Trash` command, only to be presented with an error...
10-Nov-2020
macOS Catalina 10.15.7 upgrade makes Evernote Skitch crash on start
The macOS Catalina 10.15.7 upgrade came up for me today, I generally like to keep up-to-date on updates so I let it go ahead. After the update installed (and restarted my Mac), Evernote Skitch kept on crashing every time I tried to open the app with macOS telling me The application "Skitch.app" can't be opened...and the crash report having more sinister details...
The macOS Catalina 10.15.7 upgrade came up for me today, I generally like to keep up-to-date on updates so I let it go ahead. After the update installed (and restarted my Mac), Evernote Skitch kept on crashing every time I tried to open the app with macOS telling me The application "Skitch.app" can't be opened...and the crash report having more sinister details...
28-Oct-2020
How to easily set up your Mac to empty the trash at timed intervals
Whether you still call it Trash or Bin, it's the same concept - deleted files are not permanently deleted but are made inaccessible until you decide to permanently remove them. Sometimes this is a little bit bothersome, especially if you happen to be using your Mac as a media centre/HTPC. So here's how to set it up so that the Trash is emptied automatically at certain intervals and times.
Whether you still call it Trash or Bin, it's the same concept - deleted files are not permanently deleted but are made inaccessible until you decide to permanently remove them. Sometimes this is a little bit bothersome, especially if you happen to be using your Mac as a media centre/HTPC. So here's how to set it up so that the Trash is emptied automatically at certain intervals and times.
16-Jul-2020
Mac high CPU and freeze with "watchdog timeout: no checkins from watchdogd"
My 13" MacBook Pro 2019 has been behaving strangely lately. All of a sudden, its CPU utilisation shoots to 100%, it becomes completely unresponsive (though the mouse still works) and eventually it overheats and crashes and shuts down.
My 13" MacBook Pro 2019 has been behaving strangely lately. All of a sudden, its CPU utilisation shoots to 100%, it becomes completely unresponsive (though the mouse still works) and eventually it overheats and crashes and shuts down.
29-May-2020
Set up Transmission to automatically unrar BitTorrents upon completion on macOS
I've recently set up an old MacBook Pro to use as our media computer in the lounge room. This Mac replaced the ageing Odroid XU4 home server I've had since 2016. That meant that the BitTorrent client had to now run on Mac and I chose Transmission for that purpose.
I've recently set up an old MacBook Pro to use as our media computer in the lounge room. This Mac replaced the ageing Odroid XU4 home server I've had since 2016. That meant that the BitTorrent client had to now run on Mac and I chose Transmission for that purpose.
11-May-2020
Java Mission Control 5.5 freezes during startup on macOS
Recently I've had a need to use Java Mission Control (JMC) to look at some Java Flight Recorder (JFR) files for a piece of code I've been analysing for performance issues. The piece of code didn't require being run in production so I decided to do the analysis on my Mac instead of one of the dev servers. This is where I ran into issues...whenever JMC was launched, it would freeze.
Recently I've had a need to use Java Mission Control (JMC) to look at some Java Flight Recorder (JFR) files for a piece of code I've been analysing for performance issues. The piece of code didn't require being run in production so I decided to do the analysis on my Mac instead of one of the dev servers. This is where I ran into issues...whenever JMC was launched, it would freeze.
22-Apr-2020
How to format a USB stick, SD card or external HDD as FAT32 on macOS
Usually when it comes to formatting a USB stick, SD card or an external hard disk on macOS I would use the Disk Utility app that comes with the OS. However if you want to format your storage as FAT32, the app will not always oblige. There is a generic 'FAT' or 'exFAT' option but you have no control on wether the disk will be formatted as FAT16 or FAT32.
Usually when it comes to formatting a USB stick, SD card or an external hard disk on macOS I would use the Disk Utility app that comes with the OS. However if you want to format your storage as FAT32, the app will not always oblige. There is a generic 'FAT' or 'exFAT' option but you have no control on wether the disk will be formatted as FAT16 or FAT32.
03-Mar-2020
A great free alternative to iStat Menus for computer system monitor on macOS
I've been using iStat Menus as a quick-look system monitor on my Mac for many years now. It's a great utility that stays in the system menu and lets you see your computer's activity (CPU, memory, network, etc) at a glance. Clicking a graph displays more detailed information. A great tool all around.
I've been using iStat Menus as a quick-look system monitor on my Mac for many years now. It's a great utility that stays in the system menu and lets you see your computer's activity (CPU, memory, network, etc) at a glance. Clicking a graph displays more detailed information. A great tool all around.
19-Feb-2020
How to create symlinks at the macOS 10.15 Catalina root file system
I recently bought a new Mac which came with macOS Catalina (15.15) installed. I started to set it up the way I wanted to and came across an issue with symbolic links at the file system root (/). I was trying to create a symlink like this...
I recently bought a new Mac which came with macOS Catalina (15.15) installed. I started to set it up the way I wanted to and came across an issue with symbolic links at the file system root (/). I was trying to create a symlink like this...
04-Feb-2020
How to tell how much power your USB-C Mac is getting via its charge port
I've been messing around with how to best connect my two Macs at work so that I can minimise the amount of cables and power supplies. This led to me wonder how to tell how much they are getting in terms of power. The idea was to (hopefully) use one power supply and then some USB-C cables to connect the two Macs - I figured that since one of them is pretty much idle when I'm working on the other, a single power adapter should have been enough.
I've been messing around with how to best connect my two Macs at work so that I can minimise the amount of cables and power supplies. This led to me wonder how to tell how much they are getting in terms of power. The idea was to (hopefully) use one power supply and then some USB-C cables to connect the two Macs - I figured that since one of them is pretty much idle when I'm working on the other, a single power adapter should have been enough.
08-Jan-2020
Transferring data between two Macs using a USB-C cable
I've been using Macs for work for at least the last ten years and for many years on my current project I've been using a company managed Mac that I owned. We recently had some changes in policy, and due to new security requirements I could not use the Mac that I had been using previously. So, I was issued a new Mac for the project, which of course meant setting up front scratch and copying the dozens of gigabytes of data over. Luckily this is relatively easily done using target disk mode ...and a USB-C to USB-C cable.
I've been using Macs for work for at least the last ten years and for many years on my current project I've been using a company managed Mac that I owned. We recently had some changes in policy, and due to new security requirements I could not use the Mac that I had been using previously. So, I was issued a new Mac for the project, which of course meant setting up front scratch and copying the dozens of gigabytes of data over. Luckily this is relatively easily done using target disk mode ...and a USB-C to USB-C cable.
14-Oct-2019
How to limit the size of Spotify cache directory on macOS
I've recently started to get notifications on my Mac telling me that I was running low on disk space. Upon some investigation I found that Spotify was taking up a good chunk of space with its cache directory. Now this wasn't the offline music directory, that's altogether a different location, this was the ~/Library/Caches/com.spotify.client directory.
I've recently started to get notifications on my Mac telling me that I was running low on disk space. Upon some investigation I found that Spotify was taking up a good chunk of space with its cache directory. Now this wasn't the offline music directory, that's altogether a different location, this was the ~/Library/Caches/com.spotify.client directory.
07-Oct-2019
Three ways to delete IndexedDB instances from Safari's website storage
I've been messing around with BrowserFS and IndexedDB storage recently and managed to create a whole heap of duplicate database. For some reason, Safari doesn't give you an option to delete a single IndexedDB from website storage, so I had to find another way of doing it.
I've been messing around with BrowserFS and IndexedDB storage recently and managed to create a whole heap of duplicate database. For some reason, Safari doesn't give you an option to delete a single IndexedDB from website storage, so I had to find another way of doing it.
26-May-2019
How to capture response XML when running a SoapUI load test
I use SoapUI (on my Mac) quite often because I develop, update and enhance a number of custom built web services. Most of these are SOAP based and sometimes I need to run small load tests to simulate concurrent requests and other circumstances that single requests aren't adequate enough to test. Sometimes, I also need the ability to capture responses from each of the web service calls during a load test - unfortunately the load test runner doesn't have an easy way of doing this. But there is a way!
I use SoapUI (on my Mac) quite often because I develop, update and enhance a number of custom built web services. Most of these are SOAP based and sometimes I need to run small load tests to simulate concurrent requests and other circumstances that single requests aren't adequate enough to test. Sometimes, I also need the ability to capture responses from each of the web service calls during a load test - unfortunately the load test runner doesn't have an easy way of doing this. But there is a way!
21-Apr-2019
How to remove McAfee Endpoint Security from your Mac
McAfee Endpoint Security is an anti-virus / malware protection utility and a tool that can significantly slow down your Mac. It's typically deployed in a corporate setting which makes it impossible for you as the user to disable it temporarily. At times however, I find myself needing to disable it (temporarily) - for example when doing large deployments/builds that compile vast amounts of code. In this case I think it's quite justified to have endpoint security disabled because it's not adding anything and is simply slowing down a build.
McAfee Endpoint Security is an anti-virus / malware protection utility and a tool that can significantly slow down your Mac. It's typically deployed in a corporate setting which makes it impossible for you as the user to disable it temporarily. At times however, I find myself needing to disable it (temporarily) - for example when doing large deployments/builds that compile vast amounts of code. In this case I think it's quite justified to have endpoint security disabled because it's not adding anything and is simply slowing down a build.
02-Feb-2019
Safari AutoFill is messing up the Gmail label search feature
I use Gmail (via G Suite) for both my personal email as well as email services for all the websites I run and it's a great email system. I also use a Macbook Pro and that's a great laptop. Unfortunately when you combine what Apple has with what Google has, it doesn't always work smoothly. Safari and Gmail are a good example and this combination has been driving me nuts lately.
I use Gmail (via G Suite) for both my personal email as well as email services for all the websites I run and it's a great email system. I also use a Macbook Pro and that's a great laptop. Unfortunately when you combine what Apple has with what Google has, it doesn't always work smoothly. Safari and Gmail are a good example and this combination has been driving me nuts lately.
21-Oct-2018
A broken UI bug in macOS Image Capture app - the Cancel button initiating a scan
At the start of the month I wrote about a bug in Safari that broke the Save dialog, well I keep finding more UI bugs in macOS and this time it's in the Image Capture app. I have to do a fair amount of scanning for my Atari Gamer project so this one actually affects me quite often.
At the start of the month I wrote about a bug in Safari that broke the Save dialog, well I keep finding more UI bugs in macOS and this time it's in the Image Capture app. I have to do a fair amount of scanning for my Atari Gamer project so this one actually affects me quite often.
07-Oct-2018
A weird bug in macOS Safari breaks the save dialog after saving a web archive
There is a weird bug in Safari that breaks the Save dialog box whenever a web page is saved as a web archive. I've discovered it accidentally recently, here's how to reproduce it.
There is a weird bug in Safari that breaks the Save dialog box whenever a web page is saved as a web archive. I've discovered it accidentally recently, here's how to reproduce it.
30-Sep-2018
Forcing macOS updates to download and install when App Store fails to
I've recently had a problem on my Mac where the App Store app would not download or install any updates. It would start downloading and within seconds the progress bar would disappear and the update button would show up again. This continued to happen after restarts and after clearing temporary folders that App Store uses for its downloads.
I've recently had a problem on my Mac where the App Store app would not download or install any updates. It would start downloading and within seconds the progress bar would disappear and the update button would show up again. This continued to happen after restarts and after clearing temporary folders that App Store uses for its downloads.
16-Sep-2018
GIMP 2.10 is a huge performance improvement over its previous versions
For my other website, Atari Gamer, I tend to have to process quite a few images that I find online. I use GIMP for most of this and typically work with the Rotate Tool and the Perspective Tool. I've been using the same version of GIMP for a number of years now (version 2.8) and have always found it to be clunky and slow. For some reason it didn't occur to me to upgrade until today, and I'm really glad I did!
For my other website, Atari Gamer, I tend to have to process quite a few images that I find online. I use GIMP for most of this and typically work with the Rotate Tool and the Perspective Tool. I've been using the same version of GIMP for a number of years now (version 2.8) and have always found it to be clunky and slow. For some reason it didn't occur to me to upgrade until today, and I'm really glad I did!
12-Jul-2018
macOS has a much better tool than telnet for testing remote server connectivity
When macOS High Sierra (10.13) was released, the telnet utility disappeared. This has probably been a good move by Apple since telnet is outdated and not a secure protocol; it shouldn't be used in general. However, telnet did serve a useful function - checking if it was possible to connect to a remote server on a particular port. Luckily there is a much better tool for this included in macOS - nc (netcat).
When macOS High Sierra (10.13) was released, the telnet utility disappeared. This has probably been a good move by Apple since telnet is outdated and not a secure protocol; it shouldn't be used in general. However, telnet did serve a useful function - checking if it was possible to connect to a remote server on a particular port. Luckily there is a much better tool for this included in macOS - nc (netcat).
28-Jun-2018
Setting up a WebLogic 12c development server in under 10 minutes on macOS
I've written a fair number of articles on WebLogic but something that occurred to me was that I haven't talked about how to install a development server directly on your machine. This process is extremely easy these days but if you don't check the README you could run into some issues. I use a Mac for most of my work so naturally I will be going through the steps on macOS, however with minor modifications they are applicable across both Windows and Linux.
I've written a fair number of articles on WebLogic but something that occurred to me was that I haven't talked about how to install a development server directly on your machine. This process is extremely easy these days but if you don't check the README you could run into some issues. I use a Mac for most of my work so naturally I will be going through the steps on macOS, however with minor modifications they are applicable across both Windows and Linux.
17-May-2018
Installing the Python PIL module for Google AppEngine dev server on macOS
I use the PHP Development Server for all of my local App Engine development work on my Mac and one of the features that's built into the app I'm working on at the moment is serving images. Out of the box this works just fine locally bar one small caveat - dynamic image resizing is not supported. If you do try and make use of image resizing, warnings like the following are displayed...
I use the PHP Development Server for all of my local App Engine development work on my Mac and one of the features that's built into the app I'm working on at the moment is serving images. Out of the box this works just fine locally bar one small caveat - dynamic image resizing is not supported. If you do try and make use of image resizing, warnings like the following are displayed...
13-May-2018
iMovie crashing on MacBook Pro with external monitor connected
I use iMovie on occasion to create time-lapse videos of circuit board assembly or putting together various model kits. For some reason my MacBook Pro just doesn't play well with iMovie whenever it is connected to my Samsung H890 USB-C Monitor. The monitor doesn't appear the be the problem because I was having the same issue with the Dell U3415W monitor I had earlier.
I use iMovie on occasion to create time-lapse videos of circuit board assembly or putting together various model kits. For some reason my MacBook Pro just doesn't play well with iMovie whenever it is connected to my Samsung H890 USB-C Monitor. The monitor doesn't appear the be the problem because I was having the same issue with the Dell U3415W monitor I had earlier.
06-May-2018
Revisiting Mouslr and having some fun with mouse tracking glitch art
It's been quite some time since I wrote Mouslr, a tool used to create glitch art by tracking mouse movements, clicks and wheel scroll events and translating those to colours, shapes and lines. A sample generated image might look like this...
It's been quite some time since I wrote Mouslr, a tool used to create glitch art by tracking mouse movements, clicks and wheel scroll events and translating those to colours, shapes and lines. A sample generated image might look like this...
02-Jan-2018
Add this handy function to your Bash profile file to display the compiled JDK version for a .class file
It's easy to check the JDK version that a .class file has been compiled with using the javap tool. Simply run something like this...
It's easy to check the JDK version that a .class file has been compiled with using the javap tool. Simply run something like this...
18-Dec-2017
Copy and paste smooth vector graphics instead of pixelated images in Inkscape on macOS
As I've been working on graphics for a new web application project of mine, I found that Inkscape has been behaving oddly on macOS. Whenever I tried to copy/paste a vector object between images (or even in the same image) all I'd get would be this horrible pixelated version of my object with all transparency replaced by white pixels...
As I've been working on graphics for a new web application project of mine, I found that Inkscape has been behaving oddly on macOS. Whenever I tried to copy/paste a vector object between images (or even in the same image) all I'd get would be this horrible pixelated version of my object with all transparency replaced by white pixels...
14-Dec-2017
Review of Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery software for Mac
I've recently had a chance to check out the Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery software on my Mac and was surprisingly impressed by this tool. This particular app is targeted towards anyone who deals with memory cards, USB sticks, and has a lot of photos and videos. It would be ideal for a photographer for example, but anyone could benefit from it if you've had an accidental file deletion or if you've formatted your SD card without copying all the files from it first.
I've recently had a chance to check out the Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery software on my Mac and was surprisingly impressed by this tool. This particular app is targeted towards anyone who deals with memory cards, USB sticks, and has a lot of photos and videos. It would be ideal for a photographer for example, but anyone could benefit from it if you've had an accidental file deletion or if you've formatted your SD card without copying all the files from it first.
20-Nov-2017
Switching out macOS Mail for Microsoft Outlook
I am definitely a long time Apple fan and typically would not go near anything from Microsoft but recently I've started to use Outlook on my Mac and can say that I am not looking back and don't have any regrets about switching away from the macOS Mail app.
I am definitely a long time Apple fan and typically would not go near anything from Microsoft but recently I've started to use Outlook on my Mac and can say that I am not looking back and don't have any regrets about switching away from the macOS Mail app.
30-Oct-2017
Fix your Mac - users not showing on the macOS login screen when FileVault is enabled
One of my Macs was doing something strange recently. A new account that was created (using Windows Migration Assistant) would sometimes not show up on the login screen. I noticed this happened only after a restart. All other accounts would be there on the login screen except this new account. However, after logging in as one of the other users and logging out, the new account would show up.
One of my Macs was doing something strange recently. A new account that was created (using Windows Migration Assistant) would sometimes not show up on the login screen. I noticed this happened only after a restart. All other accounts would be there on the login screen except this new account. However, after logging in as one of the other users and logging out, the new account would show up.
16-Oct-2017
How to stop macOS adding shadows to window screenshots
Taking a screenshot of a window in macOS is easy, even if it is a bit of a hand-twister key combination. It's done by by pressing Shift-Command-4 and then Space bar and clicking the window you want to screenshot. If you've got a Mac with the Touch Bar, you can customise it to always display a screenshot shortcut. Both these methods add a 56 pixel shadow to the window you're taking a screenshot of. This shadow may add a cool visual effect to the UI but is a pain to deal with when it's a part of the screenshot. Read on for how to disable it.
Taking a screenshot of a window in macOS is easy, even if it is a bit of a hand-twister key combination. It's done by by pressing Shift-Command-4 and then Space bar and clicking the window you want to screenshot. If you've got a Mac with the Touch Bar, you can customise it to always display a screenshot shortcut. Both these methods add a 56 pixel shadow to the window you're taking a screenshot of. This shadow may add a cool visual effect to the UI but is a pain to deal with when it's a part of the screenshot. Read on for how to disable it.
02-Sep-2017
How to fix blank disappearing emails in the macOS Mail app
Every now and again the Mail App in macOS trips up and emails start to show up blank. It's super annoying when this happens but luckily there is an easy way to fix it. I was reading my work email when a short network outage occurred and the email I opened came up completely blank, all the content seemed to have disappeared.
Every now and again the Mail App in macOS trips up and emails start to show up blank. It's super annoying when this happens but luckily there is an easy way to fix it. I was reading my work email when a short network outage occurred and the email I opened came up completely blank, all the content seemed to have disappeared.
28-Aug-2017
How to update your autofill contact details that Safari uses in macOS
I don't always use autofill features in Safari but they do come in handy sometimes, especially for my weekly flight bookings. Ever since getting my new Mac I noticed that this autofill data was wrong. I ignored it for a while but the other day it got the better of me and I wanted to change it because the details it had stored were incorrect.
I don't always use autofill features in Safari but they do come in handy sometimes, especially for my weekly flight bookings. Ever since getting my new Mac I noticed that this autofill data was wrong. I ignored it for a while but the other day it got the better of me and I wanted to change it because the details it had stored were incorrect.
10-Aug-2017
How to fix SoapUI javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException calling WebLogic 12.2 web services on Java 8
Back in 2014 I've written an article about addressing the SSLHandshakeException in SoapUI. Technology has moved on since then so that approach no longer works and shouldn't be used. If you're getting this exception being thrown when trying to call a web service hosted in WebLogic 12.2 (running on Java 8) use this approach instead.
Back in 2014 I've written an article about addressing the SSLHandshakeException in SoapUI. Technology has moved on since then so that approach no longer works and shouldn't be used. If you're getting this exception being thrown when trying to call a web service hosted in WebLogic 12.2 (running on Java 8) use this approach instead.
07-Aug-2017
How to add/change PHP versions appearing in MAMP preferences
I've been using MAMP for quite some time for my personal web development work. It's a great App but sometimes it feels like it is dumbing down some things a little bit too much. Selecting which PHP version that is used is one of those. It appears that MAMP only gives you the option of picking the latest two PHP versions that it ships with...
I've been using MAMP for quite some time for my personal web development work. It's a great App but sometimes it feels like it is dumbing down some things a little bit too much. Selecting which PHP version that is used is one of those. It appears that MAMP only gives you the option of picking the latest two PHP versions that it ships with...
25-Jun-2017
Fix Java applications slow start and net connection times on macOS sierra
I've been finding that since I got my new MacBook Pro and installed Java 8 on it, all of the Java Applications that I've been running have been taking an extremely long time to start or to establish network connections. This didn't seem to affect Java Applications that didn't use the network however. Turns out that the problem is to do with the local machine's hostname resolution and is easily fixed.
I've been finding that since I got my new MacBook Pro and installed Java 8 on it, all of the Java Applications that I've been running have been taking an extremely long time to start or to establish network connections. This didn't seem to affect Java Applications that didn't use the network however. Turns out that the problem is to do with the local machine's hostname resolution and is easily fixed.
22-Jun-2017
How to stop SSH remote host disconnecting your session
It's a familiar sight, you have an SSH session open and have to step away from your computer for a few minutes. When you come back, your SSH session has been disconnected with an error like this...
It's a familiar sight, you have an SSH session open and have to step away from your computer for a few minutes. When you come back, your SSH session has been disconnected with an error like this...
18-Jun-2017
Use the Touch Bar to lock your Mac with a single button press
I didn't think that I'd love the Touch Bar as much as I do, it's made every day use of my Mac so much easier, especially when it came to locking the Mac. Working in an office and having a corporate policy that requires you to lock your laptop every time you physically step away from it (it's a good security practice!) meant that I previously had to have a lock menu in the Menu Bar. It was multiple clicks to lock the Mac, plus actually moving your mouse over to the Menu Bar in the first place. That doesn't seem like much but in terms of usability it was an inconvenience. With the Touch Bar it's all changed for the better!
I didn't think that I'd love the Touch Bar as much as I do, it's made every day use of my Mac so much easier, especially when it came to locking the Mac. Working in an office and having a corporate policy that requires you to lock your laptop every time you physically step away from it (it's a good security practice!) meant that I previously had to have a lock menu in the Menu Bar. It was multiple clicks to lock the Mac, plus actually moving your mouse over to the Menu Bar in the first place. That doesn't seem like much but in terms of usability it was an inconvenience. With the Touch Bar it's all changed for the better!
08-Jun-2017
Prevent Google App Engine local development server from losing DataStore contents after restarts
By default the local development server doesn't specify a storage path for the simulated Cloud DataStore. This means that after your computer restarts the DataStore data gets lost, it's probably stored in a temporary directory somewhere. There is a setting that can be used to make sure that the data is preserved.
By default the local development server doesn't specify a storage path for the simulated Cloud DataStore. This means that after your computer restarts the DataStore data gets lost, it's probably stored in a temporary directory somewhere. There is a setting that can be used to make sure that the data is preserved.
25-May-2017
Converting a CSV file containing commas in quotes to a pipe separated file using Awk and Bash
I've been looking at some data in CSV files that unfortunately had commas within quotes, signifying that those commas should not be used as field delimiters. Since I was doing this on macOS, I've come across an issue with the macOS awk command in that it doesn't support the FPAT feature of gawk which makes it easy to split data by content using regex. Then I came across this article that really helped with my use case.
I've been looking at some data in CSV files that unfortunately had commas within quotes, signifying that those commas should not be used as field delimiters. Since I was doing this on macOS, I've come across an issue with the macOS awk command in that it doesn't support the FPAT feature of gawk which makes it easy to split data by content using regex. Then I came across this article that really helped with my use case.
01-May-2017
Add your commonly used fonts to macOS Mail font drop down
If you use the Mail app in macOS and have to apply various fonts to text in your emails, this tip will save you some time. Mail lists some fonts at the top of its drop down already but not all of these are useful. For example I often find myself having to highlight some lines using Courier New which isn't in the list by default (unless you've used it recently).
If you use the Mail app in macOS and have to apply various fonts to text in your emails, this tip will save you some time. Mail lists some fonts at the top of its drop down already but not all of these are useful. For example I often find myself having to highlight some lines using Courier New which isn't in the list by default (unless you've used it recently).
26-Apr-2017
Base64 Encode or Decode on the command line without installing extra tools on Linux, Windows or macOS
Base64 encoding is used in quite a few places and there are many online web sites that let you encode or decode Base64. I am not very comfortable using such sites for security and privacy reasons so I went looking for alternative solutions. Whether you're using Linux, Windows or macOS you can use built-in tools to both encode or decode Base64 data. So ditch any online sites and start using software that is installed locally on your computer. Here's how.
Base64 encoding is used in quite a few places and there are many online web sites that let you encode or decode Base64. I am not very comfortable using such sites for security and privacy reasons so I went looking for alternative solutions. Whether you're using Linux, Windows or macOS you can use built-in tools to both encode or decode Base64 data. So ditch any online sites and start using software that is installed locally on your computer. Here's how.
19-Apr-2017
Enable quick access to the keyboard and emoji viewer in macOS
The keyboard and emoji viewers are handy utilities in macOS and it's possible to access them quickly by enabling an option in the Keyboard Preferences. This lets you bring up the keyboard or the emoji viewer easily from the top menu bar like this...
The keyboard and emoji viewers are handy utilities in macOS and it's possible to access them quickly by enabling an option in the Keyboard Preferences. This lets you bring up the keyboard or the emoji viewer easily from the top menu bar like this...
21-Feb-2017
Older versions of JD-GUI crashing on macOS Sierra
I've noticed today that my version of JD-GUI started crashing whenever I tried to open a jar file to decompile. I was on macOS Sierra and had version 0.3.3 of JD-GUI installed. This was the kind of error and crash report I was getting...
I've noticed today that my version of JD-GUI started crashing whenever I tried to open a jar file to decompile. I was on macOS Sierra and had version 0.3.3 of JD-GUI installed. This was the kind of error and crash report I was getting...
01-Feb-2017
Stopping the RzUpdater from launching and consuming high CPU percentage
I've noticed that on my Mac the RzUpdater process has been consuming a very high amount of CPU for long stretches at a time. Every instance this happened, I had to manually kill that process, but it would get started by macOS again shortly after. This seemed to happen when there was no network connectivity so I am guessing that RzUpdater tries to check for updates to the software and locks up when it can't make an Internet connection. Bad design, so here's how you make sure that process doesn't start in the first place.
I've noticed that on my Mac the RzUpdater process has been consuming a very high amount of CPU for long stretches at a time. Every instance this happened, I had to manually kill that process, but it would get started by macOS again shortly after. This seemed to happen when there was no network connectivity so I am guessing that RzUpdater tries to check for updates to the software and locks up when it can't make an Internet connection. Bad design, so here's how you make sure that process doesn't start in the first place.
19-Jan-2017
NeoOffice Viewer macOS Word Document viewer vs Preview and Microsoft Word
It's amazing how much of a market share Microsoft has when it comes to people producing documents using it's Office software on Windows. I often find myself in situations where I have to read DOC or DOCX files on my Mac and without a Mac version of Office installed this can be quite frustrating. So I decided to try the NeoOffice Viewer which is a free product that runs on macOS and lets you view (but not edit) files created in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
It's amazing how much of a market share Microsoft has when it comes to people producing documents using it's Office software on Windows. I often find myself in situations where I have to read DOC or DOCX files on my Mac and without a Mac version of Office installed this can be quite frustrating. So I decided to try the NeoOffice Viewer which is a free product that runs on macOS and lets you view (but not edit) files created in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
10-Jan-2017
Add batch image resize functionality to macOS using Automator
If you were used to using the Preview app for resizing images in batch, both in macOS Sierra and OS X El Capitan the 'Save All' feature has been removed so it became a real pain to use. Nobody wants to click 'Save' on every single image after resizing them all (especially if you have dozens or hundreds of images), but luckily there is a way to simplify and automate this process.
If you were used to using the Preview app for resizing images in batch, both in macOS Sierra and OS X El Capitan the 'Save All' feature has been removed so it became a real pain to use. Nobody wants to click 'Save' on every single image after resizing them all (especially if you have dozens or hundreds of images), but luckily there is a way to simplify and automate this process.
03-Jan-2017
How to remove iCloud calendars in the macOS Calendar app
I've noticed that in my Calendar app on macOS I had a 'Facebook Events' calendar stored in iCloud. Initial attempts to remove it didn't work. The Edit menu Delete option was greyed out and pressing Delete on the keyboard after selecting that calendar also didn't work. After a bit of messing around I did find a way to delete it. If you have a calendar in iCloud that just won't go away, follow these steps to remove it.
I've noticed that in my Calendar app on macOS I had a 'Facebook Events' calendar stored in iCloud. Initial attempts to remove it didn't work. The Edit menu Delete option was greyed out and pressing Delete on the keyboard after selecting that calendar also didn't work. After a bit of messing around I did find a way to delete it. If you have a calendar in iCloud that just won't go away, follow these steps to remove it.
02-Jan-2017
How to open apps from unidentified developers on macOS Sierra
In macOS Sierra, the security around apps from unidentified developers has really been tightened. In previous releases of the OS you were given an option to open the app if it came from an unidentified developer but it seems that Sierra just gives you the 'OK' option and will not launch the app. There is a way around it however so read on for how to do it.
In macOS Sierra, the security around apps from unidentified developers has really been tightened. In previous releases of the OS you were given an option to open the app if it came from an unidentified developer but it seems that Sierra just gives you the 'OK' option and will not launch the app. There is a way around it however so read on for how to do it.
08-Oct-2016
Pulse Secure VPN not working on macOS Sierra and how to fix it
If you're running the 5.2 version of the Pulse Secure VPN client and happen to have upgraded to macOS Sierra, you will quickly find that it has lost your settings and is not able to make any connections. Instead it displays the message "Failed to connect to the Pulse Secure Service". Great!
If you're running the 5.2 version of the Pulse Secure VPN client and happen to have upgraded to macOS Sierra, you will quickly find that it has lost your settings and is not able to make any connections. Instead it displays the message "Failed to connect to the Pulse Secure Service". Great!
07-Oct-2016
Multiple page PDF scanning does not work in macOS Sierra
If you're trying to use the macOS Sierra Image Capture utility and scanning multiple pages to a PDF file and wondering why you're ending up with just the first page, you're not alone. I've found this problem when doing some scans this morning, it seems that even when the 'Combine into single document' option is checked, any pages scanned after the first one are simply ignored.
If you're trying to use the macOS Sierra Image Capture utility and scanning multiple pages to a PDF file and wondering why you're ending up with just the first page, you're not alone. I've found this problem when doing some scans this morning, it seems that even when the 'Combine into single document' option is checked, any pages scanned after the first one are simply ignored.
04-Oct-2016
VMware Fusion stops working after macOS Sierra upgrade
I've been running the same version of VMware Fusion on a number of OS X releases and even though it was a rather old verion (6.0.6) it continued to work all the way up to and including on El Capitan. The official documentation stated that configuration was not supported, but it worked. Now I upgraded to macOS Sierra and all hell broke loose. None of my VMs would start and to make it worse the actual Fusion App itself was badly broken.
I've been running the same version of VMware Fusion on a number of OS X releases and even though it was a rather old verion (6.0.6) it continued to work all the way up to and including on El Capitan. The official documentation stated that configuration was not supported, but it worked. Now I upgraded to macOS Sierra and all hell broke loose. None of my VMs would start and to make it worse the actual Fusion App itself was badly broken.
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I am now focusing on Atari Gamer.
I am now focusing on Atari Gamer.