At Macworld this year, Apple has released the iPhone. There has been a lot of hype around this release, but it seems that reality has out done the hype for a change.
A couple of the highlights are:
- The device runs on OS X.
- No stylus is used. The iPhone is designed for the user to use their finger as a pointer.
- One button (The Home button) all the rest of the functions are controlled via the touch screen.
- iPod built in.
- Internet capable (with Safari Browser).
- Last but not least, there is a phone in there somewhere too!
Check out the full write up on ZDNet.
As I thought, Apple has joined Google and Microsoft in the race for world domination…
I am adding this blog entry to help people get some answers about KisMac. I am getting several emails a week, sometimes asking the same questions. While I do my best to answer each email, it is starting to be time consuming.
If you have a question about KisMac please read the comments on this blog entry before emailing me…
Also check out the following resources:
- Read the KisMAC FAQ.
- Check the KisMAC Mailing List.
- Use resources (IRC channels, forums, mailing list) specific to Mac OS X. They can often be very helpful.
- Visit the KisMAC boys at #kismac on irc.freenode.net
- Last but not least try your luck at Google.
Gizmodo is currently running a contest to develop Windows drivers for the iSight webcam. It has been going since July 2006 so hopefully there will be a positive outcome soon.
Check out the site here.
I’ve had a problem where I was unable to see my iPod Shuffle in iTunes. This started after a recent software update from Apple, as a result I was unable to update my iPod with new songs. After reading multiple articles and forum posts that had some whacky solutions that included, banging the iPod on a desk while holding down the power button, I found the solution myself. If you have the same problem, try running the “iPod Updater” found in Applications/Utilities and restoring your iPod. It will wipe all the songs from your iPod, but that is better than not being able to update it at all.
I’ve put together a HowTo outlining how to set up an Intel Mac to triple boot OSX, Windows XP and OpenSuSE Linux. It is similar to the Triple Boot BootCamp HowTo on the OnMac.net site with the exception of bootstrapping the Linux install section. In my HowTo the Linux install is done from installation media (ie. CDs) You can grab it from here.
Have Fun! ; )
An invaluable tool when hacking about with the partitions on your Mac is Carbon Copy Clone. This tool allows you to make a bootable clone of your OS X partition. It is very useful when you mess up the partition table and you don’t want to re-install and configure OS X and all of the installed Applications from scratch.
Once you have a clone, you can just boot your copy of OS X on your firewire drive, reset the internal HDD partition table to it’s default state (ie. one big partition) and copy the OS X clone back, and start hacking again.
Finally I managed to get my MacBook Pro to triple boot. It’s plenty of fun, um, i mean hair tearing…Using a HowTo from Onmac.net and bootstraping the Debian install using debootstrap I was successful. I am now able to boot into Debian Linux chainloading with the NT Boot Loader.
Definately not for the faint hearted. : )
I have been messing around with my Intel Mac in an attempt to get it to triple boot (OS X, Windows and Debian Linux) and managed to screw up the partition table to the point where OS X wouldn’t allow me to re-install. So I whipped together a quick and dirty HowTo on sorting out the partition scheme.
If the Installer doesn’t allow you to install OS X onto a partition (ie. “You can not install Mac OS X on this volume…”) because you have messed around with the partitions, then do the following:
1. – Launch Disk Utility
2. – Select the Hard Disk (not the volume) on the left hand side of the screen (it will normally be labeled with the hardware vendor’s name) and select “Get Info”.
3. – Look for the “Partition Type” line. This line should contain “GUID_partition_scheme”. If the line conatins “Apple_partition_scheme” then you will not be able to install OS X on your Intel Mac. If the “Partition Type” line contained “GUID_partition_scheme”, STOP HERE! If the “Partition Type” line contained “Apple_partition_scheme”, proceed to the next step.
4. – You must now erase the whole Hard Drive (not volume) and create a new partition. This should create the GUID partition scheme by default.
5. – You should now be able to change your partition table (eg. split partitions, etc.) whilst still retaining the GUID partition scheme.
6. – Continue with your installation.
That’s it…Too easy!
Apple has released Boot Camp. Boot Camp lets you install Windows XP on your Intel Mac without moving your Mac data.
From the Apple Boot Camp page:
For your convenience, Boot Camp burns a CD with all the Mac-specific drivers for Windows:
- Graphics
- Networking
- Audio
- AirPort wireless
- Bluetooth
- The Eject key (on Apple keyboards)
- Brightness control for built-in displays
Apple’s share price jumped 10% as a result of this announcement.
It’s almost old news now but the competition to get Windows XP to boot on Intel Macs is now over. You can now install Windows XP on your Intel Macs. It looks like there are still a few things to do such as getting the Airport Extreme WiFi cards working on the Notebooks and some other dirvers need some work too, but it’s a good step in the right direction in getting a fully functioning Microsoft OS running on the Mac.
Check out http://onmac.net/ for more info and the boot loader.
It’s normally easier to hack Winblows from Winblows.
