Andy's Un-Official Unsolicited Mac Advice Thread

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  • pmaxwellpmaxwell Registered Users Posts: 129 Major grins
    edited August 10, 2011
    Richard, I'm running Opera on an iPad and so far I like it better than Safari. It's free so it is definitely worth a try.
  • cmasoncmason Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited August 10, 2011
    pmaxwell wrote: »
    I'm running Opera on an iPad


    Do note, that Opera on mobile devices is different than the Opera on a PC or Mac. The critical difference is that Opera does some transcoding on the server side to reduce the load on the mobile device, and therefore improve speed. This is one benefit of Opera mobile: speed.

    BUT, you need to be aware that this speed comes at a cost: your credentials, bank accounts, passwords, everything, is being processed and stored, temporarily, on the Opera servers. Now, I don't doubt that the people at Opera are fine people without any intention or desire to look at any private info from other users. But that doesn't mean someone else might not see it as an opportunity to hack Opera's systems and enjoy the rich data.

    I recommend that if you use Opera, don't visit websites that require logins or sharing sensitive info. Otherwise, enjoy the speed, but do so as an informed user.
  • Moogle PepperMoogle Pepper Registered Users Posts: 2,950 Major grins
    edited August 11, 2011
    I am thinking of purchasing Parallels or VM fusion. What would be the major difference between the two? I would be installing it onto my i7 imac with OSX lion.
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  • cmasoncmason Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited August 11, 2011
    Frankly, each are about the same in terms of performance. Each new update seems to up the ante in one place or the other, but I think the days of one claiming to be faster than the other are pretty much done. They even have similar features.

    I chose Fusion because I was familiar with VMWare from windoze days, and I use it on my company paid laptop (they have a VMWare enterprise license). But the real reason I bought VMWare Fusion: it was on sale.
  • eoren1eoren1 Registered Users Posts: 2,391 Major grins
    edited August 11, 2011
    I am thinking of purchasing Parallels or VM fusion. What would be the major difference between the two? I would be installing it onto my i7 imac with OSX lion.

    You may want to wait just a bit to see which comes out with a better implementation of virtualizing Lion (if that matters to you). I got Parallels 6 for free with my iMac purchase from BHphoto. Had previously used VMware. The two are very similar with regards to running Win7. I really want to virtualize Lion so I can test out software in that environment (especially apps not yet guaranteed to work in Lion) prior to putting in on my actual Mac. Neither has a virtualized Lion yet but both state it is coming soon.
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited August 11, 2011
    This isn't just a Mac thing, but I have to sing the praises of unsubscribe.com. I'm in love with it. Mostly the Mail plugin. Check it!
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  • pmaxwellpmaxwell Registered Users Posts: 129 Major grins
    edited August 11, 2011
    I have both Parallels and VM Ware fusion. Parallels did a better job in my opinion of integrating two environments for a more seamless workflow. However VMWare does a significantly better job in processor management while running processor intensive application (In my case a Visual Studio compiler) It wasn't even close. I settled on VMWare and I haven't had any issues of note running it on Lion.
  • BradfordBennBradfordBenn Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited August 12, 2011
    I also used both Parallels and VMWare Fusion. I agree that there are some nice features of Parallels with the ability to launch Windows applications directly from the Mac finder. It also has some interesting USB hooks for Human Interface Device that makes it easier. However I also settled on VMWare Fusion for a few reasons. The first is the speed as previously mentioned, it is faster and does not slow down the Mac side as much. The other big reason is that I can run the same virtual machine on my Windows workstation or work laptop and then run the same machine on the Mac. Literally I just keep the machine on an external drive and move it from machine to machine.

    Also it will run nice and fast on an external drive, faster than being on the same drive as the Mac OS.
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  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited August 15, 2011
    Flash to HTML5 Safari extension.
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  • cmasoncmason Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited September 15, 2011
    Upgraded to Lion, and while I like it, its been the most 'windows like' upgrade I have experienced with Apple. It just hasn't been seamless and there have been tons of problems.

    Anyway, I needed to run my screen calibration again, but found the the Spyder2 software was PPC/Rosetta! Ugh, and they do not have an update, and its not clear if there will ever be one.

    Thankfully, I remembered I had a Carbon Copy Clone that I ran just before upgrading to Lion. I booted to it from my FW hard drive, and SL booted, including the old Spyder2 software. I ran the calibration and then grabbed the calibration file, copied it to my iMac internal drive (Lion) and then rebooted.

    So, this is a nice case where having that full clone backup came in handy.
  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,246 moderator
    edited September 15, 2011
    DavidTO wrote: »
    Flash to HTML5 Safari extension.

    I like this line on their page:
    If you use a laptop, you will also notice that the battery life of a fully charged battery will increase.

    Really? Two things wrong with that. A fully charged battery can't be more fully charged than full. And if it can increase a battery's state of charge just with code, I think they might just win a Nobel prize for their efforts. :D
    My Smugmug
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  • RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,963 moderator
    edited September 15, 2011
    David_S85 wrote: »
    And if it can increase a battery's state of charge just with code, I think they might just win a Nobel prize for their efforts. :D
    It doesn't have to increase the charge, only deplete it more slowly, to prolong the time between charges. More efficient code can do that.
  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,246 moderator
    edited September 15, 2011
    I know, but they did use the word "increase" for the charge state. Their claimed statement was just, well, oddly worded.
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  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,943 moderator
    edited September 15, 2011
    David_S85 wrote: »
    I know, but they did use the word "increase" for the charge state. Their claimed statement was just, well, oddly worded.

    I dunno. When I read "you will also notice that the battery life of a fully charged battery will increase.", I took it to mean in terms of hours. Battery life is a big ticket item in portable devices and anything to increase battery life is always more than welcome.

    Didn't seem oddly worded at all.
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  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited September 15, 2011
    ian408 wrote: »
    Didn't seem oddly worded at all.

    Your face is oddly worded.


    (sorry, hanging with my kids too much.)
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  • RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,963 moderator
    edited September 29, 2011
    Anybody have experience with third-party batteries for a MacBook (white)? My wife's machine started acting strangely yesterday (random page flips, typing garbled) and I saw that the battery had become so swollen that it was affecting the trackpad. Fortunately, it works fine with the battery removed, so it looks like no permanent damage has been done. Apparently, pregnant batteries are a known problem with this generation of machines, and though some Apple stores in the US are replacing them for free, Apple charges about $200 for a replacement here in Spain. Seems abusive to me, so I am looking for an alternative.
  • pmaxwellpmaxwell Registered Users Posts: 129 Major grins
    edited October 16, 2011
    In case you are curious, thunderbolt drives really are amazingly fast. Though I wish the raid array I'm using was quieter. It isn't loud, but in my den would like it to be ultra quiet.
  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited November 4, 2011
    Printer - Scanner - Fax
    I've had one for a while, and it's crapping out. Who's recently bought one that they're happy with? I need a recommendation. Yeah, unfortunately, I still need a real fax machine component.....

    ear.gif
  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,943 moderator
    edited November 4, 2011
    Andy wrote: »
    I've had one for a while, and it's crapping out. Who's recently bought one that they're happy with? I need a recommendation. Yeah, unfortunately, I still need a real fax machine component.....

    ear.gif

    I just today bought an HP M1212nf. So far, so good!

    It's cheap, prints black and white, has a sheet feeder. Nothing special. Easy setup. Uses laser cartridges. It was $150.
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  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited November 5, 2011
    ian408 wrote: »
    I just today bought an HP M1212nf. So far, so good!

    It's cheap, prints black and white, has a sheet feeder. Nothing special. Easy setup. Uses laser cartridges. It was $150.

    Is the scanning bit simple and easy? I get lots of documents that I must sign, turn into pdfs, then send by email.
  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,943 moderator
    edited November 5, 2011
    So far, it's easy peasy. I scanned a 5 page document yesterday. It comes with HP's "director" software that will also allow you to scan and email a document, fax it or just scan it.

    I should add if you get one, then you'll need to go to the HP website and DL the correct version of the software if you're running Lion.
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  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited November 5, 2011
    ian408 wrote: »
    So far, it's easy peasy. I scanned a 5 page document yesterday. It comes with HP's "director" software that will also allow you to scan and email a document, fax it or just scan it.

    I should add if you get one, then you'll need to go to the HP website and DL the correct version of the software if you're running Lion.

    Thanks, Ian - on the hunt right now. I'm also considering this one, seems to be a big brother to the one you got?
    http://store.apple.com/us/product/H7309LL/A?fnode=MjA0MjI0OTM
  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,943 moderator
    edited November 5, 2011
    Yes. That's the big brother to the one I got. I looked at it but dismissed it only because I won't use it as much as you might.
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  • RovingEyePhotoRovingEyePhoto Registered Users Posts: 314 Major grins
    edited November 27, 2011
    Lion ...
    Think this is the right place for this post. Mac is Mac, right?

    I went through the exercise of considering upgrade from my old Dell to Mac a year ago, decided against it, but now am ready. Glad I deferred, because Lion is exceedingly impressive! I've been visiting the nearby Apple Store for a month or so, attending workshops and running Lion exercises as machines have been available. In parallel, I'm working my way through Pogue's "Missing Manual" series on Lion, and seem to be gaining a comfortable familiarity with the interface and switchover from PC. I think it's the iPhone-like visuals that smooth the way. I don't own the phone, but certainly am familiar with it, so feel right at home. And I understand Photoshop for Mac will be about the same as I'm used to, so anticipating no problems there. I understand those upgrading from Snow Leopard to Lion have had some issues, I'll get a totally newly installed version, so should avoid all that. Apple seems to have done a hell of a job with Lion, heading the interface in an easily digested direction.

    Have any of you used "Migration Assistant", a download from Apple supposedly handling transfer of work files, email, iTunes library and contacts from PC to Mac? The work files should be easy, but probably could use this download for transferring email, iTunes library and contacts.

    I posted in Gear/Darkroom forum about reservations having to do with the iMac screen. Hope they get resolved because so far I'm loving introduction into the system.

    Thanks for taking the time ...
    See my work at http://www.flickr.com/photos/26525400@N04/sets/. Policy is to initially upload 10-20 images from each shoot, then a few from various of the in-process shoots each time I log on, until a shoot is completely uploaded.
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 27, 2011
    I've never used the PC Migration Assistant, but the Mac>Mac version works a charm.
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  • RovingEyePhotoRovingEyePhoto Registered Users Posts: 314 Major grins
    edited November 27, 2011
    DavidTO wrote: »
    I've never used the PC Migration Assistant, but the Mac>Mac version works a charm.
    Encouraging, and thanks. One more small step along the way ...
    See my work at http://www.flickr.com/photos/26525400@N04/sets/. Policy is to initially upload 10-20 images from each shoot, then a few from various of the in-process shoots each time I log on, until a shoot is completely uploaded.
  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited November 27, 2011
    Andy wrote: »
    Thanks, Ian - on the hunt right now. I'm also considering this one, seems to be a big brother to the one you got?
    http://store.apple.com/us/product/H7309LL/A?fnode=MjA0MjI0OTM

    I ended up buying this one from Brother at my local officemax, it's rather good. No software to install, instantly hooked up to my mac, network, etc, and it prints, faxes, copies, scans with ease. Oh, I *love* the two sided printing. One of the many things I do at SmugMug is reveiw contracts and such, and I like to print them off and have them in-hand. Duplex printing is awesome for this.
  • pickerbwpickerbw Registered Users Posts: 78 Big grins
    edited December 21, 2011
    MacBook Air
    Yesterday I picked up a new MacBook Air with the i7 processor to replace my wife's 5-year old MacBook. Man, that thing is smoking fast (at least compared to what we are used to). Does anyone have any thoughts on using a MacBook Air for Aperture 3, Lightroom 3, or Capture NX2?

    I picked up a free trial of Aperture 3, but haven't had time to use it yet. At $79 in the Mac app store, it's awfully appealing. I'm considering adding Vivenza 2, and am curious if anyone can compare that combination to Capture NX2 to process Nikon RAW files.

    Thanks!
  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited December 21, 2011
    pickerbw wrote: »
    Yesterday I picked up a new MacBook Air with the i7 processor to replace my wife's 5-year old MacBook. Man, that thing is smoking fast (at least compared to what we are used to). Does anyone have any thoughts on using a MacBook Air for Aperture 3, Lightroom 3, or Capture NX2?

    I picked up a free trial of Aperture 3, but haven't had time to use it yet. At $79 in the Mac app store, it's awfully appealing. I'm considering adding Vivenza 2, and am curious if anyone can compare that combination to Capture NX2 to process Nikon RAW files.

    Thanks!

    I run Photoshop CS5, Lightroom3 on my 11" Macbook Air and it screams. Go do it, no worries :)
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited December 21, 2011
    Andy wrote: »
    I run Photoshop CS5, Lightroom3 on my 11" Macbook Air and it screams. Go do it, no worries :)

    My 1st gen MacPro is showing its age, and I need to upgrade my photo storage. I was thinking about an iMac and a Thunderbolt RAID, but I think that I'm going to start out by simply hooking my MBA up to the monitors and RAID with this and see how I get by. The biggest drawback at that point will be the 4GB RAM limitation.
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