Tag Archives: mac

HOWTO enable the query log on MySQL on Mac OS X

Posted on May 27, 2010 by matthew

Tailing the MySQL query log in real time can be a lifesaver for any developer, and it’s pretty easy to do: Make a file for the mysqld process to write to: sudo touch /var/log/mysql-query.log sudo chown _mysql /var/log/mysql-query.log If you’ve … Continue reading →

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Set up JAVA_HOME to track Java Preferences.app on Mac OS X

Posted on March 29, 2010 by matthew

Mac OS X’s Java Preferences.app has a pane for switching between versions of the JDK, but I just found out from a coworker (thanks, Mike!) that you can make your shell match that preference easily — just add this to … Continue reading →

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Speed up Firefox!

Posted on December 10, 2009 by matthew

My Firefox on Mac was getting pretty lethargic — almost a minute to spin up, and multiple seconds to just open a new tab. I installed the new beta of Google Chrome, and remembered how nice a speedy browser was. … Continue reading →

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How to bounce an application with Applescript

Posted on November 29, 2009 by matthew

Say, for whatever reason, you want to bounce iphoto once an hour. You can do that with AppleScript and cron.

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Download Xcode 3.1.4 for Leopard

Posted on November 28, 2009 by matthew

Apple’s developer website only links to the latest version of Xcode, which requires Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6). If you’re still running Leopard (10.5), you need to go to this alternative developer website: http://connect.apple.com/ Log in with your ADC … Continue reading →

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Apache2, PHP, and MySQL on Mac OS X using MacPorts

Posted on August 24, 2009 by matthew

1. Install MacPorts Follow the instructions here: http://www.macports.org/install.php. 2. Install apache2 sudo port install apache2 Note that the macports instructions suggest installing the launchctl script now, but we’ll do that after mysql and php are installed. 3. Install and configure … Continue reading →

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Using Mac OS X 10.5′s keychain for ssh

Posted on July 26, 2009 by matthew

The version of ssh that comes with Mac OS X 10.5.6 has a -K option that stores your passphrases in your system’s keychain. Run this: ssh-add -K [path to private keyfile] Provide your passphrase once when asked, and keychain will … Continue reading →

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Viscosity and Search Domains

Posted on April 23, 2009 by matthew

I’ve really enjoyed Viscosity as my openvpn client for Mac OS X (instead of Tunnelblick). It’s stable, bounces back after system sleep, and is well supported. After upgrading from 1.0.3 to 1.0.4, I found that my search domain configuration from … Continue reading →

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Skype Beta for Mac 2.8 has screen sharing

Posted on February 5, 2009 by matthew

Skype Beta for Mac OS X version 2.8 adds screen sharing, and it’s easy to use — but screen sharing is only available on the Mac version of Skype. Until they port screen sharing to Windows and Linux, teamviewer and … Continue reading →

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TaskPaper is All Sorts of Awesomeness.

Posted on November 26, 2008 by matthew

I finally got around to trying out TaskPaper (one of the apps I got from MacHeist a while ago), and it’s a brilliant and simple todo app. You enter something like this: Inbox: – Put camera in car – Put … Continue reading →

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