Apple Archives

Safari 3.1 Develop Menu

Posted at 10:54 PM

The just-released Safari 3.1 has a new “Develop” menu (check the Advanced tab in Preferences to activate it). I usually rely on Firefox’s Web Developer Toolbar for testing and diagnostics — but preferring Safari as my general browser of choice, I was happy to see some native tools baked-in.

I often run these “bulletproof integrity tests” after finishing an initial design: disabling styles, javascript and images to check for readability and flexibility. Favlets and Firefox extensions have made this easy for years, and Safari’s new Develop menu has several of these. Excellent, I said.

It also ships with a Web Inspector (think Firebug), which allows you to break down a web page by listing it’s various files, drilling down to see computed styles and DOM info. At first glance this looked exciting and very promising, with “editable CSS” promised in the release notes. Unfortunately, you can’t edit the full CSS file (a feature we’d all love, and one that’s found in other developer extensions), but rather choosing “Inspect Element” by right clicking on a web page’s element will activate a semi-confusing-but-comprehensive status on that particular bit of code selected. I was initally confused by choosing “Inspect Element” on one of the CSS files in the list view in an attempt to edit it, only to find that the Inspector was in fact inspecting itself (which is apparently built with HTML and CSS). Heh, recursive inspection. Recurspection. Inspursive.

It seems I wasn’t the only one confused, with a chorus of Twitterers wondering the same thing: how the heck can I edit the CSS? The answer is by choosing “Inspect Element” from the browser window (a right or ctrl click), then double-clicking a property from the Styles sidebar in the Web Inspector — but not in the “Computed Style” box that’s also in the sidebar.

So, it’s a start. I’d love to see full live editing of CSS and HTML in a future version — but it’s nice to see the beginning of all of this built right into the browser.

21 Comments

Do the Collapse

Posted at 1:44 PM

“Pretty soon you’ll be using your iPhone”, said the attorney in the elevator just five minutes ago. He’d glanced at me checking things on my (now terribly outdated) Blackberry Pearl. Everyone’s talking about the iPhone. No, everyone is talking about it. Just goes to show how big an announcement it really was.

There are so many thoughts about this thing, but rather than add to the noise, here’s one I hadn’t yet seen mentioned: with a reliable browser on the iPhone (Safari) and all that it brings in terms of standards support, JS, DOM, etc., will we start looking closer at resolution dependent layouts (or other methods) for sites that would or could function as well as their larger screen counterparts?

We’re essentially talking about a fully-browsable web and everything that comes along with that in Safari. Just on a smaller screen. I realize that already exists to a certain extent with Webkit on the Nokia, Opera, and probably others, but the typical screen dimensions on a mobile phone are tiny. Seeing Steve Jobs turn the device and browse “widescreen” was eye-opening. That extra horizontal space could really increase the readability of non-mobile-specific sites as is.

The vulcan-death-pinch-squeezy thing for zooming looks great, mind you. Fluid layout for screens this small isn’t optimal, while multiple columns could just get too narrow (in the absence of min-width) — but I could see where leveraging the browser to adjust layout based on screen resolution could make things interesting in certain situations. And it’ll of course be fun to find out what this all means.

Free vintage SimpleBits sticker to the first person who names (without Googling) the band for which the title of this post is named after.

31 Comments

SmudgeBook Tip

Posted at 1:33 PM

All those smudges covering your black MacBook (you know, the ones that make you question your color choice) can be quickly and easily erased with a few swipes of the cleaning cloth that comes wth your Apple Cinema Display. Convenient. No water/cleaning liquid/turtle wax required. If you don’t currently own an Apple Cinema Display, I don’t recommend buying one solely for the cloth (although I’m sure it’s tempting).

There is now hope for SmudgeBook+Cinema Display owners worldwide.

26 Comments

Appetite

Posted at 11:47 AM

Dan’s recent post about software got me thinking. Maybe you’re like me, where you love trying out cool new apps. “Wow, this is great! It’ll save me time and I’ll be far more productive”. But after a day or so the excitement wears off and you’re back to pencil and paper, or storing things mentally, or doing things without that exciting app again.

For general web work I tend to stick to the basics only: Photoshop, BBEdit, NetNewsWire, Transmit, and all the goodies that come bundled with OS X. I suppose the only oddball would be the Backpack Dashboard widget. I’ve found it to be one of the only productivity apps (if I may call it that) I use with any sort of frequency. I prefer the widget over the web interface, although I’m not sure if that means anything. It’s been useful for keeping track of little client bits, unpaid invoices (for which I should be using something else), etc.

Actually I’ve just thought of a few that might be worth mentioning: Iconographer (for creating favicons) and SuperDuper! (recommended by DB and used as my routine backup solution).

I’ve always considered myself a “Power User”, but damn… maybe that’s wishful thinking.

40 Comments

Shuffle FM

Posted at 12:06 AM

I rarely listen to commerical radio (usually in the car), but I’ve noticed a new(ish) radio station here in the Boston area, 93.7 Mike FM. Their motto is “we play everything”. This means you’ll hear Loverboy, then Jim Croce, then Ashlee Simpson. I’m guessing the new format has something to do with the rise of shuffling on the iPod and other similar devices (are there other devices?).

I have two reactions to this: a) well, that’s sort of cool. At least they’ve broken out of the commercial radio mold of playing the same 12 songs a day. And b) is this just background sound for people that don’t like music? A sort of “Russian Roulette”, where the station bets on playing something that you’ll like… eventually? What’s the demographic they’re going after?

Another observation is that this particular station has no DJs (from what I gather). Just pre-recorded station bumpers, commercials and random songs. I imagine this keeps the cost of running a station like this to a minimum. Just hit shuffle and go.

I also wonder: are there similar “shuffle style” stations popping up in other parts of the world?

104 Comments

Mighty Mouse Reflections

Posted at 4:11 PM

On Wednesday, I had to buy a new battery for my 1.5 year-old PowerBook. Apparently they don’t live that long, and I was getting a whopping 10 minutes out of a full charge. PowerBook batteries aren’t all that exciting, but I also brought home a Mighty Mouse, which is only slightly more interesting.

53 Comments

Apparently, Mouse Pads are Soo 2004

Posted at 12:25 PM

While checking out at the Apple store recently, I had an interesting conversation:

Me

Do you have any mouse pads?

Apple Guy

Uh, what?

Me

Mouse pads. Do you carry them?

Apple Guy

Mouse pads? *chuckles arrogantly* No, we’ve never carried anything like that.

Oh. But I’m from the camp that thinks they’re a necessity — even when using an optical mouse. Having it slide across the desk without any sort of traction just doesn’t cut it. Not to mention the woodgrain on the desk occassionally throws off the tracking.

So I head over to Office Depot — an office supply superstore. They have mouse pads. But all of them have patterns and designs on them. American flags, Grand Canyon panoramas, Faux water droplets, etc. I can forsee these patterns being a problem for optical tracking. So I leave the store empty handed.

I realize I could order a zillion of them online somewhere with no patterns, perfect for optical mice. But I’m merely documenting an observation, that the value of the mouse pad is just overlooked by so many. And I’m shocked that Apple doesn’t try to capitalize on selling the coolest mouse pad ever created. Someone needs to tap this untapped market that’s been poorly tapped thus far.

I remember buying my first Mac (a Classic II) and it came with a free Apple mouse pad. It was a great one, with a slipperly plastic surface. I wish I still had it, but it’s gone. Where to, I can’t say. perhaps it’s now part of something larger.

133 Comments

Oops I Quit It Again

Posted at 11:45 PM

Here’s something that’s more than a just a bit annoying. Have you ever quickly shot the mouse up to the upper left-hand corner of the browser window in Safari to hit the back button, only to have clicked the “close window” button instead? I’ve been making a habit of this lately. And it’s awful.

There’s just not enough space between the back/forward buttons, and the close/minimize/maximize buttons in the interface. You’ll notice that the back button (an oft used task) sits just a few pixels below the close button. Clicking the close button unintentionally when you have several tabs set up with whatever you’re working on will ensure certain anger, swearing and regret. Whenever I click it, for a split second I wish for an “undo” keystroke to cancel my missed mouse target. Sadly, all my current sites disappear and I’m back to square one.

Naturally, you may suggest that I use a different browser — and indeed Firefox has a larger target for the back button, reinforced by a further separation of the browser’s controls from the window options. And I’ve also heard there are ways to strip Safari of it’s “chrome”, perhaps changing the spacing between the buttons. But I’m just here to complain about the initial design choice that Apple chose to make.

63 Comments

Sluggish Mail, Unsatisfying FTP

Posted at 4:33 PM

For awhile now, I’ve been using Apple’s own Mail app for all my electronic mail tasks. Overall, I’m happy with the features — but lately I’ve noticed an annoying sluggishness.

It appears that the longer I keep the application open, the slower and more unresponsive it becomes. The problem is solved by quitting, then restarting. After a restart, it’s back to its peppy self. But aside from the annoyance of having to quit, it just seems like something must be wrong. I store a lot of mail in sub folders on my Mac. It’s a POP account, and not IMAP. So I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced the same performance?

I had been watching Jon Hicks’ comments regarding similar issues with Safari, which turned out to be a third-party plugin. No plugins involved here, but I’m guessing there’s a fix out there somewhere.

FTP on OS X

In other Apple application-related thoughts, I’ve been a long-time user of RBrowser for all of my FTP and SFTP needs. I love many features, but am continually frustrated with the performance and lackluster updates.

I’ve briefly given Transmit a spin and found it to be much snappier, but it (seemed to) lack the things I like about RBRowser the most:

• OS X “column view” for navigating directories.
• Double-click to open files in BBEdit.

So I’m asking you, the highly esteemed readership of SimpleBits, to prove me wrong: does Transmit make you smile — or are there better alternatives out there for FTP on a Mac?

73 Comments

Shuffle Theory

Posted at 9:51 AM

Way back in March of last year, I wrote a Notebook entry entitled My iPod Loves to Play Fugazi. And boy did it. I was convinced that the iPod (an original 5GB model) was playing me rather than the reverse. Fugazi (of which I have two albums in full on the iPod) would appear more often than any other artist—some of whom I have 5 or 6 albums worth of songs.

For instance, I have maybe 6 albums by the band Guided by Voices on there. A typical GBV album has approximately 3,267 songs on it. OK, maybe 20-30. They’re usually short, quick masterpieces. Anyhow, you’d think I’d hear GBV more often than Fugazi. But it was not so.

As a continuation of the theory, through the aforementioned Notebook entry, I was briefly quoted in today’s New York Times article, Tunes, a Hard Drive and (Just Maybe) a Brain (registration required). Turns out I’m not the only one who believes that shuffle mode may be possessed.

There are two corrections I’d like to point out from the article:

• It’s Cederholm, not Cedarholm. (very common)
• I still do like Fugazi. I believe I said I got tired of hearing them so often—but listen to anything in excess and it starts losing its charm.

I will say this, however. Just a few weeks ago, I purchased a new 4th generation click-wheel iPod—and I haven’t heard Fugazi once. Shuffling appears far more random, although maybe it just seems that way. And as the NYT article also points out, a “Shuffle Songs” option is now placed right in the main menu of the iPod’s interface, making it much easier to click once and go.

Unrelated to shuffling, sound quality seems to have been improved on the new models, and although I haven’t drained the battery yet, I’m sure hoping it’ll last as long as advertised.

44 Comments

Reality Checkout

Posted at 2:59 PM

Overheard near a display of iPods at the Apple Store, approximately two hours ago:

Well, Microsoft owns Apple… so I’m sure it has to work.

You learn something new every day.

82 Comments

Trigger Happy Tunes

Posted at 2:28 PM

One of the things I’ve noticed about listening to digital music, whether it be on iTunes or my iPod, is that my attention span is dwindling. Lately, I’ve been running iTunes in shuffle mode while working — it’s fantastic, like my own radio station playing along all day. But I find that even if I’m listening to a great song, I’ll click to the next track before it’s finished. I know the next song is going to be even better. Sometimes it is.

Digging through open windows to find the iTunes interface can be a pain though — even using Exposé, where I have a keystroke to show all windows, click the window, then click the forward button.

If you click and hold the iTunes icon in the dock, a pop-up menu will appear with a “Next Song” option. That worked for me for awhile.

But then I discovered Synergy, a little app that puts the iTunes controls up in the menubar. No more wading through windows to get the next song or pause. There is also a ridiculous amount of configuration options for such a small application, including 10 or so different button styles, transparent windows that pop-up telling you what song is playing, etc.

No I can fast forward through all of my favorite tunes.

33 Comments

Save As Replace Trick

Posted at 7:01 PM

While repeatedly saving a file to overwrite an already existing one, I found a cool little timesaver that’s built into OS X’s Finder. I’m sure this is old hat for most users out there, but for those like myself that didn’t know about it — it’s worth mentioning.

When saving a file, if you’d like to replace an existing file using the same fileneme, just click the file you’d like to replace from the dialog’s column view (they will be grayed out) — and the filename will auto-populate the “Save As:” field. No need to retype the name. It will even append the file extension, based on what file you click.

A small timesaver, but cool nonetheless. And yet another example of the subtle features that Apple builds into the OS. Too subtle though? It sure took me awhile to discover it — and that was by chance. Then again, I’m not putting much effort into seeking out tips and tricks on a regular basis.

39 Comments

Purchased Portability

Posted at 7:45 PM

I’ve just purchased a new 12” PowerBook. And tomorrow, you all can laugh with me. You do know what’s going to happen tomorrow, don’t you?

Tomorrow Apple Computer will announce a sweeping upgrade to its entire PowerBook line. The 12” model I chose will be $300 less, but will have dual 4GHZ G9 processors with 10GB RAM. A free, 100GB iPod will also be thrown in as a freebie.

Of course I’m exaggerating — but this is what happens when I buy a Mac. Every time.

This time around, I got tired of waiting. First waiting for MacWorld in January. Will Steve announce new PowerBooks? No. Oh, but they’ve updated PowerBooks like three weeks after MacWorld before. Oh, OK then. I’ll just wait a few more weeks. Nothing.

Then there was the constant refreshing of the rumor discussion boards (I’ve since deleted those bookmarks). Oh look! They’ve increased the font size on the PowerBook details page — that means new updates absolutely no later than February 2nd.

When all is said and done, I guess it doesn’t really matter when you buy. New models will keep coming out every six months or so. You just need to buy and forget about it. In my case, I had been needing this thing for a while. I had to buy it for a few reasons — but I still wanted to get the best deal. It’s a fantastic little machine. A work of art.

I’m curious. Who has the worst computer buyer’s remorse story? I’m confident it happens to everyone.

64 Comments

Sticky-less Hover

Posted at 11:33 PM

Safari version 1.2 has been released. In addition to all of the other new features, I’m happy to see that the “sticky hover” bug has been squashed.

Previously, some CSS hover states would stick on hovering. Oddly, if you moved the mouse away from the hover area up, the state would return to it’s normal appearance. But moving the mouse left, right or down would sometimes result in the hover getting stuck.

Anyhow, it seems to be fixed with the release of 1.2, which makes me smile. The navigation for this site works like a charm now in Safari 1.2 — as do the Accessible Image-Tab Rollovers I had whipped up for FC a while back.

16 Comments

MacWorld 2004

Posted at 2:52 PM

It was sort of a lackluster MacWorld Keynote today. While the iPod Mini looks cool, it’s only $50 less than the normal-sized iPod that’ll now hold 11 more gigabytes of tunes on it. Hmm. I think many of us were expecting an iPod for around $99 or even $149. Don’t get me wrong though, the size is spectacular. Heck, my old-school iPod only holds 5 gigabytes and was a heck of a lot more than $249 at the time.

I was most excited to see GarageBand, a new digital music recording app added to the iLife series. Maybe now I can get off my lazy ass and use my Mac to record some music again.

I realize there are plenty of professional recording applications out there, but the ease of use looks amazing — and I’ve been casually searching for a dead-simple recording program that does essentially what a four-track tape recorder would do. Something to plug into and record — without the bells and whistles. Looks like GarageBand might be fun to play around with.

Lastly, no new PowerBooks! As you may know, I was waiting to see if there would be any new models announced before purchasing a 12” version. I guess it’s safe to buy — although in a few weeks time they could easily announce new models. I’ve come to the realization that there is no perfect time to buy. One could continue to wait… and wait. And there will always be a better deal on the horizon. Ah well.

23 Comments

PowerBook Predictions

Posted at 11:09 AM

So it’s time to buy a new PowerBook. Soon, I’ll be handing in the one I’ve been using on company time and I’ve gotten far too used to sitting on the couch to get work done, wirelessly, as well as a few upcoming trips.

And now I’m caught in that eternal dilemma: when to pull the trigger when buying a new system. I see that there’s a MacWorld conference coming up in early January, and my instincts tell me there’ll be an update to the PowerBook line.

I hate this game. Buy now, and then a week later there’s a whole new line — for less money. It happens to me every time. Every time. So what’s your strategy? Don’t look back? Wait and see?

37 Comments

Panther Notes

Posted at 10:52 AM

• Feels snappier, more responsive. I like that the pinstripes are played down a bit.
• Is it just me, or does Lucida Grande look “skinnier” in Panther?
• Finder’s sidebar is handy, and it’s nice to have those same shortcuts in open and save dialog boxes.
• Mail improvements are nice. I’m not sure why they went with PostFix over Sendmail, but it does seem darn fast. I like the options when hovering over an email address (send a mail, add to addressbook, etc.).
• Exposé is fantastic — especially when you activate screen corners. It’s a little awkward having to go up to the the Function keys, but moving the mouse to one of the corners is fast.
• Tabs in Camino are now a little funky. It’s inheriting Panther’s new button tab theme and something just ain’t right. Minor.
• Fast User Switching is amazingly great. Previously, you had to quit all applications in order to log another user in. Now, you can leave everything open. I’ve heard that setting up different desktop environments is a neat way to take advantage of this feature. One “user” for writing, one for graphics or development — with all of the associated applications open only in those areas.

  I’m wondering though if this would affect system performance (having all those applications open at once, even though they are in different user accounts). I’m assuming it would.

• I completely rendered my PowerBook useless after playing with Font Book. I guess I should have read the Help before attempting to drag n’ drop new fonts in. Somehow I managed to delete all of my fonts, which in turn crashed all running applications and the Finder. Things are pretty much back to normal now, although Verdana and Times look slightly different than they did before the disaster. Possibly unrelated.

  Be careful with fonts.

23 Comments