Mac OS X Leopard only: Run quick calculations from Leopard’s Spotlight search box. Enter your formula and the answer will appear as you type, similar to how it works in Firefox’s Google search box. Google’s implementation is a tad better; it can do metric conversion (try 24km in miles), but Spotlight’s good for pure math.
Spotlight [via Hawk Wings]Mac OS X Leopard only: One of the nice things about Stacks—or annoying things, depending on how you look at it—is that the topmost document icon appears on your Dock, instead of an indicator of which folder contains it. To solve this problem, the icon designer at Optica Optima’s offering a set of icons for download that add a drawer-like image to your Stacks. The screenshot above displays the Downloads, Applications, and Documents folders as Stacks sporting the drawer icons. Pretty! To add the icons to your Stacks, just download and unzip the package, and move the appropriate icon to the folder. For more fun along the same lines, here’s how to add custom icons for your Mac hard drives.
Stacks Overlays [XD via OS X Hacker]If the high price tag for Apple hardware has kept you from buying a Mac but you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and get adventurous, you can build your own “Hackintosh“—a PC that runs a patched version of OS X Leopard. What?!, you say. Apple’s move to Intel processors in 2006 meant that running OS X on non-Apple hardware is possible, and a community hacking project called OSx86 launched with that goal in mind. Since then, OSx86 has covered major ground, making it possible for civilians—like you and me!—to put together their own Hackintosh running Mac OS 10.5. Today, I’ll show you how to build your own high end computer running Leopard from start to finish for under $800. More »
Mac OS 10.5 only: With VNC built right into Leopard, you can remote control your Mac from any other Mac via iChat or the Screen Sharing client—OR any PC using the right VNC client. Apple doesn’t advertise this, but since Screen Sharing is just regular old VNC (albeit with a much more grokable name), our favourite Windows VNC client, TightVNC, works with it just dandy—with one small catch. More »
While some of us are still waiting to get our hands on the new Apple OS, the guys over at APC mag have been putting the cat through its paces. They’ve published a couple of useful articles looking at the state of play with application compatibility and Leopard, as well as an interesting article looking at the features which Apple seems to have dumped from their new OS.
Logitech mouse and keyboard users will hopefully already be aware that one piece of software it installs, Unsanity’s Application Enhancer, needs to be uninstalled before installing Leopard to avoid a system “bluescreen of death” at start up. On the plus side, there’s a growing list of newly updated apps which are Leopard compatible, including “Filemaker, EyeTV, BBEdit, Newsfire, Transmit, XTorrent, Parallels (Beta, Build 5540) and Audio Hijack Pro.”
David Flynn’s article looking at what’s been cut from Leopard is an interesting read. Apparently its new version of Address Book no longer lets you “use Bluetooth to dial your mobile and send SMS messages from the Address Book, and then to read and reply to incoming SMS messages on your Mac”. The article looks at a third party app which will help, and looks at other features which have gone MIA.
Leopard Giveth and Leopard Taketh Away [APC]
Leopard Compatibility: The Story So Far [APC]
Leopard only: Another handy new set of features in Mac OS 10.5 that didn’t get much attention arrived in Preview.app, that trusty utility that opens images and PDF files. In Tiger, Preview was mostly a file viewer, but in Leopard, you can edit images, rearrange and merge PDF files, as well as perform batch actions on a set of files. Let’s take a look. More »
Mac OS X only: When 300 new features get added to a new operating system revision, chances are it’s built in functionality that was only available in third party applications before. When it came to building a fresh Mac with Leopard, we left out quite a few installations in favour of the built-in enhanced versions, like iTerm (Terminal), SilverKeeper (Time Machine), VirtueDesktops (Spaces) and SharePoints (System Preferences’ Sharing panel). Macworld revisits their catalog of “Mac gems” software and lists the ones Leopard includes features from, too. What favourite Mac app of yours does Leopard make obsolete? Let us know in the comments.
Leopard’s Gems replacements, Part 1 [Macworld] Leopard’s Gems replacements, Part 2 [Macworld]Mac OS X Leopard only: A week into using Leopard and the translucent menu bar driving you batty? Speaking of tiger-izing Leopard, tiny utility OpaqueMenuBar brings solidity back to your menu bar, trading the see-through look for opacity. OpaqueMenuBar is a free download for Leopard only. OpaqueMenuBar [viv LifeClever]
Mac OS X only: Hate the new reflective Dock in Leopard, or the little blue dots that indicate open programs? Wired’s How To Wiki details what it takes to get the old Tiger-style Dock back (a simple Terminal command) and replace the glowing blue dots with Tiger’s old black triangles. You can also customise Leopard’s startup background image for booting and login. Tweak Mac OS X Leopard’s User Interface [Wired How To's]
Mac OS X only: If you run any kind of server on your Mac with Leopard, you’ll dig its revamped Sharing and Network System Preferences panels, which offer new features in a reorganised interface. One huge drawback in Tiger is that unless you install extra software, you can turn on Windows Sharing for your home folder only. No more. Using Leopard, share any folder on your Mac via FTP, Samba, or AFP (Apple Filing Protocol), from a single, easy interface. Take a closer look after the jump. More »
