Mac Hacks: Tips & Tools for unlocking the power of OS X

by Chris Seibold

Overview

Want to take real control of your Mac? The hacks in this book help you dig below the surface to tweak system preferences, mount drives and devices, and generally do things with your system that Apple doesn’t expect you to do. With a little effort, you can make your Mac and its applications perform exactly the way you want them to.

There are more than 50 hacks in this book that show you how to fine-tune the interface, work with multimedia, set up your network, boost security, and perform a few tricks with Unix.

• Go beyond Preferences: change the way OS X Mountain Lion behaves
• Customize your experience by taming browsers and making apps full screen
• Get information delivered right to your desktop, and automate mundane tasks
• Use the command line and install various Unix apps to unlock your Mac’s Unix power
• Increase security, monitor network traffic, and remain anonymous
• Play Wii games and host a Minecraft server on your Mac
• Modify your WiFi, move iTunes, and record TV shows
• Turn your MacBook into a tablet and give it a custom dye job

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781449325589
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	03/22/2013
Pages:	327
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Chris Seibold is an engineer, writer, and cartoonist residing in Knoxville, Tennessee. As an engineer, he has tackled such diverse processes as powder coating and hot dog casing manufacture. As a writer, he has focused on computing and written for a variety of online and traditional media, including serving as Senior Contributing Editor for the Apple Matters web site and contributing hacks to iPod and iTunes Hacks, with a talent for making the complex accessible to the interested but harried user. As a cartoonist, he has produced both cartoon strips and editorials. Chris also managed to spend some time working producing radio shows relating to sports. As soon as he hits television, the trifecta will be complete. Chris lives with his wife, young son, and what is quite possibly the world's dimmest canine. He has a degree in Physics from the Universityof Tennessee but has yet to find work involving frictionless inclined planes.

Table of Contents

Preface; How to Use This Book; How This Book Is Organized; Conventions Used in This Book; Using Code Examples; Safari® Books Online; How to Contact Us; Acknowledgments; Chapter 1: Before You Hack; 1.1 Create a Great Backup; 1.2 Create a Bootable Flash Drive; 1.3 Partition that Drive Nondestructively; 1.4 Get to Know Your User Account; 1.5 Home Folder to Go; 1.6 Fun with PLIST; 1.7 Troubleshooting Mac OS X; Chapter 2: Mountain Lion Hacks; 2.1 Copy the Mountain Lion Installer to a Flash Drive; 2.2 Resurrect Web Sharing in Mountain Lion; 2.3 Make Notification Center Less Annoying; 2.4 Quick Hacks for Mountain Lion; 2.5 A Clean Install of Mountain Lion; Chapter 3: Customize Your OS X Experience; 3.1 Tame Your Browsers; 3.2 Blog with Your Mac; 3.3 Host a Web Page on Your Mac (and Get at Your Files Anytime); 3.4 Change the Startup Sound; 3.5 Full Screen for (Almost) Any App; 3.6 Create Custom Icons; Chapter 4: Hacks for a More Informative Mac; 4.1 Quit the Finder; 4.2 Move a Widget to the Desktop; 4.3 Turn Your Desktop into a Fount of Useful Info; Chapter 5: Make It Automatic; 5.1 Getting Things Done with AppleScript; 5.2 Create a Service with Automator; 5.3 Customize the Services Menu; 5.4 Speed Things Up with Keybindings; 5.5 Eject iTunes; Chapter 6: Fun with Unix; 6.1 Harmless Unix Tricks; 6.2 Install Homebrew; 6.3 Get Things Done Safely with the Command Line; 6.4 Manipulate Images with ImageMagick; 6.5 Customize the Dock with Terminal; Chapter 7: Lock Down that Mac; 7.1 Achieve Network Anonymity; 7.2 Monitor Your Network Traffic; 7.3 Protect Sensitive Files; 7.4 Encrypt a USB Drive; 7.5 Add Physical Security Measures to Your Mac; Chapter 8: Other OSes; 8.1 Run a Minecraft Server on Your Mac; 8.2 Play Wii Games on Your Mac; 8.3 Manage Your Devices with Profile Manager; Chapter 9: Networking Hacks; 9.1 Optimize Your WiFi; 9.2 Secure Your Wireless Network; 9.3 Use Your Mac as an Access Point; Chapter 10: Multimedia Hacks; 10.1 Turn Your Mac into a DVR; 10.2 Master Torrents; 10.3 Move Your iTunes Library; 10.4 Get Free and Better-Sounding Music for iTunes; Chapter 11: Hack Some Hardware; 11.1 Have Your Mac Automagically Recognize You; 11.2 Squeeze Some Speed out of an Aging MacBook Pro; 11.3 Give Your Polycarbonate Mac a Dye Job; 11.4 Get that iMac out of the Way; 11.5 Use a Wiimote with Your Mac; 11.6 Turn Your MacBook into a Tablet; Colophon;