Big Book of Apple Hacks: Tips & Tolls to unlocking the power of your Apple devices

1081 Pages·2016·40.01 MB·English

by  Seibold C.

Big Book of Apple Hacks
Chris Seibold
Published by O’Reilly Media
Beijing ⋅ Cambridge ⋅ Farnham ⋅ Köln ⋅ Sebastopol ⋅ Tokyo
Preface
Ostensibly, you buy a computer or gadget to get something done. The something
might be as simple as listening to MP3s you’ve ripped from your CD collection
or as challenging as creating a full-length feature film. Apple is happy to sell you
products to meet your needs. The trouble is your needs aren’t exactly the needs
of the next guy, and that’s where hacking comes in. With a little (or sometimes a
lot) of effort, you can make your Apple gadgets and software perform in the
manner you wish them to. Apple stuff that does things exactly the way you want
makes the Apple experience that much better.
There are over 100 hacks in this book and a passel of quick tips and tricks. Some
are simple enough—you’ve probably already pulled them off—while others are a
bit more challenging. All, to the right person, can be fun and useful.
So what can you expect? There is a wide range of hacks here. If you’ve got an
iPhone, you can learn how to take your hard drive with you when you go. Tired
of the look of OS X? Discover ways to tweak interface elements. Want to watch
your Apple TV on yesterday’s television set? You’ll learn how. Worried about
your Mac’s security? You’re covered.
This book covers Mac OS X, the iLife Suite of programs, the iPod, the iPhone,
and Apple TV. Any particular part of the Apple universe you carry in your
pocket is in here.
How to Use This Book
This is a book about hacking, so deciding how to use this book is completely up
to you. You could, if the inclination hits you, use the pages for interesting
origami projects. If you want to use the book in a more traditional manner, just
start reading, it doesn’t matter where. Each hack is as self-contained as possible
(and points to other hacks when not) so there isn’t any reason not to crack open
the book at random and start reading. Chapter 1 contains some hacks that
provide background for a lot of the other hacks in the book, so many will find
that a useful place to start. Others might leap to the specific chapter that seems
most interesting. A lot of the hacks depend on the command-line interface
available via the Terminal program, so Chapter 4 is a good place to start if you
haven’t used that in a while.
How This Book Is Organized
While you can start reading anywhere in the book, it isn’t a jumble of unrelated
hacks. If you have a specific interest, this is a good place to decide where to
begin.
Chapter 1, Before You Hack
Any time you’re hacking Mac OS X, you run a risk of accidentally losing data.
This chapter will help you minimize the risk by showing you how to create a
solid backup and an emergency boot drive. This chapter also introduces some of
the hacker’s favorite tools, such as Xcode and PLIST files.
Chapter 2, Hacks for the Net
Everyone uses the Internet, but that doesn’t mean you have to use the Internet in
the Apple-recommended way. Learn how (and why) to use an alternative
browser, enable Safari’s Debug menu, build your own web server. You’ll also
learn how to reset Safari, how to avoid sending data you’d rather keep private
when you’re sending files, and how to automate web retrieval. You can even
discover a great method for keeping files you create on the Internet for your eyes
only.
Chapter 3, Hacking Mac OS X
Mac OS X has a lot going on, and you might not like all of it. Grown tired of
Dashboard? You’ll learn how to kill it. Love a particular Dashboard widget? You
can move it to the Desktop. If that isn’t enough, discover how to display a
constantly changing picture on your Desktop, displaying information you want
to know. Maybe you want to lose the Desktop altogether? No problem: you’ll
discover how to quit the Finder. You’ll also be introduced to the wonder of OS X
automation: Automator. Here you’ll find a way to make disks targeted for
specific Macs available to any Mac you choose, and so much more.
Chapter 4, Command-Line Fun
There is a lot of power in the command line, but the interface scares away some
people who would love to harness its power. This chapter will ease your fears
and then show some very cool things you can do with the Terminal. Want to
batch process images? A few commands typed into the Terminal, and you’re
done! Want to run programs from the world of Linux? You’ll learn how. You’ll
find how to use shell scripts to make life easier and even discover how to use
virtually any storage space on the Internet as a virtual hard drive.
Chapter 5, Customizing the OS X Look and Feel
Sometimes you just want your Mac to look different than the guy’s machine next
to you at Starbucks. You can start by changing the login window, move forward
by making Safari’s error page look the way you want it to, and make Mail play
the sounds you want it to. If that isn’t enough, discover how to make custom
screensavers and your own icons. There’s more; by the time you’re done, your
Mac will look just like you want it to.