Mac forum - General chit chat/idle banter

The Black Oil · 13-09-2018 11:49am #1

Haven't done a time machine back up in a long, long time. Doing it now, seems I've to start from scratch with 279GB to go! Looking forward to Mojave. Went with the beta of iOS 12, but honestly haven't used it much. Missed the event yesterday. Will probably watch MKBHD's videos anyway, have a 5s for work.

Thread doesn't always have to be Mac stuff...chat away. Seemed to have missed a recent dispatch mail from Amazon, even though it was in my Gmail.

Sad Professor · 14-09-2018 11:33am

Yeah, i only do a TM backup a couple of times a year, if that. The advent of SSDs has made me very complacent. I mostly do it for stuff on my external HDDs.

Missed the event as well. Can't really justify a new phone at the moment and even if I could, the Xr seems too big.

The Black Oil · 16-09-2018 8:39pm

Have only dabbled in Final Cut Pro with cutting dashcam stuff. Trying something new. Going to see if I can bring together audio and video together, with the former having been done separately as a back up. Camera's nothing fancy (compact and not for professional footage), so we'll see if there's any difference. Audio also not anything professional, either. I don't really understand how the export sizes vary so much, particular with a 90 second clip...

calum · 17-09-2018 12:20am

Sad Professor wrote: »

Yeah, i only do a TM backup a couple of times a year, if that. The advent of SSDs has made me very complacent. I mostly do it for stuff on my external HDDs.

Gives me cold sweats just reading that...

All my Macs are on continuous network Time Machine backups, with weekly SuperDuper backups to a portable HDD. Plus off-site backups for my photos and other important docs. All have saved me many times in different ways.

faceman · 20-09-2018 8:41am

Speaking of TM, with the death of Time Capsule what 3rd party back up drives are folks using that can do automatic backups over the air?

Any one use one that can back up 2 devices for 2 different users?

calum · 20-09-2018 11:46am

faceman wrote: »

Speaking of TM, with the death of Time Capsule what 3rd party back up drives are folks using that can do automatic backups over the air?

Any one use one that can back up 2 devices for 2 different users?

I've always just used a couple of bog-standard HDDs connected to an Airport Extreme. One for Time Machine backups (multiple devices), one for file-sharing on my LAN. (I don't think that was/is ever an officially-supported way to do Time Machine backups, but it's been so long since I set it up I forget what I had to do to work around it, if anything...)

The Black Oil · 23-09-2018 8:57pm

Installed Safari 12 the other day. AdBlock extension files are in my recycle bin. Is that because that stuff is more built in now?

Sad Professor · 23-09-2018 9:15pm

The Black Oil wrote: »

Installed Safari 12 the other day. AdBlock extension files are in my recycle bin. Is that because that stuff is more built in now?

Extensions not approved by Apple (i.e installed directly from the developer's website) are no longer supported. I think extensions from the Apple extensions gallery still work but that's being discontinued soon as well. So best bet is to switch to a blocker that has an app store app that uses native content blocking as opposed to other methods that Apple is stomping down on.

I switched to Wipr recently. Think it only cost 2.50 and there's an iOS app as well. Very simple, no whitelist nor plans to add one, but you can still disable it for sites using Safari's website settings and it updates in the background. And developer seems honest unlike 1Blocker.

The Black Oil · 27-09-2018 7:36am

First PC I used was an old Mac. It was a donation to the primary school I was in. School wasn't into Macs and usually IT donations to schools can be fairly dated. iirc, it was fairly boxy and probably didn't have a mouse. 5 inch floppy and all that. Pretty sure it had some sort of game which I liked a lot, only can't recall what it was called...think it was maths based or some sort of puzzle.

The Black Oil · 16-10-2018 8:53pm

Anything recommended as far as video screen capture software goes? That, if needs be, I can blur stuff out too.

16-10-2018 9:02pm

OSI wrote: »

Safari 12 drops support for the extensions format used by AdBlock and most others. All Safari extensions must now be done in a propietary bull**** fashion going through the App Store process akin to making an iOS app.

I block ads on my home network with Pi-hole using a raspberry pi as a DNS server.

https://pi-hole.net/

16-10-2018 9:02pm

faceman wrote: »

Speaking of TM, with the death of Time Capsule what 3rd party back up drives are folks using that can do automatic backups over the air?

Any one use one that can back up 2 devices for 2 different users?

Synology NAS

calum · 17-10-2018 12:56am

The Black Oil wrote: »

Anything recommended as far as video screen capture software goes? That, if needs be, I can blur stuff out too.

At the spendy end, Screenflow ($129) is pretty much the gold standard, with Camtasia ($249) a close but pricier runner-up IMHO.

In the mid-range you've got the venerable SnapzPro ($69) from Ambrosia, and the iShowU apps ($24 and up) from Shinywhitebox, but I haven't used those in a few years so not sure if any of them support blurring.

At the other extreme, Monosnap on the app store is free and does the basics, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't support blurring either. If the area you need to blur is static and you don't have to do it very often, you can always import a video into iMovie and manufacture a blur there, though.

Sad Professor · 17-10-2018 6:49am

Mojave also has some basic screen capture functionality and editing built-in. Just press Shift-Command-5.

The Black Oil · 30-10-2018 12:01am

We're hearing about new hardware tomorrow, yeah?

FourFourRED · 30-10-2018 12:11am

The Black Oil wrote: »

We're hearing about new hardware tomorrow, yeah?

Yep.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-26/apple-tries-to-pull-two-devices-out-from-under-iphone-s-shadow

whippet · 30-10-2018 11:49am

fingers crossed there will be a retirement of the MBA and something new and exciting is launched.

I was just wondering what level of fan-boys are on here - I am shamefully a sucker for the whole lot.

At the moment my apple 'estate' is:

13" MacBook Pro 2017 - Main machine
27" Mid-2011 iMac - Kitchen entertainment
12.9" Gen 1 iPad Pro - mainly used by my wife
Gen1 Apple Watch (being replaced next week by the Gen4)
iPhone XS Max
2x HomePod (one in living room other in the home office - which is great for skype calls)
2x Gen3 Apple TV & 1x Gen2 AppleTV
AirPods

I shudder to think what I have spent on Apple kit over the years - but no regrets

calum · 30-10-2018 12:11pm

whippet wrote: »

I was just wondering what level of fan-boys are on here - I am shamefully a sucker for the whole lot.

My fanboyism has declined over the years, probably because I've never owned one of their darling iPhones. I've been using Macs since the 80's, owned half a dozen Mac laptops since the 90's (starting with a PowerBook Duo 2300c), I've had a couple of iPads (first gen refurb and Air 2) and a couple of Apple TVs (2nd & 3rd gen). The newest Apple kit I have is a 2015 MacBook Pro, which I like better than their newer ones, and can't see them announcing anything today that will make me whip out my credit cards.

Intel Macs have been ideal for me because of their Unix kernel and the ability to run various different OSes in a VM, which I do a lot. But if and when they switch to ARM (which they might surprise us with today, but I doubt it), the ability to run those VMs at any reasonable speed--and indeed BootCamp, which I also use for some games--will likely be lost, and the only thing keeping me from just using cheap Linux boxes at work instead will be the fact we've all just standardised on Sketch...

K.O.Kiki · 31-10-2018 8:04pm

The Mac Mini pricing is atrocious.

For reference, on the Windows side you can get an Intel NUC "Bean Canyon" with similar processor (i5-8259U), 16Gb RAM and 1Tb PCIe SSD for LESS than the base Mini.

calum · 31-10-2018 9:28pm

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

The Mac Mini pricing is atrocious.

For reference, on the Windows side you can get an Intel NUC "Bean Canyon" with similar processor (i5-8259U), 16Gb RAM and 1Tb PCIe SSD for LESS than the base Mini.

True, though you have to remember that Apple generally put the fastest possible SSDs in their Macs, for example, which is going to bump up the price compared to what you're getting from most Wintel box shifters. Unfortunately, they don't give you the option to go with anything slower (and cheaper) should you want to.

K.O.Kiki · 31-10-2018 10:41pm

calum wrote: »

True, though you have to remember that Apple generally put the fastest possible SSDs in their Macs, for example, which is going to bump up the price compared to what you're getting from most Wintel box shifters. Unfortunately, they don't give you the option to go with anything slower (and cheaper) should you want to.

I've taken that into account, hence why I said PCIe SSD.

The Black Oil · 02-11-2018 11:25am

Was doing a Time Machine back up recently and the external HD was making a few clicking noises. It's a Seagate thing that's about the size of VHS tape and a few years ago. It's not a constant sound, or as bad as I've heard on other drives that are problematic. But, might be on its way out...

Is it safe enough to delete old TM back ups from their folders, or is there a correct way of doing it?

Sad Professor · 02-11-2018 1:05pm

The Black Oil wrote: »

Was doing a Time Machine back up recently and the external HD was making a few clicking noises. It's a Seagate thing that's about the size of VHS tape and a few years ago. It's not a constant sound, or as bad as I've heard on other drives that are problematic. But, might be on its way out...

Is it safe enough to delete old TM back ups from their folders, or is there a correct way of doing it?

Assume the hdd is on its way out and plan accordingly. Argos have a good deal at the moment on 4TB WD portable drives.

TM should delete old backups automatically, but afaik, yes, you can manually delete old ones.

Sonics2k · 02-11-2018 1:22pm

Absolutely astonished at the cheek of Apple with the latest Macbooks.

The spec to price ratio is an absolute joke and has totally put me off getting a newer Macbook for work, even after they offered to pay for it.

8GB's of DDR3 Ram and a 128GB SSD is an absolute joke. You'd buy the two of those on Amazon for what, €120?

Sad Professor · 02-11-2018 11:32pm

As with iPhone, storage/memory just provides a simple way for Apple to differentiate between lower and higher-end models. I suspect the higher-end buyers (who in the case of the new Air may be paying up to 3k) are effectively subsidising the low-end buyers.

Anyway, Apple are still selling the old 13-inch Air which suggests they also think the price of the low-end Air is too high, so maybe prices will come down over time.

The Black Oil · 04-11-2018 12:44pm

Thanks SP. I went for th 2TB as I’d never use 4, tbh. Just noticed the cable for my phone, iPod, iPad, is fraying. Might have a spare about somewhere.

I was gonna ask how Apple makes its money at the level it does. Saw a tweet the other day that make about 29 million per hour. Even allowing for their prices, set against production costs, it’s quite staggering. With the X phone, was it just that they wanted to set a threshold they knew some would be willing to pay? Presume phones are the most lucrative.

Sad Professor · 04-11-2018 1:26pm

The Black Oil wrote: »

Thanks SP. I went for th 2TB as I’d never use 4, tbh. Just noticed the cable for my phone, iPod, iPad, is fraying. Might have a spare about somewhere.

I was gonna ask how Apple makes its money at the level it does. Saw a tweet the other day that make about 29 million per hour. Even allowing for their prices, set against production costs, it’s quite staggering. With the X phone, was it just that they wanted to set a threshold they knew some would be willing to pay? Presume phones are the most lucrative.

Component costs aren't the full picture. R&D, marketing, support, etc, costs a lot of money and would be figured into the price of the device. Apple's company profit margins are around 30 percent, but the biggest margins would be on older devices and higher-end models with extra memory etc. There's also some devices which may have very small margins. I suspect the iPhone XR is one of them. Extremely good value phone, which Xs buyers are probably subsidising to a certain extent. The best value is always the entry-level, which is pretty much all I ever buy.

The price of smartphones in general are going up, though. Apple has convinced not just consumers but their competitors that higher priced phones are worth the money. At the same time the market is maturing and people are keeping their phones for longer. To maintain their edge over the competitors while still making a profit Apple have to go further up market. That's means more expensive phones but also better ones. That's what we're seeing with the iPhone X and to a lesser extent the Mac.

The Black Oil · 06-11-2018 7:12pm

I've had to reinstall OSX. As usual, though, I've encountered some problems afterwards. I tend to make a mess of this and end up with two accounts: TBO and TBO1 and that's possibly where things get iffy. Stuff comes in from Time Machine OK, mostly. I'm not a fan of having two accounts anyway, but tend to hold off deleting one in case I make a mess of it.

Firefox is DOA, as are some other apps - SugarSync, Final Cut Pro. I've uninstalled/reinstalled Firefox multiple times, but get "Your Firefox profile cannot be loaded. It may be missing or inaccessible." No article has pointed me in the right direction yet, because the folder I'm supposed to find - /Library/Application Support/Firefox/ - doesn't exist.

Right now I log in and I get "The home folder for user “TBO” isn’t located in the usual place or can’t be accessed", so it's probably looking for something it just can't find. I've tried Disk Utility/First Aid on the HD and that.

I'm thinking of starting from scratch again. Migration Assistant was fine re Time Machine, it could be just I'm importing arseways and I end up with corrupt accounts and one thing not knowing where the other is, etc.

Any advice on the best way to proceed re setting up the machine as new whilst using Time Machine effectively and not ending up with problems such as the above?

Edit - OK, restart seems to have helped bring things back to life somewhat. Phew. I'll hold off reinstalling 10.4 for now. Is it safe for me to delete the other admin account which I don't want to use? Need to do a check and dump a few apps I no longer use, then do a fresh TM back up on the new HD...just to have that to hand for the future.

Still the odd glitch like the keyboard not being available for a minute or two. Strange.

The Black Oil · 11-11-2018 12:01pm

There was a story on Mac Rumours t'other day about a blind surfer who uses a few Apple products. Wish tech were more overt about their accessibility stuff, not that need it.

Wonder if they'll skip over iOS13 and go straight to 14.

Paddy@CIRL · 14-11-2018 5:25pm

Finally retiring my six year old 15" Retina Macbook Pro for a lighter, faster 13" i7 Pro. I think I might be responsible for a significant increase on DHL's tracking site since it despatched.

The Black Oil · 26-11-2018 1:00pm

Paddy@CIRL wrote: »

Finally retiring my six year old 15" Retina Macbook Pro for a lighter, faster 13" i7 Pro. I think I might be responsible for a significant increase on DHL's tracking site since it despatched.

Did you receive it?

My iMac's bluetooth's been acting up a bit the last day or two - keyboard and mouse dropping off.

Mac forum - General chit chat/idle banter

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