With Jaguar we could manage to use third party drives originaly unsupported by Apple. Panther makes things a little more complex since Apple has encrypted the drive list, and until today we just could not find out how to edit or modify it.
One of our readers had given us an explanation on how to obtain some drive support for a third parity writer using the CD-burning function of "Disc Utility". We would like to recall this here now:
Start with creating a new folder within the Library folder (the first one from root, not the one within your own user folder) and name it "DiscRecording". And within this new created folder, create another one, "DeviceProfiles".
Further, using Text Edit, create a file containing the following text:
In this case, the file has been created in order to support the Lite-On DVD 811S drive.
To find out the exact values for make and product reference to modify for an other drive, launch "drutil info" using the terminal.
Copy exactly the values for make an product reference of the writer. The field related to DRDeviceDescription may be filled with random values or with the specifications of your drive.
Save the file as "name.drprofile" without any further extention as ".text" for instance.
Here is the link to the example file to spare you having to copy and type it again:
LDW-811.drprofile.sit
The writer will then be recognised but remain unsupported. In order to understand why, you need to know more about the support scheme in OS X:
- None: unsupported
- Unsupported: unsupported, but the burning engine will try to use the drive.
- VendorSupported: the drive has been tested by the manufacturer, not by Apple.
- AppleSupported: the drive has been tested by Apple.
- AppleShipping: the drive is supplied by Apple on some configurations.
Disc Utility can burn from "Unsupported" on.
iTunes however needs at least "VendorSupported". And the first trick explained here hence does not help here. Burning from iTunes with such a drive will therefore not be possible.
We have decided to work around this limitation, which may make some sense for Apple, but not for us. We succeeded.
1) Download the archive
iTunes4allburner.sit.
2) Decompress it. You will find a file, "iTunes".
3) With CTRL+Clic (right-clic) above the iTunes application, select "show the paket content".
3) Open the folder "Content", then "MacOS". The file to replace is located there.
4) To make sure nothing gets wrong, rename the original before adding the one you just dowloaded.
5) Launch iTunes again and enjoy.
Note you must not create a profile in order to see the drive.
As you can see on this screenshot, iTunes does see the 811S. And accepted to burn some perfectly working audio CDs.
PS: For us, this means a real back to the roots. Our very first bidouille at Macbidouille made it possible to use an unsupported drive with iTunes 1.0.
Please note we should not be liable for any damages you may provoque editing your program files. For educational purposes only, to be use at your own risk.
Virginie is upset and here is why:
We have just bought the Cleaner 6 encoding software supposed to work with Mac OS X and we had the surprise to see that Cleaner didn't intend to make Real encoding work under X (which was one of the main reason we purchased it). Even under OS 9 Classic it doesn't work either. The Real encoding only works with OS 9. On our editing station every software works under OS X and we cannot reinstall OS9 which would probably be problematic.
Conclusion: Discreet, Cleaner's maker is making false advertisement because on the soft's box, Real's logo is clearly visible, but in the documentation it is written in bold caracter that it doesn't work under OS X !!! and after numerous tries, it doesn't work indeed !! I called the Cleaner Hotline and no update is planned !!!
Cleaner costs 600 Euros... it makes you think !!!!
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Learn from it and always ask questions before buying a software, and do so even more carefully as the product is expensive.
TSMC, UMC and SMIC?, the 3 main chip manufacturers in Taiwan, work for such companies as Nvidia, ATI....
Given the growing demand in their sector, their tariffs shall rise from 10 to 15% by the beginning of 2004.
In fact, graphical cards and other important public products will rise from a few Euros.
But computers price shall also be concerned as as well motherboards and Wi-Fi cards include many components realised by those casters.
Currently, a relative shortage has caused prices of LCD displays (especially 15 & 17") to rise. This impacts as well the cost of screens on the market, and laptops prices ot the manufacturer's margin.
According to the ITIS (Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Intelligence Service) the demand will continue exceed the offer for the first quarter of 2004, before a balance is reached on the second. The second half of the year shall see the inversion of this trend, the prices would then drop again.
This should also affect the market of LCD televisions.
As for Apple, the observers still wonder when their LCD line will be chnaged. Many expect screens whose look would be in keeping with the one of the G5. The price of the 17 and 20" displays also be expected to drop, as the difference between an iMac 17" andf a screen alone is of about 1,100 Euros, while between the iMac 20" and the 20" screen it is less than 1,000 Euros.
The Apple Store still sells G4 PowerMacs that can boot in OS 9. David has bought one and compared it with the one he had acquired a year earlier.
I've just received my Dual 1,25 GHz G4 ordered on the Apple Store. I already have one bought a year earlier. There are some differences:
-Power supply makes less noise but seems less powerful...
-The cooling system of the processors are in thin metal sheet, the older one was thick aluminium.
-The newer machine weighs less.
-A bit faster. Strange but true.
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This production is really a new one and probably the last.
Mac OS X's screensaver is not a reliable way of locking your screen. After the methods enabling one to deactivate it without the password, now it's been found that if you type something before the login dialog appears, that something is transmitted to the active application behind the Screensaver ! If you have the terminal window active, someone could just type more or less dangerous commands while you're away. Even if the terminal is not open, there is a potential annoyement, because commands can be type in sequence, and keyboard shortcuts such as Command-Tab are transmitted.
It's not a major problem, however you'd better be aware of that, if you ever use the screensaver to lock your computer at work.
Thomas tells us of an interesting trove:
This screenshot will demonstrate you that the French music Store is ready, only did a little search on the Internet, and on Apple's servers there's an entirely French group, yet even weirder, this group cannot actually be found on the iTunes Music US. There are many other albums according to other searches...
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There may be many reasons why those French albums aren't reachable. Yet the best ones of them correspond to our hopes.
Is the ITMS to be coming that soon to Europe and France ?
[Upd] We didn't manage to conduct such a search on Apple's servers using iSwepe.
We have talked already of the possibility to be offered an iTMS certificate that could allow d/l from Europe.
A site from Holland goes further (thx Thierry).
They sell online such certificates worth 20, 30 and 40 Euros.
There is even a refund guarantee in case of problems.
http://www.macned.nl
Be careful, as we do not know if this site is serious.
[Upd] The project's initiators contacted us. Out of legal reasons they had to renounce their selling project, though hundreds of orders had been placed.
Here is what Apple recommends their tehcnical support to say to customers that are unhappy with the beeping of the G5's power supply:
1. Reassure the customer that the noise is a normal condition and does not affect the performance or function of their computer.
2. Customers may choose to modify their computer's behavior in Energy Saver preferences. In the Options tab, a pop-up menu offers the options of Automatic, Highest, or Reduced. The Automatic and Reduced items will reduce, but not eliminate, the noise level.
3. Explain that Apple is aware of this noise and is willing to replace the power supply for customers who are dissatisfied with the noise. The beeping is a normal function and will be reduced, but not eliminated, even if the power supply is replaced.
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I'll have the power supply in my G5 changed!!! It doesn't make any "normal" beep beep. It must be broken ;)
