Tuesday October 30, 2007

- Inside Leopard - Yoc - 16:43:04

As with all new version of Mac OS X, we decided to dig into the library and system folders to unveil some hidden gems. The first investigation revealed the following information:


Apple DVD player
In the package of apple DVD player, one can find the following files making references to Blu-ray support:
CB_BlurayPopupMenuBtn_OffDisabled.tiff
CB_BlurayPopupMenuBtn_OffNormal.tiff
CB_BlurayPopupMenuBtn_OffPressed.tiff
It defines images to be displayed on insertion of BD media.
When digging into the code of the application, one can find references of both BD and HD-DVD. We can expect in a near future to see the first full native support for HD video with future hardware equipped with HDCP chips...


Within Extensions
The current shared memory chipset being used in MacBook and Mac mini is the GMA 950. With Santa Rosa, Intel introduced the more powerful and optimized GMA X3100. While we are waiting for the MacBook to be updated, we were not surprised to find references to the GMA X3100 in the extension as we can expect this graphic chipset to be used by Apple in the Santa Rosa-based MacBook. Drivers are already there too:
AppleIntelGMAX3100.kext
AppleIntelGMAX3100FB.kext
AppleIntelGMAX3100GA.plugin
AppleIntelGMAX3100GLDriver.bundle
AppleIntelGMAX3100VADriver.bundle

Braille Interface
Being part of the new features of Leopard, the support for Braille interface is indeed there and ready to be used. some drivers are already installed in a folder entitled ScreenReader:
Alva 6 Series.brailledriver
Alva.brailledriver
BrailleConnect.brailledriver
Brailliant.brailledriver
FreedomScientific.brailledriver
Voyager.brailledriver

Braille interface from Universal Low Vision

[translation by Linathael]

- Apple Sells Two Million Copies of Mac OS X Leopard in First Weekend - Cheerful - 15:46:45

Source : Apple

Apple just announced to have shipped more than 2 million copies of the sixth major release of Mac OS X over the week-end
Let's see if Steve's prediction: "Leopard’s innovative features are getting great reviews and making more people than ever think about switching to the Mac." turned to be true with next figures from hardware sales.
Apple, add one more to your list! I'm ordering my copy really soon. Two million, compare this to how long it took Apple to sell 1 million iPods then. As indicated in their press release, Leopard first-weekend sales far outpaced Tiger then.

- "The Fastest Windows Vista Notebook We've Tested this Year is a Mac!" - Kalomir - 13:34:27

Probably one of the most respected PC-dedicated website, PCWorld published its yearly review about "The Most Notable Notebooks of 2007". After putting several models into the test, the conclusion is: "The fastest Windows Vista notebook we've tested this year is a Mac. Try that again: The fastest Windows Vista notebook we've tested this year--or for that matter, ever--is a Mac. Not a Dell, not a Toshiba, not even an Alienware".

We would not have been surprised, but we are surprised that a Pc-dedicated website is publishing such comment and conclusion, proving that their analysis was not biased as some Mac addicts might have thought.

[translation by Linathael]

- Macfuse for Leopard - Yoc - 11:28:44

If some users were expecting Leopard to natively support NTFS in writing mode, they will be disappointed. As with Mac OS X 10.4, one can only read NTFS volume.
However, a first step towards NTFS writing support has been achieved with Macfuse, the project to port FUSE (File System in User Space) to the Mac. This type of generic file system working for all file systems, including NTFS, has been updated to version 1.0 and is already compatible with Leopard. You will then need to install ntfs-3g, when the new version will be ready for MacFuse.


[translation by Linathael]

- Time Machine and Aperture - GuyG4 - 11:27:58

If you use Aperture and have installed Leopard, you will have to set the frequency of Time Machine backups to "manual". Apple released a TechNote describing the bug and how to bypass it while waiting for a fix:

Issue or symptom
Running Time Machine backup or restore operations while Aperture is running may lead to inconsistencies in the Aperture database.

Products affected
Aperture
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

Solution
If you use Time Machine with Leopard, be sure to set your computer up so that Time Machine only does manual backups. Avoid performing either backups or restores while Aperture is running.

[translation by Linathael]

- Leopard: How to Avoid the - Lionel - 11:15:02

Several users have faced a problem leading to a "blue screen" to be displayed during the first boot following Leopard installation.
Apple published a TechNote on this subject. The problem seems to come from "enhancement" software incompatibility with Leopard (such as SwtchRes).

Solution 1: Reinstall Leopard (recommended)
It may be necessary to perform an Archive and Install installation of Leopard. Archive and Install moves your existing Mac OS X system files to a folder named Previous System, and then installs a new copy of Mac OS X on the selected volume. Mac OS X–installed applications, such as Address Book and Safari, are archived, and new versions are installed in the Applications folder. Applications, plug-ins, and other software may have to be reinstalled after an "Archive and Install." This is covered on page 7 of the Install & Setup Guide included on the Leopard DVD.
You will probably want to check "Preserve user and network settings" when starting the installation.
Note: After installation, verify each third-party software product is compatible with Leopard before reinstalling it, especially any application "enhancement" software.
Solution 2: Use the command line (advanced) to remove application enhancement software
Try this solution if you are comfortable using Terminal and have certain application enhancement installed. The software may be removed following the below steps:
Start up in single-user mode by holding Command-S after restarting the computer.
Execute these commands, each on a single line:
/sbin/fsck -fy /
/sbin/mount -uw /
Execute this command on a single line. Important: Type the command carefully, misuse of rm may damage other files.
rm -rf /System/Library/SystemConfiguration/ApplicationEnhancer.bundle

Restart normally. If the issue persists, use solution 1 above instead.

[translation by Linathael]

- How to Activate the iPhone without any Computer! - Ewok - 11:12:41

This is a surprising news provided by Obscur909 from FrenchiPhone. One does not need any computer to launch Activer, Jailbraker, installer “Installer.app” and last but not least SIM unlock the iPhone in version 1.1.1. One will of course need an internet connection as well as a clean baseband to use AnySIM 1.1. The procedure is really simple and explained (so far in French only) here. It will take you only 10 minutes to perform the operation.

[translation by Linathael]