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I downloaded and checked out the v51 bugfix update of the Safari beta.

Apple recommends http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107370 this Safari Update for all Safari users, noting that "In certain rare circumstances, the symbolic link to /tmp may be deleted after installing and using Safari Beta 1.0 (v48). This causes several issues that may be resolved by updating to the latest version of Safari."

Problems addressed by the Update:
• Classic will not start.
• Attempts to print fail, with the alert message "error while printing".
• Software Update fails, with the alert message "An unexpected error has occurred". • Personal file sharing will not start.
• You cannot burn CDs or DVDs.

I hadn't been troubles with any of these problems, but perhaps some other undocumented improvements have been made as well.

I have determined that some of the erratic behavior I noticed with Safari is attributable to some sort of conflict with my Wacom Graphfire II mouse, or presumably its driver, because when I use a different mouse, Safari behaves a lot better.

One of my gripes with Safari was its inability to import my Mozilla/Netscape bookmarks. However, several workarounds have been created to deal with that issue. You can find one of them, Doug Brown's Mozilla -> Safari Bookmark Exporter, here: http://www.bti.net/

I downloaded it, but its execution seemed a bit complex, so I decided to try Safari Enhancer 1.1, which automates importation of bookmarks from several different browsers besides Internet Explorer. Safari Enhancer is freeware, a small download, and has several other potentially useful features besides the bookmark import, so it seemed like a no-brainer to try.

Safari Enhancer is described by its developer as:

"a programme for enabling several hidden features of the Safari webbrowser beta. Among the things enabled are a debugging menu that allows you to do such things as enabling keyboard and mouse shortcuts, changing what browser Safari identifies itself as, and changing how Safari handles Security. Safari also lets you specifiy a minimum font size, as well as allowing you to turn off underlines on links and handling direct bookmark importing from Netscape, Internet Explorer, Chimera, Mozilla, OmniWeb, and iCab."

Installation was easy -- just mount the disk image, drag the Safari Enhancer folder to the shared Library folder on your hard drive, and the application anywhere you like. I put it in the Applications folder.

Safari Enhancer turned out to have a very attractive and intuitive interface. It's a Cocoa application, so it has the signature slide-out drawer -- in this instance for help documentation.

I selected Netscape/Mozilla from the bookmarks pull down menu, and the import went as slick if you please. You have to quit and restart Safari for changes made in Safari Enhancer to take effect, but the browser starts up very quickly, so that's no real hardship.

Safari Enhancer can also specify minimum font display sizes, and add a "Debug" menu to Safari's menu bar with a bunch of interesting features and options.

System requirements:
• Mac OS X 10.2 or higher
 
Safari Enhancer is freeware  

For more information, visit:
http://gordon.sourcecod.com/sites/safari_enhancer.php

Safari and other web browsers

From: Wil Nelson

It amazes me that so many people want more features in Safari. On MacinTouch one individual had a list of over 20 features he would like to see in Safari. The reason Safari is FAST is because it lacks code bloat. I vote for keeping Safari fast and nimble. Apple would have fewer complaints on the speed of its computers if it could remove more code bloat from its programs and get vendors to do the same. I for one am holding off getting a new Mac due to the relative slowness of the machines compared to others. Based on subjective testing my 400Mhz Pismo with Shadow Killer running, upgraded hard drive and high speed cable internet access does not appear to be much slower than the new iMacs.

Hi Wil;

I'm generally on the same page as you as regards code bloat, but I would like to see Tabbed Browsing in Safari.

Charles

Repartitioning

From Anonymous

Charles,

I've noticed in many recent columns your expressed frustration for poor predictions in determining volume size needs, and your assertion that one must always erase to resolve it.

How is it that, one, you've never heard of FWB HDT's ability to resize partitions on the fly, or that it's been around for years and years, and, two, FWB's recent release of a fragment of the big package, Partition Toolkit, which, for a measly US$20, can save you hours of fiddling and frustration with poor predictions. The latter, unlike the former, does not require you to use FWB disk drivers, the only substantial reason for not using the full package.

It (PT) even operates solely under your pet favorite, OS 9. (;

Seems to me this would resolve all of your hesitations with rearranging your Pismo HD; further, it will let you add the partitions to your iBook when you eventually come to your senses, and at least make one partition that protects your User directory from the constant risk of a bad key or two which will prevent an entire partition map form being read. DiskWarrior is amazing; rarely does it fail; Data Rescue is even more amazing, but even it, too, will occasionally fail to retrieve that irreplaceable document.

On that note, it just now occurs to me that you may never have relocated your User directory to another volume from X; this, alone, may save you enough space to keep your current OS X volume at 4GB; also, you may or may not be keeping your Developer Tools on the primary volume; this would save another 500MB if moved; finally, you can use a few pieces of freeware to strip up to 1.5GB of unneeded language localizations (Acrobat Reader, e.g., wastes about 50MB of space giving you help files in a dozen languages you'll never read) and printer definitions you never use.

FWIW, on several older PBs we use for support staff, they have OS X Jag installations comfortably running on 2GB partitions; the one caveat is that these also have VM targeted to another volume; another issue that you continue to gloss over as being caused purely by Unsanity additions issues and OS X shortcomings. While it's true that the Unsanity prefs corruptions may have been the originating source of the degraded performance, it is due at its root to these parts (and other potential suspects such as running too old a version of ASM, e.g.) generating the equivalent of a memory leak, and thus creating numerous swap files over a period of hours or days, to the point where your partition runs out of disk space and starts thrashing endlessly; preventing you from even easily executing a Restart command (but, rest assured, your commands are buffered into the queue, so just wait it out rather than hitting the Reset button).

True, you assessed the last symptom correctly, but you overlook the fact that having VM on its own, reasonably large partition (which can be shared with other functions so as not to "waste" the space) would likely have reduced, or averted this issue (with forcing you to weed out or increase your OS X volume size). You could even have shared it with your User/storage volume, Classic volume, if need be, etc., etc.; this approach, BTW, negates all but one of the venerable Randy Singer's arguments (simplicity) for single partition deployment.

Anyway, the one thing suggested to you, time and time again, which you failed to ever take advantage of, was the freeware Memory Stick, which counts your active swap files in a tiny floating window; also other free solutions (some as simple as running Top in Terminal) would tell you exactly which applications or daemons were stealing all the memory in the first place. Your expressed excuse for not pursuing a true, scientific, complete and accurate final answer to the issue was a lack of time; yet meanwhile you had plenty of time to review silly piano emulator programs, and whine about the problem over and over in a number of columns, and talk about how it never happened in OS 9. Even on your 24Kbps connection, it would take you all of 48 seconds to d/l the 143KB application, and another 3 seconds to open it and have your answer. How much time did you waste by *not* implementing the suggestion?

The same will hold true for PT; how much time (and remember, time is money, especially in your game) will you waste by not spending US$20 to make short order of the task? More to the point, is it possible to save that money in the first place by listening to the advice of seasoned, accredited, certified Mac pros, and applying some simple tips and tricks? I'm astonished to see the number of offers of resources, even offers of thousands of dollars in free labor, you turn down because your focus is so skewed against OS X, or, rather, how much OS 9 remains better for you; and your efforts to defend your position and your integrity. If you'd get off your horse long enough not to look into its mouth, you might find yourself with a nicer saddle (pardon the mixed metaphors, but I hope you'll take my point).

I've come to think of you as that grouchy old liberal extremist hobo you find down on the mall decrying the ills of the world; whose problems are the blame of others done unto him; yet when numerous, well-intentioned people offer him free help and advice, he never takes it. He is, in fact, happier having problems that he can focus on and talk about.

Oh, well, we all have to earn a living somehow. And the mall would be far less entertaining, albeit more quiet, without the silly tirades of the pundits.

Cheers
Anon

Gee, A;

And just after I thought I'd figured out a resolution for my (at least perceived) partition size dilemma on the Pismo.

A few points in response.

1. I'm not a techie. I'm a writer who understands just enough about computer technology after 10 years of working on, maintaining, and writing about Macs to make me dangerous. ;-)

2. My general inclination is to keep my setup relatively stock, in either OS 9 or OS X, in aid of minimizing complication in my life, and also because using a heavily tweaked and stroked setup for testing and reviewing software and chronicling my general impressions is hardly representative of the experience the average user is going to have.

3. This is not a column aimed at the tech-erudite, although everyone is welcome to comment and contribute. Its main focus is on the sort of things everyday users, who may not have the latest hardware, and neither the time nor inclination to get involved with serious system-tewaking or intensive maintenance, will encounter on the road to OS X, filtered of course through one man's journey.

4. Some readers (my tech-illiterate piano player wife for instance) will be more interested in a column on a piano chord finder utility than a tutorial on relocating the swap file.

5. I will try to get around to checking out Memory Stick.

6. I just bought a new computer, in large part in the interest of getting better performance in OS X. I fail to see how that represents bias against the OS. I'm just not inclined to gloss over its shortcomings for the sake of political correctness. I'm working in OS X on the Pismo right now, and have been using it about 50% of the time lately. However, I still get my work done faster in OS 9. I hope the iBook will help even out the performance gap when the Pony Express arrives with the RAM upgrade I ordered before New Years. (Long story; gift certificate and cross-border issues).

7. Me liberal???!

Charles

The OS X Odyssey archives may be accessed here:
http://www.applelinks.com/news/odyssey/

CM

Charles W. Moore

Cool Mac Gear