Cool Mac Gear• iPod Video • iPod nano • iPod 1G-2G • iPod 3G • iPod 4G • iPod Mini • PowerBook-iBook • Garageband |
There's getting to be a pretty broad range of choices in OS X System maintenance utilities. There is of course the venerable but modestly-featured freeware MacJanitor, and the more multi-featured $10.00 shareware offerings Cocktail and Mac Pilot, both of which I've reviewed here in OS X Odyssey. OnyX is another OS X utility offering maintenance, optimization and personalization for Mac OS X. Like Cocktail and Mac Pilot, OnyX also makes it possible to configure certain hidden parameters of Finder, Dock, Safari... to remove a certain number of files and repertories become cumbersome, preview the different logs and CrashReporter and more, and it's still freeware 
OnyX utilizes the increasingly ubiquitous Apple brushed metal appearance theme, to which I am not partial, but this is about as stylish a rendition of it as I've encountered. Very snazzy and professional for a freeware app. The OnyX interface displays eight tabbed panels: • OnyX - Shows hardware and operating system specs • Finder - Allows you to customize scroll bar arrows, label lines, toggle appearance between Aqua and Graphite, show hidden system files, put a Quit Menu Item in the Finder menu, activate application and window zooming, delete certain preferences, and force empty the Trash, with or without destruction. • Dock - Allows you to customize Dock position, alignment and minimization options, and to activate hidden and system files, transparent icons for hidden applications, animate opening applications put a menu item Quit Finder in teh Cock, and relaunch the Dock. Optimize - Lets you verify and repaor Permissions, run chron scripts, optimize the syatem, and update databases. Caches - Allows you to clean or clear selected or all Internet, user, and System caches. The browsers recognized are: Safari, Internet Explorer, Omniweb, Camino (formerly Chimera), Netscape, Mozilla, Firebird (formerly Phoenix), Opera and iCab. Safari's URL icons can also be removed. 
Automate - Runs all or selected maintenance routines. By default, these scripts run automatically, but early in the AM, between 3 and 6, and only if the computer is turned on and not sleeping. This tab allows databases to be rebuilt individually and permissions to be verified and repaired. Logs - Displays and can delete CrashReporter, Archived, and System logs selectively Miscellaneous - Enable/disable file journaling, import IE and Mozilla/Netscape bookmarks to Safari, Smooth small fonts in Safari, enable Disk Copy Expert Mode, enable Debug Menu in Safari, Address Book, and DVD Player, delete recent servers, and reset Mac OS Help. OnyX is Freeware, and works with all Macintosh computers running Mac OS X version 10.2.x or later (with subsystem BSD).
New in version 1.2.9 :
New in version 1.2.8 :
There is also an excellent and comprehensive OnyX Help manual included explaining in detail every OnyX function. One of the best I've encountered. While there are distinctions and some differences in features and function, for the most part OnyX seems to be pretty much equivalent to Cocktail and Mac Pilot for most users' purposes. Since the latter two are shareware and small downloads, you can try all three easily and decide which you prefer.
For more information, visit:
OS X File Dialogs From Jonathan Tyzack Hi Charles, re: Patrick Taw's problem with long names getting truncated in Open/Save dialogues - holding down the option key while hovering the mouse over the name will cause it to display in full in a yellow pop-up (the same function also works in the Finder, fwiw). However, if the application is a Cocoa one, holding the option key down while dragging the resize triangle (located in the bottom right of the dialogue) will cause the columns to broaden, thus expanding the amount of characters that get displayed in the filenames. Very annoyingly, Carbon apps don't exhibit the same ability... hopefully, Panther will correct this as I believe the dialogues have become more consistent between the two programming styles.
Cheers,
Thanks, Jonathan.
I learn something new every day. ;-)
Charles From David Chilstrom Patrick Taw's beef with Jaguar Save dialogs truncating long file names is a valid one. Panther addresses this issue by providing an option two view a file dialog in list or column view. This graphic link from Apple's web site shows the file dialog toggling between list and column view.
Regards,
Thanks for the info and link, David.
Charles
The OS X Odyssey archives may be accessed here: Note: Letters to Moore's Mailbag may or may not be published at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests publication. Letters may be edited for length and/or context. Opinions expressed in postings to Moore's MailBag are those of the respective correspondents and not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Editor and/or Applelinks management. If you would prefer that your message not appear in Moore's Mailbag, we would still like to hear from you. Just clearly mark your message "NOT FOR PUBLICATION," and it will not be published. CM
Page: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
|
Cool Mac Gear• iPod 1G-2G • iPod 3G • iPod 4G • iPod Mini • PowerBook-iBook • Keyboard Skins • Garageband
| ||||||
|
| ||||||||
