Open Source taken to its logical end

There isn’t a tremendous amount of open source software written for the Mac that I’m immediately aware of, but I do love the concept of it. For the uninitiated, open source refers to users having free and ready access to the source code of software, and the right to alter it to whatever purpose they choose provided that they continue to provide the same access to their modified version. The movement was spawned in reaction to budding copyright and control issues that early technology aficionados saw hampering the development of software. The open source movement led to a burgeoning underground community that has produced some amazing software (my personal favorite being VLC, a simple but powerful media player that can handle just about any format you throw at it). The crown jewel of open source has arguably been Linux in all its vast flavors. Once the tool of uber geeks, Linux has matured to the point that it’s possible for novice users to rely on it as their primary operating system. From Ubuntu to Red Hat, there’s a version of Linux out there that has been tailored to fit what you need of an operating system.

Now the concept of open source has been taken to its logical conclusion in a recent post by the knowledgeable anthonyvenable110. The practice of providing access to the inner workings of software has been transferred to something near and dear to my heart- soda. Yes, I’m a self admitted carbonation junkie, and OpenCola has opened new doors to my addiction. Unlike Coca Cola‘s secret formula, OpenCola provides instructions and ingredients so that end users may freely change it to tailor their tastes and needs (provided they observe the guidelines of the GNU Public License and allow others to do the same) , fully embracing the spirit of the open source movement. Now if I could only get Guinness to open source their brewery…

 

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Sync an Android device with a Mac

While iOS was designed to work hand in hand with OSX, those of you that prefer Android devices haven’t had as seamless an experience. What’s a tech aficionado to do without iTunes or iCloud to sync the data on your Mac to your handheld device?

TUAW (the Unofficial Apple Weblog) has a recent post with tips on how to do just this. While not as effortless as the iOS sync framework, there are workable solutions for just about any Android device. Check out the short video content of the post for the quick and dirty how-to.

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Google expanding their iOS presence with Chrome

Fans of alternative web browsers rejoice- one of the internet’s most popular browsers has finally made its way to iOS. Google Chrome has made surprising strides in popularity over the past few years, recently surpassing Internet Explorer as the most popular browser worldwide (it had done so briefly once before, only to relinquish its standing shortly thereafter). 

Chrome’s success has several factors; being a Google product means that it meshes perfectly with the rest of Google’s web products like Gmail. The browser eases the process of switching from other browsers through some slick import features, drawing your bookmarks and favorites from any other browser you had been using and using the same keyboard shortcuts of competitors. Chrome even lives up to its short-lived television ads featuring how fast it renders pages; the browser is as snappy and feels faster than just about any that I’ve used. Chrome also has been found to consistently be the most secure of popular browsers due to its sandbox construction (isolating each tab from vital components).

The iOS version has a number of features sported by the full desktop one- tabbed browsing (offering unlimited tabs as opposed to mobile Safari’s limit of nine), syncing of bookmarks and browsing between clients (just as iOS 6 has advertised for Safari) and an easy-to-engage Incognito mode for when you’d rather not have your browsing history saved. Should the mobile version have issues rendering the page you’d like to see you have the option of loading the full desktop version instead, and it offers the ability to search by voice via a microphone tab in the browser.

I’ve used it for a few days now and have been impressed with it so far. I have used Chrome off and on for some time now on both Windows and my iMac and like its construction and performance. I’ve slowly been transitioning from using Google services like Documents to iCloud, so I haven’t used the browser’s full capacity lately, but still feel very comfortable with it. Apparently I’m not the only one that feels this way, as the iOS version of Chrome became iTune’s top app shortly after its release.

All isn’t wine and roses, though. iOS users can’t change their default browser, so clicking a link in another app will still open in the default Safari. While quick, the iOS version of Chrome isn’t as fluid rendering Java, so pages that rely heavily on the programming language will load noticeably slower than in Safari. That being acknowledged, if you use Chrome as your default browser on your laptop or desktop it’s a welcome addition to the iTunes app store. Just like the desktop version, the iOS version of Chrome is absolutely free.

The addition of Chrome to iOS is the latest in a quiet strategy Google has been employing to keep their products in the hands of iOS users. Many of the Google apps built into Android have been slowly added to the iOS app store. The official Google app feels like a little slice of Android, offering Google Places, Plus, Earth, Latitude, Books, Gmail, Sync, Shopper, Blogger, Translate, Maps (now that Apple has announced their own native Maps app), even Google Voice. Just as with their mobile operating system, these products don’t directly earn Google any revenue, they act as a feeder system to Google’s actual business- selling advertising. No other competitor tailors their advertising or displays it as effectively as Google. Your actions, be it on any of the aforementioned apps, in an email via Gmail, or something you’ve searched for via Google Search feeds into Google’s vast data harvesting and processing architecture resulting in personalized advertisements (sometimes more relevant than the results of your search) and a wealth of data mining information. The process is completely impersonal, so intense concerns over personal privacy aren’t warranted.

Google has been wildly popular by being the best in their field. While broad based, all of their ventures feed back to their primary business- getting the most effective ads to potential customers. Apple may be attempting to cut them out of their mobile platform, but Google won’t be disappearing anytime soon; you will just have to choose their services on iOS instead of relying on them as a default.

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Set Parental Controls on your Mac

This handy tip for those of you that need to protect younger members of your household from the darker corners of the web comes to us courtesy of Macworld.

As any web-savvy person knows, the internet isn’t the most family-friendly place at times. Even a simple Google search can turn up plenty of sites you’d probably not have a child venture to. While many have turned to third party software like NetNanny or Cybersitter, Mac users have a native option.

The video leads you through the creation of a user account with parental controls and illustrates what those controls entail. The controls are fairly powerful and thorough, covering a surprisingly broad range of topics.

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In Praise of the Macalope

I pour over a lot of blogs in my weekly information feast. Some are strictly personal entertainment (Cute Overload, Neatorama, Superpunch), some have taken the place of my once staggering comic book appetite (Order of the Stick, Dr. McNinja, Dinosaur Comics, Girl Genius, and an enthusiastic endorsement for Erfworld), some to keep me up to date on current tech news (Engadget and the like), and many more to stay abreast of the rapidly changing Apple empire (Mac Rumors, OSX Daily, TUAW, MacWorld).

Of the Apple-centered ones, MacWorld is often the first I check when I fire up MobileRSS on my iPad. Not for the depth and breadth of coverage (the reasons I subscribed to their feed initially) but to check for the latest update from my favorite pundit; the Macalope. Always clever, unfailingly amusing- the Macalope’s posts are easily the best read of my morning subscriptions. Bear in mind, as his name would suggest he’s as Apple-centric as one can be, even if a good portion of your cranium were a Mac. While some might label him as an Apple apologist, I just can’t fit his biting wit under that label. He’s more Judge Judy than fanboy, deftly deflating Apple bashers and pointing out absurdities. If you haven’t checked him out before, give him a read.

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That track pad is more powerful than you may realize

OSX Daily brings us a recent article full of tips on how to get the most from your trackpad, be it on a MacBook or via the Magic Trackpad for your iMac/Mac Mini/Mac Pro (does anyone still use one of these behemoths? If you do, let me know in the comments section). 

I’ve been using the trackpad for quite a while now, having opted for one shortly after they were introduced (see the previous post for my opinions on the Magic Trackpad) but wasn’t familiar with all of the controls available. Using the trackpad instead of a mouse has been more intuitive than I had though, and the multitouch controls are very useful. Give the article a read; I think you’ll be glad you did.

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Sharing USB ports is Ruff

Apologies for the pun, but sometimes the limited USB ports on my Mac really is an issue. My current iMac‘s ports are tied up with a gaming mouse, a cord for iPad/iPhone recharging, an external hard drive, and the cable for an iPod Shuffle leaving nothing for various accessories I’ve been charged with reviewing.

For those of you that can’t make do with a run-of-the-mill USB hub Laughing Squid has a possible solution- the Poodle USB hub. The clever and artistic design transforms a standard unpowered USB hub into something special. For those seeking something unusual or an accessory to show your love of Poodles head fredflare.com – it’s available now for $16.

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OSX Flashback malware withers after Apple issues updates

According to a release from Symantec today  the Flashback malware targeting Macs is rapidly on its way to extinction, with the estimated numbers of infected systems plummeting from a high of 600,000 units on April 9 to less than 99,000 as of April 17. Variants of the malware have already popped up but the trend has been consistently and impressively downward.

The credit for such a rapid resolution of the issue has been given to the expedient issuing of updates from Apple and tools from Symantec (the free Norton Flashback Detection and Removal Tool) and others to detect and remove the unwanted code.

Click through to see the posting at Symantec’s website for more in-depth information on the Flashback malware.

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Automatically add songs and movies to your iTunes library

Those of you that have been using iTunes for a while to manage your music and video libraries like I do have probably come across an issue that I’ve deal with from time to time: how best to add content to your library?

If you obtain content from iTunes this problem doesn’t arise; iTunes does a fine job of storing it away and managing it without you ever having to manually deal with the files. iTunes can be set to add content to it’s library when played, but while this is helpful I’d rather not end up with files scattered across various folders and volumes. What to do then with those downloads you pick up from all those non-Apple sources?

OSX Daily recently published an article advising users how best to solve the issue- create a folder that automatically adds anything in it to your iTunes library. The tutorial isn’t terribly complex and is much more elegant than my prior solution of manually copying downloads and rips to the appropriate iTunes folder. Bear in mind this tip is for Mac users- it IS from OSX Daily after all. Click through for the full article. 

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Apple treading new ground

For most of it’s existence Apple has produced computers that, fairly or no, have been labeled as good for a select few tasks. Macs were the choice for education and “creative types”- photography, video editing, and animation. While those labels faded over the past decade plus, Macs still have been a consumer product; built for and used by individuals for home tasks. They were perfect for everyday tasks, schoolwork, and home entertainment, but Macs weren’t judged as suitable for the business world.

Apple Insider has published a report today that illustrates a change in that pattern. Their article cites that approximately 46% of corporations are now issuing Macs to their employees, reflecting an increase of just over 50% in sales attributable to Apple’s business division (which in turn is almost 35% of the increase in sales of all Macs) in FY 2011. The article cites several possible reasons for the shift, such as the ascension of the MacBook Air as a lower-cost and more portable Mac alternative to the run of the mill Thinkpad or Inspiron associated with road warriors. While it’s a measurable change in the market for Apple computers, this increase is still a small fraction of the overall numbers of computers purchased by and for businesses. Click through for more detail; it’s well worth the read.

The article also cites a factor that I’ve witnessed several times in both healthcare providers and the sales forces of medications and equipment aimed at health care- the ‘wedge effect’ of iOS devices. The iPhone is everywhere; it’s adoption so widespread that the once-stalwart Blackberry has become a rarity amongst the physicians and support staff I see daily. This exposure to iOS eased many into iPad ownership, especially in vendors: it’s far easier to carry a 2 lb iPad loaded with proprietary apps for your company than a full laptop that can’t be used in as many settings. I’ve used my iPad at work for multiple tasks, from generating productivity spreadsheets, research, generating and sharing schedules, to data manipulation (the Canadian Society of Echocardiography’s Cardiomath app is particularly useful in my daily workflow). This adoption by physicians and support staff has generated a wave of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) that’s reflected in other fields as well; there’s a significant cost savings to be had by allowing employees to use personal devices instead of purchasing them (although proprietary data, IT security measures, and company policy may dampen your organization’s enthusiasm for this trend).

As the iPhone was a wedge device for the iPad, the iPad is to the Mac. This has been my path to iMac ownership, and has been echoed to me by others I’ve spoken to. There’s little more frustrating when trying to be productive that having to use a PC that runs like a ’76 Pinto with water in the gas tank. As Apple continues to innovate I think the trend of Macs creeping into the realm of the workforce will not only continue, it will trend up.

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