[Editor's note: See the comments for a discussion on recommendations]
I downloaded the .tar file containing the PHP documentation, and was just beginning to read the files when I came across this problem: long file names. It would seem that OS X Public Beta chokes on very long file names such as
language.basic-syntax.instruction-separation.php
The problem first came up as an inability for me to view certain pages in the PHP manual. I first though it was a bug in IE.
But then I then looked into the directory using the Finder, and discovered that while files with shorter names are recognized by the Finder as HTML files (due to their .html extension?), longer ones like the one I mentioned as well as many others, are not recognized. I though OS X is supposed to supported long file names, up to 255 characters?!?!?
If anyone can shed some light on this, I'd appreciated it. Thanks!
Although there's no real way to recover a lost root password, you can change the root password even if you do not know the current one. You must have physical access to the machine in order to accomplish this task. The following steps were originally noted on this MacNN forum, which contains a number of follow-up messages about security in general - well worth the reading time.
NOTE: The following information has been publicly disclosed on a number of Internet sites, and is not a new find. I'm simply repeating it here for the sake of completeness.
Read the detailed section of this article for step-by-step instructions on regaining access to your root account.
By default, Mac OS X uses a swap file (for virtual memory) which is installed on the same drive as your operating system. For best performance, the swap file would ideally be located on the fastest drive in your machine, which may or may not be the same disk as your OS. Unfortunately, there's no built-in GUI for changing a swap drive location.
A few days ago, there was a help request on swapping on another hard drive and subsequent comments that figured out how this could be done. I asked if patpro, one of the users involved, would mind writing a step-by-step instruction set on how to transfer swap. Read the rest of this article to see what he had to say ... well worth the time if you have a spare, fast hard drive in your system!
The stated requirement for OS X PB is 128mb of RAM. To really make it perform best, however, more seems to be much better. This is especially true if you run a number of large Classic apps, such as GoLive, Excel, Word, Photoshop, etc.
The amount of disk swapping that goes on drops dramatically with increased RAM, making the system much more responsive overall. There was even a notable difference between my home (192mb) and work (320mb) machines, which are otherwise identical G4's, so I decided to upgrade the home machine.
I ended up adding 256mb (for about $150), and the differences are dramatic. I hardly ever hear my hard drive now, unless I'm accessing it. Read the rest if you want the details on where I bought my RAM...
Jordan Miller has created some custom login buttons and images to replace the standard OS X PB versions. This is a very easy hack that lets you further customize your OS X experience, and he has some nice looking images!
If you feel the need to repair your OS X disk, you can try the "fsck" command. First boot your system into single user mode by holding s while it boots. When the "localhost@" prompt comes up, type the following:
sbin/fsck -y
This will launch OS X's disk check and repair tool.
If you have an older Mac that's been upgraded with a G3 or G4 card, Ryan Rempel has created a package that will enable the backside cache, giving a notable speed increase to these systems.
He's also provided a highly detailed instruction page, which I would strongly encourage you to read and understand before proceeding!
For those brave souls running the PB on G3-upgraded 7300 to 9600 models, one annoyance is a lack of sound, due to the different sound chip in these machines.
Ryan Rempel has posted an explanation page that explains why it doesn't work, and a downloadable package to enable audio on these older machines.
If you're the type that likes to do everything yourself, he's also included instructions. Start a terminal session, and:
su root cd /System/Library/Extensions/AppleScreamerAudio.kext vi [or] emacs [or] pico Info-macos.xml
Find the line that reads
<string>davbus</string>
Below it, insert
<string>awacs</string>
Save the file, restart, and you should have sound.
Bypass Aqua Dec 06, '00 01:30:58AM • Contributed by: Anonymous
If you login with the username >console with no password you will bypass the Aqua interface and be presented with a text login screen. I came across this hint at daemonnews.org. I hadn't seen it here and so I thought I would share the info.
[Editor's note: Simply typing logout will return you to the GUI login screen.]
