Ask TUAW: Swapfiles, Bluetooth Caller ID, Audio interfaces, iPhone streaming and more

Olivier asks

I have two questions about the finder. How can I set the list view to be the default view for all folders. I also want to know if it is possible to have the path of the current folder visible at all time?

Unfortunately, neither of these is possible with the Finder. However, you can do this with Path Finder ($34.95), which was recently updated to version 4.8 and has a large number of other great features as well.

Update: I don't have access to it myself to confirms this, but apparently the Leopard Finder adds these features (see below).

Daniel asks

I was using Disk Inventory X the other day to clear out some files, and I notices this collection: Obviously it adds up to just under 5gb and I would like to know what these files are, in the past I have deleted one of them but it here it is back again. Would deleting these files harm my mac and what are they used for if someone could help me out that would be lovely :3

These are swapfiles that OS X dynamically creates as a kind of virtual memory. Because the OS actually needs more memory than the physical RAM you have it will sometimes "pageout" inactive data from memory to the hard drive. You should not delete the files while the OS is running is that may result in a system crash. The files are under control of the OS and should basically be left alone.

Lee asks

I have just got my iPod Touch and am using it with my Elgato EYETV software and sharing the library over wifi. I was wondering if I can access shared iTunes libraries in the same way? We have 3 Macs in the house on our network and all have unique content, is there a way to access the protocol on the iPod Touch safari?

Looking over the EyeTV software, it appears that it only supports streaming from the EyeTV Archive. The guys over at Embraceware (of Awaken) have posted a methodology for streaming to iPhone Safari. The solution is not exactly pretty, but it will apparently work (I haven't tested this myself).

Is there an app/util out there that places phone notifications on my desktop via bluetooth? Specifically, I'm looking for something that will alert me to calls since I always leave my phone in my bag and I miss calls.

Yes, BluePhoneElite ($20) from Mira Software will do that and much else besides. It will display the caller ID information on your desktop as to the right.

Update: As Ken very aptly points out below, I had forgotten that the built-in OS X Address Book application can be set up to do this as well, so you don't need to buy additional software (though BluePhoneElite has a bunch of other features that you might be interested in as well). Thanks, Ken.

dave asks

I have quite a bit of music in iTunes and I started using cover flow to view all my albums but some of them show up as multiple albums. I've tried to change all the id info but they still show up as multiple albums.

This is generally a result of incorrect metadata. Oftentimes it's caused by defects in the Gracenote database that iTunes queries whenever you rip a CD. To correct this, try selecting the relevant tracks in iTunes, right-clicking and select Get Info. Replace the Album information with a single album title.

PistolPeet asks

Has there been any indication when the recently released EA games for Mac will be making their way to the UK? Or any reason given why they're currently not available?

Well I have no idea, but what difference does it make? Mac software is not region locked, so just order them from the States if you have to. Other than extra shipping fees, this shouldn't really be a problem.

morgan asks

i love iweb's functionality, but i desperately want a website page where the menu only has to load once, i.e. one page with pages within it. i cannot for the life of me learn html or flash, so is there something that offers iweb's wysiwyg greatness but with this feature (but is not template based like rapidweaver)?

I would really suggest you take another look at RapidWeaver, but with the third-party Blocks plugin ($24.95). Blocks will give you both WYSIWYG as well as an "Embed Pages" functionality that seems to do more or less what you want.

Tha asks

I am an aspiring rapper who presently records songs in Garageband on my Macbook, it is currently sufficient. But I was wondering what would be a well suited and compatible high quality mic (no price limit, well okay maybe $300) for my needs and current setup?

I think what actually need is a USB or Firewire audio interface with a built-in mic preamp like those from M-Audio. I'm not qualified to make a microphone recommendation, but by going with a separate interface + preamp you can upgrade just your microphone as your needs and budget increase. If I were you I'd go with a Firewire interface like the FireWire Solo (~$250) rather an USB device, together with something like the well-regarded Shure SM58 (~$100) microphone.

The important point here is to separate the interface from the mic. In other worlds, I would not recommend going with an integrated USB microphone to the extent that you want to maximize audio quality in the price range you're working with.

Joey asks

I just bought an OEM version of XP to load onto my new iMac via Boot Camp. I hate the thought of doing so but need this cpa review software that's windows only The OEM only comes with one key that expires after one use. My question is: when I upgrade to Leopard, will my XP need to be reinstalled (thus requiring a new key for XP)? I hope this isn't the case...

No, XP will not need to be re-installed. The Boot Camp Windows installation lives on a separate hard drive partition than your OS X install (whether Tiger or Leopard). So when you upgrade to Leopard your XP partition need not be affected.

Mo asks

Here's a weird one for you: I have a 400GB disk plugged into my Airport Extreme, formatted as HFS+ and shared across the network. I connect with a password (either typing it or using the keychain-stored one yields the same results). Using Finder to create directories works fine. Copying files into those directories yields "The operation cannot be completed because you do not have sufficient privileges for "filename.ext"." Copying the files from the command-line works absolutely fine.

Here's a couple of suggestions:

1) Temporarily disable the security and see if the problem goes away. If it does, the problem lies in the authentication, possibly in a corrupted Keychain. If that's the problem, delete the relevant entry and try again.

2) If that doesn't fix the problem you probably have a problem with permissions. First try using the Disk Utility to repair permissions. If that doesn't do it, try the sudo chmod command in the terminal as described in this Apple Support Document.

Matteo asks

If I have to reinstall Tiger or do a clean install of Leopard, how can I quickly reinstall all applications I had? Can I simply copy them on an external HD (drag and drop) and then reimport them fast? This would allow me to avoid searching for all DVDs and then updating all applications to their last version (total updates for iLife 08 alone was in the range of 100MB). So, can I just drag and drop all applications on an external HD, backup all my documents, iTunes library etc. --> then do a clean install of Tiger or Leopard --> then copy them all back in the application folder or where they belong?

For the most part the answer is yes, this should work fine. Keep in mind a few things however:

1) You may lose your preferences (though most are stored in your user folder).

2) Some applications (e.g. Microsoft Office) install components and frameworks in other places besides the user folder and the /Applications folder. So if you just drag and drop those applications from an external HD they may not run properly. You'll probably need to run the installer for these applications. The same goes for any application that ties deeply into the OS by installing a kernel extension, etc. (e.g. something like WireTap).