Filed under: Features, Troubleshooting, Ask TUAW
Ask TUAW: Case-sensitive file system, writing apps, universal remotes, and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column! This time we've got questions on using a case sensitive file system in OS X, applications focused on writing, controlling a Mac with a universal remote control, push email, using a MacBook with an external display, and more.As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.
Patrick asks
How can I enable case sensitive filenames on my Mac? ... If there are issues with case sensitivity, is it possible to enable case sensitivity for a specific directory tree? If that's not possible, is it possible to create a disk image with case sensitivity enabled and to mount that in a particular directory tree?
You can use a case sensitive file system on the Mac, but I believe to do so you would have to reformat your hard drive. You can enable case sensitivity with Disk Utility as one of the options under "Volume Format." However, I do not recommend doing so. Apparently some 3rd party applications will not work properly with case sensitivity active (including many Adobe applications). All that said, you can create a separate disk image with case sensitivity enabled using Disk Utility, but this will have to be mounted as a separate volume.
Sean asks
I am an aspiring author running on a MacBook Pro. I have been using Microsoft Word 2008 as my primary word processor, but it is buggy and screen refreshes start to lag considerably once the document has been open for a while. Do you have any recommendations for alternative word processors on the mac? I have tried open office and bean as free alternatives, but they seem somewhat quirky coming from Word.
Well, I suppose I have to mention Apple's own Pages, part of the iWork suite ($79.00). However, there are a number of applications that are more focused on creative writing. Many folks in the Mac community swear by Scrivener ($39.95) from Literature & Latte. Realizing that one size does not fit all for writing applications, the makers of Scrivener even have a links page with lots of recommendations. You might have a look there.
Josh asks
I'm looking to control my Sylvania TV, Xbox 360, and late 07 MacBook with the same remote. Do you have any suggestions or maybe an app that will allow me to use a regular IR remote to control my MacBook?
As some others have noted, I would highly recommend a Harmony Remote from Logitech. We did a review a while back, and as you can see there Logitech has provided built-in support for the Mac by means of downloadable profiles (you can also simply create your own as it is also a learning remote). I use mine everyday and couldn't get along without it.
Francisco asks
Will the Snow Leopard Upgrade come with iLife '09 by default? About SL, since the upgrade price is rock bottom, why not upgrade right?
No, the Snow Leopard upgrade will not include iLife. However, as you can see from this Apple press release they will have the Mac Box Set (Snow Leopard + iLife and iWork) available for $169. In any case, my opinion is that you absolutely should upgrade to Snow Leopard. It will feature substantial optimization improvements. Furthermore, one of the reasons Apple priced the upgrade so low is that Snow Leopard offers developers new underlying technologies that many developers are sure to implement. That means that we're likely to see a lot of 10.6-only software once Snow Leopard ships.
gregt asks
Is there a way to sync my gmail account across my mac and iphone, so if I delete a message on my mac, it deletes it on my iphone. Or do I have to splash out the cash or mobile me?
You do not need MobileMe for this. As another reader suggested that best way to do this is by turning on IMAP support. Google even conveniently sets out their recommended settings for both the iPhone and Mail.app. Once you have IMAP set up on both your Mac and iPhone the clients should automatically stay in sync.
Luke asks
The push cloud in MobileMe has me finally considering purchasing it. However, what I can't figure out is whether or not this cloud will include all of my existing email accounts, or does it only work with the MobileMe email? I am 99.9% sure I will never, ever use MobileMe email, and will be right back to asking "Why would I pay for that?"
Having MobileMe will not automatically give you push email on your present email accounts. There are basically three ways to get push email on the iPhone: 1) MobileMe, 2) Yahoo Mail, or 3) an Exchange Server. If your present email servers are not Exchange capable the only way to get push would be to forward all your mail to Yahoo or MobileMe, etc. (or better yet, redirect it at the server level).
All that said, there are some other handy features of MobileMe which have me thinking I will re-up despite the fact that I also don't use MobileMe email. In particular, the contacts and calendar syncing as well as Find My iPhone make it seem (just) worthwhile to me. That said, there are lower cost options for some of these things if you're willing to put up with a bit more hassle.
Will asks
I frequently hook my unibody MacBook 13" to projectors and LCDs at work for sharing at meetings. I would generally rather use the native (higher) resolution of the external display, but my options are to mirror a lower resolution that the built-in LCD supports, or to span my desktop across both displays, which is klunky. Is there any way I can use just the external display at its native resolution? Caveat: need to have the laptop clamshell open to use the built-in keyboard and mouse.
Yes it is possible to do this. You'll find some instructions over at Mac OS X Hints but the idea is simple. With the MacBook closed (and sleeping) hook up the external display. Now plug a USB device into the Mac and it should wake up (I used an extra USB mouse, but something like a flash drive should work as well). Now you should be able to open the display without it turning on. The external display may be set to the resolution of the internal display, but you can just go to the Displays Preference Pane and it should allow you to select the proper (native) resolution without turning on the internal display. The MacBook's keyboard and trackpad should also be fully functional.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Chris said 10:17AM on 7-15-2009
For next week: I have a 2009 iMac 24" with Leopard 10.5.7 with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. I have a few screensavers that I like to use, but I don't want to choose just one to run and picking random also includes the built in screensavers I don't want to use. Is there a way that random can pick from a subset of screensavers without uninstalling anything?
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Heimbachae said 10:23AM on 7-15-2009
sweet, and i just ordered my mini-dvi to hdmi cable yesterday. thanks for the tip guys!!!
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stuck said 10:31AM on 7-15-2009
re: case-sensitivity:
Any apps that don't work with case-sensitivity are broken. The correct response is to contact the developer and inform them of this. Also, many Adobe products have been fixed, the article you link referes to CS2 and was last updated in july 2004.
Case-insensitivity breaks developer tools like git. It's _very_ frustrating. I plan on re-installing the three machines I work on. I'll create an extra partition that is case-insensitive and use an external drive on the machines which are diskspace-limited.
iPartition claims it can flip case-sensitivity back and forth without a restore - presumably you should back up first, so caveat user.
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Ed said 10:46AM on 7-15-2009
Coming from the world of linux, I couldn't do without a case-sensitive FS because I brought many old files from my old system. I initially created the FS with case-sensitivity enabled but I did run into occasional problems with some installers as mentioned in the post. It would be nice if craptastic things of that sort (along with those that explicitly require you to be logged in as admin to run - looking at you, Canon) will soon be a thing of the past, but I'm not holding my breath.
What I ended up doing was creating a system partition case-insensitive and then a Users partition that was case-sensitive and set it up to auto-mount by following one of the Leopard tutorials on macosxhints, etc. Just make sure your system partition is big enough for your future needs.
Hopefully this will not turn into a "to partition vs. to not partition" argument as the point is merely to have separate case-sensitivity between system files and personal files. Maybe someone will suggest an alternate method.
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Shaun said 11:07AM on 7-15-2009
Why would you want case sensitivity anyway? Did you name your files [importantwork, importantWork, ImportantWork, IMPORTANTWORK] and want them each to be different?
This does not make sense to me, perhaps I am misunderstanding?
Ed said 11:18AM on 7-15-2009
To Shawn: not purposely but I do remember finding instances where there must have been some software that changed extensions from something like .jpg to .JPG and then I ended up with blah_image.jpg and blah_image.JPG in the same folder. Maybe I copied files to a USB key or transfered them to a win box to do something on them and then copied them back. I don't know.
I'm just too used to case-sensitivity and the 5 minutes it took me to partition the system is worth my peace of mind. :)
Ed said 11:19AM on 7-15-2009
Crap! Sorry.. I meant 'Shaun'.
Joshua said 10:57AM on 7-15-2009
Just a warning.
I recently setup my mac with case sensitivity enabled on the filesystem. It works pretty well, but be aware some applications will misbehave. Adobe's Creative Suite doesn't work with case sensitivity, and many other apps will create duplicate folders on your system because its looking for /users/library instead of /Users/Library
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Nate said 11:10AM on 7-15-2009
Re: Using MacBook with Display
You will want to make sure "wake from USB" is selected in your energy settings. Also an option is "wake with bluetooth" with will let you use a wireless Mighty Mouse to wake it.
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Dave said 12:15PM on 7-15-2009
Re: Mac Box Set w/ Snow Leopard
I read Apple's press release about Mac Box Set (Snow Leopard + iLife and iWork):
For Tiger® users with an Intel-based Mac, the Mac Box Set includes Mac OS X Snow Leopard, iLife® ’09 and iWork® ’09 and will be available for a suggested price of $169 (US) and a Family Pack is available for a suggested price of $229 (US).
Only for Tiger users? I'm bummed. :-(
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Chroma said 1:00PM on 7-15-2009
I have a Logitech Harmony 720 and it controls my Apple TV, samsung LCD, XBOX 360, cable-provided settop box (motorola model). I've had it for ~2 years and it has been working great, and best of all, no button wear! Nearly every button can be assigned a task or a function, even the numerial keys. I would buy this same exact remote, or maybe a Harmony touchscreen remote, if this one were to ever breakdown.
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tuaw said 1:52PM on 7-15-2009
I run exclusively case-sensitive root filesystems and backup disks. The only problems I've had is that FileVault refuses to work. Since there is no conceivable reason that FileVault should care whether the filesystem is case-sensitive, I presume it a bug in FileVault's filesystem type-checking code. Unfortunately I don't know how to report this bug to Apple, since I'm not a registered developer.
Any app that looks for /users/library is flat-out broken. While HFS+ is case-insensitive, it is also case-preserving. Case is always important.
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wombatguy75 said 1:56PM on 7-15-2009
Re: MobileMe
You actually can sync your calendar and contacts via push through Google as well... http://www.google.com/mobile/products/sync.html
I've been using this for several months, and haven't ran into any problems with it, though there are a few caveats about which contacts on Gmail sync and how it will overwrite the contacts and calendars on your iPhone.
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Drifter71 said 2:14PM on 7-15-2009
Does anyone know if Snow Leopard will have any issues with Tiger based systems. I know they are getting rid of the legacy code, but does that mean I can't use my wife's laptop to share a screen with my old G4 Lampshade upstairs that runs my media? I would hate to have to climb the stairs for something that takes 3 seconds to do, many times several times a day. (I do that enough without adding more trips)
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B Blakely said 3:54PM on 7-15-2009
regarding the using a projector at native resolution question:
Since you're using the laptop open, you may find it easier to simply set the projector as your primary monitor, let it span to your laptop monitor (which you can completely ignore) and set the resolution on the projector to its native resolution. No futzing around with waking it with a USB device.
After you're done with the projector and unplug it, the laptop monitor should automatically revert to the primary display.
Yes spanning is a pain if you leave the laptop as your primary when you want to use a projector. On the other hand, it keeps your audience from seeing those embarrassing icons and docs that you left on your desktop...
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Mike said 3:10PM on 7-15-2009
I do the external display thing all the time to a Gateway 21" and all I do is turn on the Mac, then as soon as the display lights up, close the lid. It automatically selects the external as my default desktop and I am good to go with the lid closed. Works the same with it sleeping.
I use a keyboard and mouse and do not rely on anything like plugging in a USB device or Bluetooth to wake it up.
Mike
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Gordon Hemsley said 1:23AM on 7-16-2009
So, it's expected behavior for a USB device to wake up a sleeping MBP? Because I was having that happen all the time, and I found it quite annoying. Is there a way to turn that off?
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Khalid said 6:20AM on 7-16-2009
Hi all,
Any way to sync iPhone contacts, calender and mail with IBM Lotus Notes?
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sodapop said 12:41PM on 7-16-2009
Hi, does 10.5 do something to external disks so they won't mount on 10.4? If so, what can I do to make a disk mountable on 10.4. as well? I can't seem to mount one disk when connected to my MacBookPro running 10.4 but it mounts when connected to a MacMini running 10.5. I've tried using Disk Utility to mount it.
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rnshn said 11:05AM on 7-20-2009
Help! I've officially run out of space on my 1TB Time Capsule. I am backing up my 20 inch iMac's 250GB drive along with a 1TB WD external harddrive to the 1TB TC. While I realize the 1.25TB total would eventually make me run out of space, I thought a solution would arise before it happened. I've now filled the 1TB WD drive and my iMac's drive is half full, and the 1TB Time Capsule is no longer capable of running backups. How can I add an additional backup volume or expand the space on my Time Capsule? My music and movie collection will only be getting bigger. Surely Apple must have anticipated this. Is there an easy way or an easy workaround? I'm running Leopard on an Intel Mac. Many thank!
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