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Run IE on your Intel Mac, if you absolutely have to

If you're a Mac-based web developer, a sysadmin at SomeBigCo, or an Outlook Web Access user, you might find yourself needing to use MS Internet Explorer from time to time. No, not IE for Mac OS X, frozen in amber within Applications folders around the globe; I mean IE for Windows, the hairy scary Active-X enabled browser that for better or worse represents a huge chunk of the web-surfing world.

Getting 'real' IE on the Mac, up until now, has meant OS emulation (Virtual PC), virtualization (Parallels/VMware), API translation (Wine/CrossOver) or remote access (RDC). Now there's another option for Intel Mac owners: ies4osx, a Mac port of the ies4linux package. Built on top of the Darwine version of the Wine Win32 API translation layer, ies4osx downloads and installs an official version of IE (you pick from v5, 5.5, 6 or 7) and then runs it inside the X11 environment on your Mac.

The resulting browser looks a little weird -- almost like a Bizarro version of IE, with the slightly altered type and menu look of the X11 windowing system -- but this bear can dance. OWA runs nicely, with full rich-text editing and message search, and the administration pages for MS Virtual Server also work pretty well. I wouldn't depend on ies4osx in a production role, at least not with the current build, but for one-off testing of websites in IE it's worth the (free) download. The ies4linux developer plans to roll the Mac-specific fixes back into the main package, so the next version of ies4 will probably support both Mac and Linux users from the same codebase.

[via MacApper]

Filed under: Software Update

Apple updates X11 for second time in two weeks

Hot on the heels of X11 1.1.2 comes X11 1.1.3.

From the Read Me:

This update addresses several issues in the X11 for Mac OS X package, enabling it to better handle:

- GLX stereo visuals
- offscreen rendering to GLX Pbuffers and Pixmaps

To tell X11 to take advantage of stereo visuals, enter:
$ defaults write com.apple.x11 enable_stereo -bool true

This update also addresses font issues present in X11 1.1.2, and is recommended for all users.

FYI - Stereo viewing is a common technique to increase visual realism or enhance user interaction with 3D scenes and is typically used in scientific applications.

Filed under: Software, Software Update

Apple updates X11

Apple released X11 1.1.2 (Update 2006) yesterday. The 50MB update addresses several issues in the X11 X Window system, enabling it to better handle GLX stereo visuals and offscreen rendering to GLX Pbuffers and Pixmaps. To tell X11 to take advantage of stereo visuals, you'll need to fire up the Terminal and enter:

$ defaults write com.apple.x11 enable_stereo -bool true
This update requires Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later and X11 1.1 or 1.1.1

Filed under: Software, Productivity

Give thanks and praise: native OpenOffice arriving next month

No, you aren't hallucinating: Macworld UK is reporting that a truly native version of OpenOffice (not the java-powered NeoOffice port) will be shipping next month. OpenOffice's journey to running on Mac OS X in a native format has been a rollercoaster ride over the years, with a post on their site in January of '05 basically nixing a native port altogether.

However, the stars have realigned and the port will see light of day after all. If you need visual proof, one of OO's developers posted some native screenshots on his blog. As far as when we can get our hands on a non-X11 OpenOffice package, we're tossing our chips in with Macworld UK's that we'll most likely see this release at September's OOoCon. Stay tuned.

Filed under: Software, Freeware, Open Source, UNIX / BSD, Universal Binary

X11 on Intel Macs

Despite my initial inability to find a proper X11 installer the other day, it is included on the disk with my new iMac (although nowhere that I could find on Apple's website, which I think is a mistake on Apple's part). So, I installed X11 and OOo and the Gimp. The X11 launcher app is installed in your Utilities folder and, after the initial launch of the program, launches quite speedily (just one bounce in the Dock!). Launching the Gimp takes a bit longer with 9 bounces in the Dock and then a very speedy splash screen load. OpenOffice.org 2.0 takes even longer with one bounce and about 14 seconds total loading time.

Great. So what? Well, here's the interesting bit: both the Gimp and OOo (which is really only an alpha release) launch and run faster than Microsoft Office and Photoshop running in Rosetta. So, if you have a new Intel-based Mac and you are lamenting Photoshop and Word sluggishness, why not give these open source softwares a try? There's an initial learning curve, but, hey... they're free. Free is good.

Filed under: Software, Cool tools, Open Source

OS X-native GIMP coming

StyleMac has discovered that GIMP is making its way to OS X native goodness, as Mikael Hallendal, involved with the project, posted on his blog. For those not familiar with GIMP: it's basically an open source version of Photoshop. No, it isn't an exact, feature-for-feature alternative, but it's one of the best available analogies I can think of.

As far as I've found, there's no ETA on when you'll have one less reason to run X11, but this will certainly be a welcome addition to OS X's graphic edition options.

Tip of the Day

Holding the Command key (aka the Apple key) and pressing Tab will cycle through your open applications. It's easier to Cmd-Tab if you are Copy (Cmd-C) and Pasting (Cmd-V) to and from various applications.


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