8/08/2013

[macsupport] Digest Number 9692

6 New Messages

Digest #9692
1a
Re: Onyx? by "Randy B. Singer" randybrucesinger
1b
Re: Onyx? by "ralfee2002" ralfee2002
1c
Re: Onyx? by "Otto Nikolaus" nikyzf
1d
Re: Onyx? by "Otto Nikolaus" nikyzf

Messages

Wed Aug 7, 2013 6:24 pm (PDT) . Posted by:

"Randy B. Singer" randybrucesinger


On Aug 7, 2013, at 10:47 AM, Earle Jones wrote:

> Randy, have you tried Cocktail? Any opinions?

Sure. It's a very nice utility that I can't see paying $20 for, since other utilities do the exact same things (or, at least, all of the things that you need to be doing) for free. (All that these utilities do is give commands to start routines running that already exist in OS X's underlying Unix. None of them actually do anything other than this on their own.)

With regard to using more advanced utilities than YASU, including Onyx, I think that some of the users here get a little carried away with their enthusiasm for some products that they really like, recommend them to all, and forget that many of the users on this forum are newbies, or at least they aren't nerds. Your average user will launch Onyx, see a ton of advanced features, most of which they don't understand (and which can get them into trouble), and they will freak out. Even YASU, which has one screen and is fairly basic, can be scary and baffling to ordinary Mac users without some guidance on how to use it (which I've provided on my Web site.)

Also note that not all routine maintenance should be run often. For instance, your Mac maintains caches for a reason. That reason is that having oft used data cached means that it can be accessed again instantly. That speeds up your Mac. Blowing away your caches will likely slow your Mac down until things are cached again. It's good to reset your caches every now and then because over a long period of time they can became stale or corrupted, which will manifest itself as a slowdown or the appearance of the rotating beachball cursor. But you don't need to do this often.

With regard to YASU no longer being updated, it will cease to be updated as of the release of OS X Mavericks, which isn't out yet. None of us know what OS X Mavericks will bring. It may render all of these utilities unnecessary. For now, YASU is an excellent and *free* choice for routine maintenance. We can all adjust as necessary when Mavericks is released.

___________________________________________
Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html
___________________________________________

Wed Aug 7, 2013 11:11 pm (PDT) . Posted by:

"ralfee2002" ralfee2002

Thanks for replies. I temporarily changed the Security & Privacy control panel and Onyx opened. Thanks again.

Ralph

--- In macsupportcentral@yahoogroups.com, Jim Harry <jim.harry@...> wrote:
>
> On the General page of the Security & Privacy control panel. Click
> "Anywhere"; under "Allow applications downloaded from:".
>
> Jim H.
>
> On Wed, Aug 7, 2013 at 6:23 PM, ralfee2002 <upnatm24@...> wrote:
>
> > I've used Onyx with previous OS versions and downloaded it to use with Mountain Lion. However, I get the message "Onyx can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer. Your security preferences allow installation of only apps from the Mac App Store and identified developers". I can't find any reference in security prefs. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Thu Aug 8, 2013 4:51 am (PDT) . Posted by:

"Otto Nikolaus" nikyzf

On 8 August 2013 01:10, David Brostoff <davbro@earthlink.net> wrote:

>
> It's the way to right-click without a mouse.
>

Doh! Of course it is! What was I (not) thinking?

Otto

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thu Aug 8, 2013 4:55 am (PDT) . Posted by:

"Otto Nikolaus" nikyzf

On 8 August 2013 01:26, Jim Saklad <jimdoc@icloud.com> wrote:

>
> I have only had trackpads for 15 years. <Control><Click> = right-click.
>

Please see my previous reply to David.

But while we're talking trackpads, mine is set for 2 fingers = secondary
click.

Otto

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Wed Aug 7, 2013 10:50 pm (PDT) . Posted by:

"N.A. Nada"

I'm glad things are coming together.

Jim, why are you looking at Airport Utility while you are awakening your Ethernet-only Mac Pro or my Laptop (usually connected to the LAN by WiFi) from sleep? Close the utility. Whenever Airport Utility opens it always shows the "Internet"; as orange for a few seconds. I have seen that for 10-15 seconds. Especially if the Mac you are watching AU on, is the one that is awakening.

If the only thing left is the occasional transmission rate, it sounds like it is on Comcast's end, which I experience also, but not as slow as you are seeing. The number of active subscribers on cable internet can slow it down and your node may be over subscribed.

On Aug 6, 2013, at 6:18 PM, James Robertson wrote:

<snip>

Just now, I pulled my Cable modem out of the Vipers' nest as well. It's a DOCSIS 2 Arris TM602G/CT (supports 2 lines of voice service, has an integrated Li battery). From the manual I found online, it looks as though it's NOT a router (so doesn't likely explain the occasional dramatic "Transmission Rate" reductions, nor the occasional orange color of the virtual "Internet"; LED I see in Airport Utility (typically after awakening my Ethernet-only Mac Pro or my Laptop (usually connected to the LAN by WiFi) from sleep.

I'm leaning more towards blaming my Airport Extreme Base Station for my problems. Since Comcast will upgrade me to a DOCSOS 3 device for free, I plan to take them up on my offer. Since I have a report from Pat Taylor that matches my current internet upload/download data rates with what he experienced before his upgrade, his positive experience suggests I should do this even though I'm still suspicious of the Airport Extreme, but wait to replace IT until I see what happens as a consequence of updating to a current generation Cable Modem (and, of course, make sure that Comcast provides me only the "Cable Modem" with support for 2 voice lines and battery backup, not an integrated Cable Modem/Router.

Does that make sense to you?

I guess an alternative would be to PURCHASE a DOCSIS 3 cable modem/voice EMTA outright, so that I wouldn't be paying Comcast a rental fee, but I've had that opportunity all along and not taken advantage of it. Still, anyone monitoring this thread who's purchased their own Cable modem is invited to chime in with personal experiences, good or bad.

Thanks so much,
Jim Robertson

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thu Aug 8, 2013 3:52 am (PDT) . Posted by:

"James Robertson" jamesrob328i


On Aug 7, 2013, at 10:50 PM, N.A. Nada <whodo678@comcast.net> wrote:

> Jim, why are you looking at Airport Utility while you are awakening your Ethernet-only Mac Pro or my Laptop (usually connected to the LAN by WiFi) from sleep? Close the utility. Whenever Airport Utility opens it always shows the "Internet"; as orange for a few seconds. I have seen that for 10-15 seconds. Especially if the Mac you are watching AU on, is the one that is awakening.

Now THAT is interesting. I never knew that! I made an inferential leap from three observations:
1. Sometimes the WiFi communication between my laptop and base station slows to a crawl (5)
2. Sometimes the "Internet"; virtual LED is orange when I awaken the computer running Airport Utility
3. A few weeks back I had problems where I could connect from my LAN computers to SOME remote servers via SSL but not others

to the erroneous conclusion that there was something wrong with either my router or my Cable Modem or the configuration of one or the other or both.

> If the only thing left is the occasional transmission rate, it sounds like it is on Comcast's end, which I experience also, but not as slow as you are seeing. The number of active subscribers on cable internet can slow it down and your node may be over subscribed.

I think I've eliminated the chance to "blame Comcast" with my observation that, during those times that WiFi is essentially useless, computers connected to the Airport Extreme router via my Ethernet LAN operate normally as far as internet access is concerned.

I've taken two more steps: first, after reading glowing reviews of the new Airport Extreme a/c router, I replaced my Airport Extreme (2nd generation) because:

1. It enables 802.11n devices to operate on the 5 GHz band while devices (iPhones, iPads) that cannot access the 5 GHz band to operate at 2.4 GHz. Apple says that permits the 5GHz-capable devices to communicate with the router faster (that's not new with this generation of the Airport Extreme, but it was not supported by my previous AEBS router.

2. It supports a Guest network (second SSID), so that people coming to my house who need internet access can obtain it without requiring access to my primary LAN, and I don't need to give out the WPA2 password for my primary WiFi network to those guests.

Thus far, immediately after installation, my "transmission rate" readings have jumped from a max of 130 to a typical 230 and occasional 255.

Next step: install the DOCSIS 3 cable modem. Comcast didn't have one that's "just" a modem, but a quick Google search led me to instructions on how to configure the Arris 862G/CT in bridge mode, so I'm hopeful I'll be able to accomplish that as well. Wish me luck!

--
Jim Robertson
__o
_-\<,_
(*)/ (*)
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My other car is an S-Works Roubaix

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