CompiledMonkey.com

So last night I pulled a Milton and messed up my OS X install. OS X comes with about every freaking possible language on Earth and this obviously takes up some space. Being the geek I am I just had to get rid of these languages and get back my hard drive space. Now, I totally didn’t consider that I’d only save about 1 of 100 gigabytes on my drive. Mistake number 1. So I downloaded and ran an open source piece of software I found on Digg to do just what I was looking for. What I didn’t realize, hence the Milton moment, was that this software also removed support for old architectures you may not be using on your system. So, once I ran the application the only support I had on my system was the English language and for the Intel hardware architecture since I have a new, Intel based, MacBook Pro. So what’s the problem you ask? Some of my applications, Quicken to be specific, are old school OS X programs written for the Power PC (PPC) architecture. Thankfully Tiger (OS 10.4) supports these outdated applications through a translation process known as Rosetta. However, since I removed the PPC support none of my applications that require Rosetta translation would run. Yay indeed.

After some searching I discovered I needed to reinstall OS X. A few four letter words quickly came to mind. After a little more reading I discovered that OS X carries a wonderful feature called “Archive and Install“. As the article will show my settings and user data will be preserved but I assumed system files and applications would be basically “from the factory”. I figured I’d spend all evening reinstalling the software I had and configuring everything again.

So I popped in the OS X install DVD and rebooted the system. After a few screens I was able to choose the “Archive and Install” option and let the system do its thing. Once everything was finished the system booted and everything was preserved, and I mean everything. My dock hadn’t changed minus a few factory additions like iWeb and GarageBand. My background and screen saver were the same. My desktop had the same files and all of my personal files remained unchanged. All of my applications were as I left them. I see no duplication in the system and everything is like it was before I pulled my Milton moment. The only issue I had was with Parallels. I had to reinstall it because it was complaining about a driver. After a quick reinstall everything was fine and it still had my Windows XP partition ready to go.

Impressed by OS X yet? I sure am; again.

After my last entry I made my decision and went with the BlackBerry 7130e.  I must say; wow!  It’s an awesome device, a pleasure to use, somewhat easy to learn, and actually integrates with my Mac!  I’m using PocketMac software, which is free, to sync my AddressBook, iCal, and other items to the BlackBerry.  I don’t actually use iCal as my calendar software.  I share my Google Calendar and use iCal as a viewer.  Doing this allows me to utilize the BlackBerry as a viewer for my Google Calendar as well.

I’ve also set it up so all of my Gmail gets forwarded to the BlackBerry.  It works out perfectly and the people I communicate with never see the “internal to BlackBerry” email address.  As far as they’re concerned it’s all Gmail.

In addition to the great sync features and Gmail “integration”, I have Google Talk and Google Maps installed on the device.  So, from anywhere in the world, I can send and receive Google Talk messages and get driving directions.

I’m pretty pleased with the device and ease of integration so far.  However, I’ll be in line when Steve Jobs drops the Apple iPhone on us in the very near future.

I need to purchase a new cell phone and I’m dying to get my Verizon Wireless service back.  Even though it sucks to pay for a cell again it’s just not reasonable to rely on my employer for that.  So, I’ve narrowed my search down to the Blackberry 7130e and the Motorola Q.  The Blackberry is definitely larger and not as easy to drop in the pocket and run around.  However, the huge benefit is native Google Talk and Maps support.  I can actually walk around the country and be fully connected to Google Talk.  Awesome plus in my book.  The Q is so slim it’s crazy and it runs Windows Mobile 5 so there is opportunity for development.  I’ve found software that will sync my calendar, contacts, and such from my Mac for both devices.  What sucks is email support.  I use Gmail and I guess I could setup POP support in whatever client each device supports.  It would be so awesome if there was a native application on the Blackberry for Gmail.  I’d be sold yesterday!

Now, the real kicker in this whole debate is the rumor of the Apple iPhone.  The day that product drops, if ever, I’m all over it.  Consider a device that’s an iPod, digital camera, and has perfect Mac OS X integration with iTunes, iPhoto, Mail, iCal, etc, etc.  Sweet Jesus, I’d be in heaven.  So regardless of which device I purchase, it’s temporary until Steve Jobs makes my decade and reveals the Apple iPhone.
So, given all of this, what would you choose?  I guess it’s pretty obvious I’m leaning towards the Blackberry.

I keep hearing all of these wonderful things about some specific pieces of Mac OS X software, specifically Dashboard, Mail, and Skype. So I spent some time this morning screwing around with each and have some thoughts!

Dashboard is quite nice and I’ve actually been using the weather widget on my desktop for quite awhile using the “developer hack”. However I downloaded a fair number of new widgets found on the Apple site and started screwing around with them. Some of which are useful, like iStat Pro which shows all of your system statistics in a cleanly presented panel. Overall Dashboard is nice but it’s not something I’m head over heels in love with, I mean you have to press a button (F12) to display the widgets which simply takes it out of constant usability. On the flip side, nobody wants their desktop filled with widgets all the time. I guess that’s a hard line to follow but still executed well by Apple.

Mail is an awesome application that’s really simple to use and setup. Now, I have a deep affection for Gmail and its brilliant interface, so I’ll never convert to Mail. But for my VCU account I can use Mail and enjoy it’s simplicity. If you’re on a Mac, which you should be, and aren’t using Mail as your client, get on it!

Skype is not OS X specific but certainly looks good on this smooth UI. I’m kind of giving this application a test run after constantly being bombarded by Morton about it. I’m sure Skype will be a very big discussion on “Kill The Desktop”.

Wow! I’ve been hearing a lot lately about the upcoming podcast “Kill The Desktop” from myself and Matt Morton. Frankly, I’m insanely excited to get started and record a few episodes. We’ve been working on getting a list of topics together and trying to figure out the media delivery. As Matt says we always have great conversations about technology and generally provide insight on both sides of the fence. Yet, it’s not as geeky as you might expect. We are geeks, no doubt, but not the Star Trek type. More of your young, hip, technology proven types. So, prepare yourself, we’ll be hitting iTunes by September!