alias Create an alias •
alloc List used and free memory
awk Find and Replace text within file(s)
b
basename Convert a full pathname to just a folder path
bash Bourne-Again SHell
bg Send to background •
bind Display readline key and function bindings •
bless Set volume bootability and startup disk options.
break Exit from a For, While, Until or Select loop •
builtin Execute a shell builtin •
bzip Compress or decompress files
c
cal Display a calendar
caller Return the context of a subroutine call •
case Conditionally perform a command •
cat Display the contents of a file
cd Change Directory •
chflags Change a file or folder's flags
chgrp Change group ownership
chmod Change access permissions
chown Change file owner and group
chroot Run a command with a different root directory
cksum Print CRC checksum and byte counts
clear Clear terminal screen
cmp Compare two files
comm Compare two sorted files line by line
command Run a command (not a function) •
complete Edit a command completion [word/pattern/list] •
continue Resume the next iteration of a loop •
cp Copy one or more files to another location
cron Daemon to execute scheduled commands
crontab Schedule a command to run at a later date/time
cut Divide a file into several parts
d
date Display or change the date & time
dc Desk Calculator
dd Data Dump - Convert and copy a file
declare Declare variable & set attributes •
defaults Set preferences, show hidden files
df Display free disk space
diff Display the differences between two files
diff3 Show differences among three files
dig DNS lookup
dirname Convert a full pathname to just a path
dirs Display list of remembered directories •
diskutil Disk utilities - Format, Verify, Repair
disown Unbind a job from the current login session •
ditto Copy files and folders
dot_clean Remove dot-underscore files
drutil Interact with CD/DVD burners
dscacheutil Query or flush the Directory Service/DNS cache
dscl Directory Service command line utility
du Estimate file space usage
e
echo Display message on screen •
ed A line-oriented text editor (edlin)
enable Enable and disable builtin shell commands •
env Set environment and run a utility
eval Evaluate several commands/arguments •
exec Execute a command •
exit Exit the shell •
expand Convert tabs to spaces
expect Programmed dialogue with interactive programs
Also see AppleScript
export Set an environment variable •
expr Evaluate expressions
f
false Do nothing, unsuccessfully
fc Fix command (history)
fdisk Partition table manipulator for Darwin UFS/HFS/DOS
fg Send job to foreground •
file Determine file type
find Search for files that meet a desired criteria
fmt Reformat paragraph text
fold Wrap text to fit a specified width
for Loop command •
fsck Filesystem consistency check and repair
fsaclctl Filesystem enable/disable ACL support
fs_usage Filesystem usage (process/pathname)
ftp Internet file transfer program
g
GetFileInfo Get attributes of HFS+ files
getopt Parse positional parameters
getopts Parse positional parameters •
goto Jump to label and continue execution
grep Search file(s) for lines that match a given pattern
groups Print group names a user is in
gzip Compress or decompress files
h
hash Refresh the cached/remembered location of commands •
head Display the first lines of a file
hdiutil Manipulate iso disk images
history Command History •
hostname Print or set system name
i
id Print user and group names/id's
if Conditionally perform a command •
info Help info
install Copy files and set attributes
j
jobs List active jobs •
join Join lines on a common field
k
kextfind List kernel extensions
kickstart Configure Apple Remote Desktop
kill Stop a process from running
l
l List files in long format (ls -l)
last Indicate last logins of users and ttys
launchctl Load or unload daemons/agents
ll List files in long format, showing invisible files (ls -la)
less Display output one screen at a time
let Evaluate expression •
lipo Convert a universal binary
ln Make links between files (hard links, symbolic links)
local Set a local (function) variable •
locate Find files
logname Print current login name
login log into the computer
logout Exit a login shell (bye) •
lpr Print files
lprm Remove jobs from the print queue
lpstat Printer status information
ls List information about file(s)
lsregister Reset the Launch Services database
lsbom List a bill of materials file
lsof List open files
m
man Help manual
mdfind Spotlight search
mdutil Manage Spotlight metadata store
mkdir Create new folder(s)
mkfifo Make FIFOs (named pipes)
more Display output one screen at a time
mount Mount a file system
mv Move or rename files or directories
n
net Manage network resources
netstat Show network status
networksetup Network and System Preferences
nice Set the priority of a command
nohup Run a command immune to hangups
ntfs.util NTFS file system utility
o
onintr Control the action of a shell interrupt
open Open a file/folder/URL/Application
osacompile Compile Applescript
osascript Execute AppleScript
p
passwd Modify a user password
paste Merge lines of files
pbcopy Copy data to the clipboard
pbpaste Paste data from the Clipboard
pico Simple text editor
ping Test a network connection
pkgutil Query and manipulate installed packages
plutil Property list utility
pmset Power Management settings
popd Restore the previous value of the current directory •
pr Convert text files for printing
printenv Print environment variables
printf Format and print data •
ps Process status
pushd Save and then change the current directory
pwd Print Working Directory •
q
quota Display disk usage and limits
r
rcp Copy files between machines
read Read one line from standard input •
readonly Mark a variable or function as read-only •
reboot Stop and restart the system
return Exit a function •
rev Reverse lines of a file
rm Remove files
rmdir Remove folder(s)
rpm Remote Package Manager
rsync Remote file copy - Sync file tree (also RsyncX)
s
say Convert text to audible speech
screen Multiplex terminal, run remote shells via ssh
screencapture Capture screen image to file or disk
sdiff Merge two files interactively
security Administer Keychains, keys, certificates and the Security framework
sed Stream Editor
select Generate a list of items •
set Set a shell variable = value •
setfile Set attributes of HFS+ files
shift Shift positional parameters •
shopt Set shell options •
shutdown Shutdown or restart OS X
sleep Delay for a specified time
softwareupdate System software update tool
sort Sort text files
source Execute commands from a file •
split Split a file into fixed-size pieces
stop Stop a job or process
su Substitute user identity
sudo Execute a command as another user
sum Print a checksum for a file
suspend Suspend execution of this shell •
sw_vers Print Mac OS X operating system version
system_profiler Report system configuration
systemsetup Computer and display system settings
t
tail Output the last part of files
tar Tape ARchiver
tee Redirect output to multiple files
test Condition evaluation •
textutil Manipulate text files in various formats (Doc,html,rtf)
time Measure Program Resource Use
times Print shell & shell process times •
touch Change file timestamps
tr Translate, squeeze, and/or delete characters
trap Execute a command when the shell receives a signal •
traceroute Trace Route to Host
true Do nothing, successfully
tty Print filename of terminal on stdin
type Describe a command •
u
ufs.util Mount/unmount UFS file system
ulimit limit the use of system-wide resources •
umask Users file creation mask
umount Unmount a device
unalias Remove an alias •
uname Print system information
unexpand Convert spaces to tabs
uniq Uniquify files
units Convert units from one scale to another
unset Remove variable or function names •
until Loop command •
users Print login names of users currently logged in
uuencode Encode a binary file
uudecode Decode a file created by uuencode
uuidgen Generate a Unique ID (UUID/GUID)
uucp Unix to Unix copy
v
vi Text Editor
w
wait Wait for a process to complete •
wc Print byte, word, and line counts
where Report all known instances of a command
which Locate a program file in the user's path
while Loop command •
who Print all usernames currently logged on
whoami Print the current user id and name (`id -un')
write Send a message to another user
x
xargs Execute utility - passing arguments
yes Print a string until interrupted
Monday, October 26, 2009
An A-Z Index of the Apple OS X command line
An A-Z Index of the Bash command line for Linux
alias Create an alias
apropos Search Help manual pages (man -k)
apt-get Search for and install software packages (Debian)
aspell Spell Checker
awk Find and Replace text, database sort/validate/index
b
bash GNU Bourne-Again SHell
bc Arbitrary precision calculator language
bg Send to background
break Exit from a loop
builtin Run a shell builtin
bzip2 Compress or decompress named file(s)
c
cal Display a calendar
case Conditionally perform a command
cat Display the contents of a file
cd Change Directory
cfdisk Partition table manipulator for Linux
chgrp Change group ownership
chmod Change access permissions
chown Change file owner and group
chroot Run a command with a different root directory
chkconfig System services (runlevel)
cksum Print CRC checksum and byte counts
clear Clear terminal screen
cmp Compare two files
comm Compare two sorted files line by line
command Run a command - ignoring shell functions
continue Resume the next iteration of a loop
cp Copy one or more files to another location
cron Daemon to execute scheduled commands
crontab Schedule a command to run at a later time
csplit Split a file into context-determined pieces
cut Divide a file into several parts
d
date Display or change the date & time
dc Desk Calculator
dd Convert and copy a file, write disk headers, boot records
ddrescue Data recovery tool
declare Declare variables and give them attributes
df Display free disk space
diff Display the differences between two files
diff3 Show differences among three files
dig DNS lookup
dir Briefly list directory contents
dircolors Colour setup for `ls'
dirname Convert a full pathname to just a path
dirs Display list of remembered directories
dmesg Print kernel & driver messages
du Estimate file space usage
e
echo Display message on screen
egrep Search file(s) for lines that match an extended expression
eject Eject removable media
enable Enable and disable builtin shell commands
env Environment variables
ethtool Ethernet card settings
eval Evaluate several commands/arguments
exec Execute a command
exit Exit the shell
expect Automate arbitrary applications accessed over a terminal
expand Convert tabs to spaces
export Set an environment variable
expr Evaluate expressions
f
false Do nothing, unsuccessfully
fdformat Low-level format a floppy disk
fdisk Partition table manipulator for Linux
fg Send job to foreground
fgrep Search file(s) for lines that match a fixed string
file Determine file type
find Search for files that meet a desired criteria
fmt Reformat paragraph text
fold Wrap text to fit a specified width.
for Expand words, and execute commands
format Format disks or tapes
free Display memory usage
fsck File system consistency check and repair
ftp File Transfer Protocol
function Define Function Macros
fuser Identify/kill the process that is accessing a file
g
gawk Find and Replace text within file(s)
getopts Parse positional parameters
grep Search file(s) for lines that match a given pattern
groups Print group names a user is in
gzip Compress or decompress named file(s)
h
hash Remember the full pathname of a name argument
head Output the first part of file(s)
history Command History
hostname Print or set system name
i
id Print user and group id's
if Conditionally perform a command
ifconfig Configure a network interface
ifdown Stop a network interface
ifup Start a network interface up
import Capture an X server screen and save the image to file
install Copy files and set attributes
j
join Join lines on a common field
k
kill Stop a process from running
killall Kill processes by name
l
less Display output one screen at a time
let Perform arithmetic on shell variables
ln Make links between files
local Create variables
locate Find files
logname Print current login name
logout Exit a login shell
look Display lines beginning with a given string
lpc Line printer control program
lpr Off line print
lprint Print a file
lprintd Abort a print job
lprintq List the print queue
lprm Remove jobs from the print queue
ls List information about file(s)
lsof List open files
m
make Recompile a group of programs
man Help manual
mkdir Create new folder(s)
mkfifo Make FIFOs (named pipes)
mkisofs Create an hybrid ISO9660/JOLIET/HFS filesystem
mknod Make block or character special files
more Display output one screen at a time
mount Mount a file system
mtools Manipulate MS-DOS files
mv Move or rename files or directories
mmv Mass Move and rename (files)
n
netstat Networking information
nice Set the priority of a command or job
nl Number lines and write files
nohup Run a command immune to hangups
nslookup Query Internet name servers interactively
o
open Open a file in its default application
op Operator access
p
passwd Modify a user password
paste Merge lines of files
pathchk Check file name portability
ping Test a network connection
pkill Stop processes from running
popd Restore the previous value of the current directory
pr Prepare files for printing
printcap Printer capability database
printenv Print environment variables
printf Format and print data
ps Process status
pushd Save and then change the current directory
pwd Print Working Directory
q
quota Display disk usage and limits
quotacheck Scan a file system for disk usage
quotactl Set disk quotas
r
ram ram disk device
rcp Copy files between two machines
read read a line from standard input
readonly Mark variables/functions as readonly
reboot Reboot the system
renice Alter priority of running processes
remsync Synchronize remote files via email
return Exit a shell function
rev Reverse lines of a file
rm Remove files
rmdir Remove folder(s)
rsync Remote file copy (Synchronize file trees)
s
screen Multiplex terminal, run remote shells via ssh
scp Secure copy (remote file copy)
sdiff Merge two files interactively
sed Stream Editor
select Accept keyboard input
seq Print numeric sequences
set Manipulate shell variables and functions
sftp Secure File Transfer Program
shift Shift positional parameters
shopt Shell Options
shutdown Shutdown or restart linux
sleep Delay for a specified time
slocate Find files
sort Sort text files
source Run commands from a file `.'
split Split a file into fixed-size pieces
ssh Secure Shell client (remote login program)
strace Trace system calls and signals
su Substitute user identity
sudo Execute a command as another user
sum Print a checksum for a file
symlink Make a new name for a file
sync Synchronize data on disk with memory
t
tail Output the last part of files
tar Tape ARchiver
tee Redirect output to multiple files
test Evaluate a conditional expression
time Measure Program running time
times User and system times
touch Change file timestamps
top List processes running on the system
traceroute Trace Route to Host
trap Run a command when a signal is set(bourne)
tr Translate, squeeze, and/or delete characters
true Do nothing, successfully
tsort Topological sort
tty Print filename of terminal on stdin
type Describe a command
u
ulimit Limit user resources
umask Users file creation mask
umount Unmount a device
unalias Remove an alias
uname Print system information
unexpand Convert spaces to tabs
uniq Uniquify files
units Convert units from one scale to another
unset Remove variable or function names
unshar Unpack shell archive scripts
until Execute commands (until error)
useradd Create new user account
usermod Modify user account
users List users currently logged in
uuencode Encode a binary file
uudecode Decode a file created by uuencode
v
v Verbosely list directory contents (`ls -l -b')
vdir Verbosely list directory contents (`ls -l -b')
vi Text Editor
vmstat Report virtual memory statistics
w
watch Execute/display a program periodically
wc Print byte, word, and line counts
whereis Report all known instances of a command
which Locate a program file in the user's path.
while Execute commands
who Print all usernames currently logged in
whoami Print the current user id and name (`id -un')
Wget Retrieve web pages or files via HTTP, HTTPS or FTP
write Send a message to another user
x
xargs Execute utility, passing constructed argument list(s)
yes Print a string until interrupted
. Run a command script in the current shell
### Comment / Remark
Top 50 Terminal Commands
Terminal
Hey
Terminal is Mac OS X way into the command line world. It is designed for you to typing in specific commands that you would not be able to do otherwise. This is great for customizing your Mac and unveiling hidden features. It is also a good way to destroy you system because you screwed something up.
What I have done is crawl the web look of the Top 50 Terminal commands. These commands are designed to make you make look cooler, act quicker or be generally useful. I have tried to keep commands down to one line, so they are simple and effective to use. Each item will include a description of what it does as well as an appropriate picture is necessary. Many of these commands appear as seperate posts all over the web, but never in one big list. I have tried to keep the amount of sudo commands down to a minimum as this can easily destroy your system. Especially if you go sudoing every thing. I have tried to give the best description I can, if you have a problem leave a comment and I will see if I can solve it. The list is in no particular order. Most of the commands can be reverted by replacing YES with NO and 1 with 0, the opposite. Most of these commands are Leopard compatible and many may not work on Tiger. Try them and see what happens.
1) 2D Dock
This quite a popular hack for the people running Leopard and don’t like the 3D feel. It changes the 3D dock to a flat 2D version. To enter copy and past the following code.
defaults write com.apple.dock no-glass -boolean YES
killall Dock
2) Gradient Behind A Stack Item
One of my favourite hacks that enables you to put a small gradient behind an icon. I think this should be enabled by default.
defaults write com.apple.dock mouse-over-hilte-stack -boolean YES
killall Dock
3) Add A Message To The Login Window
This little Terminal command enables you to add a message of your choice to the Login window. Pretty cool and deserved a screenshot if I new how to take on while not logged in. Warning it’s a sudo command which can be dangerous.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow LoginwindowText "Your Message"
Replace “Your Message” with the message of your choice, don’t make it to long. If you want to revert it do the following.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow LoginwindowText ""
4) Add An Exposè Button To The Desktop
If you have reconfigured the F9 and F10 keys to something different you may want to use exposè. This hack adds a bigish blue button onto the desktop to enable you to use exposè. Clicking on it shows all the windows from one application (F10 default), option clicking it shows all windows (F9 default).
defaults write com.apple.dock wvous-floater -bool YES
killall Dock
5) Address Book Debug Menu
If you have some trouble with Address Book it may be useful to open up the debug menu as well as this use some of the hidden features. Make sure address book is closed first before applying the code. If you want to revert it remove YES in the string.
defaults write com.apple.addressbook ABShowDebugMenu -bool YES
6) Increase Dock Magnification Size
This little hack lets you increase the size of the magnification of the dock icons. Don’t go past 512.
defaults write com.apple.dock largesize -int 512
7) Increase Desktop Icon Size
If you want massive icons on you desktop this little hack lets you increase the icons to 512 pixels x 512 pixels. This is massive, may slow down on older machines. I don’t think it goes larger than 512.
defaults write com.apple.finder DesktopViewOptions -dict IconSize -integer 512
killall Finder
8) Changing the Format Of Screen Shots
If you use the screen shot function, you may want to change the format of the images, this is not easily done normally. Where jpg is in the code you can change this to the format your want, png bmp gif etc. You need to log out and back in again, or restart for the changes to take effect.
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
9) Change The Login Picture
If you get a bored of the space picture used on the login screen, you can change it with this little bit of code. Change the file location in the second half of the string to the exact file location of your chosen picture.
defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow DesktopPicture "/System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/Resources/vortex.png"
10) Change The Loading Bar In Safari To A Pie Chart
This is a Safari 3 hack, so it might not work. This changes the blue bar that goes across the address bar into a small blue pie chart. Insert false instead of true to reverse.
defaults write com.apple.Safari DebugUsePieProgressIndicator -bool true
11) Clear The Open With Menu
If you right click on a file you can open it with many applications. Sometimes your OS can get a little confused and list many applications. This is to clear this list and start again. The code below is all on one line.
/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/
LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister
-kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user
12) Change The Delay When Dragging Windows In Spaces
This simple hack changes the delay time it takes to drag windows around in spaces, its currently set to 0.75
defaults write com.apple.dock workspaces-edge-delay -float 0.5
13) Disable Dashboard
If you don’t want or like the dashboard running you can disable it. Change YES to NO to enable it again.
defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES
killall Dock
14) Enable Double Scroll Arrows
This little hack enables the double arrow set for up and down, left or right, to be at both ends of the scroll bar. Handy if you like the double arrows. Use System Preferences to reset.
defaults write “Apple Global Domain” AppleScrollBarVariant DoubleBoth
15) Disable Tooltips In Safari
This quick little hack for Safari that removes the tooltips you get when you hover over certain elements.
defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitShowsURLsInToolTips 0
16) Increase The Dock Size
Command #6 enables you to change the magnification. This command enables you to change the size of the dock. Use the sliders in System Preferences to reduce this size. Don’t go larger 256.
defaults write com.apple.dock tilesize -int 256
17) Disable the Crash Dialog Box
This disables the quit dialog box when an application crashes. Type prompt to enable again.
defaults write com.apple.CrashReporter DialogType none
18)Drag A Widget Onto The Desktop
Probably one of the coolest hacks. This command enables widgets to be placed onto the desktop. Drag a widget around and press F12 to drag it onto the desktop. Repeat the process again to drag a widget back onto the dashboard. This may need you to log off or restart for it to take effect.
defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode YES
19) Enable Debug Menu In Safari
Adding debug menus to programs is great as you can access a whole range of features. This one is for Safari.
defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1
20) Enable The Path View In Finder
One of may favourite hacks as it lets you see the current path of the Finder window you are in. Its great if you work with a lot of windows.
defaults write com.apple.finder _FXShowPosixPathInTitle -bool YES
21)Enable Time Machine On Unsupported Drives
Another favourite hack of mine, simply because it enable Time Machine to work on unsupported drives such as a NAS. Use with caution as it is unsupported.
defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1
22) Enable Web Inspector
This is a very detailed web inspector that enables you to find out specific information about a page. It is accessible through the debug menu but this enables you to use it without. You can quickly access it through right-click.
defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitDeveloperExtras -bool true
23) Enable Debug in iCal
Another debug menu (I like debug menus) this time its for iCal. You need to restart iCal for the changes to take effect.
defaults write com.apple.iCal IncludeDebugMenu YES
24) Enable Quit In Finder
This is a very useful command for anyone who does a lot of fiddling and needs to quit Finder.
defaults write com.apple.finder QuitMenuItem -bool YES
killall Finder
25) Force Mail To Display In Plain Text
If you have problems with HTML emails or you just want emails to be displayed in plain text use the following command. You need to restart Mail for the changes to take effect. Replace with false to revert.
defaults write com.apple.mail PreferPlainText -bool TRUE
26) Increase Time Machine Backups
If you do a lot of work on you Mac, and you want time machine to back up more frequently you need to change the value. It is in seconds. The default is set to an hour which is 3600. Change this value to suit, half and hour is 1800 seconds.
sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.backupd-auto StartInterval -int 1800
27) Kill A Process
Sometimes you just need a process to stop running. If you want to kill it in Terminal with out using Activity Monitor, find the process ID (In Activity Monitor) and then use the following command. Only really useful if you don’t like much clicking or are writing a program.
kill PID 478
28) Let Terminal Talk
If you are bored one day you can get Terminal to quickly talk anything back to you using the voice engine. Replace hello with anything you want.
say hello
29) Make Hidden Applications Icons Transparent
If you hide a lot of applications you can make there icons transparent in the dock. A very good visual clue.
defaults write com.apple.Dock showhidden -bool YES
killall Dock
30) Make The Dock Spring Loaded
Makes the dock spring loaded so you can open files or windows from within the dock.
defaults write com.apple.dock enable-spring-load-actions-on-all-items -boolean YES
31) Recent Applications Stack
This command creates a new stack in your dock so you can view the recently used Applications.
defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-others -array-add '{ "tile-data" = { "list-type" = 1; }; "tile-type" = "recents-tile"; }'
32) Change The Arrows In iTunes
Normally the arrows in iTunes link to the music store, adding this command enables you to search your library. You need to click on the song first for the arrows to appear.
defaults write com.apple.iTunes invertStoreLinks -bool YES
33) Pin The Dock To The Left
This command pins the dock to the left hand side of the screen. I’m not sure what happens if you have the dock on the left or right edge. Replace start with middle to revert.
defaults write com.apple.dock pinning -string start
34) Pin The Dock To The Right
Exactly the same as above except it pins the dock to the right hand side of the screen.
defaults write com.apple.dock pinning -string end
35) Play Star Wars Episode IV
Using a simple telnet address you Terminal will connect in and play Star Wars Episode IV in its ASCII glory.
telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl
36) Quicklook A File
Quicklook is a great little application in Leopard. The command lets you quicklook a file right in Terminal. First you need to change the folder by using the “cd” command and then the folder you want. To enable this command to work you need to type the file name exactly.
qlmanage -p "Jaguar Aqua Graphite.jpg"
37) Disable The Spotlight Icon
This command removes the spotlight icon. Type 755 to re-enable it, instead of 0.
sudo chmod 0 /System/Library/CoreServices/Spotlight.app
killall Spotlight
38) Remove The Stripes In List View
A simple hack that removes the alternating stripes in list view in finder.
defaults write com.apple.finder FXListViewStripes -bool FALSE
killall Finder
39) Turn The Menu Bar White
If you don’t like the menu bar in its cool transparent glory you can change it so it appears white. This requires a password and you will need to restart you mac.
sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.WindowServer 'EnvironmentVariables' -dict 'CI_NO_BACKGROUND_IMAGE' 1
40) Turn The Menu Bar Grey
If you don’t like the white version of the menu bar you can change it so it appears gret.
sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.WindowServer 'EnvironmentVariables' -dict 'CI_NO_BACKGROUND_IMAGE' 0
41) Revert The Menu Bar Back To Default
If you prefer the transparent menu bar and you want it back type the following into Terminal.
sudo defaults delete /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.WindowServer 'EnvironmentVariables'
42) Set The Expanded Print Dialogue As Default
If you want access to a lot of the extra print menus on by default you can use the following command to enable you to do this. Requires restart.
defaults write -g PMPrintingExpandedStateForPrint -bool TRUE
43) Set The Expanded Save Dialogue As Default
Similar as the print dialogue this sets the save dialogue to the expanded view as default. Requires restart.
defaults write -g NSNavPanelExpandedStateForSaveMode -bool TRUE
44) Set The Screen Saver As The Wallpaper
This command sets the currently selected screen saver as the desktop background. Use command + c or . to stop while in Terminal. Alternatively you can use wallsaver.
/System/Library/Frameworks/ScreenSaver.framework/Resources/ScreenSaverEngine.app/Contents/MacOS/ScreenSaverEngine -background
45) Set The History Limit In Safari To A Number Of Items
If you don’t want a massive history you can set it to a limited number of items. Change the number to suit.
defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitHistoryItemLimit 2000
46) Set The History Limit In Safari To A Number Of Days
Similar to the hack above you can set the number of days Safari keeps its history.
defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitHistoryAgeInDaysLimit 30
47) Show Hidden Files In Finder
A lot of the files in Finder are hidden. This is probably a wise choice by Apple as there are countless things you can screw up. But if you want to take a look at how many there are and what they are you can show them within Finder. Be careful as these files are needed by the system, if you screw something up don’t come complaining. Repeat the command with false to revert. The image above, click for larger version, show the amount of files there actually is, with these hidden there is only 4 shown normally.
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
48) Skip Disk Image Verification
If you want to save some time you can skip the disk image verification for a disk image. Potentially risky as a whole load of things could go wrong without you knowing.
com.apple.frameworks.diskimages skip-verify TRUE
49) Show SubFolders In Graphical Format In Terminal
This is a very cool little hack that enables you to show an ASCII graphical view of sub folders. Use the cd command to change to a directory other wise the command will list every folder. For more information look here.
ls -R | grep ":$" | sed -e 's/:$//' -e 's/[^-][^\/]*\//--/g' -e 's/^/ /' -e 's/-/|/'
50) Speed Up Dialogue Boxes
Most dialogue boxes have a cool animation effect that looks cool. If you want to speed this up you can change the speed at which is renders so it appears almost instantly. The default is 0.2.
defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSWindowResizeTime 0.01
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Hyderabad, September 03: A powerful Indian politician and four other people were killed when their helicopter crashed in the dense jungles of southern India during a pounding rainstorm, media reported.
The helicopter carrying Andhra Pradesh state Chief Minister Y.S.R. Reddy, 60, lost contact with air traffic controllers Wednesday morning as heavy rains pelted the region, setting off a frantic 24-hour search operation involving the army, air force and police in an area infested with Maoist rebels.
On Thursday morning, commandoes and police finally reached the site of the crash after hacking through the jungles and found the bodies of all five people who had been on the aircraft, including Reddy, Press Trust of India reported, quoting officials from the ruling Congress Party.
Television also reported that five bodies had been found at the site about 170 miles (275 kilometers) south of the state capital, Hyderabad. There was no immediate official confirmation of Reddy’s death.
On Thursday, rescue teams crossing dense jungle and hilly terrain on foot reached the site, 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the nearest village, Rudrakodur.
There was no immediate indication that the helicopter was shot down.
The privately owned helicopter took off from Hyderabad and lost contact with air traffic controllers about 45 minutes into the flight.
Reddy, who was on an inspection tour of various rural social welfare programs, was accompanied by a bodyguard, two officials and a photographer.
Reddy, who belongs to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s ruling Congress Party, had won a second term in office in elections held this year.
The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting for more than three decades in several Indian states, including Andhra Pradesh, demanding land and jobs for agricultural laborers and the poor.
While the militants have a great deal of power in parts of rural India, they have little day-to-day control outside of isolated forests and villages.
More than 6,500 people have been killed in the violence.
From Wednesday till now -
- The chopper took off at 8.45 am for Chittoor and was scheduled to arrive at 10.45 am. Earlier reports suggested that the chopper had landed in the middle of thick forest, said to be affected by the Maoist activities.
- Air Traffic Control (ATC) sources said the chopper went off the radar due to heavy rains. The helicopter lost contact with Air Traffic Controller at the Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad and since then there has not been any contact with the Chief Minister.
- There has been no contact with the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, whose helicopter has been missing since 9:30 am after he took off from Hyderabad Wednesday monring, Home Ministry sources said earlier. "There has been no contact established with the helicopter," sources in the ministry said. Helicopters involved in the search had been called back due to bad weather but foot search will continue. 600 CRPF jawans were deployed for the search operation.
- Massive search operations were launched with seven Air Force helicopters and 5000 CRPF personnel pressed to find the Chief Minister and others aboard the chopper.
- Search operations were aborted because of bad weather in the area, which in any case is a challenge due to dense forest. The area is said to be infested with Naxals and Tigers.
- The air-search operations began at 6.00 to 6.30 on Thursday morning and there are reports of YSR's chopper being located. There is no news of survivors yet.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Removing Entries from Right-Click Menu
Sometimes, instead of adding entries, maybe your right-click menu has become too big. Eventually right-click menu’s (like mine) can take forever to load. If you would like to, you can definitely remove some of those useless options. Ready for a faster right-click menu? Let’s do it!
Step 1: Go to “Start,” “Run,” and type regedit.
Step 2: Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellexe\ContextMenuHandlers
Step 3: Find the folder that indicates the entry in the start menu and right-click. Select “Remove.”
Remove Entries for Certain File Types
Maybe your right-click menu has become way too long, and takes forever to load (like mine). If you would like to only remove entries for certain file types, simply go to the Folder Options menu like we did before and you may do the following:
Step 1: Go to “My Computer.” Click “Tools” and then click “Folder Options.”
Step 2: Click on the tab labeled “File Types.”
Step 3: Find a file type and select it.
Step 4: Find one of the entries and select “Remove.”
Now go out there and tweak!
More tweaks next time in WinHacks!
Adding Entries for Certain File Types in Right-Click Menu
Sometimes you may have a certain file type, e.g. .doc (Word document) that you would like to do something special with, e.g. open .doc as an email attachment. Today we will be looking at how to do just that. In other words, show you how to add additional options to right click menu when used on certain files. So let’s get started!
Step 1: Go to “My Computer.” Click “Tools” and then click “Folder Options.”
Step 2: Click on the tab labeled “File Types.”
Step 3: Find a file type and select it. Then click “Advanced.”
Step 4: Click “New.” In the Action field type the name that you would like to appear.
Step 5: In the Application used to perform action textbox enter the path of the application you would like the file to load in (with quotes). E.g. “C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe”.
Step 6: Click “OK” and you have your own customized right-click menu!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Disable the "Turn Off Computer" in windows XP?
this is a great idea for those Admin users who want to restrict the common users to shutdown public computer in common areas. You can disable the "Turn off Computer" option on the start menu and a common user will not "Turn Off, Restart and Stand By" a computer.
so here we go
You will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.
LOcate HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer in your registry editor.
On right side panel, right click to create a new DWORD value with the name NoClose.
Done restart your computer and see the changes.
Note( if you want to enable "Turn Off Computer" option in start menu simply change the value of data box to 0 or delete NoClose DWORD item.)
so here we go
You will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.
LOcate HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer in your registry editor.
On right side panel, right click to create a new DWORD value with the name NoClose.
Done restart your computer and see the changes.
Note( if you want to enable "Turn Off Computer" option in start menu simply change the value of data box to 0 or delete NoClose DWORD item.)
Youtube URL tricks
Instead of just searching and playing on youtube, here are some top Youtube URL tricks that you should know about :
View high quality videos
Youtube gives you the option to switch to high quality videos for some of the videos, however you can check if a video is available in high quality format by appending ‘&fmt=18′(stereo, 480 x 270 resolution) or ‘&fmt=22′(stereo, 1280 x 720 resolution) for even higher quality.
Embed Higher Quality Videos
While the above trick works for playback, if however you want to embed hig quality videos you need to append “&ap=%2526fmt%3D18″ and “&ap=%2526fmt%3D22″ to the embed url.
Cut the chase and link to the interesting part
Linking to a video where the real action starts at 3 minutes 22 seconds, wondered if you could make it start at 03:22? You are in luck. All you have to do is add #t=03m22s (#t=XXmYYs for XX mins and YY seconds) to the end of the URL.
Hide the search box
The search box appears when you hover over an embedded video. To hide the search box add ‘&showsearch=0′ to the embed url.
Embed only a part of Video
Just append ‘&start=30′ to skip first 30s of the video. In general you can modify the value after start= to the number of seconds you want to skip the video for.
View high quality videos
Youtube gives you the option to switch to high quality videos for some of the videos, however you can check if a video is available in high quality format by appending ‘&fmt=18′(stereo, 480 x 270 resolution) or ‘&fmt=22′(stereo, 1280 x 720 resolution) for even higher quality.
Embed Higher Quality Videos
While the above trick works for playback, if however you want to embed hig quality videos you need to append “&ap=%2526fmt%3D18″ and “&ap=%2526fmt%3D22″ to the embed url.
Cut the chase and link to the interesting part
Linking to a video where the real action starts at 3 minutes 22 seconds, wondered if you could make it start at 03:22? You are in luck. All you have to do is add #t=03m22s (#t=XXmYYs for XX mins and YY seconds) to the end of the URL.
Hide the search box
The search box appears when you hover over an embedded video. To hide the search box add ‘&showsearch=0′ to the embed url.
Embed only a part of Video
Just append ‘&start=30′ to skip first 30s of the video. In general you can modify the value after start= to the number of seconds you want to skip the video for.
Monday, July 13, 2009
TCP/IP Addressing
This article goes in depth on
MAC Address - Review
A
Clue: Think of a MAC address like a person's diver's license number, it is just a number that is unique from anyone else's. Now think of an
Enter the IP address
The IP address provides the grouping capability that MAC addresses do not. An IP address not only provides a grouping hierarchy but can be freely assigned and moved from one host to another. This grouping capability allows a host to differentiate local computers and distant ones so that communication to a host that is local could be direct and communication to a distant host could be efficiently routed.
Big Picture
Ok that is a quick discussion of why you need TCP/IP and its routing capabilities. Here is the real meat: TCP/IP addressing is actually in
I highly recommend that you brush up on binary before going any further. Make sure you can convert between decimal and binary numbers. Once again, refer to our tutorial on binary.
The Internet before subnet masks
Early on, to get IP address space on the Internet you were assigned a class A, B, or C block of addresses. A class A block was an address similar to: 124.xxx.xxx.xxx Where the Xs are address numbers between 0 and 255.
Since each segment of an IP address is 8 bits long, and there are 4 segments, it takes 32 bits to make up a whole IP address. From the example above, we can calculate the total number of
| Class | Address Range | Total Hosts | Number of blocks |
| A | 0-127.XXX.XXX.XXX | 16.7 Million | 128 |
| B | 128.0.0.0- 191.255.255.255 | 65.5 Thousand | 16,384 |
| C | 192.0.0.0- 223.255.255.255 | 256 | 2 million |
| D & E | 224.0.0.0- 255.255.255.255 | N/A | N/A |
I also listed the Classes D & E which are out of the scope of this article. Class D networks are for
There is something significant about the addresses for a Class A, B, and C Block. If you were to convert the decimal value of each class to binary you can see that there is a pattern in the most significant bits. See table below:
| Class | First 4 bits |
| A | 0XX |
| B | 10X |
| C | 110 |
Although this pattern made it immediately obvious to routers what type of address block they were dealing with, it was also very innefficient with the address space.
Enter the Subnet Mask
Similar to the first 3 bits of an IP address that make a class, the subnet mask is now used instead to determine the size of an address block. Most people are familiar with an address followed by a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 Calculated out, this subnet mask allows for up to 254 hosts. So if the address of a computer is 63.26.15.5 and the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 there are 253 other addresses on this network block ranging from 63.26.15.1 - 63.26.15.254 (the .0 and .255 addresses are reserved and cannot be asigned to a network host).
From this a newbie can easily surmise that an address of 45.52.75.10 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0 allows for 256 times 256 minus 2 addresses (65,534 addresses). These addresses range from 45.52.0.1 to 45.52.255.254 Again we subtract two from the total number because of those two reserved addresses that are at the beginning and end of the block.
Clue: Determining the number of hosts in your subnet is always done by caculating the number of bits used for the host address (there are 8 bits for a mask of 255.255.255.0 for example). Set 2 to the Nth power where N is the total number of host addrress bits, then subtract 2.
In other words (2^8) - 2=254.
Clue: All address blocks (subnets) will be 2 less of each power of 2: 6, 14, 30, 62, 126, 254..... That is because in each address block we must reserve space for a
Unfortunately if you leave yourself with only the ability to declare subnet masks using the number 255 or 0 you have very few options. The smallest subnet you know how to make is 254 hosts. The next article is where the real lesson begins!
However, if you are not up to learning how to calculate your own masks, we have also provided a subnet mask reference table. Just be warned that we will take to responsibility for your sleepless nights as you ponder how a subnet mask actually works.
Calculating Subnet Masks
Subnet Masks in Binary
The easiest way to explain a subnet mask is by looking at the IP address and subnet mask in its binary format. Before you continue, be sure you have a good grip on counting with binary, we have provided a quick binary primer if you need a refresher. If you do not care for the intricasies of calculating a subnet mask and just need to know the correct mask for your situation, we have provided a reference table.
Not to mention you should already be familiar with the IP address. This article explains the basic use of an IP address and why we need a subnet mask.
A regular IP address when converted to binary is 32 bits in length, each segment being 8 bits long. Refer to our first address example of 63.26.15.5 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 in binary.
Network and Host Addresses
In this example, it is only the last segment that changes from one host to another; this last segment is known as the host address; the first 3 segments, for this example, make up the network address. If we were to use an address with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0 then the first 2 segments would make up the network address and the last two would be the host address. This is the kind of effect the subnet mask has on your IP address. It determines how big your network group is.
With that said, to go into any deeper detail we must look at the addressing in binary. Since we are just dealing with 32 binary bits we can stop grouping them in sets of 8 bits per segment and deal with them as a 32 bit string. Now when you create a mask, it does not have to be limited to groups of 8 bits (and it can have man more values than 255 or 0). These are called Variable Length Subnet Masks (VLSMs). By calculating out your VLSM you can create any block of IP addresses in sizes of powers of 2 minus 2.
For example, We can create a mask that only allows for 14 hosts (remember 14 hosts is 2 to the power of 4 then we subtract 2). Knowing that it is 2 to the power of 4, we know that we have an address block (subnet) with 4 bits for the hosts. That leaves a remaining 28 bits for the network address, also known as a /28. Now that we know the size of the network block we want (14 hosts) let's calculate the subnet mask that we would use for a /28 network.
CLUE: A block of IP addresses is referred to as a subnet. Because of this that is how subnet masks got their name,they are key into declaring how large a subnet actually is.
First map out your binary numbers again and keep them in groups of 8 bits each. That makes it easy to get the decimal number for each segment. Since our network size is 28 bits long we represent that with a string of 28 1s and the remainings 4 bits as 0s. So the first 3 segments (of 8 bits each) are all 1s. The decimal equivalent of an 8 bit segment of all 1s is 255. So the first 3 segments are 255. That leaves us with 4 bits left in the mask for the last segment. It will look something like this:
128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
To make it easy, we have included a subnet mask calculator. This calculator converts decimal IP addresses and Subnet Masks. You can also optionally enter a destination IP address to see the results.
Add up the bits that are flagged with a one and we see that the last segment of the subnet mask with 14 hosts ( 16 - 2 ) is 240. For a subnet mask of 255.255.255.240 That is pretty much it with creating subnet masks, but now you need to learn a new rule about addressing.
IP Addresses with VLSMs
When you use a subnet mask of 255.255.255.192 what you have essentially done is divided up your last segment into 4 blocks (subnets). Using the binary of the last segment we can see our subnet mask only uses the first 2 most significant bits. Recall that the network address is made up from all the bits that line up with the 1s in the subnet mask. So in this case the network address 'overflows' into the last segment because it has two bits available in the last segment. The host address has the last 6 bits in the last segment. Let's see what this subnet masks looks like:
128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
First lets say we have a network subnet of 10.10.10.X and we are using the same subnet mask 255.255.255.192 Our network host (HOST1) is currently using the address 10.10.10.75 Now lets display the binary of the last segment for both the subnet mask and the address of our host.
|
128 64|32 16 8 4 2 1
SM 1 1| 0 0 0 0 0 0
HOST1 0 1| 0 0 1 0 1 1
|
Network Host
Notice the bar I drew in that divides the bits of the last segment. The last 6 bits on right are the host bits, we know this because it matches up with all the 0s in the subnet masks. Fromt he same logic we know about all the bits for the entwork masks because of the same reason, the network address matches up with all the 1s in the subnet mask.
So let's calculate the first and last addresses that can exist on the subnet of HOST1. To do this, that the ful address of the host and make the host side all 0s and do it again with all 1s. Look at the example:
|
128 64|32 16 8 4 2 1
SM 1 1| 0 0 0 0 0 0=192
HOST1 0 1| 0 0 1 0 1 1=75
0s 0 1| 0 0 0 0 0 0=64
1s 0 1| 1 1 1 1 1 1=127
|
Network Host
The valid host addresses in the same subnet as our sample host are in the range of 10.10.10.64 - 10.10.10.127
Notice how there is specific requirements of the available addresses in the subnet.
So why doesn't a host with the IP address of 10.10.10.33 and SM 255.255.255.192 (HOST2) see HOST1 as a local computer?
Let's display all the data in binary:
|
128 64|32 16 8 4 2 1
SM 1 1| 0 0 0 0 0 0=192
HOST1 0 1| 0 0 1 0 1 1=75
HOST2 0 0| 1 0 0 0 0 1=33
|
Network Host
Look at the first 2 bits in the network section of the each host. HOST1 and HOST2 have DIFFERENT network addresses! So a subnet mask plays a much more complicated role than just declaring the size of a subnet. It also limits that addresses you can use in a subnet. In our last example we noticed that a subnet mask of 255.255.255.192 will create a subnet of 64 addresses (for 62 hosts). But if you tried to start the addressing at 10.10.10.32 - 10.10.10.95 what actually happens is that your subnet overlapps into two separate subnets. Just do the calculations and you will see (just as I displayed above) that the network addresses of the first 32 hosts in the invalid subnet will have a different network address than the last 32 hosts in the invalid subnet.
Application
Learing how to create and declare subnet masks is not only useful for the technicians of ISPs who are assigning subnets to their customers. Using subnet masks is also key for firewalls and access lists. If you group IP addresses together based on host type (such as assigning all the workstations the addresses 10.10.10.128 - 10.10.10.254 and the servers the addresses 10.10.10.1 - 10.10.10.127) but use the subnet mask 255.255.255.0 (so that the hosts will communicate directly) you can then use masking as a way to apply different access rules with your firewall without having to specify each IP address individually.
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