For a few years now I've been using GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) to manipulate bitmap images. I wouldn't say I'm an expert and in fact I don't use it that much because most of the time I'll crop and resize image using Preview; which loads up a lot quicker. I only fire up GIMP when I need to do something "fancy". Thus I haven't been too irritated by the fact that GIMP uses key combinations like Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V rather than Apple's Command-C and Command-V. However, I've recently begun to use Inkscape to create vector images and it makes use of the Alt key for quite a number of things... and the Mac's preassigned used of that key gets in the way. Fortunately there's a solution and I found it on the Inkscape FAQ:
Both Inkscape and GIMP make use of the X11, X window system and the FAQ describes the creation of a "keyboard modifier map and keymap table" to get the Alt and Command keys working "correctly". I'm not going to re-post the information here as we can get the details from Inkscape FAQ, however I wanted to create this post as a reminder for myself in case I ever need to set it up on another computer.
If you've found this post then I guess you were looking for a solution to the same problem. Hope it helps. :-)
Showing posts with label Mac. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mac. Show all posts
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Monday, 31 December 2007
A Brief Safari
I used Safari briefly when I first got my MacBook and also had a dabble with Camino. However I was used to Firefox from my PC days and, more importantly, had been finding FireFTP (an FTP plug-in for Firefox) very useful so I switched back to Firefox. In recent times however I've been using Webmin when I need to upload/download files to/from my servers and haven't used FireFTP in quite a long time. In fact I've shut down the FTP service on my servers as mentioned previously. I've also noticed lately that of the various pieces of software that I use, Firefox is the one that's most likely to lock up such that I have to force it to quit. (Audacity comes in second - but I don't use it nearly as much - and GIMP just bombs out occasionally when I'm rotating images). Given that Apple also claims that Safari 3 is faster than the fox I thought that maybe it was time to give it another try.
Issue number 1 was how to move all my bookmarks from Firefox to Safari but this turns out to be relatively simple. Safari's File menu has an Import Bookmarks option and although I had to search around a bit to find this out, all you need to do is navigate to Firefox's bookmarks file at
~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/xxxxxx.default/bookmarks.html
and the job is pretty much done. At the same time I deleted most of the US biased crap that Safari had loaded by default. Grrr.
Issue number 2 was the lack of a "New Tab" button. Apple-T works as a short-cut but when I'm browsing then my hands are more likely to be on the mouse than the keyboard so the lack of a button is, to my mind, a real oversight on Apple's part.
Issue number 3: If you click on a link then under 'normal' circumstances it will open in the current window/tab. You can configure Safari such that holding down the Apple key when you click will open it as a new tab. However if the web site's author has set the link to open in a new 'window' using the target tag, that's exactly what Safari will do: open a new window. Firefox gives you the ability to force such links to open as a new tab. Safari doesn't so unless you happened to be pressing the Apple key at the same time, you end up with a new window. Grrr.
Issue number 4 is the Google search box up there on the toolbar. Now while Firefox merely defaults to Google.com but allows you to use other search engines, Safari doesn't give you any choice at all! According to what I've read on the web, this is all about money. It hadn't occurred to me before but it's fairly obvious when you think about it that sooner or later, anybody manufacturing a half decent browser with access to several search engines is going to be offered a few quid by one of them to have theirs at the top of the list.
Now while whatever arrangement Apple and Google have come to is, I'm sure, all very nice for them, it's a bit of a bummer for us. As a matter of fact I do use Google most of the time but I like to use Google.CO.UK not Google.COM and the current set up won't even let me change that. I also use Wikipedia fairly regularly and while it generally comes up with a high rank on most Google searches, that isn't really the point. Putting Google.co.uk and Wikipedia links on the bookmarks bar is probably the easiest option however, as the Customise Toolbar option presents the URL box and Search mechanism as a single entity you're pretty much forced to leave it there as a constant reminder that it's there for Google's benefit and bollocks to the rest of us. Grr.
I began to look for other options and found details of a couple of hacks (which may or may not work with version 3) for changing the search engine, and also for converting the New Bookmark button into a New Tab option, however both involved messing with the Safari code in ways that didn't appeal. Over on macupdate I found AcidSearch 0.7b4 and Safari Enhancer 3.3.1 which looked promising. The latter even offers a new tab button but on closer inspection I realised that neither of them supports version 3 of Safari. Doh!
By this point I was getting a little cheesed off with the whole thing and had pretty much decided that I was going to switch back to Firefox. Along the way however I had noticed Inquisitor 3. I hadn't paid much attention as it describes itself as "Spotlight for the Web", thus making it sound far in excess of what I was looking for. However I had already begun to draft this blog entry (so that in 6 weeks time I could remind myself why I was still using Firefox), and I figured I'd give Inquisitor a quick try for the sake of completeness.
My initial impressions of were good and if the search is your only major gripe about Safari then I suggest you check it out. However it still isn't as quick 'n' easy as the one on Firefox.
Additionally:
1. I like the error console on Firefox which has proved extremely useful on a number of occasions for solving problems with Javascript (Safari doesn't appear to have one).
2. The "View Source" option on Firefox has a nicer display. Not something I use a lot but it comes in handy.
3. I also like the Firefox option to switch off styling and get some idea of what a page looks like to a bot or a text reader.
Okay, so maybe I'm being a bit petty now, but add those niggles to my earlier gripes and it probably won't come as any great surprise when I tell you that the Safari icon is no longer in my dock and that I'm finishing off this post in Firefox.
I guess I could try Internet Explorer instead.
Ha ha.
Ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Issue number 1 was how to move all my bookmarks from Firefox to Safari but this turns out to be relatively simple. Safari's File menu has an Import Bookmarks option and although I had to search around a bit to find this out, all you need to do is navigate to Firefox's bookmarks file at
~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/xxxxxx.default/bookmarks.html
and the job is pretty much done. At the same time I deleted most of the US biased crap that Safari had loaded by default. Grrr.
Issue number 2 was the lack of a "New Tab" button. Apple-T works as a short-cut but when I'm browsing then my hands are more likely to be on the mouse than the keyboard so the lack of a button is, to my mind, a real oversight on Apple's part.
Issue number 3: If you click on a link then under 'normal' circumstances it will open in the current window/tab. You can configure Safari such that holding down the Apple key when you click will open it as a new tab. However if the web site's author has set the link to open in a new 'window' using the target tag, that's exactly what Safari will do: open a new window. Firefox gives you the ability to force such links to open as a new tab. Safari doesn't so unless you happened to be pressing the Apple key at the same time, you end up with a new window. Grrr.
Issue number 4 is the Google search box up there on the toolbar. Now while Firefox merely defaults to Google.com but allows you to use other search engines, Safari doesn't give you any choice at all! According to what I've read on the web, this is all about money. It hadn't occurred to me before but it's fairly obvious when you think about it that sooner or later, anybody manufacturing a half decent browser with access to several search engines is going to be offered a few quid by one of them to have theirs at the top of the list.
Now while whatever arrangement Apple and Google have come to is, I'm sure, all very nice for them, it's a bit of a bummer for us. As a matter of fact I do use Google most of the time but I like to use Google.CO.UK not Google.COM and the current set up won't even let me change that. I also use Wikipedia fairly regularly and while it generally comes up with a high rank on most Google searches, that isn't really the point. Putting Google.co.uk and Wikipedia links on the bookmarks bar is probably the easiest option however, as the Customise Toolbar option presents the URL box and Search mechanism as a single entity you're pretty much forced to leave it there as a constant reminder that it's there for Google's benefit and bollocks to the rest of us. Grr.
I began to look for other options and found details of a couple of hacks (which may or may not work with version 3) for changing the search engine, and also for converting the New Bookmark button into a New Tab option, however both involved messing with the Safari code in ways that didn't appeal. Over on macupdate I found AcidSearch 0.7b4 and Safari Enhancer 3.3.1 which looked promising. The latter even offers a new tab button but on closer inspection I realised that neither of them supports version 3 of Safari. Doh!
By this point I was getting a little cheesed off with the whole thing and had pretty much decided that I was going to switch back to Firefox. Along the way however I had noticed Inquisitor 3. I hadn't paid much attention as it describes itself as "Spotlight for the Web", thus making it sound far in excess of what I was looking for. However I had already begun to draft this blog entry (so that in 6 weeks time I could remind myself why I was still using Firefox), and I figured I'd give Inquisitor a quick try for the sake of completeness.
My initial impressions of were good and if the search is your only major gripe about Safari then I suggest you check it out. However it still isn't as quick 'n' easy as the one on Firefox.
Additionally:
1. I like the error console on Firefox which has proved extremely useful on a number of occasions for solving problems with Javascript (Safari doesn't appear to have one).
2. The "View Source" option on Firefox has a nicer display. Not something I use a lot but it comes in handy.
3. I also like the Firefox option to switch off styling and get some idea of what a page looks like to a bot or a text reader.
Okay, so maybe I'm being a bit petty now, but add those niggles to my earlier gripes and it probably won't come as any great surprise when I tell you that the Safari icon is no longer in my dock and that I'm finishing off this post in Firefox.
I guess I could try Internet Explorer instead.
Ha ha.
Ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Thursday, 19 April 2007
Counting The Days
On my old Diary of a Mac Virgin Blog I implemented a 'counter' to show how long since I became a Mac user. That's kind of old hat now however, as I bought a VW Beetle yesterday, and hired a server running Fedora Core 6 about a week ago, I figured that I'd recreate the counters here (in the right hand column along with the links and stuff).
My intention to switch to Fedora and to buy a bug were a major part of the reason for my switch to this blog - because I want to document my endeavours with those in the same way I did on the old blog for my introduction to the Mac. I'll say more about both in the near future but for now I just wanted to implement the 'counters'.
My intention to switch to Fedora and to buy a bug were a major part of the reason for my switch to this blog - because I want to document my endeavours with those in the same way I did on the old blog for my introduction to the Mac. I'll say more about both in the near future but for now I just wanted to implement the 'counters'.
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
And if I DON'T want Excel?
I recently found myself having achieved my objectives for the day by lunchtime, except that I needed to compile a shopping list of things I need from DIY stores. It's the kind of job I like to do on a spreadsheet however NeoOffice has been irritating me recently. Given that I had the rest of the day available, I decided to take a look at what else I might use.
In the past I've done all kinds of fun things with spreadsheets but these days my use of them is limited to two relatively simple things. The first is keeping track of simple lists; like the list of model kits that I have stored in the loft, my list of passwords for various websites, and of course my various shopping lists. The second is for recording of what I've spent on my credit card so I can check my statement when it arrives. I haven't used a macro, graph, or a function any fancier than sum() in a long time.
Perhaps unsurprisingly therefore, the thing that's been bugging me about NeoOffice is the 'weight' of it. It wouldn't be so bad if I made use of the other NeoOffice apps however, my wordprocessing needs are also relatively basic and TextEdit has them covered (and loads a hell of a lot faster). As for databases and presentations, I just don't need them. Given that I use it so infrequently, having NeoOffice loaded and using up a big chunk of resources is not an attractive option, however waiting for it to load every time I want to a add something to a shopping list or look up a password is a nuisance too. I figured that a simple spreadsheet application shouldn't be too difficult to find however I was in for a bit of a surprise.
I didn't even bother to download any of the other suites as I guess most would present the same problems as NeoOffice. I did however download Mesa 3.1 which, being a single app, seemed more promising. My judgement of it is probably coloured by the rather annoying 20 row limit on the trial version however I found it difficult to use. I couldn't, for example, figure out how to mark a range of cells using just the keyboard.
In the end I gave up on Mesa and found what I wanted in the shape of Tables 1.2.1..
Thank you, thank you, thank you Daniel Schwill for creating a spreadsheet app that is immediately easy and intuitive to use, and that provides all of the functionality you need for simple spreadsheet work without all the fancy clutter.
I'm not going to rattle on and on about what it does and does not have. Go check out the 30-day trial verion if it sounds like it might be of interest to you. 5 days into my 30-day trial I've already been back and bought a licence. Yes, I like it THAT much.
What I am still curious about however is "Why the hell does everybody seem to want Excel, for free?" Mesa seemed almost apologetic about the Excel stuff that it doesn't have and as the three reviews of it over at macupdate.com seem to be encouraging the developer to continue making it even more like Excel, you can't really blame it. In fact I've got the distinct impression that anybody developing a spreadsheet is going to find themselves being pushed towards making it more and more like Excel, but why?
I can't help wondering who are these people are that are doing the pushing? I can't imagine there being enough accountants out there who are so tight-arsed that they won't pay for Excel, to justify the number of cheap Excel-a-likes in development. On the other hand, can there really be that many home computer users who want a spreadsheet app with the ability to run macros and generate two dozen different types of 3D graphs to figure out how much they spent on petrol last month? Actually, given the number of 4x4 monsters trucks you see being loaded with groceries at Tesco's, I guess there probably can.
I can only hope therefore that Daniel Schwill tells them to sod off so that Tables can continue to be the spreadsheet of choice for those of us who don't want a boated mega-app to balanace our bank statements.
In the past I've done all kinds of fun things with spreadsheets but these days my use of them is limited to two relatively simple things. The first is keeping track of simple lists; like the list of model kits that I have stored in the loft, my list of passwords for various websites, and of course my various shopping lists. The second is for recording of what I've spent on my credit card so I can check my statement when it arrives. I haven't used a macro, graph, or a function any fancier than sum() in a long time.
Perhaps unsurprisingly therefore, the thing that's been bugging me about NeoOffice is the 'weight' of it. It wouldn't be so bad if I made use of the other NeoOffice apps however, my wordprocessing needs are also relatively basic and TextEdit has them covered (and loads a hell of a lot faster). As for databases and presentations, I just don't need them. Given that I use it so infrequently, having NeoOffice loaded and using up a big chunk of resources is not an attractive option, however waiting for it to load every time I want to a add something to a shopping list or look up a password is a nuisance too. I figured that a simple spreadsheet application shouldn't be too difficult to find however I was in for a bit of a surprise.
I didn't even bother to download any of the other suites as I guess most would present the same problems as NeoOffice. I did however download Mesa 3.1 which, being a single app, seemed more promising. My judgement of it is probably coloured by the rather annoying 20 row limit on the trial version however I found it difficult to use. I couldn't, for example, figure out how to mark a range of cells using just the keyboard.
In the end I gave up on Mesa and found what I wanted in the shape of Tables 1.2.1..
Thank you, thank you, thank you Daniel Schwill for creating a spreadsheet app that is immediately easy and intuitive to use, and that provides all of the functionality you need for simple spreadsheet work without all the fancy clutter.
I'm not going to rattle on and on about what it does and does not have. Go check out the 30-day trial verion if it sounds like it might be of interest to you. 5 days into my 30-day trial I've already been back and bought a licence. Yes, I like it THAT much.
What I am still curious about however is "Why the hell does everybody seem to want Excel, for free?" Mesa seemed almost apologetic about the Excel stuff that it doesn't have and as the three reviews of it over at macupdate.com seem to be encouraging the developer to continue making it even more like Excel, you can't really blame it. In fact I've got the distinct impression that anybody developing a spreadsheet is going to find themselves being pushed towards making it more and more like Excel, but why?
I can't help wondering who are these people are that are doing the pushing? I can't imagine there being enough accountants out there who are so tight-arsed that they won't pay for Excel, to justify the number of cheap Excel-a-likes in development. On the other hand, can there really be that many home computer users who want a spreadsheet app with the ability to run macros and generate two dozen different types of 3D graphs to figure out how much they spent on petrol last month? Actually, given the number of 4x4 monsters trucks you see being loaded with groceries at Tesco's, I guess there probably can.
I can only hope therefore that Daniel Schwill tells them to sod off so that Tables can continue to be the spreadsheet of choice for those of us who don't want a boated mega-app to balanace our bank statements.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)