Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • How to Disable Dashboard

    Dashboard is a feature built in to Mac OS X 10.4 and up that allows you to customize a variety of widgets within a readily accessible screen overlay. This may seem like a handy tool to have on your desktop, but the truth is, these widgets can be quite the little ram hogs, slowing down your regular processes.

    In order to fix this and increase the performance on your machine, it is possible to completely disable Dashboard from your system. It does require some basic Terminal work, and can just as easily be reversed, so don’t be worried about making any permanent changes. Note also that you don’t necessarily need to disable Dashboard completely; simply closing widgets you never use will help quite a bit too.

    Now, if you’ve decided that you don’t need Dashboard, and would rather have the heightened performance, the first step is to open Terminal (located in *Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities*). Once open, type this command:

    defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES

    and hit return. Now you can restart the Dock by typing the following command:

    killall Dock

    This command will allow the changes to take effect. Dashboard is a process owned by the Dock, so it is necessary to restart the “parent” process to see the desired change.

    So there you have it–Dashboard has been completely disabled on your system. Later on, if you begin to miss this feature, it can easily be restored in a very similar fashion. Open up Terminal, and type this command:

    defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean NO

    Now, run the “killall Dock” command once again to restart the Dock, and there you go–Dashboard has been restored.

  • Reader Feedback: Browser Spoofing and Crossover

    Several readers wrote in about last week’s articles on browser spoofing and Crossover. One reader asked if using the spoofing trick is sufficient for testing websites still in development. The answer there is a resounding “no.”

    The spoofing trick works only sometimes, but often enough to be worth mentioning here. Websites in development should really be tested using each browser (on each platform) you wish to support. This means installing Firefox, Opera, Camino and others on the Mac, PC and Linux variants.

    Crossover is especially nice for those websites that require ActiveX, which is incompatible with all flavors of Mac OS X. Reader Colleen made an especially keen observation about last week’s topics:

    bq. “You can actually combine two of your tips in this issue into one. I’ve had two clients who had applications that required ActiveX in Microsoft Internet Explorer to work. ActiveX does not work on a Mac, even with browser spoofing. However, Crossover was a great solution for these people. I haven’t checked recently but Internet Explorer is one of the applications that Crossover supports, and if the website requires ActiveX, it will work under Crossover.”

    This said, testing websites in development should still be done using all browsers on all platforms you wish to support.

    By extension, another reader asked if the browser spoofing would allow him to access his FairPoint (a regional ISP) account on their website. They seem stuck in the late nineties by not supporting Safari or Firefox, and spoofing did not help. However, they do support Opera.

    The real lesson here is that if a site doesn’t work in your preferred browser, try changing the user agent (spoofing); if that fails, try other browsers. If those all fail, Internet Explorer will probably do the trick for you.


  • Photo By “Jeremiah Johnson”:http://www.smalldog.com/jj

    *Happy Post Holiday Deep Freeze!!*

    The holidays are over, and it’s time to hunker down and ride out the coldest part of the year in the north country. The temperature this weekend hasn’t really budged a inch above 0 degrees.

    We all have our ways of passing the time; I can usually be found hunkering down in my home studio practicing and recording my music or watching a Netflix movie with my fiancé.

    Simple tasks like walking the dog become a whole new adventure–even the dog who holds walks as top priority in his doggy schedule just wants to take care of business and get back inside.

    These cold temperatures always remind me that not everyone has the good fortune of having everything needed to stay warm, so if you have gear you’re not using any more, donate it to the Salvation Army. There’s always someone who needs it!

    Tim and The South Burlington Retail Team
    “tims@smalldog.com”:mailto:tims@smalldog.com

  • Happy Tuesday,

    Last weekend was one of those perfect Vermont winter weekends. Temperatures were moderate (high teens feel pretty nice after a -20 degree cold spell!) and visibility seemed unlimited. I gathered with a couple friends and a pack of our crazy dogs and spent some time hiking in the woods. Returning home to the smell of a long-cooking pot of lamb stew was a perfect ending to that day.

    As I mentioned in last week’s intro to Tech Tails, we will begin offering iPhone and iPod repair to the general public very soon. I’d like to offer our services to Tech Tails readers to start, so if you have a cracked screen or a battery that’s just given up after hundreds of charge cycles, “send me an email”:mailto:matt@smalldog.com and I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. The services will be offered at all three of our retail locations, and you can choose to mail in your device as well.

    As always, thanks for reading, and keep in touch.

    Matt
    “matt@smalldog.com”:mailto:matt@smalldog.com

  • !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/2162.jpg!:http://www.smalldog.com/dealretriever

    *50% off any Verso case! Just $29.99 + $4.99 shipping.* Your choice of three colors–Ebony, Chocolate or Candy Apple–just click above to see details!

    Because we want to give you the best deals AND stay in business, Deal Retriever deals are valid for one week only. Quantities are limited; offers good while supplies last.

  • Running iLife '09 or Version 9?

    Since the introduction of iLife ’11, I have spoken to a few customers who were confused about which version of iLife they are…

  • Congratulations to the Packers and the Steelers for their victories. I had to tear up my “Bears to win” ticket from Las Vegas and now I can devote my time to following the Boston Celtics, at least until pitchers and catchers report next month!

    It is hard to believe that we are already at the end of January. Grace was trying to cheer me up out of my winter blues and explained it to me: “we are almost through January, then we have a little dinky month of February, then we have a short vacation in March and soon you will be riding your motorcycle.” She is definitely a 1/2 full kinda gal but February is a brutal winter month and March, well, you can have anything in March: snow, rain, mud, flood.

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
    _Don, Kali, Ed, Ben_

  • FEATURED SPECIAL | 50% Off MiLi Products

    MiLi makes great batteries and chargers for your iPod, iPhone or iPad. *For a limited time, we’re featuring everything in stock up to 50% off!*

    For example, my favorite is the “MiLi Power Spring 4 Battery Case for iPhone 4.”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag20533/at_kb I’ve been known to run my battery down -playing BeJeweled- doing extremely productive things on my phone, so I can __allllways__ use more battery life. I like that this is a slim option that nearly doubles the life of the iPhone 4 battery.

    “MiLi Power Spring 4 Battery Case for iPhone 4”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag20533/at_tt ($49.99; normally $79.99)

    “See all MiLi products and specials here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/mili

  • Happy Birthday, Macintosh

    The past Monday marked the 27th Birthday of the iconic beige box which ultimately gave way to the iMac I’m typing this post on.

    On January 24th, 1984, Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh to the world. The first machine to run Mac OS (then System 1.0), the Macintosh revolutionized the personal computer industry, and changed the face of industrial design in the computing market. Prior to the machine’s release, the concept of an all-in-one computer was largely unheard of. In the days leading up the the machine’s official unveiling, Apple aired its famous Orwellian inspired–Ridley Scott directed– “*advert*”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8&feature=related during Super Bowl XVIII.

    Though its specs may seem paltry by today’s standards, for its time, the Macintosh yielded the complete package for many users. Here’s a quick history lesson:

    The Macintosh (later rebranded Macintosh 128k) debuted in January 1984 for the initial price of $2,495. Carrying the model number: M0001, it boasted the following specifications:

    *Macintosh*

    * Built-in Display: 9-inch
    * Processor: 8 MHz Motorola 68000
    * System Bus: 8 MHz
    * Internal Storage: None
    * Media: 400 KB 3.5″ Floppy
    * Onboard RAM: 128 KB (Expandable to 4 MB)
    * Graphics: None
    * Peripherals: Apple Mouse and Keyboard

    Today, accounting for inflation, $2,495 in 1984 dollars would buy you the following:

    *iMac 27-inch*

    * Processor: 2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
    * Cache: 8 MB L3
    * Internal Storage: 2TB Serial ATA Drive + 256GB Solid State Drive
    * Media: 8x double-layer SuperDrive
    * RAM: 16GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
    * Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB GDDR5 SDRAM
    * Peripherals: Magic Mouse + Magic Trackpad

    and you’d still have a little under $1,000 left over!

    We’ve certainly come a long way in just 27 years. I raise a toast to the “Insanely Great” little machine which arguably started it all. Cheers, and Happy Birthday!

    What are your memories of the Macintosh? Feel free to share them “*here.*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/article/the-macintosh-turns-27-today/

  • The App Store Reaches 10 Billion Downloads

    This past weekend, Apple announced that the 10 billionth app had been downloaded from its App Store. As a way of expressing its thanks and marking the occasion, the company held a contest, giving away a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card to whomever downloaded the milestone app. Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK, was the lucky recipient with the download of “*Paper Glider.*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fpaper-glider%2Fid384044746%3Fmt%3D8%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30 The app, which was downloaded by one of Davis’ daughters at 9:30AM (4:30AM EST), marked the end of the contest and a momentous occasion for Apple’s revolutionary store. Speaking on the store’s success, Apple’s senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, Phil Schiller offered the following:

    bq. “With more than 10 billion apps downloaded in just two and a half years–a staggering seven billion apps in the last year alone–the App Store has surpassed our wildest dreams, The App Store has revolutionized how software is created, distributed, discovered and sold. While others try to copy the App Store, it continues to offer developers and customers the most innovative experience on the planet.”

    With over 160 million iOS device owners worldwide, it is likely the App Store will continue to flourish and grow exponentially as the base of device owners increases. Recently, Apple has attempted to emulate the mobile store’s success by opening a desktop equivalent Mac App Store. With a total of more than 410,000 iOS apps available and a growing number of apps available in the MAS, Apple is single-handedly instigating a major shift in the software industry.

    *UPDATE:* In an exclusive “*CultofMac.com*”:http://www.cultofmac.com/10k-itunes-winner-hung-up-phone-on-apple-exclusive/78231 interview, Davis admitted to hanging up on iTunes VP Eddy Cue believing he was a prank caller. After her daughters assured her the call was real, Davis frantically tried redialing but to no avail. Worried she’d passed up on a once in a lifetime opportunity, Davis and her family were ecstatic when they received a call back several hours later.

  • We Want to Hear From You!

    As we’re constantly working to improve customer satisfaction, we’ve launched a UserVoice feedback forum on Smalldog.com. You can access this feature by clicking the small blue box hovering on the right side of our site, or by clicking “*here.*”:http://bit.ly/hu9VQr

    We’re receptive to any and all feedback to help us strengthen our customer experience. Please feel free to leave feedback about our site and stores! Thank you!