The Fry Side

I have so far written on my general computing programs (part 1) and my internet/blogging tools (part 2). This third part is on the programs that are more utilitarian and what I use as an administrator. Some of these could easily fit in the general computing category, but they are more in the way of utilities than regular-use programs.

• Smultron
• The Unarchiver
• Perian
• CoconutBattery
• VLC
• Handbrake
• Disk Utility
• Terminal
• Apple Remote Desktop
• Snow Leopard Networking
• LogMeIn

Smultron

This first program is rather counter to my previous paragraph. Smultron is my replacement for TextEdit on my personal computers. It’s a hefty, yet simple, text editor most commonly used for coding. I like setting up a tabbed interface in it and being able to flip among various text documents (such as lists of programs I use). The really sad thing is the program is no longer being updated. The developer was kind enough to just update it for Snow Leopard, but otherwise it is a dead program.

And as I’ve mentioned before, I use plain text editors as places to draft anything and everything. I’m half tempted to try NaNoWriMo next month, though I’ve never written anything beyond a few thousand words for school, and definitely not fiction. But if I get anything started on a digital platform, it will definitely be in that program.

My only, ONLY beef with this problem is this: its icon. It’s a strawberry looked at from the top. I am sure that it has some significance for the developer, but I’m not a big fan of my text documents all icon-ized with strawberries. I hate strawberries.

The Unarchiver

The Unarchiver is a background utility recommended to me and now recommended to you. It opens up everything similar to a .zip file, but far more than the default OS X archiving program can. Plus you can tell it what and where to place files and folders it de-archives (I have the original file remain and the newly minted folder appear on my desktop, other computers I default to mint the folder in the same place and put the archive in the trash.)

Perian

Here is what makes QuickTime useful at all: Perian. You install this system preference, and it keeps your computer up to date with all the codecs (video decoding tidbits) to have 95% of all video run through QuickTime. Only thing it really misses is .wmv files, which I claim are trash to begin with anyway. So there. Nyah.

CoconutBattery

This is a utility I put into all my laptops, and all it does is ready the battery health status. We have ever-increasing numbers of dying batteries at work, so this is a clean interface to see what percentage of the original capacity a battery is at. Just dump it in your Utilities folder and Spotlight it when you need it.

VLC

VLC is a media player, an alternate to QuickTime. And boy howdy, it really does everything, no add-ons necessary. It’s not as sharp-looking, and the extent of preferences is daunting, but it. does. everything. There is even a way to use it to rip DVDs directly, but I’ve yet to totally solve that puzzle. I do plan to start using it as my DVD player, because I read somewhere that it bypasses all the preview nonsense and puts you right at the DVD title menu.

HandBrake

HandBrake is a companion to VLC, in that it uses VLC’s goodies to rip DVDs and change pretty much any source file into any other filetype. I don’t use it as my main DVD ripper, but there are plenty of times at home and at work where a file is in some format that isn’t readily burnable to a DVD or able to be brought into a project.

Disk Utility

Disk Utility is built into OS X, and has been for some time. It is ridiculously powerful, and I use it regularly. First, it can wipe out any and all hard drives. Second, it can completely copy and burn any disk. Third, it can completely copy any hard drive and image (copy to) any other hard disk, making a clone of that drive.

You can imagine what that does for my job. I have hundreds of computers all identical to one another, save for their names (so I can find which is which). So really, all I have to troubleshoot is about 4 different computers. If something gets really screwed up, I just re-image the computer, resetting everything. Booyah.

Terminal

This is another program built into OS X. Terminal is its command line interface (CLI) for the operating system. Here is a bit of technical jargon you may have seen: GUI. That GUI (pronounced ‘gooey’) stands for Graphical User Interface. Like many computer acronyms, they actually explain themselves a bit, like RSS. The GUI is all the shiny, colorful icons and programs and whatnot that you see. The CLI lets you change files, folders and their contents, even their hidden settings, by just typing in a bit of code.

Here’s a bit of an example. Say you are looking at an image and you want to change its width. The quick, GUI method would be to move your mouse to the edge, click and drag the handle, and make the image skinnier. The CLI version is to type in some command such as

setwidth image.jpg 400

[not actual code; keeping it relatively in English]

Instead of dragging it thinner, I just sent the command to set its width directly. Now, the crazy thing to think about is that when you dragged that handle, you actually sent that command. Didn’t know you could code, did’ja? Hence why we like our shiny gooeys: no need to think of that stuff.

Apple Remote Desktop

ARD is the workhorse of my job. Alongside Disk Utility, these programs rule the day. Disk Utility creates the identical base found across all the computers. ARD allows me to run commands, install programs, replace/update files, as well as see and take control of the computer when needed.

This is also where skills in Unix come in handy. Other than copying entire preference files over (usually easy), I can rewrite portions of such files as well as tell the computers to all follow a set of commands as if I’m typing at each one. All of this is done through Unix commands, identical to what you would type in Terminal.

There is, of course, the power to restart and shut down all the computers in a single lab with two clicks. There is very much a godliness feeling to it, which definitely explains the social lunacy many computer nerds succumb to.

Snow Leopard Networking

The networking features of OS X deserve mention in the utility world as well. At home, I don’t usually bother with ARD (unless I’m feeling sinister). The built-in networking features of Snow Leopard have all the function one needs at home. It should be noted, though, that all the features are also in Leopard.

When you open a Finder window, in the left column, there is a shared section. Under that you can find all the computers attached to the local network. (Totally cool piece of trivia: the icon for any Windows computers on the network is a monitor showing the Blue Screen of Death™.) From there, if you have the shared computer’s username and password, you get the good stuff.

First, you can see all the files and folders on the computer. This is nice because I can just drag a file I’ve worked on my laptop over to the Desktop folder of the user on the iMac. Simple as can be, really. Second, you can share screens just by clicking on that button. This is handy for turning on iTunes or iPhoto to get them sharing their libraries, or even for spying on cousins sitting at the computer a little too long.

LogMeIn

LogMeIn is a web-based remote desktop software. I use their free account setup to connect to my home computer while at work. To do this same thing through ARD would be a royal pain and not really worth it. This way, you’re just in your web browser and can do it anywhere.

Using LogMeIn with Dropbox allows for me to download files via the home computer that I can’t access at work, put them in the Dropbox, and shortly have them on my work computer. There is also the fact that it allows for remote troubleshooting of family’s computers, both Windows- and Mac-based. Now if I could only get remote access to my dad’s brain to fix my idiotic sprinkler system.

The only thing about LogMeIn is that when you write it in all lower-case, it looks like a Chinese dish. logmein. lo mein. I’m not crazy. Shutup.