journals

Jailbreak your iPhone in one easy step

By UnnDunn, October 29, 2007

A group of hackers have released a web-based application that JailBreaks iPhones and iPod Touch devices running software version 1.1.1. The application also installs Installer.app. From TUAW:

To use it, open Safari and point your browser to jailbreakme.com (which we aren’t linking to so folks won’t install this by accident, but you are prompted to confirm). Once there, read the directions, scroll to the bottom, and tap Install AppSnapp. If Safari disappears and you return to the main Home screen, you’re good. Just wait a minute more for your unit to restart--don’t touch anything until you see the slide to unlock screen. If Safari hangs, just quit out (press and hold Home for 4-8 seconds) and try again.

Once you get to slide-to-unlock, go ahead and unlock your iPhone or iPod touch. You’ll return to your home screen which will contain a new Installer.app icon.

The application is based on a recently-released exploit for 1.1.1 which used a vulnerability in the open-source libtiff library found on the iPhone.

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Cool tricks, random weirdness, and other Leopard observations

By Nick, October 28, 2007

Now that I have my mitts on the big cat, I have to say that by and large I like it a lot. So far I haven’t run across many bugs, and it seems plenty responsive. The first part of our Leopard review will be posted tomorrow or Monday. Until then, though, here are some little quick notes and observations regarding Leopard.

I can see right through you--sort of

Leopard fakes the menubar transparency!

I first suspected this when I invoked Exposé (F11 - clear the Desktop) and the windows were not visible through the menubar. Instead, I still saw the desktop background. It turns out that this is actually the case, according to the Many Tricks blog.

Shocking!

Icon tomfoolery

Mac OS X now supports icons up to 512 x 512 pixels. However, outside of CoverFlow and Quick View, the Finder can still only display icons up to 128 x 128 pixels.

Feed me!

Safari now supports multiple RSS feeds. Just click the RSS button in the address bar and select the feed you want to read.

Don’t stick your tongue out at me!

iChat’s smiley looked better in Tiger. That is all.

Best new Leopard feature

Alert the media! Leopard does not lose its lunch when it loses a connection with a network volume! That’s right, if Leopard loses a server connection, it will inform you of the disrupted connection and allow you to disconnect without forcing you to stare at a spinning beachball.

Not to be snide, but…
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Apple Releases OS X Leopard

By UnnDunn, October 26, 2007

It was cold, wet and windy, but that didn't stop the Apple Faithful from congregating in front of the Apple Store Fifth Ave. Because in less than 30 minutes, the store would begin selling Leopard.

It was cold, drizzling lightly, and windy on the corner of 5th Ave and 58th St in New York City, but that didn’t stop the Apple Faithful from congregating in front of the monolithic glass cube of the Apple Store. Because in less than 30 minutes, the store would open its doors to receive them, and they would enter to buy Mac OS X Leopard, Apple’s newest operating system.

Maybe it was the weather, but the line wasn’t as long as I expected; the lines for the store opening and for the iPhone launch both stretched all the way around the block after doubling back a few times, but this line was quite short, only extending to the side of the nearby FAO Schwartz store, about 150 people deep. But as time went on and the 6pm hour approached, it continued to grow.

In truth, the line was quite uneventful. Those in line were content to huddle up and try to get away from the biting drizzle, while the rest of New York hustled by on their collective way home. Looking down inside the store, employees could be seen loading Leopard onto the in-store Macs, and at 5:55, they assembled for a pep-talk, minutes before they would accept the throng of customers.

At last the hour came. The doors were opened, a (largely manufactured) cheer went up, and customers were allowed inside to purchase their copies of the software. For the most part, the line moved swiftly; once it began moving,…
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Some Leopard shipments delayed

By Nick, October 26, 2007

Quickly…

TUAW reports that Leopard shipments in some areas have been delayed. These delays are mostly delays of few hours. I’ve been bitten by the delay as well; my copy was supposed to arrive by 10:30 A.M., at 9:21 this morning I got a Delivery exception message ("Future delivery requested").

I’ve waited months for Leopard. I can wait a couple more hours.

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Days of Leopard: What to do before and after installing Leopard [UPDATED x2]

By Nick, October 25, 2007

Leopard’s release is mere hours away here in the United States. Is your Mac ready for Apple’s next big cat? Here are some steps you can take to get your Mac up and running with Leopard.

Before you upgrade

Decide if you should upgrade right away

If you are on a PowerPC Mac and rely on Classic apps for whatever reason, do not upgrade to Leopard. Leopard does not support the Classic environment.

If you rely on your Mac for your business (e.g. you are a freelance designer and require Creative Suite to work flawlessly), you may want to hold off on installing Leopard until the third-party vendors you rely on can ensure that their products will work with Leopard. Additionally, some users choose to hold off on upgrading until the initial release bugs are fixed. The choice is yours.

Disable system hacks

If you are not planing a clean install, remove or disable any system-wide hacks. This includes haxies, Input managers, and other hacks you may have applied to the operating system. Note that as of now, Unsanity has not confirmed that their haxies will work with Leopard. Some haxies and other system hacks may cause conflicts with Leopard. After you upgrade, install Leopard-compatible versions.

UPDATE: Rosyna from Unsanity tells me that APE 2.0.3 simply disables itself when you are running Leopard, so older haxies should not cause any problems. In fact, Unsanity does not recommend uninstalling APE, since other 3rd-party apps may require APE’s presence even if it doesn’t…
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