Terminal Tips: Make hidden Dock icons transparent
Without using Exposé, it is hard to tell which Mac OS X applications are hidden and which aren’t. But, with a simple Terminal hack, you can have all your application icons displayed as transparent. Simply open Terminal.app (Applications > Utilities) and type the following command exactly:
defaults write com.apple.Dock showhidden -bool YES
Once you type the command and press enter, you need to restart the Dock by typing “killall Dock” and pressing enter. Once the Dock restarts and you hide applications, you will notice that hidden applications have a transparent look. If you want to reverse the command, just replace the “YES” with a “NO” and restart the Dock again.
Like these tips and tricks? Why not take a look at Apple’s Mac 101 and Terminal Tips category.
Popularity: 5% [?]
iPhone 101: Restore your homescreen icons
Rearranging the icons on the home screen of your iPhone is a part of the customization fun that Apple built in. However, if you rearranged your icons and want them back to factory specifications, it is as easy as a simple tap. Just navigate to Settings > General > Reset. Once there, select the “Reset Home Screen Layout” button. A dialog will pop-up asking for a confirmation.
Once you return to the home screen, you will notice that all the icons are placed just like they were when you first turned on your iPhone! Third-party applications’ icons will follow the default applications.
Want more iPhone tips and tricks like this? Just visit the Apple iPhone 101 section.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Like Thought Updates Opacity
Do you spend part or all of your time creating resolution-independent graphics for the Web? If you do, then you’re probably familiar with Opacity. It’s a powerful tool for creating icons or other graphic elements that are designed for viewing on a screen rather than on paper.
The developer of Opacity, Like Thought, LLC, is now shipping version 1.1 of their app. Opacity 1.1 requires Mac OS X 10.5.2 and has a redesigned interface with a new grid and dynamically generated images in the toolbar. To make life easier for new users of Opacity, Like Thought also added a “How To” screencast and four new templates.
The biggest addition to Opacity 1.1 is support for SVG vector graphics for the Web. Opacity creates reusable workflows called factories, which now support such cool features as gamma stripping in PNG images, automatic uploading to Web sites using Cyberduck, and multi-page PDF images.
If you own Opacity 1.0, this is a free upgrade. A demo is available for download, and you can purchase Opacity for $89.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Flickr find: 1Password icon shows up in the strangest places
If you’re an independent Mac software developer, having a wicked cool icon for your application is both a blessing and a curse. Users will remember you for the sleek, Leopard-ready goodness of your icon … and other unscrupulous marketers will rip you off shamelessly to promote their own products, rather than ponying up for an original design.
The all-time champion victim (self-reported) of icons ripped off is Panic’s Transmit FTP tool; the little truck shows up just about everywhere you could possibly imagine. New to the underground icon market, however, is the 1Password browser-key logo — it may make you think “Hey, I could drive Safari to the supermarket!” but apparently the makers of ProductKeyFinder, a Windows serial number app, found it too delicious to pass up. The purloined product identity is visible on PKF’s eBay sales page and on Flickr. It looks like the packaging has been updated (and the product renamed to Product Key Explorer), so this tale of icon swiping has a happy ending.
Thanks Roustem!
Popularity: 8% [?]
Anticipating Indiana Jones? Your Mac is, too
Forget WWDC, the iPhone App Store and the Apple Design Awards. The one thing we want to see this summer is the new Indiana Jones movie!
We’re sure some of you feel the same anticipation, so why not let your Mac in on the fun? The workers at The Iconfactory have launched their month-long tribute to Dr. Jones with Indy-themed freeware icon sets, one for each movie. So far, the Raiders of the Lost Ark set has been released, while The Temple of Doom, Last Crusade, and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull icon sets will debut later this month.
If your using CandyBar (we’ve written about CandyBar several times), you can make use of the Indy-themed Dock. Finally, round things of with this great desktop picture (it’s also available for the iPhone!).
Popularity: 8% [?]
