Apparently, the T2 chip does everything that the CPU and GPU don't do, including the Secure Enclave, temp management, audio, DSP stuff for the camera, and NVMe. Really nice that its SSD contents are always encrypted. I hope the T2 makes it to the upcoming modular Mac Pro.
Hello, macOS thread. I've recently adopted this ecosystem (being a masocist I need to have all three platforms in my life..)
is there a well respected/vetted noscript-like solution and ad-block solution for Safari? My internet searching turned up some results, but I'd like to see what this thread says.
Use uBlock for Adblock. A lot of other ad blockers have gone shady commercial roads. I’d avoid Ghostery for the same reason and use Disconnect.
Hello, macOS thread. I've recently adopted this ecosystem (being a masocist I need to have all three platforms in my life..)
is there a well respected/vetted noscript-like solution and ad-block solution for Safari? My internet searching turned up some results, but I'd like to see what this thread says.
Use uBlock for Adblock. A lot of other ad blockers have gone shady commercial roads. I’d avoid Ghostery for the same reason and use Disconnect.
When I used it, I got more pop-up ads from Ghostery than from any websites I visited.
Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
The best choice is Privacy Badger because it’s made and mainted by the EFF. Sadly no Safari version.
Safari has an inferior plugin ecosystem, and there are little issues with it that bother me, but I’ve switched to it as my main browser because it integrates so well into iCloud (specifically being able to view tabs on my iPad and iPhone) and more importantly, because it has substainaly better battery life then Chrome.
Yay, just got a text with an Apple 2FA verification code.
What level of breach is that? I logged in to check things and maybe change my password, but that used 2FA that got sent to my phone as an iOS notification instead of a text. Was the first one just someone trying to use a password reset?
The text clearly has the checkmark as a part of the sender name, so now this smells like some weird-ass phishing attempt, though I have no idea how that would even work, I just got a verification code and nothing else.
Yesterday I got ahold of a first gen Macbook Air in surprisingly good shape for free from a lady who was dismayed that the Apple repair shop I am business neigbors with wouldn't give her anything in credit for it (understandably, it's a decade old). I managed to get a charger for it from the same shop for nothing (they were "overloaded with them"). I've been pretty vehemently anti-Mac, but free is free, and I figured this would give me an opportunity to goof around with osx (even if it's a fairly old version).
Spec wise I'm looking at a C2D 1.6GHz with 2GB of (non upgradable) RAM, an integrated X3100, and an 80GB hard drive, running 10.6.8/Snow Leopard. I figured it was going to be slower than molasses going uphill in January with crutches, but surprisingly it wasn't too bad. The battery understandably no longer holds a charge, but a replacement looks like it's $65, and it predates Apple's anti-repair design so it can be replaced with nothing more than a Phillips if I decide to go that route.
It didn't have a recovery partition, and I didn't feel like reinstalling an OS, so I used the Single User Mode method to change the existing admin account password from a command line, then logged in, made a new admin account, logged into it, and deleted the original admin account and home folder, so now it's up and running without any issues.
So, uhhh, you guys know more about Macs than I do, what do I do with it now?
You're not going to do too much "modern" with it just due to lack of memory/video/cpu grunt, but honestly it'll probably do whatever else you want just fine. Browsers can be a hog nowadays so maybe some problems, but...
If you like tinkering, grab homebrew, and now you have a package manager for basically every relevant open source release ever.
+1
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
The most you can upgrade it to is Lion, which was kind of a bad OS? Snow Leopard should be what you look for, which is now 9 years old. It has 2 gigs of RAM max, and a weird dedicated GPU that was nice-ish for the time.
But this is a ten year old computer. Your options are limited. I would suggest if you are interested in learning about mac using it to tool around with the linux side of things. Install homebrew (brew.sh) which is a legit package manager, fuck around in bash, etc. There are a lot of cool things you can do in that space if you are a coder/tinkerer.
you can also tool around with Automator, which is one of the legit nicest things you can use on a Mac in terms or reducing repetitive activities, and hasn't changed much since then.
That would be my starting point.
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Right on. My daily driver laptop is an old Thinkpad T400, which is significantly more powerful but still in a similar ballpark so I am well aware of the limitations of the humble Core 2 Duo. I'm actually browsing from the MBA using Chrome right now, and it's not too bad. I suspect I'll have trouble if I start opening multiple tabs though.
I noticed that there doesn't seem to be any sort of CMOS battery style backup on this device though, which is kind of frustrating. Every time the battery hits 0% (which, in my case, is every time the device is not plugged in) you have to reenter the password for any wifi networks you want to connect to, as well as set the system date and time, before you can browse the web. The Magsafe charger isn't exactly sturdy (although I can't complain, this is by design), so even nudging it a little bit is enough to lose connection and turn the machine off. Also, for some reason it doesn't recognize any sound hardware, although this seems like a common issue.
Still though, not too bad. I'll probably goof around with it for a few more days before I decide if I want to drop a few bucks on a replacement battery, or just throw it on craigslist as is and see what I can get.
0
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
I still bemoan the loss of magsafe on modern mac laptops.
It saved my ass so many times in coffee shops.
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Right on. My daily driver laptop is an old Thinkpad T400, which is significantly more powerful but still in a similar ballpark so I am well aware of the limitations of the humble Core 2 Duo. I'm actually browsing from the MBA using Chrome right now, and it's not too bad. I suspect I'll have trouble if I start opening multiple tabs though.
I noticed that there doesn't seem to be any sort of CMOS battery style backup on this device though, which is kind of frustrating. Every time the battery hits 0% (which, in my case, is every time the device is not plugged in) you have to reenter the password for any wifi networks you want to connect to, as well as set the system date and time, before you can browse the web. The Magsafe charger isn't exactly sturdy (although I can't complain, this is by design), so even nudging it a little bit is enough to lose connection and turn the machine off. Also, for some reason it doesn't recognize any sound hardware, although this seems like a common issue.
Still though, not too bad. I'll probably goof around with it for a few more days before I decide if I want to drop a few bucks on a replacement battery, or just throw it on craigslist as is and see what I can get.
Macs and that sort of battery thing are uh... Weird. I think it's a combo of main battery plus a capacitor that handles the PRAM or SMC or w/e it's called now. May not be able to handle it if the battery itself is completely toast.
Speaking of macOS, Mojave is out. I've never been a fan of apple, nor being forced into their dumb ecosystem, but the OS is generally ok.
I've been waiting to see if they're going to update the mac mini at all, since they're current selling 4 year old hardware right now. How do they even have that much hardware in stock? Does intel have a plant dedicated to making old hardware for Apple?
Anywho, Mojave is a nice looking OS, and I'd certainly like to get my hands on it. At some point, but I certainly won't be paying today's prices for equipment from 4 years ago. Here's hoping they can still hit that nice price point for any updates they plan for the mac mini line.
GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
Mojave is a nice update. As a developer who uses macOS as my primary development platform both professionally and personally Dark Mode is a very welcome change.
Is there any way to watch Amazon Prime videos on a Macbook without accessing the amazon web page? I have a Macbook for a kid and want to give them access to my videos, but not my bank account.
0
Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
Is there any way to watch Amazon Prime videos on a Macbook without accessing the amazon web page? I have a Macbook for a kid and want to give them access to my videos, but not my bank account.
You should be able to grant access through primevideo.com. You'll probably want to have a thorough look around the site to make sure no shenanigans can occur though.
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
Is there any way to watch Amazon Prime videos on a Macbook without accessing the amazon web page? I have a Macbook for a kid and want to give them access to my videos, but not my bank account.
You should be able to grant access through primevideo.com. You'll probably want to have a thorough look around the site to make sure no shenanigans can occur though.
"Unavailable for your account, watch on Amazon.com"
0
Mr_Rose83 Blue Ridge Protects the HolyRegistered Userregular
So, refreshed MacBook Air and Mac Mini are… pretty much exactly what everyone was expecting. Only in Space Grey now.
Still, even thinnerer, lightererer, and smallerererer is good, shame the price couldn’t be lighter too.
So, refreshed MacBook Air and Mac Mini are… pretty much exactly what everyone was expecting. Only in Space Grey now.
Still, even thinnerer, lightererer, and smallerererer is good, shame the price couldn’t be lighter too.
New MBA basically makes the 12 inch MacBook a useless purchase in comparison and even in some ways the cheaper MBP model. If it was sub $1000 would probably eat into the new iPad Pro consumers, so can understand the pricing even if it isn't ideal.
So, refreshed MacBook Air and Mac Mini are… pretty much exactly what everyone was expecting. Only in Space Grey now.
Still, even thinnerer, lightererer, and smallerererer is good, shame the price couldn’t be lighter too.
New MBA basically makes the 12 inch MacBook a useless purchase in comparison and even in some ways the cheaper MBP model. If it was sub $1000 would probably eat into the new iPad Pro consumers, so can understand the pricing even if it isn't ideal.
The 12" is still substantially lighter than the new Air. I think it still fills a niche for people who want the lightest possible Mac.
I agree that it's pretty much obsolete at this point, though. My guess is that it will be the first of the Mac product line to switch off Intel and use an ARM CPU. If so, that will be a very interesting machine. The power and battery life of an iPad Pro with the utility of macOS.
I also doubt that Apple much cares about cross-product cannibalization. Their margins on Macs are generally similar or even better than their margins on iOS devices.
So, refreshed MacBook Air and Mac Mini are… pretty much exactly what everyone was expecting. Only in Space Grey now.
Still, even thinnerer, lightererer, and smallerererer is good, shame the price couldn’t be lighter too.
New MBA basically makes the 12 inch MacBook a useless purchase in comparison and even in some ways the cheaper MBP model. If it was sub $1000 would probably eat into the new iPad Pro consumers, so can understand the pricing even if it isn't ideal.
The 12" is still substantially lighter than the new Air. I think it still fills a niche for people who want the lightest possible Mac.
I agree that it's pretty much obsolete at this point, though. My guess is that it will be the first of the Mac product line to switch off Intel and use an ARM CPU. If so, that will be a very interesting machine. The power and battery life of an iPad Pro with the utility of macOS.
I also doubt that Apple much cares about cross-product cannibalization. Their margins on Macs are generally similar or even better than their margins on iOS devices.
I really hope to see the ARM CPU soon on a laptop line and the 12" would be a perfect start for Apple to jump into. For now though I've just jumped onto the 12.9 iPad Pro to see how well it will work for commuting to work in January getting my lessons sorted etc.
So, does anyone know what to do about a -2003F error? Trying to install a fresh macOS on a wiped Macbook Pro I've inherited. Started getting it when I tried an internet recovery, made a USB installer, but even after trying to boot from that it apparently wants to do an internet recovery which fails with the same error again.
Update: got a -2003F several times at work, several times more here at home, but now it seems it managed to do whatever it needed to get to the next step.
I'll just try internet recovery eighty times until I stop getting the -2003F then.
This may be a bit late, but if you boot into Recovery Mode, you should be able to enable external boot drives. I believe that the Utilities menu in the Recovery app has a "Startup Security Options" (or something similar) that will let you enable booting from an external drive.
I'll just try internet recovery eighty times until I stop getting the -2003F then.
This may be a bit late, but if you boot into Recovery Mode, you should be able to enable external boot drives. I believe that the Utilities menu in the Recovery app has a "Startup Security Options" (or something similar) that will let you enable booting from an external drive.
Yeah, that's what I was unable to do due to the -2003F. Took me 6-7 attempts before I finally got 10.13.6 installed.
Now I'm trying to upgrade to 10.14, but all I get is "Can't verify macOS" from the installer.
I'll just try internet recovery eighty times until I stop getting the -2003F then.
This may be a bit late, but if you boot into Recovery Mode, you should be able to enable external boot drives. I believe that the Utilities menu in the Recovery app has a "Startup Security Options" (or something similar) that will let you enable booting from an external drive.
Yeah, that's what I was unable to do due to the -2003F. Took me 6-7 attempts before I finally got 10.13.6 installed.
Now I'm trying to upgrade to 10.14, but all I get is "Can't verify macOS" from the installer.
That seems like something really low-level is going on. The "verify" process is probably just the installer checksumming itself and its data. If I remember correctly, all the install data comes from compressed .dmg images full of OS stuff, and the OS has logic for detecting corrupted or altered .dmgs.
So is your system time set correctly? Have you run Disk First Aid on all the drives involved?
0
TetraNitroCubaneThe DjinneratorAt the bottom of a bottleRegistered Userregular
Does anyone by chance know much about the 2015 Macbook Pro recall? I have a late model 2015 Macbook Pro, but when I put the serial number into the recall page, it essentially tells me that my laptop isn't impacted.
I really don't want to have to drop the money for a new Macbook, but if I'm going to be unable to fly with this one, it's really going to be a pain in the behind.
Does anyone by chance know much about the 2015 Macbook Pro recall? I have a late model 2015 Macbook Pro, but when I put the serial number into the recall page, it essentially tells me that my laptop isn't impacted.
I really don't want to have to drop the money for a new Macbook, but if I'm going to be unable to fly with this one, it's really going to be a pain in the behind.
Apple will fix your MBP as part of its recall program, no?
According the article you linked, it's the batteries that are banned, not the devices that contain them. And the ban is actually imposed by the FAA (not the TSA) without any requirement to enforce it, so any enforcement would have to be done by the airlines. That seems... unlikely.
+1
TetraNitroCubaneThe DjinneratorAt the bottom of a bottleRegistered Userregular
Again, according to apple, my MacBook is not entitled to a replacement. They claim that my MacBook is not in the affected range of serial numbers. I'm just getting a little paranoid, because not only are others who have been "outside of the affected range" reporting battery issues like swelling, this FAA "ban" seems to be nearly unenforceable outside of banning ALL 2015 MacBooks.
But then again, I suppose that is quite unlikely, as pointed out, so perhaps it's not really ever going to happen.
Still, all this news has me wondering if my MacBook is a fire liability despite Apple's website saying it's not. You can mash any random jargon into their serial number checker and get back the same "Not in the affected range" message. I guess it's just checking against a specific set of serial numbers for those which are impacted, but that doesn't tell me necessarily that mine is safe.
Again, according to apple, my MacBook is not entitled to a replacement. They claim that my MacBook is not in the affected range of serial numbers. I'm just getting a little paranoid, because not only are others who have been "outside of the affected range" reporting battery issues like swelling, this FAA "ban" seems to be nearly unenforceable outside of banning ALL 2015 MacBooks.
But then again, I suppose that is quite unlikely, as pointed out, so perhaps it's not really ever going to happen.
Still, all this news has me wondering if my MacBook is a fire liability despite Apple's website saying it's not. You can mash any random jargon into their serial number checker and get back the same "Not in the affected range" message. I guess it's just checking against a specific set of serial numbers for those which are impacted, but that doesn't tell me necessarily that mine is safe.
The question you really seem to be asking is... "are the batteries in my MacBook Pro safe even though, according to Apple, they aren't the same type that's been banned by the FAA?" That's pretty much impossible for consumers to answer definitively, but Apple doesn't really have much incentive to lie to you in this case. Recalls are no doubt a hassle for them, but manufacturers pretty much always extract the costs due to faulty components from their suppliers.
There's also the broader question of... "are LiON batteries ever really safe?" and the answer to that is "usually". Bad design, getting really hot, and catastrophic damage can all cause them to catch fire/explode.
0
TetraNitroCubaneThe DjinneratorAt the bottom of a bottleRegistered Userregular
edited August 2019
Well, I just opened the bottom of my MacBook so I could clean out the dust that was clogging up the fans, and I can distinctly say that the batteries are looking more than a little swollen. I guess that's just standard with batteries of this type and age.
I'm guessing I should stop using this laptop until that's taken care of.
Edit: Set up an appointment with an authorized repair place. Will be powering off the laptop and keeping it off until then.
Well, I just opened the bottom of my MacBook so I could clean out the dust that was clogging up the fans, and I can distinctly say that the batteries are looking more than a little swollen. I guess that's just standard with batteries of this type and age.
I'm guessing I should stop using this laptop until that's taken care of.
Edit: Set up an appointment with an authorized repair place. Will be powering off the laptop and keeping it off until then.
Yeah, if they're ballooning like that, then definitely get them replaced.
Posts
Apparently, the T2 chip does everything that the CPU and GPU don't do, including the Secure Enclave, temp management, audio, DSP stuff for the camera, and NVMe. Really nice that its SSD contents are always encrypted. I hope the T2 makes it to the upcoming modular Mac Pro.
Use uBlock for Adblock. A lot of other ad blockers have gone shady commercial roads. I’d avoid Ghostery for the same reason and use Disconnect.
When I used it, I got more pop-up ads from Ghostery than from any websites I visited.
Safari has an inferior plugin ecosystem, and there are little issues with it that bother me, but I’ve switched to it as my main browser because it integrates so well into iCloud (specifically being able to view tabs on my iPad and iPhone) and more importantly, because it has substainaly better battery life then Chrome.
and it's builtin blocker is decent enough
What level of breach is that? I logged in to check things and maybe change my password, but that used 2FA that got sent to my phone as an iOS notification instead of a text. Was the first one just someone trying to use a password reset?
The text clearly has the checkmark as a part of the sender name, so now this smells like some weird-ass phishing attempt, though I have no idea how that would even work, I just got a verification code and nothing else.
Spec wise I'm looking at a C2D 1.6GHz with 2GB of (non upgradable) RAM, an integrated X3100, and an 80GB hard drive, running 10.6.8/Snow Leopard. I figured it was going to be slower than molasses going uphill in January with crutches, but surprisingly it wasn't too bad. The battery understandably no longer holds a charge, but a replacement looks like it's $65, and it predates Apple's anti-repair design so it can be replaced with nothing more than a Phillips if I decide to go that route.
It didn't have a recovery partition, and I didn't feel like reinstalling an OS, so I used the Single User Mode method to change the existing admin account password from a command line, then logged in, made a new admin account, logged into it, and deleted the original admin account and home folder, so now it's up and running without any issues.
So, uhhh, you guys know more about Macs than I do, what do I do with it now?
If you like tinkering, grab homebrew, and now you have a package manager for basically every relevant open source release ever.
But this is a ten year old computer. Your options are limited. I would suggest if you are interested in learning about mac using it to tool around with the linux side of things. Install homebrew (brew.sh) which is a legit package manager, fuck around in bash, etc. There are a lot of cool things you can do in that space if you are a coder/tinkerer.
you can also tool around with Automator, which is one of the legit nicest things you can use on a Mac in terms or reducing repetitive activities, and hasn't changed much since then.
That would be my starting point.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
I noticed that there doesn't seem to be any sort of CMOS battery style backup on this device though, which is kind of frustrating. Every time the battery hits 0% (which, in my case, is every time the device is not plugged in) you have to reenter the password for any wifi networks you want to connect to, as well as set the system date and time, before you can browse the web. The Magsafe charger isn't exactly sturdy (although I can't complain, this is by design), so even nudging it a little bit is enough to lose connection and turn the machine off. Also, for some reason it doesn't recognize any sound hardware, although this seems like a common issue.
Still though, not too bad. I'll probably goof around with it for a few more days before I decide if I want to drop a few bucks on a replacement battery, or just throw it on craigslist as is and see what I can get.
It saved my ass so many times in coffee shops.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Macs and that sort of battery thing are uh... Weird. I think it's a combo of main battery plus a capacitor that handles the PRAM or SMC or w/e it's called now. May not be able to handle it if the battery itself is completely toast.
I've been waiting to see if they're going to update the mac mini at all, since they're current selling 4 year old hardware right now. How do they even have that much hardware in stock? Does intel have a plant dedicated to making old hardware for Apple?
Anywho, Mojave is a nice looking OS, and I'd certainly like to get my hands on it. At some point, but I certainly won't be paying today's prices for equipment from 4 years ago. Here's hoping they can still hit that nice price point for any updates they plan for the mac mini line.
Switch Friend Code: 3102-5341-0358
Nintendo Network ID: PhysiMarc
You should be able to grant access through primevideo.com. You'll probably want to have a thorough look around the site to make sure no shenanigans can occur though.
"Unavailable for your account, watch on Amazon.com"
Still, even thinnerer, lightererer, and smallerererer is good, shame the price couldn’t be lighter too.
Nintendo Network ID: AzraelRose
DropBox invite link - get 500MB extra free.
New MBA basically makes the 12 inch MacBook a useless purchase in comparison and even in some ways the cheaper MBP model. If it was sub $1000 would probably eat into the new iPad Pro consumers, so can understand the pricing even if it isn't ideal.
I think it's the GPU.
The 12" is still substantially lighter than the new Air. I think it still fills a niche for people who want the lightest possible Mac.
I agree that it's pretty much obsolete at this point, though. My guess is that it will be the first of the Mac product line to switch off Intel and use an ARM CPU. If so, that will be a very interesting machine. The power and battery life of an iPad Pro with the utility of macOS.
I also doubt that Apple much cares about cross-product cannibalization. Their margins on Macs are generally similar or even better than their margins on iOS devices.
I really hope to see the ARM CPU soon on a laptop line and the 12" would be a perfect start for Apple to jump into. For now though I've just jumped onto the 12.9 iPad Pro to see how well it will work for commuting to work in January getting my lessons sorted etc.
I'll just try internet recovery eighty times until I stop getting the -2003F then.
This may be a bit late, but if you boot into Recovery Mode, you should be able to enable external boot drives. I believe that the Utilities menu in the Recovery app has a "Startup Security Options" (or something similar) that will let you enable booting from an external drive.
Yeah, that's what I was unable to do due to the -2003F. Took me 6-7 attempts before I finally got 10.13.6 installed.
Now I'm trying to upgrade to 10.14, but all I get is "Can't verify macOS" from the installer.
That seems like something really low-level is going on. The "verify" process is probably just the installer checksumming itself and its data. If I remember correctly, all the install data comes from compressed .dmg images full of OS stuff, and the OS has logic for detecting corrupted or altered .dmgs.
So is your system time set correctly? Have you run Disk First Aid on all the drives involved?
Nevertheless, apparently I'm not allowed to fly with it anymore. I'm wondering if there's a a risk of fire that I'm not understanding.
I really don't want to have to drop the money for a new Macbook, but if I'm going to be unable to fly with this one, it's really going to be a pain in the behind.
They don't even find guns or test "bombs" most of the time.
Apple will fix your MBP as part of its recall program, no?
According the article you linked, it's the batteries that are banned, not the devices that contain them. And the ban is actually imposed by the FAA (not the TSA) without any requirement to enforce it, so any enforcement would have to be done by the airlines. That seems... unlikely.
But then again, I suppose that is quite unlikely, as pointed out, so perhaps it's not really ever going to happen.
Still, all this news has me wondering if my MacBook is a fire liability despite Apple's website saying it's not. You can mash any random jargon into their serial number checker and get back the same "Not in the affected range" message. I guess it's just checking against a specific set of serial numbers for those which are impacted, but that doesn't tell me necessarily that mine is safe.
The question you really seem to be asking is... "are the batteries in my MacBook Pro safe even though, according to Apple, they aren't the same type that's been banned by the FAA?" That's pretty much impossible for consumers to answer definitively, but Apple doesn't really have much incentive to lie to you in this case. Recalls are no doubt a hassle for them, but manufacturers pretty much always extract the costs due to faulty components from their suppliers.
There's also the broader question of... "are LiON batteries ever really safe?" and the answer to that is "usually". Bad design, getting really hot, and catastrophic damage can all cause them to catch fire/explode.
I'm guessing I should stop using this laptop until that's taken care of.
Edit: Set up an appointment with an authorized repair place. Will be powering off the laptop and keeping it off until then.
Yeah, if they're ballooning like that, then definitely get them replaced.