Tag Archives: Mac OS X

Beta Version of Installer Maker 1.8.7 Available!

Recently, We got a request to make some improvements to Installer Maker. As a result, we have made many, many invisible changes, fixing bugs and adding new features. In a few places, the changes are visible. For example, you can see the long list with all special folder paths for Windows (XP up to and including 8.1) and you can see a small but essential change on the Scripts pane, allowing for pre- and post-uninstall script execution.

It is now possible to select any special Windows folder as a destination folder.

It is now possible to select any special Windows folder as a destination folder.

Installer Maker 1.8.7b03 can be downloaded here.

Below follows an overview of all changes in the latest beta version.

  • Installers created with a trial copy on Windows should now start correctly (only on the same computer as on which they were created)
  • The documentation (on the Help screen) should still show up, even if the httpHeaders were set incorrectly by another script
  • install locations have been extended by a large number of Windows-specific directories
  • the destination “startup disk” appeared incorrectly
  • a possibility to create an installer with empty files has been added
  • the uninstaller is now installed in the executable’s folder on Windows, while previously it would end up in a separate folder occasionally
  • file paths are now included in profile files
  • if a path in a profile file is not found, you’ll be asked if you want to repair all paths
  • on Windows, the Uninstaller can now execute LiveCode scripts that have been added on the Scripts pane; thise feature will be added for Mac OS X soon
Installer Maker Scripts Pane

Installer Maker Scripts Pane

Note that this is still a beta version. If you want to create an installer for distribution, download and use Installer Maker from the official website. Tests show that Installer Maker 1.8.7b03 isn’t fully compatible with LiveCode 7 yet, due to bugs in LiveCode 7. Installer Maker 1.8.7b03 is only available as a plug-in for the commercial license of LiveCode. A standalone version will be made available shortly.

We need your help! Please, download and test Installer Maker 1.8.7b03 and send an e-mail with your findings to Economy-x-Talk’s support department! Everybody can download the beta. Installers created with an unregister trial copy only work on the computer they were created on. This version of Installer Maker is a free update for everyone with a current license.

Make PHP and MySQL communicate on Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

I write this blog post because every few months I need make PHP and MySQL work on Mac OS X and every time I have to figure it all out again. Time to write it down…

The following instructions consider Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6 (Leopard and Snow Leopard).

Almost always people start shouting “MAMP!” as soon as people have problems with PHP and MySQL on Mac OS X. It is nonsense to install MAMP on a Mac because almost everything is already installed on your Mac. Why would you install all necessary server software twice? It just takes away hard disk space. You really don’t need to use MAMP. All you need is to figure out how to configure PHP and MySQL.

Obviously, before PHP can work with MySQL, you need to install MySQL. You can download MySQL for Mac OS X here http://www.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/ . Install MySQL and don’t forget to install the preferences panel that comes with it.

Now you can activate PHP. Type command-shift-G in the Finder and type /etc/apache2/ in the little window that appears. Click on Go en find the file httpd.conf in that folder. Copy this file to the desktop and create a backup copy named httpd.conf.old.

Open the file httpd.conf in TextEdit and search for the line containing

#LoadModule php5_module libexec/httpd/libphp5.so

Remove the # and save the file. Copy the modified file to /etc/apache2/ en cofirm if you are asked whether you want to replace the existing file.

When PHP tried to communicate with MySQL, it uses a socket file to contact MySQL. PHP expects o find this file in /tmp/mysql.sock while MySQL puts the file into /var/mysql/mysql.sock. It has been like this for year and I really don’t understand why the two parties involved don’t solve this.

The “temporary”solution is to tell either PHP or MySQL to create or search the socket file somewhere else. The easiest way (in my personal opinion) is the following.

1) open TextEdit and type the following four lines:

[mysqld]
socket=/var/mysql/mysql.sock
[client]
socket=/var/mysql/mysql.sock

2) Save this text file at the location: /etc/my.cnf

You may be unable to save the file in /etc right-away. In this case, you can save the file on your desktop first. Type command-shift-G (in the Finder) and type /etc in the little window that appears. If you click on Go, you will see a Finder window displaying the content of folder /etc. Now you can copy the file my.cnf to the folder /etc. You may need to enter your admin name and password when you copy the file.

Now you need to turn off and on Web Sharing in the System Preferences. You may need to turn off and on MySQL too, which you can do in the MySQL preferences panel.

PHP should now be able to use MySQL.

Selling Apple Store Parts

Some guy is selling a stair case, allegedly from the Apple Store on 5th Avenue, New York.

From his description on eBay:


It’s from Apple Fifth Ave. in NYC. They have a huge spiral staircase you can see here:

They replaced it with a new one after a customer dropped a snapple bottle on it and cracked it. I picked it up before it could be thrown out over a year ago, figuring it’s a collectible.

When these are new, they cost 10K to buy from the German glass-makers. So, since it’s cracked I figure it’s worth at least $2500, considering the steps are all custom ordered.

You could use it as a coffee table on top of some cinder blocks, or just keep it for the sake of keeping it.

Unfortunately, I can’t deliver it. You’ll need to come pick it up in Brooklyn, NY, and I recommend you bring a car and a friend or two. It weighs about 250 lbs. It’s about 10 layers of very thick glass.

If you’re a collector of Apple memorabilia, you’ve got to have this. I know for a fact that only three of them exist outside of the retail stores’ circulation, and this is one of them. So, needless to say, it’s rare. I doubt it if you’ll ever see something like this again.

You can find this item on http://qurl.tk/59 . I wonder whether all of it is true and I also wonder whether the guy got fired after taking something from the Apple store that doesn’t belong to him.

New Simple Calculator

MyCalculator is different from the calculators you are used to, but it is more than simple. It doesn’t have any buttons to click on, it doesn’t require mouse movements and mouse clicks, avoiding confusion as well as RSI.

To use MyCalculator, just start the programme and watch a window appear. Always start typing on a new line. For example, enter

1+1+1

and you will get 3 as a result. Or enter

2*sin(.5*pi)*cos(pi)

and you’ll get -2 as a result. The big advantage is that your equation looks (almost) as in the text books and you can always look up what you have entered, contrary to conventional calculators.

Picture_379

MyCalculator is freeware. It is currently available for Mac OS X 10.3 and later and comes in a version for PowerMac and another version for Mac Intel. You can download your free calculator at http://qurl.tk/4y .