Symbolic Link Service

Creating an Alias in Mac OS X is easy. Hold down the Option + Command keys and drag a file to some new location. Just like that you’ve got an Alias, which is, essentially, a pointer to the original file. The truth is, however, I’ve never had much use for Alias files. Symbolic Links, however, are a whole different kettle of fish.

Symbolic links are a feature of HFS+ and UFS file systems. They allow allow multiple references to files and folders without requiring multiple copies of these items. What this means is that you can relocate a library file from some application required location to somewhere else, like Dropbox, and your applications will be none the wiser. I use this trick to keep my Bento (which mandates its data file be located in the Application Support folder) to Dropbox so I can access my Dropbox data from multiple Macs.

The trouble is, creating symbolic links is a pain, requiring several terminal incantations. Not anymore. Mac OSX Hints has an ingenious Service using a bit of bash code to create your own symbolic link service. Check it out.

More on Facebook

Ben Brooks is spot on about Facebook. The only thing I’d add is a rant about the devious way Facebook hides privacy settings for its users. I recently helped my 14 year old get a Facebook account (I know!). After we had the long talk about privacy and her new permanent online life, we started the account. Facebook knew she was a minor, yet didn’t give her any privacy options in the set up process and the default settings were completely inappropriate for a 14 year old. We had to dig in to the settings afterward to put the shields up. Ridiculous.

As for myself, I haven’t missed Facebook in the slightest since canceling my account.

Office 2011, It’s Faster

I was on the Microsoft Office 2011 beta and they made a lot of progress with this release. I’ll be writing up my thoughts in more detail in the future. In the meantime, take a look at MacTech’s benchmarks showing how much faster Office 2011 is. You don’t, however, need benchmarks to know this. If you’ve used past versions of Office, you’ll immediately notice how much faster the apps load and run.

Review: Matias Tactile 3 Keyboard

As peripheral manufacturers seek new ways to add bells, switches, and levers to our keyboards, Matias takes a different approach with the Tactile Pro 3 keyboard: Matias pulled this keyboard from a time machine.

The Tactile 3 is built with mechanical switches. There is no electronic wizardry here, just high quality Alps mechanical switches. (The same switches used on the legendary Apple Extended Keyboard.) The Tactile Pro keyboard is really all about the typing experience. I could wax poetic about the keyboards of yesteryear. Back in the day, Apple (and IBM) made some really fine mechanical switch keyboards. Since then, however, everyone (including Apple) moved on to electronic key switch keyboards that (to me) feel either too mushy or too flat.

The Tactile Pro has a larger travel distance and, because it uses mechanical switches, you hear (and feel) a mechanical click when the key depresses. I find it both satisfying and useful as a touch typist. It has been so long since I used a mechanical switch keyboard that the extra travel threw me at first. I quickly adjusted. After using the keyboard for just a few weeks my fingers learned instinctively when the switch engages and I can move on. On some keyboards, there is a limit to how many keys can be typed at once resulting in the loss (or ghosting) of typed characters. The Tactile Pro has anti-ghosting circuitry that lets the keyboard keep up with fast typists. I can fly on this keyboard.

The key switches aren’t the only thing built to last. The key faces are laser etched with the key label and the Mac OS X alternative accented characters. Because they are etched on the keys, these symbols aren’t going to wear off anytime soon. The key tops are also sculpted, allowing your fingers to easily center on the keys as you type.

There are three USB 2.0 ports on the keyboard. Using it I was able to sync iPods and iPhones. It doesn’t, however, have sufficient power to charge the devices.

The Matias Tactile Pro 3 keyboard is music to my ears. As I hammer out text with it, the noisy keys clink and clack away filling the room with the sounds of getting work done. It isn’t cheap at $150. The switches are expensive and this keyboard is built to last.

I’m still trying to decide whether my attraction to a mechanical switch keyboard is because they are inherently better or just because I originally learned to type on one. Either way, I type faster on this keyboard. I’d be curious to hear from some younger hackers (who did not grow up using a mechanical keyboard) to see what they think. Regardless, if you hear the siren song of a mechanical keyboard for your Mac, the Matias Tactile Pro 3 is the best solution on the Mac. Matias has a 30 day refund policy so long as you buy the product directly from them.

Mac Power Users 37: Markdown and MultiMarkdown

Mac Power Users Episode 37 is live. Katie and I talk at length about Markdown and MultiMarkdown. Specifically, how we incorporate these tools into our writing. We also enjoyed an interview with MultiMarkdown author and all around nice guy, Fletcher Penney. You can catch it on iTunes here or on the web right here. Enjoy.

I’ve already received e-mail about some of my sloppy keyboard references. So here are the errata:

/ — “Slash”

\ — “Backward Slash”

> — “Right Bracket”

^ — “Caret” or “Hat”

` – “Grave Accent”

Also, “LaTeX” should have been pronounced Lay-tech.

Sorry gang (and thanks Conor for the assistance.)

The Markdown Snowball

There is suddenly influx of Markdown and MultiMarkdown friendly apps on the iPad. While Markdown has provided an easy way to write for the web for years, the arrival of iOS devices and the need for portable text documents with retained formatting creates a perfect storm for widespread adoption of Markdown and MultiMarkdown for this purpose.

iOS developers have jumped on board with several interesting apps including MarkdownMail, Edito, and Elements. There are more. I’m still looking at these apps and making my own decisions about which ones I will incorporate into my workflows. This morning, I discovered a new contender, Trunk Notes (via Practically Efficient and Steven Frank) that allows you to create a Wiki synchronized through your Dropbox account (in an upcoming update) all for $1 (Through Monday). I waxed poetic about Markdown and MultiMarkdown in the upcoming Mac Power Users episode that will release this weekend. We even talked MultiMarkdown author Fletcher Penney to join us for a bit. Stay tuned.