#MATE on #FreeBSD: #macOS-Like Setup Guide: Font Rendering, UI Tweaks, and Settings

https://interfacecraft.online/blog/2025/mate-on-freebsd-macos-like-setup-guide-font-rendering-ui-tweaks-and-settings/

Built Markset: tiny native macOS app that renders Markdown with Finder's QuickLook (press Space). No app to open, no file associations to change. Free.

If you live in .md files: Obsidian, READMEs, notes, I'd love to know what breaks.

https://markset.app

#macOS #markdown #indiedev #ObsidianMD #typography

I'm considering bumping the macOS requirements for my binary package repository available at https://pkgsrc.smartos.org/install-on-macos/ again.

There's already a bunch of packages missing because they have newer C++ requirements than Xcode 15.4 supports.

What OS are folks running?

#pkgsrc #macos

Why do Macs ask you to press random keys when connecting a new keyboard?

You might have seen this, one of the strangest and most primitive experiences in macOS, where you’re asked to press keys next to left Shift and right Shift, whatever they might be.

Perhaps I can explain.
↫ Marcin Wichary

It seems pretty obvious to me that's what it was for, but I guess man

https://www.osnews.com/story/144766/why-do-macs-ask-you-to-press-random-keys-when-connecting-a-new-keyboard/

#macOS

@Wraithe

That's your reproduction problem, right there.

https://mastodonapp.uk/@JdeBP/116375184842626746

@cstross
#MacOS

Here are some things that one can add to the analysis of the MacOS TCP timeout clock freeze bug.

The code for calculate_tcp_clock() in XNU was changed in May 2025. Older versions of this function (e.g. in xnu-11417) worked quite differently and wouldn't have stopped ticking the clock at 32-bit unsigned integer wraparound.

None of #NetBSD, #FreeBSD, nor #OpenBSD share this exact way of doing TCP timeout processing with #XNU.

FreeBSD does not have a tcp_now and works off the global 32-bit ticks variable. OpenBSD effectively works off the kernel's system clock, too, but with a randomized offset, and does 64-bit unsigned modular arithmetic. NetBSD uses a distinct 32-bit unsigned tcp_now counter that it simply increments by 1 at regular intervals, and does modular arithmetic subtraction.

https://photon.codes/blog/we-found-a-ticking-time-bomb-in-macos-tcp-networking

#TCP #MacOS

Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah ported to Nintendo Wii

Since its launch in 2007, the Wii has seen several operating systems ported to it: Linux, NetBSD, and most-recently, Windows NT. Today, Mac OS X joins that list.

In this post, I’ll share how I ported the first version of Mac OS X, 10.0 Cheetah, to the Nintendo Wii. If you’re not an operating systems expert or low-level engineer, you’re in good co

https://www.osnews.com/story/144756/mac-os-x-10-0-cheetah-ported-to-nintendo-wii/

#macOS

Yay NannyTerminal on macOS!

If you paste “dangerous commands” now #macOS 26.4 prompts you saying “this could be dangerous”…

I do effing security, not “sekurity” or “theatrical representations of sekurity”, of course I paste “dangerous commands” like a ten line awk script to parse data…

I was waiting for a quiet moment to switch to Ghostty and… I’ll do it in the middle of a double IR storm ‘cos I effing need to paste whatever I want in my Terminal window, and fast.

TIL making .app wrappers on macOS for GUI apps distributed as simple binaries, such as those from pkgsrc, is piss easy.

Step 1: Create a directory named <App Name>.app
Step 2: Symlink the binary into the root directory of the .app directory with the same name as the directory but without the .app

That's literally it. You don't need to do anything else, it just works. Incredible.

#macOS #pkgsrc

Has anyone made a self contained Time Machine backup server (that runs on FreeBSD)? It looks like the old ways of backing up over the network finally broke, and I can't fool MacOS anymore by using a sparse disk image like I have for years.

I don't want to have to configure and install samba, I just want something that works and is small and self contained.

#Apple #Backups #MacOS

Discovered an unexpected benefit of daily-driving a CLI-capable text editor like Emacs:

Instead of sitting with my expensive M5 MacBook Pro while dog-sitting my Mum's very active 6-month-old dog, I can SSH into it using a spare 1-core 1-thread shitbook NetBSD and work through that.

Just developed a fixed version of a very old and broken package recipe using only this of workflow.

#SSH #emacs #NetBSD #macOS #SoftwareDevelopment

#NetBSD #Linux #windows7 #macos

1. You have a Mac laptop with an outboard Bluetooth keyboard. It’s asleep.
2. You wake up the Mac by hitting the Touch ID on the laptop keyboard.
3. The Mac is annoyingly slow at starting to respond to keystrokes on the outboard. Several seconds, sometimes.

How to fix:

1. Hit any key on the BT keyboard. The Mac will start waking up.
2. Now hit the TouchID to get signed in.
3. Hey presto, the Mac is already listening to the BT.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

#macos

#gameoftrees #macOS #got

Hi all.

Just putting the feelers out as I'd love to know how many folks are using got on MacOs.

@teajaygrey does an amazing job every time I make a release of gameoftrees portable, but I could do with knowing how many of you are using it.

I made a change in the 0.123 release to fix socket handling for services such as gotwebd, which is good, but it's telling that it's taken this long, so I wonder how many users we have.

Let me know -- you can always email me at: thomas.adam22@gmail.com

Please boost this as much as possible, I'd appreciate it.

ahahah til that not only does Pangea Software still exist, but that @jorio source ported Nanosaur to modern MacOS and it works *great*

play here:
https://jorio.itch.io/nanosaur

pangeasoft:
https://www.pangeasoft.net/nano/screenshots.html

#macos #retrogaming #dinosaurs

Alt...

A screenshot of Nanosaur Extreme running on a modern version of macOS. It shows a raptor with a jetpack and lasers running away from a t-rex.

Run this random script in the terminal to block Apple’s macOS Tahoe update notification spam

Are you not at all interested in upgrading to macOS Tahoe, and getting annoyed at the relentless notification spam from Apple trying to trick you into upgrading?

The secret? Using device management profiles, which let you enforce policies on Macs in

https://www.osnews.com/story/144511/run-this-random-script-in-the-terminal-to-block-apples-macos-tahoe-update-notification-spam/

#macOS

@glyph @xgranade Hard booting has always been possible, so far. Sometimes the audio test dialogue just refuses to go into background and prevents me from doing anything on the machine. Latest #macos, 2022 hardware, latest Zoom.

RE: https://mastodon.social/@glyph/116140431530202122

give @glyph cash

ignore tags

#mutualaid #fediverse #selfhosting #retroComputing #python #dev #indiedev #foss #hosting #mastodon #activitypub #joinIn #video #software #politics #windows #linux #macos #ios #android #fedi #support #help #patreon #indieweb #internet #webDev #homelab #diy #maker #charity #donations #money #rant #writing #writingcommunity #drawing #dragons #furry #furryart #anime #art #server #education #absurdAmountOfTags #humor #satire #meme #joke #pol #lifestyle #give #today #fyp

I will be streaming on Twitch at https://www.twitch.tv/glyph_official/ in a bit over 18 hours; i.e. at 10AM US/Pacific. Writing some more #Python code, talking about #Emacs, and doing some #macOS development. Or maybe other stuff, if folks have questions.

Is it true that Alfred app @alfredapp and LaunchBar @launchbar rely on Spotlight’s index to work?

I am trying to find out an alternative solution for my recent issues with Spotlight crashing continuously on #macOS #Tahoe

Exosphere:

― aggregated patch and security update reporting
― basic system status across multiple Unix-like hosts via SSH

<https://exosphere.readthedocs.io/> | <https://github.com/mrdaemon/exosphere>

<https://untrusted.website/@mr_daemon/114980024541462116> @mr_daemon

<https://mastodon.social/@terminaltrove/114977286773333343> @terminaltrove

#Unix #Linux #BSD #FreeBSD #OpenBSD #Debian #Ubuntu #RedHat #macOS #Windows #SSH

Alt...

A frame from the animated demo at the Welcome page.

#macos life hacks: rm ~/Library/CoreFollowUp/items.db; pkill followupd deletes a bunch of the annoying-ass naggy shit in macos 14 and up

I’ve uploaded the Apple Silicon build of #mame 0.285 for #macos so all us old folks can emulate & relive the relic computers we grew up using on our fancy new computers. Or even play games we were too poor to get thru in the arcades. (Using sdl2 framework, of course). https://sdlmame.lngn.net/

Its also mirrored on github somewhere, but me no link to them here. Intel builds will follow later on.