While it is possible to use dd command on Unix-like systems to make a bootable disk or installation disk, the method has flaws. And apparently I wasn’t the only one noticing the issue. With larger files, dd can inexplicably fail without much notice. Current USB drives are fast enough that few transferring gigabytes would take mere minutes, but it is an annoyance I would wish to avoid as much as possible.
Tagged macOS
How to Change Save Paths for Steam Games
Some of the Steam games simply do not support Steam Cloud. The reasoning behind it, for modern games anyway, has to do with the large files they tend to create. I had issues with Steam Cloud with Baldur’s Gate 3, and most recently, Dyson Sphere Program. Both games tend to create big files with frequent autosaves.
App to Manage Python Versions
I know it’s a well known tool. But having introduced Python many times as go-to method to write codes to automate and for personal uses, I realize now that I didn’t mention the tool to manage Python. Unlike like programming languages, Python has gone through some major changes from versions to versions, most notably from Python 2 to 3.
App to Organize Recipes Across Devices
There are always free apps for the same job, but there are some kinds of apps I would strongly advise investing in, or at least don’t be too put off from buying. One such job is recipe keeping. It sounds like a simple job; just keep the text files on cloud, and text editors are freely available on almost all the platforms. But much like music and ebook library, you can only get so far with bare metal approach.
VMware Fusion Still Not Ready for Apple Silicon
Back in November 2024, VMware Fusion became free for personal use. It was a big shocker at the time, especially when the end days of Intel Macs didn’t seem to be dated yet. VMware on x86 machines had been a competitive product against Parallels, both paid solutions to running Windows on Macs, until 4 years passed since the first Apple Silicon device launch in 2020. I won’t pretend to know what motivated Broadcom, VMware’s parent company, to be so generous; but for a product that hasn’t seen official support of new Apple hardware for 4 years, I can see how…
App to Customize External Monitor Settings on macOS
There are several external monitor control apps on macOS — some paid, some free. One thing I can say for sure is that not all features are overlapping with each other. It’s easy to imagine have one universal app fixing all the monitor needs, but I found out different apps focus on different areas. My focus were primarily the following:
How to Increase Boot Camp Partition without Reformatting
Though Intel Macs are a dying breed, many of them still have some juice left with eGPU and dGPU support, so long as their CPUs are up to the tasks. It means Intel Macs still serve as good Windows PCs, possibly for x86 tasks in Windows environment. I won’t go in to details in this post, but my experience with Apple Silicon was shockingly inconsistent with all the synthetic benchmark scores I could pull up. Some of the tasks I was using 2019 Mac Pro (equipped with workstation Xeon processors) were not only faster Apple Silicon MacBook Air, even after…
App to Measure Disk Read Write Speeds on macOS
Unlike spinning hard drives of old, SSDs, especially M.2 NVMe, have few more criteria to test throwing out the box. Firstly, the drive may not be capable to perform as the spec says. Secondly, your computer — or any device that will connect to the drive — may have unforeseen bottleneck somewhere. At any rate, you do need a testing software to get started.
How to Play Mixed Audio Sources to AirPods on macOS
It might sound odd, but there are times you simply wish to stream audios only — not the whole video stream — to an AirPod connected to another Mac. It happens most often for me when I’m watching YouTubes or Podcasts on the side while I have my AirPods connected to the workstation. I prefer to listen to the audio only until I want to take a peek. Previously I had to buy a software to get the polished experience that is equivalent to something as this, now macOS supports it; possibly starting from macOS 15.
How to Add Sleep Hotkey on Logi Options+
To customize Logitech keyboards, users can opt to use Logitech’s included software,Logi Options+, or third-party alternatives to either enhance the Options+ or completely replace it. The reason why I am writing a how-to on Logitech’s official software has little to do its capabilities; frankly, I would recommend exploring third-party alternatives for any advanced customizations capabilities. But I also experienced long term support for third-party apps can be a deal breaker for many, including myself.
App to Install Latest macOS on Legacy Devices
With the leak macOS 26 may be named Tahoe, I’m seeing reports on the list of the devices that will be left behind. No doubt this is more a concern for personal Macs than ones handled in an organization — they would already have made an upgrade plan. It is likely Apple will release few more major versions of macOS in x86, and if your machine is capable of meeting the needs, it is possible to install the latest macOS on your legacy-listed Mac.
Apple to Streamline Its OS Naming in 2025
It’s that time of the year for Apple’s product announcement: WWDC. We already know the California-based company will announce new OS with some witty jokes, but we’ve already seen two major issues with annual release cycle: one. the supposed major update is no longer significant enough, and two. the aside from macOS, all of the iOS and its variants have inconsistent numberings.
App to Turn off Internal Display on MacBook without Clamshell Mode
MacBooks are known for its clamshell mode — I think laptop’s popularity plays a big role. It does make sense why it could be more appealing. As of now, maxed out M4 chip is available on both MacBook Pro and Mac Studio, and the heat throttling from form factor is known to be minimal. I’ve seen some professionals jokingly suggesting the IT must have chosen the laptop over Studio, because setting up a UPS for the workstation could cost more.
Inscryption Spiel: How Much Game Should Reveal Itself?
Spoiler alert for the game ahead. The game Inscryption was released in 2021, and I suspect most of the hypes and attentions it had once received have settled down since. Back in 2021, I ended up postponing writing a piece for the game, as I believed the game was technically being played out and discussed in the community. Much of the topic I am about to discuss has less to do with the game itself, but how the game was advertised and sold.
App to Manage macOS Login Items and System Extensions
I have been migrating from one Mac to another whenever I upgrade the machine. Often it is delivered with the convenience that I get almost identical experience as before, but only on the newer hardware. That said, the part of the ‘migration’ includes, though I didn’t verify it, copying over login items and system extensions that are likely outdated and fell out of use.