Install Mac OS X Leopard on a G4 800mhz Quicksilver

If you have an old G4 sitting around that’s at the 800mhz mark, you probably should try installing Leopard, because most people agree it actually runs FASTER than Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Weird, huh? I guess they’ve optimized the code pretty well.
However, when you try to install the operating system, you are warned that Leopard cannot be installed on your G4. There are a few reasons for this:
1) Leopard requires 512MB of RAM – you have RAM, right?
2) Leopard requires over 867mhz processor

We can fix number 1 by simply getting more RAM. I find Craigslist to be of great use here. Number two is a bit more difficult as G4 processor upgrades are ridiculously expensive once you consider the cost of a Mac Mini, and also requires a bit of tech savvy under the hood as you’d be swapping CPUs.
Not to worry, though. Here’s a way to convince OpenFirmware that your CPU is 867mhz, and allow the installer to boot, install, and get you off and running:
Boot into Open Firmware, I have covered this extensively here:
Once in OpenFirmware, issue the following commands (for single CPU):
dev /cpus/PowerPC,G4@0
d# 867000000 encode-int " clock-frequency" property
boot cd:,\\:tbxi
For dual CPU:
dev /cpus/PowerPC,G4@0
d# 867000000 encode-int " clock-frequency" property
dev /cpus/PowerPC,G4@1
d# 867000000 encode-int " clock-frequency" property
boot cd:,\\:tbxi
Note that all we are doing is over-writing the CPU clock-frequency (speed) property for each CPU installed, at boot time.
Also, if you need to boot another device, try:
printenv boot-device
This will return a list of boot devices to use when booting the installer. I used this in order to boot a Firewire device that had had a disc image (DMG) restored to it, making things a bit easy and faster.

Good luck!

How do I install .kext files?

I hear this a lot, and I myself have also gone looking for it…

So without  further ado, here is the script that will install kext files for you – be warned – you’ll need to know how to get the kext file in the first place, as well as the filename.

Easy right?

Let’s get started.

Open the Terminal application by going to Applications / Utilities / Terminal.app – you will see it in the Utilities folder – it looks like a command prompt.

Once terminal has launched, type in the following command:

sudo -s

Enter the root or first user password that you inputted during the setup process.

This tells it to run any other commands after this one as the root or superuser account, allowing you to edit files you normally would not have permission to edit.

Here’s an example using IOATAFamily.kext, a popular ATA driver. You’ll want to replace this by your own driver name. Also, you’ll want to make sure the file is unzipped, and sitting on your desktop. Oh one more thing, you’ll want to edit YOURUSERNAME with… your username 🙂

mv /Users/(YOUR USERNAME)/Desktop/IOATAFamily.kext /System/Library/Extensions
chmod -R 755 /System/Library/Extensions/IOATAFamily.kext
sudo chown -R root:wheel /System/Library/Extensions/IOATAFamily.kext
cd /System/Library/Extensions
rm -rf Extensions.mkext
rm -rf Extensions.kextcache

Hope that helps!

Song Summoner – A $5 Square/Enix RPG for Your iPod!

LOS ANGELES, July 7 /PRNewswire/ — Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix(TM) interactive entertainment products in North America, announced the release of SONG SUMMONER(TM): The Unsung Heroes, on sale at the iTunes(R) Store worldwide (http://www.itunes.com) and available for play in English and Japanese on the iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080707/LAM083LOGO)

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030403/SQUARELOGO)

SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes is a Role-Playing Game that transforms your iPod(R) songs into powerful “Tune Troopers” that you can control in battle! As the protagonist Ziggy, you will embark on an epic journey to rescue your brother from the clutches of the Mechanical Militia! Intriguing characters, an epic story and a tactics-based battle system combine for a rich RPG experience previously only available on home and handheld game consoles.

SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes
Publisher: Square Enix, Inc.
Platform: iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod
Genre: Role-Playing
Launch Date: July 8, 2008
Price: 4.99 USD (iTunes Store download)
Story

From the days of old, Melodica was a land of music, a land of freedom. The people sang, played and danced to the music they so cherished. Until one day, they came — the Mechanoids, who enhanced their bodies with machinery. Those who were tempted by greed and power willingly gave away their souls for bodies of steel, forsaking their humanity to become cold, emotionless automatons. Now, they seek to destroy all that do not embrace their way of life.

But there is hope on the horizon. There are those who are fated to stand against the tyranny of the machines — the Superstars, who can turn sound into lethal weapons, and the Conductor, also known as the Song Summoner, who can summon powerful warriors born of music.

In their most desperate hour, Melodica awaits the arrival of their new Song Summoner…

Game Features

— Transform your iPod songs into “Tune Troopers” to combat the evil Mechanical Militia.

— Tune Trooper types and abilities are determined by the songs used to create them.

— Your Tune Troopers can be powered up even outside of the game – just by listening to the songs you used to create them!

— Control Ziggy, a “Conductor” that creates warriors out of music, and guide him through his journey to save his brother Zero from the Mechanical Militia.

— Experience a turn-based tactics battle system, divided into player and enemy phases where each side takes turns maneuvering their forces.

— Deploy the right troopers at the right time, and use contraptions found on the map effectively to achieve victory in battle!

— iPod Click Wheel allows players to play the game as easily as selecting music.

About Square Enix Co., Ltd. and Square Enix, Inc.

Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix), with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, develops, publishes and distributes entertainment content including interactive entertainment software and publications in Asia, North America and Europe. Square Enix brings two of Japan’s best-selling franchises – FINAL FANTASY(R), which has sold over 80 million units worldwide, and
DRAGON QUEST(R), which has sold over 43 million units worldwide — under one roof. Square Enix is one of the most influential providers of digital entertainment content in the world and continues to push the boundaries of
creativity and innovation.

Square Enix, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Co., Ltd. with offices in Los Angeles, California. It handles operations in North America, including development, localization, marketing, and publishing of Square Enix titles. More information on Square Enix can be found on the Internet at http://www.square-enix.com.

DRAGON QUEST, FINAL FANTASY, SONG SUMMONER and the SONG SUMMONER logo, SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries. iPod and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners

Leopard Server on Leopard with VMware Fusion 2.0!

VMware has just announced support for their 61st OS supported by Fusion 2.0 – Mac OS X Server 10.5 (Leopard). This is great news for those looking to test things like the new Active Directory wizards, calendar server and enterprise blogging that come with the new version of the server. Not to mention that because it’s supported by Fusion 2.0, you can do it on your laptop.

Check out the full blog post on Fusion 2.0 Leopard Server support at the VMware VMTN blog site here.

Connect To a Console RDP / Terminal Server Session

1) Regardless of connection limits or licensing issues, you will always be able to connect to a server using a console session and an administrator account

2) The console session will often allow you to see errors and popups that won’t appear in other sessions

3) As documented in this MSKB article, you will also be able to have the local user see what you are doing in this session, and vice-versa. This is called a shadowed console session, and is very handy.

There are a few ways to get a console session in Windows 2000, XP, and Vista:

  1. Open your default.rdp file (typically in My Documents) and add the following line to the bottom: connect to console:i:1
  2. In the RDC window, after the address, use the switch /console
  3. From start, run, type: mstsc /console
  4. Make a shortcut to RDC, edit it, and add the /console switch to it
  5. If you are using visionapp Remote Desktop, there is a console session checkbox that you can use per connection

Gravatars Working Once Again

After a period of downtime due to issues with my current host, I’ve been able to start coding on the site once again.

Gravatars have now been fixed, and appear whenever you comment on a post.

If you don’t have a gravatar yet, feel free to signup at http://gravatar.com – many sites now use them, so you’re time won’t be wasted.

Cisco to Implement Regular Patching

In a security notice posted on Cisco’s web site recently, the networking giant unveiled its new patch program that will see them regularly updating its IOS software for Cisco switches and routers on a timely basis, similar to Microsoft’s “patch Tuesday”.

From the note:

“This schedule change will not restrict us from promptly publishing an individual IOS Security Advisory for a serious vulnerability which is publicly disclosed or for which we are aware of active exploitation.
Cisco is adopting this approach in response to extensive feedback from customers, who seek further predictability for support planning and deployment cycles.

The current format of IOS Security Advisories will remain the same. The software table in the Advisory includes a list of recommended releases (where possible) for each software train that addresses all of the security vulnerabilities included in the bundle.”

Microsoft to Enter VDI Market with Kidaro Acquisition

UPDATE – it looks like the figure on this one is around 100M. 

Microsoft has announced that they are planning to acquire VDI solution provider Kidaro today, according to Reuters.

From the Reuters article:

“Microsoft said Kidaro’s technology will be incorporated into its desktop virtualization product, which allows companies to deliver over an Internet network a “virtual” computer desktop different from the software running on the local machine.”

Kidaro LogoThe VDI market is starting to be the place everyone is buying into, with a bunch of companies operating below the radar just waiting for things to happen and hoping for an offer.

Kidaro brings some nice features to the table including vDNA – the “self-cleaning” virtual desktop, and virtual desktops for enterprise data recovery.

It’s warming up in here!

An overview of vDNA from Kidaro:

Kidaro’s desktop virtualization platform works by running an encrypted, corporate-controlled virtual machine (VM) image on top of any PC, providing a secure and standardized environment for enterprise computing. Because the VM runs locally on corporate or third party PCs, the platform enables user mobility and disconnected use, without the need for expensive server farms.

Kidaro vDNA enables a stable, self-cleaning desktop by virtualizing and isolating two different kinds of “virtual DNA”:

  • Personal data: includes end user files, passwords, configurations, bookmarks, and registry settings that make a desktop “yours.”
  • Corporate desktop image: includes operating system, applications, configurations, and security tools that make up the standardized enterprise desktop.

By encapsulating and managing personal data separately, Kidaro vDNA enables the underlying virtual desktop image to be continually repaired and updated. In contrast to normal PC operation, where errors, corruptions, and unwanted software continually degrade performance, Kidaro vDNA insures that desktops always run clean, while enabling ongoing updates and upgrades from corporate IT. Users retain the ability to personalize their virtual desktop environment and to run personal applications on the underlying host PC.

So from what I can tell, this is a type of “sandbox” or “jail” technology similar to the “bubbles” in the SoftGrid product – a good match for Microsoft for sure, and the end of my quotes and italicized text!

CoD4 Custom Classes: User Submitted

Here are three custom classes our users have submitted.

I have personally tried them all out, and they are pretty fun!

Feel free to post your own in the comments, and we’ll highlight the ones that do you good.

From Timmaigh:

HOST:
Primary: AK-74u (Silenced)
Secondary: M1911 .45 (Silenced)
Perk 1: Bandolier (or Flash x3)
Perk 2: UAV Jammer
Perk 3: Steady Aim
Woodland Camo

“Works best on Downpour and Wet Work.”
Also From Timmaigh:

SHOTGUNNER:
Primary: M1014 (Grip)
Secondary: Desert Eagle
Perk 1: (Weapon Attachment)
Perk 2: Sleight of Hand
Perk 3: Steady Aim
Gold Camo 😉

“Works best on Wet Work and Overgrown.”

From xX_qc3_Xx:

KILLER:

PRIMARY: M16 W/ RED DOT.
P90 SILENCED
FRAG X3
OVERKILL
DEEP IMPACT

“if you don’t like this then switch the weapons up. but i like the M16 for med. to long range maps like bog or crash. the p90 is also usefull if you are in levels like vacant or countdown. the p90 is the best cuz if u can hook it up wit uav jamma & deep impact and if you throw a silencer on dat bi#@h! you can go behind enemy lines and own them from behind” (ed: totally pwning from behind)

You can see comments on the right sidebar for now to tell when there are new comments, and as usual, you can always subscribe to comments via email as well!

Network Appliance is now NetApp

NetApp RebrandedNetApp has announced a major rebranding initiative today – new colours (blue!) new (?) name, and a full website redesign for the better online marketing results.

The marketing speak:

NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP) today debuted a new brand identity designed to achieve a broader and deeper awareness of the company and to communicate a consistent promise on a global basis to customers, partners, and employees.

Extensive market research and testing helped NetApp create a new identity system that crystallizes the company’s promise to the market and unifies the look of and the experience everyone has with NetApp. The identity system makes a bold statement about NetApp’s strength in the marketplace and is designed to drive greater understanding of NetApp as a company people want to do business with.