mac advice

[orbitalpunk]

Hi there,

Im a long(DOS-Vista Beta) time window user and just got a the new mac mini today and wondered if anyone can answer a question for me. it has to do with network storage. here goes..

in iphoto, is it possible to view photos from a networked windows machine? so i don’t have to have them physically on the mac mini?

also, is it possible to change the location of "my pictures" in finder to a networked folder on a windows machine. I can see my networked folder and drives just fine. just wanna integrate it more into finder via my pictures and my documents. I could do this with my documents on windows just by right clicking and going to properties and just changing the target folder.

I think aperture will be able to do networked photos but its not ready for universal binary so ill have to wait on that.

Thanks everybody.

[Kevy Baby]

I can't answer these questions unfortunately, but we do have an Apple Genius that occassionally lurks around here. He may be able to answer your questions.


*Mod Note: Sorry, removed the link. Said Apple Genius prefers not to be identified publicly

[orbitalpunk]

Thanks Kevy

[Tramspotter]

As long as it's an fairly open share on the Windows side a samba (SMB) server link. You could also make a fairly easy NFS mount.

Under Finder select "GO" and "Connect to server"

To make it permanant drop it in your user startup items in the form of a basic applescript and that should do the trick.

And Don't listen to those so called genius's they have most certainly been drinking behind that bar!

[Kevy Baby]

*Mod Note: Sorry, removed the link. Said Apple Genius prefers not to be identified publiclyI apologized to the Genius privately, but do so publicly as well.

I didn't mean to expose Ally like that :D

[DisneyFan25863]

Here is the best way to do it:

1) Make sure that the folder that contains your pictures as well as the folder above it are shared on your Windows Machine (you may want to create a subfolder for security)

2) Close iPhoto

3) Open your shared picture library on your Windows computer in the Network pane of the Finder

4) Move the contents of Pictures/iPhoto Library into this folder

5) Delete the folder Pictures/iPhoto Library

6) In the network pane of the Finder, locate the folder that contains the shared pictures (as well as the iPhoto library files you copied there), CTRL-click (or right click) it, and select "Make Alias". This will create a folder called "[something] alias".

7) Move this alias folder into your Pictures folder on your Mac.

8) Rename the alias folder to iPhoto Library

9) Open iPhoto and import your pictures off of the network share

Note that this isn't a perfect solution, as it creates copies of all of your pictures on your windows machine. But nothing will be stored on your Mac Mini!

Hope that helps!
Sean

[orbitalpunk]

hey thanks guys. well im dealing with about 80gigs of raw photos so doubling that would leave only about 10 gigs left and im sure i will fill that soon. i guess i need to think of a new configuration.

so for me to at least make a permanent network share folder on the mac, i need to write a script? cause it seems to always loose the connection when i reboot the mac, even tho the windows machine is still left on. guess i need to dig for examples on the net about scripting. I dont have a clue about apple script.

well thanks again guys

[orbitalpunk]

well i think i figured out a decent way for iPhoto. what you do is delete the default iphoto library under pictures/iphotolibrary. then reopen iphoto and it will ask you to pick a new location or create a new one. so i create a new on the windows machine. then i imported my entire photolibrary and to prevent from duplication be sure to go into iphotos setting under advanced and uncheck " Copy files to iPhoto Library folder when adding to library". Voila. works well. although i just download Adobe Lightroom Beta2 and that works even better. so fast. and it references all the pictures as a option or can copy them. Nice.

No i just need to figure out to change the documents location when i click on documents in Finder.

Thanks again guys.

[Kevy Baby]

well im dealing with about 80gigs of raw photos...Wow, that's a lot of porn!

[Kevy Baby]

I just stumbled on to one other (possible) option which should already be a part of your new Mini: Front Row (http://www.apple.com/macmini/frontrow.html).

I don't know a whole lot about it, but saw it mentioned in this article (http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060310/D8G8DK884.html).

Apple also ships the MacBook with a remote control and its Front Row software, a program designed for watching movies, viewing pictures and listening to music from a distance. The notebook also can be connected to an external monitor or TV, using a built-in DVI port or other optional cables.

One particularly neat feature, made available through a software update last week, allows music and pictures stored on other computers to be remotely accessible through Front Row. It uses Apple's Bonjour technology, which is arguably the easiest networking technology ever.
I always love when someone describes technology as "neat".

[orbitalpunk]

i decscribed making a quick iMoive intro as being neat to people. that travel theme is really neat.

[orbitalpunk]

well it seems im gonna return the mac. ugh, this is the second time ive been in this situation. I bought a G5 a year ago and its computing power was unacceptable with my 3D work. Now its Photoshop. Since it using Rosetta, its just so slow. And since adobe wont be releasing a universal binary for photoshop until the end of 2006, its just not worth it. One other thing that really bothered me and might prevent me from ever trying Mac again was the pushing of buying products. This really bugs me. Places this occurs is every single time i open iWeb it offers me to sign up for .mac. A $99 a year service. Also I cant use iChat unless i have a .mac account. And yes, i could use a jabber account like google talk with it, but it was still a disappointment. Also you need a .mac account for photocasting in iWeb. Another place was in Garage Band under the Garage Band menu title "shop for garage band products. I dont need to see that every time i go to that menu. Most companies have this on there online store. Not embedded always in there app. Anyways, I really dont mean to just bash apple. Yes im a long time windows user but i consider myself a computer enthusiast no matter what maker it is and am always looking for a better solution to things. Maybe ill give it ago in a year when the desktops are out and all apps are in universal binary. But if apple incorporates more products to buy in there OS, its a deal killer for sure. I dont need commercials in my OS. a great artist by the name a Banksy (http://www.banksy.co.uk/) said "commercials are like rocks being thrown at your brain". Sure feels that way to. Thank god for Tivo.

[Kevy Baby]

You bought a Mini to do Photoshop work?

[orbitalpunk]

its a dual core intel which is plenty for most tasks. it was based on the Pentium M architecture to which is much more efficient then regular P4's. but even moving an adjustment bar left to right lags. it had 2 gigs of ram to. 7200 RPM drive. these are very capable specs. i mean my desktop is a quad core AMD but i shouldn't have to run that for photoshop.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I find these comparisons intriguing since we'll probably be buying a new desktop sometime in the next 12 months. Granted, we won't be doing any huge photo storing and only minor Photoshop fun, but it's still interesting stuff.

orbitalpunk, did the comparable hardware mean the computer had a comparable price?

Can anyone explain how just moving an adjustment bar in Photoshop could lag, even though the computer has that much power? Our 5 year old Dell runs Photoshop remarkably well for the small projects we work on.

I don't mind sounding like I know nothing if it means I might learn something :)

[Kevy Baby]

Hopefully by the time you purchase CP, Adobe will have Photoshop revised to take advantage of the Intel Duo processer. From what I've heard, Photoshop actually runs SLOWER on the Intel Duos since it is not running native.

I don't know that for a fact - just something I heard in passing.

[orbitalpunk]

Hi Guys,

Kevy, it is a fact that photoshop runs much slower since its not native. Thats one of the main reasons why im returning it. Its not this slow on a PowerPC mac.

CP, ok so here is what we mean by native, universal binaries and stuff. About 6 months ago, Apple decided to start using a different Processor, Intel. for the last several years they used a different one call a PowerPC processor made by IBM. But they felt its future was limited and it used way to much power. So intel met there needs. Intel is was 90% of what the world is using. I didnt mention AMD to make this simple. ok, so say you bought a Dell, that uses Intel. always have. so now Apples use the same. The problem as to why the new Mac's are slow is because all the software out there has not been rewritten for the the new Intel processors. there still for the old PowerPC chips. But Apple made it possible to run PowerPC software for Intel Macs using a translation program called Rosetta. Its all seamless and you dont notice or have to do anything. but its much slower. cause its not native. So companies need to release a upgrade to there software called Universal Binary so that it can run natvie on either a PowerPC or Intel Processor. Adobe, makers of photoshop, announced they wouldn't release a Universal Binary version of photoshop at the very end of 2006. So if you use photoshop and are considering buying a mac, wait until a universal binary version is out. And yes, this new mac hardware is more powerful then say your current year old dell, but that translation thru Rosetta just kills it. Its like you trying to speak to someone in a foreign language by using a dictionary for each word.

By the way, a processor is like the brain of the computer.

Here (http://www.apple.com/universal/) is apples page about universal binary and here (http://guide.apple.com/action.lasso?-database=MacOSGuide&-layout=cgi_search&-response=/universal/hitlist_universal.html&-op=bw&binaries=Universal&-maxRecords=20&-search) is a list/search database of what programs are available in universal binary. so keep an eye on that list until what programs you use is on it.

[Tramspotter]

its a dual core intel which is plenty for most tasks. it was based on the Pentium M architecture to which is much more efficient then regular P4's. but even moving an adjustment bar left to right lags. it had 2 gigs of ram to. 7200 RPM drive. these are very capable specs. i mean my desktop is a quad core AMD but i shouldn't have to run that for photoshop.

Yes, Yes you should Photoshop is one of the few dual-threaded apps from the ground up and will take better advantage of more CPU's

And as for any admiration of the Pentium M's processing prowess umm yes it makes less heat for the clock-cycle so is good for laptops but as for speed look to chips with more on-chip cache intel or otherwise and AMD is more bang for your buck there at the moment. :coffee: :coffee:

[lizziebith]

I don't mind sounding like I know nothing if it means I might learn something :)


I'm with you on that! And, am I the only one out there that is finding this thread very sexy? :blush:

[Tramspotter]

I'm with you on that! And, am I the only one out there that is finding this thread very sexy? :blush:

Oh baby!

Talk nerdy to meh! :evil:

[orbitalpunk]

computer talk is very sexual. how can it not be with words like hard drive, dongles, download, upload, overload, input, output, input, output, insert disk, master hard drive, slave hard drive, and floppy disk. ok maybe floppy disk might not be sexy. someone with a floppy disk might need some Viagra. But then Viagra will turn is floppy disk into a hard disk..

[Brigitte]

You don't have to have a .mac account to use iChat. I use it and don't have one. I use it with AOL IM.

I don't have a clue on the rest of it though :) I recently replaced my iBook (hard drive died) with an iMac but opted not to go with the new Intel ones simply because I'd like to see any glitches worked out before I get one.

[orbitalpunk]

dont you need to be AOL member to have a AIM account. Its another pay service. Just wish it could be like yahoo, msn, and google. free.

also I feel the glitches for the Intel version of OS X are worked since they've been developing it for the last 5 years.

[Ghoulish Delight]

dont you need to be AOL member to have a AIM account. Its another pay service. Just wish it could be like yahoo, msn, and google. free.

also I feel the glitches for the Intel version of OS X are worked since they've been developing it for the last 5 years.No, you can have an AIM screen name without being an AOL member.