Terminator

Many applications in OS X are self-contained packages that you install by dragging and dropping to your Applications folder. Since all of the program's required resources are within this package, when you need to update or upgrade the software, you can download the update and drag it to your Applications folder, replacing the current version you have installed.

This method of managing programs is very straightforward and usually works without error; however, at times you might run into problems when upgrading where the system gives an warning claiming that a component of the application is in use.

Recently I … Read more

My fellow residents of Nerdville, we are on the front lines. If there is to be an early warning system for the impending robot apocalypse, it must come from this community of readers, techies, and general smarty-pantses. That is why I've gathered your eyeballs here today to discuss the signs of Apple's inevitable transformation into Skynet.

For some time now it has seemed that Google might be more likely to be the first worldwide network of information and machines to become self-aware and start a global war between handsome humans and handsome robots (with handsome future governors playing both sides) -- given the company's lock on the world's data, that whole Android thing, and Google's clever "Don't Be Evil" propaganda.

But over the past year a pattern has emerged that points to Cupertino, Calif., as the home of a sleeper cell that could pose an even more grave and existential threat, capped off by this week's rumor that Apple is considering using a liquid metal material -- a clearly sinister product cleverly hiding in plain sight under the name Liquidmetal -- to house its next iPhone. … Read more

In System Preferences, you have a few options in positioning the Dock. You can set it to reside along the bottom, right, or left edge of the display, and you set it to remain visible or hidden until you need it. By default, there's about a half-second delay for the hidden Dock to appear. I've never liked this delay; I frequently wait for iPhoto to spring to life, and there's always a delay when opening iTunes, so why do I need a delay for the Dock? To be sure, it's an admittedly short delay, but I'… Read more

As a tech blogger, I take a lot of screenshots on my Mac and iOS devices to illustrate my posts. I use the built-in screen-capture tool on my MacBook Pro to snap a portion of my screen (Command-Shift-4) or the full screen (Command-Shift-3). These screenshots by default get saved to the desktop. Thus, after a busy day or three of blogging, my desktop begins to get a bit cluttered.

Thanks to a helpful tip on AddictiveTips, I am now saving these screenshots to a designated folder. All it takes is entering a bit of code to Terminal. And, if you … Read more

Early-termination fees got you down? ETFs are fees that phone carriers charge customers in case they want to cancel their contracts early. Agreements usually last two years, but if you want to leave a carrier before then, the company uses ETFs as a way to recuperate money from selling you a subsidized phone. Some argue, however, that these fees are grossly expensive and exploitative. Our main advice is to read the terms of your agreement carefully and drum up a lot of attention with your carrier if things aren't going exactly the way you think they should be. For … Read more

We talk a lot about early-termination fees, or ETFs, here at CNET because we have a love/hate relationship with signing a two-year service agreement (or three years if you're in countries like Canada). On the one hand, who doesn't love being able to own a $500 or $600 smartphone for $200, $50, or even a penny? You just can't swing that in the unlocked phone market.

On the other hand, few people enjoy being tied to a carrier, and to their carrier's phone selection, over the course of two years or longer. What if you change your mind about the service quality, what if your dream phone just came out on another carrier -- what if? Once you sign your name on the dotted line, there's little you can do to avoid an up-to-$350 fee to jump ship.… Read more

When you delete files and folders in Windows, they're not really gone. To make sure something you want to delete has been wiped from your system, you need something stronger. Files Terminator Free Portable securely deletes files and folders and recovers free space in your disk drives. It's completely portable, so you can save it to a USB drive or similar device and run it on any compatible machine.

Files Terminator has a small but colorful interface that you might mistake for a pop-up ad if you only glance at it. A drop-down menu offers 9 different methods … Read more

Quarantining files has its benefits, but a current bug is causing some trouble.

When you first download a file in OS X the system considers it to be foreign and tags it with a quarantine flag. This flag prevents it from running if it contains executable code, at least until it is scanned and the user is notified that the file contains code and could potentially change files on the computer. If the file is an application, then when you open it the launch services will present a warning that the file was downloaded from the Internet. Once you confirm … Read more

When people hear that a graffiti artist who took Facebook stock instead of cash for paintings he did at Facebook's headquarters will soon be a millionaire after the company goes public later this year, it's hard not to wonder if there is any way you might still be able to cash in on Facebook's riches.

Unfortunately, for most common folk, participating in Facebook's IPO isn't an option. But once the stock starts trading on the public market, eventually regular people will be able to buy shares. It's hard to say at this point whether … Read more