Tag Archives: Utilities

Rolling a Ruby gem back to a previous version

I ran into a problem with the Ruby gem for a tool I use recently when I installed the latest version and then found it was broken.  I wanted to roll back to the previous version, which turns out to be extremely simple.  Here is the command I used and the responses I received:

> sudo gem uninstall cocoapods
Password:

Select gem to uninstall:
1. cocoapods-0.23.0
2. cocoapods-0.24.0
3. cocoapods-0.25.0
4. cocoapods-0.26.2
5. cocoapods-0.27.1
6. cocoapods-0.28.0
7. cocoapods-0.29.0
8. cocoapods-0.30.0
9. All versions
>

I selected 8 in the list, and when I checked the version of the gem after running this command, it had indeed been rolled back.  Simple.  Sweet.  Just what I needed.

Mac App: Ejector

Does this ever happen to you?  You download a DMG file to install an application, mount it, then install the app.  At that point you go on your way and forget about the mounted image.  Or how about you have connected an external drive or a flash drive and you can’t get to your desktop easily to eject them.

The Ejector app is a menu bar app that gives you a single place to see all the drives or disk images that have been mounted so you can eject them.  This is one of my must-have apps on my Mac.

Mac Utility: Save

I’ve been enjoying my switch from Windows to Mac.  However just like Windows, Mac OS X has its quirks and irritations.  There are some very nice changes in 10.7 (Lion) to window management, but one thing missing is to restore window positions and sizes when switching between a single monitor and multiple monitors.

The Stay utility from Cordless Dog solves this problem.  Here is the summary of the app from the website:

What is Stay?

If you’re fastidious about keeping your windows tidy, Stay is for you. Stay ensures that your windows are always where you want them to be, even as you connect and disconnect displays.

The app is available both from the App Store as well as from their website and costs $15 ($14.99 from the App Store).  The difference between the two versions is that the version from the website supports Spaces.  The reason for this is that Spaces support requires private APIs, and Apple doesn’t allow apps submitted to the App Store to call private APIs.  Cordless Dog did a cool thing, though, for those that want to purchase from the App Store but also want Spaces support.  Simply make your purchase from the App Store and then install from the website.

One thing I’m not crazy about is that they app is delivered as a .zip file from the website rather than as a .pkg file.

Functionality Overview

Stay provides the following functionality:

  • Store windows for all applications.
  • Store windows for the current application.
  • Store the active window.
  • Restore all windows.
  • Edit stored windows.

When you choose to store windows for all applications, the app flips through all the windows, which takes more time than you’d think.  If you’re running the version that supports Spaces, it takes even longer, depending on how many windows and spaces you have.

Restoring windows isn’t quite as reliable as I was hoping.  The app uses window titles to identify windows, but some applications, such as Google Chrome, use a relatively transient string – the webpage title – for the window title.  This means as you switch tabs, Stay may not be able to identify the window to restore its position.

Overall, Stay is a big help in window management when switching between a single monitor and multiple monitors.

iPhone Utilities for your Mac or PC

I stumbled upon a couple of really good iPhone utilities for the Mac and PC from Macroplant – iPhone Explorer and Phone Disk.  These apps allow you to see what is on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad – pretty cool.  They’re not quite as useful if the device isn’t jail-broken, but they’re still useful.

iPhoneExplorer PhoneDisk

For example, they will both allow you view the app and media files that are on your device.  They both allow you to copy files to and from your device as well.  iPhone Explorer allows you to see all the files related to your apps as well while Phone Disk allows you to delete files on your device.  iPhone Explorer provides a custom UI for viewing the contents whereas Phone Disk mounts the device as a disk, just like a USB flash drive.

Macroplant provides iPhone Explorer free of charge, while normally they charge for Phone Disk.  Until December 2010, however, they are offering it for free.

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