iCab stopped working. Now it crashes on startup, and the unfortunate thing about Mac OS X is that I don't get any meaningful error message, not even a number. This happened a bit after I got the new X-Assist 0.2 version, and when iCab dies it takes down X-Assist too. That may just be a coincidence, as iCab refuses to run even when X-Assist isn't running (and X-Assist is a stand-alone application). Anyway, X-Assis 0.2 is now a background application (so it does not show up on the Dock) and there is a preference pane with more options.

Since reinstalling iCab didn't work (and it's just an application, no System libraries added), I was really hard up for a web browser. There's no Lynx in the BSD subsystem (at least it's not in the path) so the next time I was using Mac OS 9 I downloaded Mozilla for Mac OS X. Mozilla is to Netscape as Darwin is to Mac OS X, more or less. It's more primitive, very buggy, a bit slow at times, but it does work at least. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out why iCab doesn't work.

I noticed that alias files keep tabs on their parents even if you move or replace the parent item, just like Mac OS 9 and more than I expected out of Mac OS X. In Mac OS 9 every file has a file id, which is how aliases keep their links even when files are moved. I didn't expect Mac OS X to have that capability, to have meta-data associated with a file. I've read a few notes that it does support file meta-data, even on UFS.

One of the annoying thing about iCab (before it died on me) is that copy did not work, probably because it was using an obsolete clipboard command. But drag and drop to other applications worked. It was annoying since I like to copy URLs and paste them on my link page or these pages even. Hmm, the local dns demon died or something. I can't look up ip addresses (and I thought it was just Mozilla being buggy). I'll reboot.

JewelToy 1.10 came out. It's an addictive game and I'm playing it all the time. 1.10 replaced one of the stone images and changed the timer behavior. The timer doesn't run while animations are going on (like stones moving down to fill in holes you've created, or when replacing the whole screen if you don't have any moves), and removing a row of stones adds the same amount of time each time (it used to add more at higher levels). It's supposed to make it harder since it's harder to go up levels. But I thought it was too easy before as you could get up in levels so fast that you'd outstrip your ability quickly. Now I get to a balance where I can play for a long time on one level, not quite getting enough time to go up a level and yet not losing time. So my first game with 1.10 I got a new high score, blowing away the old one.

MacJanitor is a small utility that you can use to manually run the various housekeeping scripts that Mac OS X runs periodically. It is intended for PowerBook users or anyone who turns off their machine at night. You have to enter your administrator password to activate the application, which gives you three buttons to run the Daily, Weekly, or Monthly scripts. It's pretty easy to use and probably does little harm if you run the scripts frequently.

Our last utility for today is TinkerTool. It is an interface that allows you to change various Mac OS X parameters, mostly Finder settings. You can have the trash show up on the desktop, show hidden and system files, make some Dock cosmetic changes, change the system fonts, and set the Terminal transparency.

The show hidden files option can be useful. Occassionally the Finder creates a file that is invisible -- I've done it with Mozilla and MrJAppBuilder. I can get to the file with Sherlock but the Finder refuses to show it. Also, some- times you get a file that is selected in a window and if you drag another file you always include that phantom selected file. Usually closing and opening the window solves that problem.

As I keep using Mac OS X, I'm getting more and more used to it. It has some bugs and other unpolished edges as well the many interface changes. I hardly ever notice it being slower than Mac OS 9 and the bugs I can practically automatically get around them without any thought. Mac OS X had to be shipped because only in the real world can you find out if you did it right. It will get better and better and is certainly pretty good now.