BardTech

The post 5 macOS Folders You Should Never Touch (And Why) appeared first on BardTech . macOS has a deep and nested folder structure, and a default macOS installation has many unfamiliar-sounding directories. The majority of users don’t ever need to touch these files. Apple keeps certain folders hidden for a reason. Messing with these directories could result in an unstable system, loss of data, or worse—prevent your Mac from booting up. We’ll show you the places that most users shouldn’t touch in the macOS file system. 1. Language Files and Folders Mac apps come with language files for every language they support. When you switch your Mac’s system language, the app will change to that language immediately. To see the language files of an app, right-click it and choose Show Package Contents from the context menu. The path will look like this: AppName.app/Contents/Resources/Lang.lproj Removing the language files for third-party apps is easy through Terminal. But for the defa...

The post An ode to Apple’s awful MacBook keyboard appeared first on BardTech . Yes I am very late to this. But I am also very annoyed so I am adding my voice to the now sustained chorus of complaints about Apple’s redesigned Mac keyboard: How very much it sucks. Truly, madly, deeply. This is the keyboard that Apple “completely redesigned” in 2015, in its quest for size zero hardware, switching from a scissor mechanism for the keys to what it described then as the “new Apple-designed butterfly mechanism” — touting this as 40% thinner and 4x more stable. Reader, there is nothing remotely beautiful and butterfly-esque about the experience of depressing these keys. Scattershot staccato clattering, as your fingers are simultaneously sucked in and involuntarily hammer out a grapeshot of key strikes, is what actually happens. It’s brutalist and unforgiving. Most egregiously it’s not reliably functional. The redesigned mechanism has resulted in keys that not only feel different when ...

The post 10 Handy Ways to Use Your Mac and iPhone Together appeared first on BardTech . MacOS and iOS work well together. If your desktop and phone both come from Apple, you have many useful functions at your fingertips. Let’s explore the best ways you can use both devices side-by-side. 1. Copy and Paste Content It’s easy to move between your Apple devices seamlessly, thanks to a special set of features called Continuity. The Universal Clipboard feature is part of this set and it allows you to share clipboard content between your Mac and iPhone. To copy-paste text and graphics between the two devices, you’ll need to ensure that on both of them: You’re signed in with the same iCloud account. Bluetooth is turned on. You have enabled the Handoff setting. On macOS, it’s called Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices and lives under System Preferences > General . On iOS, you’ll find it listed as Handoff under Settings > General . After that, you can copy...

The post What Is SIP? macOS System Integrity Protection Explained appeared first on BardTech . macOS changed significantly with the release of 10.11 El Capitan and the introduction of System Integrity Protection, or SIP for short. It’s a security measure that had some pretty big implications for the operating system back in 2015. These days, most of us have adapted to a post-SIP macOS. But you might still wonder what it is, what exactly it does, and why you’re best off leaving it alone. So let’s take a look at SIP, what purpose it serves, and why it came about in the first place. What Is System Integrity Protection? Put simply, System Integrity Protection is a security measure Apple introduced to protect certain parts of your macOS installation and core processes, and to vet third-party kernel extensions. It actively protects parts of your system from modification, and blocks installation of insecure extensions. While you have SIP enabled, certain areas are entirely off-limits ...

The post 9 Laptop Docking Stations for Turning a Notebook Into a Desktop appeared first on BardTech . Compared to PCs, laptops have fewer ports, smaller screens, and compact keyboards. If you want all the fixings of a PC with the convenience of a laptop, get a docking station. When you’re at your desk, hook up your laptop. When you aren’t, take your laptop with you. Is a laptop docking station worth it? It depends on your usage. If you usually take your laptop from home to the office and back, then setting up a docking station at work might be great. Otherwise, a home docking station can let you do more than what your work laptop offers, like adding an external graphics card for gaming or act as a USB hub . The convenience is all about docking your laptop or connecting a single cable, and it’s ready to do everything. 1. Plugable USB-C 4K Triple Display Docking Station Plugable USB-C 4K Triple Display Docking Station with Charging Support for Specific Windows USB Type-C/Thun...

The post 5 Mac App Alternatives If You Hate App Subscriptions appeared first on BardTech . The push for subscription pricing is gaining popularity with Mac app developers. You might be disappointed, especially if you like to own apps outright instead of paying for them every month or year. But since you can’t turn back the clock, it’s best to look for other options that seem viable to you. Start with our alternative recommendations for five popular apps that have switched to subscription models in the past few years. 1. Replace 1Password With Secrets 1Password is a powerhouse of an app and, in a way, irreplaceable. You probably won’t find its entire set of features in a single app, but Secrets comes with a few similar ones that are quite useful. One of them is the ability to generate one-time passwords for sites where you have enabled two-step verification. The second is the vulnerability assessment feature. It uses the Have I Been Pwned database to check whether your logins ...