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Show HN: Make OS X Great Again – Mac app that fixes the annoying parts of OS X

20 points by andreyazimov 8y ago

andreyazimov 8y ago
Hi HN, I kept being annoyed by OS X things like: repeatedly asking if I want to update OS X, opening iTunes when I plugged in my iPhone, putting screenshots only to desktop, saving screenshots as 4mb PNG instead of JPG, I couldn't minimize all my 26 opened windows in one click, my desktop always mess of files and I can’t just hide them. So I've made the app that fixes this. Demo: https://www.makeosxgreatagain.com/demo/ https://www.makeosxgreatagain.com/demo/ What keeps annoying you in OS X? I will try to add it, so we can make it great again :)
- lostgame 8y ago
  $10 for an app that executes a bunch of terminal commands? I have half a mind to whip up something like this in Xcode this afternoon and FOSS it... It certainly does not have enough features to warrant $10 for me. Also, is the use of the Trump thing really necessary? :/
  - twexler 8y ago
    I'd totally contribute to that. Let's do it.
    - lostgame 8y ago
      Hit me up at info@theoic.me - I’m a Obj-C/MacOS dev of 10+ years it should be a super simple project, as long as you’re okay with FOSS’ing it. :)
  - chuchana 8y ago
    Any chances it could support: - killing full screen animations - hiding full screen apps like any other (cmd-h) - keyboard control for notifications ? I assume those are a lot less trivial.
    - chuchana 8y ago
      I just realized that you can get rid of visible notifications by activating Do Not Disturb, for which you can set a keyboard shortcut (System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Mission Control), which is all I actually need.
lostgame 8y ago
// Disable update notifications: Open System Preferences on your Mac and select “App Store.” Then click “Install macOS Updates (or “Install OS X Updates” for older software). // To minimize all open windows in MacOS: Minimize and Hide All Windows in Mac OS X with Command+Option+H+M. // To stop iTunes from opening automatically when you connect your iPhone Open iTunes and then go to Preferences by using keyboard shortcut Command-comma or by going to iTunes > Preferences. Next, click the Devices tab and then check the box for Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically. // How to Change Your Mac's Default Screenshot Directory Click Command+N to open a new Finder window. Click Command+Shift+N to create a new folder, where your screenshots will go. Type "terminal" and select Terminal. Ignoring the quotation marks, type "defaults write com.apple.screencapture location " making sure to enter the space at the end after 'location'. Click Enter. // For JPG instead of PNG: defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg;killall SystemUIServer
- lostgame 8y ago
  I've already whipped up a mostly-working clone of this in Objective-C and NSTask this afternoon, using some neat tricks like 'defaults read' and 'defaults domains' I've been able to uncover even more little nooks and crannies. I'll set up a GitHub for the project tomorrow when I'm 100% sure of it's functionality. It already has a handful more features. Anyone want to help me with a name? :P
- balupton 8y ago
  More features you could add: https://github.com/balupton/dotfiles/blob/bac55f46f3437b4116807bccaed3e7994337ec8a/.scripts/commands/setup-mac-settings https://github.com/balupton/dotfiles/blob/bac55f46f3437b4116...
  - lostgame 8y ago
    You are a dear. Thank you!
bichiliad 8y ago
> Stop asking for updates I think Apple has a pretty aggressive policy around encouraging updates, and I'd imagine it's because having up-to-date software is an annoying necessity. Those notifications annoy me too, but ignoring them at the cost of missing security patches seems unideal.
- lostgame 8y ago
  Okay, well, you could disable notifications and manually check...
  - bichiliad 8y ago
    Sure, but I don't tend to trust myself enough to remember to do that on top of everything else I have to. I have to lean pretty heavily on reminders, and I feel like that's not uncommon.
amaccuish 8y ago
If anyone has a way to make the red X button actually close an app like Windows, would be most greatful! Microsoft apps like Outlook tend to work, but most apps don't, the most annoying being Firefox (if I use the red X to close, it's still running and won't auto restore my tabs when I click it again). I've tried RedQuits but doesn't seem to work anymore. :/
- dewey 8y ago
  Why don’t you just use cmd + H to hide it?
  - iamunr 8y ago
    CMD H Will hide the app - and not close it, as his comment is asking.
  - amaccuish 8y ago
    There's CMD + Q, but having the red X work too would be nice :)
    - thebaer 8y ago
      Haven't tried it in a while, but there's this: http://www.carsten-mielke.com/redquits.html http://www.carsten-mielke.com/redquits.html
      - amaccuish 8y ago
        Cheers but as I said in OP, doesn't work anymore
- balupton 8y ago
  cmd+h hides, cmd+w closes that window, cmd+q closes the app
dewey 8y ago
That “Make X great again” tag line was funny for a while but I think that’s in the past. I’d choose something else.
tenfold 8y ago
Even priced the same as an Apple product, nice.
onyva 8y ago
I gave up almost two years ago. Keeping iPhone and watch, but I feel I can do much better on Linux (fedora). Second the comment about “make x great again”.
heavymark 8y ago
Make great again, would imply there was a time that the OS was overall better than it is today, which is of course rather silly since while there an incredibly long list of small imrpovements we would all love to see, there is no previous version of macOS that I imagine that see as being greater and thus would revert too. But would love to see app like, "Make OS X Even Better. Hard to imagine an app that could fix all of those things. As anything you defaults you can change via terminal commands are already available for free on github like the popular https://github.com/mathiasbynens/dotfiles https://github.com/mathiasbynens/dotfiles, unless this app plans to have core functionality versus just running terminal commands once.
Brian_K_White 8y ago
If you would pay $10 for this, you deserve to pay $10 for this.
- lostgame 8y ago
  FOSS version: https://github.com/nicoleoic/PsyPrefs/ https://github.com/nicoleoic/PsyPrefs/
lupinglade 8y ago
*macOS
lostgame 8y ago
True to my Word, I've written a FOSS application which executes these terminal commands from a simple GUI. https://github.com/nicoleoic/PsyPrefs/ https://github.com/nicoleoic/PsyPrefs/ It's my first FOSS project! :)
marenkay 8y ago
IMHO that is way too much asked for a UI around commands you can snatch from https://github.com/herrbischoff/awesome-macos-command-line https://github.com/herrbischoff/awesome-macos-command-line via copy/paste.

20 points by andreyazimov 8y ago

Hi HN, I kept being annoyed by OS X things like: repeatedly asking if I want to update OS X, opening iTunes when I plugged in my iPhone, putting screenshots only to desktop, saving screenshots as 4mb PNG instead of JPG, I couldn't minimize all my 26 opened windows in one click, my desktop always mess of files and I can’t just hide them. So I've made the app that fixes this. Demo: https://www.makeosxgreatagain.com/demo/ https://www.makeosxgreatagain.com/demo/ What keeps annoying you in OS X? I will try to add it, so we can make it great again :)

lostgame 8y ago
$10 for an app that executes a bunch of terminal commands? I have half a mind to whip up something like this in Xcode this afternoon and FOSS it... It certainly does not have enough features to warrant $10 for me. Also, is the use of the Trump thing really necessary? :/
- twexler 8y ago
  I'd totally contribute to that. Let's do it.
  - lostgame 8y ago
    Hit me up at info@theoic.me - I’m a Obj-C/MacOS dev of 10+ years it should be a super simple project, as long as you’re okay with FOSS’ing it. :)
- chuchana 8y ago
  Any chances it could support: - killing full screen animations - hiding full screen apps like any other (cmd-h) - keyboard control for notifications ? I assume those are a lot less trivial.
  - chuchana 8y ago
    I just realized that you can get rid of visible notifications by activating Do Not Disturb, for which you can set a keyboard shortcut (System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Mission Control), which is all I actually need.

lostgame 8y ago

// Disable update notifications: Open System Preferences on your Mac and select “App Store.” Then click “Install macOS Updates (or “Install OS X Updates” for older software). // To minimize all open windows in MacOS: Minimize and Hide All Windows in Mac OS X with Command+Option+H+M. // To stop iTunes from opening automatically when you connect your iPhone Open iTunes and then go to Preferences by using keyboard shortcut Command-comma or by going to iTunes > Preferences. Next, click the Devices tab and then check the box for Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically. // How to Change Your Mac's Default Screenshot Directory Click Command+N to open a new Finder window. Click Command+Shift+N to create a new folder, where your screenshots will go. Type "terminal" and select Terminal. Ignoring the quotation marks, type "defaults write com.apple.screencapture location " making sure to enter the space at the end after 'location'. Click Enter. // For JPG instead of PNG: defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg;killall SystemUIServer

lostgame 8y ago
I've already whipped up a mostly-working clone of this in Objective-C and NSTask this afternoon, using some neat tricks like 'defaults read' and 'defaults domains' I've been able to uncover even more little nooks and crannies. I'll set up a GitHub for the project tomorrow when I'm 100% sure of it's functionality. It already has a handful more features. Anyone want to help me with a name? :P
balupton 8y ago
More features you could add: https://github.com/balupton/dotfiles/blob/bac55f46f3437b4116807bccaed3e7994337ec8a/.scripts/commands/setup-mac-settings https://github.com/balupton/dotfiles/blob/bac55f46f3437b4116...
- lostgame 8y ago
  You are a dear. Thank you!

bichiliad 8y ago

> Stop asking for updates I think Apple has a pretty aggressive policy around encouraging updates, and I'd imagine it's because having up-to-date software is an annoying necessity. Those notifications annoy me too, but ignoring them at the cost of missing security patches seems unideal.

lostgame 8y ago
Okay, well, you could disable notifications and manually check...
- bichiliad 8y ago
  Sure, but I don't tend to trust myself enough to remember to do that on top of everything else I have to. I have to lean pretty heavily on reminders, and I feel like that's not uncommon.

amaccuish 8y ago

If anyone has a way to make the red X button actually close an app like Windows, would be most greatful! Microsoft apps like Outlook tend to work, but most apps don't, the most annoying being Firefox (if I use the red X to close, it's still running and won't auto restore my tabs when I click it again). I've tried RedQuits but doesn't seem to work anymore. :/

dewey 8y ago
Why don’t you just use cmd + H to hide it?
- iamunr 8y ago
  CMD H Will hide the app - and not close it, as his comment is asking.
- amaccuish 8y ago
  There's CMD + Q, but having the red X work too would be nice :)
  - thebaer 8y ago
    Haven't tried it in a while, but there's this: http://www.carsten-mielke.com/redquits.html http://www.carsten-mielke.com/redquits.html
    - amaccuish 8y ago
      Cheers but as I said in OP, doesn't work anymore
balupton 8y ago
cmd+h hides, cmd+w closes that window, cmd+q closes the app

dewey 8y ago

That “Make X great again” tag line was funny for a while but I think that’s in the past. I’d choose something else.

tenfold 8y ago

Even priced the same as an Apple product, nice.

onyva 8y ago

I gave up almost two years ago. Keeping iPhone and watch, but I feel I can do much better on Linux (fedora). Second the comment about “make x great again”.

heavymark 8y ago

Make great again, would imply there was a time that the OS was overall better than it is today, which is of course rather silly since while there an incredibly long list of small imrpovements we would all love to see, there is no previous version of macOS that I imagine that see as being greater and thus would revert too. But would love to see app like, "Make OS X Even Better. Hard to imagine an app that could fix all of those things. As anything you defaults you can change via terminal commands are already available for free on github like the popular https://github.com/mathiasbynens/dotfiles https://github.com/mathiasbynens/dotfiles, unless this app plans to have core functionality versus just running terminal commands once.

Brian_K_White 8y ago

If you would pay $10 for this, you deserve to pay $10 for this.

lostgame 8y ago
FOSS version: https://github.com/nicoleoic/PsyPrefs/ https://github.com/nicoleoic/PsyPrefs/

lupinglade 8y ago

*macOS

lostgame 8y ago

True to my Word, I've written a FOSS application which executes these terminal commands from a simple GUI. https://github.com/nicoleoic/PsyPrefs/ https://github.com/nicoleoic/PsyPrefs/ It's my first FOSS project! :)

marenkay 8y ago

IMHO that is way too much asked for a UI around commands you can snatch from https://github.com/herrbischoff/awesome-macos-command-line https://github.com/herrbischoff/awesome-macos-command-line via copy/paste.