Help With Stripping Leopard...

[CuteCari]

hey, i was hoping that someone who has the knowledge, time and most of all desire, could please help me figure out how to strip down my system to only the necessary items needed to operate based on my needs (not many). i have done research and read many books but cant find the answers i am looking for. this may be a tall order, im not sure, if it is too involved i understand and you need not post. if someone wants to try to take it on please be open minded their is a method to my madness that i will explain if you are interested in helping me. Any takers?

[ElDiabloConCaca]

If you're wary of people trying to do malicious things to your computer, you can "harden" the security of your system by reading this:

http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=6187

Even though different services are installed on your computer doesn't mean that they're running or active. For example, your system has the ability to be an FTP server, allowing people to log in remotely and upload/download files. This system is not turned on by default, and cannot be enabled without you specifically enabling it in the Sharing pane of the System Preferences. There's no need, and no security, and no speed enhancement that would result from removing it from your system.

Your system is running in tip-top shape, at maximum speed, and at a very high level of security out-of-the-box, when you first installed it, or when it came pre-installed on your Mac when you bought it. I suggest reading the linked paper above and following its recommendations on hardening the security of your computer.

[Mikuro]

There are three things I recommend removing for any Mac user interested in saving disk space:

1. iLife apps. GarageBand, iMovie and iDVD (and their associated files in /Library) take up 10+GB. I've never used any of those apps, so I trashed them. I forget exactly where all the files are, but I think most are somewhere in /Library/Application Support.

2. Printer drivers. Mac OS X comes with about a gigabyte of them. Unless you routinely use hundreds of different printers, you do not need all of them. Go to /Library/Printers and trash what you don't need. (Personally I just trashed everything and then installed the drivers for my particular printer from the printer's CD.)

3. Foreign languages. Lots of applications and system components include up to dozens of localizations. If you don't use them, they just waste space. This is not so easy to do, since there's no central location of these files. There are some apps like Monolingual that help make this easy.

The cleanest way to accomplish all three of these is to perform an "erase and install" of OS X and de-select the print drivers and localizations during the installation process. There may be other things you can exclude in the installer, as well. (You may be tempted to exclude the "BSD Subsystem" during OS X's installation, but I would advise against that, since it's needed for quite a lot.)

One thing to keep in mind is that when you install Mac OS X updates, those pesky localizations may reappear, so an app like Monolingual could be necessary even if you excluded them during installation.

Exactly how small are you hoping to make OS X, and what functionality is required?

(Edit: After seeing ElDiablo's post, I wonder: have I completely misinterpreted your question? Apologies if I have.)

[jbarley]

Originally Posted by Mikuro

(Edit: After seeing ElDiablo's post, I wonder: have I completely misinterpreted your question? Apologies if I have.)

I think you're safe Mirkuro, my guess is maybe ElDiablo might have.

jb.

[Satcomer]

There is not a lot of "Adware" installed on a new Mac instead of all the junk a new PC comes with pre installed.

First is lock that Mac down and use ONLY a REGULAR account, not an Admin account on that Mac. Then to prevent a person from not getting to certain site without their knowledge (without installing software on your Mac) then you need to use the DNS service called OpenDNS.com and get a free account to control YOUR DNS to block certain sites (like Phishing, adult, etc.) Plus you can assign person blocks to webs sites that you choose with a free OpenDNS account.

Then for the paranoid buy the program called Little Snitch to monitor ALL outgoing traffic from you Mac.

Lastly you can get a lock down routine straight from the professional guide (for Panther(10.3.x) but you will get the idea) from the NSA Security configuration. Warning this is locking a Mac down SUPER HARD.

[CuteCari]

thanks, im going to read all of the security info yall gave me and ill get back to you if i have any problems or if it doesnt solve my issues.

i am looking for super super lock down, i would even prefer to delete everything! that is not needed, such as all text files, programs, scripts, sync crap, backing up ability, etc and much more including any additions for the new wireless, or virufull, remote world we live in and any other petri dishes that reside on my system. i have mastermind magicians stalking my poor baby computer and they are relentless. i have a ton of security and none of it is working to prevent, find yes, prevent no, is disable-able yes!

i disabled remote capabilities, and am working on other things but with my current situation, i dont even trust that. i have leopard by the way.

just a foot note for to whom it may concern: please dont even waste your time telling me that unix & macs are "secure", they are completely not secure by any means of the word. there have been unix viruses for 35 years, the only reason they were not prevelent for a while was because of the market share... that time has past, now what? should i just live with my new friends and just pretend im famous?????????

im going to check out that security stuff, if anyone has any other suggestions, mass deletion perhaps, please share. thx!!! does anyone know how to check for software keyloggers on your system?

[ElDiabloConCaca]

If you have everything disabled in your "Sharing" pane of the System Preferences, then I've got another question:

Do you live with anyone? Or does anyone else have physical access to your computer? A significant other, perhaps?

[Mikuro]

You may be interested in Little Snitch, which lets you block network connections on a per-application basis.

Also, check out this link to learn how to fix a recently-discovered vulnerability: http://www.thetechherald.com/article...caught-in-wild