Any Must-Haves for Computer Maintenance with Snow Leopard?

Amie

Amie

Mac Convert for Life
In the past (on older OS's) I have used computer maintenance apps (Mac Janitor, Onyx, etc.). Since Apple is constantly improving the OS and now we are on Snow Leopard (which I had never used until I bought my new MacBook Air 4 days ago)....... just wondering are those maintenance apps still necessary? Like running the cron scripts and so forth? Or are they automatically built into the OS now? I remember years ago when Panther was the shitz the cron scripts were set to run overnight at a certain time..... best I remember..... but if your computer was shut down you were out of luck and they didn't run.... hence apps like Mac Janitor to manually run them when you want to.

Basically, I just need to know if there's any apps I should install for my new computer for maintenance to keep it in top shape...... 'cause I really want to baby this thing. :)
 
Just clean out you internet cache and hidden Flash cookies (Flush) every so often. Cleaning cache about once every three months IMHO is still needed to keep OS X running soothly.
 
Hi! Thanks for your reply. I just read the reviews on Flush and I got scared. What about this one? Kill Flash Cookies........ http://www.flashtester.org/

It says it comes in "2 flavors - A command line application and a GUI version." Which one should I download if I decide to go with this app?
 
I also use Macaroni to keep the OS maintenance tasks up to date, since I never know when the computer will be off when the task is scheduled to be done.
 
Onyx is still regularly updated and still free.

The Flash cookies thing is a matter of privacy, not performance. As you may know, web sites can use cookies to track your browsing habits (generally for advertising purposes). All browsers allow you to clear your cookies easily, but Flash cookies are different. That's not handled by your browser so much as by the Flash plugin, and the Flash plugin doesn't offer any way to clear the cache. That's what these apps are for. Alternatively, you can manually clear the Flash cookies by emptying out the folders in "~/Library/Preferences/Macromedia/Flash Player/"
 
Amie said:
Hi! Thanks for your reply. I just read the reviews on Flush and I got scared. What about this one? Kill Flash Cookies........ http://www.flashtester.org/

It says it comes in "2 flavors - A command line application and a GUI version." Which one should I download if I decide to go with this app?
Click to expand...

I use just the Flush because it is just a command line Automator script for Terminal commands. Just launching it throws the cookies away into the Trash can.
 
Satcomer, that Flush page says there are 2 versions - "command line app" and a "GUI version." I don't know what the difference is or which one to download. :(
 
Well the MacUpdate link for Flush downloads the GuUI (app version). That's the one I use and works great by just clicking on the app. You will see the app launch the terminal very quickly and that is normal since it is an Automator script, that is normal. So just use the MacUpdate link for Flush and it will work easily.

I wrote about this back in the tread Flash is hiding cookies on your Mac. It might be worth a read since the guy who made Flush replies to the thread.
 
Amie, I have used Safari Cookies for some time now, once installed and configured it does it's job invisibly.
It can be set to dump regular and flash cookies every time you close Safari.
Obviously this will only work with the Safari Browser.
 
Keep in mind that some Flash cookies are actually useful. If you play any Flash games online they use Flash cookies to store your progress/scores/etc.
 
Mikuro said:
Keep in mind that some Flash cookies are actually useful. If you play any Flash games online they use Flash cookies to store your progress/scores/etc.
Click to expand...
That's where 'Safari Cookies' really shines.
It allows you to create a 'whitelist' of cookies you want to keep around.
 
Am I so thankful for this place! You guys ROCK! Thank you so much to ALL of you for your replies. You've been a HUGE help. I installed Maintidget already and guess what? Snow Leopard DOES run those cron jobs automatically EVEN IF the computer is shut down or sleeping during 3 and 5 a.m., it runs them when it's turned on or awakened. I know this by looking at Maintidget and I see that it ran when I waked my computer this morning. So I guess those articles I read on that "OTHER" site didn't know what they were talking about. If you want great advice from people who KNOW, come to THIS forum! :D

I'm going to install Flush in a few minutes.

I am having a blast with my new computer! Can you tell? LOL Thanks again sooo much to all of you. :)
 
One more thing Amy. The recent spat of Trojans for OS X relies on a Safari IMHO no-no. To protect your self just open Safari, go to Safari's Preferences - General tab. In the General tab near the bottom of the tab uncheck the box for "Open Safe files after downloading ...". The Trojans exploit this box if it is check to on.
 
Thanks, Satcomer! Just did that. I was not aware of the recent spat of Trojans. :eek: I guess I've been too engrossed with my new computer! LOL :p I rarely use Safari anyway (I am enjoying Chrome a lot lately), but I did what you said in Safari's preferences anyway.

Thanks again. :)
 
jbarley said:
Ah Chrome you say, 'the king of all Trojans' ;)
Click to expand...

:eek:

Okay WHAT does that mean? LOL Is that good or bad? Are you saying Chrome is king of all Trojans meaning Chrome defeats all Trojans....... or Chrome is very exposed and susceptible to all Trojans?

I wanna know so I can continue to use it or ditch it! :p LOL
 
Ah....okay. So Chrome is safe to use? Whew! Don't scare me like that again! :p ;) LOL
 
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