The How-To Geek

July 8, 2007 6:09 AM

The How-To Geekprovides hints and tips for a variety of operating systems and popular pieces of software. The how-tos cover a pleasing range of head-slapping I-should-have-known-thats to relatively advanced techniques. Follow the latest page to read the site in blog form.
posted by nthdegx (12 comments total)

It almost feels nostalgic to see someone who's still enthusiastic about Windows and Office.
posted by Space Coyote at 6:30 AM on July 8, 2007

There's so many little things wrong with Vista (why, despite the fact I want all my folders to list their contents in "details" mode, does Vista insist on randomly changing the setting to whatever the hell it feels like?) that I'm sure this site will be a great help to me. So thanks for this.

My next computer is going to be an Apple, I swear it.
posted by WolfDaddy at 7:28 AM on July 8, 2007

Heh, only 15 Apple ones and 1/3 are for Safari on Windows. I recommend Lifehacker.com for Apple related hacks, but you probably already knew that.
posted by furtive at 7:34 AM on July 8, 2007

Agreed, not much in the way of Mac coverage, but there's an abundance of good Mac coverage so I see this as redressing the balance somewhat.
posted by nthdegx at 7:38 AM on July 8, 2007

Real geeks had to beg for help on Usenet while dodging KIBO, cascades and the occasional spam.
posted by b1tr0t at 8:20 AM on July 8, 2007

this will prove useful to me, and so I thank you for it.
posted by Busithoth at 8:24 AM on July 8, 2007

Real geeks had to beg for help on Usenet while dodging KIBO, cascades and the occasional spam.

Or did what would make 95% of these how-tos irrelevant even today: read the fucking manual.
posted by cmonkey at 8:43 AM on July 8, 2007

WolfDaddy; I hate to be the one to break this to you, but Finder on the Mac is just as infuriating in that particular respect. If you like Column mode (which you will), you'll notice it's particularly hard to get all of your folders to consistently appear in Column mode.

Anyway, in XP, you can fix the problem by displaying the current folder in Details view, or however you like it, then go to Tools > Folder Options, uncheck Remember Folder View Settings, and then click the "Show all folders like the current folder" button.
posted by odinsdream at 9:36 AM on July 8, 2007

Apples finder is awful. I've found Path Finder to be an acceptable substitute. And it has tabs, I hate multiple windows open.
posted by Exad at 9:45 AM on July 8, 2007

At least 10.5 will have tabbed finder windows. But yeah, the rallying cry of non-zealot Mac OS lovers has long been FTFF -- Fix the Fucking Finder.
posted by churl at 12:49 PM on July 8, 2007

FTFF indeed!
posted by furtive at 12:58 PM on July 8, 2007

I'm sorry churl, there won't be tabbed finder windows in 10.5. The featureset is pretty much frozen in build 9a466, which was demonstrated at WWDC. I use it and develop on it every day. There are a ton of improvements, but no tabs (think of how it would infuriate the 'Spatial Finder' one-man-army!). There are a few regressions so far: you can no longer collapse the sidebar without collapsing the toolbar, and the icons in the sidebar don't get any bigger. The dock and menubar are now somewhat retarded, though I have faith that there will at least be some unexposed preferences to change their behavior in the release.

If you want a copy to play with, my email's in my profile.


Most of the problems people have with getting the Finder to view the same folder the same way always have to do with permissions -- the Finder can't write it's state to places like / without elevated privileges. If you're not an Administrator there will be many places your finder positioning won't be saved.

The newer, drawer-less versions of PathFinder are leagues better than the older ones, that's for sure -- but trying to use it, it feels like it still has way too many features, most of them poorly implemented and poorly thought out. Like Opera.
posted by blasdelf at 3:04 PM on July 8, 2007