Install OS X on a netbook

The new micro-sized "netbook" laptops that have popped up this year are quite nifty, but unfortunately for Mac users, none of them ship with OS X. Fortunately, while you wait for Apple to release their own model, you can hack most standard PC netbooks to run a patched version of OS X.

Dan from Uneasy Silence got 10.5 up and running on his Dell Mini (photo above) and documented the steps required to make it work:

Kevin advised me that the chipset and processor of the Dell mini is so similar to the MSI Wind that a special slipstreamed version of 10.5 customized for the MSI Wind would be perfect (and painless) to get the little guy up and running.

The steps to Leopard-ize the mini are actually quite simple and easy to follow. After you download the slipstreamed ISO and burn the 3.2GB ISO to a DVD you boot up the Dell mini off a external DVD drive (Press 0 (Zero) at the BIOS screen) and installed Leopard as usual.

Brian Chen from Gadget Lab posted a video that shows you how to do this with an MSI Wind. The only complicated part of the process is to swap out the wireless card with one that's supported under OS X - not too big a deal.

Update: no alternate wireless card needed for MSI Wind

Kevin C. Tofel from the jkontherun blog wrote in with good news for MSI Wind users:

I've run OS X on my MSI Wind netbook as well as my touchscreen Samsung Q1UP UMPC... it's a great experience when you want OS X but don't want to carry a 4.5+ pound machine or can't drop $ on the MacBook Air.

I wanted to point one thing out that might be of benefit to your readers. You mentioned that MSI Wind owners need to swap out their WiFi card, but that actually changed just yesterday.

Realtek decided to create unofficial drivers for their wireless module, which is used in the MSI Wind. As a result, you can now get OS X to recognize the native WiFi card. This tip could save some folks the time, effort and cost of a replacement module.

Run Leopard (Mac OS 10.5) on a Dell Mini 9
Gadget Lab Video: Running OS X on a Netbook
MSI Wind netbook gains WiFi drivers for Mac OS X

Change the screen capture location in OS X Leopard

If you use the Command+Shift+3 or Command+Shift+4 commands to save screen captures, you know how quickly your desktop gets cluttered with mysteriously named PNG files. A post on the Sneak blog points to a solution to this problem for Leopard users:

To change the default save location, open up Terminal and run the following command:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture location /Users/YOURUSERNAME/Documents/Screenshots

Your screengrabs will be saved to the Screenshots folder on your desktop, which you can drag onto the dock and use as a Stack.

Unfortunately, this doesn't work for those of us who still run Panther. If you're a Pather user, your best alternative is just to use Command+Shift+Control+3/4. The image will be saved to your clipboard instead of the desktop, which you can then paste it into Photoshop. A File->New in Photoshop will default to the height and width of the clipboard's contents.

Save screen captures into a Stack in Leopard

Parallels 4 Released, 50% Faster than Parallels 3 [Featured Mac Download]

Mac OS X only: The original Windows-on-Mac virtualization software Parallels—which we've used to run Windows and Mac apps side-by-side, set Windows programs as defaults on a Mac, and boot our Boot Camp partition from inside OS X—has just updated to Parallels 4. The good news: Parallels 4 boasts 50% faster performance than Parallels 3, while promising to use 15-30% fewer resources. Other new features include:

• SmartMount: Access removable storage devices from both Windows and Mac at the same time.
• SmartConnect: Instantly connect USB devices to Windows or Mac based on your set preferences
• iPhone Remote Control App: Start up and shut down Windows, Linux or any other VM directly from your iPhone.
• Modality View Mode: View Windows in a scaled view on your desktop for transparent viewing.
• Clips Tool: Share several Windows or Mac screen captures to the Mac’s clipboard to paste into Apple Mail, iChat or Pages.

The only downside: Parallels 3 users will need to pony up $40 for an upgrade. If you're totally new to Parallels, a full license will set you back $80. We haven't been able to compare the latest Parallels with its biggest competition, VMware Fusion, yet, but if you've tried both, let's hear if you've noticed performance differences in the comments.

Beautifully Minimalist Conky Setup [Featured Desktop]

Topping off our fascination with Linux desktop monitor Conky this week, here's a remarkable setup on Ubuntu that delivers Gmail counts, Yahoo weather with graphics and system stats, all with an eye for uncluttered text and transparent integration with any wallpaper. Check out a larger look at this Conky setup, and the desktop it came from, below. Want to get started setting up your own ambient monitor? Check out our guide to customizing Conky.

These pictures come from Quick Tweaks' detailed Conky how-to, which explains how to set up Gmail monitoring, Yahoo Weather updates, and statistics from your system temperatures and fans. The author is also rocking Avant Window Navigator, GNOME-DO (running a Launchy-like skin), and an Emerald theme. Check out the post for more details.

Thanks for the link, asge!

Hyperspaces Supercharges Leopard’s Spaces [Featured Mac Download]

Mac OS X only: Hyperspaces adds several simple but useful customization features to OS X Leopard's built-in virtual desktop tool, Spaces. With Hyperspaces, you can set different wallpapers to different desktops, name you desktops, create a handful of keyboard shortcuts (including shortcuts to jump directly to a specific space), and much more. If you're already a fan of Spaces, Hyperspaces is a must-have addition. The program is developed by the same guy who created previously mentioned VirtueDesktops—an incredible virtual desktop app that pre-dated Spaces—so you can bet this one will continue to add great features. Hyperspaces is currently a free download (you'll need to pony up $13 if you want to customize more than two spaces), requires Mac OS X 10.5.3 or higher.