Skip to content

The Eclectic Light Company

Macs, painting, and more
Main navigation
  • Downloads
  • M1 & M2 Macs
  • Mac Problems
  • Mac articles
  • Art
  • Macs
  • Painting

Precize

How does macOS tell the type of a file?

T T Read More

How does the Finder know the right app to open a file with? Or QuickLook how to preview its contents? Or other services like Spotlight know how to index and handle files? UTIs.

December 24, 2022 Macs, Technology, Updates

Explainer: Links, Aliases and Bookmarks

Which should you use, and what are their strengths and drawbacks? Symbolic links, hard links, aliases and bookmarks explained – oh, and a mention of firmlinks too.

January 1, 2022 Macs, Technology

Explainer: Disk free space

Confused by this on APFS? So you should be, as it’s complicated by features like snapshots, sparse files, and the file system itself. There’s no single figure.

December 4, 2021 Macs, Technology

Explainer: file types

Many think that a file’s type is determined by its extension. Although partly true, that’s indirect: it’s the UTI which sets the type, as explained here.

October 16, 2021 Macs, Technology

Precize now informs you of sparse files and clones

Adds support for reporting whether a file is a sparse file, or has been cloned, in Big Sur.

April 7, 2021 Macs, Technology, Updates

Precize version 1.11 can now help identify sparse files

Now shows the space taken on disk, which makes it easy to identify sparse files.

October 20, 2020 Macs, Technology, Updates

Using Finder aliases from the command line with alisma, a new Universal binary

How can you create and resolve Finder Aliases at the command line? And two further utilities you may find helpful for working with Aliases.

September 1, 2020 Macs, Technology, Updates

Precize 1.10 is now a Universal App

T T Read More

This has minor improvements to work better with Big Sur, and now runs native on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

August 8, 2020 Macs, Technology, Updates

Another batch of Universal Apps, and a fixed version of Ulbow

Nine more free apps available as Universal binaries, from Cirrus to xattred.

July 7, 2020 Macs, Technology, Updates

Bookmarks, a type of Alias: their access and use

They’re Base-64 encoded data which is related to the Finder Alias. Here’s how to resolve them in an app, at the command line, and in code.

May 21, 2020 Macs, Technology

Posts navigation

Previous1 2 3 4 Next
Blog at WordPress.com.
Footer navigation
  • About & Contact
  • Macs
  • Painting
  • Language
  • Tech
  • Life
  • General
  • Downloads
  • Mac problem-solving
  • Extended attributes (xattrs)
  • Painting topics
  • Hieronymus Bosch
  • English language
  • LockRattler: 10.12 Sierra
  • LockRattler: 10.13 High Sierra
  • LockRattler: 10.11 El Capitan
  • Updates: El Capitan
  • Updates: Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur
  • LockRattler: 10.14 Mojave
  • SilentKnight, silnite, LockRattler, SystHist & Scrub
  • DelightEd & Podofyllin
  • xattred, Metamer, Sandstrip & xattr tools
  • 32-bitCheck & ArchiChect
  • T2M2, Ulbow, Consolation and log utilities
  • Cirrus & Bailiff
  • Taccy, Signet, Precize, Alifix, UTIutility, Sparsity, alisma
  • Revisionist & DeepTools
  • Text Utilities: Nalaprop, Dystextia and others
  • PDF
  • Keychains & Permissions
  • LockRattler: 10.15 Catalina
  • Updates
  • Spundle, Cormorant, Stibium, Dintch, Fintch and cintch
  • Long Reads
  • Mac Troubleshooting Summary
  • LockRattler: 11.0 Big Sur
  • M1 & M2 Macs
  • Mints: a multifunction utility
  • LockRattler: 12.x Monterey
  • VisualLookUpTest
  • Virtualisation on Apple silicon
  • LockRattler: 13.x Ventura
Secondary navigation
  • Search

Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Press Esc to cancel.

  • Follow Following
    • The Eclectic Light Company
    • Join 3,125 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Eclectic Light Company
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...