Sparse files are now common among databases, disk images, and virtual machines. How they work in APFS, how they’re created, and how they can explode.
Precize
What is that text-encoded data embedded in so many Property Lists? Most are Bookmarks, and here’s how to decode them.
We’re almost unaware of clone files, and how they’ve changed macOS. But look at most documents that have been saved more than once, and you’ll see they’ve now be cloned.
Understanding how APFS works: inodes, attributes, file extents, extended attributes, and how they change with editing and cloning.
Adds a new feature that will resolve an inode number, such as that given in an APFS error or warning, to give you the item name and path.
When you run First Aid, its reports an error with an inode. Here’s how to identify the item responsible by converting that inode number to a file path.
How does macOS track Recent items for apps? In a property list, using a Base-64 encoded Bookmark. Here’s how to decode, resolve and discover their contents.
Introduction to property lists, used in many places as well as the mainstay of preference files. How to change them safely without risk of conflicts.
Mints 1.14 fixes a crashing bug and improves xattr handling; Precize 1.14 improves xattr handling.
Where are all those purgeable files? Two updated utilities to help you find them: Precize and Sparsity, which will crawl folders checking which files are purgeable, sparse or clones.
The Eclectic Light Company 