Mac OS X

For most people, the Mac's OS X is all about the graphical user interface. But system administrators and power users know that the Mac's command-line interface can be a powerful time saver and, in many cases, the only method to accomplish certain tasks. The command shell itself, delivered by Apple's included lTerminal program, is a wonder of open source. Bash -- for "Bourne again shell" -- was developed by free-software guru Brian Fox. It's widely used on operating systems of all kinds, including iOS, Linux, Unix, and mainframes. There's already a huge brain trust of tool knowledge around using Bash as a systems administrator's command shell.

15 handy troubleshooting and productivity tools for Mac-loving server and network admins.

Is there some way to quickly print a single copy of a file without having to go through a Print dialog box? Yes, if you do it in the Finder. Here's how

Kaspersky Lab on Thursday suspended distribution of its tool to remove the Flashback malware attacking Mac computers, saying the tool itself was making unacceptable alterations to user computers. A replacement is expected soon.

Apple updates its iOS mobile operating system once a year. But why should the iPhone and iPad have all the fun? On Thursday Apple announced that it will release a new version of OS X—Mountain Lion—this summer, just a year after the release of OS X Lion.

Apple on Wednesday released Mac OS X 10.7.3, an incremental update to Lion. As usual, Apple recommends the update to all Lion users, saying that it addresses stability, compatibility, and security issues.

Once you know the basics about services, OS X’s underused shortcuts, your next question is inevitably: Where can I find more? You can add -- and even create -- your own services. Here are four of the best:

Reader Lee Benjamin would like to reset his administrator’s password but it doesn’t work the way it once did. He writes:

On Friday, we reported that VMware Fusion 4.1 can run virtual versions of Leopard and Snow Leopard, a feature previously barred by Apple’s end-user license agreement. On Monday, the other shoe dropped: VMware posted a blog entry that seems to back away from that feature.