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Fixing Save as Adobe PDF Crashes

There have been many reported instances of the "Save as Adobe PDF" workflow crashing regardless of application, but precious few workarounds or resolutions. In troubleshooting, I discovered that there were three instances of the "Save as Adobe PDF.action" in three different locations: /Library/Automator; ~/Library/Automator; and /System/Library/Automator. By eliminating all except the version in /System/Library/Automator, the workflow started behaving, and I was able to cut PDFs directly from the Print dialog.


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Inside TidBITS | 24 Jul 2009 | Listen   | Print Printer-Friendly Version of This Article | Comment (3)

"Take Control of MobileMe" Updated for iLife '09, iPhone

by Adam C. Engst Send Email to Author

Apple's MobileMe offers a wide range of services that can easily justify its $99-per-year price tag, but only if you are clued-in enough to take advantage of everything it provides. The new version 1.1 of "Take Control of MobileMe," by Joe Kissell, provides 124 pages of MobileMe goodness, teaching you about core features such as email, sharing photos and movies online, managing contacts, tracking your calendar, sharing files via your iDisk, and more. When Joe started writing this new version, his primary goal was to fold in new steps relating to iLife '09, but just as he was wrapping up, Apple released iPhone OS 3.0, so Joe was able to integrate iPhone OS 3.0 details as well. In particular, Joe explains the Find My iPhone feature, and he's written as much as he can about mobile iDisk access prior to Apple's release of the iDisk app.

If you or someone you know would benefit from getting more out of MobileMe, check out this $10 ebook.

Version 1.1 is a free update from version 1.0. If you own version 1.0, look in your email for an update notice with a download link or open your PDF to the cover (page 1) and click the Check for Updates button to access your free download.

If you own Joe's older "Take Control of .Mac," you can update for free from the second edition (from page 1, click Check for Updates; then click the Blog tab and look for your download). If you have only the first edition of "Take Control of .Mac," look for a discount update offer on your Check for Updates Web page (in the Downloads tab). In both cases, you may also have an email message that contains update information.

 

SYNC YOUR PHONE with The Missing Sync: Sync your calendar,
address book, music, photos and much more between your phone
and Mac. Supports ANDROID, BLACKBERRY, PALM PRE and many
other phones. <http://www.markspace.com/bits>
 

Comments about "Take Control of MobileMe" Updated for iLife '09, iPhone

David Chartier2009-07-24 09:45
Does the iDisk file sharing section cover any of iDisk's file support limitations? I've been trying to find a clear explanation of this for a while. For example, I heard in the past that package files from apps like RapidWeaver and iWork '08 could get messed up in iDisk. I also heard that this is the reason for Apple switching to some kind of zip-based format for iWork '09 files.

Is stuff like this covered at all?
Joe Kissell2009-07-24 10:21
I don't go into detail about this particular issue in the book, no. What I've observed is that packages don't exactly get messed up, but if you're syncing your iDisk (which I do, and recommend), packages are perpetually out of sync, because Mac OS X insists on syncing them as monolithic files rather than as folders. (So, change just one tiny item in a multi-gigabyte package, and Mac OS X tries to sync the whole thing again - during which time you'll undoubtedly change it, etc.) This causes headaches with programs like 1Password (though there's a fairly easy workaround in that case).

My hope is that in Snow Leopard Apple makes iDisk syncing more intelligent (not to mention faster), but I can't say I'm optimistic.
Ellen2009-07-28 05:01
Recently I had to have my logic board replaced. Couldn't figure out how to restore anything from my backups on iDisk. Now my backup contacts are not up to date even though they are on the website and in my contacts page. iCal is up to date. PS. MobileMe is obtainable for less bought other places than Apple. I do like it when it works!