Syncing Safari 5 Extensions between Macs using Dropbox.
Applezealotry, tutorial
Wed Jun 16 14:30:54 +0000 2010
An article on Macgasm discusses how to keep your Safari 5 Extensions synced between your Macs. While this is a nice solution, symbolic links and the excellent, free Dropbox (referral link if you don’t have it) provide a cleaner, transparent solution.
Here’s how I did it:
On the first Mac
- Move the Extensions folder (from username/Library/Safari/) to the Dropbox folder (username/Dropbox by default)
- Open up the Terminal application (/Applications/Utilities)
- Type the line below
ln -s ~/Dropbox/Extensions/ ~/Library/Safari/Extensions
The third step creates a symbolic link (similar to an alias in the Finder) so that when Safari looks for the Extensions folder, it is redirected to the shared folder on Dropbox. This folder will sync automatically when Dropbox is running and an internet connection is active.
On other Macs
- Delete the username/Library/Safari/Extensions folder. If you have any Extensions on this Mac not on the first Mac, you’ll need to to copy them from inside the Extensions folder to username/Dropbox if you want to keep them (if you copy the whole folder as in step 1, you will overwrite the first lot of extensions).
- Type the line from step 3 above in this Mac’s terminal application.
- There is no step 3.
Hope this helps. It’s working so far for me.
Side note: If you’re not using Dropbox you ought to be, even if this hint doesn’t interest you. It’s a great free service for syncing and sharing any kind of file (with a paid tier if you need more storage).
a necessary tweak to keep all those Safari extensions in sync across your Macs.
so i got all excited when i realized that DOCSIS 3.0 was available in my area, and looked into whether it was worth switching from AT&T Uverse’s service. I was happy with Uverse – 18Mbps down, 1.5 up, for $55/mo ($65 after the 1st year promotion ended). The service was rock solid, but the uploads were pretty slow.
so on comcast.com, i sign up for Extreme 50 for $80/mo: 
and when I checkout, it reiterates the $80 price:
but of course, it would be too much to expect that to be the actual price. when the installer comes, he tells me the price is $115/mo if you don’t bundle it with another comcast service. in the ‘terms and conditions’ it mentions that this is a promotional price, but nowhere on the website could i find the $115 price listed.
oh, and the Motorola SB6210 DOCSIS 3 modem i bought from amazon didn’t work (though it’s supposed to be compatible), so I had to rent the cheapo modem they provided.
i would have been screwed, but then realized that work offers a discount on Comcast Teleworker (16 down, 2 up) for a fixed $52/mo. it was easy enough to transfer over to this type of account. and overall, i have to say that cable seems faster than Uverse’s DSL.
so in the end i’m happy with the service i ended up with, but that doesn’t mean i feel Comcast is any less sleazy than ever.
here’s a list of new & old technologies that stuck (and some that didn’t) this year:
- iPhone 3GS: it’s hard to believe i’ve only owned it since June. i swear, i must use mine at least 100 times a day. the biggest improvement over the 3G is the speed. everything is just snappier. i can’t overemphasize how much i love my iphone.
- App Store: no need to explain here. every time i go in, i find something new and amazing.
- SSDs: in April I got my first SSD, an OCZ Vertex, but I didn’t keep it and ended up with an Intel X25-M gen 2. the performance gain is so amazing, i got 2 more SSDs for my other macs. it’s the single biggest speed improvement you can make.
- Drobo gen 2: still our main storage device, for the 2 things i definitely don’t want to lose to a hard drive crash: our iPhoto and iTunes libraries. i upgraded drives this year and now have 2.5TB of space. even with all the movies i’ve got, there’s plenty of room to grow.
- google reader: still my main go-to source for keeping up with sites, blogs, craigslist searches, firmware updates, you name it. and the mobile site is awesome on the iphone.
- twitter: caught up quickly to google reader in terms of my reliance on it. the real-time web is here and it’s useful. twitter search is invaluable.
- mac mini connected to lcd tv: still super-useful as our all-purpose HTPC. upgraded to the last model so that it runs 1080p smoothly and Plex/Boxee are smooth like butter. who needs cable.
- 24″ imac: our main workhorse home computer. fast & brilliant screen. gonna upgrade to the 27″ to be even faster and more brilliant.
- macbook air: wifey uses the base model as a netbook around the house. it’s perfect for her needs. so thin & light.
- readability: i use this bookmarklet all the time to make online article readable on the screen.
- instapaper: and when i don’t have time to read the article, i click the Instapaper bookmarklet to save it for reading later (on mac or iphone).
- simplenote: it’s notational velocity on the iphone/browser. note-taking awesomeness.
- dropbox: not only to keep all my documents in sync on all my macs, but i’m increasingly using it to carry my /Library environment around so that apps like Plex, Boxee & Things all sync.
-
- didn’t stick: SugarSync: totally un-Mac like.
- craigslist: i must have bought/sold about 100 times this year.
-
- didn’t stick: ebay: total pain in the ass to put something up for sale. bought a few items
- PS3: Uncharted 2 is the best video game i’ve ever played.
-
- didn’t stick: Xbox 360 & Rock Band
- didn’t stick: gaming via Windows 7 via Boot Camp
- 1Password: indispensible password manager for the mac. one of the first things I install.
- launchbar:
-
- didn’t stick: Quicksilver: i was reluctant to leave, but development is pretty much dead. like most who’ve switched, i’m really liking LB
- smugmug: all our baby pics & videos are posted here. way better than flickr, but you have to pay for it.
-
- didn’t stick: flickr: let my pro account expire. haven’t looked back since joining smugmug
- animoto: this is imovie for the rest of us. creates amazing slideshows, really easily.
- Canon SD960is digital camera: 12mp + 720p video. fantastic pics.
-
- didn’t stick: eye-fi card: it screwed up the audio of video clips, and they never posted a fix.
- yojimbo:
-
- didn’t stick: evernote: i wanted so much to like it, but in the end, the UI is cluttered and your data is hard to export. the iphone app was dog slow when taking a photo note. good effort, but their windows roots are apparent.
- didn’t stick: together: it has all the additional features a yojimbo user could want, but ultimately doesn’t feel as smooth.
- didn’t stick: Notational Velocity: the recent upgrade is great, and forthcoming integration w/simplenote will be even better. but if i’m using yojimbo, i’m going to put everything in there.
- Omnifocus: the king of GTD apps, but really steep learning curve. I just wish iPhone syncing weren’t so slow.
-
- didn’t stick: The Hit List: this app was hot for a while, but everyone’s been waiting over 6 mos for the iPhone app. it’s just a single developer, so it’s slow going.
- didn’t stick: Things: it’s GTD for the masses; as such, it’s quite dumbed down and prettied up.
- MindManager: MM8 for Mac is being released soon. I use mindmapping all the time at work.
- Amazon Prime: renewed the expensive $80 feature, but totally worth it. free 2day shipping on most items, plus you can share it with about 4 ‘family’ members.
other things that didn’t stick:
- kindle 2: I just sold it, after 9 months with it. it’s a nice device, don’t get me wrong…it just never won the battle for my attention over the iphone.
- facebook: i went through a phase of obsessively checking it and pruning my profile. now i check every few days, and find most of the status updates boring. i’ve ‘hidden’ updates from all but a handful of people.
some aggressive moves today. highlights:
- improvements & price drops across the entire notebook line (unexpected!)
- Snow Leopard is going to be practically free ($29)
- iPhone OS 3.0 goes out to over 40M iPhones/iPod Touches next week. this is a huge update that makes all of these already-purchased devices way more useful to customers.
- iPhone 3GS on sale next Fri. Faster, with video, and twice the memory – all at the same price.
- And perhaps the biggest shot fired: iPhone 3G 8GB dropped to $99.
so the Palm Pre is now twice as expensive and the iPhone 3G, and you gotta use it with Sprint (by far the worst rated carrier in the US). and just a handful of apps.
as Gruber pointed out so eloquently, the Pre will likely steal customers from Blackberry users, not iPhone users…they’re the niche market that insists on having a physical keyboard.
for the 2nd year in a row, Apple is Fortune’s most admired company.
My Safari homepage, originally uploaded by richlin71.
The page is bookmarked on the far left of my Bookmarks Bar, so I can quickly access it with CMD+1. I can’t believe Safari still doesn’t have a "open new tab with homepage" option.
I’ve embedded my nikeplus.com goal right on top, so it’s front & center. I’ve set goals for myself several times and have never met them. This time around I will. (requires Nike+iPod kit)
Sony headphones: "iPhone compatible", originally uploaded by richlin71.
Throughout the store, lots of iPod compatible products. It’s a changing of the guard…
10,000+, originally uploaded by taptaptap.com.
