Terminal gives you access to some hidden settings of various applications Mac OS X. This is not always something special, sometimes it is necessary to help the terminal to resort to make quite elementary changes.
1. Changing the character set in the mail client Mail
If you prefer to work with an English interface, the Mail.app forcibly expose the encoding default is utf-8. The GUI can not change it. Encoding wonderful, avoids some of the problems. However, in many Russian discussion list "veteran" is still obligatory to use koi8-r. here the corresponding command "Terminal":
defaults write com.apple.mail NSPreferredMailCharset koi8-r
2. Changing the format of letters
Spam emails are bad in addition to its undesirability also format - HTML. The writer defines how it will look like a message, selects for you a font, style, size, etc. Reading Mode "plain text" in this sense it is more convenient - you set the preferences themselves. Mail.app In the GUI, you can choose to send a letter format, but do not read. Referring to the "Terminal":
defaults write com.apple.mail PreferPlainText -bool TRUE
3. Search on iTunes
Typically, the arrow next to the name of the artist or album name in your iTunes library are on the search for the iTunes store. In Russia, this store does not work and in fact useless feature. You can make it so that the search will be carried out by the local library. Here is the command "Terminal":
defaults write com.apple.iTunes invertStoreLinks -bool YES
4. History in Safari
Set your own limits on the storage history in Safari, you can again through the "Terminal":
defaults write com.apple. Safari WebKitHistoryItemLimit 2000
and / or
defaults write com.apple. Safari WebKitHistoryAgeInDaysLimit 30
5. Display hidden files in the Finder
Well, it's just a classic of the genre. Using the "Terminal" can be displayed in the Finder hidden files:
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
To some of these commands take effect, you need to re-login or restart the Finder (type in "Terminal»: killall Finder).
To make the abolition of the executed command, a closer look at its ending. If earlier it was YES, reenter the command, replacing to NO. If it was TRUE, change it to FALSE.
important update: The article was written before the release of Leopard and commands only work in Tiger