Run Ollama In The Menu Bar On macOS With Custom Host Bindings

By default ollama runs on the localhost IP address of 127.0.0.1. But if you want to host it on macOS somewhere else, it requires a system-wide environment variable change. The developers of ollama recommend running this command, and then relaunching ollama:

launchctl setenv OLLAMA_HOST "0.0.0.0"

This works great! If you want to run this automatically at startup you can use a small AppleScript to create an application, and then add that application to your Login Items.

First, open Script Editor and paste the following code:

do shell script "launchctl setenv OLLAMA_HOST \"0.0.0.0\""
tell application "Ollama" to run

This will bind all IP addresses to ollama and then launch it. Obviously, you can bind any specific IP address you like.

Next, in the File menu use the Export command to create an Application that is signed to run locally. Quit Script Editor and then put the new application in your Applications folder.

Finally, search for “Login Items” in System Settings. Remove any existing Ollama application from the list, and add your application.

Now when you restart and sign in, your application will launch, set the environment variable for the host binding, launch Ollama, and quit.

#YOUREWELCOME #Apple #macOS #code #tech #ai

Microsoft has patched the Windows 11 ‘product server’ trick for TPM check bypass, but the bypass still works with setupprep.exe. This bypass will upgrade Windows 10 clients to Windows 11 without requiring a TPM.

setupprep.exe /product server

#windows #tech #software #YOUREWELCOME

Favorite Daily Term: swab precision

#YOUREWELCOME

The acronym GUID is not pronounced “gooey ID”. It's pronounced “goo-id”. #YoureWelcome

#developer #pendantry

Mac Pro Tip: When copying a git repository directory to your network file server using rsync, try this:

rsync -brtlvP --chmod=Fu+w --delete-before Code/MyProject/ /Volumes/MyServer/Code/MyProject/

This will copy the files with timestamps but no other attributes, and will also give the file owner (you) full access rights. This ensures that you (or even Windows users with access rights) can overwrite the directory contents later because local read-only files (e.g. in the .git directory) won't be read-only on the server. You can also change the chmod option to customize the rights, like ensuring everyone has full control.

#apple #macos #windows #code #developer #YOUREWELCOME

Animate CSS Auto Height Without Javascript

Web developers rejoice! There's an easy way to animate the height of an HTML element even if the height is dynamic, determined by its content, with only CSS. This is typically used for navigation menus and the like, and now it's much easier to code and maintain.

The strategy is to actually animate the grid-template-rows not the height. For example, take the following HTML markup:

<div class="menu">
  <div class="inner-wrapper">
    <p>Here is some content.</p>
    <p>Here is some content.</p>
    <p>Here is some content.</p>
  </div>
</div>

The CSS for this markup would be:

.menu {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-rows: 0fr;
  transition: grid-template-rows 100ms;
}

.menu.active {
  grid-template-rows: 1fr;
}

.menu .inner-wrapper {
  overflow: hidden;
}

Initially the outer div will be hidden since it has no overflow and the grid template rows are zero. When you add active to the outer div element's class list, the browser will animate the transition from zero row height to 1fr, which essentially means the height it needs for its content to render.

#css #html #javascript #code #tech #YOUREWELCOME

Automate The Installation of All Your Mac Apps Using Homebrew

On macOS it's pretty easy to automate the installation of all your apps, including Mac App Store apps, for those times when you get a new Mac or wipe your current one. As a software developer I find this capability indispensable, as would any professional or power user.

All you need to do is install Homebrew and then use it to install mas (which is an acronym for Mac App Store). Once they are installed, you can install all your software using a convenient Bash script. Homebrew will be used to install non-store apps, and mas will handle installing the Mac App Store apps.

Note: only Mac App Store apps you have already installed previously can be installed with mas. You cannot install new apps you have never installed from the store.

Why Do This?

The most obvious reason to script out your software installations is that it greatly reduces the time to set up a new Mac, as well as ensure that you don't forget to install one or more apps. It also provides a way to update all the apps at once via the brew upgrade command. And it also provides a way to update apps that don't have their own update feature.

Apps installed with mas will be updated normally by the Mac App Store.

How Does This Work?

In order to use this process you need to know the names of the Homebrew formulae/casks for each application, and you also need to know the IDs of the Mac App Store apps for mas. Fortunately this is super easy.

First, Homebrew has a tool for finding software available in their service at https://formulae.brew.sh/. Simply use this to find your apps and make sure you're installing the right ones. Those listed as “casks” are GUI Mac apps (normal apps you don't run from the Terminal). Ones listed as “formulae” are typically command line tools run from the Terminal or services without an interface.

Second, for Mac App Store apps you simply use mas to list what's currently on your computer from the Mac App Store.

mas list

This will give you a list of currently installed apps from the Mac App Store, with their IDs:

1569813296  1Password for Safari      (2.10.0)
975937182   Fantastical               (3.7.12)
409183694   Keynote                   (13.0)
etc.

You can also search for Mac App Store apps by name using the mas search command:

mas search Xcode

This will show a similar result for matches. You can even install all search results with a single “lucky” command. See the mas help for these and other options.

Script Example

Here's an example of a Bash script to get you started. I keep a similar script updated as I use new apps or stop using others. Then I'm ready to go when I have to set up a new or wiped Mac.

# Install Homebrew

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# App Store Automation

brew install mas

# Install App Store Apps

mas install 409183694   # Keynote
mas install 409201541   # Pages
mas install 409203825   # Numbers

# Install Non-Store Apps

brew install --cask firefox
brew install --cask knockknock
# etc.

You can name the Bash script something like install-software.sh and execute it in a Terminal like this:

zsh install-software.sh

The first time you use the script will absolutely justify the time spent writing it. The second time you run it you will thank your past self for being so smart 😉

#apple #macos #mac #tech #code #recommendation #YOUREWELCOME

Install SQL Server 2022 with Full-Text Search on Apple Silicon Macs

It looks like a recent change to Docker has allowed Macs with Apple Silicon to run a full installation of Microsoft SQL Server 2022 with full-text search in a Docker container.

How is this possible? Docker has a new feature that can use Rosetta 2 for x64 emulation. That means it supports creating an x64-based Linux image/container and installing the free but full version of SQL Server with FTS.

Step 0: Enable Rosetta in Docker

Enable this feature in the Docker settings as seen in the image below. Look in Settings => Features in development.

Step 1: Create The Dockerfile

Take the content below and save it as a text file named Dockerfile. This configuration creates an Ubuntu 20.04 image, then installs the Microsoft package repositories, SQL Server 2022, FTS, and MS Tools.

# Docker image with msssql 2022 with full text search enabled;
# Based on work in: https://github.com/Microsoft/mssql-docker

# Base OS layer: Latest Ubuntu LTS
FROM --platform=linux/amd64 ubuntu:focal

# Install prerequistes since it is needed to get repo config for SQL server
RUN export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive && \
    apt-get update && \
    apt-get install -yq curl apt-transport-https gnupg && \
    # Get official Microsoft repository configuration
    curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | apt-key add - && \
    curl https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/20.04/packages-microsoft-prod.deb --output packages-microsoft-prod.deb && dpkg -i packages-microsoft-prod.deb && \
    curl https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/20.04/mssql-server-2022.list | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mssql-server.list && \
    apt-get update  && \
    # Install SQL Server from apt
    apt-get install -y mssql-server && \
    # Install optional packages
    apt-get install -y mssql-server-fts && \
    ACCEPT_EULA=Y apt-get install -y mssql-tools && \
    # Cleanup the Dockerfile
    apt-get clean && \
    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists

# Run SQL Server process
CMD /opt/mssql/bin/sqlservr

Step 2: Build The Dockerfile

This will build the Dockerfile and create a Docker image named sqlserver.

docker build -t "sqlserver:latest" .

Step 3: Run the Container

This will create a container from the new image and run it. The sa user will have a password of P@ssw0rdz!, the EULA will be accepted, and port 1433 will be opened.

docker run -d --platform linux/amd64 --name sqlserver -e 'ACCEPT_EULA=Y' -e 'SA_PASSWORD=P@ssw0rdz!' -p 1433:1433 sqlserver:latest

At this point you should have SQL Server running! You can also have it start up with Docker by executing the command below:

docker update --restart=always sqlserver

#docker #code #mssql #AppleSilicon #YOUREWELCOME

Wouldn't it be cool if Apple Music for iOS allowed you to sort the tracks in a smart playlist like 10 years ago?

#Apple #iOS #tech #opinion #YOUREWELCOME

The iOS-ification of macOS

Apple's decision to make #macOS look and feel more like #iOS is aspirational, certainly. If users could seamlessly switch between operating systems and retain muscle memory it would be a big win. It's no wonder that #Apple decided to do this with macOS 13 #Ventura.

But in practice, Apple's zeal for consolidation has created some real problems for users. In many cases it feels like one step forward and two steps back. I can see how iOS power users may welcome most of the changes to macOS, but that position smacks of Stockholm Syndrome to me.

One of the best examples of this is the redesigned System Settings, which is a mess. I've given it months to “grow on me” and it has… like a fungal infection. The settings are (dis)organized into a single column of top-level categories in a seemingly random order. Devices running macOS have wide screens, so restricting the top-level categories to a single narrow column is an artificial limitation. And it can’t be remedied by resizing the System Settings window because only its height can be changed.

And the organization? macOS has a much deeper and more broad collection of settings than iOS. So as difficult as specific iOS settings can be to find on an iPhone, it’s near impossible on a Mac. And making it worse is the fact that some settings have been organized out of existence, spread out into disparate, counterintuitive categories. Want to tune all your power and sleep settings? You may have to explore a dozen settings categories to find them when they could have been put into an “Energy” category or something similar. Luckily there is a search feature. Without it I’m sure users would be surrounding the Apple Campus with pitchforks and torches.

Also part of this convergence initiative is the Apple decision to make physical keyboards work more like the iOS virtual keyboard, which changes contextually. The difference is that the iOS keyboard changes in appearance so you can infer what's expected. This means that, for example, sometimes you can use the delete key to remove characters to the right of your cursor, and sometimes you can't. It's like an infuriating game. And now when you press and hold an alphanumeric key it no longer repeats, in favor of a popup with extended characters (e.g. foreign characters with accents and ligatures). I suppose that’s handy for people who write in a foreign language. But you would assume that it would be an option, not a change to the original default key behavior. Your keyboard isn’t broken. Apple made it better #YOUREWELCOME.

#tech #opinion

Life hack: you can take pills with a drink of water instead of hiding them in your food.

#YOUREWELCOME #humor

Someone is putting cowboy hats on pigeons in Las Vegas. YOU’RE WELCOME.

Someone Is Putting Cowboy Hats on Pigeons in Las Vegas (Published 2019)

www.nytimes.com

#humor #YOUREWELCOME

PARENTING PRO TIP: Those things we use to store old plastic grocery store bags are also great for teaching kids how a human colon works.

#humor #YOUREWELCOME

Great Christmas gift for cat owners. Bedazzle your cat’s butthole.

Twinkle Tush

m.youtube.com

#humor #cats #recommendation #YOUREWELCOME

I’m going to ruin two things for you: #StarWars and #Christmas.

The Star Wars Holiday Special (Complete Movie)

youtu.be

#YOUREWELCOME

Eat a chocolate chip cookie before you brush your teeth. It’s like brushing with Junior Mints.

#YOUREWELCOME #humor

Recommendation for Discovery Network: change “Shark Week” to “Shart Week” and watch the ratings go through the roof.

#YOUREWELCOME #tv #humor

Callipygian: pertaining to or having finely developed buttocks. #YOUREWELCOME.

#pedantry #humor

Why chihuahuas don’t run in the snow…

Why chihuahuas don't run on the snow?

youtu.be

#YOUREWELCOME #humor

“Taco cat” spelled backwards is “Taco cat”. #YOUREWELCOME.

#pedantry #humor