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Extensions management on X
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jeronimo
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Aug 11, 2001, 09:03 PM
 
Ok, how do I keep control of the extentions on OS X?
Think Diferente!
     
davidmd
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Aug 11, 2001, 10:00 PM
 
Simple: You don't. There are none!

Originally posted by jeronimo:
<STRONG>Ok, how do I keep control of the extentions on OS X? </STRONG>
     
<frankie>
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Aug 11, 2001, 10:08 PM
 
"extensions" ala OS 9 don't exist. kernel extensions may be what you're thinking of, but they are a different animal altogether. Kernel extensions, or ".kext"s are located in the System folder in OS X, under the folder "extensions" but will rarely if ever need to be dealt with by you. There's no such thing as an extension conflict with these, but I suppose a bad kext can be written to destabilize your system.
     
<BlackGriffen>
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Aug 11, 2001, 10:39 PM
 
Originally posted by &lt;frankie&gt;:
<STRONG>"extensions" ala OS 9 don't exist. kernel extensions may be what you're thinking of, but they are a different animal altogether. Kernel extensions, or ".kext"s are located in the System folder in OS X, under the folder "extensions" but will rarely if ever need to be dealt with by you. There's no such thing as an extension conflict with these, but I suppose a bad kext can be written to destabilize your system.</STRONG>
If you want to control .kexts, get a program called Boot Config from Versiontracker.

The Black Griffen
Too lazy to log in.
     
jeronimo  (op)
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Aug 12, 2001, 12:03 AM
 
So basically, there is no way to keep the system clean?! I mean, by saving some ram... ?
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Scrod
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Aug 12, 2001, 12:24 AM
 
Originally posted by jeronimo:
<STRONG>So basically, there is no way to keep the system clean?! I mean, by saving some ram... ?</STRONG>
Go read up on Mac OS X before you start making blind assumptions like that. Mac OS X is NOTHING LIKE MAC OS 9.
I abused my signature until she cried.
     
Group51
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Aug 12, 2001, 07:21 AM
 
Originally posted by Scrod:
<STRONG>

Go read up on Mac OS X before you start making blind assumptions like that. Mac OS X is NOTHING LIKE MAC OS 9.</STRONG>
I gather that in X these things are dynamically loaded, so, since I don't have DVD or FireWire, I won't be running the code for those things? But In OS 9, I am able to delete the specific extensions to free space on my HD (and all the irrlevant printer and video drivers).

Can I still do this in OS X?
     
Spheric Harlot
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Aug 12, 2001, 09:09 AM
 
Originally posted by Scrod:
<STRONG>Go read up on Mac OS X before you start making blind assumptions like that. Mac OS X is NOTHING LIKE MAC OS 9.</STRONG>
Hey - go easy. He's asking, i'n he?

Disabling stuff to free up RAM *is* a non-issue.
As for deleting stuff to free up disk space, I'm not touching that.
     
<buon>
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Aug 12, 2001, 01:10 PM
 
My understnading is that, yes, kexts are loaded/used on an as-needed basis, so having the kext for nVidia GeForce II won't affect your iBook which is using a ATI Rage Pro or whatever. I also imagine you can simply chuck what you don't use -- they're only files, they don't have deep hooks in the kernel or anything. But tread carefully. As a rule of thumb, when in doubt leave it in.
     
Ghoser777
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Aug 12, 2001, 01:11 PM
 
Originally posted by Group51:
<STRONG>

I gather that in X these things are dynamically loaded, so, since I don't have DVD or FireWire, I won't be running the code for those things? But In OS 9, I am able to delete the specific extensions to free space on my HD (and all the irrlevant printer and video drivers).

Can I still do this in OS X?</STRONG>
I suppose you could, but how much disk space are you going to save? These .kext files aren't very big, and messing with them can risk messing up your whole system. I'd suggest not touching them and if you really need more disk space, get yourself an external hardrive.

F-bacher
     
<buon>
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Aug 12, 2001, 01:15 PM
 
You can't delete kexts as an admin. I just tested on an nVidia driver. Most are about 40-50kB in size, with only a few being bigger (up to 1.5 MB for video drivers).
     
a holck
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Aug 12, 2001, 01:17 PM
 
It would be nice if we had some sort of system administration tool.
I remember installing that extra 73 MB of printerdrivers on 10.1....just to get my single printer to work
     
ARENA
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Aug 12, 2001, 01:27 PM
 
It would be nice if we had some sort of system administration tool.
I remember installing that extra 73 MB of printerdrivers on 10.1....just to get my single printer to work
Well, that�s just the same, you can delete all the printer drivers that you don�t use in the /Library/Printers
I installed the package too, just to use my Epson 740, so I deleted the HP and Canon folders, and then deleted all the printers inside the Epson folder that i don�t use. I saved over 60 MBs.
There should be customize option to select what printers to install rather than the full Printer dirvers.pkg , like the way Mac OS X 10.1 have to select what languages to install.
     
Mithras
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Aug 12, 2001, 04:30 PM
 
What really bugs me is that third-party drivers that I download are installed into the System/Library/Extensions folder.

As far as I understand, Apple intends the System folder to be built and maintained only by - surprise - the system. The idea is to make it easy to separate the Apple-built parts from the user-customized parts.

All of the local customizations take place either in the root-level Library folder, the Applications folder, or within each user's personal home folder. For example, custom Startup Items no longer go in the System folder, but in the Library folder.

So if you re-install OS X, or want to back it up, or move machines, all you have to worry about are your personal changes in Library, Applications, and the User folders. And when you upgrade OS X to a new version, it will make lots of changes to the System folder, which you don't have to worry about. (It also will update some apps in the Applications folder).

But with third-party drivers going into the System folder, this tidy little scheme is messed up. Now I have to make sure to dig around into the System folder to copy and back up my custom drivers, or keep the installers around and successively re-installing them instead of just copying them.

Anybody else with me on this?
     
Mithras
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Aug 12, 2001, 04:40 PM
 
Incidentally, a quick Get Info shows that the entire System/Library/Extensions folder is 13.7 megabytes. Woo-hoo.

If you're that desperate to free up a little disk space, you'd be better off trashing Internet Explorer (20+ megs).

Or, if you're *really* into endangering your system for scant gains, you can try tossing unused foreign languages.
     
BuonRotto
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Aug 12, 2001, 05:13 PM
 
I'm with you on that, Mithras. My feeling is that the System folder should essentially be invisible to users, with possible exception to root and that absolutely no third-party stuff should clutter it. Even Apple should only put essential stuff in there or else place in either the Library folder or in a user's library, whichever is more applicable per instance.

PS: How's the cult coming along? I haven't heard much from your bunch since that whole Jesus thing took off.
     
Sam Agnew
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Aug 12, 2001, 05:50 PM
 
How about /System modifyable only by root (not admin)? Wouldn't this solve it?
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Sam Agnew
     
Mithras
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Aug 12, 2001, 06:27 PM
 
In the Finder, /System is indeed not writable by admins, as buon noted above. But installers (either Apple's or anybody else's) can setuid to root, and thereby do as they like with /System.

Actually, that makes another annoying fact: you can use graphical programs to install drivers into the Extensions folder, but you can't unintall them, because the Apple installer doesn't yet uninstall, and admins can't use the Finder to change /System. The only solution is to enable root and use the Terminal.

Clearly, something has to change.

mithras

p.s. thanks, buonrotto, for the recognition. Yeah, that J.C. guy got way more popular. I had it all - the virgin birth at solstice, resurrection, symbolic rebirth; those other guys just had a better PR firm i guess...
     
palec
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Aug 15, 2001, 09:48 AM
 
Originally posted by jeronimo:
<STRONG>Ok, how do I keep control of the extentions on OS X? </STRONG>
In OS X there are also StartupItems which have similar functionality to Classic extensions - they run background processes. You can enable/disable by moving them into/from StartupItems in /System/Library or /Library. Other way is by renaming startup script, for example in folder /Library/StartupItems/SAMBA rename file SAMBA to anything else (for example SAMBA.disabled) and restart - SAMBA will be disabled. If you want to enable rename it to SAMBA and run that script as admin (using PSEUDO app or type in terminal "sudo /Library/StartupItems/SAMBA/SAMBA" and it's on without restart.
     
   
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