OnyX

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OnyX
OnyX.png
OnyX Parameters.png
OnyX running on Mac OS X Leopard with "Parameters" pane open.
Developer(s) Joël Barrière
Stable release 2.0.5  (2009-08-22; 51 days ago) [+/−]
Preview release 2.1 Beta 2  (2009-09-26; 16 days ago) [+/−]
Operating system Mac OS X
Available in Multilingual
Type Utilities, Maintenance, Optimization
License Freeware
Website Titanium Software

OnyX is a popular freeware utility for Mac OS X developed by French developer Joël Barrière compatible with both PowerPC and Intel processors. It is a multifunctional tool for maintenance and optimization, and can control many basic Unix programs already built into OS X. It can also help set hidden preferences otherwise modified by using property list editors and the command line.[1] It has become a highly praised utility among many[who?] in the Mac community, in part due to its extensive language support and excellent help files.

Contents

[edit] Features

  • Verify S.M.A.R.T. status
  • Verify the structure of the file system on the start-up volume
  • Repair disk permissions
  • Check user and system .plist syntax
  • Configure certain parameters hidden from the system and from certain applications
  • Empty System, User, Internet, Font caches
  • Force Empty the Trash
  • Rebuild Launch Services
  • Rebuild Spotlight and Mail indexes

[edit] Development

Created in 2003 by Joël Barrière, a.k.a. Titanium, the program was originally meant to address its creator's personal needs. Developed using Xcode, Apple's software development environment (Cocoa + AppleScript Studio + Objective-C), OnyX is regularly updated by its author taking into consideration users' suggestions and requests. The program to do its job uses OS X's standard Unix utilities, allowing their control through a graphical user interface without needing the command line. OnyX is freeware.

[edit] Versions

Onyx has versions which are both specific to each version of Mac OS X and not backward-compatible. The program will not work correctly if used with an OS it wasn't designed for.

  • Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar) : OnyX version 1.3.1.
  • Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) : OnyX version 1.5.3.
  • Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) : OnyX version 1.8.5.
  • Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) : OnyX version 2.0.4

Only the last two versions (1.8.5 and 2.0.4 for Tiger and Leopard) are actively maintained.

[edit] References

[edit] External links