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Syslogd Overwhelming Your Computer?

If your Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5) system is unexpectedly sluggish, logging might be the culprit. Run Activity Monitor (Applications/Utilities/ folder), and click the CPU column twice to get it to show most to least activity. If syslogd is at the top of the list, there's a fix. Syslogd tracks informational messages produced by software and writes them to the asl.db, a file in your Unix /var/log/ directory. It's a known problem that syslogd can run amok. There's a fix: deleting the asl.db file.

Launch Terminal (from the same Utilities folder), and enter these commands exactly as written, entering your administrative password when prompted:

sudo launchctl stop com.apple.syslogd

sudo rm /var/log/asl.db

sudo launchctl start com.apple.syslogd

Your system should settle down to normal. For more information, follow the link.

Visit Discussion of syslogd problem at Smarticus

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Published in TidBITS 684.
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16 Jun 2003 | Print Printer-Friendly Version of This Article

QuicKeys X2 Beefs Up Macros

by Adam C. Engst Send Email to Author

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QuicKeys X2 Beefs Up Macros -- CE Software has released QuicKeys X2, the latest Mac OS X version of their long-standing macro utility (see "QuicKeys X: Return of the Ghost" in TidBITS-602). Along with a redesigned interface, this release brings to Mac OS X capabilities that previously existed only in the classic version of QuicKeys. For instance, QuicKeys X2 can now watch your actions and record them for later playback, which simplifies making multiple-step shortcuts. More automated tasks have returned as well, so you can now store and retrieve images and text within shortcuts, find and activate buttons by name or location, and find and access pop-up menus by name or location. The return of some programming constructs, including repeat loops, waiting for user actions, and feedback dialogs, will also make multiple-step shortcuts significantly more powerful. Other improvements and new features include customizable date and time formats, a shortcut debugger that runs through multiple step shortcuts one step at a time, an inspector window that helps you configure shortcut behavior, tabbed toolbars, and more control over which applications are affected by specific shortcuts. QuicKeys X2 requires Mac OS X 10.2.3 or later. It costs $100, with upgrades between $20 and $70, depending on your current version of QuicKeys. A 30-day trial version is available as a 10.5 MB download. [ACE]

<http://www.cesoft.com/products/qkx.html>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/06603>
<http://www.cesoft.com/products/qkx2- upgrade.html>
<http://www.cesoft.com/downloads/demos.html>

 

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