Tagged: Yosemite

How to use the Apple Watch font in Mac OS X Yosemite right now

Rumor has it that Apple will be switching the default system fault from Helvetica Neue to their own proprietary SanFrancisco font, currently used on the Apple Watch, with the next Mac OS X Yosemite update.

SanFrancisco font for Yosemite

If you love tinkering with your Mac, you can download the SanFrancisco font (direct link) and place the font files in your /Library/Fonts (that’s the Library folder at the top level of your Mac’s storage drive, not the one in your Users or System folder). Now log out and log back in to your Mac to activate the new font system-wide.

I recently installed SanFrancisco font as the default and I love it. I’ve also used other Yosemite font replacements like Fira, Source Sans, Input Sans, and even the old OS X Mavericks default, Lucida Grande.

You can patch any font you wish to be a system replacement font yourself. Unfortunately, it requires some geeky wet-work with the Terminal.

OS X Yosemite font management advice

Font Book
If you’ve upgraded to Mac OS X Yosemite (10.10), there is one important piece of advice I can give you as it pertains to fonts: Don’t ever, ever, EVER move or delete HelveticaNeueDeskInterface.ttc. You will completely hose your system, requiring a re-install of the system, or some work with a recent backup. Either way, it’s just not worth messing around with.

Unlike Mavericks (10.9), Yosemite does not have a fall-back option when it comes to the main system font. Desktop icons will use Helvetica, but menus, dialog boxes and the rest of the interface will simply be blank and unusable.

The following are the require fonts for Yosemite, and should not be moved or deleted from the System/Library/Fonts folder:

• Apple Color Emoji.ttf
• AppleSDGothicNeo-Bold.otf
• AppleSDGothicNeo-Regular.otf
• Courier.dfont
• Geneva.dfont
• Helvetica.dfont
• HelveticaNeue.dfont
• HelveticaNeueDeskInterface.ttc
• Keyboard.ttf
• LastResort.ttf
• LucidaGrande.ttc
• Menlo.ttc
• Monaco.dfont
• Symbol.ttf
• Times.dfont

All other fonts can be safely moved or deleted if you wish, though some may be required by other app such as Pages, Keynote, etc. But in general, those fonts are found in the main Library folder, not the System folder.

How to Flush DNS Cache in OS X Yosemite

TerminalSome Mac users may encounter situations where they need to flush DNS cache in OS X for a name server to resolve properly, or for some DNS address change to become noticed by their individual computer. Longtime Mac users will know that resetting DNS cache has changed in nearly every version of Mac OS X, and OS X Yosemite is no different. Thankfully, Paul over at OSXDaily has a great write-up on how to flush all your DNS Cache.

To flush and reset all DNS caches in Yosemite, launch Terminal app and type the following command:
sudo discoveryutil mdnsflushcache;sudo discoveryutil udnsflushcaches;say flushed

Be sure to check out the article linked above for more Terminal commands regarding DNS Cache.

Change OS X Yosemite’s default System font

Fira System Font Replacement

Though you can’t choose any font you wish, you can use these modified Fira Sans fonts to replace Mac OS X Yosemite’s default System Font. Best of all, it’s easy to do and involves absolutely no hacking of system files.

  1. First, download Fira System Font Replacement.
  2. Next, drop the fonts into your /Library/Fonts folder. Note that this is not your User Library folder, but the one you see at the root level of your storage drive.
  3. Now simply relaunch the Finder. To do that, Option+Click the Finder icon in the Dock and choose “Relaunch” from the menu.

You should immediately see the new font appear in all your windows and menus. If you don’t like Fira Sans as the system font, you can simply remove the fonts from the Fonts folder and relaunch the Finder again.

As I stated at the start, this won’t work with just any font. This version of Fira Sans has been altered to supersede Apple’s default system font. The original system fonts haven’t been touched, which is why you can switch back simply by removing the Fira Sans.

These fonts are intended as a system font replacement on Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite. They are based on the Fira Sans font family by Erik Spiekermann and Ralph du Carrois, and are licensed under the Open Font License version 1.1 or later. The System font replacement package has been prepared by Jens Kutilek.

Yoink updated with Yosemite compatibility and new features

Yoink 3

Eternal Storms Software recently released Yoink 3, an upgrade to their incredibly useful drag and drop utility.

Yoink 3 makes drag and drop of files and app content between windows, (fullscreen) apps and Spaces easier by providing a “shelf” where file drags can be temporarily placed—allowing the mouse to be free to move and navigate to the destination of the drag. This is especially helpful when it comes to windows in different spaces, apps or fullscreen windows. You can view the demo video on the Eternal Storms website to give you a better idea of what it does, but I assure you that if you use OS X’s Full Screen feature, it’s almost a must have!

Yoink 3 Features

  • Yoink’s window can now be resized or automatically adjusted in height based on the number of files in it
  • Quickly view files in a file-stack in Yoink by right-clicking onto it
  • A fresh, new look that fits in perfectly with Yosemite
  • A new, hand-crafted App-Icon and interface elements throughout the app
  • Improvements and bug fixes, like better QuickLook Previews, cleaned-up preferences and better localization of filenames and paths

Yoink 3 is available on the Mac App Store for $4.99. If you’re already a Yoink user, the upgrade is free! Yoink is designed for and requires OS X Lion or newer – OS X Yosemite is recommended.

I absolutely love this little utility, it’s one of the few I’ve come across that has had staying power on my Macs.

The most in-depth review of OS X Yosemite you’ll find

The most in-depth review of OS X Yosemite you'll find

OS X Yosemite
OS X Yosemite has been out for a while now, and I’m enjoying the heck out of using it. It’s probably the most full-featured OS release Apple has offered us in quite a while. While you’ve probably read plenty about the hero features, it’s still worth reading John Siracusa’s full review. At 25 pages in length, it’s about as in-depth as you can get.

About The Graphic Mac

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