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macOS Ventura 13.2
I posted on twitter "What could possibly go wrong?" And for my Mac computers with Apple silicon nothing went wrong, and a fellow mac user (@scarychildren on twitter) chided me a little saying "Literally never had an issue with a macOS update in over 20 years". But my new (to me) i7 based Mac Mini 8,1 - the last Intel Mac Mini - which is supported by macOS Ventura the update needed me to get into the depths of macOS like it was 2009.
TL:DR macOS updates are usually fine these days but they can get messy and if they do theres a set of steps you can take to cleanly install.
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Read more: Intel based Mac Ventura update needed EFI firmware
This is a screensho of Kali Linux, Ubuntu Linux, andWindows 11 all running in VMware Fusion. These are all ARM virtual machines created when experimenting with virtualisation on a Mac Studio with an M1 Ultra chip.
I have now switched to using Viable and Liviable - two excellend lightweight virtualisation tools for macOS which you can find at Virtualisation on Apple silicon (Eclectic Light). Fusion is great and free but it cannot virtualise macOS and it is proably better to keep a Linux or Windows machine around to preserve needed older Intel based virtual machines which cannot run on a Mac computer with Apple silicon.
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I expect most Mac users rely on Quick Look even though they may not know much about it. Quick Look is a technology that lets you view the contents of most documents in the finder on a Mac by pressing the spacebar. Once understood it becomes indispensable. So much so that in recent work where I need to use Windows 11 I find myself unable to be as productive when doing the exact same task just because this feature isn't part of Windows Explorer. So lets look at how to make that better.
TL:DR There is a somewhat clunky preview pane in Windows Explorer. But there is an app which provides equivalent or even better functionality, and it is free too!
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Read more: Is there an equivalent to Quick Look for macOS on Windows?
Multiple projects, one set of consistent tools, one roadmap?
A client wants to consider standardising on Jira and Confluence across their entire portfolio so I thought I'd implement these tools from Atlassian for all my projects first as a proving exercise. Previously I've used Assembla (really great tools but clunky and unloved) and GitHub (really great tools and community but questions over ownership intentions amplified by copilot) so I'm no stranger to these kinds of tools. I thought my write up might be interesting even though Atlassian was crowned "a very boring software company" in The New York Times for its focus on development and management software.
Atlassian has around 7,000 employees, almost a quarter of a million customers and around 10 million monthly active users. It is famous for Jira and Confluence and acquired Trello, Bitbucket and a host of other organisations. So its a pretty safe bet. Jira has a generous free tier too, which is welcome.
TL:DR If you like ticket tools, feature prioritisation, software product roadmaps, software assurance and devops tools you might find this interesting.
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Sprints
In the first article, Project setup in Jira, I got started with Jira for multiple projects, setting up boards for them and a Cross Project Board to give an overview of Everything, Everywhere in one place. I noted Jira has automatic unique numbering of issues which is vital! I set up my project to use the same Issue type scheme so that all my projects are identical and any future changes I make apply to all these projects.
Theres just one problem. Theres nothing in Jira to manage yet! So lets create sprints and issues for each project in order that we can then use the Jira Dashboard and the Cross Project Board to make sense of everything.
TL:DR: – If you like issue management tools, sprints and work prioritisation, and software product roadmaps you might find this interesting.
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Installing Flutter 3.0 on a Mac Mini (2018) running macOS Ventura
Running the flutter 3.0 based 'Hello, world' app on a macOS computer with an Intel processor.
Flutter 3.0 can now create macOS desktop apps which run on Mac computers. This is the hello world example app.
TL:DR— Getting this running took around a dozen commands, and a bit of default question answering and installer clicking for Flutter, Xcode and Android Studio, both of which you have to launch at least once after installation. It took about 15 minutes to set it up. I use a folder called 'Development' in my home directory but you can choose whatever name makes sense for you.
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Read more: Flutter on Intel Mac, and first app, in about 15 mins
Kali Linux: A Robust Platform for Security Professionals
Kali Linux is a versatile, open-source Linux distribution based on Debian, designed specifically for advanced information security tasks. Its key applications include penetration testing, security research, computer forensics, and reverse engineering. For cloud-based environments, a Kali Linux Amazon Machine Image (AMI) is available for deployment on Amazon EC2 within Amazon Web Services (AWS). This setup is ideal for organisations requiring an internal penetration testing environment. To quote the developers of Kali Linux: “Try harder!”
What Sets Kali Linux Apart?
Kali Linux is meticulously crafted with penetration testers in mind, but adapting it to your specific requirements may involve a learning curve. Below are some considerations highlighted by the developers:
- Specialised Design: Tailored for professional pentesting, Kali Linux might not align perfectly with all use cases out of the box. Adjustments and configurations may be required.
- Learning Curve: Users new to Linux or unfamiliar with command-line interfaces might find the system challenging, despite efforts to enhance usability.
- Hardware Compatibility: While designed to support a wide range of hardware, some components may exhibit compatibility issues. Researching hardware requirements prior to installation is strongly advised to avoid potential issues.
- First-Time Installation: For beginners, installing Kali Linux on a virtual machine is recommended as a preliminary step. This approach allows users to familiarise themselves with the system before committing to a physical installation.
For further details, refer to the comprehensive guide: "Should I Use Kali Linux?"
TL:DR – If you’ve decided to deploy Kali Linux in AWS, the following sections will provide a detailed, step-by-step guide to get you started.
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Read more: Kali Linux on EC2 in AWS for Pen Testing (Part 1)
- Kali Linux on EC2 in AWS for Pen Testing (Part 2)
- Kali Linux on EC2 in AWS for Pen Testing (Part 3)
- Software Assurance
- Find your Windows product key
- Lets Encrypt secure virtual hosts on Ubuntu Linux
- Saved £369 on the iPad Pro at CeX in the UK
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- Create/Edit Budgets/Alerts in Google Cloud Billing
- New Cassette recorders in 2025
- Backing up Windows 11
- System Settings in macOS
- FREE Windows web server with a Lets Encrypt SSL certificate in AWS