Dropbox [link] is a highly recommended service that lets you share large files amongst different groups and machines that I’ve written about before [here].  MobileMe is a very not-free service that provides marginal utility for Mac users.

If you’re like me, the only reason to use MobileMe on a daily basis is to keep my machines in sync.  So if there was a technique to use DropBox rather than MobileMe to handle all that syncing of data, wouldn’t we all just drop MobileMe in a heartbeat?  I know I would.

Well, so far, I’ve managed to replace the syncing for my third-party apps with sym linking, terminal, and DropBox.  I won’t go into detail here.  Instead, I’ll refer you to a very excellent walkthroughхотелско обзавеждане of the technique provided by the makers of TextExpander over at SmileOnMyMac. Link to the story here.

You’ll want to signup and download DropBox for free if you haven’t already done so.

Now, if we can figure out how to sync first-party apps, we can finally kick MobileMe to the curb and spend that $100 a year on something better.

By default, the root account is disabled in OS X. If you are a developer new to the platform, you will be needing to access many things that are available only with root access. This tutorial walks you through the process of enabling the root account in Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6).

NOTE: This guide is specific to enabling root access on Snow Leopard, (10.6). To learn how to enable root access on Tiger (10.4), follow these instructions instead. To learn how to enable root access in Leopard (10.5), follow these instructions.

Enabling Root in Snow Leopard 10.6:

1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences and click Accounts
2. Click Login Options
3. Click either Edit or Join in the Network Account Server section
4. Click Open Directory Utility
5. Click the lock icon to unlock it, and then enter your administrator name and password
6. Choose Edit > Enable Root User, and then enter a root password in the Password and Verify fields

Now, you are set to access protected areas of the system via the terminal.