Java is open-source, fortunately. Accessing its source code is, unfortunately, not so intuitive on Mac OS X Lion when using Eclipse. This article will guide you through the steps required to be able to view Java’s source code in Eclipse.

Assigning a DNS name to a virtual machine can be a convenient thing. Do this is not very complicated, it requires some technical skill though. This tutorial shows how to do this with a Ubuntu 11.10 Linux server running under Parallels Desktop 7 on Mac OS X Lion. The basic principals described in this article work as well for any other combination, but that’s beyond this article (and that’s where your technical skill comes into play).

Sometimes one needs to edit a system configuration file on Mac OS X. While these files are usually text files, you can’t used Mac OS’ “TextEdit” tool to do this. Fortunately, there is a free alternative to “TextEdit” called TextWrangler.

Important: Make sure that you don’t use the AppStore version as this version doesn’t allow editing locked files. (Apple’s store guidelines prohibit this.)

First, select File –> Open... from the menu. Then, since system configuration files are often hidden or in hidden folders, select Show hidden items at the bottom of the “Open” dialog.

Then open the file you want to edit. You may notice that the file is in read-only mode (represented by the icon in the upper left corner).

To switch to write mode, either click this icon or start editing the file’s content. In both cases you’ll be asked to unlock the file. After that, you can edit the file.

When you’re done, simply save the file. You’ll be asked for your password since you’re editing a system file (that doesn’t belong to you). And that’s it.

Note: The AppStore version doesn’t ask you for your password but instead asks you to save the file under a different name.

Frohe Weihnachten, liebe Leser.

So true – oh, did I say that out loud?

Einfach nur cool