Category: Technology

Fix? MacBook Air USB Ethernet

USB Ethernet Connected

I’ve got a 2010 MacBookAir3,1 — 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo — OS 10.6.8

I’ve had a terrible time getting my USB Ethernet adapter to work. Trouble both at home and at the office. Across 3 different adapters.

I’d get either of these messages:

“Self-assigned IP address”

or

“Ethernet is not connected”

After a couple of months of giving up entirely, I’ve done some research and have found a fix of sorts. Steps I took:

  1. In System Preferences > Networking …
  2. Created a new location, getting off the Automatic location
  3. Clicked the plus in the bottom left to create a USB Ethernet connection
  4. Under that connection, clicked the “Advanced …” button in the lower right
  5. Selected the Ethernet tab (farthest on the right)
  6. Edited the settings under that tab as follows:
    • Configure: changed from Automatically to Manually
    • Speed: 10baseT/UTP
    • Duplex: half-duplex
    • MTU: Standard

I’ll admit I don’t know what these settings do.

But suddenly my USB is recognized and works.

Though none supplied this fix, I gleaned ideas from these comments in Apple support pages, some of which led me in this direction.

Seems utterly strange to me that there are no published fixes rolled into Apple updates.

Design for 3 Screens — Make That 5: Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox

Summary:

Mobile use will rise, but desktop computers will remain important, forcing companies to design for multiple platforms, requiring continuity in visual design, features, user data, and tone of voice.

via Transmedia Design for 3 Screens — Make That 5: Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox

Mozilla Developing a WebAPI to replace native apps with HTML5

Mozilla has launched an ambitious new project aimed at breaking down the proprietary app systems on today’s mobile devices. The project, dubbed WebAPI, is Mozilla’s effort to provide a consistent, cross-platform, web-based API for mobile app developers. Using WebAPI, developers would write HTML5 applications rather than native apps for iOS, Android, and other mobile platforms.

Mozilla isn’t just talking about WebAPI, it’s already hard at work and plans to develop the APIs necessary to provide “a basic HTML5 phone experience” within six months. After that, the APIs will be submitted to the W3C for standardization.

Among the APIs Mozilla wants to develop are a telephone and messaging API for calls and SMS, a contacts API, a camera API and half a dozen more.

via Mozilla WebAPI wants to replace native apps with HTML5 — Ars Technica.