BetterAuthorizationSample

Finally, Apple posted BetterAuthorizationSample, a sample project that demonstrates how to securely use Mac OS X authorization API.

Apple's older sample code (AuthSample and MoreAuthSample) used a setuid root privileged helper tool. BAS uses launchd because it's more secure. In the BAS design, an attacker can't directly control the environment which the helper tool inherits, and that prevents a variety of potential attacks.

This sample code supersedes the four years old Project Builder MoreIsBetter/MoreSecurity sample code that warned: No matter what you do, the current AuthorizationExecuteWithPrivileges model allows for security violations [3093666]. It comes as a Xcode project that compiles without tweaking and with three documentation files that look quite complete: Design and Implementation Rationale, Performing Privileged Operations With BetterAuthorizationSampleLib and Read Me About BetterAuthorizationSample.

Front Row for Tiger

Leopard users have the Front Row application in their Applications folder. It may be useful if you want to automatically launch front Row when your computer starts up by adding a login item for example.

Now, Tiger users can also use this convenient Front Row application. Leopard users who have accidentally deleted their Front Row application can also use it.

Front Row 1.0 (29 Ko)

I have not tested it on unsupported Macs, i.e. those without an Apple Remote. If you have such a Mac, please report in the comments if it works or if it still requires Front Row Enabler.

This Front Row launcher has been written from scratch. Here is the source code:

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    BSRemoteUIToggle();
    return 0;
}

Region X Universal Binary

Thanks to ben11, a member of the rpc1 forums, new RPC-1 firmware updates are available for Matshita drives. This is great, but something was missing: an universal binary version of Region X. An intel only version is available, but it's english only and well, an universal binary version is just better. Unfortunately, xvi — the author of Region X — retired several years ago. Fortunately, he made Region X sources publicly available. So I recompiled it as an universal binary and I updated the version number to 1.1.3. Feedback is welcome.

Region X 1.1.3

Version history (version 1.0.0 to 1.1.2 are actually from xvi)

Version 1.1.3 (2007-09-12)

* Recompiled as universal binary

Version 1.1.2 (2005-01-12)

* Corrected a case where settings were not properly stored

Version 1.1.1 (2004-05-09)

* Added RPC-1 drive warning
* Region not set and 5 changes left logic tuned

Version 1.1.0 (2004-04-25)

* Japanese localization added, by Satoshi Ash
* Chinese localization added, by 季娇

Version 1.0.9 (2004-03-21)

* Changes to the settings read/write system
* New icon

Version 1.0.8 (2004-02-07)

* Spanish localization added, by 宗次郎

Version 1.0.7 (2004-01-25)

* Greek localization added, by Alexandros Tr
* Drag and drop installation

Version 1.0.6 (2003-12-29)

* Enhanced current settings reading, now compatible with OS X on UFS partition
* Window position is now remembered across launches

Version 1.0.5 (2002-10-16)

* Added Region not set case handling

Version 1.0.4 (2002-06-25)

* For Mac OS X 10.1.5

Version 1.0.3 (2002-02-27)

* Added German localization (translation by Ralph and David)
* Added safety check for privileged attribute

Version 1.0.2 (2001-11-26)

* Changed handling of five changes left logic to be more user friendly
* Added Dutch localization (translation by iRob)
* Added Italian localization (translation by Michele)
* For DVD Player 3.0.1

Version 1.0.1 (2001-11-11)

* Improved region settings validity check
* Enhanced documentation now in Help menu
* Added my photo (that incredible feature was requested by my wife)
* Multilingual version, english and french

Version 1.0.0 (2001-10-18)

* First release for OS X, english only
* Full native Cocoa application

Looking for a german translator for Bandes-annonces Front Row

The upcoming version of Bandes-annonces Front Row will be international. For those who don't know, Bandes-annonces Front Row enables you to change the trailers you watch inside Front Row. In the previous version, trailers came from AlloCiné, a french cinema site. In the upcoming version, the user will have several choices. I'm looking for a german translator as one of the source provides german trailers.

So if you are interested in watching german trailers inside Front Row and if you would like to spend a few minutes to translate Bandes-annonces Front Row, please post a comment.

Here are some screenshots so that you have an idea of what it looks like.

L'effet MacBidouille

Le 7 mai, MacBidouille a parlé de Bandes-annonces Front Row dans ses news. Résultat: une augmentation de la fréquentation aussi spectaculaire que soudaine.
Mon hébergeur n'a d'aillers pas tenu le coup et certains ont eu des soucis pour télécharger Bandes-annonces Front Row. Je trouverai mieux pour la prochaine version, même si la fréquentation ne sera certainement pas aussi grande.

Front Row Trailers

English version below

Front Row Trailers est le nouveau nom de Bandes-annonces Front Row depuis la version 2.1.

Front Row Trailers n'est plus disponible. Veuillez vous référer aux instructions pour restaurer les bandes-annonces originale d'Apple.

Foire Aux Questions

Q: Comment faire pour désinstaller Front Row Trailers ?
R: Il n'y a pas besoin de désinstaller Front Row Trailers, il suffit de sélectionner la source Apple (US) et les bandes-annonces d'origine seront de retour.

Q: Est-ce que Front Row Trailers est compatible avec Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5) ?
R: Oui

Q: Sur Leopard, je dois entrer mon mot de passe à chaque fois que je change de source, que puis-je faire pour éviter cela ?
R: Il suffit de taper la commande suivante dans le Terminal (une fois la commande entrée, il faut taper son mon de passe):

sudo chmod o+w /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/BackRow.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Trailers.plist

Q: Est-il possible de désactiver les bandes-annonces ?
R: Depuis la version 2.1.1, Front Row Trailers le permet en choisissant la source spéciale Deny.
Sur Leopard, il est aussi possible de désactiver les menus iTunes Top Movies, iTunes Top Songs et iTunes Top Music Videos en entrant la commande suivante dans le Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.frontrow EnableITMS -bool NO

Attention: cette commande doit être entrée avant de choisir la source Deny dans Front Row Trailers.

Q: Sur Leopard, certaines bandes-annonces ne se lisent pas aussi bien que sur Tiger ou ne fonctionnent même pas du tout. Prévoyez-vous de distribuer une mise à jour ?
R: Front Row pour Leopard utilise une architecture très différente de celle de Front Row pour Tiger. Tandis que Front Row pour Tiger utilise QuickTime pour lire les bandes-annonces, Front Row pour Leopard semble utiliser son propre méchanisme passant outre QuickTime. Alors que les bandes-annonces se lisent bien dans QuickTime player, celles-ci peuvent ne pas fonctionner dans Front Row. C'est notamment le cas avec les bandes-annonces allemandes utilisant le codec Sorenson 3. Malheureusement, il n'y a rien que je puisse faire. Néanmoins, une future mise à jour de Front Row ou de QuickTime pourrait résoudre ces problèmes.

Historique des versions

Version 2.1.2 (2008-01-24)

* Ajouté Ciné.ch (source suisse romande)
* Détection correcte de la version de QuickTime

Version 2.1.1 (2007-12-18)

* Ajouté Lycos (source espagnole)
* Enlevé Cinefacts (l'accès à Front Row Trailers a été bloqué)
* Possibilité d'interdire les bandes-annonces

Version 2.1 (2007-10-15)

* Changement de nom
* Bandes-annonces haute définition
* 20 sources
* Traduction italienne
* Traduction danoise
* Options de tri
* Nouveau système de mise à jour

Version 2.0.2 (2007-08-20)

* Corrige un bogue dans la détection de Perian

Version 2.0.1 (2007-06-22)

* Corrige un bogue dans la détection des composants QuickTime

Version 2.0 (2007-06-21)

* Nouvelle interface
* 9 nouvelles sources de bandes-annonces à choix

Version 1.1 (2007-05-03)

* Suppresion des saccades

Version 1.0 (2007-02-19)

* Version initiale

---

Bandes-annonces Front Row is know as Front Row Trailers since version 2.1.

Front Row Trailers isn't available anymore. Please refer to instructions to restore factory Apple trailers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I uninstall Front Row Trailers ?
A: There is no need to uninstall Front Row Trailers, just select the Apple (US) source and you will get the original trailers from Apple.

Q: Is Front Row Trailers compatible with Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5) ?
A: Yes

Q: In Leopard, I am prompted for my password every time I change the source, is there anything I can do about that ?
A: Just type the following command in the Terminal (you will have to type your password):

sudo chmod o+w /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/BackRow.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Trailers.plist

Q: Is it possible to disable the theatrical trailers ?
A: Since version 2.1.1, Front Row Trailers is able to deny trailers access by choosing the special Deny source.
On Leopard, it is also possible to disable the iTunes Top Movies, iTunes Top Songs and iTunes Top Music Videos menus by typing the following command in the Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.frontrow EnableITMS -bool NO

Warning: this command must be typed before choosing the Deny source.

Q: In Leopard, some trailers won't play as smoothly as in Tiger or won't even play at all. Are you planing to release an update ?
A: Front Row for Leopard uses a very different architecture than Front Row for Tiger. Whereas Front Row for Tiger uses QuickTime for playing the trailers, Front Row for Leopard seems to uses its own mechanism ignoring QuickTime. While the trailers play fine in QuickTime Player, they may not play in Front Row. This is notably the case with german trailers using the Sorenson Video 3 codec. Unfortunately, I can not do anything about that. Nevertheless, a future update of Front Row or QuickTime may fix these issues.

Version history

Version 2.1.2 (2008-01-24)

* Added Ciné.ch (swiss french source)
* Correctly detects QuickTime version

Version 2.1.1 (2007-12-18)

* Added Lycos (spanish source)
* Removed Cinefacts (Front Row Trailers access has been blocked)
* Possibility to deny trailers access

Version 2.1 (2007-10-15)

* Name change
* High-definition trailers
* 20 sources
* Italian localization
* Danish localization
* Sorting options
* New update system

Version 2.0.2 (2007-08-20)

* Fixes a bug in Perian detection

Version 2.0.1 (2007-06-22)

* Fixes a bug in QuickTime components detection

Version 2.0 (2007-06-21)

* New interface
* 9 new trailers sources

Version 1.1 (2007-05-03)

* Trailers play more smoothly

Version 1.0 (2007-02-19)

* First version