Mac (M1/M2) 上的 Asahi Linux 支援 OpenGL ES 3.1

在「The first conformant M1 GPU driver」這邊看到 Mac (M1 系列與 M2 系列) 上的 Asahi Linux 支援 OpenGL ES 3.1 了。

文章裡面有提到,目前 macOS 上沒有業界標準介面可以用:

Unlike ours, the manufacturer’s M1 drivers are unfortunately not conformant for any standard graphics API, whether Vulkan or OpenGL or OpenGL ES. That means that there is no guarantee that applications using the standards will work on your M1/M2 (if you’re not running Linux).

也許有機會會看到有人 backport 回 macOS 上?

macOS 要提供 DirectX 介面了

Hacker News 上看到 macOS 要提供 DirectX 介面了:「DirectX 12 Support on macOS (twitter.com/andytizer)」,原推是:

算是降低遊戲引擎維護的成本?讓開發商更有意願實作?不確定會有什麼效果...

Mac 會自己改變 Desktop 位置的問題

以前好像沒遇過,換了 M1 以後才注意到 desktop 位置位自己被改變,覺得很阿雜... 找了資料才發現是個 "feature":「How to prevent Mac from changing the order of Desktops/Spaces」。

關掉就好了,網路上的資料最早出現在 2018 年左右,大概是那個時候被加進去的?

Mac 上用 Homebrew 安裝 Java 的方式

寫個自己看的,順便整理一些簡單的歷史。

一開始可以先看一下 java 跑起來如何:

$ java --version
The operation couldn't be completed. Unable to locate a Java Runtime.
Please visit http://www.java.com for information on installing Java.

順便一提,這邊的 java 可以用 which java 看到是出自 /usr/bin/java

然後透過 Homebrew,可以選擇不同的 JDK 套件安裝,在網路上常見的答案是 temurin (adoptopenjdk 的後繼者):

brew install temurin

這個好處是裝完可以直接用:

$ java --version
openjdk 19.0.1 2022-10-18
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Temurin-19.0.1+10 (build 19.0.1+10)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Temurin-19.0.1+10 (build 19.0.1+10, mixed mode)

另外一種是 OpenJDK,裝完後還得補個 symbolic link:

brew install openjdk
sudo ln -sfn /opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk/libexec/openjdk.jdk /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/openjdk.jdk

可以看到這個版本的輸出不太一樣:

$ java --version
openjdk 19.0.1 2022-10-18
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Homebrew (build 19.0.1)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Homebrew (build 19.0.1, mixed mode, sharing)

然後不管哪種裝法都記得設定 JAVA_HOME

export JAVA_HOME="$(/usr/libexec/java_home)"

基本上就能動了。

在 Ubuntu (Xfce) 上改用 Albert Launcher

在噗浪上的這篇看到的工具,讓我想起來之前有想要在 Ubuntu + Xfce 上找類似的工具:

macOS 上我最常用的就是計算機與匯率換算,另外就是開應用程式。

但是因為沒辦法直接用 super key 啟動 (也稱作 meta key,或是大家更熟悉的微軟鍵),所以得迂迴設定,先透過 xcape 把左邊的 super key 對應到 Ctrl-Esc 上:

xcape -e 'Super_L=Control_L|Escape'

然後把本來的 Ctrl-Esc 拔掉:

然後這時候用 super key 時就會改抓到 Ctrl-Esc 了:

接下來就可以勾選 extensions 了,這邊勾了幾個:

然後 Python 這邊把 Currency convert 的部份勾起來:

用法是 1 usd to twd 這樣的句子:

這兩天用起來還不錯,之後遇到問題再來調整...

幾個其他 Teams 的替代方案 (但還是連到 Teams 伺服器)

這邊講的替代方案不是換掉 Teams,而是找其他的方法連上 Teams 伺服器,畢竟用 Teams 的人大多都沒得選...

在「Teams is killing my Mac every day (microsoft.com)」這邊看到的一些資料可以嘗試,裡面有很多抱怨 Teams 的問題,但還是有些人有給出一些 workaround。

大家主要遇到的問題除了 CPU 吃很兇以外,另外就是記憶體這塊。

一種方法是是用 Edge 瀏覽器的 extension 來跑,我本來想看看 Linux 上的 Brave 能不能裝,但沒有看到對應的安裝連結,大概是 Edge 限定:

If you don't want to use the Microsoft Teams app (which uses a lot of resources), you can:

1. Install the Microsoft Edge Web browser on your Mac

2. Log into https://teams.microsoft.com

3. Click ... > Apps > Install this site as an app

This will create an Edge app for Teams that uses almost no resources but has feature parity with the regular Microsoft Teams app.

We tell all of our students to do this, and it has solved all Microsoft Teams performance issues on student Macs (both Intel and Apple Silicon).

另外有人提到其實官方是有放 M1 的 preview 版本的,雖然不是正式版,但總是比 Intel 版本會好一些:

If you're running an Apple Silicon Mac you can get an early build of Teams osx-arm64 from the exploration build link listed here.[0]

I've been running a daily build for a few weeks and it's noticeably better than the Intel build on an M1 Pro. It launches in half the time and feels far more responsive (probably due to not needing to use the Rosetta JIT for Electron). That said it's still a daily "exploration" build so YMMV.

[0] https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ItzLevvie/MicrosoftTeams-msinternal/master/defconfig

據說會少吃一點點記憶體,就真的大概一點點:

Can confirm it is snappier on a M1 Macbook Pro and using *less* RAM, maybe about 10% less.

但據說這個 preview 版本在自我更新時會跳到 Intel 版本,還要再找一下 workaround 關掉自動更新:

How do you prevent it from automatically updating to the Intel version? I keep downloading the preview builds and they keep getting updated.

後面還有看到有人說他直接實體隔離,把這些肥滋滋的 app 跑在另外一台 Mac 上,然後透過 Universal Control 使用,大多數的情況下都夠用,真的有需要分享畫面時再跑在自己機器上,用完就可以關掉:

Thanks for the tip. I'll give this a try!

For work, I have to run Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Discord. Of those 3, Slack surprisingly uses the least amount of memory (~700 MB), and Teams uses the most (~1.5 GB). I dusted off an old Intel Mac (literally) and interact with it using Universal Control. It only runs those 3 chat apps + mail. It's turned out to be a great way to offload resource hogs and as an added benefit, it minimizes distractions. I'll occasionally glance at the dock to see if there are any notification badges, whereas on my main Mac, I'd feel compelled to deal with notifications immediately.

When I have to share my screen or focus on a conversation, I'll fire up one of those 3 apps on my main (M1) Mac and quit it when I'm done.

Universal Control still feels rough around the edges, but it has saved me from ditching my Macbook Air and shelling out for an M1 Macbook Pro. Sometimes there are issues with reconnecting to the Intel Mac, but it seems to resolve itself if I wait a bit or turn off/on wifi.

大家都在找方法 XDDD

Amazon EC2 有 Mac (M1) 機種可以租用了

2020 年年底的時候 AWS 推出用 Mac mini 配合搭建出 Mac (Intel) 機種:「Amazon EC2 推出 Mac Instance」,當初有計畫在 2021 年推出 M1 的版本:

Apple M1 Chip – EC2 Mac instances with the Apple M1 chip are already in the works, and planned for 2021.

不過就沒什麼意外的 delay 了,這次則是推出了 M1 的版本:「New – Amazon EC2 M1 Mac Instances」。

依照說明看起來還是 Mac mini,掛上 AWS Nitro System

EC2 Mac instances are dedicated Mac mini computers attached through Thunderbolt to the AWS Nitro System, which lets the Mac mini appear and behave like another EC2 instance.

然後跟 Intel 版本一樣,因為是掛進 Dedicated Hosts 的計價方式,雖然是以秒計費,但還是設定最低 24 小時的租用時間限制:

Amazon EC2 Mac instances are available as Dedicated Hosts through both On Demand and Savings Plans pricing models. The Dedicated Host is the unit of billing for EC2 Mac instances. Billing is per second, with a 24-hour minimum allocation period for the Dedicated Host to comply with the Apple macOS Software License Agreement. At the end of the 24-hour minimum allocation period, the host can be released at any time with no further commitment.

Intel 版本代號是 mac1,只有一種機種 mac1.metal,M1 版本代號是 mac2,也只有一種機種 mac2.metal

以最經典的美東一區 us-east-1 來看,mac1.metal 的 on-demand 價錢是 US$1.083/hour,mac2.metal 則是 US$0.65/hour,差不多是 60% 的價錢,便宜不少,大概是反應在硬體攤提與電費成本上了。

另外目前大家用 M1 的經驗來看,Rostta 2 未必會比原生的機器慢多少,雖然 mac1.metal 是 12 cores,mac2.metal 是 8 core,但以雲上面一定要用 Mac 跑的應用來說,馬上想的到的還是綁在 Apple 環境裡 CI 類的應用?

目前看起來主要的問題還是 24 小時的最小計費單位讓彈性低不少...

Apple 在 iOS 16、iPadOS 16 與 macOS Ventura 上推出 Lockdown Mode

AppleiOS 16、iPadOS 16 與 macOS Ventura 上推出了 Lockdown Mode:「Apple expands industry-leading commitment to protect users from highly targeted mercenary spyware」。

Lockdown Mode 主要是透過降低被攻擊的面積以提昇安全性,依照 Apple 的預想,主要是針對被政府單位盯上的族群:

Apple is previewing a groundbreaking security capability that offers specialized additional protection to users who may be at risk of highly targeted cyberattacks from private companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware.

在 Lockdown Mode 下目前列出來的限制:

  • Messages: Most message attachment types other than images are blocked. Some features, like link previews, are disabled.
  • Web browsing: Certain complex web technologies, like just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilation, are disabled unless the user excludes a trusted site from Lockdown Mode.
  • Apple services: Incoming invitations and service requests, including FaceTime calls, are blocked if the user has not previously sent the initiator a call or request.
  • Wired connections with a computer or accessory are blocked when iPhone is locked.
  • Configuration profiles cannot be installed, and the device cannot enroll into mobile device management (MDM), while Lockdown Mode is turned on.

列出來的這些的確都是之前 0-day 常被拿來打的東西,把攻擊面積縮小的確會有不少幫助。

這應該是業界第一個大咖跳進來做這個 (也就兩個大咖?),第一次搞未必會完美,但算是個開始,後面應該會有更多的面積被考慮進去...

Git 2.37.0 對巨大 Monorepo 的加速功能 FSMonitor

這邊用 GitHub 寫的說明好了:「Improve Git monorepo performance with a file system monitor」。

從 2.37.0 開始,Windows 與 Mac 版的使用者可以透過 FSMonitor 的功能記錄檔案系統的變化,大幅減少需要 scan 整個 repository 的時間,可以看到啟用後對於像是 chromium 這種大型專案的 status 時間就大幅下降了:

不過 Linux 還沒支援,目前我的環境都是 Linux,就沒辦法用了...

Mac 上 sprintf 的 scalability 問題

Hacker News 上看到個有趣的 scalability 問題,在 Mac 上的 sprintf() 因為有 lock 造成的 scalability 問題:「Curious lack of sprintf scaling (aras-p.info)」。

作者注意到 Mac 在多 CPU 下 sprintf() 會有 scalability 的問題,要注意到這邊的 Y 軸是對數比例:

用了 std::stringstream << 反而更慢 (作者還酸了一句「Zero cost abstractions」):

然後用了 Instruments 跑 profiling 找問題,可以看到看起來跟 locale 有關:

一般的情況下應該不會是問題,但如果是需要大量 sprintf() 組字串的人就會比較要注意了。

在「What else can we do?」這段有提到一些解法,包括了 stb_sprintf 當作替代品,以及 {fmt} 作為 iostreams 的替代品,然後另外是利用 to_chars 來解決,如果只是要把數字轉成字串。

算是蠻有趣的 bug hunting 過程,對於開發者來說,一般性的重點還是在 profiling,找到對的問題然後再往下提出解法...