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Mac OS X  |  System / Utilities  |  Other System / Utilities  |  Pacifist

Pacifist

Pacifist - 2.0

extractor/custom installer for .pkg packages

All Time: (4.9)
Version 2.0: (5.0)
Selected Version: 2.0
Release Date: 2006-04-05
License: Commercial
Downloads (version 2.0): 27,834
Downloads (all versions): 56,803
Price: $20.00

Information Related to Version:

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Product Description:

Shareware application that opens Mac OS X .pkg package files, .dmg disk image files, and .tar, .tgz, and .tar.gz archive files and allows you to extract individual files and folders out of them. This is useful, for instance, if an application which is installed by the operating system becomes damaged and needs to be reinstalled without the hassle of reinstalling all of Mac OS X (for example, if you had accidentally deleted Sherlock and wanted to reinstall it, but not the whole operating system). Pacifist is also able to verify existing installations and find missing or altered files*, and also has the ability to examine the kernel extensions installed in /System/Library/Extensions to determine which ones were installed by Apple and which may have been installed by third-party installers.

Pacifist 2.0 is a free upgrade for registered users of Pacifist 1.x.

*This product includes software developed by the University of California, Berkeley and its contributors.

What's new in this version:

  • Full support for Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger"
  • Recompiled as a Universal Binary to run natively on Intel-based Macs
  • Fixed a bug that caused registration sometimes not to work on Intel-based Macs
  • Fixed a bug which caused large metapackages to sometimes load a few extra packages after you cancel it
  • Fixed a bug which caused some packages to erroneously give “BOM file not found” errors
  • Added support for reading raw BOM files
  • Added support for reading DMG files
  • Added support for reading .pax, .tar, .tar.gz, and .tgz files
  • Added the ability to view a package’s resources (i.e. the Read Me file, the install scripts, etc.)
  • Added an Extension Report feature - I've always been a bit irritated by the fact that all kernel extensions go in /System/Library/Extensions, even if they came from a third-party installer. Pacifist's new Extension Report feature will go through all your receipts in /Library/Receipts and try to figure out, if it can, what put each kernel extension in the System directory so you can track down third-party ones if they're giving you trouble.
  • Fixed a few memory leaks
  • Made it possible to close the splash screen window
  • Fixed a bug that could cause the progress bar to stay up forever if you tried to run prebinding on a folder with no executable files in it
  • Pacifist is now able to auto-detect and open the packages for the Software Restore, iLife, and Developer Tools packages in addition to the Mac OS X install packages
  • Added support for Mac OS X Public Beta packages
  • Added an option to ignore .DS_Store files when extracting
  • Fixed a bug that could cause the progress bar not to be updated frequently enough on Mac OS X 10.2.x
  • Calculating folder sizes is now optional
  • Updating the prebinding for a folder with a huge number of files in it should no longer cause the system to bog down from excessive paging
  • Added the ability to decide whether or not to use administrator privileges to install files
  • Added the ability to create receipts for packages
  • Fixed a problem which could cause Disk 2 and/or Disk 3 of some of the newer multi-DVD OS install disc sets set not to load
  • Fixed a problem which caused the Update Prebinding feature not to work properly under Mac OS X 10.4
  • Fixed a strange bug which could cause blank lines to appear sometimes in the file listing when running under Tiger
  • Fixed some spurious errors regarding decoding the resource fork which occurred under Tiger
  • Fixed a bug which could cause some files not to be extracted when extracting metapackages that contained other metapackages
  • The default setting is now to not update the prebinding if the OS is 10.4 or higher
  • Prebinding an individual folder is now greyed out under 10.4 and higher, because that functionality is no longer possible (or needed)
  • Folders can now be expanded by double-clicking on them

Operating System Requirements:

This product is designed to run on the following operating systems:

  • Mac OS X 10.4 Intel
  • Mac OS X 10.4 PPC
  • Mac OS X 10.3.9
  • Mac OS X 10.3
  • Mac OS X 10.2

Additional Requirements:

  • Mac OS X 10.2 or higher (Tiger compatible)
  • Universal Binary

Screenshots:

Download Links:

Download Links:

MacFixIt Late-Breakers:

Pacifist updated for Leopard

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Your Installed Versions:


 

Feedback Summary:

Version 2.0:
Overall Rating: (5.0) Features: (5.0) Support: (5.0)
Ease of Use: (4.7) Quality / Stability: (5.0) Price: (5.0)
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Pacifist CommentarySTILL not 64-bit - Version: 2.6.1, 8/26/2009 09:05PM PST

(1 of 12 users found this comment useful)

libertyforall1776
STILL not 64-bit, I would like to see apps that claim they are 10.6 ready, to actually migrate to a 64-bit application.
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Pacifist Commentary"Ignorance is bliss!" restated - Version: 2.6, 8/15/2009 01:30AM PST

(0 of 1 users found this comment useful)

artie505
Format changes plus reinsertion of deleted reference which should have appeared between ** in the final paragraph.

J Jonah Jamieson has reinforced, yet again, the old adage that a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing.

1. OS X install discs now uses mpkg, metapackage, files which do *not* offer the "Show Package Contents" option when control/right-clicked, so JJJ's "Apple's OS already offers the ability inherently" is a misstatement of fact; he has obviously never right clicked on a Tiger or Leopard install disc icon.

2. In those instances in which you can show a package's contents and install them with drag and drop there is no way to correctly set permissions, because without using Installer or Pacifist you will not wind up with a bom (bill of materials) in /Library/Receipts, and, therefore, "Repair Permissions" will have no basis for comparison. (Granted that repairing permissions is a topic that generates much heat (including from Charles Srstka) but when entire, sprawling packages are installed with incorrect permissions the chances of something requiring permission repair going wrong are vastly increased.)

3. As has been previously said, many packages have a million and one components and do not lend themselves to drag and drop installation under any circumstances.

Pacifist is a miraculously useful app, and Charles Srstka is to be commended for offering it to the Mac community at the nominal price he is charging.

Pacifist has helped me out of trouble any number of times, and, as a long-time MacFixIt Forums regular responder (who has now moved to <code>FINETUNEDMAC.COM</code> (FineTunedMac.com) along with the entire MFIF Administrator, Moderator, and regular responder crew), I can attest to it its acceptance in the general Mac community as one of the most useful tools one can have in one's arsenal.
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Pacifist ReviewIgnorance is bliss! - Version: 2.6, 8/15/2009 01:20AM PST

(0 of 1 users found this comment useful)

artie505
J Jonah Jamieson has reinforced, yet again, the old adage that a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. 1. OS X install discs now uses mpkg, metapackage, files which do *not* offer the "Show Package Contents" option when control/right-clicked, so JJJ's "Apple's OS already offers the ability inherently" is a misstatement. (He has obviously never control/right clicked on a Tiger or Leopard install disc icon.) 2. In those instances in which you can show a package's contents and install them with drag and drop there is no way to correctly set permissions, because without using Installer or Pacifist you will not wind up with a bom (bill of materials) in /Library/Receipts, and, therefore, "Repair Permissions" will have no basis for comparison. (Granted that repairing permissions is a topic that generates much heat (including from Charles Srstka) but when entire, sprawling packages are installed with incorrect permissions the chances of something requiring permission repair going wrong are vastly increased.) 3. As has been previously said, many packages have a million and one components and do not lend themselves to drag and drop installation under any circumstances. Pacifist is a miraculously useful app, and Charles Srstka is to be commended for offering it to the Mac community at the nominal price he is charging. Pacifist has helped me out of trouble any number of times, and, as a long-time MacFixIt Forums regular responder (who has now moved to ** along with the entire MFIF Administrator, Moderator, and regular responder crew) I can attest to it its acceptance in the general Mac community as one of the most useful tools one can have in one's arsenal.
Post a commentAlert Admin