Useful Defaults Hacks for OS X

• Disable Guest Accounts for Shares on OSX Tiger

  sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.AppleFileServer guestAccess -bool false
  

• Disable Dashboard

  defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES
  

• Reduce Safari Rendering delay

  defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitInitialTimedLayoutDelay 0.25
  

• Increase animation speed of sheets

  defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSWindowResizeTime .001
  

• Disable spotlight

  edit /etc/hostconfig to change "SPOTLIGHT=-YES-" to "SPOTLIGHT=-NO-"
  

• Enable Safari debug menu

  defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1
  

• Get rid of .DS_Store files on network shares (specifically works for smb shares)

  defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores true
  

• Show full path to current directory in Finder title

  defaults write com.apple.finder _FXShowPosixPathInTitle -bool YES
  

• Mount external drives at boot rather then on user login

  defaults write /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/autodiskmount
  

  AutomountDisksWithoutUserLogin -bool true

• Setting a custom software update server for a client

  defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate CatalogURL "http://customupdateserver.com/index.sucatalog"
  

• Show All Files in Finder

  defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
  

• Terminal Focus Follows Mouse

  defaults write com.apple.Terminal FocusFollowsMouse -string YES
  

• Add Application to OSX Dock (example uses Calculator.app)

  defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add "< dict>tile-data file-data_CFURLString /Applications/Calculator.app/_CFURLStringType0 ";
  

• Disable the OSX Crash Reporter

  defaults write com.apple.CrashReporter DialogType none
  

• Add Recent Applications Stack to the Dock

  defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-others -array-add '{ "tile-data" = { "list-type" = 1; }; "tile-type" = "recents-tile"; }'
  

• Change Login Screen Background

  sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow DesktopPicture "/Library/Desktop Pictures/Aqua Blue.jpg"
  

• Disable Time Machine External Disk as Backup Prompt

  defaults write com.apple.TimeMachine DoNotOfferNewDisksForBackup -bool YES
  

• Disable mouse/trackpad acceleration

  defaults write .GlobalPreferences com.apple.mouse.scaling -1
  

  defaults write .GlobalPreferences com.apple.trackpad.scaling -1