joe crobak's website

At work, we use svn as a code repository and svnmerge for branch management.  A coworker who recently switched to Mac asked me how he could assign a global variable so that he could run the svnmerge command without specifying the full path to the python script.  The solution was to add an alias to svnmerge that is loaded on shell startup.  Since Mac OS X uses the bash shell, he needed to add the following to his .profile file (the .profile file sits in the home directory and can be created if it doesn’t yet exist):

alias svnmerge='/path/to/svnmerge.py'

The svnmerge.py file also needs to be executable (chmod a+x svnmerge.py).  The changes will take effect the next time you open a new shell.

While I’m at it, it’s worth mentioning another useful option that I have in my .profile file.  By adding export CLICOLOR=1, the ls command will output in color to distinguish between directories, files, and executables.

Edit: I may have jumped the gun.  After a few more days of use, it seems like the Globetrotter Connect software is no more buggy than it was before the 10.5.7 update.  The multiple kernel panics must have been a coincidence.

Warning! I installed the Mac OS X 10.5.7 update this past weekend, and I’ve had a lot of problems today with the Globetrotter Connect software. It has caused 2 kernel panics in under an hour of use . If you use this software, I’d strongly suggest waiting for a new version before upgrading to Mac OS X 10.5.7.

In a few days, I’ll give an update on if the KPs continue, or if it’s a transient error.

Here’s the lovely KP back trace that I’ve seen a numer of times:

Mon Jun  8 08:48:18 2009
panic(cpu 1 caller 0x003A04EC): "m_free: freeing an already freed mbuf"@/SourceCache/xnu/xnu-1228.12.14/bsd/kern/uipc_mbuf.c:3574
Backtrace (CPU 1), Frame : Return Address (4 potential args on stack)
0x3b13b7f8 : 0x12b4c6 (0x45ec20 0x3b13b82c 0x13355c 0x0)
0x3b13b848 : 0x3a04ec (0x498e5c 0x467ae00 0x3b13b878 0x3f0864)
0x3b13b8c8 : 0x34a2bff2 (0x3072c200 0x3072c200 0x0 0x5a95fb)
0x3b13b8f8 : 0x5a21cb (0x5cb3c00 0x0 0xe00002eb 0x3e)
0x3b13b968 : 0x811489 (0x43c6000 0x4679500 0xe0004050 0x3e)
0x3b13b9d8 : 0x80f17e (0x43c6000 0x4671d00 0xe0004050 0x4673c00)
0x3b13ba38 : 0x80f1f1 (0x43c6000 0x2 0x3 0x0)
0x3b13ba68 : 0x4268e5 (0x43c6000 0x2 0x3 0x0)
0x3b13bab8 : 0x5a2472 (0x464d4c0 0x59e99a 0x2 0x3)
0x3b13bae8 : 0x5a6d08 (0x43c6000 0x2 0x4991ccc 0x4996d40)
0x3b13bb08 : 0x34a2bb6b (0x4991cc0 0x49eef0c 0x3b13bb38 0x5cb3c00)
0x3b13bb28 : 0x34a2bdec (0x5cb3c00 0x0 0x0 0x0)
0x3b13bb58 : 0x5e605e (0x5cb3c00 0x5e84800 0x5809e20 0x0)
0x3b13bb88 : 0x5e5e88 (0x5cb3c00 0x2 0x5e84800 0x0)
0x3b13bbc8 : 0x4268e5 (0x5cb3c00 0x3b13bc40 0x0 0x0)
0x3b13bc18 : 0x5e5f04 (0x498dd80 0x5e5e46 0x3b13bc40 0x0)
	Backtrace continues...
      Kernel loadable modules in backtrace (with dependencies):
         com.option.driver.OptionQC(1.1.18)@0x34a26000->0x34a30fff
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOSerialFamily(9.4)@0x69e000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily(1.6.1)@0x5de000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(3.4.3)@0x59d000
         com.apple.driver.AppleUSBUHCI(3.3.5)@0x80b000->0x818fff
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.6)@0x5cd000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(3.4.3)@0x59d000
         com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(3.4.3)@0x59d000->0x5c5fff
         com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily(1.6.1)@0x5de000->0x5f3fff

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: kernel_task

Mac OS version:
9J61