Can I import a "hosts" file to OSX from a Windows PC?

{quote:title=red_menace wrote:}
NOTE: this is a system file - make sure you understand what you are doing and make a backup copy of the original.

A Windows host file works just fine, I use the one from http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm for ad blocking. The OSX host file is located at /etc/hosts (this is a normally invisible directory) - you should use a text editor that can save as plain text with Unix EOL (vim, pico, BBEdit, TextWrangler, etc) and add your new entries after the default stuff that is in there.

A Windows host file works just fine, I use the one from http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm for ad blocking. The OSX host file is located at /etc/hosts (this is a normally invisible directory) - you should use a text editor that can save as plain text with Unix EOL (vim, pico, BBEdit, TextWrangler, etc) and add your new entries after the default stuff that is in there.{quote}

Err... this seems like it might be helpful, but you're going to have to slow down. I'm old and senile and I had a rough day at work supporting Windoze.

First of all - how do I make a "normally invisible" file visible in OSX? Because I sure can't locate it in Finder right now... (first thing I tried was searching for the etc folder).

Secondly, does the mac OSX TextEdit program qualify as a text editor that can save in a "Unix EOL" (which I wouldn't know if I met it in my soup)?

Thanks again...

No luck.
Backed up existing hosts file to desktop.

Tried to save my updated hosts file in the same /private/etc/hosts folder and got error message that my user account doesn't have admin rights, when it should have admin rights afaik (checked account properties in System Preferences/accounts to be sure).

Tried downloading text wrangler, saved file in that program, can't save to the etc folder, Save As doesn't even give me the option to do so. Gripe about osx - can't manually type a file path in the Save As dialog, can't browse beyond the limited options dropdown list gives me, forced to use the useless drop-down list.

This is worse than friggin' windows... any other ideas? Sheesh.

Figured it out with TextWrangler. (Old) farted around and used it to open, edit and save the hosts file in the right place; now I can connect to what I need.

Thanks for the help!

{quote:title=red_menace wrote:}
Permissions can get confusing at times. Even as an administrator, you don't have the permissions from the Finder to modify a file owned by the system (unless you change the owner), but you can still delete it since you have permissions for the enclosing folder. The Finder gives you an authentication dialog when deleting the file, but not if you try to edit it, so usually it is easier to just delete the file first (after backing it up, of course), and then copy your edited file back to the folder.

Permissions can get confusing at times. Even as an administrator, you don't have the permissions from the Finder to modify a file owned by the system (unless you change the owner), but you can still delete it since you have permissions for the enclosing folder. The Finder gives you an authentication dialog when deleting the file, but not if you try to edit it, so usually it is easier to just delete the file first (after backing it up, of course), and then copy your edited file back to the folder.{quote}

Jeez and I thought Windoze file permissions and inheritances were confusing...

The approach with Unix/mac OS is definitely different from what I'm used to. Being "used to" something isn't always a good thing. I still think in terms of being the "Godlike" admin and automatically having access to control ownership on everything. Still not clear on the concept of changing the owner of a file from "Finder" but perhaps I don't have to be?

(Glasshoppa need "unlearn". Harder than learn. Now go sleep... )

But one of these days I definitely need to find a reference book or something that would teach me the basics of unix/mac OS.

In the meantime, thanks again!