Anthony Mackie, Actor: The Hurt Locker. Anthony Mackie is an American actor. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Martha (Gordon) and Willie Mackie, Sr., who owned a business, Mackie Roofing. Anthony has been featured in feature films, television series. Csound is a highly flexible and portable music synthesis software environment that runs on Linux, Unix, Macintosh, and Windows computers. From 2003 to 2008, I maintained the Csound “port” for Mac OS 9 and earlier (the “Legacy Mac OS” or “Classic Mac OS”) which used to be called “Mills Csound”. Below is information about various Mac versions of Csound 4 and Csound 5 plus several other related.

OS X ACL usage


© May 2019 Anthony Lawrence

Starting with 10.4, Mac OS X has ACL's. The 'chown' man page tells you about their usage, but it leaves a little bit out and isn't all that helpful.

If you landed here searching for a basic introduction to OS X permissions, I recommend Brian Tanaka's Take Control of Permissions in Mac OS X, a $10 PDF E-book that will teach you the basics. The article you are reading here is a bit more advanced.

You need to turn on ACL's before you can use them. To enable the root filesystem, I'd do:

sudo fsaclctl -p / -e

The '-e' enables ACL use, '-d' disables. No reboot required,the change is instantaneous (the man page says you do need to reboot or remount).

Note: this command disappeared after 10.5. I assume it is no longer needed; ACL's seem to be enabled by default.

ACL's are listed by adding '-e' to a long 'ls' listing:

ls -le

You'll notice nothing different about the output unless you had acl's enabled previously. However, there is a little oddity there: if a file EVER had an ACL list, and the ACL's were later deleted (see blow), a '+' sign will appear in the 'ls -le' listing:

$ ls -le
drwxr-xr-x + 2 apl apl 68 Jul 19 18:32 foo

Turning off with fsaclctl does not delete ACL's; it just makes them temporarily invisible and ineffective:


$ sudo fsaclctl -p / -d
$ ls -le
total 32
-rwxr-xr-x 1 apl apl 3740 Feb 28 07:34 dstate.pl
drwxr-xr-x 2 apl apl 68 Jul 19 18:32 foo
-rw-r--r-- 1 apl apl 900 Feb 28 07:34 s
-rw-r--r-- 1 apl apl 4662 Feb 28 07:34 time.dat
$ sudo fsaclctl -p / -e
$ ls -le
total 32
-rwxr-xr-x 1 apl apl 3740 Feb 28 07:34 dstate.pl
drwxr-xr-x + 2 apl apl 68 Jul 19 18:32 foo
-rw-r--r-- + 1 apl apl 900 Feb 28 07:34 s
0: group:admin allow write
1: user:tony inherited allow write
-rw-r--r-- 1 apl apl 4662 Feb 28 07:34 time.dat

In the above listing, 's' has two ACL's, and 'foo' has none (but 'foo' had one or more ACL's sometime in the past).

You apply ACL's using extended chmod commands:

$ chmod +a 'tony allow delete' foo
$ ls -lde foo
drwxr-xr-x + 2 apl apl 68 Jul 19 18:32 foo
0: user:tony allow delete

The format is always user or group, allow or deny, attribute.By default, rules stack as you apply them:

$ chmod +a 'admin allow delete' foo
$ ls -lde foo
drwxr-xr-x + 2 apl apl 68 Jul 19 18:32 foo
0: group:admin allow delete
1: user:tony allow delete

Notice that the new rule became rule #0? You can control the positioning:


$ chmod +a# 1 'admin deny delete' foo
$ ls -lde foo
drwxr-xr-x + 2 apl apl 68 Jul 19 18:32 foo
0: group:admin allow delete
1: group:admin deny delete
2: user:tony allow delete

That pushed are new rule in between 0 and 1, and also shows why we'd need or want to do that: which rule matters now? We say in 0 that an admin can delete the file, and in 1 that we deny that ability. Which takes precedence?

The 'deny' takes precedence, but would even if we reversed the order. 'Allow' rules are cumulative, so order is unimportant, but 'Deny's' short circuit and take effect the moment they are encountered: no more rules are read.

Deleting ACL's is easy:

$ chmod -a# 2 foo
$ chmod -a# 1 foo
$ chmod -a# 0 foo

Because the rules would 'move up' as they are deleted, you could accomplish the same thing with:

$ chmod -a# 0 foo
$ chmod -a# 0 foo
$ chmod -a# 0 foo

Inheritance ACL's can be added to directories:

$ chmod +a 'admin allow delete,file_inherit,directory_inherit' foo

Any NEW files or directories we create in foo will inherit the ACL 'admin allow delete'. Directories in foo will also inherit the 'inherit' attribute and will pass that on to their files and directories. We may not want that, so we can instead say :

$ chmod +a 'admin allow delete,file_inherit,directory_inherit,limit_inherit' foo

That applies the 'admin allow delete' to files and directories created in 'foo', but doesn't keep passing that on down. There's one more inheritance that is useful:

$ chmod +a 'admin allow delete,file_inherit,directory_inherit,limit_inherit,only_inherit' foo

The 'only_inherit' avoids applying the ACL to 'foo' itself.

Read the 'chown' man page for the list of attributes that can be allowed or denied with ACL's.


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Inexpensive and informative Apple related e-books:
El Capitan: A Take Control Crash Course
Take control of Apple TV, Second Edition
Photos for Mac: A Take Control Crash Course
Digital Sharing Crash Course
Take Control of Upgrading to El Capitan

So, you’ve decided to download an older version of Mac OS X. There are many reasons that could point you to this radical decision. To begin with, some of your apps may not be working properly (or simply crash) on newer operating systems. Also, you may have noticed your Mac’s performance went down right after the last update. Finally, if you want to run a parallel copy of Mac OS X on a virtual machine, you too will need a working installation file of an older Mac OS X. Further down we’ll explain where to get one and what problems you may face down the road.

A list of all Mac OS X versions

We’ll be repeatedly referring to these Apple OS versions below, so it’s good to know the basic macOS timeline.

Cheetah 10.0Puma 10.1Jaguar 10.2
Panther 10.3Tiger 10.4Leopard 10.5
Snow Leopard 10.6Lion 10.7Mountain Lion 10.8
Mavericks 10.9Yosemite 10.10El Capitan 10.11
Sierra 10.12High Sierra 10.13Mojave 10.14
Catalina 10.15

STEP 1. Prepare your Mac for installation

Given your Mac isn’t new and is filled with data, you will probably need enough free space on your Mac. This includes not just space for the OS itself but also space for other applications and your user data. One more argument is that the free space on your disk translates into virtual memory so your apps have “fuel” to operate on. The chart below tells you how much free space is needed.

Note, that it is recommended that you install OS on a clean drive. Next, you will need enough disk space available, for example, to create Recovery Partition. Here are some ideas to free up space on your drive:

  • Uninstall large unused apps
  • Empty Trash Bin and Downloads
  • Locate the biggest files on your computer:

Go to Finder > All My Files > Arrange by size
Then you can move your space hoggers onto an external drive or a cloud storage.
If you aren’t comfortable with cleaning the Mac manually, there are some nice automatic “room cleaners”. Our favorite is CleanMyMac as it’s most simple to use of all. It deletes system junk, old broken apps, and the rest of hidden junk on your drive.

Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.4 - 10.8 (free version)

Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.9 (free version)

Antony Mac Os Update

Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.10 - 10.14 (free version)

STEP 2. Get a copy of Mac OS X download

Normally, it is assumed that updating OS is a one-way road. That’s why going back to a past Apple OS version is problematic. The main challenge is to download the OS installation file itself, because your Mac may already be running a newer version. If you succeed in downloading the OS installation, your next step is to create a bootable USB or DVD and then reinstall the OS on your computer.

How to download older Mac OS X versions via the App Store


If you once had purchased an old version of Mac OS X from the App Store, open it and go to the Purchased tab. There you’ll find all the installers you can download. However, it doesn’t always work that way. The purchased section lists only those operating systems that you had downloaded in the past. But here is the path to check it:

  1. Click the App Store icon.
  2. Click Purchases in the top menu.
  3. Scroll down to find the preferred OS X version.
  4. Click Download.

This method allows you to download Mavericks and Yosemite by logging with your Apple ID — only if you previously downloaded them from the Mac App Store.

Without App Store: Download Mac OS version as Apple Developer

If you are signed with an Apple Developer account, you can get access to products that are no longer listed on the App Store. If you desperately need a lower OS X version build, consider creating a new Developer account among other options. The membership cost is $99/year and provides a bunch of perks unavailable to ordinary users.

Nevertheless, keep in mind that if you visit developer.apple.com/downloads, you can only find 10.3-10.6 OS X operating systems there. Newer versions are not available because starting Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.7, the App Store has become the only source of updating Apple OS versions.

Purchase an older version of Mac operating system

You can purchase a boxed or email version of past Mac OS X directly from Apple. Both will cost you around $20. For the reason of being rather antiquated, Snow Leopard and earlier Apple versions can only be installed from DVD.

Buy a boxed edition of Snow Leopard 10.6
Get an email copy of Lion 10.7
Get an email copy of Mountain Lion 10.8

The email edition comes with a special download code you can use for the Mac App Store. Note, that to install the Lion or Mountain Lion, your Mac needs to be running Snow Leopard so you can install the newer OS on top of it.

How to get macOS El Capitan download

If you are wondering if you can run El Capitan on an older Mac, rejoice as it’s possible too. But before your Mac can run El Capitan it has to be updated to OS X 10.6.8. So, here are main steps you should take:

Antony Mac Os Download

1. Install Snow Leopard from install DVD.
2. Update to 10.6.8 using Software Update.
3. Download El Capitan here.

“I can’t download an old version of Mac OS X”

If you have a newer Mac, there is no physical option to install Mac OS versions older than your current Mac model. For instance, if your MacBook was released in 2014, don’t expect it to run any OS released prior of that time, because older Apple OS versions simply do not include hardware drivers for your Mac.

Antony Marcus

But as it often happens, workarounds are possible. There is still a chance to download the installation file if you have an access to a Mac (or virtual machine) running that operating system. For example, to get an installer for Lion, you may ask a friend who has Lion-operated Mac or, once again, set up a virtual machine running Lion. Then you will need to prepare an external drive to download the installation file using OS X Utilities.

After you’ve completed the download, the installer should launch automatically, but you can click Cancel and copy the file you need. Below is the detailed instruction how to do it.

STEP 3. Install older OS X onto an external drive

The following method allows you to download Mac OS X Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks.

  1. Start your Mac holding down Command + R.
  2. Prepare a clean external drive (at least 10 GB of storage).
  3. Within OS X Utilities, choose Reinstall OS X.
  4. Select external drive as a source.
  5. Enter your Apple ID.

Now the OS should start downloading automatically onto the external drive. After the download is complete, your Mac will prompt you to do a restart, but at this point, you should completely shut it down. Now that the installation file is “captured” onto your external drive, you can reinstall the OS, this time running the file on your Mac.

Antony marcus
  1. Boot your Mac from your standard drive.
  2. Connect the external drive.
  3. Go to external drive > OS X Install Data.

Locate InstallESD.dmg disk image file — this is the file you need to reinstall Lion OS X. The same steps are valid for Mountain Lion and Mavericks.

How to downgrade a Mac running later macOS versions

If your Mac runs macOS Sierra 10.12 or macOS High Sierra 10.13, it is possible to revert it to the previous system if you are not satisfied with the experience. You can do it either with Time Machine or by creating a bootable USB or external drive.
Instruction to downgrade from macOS Sierra

Instruction to downgrade from macOS High Sierra

Instruction to downgrade from macOS Mojave

Instruction to downgrade from macOS Catalina

Before you do it, the best advice is to back your Mac up so your most important files stay intact. In addition to that, it makes sense to clean up your Mac from old system junk files and application leftovers. The easiest way to do it is to run CleanMyMac X on your machine (download it for free here).

Visit your local Apple Store to download older OS X version

If none of the options to get older OS X worked, pay a visit to nearest local Apple Store. They should have image installations going back to OS Leopard and earlier. You can also ask their assistance to create a bootable USB drive with the installation file. So here you are. We hope this article has helped you to download an old version of Mac OS X. Below are a few more links you may find interesting.