What is Socks?
Socks is a powerful system utility for troubleshooting, maintaining, optimizing and customizing Mac OS X. Socks allows you to:
- Troubleshoot odd behavior, crashes, and the “spinning beach ball.”
- Maintain data structures relied on by the system/applications to keep them running safely and smoothly.
- Optimize system settings to improve performance, save hard drive space, and conserve RAM.
- Customize your system to better fit your needs.
Program Customization and Automation
Socks provides a rich set of features, elegantly implemented with the ability to fully tailor and automate your maintenance routines:
- Configurations: Individual “Tasks” use “Configurations” to define exactly how they do their jobs. Socks comes
with a variety of convenient built-in configurations, and allows you to easily modify existing configurations and create new configurations for your specific
needs and desires.
- Queues: Socks allows you to create lists of tasks, or “Queues,” that run tasks in succession, allowing you to leave your
computer while it performs any number of tasks on its own. Socks includes several built-in queues, and the ability to modify existing queues and create
new queues in a similar fashion as task configurations.
- Schedules: Queues can be scheduled to run at specific times of the day and repeat at regular intervals. This allows your computer
to execute tasks automatically. Socks can even run queues automatically in the event your system crashes.
Design and Security
Socks provides powerful features with a uniquely elegant and meticulously designed interface, and this design philosophy is equally
reflected in Socks’s internals. Socks is scrupulously designed to provide the best reliability and expandability. Unrivaled by
other methods, Socks executes tasks that require system authorization through a secondary background process known as a “setuid tool,”
providing fast, fluid, and secure execution of the low-level tasks that lie at its core. This method is highly recommended by Apple and
designated the “best [most secure] way” to perform privileged operations.
Core Features
Volume Structure
Repair minor file system errors before they cause data loss, recover a volume that won’t mount, check the S.M.A.R.T. status of disks and edit other settings.
File Permissions
Maintain correct file permissions and fix bad permissions that can cause program errors.
Spotlight
Fix missing search results and finicky behavior when searching a volume with Spotlight, disable indexing on volumes to conserve space and CPU power, and more.
Caches
Clean and rebuild system and application caches to fix crashes and many other odd behaviors.
Preferences
Check/disable application and system preference files to ensure retention of settings and fix corruption issues.
Cron Jobs
Run built-in system maintenance scripts to clean logs and temporary files, keep databases up-to-date, and more.
Internet
Optimize network parameters and buffer sizes for optimal internet performance.
Interface
Customize your Mac’s interface with hidden features.
Privacy
Clear records of application, document, server, command-line, and web usage.
What Users Are Saying
Mac Update
“[Socks has] a very clear interface, that gives you enough control when you want it, but also gives you enough ‘just do it for me’
options for the normal user. [...] Socks really makes it easy for me to maintain my computer and keeps it running smoothly in a very
Mac-like fashion.”
– joachimr
Mac Update
Great utility! I love the features, ease of use, and speed of this utility! My second registration for a second Mac.
I’ve been using Socks since 1.2.3, and I can say it’s been the most stable utility for Mac OS X I’ve ever used. It does everything
I need + more. I recently had some issues with some corrupted files, I ran the Preferences utility and it locked up, unfortunately.
After I restarted Socks it corrected the issue =]. Thank goodness! I’ve had other utilities that I’ve used in the past and I’ve
trashed most of them. I had lost almost all faith in Mac OS X maintenance utilities, until one day I found Socks by googling accidentally.
My maintenance routine and stability of it has never been the same! – It’s more stable than it’s ever been! To the Dev: Thank you and keep up the great job!
Also, thank you for supporting PPC Macs, even down to 10.3.9 (Which I still use and totally enjoy)!!
– micg
Mac Update
“Socks has been very useful to me. I really like the scheduling abilities and that the whole program is very customizable. The
developer has been very kind and responsive too. I’m looking forward to further versions of this great app!”
– davidusmusicus
Mac Update
“I have used System Optimizer X since version 2.0. It has been excellent in keeping my system running well, on many occasions when
my mac was playing up, I have run the program and all has been sweet again. [...] Socks has given me the same overall complete maintenance
service as System Optimizer X, with a far better and detailed user interface.”
– Peaat
Mac Update
“I’ve found [Socks's] maintenance features to be extremely useful. When my Spotlight searches stopped working Socks was able to
fix it. [...] Being able to create a queue of tasks and then walk away from my computer while they run is very useful. [...] Socks
was able to squeeze some extra speed out of my internet connection. I’ve been very happy with it!”
– ashnazg
Customer Email
“I am a graphic designer with a five year old Power Mac G4. For the past 6 months my system has been crashing, acting sluggish, and [the]
internet has been running at a turtle’s pace. I have had two tech guys look at my Mac and said that it was fine. I did some research
online and luckily found your site. I just downloaded Socks and ran the maintenance features. It is so easy to use, that I enjoyed a
cup of coffee while it did all the work!
My Mac is now running like it’s on steroids! So unbelievably fast! I cannot thank you enough for this amazing software and I will be
sure to spread the word.”
– John
System Requirements
- Intel or PPC
- Mac OS 10.3.9 or later including Snow Leopard
;)
January 13th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
I was an ardent user of Socks when it was called SOX (System Optimizer X), but it fell off the face of the earth and my emails went unanswered. Now, that it has been resurrected I am more than leery of it incarnation. What does Socks now offer that its competition do not?
January 14th, 2010 at 4:27 am
I can’t start it on my Intel-Mac with 10.5.8 installed … strange.
January 14th, 2010 at 4:31 am
I already own Cocktail and Mac Pilot (both purchased here at MacZot!). Then there are some free options such as Onyx, Maintenance, et al.
What will Socks do that the first two cannot already do for my Macs?
January 14th, 2010 at 6:42 am
Likewise. A quick look through the users’ guide doesn’t seem to reveal anything that isn’t covered in other apps in this very crowded field (I’m already running Macaroni for regular maintenance, and have MacPilot, Cocktail, Onyx, Disk Genius and Disk Warrior). I’m sure this is great if you don’t have the others, but it would be very helpful to know what, if anything, new it brings anything new to the table.
For example, the blurb above says it allow you to “troubleshoot odd behavior, crashes, and the “spinning beach ball.” What does this mean exactly? If it simply means you can run maintenance that should prevent or solve these problems, then it’s no different from the other apps. But if it provides some strategy for dealing with specific glitches – which is what this description describes, and what a user so often cries out for – that would be something else. But there’s no indication in the users’ manual that it does.
January 14th, 2010 at 9:18 am
To add to the other comments, it would be nice to have a tool that looks at your system and gives you more useful information about what is likely causing a problem before it applies a fix, possibly helping you find the program that is creating the issue in the first place.
January 14th, 2010 at 9:43 am
Hello F451, this is Morgan from MKD Software. I admit that your concern is understandable and that I have heard similar sentiments in the past. While I might not be able to provide the exact reassurance that you’re looking for, the fact is that I was sixteen years old when I created System Optimizer X back in 2001. With all that was going on in my adolescent life at that time I wasn’t exactly in a prime position to be running a software business! I have since grown older and more mature, have taught myself Cocoa, written a few free programs for the Mac community, and started over on what was once the SOX project with Socks.
One thing I’d also like to point out is that Socks is not intended to be a replacement or even a direct competitor to some of the other popular utilities out there. I don’t want to include silly or redundant features in Socks just for the the sake of having another item on the feature list. Socks is intended to be a cohesive collection of useful tools, not a heap of random features. This is not to say that I’m not working on many new (and unique!) features for Socks 2.0 that I am very excited about!
January 14th, 2010 at 10:17 am
I don’t think anyone was suggesting “silly or redundant features”. But point taken: Socks is not intended to do anything the others don’t, just provide a neat way of doing them. Which it certainly does, so fair enough. And thanks to Morgan for taking part in the forum.
One other point: is the license single machine or single user? If it’s the latter, it would certainly be worth adding to the toolbox with the others. Sometimes one tool will work where others don’t.
January 14th, 2010 at 11:38 am
smallfool: technically the license is single user, but I don’t really mind if you share it so long as it’s within reason — ie. family, etc.
January 14th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
That’s great, and very fair. Thanks very much – and I’m in. Very best with your projects.
January 14th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
“With all that was going on in my adolescent life at that time I wasn’t exactly in a prime position to be running a software business!”
Fair enough, and everyone deserves at least a second chance. Thanks for your honesty. Zotted!