iRepair Editor's Review

iRepair is a simple application that can correct the ownership and permissions of your files and folders.

This application uses Apple's Security Framework when handling these kinds of action. It provides you an easy-to-use interface that has a better usability than the Terminal or Finder. It also provides you the possibility to include the subfolders, in the same way Finder does.

The interface is very simple. It provides you a 'Select' button, which gives you the possibility to pick the desired directory. The 'Settings' button opens a panel, where you can set permissions like read, write, and execute for any owner, group, or others. This panel also provides you the possibility to set the owner of the folder/files and the group.

Pressing the 'Apply' button starts the whole process. The action is almost instant even with high amount of data.

The 'Preferences' panel is very simple and it provides you with just a few options. You can find there some disabled checkboxes, which should activate the Aqua interface instead of Brushed Metal, and another option that should show the hidden files and folders. There are also checkboxes that work, like loading just the name of the desired folder instead of showing the entire path, and the possibility to include the subfolders by default. The option to include the subfolders is also available in the main interface, but this checkbox toggles it on or off by default.

Pluses: it gives you a fast and easy way to fix permissions to your folders/files.

Drawbacks / flaws: it doesn't give you the possibility to set special permissions, such as SUID, GUID, or sticky.

Warning! don't try this at home: do not change the ownership of your system files/folders. By doing this, you can achieve a Macintosh that would work only partially. The application can change the ownership of folders/files, but it can't change them back, not even with the 'sudo' command, because you won't have any access to it. I tried test it that way and it messed up my Mac OS X installation. I had to recover it. This application is not a toy and it gives you high access to ownership modifications. Don't play with it, if you don't know what you are doing.

In conclusion: wow, this application works so fast. I thought it was a scam when I gave it the job to change the permissions to my 2.33GB test folder with lots of files and subdirectories. Well, it wasn't. The application did its job for real. The bad part is the fact that the applications works fast with system files too, without any warning. I wouldn't recommend this to a beginner.

version reviewed: 1.0.5