Hidden Files in OS X
One of the reason I switched to Apple's OS X as my main platform was the ability to get an environment that was both Linux-like, my favorite operating system, and Windows-like. Because as much as Linux has grown, Microsoft still has the upper hand on the desktop environment.
One of the things OS X shares with with Linux is the file system, particularly how files and directories are handled. In this case, I talking about how hidden files are handled. By default files or directories that begin with a . (period) are hidden from view. And while for most that is the best option, there are times you need to work with the hidden files and directories in Finder.
The easiest way to do unhide these files is from the command line. To do so, you simply open terminal and run:
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles True
You then need to reset Finder so that the change can take effect. To do that type this:
killall Finder
Viola! You can now see a lot more files. However, typing that in every time you want to see the files is a pain, so lets make that process easier.