If you haven’t already heard, there’s a new modem standard. Previously, 28.8 bps was the highest modem speed possible without a digital line. The new standard is now 33.6 bps. This doesn’t mean you can connect at this speed right now; it will take awhile.
First, you’ll have to upgrade your modem. If you have a 28.8 modem now, this probably means downloading some software off the Internet. Otherwise, the other option is to get a new modem.
Depending on your provider, you may have to wait for them to upgrade. Even if they do, don’t expect to ever connect at that speed. If you have a 28.8 modem now, you know that you rarely can connect at the top speed. With the new speed, you will probably be able to connect at 28.8 speeds.
So, yes, you will be connecting faster, but probably not at the top speed. This depends on your phone lines. If you live in a very busy area, you have even more problems because of how busy the lines are. The busier the lines, the slower your connection will be.
If you need more speed, there is another option: a digital line. Sure, they cost more, are harder to hook up, and cause a lot of problems, but an ISDN line can give you up to 128K bps bandwidth.
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All we 7.5.x folks have them, and we know they’re cool. But what exactly can you use them for, other than making your desktop look as messy as your other desk or your refrigerator door. Well, I’ve found a couple of things for which they are very convenient, as well as a fairly easy way to keep them under control.
The first is for URL’s, those pesky internet addresses that you run into everywhere nowadays, so useful to take you “right there,” but such a bother to organize. If you’re online, you can just click on a hyperlinked address (or, in NewsWatcher, command. Click). But if you don’t want to go there right then, then you have to save the little bugger. Bookmarking works but then you end up with thousands. And if you’re offline, it’s not available.
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DigiClock v2.5
Shareware: $10.00
Yeah, I can hear you all now saying “Um, Tim? We already have a clock in our menu bar. What gives?” (Okay, pre-7.5 users are not saying that, but most of you are) While it is true you may have a good, dependable clock already, chances are you will like DigiClock better. Why? For the most important reason of all: it’s cool!
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Stuffit Deluxe 4.0
Company: Alladin
Estimated Price: $129.95 SRP; $29.95 upgrade
Aladdin Systems
I knew it was only a matter of time. Sooner or later I’d need a good compression utility. I didn’t really need one when I first got my computer; I had a whole hard drive to fill and nothing to fill it with. Then, I became part of the online world, where sending and receiving files really necessitated having a compression program. While I was online with eWorld and AOL, it still wasn’t a pressing need, since both of those programs had StuffIt technology built in. But then I canceled my AOL account and got an ISP account. Suddenly, I needed a means of compacting the files I was going to send over the ‘net. In addition to that, by now my hard drive was starting to fill up.
My first impulse (being the cheapskate that I am) was to turn to one of the shareware alternatives, such as DropStuff or Compact Pro. But, then I decided to take a look at StuffIt Deluxe. When the opportunity arose to get the newest version of Aladdin System’s flagship product at an unbeatable price, I went for it.
And I was not disappointed.
Each month, I usually have this column written before I even see anything from the other writers. Not so this month, as I was up to my neck in writing reviews. I like to write reviews, don’t get me wrong, but I like to write this column more. Hey, this is my chance to voice what I think about pretty much anything I want! (It also helps when you own the magazine!)
So, after reading Pete Miner’s “Free Speed Upgrades,” I was in a good mood. (I am one of Pete’s biggest fans!) Then I go on to read Grant Casady’s “Bits And Pieces.” I really enjoy that column each month. I am so swamped with simply trying to read Macintosh magazines that I hardly ever have time to LOOK at a PC Magazine. His columns always ruffle my fur, in a good way! I think Grant is doing all of us a service each month. Hope you are all writing him letters telling him how pleased you are with his expert reporting!
At any rate, I am writing my own column after reading everyone else’s. And I got to thinking. What do YOU like about My Mac? What would you like to see more of? Less of? We here at My Mac would like to know! Drop us a letter after reading this issue and let us know, if it is not too much trouble.
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HEY, Apple! What about us? I know that technology is constantly changing (hell, it changed right after I bought my first Mac, a Performa 430) but can’t you work with us a little bit? What I’m talking about is all of us Mac owners who have a “Power PC” ready unit that suddenly isn’t. All of us ’030 and ’040 Mac owners that are happy (thank you very much) with our setups, but maybe we would just like to increase our RAM because prices are so low or change our hard drives to increase our storage capabilities. What about us?
What happened to all of the promises that you wouldn’t forget us? What’s happening with Copland? Are we going to be able to use it like you’ve been hinting lately or is it going to fall by the wayside, like a lot of your other promises and programs? Is System upgrade 7.5.5 or 7.5.x going to be the last thing you do for us? There aren’t just a couple of hundred of us, there are several million of us loyal Mac users. What about us?
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I was intrigued by the email that I had received from Bertie Hall last month wishing all of us a belated 4th of July from Saudi Arabia. I have continued corresponding with him since then and have taken what Bertie has sent me and and would like to share it with you in this month’s edition of Macs at Work.
Night Fire and a PowerBook Continue reading »
Bertie -
Here I am, a military trainer in the Saudi Arabian Desert, and the sun has just set in the west, and a yellow moon has broken through the desert floor in the east, rising to light the skies in competition with the illumination rounds being fired from the mortar tracks to my direct front. The HE (high explosive) rounds have been fired, eliminating a designated target out to the front a few klicks out. The forward observer continues to call for fire as the moon ambles on the rise.
EPIC TALES Continue reading »
Articles on the upcoming Epic line of PowerBooks are starting to pop up here and there. Computerworld (Aug. 26) announced that Epics should be available starting in November. Apple’s notebook computers currently rank number nine in sales. The Epic “will be based on the 603e PowerPC processor.” A new stab at laptops is long overdue from Apple as far as the industry is concerned. The much-hyped release of several PowerBooks last summer fizzled when the computers started exhibiting strange behavior – [Suggest: little things] like cracking open and catching fire. Meanwhile, it is reported that IBM’s plans for IBM ThinkPads running the Mac OS have been killed, at least for sales here in the States. They might turn up in Japan, but the U.S. will get something (less powerful) called a ThinkBook.
Pete’s FREE Speed Upgrade
Just can’t seem to scrape up that two, three, four or five hundred dollars to buy one of those fancy Macintosh accelerators, let alone a brand new PowerMac? Tired of the slow speed at which your 680×0 processor works? Feel like your productivity is going right down the toilet because of it? Does your neighbor own a Power Mac? Do you lay awake at night thinking of ways to steal it?
If you’re that much of a speed fanatic, but can’t afford the high dollar upgrade to PowerPC or even the price of an accelerator, you’re probably running your Mac’s system stripped to the bone; i.e., you have the minimum amount of extensions and control panels installed and your monitor is probably set to black and white. If this is the case, you’re going about this quest for speed in the wrong manner. In fact, you’re doing just the opposite of what you should be doing.
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This month’s article is going to depart from my usual “how-to” information, and focus on a certain question that keeps popping up from my reader mail:
What is Apple Certified and/or how does one become “certified?”
I hope this will answer many of your questions. I do have one disclaimer though, I don’t speak for Apple and any information below may NOT be accurate (since things change all the time).
Apple certification consists of several things. I am a certified service repair technician because I’ve completed the required courses offered by Apple for their Service Providers. To perform service on any Apple branded equipment you normally have to work through an Authorized Service Provider and you must have already completed the particular course for the equipment you are working on (to fix a monitor, you must have completed the monitor course). The reason for this is:
“The most important reason for having a good Service and Support program is to ensure that customers remain satisfied with the performance of their computers. If Apple owners are satisfied, they will recommend the product and your store to their friends, and they’ll come back themselves for future purchases.”
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Free Reviews!
Hi, I love your most recent versions of My Mac, though the downloads are killing me. With my 28.8 modem I’m usually at 45 minutes per edition on AOL. Is there a way get these on disk? I’ll gladly send you a box of blank disks and self-addressed envelopes (stamped, of course). I think I remember this as an option.
Also, I am sending along a folder with a program called Fonts on Parade. I use this all the time, and it never lets me down. Anyone who works in desktop publishing, or frequently adds fonts, or has so many fonts they need a “reminder” of what a face looks like will find this EXTREMELY useful. I already use PopCharLite, and this too is very useful, but with Fonts On Parade you can easily select a text size and type, and even put in your own words for it to display. I often use the last feature when working at my desk with a client to show them their company name in a particular face. Put this little application in your Apple Menu for best ease of use (just a suggestion).
Hope you have a chance to try it and like what you see. And by the way, it is FREE (I’ve sent the actual AOL download so you’ll have the read-me attached).
Thanks for all the work you do to make my life in Mac Land more entertaining and productive.
Best regards, Continue reading »
John Sadler
Mac OS Revision 7.5.5
Well, on September 19th, Apple released its latest revision to the Mac OS, System 7.7.5. Those of you running earlier versions of System 7.5 will need to get System 7.5 Update 2.0 before you can run the 7.5.5 installer.
System 7.5.5 is said to provide significant performance improvements when using virtual memory, improve floppy drive reliability in those computers with a DOS Compatibility Card, improve memory management on PowerPC computers, and, most importantly, improve reliability on PowerPC PowerBook and PCI-based computers. Improved Ethernet, improved LocalTalk, better reliability for the Apple TV tuner and the remote control, improved stability when running multiple programs in the background, improved stability when using a shared printer on the network, improved reliability on 180MHz or greater 604/604e based computers, and improved reliability when using sound-intensive applications on Quadra and Centris Macs are also part of Apple’s new package.
Cover from My Mac Magazine #18, Oct. 1996 by Mike Gorman
This Month: Beta Testing • Meet Mac Programmer Mike Throckmorton • Words of Wisdom From Some Readers
Hello once again, as usual, dear readers. Now that I’ve had a few months on the Internet with an access provider, and have been totally immersed in the Web, Usenet, and the like, I’ve picked up on a few things that I hadn’t noticed back during my eWorld/AOL days. Many of these things have been talked about at various times by various people in the past, but I hadn’t realized that those folks were right until I saw things for myself.
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MacBrickout v3.1
Leapfrog Software
$15.00 Shareware Fee
Adam: Here we go again!
Mike: It’s been pointed out to me that we seem to have a thing for balls and paddles, what with reviewing Mortal Pongbat last month and MacBrickout this month. (Then again, maybe we have a thing for bricks — witness this month’s review and the Tetris reviews we did a few months ago.) Whatever the case may be, though, this month Adam and I review for you another arcade classic redone on the Macintosh, this time a Breakout-style game by Leapfrog Software.
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SimpleDate 1.3.1
Freeware
Well, after that last review, it sure is nice to review a program that I can say good things about! SimpleDate is a great little program. It is just a simple calendar. Not a planner, so you can’t write in memo’s or such, but JUST a calendar. The only frills in it is the ability to change the looks to one of four styles, and the ability to go to any month/year of your choice. (Nice to see what day your next birthday falls on!)
When you launch the program, the current month pops up. A nice feature is that today’s date is highlighted. You can also resize the calendar to any size you wish. This is done by dragging the window to desired size. That’s it! No cryptic keys or menu options to learn. You can also copy the calendar as either text or a picture to paste into another program of your choice.
Again, SimpleDate is a no-frills calendar. I really like it! John David N. Dionisio of Jade’s End Software should be commended for this fine product. Thanks, John! Keep up the GREAT work!
Sledgehammer v1.0.3
Shareware $10.00
This is a joke, right? I figure that either Lunchbox Software released this software simply to remind Mac users why we HATE DOS, or else they have a great sense of humor. Either way, I’m not laughing.
Sledgehammer is billed as a program that will open any file as a text file. Any file. Sounds like a worthwhile program at first glance. Unfortunately, I downloaded Sledgehammer and tried to use it. This is one of the worse programs I have ever had the misfortune to use.
First, Sledgehammer is not drag-and-drop. Any program that boasts the ability to “open any file” should have this BASIC trait. Not Sledgehammer v1.0.3. In fact, Sledgehammer has no Mac interface to speak of. When you launch Sledgehammer, you are presented with a DOS-like interface, where you must TYPE IN the file you want to open. That file MUST be in the same folder as Sledgehammer, or else you must also type in the path to find that file. Wow, this program sure is a paradigm of user-friendliness.
So, does the program work? No. First, it would open most files I threw at it. However, when I tried to open a Microsoft Word 6.0 file with embedded cells, Sledgehammer refused to open it. In fact, it would not even open the text part of the file.
Sledgehammer v1.0.3 is a worthless program, not deserving of anyone’s downloading time. The read me file states “Sledgehammer is Shareware. It costs $10. IF YOU DO NOT PAY THE SHAREWARE FEE, YOU ARE A THIEF.” Well, if they try to collect money from this program, then Lunchbox Software is the true thief. Stay away from this program. TextEdit Plus is a much better choice.
Warcraft II
Company: Blizzard Entertainmant
Estimated Price: $59.95
I knew the Orcs were close at hand. It had been a while since their last attack on my city, when they managed to kill three of my workers, and two of my archers before I swarmed over them with my soldiers. I had rebuilt my army back up, and my town was getting larger, but I knew it was only a matter of time now. Time until I would hear one of my workers cry out, “We are under attack!”
And come they did. The Orcs landed a transport ship on my Northern shore, unloaded six warriors, and started attacking one of my farms. I knew I would destroy this band of ravagers, but it was a lost cause. The Orcs had a better fleet of ships than I did. They had already destroyed three of my naval vessels, and I only had three left. One I sent after the transport they used to land their warriors on my shore. My battleship would chase it off, but three Orc ships would get the jump on my one lone battleship. There was no way I could bring up another battleship to help. Nowhere to run. My fleet was down to two battleships and three oil haulers. The only good news: I killed all the attacking Orcs before they destroyed that farm, and lost none of my warriors in the process. Yes, the Orcs would come, but they would not find my ground forces or my city unprepared.
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QuickBooks Pro 4.0
Company: Intuit
Estimated Price: $199.99
If you have needs that go beyond simple bank account records, and Quicken is not enough, then this is the program for you! Feature rich, but the ease of use makes all of them even better. Many programs that have every feature under the sun tend to be cryptic and hard to use, like they were created for the Wintel environment. As Mac users, we tend to have easier to use products, and QuickBooks Pro 4.0 is one of them. (Although it is also available to the Windows side.)
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Ram Doubler
Company: Connetix
Estimated Price: $55.00
By now, everyone and their sister has heard about Ram Doubler 2.0. Not only does this latest version of the top selling memory enhancer double your memory, but it will also triple it. Sounds all well and good, but does it work? Are there any ill effects by using it? For a month now, I have had it loaded on my Macintosh, and a few things become clear.
First, it works. You can indeed set your pseudo memory to three time that of actual RAM installed. To do this, you go to your control panel’s folder, where, unlike version 1.x, you now have control over Ram Doubler. Simply set the slide ruler to you desired memory, and restart. You Mac now thinks it has that much more memory! (See picture below)
Comments. Be heard!
MyMac Podcast #385
MyMac Podcast #384