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.

For ISDN, Integrated Services Digital Network, you have to have your local telephone company install a separate digital line. This will have a monthly fee to go with it, but it will be incredibly fast. You will also need an ISDN “modem.” In reality, it actually isn’t a modem, it’s an adapter. Considering you have to have one and it looks like a modem, you can sort of think of it as a modem. Once these steps are done, you can try to connect with the new setup. It probably won’t work the first time, so plan on calling your ISP’s tech support. You will also have to contact your ISP to see if they even support ISDN.

If you have been reading some magazines and newspapers, you might have heard of some other options. The cable companies and ADSL. These aren’t used in most areas, but they will soon be spreading .

Cable companies might become providers. They have new technology that could send the entire book of Moby Dick, 857 pages, in two seconds. In two seconds, ISDN could get about ten pages. 28.8 modems couldn’t get all of page three. The problem with the cable modems, is that they aren’t set up for uploading. They can do it, but it causes a lot of problems. When they get this problem fixed, this will become the new standard. But, like most things, this comes with a price. It will be about 35 dollars a month for service and currently it costs $400 for the modem. That cost will definitely fall.

ADSL, asymmetrical digital-subscriber line, might be just as fast as the cable companies. The nicest part is that it uses existing phone lines. It, too, is used only in very limited areas, but it should be expanding soon. This is better than ISDN in that you don’t need a separate line for it. I don’t know of a price for this, but it will probably cost more than a typical provider.

It seems everything is getting faster. Computers, modems, CD-ROM players. This is all for the best. One must wonder if this will ever hit a wall and slow down. From the way it looks, it won’t. Once we make the fastest processor, we will make multiple processor computers. Apple, and some clone makers, are already making them. I guess the future is upon us. Now what do we do? Make it faster!!!

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.

So I text-clip ‘em. First select a short suitable name (if any) from the surrounding text, and copy it (Command-C). Then select the URL (only the URL), and drag it off onto the desktop. It will become a text clipping. Now click once on its name, “text clipping,” and paste (Command-V). It now has the identifying name you copied. If there is no good name to copy, you’ll have to type one in. I like to add the letters “www” or “ftp,” so I’ll know who to drop it on later. It’s helpful if you have some other color than black as your highlight color, to be sure you’ve got just the name selected; otherwise the name won’t paste.

Now that you’ve named it, you need to put it in a folder right away to keep the desktop clear. I keep one named “Temp. ƒ” right on the desktop. (I actually have a “multi-folder” with five folders in the space of one icon, one of which is News Clips.)
Once in the folder they take up much less room, as small icons, or list views.

These URL clippings are pretty much the same as “bookmarks.” They can be dragged onto the open web page of a browser to go to that address, or they can be dropped on the icon of other Internet programs, such as Fetch. I find it better to store rarely (if ever) used addresses in a folder as text-clippings rather than load up my bookmarks with them.

Another great use for text-clippings is to get and store those little pieces of essential information you run across. You can get a whole pile and read them over until you know everything. And for classified ads: Take off the entire ad with the vendor’s info,
then just copy and paste the name and price onto the text-clipping’s name. Then you can just look in the clippings’ folder and compare prices.

This is the beauty of text-clippings; they are faster and more selective than saving an article, they open in the finder, and they each have their own name. They are kind of like visible clipboards, which survive restarts.

The main drawback is that not all programs completely support them. For example, Netscape 2 doesn’t let you pull words off (but that’s probably because of the HTML); Eudora Lite also doesn’t support them. One simple work around is to launch Apple’s little NotePad, which does. Copy and paste your text or URL into there, then drag it off and name it. And the NotePad quits with a click. There is also small freeware text editor, FinderNote, that allows you to create, save, and edit text clippings, if you should need to.

If you ever decide to put several clippings onto a text page, you can shift-click them, then drop them all in. They will be pasted in the order you selected them, though with no spaces between. If you have two windows open, you can drag-and-drop between them. (Note: this is for system 7.5 only)

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!

DigiClock is more than a clock. It’s also a stop watch! Ohhhh! Drooling yet? Wait, there’s more! It also has a Executive Decision Maker built right in! That’s right, this handy feature is for those of you who have a hard time making up your OWN MIND! Simply start DigiClock, hit Command-E, and DigiClock will make the decision for you!
Here, let‘s try it right now! Should I rent the house I will be looking at tomorrow? Now, let’s go to DigiClock and find out….

Well, THAT was some help ! Guess if I can’t make up my own mind, I shouldn’t expect a $10.00 shareware program to do it for me. Oh, well!

In any case, DigiClock’s features do not stop there! (I feel like I’m writing an infomercial!) DigiClock 2.5 will also display your monitor size, what system you’re running, RAM, color settings, and volume setting. Cool! (Oh, and the date!) You can also change the setting for speaker volume, time, date, and color all from a pull down menu. Hey, this is a handy little gadget to have around!

DigiClock is not an init, control panel, or any other evil system crasher. It’s an application. So, in a tight memory environment, you can always turn it off. In short, this is a cool program, with more features than I listed here. Worth the download. Scott Westerfield did a fine job on this program!

Stuffit Deluxe 4.0
Company: Alladin
Estimated Price: $129.95 SRP; $29.95 upgrade
Aladdin Systems / http://www.aladdinsys.com

Mike Wallinga
 

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.

StuffIt Deluxe 4.0 is an unbeatable program. It is easy to see why the StuffIt method has become the Macintosh standard for compression. It is easy to use, yet extraordinarily powerful and flexible. There is hardly anything to complain about with StuffIt, and plenty of things worth at least a little praise.

MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A CAT

Or, in this case, stuff an archive. I mean there is more than one way — try a dozen! For starters, while you are using the StuffIt Deluxe application, you can stuff a file into an archive using the “stuff” command under the Archive menu. You can also click on the “stuff” button on the floating tool palette.

Outside of the application itself, there are several more ways. Using the Magic Menu (a pull-down menu in the menu bar), you can choose to stuff the file that is currently selected in the Finder. Or, simply take the name of the file and append a “.sit” or “.sea” to it. The file will automatically be stuffed. Another method is to drag-and-drop a file onto a previously existing archive. Alternatively, you can create a new archive by holding down the option key and going to the File menu. The usual “New Folder” command is now “New Archive.” And, of course, you can always use the included DropStuff utility to drag-and-drop a file and change it into an archive. You can also compact a file into segments using the DropSegment utility, or compact a file in SpaceSaver format using the MagicMenu or yet another drag-and-drop application DropCompress.

Is that a dozen yet?

Maybe not, but it’s more than enough for me — and I very well may be forgetting one or two. There’s just as many ways to unstuff an archive, too, but I won’t go into detail. Just rest assured that you’ll never use them all without intentionally doing so.

One of the greatest features of this new version of StuffIt is the ability to open archives in the Finder without unstuffing them. This makes it easy to view the contents of an archive and expand only the files you want to. You can also view how much space each individual file takes up, and how much has been saved. Adding a file to the archive or expanding one is as easy as dragging a file into or out of the open archive’s window. This “True Finder Integration” has worked flawlessly in my dealings with it and is one of the biggest advantages StuffIt Deluxe has over its little sibling, StuffIt Lite, or Bill Goodman’s Compact Pro. Talk about convenience!

StuffIt SpaceSaver is also included in the package. SpaceSaver is a background compression utility that will compress the information on your hard drive transparently. When you want to open one of these compressed files, all you do is double-click, and SpaceSaver will automatically expand it for you. This is a handy way to effectively double your hard drive space. However, if a file is SpaceSaver compressed, it will take a little longer to load after you double-click on it. Also, keep in mind that any information that you have compressed using SpaceSaver can’t be used on another computer that doesn’t have SpaceSaver installed. With these things in mind, I don’t regularly use the SpaceSaver portion of StuffIt Deluxe, but it is still handy to have around, and an added bonus to an already terrific product.

The manual for StuffIt is quite in-depth, almost overly so. Every little detail is thoroughly explained, nearly to the point of being redundant, especially given StuffIt’s ease of use. I would have never referred to the manual had I not decided to do this review, and I wouldn’t have missed much. However, it’s good to have a well-written manual like this one just in case you do ever have a question, or have to teach a technophobe how to compact a file.

STUFF THIS!

StuffIt Deluxe is a powerful program that has the ability to translate a file from nearly every compression format imaginable. It is easy to use and carries a very small learning curve. The five drag-and-drop applications included with the package are handy, too. With the Magic Menu and True Finder Integration implemented almost perfectly, StuffIt Deluxe takes functionality and handling of compressed files to another level.

If you don’t deal with compressed files a whole lot, you can probably get by with the shareware combo of DropStuff and StuffIt Expander. I’ll admit that those two portions of the Deluxe package are still what I use the most. However, if you even think that you may need a little more functionality beyond what those two drag-and-drop applications have to offer, don’t hesitate to buy the commercial package. The extra money you spend will be quickly made up in added options and convenience.

With version 4.0 of StuffIt Deluxe, Aladdin has made a nearly perfect utility. In my opinion it should have a spot on every Mac user’s hard drive, certainly that of any Mac user with Internet access. After fully exploring the depth and range of features that Aladdin has included here, I’m left with only one question —

What in the world could they possibly add to make a version 5.0?

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.

Been watching football all day today. (My Lions just lost, but I am trying not to think about it!) All I see during commercials is Microsoft, and those well done “Where do you want to go today” ads. Tell you what, if I were thinking about buying a computer for the first time, a PC running Windows 95 would be high on my list. Why? Because, with all the bad reporting on Apple as of late, and not seeing any ads on TV saying otherwise, I would figure Apple is on its last legs. Now, we all know better than that, but what does the average Joe see? Microsoft. IBM. Lotus Notes. All PC stuff, but nary a word on Apple. Yes, I think Mike Gault got it just right last issue in his “The Critic” column. When will Apple see the big picture? Or, in the case of a smaller TV set, the little picture?

What they need is some kick-butt advertising. Heck, if anyone from Apple’s PR firm is reading this, write me a letter! Do I have some ideas for you! Here are a few…

Start off with a futuristic landscape. (Flying cars, robo servants, that sort of thing.) Paint it like Blade Runner or something equally high tech. Now, show an average couple standing in front of a computer store, looking at all the new computers, and have the woman turn to the man and say “I heard Apple is in trouble.” And then the man looks back at her and replies “Yeah, I heard they won’t be around for long”. Then have the Mac OS logo slam together (Like in the Terminator 2 commercials way back when) and have the slogan “Apple Macintosh. The Computer for the future. Here today. Here Tomorrow.” Effective, no?

How about this. Have a roving type of reporter walking around a big city, and asking what computers people use at work. “Excuse me, Miss, what computer do you use at work?”, he would ask. “I don’t know, some PC brand or something”, the startled secretary answers. “So what computer do you use at home” the reporter then asks. Looking at the reporter like he is on drugs or something, the secretary replies “Why, an Apple Macintosh, of course!” Then have the slogan “Macintosh: The Better Choice.” (Or some other neat catch phrase)

My point is, Apple is doing NOTHING right now. NOTHING. Look, unless they get their collective heads out of the sand, they will LOSE EVERYTHING. And, to be blunt, they would deserve to. Unless, of course, they WAKE UP!!!!

Sorry, but that has been bothering me for a while now. Had to get that off my chest. But I would like to hear any ideas YOU have for Apple commercials. Write them up, send them my way, and I will forward the best directly to Apple. And their PR firm. Wouldn’t it be neat if they actually make one, eh?

EPIC TALES
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.

PROJECT X
Infoworld (Aug. 12) gave front page coverage to Apple’s plans to sell its Meta Content Format (MCF, code-named Project X) to corporations. “Meta Content Format can transform HTML-based data into a multi-layered graphics presentation that lets users view several layers of data at a time, rather than screen by screen.” Project X seems to be getting taken seriously by the industry in these early stages because of its possible implications and its cross platform nature. Computerworld (Sept. 2) points out the connection between Project X and the new QuickTime plug-ins for World Wide Web browsers like Netscape’s Navigator. These plug-ins work with Windows just as easily as with Macs. Computerworld notes that “Yahoo, Inc. has committed to supporting MCF by creating an MCF-compliant version of its home page.”

PROJECT 8 and PROJECT PURSE
Infoworld didn’t seem to have much of an opinion on Project X, demonstrated at the Macworld Expo show in Boston. It did, however, have an opinion on a “purse-shaped portable” computer which left those attending the show wondering exactly what market Apple is going after. And the plan to release Copland in pieces over several months next year instead of as a finished product was apparently received with confusion. Infoworld reports that the first piece of System 8 to be released will be the Harmony upgrade, “due by Jan. 1, 1997.” It will include OpenDoc, Cyberdog, QuickTime 2.5, and QuickDraw 3D.

ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE
Informationweek ‘s August 12 issue included an article detailing Gil Amelio’s blessing of OpenDoc projects at the Macworld Expo. IW explained that the biggest problem for OpenDoc is that it has received no support at all from Microsoft. (See “Let Me Contradict Myself,” below.) The magazine quotes a Microsoft manager as saying, “We have zero customers who are requesting it.” Now, even though Microsoft is playing so nice with Apple lately that conspiracy theories were reportedly flying at the Expo, I don’t expect too many of Microsoft’s customers would bother asking the makers of Active X for OpenDoc. Would you?

Informationweek also records Apple’s curious announcement (considering how the company is supposed to be at death’s door) that it has 600 job openings. No, I don’t know which jobs, but you might find some clues at http://www.apple.com/employment.

LOTUS NOTE
As recorded in last month’s column, the folks at Lotus were getting downright nasty about the idea of making their pet Notes compatible with Apple’s OpenDoc. Parent company and co- OpenDoc parent IBM has yet to make a move, but Lotus (as reported by Infoworld Aug. 12) is now at least ready to make Lotus Notes compatible with Apple Network Servers.

NO GLOATING!!
A horrible thing happened several months ago that I chose not to record in my column. The writer of Infoworld’s Distributed Thinking column, Stewart Alsop, who gets the prime back-page position, switched from a Mac to Windows 95. He really had no choice, he told his readers, because the company was switching to a single platform.

The horrible part was that he really liked Windows 95, and after using it for a while, began to get a little enthusiastic about it. It was stable, it was easy, it was intuitive … why, it was nothing to get upset about at all! In fact, he was pretty sure after using Windows for a few weeks that it was going to become our planet’s only necessary OS!

That was then. In the August 12th issue, he was writing a different column. No, he wasn’t breathing fire. He hadn’t thrown out his Wintel. But his opinion had changed enough that he felt the need to go to print with an update on a system he no longer feels comfortable with. And as my column is more into the business of promoting Apple than ripping Windows, why bother including for you all the killer quotes from Alsop’s recant?

(Oh, and in a hopefully unrelated incident, Alsop is no longer writing his weekly column in Infoworld….)

THE GIFT OF GIVING
InformationWeek (Aug. 12) reports that Intel was none too pleased with a decision by a Rio Rancho, New Mexico high school to opt for Apple Macintoshes. “The problem: Intel had donated $30 million to the Rio Rancho … school system.” The “donation” was part of a industrial bond deal that Intel cut with the local government in exchange for the chance to make improvements to a nearby Intel plant. But as InformationWeek pointed out, the high school simply went with the lowest bidder (that’s the official line anyway) and Intel will still be donating computers to local schools which will have Intel inside.

POWERQUOTE
Apple CEO Gil Amelio, speaking at Macworld in Boston on Aug. 7, quoted by InformationWeek (Aug. 12) :
“We could make a cheap computer, but we’d have to take the memory out, the communications, the SCSI. Sort of like Windows.”

MACROSOFT?
As stated above, I’m not personally in the business of ripping on Microsoft … it’s more a matter of promoting Macintosh. I’ve had to make this distinction lately after the initiation of the browser wars. I know, deep down, that all of us are cheering, whether publicly or privately, for Netscape Navigator to hold off the overwhelming attack of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Cheering for the underdog is normal. But on the other hand, I’ve used Internet Explorer 3.0, and you know what? It’s really good. I’m kind of excited about the coming Mac version that AOL and Netcom are going to try to force on me (although AOL’s first Explorer offering for Mac will reportedly not be 3.0). And my excitement made me think that, despite the civilization-ending horror that is Windows, Microsoft does make some extremely good products.

All of this is simply an attempt to excuse the interesting set of Microsoft MacToids I’m putting in this column. They were printed up in Computerworld’s Aug. 26 issue.
–Microsoft is the second largest developer of Macintosh applications by revenue …
–Microsoft is the fourth largest developer of Macintosh applications by units sold …
–Microsoft ships more than 30 Macintosh software titles …
–Microsoft Office for the Macintosh (that everyone complained so dang much about)
is the company’s most popular Macintosh product.

In the accompanying article, Computerworld said Office 97 for Mac, due next summer, will be Copland-friendly (while still being compatible with earlier Mac systems). Microsoft hasn’t explained whether or not it plans to make Office 97 compatible with such Apple technologies as OpenDoc. One quoted expert pointed out that Microsoft need not bother to do so; the company has 100% of the total Macintosh suite market with the current set of Office programs, and the Mac community hated them, so taking a pass on future Apple technologies is unlikely to hurt sales.

LET ME CONTRADICT MYSELF
That being said, let’s not forget that Microsoft is becoming so dedicated to Macintosh issues that conspiracy theories are taking shape. What are the behaviors inspiring this? Well, Infoworld’s August 19th issue spent some time discussing that in a trio of Microsoft/Apple articles. Try this latest version of Bill Gates’ to-do list:

–”Microsoft has opened a Silicon Valley center that will concentrate on developing
Internet Explorer 2.0 and 3.0 for the Macintosh….”

–”(Microsoft is) working with a number of smaller companies to identify standards
for Internet development for the Macintosh.”

–”Internet Explorer will support Apple’s OpenDoc component architecture.” (!!!!)

–”(Explorer) will work natively with … QuickTime, QuickTime VR, and QuickDraw
3D….”

–”Microsoft will continue (developing) its own technologies, such as ActiveX and the
Java virtual machine for the Macintosh….” (Put those swords away.)

–Microsoft is a “charter member of … the Macintosh Internet Developers
Association.”

–Microsoft and Apple are working on “ways to integrate some of their competing
technologies.”

Nice list. So the question is, why? Well, I pointed out one of the published conspiracy theories in a previous column. Addressing that theory, Infoworld reports a Microsoft spokesman “denied that Microsoft was attempting to prop up Apple in order to fend off another Justice Department anti-trust investigation of Microsoft.” So there you have it. Microsoft must just like Apple’s technology better.

DEFINING MOMENTS
Windows Sources (Sept. 1996) offered this definition of ‘Windows Programmer”:
“Use ideas from Macintosh programs to create wonderful software that Microsoft can build into its OS and thus put you out of business.”

KEEPING TIME IN MICROSOFT HOURS
Like Business Week a couple of months ago, TIME (Sept. 16) ran a glowing review/cover story on Bill Gates and his on-the-fly restructuring of Microsoft to meet the Internet challenge. Unlike Business Week, TIME forced itself to meet its own standards of “fair” and “unbiased” reporting by turning the article into an exploration of both Microsoft and its main competitor, Netscape. It was a very interesting article, sure to instill millions of public relations dollars worth of new respect for Bill Gates’ management skills around the world. (And I, for one, am not knocking those skills; only a fool would argue that he hasn’t consistently worked miracles with his company.) The Macintosh references came in scattered bits and pieces. I am always interested in how TIME covers Apple and its competition since TIME went through a much publicized company-wide conversion to Macintosh about two years ago. At any rate, TIME showed a strong skepticism about Microsoft’s plans to release a Mac version of the Internet Explorer … a skepticism that the computer industry press lacks entirely.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE!
Germany’s PC Professionell had this to say about IBM’s version of OpenDoc: “Im Gergensatz zu OLE bringt Open Doc hier seinen zweiten Vorteil ein: Es ist plattformunabhangig.” I have no idea what that means. Hope it’s nice. (Editor’s note: So do we

MacToids
“There are more people using Macintoshes than there are Australians.” -Wired Magazine Ad (from the SRDS)

Upon moving to the United States from the Netherlands, Adam Curry, one-time MTV VJ and current Internet celeb, made a Mac Plus his first computer. (Web Developer, Sept-Oct 1996)

There was something a little lonely about seeing a two-page ad for Apple’s Newton MessagePad 130 in the September issue of Windows magazine. As if the magazine’s title weren’t clue enough, maybe the makers of the Mac will be reminded of the true purpose of this publication by the title of Bruce F. Webster’s column in the same issue: “Microsoft Windows Forever and Ever.” I swear, that was the honest-to-God title, I am not making it up.

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.

No matter what 680×0 processor you have, once you strip it to the bone, that’s it. You have as much speed as you’re going to get. No more, no more, NO MORE! If you try to de-bone the system, it will quit working altogether. Just like you would if someone de-boned you.

I have the answer to your speed problems. It may not be as good as a PowerPC upgrade. But what the hell, we’ve already established you can’t afford that anyway, right? This will take a little bit of time and a lot of patience on your part. But it works. Trust me!

Instead of stripping your system, fill that baby up! Install every kind of control panel and extension you can think of. The more color and graphics intensive, the better. Some good examples are: Decor, Aurora, DesktopPictures, ~Aaron, HiTech_WDEF, The Tilery (with twenty or more tiles lined up on your desktop), three or four StartupScreens etc. etc. A good rule of thumb to know when you have enough control panels and extensions added to your system is when you have at least a minimum of two full rows loading across your screen at startup. Most of this is shareware stuff and should be paid for. However, if you’re only going to use them as stepping stones to speeding up your Mac and not for what they were intended to be used for, I don’t think the authors would mind if you just borrowed them for a little bit, do you?

After you’ve jammed your system full of these memory-sucking, processor-slowing control panels and extensions, open up that monitor’s control panel of yours and pour the juice to it! That’s right, give that baby all she’s got! If you have millions of colors listed there, by all means turn it on. In other words, give it all the pixels (I’ve always liked that word, in fact I’ll say it again!) give it all the pixels you’ve got! A word of caution here: try keeping your system right on the edge of crashing without going over! Get rid of the extensions that give you problems but be sure and replace them with something else. Be sure to disable Ram Doubler or turn off virtual memory. When you get your machine running at about the same speed as the contents of a cold jar of molasses turned upside down, you are ready for step 2. Trust me! This will work!

Now comes the hard part. Use your computer like this for two or three months. The longer the better. You’ll notice or maybe even hear your Mac grunting and groaning every time you do something as simple as switching from one program to another. You’ll be tempted to put your fist through the monitor, break your keyboard over your knee, throw your Mac out a window or simply set fire to it. I don’t recommend you do any of these things, but hey, it’s your computer! If you feel the need, go right ahead. I can’t be held responsible, though.

Work with your Mac like this for as long as you can stand it. (Remember, one or two weeks isn’t enough. This would only result in a three or four day speed rush. Hardly worth the pain and energy it took to get to this point.) Hopefully you lasted at least three months. Okay now, start stripping! Your system that is! (Of course if you feel the need to be naked during the big speed unveiling, be my guest!) Get rid of everything you put in there. Take it all to the trash can. Every last bit of it. (Pun intended!) Set your monitor to 16 colors. (Only because a color screen is less depressing than black and white.) Empty the trash and restart your Mac. Presto! Instant speed realization! Even during startup loading! Enjoy this rush of speed for the next few months. Free of charge! Of course when you start coveting your neighbor‘s Power Mac again, you’ll have to repeat the process. But hey, it’s free!

————————————————————
Announcement:

As of this issue I have been writing for My Mac for one year. I thank Tim Robertson for giving me the opportunity and encouraging me to do something I had no idea I was capable of doing. Thanks also to Russ Walkowich, who has to read and edit my musings. But most of all I thank you, the Constant Reader and subscriber of My Mac . Thanks for keeping your hate mail to a minimum (0). Thanks also for overlooking my butchery of the English language and poor use of grammar. And thanks for the kind words and comments some of you have sent me.

I’ll be back next month, still trying to improve on my poetry. I know, that will never happen, but I’ll keep trying anyhow! Next months reading will be entitled, “The Dry Mac.” Sounds fascinating, huh?

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.”

Apple Service also tells us that the technicians must be trained so that they will know what they are doing:

“Apple’s Service Training Program Overview-
Technician Certification Requirements:
Apple’s service agreement requires that all Apple Authorized Service Provider accounts (AASP Plus and AASP) repair the following product lines:
• Macintosh computers
• Apple printers
• Monitors
All AASP Plus and AASP accounts must have personnel certified to repair these products. PowerBook certification is required for all AASP Plus and AASP accounts that perform PowerBook repairs.
To be certified on a given product line, technicians must successfully complete either the hands-on certification training, and/or pass a certification skills test-out exam.”

So what it boils down to is that you have to hook up with an Authorized Service Provider (call Apple to find out how to become one – if it is possible in your situation), complete the training for the products you want to service and adhere to their standards. You can also get the base certification (which also covers Wintel systems) from Sylvan Prometric, they can be reached at (800) 755-EXAM (755-3926).

Of course if you have any other questions I’d be glad to answer what I can. Next month I get back to my normal rantings on computer maintenance.

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,
John Sadler

Thanks for the “review” of Fonts on Parade, John! I tried the program you sent, and found it very useful as well. Anyone out there with the need should take John’s advice and give it a try.

As for receiving My Mac via postal mail, it would be cheaper to just subscribe to the $30.00 a year Deluxe edition. This way, you not only get My Mac Magazine, but three to four other disks packed full of cool stuff. (Most subscribers seem to like the huge selection of system 7 sound files and desktop patterns the most.) A one time fee of $30.00 is much easier than sending disks and stamps each month!

Caroline in the City’s Andy Lauer on AOL:

“I ran into [Anthony Hopkins] at the premiere of Mission: Impossible. I was walking backward and I bumped into him. I turned around and saw Hannibal the Cannibal. I let out a slight scream. The guy next to him (Patrick Stewart) said, ‘You must relax; you’re safe with me.’”

This was sent to me from one of the staff, though I cannot remember from whom. I thought it was funny…

Web site and Macs!

I have enjoyed your site very much. I work in Technical Support and a lot of the time I just want to tell people to buy a Mac, because they’re the best! Please, save me from having to rewrite another Trumpet Winsock login script because some poor schlub decided to muck around with the variable settings!!

I have a Quadra 840 A/V now, and my sister still uses my Mac Plus. (Really one of the original Mac 128′s, upgraded through 512 Kb of RAM to a whopping 2 megs! I bought that computer in 1985 and it is still running strong!!)

Again, thanks for a great page and keep up the hard work, your site is excellent!!

-John Bucchiere

…and yes, a Power Mac purchase is in the works…

I love getting mail from Mac users with stories about people who still use older Macs. It makes me wonder how many IBM PCjuniors are still in use? Not as many, I would bet.

DragThing

Just a note to say thanks for the review of DragThing in My Mac #17 and to make a few corrections. Firstly, you can’t email the author of DragThing at mindvision@mindvision.com, because I’m the author and that’s not my address!

Not sure where you got that from, but it’s james@dcs.gla.ac.uk – and if anybody told you differently, I’d like to know about it!

Secondly, it’s not exactly free. For people in education and working for non-profit organizations it is. For individuals, I ask they they send me ‘something cool’ if they use it. There is a list of stuff in the manual. For big corporate companies, it costs $15 a copy, with various volume discounts.

But apart from that, thanks a lot!

You can find the latest DragThing information by the way, at the web page at

which you might want to also point your readers at.

Thanks again,

James

Sorry about that, James! For all those out there who tried to write James a letter about DragThing, please contact him at this address. Better yet, drop by his Web site!

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.

One of those things is the widespread availability of beta programs to the public. There are tons of commercial programs that are download-ready, royalty free, on the Web and on FTP servers. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this.

On the plus side, in most cases this gives the public a great opportunity to try out a program before they plop down their hard-earned cash for it. It’s almost the shareware system on a commercial level, if you will. This isn’t bad for the company, either, if they can produce a good demo/beta version. After all, nothing sells software like good reviews, especially if those reviews come by word-of-mouth from friends, co-workers, and other fellow computer users. Letting these people download beta versions of software gives them an opportunity to give product recommendations to other people before the product has even hit the shelves.

On the other hand, if the company has not made a solid, stable, quality beta version, things can be hectic. Downloading buggy software, software with faulty interfaces, or other problems can be a big pain, especially if the software causes conflicts with the rest of your system.

That is why the Internet is redefining the term “beta release.” A company cannot publicly release what would have passed as a beta version just a year or two ago. Now, companies who post their beta versions online for download must make their product stable enough and polished enough to be accepted by the Internet public, but not quite up to par with the final release version (otherwise, why would anyone have a reason to actually purchase the software?). Companies often tread a fine line between giving us too much for free, or treating us like guinea pigs to test their software for them.

Another thing about widespread beta releases is that, in some cases, it makes the actual release of the final version almost anticlimactic. (Hello? Netscape? Are ya listenin’?) Some companies are on the verge of going overboard with their beta releases, in my opinion.

For the most part, I stay away from most beta software. For me, the final release of Netscape Navigator 3.0 WAS a big deal, because I never downloaded a beta version, and didn’t really want to. If it’s too buggy to be released as a final version, I don’t want to try it. I can usually wait for a final release, and so far I haven’t been discontent with my decisions.

I admit that sometimes I will download beta software from a commercial software company as a means of trying out their titles. Another exception to my no-beta rule is with companies and shareware authors that continue to do it the old-fashioned way — that is, they use an actual beta-testing team of volunteers to do the beta-testing, instead of the entire Internet-savvy public. Taking part in these beta-testing programs can be very informational and fun. The programmers I have worked with in this regard have been courteous and easy to work with, and they also seem to really appreciate the time beta-testers put in. They can rest assured that the feeling is mutual.

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That brings me to my next topic. One such programmer who has gone out of his way for a beta-tester (namely, me!) is Mike Throckmorton. Mike has authored numerous programs on various platforms, but has recently done most of his programming for the Macintosh, as part the MacUser Exclusives Utility team. I thought all of you out there might enjoy some of the words that Mike and I have exchanged over the last few months, so here they are!

WW: When and how did you get started in programming?

Mike T: In college, I was taking an accelerated program leading to a PhD in math (I was going to be an astrophysicist) during the course of which I had to take a programming course (Fortran). I started out doing horribly, but, at the end of the course (the week before finals) I finally caught on, did a lot of extra credit and managed to salvage a 4.0. The more I thought about it, the more I thought “hmmmmmm…. programming is actually fun and you get to do it in air-conditioned buildings!” so I detached myself from the math program with a B.S. and entered grad school in Computer Science (which continued to be fun and air-conditioned).

WW: Do you write any code for any other platforms, or are you Mac-specific?

Mike T: I’ve done professional programming (usually system level programming) on IBM mainframes, Unisys mainframes, PC’s, various kinds of workstations, various kinds of minicomputers, communications processors, Motorola 6800 based terminals and probably some I’ve forgotten.

I switched to Macintosh programming in 1989 because I had used a Mac+ for some time to do my taxes (thanks, MacInTax!) and it appeared to me that Apple had done something very right with the Macintosh. Plus, developing with ThinkC was absolute heaven compared to anything else I had used (which was just about everything).

WW: How did you become a programmer for Ziff-Davis?

Mike T: I’d conversed with a few Ziff-Davis (MacUser) people online for some time and at a MacHack, Steve Bobker introduced me to Ben Templin who was starting the “Exclusives” program. One thing, as they say, led to another.

WW: How long have you been writing programs for Ziff/Davis/MacUser?

Mike T: The first Exclusive I wrote was ZMakeAlias in June/July of 1991.

WW: Could you give me a list of ALL of the programs you have written for the Macintosh to date?

Mike T: Out To Launch, PreVersion, ZMakeAlias, Serial of Champions, HideAlways, QuickieFolder, DiskSwitch, Dismounter, Back2TheFolder, BackSplash, The Cheaper Image, Finder’s Keeper, ScrapBoard, Redo-it, RAM Handler, MedView (a medical image viewing/processing application, although I didn’t originate it) and a few other ones I can’t mention.

WW: Which is your most popular program?

Mike T: Probably HideAlways, although BackSplash is probably a close second. RAM Handler and Redo-it have not been out long enough to evaluate.

WW: Thanks for the information on your personal life and your own career, Mike. Now, let’s discuss programming in general. How long does it take, on the average, to write a good program?

Mike T: That question is unanswerable. So here’s the answer: anywhere from 2 days to 9 years, depending. Some people, of course, couldn’t produce a good program regardless of the amount of time spent. Fact of life.

WW: How much of the work is done when it is ready to go into beta-testing?

Mike T: I think it is best to develop the minimum necessary for a useful implementation and then get it into the hands of users, as soon as possible. The best programs, usually, are produced with immediate user feedback. Applications (or whatever) that are in development for long periods of time before being user-tested are invariably failures. The time period can be very short (hours?) but in most cases should be no longer than a few months…. tops.

The longer developers develop without reality testing against the destined users of the product, the further detached the product becomes from “reality”.

WW: If you could, walk me through the stages of writing a program.

Mike T: There are different stages for different kinds of programs. Usually, it is best to start out with defining some kind of value you intend to provide to the eventual users of the product. Part of the art of software development is choosing the correct strategy for defining, designing and implementing the product. Sometimes, the insight for a product comes in a flash, is implemented in a flash and adopted by users in a flash. Sometimes, the idea comes in a flash, is completely wrong but contains a kernel of truth which is then eventually developed to a product. Sometimes the idea comes as a flash and then takes years to develop.

WW: OK, Mike, let’s move on to the rather broad topic of the computer industry. First off, what do you think of the Internet, and the recent “explosion” of attention it has received?

Mike T: For those of us who have been living with (and coding ) networks since the beginning, the fuss of people (media people especially) just now discovering it feels strange. To me, networks and such are kind of like the air, since I have lived and breathed computer networks and communication for so long. And who ever notices the air? It’s weird that so many people have ignored the existence of such “air” for so long and it’s satisfying that things are now happening so quickly. It’s _fantastic_ that so many people have climbed aboard, because it has driven the price of modems and network access wayyyyyyy down .

WW: What about its usefulness? Is the Internet the catch-all and be-all of reference materials? Will it ever evolve into the much-touted “Information Superhighway?”

Mike T: Utility-wise, it’s like many other things: its value depends on the skill of the user. As tools improve, hopefully the _technical_ skill requirements will become fewer. Also as with many other things, the talent to grasp and reduce complexity will be key in effectively using such a morass of content and manipulation.

Nothing ever lives up to its hype… that’s what hype is, after all (something that can’t, by definition, be lived up to).

WW: What about using the Internet primarily as a means of communications, rather than as a reference or information source?

Mike T: The “Internet” (which no longer exists as such) is a grand tool for communication. Look at how other grand tools of communication have changed humankind and you can guess how the “Internet” will. Speech, song, art, theatre, watercraft, horses, written language, telephone, radio, television, movies, cars, airplanes and spacecraft. These have changed how people socialize and create. They all have leveraged the value and impact of individual human thought to the entire planet and, umm, beyond (sorry!).

Computers are of the special class of communications tools, because they allow us to model new realities, show them to others and allow others to participate in them. Fiction, theatre and movies are of the same class. Computers provide the substrate for a completely new generation of this class.

WW: Where do you see the computer industry as a whole headed?

Mike T: To the extreme, providing there exists sufficient will in the human community. I foresee the connection of artificially constructed realities with the human nervous system. This will happen eventually, if not simply to develop prosthetics to help disabled persons . This technology provides opportunity for us to do both good and ill, and you can bet we’ll do both. Things will no doubt get pretty dicey when we start moving from electronics to organics.

The only way, of course, we will get to the stars is by incorporating human personalities in extended lifetime artificial support systems, sending bunches of them along with frozen human embryos (or perhaps simply recorded DNA patterns) and the means to replicate up some humans into space and see what happens.

WW: Will the advent of such new developments as the PowerPC Reference Platform (PReP) and Apple’s OpenDoc technology change the way programmers like yourself operate? If so, how?

Mike T: Sort of. The most dramatic change will, however, be platform independence such as that provided by Java-like virtual OS-machine combinations.

WW: Thanks, Mike. Before I finish this interview, I’d like to ask you about your future plans in terms of programming. Do you have anything on the back burner, can we expect another Mac utility from you soon, etc.

Mike T: More MacUser Exclusives, for sure. Hopefully, some that let users play with new technologies without having to actually spend a lot of money for the privilege. I’ve always wanted to do a game, of some creatively new genre, as well.

Oh, and I’d like to occasionally make some contribution with the medical image processing programming I do.

WW: Finally, do you have any advice for other budding programmers out there?

Mike T: Live your profession. Don’t focus on one platform, technology or kind of programming. Have high ethical standards. And, like any kind of writing, write as much as you can, whenever you can. Oh, and write for the users of your software, not for yourself.

If you remember to pour a little of your being into every creation you create, you will always be successful…

WW: Thanks again, Mike. It has really been a pleasure working with you, both on this interview and as a beta-tester for some of your more recent programs. I’d encourage all Mac users out there to check out some of Mike’s work. Many of the programs are MacUser Exclusives, so they can easily be found in MacUser’s Software Central, on AOL (keyword: MacUser) and on the World Wide Web (http://www.zdnet.com/macuser/software/).

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Normally I’d call it quits for the month after that mammoth interview with Mike. (That’s another thing I should thank him for — he was quite patient and didn’t fall asleep during my questions. As far as I could tell, anyway…) However, a couple of things were brought to my attention this past month that just couldn’t wait. Thanks to everyone who’s written to me concerning this column, and especially these two guys this month.

A few months ago, I had mentioned the presence of the MacUser software library on America Online, and dozens of people wanted to know where they could find it (myself included!). Well, it seems I was just a little ahead of myself. Although it’s kind of a moot point for me, I figure there are a lot of readers out there who would like to be filled in. Over the summer, MacUser has opened their own forum on AOL, at keyword: “MacUser.” Kudos to Trey Poore for enlightening me. Trey says their software pickings are kind of slim, but well organized and worth a look. I, of course, can’t comment on this, but I trust Trey’s evaluation. If you’re an AOL member, I’d take a look.

Also, last month I questioned the use of the pictures in the “new mail/no mail” boxes in Eudora Light. Although no one could come up with anything definite, Ron Brown ventured this guess: (No, not that Ron Brown!)

“The rooster is used to announce that you have mail because a crowing rooster just naturally sounds like he’s making an important announcement. We’re always disappointed when there isn’t any new mail, so a hissing snake (Boo! Hiss!) seems like the perfect way to signal No Mail.”

Sounds logical to me. Mr. Brown was also polite enough to point out that I mistakenly called the piece of poultry featured in the “New Mail” box a chicken. He was also quite disappointed in me, seeing that this error came from an “Iowa farm boy.” I was quick to reassure him that while I may live in farm country, I am by no means a farmer. Either way, I guess I have egg on my face. Wait a minute, eggs come from chickens, not roosters…

While I’m on the subject, let me ask you this — which came first, the chicken or the egg?

That sounds like a good question to end the month with.

_____________________________________________________

Mike Wallinga (the writer guy) is keeping himself busy in northwest Iowa (not necessarily an easy task) by surfing the ‘net, keeping up on his studies, and being a co-captain of the varsity football team at his school. At the suggestion of one certain reader, he has also taken up studying poultry and waterfowl. If you have a suggestion for a topic of study for Mike (or, more importantly, a topic for a future column), or if you just want to shoot the breeze, email him at mlwall@mtcnet.net.

Mike Throckmorton (the programmer guy) lives in Ann Arbor, MI. When not programming his latest, greatest MacUser Exclusive, he can be found riding his mountain bike, roller blading, playing disc golf, or playing with his children. He also does a lot of volunteer work around his community and with various organizations, and is a self-proclaimed “gullible volunteer type.” You can contact Mike at 72511.410@compuserve.com.

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.

Adam: MacBrickout is another all-time favorite arcade game, brought to life for the Macintosh. You may be thinking that this game is just another breakout-style clone, but it’s far from that! MacBrickout is the most feature rich breakout style game that I have ever seen.

Mike: For those of you using System 7.5, you can always access a Breakout game with the “secret about box” easter egg, right? Well, although that game may be fun in its own right, and good for a quick fix or a little diversion when you should otherwise be hard at work on some hundred-page project, it’s obviously not meant to be the last word in Mac Breakout games. The true Breakout fan needs a more feature-rich game, and MacBrickout goes a long way in filling that need.

Adam: Learning to play a game is always the hardest part. Not with MacBrickout! Its help system is simple, but very well written. It explains every aspect of the game. From the hardware requirements, to the actual play, and even what each capsule means, nothing is left out! I really benefited from this, since I didn’t have to experiment with the game to figure out what each thing does.

Mike: At first glance the game is your everyday Breakout clone. Your paddle resides at the bottom of the screen, the barriers of blocks that you must smash are at the top. Your little ping-pong ball bounces back and forth, ricocheting off of the blocks after it destroys them. Failure on your part to hit the ball back results in the loss of a life. Naturally, once all your lives are out, the game’s over. (You can also end the game by clearing all of the levels, but I’ve got a long way to go before that happens.)

Adam: The game’s graphics are very eye-pleasing, and the interface is very self-explanatory. The animation of the ball and paddle is very smooth, and it seems to be a very stable, well written game, worthy of the $15.00 shareware fee. The sound system is also superb. The sound effects can be changed between “normal” and “wacky”, and both sets are professionally done. There are sound effects for everything. Hitting the paddle, hitting the blocks, the walls, and even a “ker-plunk” sound when you lose a life. It’s a blast!

Mike: The graphics are simplistic but refined, and the overall look of the game is very professional. The colors are vibrant and pleasing to the eye, too.

The game gives you enough variety to keep you wanting more. For example, some blocks must be hit more than once to be destroyed, and other blocks can’t be destroyed at all. Sometimes you hit a block, and a power-up canister appears which gives you special abilities if you catch it. These include the ability to catch the ball before you send it back, or being able to fly your paddle around the screen both vertically and horizontally. This is one of the most advantageous powers you can have. Other canisters speed up or slow down the ball, and make your paddle wider or narrower. Watch out for that red-colored poison canister!

Adam: The capsules are what makes the game fun. I mean, what good would hitting a ball against some bricks do? We need some fun! That’s exactly what the capsules provide. There are all types. Some expand and shrink your paddle, some allow you free movement of the paddle, some speed up and slow down the ball, there is even one that turns the one ball into 3, which can really benefit you if have a lot of bricks to go. There are also some capsules that make your paddle sticky, or that poison your paddle which makes it basically worthless. You can’t stop the ball from falling when this happens. To free yourself of these capsules, you need to hit a capsule bubble, which falls every so often when you hit another brick. Sounds complicated, but once you get playing, it really isn’t!

Mike: The sound effects are also nice. You can change the sounds using ResEdit, too. There is a high score list, so you can track your best performances. You can also play custom-made Brickout levels, too. Even more options are available for registered users, such as the ability to create custom levels (as opposed to just playing them), and more power-ups, such as the ability to shoot laser beams!

You can download MacBrickout from the Info-Mac hyperarchive (http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/HyperArchive.html) and America Online by doing a search for “MacBrickout.” The game comes in a 68k only version, but the new version 4.0 is said to support Power Macs. I myself have two Power Macs, and it has run flawlessly on both of them. It has a $15.00 shareware fee, which is totally fair for a game this feature rich. There are many more features included in the registered version, such as the ability to acquire free balls, warp levels, shooting lasers, and a few other surprises.

Mike: Overall, Leapfrog software has a solid winner on its hands. If you’re in need of a good Breakout clone, and want to relive yet another classic mid-80’s arcade sensation, you can’t go wrong with MacBrickout 3.1.

Adam: MacBrickout is a great game. Its sound, graphics, and features make this game stand out from the rest. I would recommend this game to anybody that likes arcade type games, and is looking for a worthwhile download. If you’re going online soon, and planning to go download crazy, make sure to put MacBrickout on your list.

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

Tim Robertson
 

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.

Perhaps I was a bit hasty in my defeatist attitude. I just assumed that they had a fleet large enough to control the sea. But, as my gold and lumber went up, I was able to build more ships. No one attacked me, save an Orc warship that I destroyed fairly quickly. So now I’m back up to a fleet of seven warships. Three transports. And a ground army ready to invade. Perhaps now is the time to attack the Orc city?

This is the premise behind Blizzard’s latest Macintosh game, Warcraft II. Game play is VERY easy, and the fun never stops. Unlike some games in which you must learn twenty different keys to control game play, all you need in Warcraft II is a mouse. You simply click on one of your men, and tell him what to do. Say you click on a peon. That one worker is now in a blue square. He will answer “Yes, M’Lord” or “What is it?” in a half wit tone. (He is a peon, after all!). You then select the action you want him to do, and he does it. Point to the mining/lumber button, select where you want the peon to go, and off he goes. A warrior is equally simple to use. Drag a huge square over, say, five warriors, click the attack button, then click the advancing Orcs, and watch them move off to smite your enemies. They will even answer you in a hearty “At once, sire!”.

Very cool. Very easy to use. Very addictive! This game is neat! You can save your games, and pick up where you left off later. Game play is a little long, but that is the whole point. You will not beat this game overnight. Nor will you outgrow it soon, as you can either play as Humans or Orcs. (When you select some of the Orcs, they reply in a guttural tone “Who you want me kill?”)

One of the best features of Warcraft II (and the first Warcraft) is the ability to play the game over a network or modem. I tested the modem play against Mike Gault, both running a 28.8 Global Village Modem, and found the game speed excellent. No drop in performance at all. You may, if you only have a 14.4 modem, experience a markedly slower game play.

Setting up either a modem or network game is child’s play. Nothing could be more simple. In fact, connecting to the Internet via MacTCP is much harder than starting a modem Warcraft II game! Fast, painless, and you are playing right away. Hey, we are Mac users after all, things are supposed to be easy for us! And Blizzard should be commended for this. You can also play Warcraft II via a network or modem against an opponent on a Windows machine. Hey, cross platform gaming at its finest! (Although I think DOS users HAVE to be the Orcs, but I’m not sure…)

Is Warcraft right for you? First, I am not that much of a “Dungeons and Dragons” type of fantasy fan. But Warcraft is so neat, fun, and easy to play, it made me want to reread J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord Of The Rings” again! (Well, perhaps after I finish the new Tom Clancy book, Executive Orders!)

I tested the three level demo game of Warcraft, as the full version is not yet available as of this writing. (Due out by the time you read this). You can download this free demo from http://www.blizzard.com, as well as a demo of the first Warcraft. I plan to buy this game the day it comes out, as I am sure many of you will after playing the Demo.

Again, run, don’t walk, to your nearest software store, and buy Warcraft II. Support those vendors that are creating quality Macintosh games, and insist that they release the Mac versions when they release the Windows version. Warcraft II has been out on the Windows platform for a long time. Demand better games, and support them. Warcraft II fits both those demands. Buy it today.

QuickBooks Pro 4.0
Company: Intuit
Estimated Price: $199.99

Tim Robertson
 
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.)

QuickBooks Pro will automatically track customer payments, create professional Invoicing in no time at all, print reports of every type, and much, MUCH more. Some other features include: Advanced project reports (Job profitability, Time reports by name, item, and activity, Job administration, and more). Balance sheet Accounts receivable. Sales reports. Payroll reports (Prepares and prints 940, 941, W-2 and W-3 forms!) Tax reports. (Prints on 1099 forms!). Inventory reports. And, yes, even more.

In fact, QuickBooks Pro has (almost) TOO many features! I myself have only needed the use of half of the power in this program. Half! But it sure is nice to have all those other features there, waiting for me to use them when I need to.

Learning to use QuickBooks Pro is a snap. The Help system is one of the best I have ever seen, rivaling (and in some respects, surpassing!) the help system found in FileMaker Pro. No small feat, that. But QuickBooks Pro’s help system is intuitive, easy to use, and will point you in the right direction in a matter of seconds.

Yes, it does it all. And no, it’s not hard to use. But if you are not running a small business, you really will have no need for this program. If all you are doing is keeping track of your savings/checking account, you will be better off with Quicken. But, if you are doing more than that, and have a need for a more feature rich program, you cannot go wrong with QuickBooks Pro. And if you are already using Quicken, it is a simple matter to import that information into QuickBooks Pro.

Yes, the price may scare some away. But don’t let the price fool you. This program is worth every penny, and then some. Intuit deserves all the praise they get for this superb program. Of course, no review would be complete without SOME criticism, so I would point out that QuickBooks Pro does not support online banking. This will soon become a standard feature most large banks will offer, and Intuit missed the boat by not supporting it. (Quicken, of course, has that feature) QuickBooks Pro also wants 5 MB for RAM, and a full install will gobble over 14 MB of hard disk space.

If you have the needs of a small company, QuickBooks Pro 4.0 is worthy of your consideration. It is simply a great program.

Ram Doubler
Company: Connetix
Estimated Price: $55.00

Tim Robertson
 

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)

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Tim Robertson is the owner of My Mac Productions. (Macintosh Consulting, Internet Connections, Web Design, and Publications)He is also the father of one sweet little girl. Tim can be reached at

Yes, it works. But in the real world, the world YOU live and compute in, it must be known if it goes beyond simply working to also include peacefully coexisting with all the other programs you use everyday. And it is here that I found many a problem.

There is nothing more dreadful than to be right in the middle of a project, and have your Mac crash on you. Sure, you have been saving as you went along (haven’t you?), but you will still lose all that you did since that last save. After installing Ram Doubler 2.0, my Mac would crash much more often than before installation. No, there is no foolproof test to find out just WHAT caused your crash, but I use this simple rule: if I take something out of the system, and the crashing goes away, I blame that program. This rule works for me, and it also tells me that, while I like some of the benefits Ram Doubler provides, it causes too many crashes. Too many, for any person needing to get work done on a timely basis. [Tim, crashes even after upgrading to 7.5.5?]

I could list here which programs would not coexist with Ram Doubler 2.0, but I want to keep this issue under 10 Mbytes. Suffice it to say, MANY programs would lock up my computer when Ram Doubler was on. The top crash victims include Adobe Photoshop 3.0.3, Netscape Navigator 2.2 and 3.0. (Of course, those are both buggy even WITHOUT Ram Doubler installed!) America Online 2.7, and ClarisWorks 4.0v4. Many other programs became unstable as well, but these were the most troublesome. However, most (though not all) my problems went away when Ram Doubler did. You figure it out.

My recommendation would be to hold off buying 2.0, and wait until Connectix has a few updates under their belt. (Say, version 2.2 or so…)