Cover by Mike Gorman
MyMac Magazine #26, June 1997
Welcome to “The Readers Voice”! Here, we offer a page for readers to write about any subject they’d like. Many times this may simply be a letter too long for the e-mail page, though we encourage everyone to submit an article for this page. This is your space, and we need your help to fill it!
This month, John Nemerovski writes about his experience with AT&T’s WorldNet Internet service. Should you consider going with AT&T as your Internet Service Provider?
ATTention, please?By John Nemerovski
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Ortograf 1.0
Author: Logiciels Ortograf
Shareware: $25.00
http://www.teamsoft.com/ortograf.english
Adam: Good educational games don’t come along very often. Most authors go for the shoot-em-up, battle-type games. Mr. Ortograf did something very new and different. He has made one of the best educational games I’ve ever seen.
Mike: I now have a confession to make. I don’t play Scrabble very often. In other words, I have to swallow my pride to write this review. It’s a little embarrassing, really. I’ll explain.
Here I am, a straight-A student, an excellent public speaker, a proficient writer, the whole nine yards. My schoolmates look to me to come up with a big word, give a definition, or just be their walking dictionary. I don’t usually brag about this stuff, but I’ll admit I’ve got a justifiably large amount of pride involved in matters like this. So, even though I’m not a Scrabble player, I thought I could handle Ortograf. I thought wrong.
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My Mac Special Report
Tempo b3c1 (Mac OS 8.0)
http://www.macos.apple.com/macos8
NOTE: This “preview” was based on beta software, software which is still in development. Please be aware that various features of the system are subject to change in the final release. My Mac was presented the opportunity to explore Tempo by an Apple beta tester (who wishes to remain anonymous.)
You may remember our extensive coverage of Tempo a3c1 back in issue #24. Tempo is now at b3c1, and much has changed since a3c1. In this report, I will only bring you up to date on the changes. Please refer back to issue #24 or go to the Mac OS 8 section on our Web site for more extensive coverage. The address for the Mac OS 8 section is http://www.mymac.com/columns/macos8.
Installer Changes
There have been many changes in the installer since our last report. The installer has changed a lot from 7.6, and in my opinion, all the changes are for the better. All of the “4 steps” have been renamed. Step 1 is “Select a destination disk,” Step 2 is “Read important information,” Step 3 is “Respond to the software license agreement,” and Step 4 is “Install Software.”
There are 5 panels to the installer, the first one being the greeting screen (below left) and the next 4 being the next 4 steps, respectively. (Step 1 is below right).
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While the arcane machinations of a network may seem foreign to most people, the fact is that networks are in wide use by a good number of Mac users. When you bought your computer, you might have read about network capabilities. Many people pass this off as useless information and go about their business. And this may be the only thing you can do depending on your setup at work or home. However, it is useful to know what can be done with networks just in case you obtain a second computer and want to have a network.
The concept of a network is very simple. Two computers are hooked together so that they can share information. You may not realize it, but if you have a printer connected to your printer, you are on a network. The printer port provides the easiest means for setting up a network. If you have only two computers, you can connect them through their printer ports by using a simple printer cable and plugging it into the printer ports of the two Macs. There you go, a network.
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A-10 Cuba!
Company: Parsoft
http://www.parsoft.com
In the world of Mac games, there’s a
certain type of game that is always
wanted: The flight simulator. And whether
it be war or peace, day or night, Mac users
love to fly. Thankfully for us, there’s a
plethora of flight simulators out there to
choose from. Of all the simulators available,
however, not one has impressed me as much as “A-10 Cuba” from Parsoft Interactive.
“A-10 Cuba” puts you in the cockpit of a mean, green A-10 Warthog. Guerilla forces have taken control of Cuba, and it’s up to the “hogs” to save the day. Bombing buildings, escorting aircraft, destroying tanks, and having brutal dogfights with a large arsenal of weapons is part of the fun in “A-10 Cuba.” Additionally, you can join your buddies over a network and have a grueling battle.
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These Macintosh machines are pretty durable little suckers, ain’t they? I say this from experience as you’re about to find out.
The other day I wanted to clean up my desktop (I’m talking my actual hardwood desktop). So in order to do a complete job of it, I moved my Performa 550 so I could get at all the dust bunnies, cigarette ashes, old ham and cheese sandwiches, spilled milk, spilled coffee and some green slimy pulsating substance that I haven’t identified yet which was growing under the machine. You know, the same ol’ stuff that collects underneath everybody’s computer.
I set the 550 on the floor behind me, (which just happened to be at the top of the stairway) and with dust cloth, vacuum cleaner, shovel and scraper, I commenced cleaning my work area.
Finished, I stepped back to admire what I had accomplished and my heel knocked over the 550, sending it bouncing and crashing down the 14 carpeted steps to the floor below. Jeeze, I hate it when it does that. But that wasn’t the first time my computer has taken a nose dive. I guess you could call me a klutz. I drop stuff, knock things over and otherwise have the grace of a bull in a china shop, or so my wife says. That’s why I’m so impressed with the durability of my Macintosh.
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In November, 1990 I used a Mac for the first time. I had to type in some articles I had written for a newsletter. As I recall, I didn’t even know how to eject the floppy disk when I was finished. It was on a Mac Plus. The keyboard was different from any other kind that I had worked with before. It seemed a little awkward but it was okay.
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This Month: Exploring the Net with MIE 3.01 – Apple Still Loves the Cinema – A Couple Random Thoughts
June is here. Summer is upon us again. If you’re like me, when you’re not outdoors enjoying the beautiful weather and hanging out with your friends, you’re probably found sitting behind your Mac, going to movies, and what not. That’s how I plan to spend my summer vacation and so this column makes mention of both.!
Shadows of the Empire
I didn’t like Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.1. I couldn’t really put me finger on why, I just didn’t. Netscape 2.02 was my browser of choice.!
Then Netscape 3.01 came out. I tried it, liked it, and since my computer didn’t complain TOO loudly about it, I kept it. I was looking forward to trying out Explorer 3.0, but it never came out for 680×0 Macs. Then there was this whole CFM-68K extension fiasco from Apple. (I believe Code Fragment Manager for 680×0 Macs is the meaning of the acronym.) If you used a 68K Mac, you couldn’t use that extension, and risked possible data loss if you did. CFM-68K is an extension that allows CISC-based processors to use shared libraries like their PowerPC friends, and you need it if you want to run certain applications on an older Mac, such as Internet Explorer and Cyberdog.!
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FIRST
In the years since the World Wide Web went mainstream, I’ve read about many people who have been credited with creating the new medium. TIME Magazine (May 19) most recently credited Tim Berners-Lee with being the man behind it all. “Berners-Lee developed the three technical keystones of the Web: the language for encoding documents (HTML, hypertext markup language); the system for linking documents (HTTP, hypertext transfer protocol); and the www.whatever system for addressing documents (URL, universal resource locator).” The fascinating new piece of the story for me, however, was that Berners-Lee did it all on a NeXT computer. “Sitting on Berners-Lee’s desk, it would become the first Web content ‘server,’ the first node in this global brain.” With a history like that, coupled with the tremendous influence of Macintosh on the way everyone (including Windows users) uses computers, it’s not hard to imagine the NeXT/Mac alliance leading to something big.
Y2K/Mac
This piece isn’t exactly about the Year 2000 Crisis for the world’s computers, but it’s a date problem that caught my eye. The reason it caught my eye is the year 1904. For as long as I’ve owned Mac’s, they’ve seemed fond of occasionally pretending certain files were created way back in the middle of the (Theodore) Roosevelt Administration. I don’t know why. Norton Utilities didn’t care, it just fixed the problem file by file. Now comes word (reported in the May 12 issue of Information Week) that the year 1904 is becoming an obvious sign of an unwelcome bug in the system clock of PowerBook 3400′s. Apparently, “resetting the machine’s battery-power gauge also mysteriously resets the system’s clock back to 1904.” This problem is compounded by users of the Claris Organizer software that comes with the 3400′s; Organizer diligently sets about reorganizing your schedules to match the new date.
Dear Readers:
Finally, the QMS Magicolor CX color printer seems to be working perfectly! Great quality (not that that was ever really a problem), nice and quiet when it prints, no jamming problems, no streaking. Not having to worry about it daily has really freed up my time! Not to sound naive, but I honestly believe that the problems I have experienced with this printer since the beginning of the year are abnormal. There’s no way QMS could make money on this equipment if they had to provide weekly service on each and every piece they sold.
And, here’s one more tidbit on why Macs are better than Windoze: Most, if not all of you have heard about the millennium bug. For those of you not familiar with this particular bug, well, it’s not really a bug but bad programming. It seems that when the programs were written for PCs, the calendars were based completely on this century. What this means is that when the year 2000 rolls around, these computers will revert to 1900! Bad enough for personal PCs, but bank computers, government computers, insurance computers, payroll computers, etc., etc., are facing this problem. It can be fixed by going back into the programs, but it is time consuming and costly. And, since most businesses are not really computer literate, they don’t realize the scope of the problem nor begun to address it.
Tech Tips dives into the not-so-bottomless pit of computer memory for this installment. We’ll discuss the different types and provide a few pointers to aid in deciding if you have enough computer memory and what to do about it if you don’t.
Now, before I go any further, let’s get the standard cliches out in the open: Do you have enough memory – no I forget. Geez, I didn’t know I could buy the stuff – I’ll be able to remember my wife’s / girlfriend’s / ex-roomate’s birthday, etc., etc. Don’t misunderstand, I love a good joke. Heck, I’m on 3 humor lists, but after you hear ‘em for the 400th time they get old.
Differences in memory. You do realize there are two types of memory, right? There is RAM (Random Access Memory) and storage space (usually referring to hard drives). RAM is where the computer temporarily stores programs while you actually use them. Storage space is where the programs actually reside, somewhat permanently, in the computer. Storage space also covers items like floppy disks, removable storage like Zip disks, CD-ROMs, digital tapes, and other types of magnetic media. RAM is silicon chips that can be permanently affixed to your computer’s logic board and also in the form of memory modules (commonly Single Inline Memory Module and Dual Inline Memory Modules, i.e., SIMM and DIMM). If anyone has a better, down-to-earth, explanation , I’d love to hear it!
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Nisus Writer 5.0.4
Nisus Software Inc.
Estimated Price: $199 US
Upgrade from Previous Versions: $79.99 US
Competitive Upgrade: $149 US
http://www.nisus-soft.com/
Some time ago, in a review of Mariner Write (Issue 19, November 1996), Tim Robertson wrote: “Yes, it’s limited when you compare it to Word 6.0.1, but what isn’t?
Nisus Writer isn’t.
Nisus Writer has been feature-full in its previous versions, but now, in version 5.0, it’s packed more than ever, able to beat Word with its feature list, beat WordPerfect with its ease-of-use, and all that without the hard-disk and RAM requirements of its rivals. But, unfortunately, some rather serious flaws keep Nisus Writer from achieving its full potential. Continue reading »
After getting my upgrade to the new version (I was a previous version 4 owner), I excitedly opened the package and installed the application. I was expecting major design changes, from making the tool-bars better looking and thinner (for more screen real estate), to the unification of all the 10 (!) different preferences dialog boxes in the previous version.
I consider myself in the minority of computer users, and you likely share the same thought. In the computer industry, Mac is automatically lowered to the bottom level. We feel like we’re fighting a lost cause; that most people think the Macintosh is an inferior system. But is that fact, or just common belief? You may be surprised…
Mac users feel like their computer is a rare gem; that they are one of the select few to actually have one of the best computers on the planet. Take a look around you, though, and you will notice they are wrong. Peek into your child’s classroom. What do you see? Macs. Take a look into your son’s dorm room. Likely, his dorm will sport a desktop Mac or a PowerBook. College and high school students are drawn to Macs because they are so easy to use and maintain. They need that bit of simpleness in their life.
Now, turn on your TV and watch the news. Almost every time you see a news story about a breakthrough in medicine or astronomy, there is a Macintosh in the background of the scene… Sitting there, bettering the world through the sciences.
I’m serious. Take a close look. The prominent scientist, doctor, or graphics artist almost always uses a Mac. What other computer has made such a dent in the universe. They are not sparse. They are everywhere, and making a difference.
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MyMac Podcast #385
MyMac Podcast #384