Iomega Zip 250 USB w/Firewire Adapter
Company: Iomega Corporation
Estimated Price: $179.95
(Firewire Adapter: $79.95)
http://www.iomega.com/zip

Iomega’s Zip is the defacto standard for
removable storage in today’s cross-platform
world. Long replacing the floppy, the pocket size disks can go almost anywhere. But as technologies change, and storage capacity grows at a feverish rate, standards also change. Zip cartridges are now capable of handling 250MB of data, as opposed to 100 in their previous incarnation. What’s more, Iomega has kept up with the industrial design revolution, designing an ultra-slim Zip 250 drive that, like it’s handy disks, can go almost anywhere.

Continue reading »

QDesign MVP 1.0
Company: QDesign Corporation
Estimated Price: $19.95
http://www.qdesign.com
http://www.mvpsite.com

The age of digitally mastered music recorded on our computers is definitely upon us, and as this age progresses, companies compete to produce the best quality, yet easiest to use players and encoders on the market. QDesign is one of the latest companies to jump on this bandwagon. Their MVP 1.0 not only plays and encodes MP3 files, it also plays and encodes QDesign music files, a type of QuickTime movie file that yields smaller file sizes than MP3′s. Unfortunately, QDesign falls short in a number of areas, preventing its good features from fully shining through.

Continue reading »

Mac OS 9.0
Company: Apple Computer, Inc.
Estimated Price: $99.00
http://www.apple.com

It’s hard to believe that it’s been just a little over 2 years since Apple released Mac OS 8. The Mac OS has come a long way since then, and the release of Mac OS 9 further reinforces Apple’s resurgence in today’s competitive industry. Mac OS 9 is a significant release that brings numerous long-awaited features to the Mac OS. Best of all, it delivers them with the style and surprises that Mac users have become accustomed to.

Multiple Users
Perhaps the most exciting and long-awaited feature in Mac OS 9 is its capability to handle multiple users on one computer, while retaining preferences such as desktop patterns, Internet settings, privileges, and the like. It is a huge advance that will make the use of any computer shared by multiple users 100% easier.

Once Multiple Users is set up, you can assign different privileges to different users. You can create normal, limited, or Panels accounts, each with its own set of restrictions which can easily be fine-tuned. You can limit such features as control panels, Apple Menu Items, the Chooser, and specific parts of your hard disk if you wish. You can also limit the specific applications and CD/DVDs the users are allowed to open.

Unfortunately, the use of Multiple Users does slow the system down somewhat. When I had multiple users enabled, I experienced a startup “hang” of almost a minute on my “Wallstreet” PowerBook G3/250, and about 30 seconds on a Blue and White G3/450. Turning Multiple Users off yielded normal startup times. Also disturbing is the fact that many programs don’t cooperate well with Multiple Users, especially the new Panels interface, meaning that you may need to wait for updates to take full advantage of this exciting new feature.

Voice Verification
While Multiple Users is exciting, the “neatest” new feature in Mac OS 9 has to be voice verification; the ability to speak your password as opposed to manually typing it. Once you enable voice verification, you can set up an alternate password for each user. Each user can then simply speak a phrase to log into the computer instead of manually typing a password. I tested voice verification several times with other people, and neither of us could break the other person’s password. However, we often had trouble speaking our own passwords, and we would’ve been locked out of our own systems if it weren’t for the option of typing our password in as a backup.

Unfortunately, Apple seems to be contradicting itself in this area. Apple’s new PowerMac G4 systems don’t come with a PlainTalk microphone, and although you can buy one, it’s the first time in years that Apple hasn’t included a microphone with their high-end systems. Even worse is the fact that Apple’s iBook lacks a built-in microphone, and doesn’t even have a standard sound-in mini-plug jack, meaning that the only option for sound input here is the use of a USB microphone, an example of which I still have yet to see. What’s more, the USB microphone would take up the single USB port on the iBook–a precious commodity. Do you really want to sacrifice a Zip drive for the “neatness” of voice login? I didn’t think so.

Sherlock 2
Apple’s most advertised feature in Mac OS 9 is Sherlock 2, a major upgrade to their one-stop source for searching both your computer and the entire Internet. Sherlock 2 is the third Apple-branded program to utilize the “smoothed” window interface which has received mixed reviews from the press. Nonetheless, Sherlock 2 itself has many exciting new features.

Sherlock 2 has been rid of the “tabs” appearance, and now uses channels to select which type of content you want to search for. Channels allow you to organize your Sherlock plug-ins, a big advance over the previous version. When you click on a channel, all of the search sites (plug-ins) available for that channel appear in the top section of the window, and after your search is complete, all results appear in the bottom part of the window. (See above Screenshot.)

“Find File” and “Find by Content” have been combined into the “Files” channel, and separate Internet-related channels, such as “People,” “Shopping,” and “Sports” will allow Sherlock to custom tailor its content listing based upon what you’re searching for. So, for example, if you’re using the “People” channel, resulting columns will be “email address” and “phone number.” Searching in the “Shopping” channel will yield results appropriate to e-commerce sites such as Amazon.com, eBay, and others. You can still add plug-ins from various sites into the “Internet Search Sites” folder, but with the addition of channels they’ll be much less cluttered than before.

Security
Amongst the many new features of Mac OS 9 are two new utilities that will make using your computer easier, more efficient, and most of all, more secure. The first part of this system is the Keychain, which has been brought back from the shelved PowerTalk software suite. The Keychain provides users with a way to store all their passwords in one central location, and then unlock all of them using a single password via the Keychain Access control panel or the Keychain control strip. Users can specify what level of security should be taken when unlocking the keychain, such as having it automatically lock itself after a certain period of time or when the system goes to sleep.

The Keychain Access control panel supports multiple keychains, and also supports certificates, which are special types of encrypted passwords for use with different types of Internet services. It’s important to note, however, that for the true power of the Keychain to be unlocked, applications will have to be updated, or “made aware,” of the Keychain before the passwords you store in them can also be stored in the Keychain. Fortunately, many applications are already Keychain aware as of this writing, including Timbuktu Pro from Netopia, and Apple’s own AppleShare client. Look for more applications to be made Keychain aware in the next few months.

Another application that is Keychain aware is Apple Secure Encryption, which gives users built-in encryption and compression accessible via drag-and-drop on the Apple Secure Encryption application. Users can also encrypt files via the “Encrypt” command available via the File menu or contextual menu. The encryption technology that Apple uses is extremely secure, yet very easy to use. Double-clicking on the encrypted file will result in immediate decryption and opening in its creator application. Once the file has been worked upon, it can be re-encrypted just as easily.

Encryption of files is very fast, and compression savings are generally good, though not nearly as good as Aladdin’s StuffIt technology. And while Apple’s encryption most likely won’t become the Internet standard, the convenience of having a powerful feature such as this built into the OS means it’s now easy to guard sensitive files from wandering eyes.

Update Efficiently
One of the features of Mac OS 9 that will make your computer easier to use, especially if you’re a new user, is Software Update 1.0. The Software Update control panel functions in a very similar way to the QuickTime Updater application, allowing users to check for updates available on Apple’s servers and subsequently download and install them. Users will have a much easier time determining what updates their computer needs, and it turn, make it easier for Apple to provide support to its users via updates. It’s a win-win situation.

Additionally, Software Update 1.0 features a scheduler, similar to Sherlock’s, which will allow you to specify times at which Software Update should automatically check for updates. Of course, Software Update requires an Internet connection to work, and if you have a dial-up connection, it might be better to manually check for updates unless you can be sure you’ll be connected at the time that Software Update is scheduled to hunt down updates.

File Sharing Expanded
My favorite feature of Mac OS 9 is the new TCP/IP (Internet) File Sharing. When you set your File Sharing control panel to “Enable File Sharing clients to connect over TCP/IP,” anyone in the world that knows your IP address can connect to your computer, provided that they have an account on your computer, of course. And creating accounts has never been easier, as the Users & Groups control panel is now integrated as a “tab” in the File Sharing control panel, eliminating the need to have two control panels open to set up File Sharing services.

With these TCP/IP enhancements comes an all new Network Browser 2.0, which is capable of not only seeing AppleTalk networks, but also TCP/IP networks based on domain names. Even more impressive is that you can also see FTP servers, all in one application. However, the Network Browser does seem a bit slow as compared to the Chooser, and as long as the Chooser is there, users will continue to use this tried-and-true way of sharing files both over your local network and over the Internet via the “Server IP Address” button.

Other Nifty Features
Other new features worth noting in Mac OS 9 include ColorSync 3.0, which has been redesigned and features color management for input, display, and output. ColorSync 3.0 also has enhanced AppleScript support, and includes saveable workflow profiles and other enhancements. The Monitors & Sound control panel has been split into two, and the AppleCD Audio Player supports “3D Stereo” on ATAPI/IDE CD/DVD-ROM drives

Mac OS 9 includes a client/server version of Apple Remote Access, FontSync for identifying fonts based upon characteristics, CarbonLib for compatibility with Mac OS X applications, notification dialogs that don’t block out the rest of the system, and a new version of the LaserWriter driver which is now fully scriptable.

The Summary
Mac OS 9.0 is a significant upgrade to the Mac OS that will make your computer easier to use, easier to share, and in turn, make you more productive. The additions of Multiple Users, Sherlock 2, auto software updating, the Keychain, and other enhancements are all wonderful additions to an OS that is already the best on the market.

Mac OS 9 is not without problems, however. On my “Wallstreet” PowerBook G3/250 with 192MB of RAM and virtual memory off, Mac OS 9 normally takes up anywhere between 45 and 65 MB of RAM just to run the system! That’s ridiculous. What’s more, as of the time of this writing, there were significant incompatibilities with numerous applications classified as “essential” by countless groups of Macintosh users. Countless printer, scanner, and other peripheral drivers have also been “broken” by Mac OS 9.

Also in question is the price of this new upgrade. For what you get, is $99.00 really worth it? For some users, such as those taking advantage of Multiple Users, it may be. But mainstream users that already have a stable system under Mac OS 8.x may want to hold out until Mac OS X is released next year.

The benefits of Mac OS 9 are clear, but for some users, the potential problems may outweigh those benefits. While it’s an excellent upgrade to the excellent OS that makes our “Macs” Macs, you should upgrade to Mac OS 9 with caution.

MacMice Rating: 3

Adam Karneboge
webmaster@mymac.com

N2MP3 1.0.2
Company: Proteron, L.L.C.
Estimated Price: $34.95
http://www.proteron.com
http://www.n2mp3.com

Let’s face it: MP3 (MPEG Layer III) is the future, and a little over a year ago I would not have said that MP3 on the Macintosh could compete with MP3 on the PC. The same is not true today, however. MP3 has taken the Macintosh world by storm, and products such as N2MP3 from Proteron Software show us why the Macintosh is not only a viable machine for MP3 creation, it’s also the best machine to do it.

First, however, we need to distinguish the difference between N2MP3 and similar MP3 tools out there today. N2MP3 is not a MP3 player, it is an encoder, which does simply that: encodes audio files from CDs into MP3 format for storage on your hard disk and playability whenever you want. Where N2MP3 is different, however, is how it encodes these files. Proteron has done a great job of taking the daunting task of encoding MP3 files and taming it with the simplicity of the Macintosh.

Easy as 1-2-3
It’s never been easier to encode MP3 files. N2MP3′s easy installer makes installation a snap. After a quick restart, your Macintosh is transformed into an encoding headquarters. And don’t worry if you’re new to MP3. N2MP3 comes with a superb manual which could easily become your A-Z guide on everything MP3.

After N2MP3 is installed, you choose an Audio CD from which to extract audio files. Once you insert a CD, all you have to do is drag and drop files from the Audio CD’s window to a location on your hard disk. N2MP3 will launch, and will automatically start encoding your files. N2MP3′s encoding window looks strikingly similar to a standard file copy, and expanding it yields specific information for the track. Additionally, N2MP3 will play the audio CD for you while it’s encoding. While Proteron doesn’t recommend using this feature on older Macs, it worked fine on my “Wallstreet” PowerBook G3/250 which is well over a year old now. I would think any G3 would have the horsepower to play the audio track while encoding.

Information?!
All MP3 files have tags (ID3) that store information about them. Before encoding begins, N2MP3 will prompt you to enter information such as the title of the song, album, year, and genre (type of music). But entering all that information can be a real pain, which is why N2MP3 has full support for the CD Database (CDDB). The CDDB is a database of CD titles, artists, and track information available over the Internet. If you’re online at the time you insert an Audio CD, N2MP3 will automatically contact the CDDB and retrieve the information for you! And here’s the best part. Not only do you not have to enter the information manually, but N2MP3 will transform the Audio CD window, naming tracks with their track names. For example, instead of “Track 04″ it will insert the name of the song, like “The River.” Awesome!

Fine Tuning
While N2MP3 is ready to encode right out of the box, it does have a slew of specific options for seasoned MP3 veterans. N2MP3 allows you to set the bit rate of the MP3 file, and also supports Variable Bit Rate encoding (VBR). The higher the bit rate, the better quality your music will be. Be warned, though. While N2MP3 supports VBR encoding, not all MP3 players do. Thankfully, all the popular ones do, including MACAST (formerly MacAMP) and SoundJam MP. N2MP3 also supports ID3v2 information tags, Audio Ripping (AIFF) for burning your own Audio CDs, and default file information for all the popular MP3 players.

N2MP3′s numerous options make MP3 encoding a personal experience. However, its performance is also unmatched. On my “Wallstreet” PowerBook G3/250, N2MP3 performed very well, often taking only as long as the song played to encode. For example, if I were encoding a 4 minute track, it would take approximately 4 minutes to encode. Pretty good, if you ask me. And best of all, the quality of encoding is top-notch.

Requirements/Availability
N2MP3 requires a PowerPC Macintosh running Mac OS 8.0 or later and (of course) a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive capable of Audio CD playback. Don’t let this scare you, though. If your computer came with a CD or DVD drive, it’s more than capable.

N2MP3 is available at the N2MP3 website at http://www.n2mp3.com. N2MP3 costs $34.95 to register, but is available as a limited demo, meaning that N2MP3 will only encode one minute of your song while in demo mode. This will allow you to properly evaluate N2MP3 while not cheating Proteron at the same time.

The Summary
N2MP3 is a superb MP3 encoder that brings respectable encoding to the Macintosh. N2MP3 is not only speedy, its quality is outstanding. Furthermore, its integration with the Mac OS and the CDDB makes it simply the easiest to use encoder today, Mac or Windows. And if you’re new to MP3s, its manual just can’t be beat.

N2MP3′s $34.99 price point is a bit steep, especially since you’ll have to invest in a separate player to play the files N2MP3 creates. $30.00 would be better, but $34.99 is pretty darn reasonable for an encoder of such quality. While some may prefer an all-in-one encoding and player solution such as SoundJam MP, I don’t. The ease of use, speed, and quality of N2MP3 means that I won’t be encoding with anything else for a long time. A lower price would mean a perfect score, but for now…

MacMice Rating: 4.5

Adam Karneboge
webmaster@mymac.com

Websites mentioned:
http://www.proteron.com
http://www.n2mp3.com

Vicomsoft Internet Gateway 6.5
Company: Vicomsoft, Inc.
Estimated Price: $215.00 (5-user)
http://www.vicomsoft.com

To keep pace with the explosive growth of the Internet, businesses and educational institutions have had to rapidly expand their technology services to meet the demand, yet not overspend their strict budgets. It hasn’t been easy for them. Besides the heavy investment in trained personnel, the tools these people require to tame the Internet are also quite expensive, and costly Internet sharing software, routers, firewall machines, and IP address ranges can set IT budgets back many thousands of dollars. Wouldn’t it be great if an internal TCP/IP network with a secure firewall and content filtering, NAT (Network Address Translation), and all the benefits of a DHCP server–all these things–could be found in just one sturdy software package?

Attention IT people everywhere: with Vicomsoft’s Internet Gateway 6.5, that dream is now a reality.

Internet Gateway 6.5 is Vicomsoft’s flagship product, and it’s aimed at businesses and educational institutions that not only want to share one Internet connection across their entire network, but also set up a firewall and keep restricted sites out of view via CyberNOT content filtering. Internet Gateway does all this, and at a price that will be very pleasing to technology budgets.

Behind the Magic
Internet Gateway uses a very simple method to allow more than one computer to share an Internet connection. You simply install Internet Gateway on ONE computer in your network, which is the one that has the connection to the Internet, be it by modem, ISDN, cable modem, or any other type of connection. That computer then acts as the router, or computer that routes all the other computers on the network through itself and onto the Internet. Only the router computer holds the real IP address, and all the other computers use internal IP addresses which can either be easily assigned by the network administrator or issued by Internet Gateway’s DHCP server. Operating in this way, the ISP thinks that just one computer is using the connection. If this seems confusing, take a look at the simple diagram below showing multiple computers sharing one Internet connection.

Installation
Installation of Internet Gateway is quick and efficient, and the auto-setup wizard will help you tailor Internet Gateway to your network’s specifications in seconds. Once auto-setup is done, it’s smooth-sailing. Internet Gateway is ready to go right out of the box, and fine-tuning its controls is necessary only if you want to limit access to certain protocols, hosts, set up remote access, or route multiple networks.

Internet Gateway is extremely customizable, and can be used in countless ways. However, since it includes content filtering controls which are aimed at more advanced networks such as those in businesses and educational institutions, I’ll give a few examples of how Internet Gateway can be applied.

Example #1: K-12 Educational Institution Network
Melissa is a computer consultant for a public high school. The high school has recently invested in a T-1 connection to the Internet, and upgraded 2 computer labs, each with 30 computers. The school’s library also has 15 machines in it. All of these machines need access to the Internet. However, since it is an academic environment, students need to be protected from the Internet’s dark side, and doing this manually can be a tough job. Additionally, the school wants to host its own website on a machine on site, and it can NOT be restricted by these controls. Internet Gateway is the perfect solution.

All Melissa needs to do is purchase two unique IP addresses from her ISP (Internet Service Provider). One IP address will be assigned to the router machine on which Internet Gateway is installed. The other IP address will be assigned to the machine dedicated to serving the school’s website. Since this machine will not be routed through the Internet Gateway machine, there won’t be a problem. Melissa will set up Internet Gateway’s DHCP server for all of the client machines. She will also activate CyberNOT content filtering, an extensive list of restricted Internet sites that’s updated weekly. With the easy setup of Internet Gateway, Melissa didn’t have to spend a lot of time deciphering a complex router; she just got something that worked and did everything she wanted to do.

Example #2: Small Business Network
Patricia, who runs her own business, purchases a 256k ISDN line for her office of 10 computers, which she has connected via Ethernet. She has one static IP address from her ISP, but doesn’t want to purchase 9 more for her other 9 computers. She also wants to make sure her employees aren’t accessing pornographic or violent sites while at work, so she decides to purchase Internet Gateway. Taking advantage of the DHCP server, she configures her network to share her fast ISDN line without purchasing multiple IP addresses. The same configuration would apply to locations with full T1 or fraction T1 connections, of course.

Example #3: Large Business with Multiple LAN’s
Zadlcom, a mail order catalog company, has two different networks in its headquarters, and they want both networks to share their expensive T1 line. Like Patricia, they also want to filter out the Internet’s dirty side. Zadlcom can easily interconnect their two different networks using the simple algorithm pictured in the diagram below:

This type of interconnection could also occur between 10/100 Base-T and 10 Base-2 coaxial networks, or even between Ethernet and LocalTalk networks. Now all the computers on both the networks can use the same Internet connection, again courtesy of Internet Gateway.

Options
Internet Gateway has advanced options far and beyond the scenarios I described above. Internet Gateway comes with a built-in DHCP server, which makes client configuration for a large network very easy. It also comes with a WebCaching Server which stores and buffers web content automatically, thus improving performance and reducing the amount of precious bandwidth taken. Furthermore, it allows you to not only interconnect separate LANs (Local Area Networks) in the same building, but also WAN (Wide Area Networks) that could be anywhere in the world. An example of this is pictured below.

Internet Gateway even has a Remote Access Server built-in so you can easily dial into it for Internet access. If you have a constant connection to the Internet, like cable modem or T1 line users do, but you have a modem at home, this comes in very handy!

Requirements/Availability
Internet Gateway 6.5 is available for both the Mac OS and Windows 95/98/NT from Vicomsoft’s website at http://www.vicomsoft.com, where you can choose from a variety of packages to suit your Internet needs. Prices range from $215.00 for 5 users to $695.00 for unlimited users. The software can also be purchased in standard packaging (as opposed to online download) for an additional price.

Internet Gateway for Macintosh requires a PowerPC or 68040 processor with Mac OS 7.5.3 or higher, 5MB of RAM, and 15MB of free hard disk space. If you want to take advantage of the WebCache server, Vicomsoft recommends you have at least 100MB of available hard disk space.

The Summary
Internet Gateway is a wonderful product that can easily suit a variety of needs. Its Internet sharing is superb, and end user workstations don’t notice a performance hit, even on a slower connection. Best of all, its firewall is secure and its content filtering is topnotch, keeping the bad stuff from coming in, and in turn, making your network more secure and offering the peace-of-mind that many institutions long for.

Internet Gateway’s high-end features, such as content filtering, will most likely not benefit the typical home user, and home users should consider Vicomsoft’s less costly products, such as SoftRouter Plus or SurfDoubler. However, larger institutions with higher-speed connections and large numbers of computers will appreciate Internet Gateway’s superb control and easy learning curve. With its Internet Gateway 6.5, Vicomsoft has made available superior software that will really work for you, no matter how complex your needs. It’s fully deserving of our highest recommendation.

MacMice Rating: 5

Adam Karneboge
webmaster@mymac.com

Websites mentioned:
http://www.proteron.com
http://www.n2mp3.com

Classic Cribbage 1.0
Author: FreeVerse Software
Shareware: $19.95
http://www.freeverse.com

Mike: Right off the heels of last month’s Deathground, FreeVerse has released yet another game. This one is a traditional card game, in the same vein as their other classics, Hearts Deluxe and Spades Deluxe. This time, the game of cribbage gets the FreeVerse treatment.

Adam: Freeverse is famous for well done card games, and their latest, Classic Cribbage, is no exception. It combines all the fun of Cribbage with the intuitive interface and interactive gameplay that only Freeverse does so well.

Mike: Neither Adam nor I had ever played cribbage before, so we had to rely on the online help system to show us the ropes. Luckily, the folks at FreeVerse had this in mind, and made sure the help was pretty good.

Adam: While I’m surprised that Mike has never played Cribbage, being the card buff he is, I botch every card game I lay my hands on. Luckily, Freeverse is forgiving, with as-you-play help, and entertaining music to calm your nerves.

Mike: You’d be a card buff, too, if you lived in Iowa and had nothing else to do! Anyway, the basic concept of cribbage is to move your peg around the playing board and reach the end before your opponent. You get to move your peg according to the number of points you score during the hand being played. You can score points for bringing the point total of the hand to 15 or 31, or by playing the same ranked card twice in a row. You also score points based upon the overall strength of your hand, and the dealer scores points from the discard pile, as well. (The discard pile is called the crib, for those of you wondering where the name of the game comes from.)

Adam: Scoring precisely 15 or 31 can be quite challenging, and can yield all types of expressions, so Freeverse was kind enough to include some “expression” faces that allow you to show your emotions in creative fashion!

Mike: Adam is absolutely right‹FreeVerse’s trademark sense of humor and fun is present in Classic Cribbage, as well as many other great features and options. Computer opponents have three different skill levels (dumb, good, and god-like), and you can use either the included music or any music file that’s in the QuickTime format.

Adam: Fortunately for me, I can set it to dumb, because when it comes to card games, I’m dumb!

Mike: Even better than computer opponents, of course, are real-life human ones. And, in a rarity for shareware games, FreeVerse allows you to do just that over the Internet, using their very own game server, the HMS FreeVerse. Quite impressive!

Adam: Very impressive, indeed. I wish more shareware companies would take notice of Freeverse’s dedication to the Internet and allow Internet play. It creates a whole new experience for gamers, and with so many commercial games supporting online gaming, it’s great to see a shareware company following suit.

Requirements/Availability
Classic Cribbage 1.0 requires Mac OS 8.1 or higher and a minimum of 8 megabytes of RAM. It also requires NetSprocket 1.7.1 or higher for Internet play. The game costs $19.95 to register, and may be downloaded from FreeVerse’s own website, http://www.freeverse.com, or other software libraries such as C|Net’s Download.com, http://www.download.com.

The Summary
Mike: FreeVerse has come through again, with a fun and enjoyable computer version of Cribbage. Fun features, adjustable difficulty, and Internet play makes it well worth the $19.95 price tag. I think all card playing fans should check it out!

Adam: Best of all, FreeVerse lets you evaluate the majority of its features in a free demo. Once you register, playing card games will never be the same. Their breakthrough to the Internet is well worth $19.95. It may seem like too much to some, but it’s not to us.

Mike Wallinga
mikew@mymac.com
Adam Karneboge
webmaster@mymac.com

Websites mentioned:
http://www.freeverse.com/deathg/index.html
http://www.download.com

My Mac Online goes under the knife:
Website Optimization tools reviewed

Recently, I was approached by two companies selling two very different optimization tools guaranteed to speed up web page loading times. As a web designer and content creator, anything that can speed up my web pages is important to me. Did you know that the average website contains up to 50% dead weight‹extra information that can slow web page loading to a crawl?

I was a webmaster when WYSIWYG editors weren’t around, and I have always considered myself as a clean-code writer. What really blows me away, though, is that even the blank space in my HTML documents that I leave for easy readability will become the “extra information” that will slow my web pages down.

Consequently, I was more than happy to review the two products: Mizer 1.7 and VSE Web Site Turbo 3.0.1. In this review I will put the two products head-to-head in tests using the #54 build of My Mac Online. I’ll let you know which product worked the best, and which one will suit your needs. Now, let the fun begin…

Mizer 1.7
Company: Antimony Software
Estimated Price: $69.95
http://www.antimonysoftware.com

Mizer 1.7 from Antimony Software was the first product I tested. Mizer will optimize all elements of HTML, and it will also optimize all your GIF and JPEG files, dramatically reducing the time it takes to load graphics. The main advantage of Mizer is that it does not require you to fine-tune a multitude of settings; you can get started optimizing from the get-go. Mizer allows you to drag and drop both files, graphics, and whole sites for optimization.

Mizer does have some shortcomings, though, mainly that it doesn’t create a post-optimization report with actual numbers that you can see, meaning that you won’t get actual percentage savings. Mizer also does not have a HTML 4.0 compliance option, and it could more easily damage intense HTML 4.0 documents than could VSE Web Site Turbo.

Despite the shortcomings, Mizer really shines when you put it to work in actual real-world tests. For my HTML tests I used the My Mac Online main page (/index.shtml), a 27k HTML document, and the Book Bytes archive page (/archives/reviews/book_bytes.shtml), a 38k HTML document. For my graphics tests, I used the main page logo (/graphics/logo.jpg), a 40k JPEG file, and the “about” graphic in our navigation bar (/graphics/navigation/about1.gif), a 12k GIF file. Finally, I optimized the entire My Mac Online site, which weighs in at just over 83MB.

Mizer performed very well in HTML optimization, cutting my two test documents down from 27k and 38k to 24k and 34.5k, respectively. Mizer also performed well in graphics optimization, cutting my 40k JPEG file to 12k, and my 12k GIF file to a measly 2k. And Mizer cut the entire size of My Mac Online from 83MB to 44MB. Pretty darn good, if you ask me. So how does the competition stack up?

VSE Web Site Turbo 3.0.1
Company: VSE Software
Shareware: $49.95
http://www.vse-online.com

VSE Web Site Turbo 3.0.1 from VSE Software is another impressive program that includes all of the functionality of Mizer, with a completely different interface and feature set. VSE Web Site Turbo includes drag and drop as Mizer does, but it includes a multitude of preferences to set which type of optimization it does, which type of tags it removes, and what version of HTML it should tailor itself to. Unfortunately, setting these preferences isn’t as easy as it sounds. VSE Web Site Turbo often forces you to make countless difficult, often intimidating decisions before you can optimize your web pages. However, these preferences can be put to good use if you’re an advanced user, and webmasters who are particular about the types of data that is placed into their pages will appreciate the extra effort by VSE Software to include this fine-tuning functionality.

Quite possibly my favorite feature of VSE Web Site Turbo is its ability to create post-optimization reports that show exactly what was done, and what percentage of data was saved. Mizer does not have this extremely important feature, and the only real way to distinguish how much data you are saving is to look in Mizer’s progress window, but if you’re optimizing only a few files that’s not easy, especially on a fast machine.

However, the big question is: How does VSE Web Site Turbo stack up against Mizer in optimization? Surprisingly, there was no significant difference between the two in terms of how many bytes they saved. However, one significant problem with VSE Web Site Turbo is that it ties up the whole computer when it’s optimizing, which stops you from getting other essential work done, such as email. But you won’t be tied up long; VSE Web Site Turbo quickly optimizes HTML documents and graphics for fast loading.

The Summary
Mizer is clearly an outstanding optimization tool that can be a one-stop drag and drop solution to your sites’ woes. Despite its shortcomings, it performs on par with the more fully featured VSE Web Site Turbo. VSE Web Site Turbo also performed well, yielding approximately the same results as Mizer. However, after viewing my documents after optimization, VSE Web Site Turbo yielded a dramatic change in the appearance of my documents, even after I changed its main setting to “not alter the appearance of my web page.” Only after I dug deep into its settings was I able to view my documents as they appeared before optimization. Even then, VSE Web Site Turbo still yielded an excellent optimized file.

Therefore, I will make the following recommendations based on my month with the two optimization tools. If you are an advanced or intermediate webmaster who has experience with HTML code, you will probably appreciate the depth and the choices that VSE Web Site Turbo brings, and thus, I recommend VSE Web Site Turbo to you. However, if you are a beginning webmaster, or a webmaster who wants to optimize his site on the fly without having to worry about their design being affected, it’s Mizer that you’ll want to buy, and it’s Mizer that I recommend. Mizer costs $20.00 more, but it will pay for itself in the amount of headaches you save.

I am sincerely impressed with BOTH of these optimization tools, and there is no way I can pick a clear winner. However, it is clear to me that each product has a different skill-base. Please consider your level of web-smithing expertise before making a purchase decision.

Requirements/Availability: Mizer 1.7 is available for purchase and download at Antimony Software’s website, http://www.antimonysoftware.com. VSE Web Site Turbo 3.0.1 is available as a fully-functional demo at http://www.vse-online.com, but requires you to register if you want to publish your pages. Both are available immediatelsy, and include documentation with the download.

Adam Karneboge
webmaster@mymac.com

Websites mentioned:
http://www.antimonysoftware.com
http://www.vse-online.com

Deathground
Author: FreeVerse Software
Shareware: $29.95 + $3.00 S&H
http://www.freeverse.com/deathg/index.html

Mike: The “big guns” of the shareware gaming scene have been flexing their muscles lately. Last month, we showed you Cythera from Ambrosia Software, and this month, we showcase Freeverse Software’s Deathground, a gangster strategy game based on the classic board game RISK.

Adam: Like Ambrosia, Freeverse Software has a wonderful reputation for high quality shareware games, and Deathground doesn’t disappoint. It shows the same all-around quality that we’ve come to expect from Freeverse. So what exactly is Deathground, Mike?

Mike: In Deathground, you play the role of a gangster who’s out to control as much territory as possible. You spend your turns attacking rival gangs to gain control of their territory, and then shuffling your troops around to fortify your areas. You gain money and resources for each territory you own, making it easier to “off” your opponents.

Adam: The more territories you own, the more troops you have to deploy, and the more fun the game becomes. Once you own all the territories on the map, you win the game.

Mike: The default map is New York City, which is divided up into boroughs. Each borough is divided up further into neighborhoods. You receive resources and cash for each ‘hood you control, but get big bonuses for controlling an entire borough. However, with the other players trying to do the same thing, it’s tough to keep total control of any one borough for too long!

Adam: Definitely true, Mike. And you really have to watch out for your enemies gaining ground, because they move fast once they’re in control, and you’ll be forced to surrender or face certain death.

Mike: FreeVerse went into a lot of detail to make the game more than just a computer re-creation of a game board. When you attack a territory, animated gangsters do battle with each other with tommy guns, and the game is full of FreeVerse’s trademark one-liners and comments by the players. The board also zooms in and out in real time, allowing you to see one borough up-close, or look at all of New York from a bird’s-eye view to see the whole scene.

Adam: FreeVerse has also included plenty of fine-tune controls so you can tailor your Macintosh to the game. If you have an older Mac, you might want to scale back on a few of the preferences. But if you have a G4, well, you know what to do!

Mike: The game can be played by up to seven players, and as many of those can be computer-controlled as necessary. There are also three maps to play, which enhances the replay value of the game, too. The downloadable demo limits you to three players and the map of New York, though. The full version comes on a CD-ROM–a first for FreeVerse–and can be bought directly from the company.

Requirements/Availability
The demo requires System 7.6 or higher, 20 megabytes of hard drive space, and approximately 32 megs of free RAM. The Deathground Demo is available for download at the FreeVerse website, http://www.freeverse.com/deathg/index.html, or from any of the great Mac shareware libraries online such as Download.com http://www.download.com. The full version, featuring additional playing maps, more players, and more, comes only on a CD-ROM, and can be purchased directly from FreeVerse for a total of $32.95.

The Summary
Adam: Deathground is a quality shareware game that is both addicting and fun. Its different levels of gameplay allow you to play for hours on end, even if you’ve never played before. The price-to-performance ratio is top notch for this first-rate shareware game.

Mike: I agree, Adam. FreeVerse’s high reputation for making excellent card games and board games for the Mac is well-deserved, and they prove it once again with Deathground. If you like strategy games and want something that’s not quite as complex as StarCraft, or if you just want to see another great example of fine shareware gaming, take a look at Deathground. Highly Recommended by The Game Guys.

Mike Wallinga
mikew@mymac.com
Adam Karneboge
webmaster@mymac.com

Websites mentioned:
http://www.freeverse.com/deathg/index.html
http://www.download.com