From: xxltony@cts.com (Tony Lindsey)
Subject: Mac*Chat#095/07-Nov-95
Welcome to Mac*Chat, the weekly electronic newsletter biased
toward Mac users who are production-oriented professionals. Other
Mac users may find many, many items of interest as well. I'd enjoy
hearing your feedback and suggestions. Unfortunately, due to the
massive numbers of messages I get every day, I can't guarantee
a personal reply.
Tony Lindsey, <xxltony@cts.com>.
<http://www.cts.com/browse/xxltony>
3401-A55 Adams Avenue
San Diego, CA 92116-2429
Mac*Chat may be copied freely, provided that all copies are left
intact and unedited.
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costs of putting-out one of the fastest-growing newsletters
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Mac*Chat back-issues may be found within any Info-Mac ftp archive at
/info-mac/per/chat
and read with any Web browser at
<http://www.ese.ogi.edu/macchat/>
See the end of this file for legalisms and info on how to get a free
subscription.
Any [comments in brackets] are by Tony Lindsey.
Topics:
Highlights Of This Issue
Editor's Notes
Series Of Internet Demos
Tips For Entrepreneurs Who Want To Make Money From Going Online
Tips For America Online Users - Creating Multiple Screen Names
Humorous Eudora E-Mail Tip
Interesting Questions
Two Excellent Tips - RAM Doubler & A Great Shareware Site
Technical Section Starts... Here
Tips For America Online Users - Creating Web Pages, Part Two
Apple's Tech Info Sites
Making The 9500 Work With Tcp/Ip, Part One - Thumbs-Down On Open Transport
Managing High Volume Mailing Lists
Legalisms
Free Subscriptions To This Newsletter
Highlights Of This Issue
------------------------
I ask about the Power Computing PowerMac clones and how easy they
are to upgrade, give a tip for folks viewing "spicy" images, talk
about giving Internet demos and what I like to teach, tell AOL
users how they can save money in a big way while helping others in
their home or office, JKelly Clark shares a chuckle with us, I open the
door to more questions than usual, Ken Workman gives us a warning
about RAM Doubler 1.6 and a tip for finding shareware, several
users share their AOL Web Page tips, Randy Chevrier tells us
where to find those Apple Technical Support sites, many readers
share their tips for making PCI PowerMacs work with TCP/IP, and
Paul Dickman shares his tips for handling WAY too much e-mail.
Editor's Notes
--------------
By Tony Lindsey <xxltony@cts.com>
Many thanks to the folks who have sent in donations from all over
the world. Shrimmy and I are deeply grateful. We're up to around
forty donations since September, and more continue to come in
every week.
-----
I have some questions for the folks who are using the Power
Computing Mac clones - What's it like to upgrade them? I've been
hearing great things from my peers about how they are
less-expensive, solidly-compatible computers. My buddy says he
saved around $700 compared to the cost of an equivalent
Apple-brand PowerMac. That sounds mighty nice, but I also want
to be able to tell my clients if my theory is correct - Is it a
LOT better to upgrade a highly-modular Power Computing computer
than an Apple one? Apple's history of offering upgrades has been
a big pain for me and my clients. Most people avoid upgrading
their entire motherboard due to the ridiculous cost, and that
upgrade may disappear just when they need it. I could tell a lot
of horror stories.
Being a person on a tight budget, I like to keep my Macs for a
long, long time, rather than keep throwing money at new computers
every four years or so. I've owned eleven computing devices
(PC's, Macs and a Newton), and I'm getting too cheap to keep on
buying new computers. My IIci is still with us and doing daily
work, though I drool when I see real speed on the new hardware.
If I spend money out of my own pocket for something new, I want
to squeeze every penny's-worth out of it.
How responsive are the tech-support folks at Power Computing?
What other considerations should I bring up when I see their demo
at the San Diego Mac User Group meeting?
-----
I help a lot of clients who are terribly ashamed and embarrassed
to admit that they want to find out more about the "spicy stuff"
on the Internet. They have heard so much about how raunchy and
uninhibited things are out there, and they can't figure-out how
to get their fair share. I'm not above showing them where to go,
but I also like to give them one more tip:
If you have something on your Mac's screen that you suddenly
don't want your boss, significant other, or impressionable child
to see, hold down the Option key and click on the background
patterned-desktop, such as right next to the Trash can. This is
the poorly-documented command that hides the front-most
application (and its eye-catching images) and switches to the
Finder. If you practice it a few times you'll get VERY good at
it, I'm sure.
Series Of Internet Demos
------------------------
By Tony Lindsey <xxltony@cts.com>
I'm going to be conducting a series of Internet demonstrations
for local San Diegans. I mention this because I want to urge
people outside of San Diego to consider arranging their OWN
Internet Demos. It's a pleasant way to stay in contact with
clients, and it can be a way to make money from your endless
hours or experience online. There are many, many people out
there who haven't much experience with the online world, and they
don't mind paying a nominal fee to improve their knowledge.
Normally, the month of December is a real dead-zone for me,
income-wise. I'm planning to take up the slack by offering
Internet demos on weekdays and weekends all month, charging $30
per person with a limit of ten people per two-hour session.
I've had excellent results from these demos in the past - It
brings in new consulting clients, it cements the relationship
between me and my valued clients, and it's very fun for all
concerned. Everybody gets to learn something new, including me,
because the questions in the second half can be real zingers! I
like to use these questions to force me into new paths of
learning.
I recently sent-out an e-mailed announcement to my local clients,
and plan to fax the same message to benefit those clients who
don't have e-mail yet:
-----
"I'm planning to be hosting a few, small gatherings
in front of my computer screen, demonstrating the
newest developments and trends on the Internet.
A lot has changed since the previous Internet tours.
so if you are interested, please let me know.
I'll be basing my plans on the amount of feedback
I get.
I'll be encouraging the participants to bring their
friends and business associates, along with a list
of specific questions they would like to discuss at
the end.
Please start making an Internet wish-list now!"
------
I got quite a bit of positive feedback, so I will have to do some
schedule-juggling to fit everybody in. I'm also planning to
update my Web pages to feature the very-best Internet resources
I've found since going online. The old information isn't
arranged as nicely as I'd like. That way, when I give a one-page
handout to the folks attending a Demo, they'll just need one
address on the World Wide Web to explore the goodies I've shown
them.
The Internet Demos are very simple - I gather a small group of
people together around my computer screen. These folks usually
have either business or personal connections to each other,
because I encourage them to bring as many folks they can to share
the cost of the tour. A typical group may be six people from a
particular corporation or workgroup, plus a couple of pals who
want to observe. Or, it may be three students, two entrepreneurs
and my nephew.
I show them stuff that I consider to be important about being on
the Internet. After a while, I open up the discussion to include
people's specific questions on their wish-lists, and there are
always a lot of 'em. Many folks want to figure-out what the
Internet can do for their business, and I do my best to help
them, with a minimum of hype. I don't always know every answer,
but people don't expect that. They just want honesty and the
best I can do.
Here's a small list of the lessons I like to share...
Tips For Entrepreneurs Who Want To Make Money From Going Online
---------------------------------------------------------------
By Tony Lindsey <xxltony@cts.com>
1) Don't expect any quick results. I haven't seen anybody around
me getting big bags of money - yet. However, the pressure that
exists online is toward
- Financial success
- Trustworthy transfer of funds
- Equal opportunity for all who have online access and have at
least a smattering of Internet experience, whether they work for
themselves or for a big corporation.
2) Take the time to become familiar with the procedures, tools
and concepts of the online world. When the world rotates to the
point where we can all be compensated properly and instantly,
you'll be poised to take part.
3) Play as you learn. The things that please you about the
online world may be the things that turn out to be the
building-blocks of your new career. The new niches are
staggering in their number, and you may as well do something you
love.
4) Don't attempt to be a fake in your online dealings. Learn
everything you can about online courtesy and Netiquette. You
will get spanked early and often if you aren't a
straight-shooter. The more people you have believing in you, the
more success you will have down the line. -> The public's B.S.
Detectors are activated at full sensitivity at all times. <-
5) Try something simple and inexpensive and then build upon it as
time goes by. If you get a free Web page on your online service,
use it. Take the time to improve the page - Ask your friends to
critique it. If you want to keep in contact with your clients or
family members through e-mail, do so, and experiment with various
ideas. Find out what works. Take some risks. You're going to
screw-up somehow anyway (we all do), so you may as well do it
while your audience is small. The time you spend on experiments
won't be wasted.
6) Don't be too surprised if you develop a
market/audience/following overseas. The world is a VERY small
place right now. If you've been seeing yourself and your
business in relation to your local neighborhood, city or state,
expect to have your preconceptions destroyed. Your best friends,
clients, or business-partners may be several continents away in
the near future. Expect it, and rejoice in it. This
multinationalism is the best part of the Internet. It opens-up
new infinities of job opportunities and understanding among
friends.
What other lessons do you think should be shared?
Tips For America Online Users - Creating Multiple Screen Names
--------------------------------------------------------------
By Tony Lindsey <xxltony@cts.com>
A long time ago, I wrote an article about adding screen names to
your America Online account. The step-by-step instructions in
that article are long-obsolete, because AOL keeps screwing around
with their interface.
I STRONGLY recommend adding more screen names to your AOL
account. There are several good reasons:
- You can save money by allowing up to five members of your
family or business to have their own, separate e-mail address.
This is at no extra, basic monthly cost. For any costs beyond
that, you should keep little Cindy Lou and Bucky Junior from
spending long hours in the Chat Rooms.
- You can use up to ten megabytes of AOL's storage space for your
Web pages (see below for more info)
The following instructions should stay correct for a while:
-Pull down the Go To menu and choose "Keyword."
- Type in the word "Names" without the quotes and click "OK."
- Choose "Create a Screen Name" and follow the instructions.
Seems simple, doesn't it? Yet, for some reason (maybe fear of
lost profits) the folks at AOL have hidden this little morsel
from public view unless you dig around for it intentionally.
Humorous Eudora E-Mail Tip
--------------------------
By aandc@usa1.com (Kelly Clark)
From the Red Cyber-Face Department:
Eudora's "nickname" feature is great. But beware of mail mix-ups.
Example: My pal Bob and I exchange silly emails, sprinkled with
nonsense and outrageous innuendo.
A pillar in my church and I exchange email about official parish
affairs, upcoming functions and the like. His name happens to be
"Robert". I absent-mindedly recently typed the nickname "Bob"
into the "To" field of an email intended for my pal Bob. Subject:
Long On Sex. Imagine my chagrin when _Robert_ responded in 4
words: <I beg your pardon?>
Interesting Questions
---------------------
By Michael Dodson, Florida <dodsonm@wane-leon-mail.scri.fsu.edu>
Industrial Strength Text Database Manager Wanted
I regularly download government regulations, federal and state
laws, and other large chunks (1 - 3 or more megabytes) of ASCII
text. I need a powerful (Boolean operators, etc.) search and
retrieval capability with features comparable to ISYS or ZyIndex
on the PC platform. Are there any free-form text database
managers for the Mac?
The above requirement is the only hitch in what appears to be a
smooth transition from kludge-Windows to a real operating system.
-----
By "Guthery Tracy" <guthery_tracy@po.gis.prc.com>
Desperately Seeking Mac Supplies
My office purchased an Apple LaserWriterPro 810 printer last
year. It is still under warranty. It has been discontinued.
Okay, not so surprising, as Apple discontinues their products
every other day - and usually just after you bought something.
The problem is that they have also discontinued the toner
cartridge for this printer...making it rather difficult to use!!
I have found a substitute - a Xerox Toner cartridge, but it is 3x
as expensive ($325 each, compared to $115 I was originally
paying).
Does anyone know of a good supplier that might have these? Or
that would actually work to find a cheaper cartridge? We use a
lot - about one a month and it is quickly adding up.
-------
By Brian Hydesmith, Winnipeg <hydesmith@docker.com>
<http://hoshi.cic.sfu.ca/~hydesmith>
I, like many other Mac consultants, have had my fair share of
frustration with fax software. Gosh, it seems buggy and 'fussy'
(my favourite word for describing poorly designed and executed
software). I would like to solicit other comments on this topic,
at risk of it being something covered in depth before.
I have had poor success with the STF version distributed with
modems while the Faxcilitate software has been more pleasing. I
use it now (came with my Supra 28.8k) and just field calls from
frustrated clients on the STF (basic version). Faxcilitate has a
way to go, still not supporting grey-scale, poor word wrap on
quick messages and no Duo (Express modem) support etc. Does
anyone have a better alternative to STF, proven in the field for
stability and fewer client complaints?
Also, I am looking for CD-ROM solutions for a client learning
anatomy. I think ADAM looks a bit simplistic and Visible Human
too pricey at $500. Suggestions appreciated.
-------
By Jeffrey Norwood - Macintosh Services <ElChico@aol.com>
I've got a client who writes business projects all day long. His
only major program is Word. His older IIsi has a perfect vertical
monitor he uses all the time. It won't work on the newer Performa
636. So the Performa just sits in the office, left turned off all
day.
The local Apple dealer can't make the older vertical B&W monitor
work on the new Performa, and I can't find anyone who knows of a
vertical monitor which will work on the Performa.
What am I missing here? Get an expensive rotating monitor and
just leave it in the upright position? Any ideas?
------
By Scott L. Sherrill, Houghton, Michigan <slsherri@mtu.edu>
I was wondering if any of the readers have used/installed/ or
seen CPU Doubler made by Orchard Software? It's a control panel
that is supposed to reorder processes so that the front-running
application gets more CPU time, so it finishes quicker.
Orchard claims 100% speedup, and it can be used with Ram Doubler
and Speed Doubler. Sounds pretty good to me.
The article I saw it in was the 10/30/95 MacWeek.
Two Excellent Tips - RAM Doubler & A Great Shareware Site
---------------------------------------------------------
By Ken Workman <sbken@cruzio.com>
<http://www2.cruzio.com/personal/sbken.html>
[In issue #94, I said some nice things about the new, free 1.6
updater for Ram Doubler. I heard from several folks who said
they were having problems with it, such as this one:]
Caution on RamDoubler 1.6!
This past weekend I upgraded from System 7.1 to system 7.5.1 and
found to my horror and dismay that I could no longer start up the
Mac - it would freeze. After must diagnosis with turning
Extensions on and off I found that SCSI Manager 4.3 and
RamDoubler 1.6 didn't like each other! Either one alone and I
could start up with no problem.
I called Connectix and they indicated possible problems with
RD1.6, particularly with Power Macs. They suggested that I
downgrade to RamDoubler 1.5.2, not too easy to do, since most
sites only have the updater to 1.6. and have deleted the updater
from 1.5 to 1.5.2.
I loaded my original RamDoubler 1.5 *and* SCSI Manager 4.3 and
started up without incident. I finally did locate the 1.5->1.5.2
updater, performed the update and all is still well. You might
want to caution your readers to at least save their RamDoubler
1.5.2 or the updater to 1.5.2. The updater gives you the option
to modify or original diskette and save the original RD. However,
it appears that by "original" they mean 1.5 not 1.5.2.
Bottom line: Update to 1.6 but save your version 1.5.2, just in
case...
-------
Related subject: The best source for freeware and shareware -
hands down - is accessed via
<http://www.cnet.com/contents.html>
That's the only way I could find the elusive RD1.5->RD1.5.2. One
needs to search on "ram doubler" (without the quotes and with the
space between the two words) in the "freeware and shareware"
section. The sites that have the updater are not very reliable
and I've been unable to find the updater via Anarchie, so I'd
suggest "c/net" as the least painful way to get this freeware
and, if seems, any other free/share-ware. In my experience, if
you can't find it at this site you probably can't obtain it
anywhere.
Technical Section Starts... Here
--------------------------------
Tips For America Online Users - Creating Web Pages, Part Two
------------------------------------------------------------
[In issue #94, I gave a very-scanty series of steps for copying
my existing Web page, modifying it, and then uploading it onto
your own Web site. If you had done all of that, you would have
also gotten some study-materials from my Web pages that explained
the technical stuff in more detail.
I find that I'm unwilling to go into too much further detail here
in the newsletter - AOL should be announcing a
"fill-in-the-blanks" system for creating Web pages someday soon
(it already exists for Windows users on AOL). My
previously-explained system is only for folks who have the nature
of a sneaky weasel (like me) and like to arm-wrestle new
challenges to the ground. However, I'm willing to share some new
tips as they arrive:]
------
By John Conrader <conradej@infiniti.jsc.nasa.gov>
[From issue #94:]
======
If your screen name is "chuckie23" then sign onto AOL, then go
to
Internet Connection/FTP/Go To FTP/Other Site, then type in
"ftp://users.aol.com/chuckie23/"
======
After Other Site, you should be able to type "users.aol.com" and
then press the connect button. I have done it this way and it
works. No big deal, just another way of doing it.
------
By Andrew G. McCann <agmccann@pipeline.com>
<http://users.aol.com/planetmag/home.html>
A key point is that you get 2 MB *per* screen name -- since any
single account can have up to five names (and assuming you don't
share your account), that gives you, in theory, 10 MBs to play
with! What I've done is put my home and related pages and gifs
under one screen name and put bigger files to be downloaded under
separate screen names. [see above for instructions.]
------
By Thomas Callahan, Rhode Island School of Design
<tcallaha@risd.edu>
I am using America Online to publish my Web Page, but I cannot
check it with AOL's browser. It crashes too much on my 6100/80
for it to be useful (or even sensible) to use as a browser.
Plus, it apparently does not support transparent gifs, or
background images, so my own page looks totally wrong. Is there
any way to have Netscape take over the AOL web connection?
<http://users.aol.com/tacrisd/incoming/index.html>
[If I were you, I'd move the files UP one level, outside of the
"incoming" directory, to <http://users.aol.com/tacrisd/>, and
leave the "index.html" off the address, since that's assumed as
the default name.] Then, use <http://users.aol.com/tacrisd/> on
your business card, flyers and e-mail messages.]
-------
By Kelly Clark <aandc@usa1.com>
A question and a comment. The question: Why would anyone want to
pay AOL its $3 an hour tab when a Home Page without AOL can be
accomplished?
The comment: check out Michael Slavin's tips for AOLers @
http://users.aol.com/mbswebster/aolhome.html
Apple's Tech Info Sites
-----------------------
By Randy Chevrier, Tulsa, Oklahoma <paintmaster@genie.com>
[Randy and I have been corresponding quite a bit lately, and he
tracked this down for Mac*Chat's readers:]
The Apple Tech Info Library, Apple's official technical support
database, is on a variety of online services and Internet sites,
including:
Worldwide Web: http://www.info.apple.com/til.html/
eWorld: the shortcut (type command-G) is: til
America Online: Use the AOL web browser to go to
http://til.info.apple.com
AppleLink: Path is: Support -> Tech Info Library
CompuServe: GO APLTIL
Note that there ARE at least two WWW URLs to start out looking
for these.
[Thanks, Randy!]
Making The 9500 Work With Tcp/Ip, Part One - Thumbs-Down On Open Transport
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ In issue #94, I asked how I could make my client's PowerMac
9500 work properly with either MacTCP or Open Transport, which
came free with the computer and was supposed to be so superior to
"the old ways." All my client wanted to do was to check his
e-mail and cruise the Web, and nothing I tried seemed to work.
As time went by, I discovered that this was a VERY common problem.
Many people were kind enough to write and share their wisdom and
experiences. Thanks, folks!
There are two schools of thought on the topic - The folks who
remove Open Transport completely, and switch back to the older
MacTCP 2.06 system. I'm including those tips in this week's
issue.
Alternatively, I'd like to re-post all of the great tips
everybody has sent in for upgrading Open Transport (OT) to
version 1.08 in next week's issue, but I'm lacking a key bit of
information...
Where would somebody get the update CD from Apple for the
PowerMac 9500's? The System 7.5.2 v2.0 CD will install Open
Transport 1.0.6 and System Enabler 1.1, which is already
installed on non-9500 PCI PowerMacs. The CD is supposedly
available from the fullfillment center, but I don't have the
contact info for inside or outside the USA. Once I have the
contact info, I'll post everybody's tips for working WITH Open
Transport (upgraded to 1.08), instead of working around it:]
----
By Michael A. McGuire, University of Tennessee Knoxville
<mcguirema@utk.edu>
How to hack Open Transport & make slip & ppp work
This assumes you are running System 7.5.2 on a 7200, 7500,
8500, or 9500 Macintosh and trying to get SLIP and/or PPP to work.
1. Open the Extensions folder in the System Folder and remove 2
files:
Open Tpt Internet Library
OpenTptInternetLib
Save these files somewhere on your hard disk.
2. Open the Control Panels folder in the System Folder and
remove 1 file:
TCP/IP
Save this file somewhere on your hard disk.
3. Place MacTCP 2.0.6 in the Control Panels folder.
4. Restart your Mac.
SLIP and/or PPP should work now.
------
By Kyle Johnson <pkscout@acpub.duke.edu>
<http://www.duke.edu/~pkscout/>
There are instructions for this in Ric Ford's MacInTouch News
Archive dated 8/21/95. The URL is:
<http://www.macintouch.com/~ricford/newsarch.html>
---------
By patrickh@omni.voicenet.com (Patrick Henebry)
I'm not at all surprised you're having difficulties with Open
Transport; even Apple admits there are problems with SLIP and PPP
connections.
I did some scrounging and found the following Web page.
<http://rampages.onramp.net/~stevent/solutions.html#ot_mactcp>
This page has instructions on how to disable parts of Open
Transport and replace it with the combination of MacTCP and
MacPPP.
The above URL is part of a good set of Power Mac related Web
pages located at:
<http://rampages.onramp.net/~stevent/powermac.html>
Managing High Volume Mailing Lists
----------------------------------
By stpd@tyche.newcastle.edu.au (Paul Dickman, Stockholm Sweden)
In Mac*Chat#094 you recommended subscribing to the macway mailing
list in digest format [meaning that the many messages are glued
together and sent to me as one LONG file]. If you have a decent
mail program, there are far better ways to manage high volume
mailing lists. The highest volume list I subscribe to is SAS-L,
with approximately 20 messages per day. I automatically filter
these into a separate mailbox, where I then sort them by subject
so that all items in a 'thread' can be read together. Receiving
the messages individually makes it much easier to sort out what I
want to read from what I don't and makes it easier to read those
messages I choose.
When the messages arrive in digest format I find I have to scan
through a lot of stuff I'm not interested in to find the few
messages that interest me and it's almost impossible to follow a
'thread'.
The other advantage of individual messages is that the sender and
subject information are maintained for the purpose of replying.
When replying to a message in a digest, the default is to send
the mail back to the list with the subject: macway digest (for
example).
In short, if you have a decent mail program, I would highly
recommend against receiving mailing lists in digest format. I
use PC Eudora (the commercial version) to manage my mail but most
decent mail programs have filtering capabilities. Unfortunately
Eudora Light (I think it's freeware but it may be shareware)
doesn't have this capability.
Legalisms
---------
Copyright 1989-1995 Tony Lindsey.
Whole issues of Mac*Chat may be copied freely, provided that
all copies are left intact and unedited. Small excerpts of
Mac*Chat may be reproduced for personal use or by nonprofit
groups (such as Mac User Groups) or for other non-commercial
publications if full credit is given. Please contact the
editor <xxltony@cts.com> for any other publication requests.
This newsletter is intended purely as entertainment and free
information. No profit has been made from any of these
opinions. Time passes, so accuracy may diminish.
Publication, product, and company names may be registered
trademarks of their companies.
This file is formatted as setext, which can be read on any text reader.
Tips from readers are gratefully accepted. Please write them in a
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please include a paragraph explaining why others should visit it.
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-------------------------------------
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============== ____ ==================================================
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Mac*Chat Editor \X / <xxltony@cts.com> <http://www.cts.com/~xxltony/>
================= \/ =================================================