From: Tony Lindsey <TLindsey@cts.com>
Subject: Mac*Chat#106
Mac*Chat#106/08-Mar-96
======================
Welcome to Mac*Chat, the weekly electronic newsletter for everyone
interested in using a Macintosh computer professionally, no matter
what their situation or profession.
See the end of this file for further information, including how to get a free
subscription.
How to contribute financial donations to Mac*Chat:
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Any [comments in brackets] are by Tony Lindsey.
Highlights Of This Issue
------------------------
I uregently post the news about System 7.5.3 in this "bonus"
issue (since it got dropped somehow from yesterday's issue), we
hear where to download tax forms from the U.S. IRS, we hear about
some very interesting Mac-centric Web sites (and one extra just
for the heck of it), and Powerbook-owners get even more goodies.
Topics:
Highlights Of This Issue
Editor's Notes
Corrections
System 7.5.3
USA Tax Forms Available Online
Interesting Web Sites
Powerbooks Again
Legalisms
Free Subscriptions To This Newsletter
Editor's Notes
--------------
By Tony Lindsey <TLindsey@cts.com>
Well, I feel pretty silly - Somehow, when I sent-off issue #105
yesterday, the most-important article got left-off. The news
about System 7.5.3 is too important to leave for another week, so
I'm rushing out a "Bonus Issue" for everybody's enjoyment. You
may notice I snuck even more PowerBook info at the end of this
issue, so if you don't like it or need it, please ignore it -
Don't send me nasty letters!
Corrections
-----------
[In issue #103, Baron Sekiya mentioned that Pioneer was making
Mac clones...]
By: Leon Pereira <lpereira@hawaii.edu>
As I understand it, Pioneer does NOT manufacture Mac clones. They
produce entertainment control centers/modules based on the
PowerMac motherboard.
System 7.5.3
------------
[In issue 104, I asked about System 7.5.3, which has been delayed
quite a bit. Many readers sent me info, but I think the
following official Apple text says it best. This was forwarded
to me by a Faithful Reader, and I added a non-800-contact-number
for my readers outside the USA:]
On March 11, 1996, Apple is announcing System 7.5 Update 2.0,
which is a comprehensive set of system software enhancements
designed for all Macintosh computers. This important update
offers new functionality, as well as enhanced system performance.
And it significantly improves the overall reliability of
Macintosh and MacOS-compatible computers running System 7.5,
7.5.1, or 7.5.2.
There are many important changes reflected in this update: some
affect all Macintosh computers; others are specific to certain
models. One example of the former is that all Macintosh computer
users should see a performance boost while the Finder is copying
large numbers of small files-particularly when copying to and
from file servers. More specifically, this update has several
additional PowerPC-native system software components that should
yield noticeable performance improvements on Macintosh computers
with a PowerPC processor.
Perhaps one of the most significant new features that this update
will deliver is one version of System 7.5 (officially known as
System 7.5.3) which will run on every Macintosh, from the
Macintosh Plus to currently shipping systems. You can now even
create a universal System Folder that can be used on all
currently supported Macintosh MacOS-compatible computers. This
allows you to set up a single external hard disk or
removable-media drive that can boot-up everything from a
Macintosh Plus to a PCI-based Power Macintosh 9500.
In response to requests from customers and developers, System 7.5
Update 2.0 also contains a number of system reliability
improvements, such as: a reduction in the occurrence of Type 11
errors on Power Macintosh computers; corrections to the General
Controls control panel to eliminate conflicts with some
third-party products; and proper handling by the Installer of
control panels and extensions disabled using the Extensions
Manager.
From a communications standpoint, System 7.5 Update 2.0
integrates a new version of Open Transport (version 1.1) which
offers better performance on high-speed networks, broader support
for dial-up connectivity to TCP/IP networks and the Internet, and
new support for most 68030, 68040, and NuBus Power Macintosh
computers.
With the introduction of the Macintosh System 7.5 Update 2.0,
Apple is providing loyal Macintosh users with an enhanced
operating system environment that features increased performance
and added capabilities-while significantly increasing overall
system software reliability.
To take advantage of the Macintosh System 7.5 Update 2.0, you'll
need an Apple Macintosh or Powerbook with at least 4MB of RAM
(8MB required for PowerTalk and QuickDraw GX); or a Power
Macintosh computer with at least 8MB of RAM (16MB required for
PowerTalk and QuickDraw GX). Open Transport requires an Apple
Macintosh or Powerbook with at least 5MB of RAM ; or a Power
Macintosh computer with at least 8MB of RAM. System 7.5 version
7.5, 7.5.1, or 7.5.2 must be already installed on the system
being updated.
System 7.5 Update 2.0 is available electronically:
<ftp://ftp.info.apple.com>
<ftp://ftp.support.apple.com>
<http://www.info.apple.com
<http://www.suppport.info.com>
and on most on-line services (American On-line, CompuServe,
AppleLink, and eWorld). Customers in the U.S. can also order the
update on a CD or floppy for $13 by calling <800-293-6617>, ext
984. or <408-987-7000>
-------
By: Randy Chevrier <maxmacs@iAmerica.net>
Kyle's System 7.5.3 Info Page supposedly covers all the rumors of
System Update 2.0.
<http://ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu/~kdegraaf/>
According to MacCentral, "Kyle provides the latest information
available about the new software release in a simple and easy to
read format and we would highly recommend that you seek further
information there."
<http://www.maccentral.com/news.html>
I think MacCentral is the greatest place to get daily news on
Apple third party vendors, software update notices, and other Mac
news. Their breaking news page is my Home page in Netscape. They
will have 3 to 10 daily Mac news headlines; even on weekends if
the news warrants. Their site is very efficient. For example you
will find all of one day's stories on one page rather than each
article taking up a separate page. They will also give a quick
overview of a subject and provide links to the site with ALL the
vital information for those who want to pursue it. They now have
their own domain name and they seem to be running their site
solely on the love of Macs.
------
By: Stephen Froehlich <froehlich@arlut.utexas.edu>
System 7.5 Update 2 is big (14 disk images). Unfortunately it
won't be available strictly as System 7.5.3 (like on a complete
set of disks or on a CD-ROM) for a couple of months. This is
codenamed Unity and is taking some time for some reason.
Oh, one other biggy. Apparently the new System will no longer
load all of the unnecessary code when opening programs like MS
Word et cetera. They say it will cut the double-click to ready to
work time on MS Word ~60%. I'll see it when I believe it, but if
that's the case, I might actually be able to install Word 6.0 on
my machines.
USA Tax Forms Available Online
------------------------------
[This is the time of year that around half of Mac*Chat's readers
are gathering their tax information. These older messages are in
response to Toby Moore's request for PDF-formatted (readable on
any computer-system) IRS forms in issue #75.]
------
By: Harry B. Abramson, Virginia <H_ABRAMSON@nise-p.nosc.mil>
Regarding Toby Moore's query on PDF-formatted tax forms in
Mac*Chat #75, schedules, forms, pubs, and instructions are
available from the Department of Treasury's home page at:
<http://www.ustreas.gov/treasury/bureaus/irs/taxforms.html>
This page also permits you to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader
if needed in order to view and print the tax forms.
--------
[Philip had more to say about the Web site:]
By Philip Suh <filsa@twics.com>
The files are bulky (usually around 130K) and buried in long
directories with DOS type filenames, but if you know what you're
looking for, it's not too bad. This site was very handy since I
live in Japan. Even with the longish download, it was better than
being put on hold by the IRS office at the Embassy.
-------
By Wayne Ingalls <ingalls@pixel.Kodak.COM>
If you don't have a web browser, you can visit the IRS ftp server:
<ftp://fwux.fedworld.gov/pub/irs-pdf/>
and pick up the forms you want. My own experience was that it is
much easier to visit the www pages first to figure out which
forms you want then go to the fedworld server to ftp them. If
you're interested in other government info, there's lots of it in
the pub directory on fedworld.
-------
By: John McVey <mcveyjb@utrc.utc.com>
[John had more to say about the ftp site:]
The index to all files is contained in 00_index.txt. There are
approximately 650 forms and publications in the list - it appears
to be quite complete. Unfortunately, the file name format used in
the listing has different capitalization from that of the actual
file name - use all lower case alpha characters when 'getting' a
file. The files are bin-hexed, but unstuffed.
Interesting Web Sites
---------------------
By Tony Lindsey <TLindsey@cts.com>
I recently received a press-release from some people who have
created a new Mac-centric Web site. I get a LOT of
press-releases, but I decided to actually follow-through and
check this one out:
<http://www.MacintoshOS.com>
I found it to be very useful and worth visiting. I found
well-explained goodies there I had never heard of before.
It's refreshing to see a "best-of" listing of shareware titles that
actually explain WHY you would want to download them. It seemed
a bit like the "pre-filtering" I supply with Mac*Chat's information.
The site is very graphic-rich, so I had to wait a bit with my elderly IIci,
but that was counter-weighted by the site's VERY Mac-positive
attitude.
The folks who put it together seem sincere about making the world
a better place for Macintosh fans. Their site is still a bit rough around
the edges, but they seem eager to make improvements, based on the
feedback I've given so far.
From what I hear, they will be adding special features that seem to set
this site apart from any others, so watch it for future developments.
I'll also mention changes as they come up. There's a lot of promise
here.
-----
By Keith J. Bona <omnis@adams.berk.net>
Check out the Publications Resource Guide website:
<http://www.prgguide.com>
It seems to cover everything you or any other business would need
for doing business on the Internet or in the communications
industry.
-------
By Trevor Inkpen <quill@amtsgi.bc.ca>
The Complete Conflict Compendium (C3):
<http://www.islandnet.com/~quill/c3data.html>
The C3 is a database of Macintosh software and Extension
conflicts, and their solutions. There are over 350 conflicts
currently listed, and growing daily.
We receive conflict reports from the Macintosh community at
large, and rate the conflict reports according to the detail of
the report, if it is verified by software manufacturers, how many
reports we receive about the same problem, etc. Software
developers should see our open letter
<http://www.islandnet.com/~quill/c3openletter.html>
There are also a Macintosh Survival Guide and Tips for the
beginning Mac user on our site. We have links to Mac*Chat in the
C3 site.
The C3 is a volunteer effort by Quill Services Ltd., a Macintosh
consulting firm in Victoria BC Canada.
Conflicts are a way of life on the Macintosh. Even though Apple
controls the hardware, incompatibilities between software and
specific Mac models are all too common. You can search this
unique database by either hardware
or software; find your configuration, and discover what problems
have been reported, their symptoms, and cures proven by fellow
Mac owners. If you don't have a Mac, don't bother; if you support
Macs, you need to be here.
- The PCI / Shareware Compatibility Survey
- The File Type and Creator Database (Ilan Szekely's listing of
file Type and Creator codes put onto the Web - over 7500 entries,
also downloadable as an application or a text file and FileMaker
Pro template)
The Complete Conflict Compendium grows by contributions from
Macintosh users who have isolated software conflicts. Please take
the time to visit the C3 site - to solve a conflict problem that
you have or to contribute your hard-won knowledge.
Powerbooks Again
----------------
[I know, I PROMISED everybody I'd lay-off with the Powerbook tips
and info, but the goodies just keep on rolling in...]
-----
By Andrew Kim <Andrew_Kim@brown.edu>
Powerbook physical security
I see many people talking about their Targus, or similar,
carrying cases for their PBs. I work for Brown University's
Police Department and have seen many laptops disappear over
recent years, and the occurrences are increasing (including two
5300 this year!). Being a Mac user since 1988 myself, our
department has been helping students and staff with computer
security. Here are three tips which I think anyone with a
Powerbook, or even a desktop Mac, should consider:
1) Do not buy a laptop carrying case. This is a veritable radar
blip for potential larcenies. These thefts can occur from open
office areas, classrooms, airports, and vehicles. We have
arrested criminals who have followed people with these cases and
waited for an opportune moment to grab them. A carrying case
tells anyone who sees you that you have an expensive piece of
sleek hardware on your person. Larcenies are often crimes of
opportunity - someone may not have premeditated thoughts of
stealing, but when presented with a tempting target, may decide
to break with social norms and take the item. We recommend using
a backpack, satchel, gym bag, or any other nondescript tote.
I know that leather carrying cases are very popular. I also know
many colleagues who would not wish to be seen carrying anything
less. Still, this is the simplest and most effective piece of
advice I can offer. Think about it - and you can spend that extra
$80 or so on other Mac goodies!
2) Create a startup screen with your photograph and information
on it. We have done this for several departments and their Macs
(both desktop and PB) as well as a few students. Scan in a
photograph of yourself or your company logo and add some text to
it stating something like "This computer belongs to the
person/department pictured to the left. If anyone else has this
computer, be advised that it could be stolen. Please contact...".
Possible information to add are : Name, work phone, social
security #, serial number (as this may be scratched off the
computer's exterior), and local police # (we've had students'
Powerbooks recovered in Florida and Arizona, a long way from RI!).
Take this info and make a startup screen for your computer. You
can even make the file invisible in your system folder so it is
not readily visible. This is an effective tactic because the
majority of pawn shops really do not want stolen merchandise.
Many pawn shop owners report suspicious items to authorities. If
the thief tries to sell the computer privately, consider how you
would feel if, upon examining a "used" computer, this startup
screen popped up...
3) Create an invisible partition on your hard drive with the same
information suggested in the above startup screen idea. Most
thieves won't even erase the hard drive of a stolen computer -
even if they do, they will most likely do so by dragging things
to the trash. Even if they do this, if the computer is recovered,
you can prove it belongs to you by mounting that partition and
showing the information. You will need a hard drive utility like
Apple's HDSC setup, Silverlining, APS Powertools, etc... Create
the smallest partition you can (you only need to store a
teachtext document and maybe a PICT resource if you include your
picture) and store the information on this partition. Make it
invisible and non-"automounting" and you have another safeguard.
This can be done for desktop machines as well.
The only snag of which I know is that this works with SCSI drives
only, not the IDE drives Apple has been including in some recent
releases (Powerbook 150 and the Quadra 630 come to mind). Does
anyone know if there is a drive utility program for IDE drives?
Hopefully, you never will have to test the efficacy of these
methods, but they could help to keep your Powerbook in your hands
only.
-------
By Tony Lindsey <TLindsey@cts.com>
I have the Powerbook 520, as you may know from previous issues.
The 500-series Powerbooks have the ability to have either an
additional battery on the left side, or an extra-cost accessory
"Card Cage" that slips into the same space. This card cage
allows you to snap little "PC-cards" into a slot, such as
super-miniature hard drives, external-display cards (so valuable
for software demonstrations on a big screen) and modems. See
issue #103 for a list of nice ones that work well with Macs.
You can also get PC-card Ethernet adapters, which are not needed
for the 500's, since they have Ethernet built in - The 5300's
need 'em, though.
If you have a 500-series Powerbook (also referred to as the
"Blackbird," which was its pre-release codename) and if you
haven't bought a card-cage yet, now might be the time. The early
PC cards were buggy, and the first two Revision A and B
card-cages didn't have enough ability to read the vast majority
of cards. The new Revision C card-cage is available now from
Apple - Call your local Apple-authorized repair-tech and order
Part Number M2995LL/C. It's much more compatible with a wider
array of PC-cards out there. When the new Apple system software
comes out with the newest portables (the ones following the
5300's later this year) then the picture should be even rosier.
Apple wants Powerbook users to be able to plug in ANY PC card
from any manufacturer and have it work, which has not always been
the case.
Nowadays, new PC-cards are coming out like crazy, since
IBM-compatible computers and new Powerbooks from Apple are
providing a nice, healthy market. The USA Department of Defense
has made it mandatory that all newly-purchased computers have the
ability to read PC-cards, so expect to see desktop model Macs
with card-slots in the future.
From what I read in MacWeek (03.04.96, page 37) Apple is
determined to make PC-card compatibility with ALL cards a
priority.
<http://www.zdnet.com/macweek/mw_1009/sol_pccards.html>
It's time to give PC cards a try.
------
By: Dan Mitchell, Cupertino, CA <dan@mitchell.fhda.edu>
I have a Duo 250. I don't want to carry around a bunch of extra
stuff - that's why I got the smallest Powerbook available in the
first place. So I do not own an external drive.
So what do when trouble strikes and I'm out of range of my
DuoDock and its floppy drive? For example, sometimes I'll run
Norton Utilities and discover that there is a problem that
requires Norton to run from an external disk.
Fortunately the Duo can create and run from its own RAM disk. I
keep a copy of a minimum System folder and Norton Utilities
around that I can quickly unstuff and load into a RAM disk which
I set up as the startup drive. Now I can restart the Duo and run
Norton from the RAM disk and fix almost any problem.
------
By James Mitchell, Melbourne, Australia <jam@netspace.net.au>
In Mac*Chat#104 you collated responses to the idea of buying a
PB100 as a portable editor.
If you really want to go to the cheap end of the market, it is
possible to get a second-hand Amstrad NC100 notepad. These are a
little throwback to the '80s, based on a Z-80, running off 4 AA
batteries for about three months with a full-size keyboard and an
eight line 80 character screen. They went down to about $A150
($US100) before going out of stock in late 1993. The serial port
supports X-modem transfers at 9600bps to and from the Mac via a
null-modem cable and a PCMCIA slot allows for up to 1Mb of flash
RAM storage (which is a lot of plain text). The ROM-based word
processor is not exactly WYSIWYG but it is advanced enough to
support a basic scripting language and spell checker. If you're
after the lightest, most portable, uncrashable, cheap device for
editing plain text, I'd put it ahead of a Powerbook.
------
By: Jamie McCarthy <jamie@voyager.net>
[In issue #104, it was asserted that SuperClock slows down a
portable Mac:]
SuperClock installs an interrupt service routine on the 1-second
interrupt. If you have it set to only display minutes, it just
takes literally a few microseconds to run (enough time for ISR
overhead and one or two traps). Totally and completely
imperceptible.
Even if it updates the seconds, it probably won't take over a few
thousand microseconds: under one-tenth of one percent of the
CPU's time.
One percent at the _absolute_ most. If you don't trust me, run
MacBench with and without it:
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdbop/>
Slowdowns or speed-ups of less than 10% aren't generally
noticeable unless you're paying close attention, and if you're
not looking for the speed change, your computer can slow down 40%
to 50% before you even start noticing anything's wrong. Trust me,
SuperClock has _zero_ perceptible effect.
------
By John Stevenson, Australia <johnstev@world.net>
I thought you'd like to know that there is a shareware hack
called Welcome Editor that allows you to change the Mac's startup
message, so that instead of just saying "Welcome to Macintosh" it
says "Welcome to John Stevenson's Mac" and then details like your
name, phone number, email address etc. If you use Welcome Editor
to change the welcome message then erase the app from your Mac
it's very unlikely that a run of the mill thief could change it.
</info-mac/gui/welcome-editor-121.hqx>
Of course if I was in the Mac theft business I'd just wipe the
hard drive and re-install the system on any machine I wanted to
sell on, to make it less identifiable, so I don't really know how
much good either of these ideas would do...
[True, but it can be very difficult to do this unless you have
EXACTLY the right tools and know-how - Have you ever tried to
start-up a 5300-series with a diskette, an external hard drive or
a CD-ROM? A System Folder that can start a 5300 is very hard to
create on a diskette unless you have the know-how. I can do it,
but most thieves wouldn't have a clue, and that's what you would
need to do in order to format the hard drive.]
Legalisms and Information
-------------------------
Copyright 1989-1996 Tony Lindsey.
The contents of Mac*Chat may not be republished, either in whole or
in part, without the express permission of the editor. Small excerpts
of Mac*Chat may be reproduced for personal use, or by nonprofit
groups (such as Mac User Groups) if full credit is given, including
this notice, how to subscribe, and how to make donations. Please contact
the editor <TLindsey@cts.com> for any publication requests.
This newsletter is intended purely as entertainment and free
information. No profit has been made in return for publication of
any of these opinions. Time passes, so accuracy may diminish.
Publication, product, and company names may be registered
trademarks of their companies.
-----
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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. Send all such messages to:
Tony Lindsey <tlindsey@cts.com>
<http://www.cts.com/macchat>
3401-A55 Adams Avenue
San Diego, CA 92116-2429
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.
Mac*Chat back-issues may be found within any Info-Mac ftp archive at
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<ftp://mirror.aol.com/mir02/INFOMAC/info-mac/per/chat/>
and read with any Web browser at
<http://www.ese.ogi.edu/macchat/>
Current issues may be found on the comp.sys.mac.digests newsgroup.
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