TidBITS#743/23-Aug-04
=====================
How many times have you been asked, "Which Mac should I buy?" Adam
has been hearing it for 17 years, and has written "Take Control
of Buying a Mac" as the answer. Also in this issue, Jeff Carlson
reviews The Missing Sync for Palm OS 4.0, which is due to replace
PalmSource's HotSync software. In the news, Apple recalls a series
of batteries for 15-inch PowerBook G4s, and we note the releases
of Spring Cleaning 7.0 and Now Up-to-Date & Contact 4.5.3. Plus,
we welcome Glenn's son Benjamin Warner Fleishman into the world!
Topics:
MailBITS/23-Aug-04
Apple Recalls Batteries for 15-inch PowerBook G4s
Take Control of Buying a Mac
Missing Sync 4.0 Fills Palm Gaps
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/23-Aug-04
<http://www.tidbits.com/tb-issues/TidBITS-743.html>
<ftp://ftp.tidbits.com/issues/2004/TidBITS#743_23-Aug-04.etx>
Copyright 2004 TidBITS: Reuse governed by Creative Commons license
<http://www.tidbits.com/terms/> Contact: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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* READERS LIKE YOU! Help keep TidBITS great via our voluntary <------ NEW!
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---------------------------------------------------------------
MailBITS/23-Aug-04
------------------
**Welcome Benjamin Warner Fleishman!** Our heartiest
congratulations to Contributing Editor Glenn Fleishman and
his wife Lynn Warner, on the birth of their son Benjamin last
Wednesday, 18-Aug-04. Tonya and I have known and worked with Glenn
for many years: his first appearance in TidBITS came back in 1991
in TidBITS-053_; he hosted our servers at his company POPCO for
several years in the mid-1990s; we worked together on the short-
lived NetBITS before he took time off to recover from Hodgkin's
Disease; he and I co-authored two editions of The Wireless
Networking Starter Kit; and now he's writing Take Control ebooks
with us. It's been a long and enjoyable road, and we wish him
and Lynn and Benjamin a continued smooth journey.
While we're on the topic of babies born last Wednesday, equally
hearty congratulations are due to our friends Jason and Lauren
Snell, on the birth of their second child, Julian William Snell.
Jason is Editor in Chief of Macworld Magazine and an occasional
TidBITS Talk contributor, and Lauren worked with us years ago
on the original incarnation of DealBITS.
Much as we miss being able to spend time in person with Glenn and
Lynn (in Seattle) and Jason and Lauren (near San Francisco), if
all our kids went to the same school, the school newspaper might
be really scary. I can just imagine the conversations: "My Mom
says you're not supposed to capitalize prepositions in titles."
"But the 23rd Edition of Chicago Manual says you should capitalize
those words when they're used as adverbs!" [ACE]
**DealBITS Drawing: Mail Factory Winners** -- Congratulations to
Tomas Serna of ngsec.com, Norm Norris of mac.com, Martin Tschofen
of carlson.com, Jody Sebring of ptdprolog.net, and Jan Ferrera
of yahoo.com, whose entries were chosen randomly in last week's
DealBITS drawing and who each received a copy of BeLight
Software's Mail Factory. Everyone else who entered received email
with a discount worth $5 off the purchase price of Mail Factory.
Thanks to the 740 people who entered, and keep an eye out for
future DealBITS drawings! [ACE]
<http://www.belightsoft.com/products/mailfactory/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/dealbits/belight2.html>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07772>
**Allume Ships Spring Cleaning 7** -- Allume Systems has shipped
Spring Cleaning 7, the company's long-standing cleanup utility
for identifying unwanted files and folders and dealing with them
(in ways other than just wholesale deletion). New features in
the Spring Cleaning application include the Logs & Temporary
Items Finder, which identifies potentially massive log files
and temporary items, and SizeManager, which helps you find
(and visually compare) files based on size criteria you set.
Spring Cleaning 7 also now saves custom searches, makes it easier
to restore files that were moved non-destructively, displays
a preview of selected files, and makes it easier to use the
QuickCompare application to compare similar files. Also new is
a separate application - System Snapshot - that scans your system
to establish a baseline and then shows changes since the last
scan. Spring Cleaning 7 costs $50; upgrades from earlier versions
or from iClean cost $20 (unless you purchased Spring Cleaning 6.0
after 16-Jul-04, at which point the upgrade is free). [ACE]
<http://www.allume.com/mac/springcleaning/>
**Now Up-to-Date & Contact 4.5.3 Improves Servers** -- Now
Software has released Now Up-to-Date & Contact 4.5.3, a bug-fix
upgrade to the company's multi-user calendaring and contact
software. The update focuses on fixing problems in the Now
Up-to-Date server and Now Contact server programs that mediate
the sharing of calendar and contact data; you can read the change
list for the gory details. There are some changes to the two
client applications as well, and since the update is free to
anyone running Now Up-to-Date & Contact 4.x, it's worth the
15.2 MB download. [ACE]
<http://www.nowsoftware.com/mac453.html>
<http://www.nowsoftware.com/453list.html>
Apple Recalls Batteries for 15-inch PowerBook G4s
-------------------------------------------------
by Geoff Duncan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Apple Computer is recalling certain lithium ion rechargeable
batteries which shipped with its aluminum 15-inch PowerBook G4
laptop computers from January 2004 to August 2004, following
four incidents where the batteries overheated and could present
a fire hazard.
<http://www.apple.com/support/powerbook/batteryexchange/>
Affected batteries were manufactured during the last week of 2003
by LG Chem Ltd., of South Korea. They all bear the model number
A1045 and serial numbers beginning with HQ404, HQ405, HQ406,
HQ407, and HQ408.
These batteries shipped in aluminum PowerBook G4 systems with
15-inch displays; no other PowerBooks or iBooks are affected.
The batteries were also sold separately. Users can find the
serial number of a battery by removing it from the computer
(plug it in or shut it down first!), and checking the label
on the battery's bottom.
Affected U.S. customers can get a free replacement battery by
entering contact information plus computer and battery serial
numbers on Apple's battery exchange Web site; Apple will ship
a new battery to you free of charge along with a pre-paid shipping
envelope to return the recalled battery to Apple. Customers
outside the U.S. must contact Apple via a local support phone
number. Users who need to exchange more than three batteries
must contact Apple directly at 800/275-2273, or at a local
contact number outside the U.S.
<http://www.apple.com/contact/phone_contacts.html>
Take Control of Buying a Mac
----------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
If there's one question I've learned to dread over the years, it's
"What Mac should I buy?", followed closely by "When is Apple going
to release new Macs?" It's not that I mind helping people, but
these simple queries are, if I'm to do the topic justice, the
start of at least an hour of conversation and further questions.
It's even worse when they come in email, since then I can either
cop out and give a short answer that could be entirely wrong, or
I can start a time-consuming discussion that will likely span
numerous messages to my already overflowing In box over several
days.
Why should this subject be so tough? After all, millions of people
buy Macs every year. But to judge from many discussions I've had
over the years, a lot of people find the process of purchasing a
Mac daunting: they worry that they're spending more than necessary
on an already expensive purchase, or they're unhappy with the
retailer from whom they purchased. In each case, as I've heard
the specifics, I've found myself nodding my head and trying not
to tell the person where they went wrong, while gently suggesting
what they might do differently next time.
Back when we were first dividing up titles for Take Control
ebooks, I pounced on "Take Control of Buying a Mac," mostly
because I've been dying for an excuse to spend the time to
research and explain exactly how someone should go about the
process of buying a Mac. I've long believed that, with some
effort, I could come up with a formula that anyone could put into
practice. It's taken me longer than I anticipated, given that I've
been putting other authors' books ahead of my own, but with the
able editing help of Caroline Rose (who, appropriately enough,
edited the first three volumes of Inside Macintosh at Apple in
the early days of the Macintosh), "Take Control of Buying a Mac"
is now available for anyone who plans to buy a Mac in the next
year, or who would like a resource to recommend to others. It's
72 pages and costs only $5; if you're a reseller or consultant
who would be interested either in buying multiple copies to give
to clients, or in reselling the ebook, drop me a note.
<http://www.tidbits.com/takecontrol/buying-mac.html>
I've divided the book into five sections, each of which addresses
a different step in the purchasing process. It is important, I've
discovered, to follow the steps in order for the best results,
because otherwise you end up wasting time on decisions that you
have to make again to account for new information.
**Decide When to Buy** -- There are two aspects to the decision of
when to buy a Mac. First, do you really need a Mac now, or are you
just lusting after the latest and greatest? A little techno-lust
in your heart isn't a bad thing, but it's helpful to differentiate
between need and want. Once you've determined that you really are
going to plunk down some cash, you have to figure out when to buy.
Obviously, if you really need a new Mac now, you'll probably end
up purchasing sooner rather than later. However, in many
situations you can wait, and, as we all know, those who wait
are always rewarded with better Macs for lower prices. So if
you can wait, what are the best and worst times of year to buy?
I'm most proud of this section of the book, since I spent a
bunch of time researching and recording the months in which Apple
has released new Macs - both speed bumps and significantly new
models - over the last five years. When you gather all that data
in one place, some trends become apparent, as do the ways in which
Apple has begun to deviate from the trends of previous years.
Those of us who watch the industry closely have a gut feeling
about what's likely to happen (perhaps that's why people keep
asking me when to buy!) but now I can back up my feelings with
hard data.
The yearly cycle is only half the story, though, since every
Macintosh model also follows its own update cycle, and when you
buy within that cycle determines how much you'll pay for a
particular performance level. People who watch closely have seen
this before: the initial release of a new Macintosh model sells
at a premium, and within some number of months, Apple puts out a
faster version while simultaneously dropping the price. With the
historical perspective I provide in the book, you can anticipate
such moves.
I bundled all these up into four rules for when to purchase, based
on whether you want to buy at initial release, during the later
incremental releases, as a model is being replaced, and after it's
obsolete. If you have a reasonable understanding of your needs,
desires, and budget, you can follow these rules to time your
purchase perfectly for your situation.
**Figure Out Which Mac to Buy** -- After you've determined when
you'd like to buy, the time comes to figure out which Mac to get.
That question comes down to whether you want a desktop or laptop
Mac, and once you've made that decision, which particular model.
I came up with a worksheet that helps you figure out whether
you're a desktop or laptop person. I am a little bummed that
Tonya's tongue-in-cheek suggestion that I cast it like one of
those "How to tell if you're compatible with your mate" quizzes
in women's magazines came too late in the production process
for me to use it.
Most people probably have a decent sense of which type of Mac they
want, but I think many more people will find valuable the charts
I created for comparing the consumer and professional models
within both the desktop and laptop lines. My goal there was
to eliminate the confusion that many people have of the
difference between iBooks and PowerBooks, for instance, since
on the surface, they seem quite similar. And as those of us who
have been around know, there have been times when the iBooks
have compared extremely favorably to the PowerBooks, though
currently the distinctions are a bit more clear-cut.
The last part of this section is designed to throw some light on
the murkiness of all the build-to-order options and other add-ons
that Apple and many other retailers offer while you're buying
a Mac. Should you buy a Mac with one or two CPUs? How much RAM
do you need? (Lots!) Which optical drive makes the most sense?
Do you need a larger hard disk? How about a fancier video card,
and perhaps two monitors? (For many people, I'd argue for no on
the video card, and yes on the multiple monitors.) AirPort
Extreme? Bluetooth? (Did you know you can't add Bluetooth after
purchasing?) Extra batteries or AC adapters? And last, but
certainly not least, should you spring for AppleCare, and
if you do, should you buy it from Apple? (Yes, at least for
laptops, and no, you can get it cheaper elsewhere.)
**Choose Where to Buy** -- You can buy a Mac from six main places:
local Mac dealers, Apple Stores, computer superstores, Internet-
based Mac retailers, the Apple Online Store, and other
individuals. There are no right answers about where you should
purchase, of course, but there are pros and cons to each of
these venues, and I go through each one so you can make an
informed decision.
There are also three special ways of buying below retail price of
which only some people can avail themselves; the most notable is,
of course, the educational discount.
**Determine What Else to Buy** -- I added this section primarily
for people who are upgrading from an elderly Mac that couldn't run
Mac OS X and which likely had legacy ports like ADB, SCSI, and
serial. When the iMac first eliminated the legacy ports in favor
of USB and FireWire, there was a great deal written about how
to keep older peripherals in use, but the topic died down as the
power users stopped worrying about it. The necessary adapters
for these older devices are generally still available, and since
millions of Macs with those legacy ports and peripherals are still
in use, I wanted to make sure people had a basic reference for
what they should put some effort into keeping (LocalTalk laser
printers) and what they should just toss (external modems, SCSI
scanners).
I also included brief discussions of several things that I usually
recommend people buy with a new Mac: a laptop case for those who
don't have something to protect a new iBook or PowerBook, and a
UPS (uninterruptible power supply) to protect a new desktop Mac
from the vagaries of electrical power. Obviously, they're not
essential, but a little protection goes a long way.
**Deal with Your Old Mac** -- This last section is related to
buying a new Mac only in the sense that many people upgrade and
aren't sure what to do with Mac being replaced. I'm a great
believer in keeping old Macs in active use, since they can be used
for plenty of things if you're willing to put in a little effort.
For people who can't imagine what an old Mac could be useful for,
I provide a number of suggestions, and for those who would rather
dispose of their older Macs, I run through the basic options of
handing it down to someone without a computer, donating it to
charity (and taking a tax break), or selling it. Lastly, if you
are sending an old Mac on to a new home, I give instructions on
how to restore it to a pristine state, which is not only polite,
it's a good way to ensure that the new owner can't access any of
your old files.
**Free Updates** -- As with all our ebooks, everyone who buys
"Take Control of Buying a Mac" is entitled to free updates to the
book. Click the Check For Updates button on the cover to see if
we've released one; you can also sign up to be notified via email
on that page. The free updates to this ebook will be particularly
helpful, since you can buy a copy now to start planning your next
Macintosh purchase and be assured that the ebook won't go obsolete
before you need to make your decisions.
So check out the book, and once you've had a chance to read
through it all, let me know what you think. I'm confident my
advice will be helpful, in part because I gave pre-release copies
to several acquaintances who asked me the dreaded "What Mac should
I buy?" questions, and they reported back that it was extremely
informative (and they immediately bought new Macs). Better yet,
Tonya is using my process right now to decide which Mac she wants
to replace her 733 MHz Power Mac G4... and this time I won't
be able to quibble if she decides on a fast dual-processor
Power Mac G5.
If you'd like to order the 72-page ebook for $5 directly, click
the URL below; otherwise, the book's Web page at the beginning
of this article has slightly different information and a link
to a 20-page excerpt.
<http://store.eSellerate.net/s.asp?s=STR5625274989&Cmd=BUY&;
SKURefnum=SKU2961615790&PT=TRK-0010-TIDBITS>
Missing Sync 4.0 Fills Palm Gaps
--------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
PalmSource, the company that develops and licenses the Palm OS,
let slip in February that it would not support Mac synchronization
with devices running its next-generation operating system, Palm OS
Cobalt (see "PalmSource to Drop Mac Support in Mac OS Cobalt" in
TidBITS-717_). At the same time, Mac developer Mark/Space
announced that it was working on software that would be able
to replace PalmSource's HotSync technology for the new handhelds.
Although Cobalt devices have not yet appeared, Mark/Space recently
released The Missing Sync for Palm OS 4.0, an improvement over
the current HotSync software that throws in a number of welcome
features that go beyond data synchronization.
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07543>
<http://www.markspace.com/>
**Adding Cool to the HotSync** -- The Missing Sync for Palm OS 4.0
(which I'll call Missing Sync for brevity) is designed to handle
Cobalt's new synchronization architecture, but it also uses the
existing HotSync conduits (instructions for how to compare and
transfer data, such as calendar or contact information) to perform
the same synchronization that is currently handled by HotSync
Manager and Palm Desktop for Macintosh. All existing conduits -
including the built-in Palm ones, Apple's iSync Palm Conduit,
Microsoft's Entourage conduit, and others - work just as they do
when using HotSync Manager. Double-clicking a conduit brings up
the same controls (such as "Synchronize the Files" or "Macintosh
Overwrites Handheld") that are found in HotSync Manager.
<http://www.apple.com/isync/download/>
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx?pid=download&location=
/mac/DOWNLOAD/OFFICEX/palmsync.xml>
However, Missing Sync adds a great, simple improvement. Under
HotSync Manager, if you wanted to prevent one or more conduits
from operating during a HotSync operation, you'd have to set each
excluded conduit's actions to "Do Nothing" in a separate dialog.
In Missing Sync, you can disable a conduit by unchecking a
checkbox. For example, let's say I want to synchronize only the
contact data from the Address Book application. In Missing Sync's
Conduits window, I'd uncheck every conduit but Address Book, and
then initiate a HotSync operation from the Palm. (A small feature
request: I'd like to Command-click the checkboxes to turn all of
them on or off, much as you can do when activating or deactivating
lists of songs in iTunes.)
Better yet, you can create conduit profiles so you don't have
to do all the clicking. Similar to sets in Mac OS 9's Extensions
Manager, conduit profiles are saved sets of active conduits.
Missing Sync includes two useful profiles already set up: Install,
which only installs software during a HotSync operation, and
Backup, which skips the other conduits and only backs up the
handheld's data. I've also set up a custom profile that
synchronizes only the built-in applications, without running
the Backup conduit.
For testing purposes, I was hoping I could create conduit profiles
for synchronizing with Palm Desktop and Apple's iSync applications
(iCal and Address Book). However, the iSync conduit is particular
about who gets to stand on the playground when it's playing:
Missing Sync's capability to enable and disable conduits doesn't
go far enough, as iSync refuses to work if the Palm Desktop
conduits are present in the same conduits folder (which is located
at ~/Library/Application Support/Palm HotSync). To switch between
the two systems, I still need to go in and manually move the
conduit files around.
Another side effect of using iSync instead of Palm Desktop is the
lack of a corresponding Mac program for the Palm's built-in Memo
Pad application. As remedy, Mark/Space includes a simple MemoPad
application with Missing Sync where you can read and edit your
memos on the Mac. As an extra bonus, they also include a small
Palm OS application, TimeCopy.prc, that automatically synchronizes
the Palm's clock with the Mac's clock when you synchronize.
**Internet Sharing** -- When you HotSync, you open a data
connection between the Mac and the handheld. If that's the case,
why not just leave the connection open? In Missing Sync's Internet
Sharing mode, you can do just that, enabling you to surf the Web
and check email from the Palm (Web and email clients come with
many of the latest PalmOne handhelds; they're not included with
Missing Sync).
But... if the handheld is connected to your Mac, and your Mac is
connected to the Internet, and you're presumably close enough to
the Mac to HotSync, why would you want to access the Internet from
the small-screened Palm device in the first place? Some people use
their handhelds as laptop replacements in the field, reading and
composing email that will be sent later. If you catch up on email
during a train commute, let's say, you can quickly send the
messages you've composed directly from the Palm, instead of
transferring them to your Mac somehow.
A better case can be made for the return of an old Palm friend:
AvantGo, the proxy Web browser that lets you download online
content to the handheld to be viewed later (see "AutoSyncing
TidBITS Handheld Edition via AvantGo" in TidBITS-554_). A Mac OS X
version of the AvantGo client was never developed, leaving Mac
users without an easy way to refresh their AvantGo channels.
Using the Internet Sharing feature, however, you can synchronize
your AvantGo channels directly from the handheld via the Mac's
Internet connection.
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=06193>
Setting up Internet Sharing involves a few steps, which are
clearly explained by an Internet Sharing Assistant (found under
Missing Sync's Help menu). Once that's configured, switch to
Missing Sync's Internet Sharing mode and, on the handheld,
choose Sync from AvantGo's Channels menu.
I'd like to see some visual feedback to indicate that the mode is
being used by the handheld. Since I connect my Tungsten T to my
PowerBook via Bluetooth, the Bluetooth status in the Mac's menu
bar alerts me to activity, but I'd like to see something - perhaps
a change in the Missing Sync Dock icon, or even a red "on air"
light in the application itself - to let me know when a connection
is active (or more importantly, if it's been dropped).
**Expanding Expansion Cards** -- So far, I've covered how Missing
Sync improves upon the current HotSync Manager software. However,
one of the program's signature features is the capability to mount
the contents of an expansion card inserted into a compatible
handheld as if it were a drive attached to the Mac. This feature
lets you copy files directly to the card, rather than shuttling
them through the HotSync installation process (which you can still
do, but which is inconvenient for large files or groups of files).
What type of files? I try to keep at least one ebook on my
handheld (such as those sold by PalmOne), which can be read
using PalmOne's free PalmReader software.
<http://ebooks.palmone.com/>
But some devices can handle multimedia files, too, and Missing
Sync takes advantage of that. Wish you had an iPod, but have a
Palm instead? On Treo, Tungsten, and Zire (31, 71, and 72 models)
handhelds, you can listen to MP3-formatted song files from the
handheld. In iTunes, mounted expansion cards appear in the list
of devices in the left-hand column. Drag song files to the card
icon to copy them to the expansion card, then use software such
as RealPlayer for Palm, Pocket Tunes, or AeroPlayer to play them
back.
<http://www.realnetworks.com/industries/mobile/operators/products/player/palm/>
<http://www.pocket-tunes.com/>
<http://www.aerodrome.us/>
Missing Sync also provides a method of transferring pictures
from iPhoto to the handheld. The software comes with a demo
version of SplashPhoto, a Palm OS image viewer. With an expansion
card mounted, open iPhoto, select a few pictures, and then export
them (by choosing Export from the File menu) using a Missing Sync
plug-in that was added when you installed the software.
<http://www.splashdata.com/splashphoto/>
**Looking ahead to Cobalt** -- No Cobalt-based handhelds have
appeared yet, so we won't see what's changed in the new
synchronization architecture until they arrive. Neither Mark/Space
nor PalmOne have said anything about whether Missing Sync will be
bundled with the devices or discounted in some way for Mac users.
Unlike HotSync Manager and Palm Desktop, The Missing Sync for Palm
OS costs money to license: $40 new, or $20 for people upgrading
from previous versions of Missing Sync (which included specific
editions for Sony CLIE, Garmin, Tapwave, and Internet Sharing).
If Missing Sync was merely a replacement for HotSync Manager,
I'd be hesitant to put up money. But the extra features rolled
into version 4.0 justify the cost.
In the bigger picture, I see the price tag as a form of support:
with PalmSource's dropping interest in the Mac, it's encouraging
to see a longtime Mac developer step in and provide not only a
replacement for the current HotSync architecture, but something
that promises to be built upon as the Palm OS platform moves
forward.
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/23-Aug-04
------------------------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The second URL below each thread description points to the
discussion on our Web Crossing server, which will be much
faster.
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/search/talk.html>
There weren't many new threads in TidBITS Talk this week, so
we encourage you to check out some of the postings we made in
ExtraBITS; a number of which offer followup commentary on earlier
TidBITS articles. We eventually plan to integrate some sort of
headline listing of ExtraBITS posts into the main issues, much
as we've done here with TidBITS Talk.
<http://www.tidbits.com/ExtraBITS/>
**OmniWeb 5.0: The Powerful Web Browser** -- Adam's review
of OmniWeb 5.0 sparks one person's brief impression (which
contradicts Adam's experiences) and a number of tangential
comments. (5 messages)
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2291>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/155>
$$
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