TidBITS#765/07-Feb-05
=====================
Practicality reigns this week, as Will Porter explains how to
upgrade elderly iMacs to run modern Mac OS X software, Matt
Neuburg looks at using DEVONagent to extract relevant content
from the list of links delivered by Internet search engines, and
Jeff Carlson points at a pair of utilities that help locate your
cursor when you're using a big screen or giving a presentation.
In the news, iPhoto 5.0.1 fixes bugs and we look at a neat info-
graphic that gives a visual overview of Apple's product line.
Topics:
MailBITS/07-Feb-05
Tools We Use: PinPoint and Mousepose
DEVONagent Rushes In Where Google Fears to Tread
Upgrading an Old iMac to Mac OS X
Take Control News/07-Feb-05
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/07-Feb-05
<http://www.tidbits.com/tb-issues/TidBITS-765.html>
<ftp://ftp.tidbits.com/issues/2005/TidBITS#765_07-Feb-05.etx>
Copyright 2005 TidBITS: Reuse governed by Creative Commons license
<http://www.tidbits.com/terms/> Contact: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
---------------------------------------------------------------
This issue of TidBITS sponsored in part by:
* READERS LIKE YOU! Help keep TidBITS great via our voluntary <------ NEW!
contribution program. Special thanks this week to Jim Carr,
Leigh Shuman, and Conrad Halling for their generous support!
<http://www.tidbits.com/about/support/contributors.html>
* SMALL DOG ELECTRONICS: LaCie Mobile Drives! <---------------------- NEW!
4200 rpm with FireWire 400 and USB 2.0
40 GB - $129; 60 GB - $159; 80 GB - $199
Visit: <http://www.smalldog.com/tb/> 800-511-MACS
* FETCH SOFTWORKS: Want to copy files between FTP servers? <--------- NEW!
Use Fetch, the FTP client for Mac OS 9 and X, and you can
drag and drop files for fast and easy file copying.
Download your free trial version! <http://fetchsoftworks.com/>
* Dr. Bott, LLC: Snap a Griffin iTalk onto your iPod, click <-------- NEW!
record, and listen to your lecture at a more appropriate time.
Like when you're awake. This and many other 4G compatible iPod
accessories available and shipping. <http://www.drbott.com/>
* Web Crossing: Did you know Web Crossing supports Podcasts?!? <----- NEW!
We can only guess what you'll podcast, but we're sure it'll be
cool. Podcast tutorials, reports, or entertainment, using RSS,
from blogs or discussions. <http://www.webcrossing.com/tb-205>
* "The best keyboard Apple ever made" is reborn! The Tactile Pro <--- NEW!
Keyboard is built from the same premium keyswitch technology
as the legendary Apple Extended and Extended II keyboards
Order yours today! <http://tactilepro.com/index.php?refID=5>
* StuffIt Deluxe 9 from Allume Systems improves on the Mac's
essential compression utility! Now featuring faster performance
and improved Finder integration and data management options.
Upgrade for only $29.99! <http://www.stuffit.com/mac/deluxe/>
* Circus Ponies NoteBook: Never lose anything again. NoteBook <------ NEW!
keeps your digital life organized. Take notes, clip content,
share information. Find anything instantly with automatic
index pages. Free 30-day demo! <http://www.circusponies.com>
* Nisus Writer Express 2.1 -- over 30 new features including
tables, User-Defined Styles, footnotes/endnotes, and more!
Celebrating 20 years of Macintosh development with Express 2.1.
To buy or for a 30-day demo: <http://www.nisus.com/in/tidbits/>
---------------------------------------------------------------
MailBITS/07-Feb-05
------------------
**iPhoto 5.0.1 Fixes Annoying Bugs** -- Apple last week released
iPhoto 5.0.1 via Software Update to address a variety of bugs
in the company's photo management software. In particular,
iPhoto 5.0.1 improves the process of upgrading iPhoto 4 libraries,
makes dragging of albums into folders work better, solves some
crashing problems with books, and addresses issues with importing
of MPEG-4 movies. The update is 2.7 MB and Apple is recommending
it for all iPhoto 5 users. [ACE]
<http://www.apple.com/ilife/iphoto/>
**Apple Product Line Info-Graphic** -- With the Mac mini, Apple
further expanded the old Macintosh model matrix that had once
cleanly separated desktop from laptop, consumer from professional.
The matrix, which Steve Jobs used to show how the iMac and iBook
fit into Apple's product line, first grew with the short-lived
Power Mac G4 Cube and later with the eMac. Technically, the Mac
mini probably fits into the desktop consumer Mac slot, along with
the iMac and eMac. But with the iPod becoming such an important
part of Apple's strategy as well, the old product matrix is a
less relevant tool for visualizing Apple's approach to the market.
Although it's not from Apple, a new info-graphic has appeared
that aims to explain Apple's full product line of Macs and iPods.
Created by Paul Nixon, the "Apple's Tipping Point: Macs for the
Masses" graphic offers an Edward Tufte-inspired view of Apple's
current products, complete with prices and suggested market
niches. One can quibble with some of Paul's explanations and
discussion, but as a quick way to understand Apple's product
line, it's well worth a look. [ACE]
<http://www.nixlog.com/apple/>
<http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/>
**DealBITS Drawing: photoprinto Winners** -- Congratulations
to Delia Lamb of gcsf.com, Dale of comcast.net, and Norbert
C. Ballauer of cox.net, whose entries were chosen randomly
in last week's DealBITS drawing and who each received a copy
of SmileOnMyMac's photoprinto, worth $29.95. Even if you didn't
win, you can save $5 off the purchase price of photoprinto using
the third link below; this offer is open to all TidBITS readers.
Thanks to the 856 people who entered, extra thanks to the 89
people who entered after being referred to DealBITS, and for those
of you who subscribed after entering DealBITS, welcome to TidBITS!
Keep an eye out for future DealBITS drawings, and remember that
telling your friends, family, and colleagues about new drawings
is a great way to increase your chances of receiving a prize;
over 10 percent of our entries this time came from people who
learned about DealBITS from a friend. [ACE]
<http://www.smileonmymac.com/photoprinto/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/dealbits/smileonmymac3/>
<http://www.smileonmymac.com/photoprinto/dealbits.html>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07967>
Tools We Use: PinPoint and Mousepose
------------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
At Macworld Expo last month, Peachpit Press included a
presentation area as part of their booth. In addition to
letting authors like me demonstrate techniques found in our
books, the area was used by Apple and the National Association
of Photoshop Professionals for hands-on training sessions.
It sported a Power Mac G5 hooked up to a fairly large projector
that showed the Mac's screen large enough for people to see.
<http://www.peachpit.com/>
<http://www.photoshopuser.com/>
The problem with setups like this is that it's sometimes difficult
to follow the mouse pointer as the presenter performs actions.
In this case, it was often easier for me to take a step to the
left and point out some iMovie interface elements using my hands,
but of course then I wasn't using the computer, so nothing was
happening on screen. The problem is exacerbated on much larger
screens, especially when demonstrating applications (such as
Final Cut Pro or Adobe Photoshop) that have a plethora of windows,
palettes, and other interface elements. In the past, presenters
would often move the mouse pointer in circles to highlight an
element - leading, at least in my case, to tired eyeballs trying
to track the swirling cursor.
**PinPoint** -- This year, however, the folks who set up the
presentation Mac added a tiny detail that made it twice as easy
to follow along: a small red circle surrounding the mouse pointer
at all times, courtesy of MacChampion's PinPoint 2.1. This little
Mac OS X utility lets you change the size, color, transparency,
and shape of the cursor highlight; in addition to the seven
built-in shapes, you can download others such as arrows or even
Halloween images from the company's Web site. You can set it to
always display, or show up after a set amount of time to locate
it easily when you step away from your computer. PinPoint 2.1
costs $10 normally, but is available for free to visually impaired
persons (though the free version cannot import new highlight
shapes); it's a 1.7 MB download.
<http://www.macchampion.com/pinpoint_features.shtml>
**Mousepose** -- If you don't need to give presentations, but get
frustrated when your mouse pointer disappears (darn those dual
30-inch Apple Cinema Displays!), another simple utility that can
help is Boinx Software's Mousepose (that's "mouse-po-zay" with
an accented E at the end). When you hit a function key, this
application dims the screen except for a circular area around
the mouse pointer. You can change the size of the circle, as
well as the opacity and color used to mask the rest of the
screen. The effect stays on for a certain amount of time, or
until you manually turn it off.
<http://www.boinx.com/Mousepose/>
One disadvantage of Mousepose is that you can only choose a
function key as a trigger, which makes it a little more awkward
on laptops or for people who launch applications using their
F-keys. It's also not as useful for presentations when you need
to see the screen as a whole (though setting the opacity at its
lowest setting is still functional, even if the screen is slightly
darker overall). Still, Mousepose is simple, effective, and is a
free 255K download; it requires Mac OS X 10.3 or higher.
DEVONagent Rushes In Where Google Fears to Tread
------------------------------------------------
by Matt Neuburg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
As I keep telling my mother when she doesn't know or can't
remember a fact: "No problem, this is why heaven gave you the
Internet!" Isn't it great? You don't need a memory; the Internet
is a giant encyclopedia. No matter what you want to know, someone,
somewhere, has been nutty enough to be extremely interested in it
and to have written it up in excruciating detail. And it's just
sitting there, waiting for you to find it.
But how? There's the rub. Finding facts on the Internet is not
easy. Google is nice (and don't you wish you'd bought stock?),
but what it gives you is just a list of links. Basically, Google
alone doesn't solve your problem unless the first two or three
links happen to consist precisely of a complete discussion of
exactly the question you had in mind, which rarely happens.
Instead, Google just confronts you with a completely new task,
namely, to start visiting all those links and perusing them,
with hand and eye and brain, hunting for the information you want.
The truth is that when you have a question, what you want is
not a list of links; what you want is content, and in particular,
content that answers your question. What if you had an application
that provided exactly that, by taking the second step for you?
Using a search engine, it would perform the search, then visit
all the top links, download the content, and filter that content
by relevance and index it so that you could find the particular
facts you were looking for, quickly and easily.
That is what DEVONagent does. The recent advent of version 1.5 is
a good excuse to write about DEVONagent, but the fact is, I've
been meaning to mention this wonderful program for a long time -
ever since I first tried it, to learn the answers to questions
like these: "Prior to the artificial revival of Hebrew as a spoken
language in post-War Israel, when did Hebrew go extinct as a
living vernacular?" and "What's the story behind the Lisa Della
Casa / George London recording of Richard Strauss's 'Arabella'?"
In both cases I ended up learning exactly what I wanted to know,
immediately, and I knew instantly that this program was a keeper.
<http://devon-technologies.com/products/devonagent/overview.php>
**Way and Means** -- The first few times I used DEVONagent,
I didn't even read the manual: I just started it up, did a
search, and was amazed. If you do read the manual, you learn
that DEVONagent is full of options. When you perform a search,
you use what's called a "search set," which is simply a collection
of instructions for how the search is to be performed. These
instructions involve such things as: What search engine(s) should
DEVONagent use? (DEVONagent comes with lots of plug-ins that know
how to interact with standard search engines and information sites
such as Google, Yahoo, dictionaries, Wikipedia, and so forth.)
How many results should we gather? Should we also follow links
in the resulting content? Should DEVONagent "intelligently"
filter out irrelevant or repeated material? Should we look for
some particular kind of content, such as downloadable binaries,
or movies? You can also, or instead, specify particular Web
sites where DEVONagent should look. In this way, DEVONagent also
functions as a reader of news feeds (DEVONagent understands RSS
and so forth) or as a Web crawler.
In all probability, you won't even attempt to configure a search
set; you'll just pick one from the pop-up menu in the search
field, enter some search terms, and press the Start button.
Let's say you picked "Internet (Fast Search)" and your query
is "formation of snow crystals". After a while, DEVONagent
finishes the search, and you are presented with two panels
of results.
The Pages panel lists all the found pages, ranked by relevancy,
much like a set of Google results. The difference is that clicking
a page listing shows you summaries of all relevant sentences
or paragraphs from the content of that page, immediately. Thus
you can quickly peruse the found pages to see which one looks
promising. However, I almost never do this; I use the Digest
panel instead.
The Digest panel lists "topics," which are keywords used often in
the content results, ranked by frequency. This is where it gets
interesting. When you click on a topic - or when you enter search
terms of your own - you are shown a text digest of the actual
content of the relevant pages, in order of relevance. Each text
digest is several paragraphs long; it may well contain the very
information you're after. Even if it doesn't, the text digest ends
with a link to the Web page so you can go there - and the digest
is full enough so that you'll know whether you want to go there.
Your Web browser is DEVONagent itself, and within it you can
navigate between digest links without returning to DEVONagent's
main window; especially noteworthy is the "See Also" drawer,
which lists the related found pages with their relevancy rankings.
Another nice feature is the "objects" drawer, which lists items
within the current page by type: all links, for example, or all
images, all email addresses, and so on. (I don't understand why
all browsers don't work this way; on the other hand, it's a pity
that DEVONagent doesn't do tabbed browsing.) You can also archive
a page for later study, or send it off to DEVONthink for even
more advanced indexing and cross-reference.
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07575>
<http://www.devon-technologies.com/products/devonthink.php>
In my case, I clicked the topic "snowflakes," I read the digest
for the first entry, I went there in the browser, and I never came
back - it was Kenneth Libbrecht's astounding SnowCrystals.com,
which shot the next hour completely out of my day.
<http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/>
Note that, with the rather clumsy query I originally entered,
I would probably never have found this page using Google; it's
there, but not on the first page, and not with a promising-looking
listing. Thus DEVONagent, with its indexing, its intelligent
relevance rankings, and its digest display, completely compensated
for my somewhat infelicitous initial search construction. And
that's the point: time after time, DEVONagent tells you what
you really wanted to know, even if you didn't realize you wanted
to know it.
**Conclusions** -- Whatever you want to know, some kind soul has
probably written you a long and detailed letter telling you all
about it. Unfortunately, that letter has been purloined; it's
hiding in plain sight, amidst all the other Internet content
clamoring for your attention. DEVONagent searches intelligently
so that you don't have to, and presents the results with crystal
clarity, slicing through the murk of the Internet, showing you
just what you wanted to know. This version has been cleaned and
polished, with tremendous attention to detail; DEVONagent is now
stunningly straightforward and easy to use, and the underlying
technology is just brilliant.
DEVONagent has a number of features I haven't even mentioned, such
as scheduled searches, and scriptability via AppleScript; using
these, it could be part of some newshound's regular automated
workflow. The best way to appreciate the program is to download
the 2.5 MB installer and evaluate it for yourself. DEVONagent is
resource-intensive while it's at work, so a broadband Internet
connection is a must, and a fairly peppy computer is helpful too.
Mac OS X 10.3 Panther is recommended but not required (10.2.7 is
the minimum system). The price is $35.
Upgrading an Old iMac to Mac OS X
---------------------------------
by William Porter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Just before Christmas, with a little help from my friends in
the TidBITS community, I upgraded two old iMacs to Mac OS X.
When Jaguar was first released, I purchased the Mac OS X Family
Pack (5 installations) with these machines in mind, but I had
put off upgrading the iMacs for a couple of reasons. Somewhere
I had picked up the idea that it is possible to kill the iMac if
you don't upgrade the iMac's firmware properly before installing
Mac OS X. I was also afraid that Panther would run so slowly on
a G3-based iMac that I would regret having installed it. Luckily,
it turns out that my fears were entirely unfounded. Both upgraded
machines run just fine. As Geoff Duncan pointed out in TidBITS
a while back, while the firmware upgrade is critically important,
it's not hard to do it right. Anyway, I am here to report that
you don't have to be an expert to upgrade an old iMac yourself,
and when you're done, your iMac will have a new lease on life.
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=06973>
The two iMacs I upgraded were both 2001-vintage slot-loading
models: a 350 MHz model with 192 MB of RAM (the original 64 MB
plus a 128 MB upgrade DIMM), and a 400 MHz model with only the
original 64 MB of RAM. These two machines presented somewhat
different problems. The first machine, running Mac OS 9.0, was
sitting in my office gathering dust; its hard disk contained
nothing that needed to be saved. With this one, I wanted to run
Mac OS X simply so it could run the Mac OS X applications I rely
on everywhere else. The other machine, running Mac OS 9.1, belongs
to my mother, and I wanted to upgrade it partly so she could use
modern applications like iPhoto and Mail, and so I could more
easily support her when she had problems. This machine's hard
disk stored all her files (email, photos, some word processing)
and one important Mac OS 9-only application, Stitch Painter 2.
I was pleased to learn from a rep for Cochenille, Stitch Painter's
developer, that a Mac OS X-native version is in the works, but
because it's not expected for many months, I decided that keeping
Classic on this machine would be necessary. And although I didn't
download it until the end of the process, before doing anything,
I also confirmed that a Mac OS X driver exists for her HP
combination fax-copier-printer. (Drivers for this printer
do not appear to be included with the Panther installation.)
<http://www.cochenille.com/stitch.html>
<http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/support.html>
In what follows, I have stuck fairly close to what I did with my
own two machines. Before you set out to upgrade your own iMac,
make sure you spot the differences between your machine and those
I upgraded, and do a bit of research yourself to make sure you
aren't missing something important to your own situation.
**What I Needed** -- Apple recommends that machines running
Mac OS X have at least 128 MB of RAM. I knew that more would
be better, so I ordered 512 MB DIMMs from my favorite memory
vendor, Crucial Technology ($103 each on 04-Jan-05), one for
each iMac. These iMacs have two memory slots, so I knew I'd be
able to use both the new 512 MB module and an old module, and
end up with a decent amount of RAM. [Editor's note: Ironically,
I was also upgrading an old iMac to Mac OS X over Christmas,
but my grandparents' iMac was a tray-loading 333 MHz model
(Rev. D), and apparently only some models of that iMac can
see a 256 MB DIMM in the top slot, whereas others are limited
to a 128 MB DIMM. I lucked out, so my grandparents' iMac ended
up with 288 MB of RAM, which turned out to be plenty for their
Mac OS X needs. -Adam]
<http://www.crucial.com/>
<http://www.lowendmac.com/imacs/imac-d.shtml>
I also had to figure out what version of the iMac firmware my
machines needed. At first, I found the article on Apple's Web site
a bit confusing, but with the help of Apple's System Profiler,
a Mac OS 9 utility present on both of my machines, I was able to
determine current firmware version and also the processor speed
of each machine. The processor speed helped me find the right row
in the Apple chart for my machines. Both of my iMacs needed to be
upgraded to firmware version 4.1.9. Your iMac may need a different
firmware version, or its firmware may already be up to date, so be
sure to research your own situation carefully.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86117>
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75130>
I discovered that the 4.1.9 firmware updater wouldn't work on my
iMac because it was running Mac OS 9.0 and the firmware updater
requires 9.1 or 9.2. Lucky for me, I'm a packrat and had the box
for Mac OS 9.1 handy. Even if I couldn't find the 9.1 CD, I could
have downloaded the 71 MB Mac OS 9.1 upgrade from Apple.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75103>
The last thing required for the upgrade process was time. It took
several hours to perform each of these upgrades. My iMac had to be
upgraded twice (Mac OS 9.0 to 9.1, then 9.1 to Mac OS X). My mom's
iMac didn't need the 9.1 installation, but I did spend some time
backing up her files and cleaning out some other stuff.
**Step by Step** -- Once I had collected all the ingredients,
I proceeded with the recipe as follows. Note that the sequence
of the steps here is important.
1. BACKUP DATA AND RECORD SETTINGS. One of these machines had no
important files on it, and I was content to lose everything on the
hard disk as a result of the Mac OS X installation. But the other
machine (my mother's) did have valuable files, so backing up was
the first step. I enabled file sharing on this iMac, then copied
its files over the LAN to my PowerBook G4. (As it turned out, no
files were lost during the upgrade process on this machine, but
I don't perform even simple updates without backing up. The last
thing I wanted to do was explain to my mom that I'd lost all her
knitting patterns!)
2. SAVE IMPORTANT PASSWORDS AND SETTINGS. I talked to my mother
to make sure she had a record of information that would be needed
after the upgrade: account names and passwords for her Internet
access provider and various Web sites she used to do banking, buy
groceries online, etc.
3. UPGRADE TO MAC OS 9.1. As I mentioned above, I had to do this
on my iMac because the firmware update requires 9.1. My mom's
iMac was already running 9.1, so I didn't have to do this on her
machine.
4. UPDATE THE FIRMWARE. I downloaded the firmware update from
Apple, read the instructions, and followed them carefully. The
only tricky part here was that the firmware updater asked me to
perform a maneuver I'd never performed before: holding down the
programmer's button on the side of the iMac while powering the
machine back on and then waiting for a long alert sound (more of
a toot than a beep) before letting go. I recommend that you print
the instructions out and do a dry run of the process to make sure
you understand what buttons you are supposed to press and when.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60385>
5. INSTALL MORE RAM. This involved opening the back of the iMac,
removing the smaller memory module completely, moving the larger
module into slot #2, and placing the new module into slot #1.
(If you place the iMac face down on a clean cloth, the #1 slot
will be the upper slot as you peer into the upgrade area.) When
I finished the upgrades, my iMac had 640 MB of RAM (512 plus 128)
and my mom's had 576 (512 plus 64). I wish my hands were a bit
smaller, because the iMac doesn't give you much room to move. And
I was confused for a few minutes during one of the installations,
because I was trying to insert the new module upside down. But
otherwise, upgrading memory in an iMac is straightforward and the
only "tool" required is a coin to unlock the iMac's upgrade panel.
Keys here: Wash your hands first, work in a well-lighted place,
be patient, discharge static from your body, don't touch anything
inside the iMac except the catches on the memory modules and the
plastic edges of the modules themselves, and remember which side
is up when you put a new module into the slot. In short, follow
the instructions at the first link below or as provided with the
memory module. [Editors note: It appears that installing RAM in
an older iMac is more involved, but I too found it straightforward
after following Apple's instructions at the second link below.
-Adam]
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=95144>
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=43012>
6. INSTALL MAC OS X 10.3. On one machine I did an "Erase and
Install". On the other machine, I installed Mac OS X over
Mac OS 9 and the existing files. Because neither iMac has a large
hard disk, I performed a custom install in both cases and told
the installer not to install unneeded language modules. For a
bit of good general advice on performing Mac OS X upgrades and
updates, I recommend Joe Kissell's "Take Control of Upgrading to
Panther" ebook.
<http://www.tidbits.com/takecontrol/panther/upgrading.html>
7. UPDATE CLASSIC TO MAC OS 9.2.1. I didn't install Classic on
my iMac at all, but I did keep Mac OS 9 on my mom's machine,
which was running 9.1 originally. The 9.2.1 upgrade provides
better compatibility between Classic and Mac OS X. The CD for
this installation was in the box for one of the earlier versions
of Mac OS X; you can download it from Apple; or you can use
the Software Update control panel in Mac OS 9 to download and
install it.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75288>
8. UPDATE MAC OS X TO 10.3.7. I ran Software Update (from the
Apple menu) and installed all the appropriate updates to take
each machine from the original 10.3 to 10.3.7. Software Update
also updated many of the Apple applications such as Safari, Mail,
and iPhoto. I had to do this a couple times; apparently Software
Update can't perform all the updates at once. For some advice
on using Software Update, take a look at a recent article on
John Gruber's Daring Fireball site.
<http://daringfireball.net/2004/12/software_update>
9. RECONFIGURE. I provided the Mac OS X Network preference pane
with the info needed by each iMac to connect to the Internet.
10. UPDATE DRIVERS, APPLICATION SOFTWARE, TRANSFER DATA. On my
mom's iMac, I downloaded and installed the Mac OS X driver for
her all-in-one HP printer. I moved her old data into her user's
Documents folder in Mac OS X, and I imported all her old photos
into iPhoto. I was also able to import her old Internet Explorer
bookmarks into Safari. When it was all done, I tested both
machines online and also ran a few applications such as iPhoto
and Safari.
**Merry Christmas** -- Everything works great! It was almost like
getting a new iMac for Christmas. I had been toying with the
idea of buying processor upgrades or larger hard disks for these
machines, but now I don't think I'll bother. (If you want to go
beyond simply upgrading the operating system, see the following
article from Macworld online, which explains how to upgrade both
memory and the hard disk on an old iMac.) I haven't tried editing
video on either machine and don't plan to, but for email, the Web,
iPhoto, and the few other applications I intended to run on these
machines, everything seems very good. I'm mainly sorry I waited
so long to upgrade these elderly iMacs to Mac OS X.
<http://www.macworld.com/2001/10/bc/howtoimac/>
[William Porter is a former classics professor who, in 1998,
gave up academic tenure to pursue "other interests," including
developing database applications. An Associate Member of the
FileMaker Solutions Alliance, Will is currently working on a
book about FileMaker Pro 7 for No Starch Press.]
PayBITS: Do you have an aging iMac in need of updating? If William's
article helped you out, onsider sending him a few bucks via PayBITS!
<https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=wp%40polytrope.com>
Read more about PayBITS: <http://www.tidbits.com/paybits/>
Take Control News/07-Feb-05
---------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Take Control updates keep coming, and this week's
installment, the 1.1 version of "Take Control of Mac OS X
Backups" is a particularly useful update that's well worth
the free download for existing customers and makes the $10
price even more worthwhile for those who still need to
establish a solid backup strategy.
<http://www.tidbits.com/takecontrol/news/>
**"Take Control of Mac OS X Backups" Updated to 1.1** -- The 1.1
update to Joe Kissell's ebook about Mac OS X Backups makes
it even easier than before to figure out how to set up a
personalized, sensible backup system that works. In particular,
the update adds a page-long table that gives at-a-glance
comparisons of different backup strategies (low-cost, easy,
most effective), and makes specific recommendations for each
strategy. Beyond that, readers will find more details about
Retrospect and RsyncX, and improved coverage of topics including
Internet backup services, optical media and newer SuperDrive
formats, along with new utilities that promise to partition
disks without requiring reformatting. Overall, the ebook has
grown by 8 pages, to 103 pages. If you already own the 1.0
version, click the Check for Updates button on the first page
to download your free update. [ACE]
<http://www.tidbits.com/takecontrol/backup-macosx.html>
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/07-Feb-05
------------------------------------
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.
**Networked hard drives** -- Got spare hard drives laying around?
Some new products help you put them onto your network without
requiring a computer as a host. (3 messages)
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2456>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/313>
**Transferring Large Files via Email** -- Following Adam's article
about using YouSendIt to transfer large files via email, readers
chime in with their experiences using Skype and iChat.
(3 messages)
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2455>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/312>
**Control a PowerBook through a KVM switch** -- Use a KVM
(keyboard, video, mouse) switch to share components between
a PowerBook and another computer. (5 messages)
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2454>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/311>
**Not impressed with new PowerBooks?** Setting aside the fantasy
of Apple announcing PowerPC G5-based PowerBooks, some readers
think the newest speed-bump revision of Apple's professional
laptop line lack excitement. (12 messages)
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2453>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/310>
**Network control of many Macs** -- A presentation in a school
computer lab prompts the question: can one control what's
displayed on all the Macs? Yes! Read on for several intriguing
solutions. (6 messages)
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2452>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/309>
$$
Non-profit, non-commercial publications may reprint articles if
full credit is given. Others please contact us. We don't guarantee
accuracy of articles. Caveat lector. Publication, product, and
company names may be registered trademarks of their companies.
For information: how to subscribe, where to find back issues,
and more, see <http://www.tidbits.com/>. TidBITS ISSN 1090-7017.
Send comments and editorial submissions to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Back issues available at: <http://www.tidbits.com/tb-issues/>
And: <ftp://ftp.tidbits.com/issues/>
Full text searching available at: <http://www.tidbits.com/search/>
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--
If you want to unsubscribe or change your address, use this link
http://emperor.tidbits.com/webx?unsub@@.3c557dc4!u=sfjksldsdfjksdlfsfdfd