Jaques Law Office

Jaques Law Bits 9704

© 1996 Kevin Jaques. All rights reserved excepting that this file may be copied for non-commercial purposes, unchanged. No warranties apply. I am just a user volunteering my observations and collecting those of others.

Table of Contents

Speed Doubler Problems

JPEG Tip

LS 120 Floppies

Be Introduces Virtual Mac

PowerBook Virtual Memory Tuner

The Time Zone Page

The No MegaHertz Chip?

Genetic Algorithms

Computer Makers v. the US FCC - about HDTV?

PowerBook 3400 and UMAX Win Byte Awards

Converting a bunch of text files to one text file

QuickTime VR 2.0 Tools

SPA 'try-before-you-buy' Policies

BBS - in a Box, on the Net, on a plane, in a train

OpenDoc 1.2 Available

OpenDoc Future

New York Times Book Reviews

Mac OS 7.6 Bug with TrackPads

Fears Nisus Abandoning OpenDoc Unfounded

Macintosh Runtime for Java 1.0.1

Clipping Files

Mac OS 7.6.1

System 7.6.1 Warning re Level 2 Cache on Alchemy Board

System 7.6.1 Warning re Powerbook 3400s

System 7.6.1 Warning re Apple Guide

MacAppraiser 1.2

New DiskCopy - Apple Invents the Wheel!

Global Village v. OpenTransport

Netscape (4.0b3) - Beta Communicator

Connectix Comes Out with Windows Emulater

System Shrinking - Color Sync Folder

System Shrinking - File Sharing Folder

SonicVibes delivers first hardware acceleration for Downloa

Internet Society Adds Top Level Domains

FireWire - API Now, OS8 to Support, In Machines By Fall

Java - Bleeding Edge Just-In-Time Compiler

Apple ships Personal Web Sharing 1.0

Quicktime VR 2.0

Netscape Communicator Preview Release 3

Marathon: EVIL

PageMaker 6.5

ATM Deluxe 4.0 and Type Reunion Deluxe 2.0

Cry For Help - Modem Speedometers

International Lyrics Server

Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest

Urban Legends

Translating Dictionaries

At Last! Meccano Site!

Another Cry For Help - Local TV Schedules

More Online Maps - Maps On Us

UsePrinter OSAX

Macromedia Fixes Shockwave Director Security

Future Networking Concerns - OpenTransport (Mentat) v. OpenStep (BDS)

PowerBook 1400/133

PowerBook 3400

OpenDoc 1.2

Internet Explorer 3.0.1b1

PlainTalk Survives

Game Sprockets Survives

Cyberdog Survives - In Fact, 2.0 is out

Metrowerks C/C++ Compiler 1.7.1

Mac OS Moves From Biannual to Annual Major Releases

Editors Rave-A-Thon # 74 - A Real Finder

Obiwan 5.1.1 - Programmer's Gem

Share An Internet Connection

Apple Developer World Address Change

Never Ask For Directions - Mac Global Positioning Software

FTP Searcher Aimed at Mac Software

MacDirectory Online Databases

Rhapsody will apparently support the CHRP right out of the box

PowerBook 3400 RAM Problem

4D v.6

Batch Internet Downloading - NetBatch 1.05C

Apple ][GS Emulator

At Last! Version Master

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Speed Doubler Problems

• "There is a problem between Connectix Speed Doubler and Mac OS 7.6. If you are using version 1.x of Speed Doubler, update to version 1.3.2 of Speed Doubler. If you are using version 2.0 of Speed Doubler, update to version 2.0.1. If you are not running the latest version currently, disable Speed Doubler until you can obtain the Mac OS 7.6 compatible version. For any questions or additional information, please contact Connectix at 800-839-3632."
• Further, Synchronize in Speed Copier is, with or without Mac OS 7.6, has some bugs to work out.
• Barton Jaques Zero Divide Software

JPEG Tip

• Did you know that in JPEG you can marquee-drag an area, press pretzel-R, and it'll zoom in on your selection? You can play "Blade Runner" with this technique.
• Barton Jaques Zero Divide Software

LS 120 Floppies

• We've heard this before: A high capacity drive that supports floppies. The capacity is 120 mb. The drive is the LS 120. This time, check out the big names. It is brought out by Imation, a consortium of 3M, Compaq, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Maxell, OR Technology, and Exabyte.

Be Introduces Virtual Mac

• VirtualMac came out in January of 1997, a program that will let the BeOS run System 7 Mac applications!
• MacUser Web Update - Jan. 6

PowerBook Virtual Memory Tuner

• Apple has released the PowerBook VM Tuner. This tuner improves stability on PowerBook 1400s that are using Virtual Memory and Mac OS 7.6. If you have a PowerBook 1400 and Mac OS 7.6, this is probably a good thing to have since it reportedly eliminates certain crashes. According to the readme file, this tuner is only needed for PowerBook 1400s running Mac OS 7.6. Get it from Apple FTP Site or the PowerPage at the OGrady site.

The Time Zone Page

• The Time Zone Page promises to supply the current time in any city you enter.

The No MegaHertz Chip?

• Karl Fant, of Theseus Logic Inc., unveiled Null Convention Logic in August 1996, and has produced 7 working prototype chips of a completely new type.
• Today, microchip operations are all synchronized to an on-chip clock. The CPU clock must match to the bus clock, etc. This new chip has no clock. This will save space, which is always at a premium. It may even go faster, since an operation may begin as soon as it is ready, rather than waiting for the next beat in the current intricate computerized dance.
• Wired - February 1997

Genetic Algorithms

• The concept is tried and true, namely Evolution. Algorithms that perform well survive and reproduce. The two tricks are somehow evaluating 'fitness' and in the mechanics of reproduction. That must include some sort of mating, some sort of mutation, and some sort of mixing.
• Apparently work began in the 70's when John Holland laid out the theory. It hasn't had much success. Progress is beginning to appear, when the design permits the identification and propagation of schemata, which are highly fit combinations of bits within the overall gene code. Schemata become supergenes.
• GE developed a system for jet engine design which is a hybrid between an expert system and a Genetic Algorithm system. Hitachi used a Genetic Algorithm system to create efficient bus schedules.
• Wired - February 1997

Computer Makers v. the US FCC - about HDTV?

• The US Federal Communications Commission considered High Definition Television (HDTV), which requires a bigger bandwidth.
• Current tv is a 525 line picture in a 4:3 aspect ratio. It is the National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) standard from the 1940's. The only changes have been to add colour and stereo. It takes 6 mhz of bandwidth.
• Recently, industry has learned to digitize television, which permits compression, in fact, 6:1 compression. Now, HDTV could fit in the original 6 mhz bandwidth.
• The FCC controls use of the bandwidth. They offered to loan each broadcaster one extra channel in UHF to carry HDTV for 10-15 years, so that they could offer HDTV while still supporting existing tvs.
• But the broadcasters thought it would be more fun to compress the same old NTSC standard instead, thereby giving them an extra 5 channels for NTSC or some 'other services'.
• So in 1993, the FCC told a 'Grand Alliance' of industry heavyweights to reach a standard. Instead, they proposed 18 different standards, which broadcasters could choose, including compressed NTSC. TV manufacturers would have to support all 18.
• But then computer makers, including Apple, Intel, Compaq, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Silicon Graphics, Oracle, and Tandem objected, because none of the 18 standards would support the computer video standard. They called themselves the Computer Industry Coalition on Advanced Television Services (CICATS).
• NTSC uses interlace and computer video does not. The human eye sees flicker if the images are less than 50/second. Movies are 24 frames/second, but each frame is shown two or three times. Interlace means that every 1/60 seconds, every other line is drawn. The persistence of the screen glow keeps the prior lines glowing long enough for a complete picture.
• Interlace causes problems with fast moving objects (the second half is drawn in a different place) and thin horizontal lines (may appear in only alternating frames, so they flicker). TV cameras compensate for the latter by automatically thickening any horizontal shape to at least two lines, which reduces detail.
• Broadcasters don't like non-interlaced signals, because they take twice the bandwidth.
• Computer video just transmits all the lines sixty times per second. CICATS proposed a new flavour of HDTV. It would be a 2:1 aspect ratio, supporting 1024x512 pixels, with extra info added to this base layer to enable easy upgrades. The base layer alone would occupy a whole 6 mhz channel though.
• In November 1996, the FCC announced it would not support HDTV in any way, but hasn't decided what to do about the channels that were loaned out for it.
• Oh well, there's still satellite and cable.
• Wired - February 1997

PowerBook 3400 and UMAX Win Byte Awards

• "The PowerBook 3400 was voted Best Portable at CeBIT '97, Europe's largest information technology trade fair" at Byte Magazine's Annual Best of Show Awards.
• Mac clone maker UMAX won the award for Best System for their powerful Mac OS computer based on a 250-MHz 604e PowerPC processor.

Converting a bunch of text files to one text file

• You can use BBEdit to do this. Just drag multiple text files from the Finder onto an open BBEdit window.
•  
• here is a "drag and drop" AppleScript that will do this quite quickly. The 'Tanaka's osax' scripting addition is required.

property newFile : (((path to startup disk) as string) & "test file")

on open theFiles

repeat with thisFile in theFiles

set thisFile to thisFile as string

set fileContent to readFromFile thisFile

appendToFile fileContent to file newFile with makeNew

end repeat

end open

• Doug
•  
• If you use Tanaka's osax, please try mergeFiles.

on open theFiles

set newFile to new file

mergeFiles theFiles to newFile

end open

• Motoyuki Tanaka, Fukui Prefectural University, Faculty of Economics

QuickTime VR 2.0 Tools

• QuickTime VR 2.0 Authoring Tools Suite and the book/CD-ROM package, Virtual Reality Programming With QuickTime VR 2.0, can now be ordered.

SPA 'try-before-you-buy' Policies

• The Software Publishers Association (SPA) Internet Special Interest Group has just released its try-before-you-buy policies for electronic software distribution.

BBS - in a Box, on the Net, on a plane, in a train

• BBS in a Box, Volume 20 BBS in a Box is a standard among Internet bulletin board administrators for supplying Mac OS files to users. Now the Arizona Macintosh Users Group (AMUG) has converted the collection to a web format for Internet access as well. Volume 20 contains more than 4 GB worth of files, available for U.S.$ 39 (plus U.S.$ 5 shipping within the United States; U.S.$ 10 international).
• Apple Developer News #49 - 970321

OpenDoc 1.2 Available

• According to MacInTouch, "OpenDoc 1.2 (4.3MB), is faster and handles memory better, according to Steve Roussey of PartBank."

OpenDoc Future

• OpenDoc will still exist on the Mac side of Rhapsody but will not be a part of Rhapsody itself. Apple is instead turning to Java.

New York Times Book Reviews

• Updated daily, the New York Times Book Review site includes the entire Sunday Book Review and a searchable archive of over 50,000 New York Times book reviews, dating back to 1980. You can also read first chapters of selected titles and keep track of the latest best seller lists. (Note: the site does require registration, but it's free.)
• Yahoo!'s Picks of the Week (March 31, 1997)

Mac OS 7.6 Bug with TrackPads

• According to MacInTouch, "Mac OS 7.6 is reportedly incompatible with new trackpad mechanisms, which may be installed in PowerBook Duo 2300c or PowerBook 190 models that are being repaired. The bug crashes the system when you click the trackpad button after waking the computer. Mac OS 7.6.1 fixes the problem, and pre-7.6 system software is also safe. Mac OS 7.6.1 is supposed to be available sometime this week or next."

Fears Nisus Abandoning OpenDoc Unfounded

• The daily MugShot said, in the April Fool's Day edition, that Nisus, a leading Word Processor, and the only one to support OpenDoc, would not work under OpenDoc 1.2, and they had no plans to fix it.
• But the Nisus Download page says "Version 5.0.4 features numerous bug fixes, OpenDoc support via a separate module, and various other enhancements. Also included are some supporting files (including the Nisus Balloon Help Tool and the HTML Styles style library) that have been updated."

Macintosh Runtime for Java 1.0.1

• "MRJ 1.0.1 (Macintosh Runtime for Java) is now available for Power Macs and 68030/68040 Macs from the Apple & Java web page." With MRJ, you are able to run Java applets from your Mac.
• You need at least a 68030, system 7.5, 8 MB of RAM, 7 MB of free disk space and have 32-Bit addressing turned on.
• The Software Developer Kit (SDK) will be available later in the week. The SDK allows one to: - "create stand-alone, double-clickable Macintosh applications from Java applications - SDK also contains sample code for integrating Java into Macintosh programs - documentation for the developer API - utility for running Java applications"
• MacInTouch

Clipping Files

• The data fork of a Text Clipping is empty and the text is held in a resource of type 'TEXT'. There is also a 'styl' resource.
• John Delacour
•  
• Here are some clipping file utilities:
  • 1. FinderNote (Freeware application): lets you edit and save clipping files (not scriptable though, but you have OC <g> [OC=OneClick macro utility]).
  • 2. Clp Convert (Freeware droplet): lets you convert text -> clipping and clipping -> text (scriptable!!!). Available at info-mac in the text processing dir.
  • 3. Clipfiler (shareware $10 F-Key): Lets you save the clipboard contents as a clipping file by an FKey mechanism. Available at info-mac in the text processing dir.
• Reinhold Penner
•  
• ClipDragon allows you to convert Text, Picture, Sound files, as well as Icon folder to Apple's Clipping files. It also allows you to convert the clipping files to their like documents!
• When converting documents to Clippings, ClipDragon gives you access to many of Apple's "hidden" clipping features, such as: Custom window type, Custom window size and even the Default font!
• ClipDragon also introduces a new Clipping type; The Icon Clipping! With this you can add comments or copyright information to your distributable icons!
• Anthony D. Saxton

Mac OS 7.6.1

• Mac OS 7.6.1 is out.
• Fixes
  • Improved compatibility with serial devices when using Performa 5400 and 6400 and PowerBook 3400 computers.
  • Infrared problems fixed on PowerBook 1400 and 3400 computers.
  • Only two low-battery messages displayed on PowerBooks before computer shuts itself down.
  • PowerBook 1400 computers now wake from sleep faster.
  • Contrast and brightness controls work as expected on PowerBook 1400 computers.
  • On the PowerBook 3400, the CD-ROM drive works correctly.
• New Stuff
  • New version of Apple System Profiler IDE-based CD-ROM drives, such as the built-in CD-ROM drive for the PowerBook 1400, are now listed in the Apple System Profiler window.
  • New version of Apple Video Player Video-capture and TV tuner PC Cards now work correctly on PowerBook 3400 computers.
  • All computers can use the AppleScript scripting language to automate tasks in Apple Video Player.
• Integrated Stuff - several of the bug fixes and features that have been previously released as extensions are now part of the OS. These extensions will be removed from the Extensions folder.
  • - 54xx/64xx Update version 1.0
  • - 54xx/64xx Update version 1.1
  • - 7.5.5 SCSI Server Update
  • - Assistant Toolbox
  • - PCI Network Legacy Layer version 1.0
  • - PCI Network Legacy Loader version 1.0
  • - PowerBook 1400 ATA Flash
  • - PowerBook 1400 PMU Updater
  • - PowerBook VM Tuner for OS 7.6
  • - PowerMac Format Patch
  • - PowerPC Interrupt Extension"
• O'Grady's PowerPage
•  
• Or according to the 7.6.1 page at the MacInTouch site:
  • nearly all Type 11 errors are now properly classified as Type 1 or Type 2 errors. Actually, that is an improvement, since Type 11 errors are general errors which force the computer to be restarted, whereas Types 1 and 2 cause the active application to quit, but allow the customer to save their work in other applications before restarting the computer.
  • Customers with 68030- and 68040-based computers will benefit from an updated CFM-68K Runtime Enabler which allows these computers to use applications that take advantage of the Code Fragment Manager (CFM).
  • PowerBook(R) customers will benefit from improvements in serial device compatibility, PC storage cards, infrared and removable CD-ROM drives."
•  
• According to the Apple Press Release, "The Mac OS 7.6.1 Update floppy kit will not install on the PowerBook 3400, due to the special version of Mac OS 7.6 that is shipped on this computer. For these customers, Apple expects to release the Mac OS 7.6.1 Update for PowerBook 3400 shortly. It will update PowerBook 3400 computers to Mac OS 7.6.1, and will be available from the same download sites. . ."
•  
• For more information on Mac OS 7.6.1, check out the Mac OS 7.6.1 Technote and the MacInTouch 7.6.1 pages.
•  
• Or according to TidBits:
• Today, Apple released Mac OS 7.6.1 in three forms: four disk images for owners of Mac OS 7.6, five disk images for owners of PowerBook 3400s, and a full Mac OS CD-ROM. The disk images versions are freely available for downloading from Apple's Internet sites; getting physical copies is more complicated, but CD-ROM (for owners of the latest Macs) or floppy disk versions can be obtained through Apple's Mac OS Up-To-Date program (800/335- 9258).
• It includes
  • CFM-68K 4.0 which lets 68K Macs run software (like Cyberdog, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0.1, AOL 3.0, and LaserWriter 8.4) that requires the Code Fragment Manager.
  • Mac OS 7.6.1 also includes Apple CD-ROM 5.3.3 (which supports high-speed IDE CD-ROM drives)
  • Apple System Profiler 1.1.4
  • Apple Video Player 1.6 (now scriptable!)
  • improved software for PowerBook PC Cards.
  • ObjectSupportLib 1.2, which is important if you do any Macintosh scripting, or need to run scripts on your Mac. In recent months there has been a cacophony of versions, reversions, and regressions of ObjectSupportLib, which would be funny if all the shenanigans hadn't caused so much confusion. Complete, gory details are available in an Apple Tech Note
  • updates (and a larger memory allocation) in the Process Manager
  • improved IDE driver support
  • serial communications improvements in some Performa models
  • fix in the DR (68K) emulator from 7.5.5 that was accidently left out of Mac OS 7.6
• Apple has made a complete list of updated components, changes, and known problems in Mac OS 7.6.1 available in a Tech Note, including workarounds for problems with LaserWriter 8.3.4 (use version 8.4) and using Virtual Memory with DayStar 040 Upgrade cards.
• Warnings
  • anyone who still has to use old 400K MFS floppy disks will find that they're read-only under Mac OS 7.6.1.
  • If you have a PowerBook 3400 and want to use both Mac OS 7.6.1 and Open Transport 1.1.2, install Open Transport 1.1.2 over System 7.6, _then_ install the 3400s version of the 7.6.1 update, or you'll wind up with the wrong versions of some network resources.
•  
• You will need DiskCopy 6.1 (see below) if you want to install Mac OS 7.6.1

System 7.6.1 Warning re Level 2 Cache on Alchemy Board

• Ted Landau, of MacFixIt, says, 'if you have a Power Computing PowerBase clone, a Performa 6400 (or probably any Mac with an Alchemy logic board), beware of updating to Mac OS 7.6.1 if you also have an L2 cache installed.' Turns out that the update disables the users L2 cache on some systems, significantly decreasing performance - as much as 30% says Ted. If you are prone to this you should notice the problem right away, but a program such as Cache-22 will confirm it (It will say that you have no cache installed, even when you do). Reverting back to System 7.6 will correct the problem.
• Here's a blurb from the PowerComputing TechTalk page: "Power Computing has reproduced the issue ONLY on the PowerBase model and we are investigating further. Based on reports seen on the internet, this issue does not appear to be isolated to PowerBase but is affecting other companies machines designed around Apple's Alchemy architecture [Mac 5400, 6360, and 6400 systems]."

System 7.6.1 Warning re Powerbook 3400s

• A special version that's required for all PowerBook 3400s has just been released. This installer of Mac OS 7.6.1 addresses specific issues for the 3400.

System 7.6.1 Warning re Apple Guide

• Mac FixIt lists the Apple Guide problems with Mac OS 7.6.1: - "Apple Guide and Speech conflict: After updating to 7.6 or 7.6.1, Neale Langman reports that accessing Apple Guide may result in a system crash - and may even result in a corrupted Apple Guide file that will then need to be reinstalled. Neale claims to have isolated the problem to an Apple Guide conflict with Speech Manager 1.4 extension and Speech 1.5 control panel. He says that Apple Tech Support confirmed the problem and is expected to post a statement about this shortly."
• Mac FixIt says also "Whatever else may be causing slow Apple Guide launch times, one thing is clear: the more Apple Guide files Additions files you have installed in Extensions folder, the longer the Apple Guide launch will take. This was pointed out to me by Mark Jacobson and I confirmed it on my Mac."

MacAppraiser 1.2

• UCE (United Computer Exchange) has released MacAppraiser 1.2, which yields an exact value on any used Mac product with any given configuration. MacAppraiser also has the ability to produce official forms such as Appraisals, Insurance-Proof-of-Values, Tax Proof-of-Values, Theft Evaluations, For Sale Notices, etc...

New DiskCopy - Apple Invents the Wheel!

• We are all perfectly happly with ShrinkWrap, but Apple is converting to a new format for downloading software updates, called New Disk Image Format, or NDIF, and has released DiskCopy 6.1 to support it.
• Apple's claim is that Disk Images in NDIF format are compressed to save space and download time, and decompress transparently at lightning speed when they are in use. Now you can access software instantly with just a double-click with no more leftover self-extracting archives.
• But I always compressed disk images and installed from the desktop! I guess they must be finished with Rhapsody and OpenDoc.
• You will need DiskCopy 6.1 if you want to install Mac OS 7.6.1
• MacInTouch
• PS - Version 6.1.2 is out now - Apple Developer News #52

Global Village v. OpenTransport

• First, make sure you are on OT 1.1.2. Then:
• "Another fix for the pesky Global Village Open Transport/PPP 1.0 bug is to make sure that the extension OpenTransport Lib (454K) loads before OpenTptInternetLib (247K). There is also a similarly named third extension called OpenTptAppleTalkLib (51K) whose loading order does not matter."
• O'Grady's PowerPage

Netscape (4.0b3) - Beta Communicator

• Communicator is Netscape's Internet package that contains Navigator and other Netscape Internet applications. Navigator, previously at version 3, is Netscape's Web browser.
• According to the press release, "Additionally, Netscape Communicator now includes a number of improvements so that Communicator on the Macintosh platform runs in 6MB of memory. Now Mac users can have all the rich functionality of Netscape Communicator in a product that requires less memory than Netscape Navigator 3.0."

Connectix Comes Out with Windows Emulater

• See the MacWeek article about Virtual PC, the new Windows Emulater from Connectix. Connectix, in my humble view, with its SpeedDoubler and RamDoubler products, appears to have the most technical MacOS expertise, and I am counting Apple.

System Shrinking - Color Sync Folder

• I found a folder containing profiles of various monitors for the purpose of ColorSync. Since I don't have a colour printer, I don't care that much. A couple of them neared 200k in size. Kill the "ColorSync™ Profiles" folder in the Preferences folder.

System Shrinking - File Sharing Folder

• In the preferences folder, there is also a folder called "File Sharing". It will contain file sharing information for volumes you may have shared, but on which the information could not be written. I found the names of just about every CD I own. The files sizes are modest, but they add up. It can remake them if necessary, though there might be a cost in speed if you use the volume a lot.

SonicVibes delivers first hardware acceleration for Downloadable Sounds

• S3 Incorporated announced Tuesday that its SonicVibes audio accelerator is the industry's first hardware device to support and take advantage of the new MIDI specification called Downloadable Sounds Level 1. Extending the MIDI format, DLS allows for the transfer and storage of custom sounds on a PC. Using the DLS standard, developers will be able to deliver an unlimited sound palette, reduce storage requirements and enable low-bandwidth interactive audio on the Internet.
• NEWSpot Article @ 4/9/97

Internet Society Adds Top Level Domains

• New domain names such as "firm," "arts," and "web" will be added to existing top-level domains such as "com," "net," and "org" starting in the third quarter of 1997.
• NEWSpot Article @ 4/9/97

FireWire - API Now, OS8 to Support, In Machines By Fall

• "Apple this week will release Version 1.0 of its FireWire API [Application Program Interface] at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas. The company will also reveal its latest road map for FireWire support. The API, offered as the FireWire Support extension, will let users run 1394 PCI cards and devices, digital video cameras, and cassette recorders. Apple's FireWire API will support data transfer rates up to 25 Mbytes per second with current products as well as the 50-Mbyte speeds expected in PCI cards and products due by the end of the year. The software will also be a part of the summer release of Mac OS 8, code-named Tempo. Mick Mountz, Power Mac product marketing manager, said the company expects to ship a Mac with a FireWire PCI card in the fall. The interface will arrive on Mac motherboards in 1998, he said."
• After Apple announced the Mac OS plans to support FireWire, Microsloth followed announcing that Windows will also support FireWire. Microsoft and FireWire: <http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,9544,00.html>
• For more information on what exactly FireWire is and how/when the Mac will support it, check out the Press Release, Home Page, and the MacWeek article.

Java - Bleeding Edge Just-In-Time Compiler

• "The Apple Java Bleeding Edge page has a pre-release version of the just-in-time compiler due with Macintosh Runtime for Java 1.5. It greatly increases performance for some Java operations but is unsupported at this stage."

Apple ships Personal Web Sharing 1.0

• Apple Computer, Inc. announced shipment Wednesday of its Personal Web Sharing 1.0 server software. Designed for individuals and small workgroups, the product allows web publishing without dedicating a separate machine as a server. Based on Internet protocols, Personal Web Sharing extends Apple's file-sharing capabilities to intranet- based webs. While individuals on a Macintosh or Mac OS compatible machines can publish information to the web, other users with web browsers running on most computer platforms can access the information.
• NEWSpot Article @ 4/10/97
• Available through Software.net, supposedly about $20US.

Quicktime VR 2.0

• "Quicktime VR 2.0 is implemented as a system extension that enables any application capable of playing back linear QuickTime movies -- from Nodester to SimpleText -- to also play QuickTime VR movies. It features a new movie controller that provides a better human interface for controlling & interacting with QTVR movies. Object movies may be zoomed in and out of, manipulation of objects is much improved and QuickTime and QuickDraw objects are better integrated into QuickTime VR."
• For more information on QuickTime VR, check out the press release, the QuickTime VR page, and Panimation's QuickTime VR Features page.

Netscape Communicator Preview Release 3

• "Netscape Communicator Preview Release 3 is now available for download. It includes new security and administration capabilities and rich, Dynamic HTML! Make sure your mail stays private with secure email. Dynamic font support lets you view specific fonts and effects. With MIME HTML, you can read your HTML mail offline."
• Netscape Communicator News Volume 3 April 1997

Marathon: EVIL

• Bungie hasn't released any more Marathon sequels, but the EVIL Group, a group of Marathon fans, has released their own version. It's called "Marathon: EVIL". Marathon Infinity is required for Marathon: EVIL to work.

PageMaker 6.5

• It looks like Photoshop, sporting Adobe's new standard interface and offering QuarkXPress-style frames and a bevy of new HTML export tools. MacUser calls it a significant upgrade.
• MacUser Web Update - April 11, 1997

ATM Deluxe 4.0 and Type Reunion Deluxe 2.0

• "Adobe Type Manager Deluxe 4.0 does something no previous version of ATM really did -- it actually manages type, with a simple interface to let users turn font sets on and off at will. And its cribmate, Adobe Type Reunion Deluxe 2.0, has also received a big update."
• MacUser Web Update - April 11, 1997

Cry For Help - Modem Speedometers

• Your loyal editor has been envious for some time of the little progress bar in the menubar which Global Village modems support. It shows current communication speed. Apparently, FreePPP offers a similar speedometer. Select your modem in the general window and do Get Info. You get a nice little window with a thermometer in it that can be slipped into a narrow slot at the top or bottom of your browser window. It also shows the best speed you've attained.
• But I have neither Global Village nor FreePPP. What can I do?

International Lyrics Server

• Exactly as its title suggests, the site serves up lyrics to about 40,000 tunes in all musical genres, including Rock, Pop, Oldies, Folk and more.
• Yahoo!'s Picks of the Week (February 17, 1997)

Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest

• The objective is to write a truly bad opening sentence for a truly bad novel. This year you can submit your entries and read past "winners" online.
• Yahoo!'s Picks of the Week (February 3, 1996)

Urban Legends

• Barbara's Tales of the Wooden Spoon is a collection of urban legends, strange stories and unusual facts.
• Yahoo!'s Picks of the Week (February 3, 1996)

Translating Dictionaries

• travlang's Translating Dictionaries is a rather large collection of foreign language dictionaries
• Yahoo!'s Picks of the Week (February 3, 1996)

At Last! Meccano Site!

• One of my first and least successful searches on the Internet was for Meccano plans. Haven't tried it, but Erector Set is out, by Meccano, Inc. Now, for Lego and KNex! Any tips?
• Oops - no sooner written, than I discovered a reference to Legopolis, Suzanne Rich's humble homage to the "minifig," a teeny little personage, lovingly snapped together out of LEGOs. At Legopolis, you can make your own minifig online with a spiffy Java applet, or you can peruse the web pages of a fictional Internet Service Provider manned entirely by LEGO people. You can even check out minifig homepages. We especially liked Qwerti's creation, where we learned that his(?) turn-ons are "sunsets, walks on the beach, and world domination." Turn-offs? "Sentient beings with hair."

Another Cry For Help - Local TV Schedules

• Your loyal editor wishes to gather local tv schedules in a computer format. Tips? Last I looked, TV Guide OnLine offered articles but no schedules.

More Online Maps - Maps On Us

• Maps On Us - Free interactive route planning.
• Yahoo!'s Picks of the Week (January 20, 1997)

UsePrinter OSAX

• The UsePrinter OSAX (for AppleScript) and UCMD (for Frontier) are as set of scripting additions that add to your scripting system the ability to quickly and easily switching among multiple printer configurations.
• This is the first public release (1.0 was "internal") and it supports (as far as we know) all printers including Laserwriter 8.4.x.
• Get it via HTTP or FTP
• Leonard Rosenthol & Alessandro Levi Montalcini

Macromedia Fixes Shockwave Director Security

• On 19-Mar-97, Macromedia issued a fix for the security holes in Shockwave Director reported in TidBITS-370. You must download the complete Shockwave Essentials package to get the fixed version of Shockwave Director. The download is 1.1 MB. [ACE]
• TidBITS#371/24-Mar-97

Future Networking Concerns - OpenTransport (Mentat) v. OpenStep (BSD)

• Apple has announced that Open Transport will enter "maintenance mode" and eventually be replaced in Rhapsody by Unix BSD (Berkeley Standard Distribution) networking code. Open Transport will continue to exist within the "Blue Box," which is the compatibility layer for current Mac OS applications running within Rhapsody.
• Amanda Walker, who developed parts of TCP/Connect and InterPPP II for InterCon Systems (now owned by Ascend Communications) said, "I think that not porting Open Transport (which is essentially Mentat Portable Streams - one of the fastest and most flexible Unix networking stacks) to OpenStep (which uses a good, but slower and less flexible 4.3 BSD-based networking stack) is stupid and shortsighted. I will be amused if the classic Mac OS ends up being a better server platform than Rhapsody."
• Open Transport deals well with multiple TCP/IP configurations, making it easy for Macintosh users to switch between multiple ISPs and even multiple methods of connecting to the Internet (modem, network, etc.) without rebooting. BSD was designed for Unix workstations that never move and don't have to change their networking configurations multiple times per day. How will BSD deal with, as a friend noted, "the diversity of messed-up network configurations" that Open Transport handles with ease?
• WinSock in Windows is based on BSD.
• Open Transport supports (of course) AppleTalk. BSD has no built- in support for AppleTalk.
• IPv6, which encompasses the next generation Internet addressing scheme (since the Internet is running low on IP numbers), has been demonstrated under Open Transport. IPv6 is a big deal for higher education institutions working on Internet II, the very-high-speed Internet connection between these institutions. What's the story with IPv6 under BSD?
• How will Open Transport in the Blue Box and BSD in the Yellow Box (which is the layer where native Rhapsody applications run) share networking resources such as modems or Ethernet cards?
• In Apple's testing on a 10 Mbps Ethernet network, Open Transport could sustain throughput of 9.6 Mbps. In contrast BSD could only sustain 7 Mbps (and the venerable MacTCP could only do 2.3 Mbps). On a 100 Mbps Ethernet network, Open Transport has been shown to sustain 40 Mbps
• Open Transport supports filters such as SurfWatch. What does BSD offer in terms of filters?
• TidBITS#371/24-Mar-97

PowerBook 1400/133

• The PowerBook 1400 was released last year in a 117 mhz 603e configuration. In February, Apple released a 133 mhz version.
• Tidbits likes how it looks and feels.
• Apple has added tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities to the trackpad, but they are adjustable, so you can turn them off if you prefer to click using a physical button, or if you prefer to be able to tap but not drag on the trackpad.
• The twin bays in the front of the PowerBook 1400, below its now-familiar wrist rest, hold the battery on one side and the hot-swappable CD-ROM and floppy drives on the other side.
• A much-delayed Zip drive is scheduled for release by VST Technologies in "second quarter 1997."
• There are twin Type II PC Card slots (formerly called PCMCIA slots) on the left side
• The easy to use expansion slot is located in the back of the computer under the speaker grille
• Video output and Ethernet are both optional!
• It takes between 20 seconds and a minute, averaging around 30 seconds, to wake up!
• Although you can store a spare battery in the bay designed for the CD-ROM and floppy drives, that battery can't be active, unlike the 500 series. The single nickel metal hydride battery is rated for two to four hours
• The 11.3-inch, active- matrix color display may only be set to 800 by 600. The video output card is optional!
• The machine includes a mono microphone, built into the display, and a small mono speaker, plus a stereo audio output jack.
• TidBITS#371/24-Mar-97 - Article

PowerBook 3400

• The Powerbook 3400, code-named Hooper, was shipped on 17-Feb-97
• Display
  • 12.1-inch (compare to 9.5 inches on PB 540C)
  • active-matrix screen
  • 16-bit color at a resolution of 800 by 600
  • A Chips & Technologies video chip, typical on high-end PC notebooks, offers limited QuickDraw acceleration (rectangle copy and fill)
  • The lower PC card slot accepts "zoom" video cards, giving them direct access to the 3400's video hardware and thus permitting full-motion full-screen video.
  • does video mirroring
  • can drive an external monitor at 1024 by 768 pixels, however, it can only do so with 256 colors
  • cannot drive two monitors in non-mirror mode - unlike the PowerBook 3400.
• ergonomics
  • Tidbits likes the keyboard, but not the placement of the ADB -port.
  • > 7 lbs, but AC adaptor is lighter
  • excessive wake time
  • less accessible for repair than the 1400
• Storage
  • built-in 6x CD-ROM.
  • 1.3 gb IDE hard disk
  • external SCSI bus - the first PowerBook with active termination
• Ram
  • 16 mb Ram on motherboard
  • one non-stackable slot free, which can handle a card up to 128 mb.
  • 64-bit data bus between processor and memory (and a 40 MHz bus speed)
  • 256K of high-speed L2 cache
  • DMA (Direct Memory Access) for I/O
  • high-speed EDO (Extended Data Output) RAM (more common to the Intel platform)
• Expandability
  • only a single, non-standard (miniature) PCI slot
• Communication
  • comes with a PCI card for both Ethernet and modem (based on the Rockwell 288 chip). Clever, but you can only use one or the other at any time.
  • single serial port (GeoPort)
  • no flash ROM on modem!
• Configurations -- The PowerBook 3400 comes in four configurations, three of which are shipping.
  • 603e at 180 mhz stripped
    • no PCI
    • no CDRom
  • 603e at 180 mhz
    • about $5,000 US.
  • 200 mhz 603e
    • drive upgraded to 2 gb and faster
  • 240 mhz
    • to be shipped starting in April
    • 12x CD ROM
    • 3 Gb hard disk
    • about $6,500 US
• Sound
  • 4 mediocre built-in speakers
  • stereo audio out
• Battery
  • lithium-ion batteries
• See also Cary Lu's Macworld review, the TidBits article and Apple's Developer Notes.
• With the purchase of a PowerBook 1400 or 3400, Cyberian Outpost is offering TidBITS readers free copies of Aladdin's Spring Cleaning 1.0 and FWB Software's HSM Toolkit 1.0.

OpenDoc 1.2

• OpenDoc 1.2 (4.3 MB download) fixes bugs dealing with international systems, increases stability in low- memory conditions, and supports Apple Guide 2.1.
• Some OpenDoc applications (like Nisus Writer 5.0) reportedly do not work correctly with OpenDoc 1.2.

Internet Explorer 3.0.1b1

• Microsoft has released a beta of Internet Explorer 3.0.1; this release supports JavaScript, both 68K and PowerPC Macs, plus a new Download Manager, the ability to accept or decline HTTP cookies, and a search feature tied directly to Yahoo. Downloads vary from 2.6 MB to a stunning 9.5 MB for the full install.

PlainTalk Survives

• Apple's core speech research team is working diligently on speech- related technologies, according to Psi Mankoski of the Spoken Language Research Group.
• Apple Developer News #50 970327

Game Sprockets Survives

• Also, Chris De Salvo from the Apple Game Sprockets team says that though his team is smaller, it will continue to support this game development technology for the Mac OS. He adds, "Our main focus is to make sure that the current Sprocket features continue to work for years to come." New versions of DrawSprocket (version 1.1.2) and InputSprocket (version 1.2) will soon be released. SoundSprocket and NetSprocket are currently in maintenance mode.
• Apple Developer News #50 970327

Cyberdog Survives - In Fact, 2.0 is out

• A "small team" of programmers is finishing up Cyberdog, Version 2.0, and this extension will ultimately be folded into Mac OS System 8. The Beta 2 version of Cyberdog 2.0 was recently posted on Apple's web site.
• Apple Developer News #50 970327
•  
• According to Mac OS Rumours, "CyberDog 2.0 Final has been released on Apple servers.

Metrowerks C/C++ Compiler 1.7.1

• You can now download version 1.7.1 of the Metrowerks MPW tool C/C++ compilers and linkers and the Metrowerks IDE C/C++ 1.7.1 update from Metrowerks web update site, ftp update site, or alternate ftp update site.
• Apple Developer News #50 970327

Mac OS Moves From Biannual to Annual Major Releases

• "As a result of Apple's restructuring, the company has changed its delivery schedule for Mac OS releases in 1998. Instead of issuing two major annual releases, code-named "Allegro" and "Sonata," Apple will release only one, Allegro, in mid-1998. To make the latest system improvements readily available, Apple will ship two minor system updates (instead of one) between Mac OS 8 and Allegro. Rhapsody's anticipated ship date remains unchanged: the Rhapsody Developer Release is due in mid-1997, Rhapsody Premier Release is due in early 1998, and the Rhapsody Unified Release is due in mid-1998."
• Apple Developer News #51 970403

Editors Rave-A-Thon # 74 - A Real Finder

• Redux Deluxe is a backup program, with a truly sweet interface for selecting files. There is a little filter dialog which generates script line items. The script isn't too tough to read, with lines like, "Check all files newer than 3 weeks in folder "Applications:Utilities"." Or, you can just hit the check boxes beside each item in the list view, and that will be recorded on the script too. Or you can just type the script, paste it in, or read it from a text file. You can instantly filter to view only those checked, unchecked, changes, all, etc. You can instantly sort. You can instantly see it by the normal outlining view.
• My beef is that this sweet thing is locked in a mediocre backup program. It ought to be in or appended to the Finder for the use of anything that needs a list of files.
• I write to call upon any programming types to rob these bastards, who have sat on it for years. Make it an opendoc part, or an applet, or anything, which will return/send/save/copy a list of files or script.

Obiwan 5.1.1 - Programmer's Gem

• The mighty Peter Lewis offers, and uses, Obiwan. Version 5.1 is out, and also an updater to 5.1.1.
• ObiWan is a general help system. You can use several databases and ObiWan will let you rapidly find information in them. It displays the information by popping up a floating window so the information can be displayed at any time in any program. Portions of the information can then be sent to the front window as if you had typed it.
• Although you can create your own databases, the main use of ObiWan is to access the provided databases, which include:
  • Force: Procedures, traps, global variables, errors and most of the System 7.6 Universal Interfaces including Inside Macintosh page numbers.
  • Words: A word list, useful for quickly checking the spelling of a word.
  • Java: A guide to the Java class libraries.
  • HTML: A memory guide for HTML (v3.2), which lists valid attributes, whether a close tag is required, and other tags that a tag may contain.
  • Perl: Perl commands.
• ObiWan is US$10 shareware and requires System 7.1 or later. Version 5.1.1 is a free upgrade to registered users. More information about ObiWan is available from Stairways

Share An Internet Connection

• VICOM Internet Gateway, from Vicom Technology, allows all users on your network to simultaneously access the Internet using a single Internet account over a single modem or ISDN line. VICOM Internet Gateway runs on any Mac OS based computer with a 68020 processor or better running version 7.0 System Software. The client computers can be either Mac OS based, PC Compatible systems or UNIX workstations.
• Specs:
  • supports all Internet based applications
  • support for Ethernet, Token Ring and LocalTalk networks
  • automatically dial and log on to the Internet when any user uses an Internet application
  • can be set to drop the line automatically after a user-determined period of inactivity
  • auto-configuration tool
  • includes a DHCP server (can support up to 1,024 clients), a PPP server, a Firewall, a software based IP router, and Proxy service.
  • PowerPC native
  • utilizes Open Transport drivers
• five networked users retails for $399. We are pleased to offer Evangelista readers the price of $299 USD plus shipping (till 970331). Additional users can be added for $75.00 per seat.
• A demo version is available.
• 970312 - Announcement - Apple Computer, Inc will bundle the VICOM Internet Gateway with AppleShare IP 5.0. This bundle will handle 25 users.

Apple Developer World Address Change

• Apple Developer World

Never Ask For Directions - Mac Global Positioning Software

• GPSy allows you to tie a GPS receiver directly to your Mac. It talks to an inexpensive map CD-ROM (DeLorme's StreetAtlas 3.0).
• You can also "listen" to the atomic clocks on the GPS satellites to set you system clock accurately
• Costs (US)
  • GPSy is $30
  • Delorme Street Atlas is about $20 to $30 with rebates
  • GPS receiver for about $150
  • if you are afraid of making cables (the GPSy page has instructions) you can buy cables from them for about $40
  • Try www.gpsy.com site (being abandoned due to a bad server) or the yale site or aol or register online through Kagi Shareware

FTP Searcher Aimed at Mac Software

• San Diego, CA -- March 10, 1997 - Mac enthusiasts have a powerful new tool to use in their quest for software at Filez, the largest software search site, which has added a Macintosh file catalog to its popular file search engine.
• over 3 million Macintosh files comprehensively categorized
• Designed expressly for Macintosh users
• separate content area for each MacOS.
• Thousands of ftp sites around the world are indexed each week by a state of the art search system

MacDirectory Online Databases

• MacDirectory Online has added Memory Central, a powerful database developed for any Macintosh user looking to purchase or obtain memory information. As part of MacDirectory's free powerful family of product and service databases, Memory Central delivers virtually every memory configuration for every Macintosh computer system.
• Other MACDIRECTORY DATABASES
  • Employment Opportunities
  • Hardware Database
  • Software Database
  • Services Database
  • Consultants Database
  • Events Database
  • User Group Database
  • Technical Support

Rhapsody will apparently support the CHRP right out of the box.

• Mac OS Rumours

PowerBook 3400 RAM Problem

• "According to a Macworld online article, RAM cards don't fit as well as they should in the PowerBook 3400s, requiring a foam strip—which can be acquired from Apple gratis and which Apple is now installing at the factory—to insure that they remain socketed. The Macworld article lists (800) SOS-APPL as the relevent phone number . . . . Apple has yet to create a part number for the RAM reinforcing foam strip for the PowerBook 3400s; according to an Apple representative, don't expect one for a few weeks.
• Darron Froese let me know that this problem affects 5300s and 190s as well."
• Mac Resource

4D v.6

• CUPERTINO, CA. March 24, 1997 ACI US, Inc. shipped the 4th Dimension Version 6 (4D V6) relational database today.
  • built-in web server, enabling immediate Web data publication simply by clicking a check box in the Preference dialog. The new version converts 4D forms to HTML on-the-fly with no need for an external CGI or additional software. Because of the integrated 4D architecture, a Web browser becomes just another client to 4D
  • optimized 4D Web server architecture guarantees automatic session maintenance, record locking, transaction management, and data integrity.
  • cross-platform architecture, allowing smooth scalability between individual and workgroup applications. The extensive 4D V6 cross-platform development capabilities make it a very cost-effective system for development and deployment.
  • new features
    • debugger
    • increased speed
    • memory management
    • I/O optimizations
    • new graphic interface
    • hundreds of new commands.
  • triggers
  • stored procedures
  • drag-and-drop support
  • object-based form editor
  • hierarchical view of the database structure
  • easy access to all 4D objects through 4D Explorer, the elaborate drill-down browser.
• The street price for 4D V6 is $299, including 5 simultaneous Internet connections.
• ACI US, INC. 800-881-3466; fax 408-252-4829
• Editor - But 4D Server 6.0 is needed for clients otherwise. It is almost out, and also much lower priced than before.

Batch Internet Downloading - NetBatch 1.05C

• We have released 1.05C to the Info-Mac archive. It will be in the Info mac within the next two weeks. Revision C is slightly smaller, a little faster, and fixes a few bugs.
• Peter O'Keefe

Apple ][GS Emulator

• Gus is an Apple IIGS emulator for Power Macintosh developed by some engineers at Apple in their spare time over the last 4+ years. Gus is not and will not be an official Apple product. Gus runs Apple II and IIGS software from "disk images" created from original Apple II and IIGS disks

At Last! Version Master

• 1 April, 1997 -- Symmetry Software today announced a new website designed to help Macintosh users keep track of the latest versions of software. The Version Master website currently lists more than 27,500 product titles from over 40 countries, making it the most extensive listing of Macintosh software anywhere on the internet.
• The Version Master database keeps track of 680xx, PowerPC, and FAT versions of software. It also tracks beta versions of software independently from release versions of the same software. Software is also categorized by "country code" so localized versions may be identified.
• Russ Hill

Sorry , that's all the time I have.

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