- 2003.01.30
Imagine this: Students turn in draft work online. You mark it up
electronically a couple of days before it's due and send it back. They
turn it in corrected, and since you've already read it, grading is a
snap.
That was my dream - until I actually tried to do it. Several readers
read my column from last week, lamenting
Apple's incomplete OS 9 support for the iDisk public folder. The
exact problem stems from a new feature offered since the iTools
accounts became .mac last year. The new feature allows OS X users
to set permissions on just the public folder of their iDisk so that
designated users could log into the account and save and retrieve files
from this Web-based server.
OS 9 users, unfortunately, are restricted to read-only access. Even
Windows 98-XP users can take full advantage of the same level of access
enjoyed by an OS X user.
As usual, my well informed readership set me straight. Although it
is true you cannot access the read/write capability of the Public
folder directly from the Chooser or Network Browser in OS X, it is
possible to connect with read-write privileges using a third-party
freeware program called Goliath.
Goliath for OS 9 can be downloaded from <http://www.webdav.org/goliath/installs/Goliath_1_0_Installer.hqx>
Instructions for users:
- Start Goliath.
- When prompted, use these values:
- URL is <http://idisk.mac.com/membername-Public> -
substitute your member name
- User Name is: "public" (without quote marks)
- Password is: whatever you set it to
Be careful when writing instructions, because these must be
capitalized exactly as shown above.
A window for the Public folder will now open with full read-write
access. Usage is directly analogous to the
Fetch ftp application that so many of us have used. Instructions
for how to connect with other operating systems, including OS X
and the Windows variants, is located in the .mac help section at
www.apple.com.
I have tested this with Windows 98 via a cable modem, OS X and
OS 9.2.2 (both at home and school), and this solution works great. In
fact, it actually connects faster than the Chooser or even OS X's
Go command. (An X-compatible version is available from the website.
)
Now that I have a workaround for this problem, I will be rolling out
the service for the kids as soon as the tests are complete and the
instructions tested thoroughly. No more floppy failures!
Please note, however, that the privileges must be set by an
OS X user initially, even if all of your clients are going to be
OS 9. This seems like a reasonable and legitimate restriction due
to the the approaching obsolescence of OS 9.
Everyone is certainly aware that Apple has to spend its resources
carefully, and while we may not have everything in this workaround,
having a way to get the work done is all that really maters.
Many thanks to Edwin E., Isea A., Larry Rosenstein, Scott Kendall,
Bill Sheffler, and others who pointed me at the excellent program
Goliath. Thanks also to everyone else who wrote. This just goes to show
how helpful and supportive Mac fans are.
is a longtime Mac user. He was using digital sensors on Apple II computers in the 1980's and has networked computers in his classroom since before the internet existed. In 2006 he was selected at the California Computer Using Educator's teacher of the year. His students have used NASA space probes and regularly participate in piloting new materials for NASA. He is the author of two books and numerous articles and scientific papers. He currently teaches astronomy and physics in California, where he lives with his twin sons, Jony and Ben.< And there's still a Mac G3 in his classroom which finds occasional use.
