FireWire and Apple
From
Mark McKenney
Dear Mr. Moore:
The blurb by O'Grady on the "death' of FireWire (FW) in your Dec 16 05 column at Low End Mac
is a topic near and dear to my ancient flat panel iMac, which only
has USB 1.1 and FW 400 ports. That dictates that I buy a DV
camcorder that has a FW port (which I have successfully bought from
Sony in their TRV series). Presently, Sony is making fewer DV
camcorder models with FW built in and more with only USB 2.0. But I
cannot connect that USB camcorder to my Mac and expect to import it
into iMovie or Final Cut Pro directly [though I could spend
additional money and get a USB converter, but why should I do that
on top of my camcorder expense].
Watching FW disappear from the iPods has also led me to believe
that Apple is sending it to second-class status. I have written
about this in my editorial for my local Mac Users Group
newsletter.
I think the final straw (or nail in the coffin) for FW at Apple
will be when they announce that they have "figured out" a way to
use USB 2.0 to import DV video with iMovie or Final Cut Pro. When
that happens (and maybe it will happen with the rumoured "revised"
Mac mini), then they will slowly phase out FW and turn it into a
"special order" probably only on their high-end Macs.
O'Grady is not the only one to comment on this, as there was a
brief blurb in a recent issue of Macworld (USA) that was not as
pessimistic but certainly noted the lack of support from Apple in
pushing the FW technology.
I even have a check from my mother-in-law to get an iPod for
Christmas. They were all sold out were she was, so she just gave me
the check, so I could get one in 2006 (hopefully). I know that I
will have horrible experience using my flat panel iMac USB 1.1
ports (i.e. slow, slow, and more slow) if I try and sync the two
together. This may lead me to buy a new Mac (i.e. G5 of some sort,
or possibly a Macintel) in the near future.
My wife sees that as the "cart before the horse" syndrome. I
like my FP iMac (size, monitor that swivels, etc.) and would use it
longer if I could. I think the first thing I will try is whether
any new iPod with USB 2 requirements will work on one of the
Beige G3s I have in the basement
that I have installed Tiger and a USB 2.0 PCI card. Perhaps it will
work for a while, but it will be a pain to have to fire up the
ancient G3 just to sync my music with the iPod.
Do you know if anyone has tested that scenario, as I thought
that USB 2.0 speeds were possible from the better PCI cards, as
long as you were booted into OS X.
Mark McKenney
Hi Mark,
I don't know anyone who has tried that. Let me
know how you make out when you do.
Alas, I think you're probably right that a
FireWire phaseout has commenced. Probably FireWire 800 will stick
around on the high end machines, but I wouldn't be surprised to see
it dumped from the consumer-targeted Macs.
Charles
Re: FireWire and Apple
From Mark McKenney
Charles:
I will let you know if the USB-iPod-beige G3 scenario works or
if I am forced to buy a Mac with built in USB 2.0. First I have to
locate an iPod, as the small town where I live was completely sold
out, so it maybe a few weeks before I can actual have one to
test.
I am anxiously waiting for the upcoming Macworld Expo to see if
they attempt a Mac Media Center based on the Mac mini plus the
Front Row software or just hit us with a Macintel inside something
we already recognize, such as an iBook or PowerBook.
I still like my FW, but it looks like it was a good thing I
bought hard drive enclosures that had FW and USB 2.0 ports on them,
instead of just FW.
Keep an eye out for the iMovie via USB, as I cannot see how they
could phase out FW, unless they breach that hurdle. Or, horrors,
they may have to drop iMovie completely. That would upset a few Mac
users, I think.
Mark McKenney
Hi Mark,
Well, now we know. Pretty much the second scenario
you projected. The good news is that the new MacBook Pro has FireWire 400, and it
is anticipated that ExpressCard FW 800 adapters will be available
soon.
Good luck with the iPod quest.
Charles
New King James Version Bible Software for the
Mac?
From Ray Worrell
Charles,
I greatly appreciate your
reviews of the various Bible software programs available. I was
going to download both MacSword and BibleReaderFree on your
recommendation when I noticed that neither application supports the
New King James Version of the Bible. Is this true, or am I just
missing something?
Ray Worrell
Hi Ray,
The NKJV is a relatively recent proprietary
translation and still being strictly protected by copyright. I
assume that the licensing fees for reproducing it would be too
steep for freeware developers like BibleReader Free and
MacSword/Sword Project.
Charles
WallStreet Battery Problems
From Colette
Hello!
Sorry to impose, but I see on Low End Mac that you answer
computer questions, and I have a souped-up WallStreet. :) I was
looking for solutions for my own WallStreet problem when I came to
your page.
I just got a WallStreet off eBay (hoping to
do word processing while my dog plays in the park this summer), and
it won't boot from the battery. It will often start - I hear the
chimes, then it shorts out. The first time I tried, I even got as
far as the smiling Mac screen before it tanked.
The battery seems to be chargeable. When I start up from the AC
adapter, I will often see a fully charged battery in the battery
monitor. Other times, it will show a completely dead battery until
I reboot once or twice. There seems to be some sort of interruption
in the energy flow.
I've tried swapping bays with no luck, and when the computer
sees it as a dead battery; removing and reinserting makes no
change, so I doubt it's a problem with the contacts.
Do you have any idea what the problem might be? The seller isn't
responding to my questions at all yet, and I don't really want to
return if I can get it to work more or less inexpensively.
Thanks so much for your time!
Colette
Hi Colette,
The likely suspects are a bad battery
(notwithstanding that it appears to be fully charged) or a
defective Power Manager Unit.
Your first step should be to reset the PMU to see
if that helps. The procedure for the PowerBook G3 Series
(WallStreet) is as follows:
- If the computer is on, turn it off.
- Simultaneously press Shift-Fn (function)-Ctrl
(control)-Power.
- Wait 5 seconds.
- Press the Power button to restart the PowerBook.
If that doesn't work, you are faced with a
conundrum.
Wegener Media has
Charging & Power management boards (mounts between the battery
bays) for $39, but you would probably have to pay to have it
installed. They also have used batteries for $79.
It could be either. You'll have to decide whether
it's worth spending more money on this machine.
There is a remote possibility that it could be a
software issue, so a system reinstall would not be a bad idea.
Good luck!
Charles
Re: WallStreet Battery Problems
From Colette
Thanks so much!
Resetting the PMU didn't help, but I've ordered a completely new
battery from Other World
Computing, now, so maybe that will sort out my problems. The
computer is otherwise in pretty much perfect condition, and I got
it fairly cheaply, so I suppose putting more money into it is
worthwhile.
If the battery doesn't help, I'll replace the PMU board, too. If
it doesn't involve soldering, I can probably do it myself. I've
been looking at take-apart guides online, and they seem fairly
simple. (In fact, I'm a little tempted to try it, just to see if I
can. :) )
Your advice means a lot to me, and eliminates several of my
other worries about what was going wrong. Thanks again for your
help!
Cheers,
Colette
Hi Colette,
I concur with your decision to go with a new
battery. I just replaced the one in my Pismo with one from OWC.
Good luck with the PMU board replacement if needed
(hope it won't be).
Charles
Re: WallStreet Keyboard Failure
From Michael Allen in reference to Re: WallStreet Keyboard Failure:
Sir Charles,
Maybe this will help. I had to unplug the ribbon just so I could
get the G3 to boot. Then when I carefully plugged it back in, only
half of the keys worked. So I'm going to order a keyboard, but
still don't know from which size ribbon to purchase.
-M
Hi Michael,
I would recommend checking with the supplier of
your replacement keyboard for advice on the appropriate cable.
Charles
Macintel and Current Macs
From Alvin
Hi,
It looks like there's a lot of news on the Macintel hardware,
how you can run all 3 OSes in it at the same time, but there's not
much news on Macintel native applications. Do you think Apple is
planning on just releasing the Macintel hardware, only the built-in
apps (Mail, Safari, etc.) will be native but the rest would have to
depend on Rosetta for months to go?
If you have a Mac now with say a G5, if you network that with
the Macintel, you think it's gonna' well with it using
XGrid/Rosetta combo for apps that support scheduling (how many apps
besides Maya support scheduling btw?). I ask because someone wants
to swap my PC (3200 Athlon64/6600GT/1 GB/80SATA/17" LCD/DVD writer)
with an iMac G5 (1.6/80SATA/783 MB/17"/5200 video/combo drive). I'd
like to buy a Macintel when it comes out and pair it with either an
iMac G5 or PC, but would you swap this if it was yours?
God bless,
Alvin
Hi Alvin,
The availability of Macintel native software
depends greatly on the developers. The impression I get is that
things are going well. More and more shareware apps are being
released as universal binaries.
I expect you know more about software supporting
scheduling than I do.
As for your trade dilemma, I really am not well
informed enough about your PC to advise you. I really can't say
what I would do. I have never owned a PC, save for an old,
hand-me-down 286 back in prehistoric times. Follow your heart.
Charles
OmniPage OCR on Macs
From William Doty
Hi,
I have used OmniPage Pro for Mac for a long time. I have used it
with OS 8.x, 9.1, and now OS X 10.3. (I bought it when I got
the G4 in 2001.)
If you want good software, sometimes you just have to pay for
it, rather than fool around with quirky and klunky junk.
Bill Doty
Hi Bill,
As I noted, I have OmniPage Pro 7, which dates
back to System 7 days, and it is excellent software. I've never
used an OS X version.
Which version are you using?
The ABBYY FineReader 5 Sprint Plus OCR program
that came with my Epson scanner, however, is not clunky junk. It
works very well.
Charles
Re: OmniPage OCR on Mac
From: William Doty
Hi Charles
I have version 10 of OmniPage. I sometimes think the older
version was a bit simpler to use, but I will not change to
something else.
At one time I had version 5 on a Power Mac 6100 with a black and white HP
ScanJet. The school in Missouri where I was teaching had a computer
"expert" who said Macs weren't "real" computers. I asked him if his
computers could do OCR. He said, "Well, that technology isn't yet
widely available." He brought a hand scanner the next time he came
to school. I invited him to bring a few pages to my house. I told
him I had a Mac 6100 and an HP scanner he could play with. He
brought 18 pages of text. We fed them into the scanner using
OmniPage.
He acted unimpressed until I accidentally put a page from a
daisy wheel printer in upside down. While he watched the screen,
OmniPage flipped the page to the correct position and then
recognized the text. That was the last crack he ever made about
"real" computers.
I'm glad ABBYY has made lots of improvements. I gave an early
version of it a try and was left unimpressed. I paid $150 for
OmniPage in 2002 at a store in Omaha, Nebraska.
Bye,
Bill D.
Hi Bill,
Thanks for the follow-up.
Great anecdote about the anti-Mac bigot. :-)
Charles
Mediocre OCR
From Jim Strickland
The good news: Hamrick's Viewscan has OCR built in.
The bad news: It's mediocre at best.
-Jim Strickland
Trackpad Issues - Update
From Ben Daube
Hi Charles,
Your helpful 2005.03.18 PowerBook G4: Troubleshooting Intermittent
Trackpad Issues article for a trackpad issue on my 1.67 G4
PowerBook referred me to http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301047
Unfortunately, "3. Reset the trackpad by placing your entire
palm directly onto the whole trackpad for 3 to 4 seconds" only
worked for a while.
Here's the update:
Apple Tier 2 TS today recommended
a Power Manager reset, and that has cleared up the
"stuttering/locked-up" trackpad problem.
Cheers! - Ben
Thanks for the feedback and links, Ben.
Charles
Re: Trackpad issues - update
From: Ben Daube
It worked for while, but the problem's back. Now they'll want it
in for service :(
Cheers! - Ben
What Kind of Mac Configuration Is Good for a
Cafe-like Business?
From: Alvin
Hi, I'm trying to build a sort of radical Net cafe of about 10
to 14 computers that focuses on business and Internet for a client.
I'm shying away from multiplayer gaming kind of Net to attract a
more mature crowd. If possible something that businesses could also
rent for something to gain more income for it.
It's a choice between a Mac and PC - of course I would choose a
Mac, but it has to be justified. I've done my research, even
measurements on the place to see which components are the best,
including interior designing and chairs (high chairs to save space
is my first choice). I would need another point of view and present
all the ideas and illustrations, hopefully they go to a Mac - it is
admittedly expensive at 10 to 14 computers. Any configuration on
which Mac and other peripherals, printers, etc. that would work
almost flawlessly together, including lighting interior and other
extras?
What's a good justification not to go with a PC and instead go
for a Mac? Should they be leased or bought?
God bless,
Alvin
Hi Alvin,
I would consider Mac minis with good (but not
super-expensive) third-party displays. Hard to beat on price,
although you can find something faster for less money in a cheapo
PC - but you tend to get what you pay for.
Aside from the ignominy of working in Windows, the
most compelling argument for using Macs is the freedom from the
Wintel malware pandemic and attendant support costs.
Charles
UPS Canada Brokerage Fees
From Michael Kelly in reference to Hosed by UPS -
Again:
Hi,
I have had mixed experiences with UPS. I won a Video card off
eBay and
am being slapped with a $31 brokerage fee, but then again before
that I had a CPU shipped via UPS and did not have to pay any fees
at all. Is it based on the value of the item? How can I fight them
and not have to pay the fee?
Mike Kelly
Hi Mike,
How this "brokerage fee" scam (and I say scam,
because Canada Post manages to clear anything through for $5) works
is an arcane mystery, at least to me.
As you observe, sometimes a UPS shipment will come
through with no charges owing at the receiving end. More often you
get hosed for their outrageous brokerage fees. It may have
something to do with the sort of contract UPS has with the
shipper.
I don't know of any way to fight back other than
refusing the shipment, which is not really on in most cases.
It's not always just with UPS that problems arise.
Last year I received a phone call from FedEx in Montreal asking be
to grant them one-time power of attorney to clear a shipment
through. I was expecting some sample software for review, so I said
okay, filled out the form they faxed and faxed it back to them.
They also asked for my credit card number for the GST, which I
assumed would be $10 or so. They debited my account for nearly
$400. Turns out the shipper had quoted retail market value for
the software on the documentation of more than US$2,000.
Happily (?!), by coincidence FedEx lost track of
the shipment, and I was able to refuse delivery and arrange for a
refund before it ever arrived here.
Moral: Don't authorize credit card payments over
the phone without asking the amount (my bad there, I was in a
hectic rush), and be cognizant of valuations.
Charles
UPS Canada Brokerage Fees Refunded
From Michael Kelly
Hi,
I bought a video card from eBay for US$56 and had it shipped
UPS. They wanted $40 in fees. I got a refund by printing off an
eBay auction for a cheaper video card $15 and sent it to them. Two
days later they delivered my package with no fees.
Cheers,
Mike Kelly
Whither SpellTools?
From Rob C. in response to Review: SpellTools
Freestanding Spell Checker:
Nice article. I got the program from Tucows but can't find the
upgrade. The link in your article is not viable. Would you have a
current link or a copy to update to 9xx Classic?
Rob C
P.S. As you can see, I have no spell tools in Outlook ex 4.5
Hi Rob,
Unfortunately, it appears that SpellTools is a dead duck.
As an alternative, I would suggest trying Excalibur.
Charles
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