Classic Mac Applications that OS X Can't
Match
From Larry Hallock:
Hello Mr. Moore,
In saying you
still appreciate Mac OS 9, you mentioned (on a website) "a
handful of key applications I've never found completely
satisfactory OS X substitutes for."
I'd be interested in knowing what they are. But I hate to impose
. . . maybe you can steer me to any article where you
list them.
I've just installed a fresh copy of 9.2.2 and would like to
"stock" it with some of the best old standbys. (Certainly SoundJam is one of
them, and an old program that is required for one of my slide shows
is another example.)
Many thanks,
LH
Hi LH,
You're right about SoundJam - a great old
application, although I'm pretty thoroughly iTunes-ized these
days.
The one Classic-only application I simply can't
get along without is WannaBe - the little text-only
browser, since I'm stuck with a slow dialup connection and no
broadband availability in this neck of the woods except for
prohibitively expensive satellite. It definitely saves me many
hours online each week, and there is no satisfactory OS X-native
substitute. The terminal browsers like Lynx are just too geeky for me, and
WannaBe can use a bookmarks file from a regular browser (sort
of).
For some sorts of editing work, I also find the
old Classic-only Scrollability
auto-scrolling add-on indispensable. There are scrolling utilities
for OS X, but none that works as slickly for my purposes as
Scrollability.
Tex Edit Plus, my
standby do nearly everything app, works nicely in both Classic and
OS X, and files are completely interchangeable.
Microsoft Word 5.1 is still a great full word
processor, the last good one from Microsoft, IMHO. I keep it
around, as I have hundreds of Word formatted files from back in the
day.
Charles
Titanium PowerBook Reliability
From Tom Gabriel:
Hi Charles,
I've been looking around at G4 PowerBooks and am wondering about
the advisability of purchasing a used Titanium G4. I know you originally had good
things to say about the Titaniums, then they didn't seem so good to
you, and I've read things here and there on the Web about their
hinges causing problems with screen display. It originally looked
like some of these, particularly the 800 MHz and later models, had
a lot to recommend them. What is your present view on the relative
reliability of the Titanium line of PowerBooks?
God Bless,
Tom Gabriel
Hi Tom,
I don't like to badmouth the TiBook. Many TiBook users have been
happy with their machines.
However, almost everyone I know who owned one has had serious
problems - things like screen failure and bad RAM slots, as well as
the well-known case and hinge issues. The one that didn't was an
800 MHz machine, and I agree that the later model TiBooks seemed
somewhat more reliable - as well as being better performers.
A fellow who deals in and repairs PowerBooks remarked recently
in a discussion about PowerBook reliability: "I was looking in our
parts world; we have a total of six Pismo logic boards for scrap which have
controller or logic-board based issues (i.e., not physically
damaged). Our history with them is that they are exceedingly
reliable. Comparatively we have 30-40 bad Titanium logic
boards."
While I wouldn't categorically rule out the purchase of an
exceptionally well cared for late-model TiBook if the price was
really attractive, I would be a lot more inclined to go for an
aluminum PowerBook. Both 15" and 17" AlBooks can be found well
below $1,000 now, and the 12-incher has been down there for some
time. The 15" AlBook especially has had its own reliability issues
(e.g.: RAM slots again), but it's been better than the Ti.
Charles
Editor's note: The Pismo PowerBook was on the market for just
under a year, while TiBooks were sold between January 2001 and June
2003. Assuming they sold at the same level as Pismos, we could
expect 3-4x (18-24 in this case) as many broken down for parts.
dk
Netscape 7 and 9
Continuing the discussion in iCab
Stalled and Sluggish, B Douglas Russell says:
Charles W. Moore wrote:
"Depends on how much of the application you want
to use. Personally, with Netscape, Mozilla, or SeaMonkey, I just
use the browser (Navigator) module. I don't recall what the exact
options are for a custom install with Netscape 7, but if you check
that mode it will probably give you a choice of whether to install
some items or not. Of course, if disk space is not an issue, you
could just go ahead and install the whole thing.
"I wouldn't sweat the new directory bit. I just
run the installer."
Dear Charles-
Ta for that. Most appreciated.
I still use the Mail & Newsgroup service mainly because I
can't access my AIM e-mail account through the browser. I have had
to set up an account through M&N using IMAP and SMTP.
I went ahead and did the "Recommended" install. Wondering about
the Helper Applications. You don't happen to know a good source for
info on the best Helper Application and Plug-Ins for Netscape, do
you?
I took your advise and didn't sweat the new directory.
All the best,
Doug
Hi Doug,
You can probably find some leads for plugin
sources at this resource:
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/Sites/letsnet/noframes/bigideas/b9/b9u2l1.html
I'm enjoying the Navigator 9 beta for OS X
that was just released last week.
Charles
From B Douglas Russell
Dear Charles-
Many thanks for the link. Are you going to write a review of
9?
Best,
Doug
Hi Doug,
I have done a mini-review of Navigator 9 on
Applelinks:
Which Gecko Browser Will Suit You Best? - Firefox, Netscape
Navigator, Camino, or SeaMonkey?
Unfortunately, since I wrote to you, I've
encountered (or identified) an issue with Navigator 9 on dialup in
that it causes Internet throughput to slow to a crawl or seize up
altogether when Navigator is running - and not just in Navigator,
but in all browsers and email clients. This is a sporadic issue,
and Navigator can be quite fast at times, but the slowdown
manifests and is repeatable on both my G4 17" PowerBook and my G4-upgraded Pismo (both running OS X 10.4.9) and is
bad enough to dissuade me from using Navigator routinely, even
though I really like its looks and some of the new features.
I don't know whether this would be an issue on
broadband or not, but I hope it's fixed in a subsequent release. I
would be interested to hear if other users have encountered
anything similar.
Charles
MacBook Causing Problems for G3 iMac's
Screen
From Rick Goranflo:
Charles,
This is kind of random, so I figured it'd be right up your
alley. While finishing up a paper on my MacBook, I set it down next to my iMac G3
for a second and was quite surprised at the results. I looked over
at my iMac, and all of a sudden there was a rainbow type pattern
showing where the outside corner of my MacBook screen was in very
close proximity to the CRT screen. I pulled my MacBook away, and
now there's a rather noticeable grey spot where my MacBook touched
the iMac.
Maybe I missed this lesson in common sense 101, but is this
something known to happen or is my MacBook a freak? I'm really
hoping the grey spot diminishes as I love this iMac. At the very
least I hope this is a warning to all iMac G3 owners (or all CRT
owners?) to not place your Books anywhere near the screens.
Thanks!
-Rick
Hi Rick,
I've never heard of anything like this before (but
what do I know?). I've always considered CRTs to be pretty
forgiving (except for burn-in).
Perhaps other readers will be able to shed some
light on this phenomenon.
Charles
Editor's note: That pattern is what happens when
you get a magnet too close to a CRT display. The solution is to
degauss the display, which the iMac will do automatically when
turned on.
According to Apple,
"Degaussing works best when the computer has been turned off for a
period of time, and its components have been allowed to cool. To
remove any residual magnetic fields that may build up over time,
you should occasionally shut down the computer, let it sit for a
time, and then start it up."
Depending on the severity of the pattern, Rick may
need to do this a few times. dk
Matias Tactile Pro Keyboard 2.0
Disappointing
From Christopher Hendrick:
I purchased the MTP 2.0
Keyboard recently on the impression that I would be getting a
quality keyboard worth $149. My purchase was based on that it was
going to have a "new" optimize key on the keyboard that would allow
you to assign certain functions to the keyboard like cut and paste
to half the keyboard . . . it was a cool option. But
after my order without emailing or telling its pre-orders, Matias
decided to scrap this option. It was still being advertised on its
website . . . plus the keys were a new design and not
the Alps keys. To top this off, the website also pictured the F13,
F14, F15 keys as having lights on them . . . they were
mysteriously missing from the keyboard I received.
The Mac-only white Tactile Pro 2.0 (above) and the black Mac/PC
version with the Optimize key (below)
Also, the MTP has two USB cables hardwired to the left side of
keyboard?! One of the reasons I purchased it was I thought it was a
USB 2.0 hub . . . but in order to use it as a hub . . .
its one USB 2.0 port has to be plugged into a second USB port. On a
PowerBook or MacBook Pro, this takes up every port, and being a
mobile user I can't see myself plugging in both every time
. . . so a hub is still a must for the laptop user.
My review before returning it.
The overall feel of the keyboard is cheap (the plastic just not
quality I would expect) and the keyboard risers would probably
break if any weight was put on the keyboard. Each key wiggles
slightly before you depress it. It does not have the tight feel of
a quality keyboard. The angle of the keyboard is also weird as well
. . . it sits too high, and you can't rest your wrists on
your work surface and type without bending your hands up until its
very uncomfortable.
I was hoping for more, and at $149 you should expect it. The
misrepresentations of the MTP on Matias's website are
unforgivable.
Best Regards,
Christopher Hendrick
Hi Christopher,
This is distressing news. I knew that the original
Matias Tactile Pro that I reviewed more than two years ago was
being replaced with a Tactile Pro 2, but I haven't had an
opportunity to see or use one, so I can't comment on it
directly.
I see that the "Optimize" key feature is still
being touted on the Tactile Pro Web page, so if it isn't being
included, that's sloppy advertising to say the least.
Charles
Editor's note: Earlier versions of the Matias
Tactile Pro 2.0 keyboard page showed the white Mac-only version of
the keyboard as having an Optimize key. The current version of the
page (from which we took the above images) shows a white Mac-only
keyboard with no Optimize key. dk
Graphics Cards for Quicksilver, ADC
Display
From Chris Andrews:
Hi,
I'm an avid reader of Low End Mac, and the information on it has
helped me out in many tight spots - but for once, I'm stumped. My
knowledge of graphics cards and Power Macs is a little shaky - so
here we go. My first-gen Quicksilver 867 MHz looks like the
graphics card is dying. The 17-inch Apple Studio Display is running
off the ADC port, and after the machine's been on a few hours, it
starts to occasionally lose power, flick off for a few moments,
then back on again.
It's not just the backlight - the whole monitor, including
lights on the front bezel, goes off. Hence I assume the graphics
card has decided it's got a bit of a problem. What can I put in to
replace it, and where in the UK might sell them?
Many thanks for any help you can offer,
Chris
Hi Chris,
It certainly sounds as if the problem might be the
graphics card, although I can't of course say for certain.
You can find some info on compatibility here:
Here are some links to online vendors of video
cards in the UK.
Charles
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