News Common PC Mac Amiga CUCUG
The October 19th gathering will be one of our combined meetings. Jack Melby and his son Charles Melby-Thompson will be giving an in depth demonstration of the new Mac OS X operating system. This should be an intriguing evening with interest for everyone. Come and see what the new Macintosh has in store.
We welcome any kind of input or feedback from members. Have an article or review you'd like to submit? Send it in. Have a comment? Email any officer you like. Involvement is the driving force of any user group. Welcome to the group.
At 1:01 am October 14, 2000 Taylor Marie Huls was born. Everyone is doing great and baby seems to be 100% operational making appropriate noises and expelling baby stuff from known orifices when parents guard is down. We just barely missed having a Friday 13th, midnight, full moon baby so if this is some devil child that will destroy the world, it'll probably be destroyed an hour late. ;-) At any rate everyone is healthy and happy. See ya around!
Oh, by the way, I've registered my own domains so I can now be reached at either of the following.
e-mail address now withheld
e-mail address now withheld
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=eBB30H4Om0U0Y2xX
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=eBB30H4Om0U0Y2yY
03 Oct 2000 - In a bit of a shock announcement, Microsoft and the supposed Amiga Inc. partner Corel have entered into a strategic partnership targeting Microsoft's new .Net platform. With a 135 million USD investment, Microsoft is shoring up the stumbling Canadian software manufacturer Corel. As Corel announced on Monday, the software giant from Redmond purchased 24 million non-voting shares at 5.625 USD each. Those can be converted into fully voting shares; holding almost 25 percent of the entire capital stock would make Microsoft one of the largest shareholder of Corel. The partnership will see Corel products ported to the .Net platform.
The computer maker issues a grim profit warning, saying sales in its fourth quarter will fall "substantially below expectations." Soured by the news, investors send shares down sharply in after-hours trading.
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=e8V0H4Om0U0YtHA
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Apple said earnings and revenue for the fourth quarter will fall "substantially below expectations" due to slower sales in September. The company also said in a statement that it plans to lower growth estimates for the coming quarter and full fiscal year.
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=e8a0H4Om0U0Yts3
Apple's announcement came a week after Intel warned of weak demand in Europe, though most big-name PC makers said their business was on track.
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=e8a0H4Om0U0Dhxa
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These warnings underscore an ugly reality for the technology industry: People aren't buying as many computers as the industry projected. Asia continues to see strong growth, some analysts have said, but Europe has slowed. In addition, corporate spending hasn't rebounded as expected.
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=e8a0H4Om0U0YtMQ
Aside from its financial problems, Apple also fended off criticism that its stylish Power Mac G4 Cube is marred by cracks. The company insists the blemishes are not defects, but lines formed through the normal course of manufacturing.
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=e8a0H4Om0U0YsPS
Billionaire investor Paul Allen is stepping down from Microsoft's board, ending a formal relationship with the software maker he co-founded 25 years ago. Allen has been the biggest individual seller of Microsoft shares this year, as he sold shares worth more than $6 billion.
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=e8a0H4Om0U0Ytx8
Advanced Micro Devices said it named former Motorola executive Robert Rivet as chief financial officer. Motorola immediately sued AMD president Hector Ruiz for luring Rivet away. Rivet had reported to Ruiz, who left Motorola in January for AMD, Intel's main rival in the market for PC processors.
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=e8a0H4Om0U0YtyA
Microsoft wins one
The U.S. Supreme Court handed Microsoft a legal victory as it sent the software giant's antitrust case back to a lower court for review. The Supreme Court was asked to take the case directly under a 1974 revision of the Expediting Act, which allows cases of national significance to bypass the normal appellate process.
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=e8a0H4Om0U0Ytt4
The Supreme Court decision scores a point for Microsoft in its long-running antitrust contest against government opponents, even though the game is a long way from being over. Law analysts have described the decision as a victory for the software giant.
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=e8a0H4Om0U0Ytu5
Listen to what the man says
Several U.S. congressmen have introduced legislation that would legalize services for which MP3.com faces potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in copyright damages. Dubbed the "Music Owners' Listening Rights Act of 2000," the bill would give companies the right to copy CDs, store them online, and stream the songs individually to listeners who could prove they already own a copy of the CD.
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=e8a0H4Om0U0Yrks
MP3.com launched a political campaign -- dubbed the "Million Email March" -- to support the bill.
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=e8a0H4Om0U0YtSW
Napster may or may not be good for CD sales, but online music sites can thank the popular file-swapping service for a substantial surge in revenues last month. Advertising spending at online music sites jumped dramatically in the week after a federal judge clamped down on the music company. Before the ruling, advertisers spent about $2 million on music and streaming sites. In the week after, that figure jumped to about $5 million.
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=e8a0H4Om0U0YsOR
In other music news, Napster returns to federal court on Monday, as the company's attorneys argue before a panel of three appellate judges who have the power to turn the popular service off in the space of a few days. The judges will be deciding whether to uphold a lower court's order to temporarily forbid Napster from assisting in most copyrighted file trading.
http://two.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=e8a0H4Om0U0YtKO
Many attorneys believe that the three judges will take this opportunity to make a definitive ruling on at least a few of the legal questions that cloud the future of online music.
September 19, 2000 - Berkshire-based Tao Group Limited and Fujitsu Aichi Engineering Limited (Fujitsu AEL) have agreed to open an intent Official Support Centre in Japan, to provide technical support services for Japanese corporate users of Tao's intent, an extremely high performance multimedia Java(TM) execution environment.
In addition to opening the support centre, Fujitsu AEL is planning to port intent on to the iTRON operating system - which has a large share in the Japanese embedded market - in order to further accelerate take-up of intent. Fujitsu AEL is currently working with Victor Company of Japan (JVC), which also has a long-standing relationship with Tao, and expects to complete porting towards the end of this year.
The Tao intent toolkit is the applications foundation layer for the New Amiga.
The first public release of QNX Real-Time Platform is available now. It is downloadable free of charge for non-commercial use at http://get.qnx.com and the 5,000 free CDs should be shipped soon after. The exe file (for installation from Windows) is 24MB, and the CD ISO image weighs in at 91MB and includes some add-on software.
"After recently purchasing MasterISO 2.6, I emailed Asimware with a question concerning a problem I was having. I received a form letter which stated "Effective September 6th, 2000 all production, development, and support for Amiga products is discontinued. Sales of MasterISO will still be available through Software Hut. Our Amiga products will NOT be released to the public domain. Thank You for eight great years." At the end was a statement promoting their PC software."
Haage & Partner announce that they've obtained the publishing rights to the Amiga FAX program STFax and the copy and publishing rights to the TCP/IP stack Genesis from Active Technologies. Development of these products will continue.
Yamaha introduces industry's fastest CD-RW recorder: Lightspeed
recorders deliver 16x write/10x rewrite/40x read/40x audio ripping
- Industry Leader Leap Jumps Competitors With the New Lightspeed
CD-RW Recorder Family -
BUENA PARK, CA - Yamaha Corporation of America announces the introduction of
the industry's fastest internal and external rewritable CD recorders. The
all-new, multi-platform LightSpeed™ CRW2100 Series models are capable of
recording on CD-R discs at an industry-first top speed of 16X, writing a
74-minute CD in under five minutes; rewriting CD-RW discs at a top speed of
10X; and reading CDs at a sustained maximum rate of 40X. In addition, the
CRW2100 Series allows users to rip audio CDs at a maximum speed of 40X-up
to five times faster than conventional CD-RW recorders currently in the
marketplace-allowing digital audio extraction of a 74-minute audio disc in
less than 3 minutes. Ripping is the process of converting CD music tracks
to WAV and MP3 files for creating music CDs on a PC."Yamaha pioneered CD recording and is the industry standard in CD-RW recorders", states Tom Sumner, General Manager, Consumer Products Division, Yamaha Corporation of America. "The introduction of the CRW2100 Series reestablishes Yamaha's technology leadership in the CD-RW market. This breakthrough product will create even more consumer interest in a market which is already projected to grow by 85 percent this year."
To achieve the industry's fastest CD-R write speed, Yamaha developed the CRW2100 Series to take advantage of the partial Constant Angular Velocity (CAV) technology, a combination of CAV and standard Constant Linear Velocity (CLV), for optimum performance. To rewrite a CD-RW disc at up to 10x speed, the Lightspeed recorders use the full CAV recording method.
The CAV recording method keeps the disc rotation speed constant while adjusting the data transfer rate, depending upon which portion of the disc is being recorded. For writing CD-R discs, the CRW2100 Series uses CAV in the inner portion of the disc while using CLV in the outer portions in order to deliver a top writing speed of 16X. Also known as partial CAV, this method enables a significant increase in the data transfer rates while minimizing the load increase to the drive's mechanism.
"By applying partial CAV technology instead of the conventional CLV, our new recorders do not require additional time for controlling the rotation speed of the motor, allowing for faster, smoother recording", states Allen H. Gharapetian, Product and Marketing Manager, Consumer Products Division, Yamaha Corporation of America. "The CRW2100 series also applies Yamaha's exclusive PurePhase Laser System™ which, by compensating for the unwanted glare created on the disc surface during recording, improves jitter levels (deviation from correct signals) by over 25%, harnessing extra laser power previously unused".
In pursuit of perfecting reliability, Yamaha has also equipped the CRW2100 Series with Optimum Write Speed Control™. By checking a disc's capability and the recording conditions, this new technology allows the LightSpeed recorders to select the optimum writing speed to further improve reliability. The CRW2100 Series recorders also incorporate Yamaha's Waste-Proof Write Strategy™. Unlike other write strategies which rely heavily on data-links and error corrections, Yamaha's write strategy focuses on providing a robust, stable recording environment by combining a large buffer memory, CAV writing support for on-the-fly data backup, and specific fine-tunings to the recording software. This strategy maximizes harmony between the recorder and the PC, virtually eliminating buffer underruns and preventing waste of media.
The CRW2100 series recorders offer an extra large 8 MB buffer memory-up to 4X larger than that of competitive recorders-virtually eliminating common buffer underruns. The new LightSpeed recorders are designed to take full advantage of the new, high performance 16X CD-R media to optimize record speed and reliability. Yamaha and other media makers will introduce 74-minute and 80-minute 16x CD-R media in October 2000.
The CRW2100 Series will feature four models: the internal CRW2100EZ using E-IDE (ATAPI) interface will ship in mid-October 2000, and the internal CRW2100SZ using Ultra SCSI (SCSI-3) interface will be available in late-October 2000. The external CRW2100SXZ using Ultra SCSI interface will ship in late-November 2000. The external CRW2100FXZ using IEEE 1394 FireWire™ technology will be available in early December 2000. The FireWire connection provides simple installation, reliable performance and fast recording speeds. All models are compatible with IBM PC compatibles and Macintosh computers.
Since the late 1980s, Yamaha has been the leader in CD-recorder development, producing high performance recorders that are considered to be industry benchmarks. The company introduced the first programmable CD-recording system in 1988, the first 2X speed CD recording system in 1990, the first 4X half-height CD-R drive in 1993, the first 4X speed writing CD rewritable drive in 1997, the first 4X speed rewriting CD-rewritable drive in 1998, and the first 8x speed CD-rewritable recorder in 2000 .
The CRW2100 family of CD-RW recorders is available to resellers through a variety of major computer distributors, and to consumers through mail order catalogs, Internet resellers, and major computer retailers. The retail version, in the United States, is available directly from and only through Yamaha's Consumer Products Division, and includes a software bundle which features Adaptec class-leading Easy CD Creator™, Direct CD™ and Toast™, Adobe's ActiveShare™, Photo Deluxe™, plus the Neato™ CD Labeler Kit.
For product and sales information, contact Yamaha's Consumer Products
Division, 6600 Orangethorpe Avenue, Buena Park, CA 90620;
http://www.yamaha.com; telephone (714) 522-9011; or fax (714) 228-3913.
Press contact: Giles Communications, telephone (914) 422-3800, x132.
Hunt for ET, get no money in return
I've founded a team called "CUCUG" (wonder what that stands for) at the SETI@home site. If you're running SETI@home, come join Team CUCUG. If not, visit them to get started:
then visit us to join:
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/stats/team/team_89876.html
You won't get any money, and CUCUG won't get any visits from ET, but hey, wouldn't it be nice to hear you're in 818,617th place?
If you're curious, SETI refers to our Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, and "SETI@home" is the experiment that uses volunteers' computers through the Internet. The sky is scanned for radio signals with the giant antenna in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The data is digitized and broken up into "work units", which are sent to volunteers' (that's you!) home computers through the Internet. After processing is complete, the computers send the results back to SETI@home. In less than 2 years of operation, volunteers have donated over 400,000 years of computation time! Visit the SETI@home web site for more information:
-Bill
// William R. Zwicky, ERDC-CERL-IL // USA-CERL (217) 352-6511 x7405 // Champaign, IL
Hi All:
I am presenting a Brown Bag seminar at noon on October 25, at the Waste Management and Research Center (WMRC), on the University of Illinois campus. Demonstrated will be the latest version of GIS software I have developed over the last few years. It's this little thing I call ecView (pronounced e-see-view), which is an automated report writing tool. This application creates reports consisting of labeled maps and tabular reports referenced to them by a unique identifier, say an ID number or name.
GIS (Geographic Information Systems) uses computers to create, analyze, and display spatial information and data. Even a GIS novice can easily use ecView for geographic browsing, linked with tabular and Web report writing, all in a Windows environment. ecView's automation and ease of use shows how GIS can be made more accessible, in an interactive way, and with immediate results.
More information can be found at:
http://www.wmrc.uiuc.edu/services/gis/ecview/ecview20.htm
The Web pages that this link brings you to explain in some detail what the application is capable of. However, these pages are in the process of being updated to show a more finished and current version of ecView.
Please join me for a demonstration of technology that shows how GIS software can proliferate to everyone's desktop.
Cheers,
George Krumins
P.S. The seminar will be in our Warner conference room. Directions to the Center can be found at: http://www.wmrc.uiuc.edu/visitorinfo/champaign
Note: ecView is produced under contract to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Natural Resource Review and Coordination, in the Office of Realty and Environmental Planning. ecView is currently only for in-house use.
Windows is a copyright of Microsoft, Inc.
ecView is a trademark of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
--
George Krumins, GIS Specialist
Illinois Waste Management and Research Center
www.wmrc.uiuc.edu/services/gis
The top 10 list is defined by category. In some categories, there's more than one file per category. Unless I recommend to download all, you'll be fine no matter which one you download.
Some of the software listed below is bundled with Netscape Communicator and Internet Explorer, so you may already have it installed. But even if you do have them, don't discount their presence on the list. Chances are pretty high you don't have the latest versions.
The top software downloads are either:
Freeware: Software that's free
Shareware: Try before you buy
Demoware: A sample of the software
Top ten downloads
1. Browse the Web
Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator - Free
If you're already on the Web, chances are you're using at least one of these. You need the latest version to view the coolest pages.
2. Unarchive downloads
WinZip - Shareware ($29)
To speed up download times, most software online is compressed. Some is compressed in an executable format (EXE), and some is archived as a ZIP. For ZIP files, you'll need an unarchiving program. Winzip is one of the most popular and easiest to use. After downloading a ZIP file, use WinZip to unpack all the contents of the archive.
3. Listen to MP3s
Winamp - Free
It's the standard player for listening to MP3s. But that's not all. It's expandable. Change the color and design of the player or make colors dance on your monitor to the beat of the music. Add functionality like audio mixing, fading, control of your music via joystick, and lots more. All those features are a part of Winamp's skins, visualizations, and plug-ins.
4. Watch video
RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, and QuickTime - Free
They're the three standards for listening and watching streaming audio and video on the Web. Don't just download one. Get them all. Unfortunately, there's no one streaming standard.
Warning: Real will try to trade you up to its Plus version. That version costs money. Don't buy it. The free one will give you just as good a picture.
5. Watch animation
Shockwave and Flash Player - Free
Download the Shockwave player to play games on the Web. Download the Flash Player to see most of the animations online. You may already have both when you installed your browser. Even if you do, you'll want the latest versions.
6. Protect your system
McAfee VirusScan - (Demo $30) and Norton AntiVirus - (Demo -$40)
You need to protect your computer from viruses. Viruses enter your computer from downloaded software, email, and floppy disks you exchange with friends. The good news is you can protect yourself while still not know anything about online security. Just set up either program, and it'll do all the work for you behind the scenes. It's important to have the latest virus definition files. You can set up a download schedule within both programs to automatically do it for you. If you don't, it's like not having the antivirus program running at all.
7. Chat with friends
AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ - Free
The two most popular online chat programs are both owned by AOL. Run either one and then create a Buddy List (a list of your friends' online names). Both programs will find your friends and let you know when they're online. When you see the presence of an online friend, initiate a chat via text, audio. In the case of ICQ you can chat via video or even play games.
8. Browse images
ACDSee - Shareware ($50)
Whether you're importing pictures from your digital camera or scanner, or just downloading the latest Mandy Moore snapshot from the Web, this is my favorite program to manage and view all types of images.
9. Edit images
Paint Shop Pro - Shareware ($100)
Yes, you can edit and manipulate images like a pro with no knowledge of darkroom techniques and without spending $400 on Adobe Photoshop. The latest release of Paint Shop Pro offers auto image-editing features that let you look like a professional photographer.
10. Read formatted documents
Adobe Acrobat Reader - Free
Adobe Acrobat Reader is probably already built into your browser. Almost all formatted documents online are produced in the Adobe Acrobat format. To view and print them, you must have this plug-in. I have found the reader to be most useful when downloading and printing out tax forms or documents from my broker.
Favorite download sites
ZDNet Downloads - http://www.hotfiles.com/
Tucows - http://www.tucows.com/
Download.com - http://www.download.com/
Jumbo - http://www.jumbo.com/
SuperFiles.com - http://superfiles.com/
[Source: The Commo-Hawk Commodore/Amiga Users Group newsletter, "The File" September, 2000. CHCUG's address is P.O. Box 2724, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52406-2724.]
It's often possible to fix computer problems with a little tweaking here and a little banging there. But if things just won't get better, or your system seems to be bogged down with old bloated software, then it may be time to (insert dramatic organ riff here) reinstall Windows. Don't fret. Like death and root canal, it's something we all have to face sooner or later. Reinstalling Windows can take as little as an hour or as long as a long weekend, depending on how far you want (or need) to go. Here is your complete guide from an expert. I've reinstalled Windows hundreds of times. How do you think I got all these gray hairs?
There are three kinds of reinstalls. In order of difficulty, they are "install in place," the "clean install," and the "format and install." Before you do any of these, it's prudent to do a few things.
Preparation
First, back up your data onto removable media (you should do that regularly anyway). The install in place and clean install shouldn't affect your data, but why take any chances?
While backing up, copy and store your Internet settings. These settings can get clobbered, so it's important to save a copy.
You should also print a system summary, so that you'll have information about all your hardware and settings should you need to revive them. You can do that by opening the System Control Panel, clicking on the Device Manager tab, and pressing the Print button. Select the "all devices and system summary" button and prepare to print volumes- as many as 20 pages. Everyone should have an up-to-date copy of this document, though. I'd make a new one every time you install new hardware.
Now that you know what hardware you've got installed, download the latest software drivers for each. You can find these files at manufacturer websites, or search for them at WinDrivers.com. Reinstalling Windows will replace your existing drivers with the Windows default drivers, but because these can be a little out of date, it's a good idea to have the most recent drivers. Put them on a floppy for easy access.
You might also run a program called ERU, Emergency Recovery Utility. You'll find it on your Windows installation disk, or you can download a program that does the same thing from ZDNet's Software Library. Try Theodore Fattaleh's Emergency Recovery System 98. These programs make backup copies of critical system files to floppy- another nice thing to have in a pinch.
Finally, you should make a working boot disk that not only can start up your machine but also provide access to your CD-ROM drive. The Windows 95 boot disk does not do this. See our article on making a boot disk if you have any questions. And make sure to test your disk before doing anything more. You probably won't need these recovery tools, but it's nice to know they're there. Frankly, it's something you should do whether you're planning a reinstall or not. Now let's get to the actual reinstallations.
Install in Place
This is the simplest reinstallation, and it often does the trick. Insert your Windows installation disk into your CD-ROM drive and run the setup program. Windows will install on top of your existing installation, preserving all your settings and data. This will restore missing and damaged files, and it often fixes an otherwise unreliable machine.
There are few side effects to the install in place, but occasionally some settings disappear, and software that used to work might stop working. You may need to reinstall some programs, but that's rare. Before you do the install in place, make sure you have master disks for all programs. If you are using a boot manager to run multiple operating systems, note that reinstalling Windows will usually overwrite the master boot record, which can disable your boot manager. Either make a copy of your modified boot record for restoration later, or be prepared to reinstall your boot manager. If you don't know what a boot manager is, don't worry.
Clean Install
Use the clean install when install in place doesn't work. The clean install is identical to install in place with one exception: you'll delete the Windows directory and all its subdirectories first. This is most often required when you have upgraded from Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 to Windows 98. Old files from previous versions of the system can remain in the Windows directory, confusing software and causing crashes. Deleting the Windows directory clears these old incompatible files. Unfortunately, it also deletes the Registry and all your settings. Your data should remain intact, but you will have to reinstall all applications.
Before you do a clean install, make doubly sure to have all the master disks for your programs available. Allow a day or two to get everything back in working order.
The clean install requires nearly as much work as the format and install, but it saves you the trouble of backing up and restoring your data.
Format and Install- A Primer
If all else fails, there's the slash and burn approach: starting over with the format and install. But first understand something, this won't be easy. It requires considerable time, forethought, and patience. Don't do it if you're unsure about what you're doing. While I've done this many times, and it has always worked eventually, I am not responsible for what might happen if you go ahead with this.
The format and install is useful if your system has bogged down with too many programs, crashes inexplicably, or is just plain out of control. I do one of these at least once a year, but some might say I'm a masochist. I recommend that you try the simpler install in place before attempting the all-out format and install. In most cases, simply reinstalling Windows on top of your existing system will fix an unreliable system. The format and install is only for someone who really needs to begin with a clean slate and is willing to make the needed effort. People who take the trouble to do this usually report system operation that's quicker and more reliable than it was since the machine arrived from the factory. That is, after they spend several days reinstalling software, reconfiguring hardware, and pulling their hair out over the little quirks that inevitably show up.
So now that you know what you're getting into, let's begin.
Prepare for the Format and Install
Double check that you've taken all the steps laid out before. You will delete everything, so you've got to have copies of all data- including everything you can't reproduce. That includes things such as Internet bookmarks, saved games, and program preferences. Don't blame me if you delete your great American novel. And make sure the backup is good. If in doubt, print it out. Read and follow our article on backing up your data for some suggestions on what to back up and how.
You also must have a working boot disk. Otherwise you won't be able to reinstall Windows? And there are a couple of extra programs you'll need to copy to that boot disk, FDISK and FORMAT. Open a DOS window and type the following commands:
COPY C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\FDISK.EXE A:
COPY C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\FORMAT.COM A:
Get your Windows installation disk (and the certificate of authenticity with the serial number on it), and the installation disks for all the programs you'll want to put back on your hard drive. (Be conservative about reinstalling them. Remember that jamming all that junk on the hard drive in the first place got you here.) Finally, make sure you've got up-to-date drivers for all your hardware.
Got everything? OK. Take a deep breath.
Perform the Format and Install
Boot from that boot floppy you just made. Now restart your machine. After a bunch of grinding and whirring (this is what computing was like in the days before hard drives) you'll see the prompt:
A:
Insert your Windows installation disk in the CD drive and type the commands:
D:
DIR
If you can see the contents of the CD ROM drive, you're in business. (If you have more than one hard disk on your computer, your CD might not be D:- use whatever drive letter works.) If not, go back to the article on making a boot disk and try again.
We've reached the point of no return. You're going to partition your hard drive. Once you do, you will no longer be able to recover your data. Reassure yourself that you do indeed have good backups and that you've copied everything you need off the drive, because you're about to kiss it goodbye. Type
FDISK
Now we're going to delete your DOS partitions and create three new partitions. (This is my personal favorite partitioning scheme, but feel free to replace it with one that works for you.) Type 3 to Delete partition and then select your Windows partition- that's almost always the Primary DOS Partition. Once you've done so, you're committed. Now create three new DOS partitions. The first is for your swap file. Make it about 150MB. Next, create your main Windows partition. Make it as big as you want, but leave 500MB or so free for your final data partition.
Putting the swap file and your data in a separate partition is good for organization, and it also helps make your system a bit more robust. The swap file will work faster if it doesn't get fragmented- and it can't if its on a partition by itself. Putting it on the first partition ensures that it's on the fastest part of the hard drive. Separating your data directories onto a partition of your own also helps keep fragmentation down, and it will simplify clean installs in the future. Make sure to give your data partition sufficient space for growth. Once you've created your partitions, exit FDISK and reboot from your floppy.
Now you can format each partition, starting with the Windows directory:
FORMAT C: /S /V
The /S parameter makes the C: drive bootable. /V verifies the format. Format D: (your data directory) and E: (your swap partition) as well using the /V (but not the /S) parameter. Take a break, this might take a while.
Once you've got your C: drive formatted, copy the Windows installation files to the hard drive. This will speed up the installation and ensure that you have copies of the Windows install files available in future. No more fumbling for the Windows CD when you install new hardware. All you need is the files in the WIN98 directory, although if you have a large enough hard drive you can copy the entire CD to it. I suggest creating a folder called WIN98 on your hard drive and sticking the files there. Once the files are copied, pop out the floppy and restart your machine. It should start up and you should see the C: prompt grinning at you. Time to begin the installation of Windows. Change to the install directory you just created (CD WIN98 for example) and type SETUP. The setup should begin and you're in business. Check back with us when it's done.
Rebuilding Your Hard Drive
Good. All done? Everything went ok, I hope. Some of your hardware devices may cause a little trouble, but if they were working before, they'll work again. You just have to coax them with a little TLC and the right drivers and settings.
Now it's time to begin the laborious process of rebuilding your hard drive. First, move the swap file to its new home. Open the System Control Panel, click on the Performance tab, and press the Virtual Memory button. Select the "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings" button. Chose the drive you created for a swap file, most likely it will be drive E:. Make the minimum and maximum file sizes the same. This forces Windows to create a permanent swap file. That's the fastest kind because Windows doesn't spend any time resizing it. I suggest a file size just one or two megabytes smaller than the partition size: say 149MB. Once you click OK a couple of times you'll have to restart your computer to let the new settings take effect.
If you created a separate partition for your data files, you should also change the location of the My Documents folder from the default C: drive to your new data drive (on most machines this will be D:). Start by creating folders called "My Documents," "Downloads," and any other data oriented folders you'd like on your new data partition. Type
D:
CD
MKDIR "My Documents"
MKDIR "Downloads"
Then you need to use a Control Panel called TweakUI to change the default location of the My Documents folder. TweakUI is a control panel that comes with, but is not installed by, Windows 98. You'll find it on the Windows install CD in the toolsreskitpowertoys directory. Right click on TweakUI.inf file and select Install to install it. If you're installing Windows 95 you'll have to download Tweak UI from Microsoft. Once you've installed TweakUI, open it from the Control Panel, click on the General tab, select My Documents in the Special Folders area, then press the change location button. Change the location to D:My Documents. Close TweakUI and delete the My Documents folder from your C: drive. As you install applications you might also want to change each program's preferences to point to the D: drive for new documents.
Now restore your data to the D: directory and begin reinstalling your applications. I hope you didn't have any plans for the weekend.
Congratulations, you have completed the full format and install process, the rebuild of your hard drive and, I suspect, improved speed and reliability in the process. I hope it all went smoothly, but if you had problems along the way, just remember: What doesn't kill you, makes you geekier. A successful slash and burn install qualifies you for the title of true Super Geek. Way to go.
[Source: The Commo-Hawk Commodore/Amiga Users Group newsletter, "The File" September, 2000. CHCUG's address is P.O. Box 2724, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52406-2724.]
Looking to boost sluggish demand for its PowerMac G4 Cube and spur sales of PowerBook laptops, Apple Computer on Friday kicked off a mail-in rebate program good through the end of the year.
As previously reported, Apple's offer gives a $300 rebate to consumers who buy the Cube along with an Apple monitor and a $200 rebate on its PowerBook line of notebook computers.
The move follows Apple's warning two weeks ago that sales in the recently completed quarter would be "substantially below expectations" because of weak September sales.
The offer is good only for computers bought starting today, not prior purchases, Apple said. The deal is available through both resellers and Apple's online store but not for those buying under Apple's education pricing programs.
"We want to encourage even more people to experience how great personal computing can be using an Apple PowerBook or G4 Cube," an Apple spokeswoman said. Apple declined to comment on the financial effect of the rebates, citing a quiet period before it releases earnings next week.
With the rebate, the price of the lowest-end Cube drops to $1,499, not including a monitor. The eligible screens range from Apple's $499 17-inch CRT monitor to the $3,999 22-inch, flat-screen Cinema Display.
Gerard Klauer Mattison analyst David Bailey earlier this week said he would welcome a move such as a rebate, which could improve Apple's position going into the all-important holiday buying season.
"It appears that initial weak demand for the Cube was somewhat caused by the price being high," Bailey said.
The Cube has also been criticized for blemishes that some have called cracks. Apple has maintained the marks are "mold lines" that are part of the normal manufacturing process.
It's that mid-80's feeling all over again
Mon Sep.18 - I've been using Macs for a long time. By a long time, I don't mean that I remember 68K machines. I mean that my first Mac was a 512K back in 1985 (I can almost hear the shouts of "newbie" from the 128K guys, but I'll ignore them). Over the last fifteen years, I've seen Mac OS go from a minor enthusiast's system to the core of the desktop publishing revolution, then crumble under Apple's mid-90s mismanagement back to a niche system. I've seen Mac advocacy change from geeky boosterism in the 80s to a sort of pseudo-mainstream peak in the early 90s through the sort of desperate cultishness that developed in the collapse years of 1996 and 1997. Along the way, something critical got lost.
The Mac OS stopped being revolutionary.
Back in 1985, the Mac wasn't just nicer to use, and didn't just have a more sensibly-placed menu bar than its competition - it was nothing like its competition. At that time, PCs used an "operating system" that only barely qualified as such, by modern standards; the "interface" (such as it was) involved typing commands into a single terminal that filled the screen. It wasn't a GUI, nor was it even a particularly powerful command-line interface. The Mac was simply a better system. (The Amiga was arguably better yet, but unfortunately for its users Commodore Business Machines demonstrated early just how thoroughly poor management could cripple a good system).
Over the years that followed, Apple frittered away many of the Mac's advantages. By 1995, we didn't have much left to crow about. Granted, the Mac was still more pleasant to use in many ways than Windows, but how could we convey that to anyone who hadn't used both systems? Worse, a number of systems (Windows NT and Linux among them) had features that Mac OS simply didn't have; these features effectively locked Macs out of entire markets (if you've ever tried convincing a grad student to run their numerical software on a machine that will freeze them out of the user interface until their three-hour program finishes, or a network administrator to run a server on a machine that's apt to crash hard if anything goes wrong, you know exactly what I mean).
I've been using the Mac OS X public beta for the last week and a half, and - despite the expected beta glitches and lack of hardware support - it's an exciting system. Everything just works. I can compile and install Unix apps, run my Mac OS apps run in Classic, write GUI apps in REALbasic and command-line apps in C, and use the small but growing number of Carbonized applications directly. OS X isn't just another operating system, it's something revolutionary - it's a mainstream operating system built atop a UNIX.
For the first time in many years, I can unreservedly recommend Macs to anyone, not just end-users looking for a pleasant working environment.
And it's a damned good feeling.
----
Ian Sammis is really, really tired of having his Mac bomb on him when he's trying to show off how cool it is. He's also got an unhealthy fascination with UNIX command-line applications.
Greetings to one and all.
I know it has been a long time since I last had the chance to write to all to all of you.
It has been very, very busy, and we have seen some great successes, and some disappointments. I have not been asleep, and to the contrary I have not been getting much sleep of late. There is so much activity, and so little time that I have been spending a great deal of time in other areas and not keeping everyone up to date.
To my Friends in Italy, I apologize that I was not able to attend the show. It was a real disappointment for me personally, as I wanted to greet each and every one of you. The reason was not because we are broke, or out of money as the rumors would state.
Simply, there were two companies in California that I have been working with, and they requested a meeting that occurred over the same period of time. With working with these OEM's we will be able to add several million more Amigans, and the discussions went well and are progressing quickly, these meetings were in addition to what is mentioned in point 3 below.
Now with all the above fun stuffÉÉ
Here we go:
1. The SDK for Amiga DE.
This has been very exciting, and we are really pleased with the number of applications and the number developers using the product to create some great products.
The next version of the Software Development Kit will be out in the next couple of weeks. In addition to the Linux version there is now a version available for Windows. That's correct you are now able to develop for the new Amiga on either Linux, or Windows.
It will feature a new raft of multimedia (Mesa, the SSEYO Koan Audio Engine, streaming) as well better development tools, a richer AVE and enhanced performance.
2. Amiga OS 3.5 and beyond
We are continuing taking a very hard look at the current Amiga and how we can best move the platform forward. There are discussions on going for some new opportunities and we will be able to share some announcements in the very near future.
3. Amiga DE business opportunities. Wow, this is an area that is absolutely exploding. For developers this is going to be great news. Not only will the applications you are working on be used by your Amiga family members, but with the deals that are either executed or in motion there will be millions more consumers joining the Amiga family.
Now many of you began to speculate on the Meternet announcement. Meternet is offering a great product, and they are going to be making it available to the Amiga community, but it is not the AmigaOne.
4. The AmigaOne.
We have listened to a great many of you with comments, suggestions, business ideas and technical ideas. Dean Brown has been a huge help, especially that he is now here in Snoqualmie with the other members of the team.
Because of this input we have begun negotiations for a brand new design. Most of the details have been worked out, and I hope to have the finished announcement ready by the middle of October. It is my firm belief that you will all be very pleased and excited.
5. Dealers/Distributors, and our friends in the Press:
The well of information for all of you has been too dry, and inconsistent. To better provide information to each and every one of you.
Amiga has created two new mailing lists. Please go to:
http://www.amigadev.net/index.php?sid=&subpage=home&function=showmaillists or to www.amigadev.com and select mailing lists on the right hand side of the screen. Select either press or dealer, and fill out your information. We will begin weekly feeds to these lists to better support our press and dealers.
I know that many of you will read that this letter says nothing, and that there is nothing happening, other than a new motorcycle for me.
Well you are very wrong. We are meeting directly with the heads of some of the largest computer and consumer electronics companies in the world, and not only do they see the value in what we are offering but they see where the Amiga community, you, is the real value.
Now we still have a ways to go, but we are moving very fast, and I know that you will all be very proud of Amiga as we continue to make things happen.
The biggest challenge for Amiga right now is to stay focused on our core strengths, and not make the mistakes of those who have walked before us.
The Amiga opportunity is huge, and sometimes overwhelming. There are so many conflicting reports, and I have not done a very good job of being able to communicate to all of you as well as I would like to.
We are getting much closer every day, and everyone of you are a major part of the Amiga Family's success.
Bill McEwen and the rest of the Amiga Team
1. You and Bill McEwen have owned Amiga for 9.5 months now. Can you give a short summary what your plans are, and what you have accomplished so far, for our readers that don't usually follow the Amiga?
Fleecy: We produced a compelling business plan with Amiga at the heart of it, raised a first round of money in record time, completed the purchase of Amiga Inc. from Gateway, moved into offices in Snoqualmie, Washington, hired staff and began working on our product line.
We have released SDK1.0 for Linux and will soon be released SDK1.1 for Linux and Windows. Our internal projects, which will lead to the consumer products, are proceeding well.
We have struck up at least a dozen alliances with companies ranging from Matrox to Meternet and Bill is rarely off the phone these days talking with potential customers and partners.
2. The SDK has sold 15,000 units so far, according to Bill McEwen. Do you find it surprising that so many people have bought such a basic development kit?
Fleecy: We were worried initially and we had to toss up between releasing something so raw, and then adding to it, or letting the community wait until we had something more mature out. With the success of the sales we've had, we are glad we made the right decision. Developers of all kinds are obviously frustrated with existing solutions and technologies and are looking for something else. We hope that they like what we are trying to do.
3. A few months ago, you were working on getting Swing to work with the Tao Personal Java implementation, but you had some problems. Is Swing working on Elate/Ami at the moment? Will it be supported?
Fleecy: Swing is working now, but as with any implementation, it is a bit of a resource hog.
4. How many people do you have working on Ami at the moment? How many of those are regular employees at Amiga?
Fleecy: We have about 15 regular employees and about 20 contractors.
5. My impression from the Open Amiga developer mailing list is that all the people working at Amiga have a LOT to do. Is this impression correct? Are you understaffed at the moment? If so, why is that? Lack of money? Lack of suitable candidates? Or are people reluctant to work at Amiga given the events in the recent years?
Fleecy: What high tech company isn't understaffed and wouldn't say yes please to more money? We have a lot to do, but the key is to make sure that the design is completed and tested before we start coding.
The Amiga DE isn't a project that would do well from the "You go and code and I'll find out what it's supposed to do" methodology. As pieces of the design are finalised, we take on new resources. For instance, Simon Goodwin came on as our Audio guy, and then 4 months later, we took on 2 more resources to help him implement the audio system.
We aren't short of people wanting to work for us. The problem is we need people who can see things the way we see them. We need people who can see beyond Unix architectures and models, who don't see operating systems as an extension of C, but who see the operating system as the core, and languages having to bend and/or break around them. We are trying to make a giant leap forwards.
6. I believe you worked as a "corporate consultant" before you and Bill started Amino. What exactly did you do as a "corporate consultant"?
Fleecy: Consulted to corporations ;-) System architect, Project Manager, coder when I had to - working on all sorts and sizes of systems used by corporations, both industrial and service based.
7. It seems like a big step from being a consultant to become a VP of Development at Amiga. How has this transition been? Have you learned a lot?
Fleecy: It's not really a big step - you design things, you manage people, you have limited resources, you have timescales. If you're not smart enough for a certain area, you hire someone who is. If you look at the team now, most are well regarded experts in their areas, far smarter than me.
Have I learned a lot? Every minute of every day. When you stop learning, what's the point?
8. Amiga will launch the Amiga One in late Q4 2000, or Q1 2001. Given the rough state of the SDK at the moment, do you feel it is responsible to launch it so soon?
Fleecy: I wouldn't ship the Amiga One with the SDK on it, if that's what you mean.
9. Sony will re-launch the Playstation as the Playstation One in a new casing later this year, to differentiate it from the PS2. Don't you think it will look very unoriginal when the Amiga One is launched almost at the same time? Or is the Amiga One just a codename?
Fleecy: The PSone is called 1 because it was the first. The Amiga One isn't called Amiga One because it is the first (it obviously isn't). It's called the one because it has one processor in it, and we need to be able to distinguish from our later products.
10. When it became clear some that the Amiga Foundation Layer/Elate doesn't support memory protection, it caused quite a bit of controversy in the Amiga community. How is work on adding MP going? Will MP be included in the first public release?
Fleecy: That depends on whether our avenues of research turn up something. How is work going? We are continuing to evaluate and explore the alternatives as well as MP itself.
11. Will Ami support Bluetooth and USB 2.0?
Fleecy: We hope to.
12. The original Amiga OS had a lot of nice features like datatypes, screens, superior multitasking, low memory requirements, rapid booting and a small size. What will be carried over in one for or another to the new OS (OE)?
Fleecy: All of them. Since we are a component system, datatype functionality is inherent. Screens were logical separators for activities, which we will support, and the rest is already there.
13. The new OS will run most old Amiga applications. Speculations suggest that this emulation is some sort of dynamic translation. What can you tell us about it?
Fleecy: Nothing yet.
14. The computer industry in general is moving away from assembly programming, and adding more and more layers of abstraction. Aren't you afraid that by pushing VP assembly programming will alienate a lot of programmers ?
Fleecy: No - it's a language. You use C/C++ to access OGL - C is one step above assembler. In fact, as you use VP, it seems more and more like a better C than C. Sure it doesn't have a 30 year tool chain history or rich functionality - yet!!!. The Amiga Foundation Layer probably provides the most advanced abstraction in existence today within the computer industry, courtesy of the hard work by our friends at the Tao Group. It is abstraction of functionality that is important, not abstraction of language.
15. I believe you have a new GUI system called BOOPS in development. A couple of months ago, 250,000 lines of code had been written already. When will this be supplied in the SDK?
Fleecy: We are evaluating BOOPS suitability at the moment. There are also two other component models that we are prototyping. One of the three will be chosen as our foundation component system.
16. Wouter (I don't remember his last name) at Amiga is working on a new scripting/programming language for Ami called SHEEP. Is there really need for another language? What about Rebol?
Fleecy: I imagine someone asked Carl the same question when he announced Rebol. The Amiverse is a self contained environment with many nuances and subtleties that don't exist in any other system. The best way to unlock those is to provide a single language which can cover all the bases. That is SHEEP.
17. A Windows version of the SDK was shown at the AmiWest show, and it was said that it would be shipping soon. When will it start shipping?
Fleecy: It will ship at the same time as the new Linux SDK1.1 version ships.
18. You're an avid game player. What games have you been playing lately? Have you played Total Annihilation? What do you think about it?
Fleecy: TA is a great game - simple but fun and looked great. I didn't like the add on since it added a few super units that I thought affected the game balance. Since I am really busy these days, I don't get to play long games anymore because I don't have the long breaks. Luckily, Unreal Tournament games last about 15 minutes and are wonderful. My funniest experience was about a month ago when I jumped into the middle of an 8 man German only fragfest. When they found out I was British, it became a turkey shoot - I think I died over 200 times in ten minutes - those boys, they still can't forget 1966 ;-) I was looking forwards to Halo, until MS bought up Bungie. Still holding out for CannonFodderThreeDee...
19. Amiga have stated that they will use Mesa to handle 3D graphics. What kind of performance can we expect from it (ie, will it be competitive with Windows running on the same hardware?)? Since you have announced a strategic alliance with Matrox, will Matrox drivers be the only ones shipping with the OS/OE?
Fleecy: Well, we have ported Mesa already, with the kind assistance of Hyperion, and we should have Renderware pretty soon. We are also keenly watching the progress of the Kronos group, and OpenML. Running on a hosted system, you are always at the mercy of that system, whilst natively, you can do what you want with the hardware.
We are not a driver company, and are not going to get into the mistake that Be made, where they had to spend more time supporting wacky combinations than in advancing their system. We welcome other graphics companies to write drivers to the Amiga DE, but we ourselves, at least initially will only support Matrox. We hope to have a hardware accelerated driver for the Linux SDK soon, and are developing drivers for the amazing new Matrox cards which will be in the Amiga One.
20. What audio API will you use in Ami?
Fleecy: Our audio guy has taken a look at all of them and is not happy with any of them. Long term we hope to develop our own API but in the meantime, we will probably use one of the existing ones - OpenAL, I believe. I recently visited SSEYO and was given a tour of their stuff - it is phenomenal, and already working in VP. Simon Goodwin, our audio guy, was there as well and it takes a lot to impress him. I honestly believe just this one piece will pull the Amiga MOD/Demo scene back to the Amiga. We hope to have a long article in a future AmigaWorld all about it.
[Editor's Note: In a new presentation on their web site entitled "What is Amiga All About?", Amiga lays out pretty much what they've been saying for some time now. Of interest, however, is the segment below.]
With the release of the Amiga SDK, developers around the world have begun creating applications. In addition to the 45,000+ titles that are already available for the Amiga - many of which are likely candidates for porting to the new Amiga--the products listed below are in the process of being ported directly to the new Amiga Digital Environment.
Amiga DE - Committed Applications as of 9/14/00
Video / Imaging Games Sudden Strike
Art Effect Soldier of Fortune Jagged Alliance 2
Motion Studio Sin Jagged Alliance
Candy Factory Heretic 2 Mission
Fantastic Dreams Freespace Nomads
Taifun Alien Nations Wizzardy
Art Studio NG Alien Nations Echelon: The Storm
Mission Claws of the Devil
Personal Shogo Blood 2
Productivity Worms Armageddon Descent: Freespace
Burn It Pro Battle for the 3rd Homeland
Amiga Writer Moon Payback
Espial Assistant Evils Doom Wipeout 2097
Papyrus Exodus: the Last War Dark Soul
Star Office The Feeble Files Last Patriot
Earth 2140 Scavengers
Desktop Publishing Simon the Sorcerer Hell Squad
Pagestream Gorky 17 Escape Towards
Repro Studio NG Foundations Edge Unknown
Operation Virtual Ball
Internet / IM / Counterstrike Fighters
E-mail Magick Eat the Whistle
Messenger Force Dweebs Command and Conquer
Ebox Die Volkor Great Nations
IMAP Force Gilbert Goodmate Lambda Sector
Escape Bubble Heroes Moonbases
Earth 2150 Salvage
Development Tools Dafel: Bloodline Phoenix
Storm C Tales of Tamar Mario 64
Rebol Aqua Dead Walk
Alien Nations 2 Foundation:
Database Tools Majesty Directors Cut
Pointbase Embedded Pacific Wars Holy Trinity
Database Air Kit Dogfight Final Fantasy 5
ThinAccess Realtime Recovery 2190
DB Access Grand Theft Auto
ToC
Sept. 21 - As I arrived, the main intros had been made, including a special guest with a certain new computer set-up. More about that later. So I settled in and tried to get up to speed.
The current discussion was about various methods of hooking up to the Internet. From standard phone modems to ISDN lines to cable modem to ... satellites(?!) Bandwidth vs. cost vs. reliability ... What is available and where. Ultimately, you either wait for the new systems to come to you or you take the final option - move. (A comment about Mohammed and a mountain comes to mind.) I have to admit a real lack of background in this area. And, the options were going fast and furious.
The main popular options were: the traditional phone modem for those that don't got better and the cable modem - the big FAST inexpensive rig right now. Some are just too expensive for the average user and are relegated to businesses. But, what still amazes me is just how fast everything is becoming more affordable. Or is that, we just seem to think more ÒconnectivityÓ is a requirement?
In fact, the general feeling was that Champaign-Urbana has it pretty good compared to the outlying areas. Cable modems are being made available at a quick pace. The local telephone companies have not been on the ball and missed getting in on the ground floor. And, because of something called ÒCLECÓ which requires the telephone companies to give third party companies access to their ÒcopperÓ, companies like McCloud have developed a sizeable market.
The discussion shifted after bit and settled for a time on all of the technologies that have developed that were first forecast in Star Trek in the late sixties. The memory chip was at the top of the list, the touch panels, tri-corders and in-the-ear radio receivers followed closely. But, we still haven't developed the artificially-intelligent, panning, remote monitor cameras (with zoom and on-the-fly editing!) For sure, Star Trek isn't the only TV show or movie that forecast stuff that came to be, but it probably was one of the most watched.
George Krumins brought a WebCat. It was a give-away an office-mate had picked up. George didn't want it, but thought someone at the meeting might be at least interested in the item. Seems it is a specialized barcode reader which takes you right to the website of any item you might buy. All you have to do is scan the barcode into your computer with this Òcute little cat-shapedÓ device and, bingo, away you surf to find out the new and approved of your desired item. More commercials! Several members were horrified by this prospect! Others said that the devices were also being hacked and turned into cheap barcode scanners for more generic purposes. Evidently, not only has the device been hacked, but their website has, too. All names, etc., are now floating about on the web ... somewhere.
The talk turned to Apple news. The new Mac OSX beta was just released a short time earlier. It costs anyone interested $30. Jack Melby was a bit upset that his beta version had been 9 days late. But, once he got it, it was a breeze to install. He said that many have complained that it is too slow. The response was "It's a beta!". I have been to a demo since this meeting and there was some discussion of bugs, but most were impressed with the finish of the OS, even if it is a beta. Jack said he didn't want to talk too much about it, because, one - he hadn't had it that long and, two - he and his son were going to give a demo at the Mac-SIG next month. (Some smart aleck said that an Apple beta is roughly equivalent to a Windows final release.)
Jack Melby said that he noticed that running OS 9.0.4 in the "Classic" mode is faster. Applications open faster. In particular, Microsoft software runs faster. It was thought that Jack's new dual-processor G4 might have more to do with the software mentioned above running faster. And, our special guest mentioned that it might also be because of software "shims". I am not at all familiar with shims and will not comment further. It must be some of that "techno-mancer" stuff. BTW - OS 9.0.4 is required if you want to run your old applications in the "Classic" mode. It is unclear at this point if OS 9 will be included with the final release of OSX. Or if you will get a break on the final version, if you buy the beta of OSX.
Our special guest was Rich Roe. He is one of the main people in the MacWarriors, a club of Mac enthusiasts and developers at the University of Illinois. He is also an official Apple Campus Representative (he even had an Apple imprinted golf shirt!) But what he brought was the main point of interest in the back of the room. So, even though the meeting had taken a break for coffee and donuts, the group migrated to the rear of the room for a good look at the G4 Cube Rich brought.
He brought the demo set-up that the University's Micro Order Center has. This included the 15" flat panel display and the clear ball-shaped Harmon-Kardon speakers. It was real nice getting to see, "up close and personal", the G4 Cube. It was running OS9, sounded good, looked sharp. Lots of style, real cute and very, very quiet! It also comes apart fairly easily and looks like it might be pretty practical. But some concern was expressed about it's serviceability. It was asked, "What happens if you get a CD disc stuck in the slot-loading CD player?" The answer was, "Take it to an authorized Apple Service Rep." This was not a very reassuring answer. It might lead to some violated warranties in the future.
Rich also brought an iBook with OSX on it. So, we got a very quick sneak peek at the new beta, as well. I would like to live with an iBook for a while to see if I like them or not. They look like fun, maybe too much fun. Like I might not ever return to work. At work, we always had a joke on those really nice days of "Why don't we just move the computers out under the trees?" Nowadays, we could actually do it, if we had some iBooks and the new Airport networking! That is almost too spooky.
We had no special SIGs at this meeting, as it was a "social" event. But in a way, it turned into one, because of the arrival of the G4 Cube. Or maybe I should say that my interests may have influenced my report of the September CUCUG meeting. But, regardless, it was a good meeting. And the weather didn't try to do something violent to us during our time together!!
The September meeting of the CUCUG executive board took place on Tuesday, September 26, 2000, at 7PM, at Kevin Hisel's house. (For anyone wishing to attend - which is encouraged, by the way - the address and phone number are both in the book). Present at the meeting were were: Jim Lewis, Emil Cobb, Jim Huls, Rich Hall, Kevin Hopkins, and Kevin Hisel.
Jim Lewis: Jim stated that the October meeting would be a joint SIG meeting for Jack Melby's demonstration of Mac OS X since so many people have expressed and interest in it.
In November, Bill Zwicky will be doing a video capture demo for the PC SIG.
Discussion turned to speculation that Mac OSX will be able to work on PC hardware. Someone mentioned that Ken Dike, an old Commodore guy now working for Apple, had said there was a one driver that would work on both PC and Apple hardware. There was discussion about this "driver model."
Jim noted, "You can't get rich off of hardware, but you can get filthy rich off of software."
The speculation that Apple is looking longingly at the PC hardware market is fueled by the belief that Jobs is briddling at Motorola's speed dragging. No doubt, it's a real marketing drawback.
Turning to club business, Jim said the social meeting was "cool". He enjoyed the demo of the G4 Cube. Perhaps alluding to the temperate "cool" theme, Jim said, "You can't do that with the currnt crop of PC hardware."
Emil Cobb: Emil reported twenty-two people in attendance at the last meeting.
Jim Huls: Jim said it was nice to get out and get to a meeting.
Rich Hall: Richard gave the third quarter financial report. We're in good shape. He noted that the room rent for next year has been paid, so we are all set in that department. The ZIP drive in the club's Mac has been replaced thanks to Richard Rollins. Treasurer Hall closed by reporting on his research into other banking options we might avail ourselves of.
Kevin Hopkins: Kevin delivered a copy of the membership database, as usual. Kevin reported that September was the first month in "a long time" that CUCUG gained no new members.
On a personal note, Kevin reported that he, too, had just gotten the AT & T @Home cable modem service. This launched a cable modem discussion. To a question about firewalls, Kevin Hisel suggested going to grc.com and running the Shields Up test to see how vulnerable the machine is. To another question about the desire to access files on the home machine from work, Kevin Hisel recommended looking at VNC - http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/index.html - Virual Network Computing - for remote control software.
Kevin talked a little about the email problem he had initially with @Home. It was solved by downloading his mail from the U of I site as he had always done, but using the @Home mail server for outgoing mail. Everything works fine now.
Kevin Hisel: "I have nothing to report."
Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Bresnan Meeting Center in the Champaign Park District Headquarters (398-2550). The Center is located at 706 Kenwood, 1/2 block south of the corner of Kenwood and John Street, in west Champaign. Kenwood is the fourth north-south street off of John as you are going west, after crossing Mattis. The Center is in the northwest corner of Centennial Park, northwest of Centennial High School.
Membership dues for individuals are $20 annually; prorated to $10 at mid year.
Our monthly newsletter, the Status Register, is delivered by email. All recent editions are available on our WWW site. To initiate a user group exchange, just send us your newsletter or contact our editor via email. As a matter of CUCUG policy, an exchange partner will be dropped after three months of no contact.
For further information, please attend the next meeting as our guest, or contact one of our officers (all at area code 217):
President/WinSIG: Jim Lewis 359-1342 NOSPAMlewis_j_e@yahoo.com Vice-President: Emil Cobb 398-0149 e-cobb@uiuc.edu Secretary/Editor: Kevin Hopkins 356-5026 kh2@uiuc.edu Treasurer: Richard Hall 344-8687 rjhall1@uiuc.edu Corporate Agent: Jim Lewis 359-1342 NOSPAMlewis_j_e@yahoo.com Board Advisor: Richard Rollins 469-2616 Webmaster: Kevin Hisel 406-948-1999 khisel @ kevinhisel.com Mac SIG Co-Chair: John Melby 352-3638 jbmelby@home.com Mac SIG Co-Chair: Charles Melby-Thompson 352-3638 charlesm@cucug.org
Surf our web site at http://www.cucug.org/