News Humor Mac Amiga CUCUG
The November 18 meeting will be a combined SIG meeting. Quentin Barnes has graciously volunteered to show us the Be Operating System. For those seeking an alternative OS or for those who are merely curious, this presentation should hold a lot of interest. Come see how a modern OS should work.
We'd also like to thanks Vincenzo Iodice for renewing for next year.
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 one of the best.
Well someone's finally doing it. The Amiga Dealer's Association (ADA) is suing Amiga and Gateway in a class-action suit for breach of promise, messing everyone up, and being general bad guys. The overall total seems to be somewhat over 3 million dollars (US) and is aimed at making a bunch of sore people feel better.
Of course, this might sound all nice and fine to people, but I personally see a little flaw in their plans that just might prove troublesome (actually, a flaw you can drive a truck-load of PCs through). Allow me to demonstrate...
ADA: Gateway, we're going to sue you and Amiga.
Gateway: We're happy for you. But you may have noticed that Amiga is now an independent company, so we really have no control over their day-to-day operations. As such we can't be included in your law-suit. We do wish you well in suing Amiga, but we're legally protected from any involvement. Have a nice day.
Amiga (with Gateway wearing their hat): You're suing us? Well gee, we don't have any money since we haven't actually SOLD anything yet, so we can't cover your law-suit. I guess this means we'll have to declare bankruptcy. Oh well, we're out of business and you don't get any money for it. Nice knowing you.
Gateway: Hmm, seems our subsidiary went under. Oh well; I guess we'll take back our patents and the Amiga name now. And since it seems as the Amiga will never fly we won't bother to bring it back and in fact won't even put it up for sale to someone else. We'll just sit on it for now. Have a nice day.
ADA: Wha' happen?
Amiga User 1: You killed off the Amiga, you idiots!
Amiga User 2: Get a rope!
Of course, that's just my take on things. To develop your own opinion on this, just keep reading. I've included below the full text of ADA's legal filing, so look it over and see what you think.
[Source: http://www.aio.co.uk/241099.html ]
"Campaign to Open Source AmigaOS sent today their report titled "AmigaOS: The Case for Open Source" to Tom Schmidt via Petro (who recently said he'd like to see AmigaOS open sourced). Among the writers of the report is Eric Raymond of Open Source Initiative, who once convinced Netscape to release their browser as open source. The accompanying open letter, "Open Letter to Amiga, Inc. President Thomas Schmidt." can be found at http://www.savetheamiga.org.uk/openletter.html .
Centsible Software has just recently bought out Paxtron. Right now, they are in the midst of moving all the inventory from New Jersey to Berrien Springs, Michigan. It should take about 2-3 weeks to get it all sorted, catalogued counted, etc. After that, things should be back in full swing from the new location.
In the meantime, if you have any queries or parts needs, you can Email Scott (the owner of Centsible Software) at support@centsible.com
The long-awaited AWeb version 3.3 update is out. It's a fairly minor update, but you'll definitely want it if you ever leave Javascript turned on.
Wipeout caused jaws to drop the world over and became an instant classic. Now WipeOut 2097 is poised to take anti-gravity racing completely over the edge. Lightning-fast reflexes rule in this race 'n' chase thriller where your goal is to stay in the lead and defend your craft against other pilots. Negotiate hairpin turns, make gut-wrenching drops and initiate jumps all while blasting your opponents with intimidating weaponry.
With faster, smoother graphics, more tracks, more vehicles, and more weapons, WipeOut 2097 sets a new standard in 32-bit gaming!
The first game to really show what your PPC equipped Amiga can do!
For Amiga PPC + 3D graphics card.
Blittersoft can be contacted at +44 (0)1908 610170, faxed at +44 (0)1908 610269, or emailed at sales@blittersoft.com.
Order securely online using http://www.blittersoft.com/cgi-bin/2/webc.cgi/~bsoft/WipeOut_2097.html
The product will be demonstrated on the Schatztruhe stand at the Cologne show, November 12-14th November 1999 by Dr. Greg Perry.
Opus Magellan is available world-wide from good Amiga dealers and GPSoftware distributors. Or you may support the developers by purchasing direct.
Free Update Patch available.
OS 3.5 causes some superficial problems with earlier versions of Opus because of the new palette mapped icon system which is not transparently compatibility with earlier programs. With the help of Olaf Barthel, we have now added support for the new V44 icon library in OS 3.5.
A free update patch from Opus 5.81 is available from our web site at http://www.gpsoft.com.au
Regards, Dr Greg Perry
GPSoftware, PO Box 570, Ashgrove, Qld Australia 4060
Ph/fax +61 7 33661402
Internet Email: greg@gpsoft.com.au
WWW : http://www.gpsoft.com.au
America Online will invest $800 million in PC maker Gateway as part of a far-ranging deal to jointly market products and services. The agreement's far-reaching ramifications may prove troublesome for Microsoft both in terms of its MSN ISP service and its efforts to establish a foothold in the information-appliance market. Gateway is trying to devise a strategy to tap the growing market for Internet appliances. The company is working on devices that will use software from Amiga, the multimedia computer company Gateway owns. "There's clearly a possibility that Amiga will play a part in this marketplace," said Weitzen.
Last Friday U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson released his "finding of fact" in the ongoing federal antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft Corporation, finding that Microsoft holds a monopoly in Intel- compatible PC operating systems. (For a history of Microsoft antitrust actions covered in TidBITS, including a detailed look at the current case in the two-part "Who Do You Antitrust?" article, see the article series linked below). He wrote in part, "Viewed together, three main facts indicate that Microsoft enjoys monopoly power. First, Microsoft's share of the market for Intel-compatible PC operating systems is extremely large and stable. Second, Microsoft's dominant market share is protected by a high barrier to entry. Third, and largely as a result of that barrier, Microsoft's customers lack a commercially viable alternative to Windows." For its part, Microsoft posted a letter from Bill Gates on its Web site saying, "We respectfully disagree with a number of the Court's findings, and believe the American legal system ultimately will affirm that Microsoft's actions and innovations were fair and legal, and have brought tremendous benefits to consumers, our industry and to the United States economy." The finding of fact is not a final ruling but would seem to indicate that Judge Jackson favors the arguments put forth by the Justice Department's prosecutors in the landmark antitrust case. A final ruling in the case is not expected until sometime next year, and appeals and settlement negotiations could cause the suit to drag out for some time yet. [ACE]
http://usvms.gpo.gov/findfact.html
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/trial/
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbser=1152
Major personal computer makers are quietly working on a wave of products that won't use Microsoft Corp.'s Windows PC operating system, the source of the software giant's market power.
The desktop machines, which are expected early next year, will be designed primarily to surf the Internet and be priced far below standard PCs running Microsoft's (Nasdaq:MSFT) ubiquitous Windows 98 operating software, industry executives said.
These Internet computers, or "appliances," won't soon supplant Windows PCs, which will likely dominate the market for years. But if they take off, they could begin to erode Microsoft's dominance of the desktop.
Major PC makers are taking a variety of approaches to the emerging market. Gateway Inc. (NYSE:GTW) is building a line with no Microsoft software at all, and may jointly market it with America Online Inc. (NYSE:AOL), which recently invested $800 million in Gateway, people familiar with their plans say. Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE:CPQ) hasn't decided what basic software to use in its Internet line, which it will preview at next month's Comdex computer show, other industry executives said.
Dell Computer Corp. (Nasdaq:DELL) also plans to bring out a line of Internet computers, some using Microsoft software and some without, people close to its efforts said.
Internet changes landscape
Microsoft, meanwhile, is scrambling to keep PC makers in the fold. It is working with some of them to make MSN Web Companion, an Internet machine that will be tied to Microsoft's MSN Internet service. It is based on Windows CE, a stripped-down Windows version that has had limited success in the market so far.
Computer makers have tried selling appliance-style devices before. But the Internet changes the landscape, reducing the need to buy a full-fledged version of Windows to get e-mail and even such applications as appointment calendars and personal-finance software, some of which are now available on Web sites. The new Internet computers also signal independence among PC makers that have long served as captive distributors for Windows.
Spokesmen for Gateway, Compaq and Dell said they won't comment on unannounced products. But on Tuesday, Compaq CEO Michael Capellas hinted at the new approach after announcing earnings. "There will be dramatic shifts in how people perceive the product," he said. "Longer term, our opportunity is to redefine Internet access" in a new generation of products, he said.
"Every PC manufacturer is thinking hard about and working on a lot of these devices in their labs," said Kevin Hause, an analyst who tracks the market for International Data Corp.
Antitrust suit emboldens PC makers
While surging consumer interest in the Internet was the catalyst for non-Windows machines, the heightened scrutiny of Microsoft's business practices resulting from the pending federal antitrust lawsuit emboldened PC makers to bring out non-Windows products, a second industry executive said. The outcome of the case could directly affect their ability to continue experimenting with new products, he said.
But the main factor is the Internet. "The Internet gives people a platform to do most of the things they need to do on a PC without a cumbersome and expensive operating system," the executive said.
Since the initial Internet products planned by Compaq and Gateway won't run Windows 98, they can't carry out many of the tasks general-purpose PCs can. Later versions of these products may include some basic office software, industry executives said.
Apple Computer Inc., the only major PC maker that doesn't use Windows, already has a huge hit with its iMac computer, and handheld Internet-access devices are selling briskly. In Microsoft's antitrust trial earlier this year, the software giant cited Apple and the handheld Internet devices as proof the market remains competitive.
A preliminary ruling in the suit by the Justice Department and 19 states is expected shortly in U.S. District Court in Washington. One issue at trial was Microsoft's alleged power to force PC makers to accept its demands because they needed access to Windows; Microsoft forcefully countered those charges. If the government prevails, it is expected to seek safeguards that cut Microsoft's power over the PC makers.
As easy as toast
Microsoft views the shift to consumer Internet devices as part of its broader struggle with AOL. "I think we have the lead on them," said Yusuf Mehdi, MSN's director of marketing. "We also have the jump on them in partnerships. We understand how to work with hardware makers."
Microsoft's goal is to make getting on the Web as simple as making toast -- and to tie users to Microsoft's Internet service and MSN.com "portal" service. PC makers, too, are expected to use the new machines as a way of winning customers for their online partners.
Depending on the quality of components, such as screens, and on particular marketing deals, the price for many of the desktop machines should range from $199 to zero, if sold in combination with monthly Internet service. Most will consist of a screen and wireless keyboard and probably won't contain a disk drive or use processors from Intel Corp. They also will offer an "instant on" feature, eliminating the annoying PC "boot-up" sequence, and automatically connect to the Web.
[Source: http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2383313,00.html ]
From theCNET NEWS.COM WEEK IN REVIEW
for November 13, 1999
"CNET News.com Dispatch" (cnet-news@2.digital.cnet.com)
Microsoft grabbed the headlines for the second week in a row, this time by announcing a broad e-commerce alliance with RadioShack.
The duo struck a five-year agreement to promote high-speed Internet connections and other services by setting up "stores within stores" in RadioShack's 7,000 retail outlets. The tried- and-true tactic--the Tandy unit has similar agreements with Sprint and Compaq--aims to energize Microsoft's meandering Web strategy while boosting the consumer electronics chain's revenues.
Microsoft also made a $100 million investment in the newly launched RadioShack.com, which will be promoted on Microsoft's MSN Web portal.
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwguYEuK
The deal may be the clearest indication yet of the software giant's strategy to sell Web services to a mass market. It's also a sign that the company, which has so far built its success primarily through business customers, may need help selling its products to mainstream consumers.
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwgAgouh
Seen in the light of its antitrust trial -- particularly in the aftermath of last Friday's sharply critical judicial finding that Microsoft holds a monopoly in computer operating systems -- the move could further indicate the Redmond, Washington, company is beginning to prepare for a breakup. High-tech analysts point to a string of recent Microsoft acquisitions that, on the surface, seem to indicate aggressive expansion into new markets. But when viewed a different way, the deals appear to create the structure for two or possibly three different companies.
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwguhhuX
Right on cue, the Justice Department is considering a breakup of Microsoft as part of a range of possible remedies in the antitrust case against the world's largest software company, Assistant Attorney General Joel Klein said on Sunday. Two days earlier, Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson issued devastating findings of fact, a decisive statement that could signal the outcome of the landmark antitrust case. Chairman Bill Gates broached the idea of settlement but said any solution must respect the company's "ability to innovate."
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwABYKuY
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwABuBuA
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwgAgYuK
An influential e-commerce policy-maker suggested phasing out Net taxes completely, a significant new proposal. Virginia Gov. James Gilmore, chairman of Congress's blue-ribbon Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce, made his proposal less than a month after ACEC released guidelines outlining 18 criteria for taxation treatments of e-commerce and remote sales. It could undermine what some have taken to be a growing consensus on allowing some e-commerce levies. The next day, a coalition of anti-tax and consumer groups joined Housing Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich in recommending that the federal government make permanent its current three-year ban on new "discriminatory" e-commerce or Internet access taxes.
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwgAghuB
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwgAgKum
Apple Computer appears to be inching closer to emulating Gateway by opening its own retail stores. The company confirmed the recent hiring of Allen Moyer, a former Sony executive involved in retail development projects, including the futuristic Metreon retail-entertainment complex in San Francisco. Industry observers say moves such as this one are a strong sign that the company is interested in creating retail outlets. Gateway's country stores could be a model.
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwgAgBuw
Compaq, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM each announced desktop systems that reduce size and modify traditional PC shapes, both to reduce manufacturing costs and give their products some sort of distinguishing character other than low price. Compaq's redesigned systems are intended to boost sagging business sales; Gateway's new units drop AMD as the processor. HP's system is completely sealed -- not upgradeable -- while IBM is experimenting with built-in, "flat panel" screens. Internal technology has become virtually identical across brands.
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwgAgmuX
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwgAEuuE
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwgAEAuo
AMD will regain the speed crown from rival chipmaker Intel with 750-MHz Athlon chips later this year, and follow with a raft of speedier chips in 2000. The oft-troubled company also said revenues will be above $800 million, stronger than expected for the fourth quarter, on the strength of improved microprocessor and flash memory sales. Break-even for the company is $850 million, executives say.
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwguYYum
Intel's newest Pentium III processors haven't been easy to find since their unveiling two weeks ago. Nearly all major PC manufacturers and a number of retailers claim there is a dearth, especially the top-speed 700-MHz and 733-MHz versions. Normally Intel ensures the supply pipeline has been well stocked when it releases a new product. The shortage does not appear severe enough to dent the fourth-quarter financial performance of PC makers, but the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, the official beginning of the holiday buying season, is two weeks away.
http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwguYouB
[ To subscribe to the NEWS.COM DISPATCH or another free CNET Dispatch: http://2.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin2/flo?x=dgYuEBmouwBAuA ]
Casady & Greene has released SoundJam MP 1.1.1, a free update to the company's all-in- one MP3 player and encoder (see "That MP3eaceful, Easy Feeling, Part 2" in TidBITS-501). Despite the small version increment from 1.1, SoundJam incorporates a number of changes and bug fixes. Most important, SoundJam 1.1.1 offers compatibility with Mac OS 9, improved encoding options, enhanced shuffle ordering, support for multiple tracks in certain streams, and a Get Info command for the current song in the Player window. The update is a 1.5 MB download. [ACE]
http://www.soundjam.com/
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05603
Alsoft has released two new versions of its font management utility MasterJuggler Pro to provide Mac OS 9 compatibility and expand the number of fonts that can be opened simultaneously. MasterJuggler Pro 2.0.3, a 426K download, is a free update that provides only Mac OS 9 compatibility. MasterJuggler Pro 2.1 takes advantage of Mac OS 9's capability to have more than 348 open files by supporting up to 1,200 open font suitcases. The 2.1 upgrade costs $18 (actually $13 plus a $5 processing fee) for owners of MasterJuggler Pro 2.0 and later. However, the update is available only on floppy disk, a questionable move considering that no current Macintosh computers ship with floppy drives. [JLC]
http://www.alsoft.com/MasterJuggler/
http://www.alsoft.com/download.html
Alsoft's repair utility DiskWarrior has been updated to version 1.1, taking advantage of file system improvements introduced in Mac OS 9 (see "Fighting Corruption with Alsoft's DiskWarrior" in TidBITS-486_). DiskWarrior 1.1 now repairs overlapped files larger than 2 GB, as well as disks with folders containing more than 32,000 items (previously, the fix could be made, but not verified). AppleScript scripts for DiskWarrior also work better under non-English systems. The free DiskWarrior 1.1 Updater is a 588K download. [JLC]
http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05443
Apple Computer has significantly revised its AppleCare Protection Plan (formerly known as AppleCare Extended Service) since we wrote about it in "Should You Get AppleCare?" in TidBITS-478_. Overall, Apple made AppleCare far more coherent, tying the pricing to the four main product families, covering certain peripherals purchased with Macintosh systems, and including MicroMat's TechTool Deluxe for testing your system (TechTool Deluxe is presumably similar to MicroMat's TechTool Pro). AppleCare now runs for a total of 3 years (but cannot be renewed after that), extending the standard 1 year hardware warranty by 2 years and extending the 90 days of telephone support out to 3 years. Due to the length of the new AppleCare policy, pricing is somewhat higher than before, with an iMac at $150, an iBook at $230, a PowerBook at $300, a Power Macintosh or Macintosh Server (with display) at $250, and an Apple display purchased separately at $100. Apple claims it will offer upgrades to existing AppleCare Extended Service customers, but details weren't yet available. AppleCare is available through Apple or Apple authorized resellers and is valid only in the U.S. and Canada. [ACE]
http://www.info.apple.com/support/applecare_products/protectionplan/features.shtml
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05370
http://www.micromat.com/
Qualcomm has released a free 4.1 MB updater that updates any release version (but not public beta) of Eudora Pro 4.x to version 4.2.2. The new version offers numerous small bug fixes that make this an important update for all 4.2.x users, along with one notable architectural change that's useful for people using Mac OS 9's Multiple Users feature. Starting with 4.2.2, new installations of Eudora store the Eudora Folder (which contains your mail, nicknames, filters, and settings) in the top-level Documents folder for the owner of a Mac; other users' Eudora Folders live in the Documents folders inside their individual folders within the Users folder. If you're upgrading an existing installation, Eudora is happy to continue using its current approach of storing the Eudora Folder in the System Folder. Along with supporting Multiple Users, this new approach means the Eudora Folder is more likely to be backed up, won't potentially be wiped out by clean installs, and will be indexed by Sherlock by default. [ACE]
http://www.eudora.com/pro_email/updaters.html
Apple has published a Mac OS ROM file update for users of Power Macintosh G4s (PCI Graphics) who are still running Mac OS 8.6. (An easy way to tell if your G4 uses PCI graphics instead of AGP graphics is that the PCI Graphics models have their microphone and speaker jacks oriented horizontally.) The Power Mac G4 ROM 1.8.1 Update, which may be downloaded as a 2.5 MB self-mounting disk image, resolves data corruption problems Apple discovered on Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics) models when virtual memory is turned on and eliminates a crash with Adobe Photoshop when Extensis PhotoTools installed. The problems have already been addressed in Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics) models and in Mac OS 9, so the update is unnecessary in those cases and will refuse to install. [MHA]
http://asu.info.apple.com/swupdates.nsf/artnum/n11533
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/
http://www.extensis.com/phototools/
Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built the US railroads.
Why did the English build them like that?
Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.
Why did 'they' use that gauge then?
Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Okay! Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing?
Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England, because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.
So who built those old rutted roads?
The first long distance roads in Europe (and England) were built by Imperial Rome for their legions. The roads have been used ever since. And the ruts? Roman war chariots first made the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels and wagons. Since the chariots were made for, or by Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.
Thus, we have the answer to the original question. The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches derives from the original specification for an Imperial Roman war chariot.
Specifications and bureaucracies live forever. So, the next time you are handed a specification and wonder which horse's rear came up with it, you may be exactly right. Because the Imperial Roman war chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends of two war-horses.
And now, the twist to the story...
There's an interesting extension to the story about railroad gauges and horses 'behinds". When we see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. Thiokol makes the SRBs at their factory in Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs might have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory had to run through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track is about as wide as two horses behinds. So, the major design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined by the width of a Horse's rear.
An anagram, as you all know, is a word of phrase made by or rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. The following are exceptionally clever. Someone out there either has way too much time to waste or is deadly at Scrabble.
Word When you rearrange the letters Dormitory Dirty Room Desperation A Rope Ends It The Morse Code Here come Dots Slot Machines Cash Lost in 'em Animosity Is No Amity Mother-in-law Woman Hitler Snooze Alarms Alas! No More Z's Alec Guinness Genuine Class Semolina Is No Meal The Public Art Galleries Large Picture Halls, I Bet A Decimal Point I'm a Dot in Place The Earthquakes That Queer Shake Eleven plus two Twelve plus one Contradiction Accord not in it Astronomer Moon Starer Princess Diana End Is A Car Spin
AND HERE IS THE MOST INTRIGUING PART
Year Two Thousand A Year To Shut Down
Apple has released Mac OS 9 with fanfare, billing it as "the best Internet OS ever" and touting more than 50 new features. Some of these features add significant new capabilities (like file sharing over the Internet, encryption, support for multiple users, and automatic software updating via the Internet); other features mark the return of old ideas (the Keychain password management tool, a Sound control panel, and flexible PlainTalk speech recognition); and still other features are extensions of previous enhancements, like the almost unrecognizable Sherlock 2. Under the hood, Mac OS 9 makes some fundamental changes that may break some of your applications but will also be welcome to anyone pushing the limits of what their Macs can do.
Pricing & Requirements
Apple officially began selling Mac OS 9 23-Oct-99, so it's available now to U.S. and Canadian customers from Apple and virtually all Macintosh software retailers for U.S. $99 or less, such as the $70 after-rebate deals from TidBITS sponsors Outpost.com and Small Dog Electronics (who throw in a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream). Apple and those same retailers have been accepting pre-orders for months, so if you've already purchased Mac OS 9, your copy should arrive shortly. Apple says international versions of Mac OS 9 will be available in November. If you purchased the Mac OS - either on its own or with a new computer - after 05-Oct-99, you may be able to upgrade to Mac OS 9 for $20. Owners of Mac OS 8.5 or 8.6 may qualify for a $20 mail-in rebate from Apple; details are inside the Mac OS 9 box. Unfortunately, both these offers are available only to U.S. customers.
http://www.apple.com/macos/uptodate/
Mac OS 9 requires a Macintosh with a PowerPC processor, at least 32 MB of physical RAM (though 48 to 64 MB of RAM is a more reasonable minimum), and 150 to 400 MB of free disk space depending on selected options. Apple has not certified Mac OS 9 for use with Macintosh clone systems or on systems using third- party processor upgrades, although it may work. Folks with third- party processor upgrades should check with the upgrade manufacturer before trying to install Mac OS 9.
Installation
Installing Mac OS 9 is self-explanatory, but is best done by booting from the Mac OS 9 CD-ROM - installing Mac OS 9 while booted from other disks almost always proceeded correctly in my tests, but sometimes with unexpected alerts and errors. As always, make a _complete_backup_ before attempting to install Mac OS 9. If you use third party hard disk formatting utilities like La Cie's Silverlining or FWB's Hard Disk Toolkit, check to make sure your hard disk drivers are compatible with Mac OS 9 before installing.
In general, Mac OS 9 wants more memory than previous versions. Starting up with extensions disabled, Mac OS 9 uses about 18 MB of RAM. With reasonable extensions, the system software could balloon up to 30 MB with virtual memory turned on; without virtual memory it could require as much as 10 MB of additional RAM.
Apple's Language Kits are included in Mac OS 9; they were sold separately for earlier versions of the Mac OS. If you're using one of the kits (Arabic, Cyrillic, Japanese, etc.) be sure to perform a customized installation of Mac OS 9 that includes the Language Kit you were previously using - otherwise it will not be updated. Also check the Language Kits CD Extras folder on the Mac OS 9 CD-ROM for localized versions of SimpleText, fonts, and utilities.
FCBs & Compatibility
Mac OS 9's file systems includes two significant under-the-hood enhancements: one allows applications to open files larger than 2 GB; the other increases the maximum number of open file forks from 348 to 8,169. Opening 348 file forks simultaneously might seem unusual, but both the problem and the fix turn out to be significant. The limit predates even the HFS file system, and it's a problem because a typical Mac has many open files you never see: modern applications and versions of the Mac OS rely heavily on shared libraries, temporary files, and plug-ins - all those items count against the open file limit. Plus, we all know people with hundreds of fonts and sounds.
To allow more open files, Apple had to change the file control block (FCB) table the Mac OS uses to track open files. Apple has been warning developers not to access the FCBs directly since 1986, but few developers took Apple seriously because Apple had never revised its own code. So long as Apple software depended on unapproved methods, developers figured their programs could depend on those same methods.
The resulting situation was a mess, and Apple couldn't find a way to increase the number of open files and retain compatibility with widely deployed code. So, in Mac OS 9 Apple instead prevents that code from running and possibly crashing the system or corrupting data. Whenever a program tries to use unsupported methods for accessing information about open files, Mac OS 9 shuts down the application with an error number 119, and displays a dialog saying you need an updated version of that application. It's annoying.
http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n60533
What's more annoying is that many commonly used applications and utilities need updating - I've included a partial list of major problems below. Disk tools, file utilities, font management tools, and anti-virus software are especially likely to be impacted. Alsoft has released a checker that can inspect PowerPC applications for compatibility with the Mac OS 9 file system - it produces an HTML report you can view in a Web browser. I can't vouch for its results, but it could prove useful.
http://www.alsoft.com/AskAl/askalreport-9comp.html
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/
http://www.aladdinsys.com/faqs/macos9.html
http://www.hp.com/cposupport/printers/support_doc/bpm06276.html
http://developer.apple.com/tools/debuggers/MacsBug/
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbser=1057
Forgive me if I don't hold my breath waiting for GatesWay to do something positive for the Amiga (after all, why should they break their habit?)
Don Cox (doncox@enterprise.net) wrote:
To be fair, we did just get OS3.5.
Olaf Barthel (olsen@sourcery.han.de):
And we had to fight hard and bitterly for it for almost four years.
Keith Blakemore-Noble (Amiga@computer.org):
Indeed we did [just get OS3.5].Written, produced and distributed by H&P, *NOT* AInc.
The only thing GatesWay had to do with OS3.5 was to FINALLY agree to let someone else do it (after spending ages refusing to entertain the possibility of another version of the "Classic" OS, on the grounds that they were about to give us Something Wonderful instead, so they claimed...)
That is not related to these great mythical plans that GatesWay kept telling us they had but couldn't say what they were for fear of alerting competitors, but rest assured it was going to be big (or rev-o-lu-tion-ary)...
Don Cox (doncox@enterprise.net):
Admittedly they didn't show much enthusiasm for producing it. But it is a real Amiga product.
Keith Blakemore-Noble (Amiga@computer.org):
Yes, it is. From H&P, *NOT* AInc, though. VERY important difference! :)
Olaf Barthel (olsen@sourcery.han.de):
And we can't even be certain that it isn't one of the last of its kind...
Andrew Korn (andrew.korn@lineone.net):
Amiga paid a not insignificant sum towards development (one which they didn't expect to get back), and distribute it.
Keith Blakemore-Noble (Amiga@computer.org):
EVENTUALLY.Not to mention, I believe, begrudgingly, after a very long campaign by Amiga users and Team Amiga; after a long period of constant EMails to AInc asking for this product.
"Oh for goodness sake. Let's pay someone to knock out some upgrade, call it OS3.5, and shut those bloody plebs up at last."
It was not done by them, only farmed out by them to try to shut up us whining users, to fob us off with something to keep us quiet while they carried on pretending they were going to develop some new "Amiga".
Sorry, but that is not enough to make GatesWay seem like they are actively developing the Amiga, at least not to me, as that is the ONLY thing they have caused to be produced in over 2 years.
Andrew Korn (andrew.korn@lineone.net):
:) Not quite like that. A lot of people at AI had the attitude that it wouldn't make a profit so it shouldn't be done. H&P made an offer to Petro, who fought hard to get it off the ground with AmigaUS. When Collas came on board, one of the first things he did was to back Petro in this.
"fleecy moss" (fleecy@netreach.net):
8-) Not quite like that. Havemose didn't care two hoots for the Amiga community, and impressed this a lot on Schindler. Schindler though had to balance that against the number of mails he was getting from people begging him to do it. Olaf and I did 3 iterations of an OS3.5 project plan and technical specification, the first of which was truly a map to the future (the one in which Alain Penders helped), and the other 2 subsets of that, more and more cut down, and the Havemose view started to gain ground.To be fair, H&P did offer a plan, and Havemose did have concerns about the project - no centralised Q&A for instance, which is why he though getting H&P involved might help in that instance. Bill, Marilyn and I had already negotiated from the crap budget we were given with many of the developers - I felt guilty most of the time and it was one of the big arguing points I had - because the rewards being offered were pitiful, and yet the Amiga developers, realising that this would be the final chance were more than willing to basically work for peanuts - a real credit to their community minded nature.
As they began to accelerate towards QNX, Schindler just wanted someone to get the community off his back. H&P stood up to the plate, and hopefully soon we'll see the fruit of those labours.
Keith Blakemore-Noble (Amiga@computer.org):
To my mind, it is beyond doubt that had GatesWay not messed about over OS3.5 (as they did with everything else Amiga-related [ "PPC is the way to go. Umm. No it isn't. We're going to ditch PPC totally. Umm, actually we will look at some sort of PPC support" "OS3.5 is on. Umm, no it isn't, we are not doing any more Classic OS. Oh for goodness sake, if we do OS3.5 will you plebs quit moaning?" "We will launch a brilliant new powerful AmigaNG which will be 10x faster than Pentium-based PCs. Umm, no we won't, but we'll release an MCC. Actually, no, we are not doing any hardware or OS." "We are using QNX as our Kernel! Umm, actually, it's Linux now, but don't worry 'cos it will be rev-o-lu-tion-ary! Umm, OK, we are not actually even doing an OS either, but hey, Java applets are cool!"...) then OS3.5 would have sold in far greater quantities than it will now, and there would still be a far better market for the "Classic" (read "only") Amiga.Thanks a bunch for nothing, GatesWay :(
After reading the article REBOL Incursion, published in LinuxWorld, I
decided to send my thanks to its author, Nora Mikes. After receiving reply
from Nora, I was very surprised. She talked to me using very nice Czech
language. She lived in Czech Republic some time ago. So we've exchanged a
few emails, in which I also asked Nora about her interview with Carl
Sassenrath. She told me they talked also about Amiga with Carl, but there
was not too much place for the article, and so the Amiga part was not
published. Nora was very kind and wrote down small addition to her interview
with Carl for all of us. You can read it here. Thanks Nora! :-)
-pekr-
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with AmigaOS architect Carl Sassenrath about his new company, REBOL Technologies. We spoke for an hour, and you can read about most of what was discussed in the article I wrote about REBOL for Linuxworld. During the interview, I also asked Mr Sassenrath several questions about the Amiga, but I subsequently couldn't find a way to fit his answers into the article I wrote. Petr Krenzelok asked to hear about them and thus saved them from the ignoble fate of lying forever neglected on the cutting-room floor. My apologies in the case that this report is so disjointed that you feel it still belongs there ;)I have to say that Carl Sassenrath is an incredibly nice guy. I haven't been working in tech reporting for very long (but I have been a reporter for kindof a long time now) -- and he's probably one of the nicest people I've ever interviewed. Especially if you stop to consider what he has accomplished, you might be tempted to forgive him for being arrogant or overbearing. But he wasn't anything like that -- just very, very, very nice.
He was very happy to talk about the AmigaOS, and I got the feeling that it must still be one of his favorite past projects. Of course, by that I mean the original AmigaOS.
I did ask Mr. Sassenrath if he had participated in the development of the new Amiga, and he said that he had "watched it very carefully, and participated in some discussion groups," but that he wasn't involved to any greater extent than that.
He did, however, speak of Gateway's original motivation in buying Amiga. "The technology which was sold to Gateway was primarily a deal to buy the patent on the 2-button mouse," he said. "That is why Gateway bought Amiga -- but then they got... thousands of emails asking if they were going to relaunch the Amiga. So they figured, 'why not?'"
Mr. Sassenrath was very matter-of-fact when he spoke of Gateway's cancellation of the Amiga NG project. "[Gateway] launched a division which was to put together the next-generation Amiga in 18 months," he said. "But it didn't happen, and so they shut it down." He pointed out that, since OS development is not Gateway's core business, it was probably a sound business decision to spin off the project rather than to allow it to run past deadline.
REBOL Technologies Business Development Director, Dan Stevens, added that "There is a large push on the part of the Amiga community now, and it is supported by the guys over in Europe, to convince Gateway to open source as much of the code as possible. But as far as we know, there has been no follow-up from Gateway."
There has been follow-up from Carl Sassenrath, though. Not on the effort to convince Gateway to open-source the old Amiga code, but on his life's work -- of which the original AmigaOS was most certainly a part.
In the interview, Sassenrath told me that his new project, REBOL, is "...really a culmination of 20 years of experience. It's the thing I wanted to do all my life and finally got a chance to do."
Somehow, I find it hard to believe that the thing Carl Sassenrath wanted to do all his life was to write a scripting language. On the contrary: I left the whole interview with the impression that Mr Sassenrath is planning to take all of the experience he has gained over the years -- which naturally includes that which he gained while working on the Amiga -- and apply it to his new project. Personally, I think that the main reason that REBOL Technologies is very careful to emphasize the fact that REBOL is NOT "just a scripting language" is that, in the end, it will be much more than that.
As reported on our Czech Amiga News 8-)), there is also interesting
article on REBOL, published at LinuxWorld. You can find it at
http://www.linuxworld.com/linuxworld/lw-1999-10/lw-10-rebol.html
The article also mentions, we are very near to launch of REBOL/Command,
commercial release of REBOL, which should allow to run external apps, ODBC
connectivity or call of native system functions (dll on Win e.g.).
Apache module should come very shortly after /Command is released ...
Cheers,
-pekr-
[Source: http://www.realdreams.cz/amiga/local/12_11exclusive.html]
The full text can be found here: http://ugn.amiga.org/events/hew99.shtml.
I'm posting this edited version so as to cut to the highlights and offer
topics of general discussion. Among the topics discussed are open-sourcing
AmigaOS, porting AmigaOS to PPC, the very large gap between actual sales of
OS 3.5 and what's required to break even, and a swipe at the BoXeR.
Petro's nickname is PTYSCH.
JPJ: Hi Petro. What are your thoughts on the recent Campaign to Open Source the AmigaOS and the PPC OS POWEROS?
PTYSCH: I am supporting the campaign....I have already contacted Gateway people and discussed in details this project...So far I received the answer that Tom Schmidt will take care about this for sure.
PTYSCH: Other attractions on the Fair of course our OS 3.5 which we are selling hopeful like hell to keep AMIGA alive. Annex also is dancing two times a day...
PTYSCH: The break even to be profitable is around 25 ooo units...So please start to order this wonderful upgrade...Thanks for supporting our beloved Amiga.
RazMATTaz: Hi Petro. Are the sales of OS 3.5 enough yet to secure a budget for OS 4.0?
PTYSCH: We have sold so far around 5600 units...of our OS 3.5....unfortunately the breakeven is to get profitable 25.000....please support us and buy the OS 3.5 so that we can invest in other projects...for the future..
Dirk-B: Hi Petro. Can we still buy A1200's the next years?
PTYSCH: Yes we have still A 1200 Stock for sells...Feel free to order...
JPJ: Some time ago I read that Amiga was to sell a1200's with G3 card in an Elbox tower as a total package. Is this still planned? Would you consider selling systems based on IBM's PPC CHRP design, say with PowerOS onboard, as substitute Amiga's?
PTYSCH: I have planned a project to port AMIGA OS, my old dream to PPC.....If we have an existing hardware like standard IBM board...we have a chance to continue.
PTYSCH: I think the new OS should be PPC....
JPJ: ... could you say more about this project to port AmigaOS to PPC?
PTYSCH: Cannot comment this now...have to see what happens in the next couple of months.
PTYSCH: I can not argue... A1200 is old...in some countries still very popular. But in Europe it is unsellable as a computer. I have customers build up and new markets for our beloved AMIGA technology as imbedded systems like slot machines, entertainment machines etc..
PTYSCH: iren, I have to keep my sales on going....that's important..and that is my plan before christmas..I have organised in Delhi a fair with an AMIGA BOOTH...together with my Indian Distributor....
Senex: Are you authorized by AI-USA/GW to decide by yourself if to let someone like H&P do a PPC-port of AmigaOS if they'd want?
PTYSCH: Senex: As long it does not cost any money I see no problems...I have also driven the OS 3.5 project...
Dirk-B: Hi Petro. Is it possible to port Amiga OS, or parts of it, to the PPC?
PTYSCH: Yes I think there is already done some work..and I am convinced that H&P can be doing this in a relative short time..
^asp^: Hi Petro, long time no chat, it would be great if the Boxer had official Amiga Support. Could it be the next official Amiga? This may make a good interim solution.
PTYSCH: I think that the Boxer is a good alternative...but for me it is a never ending story..because it takes already three years and a lot of promises. this machine is announced so many times and always vaporware..unfortunately...I can't believe any stories anymore...
Best,
Steve Duff Team *AMIGA*
The October 21, 1999 General meeting opened with the usual introduction of club officer's and guests. Kevin Hopkins, the club newsletter editor and Secretary was absent, thus the different flavor of notes to follow. Among the guests this month were Stephen Gast, a past President and Co-founder of CUCUG, (helping to celebrate CUCUG's 16th anniversary), Josh Sender, sales manager for Champaign Compute Corporation, Adam Burwell, a co-worker with Jim Lewis our most benevolent President, George Krumins, a soon-to-be new member of the new WinSIG that is becoming officially active this month. And Jeff (sorry, missed the last name), an Apple enthusiast. Emil Cobb was passing around a sign up sheet where everyone was to put down their name as they wish it to appear on the new name tags he will be printing up for next year.
First off, we had more of the sad tale of the end of the Amiga (as we know it). Kevin Hisel reported to the gathered masses of the official killing of the Amiga as a personal computer. Evidently, Thomas Schmidt killed it twice, once on September 14th and then for good measure he came back on the 17th and reiterated that indeed he did say that it was dead. Dead! Dead! Dead!! And so is the future OS! But, if anyone out there wants to work on an OS or a machine, they would be willing to talk to them ...yeah, right! The existing corporation claims that they are working on Amiga OE, an Internet appliance system. And it has "nothing to do with the Amiga as we know it."
And what to do with the current enthusiasts and diehard dreamers? Well, there is the German group [Phase 5] that will recommend a new QNX machine. Many other rumors of open source code postings and an OS rewrite. And the fabled iWin machine has turned into the vapor it always was. So most people have bailed from the platform and have turned to the Intel or Apple platforms.
There was a suggestion of starting a movement to send old Amigas "postage due" to some of the past CEOs of Commodore, Inc. who were responsible for running the company into the ground. One person suggested that selling Amigas on E-bay would violate their "non cadaver" rule.
Rich Rollins reported that Apple, on the other hand, was doing very well. Several people said they had heard that Apple had angered many customer, who'd pre-ordered the new G4, by cancelling everyone's orders and making them re-order at a higher price for a slower processor. This was because Motorola has had troubles producing the faster chips and supplies are very short. This of course got a rousing response and Apple back pedaled quickly to say that they had made a mistake and that the old orders can stand for the same price, but with a slower processor. Apple has also added IBM to their list of chip suppliers. So the new G4 machines are starting to trickle out of Cupertino. Rich also mentioned the top of the Apple line which is a G4 that comes with a lot of RAM and the fabled 22" Flat panel display unit. Apple has a limit of one per customer.
There is a new Apple group that has sprung up on the University of Illinois campus. It is called the MacWarriors. They are part of ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) group on the University campus. They are currently doing Apple Script tutorials in beginners and advanced forms. They have Game Days, troubleshooting sessions and more. Their site is http://www.acm.uiuc.edu/sigmicro/macwarriors/.
The WinSig hat was then put on by Jim Lewis. He went over the basic philosophy of the WinSig which is basically that even though they have no great love for the gods of Redmond, the PC computing community is pretty much stuck with Windows. The WinSig feels that the computing community need some help with the "Beast From Redman." He reported that this month the WinSig was going to do a presentation about batch processing.
The floor was opened up for questions. Hot on someone's mind was whether the moon landings were faked. A question came up about the Amiga SIG and what it's plans were. The response was that the Sig is sort of in limbo. There haven't been any real "Amiga" demos for about 2 to 4 months. But, the floor is open for those who would like to make presentations. Local Amiga user attendance has dropped off, although many have moved into the WinSig. So if you are a local Amiga user and you have applications or some sort of neat trick related to Amigas, you are heartily encouraged to contact the Amiga SIG of CUCUG.
One member stood up and said that next month's demo was going to be about an Amiga emulator that runs under Windows 98. Supposedly it works great as long as it runs. Some tech talk ensued regarding the speed and specs of the application and the machine it is being run on. This finally ended up with a comment about how it might help the Intel machine to attach a central cooling system on the processor - sage nods of agreement went around the room among the WinTel users.
Kevin Hisel voiced the question of which CD-R was the best buy. The general consensus was that Yamaha made one of the best. There is a Flextor drive that is coming up fast. And a third unidentified one that is just new on the scene. Jim Lewis said he wouldn't put much faith in a device with little or no track record. Kevin Hisel mentioned a friend that bought a Yamaha 6x SCSI CD-R for less than $200 and it plugged and played just fine. Everyone agreed that that was a good deal. The conversation veered into the various different models available: which drive had what speed, what features, and for how much. It seems that external drives might run about $350 and the internals about $50-$70 less.
Another question came up about adding extra drives to a computer. The fellow has a system (a Mac in this case) with 2 scsi drives already. His manual says that there is room for "an additional drive." So, if he adds a third drive, will this stress his machine, the new drive or both? He seems to have all the equipment to do the installation, so the problem seems to be heat dissipation. One of the drives that is already in the machine is a 10K RPM drive and it gets real hot, so folks suggested buying extra cooling fans for the machine, or possibly getting an external drive case for the drive.
"Microsoft Word has unexpectedly quit due to an error type 2 ..." - What does that mean? was the next question. Jim Lewis said that it was Word doing what it was good at doing ... crashing just when you can least afford it. He has it happen all the time at his place of work, mainly just when he needs to print out a job quote. Save early, save often is what you do about it. Rich Rollins said that a type 2 error is an "out of memory" error. He suggested that the memory allotment for the Word be increased and then try running Word again to see if it helped.
Kevin Hisel said he had a video card in his machine with 8 megs of RAM. He sees the new cards have 16 megs on them. His machine works fine with it's 8 megs, so why add the extra RAM? Just what does the extra RAM do for these new cards? The response was speed, color depth, more textures. This lets videos play faster and look better. But, several people thought it was smoke and mirrors, because the 8 meg cards do fine for most users and if you are after professional quality video work you don't even buy these type of cards. You go to professional level cards, the ones with 96 megs of RAM, the ones that cost 3-5 times the price of the average home computer. The general feeling was that it was marketing hype.
The next question was if anyone knew of a utility to manage a mirrored website on an NT box? The person wanted to mirror a website on the same drive and wanted it to work in the background. Most thought it was an interesting question. Jim Lewis said that NT had that capability built-in, it could mirror the drive. And, Kevin Hisel suggested "Mr. Mirror", a freeware application. Several other applications were suggested as well.
Someone asked about the availability of the Apple 10th Anniversary Mac. I mentioned that I had seen several on commercial websites while surfing for G3s. They were more reasonably priced, now. But it is still only a 68040 machine. However, in twenty-five years, they might fetch a pretty penny on the collector's market.
That was the end of the questions. We took a break and reconvened in separate SIGs.
The demonstration for the inaugural meeting for the Windows SIG of CUCUG was Jim Lewis and his infamous Batch Files. Jim started out by giving us a run through of what needs to be done to setup a batch file, and what commands do what. Then, Jim handed out documentation containing information on how to setup batch files, and gave information on where to find more online. One really good source for batch file information is Gord's World of Batch Files found at:
http://www.cableyorkton.com/users/gbraun/batch/
You can also find this information at:
http://www.cucug.org/winsig/jim9910.html
http://www.cucug.org/winsig/jlewis/bat.bat
http://www.cucug.org/winsig/jlewis/nd.bat
Next month's meeting will be a joint meeting with the Mac SIG and Amiga SIG. Quentin Barnes will be doing a demonstration of BeOS. Should be very interesting, hope to see you all there!
I brought my new/old G3 w/17" Studio Display monitor. Yeah, I have to admit it was to show off a little bit. And Harold brought his 6500 PPC(?). We tried to link them with the ethernet crossover cable I brought. The problem was that Harold had brought his game demos on Zip discs. My machine does not have a Zip drive. So, we were going to have to transfer the file to my machine via the ethernet cable. We experienced some problems getting all the protocols set for full access to both machines. His machine could see mine but mine couldn't see his.
There was a question about whether a Zip disc made on a Mac could be read by a Wintel machine. The response was that Wintel machines can read Mac disks if they have a file exchange application. But the problem could be more easily solved by formatting the disk for a PC or buying PC formatted Zip disks and then saving your files to them. As usual, the little guys have to dance to the tune the big guys play.
The follow-up was do you have to worry about the image file format? The response was that depends on whether they have a cross-platform image application. Photoshop is one, but you still have to save TIFF files in either PC or Mac format. But Photoshop can save files in formats recognized by Macs, PCs and Unix-based systems, like SUNs and SGIs. On the Mac side, there is also Graphic Converter, a shareware application, that does just about everything that Photoshop does. And, on the PC side, L-view is supposed to be pretty good.
I got to show a music application called Noodle. It plays a program called "Whirl-Y-Reel 1". It can be found on the latest CD (11 MB) by a group called Afro Celt Sound System Volume Two: Release from Realworld Records. Ltd. Realworld is Peter Gabriel's record label. He has been interested in multi-media stuff for quite awhile. Noodle is a music generator. It uses sound samples from the Afro Celt Sound System that are represented by icons on a CD shaped display area. In the middle is a spinning pill shape that can be grabbed and set to the side. This is a representation of the current settings. These settings can be save for later use. On the CD display area there are 13 icons. Two of these are basic rhythms and texture, they cannot be moved around on the screen. They can be turned on and off and have several variation. The other 11 icons have 2 to 8 variations and can be turned on and off and moved left and right for stereo panning placement. In addition, their distance from the center determines their volume (closer is louder). The various icons represent different instruments of an Irish or African influence, as well as standards like electric guitar and bass. This little application is a bunch of fun and it is free for downloading (9 MB) from the Realworld website http://www.realworld.co.uk/rwmm/afrocelts/index.html.
To quote the official legal announcement "Components from "Whirl-Y-Reel 1": written by Simon Emmerson & James McNally; performed by Afro Celt Sound System; published by Real World Music Ltd/WOMAD Music Ltd/EMI Virgin Music Ltd. The copyright in this recording is owned by Real World Records Ltd. (P) 1999 Real World Records Ltd."
Also shown was Bugdom, a rather goofy little adventure game demo that was from one of the latest MacAddict magazine CDs. In it, you are a bug in a garden with big slugs, big bad ants and other nasty denizens running about. You are out to free all the penned up ladybugs and gather up 4-leaf clovers, strawberries and other power-ups. You are also looking for keys to other parts of the garden. What the ultimate goal is I am not sure, but it was fun waddling through this miniature land for the short time allowed by the demo. The game costs about $40, I think.
Another little thing was Pixel Toy, a psychedelic image generator from the same MacAddict CD. It is a bit like the After Dark screen savers. Solarized colors, video feedback, repeat and fade, swarms of bees and the like are all part of the long list of filters and effects. It is a colorful little thing, but it seemed pretty unstable and eventually it screwed up.
Rich repeated, with much more detail, the information about the MacWarrior group on the campus of the University of Illinois. They were giving free workshops on Applescript the following weekend and, in following weeks, they would be having more workshops on troubleshooting the Apple systems and more AppleScript sessions. Their website is www.acm.uiuc.edu/macwarriors. If you go to www.acm.uiuc.edu/macwarriors/applescript, they have a collection of online AppleScript info. They also sponsor game days and server troubleshooting.
Emil Cobb demonstrated a miniature golf program called Goofy Golf. You could chose a male or female golfer and you got a selection of miniature golf obstacles. It seems to be pretty stable and very goofy. Emil putted around and Rich had a good laugh. I'm glad they left the demo on my machine.
Harold showed the demo for Goongan Frontier. It is basically a Star Wars world simulator. You release the bubble spore into the moons atmosphere. Then, you release the animals that feed on the bubble spore and then the animals that feed on them and then, etc. Your basic beginners terra-forming teaching application. It is from a Lucasfilm group called Lucas Learning Ltd.
He also showed a little of the Carmageddon demo and the Tomb Raider II demo.
Then Emil showed us some custom icons for Zip disks he had run across. He also showed how to change the icon on the disc as well.
About that time we ran out of time. The only thing left was to clear out and disappear into the night for another month.
The October meeting of the CUCUG executive board took place on Tuesday, October 26, 1999, 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 Jim Lewis, Dave Witt, Mike Latinovich, Richard Hall, Emil Cobb, Kevin Hopkins, Richard Rollins, Quentin Barnes, Kevin Hisel, John Lynn.
Kevin Hopkins: Kevin explained that due to his daughter's fifth birthday and his wife's work schedule he was unable to attend the meeting on the twenty-first, so he asked the others about the Amiga activity at the meeting. Those present said it was minimal.
Kevin delivered the mail and an updated copy of the database to Kevin Hisel, for his and the President's use.
Jim Lewis: Jim said that Quentin Barnes had come to the board meeting to offer to do a BeOS demonstration at the next general meeting. Most of the Board members were quite enthusiastic about this offer. Bill Zwicky was to show UAE, but he will gladly postpone his presentation until January. Jim said Mike Latinovich will cover virus protection and prevention for the WinSIG in February. Richard Rollins said that at the December meeting he will be networking a bunch of Macs together and people will be playing Marathon Trilogy.
Richard Hall: Rich spoke about the check we received from Kagi. He then gave his Treasurer's report. In discussing that, it was noted that December is our official "Annual" meeting and along with a Financial Report, we will be holding club elections. President Lewis prevailed upon the current officers to run again, so in accordance to our by-laws, the proposed slate will be CUCUG's present officers for their respective offices.
John Lynn: John said, "Good meeting last week on batch files, not that I'll ever use them, but it was interesting. Other than that, the doughnuts sucked." (Note: there weren't any.)
Dave Witt: Dave said the meeting was very informative. Jim said check the wed site for his article and other links to look at. These links actually lead to very good information.
Mike Latinovich: Mike said he thought it was a successful first WinSIG meeting. He said people paid attention because what was being presented was pertinent to them.
Emil Cobb: Emil reported that we had an above average attendance at our last meeting.
Richard Rollins: Richard related the comments of a special guest at the last meeting, Steve Gast, our founding President. Steve said it was an informative meeting. Steve is thinking seriously of rejoining the group. Richard made the wry observation that it was interesting that a Windows SIG was doing DOS batch files. Oh well.
Quentin Barnes: Quentin formally made the offer to do the BeOS demo, which had already been accepted. He then reported of some of the upgrades he'd done to the club's Amiga 3000. He replaced the battery. He put in a SuperBuster chip, stating that he got it from National Amiga and it was the last one they had.
Kevin Hisel: Kevin reported that not much new has been going on in the Amiga world. He outlined some of his future plans. Mike Latinovich interjected that Amiga OS3.5 did ship, but that the manual on the CD suffers from poor English translation. He noted that the OS was released on CD only.
[Editor's Note: I like to extend my most sincere thanks to Edwin Hadley, Dave Witt, and Richard Hall for covering for me in the note taking department this month. Family obligation devoured my time and these gentlemen stepped in to file the void. I appreciate it. ]
I. Offices available
A. The President - basically, the coordinator for the entire club. Appoints
committee chairs and presides over the general meetings.
B. The Vice President - performs the President's duties in his absence.
C. Treasurer - in charge of the financial affairs of the club. He/she pays
the bills.
D. Secretary - in charge of keeping all of the procedural documentation,
e.g., meeting minutes, as well as correspondence with members,
non-members and other clubs.
E. Corporation Agent - in charge of all matters dealing with CUCUG's
corporation status.
II. Candidates
A. Potential candidates should contact the chairman of the Election
Committee prior to the November meeting so that they may coordinate
the forum, etc. Kevin Hisel 217-406-948-1999
B. Nominations will be accepted from the floor at the November meeting.
C. Candidates will be given equal time in a forum to express their views
or present their platforms at the November meeting.
D. The Nominating Committee will verify that anyone nominated is a
member in good standing. Otherwise, they will not be allowed a forum.
E. Candidates' names will be published in the December newsletter.
III. Voting
A. Who can vote
1. Every member in good standing (i.e., dues paid) may vote.
2. Must have and present the current (1999) membership card.
B. Voting at the general meeting in December
1. Secret ballots will be distributed to each member that presents a
valid membership card at the December meeting.
2. The Secretary will prepare the official ballot forms. No candidates'
names will appear on the ballots themselves. Candidates' names and
the offices they seek will be posted at the meeting place by office
and then alphabetically by candidate.
C. Proxy voting
1. If you cannot attend the December meeting, you may request a
special proxy ballot from Kevin Hisel 217-406-948-1999 no later than
December 6, 1999.
2. Place filled-in ballot in a blank, sealed envelope.
3. Place blank envelope along with your valid membership card in
another envelope.
4. Address this envelope to: CUCUG, 912 Stratford Dr., Champaign, IL
61821, clearly print the word BALLOT on the front and mail it.
5. These proxy votes will be opened and verified only by the Tellers at
the December meeting and counted along with the general ballots.
6. All proxy ballots must be received at the CUCUG post office box
no later than December 16, 1999 (the day of the meeting).
D. Who you may vote for
1. You may vote for anyone. Write-in (non-nominated) votes will be
accepted and counted. The candidate with the most votes for a
particular position wins that position. In the event of a tie, the
Tellers will require a recasting for that position only.
2. To assume office, a candidate must be a member in good standing
both in 1999 and in 2000. If a winning candidate cannot be verified,
the office goes to the next verifiable candidate with the most votes.
If there are no verifiable winners, a second balloting will take place.
Proxy ballots will be counted each time.
IV. Chronology
A. October meeting
1. Announce protocol to general membership.
2. Solicit candidates.
B. November newsletter
1. Re-cap the election protocol.
C. November meeting
1. The membership will appoint a Nominating Committee.
2. Accept nominations from the floor.
3. Nominations will close.
4. Candidates will be given equal time in a forum to express their
views or present their platforms.
D. December newsletter
1. Candidates' names will be published in alphabetical order with the
offices they seek.
E. December meeting
1. Nominated candidates names and the offices they seek will be
posted in alphabetical order.
2. The President will appoint 2 or more Tellers to distribute ballots and
count the votes.
3. Votes will be taken and counted by the Tellers. Winners names will
be announced by the President.
F. January newsletter
1. Winners names will be published.
G. January meeting
1. New club officers will be installed.
ToC
President: Jim Lewis (NOSPAMlewis_j_e@yahoo.com) Vice-President: Emil Cobb (e-cobb@uiuc.edu) Secretary: Kevin Hopkins (kh2@uiuc.edu) Treasurer: Richard Hall (rjhall1@uiuc.edu) Corporate Agent: Jim Lewis (NOSPAMlewis_j_e@yahoo.com)
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 the postal service or email at the member's choice. 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.
This newsletter was prepared with PageStream 2.22 on an Amiga 3000 25/100 and output to an HP Laserjet IIP plus. Pagestream was donated to CUCUG by Soft-Logik Publishing Corporation.
For further information, please attend the next meeting as our guest, or contact one of our officers (all at area code 217):
President: 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 Advisor & Mac SIG: Richard Rollins 469-2616 Webmaster: Kevin Hisel 406-948-1999 khisel @ cucug.org
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