Actually, that's computer-years, more accurately known as "months." I had grandiose plans of a super-column to celebrate the 100th episode, with memories, humorous bits about what computing was like a hundred years ago, and reader submissions.Well, deadlines preclude reader submissions, and the other stuff just seemed plain lame. So here is episode 100, just another regular Macking column, which is what you read this for. As always, I hope you find something useful within.MS Mac Products Junk
According to a letter in Macintouch, here is reason #47,129 to avoid Microsoft products:"Michael Harp pointed out some peculiar behavior with Microsoft applications, which has different effects with a Power Mac G5: "Just wondering if anyone else has noticed excessive CPU usage with Internet Explorer 5.2.2. I usually have it open at all times and had noticed that my cooling fans were cycling excessively - running at full speed, slowing, gradually building back up, etc. Ran the Process Viewer and confirmed the MSIE was the culprit, often using 75% of the CPU while apparently doing nothing. Having the same pages open in Safari does not cause this to happen. I have a 1.6 Ghz machine with 1.28 GB of RAM. "I've also discovered that having certain emails open in Entourage will cause the CPU meter to max out and stay that way until that email is no longer open, causing the fan to ramp up and stay at full speed!"Another writer noted that the cause was the setting "View complex HTML in message" being on, and that the processor maxed out whether the mail was open or simply displayed in the Preview window. The same thing happened in IE, so it appears that the problem is in Microsoft's HTML rendering engine. It isn't Java, because the Java engine is the one supplied by Apple.Turning off the Show HTML in Messages (in any email program) is a good idea anyway, because spammers use Web bugs to tell if the message reached its target successfully. A Web Bug is a small embedded image that links directly back to the sender and reports the IP address of the recipient when it is downloaded. Too bad this technique can't be used to trace spammers.By the way, if you or anyone you know actually does kill a spammer, please send me photographs and the details so I can report it. I promise that confidentiality will be respected under 1st Amendment rights.Microsoft Dominance Threatens National Security
Here's something we all knew, but it is now going mainstream. Courtesy of the news site MacMinute:The Computer and Communications Industry Association released a report on Wednesday arguing that reliance on a single technology, such as the Windows operating system, for such an overwhelming majority of computer systems, threatens the security of the US economy and national infrastructure."This should not be shocking news to anyone, especially with the almost daily news of another MS virus or worm. This week it was the US State Department that was hit hard by a Windows-based virus. This virus shut down vital computer systems, including the database that checks every visa applicant for terrorist or criminal history. This left the government without the ability to issue visas for a day." It should be noted that the Bureau of Internal Security -er- Homeland Security has tendered a contract for $90 million worth of Microsoft computers and servers to be deployed nationwide. Ashcroft, allow me to join the chorus of millions chanting "YOU'RE A BLEEDIN' IDIOT!"Don't contribute to the problem, Windozers, give up on them. Make your next computer a Mac, or switch your existing one to Linux.Digital Workflow Guide
A reader wrote in to tell me (and us) about a "Digital Workflow Guide: A Reference Tool for the Digital Photographer" published by Canon on CD-ROM. To get one you need only fill out the form on their site. I sent for one; I'm afraid it's pretty simplistic. I didn't really learn anything I didn't already know, and I think it would be barely useful for a beginner. But you can't beat the price.Avoid ALL the National ISPs
I have yet to find even one that offers services to the user/consumer (you) that exceed the self-serving structures that they operate under. Att.worldnet? They offer dialup service but cannot fix problems with the software they support. (Hint: the products begin with the word Microsoft.) Their tech support requires a loooong wait, although I will credit them with offering an 800 number for you to wait on.Earthlink? This formerly Scientology-owned company (it's now a standard public corporation) supports DSL in the worst possible way: PPP on Ethernet (PPPoE). This requires OS9 Macs to use a disgusting hack called MacPoet (Ppp On EtherneT, get it?) in order to connect. Wait a minute, you say, isn't DSL always on? Yes it is, unless the provider wants to squeeze every bit of spare bandwidth out of the consumer by not really offering always-on service. You have to click Connect in the MacPoet application to actually get on. While PPPoE works a bit better under OSX - it's built in so no bad MacPOETry is needed - the modems that they provide use an obsolete frame-relay technology instead of ATM, or Asychronous Transfer Protocol (no connection to the cash machines) which the legit DSL providers use. If you use a router to protect your computer and add other Macs on the network to the service, that router can be configured to issue the PPPoE Connect command automatically, but if anything goes wrong, neither Verizon nor Quest will give you tech support until you remove the router.Do not be fooled by the fact that all new Macs offer Earthlink as an option for Internet access during the setup process. This exists due to the provi$ion of much ca$h to Apple by Earthlink to make them the default ISP. You do NOT have to accept this option. Their dialup service is not as bad as their DSL, but like any national service, tech support is provided by robots programmed to annoy you into giving up rather than make it easy to talk to an actual human when you have a problem. More and more companies are installing these customer-avoidance systems these days so you want to avoid doing business with them whenever you have a choice.AOL? Oh, come on. AOL is training wheels for the Internet. Even your grandmother will find herself losing patience with their pathetic email client program and all the roadblocks that they put in the way of simple Web access. There is only one reason to choose AOL as your ISP, and it is absolutely legitimate: no one else offers more local numbers in more rural and distant areas of the country. If you travel a lot, and/or you live in an area where there is no other choice, then go for AOL. Otherwise don't even consider it. Tip: Their web browser is terrible; it can barely read complex web pages with Java and Flash that are becoming increasingly common. You can actually use any browser you want under AOL. Just make your normal connection and then ignore them and launch a good browser (Safari, Opera, Netscape 7 or even IE) and you should find no problem viewing the desired pages. Whether this lets you route around "parental controls" I have not tested, but there are anonymizer sites that will. These same sites let people living under repressive governments read banned and blocked web pages so this is an important service.Okay, there's another reason. AOL offers five individual mailboxes per account, and most other providers charge more than AOL's $23.95 for multiple mailboxes. For underfunded families that's a good deal. But that's pretty much it.MSN? Normally I would say "it is to laugh," but that would not provide enough info as to why to avoid them. Like Earthlink, above, their DSL service also uses PPPoE but goes on to further violate Internet standards in order to build a proprietary system that doesn't even work very well on Microsoft computers! My friend and Linux master Alan Olsen has plenty of tales to tell you about that.Both MSN and Earthlink deserve special attention because of contract dealings that they have with Verizon to make the monthly bill a bit cheaper than if you choose an independent ISP. Earthlink, for instance, actually arranges the high speed line contracts with Worldcom, and you know what has been going on with them if you have been reading the papers in the last two years.If you make the mistake of hooking up with either of these two you will find it extremely difficult to get away! Legal contracts over control of the lines require that you cancel your DSL service and have it completely shut off before Verizon can establish a new service with your preferred ISP. You could use verizon.net as your ISP, but they too use PPPoE. Due to the incredible hassle it takes to change ISPs when you have established DSL service, they charge $60 to switch and it can take up to two weeks. Somehow Quest has it a little better, but switching can still be a painful process.The bottom line is to go local only unless you travel and need national access frequently. Even travelers would be better served by buying a Sprint phonecard from Costco ($20 for 680 minutes) and then just dialing Portland to check your mail.Personally, I always recommend SpiritOne/Aracnet to people who need home DSL and/or dialup service because I have used them for years and not had a lick of trouble. For those who need more complex business services, I have found Easystreet to be the best for Mackers as well. Other good locals, according to people who use them, are Hevanet, Pacifier/Europa (now a single company) and I am sure that there are plenty more.When shopping for an ISP, questions you should ask include, "How hard is it to get a real human on the phone when you need help?" "Do you offer a fixed IP address to your DSL customers?" "How much do you charge for domain hosting?" (Should be nothing beyond a setup charge.) "How much space do you offer for my web pages?" (Minimum ten megs for no extra charge.) And of course, "Is there always a Mac-savvy tech on hand during all working hours, and do they understand programs other than Microsoft's?" (Eudora, AppleMail, Netscape, etc.)Verizon Blows It Again
Apparently they just don't want our money at all. One writer was able to get unofficial tech support from Verizon Wireless for their Kyocera Smartphone 7135, which is a Palm and cellphone all-in-one. He stumbled onto a tech support person who actually knew something about Macs and got the phone to work as a wireless modem under OS9. After switching to OSX and discovering the modem drivers didn't work, he called Verizon back. They now don't even unofficially support Macs. If you are on Verizon, it's time to find another provider. Be sure to tell them why they are getting dumped, and invoke breach of contract if your contract is not yet up.USB Pocket Drives
These little pocket chip drives are becoming ever more popular. Small enough for a key chain, they hold between 64 and 512 megabytes of data. All are sold formatted for Windows, but Apple's Disk Utility, especially under OSX, can reformat them for Mac use. This is extremely important to do when using it to move files between OS9 and OSX models.Unfortunately, there are a lot of problems with the drives, relating to compatibility and power requirements, along with reliability issues.Reliability is an easy one: these drives are never tested. They are traded as commodities, so they are just manufactured and sent out the door. If yours fails, you gotta return it.Power is an issue. The USB port in the back or side of your Mac can provide up to 500 milliamps (mA) power. The USB specifications define the 500 mA models as "high-powered" and devices that require only 100 mA are considered "low-power." Each 100 mA is considered a "unit load"; any device that requires more than one unit cannot be called low powered. Keyboard USB ports and unpowered USB hubs provide only 1 unit, whereas a powered hub can provide five.The trouble is, many of the manufacturers do not follow the USB specification. They claim something odd like "100 mA average over time," but when you actually try to configure the device, it will demand more than one unit and you will get an out-of-power message. The cheapest drives are guilty of this.You will pay more, but a device marked with the official USB logo (see USB Naming and Packaging) for high speed (USB 2.0 and high power demands) or low speed. The logo has been changed and the old, familiar USB logo is not to be used any more.Most of the time, the ability of the device to be simply plugged into the keyboard port is related to its capacity. 128-meg models will usually work in the keyboard, but 256 and 512 units may not. You would need to use the main USB port on the Mac, or a powered hub that is certified to deliver 500 mA per port. Of all the brands tested by the correspondent, Lexar seemed to be the most reliable and accurate in its power demands, along with the Dell, which is marketed under the name Smart.These drives are becoming a security problem, too. An industrial spy or disgruntled employee can conceal one easily and plug into any Mac or Microsoft computer and copy files with ease.A final note: some of these drives, at least the EasyLink 128 which I use, are so sturdy that they can survive a trip through the washer and dryer and still work flawlessly. One guess as to how I know this.