Macking 62

by Michael Pearce
From the September 2000 Computer Bits

New Macs
The price is certainly right: just $799 for a new bottom-end iMac. This machine is better than the $1200 models of just two years ago, and provides everything that is needed for the simple user. This is the machine for your mother, who you have been wanting to get online.
It's about time that Apple started getting serious about multiprocessors. Even though the OS won't be able to take full advantage of them until OSX and fully "carbonized" applications are released, this is the way to put an end to the processor-cycle race. Of course the marketing departments will tout more and more processors as a solution to everything, but it means that there will be virtually nothing you can do with your computer that will require you to wait at all.
I don't think much of the pictures of the G4 Cube, it seems more like the sports car in the showroom. It gets people looking, but any serious user will want a box with PCI slots. It would look good on all those corporate desks, though, especially coupled with the Apple Cinema Display.
If you want an Apple monitor for any older Mac, you had better get cracking. They stopped production on all models compatible with the older units. The new monitors use a proprietary connector that carries video, power and USB in a single cable. I'd wonder about putting all that AC down the same cable as the video but I suppose it has been thoroughly tested.
Needless to say, all the new Macs require OS9, but this is becoming less of a problem as more utilities and productivity applications are updated for compatibility. Just remember to treat any software released before 1/2000 as suspicious.

Invisible Files
Have you ever been performing a software install, and noticed some odd folders on your drive that you don't normally see? The most common one is "Move and Rename" usually preceded by square boxes or other odd characters.
Don't save or install anything into this folder! It is part of the operating system, working in the background with temporary files as you copy, move, rename and just Save files that you are working on. Anything you put into this folder will be immediately deleted.
If you would like to see these files, there is a shareware ($5) program from New Zealand called "Visibility" that will present you with a standard Open dialog box, with all invisible files and folders showing. Two buttons let you Cancel or Make Visible. Find it at all the usual download places or their own site.
You can also use Apple's ResEdit, free but much more powerful and complex. Beware when using ResEdit on any application; you can destroy it with one wrong move. Make sure you work on a copy. ResEdit will allow you to change icons, keyboard commands, the text of menus and a lot more.
Some of the other folders and files you may see:

AppleShare PDS
ATM TempFonts
ATM Temp.ATM
Cleanup At Startup
Desktop
Desktop DB
Desktop DF
DesktopPrinters DB
Icon
NAV QuickScan 5.0
NAV 6.0 QuickScan
Norton FS Comment
Norton FS Data
Norton FS Index
Norton FS Volume
Norton FS Volume 2
OpenFolderListDF
Shutdown Check
TheFindByContentFolder
TheVolumeSettingsFolder
Virex SpeedScan
VolumeNameIconPict
ZME
¥T+¥Macintosh HD
¥TP2¥TrashCache
¥TP2¥DiagnosticResultPass
¥TP2¥ProtectionOn
Some notes on the list: If you see a Yen symbol or anything but a bullet for the last four items above, assume a bullet character. I have not yet figured out how to display a bullet within text on a web page. You will find a copy of OpenFolderListDF inside any folder that has been left open during a restart. ATM Temp.ATM and the ATM TempFonts are inside the Preferences folder and are used by ATM. I have fixed crashes caused by a corruption of ATM Temp.ATM by making it visible and deleting it. A new copy is created at restart. Simply reinstalling ATM does not replace this file.
Cleanup At Startup is where obsolete extensions are placed by some installers; upon restart the contents are deleted. Desktop is old; you usually won't see this unless the hard drive has been exposed to System 6; the other two (DB and DF) are where the links between documents and applications are stored, allowing icons to correctly display and double-clicking documents to open the correct application. Deleting the Desktop DB document will cause a desktop rebuild; the program TechTool 1.1.x uses this method. The DF file is then recreated to store all the icons, etc. while the DB file stores the links. Neither document contains a resource fork, meaning you can't farm it for icons.
Every folder that has a custom icon pasted onto it contains an Icon document where the custom icon is stored. The "Custom Icon" bit is checked in the folder's attributions list. Other things that can be checked are Name Locked, Invisible, Inited, and Use Custom Icon. Alias, Bundle, Shared, No INITs are other options that can be checked on documents and applications, but not folders.
There is a shareware program called Snitch that patches the GetInfo window to permit you to check or uncheck any of these boxes, as well as see and modify the Type and Creator of any document or application. Misuse of this can cause the application to fail, but if you know the correct settings you can just GetInfo again and make the corrections.
Under 8.6 there are folders for searching called TheFindByContentFolder and another called TheVolumeSettingsFolder. The first stores the database of what is on your hard drive when you use Sherlock to do an Index of your hard drive. This file can take up many megabytes, depending on the size and contents of your hard drive, but it permits you to search for a specific string of characters inside any document. I have never used this feature.
ZME was installed by Keyspan, maker of USB-to-Serial devices and various PCI cards.(Assume bullets here) ¥T+¥Macintosh HD and the three ¥TP2¥ items are installed by TechTool Pro version 2.x and keep track of the directory of your drive so if a rebuild is necessary it finds the data here. Norton Disk Doctor uses the Norton FS Comment, Data, etc. created by Norton FileSaver when it needs to do the same kind of repairs.
If you use RAMDoubler, there will be an invisible file called StartRAMDoubler installed inside your Startup Items folder. This is why simply copying the RAM Doubler control panel/extension to another system folder won't work. Make this file visible, move it as well and make it invisible again will allow you to move RAM Doubler without having to reinstall it.
There are many more invisibles, especially under OS9. Sometimes it can be important to be able to visualize and delete them, but most of the time you should leave all invisible files alone, and never put anything inside an invisible folder, should it show up in an Installer dialog box.

Voice/Fax Controller
The EvangeList posted a response to the query, "What is the best device to separate my incoming voice and fax calls, now that I have DSL and only ONE phone number to share voice and faxes?" Excerpted:
"ComSwitch by Command Communications. They have a wide variety of equipment that can handle almost any need. When I examined the products on the shelf of a local computer store, they only sold the higher end model, the ComSwitch 7500, which had too many bells & whistles for my needs. Their 5500 was more in line with what I wanted but when I started surfing on their web site I discovered the "hands-down" solution for me: the ComSwitch 3500 which ran about $60 or so bucks."

ObjectSupportLib good news
From Macintouch: A reader reports that the next Mac OS 9.x release will deactivate Apple's old, problematic ObjectSupportLib extension (along with some other troublesome extensions), and other readers also follow up on yesterday's discussion:
[Larry Rosenstein] "The fault lies not with the creator of the installers but with Apple. When Apple merged the code from ObjectSupportLib into the System file, it should have put in place a mechanism to either ignore older versions of ObjectSupportLib or delete them on boot. I believe that the programs mentioned are all more than 2-3 years old, and at the time they were written they may have needed to install the file. I don't see how an installer written back then could have foreseen the current situation."
[Dan Frakes, creator of InformINIT] "I was told by an Apple rep that the installer itself requires ObjectSupportLib, so it is included on the CD for cases where the Mac receiving the install (or the startup volume) doesn't have a version of OSL. While this shouldn't be necessary on newer versions of the OS, I think it's a remnant from past installers, where the startup volume might not have it."
[Douglas Godfrey] "A simple fix for ObjectSupportLib is to create an empty folder inside the Extensions Folder and name it ObjectSupportLib. The MacOS file system will not replace a folder with a file of the same name. Any installer that tries to install ObjectSupportLib will either not install it or will get a file I/O error which can be reported to the vendor."
Note: I have been telling readers to do this for months. If you are reading this in email, stop what you are doing right now and follow the above instructions. If you are reading it in the magazine, circle this paragraph and do it as soon as you get to your Mac.
[Kelvin Tsang] SoundEdit 16 [2.0.6] from Macromedia is another application that will install ObjectSupportLib into the system when you install the program. I believe the current latest version of SoundEdit is 2.0.7 and I hope Macromedia did some change on the 2.0.7 installer. We have 2.0.6 as we bought the software 2 years ago, and this installer installed three deadly out-dated extensions: 1. ObjectSupportLib 2. AppleScript (Version 1.1) 3. AppleScript Lib (Version 1.1) To make it worse, this installer OVERWRITES your current AppleScript and AppleScript Lib with these old versions, and you will get a Red X in front of the AppleScript extension when you boot up the machine after the installation. There is no other way to recover the two AppleScript extensions other than to reinstall them from your System CD!
This is no excuse to the developers. OS8 has been out for over 3 years now, and all the developers knew after the fact (if not before) that OSL was for System 7 only. They should have had the installer scripts look for version number. SoundEdit 16, Microsoft Excel 5 and Adobe PageMaker 6.5.2 are both offenders, released after OS8. If nothing else, they certainly should have remastered the CDs in future pressings!
In the Special Reports section of Macintouch dedicated to OSL, Keith Stattenfield, the Apple Technical Lead for Fortissimo (the next release of OS9) writes,
"Fortissimo (the next Mac OS 9.x release, due out later this year) will refuse to load (and automatically deactivate) old versions of ObjectSupportLib, and some other extensions which we have determined are hazardous to a Mac OS 9.x installation."
OS9 users, be sure to get this update. But before you install it, check with Macintouch and make sure that it doesn't cause other problems.

Other OS9 Installs
Apple is now providing drivers not only for Iomega products, but for Imation SuperDisks as well. If you are running 9 and buy one of these products, do not run the accompanying installer unless the device does not work at all. (This could be if you or your Mac tech disabled the drivers.) If you DO install the drivers over what Apple provides, it could prevent the device from working.

FireWire to SCSI
If you have only one SCSI device (Scanner, ALPS printer, old Zip or Jaz, etc.) that you would like to hang onto after upgrading to a new G4 or iMac, Orange Microsystems makes a $99 SCSI adapter that will let you plug your 25-pin SCSI cable into the FireWire port. Although the device does not allow you to chain multiple SCSI devices, you can hot-swap. This means when you are done with your SCSI scanner you can just unplug it and plug in your SCSI zip drive. Don't try that with conventional SCSI plugs! The device costs about the same as a SCSI card for your PCI slot, which iMacs do not have anyway. For that matter, the new G4 cube does not have such slots either. I expect this to be a big seller for Orange Micro.

Keep Your Mac: Ammo
In a recent mailing from the EvangeList, a correspondent asked the readership for factual information he could use to keep his company from dropping Macs for Wintel boxes. This was a creative company! Shows that even the Web community is at risk from ignorant IT departments. Here are the references he posted. Use them if your own company is trying to justify "standardizing on Windows."
Pfeiffer Consulting Report ("Performance and Productivity in Design and Publishing") and the GISTICS ROI Tech Brief. Both of which can be found at Apple's site.

Finally, from the same source, "daniel" writes for educators:
Some general advice and ammo for teachers/educators dealing with ignorant administrators/IT staff. Please visit the Education section of Apple's web site for helpful info. Also, try contacting the Apple Education Rep for your territory. Point out that Apple computers are the easiest to upgrade and best suited for multimedia and content creation. I've heard some administrators say they were considering a switch to Windows because PC are primarily used in business. Schools aren't business schools. Not everyone will go into business (thank goodness). Some will be musicians, filmakers, writers, actors, graphic designers. The Mac is the platform of choice in these areas of creativity. Finally, contact Apple for the TOC Education Technology document.
To increase consideration of Apple products by district-level administrators, IT directors, and school board members, Apple created a very useful document called "Understanding the Total Cost of Ownership of Education Technology." This document summarizes how Apple solutions can provide significant advantages in helping districts get the best value and presents independent research for each of the six TCO areas that reinforces the Apple advantage. The following references--cited in Apple's "Understanding the Total Cost of Ownership of Education Technology"--may prove useful:
  1. "New Teachers & Technology," May 1999, Market Data Retrieval/Education Market Research.
  2. "K-12 School and District Survey," December 1998, Field Research Corp.
  3. "Understanding the Total Cost and Value of Integrating Technology in Schools," October 1997, International Data Corp.
  4. "Taking TCO to the Classroom," June 1999, Consortium of School Networking.
  5. "Best School Software: Most Frequently Used Products by Grade and Subject," October 1999, Education Market Research.
  6. "Getting to Windows 2000 Professional: A Costly Migration," September 1999, Gartner Group Strategic Planning.
  7. "1998 Teacher Survey," 1999, U.S. Department of Education.
  8. "K-12 Technology Purchasing Forecast," 1999-2000, Quality Education Data.
  9. "Connecting K-12 Schools to the Information Superhighway," 1995, McKinsey & Company, Inc.

Summaries of some of the references are shown below: A September 1999 Gartner Group strategic planning report predicts that migrating from Windows-based systems running older Windows operating systems (versions 95, 98, or NT) to Windows 2000 will be a costly proposition, yet will provide little return on investment over the system's useful life cycle. Gartner estimates that this migration will increase PC costs by US$2,000 to US$3,000 per user.
Results of a May 1999 Market Data Retrieval/Education Market Research survey also reports that schools using mostly Macintosh systems are more likely to have their computers connected to a local area network and to have greater access to the Internet than schools using mostly Windows-based PCs.
An October 1997 IDC report states that schools with Macintosh systems also have greater access to advanced multimedia peripherals for content development, and their educators rate Macintosh systems easier platform to upgrade to vital multimedia and Internet applications.
The overall superior ease of use of Macintosh systems greatly reduces support needs and therefore support costs. The October 1997 IDC report states that Mac OS-based computers were rated higher than other personal computers in the ease of installing hardware and software and in the ease and speed of training technical staff. Schools using Macintosh systems reported that their installation costs were 30 to 50 percent lower than those of other schools because they were more likely to use internal staff. The Mac OS-based systems also experienced fewer downtime incidents; when problems did occur, the Macintosh systems could be recovered faster than other personal computers. IDC concludes that the ease of use of the Macintosh platform "increases technical support staff 's efficiency and indirectly lowers TCO."
The December 1998 Field Research Corp. survey reports that schools using mostly Mac OS-based systems are more likely to offer computer training to their teachers than schools with mostly Windows-based computers. That's because Macintosh computers have a much shorter learning curve than other systems.
Not surprisingly, a May 1999 Market Data Retrieval/Education Market Research article says that teachers who have more technology training are apt to feel better prepared to integrate technology into their classroom lessons.
Teachers appreciate what they can do with a Mac after they learn to use one. In an October 1997 IDC study, teachers rated Macintosh higher in the ease of developing curriculum, teaching students, and conducting research on the Internet.
An October 1997 IDC study found that Macintosh systems are used by schools for an average of 5.4 years compared with other personal computers, which are typically replaced after only 4.5 years. Even before they are replaced, Macintosh systems go longer between upgrades. 1997 IDC study reported that schools using mostly Macintosh systems report higher levels of satisfaction than those using mostly other personal computers, and those using only Macintosh systems report the highest overall level of satisfaction.

No Microsoft products were used in the production of this column.

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