Subject: Info-Mac Digest V17 #189 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="Info-Mac-Digest" --Info-Mac-Digest Info-Mac Digest Thu, 30 Nov 00 Volume 17 : Issue 189 Today's Topics: 15" flat screen displays [*] Orbit 1.2.9 [*] PandoCalendar (68K) 5.5.6 - Customizable desktop calendar for your Mac. [*] publishing symbol font [*] Sherlock Plugins 2.0 [*] Sound Warehouse v1.0.1 [*] TechTracker Pro Desktop 1.0 - Software Update Monitoring Client [Q] Stylewriter problem Digital line kills analog modem? G4 freezes: maybe it's Adaptec 2906 SCSI card? Q: How to use disks with bad clusters? Treating Folders As Volumes Wireless Ethernet Again The Info-Mac Network is a volunteer organization that publishes the Info-Mac Digest and operates the Info-Mac Archive, a large network of FTP sites containing gigabytes of freely distributable Macintosh software. 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Info-Mac volunteers include Adam C. Engst, Demitri Muna, Hugh Lewis, Tom Coradeschi, Shawn Bunn, Christopher Li, Patrik Montgomery, Ed Chambers, and Chris Pepper. America Online donated the main Info-Mac machine . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --Info-Mac-Digest Content-Type: multipart/digest; boundary="----------------------------" Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="Info-Mac Digest V17 #189" ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 21:48:55 -0800 From: su4u To: digest@info-mac.org Subject: 15" flat screen displays To whom this may concern. I bought two 15" flat screen displays, hoping to connect both to my new G4 dual processor. No can do, Apple only have one ADC graphics card per machine, you can to date not buy another ATI Radeon 'ADC display enhanced' card separately and plug it into a free PCI slot, and connect a second 15" flat screen display. I would really appreciate some feedback on this if at all possible. Thank you Nicholas sun4u@pacbell.net ------------------------------ Date: 30 Nov 2000 From: "Aaron Golden" To: Subject: [*] Orbit 1.2.9 Orbit is a program that shows the effects of gravity on bodies in space. The program is fully documented, comes with several example solar systems, is free and open source. Version 1.2.8 is a leap ahead in all aspects of the program. It is now possible to save and open files from the program (without using the finder). The program runs much, much faster, and the blinking of the animation has been eliminated. It is now possible to make a planet stationary. It won't move no matter what. You can get some cool effects with this. As always, I added in a couple more systems for you to check out. Version 1.2.9 has cooler graphics, is faster, and fixes the bugs that made the tracking option get messed up sometimes. It also includes preferences. The new options are: Show about window on startup Show open dialog on startup Use a black background Draw a grid (The new version hasn't really been tested very much yet, but hey, that's why I give you guys the source.) Known bugs: The program doesn't seem to work on all system 7 computers. I'm bumping the system requirements to 7.5 until I figure out what the problem is. Anyone using 1.2.7 should update immediately! Version 1.2.9 is absurdly better. Actually, everyone should update. It's only 130K, sheesh ;). Author: Aaron Golden System Requirements: MacOS 7.5 and up License: Absolutely Free + Open Source :) [Archived as /info-mac/sci/orbit-129.hqx; 128 K] ------------------------------ Date: 30 Nov 2000 From: Panda Systems To: Subject: [*] PandoCalendar (68K) 5.5.6 - Customizable desktop calendar for your Mac. PandoCalendar is a useful Mac-only program places a fully functional calendar on your desktop. The look is completely customizable. You can change the calendar font and its size, and the calendar's background color; you can center the current week (so you are always able to look back and ahead a full month at a time), display the numerical number of the weeks of the year, display the calendar with European style weeks (Monday being the first day and Sunday being the last), assign notes to any day of the year by clicking on the day in the calendar, and set alarms to remind you of time sensitive events. You can also have PandoCalendar automatically plot the days you work. Great for people who don't have a Monday-Friday work schedule! Version 5.5.6 - Fixed a bug that could cause the Add button of a Pattern Recurring Note to not display on some systems. Changed the Search Daily Information to display any errors that occur, instead of just acting like no notes were found. Panda Systems [Archived as /info-mac/app/time/pando-calendar-556-68k.hqx; 845 K] ------------------------------ Date: 30 Nov 2000 From: Jon Cotton To: Subject: [*] publishing symbol font After being repeatedly frustrated by the bizarre unavailability of a font containing the 'p in a circle' symbol (similar to the standard ¨ copyright symbol) on the Mac platform, I decided to stop whinging about it and just get on and create one. So for the good of the community, myself (and maybe to the detriment of my liver - see below) I originally thought this was a publishing symbol but since making the font available I have been reliably informed that it usually covers the copyright of a performance on a record - so it stands for something like 'performance copyright ' or 'phonorecording' depending on who you ask (any music-making lawyers want to confirm this?) There are two files because one is a postscript font (type 1) and the others are bitmap fonts for screen display. But you don't really need to think about all that...:-) To use: Drop both files onto your system folder (any version from 7.x onwards) and the finder will stick them where they go. Restart your DTP app or whatever and you're away. These fonts are 'buy-Jon-a-drink'-ware. If you find them useful and they save you a few hair folicles, then please send ú5 (or however much will buy a nice bottle of wine in your currency) to: Jon Cotton Artisan Audio PO Box 9160 Birmingham B13 8FE England, UK Any problems let me know and I'll try and fix them. Happy (p)ing Jon Cotton jon.sunflower@cableinet.co.uk [Archived as /info-mac/font/publishing-symbol-font.hqx; 91 K] ------------------------------ Date: 30 Nov 2000 From: Lars Bell To: Subject: [*] Sherlock Plugins 2.0 Sherlock Plugins 2.0 includes many new plugins in new channels. It also has an improved installer. [Archived as /info-mac/cfg/sherlock-plugins-20.hqx; 492 K] ------------------------------ Date: 30 Nov 2000 From: Takashi Suzuki To: Subject: [*] Sound Warehouse v1.0.1 Sound Warehouse is an application for the Macintosh which allows you to play & manage sound files. (MP3, AIFF, AIFC, WAVE, AU, Sound DesignerII and MIDI files supported) Player window holds one sound file, and displays it's time code, spectrum and level meters. Playlist window can have up to 2,147,483,647 sound files to be played back sequentially, or random order. Database window can have up to 2,147,483,647 sound files with sort & find capability. What's changed : - Sometimes "*** Info..." item string in pop-up menu for Player Window was incorrect -> fixed. Features : - Power Application. - QuickTime support. - Macintosh Drag and Drop support. - Navigation Services support. This application requires : - Macintosh with PowerPC (G3, G4 recommended) - System8.5 + QuickTime 4 (QuickTime 5 recommended) -- T.Suzuki [Archived as /info-mac/gst/sound-warehouse-101.hqx; 390 K] ------------------------------ Date: 30 Nov 2000 From: Kurt Christensen To: Subject: [*] TechTracker Pro Desktop 1.0 - Software Update Monitoring Client Introducing TechTracker Pro, the latest way to keep your software up-to-date and your computer systems running smoothly. Now you can personalize VersionTracker.com's software support information and create tracking lists for the software that you care about. On the Web or on your desktop, TechTracker Pro lets you track customized software lists for up to three machines. The service is two distinct pieces that work together: the VersionTracker.com Pro Tab and TechTracker Pro desktop client. Each piece can work independently but their true potential is revealed when they are used in conjunction. The Desktop Client will be able to check for out of date applications, extensions, and control panels. It can keep track of applications on up to three machines and, you will receive proactive notification when any of the applications you have installed on your machine are out of date.You can, from the VersionTracker Pro tab, track the status of all three machines in a single place. Additionally, you can track applications you are interested in that are not installed on your computers by adding them to your list manually (this can be done via the Pro tab). Requires Mac OS 8.5 or higher VersionTracker http://www.versiontracker.com/moreinfo.fcgi?id=9422 [Archived as /info-mac/app/pro-desktop-10.hqx; 820 K] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 09:11:21 +0100 (BST) From: chris.titterington@amsjv.com To: digest@info-mac.org Subject: [Q] Stylewriter problem I have on original stylewriter that has just given up the ghost. I know its only worth $10 but bear with me, it is of sentimental value. I have just replaced the ink cartridge, and it worked. After a few pages, and a few power up/ power down cycles, this week it stopped working. Symptoms: Printing from the mac (Q610, 8/230, System 7.1) gives a spurious out of paper error, which when cancelled is replaced by an error that I have never seen before - 'paper too small, either change paper or adjust paper size in page set up'. Neither of these suggested solutions works. Printing test page on printer: As it says in the book - power down, power up holding form feed, release power and ff keys together, ... and I get a continuous printout of graph paper instead of the test page. Apple TIL has no reference (that I can find) to any similar problem, and gives no indication if I can reset the (P?)ROM on the printer like you can with the later stylewriters Has anyone seen these symptoms before, and/or got a suggested fix? TIA - Chris. T. ---- Chris. T. chris.titterington@amsjv.com Phone: 023 9270 1770 Fax: 023 9270 1800 Mobile: 07801 716493 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 09:27:45 +0100 From: Paolo Bartoli To: Joe Holly , digest@info-mac.org Subject: Digital line kills analog modem? At 5:27 -0800 29-11-2000, Joe Holly wrote: >Greetings list, >My G4 Mac came with an external Global Village analog modem and the >manual states that it should not be used on a digital line, the >possible result being damage to the modem and even the Mac. > >Well, I have a digital line and the modem I used with my old PowerMac >8600 worked just fine. I am using the new setup with an analog line, >but getting very slow connections. Anyone out there with any >experience on this situation who can offer some sound advice. > >Best wishes, > >Joe Holly Is your a 56K modem ? are you connecting thru your office with a centralized telephone system? If that's the case, I'm experiencing the same problem. The modem is supposed to download at 56k and upload at 33.6 K, but because of the centralized telephone system, you can't get the maximum speed (download at 56k). The only way I know it works is to have a direct telephone line (ie no centralized telephone system). Hope this helps. -- ** Arch. Paolo Bartoli / pbartoli@iname.com / bpxmb@tin.it ** ** webstrip @ http://space.tin.it/arte/bpxba/ ** ** ecodesign @ http://space.tin.it/arte/bpxba/eco/index.html ** ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 09:27:45 +0100 From: Paolo Bartoli To: digest@info-mac.org Subject: G4 freezes: maybe it's Adaptec 2906 SCSI card? I'm having trouble with the Mac G4. The computer suddenly freezes with no (apparent) reason, no error window, no relation to a particular application. It happens time by time, without a specific time interval. It may work fine for the whole day of just freeze twice, ten, twenty times a day. I tried to exclude the extensions one by one and I think I've found the problem. I have an Adaptec 2906 SCSI card installed (with the latest driver, rel.1.2) to link some SCSI hardware. I noticed that whenever the Adaptec 2906 SCSI card extension is loaded, the Mac gets instable and is susceptible to freezes. I looked for the problem in MacFix and other resources websites, but found nothing about it. Looked on Adaptec site and found no newer driver for the SCSI card, and no mention of such a problem. Has anyone of you an idea of what's happening? One more question: I read that SCSI devices should _always_ be swithed on. What happens if I keep 'em off? I've been working for years with Macs and SCSI devices and kept them on and off at will. Was I wrong?? Anyway the problem (the Mac freezes) happens in both cases, with the SCSI devices on and off. Macintosh G4/350 AGP, 128mb ram+128 vm, MacOS 8.6, Adaptec SCSI card 2906 with latest driver rel.1.2 -- ** Arch. Paolo Bartoli / pbartoli@iname.com / bpxmb@tin.it ** ** webstrip @ http://space.tin.it/arte/bpxba/ ** ** ecodesign @ http://space.tin.it/arte/bpxba/eco/index.html ** ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 08:46:36 -0800 From: drteknik@earthlink.net (DV) To: digest@info-mac.org, m.winter@auckland.ac.nz Subject: Q: How to use disks with bad clusters? In article <8vugao$jsu$1@traf.lcs.mit.edu> (Q: How to use disks with bad clusters?), Dr. Markus Winter wrote: > I bought an Orb drive with 4 disks and unfortunately two of them have bad > clusters. I reformatted the disks and expected the clusters to be marked and > not being used, but upon copying files onto the disk the process ran into > the clusters. I reformatted again and again using different tools (MacOS, > Orb Tools, HardDisk Utilities) but without luck. I'm reluctant to throw the > two disks away, but I'm even more reluctant to use them. Does anyone know > how to deal with disks that have bad clusters? I have found a few disks (EZ 135) that have so many bad clusters, the formatting utility refuses to reformat the darn things. However, it does install the drivers OK, so here is what I did: 1. Update Drivers (and restart, or whatever the manual says to, to get the drivers in use) 2. Test the drive's blocks, noting carefully the block number(s) it pauses or hangs on (that'll be the start of a bad cluster) You may have to force quit the formatter to get it to where you can restart the machine for the next step. 3. Figure out the percent of the total block numbers on the disk the bad cluster appears at. (At the 100,000 block on a 250,000 block disk, it would be at about the 40% mark) 4. Figure out the maximum partition size that will just take up enough space to be right under the bad blocks (in this case, it should be around 35-39%) 5. Figure out how much disk space the bad blocks take up, and figure the partition size for that (Let's say 2% of the total disk space) 6. Create three partitions, the first (in this example) of 35% of total disk space, the second partition of 2%, and the remaining, third partition of the rest of the disk (63%) 7. Make the first and last partition automounting, and leave the second partition not mounted (or read-only). I have done this successfully on a couple of my EZ 135 disks, with some wastage of space, because I cannot find any new replacements, Syquest having gone out of business, and iOmega refusing to manufacture any more new EZ 135 disks... Hope this helps... -- DV DrTekNik@aol.com drteknik@earthlink.net ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 16:38:12 -0800 From: jonrelay@napanet.net (Jon Bettencourt) To: digest@info-mac.org Subject: Treating Folders As Volumes I'm looking for a program to make a folder appear as a volume on the Mac desktop, like a PC's SUBST command. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 10:34:48 -0500 From: "Michael G. Schabert" To: SteveCraft Subject: Wireless Ethernet Again >Thanks for the thoughts from all you InfoMac guys on wireless >ethernetting. The problem with all of the solutions offered is the fact >that they require a PCI slot or a PCMCIA slot or USB. I am trying to >connect a MacTV, which doesn't have any of those. > >But what I do have is >an Asante SCSI-to-ethernet adapter. With it, I can connect the MacTV to >my hub and it can share files,etc with all of the other networked systems >(6, either Windoze or Linux) on my LAN. > >Now the MacTV is going to another room where stringing 150' of cat5 cable >is not feasible. I am hoping that there is some kind of "RF adapter" out >there that I can plug into the 10baseT port on the MacTV and also on the >10baseT port on the hub and the MacTV will be back on the network. This >seems reasonable (to me), but for some reason there are no hardware >manufacturers that make anything like this. You can accomplish what you wish by putting an Airport Base station in with the MacTV, but really the base station is worth more than the MacTV itself currently, so it's up to you whether you wish to spend that much to use an old slow computer remotely. So you'd need a base station at the MacTV end and at least a card at the other end (Either WaveLAN or Airport...they're compatible with each other). > Does everyone in the world >just string spaghetti all over the place to keep connected to a network? Actually, everybody in the world networks their building, so that they don't have to string spaghetti all over the place ;-) HTH Mike -------------------------------- --Info-Mac-Digest-- End of Info-Mac Digest ******************************