I'm sure my email inbox is full since I've not checked it since 11 AM, so watch tomorrow's news page for updates. [9:20 PM Update]

Duo Info Received! Thanks to all who wrote with the Duo battery info! WOW - within minutes of posting the news page the mail started pouring in. What a great community of Mac owners! I have all the info I need now except the battery. MacGurus says they might be able to provide one (thanks!).

Our Obsidian Story Speads Like Wildfire: I've gotten a ton of mail on the Quantum 3D Obsidian card post yesterday and it seems now every Mac news and 3d/game site on the net has a petition going. Glad to see I've stirred some interest in the cards by making people aware of their performance and potential - it might result in a Mac version after all.

Don't forget to send mail to Quantum. That's all it takes to cast your vote! [11:20 AM Update]

Finder Memory Hacks: Miriano Ravazzolo wrote with a simpler way of increasing the Finder memory allocation that noted in yesterday's news:

Even easier:

1- open a COPY of the Finder with an utility like File Buddy, which allows to see and change the "type" and "creator".
2- change the type from FNDR to APPL
3- save the change. Now open the "info" window for the modified file in the Finder. You will see that the boxes for "minumum size" and so on are now there !!!!
4- change the size as you like
5- go back with the utility, and make again the "type" to FNDR

That's all !!! (I've used the above from many years, always worked without a glitch...)"

Miriano Ravazzolo

Great tip - another one of those "why didn't I think of that" ideas. [11:00 AM Update]

I just received a Duo 270c (upgraded to a 2300 logic board) that appears to have a dead motherboard battery as the date and time is not retained with the main battery out. I'm hoping the battery is user replaceable (not soldered to the motherboard). Since I have no manual I assume the battery is replaceable by removing the screws on the bottom of the case but any tips on the procedure would be appreciated.

Update: Many readers wrote in with the instructions and even a part number for the battery. Many thanks!

Request a Mac Obsidian 2/Voodoo II! I posted a item in yesterday's news regarding the Quantum 3D Voodoo II cards which are currently only available for the PC, due to a lack of Mac drivers. One mail from a reader indicated that Quantum might consider doing a Mac driver for the card if they had 5000 requests for it. Other mail replies seemed less favorable but there is always a chance. I'm asking that all PCI slot Mac owners that would like to see the most awesome Voodoo card ever made offered for the Mac make their voices heard!

Here is the reply that Quantum 3D sent to Brett Anderson:

" OK ALREADY. Here's the deal. We could do the MAC drivers, but we have chosen not to because

a) we were unsure of the market opportunity.
b) we don't have any expertise in Mac drivers,
c) who's going to recruit the games?

We may reconsider-- but we need your help. If you can get 5,000 Mac users to email obsidian@quantum3d.com requesting an "Obsidian2 MAC Attack", we'll look at doing it..."

If you would like a Voodoo II card for the Mac, possibly even a dual Voodoo II on one card! - Let your voice be heard. I think these cards would not only excel at games, but also with a 2nd monitor and the right drivers, output from the card could be used with 3D applications as well (they do similar drivers for the PC for use with 3D Studio Max). If you'd like to see their line of cards be made available for the Mac please send a polite request to: obsidian@quantum3d.com.

Let's not give up - the worst thing we can do is nothing. Letting vendors know the Mac market is alive can only be a benefit.

Quantum 3D is currently the only manufacturer making a dual Voodoo II chipset on one card, allowing scan line interlacing for incredible performance using only one PCI slot. They offer a broad line of 3Dfx based cards, visit http://www.quantum3d.com for a complete list. Tell them you saw this at Accelerate Your Mac! and that Mac owners are ready to buy! (I am!).

The other hope I have is that possibly Village Tronic will also release a Voodoo II card - I think they have the expertise in hardware and software to pull it off. They put 3Dfx Voodoo video in a window on a 2D screen, something no other company has done. Send Village Tronic mail that you'd like a Voodoo II card for the Mac.

I may get flamed for this, but I refuse to just stand around and do nothing.

Thanks to Robert Aldridge for helping me out with new page layouts, the new troubleshooting page and a redesign of the G3-Zone. His help is much appreciated.

I'd also like to thank the readers that send site anniversary cards and gifts (special thanks to Brian Clark and John Chilese). I'm very flattered and rest assured they will adorn my computer room for years to come.

ByteMark Errors/Crashes: As reported here previously, I've had problems with errors running the benchmark on specific CPU cards and even the stock PowerTower Pro 180 in OS 8.1. Jon Simon was one of several readers who wrote that the OS 8.1 base extensions worked when other combinations (even no extensions) failed:

" DR/3 crashed on me with extensions and with extensions off, but it worked fine with the Mac OS base extensions. I ran the shortened test, not the full one. [see the readme file for the commands to run the shortened test.-Mike]

Thanks, and love the site!
Jon Simon"

Recent updates to ResExcellence include: how to have multiple NotePads, add Command Keys to the Finder under System 7, and allocate more memory to the Finder in MacOS 8.

ResExcellence: http://www.ntsource.com/~coyle/index.shtml

SAM 4.5/Office 98 Tip: The latest Evangelist has a message saying that SAM 4.5 owners who plan on installing MS Office 98 will have to get a patch to SAM 4.5.x. Otherwise error messages after the install say that MS Office 98 is incompatible with SAM.

To see a Quicktime movie of the now infamous Win98 crash, check out:

The movie is about 1MB in size.

Status Update: I'm still waiting on Ram and a CPU Card for "Elvis" (the Genesis), hopefully due early next week. I also hope to complete the ATI 3D/VR/Mactell Vision 3D card review this weekend, but tech support mail has really been heavy lately. I hope the Troubleshooting page suggestions are followed as it really hurts my ability to do reviews when I'm spending so many hours providing tech support every day.

I have been told by many readers to consider what's best for thousands of readers (site features/reviews/articles) vs. providing immediate techical support service to several hundred. I hate those types of compromises but I may have no other choice.

Poll Continues: I think we all agree that Apple rarely seems to get a fair shake in the press, with reporters often expressing opinions disguised as facts. Since these articles can have a wide ranging impact, I'd like to know if you feel the credentials of the reporter should be disclosed.

I've added a Poll to the latest Devil's Advocate article that discusses the problem of a one sided anti-Apple press whose opinions are often taken as factual. Read the article and vote on the issue.

General News from the Net:

• The 7 Wonders of the Web
• Cnet's Surf Express review
• Netscape to offer free email
• IBM and Intel Join forces on network computers
• Local/Online game privacy issues
• CyberCrime Prevention Kit
• Tomb Raider II Demo (for VPC/RealPC fans)
• ZD/NET's best of Comdex

Need Help? Before you send email for tech support, please check the Troubleshooting page or try searching the site (use quotes for exact matches! i.e. "mach 5" vs mach 5 which will match machine, 5, etc.) and to check the FAQ, Performance Basics, Links, and Forums for solutions to your problems or answers to tech support questions. They have a lot of good info and are a great source of help.

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