Several readers sent notes and pictures of a Slashdot story about
pentium engineers getting fired for a anti-bill statement
on the die design. One reader sent a picture from a electron
microscope. Slashdot.org is said to have the full story but I can't access the site. [A Joke I'm sure - but humorous]
The OS 8.5 page has been updated with the latest feedback on the new OS. The latest update has a very detailed list of comments on various aspects of OS 8.5.
Charles Archer sent another Tip for the S900 page, noting that the ATI VR card had to be moved to the upper slots
for the Video out function to work.
Yesterday I received a copy of Apple Media Arts in the mail (Thanks Apple!). Apple also has a Media Arts web site that mirrors the print version via web pages and downloadable PDF files. The Photographer's Digital Journey article was very interesting. Opening 250MB image files out in the wild on a PB G3. Another interesting article was the Sorry, no beige story of the iMac design. [4:00 PM Update]
Jim Deer reports that the new MacTell Vision 3D Pro II Lite was not compatible with his PowerCenter Pro. I've heard similar comments from other Number Nine
chip based graphics cards in the past (like the Imagine 128).
"
Just thought I'd let you know I got one of the new Mactell Vision 3D Pro II Lite (8mb) cards and it absolutely wouldn't work in my PCC Power Center Pro with Newer Tech's 250/512 CPU. Returned it and the replacement wouldn't work either, although it works just fine in my 8600. Any Power Center Pro owners should know that it probably won't work for them."
I've updated my Inside the PowerCenter Pro article to include this in the
compatibility section. [12:30 PM Update]
I've updated the UMax S900 Tips page with more owner feedback on the
PCI-PCI bridge chip.
VST ZIP Clicking (Again): I just received a VST ZIP drive for the
PB G3 and love it, but the clicking/snapping is driving me nuts. Even switching
between applications causes the drive to click (once - not a series of them). It's almost a snapping type of noise. My first VST ZIP drive for the original PB G3 (sold months ago) was
replaced as I was told clicking noises were not normal. Is this just my bad luck or are all new drives clicking like this? I'm using their latest 2.0 extension that came with the
new drive. With a disk inserted it seems most any file or system operation results in the drive clicking/snapping.
The form for the free game mentioned earlier does not seem to work properly
here on IE 4.0 or Netscape 3.0x.
My VPC 2.0 drag and drop problems were cured by mounting and running the
Extras 2.0 disk image and its associated exe file. Thanks to those that wrote with a note on this.
[12:00 PM Update]
Thad Brown just sent Issue #13 for our Mac Audio Column talking
about USB and Mac Audio, Toast Tricks and more. Check it out.
In case you missed last night's update, I corrected an earlier post
about the new drivers for the TurboTV (now called ixTV).
Version 2.1 of the ixTV software is available at
http://www.ixmicro.com/TurboTVMACos.htm. You will have to request a activation key from IXMicro
for this software. Details are on the download page.
PB G3 Cooling Tip:
"
Hi Mike,
I recently spoke with a really helpful tech support person at Apple who
suggested I turn on processor cycling for AC. I'd never thought of that.
Using Jeremy Kezer's EnergyStrip CSM to do just that, I've enjoyed a much
cooler machine ever since. Processor temp never goes over 200F
(Speedmeter1.1.1) and internal temp stays under 125F consistently. The left
palmrest is quite a bit more comfortable as a result. Still, I have to take
my 56kflex PC Card modem out now and then to cool off. After a while it
gets so hot that the computer can't see it.
Rgds,
Bob Friede
"
Although it costs a bit in performance, the cooler temperatures may be
worth it, especially for earlier models of the PB G3, where the top
palmrest gets very warm after many hours.
Free Game: Carlos Cerna sent a note that you can get a free
game as part of a Cherry Coke promotion at
"
mike
I found this site this morning send your address and they'll mail
you a free cd rom game is some kind of cherry coke promotion. Both
windows/mac cd roms. I figure your readers might be interested
in it.
http://www.cherrycoke.com/alanna/send.html
regards,
Carlos Cern
"
[Update: the Form does not seem to work properly in Netscape 3.x or IE 4.00 here, as it keeps telling me that I've not filled in all the fields in Netscape 3 and IE 4.0 reported javascript errrors and the form didn't work.] If a 17MB file size doesn't bother you, you can also download
the 'Lost Island of Allana' game at: http://www.cherrycoke.com/alanna/download.html. (Netscape d/l status tells me it's 23MB!) They have a page of screen shots
in case you'd like to take a peek before the download.
I've mentioned this in passing from time to time, but it's really starting to
bug me as it makes an otherwise fast system seem very unresponsive. Whenever there is a ZIP or CDrom in the drive there is a very
annoying pause (freeze) for several seconds even when trying to access even
the main hard drive. It's as if the system does not cache the disk directories
of removable drives (the VST ZIP drive actually snaps/clicks each time
this happens). (Why the OS is accessing other disks when I'm not working at the desktop level is my main gripe.) It really takes away from the 'fast' feeling of the
G3 systems, as every file open shows a few files, freezes for a few seconds
(zip/cdrom is accessed) and then the file list continues to be shown. This
happens even when you're accessing a folder within another folder on the
main hard drive (not a root level access). Disk cache size does not seem
to matter, and I've had many reports from readers frustrated with the same
problem. If anyone has a tip on how to minimize this (other than removing
all disks from the drives) please contact me. (Tips or Solutions only please, I'm buried in mail
and I know that many of you see the same problem.)
Descent III Pix: Peter Koplan sent a link to some impressive screenshots of
Descent III at: http://www.descent3.net/screenshots.htm
Applelinks has started a Business Mac column to cover products and industry trends that
are relevant to the enterprise and SOHO community. The first
installment, The SOHO Macintosh User
focuses on how the Mac is evolving into an excellent solution for the small-office and home-office (SOHO) user.
Bravado 1000/G3 Card Feedback: Mike Tyo wrote in response to yesterday's post:
"
Mike:
I've been using the Bravado 1000 for about six months in my
G3-accelerated PowerBase 180. At CPU speeds above 300 mHz, video capture
doesn't work at all, but at 292/292 mHz, capture and playback are OK.
Bear in mind that there is a general problem with the Bravado 1000 card
with computers using the Alchemy board (Performa 6400, PowerBase) -
Video clips captured at rates above 2.5 MB/sec won't play back smoothly,
even playing back from RAM - it seems to be an issue with timing on the
data bus.
--Mike
"
If you've sent mail for support in the last week be patient, I'm working through
a large backlog of support mail. I'm also working on a page listing the
volunteers who offered to help with tech support mail (the Men in Mac group).
Sorry for the delay but I will answer as soon as I can.
Net News:
Recent Site Additions:
Mac Advantage URLs:
If you have links that show comparison scores between the Macs and PCs,
please contact me. TIP: If you need ammunition on the Mac advantage, just go to www.dejanews.com and search on windows and any topic such as video, audio, registry,
IRQs, etc. (or windows and problems). That will usually get many cases of why the Mac is more productive.
For a great list of Advocacy Links - check out Richard Long's Advocacy page.
Make a Difference: Be the Difference
Randy Mita, Brad Lau and I came up with a new slogan and theme for Mac advocacy
- "Make a Difference: Be the Difference". We're asking that
all Mac owners take advantage of every opportunity to let others know the
Mac advantage. It's a grass-roots approach that will surely help. You might save someone from a lifetime of Windows in the bargain.
Coming Soon:
- PowerForce 300/300 Review (Under Test)
- IXMicro Mac Rocket (4MB low-cost graphics card)
- ProDirect PowerRaid Ultra2 SCSI Array/ATTO Ultra2 card
- 3D Column Logo - you pick the winner from reader submissions
- PowerForce G3 ZIF Upgrade (due soon)
Upgrade Options for New and Old Macs: Have a older Mac and looking for an upgrade? Have a 7200 and
want to see what options you have? Check the Other World Upgrade Search Page and MicroMac search page.
Reviews/Articles/Commentary Wanted: Get published here! I'm giving away a Site Logo T-Shirt to anyone that writes a detailed review, tutorial or other article that is published. Join the Elite and get read by thousands of Mac owners. This is a great way to promote your talents or company and get the attention of tens of thousands of readers all over the world. I'm especially looking for content for the new 3D Column (tutorials on Lightwave, Inspire, etc.) or reviews on products I have not covered yet. Please contact me for details prior to submission.
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. If you're curious as to how a G3 CPU card would perform in your Mac, look at the results hundreds of readers have reported in the
G3 CPU Card Survey Results page.
Yesterday's News
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