Barney Buoy sent a long list of additions to the other net news/software updates section. Included was a note on MCE's Media Bay CDRW Modules for the PowerBook G3 Series. I wonder if these are the same ones shown on the MW Toyko 2000 pictures (see the Taxan Lombard/Wallstreet models down the page).

IBM MicroDrive/Pismo Report: In reply to my post in Monday's news regarding the new Casio QV-3000EX 3 megapixel camera with IBM 340MB microdrive, Serge Smirnoff replied the drive works with IBM's PCcard adapter in his Pismo. The QV-3000EX lists for $999 with the IBM Microdrive ($799 without) and also features a USB port. [Note: according to this QV-3000EX review, Casio does not include the Microdrive PCCard adapter and I don't know if a standard CompactFlash adapter would work.] According to Casio, Macintosh software is included (the Windows bundle includes panarama software that's PC only). The 340MB Microdrive with PCcard adapter lists for $455 according to IBM's site.

For more info see IBM's Microdrive product page. Checking their Microdrive compatibility page currently lists the following Apple notebooks:

• G3-400, Mac OS 8.6 (Lombard)
• PowerBook 3400c, Mac OS 8
• PowerBook G3 Mac, OS 8.5.1

Based on Serge's report, you can add the Pismo (Powerbook Firewire) to the list.

More on Fanless Rage128 Pro Cards: Although they are rare according to reader feedback, this G4 owner reports his 2nd Rage128 Pro AGP card is fanless:

"Hi Mike,
Had my 2nd ATi Rage Pro AGP card replaced in my G4 today and it is "fanless". The first card that came with the BTO G4 was rev.1 with the larger fan and had a grinding noisy bearing at times. Apple replaced it with a new ATi Rage Pro AGP card two weeks ago and it was a rev.2 card with a smaller fan and a silver looking heat sink under the fan. It was very noisy and would accelerate/speed up at times and you could hear it in the next room; 12 ft away or so. It was, to say the least, very irritating.

The on site tech came today with the 2nd ATi Rage Pro AGP replacement card and as I said it is fanless. It has a much larger black heat sink on it so we'll see how it goes with this one. Noise should, obviously, be a non-factor. As long as the larger heat sink dissipates the heat properly all should be well. I am amazed that ATi has had to build, a minimum, of three revisions/versions of this card to get it right. Does this say something about ATi?
[In defense of ATi, the Rage128 Pro w/fan here is not noisy. However it could be the supplier of the fans had some variation in quality, or perhaps there were several suppliers of the fan.-Mike]

My experience with Apple's service and support for my G4 hardware problem has been nothing short of exemplary. I am happy to be able to give Apple accolades on their treatment of this issue. I hope that all Apple consumers, if service is needed, have such a positive experience.
Two thumbs up Apple!
Neil"

In February I ordered the Rage128 Pro AGP upgrade ($99) for my rev 1 G4/AGP and as noted in my Rage128 Pro vs Rage128 comparison, I didn't find the fan noisy with this particular sample.

I've updated the earlier post on the Retrospect driver update for Yamaha 8424 CDR support with a note from Dantz that the latest firmware update is required.

Q&A with 3dfx/Gigapixel on Notebook Chip Possibilities: I sent a series of Questions to 3dfx/Gigapixel and received the following answers:

• Are there any definite plans for a notebook 3d graphics chip?

  "We are not announcing future product plans at this time. We can tell you that the architecture, low-power and low cost make the forthcoming solution attractive to a multitude of OEMs for use in PC and laptop products."

• If so, what would be an estimate of when it would be available to OEM's?

  "Expect to see new products resulting from the combined technologies in about 12-18 months."

• If you do have a portable chip in mind, what do you realistically estimate the performance would be compared to the ATI Rage128 Mobility?

  "Ahahahahahhahahaha --- they will be left in the dust. It will be beyond anything anyone has seen in a portable device."

• There has only been one PCMCIA based video card that I'm aware of - the IXmicro Road Rocket (company is now RIP). It was a large card, running a PCI based graphics chip with large heatsink and used an external monitor. Poor performance and Mac only drivers didn't help sales, but it was an interesting concept. (Despite the name, the IX3D even in PCI form had very poor 3D). With Gigapixel's technology - would it be practical to offer a cardbus based accelerator? Or would the limits of cardbus be too great to overcome? (Even 640x480, 16bit gaming would be welcome to many owners of ATI RageLT or lesser chips, which is about 80+% of all notebook owners PC and Mac alike).

  "There were two problems with the IX3D solution as outlined by your question. The Gigapixel technology addresses both power and memory constraints. However, in the not too distant future, we will start to see titles which will have high enough geometry complexity that Cardbus could become a bottleneck."

I've created a new page to accumulate the 3dfx/Gigapixel information (including this Q&A and yesterday's postings) linked on the video topics page for future reference.

Dantz Retrospect Driver Update for Yamaha CRW8424 CDR: Friday's news here had a post that noted a reader's Retrospect driver update hack solved his compatibility issue with 8X Yamaha CDRs. Today I just received a mail that indicates Dantz is sending an update via email to 'officially' support the drive:

"Mike
In case you didn't already know ablout this one....

'Dear Dantz Customer,
Our records show that you contacted our Technical Support Department recently to inquire about Retrospect support for the Yamaha CRW8424 CD-RW drive on the Macintosh. We are pleased to report that with the attached pre-release driver update Retrospect now supports this drive. This is a modified version of the Retrospect Driver Update 1.9 (still called version 1.9, with a modification date of 03/27/00) with support for the Yamaha CRW8424 added.'

Lawrence Mayer "

It would be interesting to see if the Reader hack is identical to the 'official' release. The reader hack has been added to the Yamaha 8424 Owner Feedback page. [Update:] Dantz sent a reminder that the latest 1.0j firmware for the drive is also required:

"Officially, it is EXTREMELY important that the users of the Yamaha 8424 CD-RW drive have 1.0j firmware or later. If they don't, they could potentially see the serious problems we found that stopped us from supporting the drive sooner.

That was part of the e-mail to the same customers. To determine this, see the note from the e-mail below:

From the Retrospect Directory click Configure, then Devices. Click Device Status. In the Device Status window look for the line starting with "Yamaha," and scan across to the Version column. If the version in this column is less than 1.0j, please download the firmware flasher for your drive from the following page:
www.yamaha.co.jp/english/product/computer/fw_not4.html"

Apple System Profiler's devices tab may also report the drive's firmware version.

$289.95 Price on Toshiba's DVD/CDRW Combo Drive: You may want to wait for a reader's report on the drive in Macs before buying (Tim Thome says his drive is due by the weekend), but Andrzej Michon sent a note that the Toshiba DVD/CDRW drive noted in yesterday's news is available online for as low as $289.95 (plus shipping). I'm hoping Tim can have a review/report this weekend on how the drive works in a Mac. Unless you buy retail from a store with a good return policy, it may be best to wait for the report due to problems/restocking fees with returns from many online sources.

More VPN Feedback: The latest reader feedback in the VPNs thread started in yesterday's news.

"Hi Mike,
I just wanted to add my two cents about VPN products. We're currently using (trying to, anyway) the InfoExpress VPN with a Linux server and a 50/50 mix of Mac and PC clients.

The pc client works well and has few, if any problems. The Mac client, however, is extremely unstable under nearly all conditions I have used it (http, ASIP, TB2, OS 8.5-9.0 on G3). It has not been revved since sometime in 1998.

I have been in contact with InfoExpress support about fixes since last October, and they have basically given up because their lone Mac developer cannot reproduce the problem. Never mind that I crashed their software 3 times within 15 minutes while I was on the phone with tech support... I also spent a couple days trying multiple configurations of OS, TB2, and client software versions to locate a stable combination, but was unable to do so.

Anyway, InfoExpress has offered to refund our money because they can't resolve our problems. This is very nice of them, but it seems like a cop-out unless they're dropping Mac support entirely. They claim to have other customers using their Mac client successfully, but our firsthand experiences with their buggy software and slow response time prove otherwise.

I cannot recommend their Mac client unless they make some drastic improvements to their software in the very near future.

We will be evaluating VPN replacement products shortly, so I'm watching this thread with great interest. We're specifically looking for a software-only client to put in up to a couple dozen remote locations (lots of DSL and cable up here!).
Thanks,
Dale LaFountain
Vice President of Information Technology, WebMaster
Dark Horse Comics, Inc. "

"Hi Mike
I do a lot of telecommute work and have used CheckPoint's non-Mac VPN for two different companies. Your readers might like to see how I dealt with it at http://www.ivsoftware.com/IV_G3WS.html.
Best regards,
Mike Schienle
Interactive Visuals, Inc. "

"The info on your site regarding the pricing of tunnel builder is incorrect. [A reader commented it was $300 in yesterday's news-Mike] According to their web site it costs 99.00. It also supports appletalk if your server supports it. We have been using it since october and I cannot recommend it more.
thanks
chris moscardini"

I've added yesterday's VPN Info to the Networking section of the Frequently Asked Questions.

OS 9.04 & L2G3 Upgrades: A reader wrote that OS 9.04 enables the backside cache on the Newer Tech L2G3 CPU upgrade in his StarMax 5000 without any cache control software:

"Well I managed to get a copy of 9.0.4 and have found something interesting. I have a starmax 5000 with a newer tech L2 cache G3 upgrade. The curious thing is that with 9.0.4 Apple system profiler recognizes my backside cache where previous systems did not. And to add to the mix I do not have to use my extention that enables my backside cache to make it work either. 9.0.4 activates it all on its own. Just thought I'd pass this info along.
Dave "

Thanks to a friend, I installed OS 9.04 on the review Pismo G3/500. It seems to have solved the issue of startup errors if a USB device was connected. OS 9.04 did not enable the cache on a G4 ZIF upgrade in my Beige G3 however. The update was rumored to be publicly available on Monday, but no sign of it yet. (Often I can't connect via Software Updates due to traffic on the servers I assume).

Glen Speckert wrote that there's a review of Adobe's Livemotion at webtools.com

Aladdin Systems sent a note that their StuffIt Deluxe 5.5 $29.95 offer ($50.00 off the normal price) expires on March 31st.

The Owner's CPU Upgrade Ratings, Mac Game Reviews, and Mac Game FPS databases were updated this morning with new reader entries.

Other Net News:

• 800MHz Macs on the way - but no hardware at WWDC (MacUser UK)
• Adobe Stikes Strategic E-Commerce Partnership with Metastream
• New Tomb Raider title coming to Mac (MacUser UK)
• Hitachi's antitrust case against Rambus (the register)
• New VST Firewire/USB drive LI>All-in-one SCSI RAID Arrays debut
• Less Choice in Voice? Top speech technology vendors merge as Lernout & Hauspie buys Dragon. (PCworld)
• Free DSL Set to Roll This Year (ZD/Net)
• Macromedia Offers Peek at Flash 5 (PCworld)
• BEOS 5 Ships in Personal, Pro Editions [I can't access the Be site to see what the status of Mac versions are] (PCworld)
• Apple's Darwin Evolves (wired)

  Software:

• Webstar Updates (Server Suite)
• Adobe Framemaker 6.0
• QuickCode Pro 4.0b10 (assistant editor for 4th Dimension). A full working beta version, limited to 30 days of use.
• VSE Link-Tester

The recent features page also lists articles posted (most recent first) as does the sidebar links here. The site topics pages (systems, cpu upgrades, etc. - see top and sidebar links on this page) also are places to check as well as the FAQ.

Tuesday's News Summary

• 3dfx/Gigapixel Conference Call Tidbits
• 3Dfx's Bryan Speece Comments on GigaPixel Benefits
• Kenwood TrueX 72x CDrom Beta Mac Firmware Tests
• Source for IX3D and IXTV Drivers
• Mac VPN Feedback (Updated Twice)
• Toshiba's DVD/CDRW Combo Drive
• Another IE 5/Suitcase 8.2 Tip
• Reader Request: Virtual Private Networks and Macs
• More GaugePro/UMA Motherboard Comments
• More Yamaha 8424 SCSI CDR Feedback
• 128MB FPM/EDO Dimm Feedback
• Blue Planet Drive Jumper Info Site
• More IE 5.0 Feedback
• Mac TrueX CDrom Drive Firmware
• 3dfx To Acquire GigaPixel
• The Owner's CPU Upgrade Ratings and Mac Game FPS databases were updated late last night with new reader entries and my Pismo G3/500 review game performance results.
• Other Net news

Monday's News Summary

• 3dfx To Acquire GigaPixel
• Aurora Video Systems releases Component, SDI, and Uncompressed Options for Igniter
• IE 5.0/Suitcase 8.2 Tip
• Beige G3/IE 5 audio popping report
• OWC SDRAM prices rise a bit
• Mac ROM TrueX 72X Drives Coming Soon
• More Comments on PowerBook Ext. HD/Exp. Bay Kits
• More info on Pismo/GaugePro Performance Variations
• Ratoc Ultra-Wide PCMCIA SCSI Cards
• More Yamaha 8X SCSI CDR Feedback
• More Gadget 'Faster' Speedup Util Feedback
• OT: 3 MegaPixel Camera with IBM 340MB MicroDrive
• Latest PNY 80Min CDR reports
• The Owner's CPU Upgrade Ratings and Mac Game FPS databases were updated late last night with new reader entries and my Pismo G3/500 review game performance results.
• Other Net news/Software Updates

Weekend's News Summary

• IE 5.0/OE 5.02 Released
• PB Expansion Bay HD Kits (w/o Drive)
• Feedback on 'Faster' Util
• Toast 4.02 Update Install Tips
• Recycle PowerBook HDs Externally
• More Peltier Tech Info
• More MP3/Mac Info
• More on Club-Mac Firewire/IDE Case Price Matching
• G4 Upgrade/6 PCI Slot Mac PCI SCSI Card Tip
• Gadget's Faster Speedup Util
• Bottom Line's current weekly specials
• The Owner's CPU Upgrade Ratings, Mac Game Reviews, and Mac Game FPS databases were updated late last night with new reader entries.
• Other Net news/TILs/Software Updates

For links to older news pages see the Archives page.

The recent features page has a lists reviews/articles you may have missed.

For a guide to finding answers to questions - see my Site Guide page.

Considering a CPU Upgrade? Search the CPU Upgrade Owner's Survey results and search for owner reports by Mac model and/or card brand. The current database has more than 3,300+ reports and growing.