Check out today's Software Updates/WWDC/Hardware/Other Net News links from Barney Bouy. Dozens of interesting articles, including one disappointing story regarding Game Sprockets' future in OS X.

Sony 10X Firewire CDR/S900 Test Results: I just finished testing the Sony 10X/4X/32X Firewire CDRW with my S900 using a WD Firewire PCI card. Toast 4.1 recognized the Sony drive fine and a 600MB CDR burn at 10X completed without errors. I used a 64MB RAM cache size in Toast just as a precaution, but I doubt that large a cache is really needed. Here's the system details:

• Umax S900 w/XLR8 G3/266 CPU card (running 300/200)
• Imation (Plextor) 8x20 SCSI CDR Drive (used as CD drive)
• 3dfx Voodoo3 3000 PCI Card (slot 1, using B11 drivers)
• Acard ATA/66 IDE card (slot 2)
• Maxtor 27GB IDE drive (using Softraid 2.2.1 drivers)
• Western Digital Firewire PCI Card (slot 5)
• XLR8 USB PCI Card (slot 6)
• OS 9.04
• Apple Firewire 2.3.3 drivers (not using Western Digital's)
• Apple USB Card Support v1.4.1 (for USB card)

Toast 4.02 would not recognize the Sony Firewire drive (only the Imation), but applying the Toast Deluxe 4.1 update with it's firewire support extension worked fine. The CD I created included a system folder and booted fine in the S900. Overall I'm very pleased with the Sony Firewire CDRW drive, bought from a local Circuit City this weekend for $399.99.

Proformance 3 Firmware Update: Edmond Lai sent word that there's a 2.2.6 [corrected] flash ROM update for the Proformance 3 graphics card at www.formac.com/new/products/graphic/graphic_index.html.

IE 5 Security Issues: News.com has a story titled IE browser glitch returns for second time which notes IE 5.0 has a java-based security hole that first appeared in 1997. The bug can expose private files and in some circumstances, allow unauthorized access to sites on a company's intranet the article says.

Reminder on TomeViewer: For those that are trying to install the Multimedia Update on an unsupported Mac model, Tomeviewer can extract the files from the installer.

First Reports of New IBM 75GXP IDE Drive Performance: One of today's new entries in the Drive Compatibility Database is from an owner of the new high-performance/high-density IBM 75GXP IDE drives. Here's a clip from his database entry:

" Peter Hardie
Deskstar 75GXP 307030 30GB (IDE)
Apple drivers
Apple G4/AGP System

Quick format & Finder copy of the Startup disk worked fine (after restarting from CD & Norton repair - should have checked it or rebuilt desktop first). Quieter than the stock 10 GB Quantum (22MB/s). Good speed bump (36MB/s sustained read & write - but less from the 2nd & 3rd partitions) Previous 34GXP 20GB gave 23MB/s. Atto Benchmarks varied between 3 partitions - best on the first. Made in Thailand - about US$265 here in NZ"

The first partition is always the fastest, as it's on the outer tracks. Peter also sent an ATTO Tools benchmark graph that I'll be posting later. I was sure these new IBM models would be the fastest drives ever, even faster than the Maxtor Plus40 drive I reviewed. As soon as I can find one for sale here in the USA I'll be getting one to test.

Ricoh 10X CDRWs: 10X Rewritable CDRWs sounds great, but according to this PC World article the new discs may not be compatible with previous drives. The Ricoh 10X CDRW drives are expected to be available in June at about $400 the article said. 10X CDRW discs are expected to sell for about $4 each, much higher than the current 4X rated versions. Yamaha recently announced an 8X CDRW drive, which is due to appear at retail later this month.

Que! Firewire CDR/Toast 4.1 Tip:

"Hi. Just to drop you a note about my experience with a QPS Que! Firewire 4x4x24 CD-RW and Toast 4.1.

I was having trouble after the update when I could launch Toast and it would recognize the drive as on SCSI bus 2. I thought this was strange because the update was supposed to recognize firewire CD-RWs. I tried to re-scan bus but then it couldn't even find the drive. Same thing everytime I launched Toast, it would find the drive on launch but then loose it when I told it to rescan the bus.

Removing the "Que! Fire" extension fixed all the problems. Toast now recognizes the drive as a firewire drive and not a SCSI drive.
Chris Williams"

Some readers also reported that the Toast 4.1 updater was corrupt. I didn't have this problem, but I used only the deluxe updater. Also note that in the past at least, sometimes Netscape downloads binary files as text. I used IE 5 and didn't have any problems with the download.

IE 5/Outlook Express 5 Crashes: I must say that IE 5 and OE 5 run in combo have caused more crashes than I can ever remember with previous versions. I'm running OS 9.04 with all updates, and have allocated more RAM to both IE and OE but still I often see a system hang or bomb/lockup while downloading in IE 5 and reading/sending mail in Outlook Express 5. Very frustrating.

Rage128 PRO AGP & MM Update Performance Boost: A noted here previously, the Apple Multimedia update (see lower sidebar for link) seems to boost performance of the Rage128 cards, esp. the Pro version. The latest entries in the Mac Game/Video Card FPS Database included several Quake3 tests results from a G4 owner that showed the AGP Rage128 PRO about the equal of a PCI Voodoo3 2000 card at many resolutions after the update. (Granted the AGP card is running in a 66MHz bus). Here's a few of the latest reader mails on the MM update boost:

" Mike: Great site. I just wanted to tell you that I just got the media update and all I can say is, "Wow." Huge improvement.

In Q3A I rose 13 fps with the settings of 800 * 600, and everything turned lowest except for lightmap. I'm now getting 40.2 fps in 800 * 600 with settings maxed except for bilinear (No gibs, marks on walls or music) on my G4 500. Needless to say, I'm very happy that my mac can put out decent speeds on a Rage 128. Along with the apparently bumped OSX gameplay, I see a brighter future ahead!
-Andrew "

Another reader noted scrolling was also improved:

"Hi,
- just to let you know that after the Multimedia update from Apple, I saw a great improvement in Word scrolling I have a very big document with a lot of bitmaps and imports, the time to scroll this document passed from 1min 15 sec down to 50 sec!!
(sorry, I have no graphic bench to verify this 'scientifically')
Regards
J"

I'd also be curious if anyone has tried the new extensions with a Beige G3 or earlier Mac with Rage128 card. I welcome reports from older mac owners running Rage128 cards regarding the updated ATI extensions. Please include system/card details, OS version and any tests you've ran.

Rage128 Pro AGP/Sony CDP-L181 LCD Display Problem Report: I've seen no problems driving my IBM 14" or Apple 15" LCDs (both VGA/analog inputs) with the Rage128 Pro AGP card in my G4, but this reader noted he had to revert to the non-Pro Rage128 AGP card to work with his Sony LCD display:

"A client of mine has a G4/450/256MB/27GB/DVD-RAM, etc... He also got a Sony CDP-L181, which is a nice huge LCD panel that was available back when the Apple Studio Display was not. The G4 came with an AGP card that had both the digital and analog connectors on the back. [Rage128 PRO AGP-Mike]. This monitor is incompatible with this card, no matter what Sony and Apple say. After startup, the monitor gets a 2 inch serious flicker horizontally and distortion on the rest of the screen as well. We replaced it with a replacement card from Apple. It exhibited the same symptoms.

We then ordered the AGP card without the digital connector on the back. [The previous non-Pro Rage128 AGP card-Mike] So far, so good. But Apple made the client PURCHASE this replacement card because they said it was the same as the one that was originally with this machine. Seems really silly to me but I just wanted to send this tid bit your way for your records.
Paul

[He later wrote in reply to my question if the refresh/resolution settings were within the LCD's specs-Mike]

We got the correct resolutions and refresh but still saw this anomaly ONLY with the dual output (digital/analog) AGP card. The AGP card from Apple that only had the analog output works like a champ with this LCD panel. Weird...

We tried everything. I put the LCD panel on several different machines, on several different PCI video cards and never saw the symptoms. Were any of the monitors you tried LCD panels? "

I've used the Rage128 AGP Pro with an IBM 9814 LCD (store demo bought for a song..) and my Apple (analog) 15" Studio LCD Display without any problems at all. If anyone's looking for a non-Pro Rage128 AGP card, I've got one available cheap! :-)

BTO Petition Status: Thanks To DemandMac (permanent link there), Mac Gamer's Ledge and MRP for noting the 3Dfx BTO Petition. As of this morning there are about 3,100 entries. Thanks for all those that signed up. We need a lot more however so spread the word to anyone that wants more choices at BTO.

Review/Ratings Databases Updated: The searchable Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Mac Game/Video card framerates and Drive Compatibility databases were updated this morning with new entries from this weekend.

News.com is reporting Connectix scores partial legal victory against Sony. Seven of the nine counts in a suit brought by Sony have been thrown out by a federal judge.

My wife had to fly to Hawaii this week to visit her mother who had an accident recently (breaking her hip), so I'm batching it now for several weeks. (She gets to go to Hawaii, I'm stuck here with all work and no play!). Between all the site work and mail, I don't know where the day goes.

Software Updates/TILs/Other Net News: (Thanks to Barney Buoy)

Recent Software Updates:
• GaugePro 1.1b1
• Eudora Internet Mail Server 3.0
• A-Dock 1.2.2
• HP Deskjet 1220C Driver
• AutoPurge
• Logitech MouseWare M3.5 for USB mice
• Formac Proformance 3 2.2.6 and Formac Cardmanager 1.2.3
• Wacom 4.5.2
• A Better Finder Rename 3.1.1
• REALBasic for OS X
• SIO driver
• USB DDK 1.4.3b3 (Netscape may start downloading garbage - hold down the option key when you click the link-Barney)

Apple TILs: (No changes since yesterday)

WWCD News:
• WWDC Special Report (Macweek/ZDnet)
• WWDC Day Two: News Roundup (Macworld/ZDnet)
• Macworld: WWDC: Notes from the Floor (Macworld/ZDnet)
• WWDC: Mixed reaction to OS X (MacWorld UK)
• Apple stamps on iPalm speculation (the register)
• MacOS X ship date driven back to 2001 [analysis - Good] (the register)
• Apple retreats on gaming tools at WWDC (ZD/Net)
• WWDC Gallery (the register)
• iMovie Report: Day 2 (Apple)
• Big Fish: Steve Jobs woos developers (redherring)
• Apple says ambitious upgrade will not ship until next year (SFgate)
• Operating software delayed (CNNfn)

Hardware Related News:
• LaCie Gives Apple Developers Sneak Preview of 4.7GB (per side) DVD-RAM Drive w/FireWire Interface [Tuesday's News also had a note on 9.4GB DVD-RAM Panasonic drives]
• Canon Introduces the EOS D30: World's Smallest/Lightest 3-Megapixel Digital Camera With Interchangeable Lenses
• MoniSwitch Pro LDI (Dr.Bott)
• Wacom Bundles (Wacom)
• Intel OEM Document Recommends Inclusion Of FireWire Standard (FW world)
• FireWire a sure bet when speed reigns supreme (Tech Post)

Mac News:
• New hope for Mac network managers? (Macweek)
• 3rd Annual 1394 Conference To Include Apple & Microsoft
• Macworld: Inside Microsoft's New PIM (Macworld)
• Apple to have big presence at NECC 2000 (Maccentral)
• 4D University Offers Mastering WebSTAR Course (4D)
• OS X DP4 In-depth Look With Screenshots (Holymac)

General News
• Napster Claimants 'Liars,' Says Metallica's Attorney (Newsbytes)
• Napster fans to Metallica: Prove it! (Salon.com)
• Wireless Web Fight Gets Catty (Wired)
• The Microsoft Advantage Now Pops Up in PIMs (Businessweek)
• IBM makes its mainframe computers Linux-ready (Yahoo)
• Transmeta chips expected in devices next month (News.com)
• Compaq lashes Sun for misleading customers NT on Alpha will never return (the register)
• Intel misjudgements to slow PC growth (the register)
• OS bug survey shows Linux, Win-NT in dead heat (the register)
• Terra Agrees to Buy Lycos for $12.5 Billion (Login required - NY Times)

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

• huge list of WWDC/Hardware news, TILs & Net News links
• Apple Multimedia Update Direct Download
• More Logic Audio/G4 Upgrade Problem Feedback/Workaround
• Panasonic 9.4GB DVD RAM Drives
• Promax Working on Turbomax ATA/66 Card Deep Sleep Update
• More on DirectCD 1.05
• More on Logic Audio/G4 Upgrade Problems
• Orange Micro Firewire/USB Combo Card Sleep Issue
• Firewire/USB Combo Card Owner Feedback
• More Info on Molex DVI Adapters
• Toast 4.1 Update
• Mac BSSEYO Koan Plugin
• Prosoft WWDC Radialogic Giveaways
• Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Drive Compatibility and Mac Game Framerates databases updated.
• Software Updates Listing
• Other Net News (WWCD/hardware/general news)

Monday's News Summary

• Toast 4.1 Update adds firewire CDR support & more
• Apple's WWDC/OS X Related Press Releases
• Maya (3D) Coming to Mac (OS X):
• OWC G3/400 & G3/450 ZIF Reader Specials
• Direct CD 1.05? (European reader notes buying v1.05 online)
• Good News Regarding Future Epic Mac Games
• MicroMat's Drive10 Disk Util for OS X
• DirectCD Patch for Plextor 12X CDRW Updated
• Epic Dropping OpenGL and Glide APIs for Unreal 2?
• Firewire/USB Combo Card Owner Feedback
• Apple Multimedia Update Feedback
• Sony 10X Firewire CDRW First Impressions
• New Driver for MS Natural Keyboard Pro
• PCI IDE Cards & Deep Sleep
• Sonnet Lowers CPU Upgrade Prices (again):
• DFP to DVI Adapters
• Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Drive Compatibility and Mac Game Framerates databases updated.
• Software Updates Listing
• Other Net News (WWCD/hardware/general news)

Saturday's News Summary

• DirectCD Patch for Plextor 12X CDRW Drives
• E3/Nvidia Comments (translated):
• More on MultiMedia Update
• New Apple MultiMedia Update w/ATI Drivers
• Yamaha 8X CDR/Adaptec Jam Tip
• NVidia/Mac E3 News (Japanese page)
• Sony Firewire 10x/4x/32X CDRWs in Stock
• More on 4th Gen Cheetah & HDT 4 Drivers
• Wired4DVD Region 3 Issue?
• Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Drive Compatibility and Mac Game Framerates databases updated.
• Software Updates Listing
• New/Updated Apple TILs
• Other Net News

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 3,700+ reports and growing.