A massive list of news links covering hardware, TILs, Software updates and other news around the net just came in. Many interesting articles are included but before you jump off the page make sure you check today's news here. Thanks again to Barney Buoy for the list. FYI: I had to rerun tests on the VST slim drive (driver update) used for performance comparisons with the Firewire Direct portable drive kit tonight. This has delayed the article, but it will be posted as soon as possible. VST owners that have not updated to the v2.1 drivers should do so - not only does it add boot support, but performance in some areas is much better than the previous 2.02 version. [Note: The Portable Firewire Drive Kit article was posted on Saturday morning.]

Apple Hiring (Graphics Card Related Jobs): I wasn't sure it was kosher to post this but since other sites have here goes. Here's a reader mail from yesterday:

"I thought this might be interesting to your readers and (potentially) help Apple. The Apple CPU Sofware Graphics QA group is looking for graphics testers. Check the URLs and description below for more info:

private.apple.com/cgi-bin/t3.cgi/tafs/extShowDescription.taf?_req=1461400

private.apple.com/cgi-bin/t3.cgi/tafs/extShowDescription.taf?_req=1461401

CPU Software is looking for a quality assurance engineer to qualify graphics on Apple's next-generation CPU projects. Responsibilities include performance benchmarking; testing of 2D, 3D, and QuickTime acceleration; and graphics test case development.

Must have OpenGL, QD3D/Rave and 2D graphics experience. BS/BA and two years graphics QA or equivalent experience desired. Must be familiar with modern accelerated graphics hardware and modern display technologies. Mac hardware and software familiarity required. 3D animation, high-end 3D gaming, and video editing experience helpful. Unix and programming experience a plus.

Resumes can be sent to ivan@apple.com "

Proformance 3 Driver Update:

"Hi Mike,
we just posted a new driver GA-5.8.0 for the ProFormance 3 on our website. The following stuff is new:

3D:
- Star Wars Episode maximum fog is higher
- Star Wars Episode texturborder
- Unreal Tournament + Klingon Honour Z Buffer
- Bugfix for the Playstation emulator
- removed a TextureTiling Border bug in Unreal
- enabled Zoom mode (used by Playstation Emulator and UnrealTournament)
- Kawasaki ATV DEMO no more black screen

2D:
- new Colortemperature Slider for SGI LCD 1600
- Hotkeys for unused Functions are now default empty
- Bugfix for the Photoshop rectangular selection in 50% grey area
- Bugfix for MetaCreations Poser Textdrawing

Best Regards,
Florian Hackinger
Formac Electronic Inc. "

I welcome feedback from Proformance 3 owners on this update.

RocketFire USB/Firewire Combo Card Tests in S900: I know others have reported the RocketFire card outperforms most other Firewire PCI cards, but I have to say I am impressed at how much faster it is. I just tested the RocketFire USB/Firewire combo card in the S900 which previously had a Western Digital Firewire card installed. I was shocked at the difference it made in performance with the portable FirewireDirect drive. ATTO benchmark sustained write rates were nearly twice as fast with the RocketFire card (6MB/sec faster). Before the card swap I suspected the low write performance may have been due to the older Mac motherboard. All tests used the same Apple Firewire 2.3.3 drivers only (no card vendor drivers used). The Rocketfire uses the same TI chip Apple has on their G4 systems, the WD card uses an NEC controller. I have to say the RocketFire card has earned a spot in my older Macs; providing great performance and freeing up a PCI slot that was used with a USB card. The Rocketfire card is made by Meltdown systems and sells for $129.99 (Firewire only version) to $169.99 (Firewire/USB version) at Macworks. Requirements are a PCI PowerMac running OS 8.6 or later (6500 macs are not compatible according to the manual).

Turbomax ATA/66 & Portable Firewire Drive Sales:

"FirewireDirect 2.5 inch Spark 12GB
Normal Price $499
Specials Price $399

FirewireDirect 2.5 inch Spark 18GB
Normal Price $699.99
Specials Price 599.99

David Goldman
http://www.BottomLineMac.com/"

Bottom Line also send their latest weekly specials. And sign up for their contest where the grand prize is an Apple Cinema Display.

" Hey Mike,
I have Turbomax ATA/66 cards in stock like crazy and would like to offer a 'Memorial Day Weekend Special' to your readers.

TurboMax Ultra DMA ATA/66 IDE PCI Host Adapter
(Supports Up to 4 Drives) Part Number: TURBOMX66
OWC Memorial Day Price $129.00*
*No (other) purchase necessary for XLR8youmac.com readers!

Offer valid until Monday Midnight CST
Have a great holiday!
Sincerely,
George Cole OWC Sales Manager"

OWC also sent a list of other Memorial Day Weekend specials. (Note - this specials list includes the $129 Turbomax ATA/66 card at $129, but with a IDE drive purchase only. That condition is waived for xlr8yourmac.com readers.)

More Info on Plextor 12x/10x/32x CDRW: More information on the drive mentioned in Wednesday's news. According to the product page (Plextor Europe), the drive is ATAPI (IDE) but perhaps a SCSI model will be released eventually (since the current product model# has an 'A' suffix for ATAPI I suspect). The 'supported software' page link notes only Nero(PC only) burning software in the list and clicking on the 'full software' listing does not show any Adaptec Mac products as compatible, but this is probably due to the drive being so new. It may be awhile before you can benefit from the 10X Rewrite speeds, as there are currently no 10X rated CDRW discs on the market. If any readers from Europe buy the new 12x/10x/32x drive, please post an entry in the Drive Compatibility Database. I also welcome entries from owners of their 12x/4x/32x drive which is Toast compatible according to Plextor's (USA) software compatibility page although Toast is apparently not bundled (yet) in their retail packages I'm told.

Up to 700MHz IBM G3 CPUs Due this Fall: I didn't get to read the ZDnet article noted in yesterday's 'other net news' links until late last night but it has some encouraging comments on new G3 CPU chip versions due this year from IBM. The 750CX and 750CXe (code-named SideWinder) may be especially suited to Powerbooks due to lower power consumption. The article says the 750Cxe version will range from 500MHz to 700MHz with volume production slated for August or September. The article also hints at a future Powerbook model using the 750Cxe.

CNet Compares OS 9 to Corel Linux: Cnet has an article titled OS Deathmatch comparing Mac OS 9 to Corel's Linux. The article covers Installation, Interfaces, Applications, Hardware Compatibility and Internet support. Although they gave the nod in some areas to Linux their final decision favors Mac OS 9.

Option Key Startup Disk Tip: A reader posted in the G4 forum here that holding down the Option key during booting allows selecting a different startup disk. I learn something new everyday.

Sony iLink CDRW Firmware Update Not Needed for 10X Model: Another Sony iLink (4X) CDRW owner wrote to say the 'hardware' update noted on the Charismac page mentioned in yesterday is only applicable to the older iLink drives, not the 10X model. The 4x iLink drive has a firmware update to allow it to work better with new G4s and new iMac systems (and the Powerbook firewire I suspect). [Charismac just called to say they've revised the page to note the drive model affected.] Here's a reminder on the issue with the previous iLink drives:

"The Sony tech support you were talking was correct, there is no new firmware for the 10x FireWire drive. It works fine on newer and older built in FireWire Macs.

The firmware that CharisMac is referring to on their web page is for the previous Sony FireWire mechanism (CRX 120 based). The problem was that the FireWire to ATAPI bridge used in the pre 10x Sony FireWire drives has problems on all the new Macs starting with the iMac DV/G4. The ROM/firmware update for the bridge allows the previous Sony FireWire drive to work on the newer machines.

The new firmware for the older drives does require that you send the drive to Sony to physically update the ROM to the newer version. The 120 based Sony FireWire drive did NOT have flashable ROM/firmware.

The new 10x drives are based on an newer bridge which does not have this problem and works fine on all the machines in question. "

I now remember this issue being mentioned here many months ago.

Speaking of firewire devices, I'm almost finished with my article on the Firewire Direct portable hard drive kit. I'm hoping it will be posted later today or tonight. (With Kay out in Hawaii for weeks I'm having to wear more hats here and it shows...) I've also just received a VST 12GB portable drive for comparison testing, but not sure I can include that in the first post of the article.

More Ethernet 1.0 Update Feedback: Another UMA Mac owner reports the recent update solved networking problems:

"The ethernet update has solved the problem the G4's have had in our ethernet network. It's a rather complicated network with old blue AUI cable, and I'm not sure what kind of hub/switch. The G4's would lose their connections quite quickly before, but now everything seems stable.
Arthur Ogus "

G3 Upgrade/LaserWriter Select 300/350 Tip: Spotted this printing tip while adding new entries to the Rate Your CPU Upgrade database this morning.

" Beige G3/233 DeskTop
Sonnet G3/500 Upgrade

A month ago, following the directions on your site, I installed a Maxtor DiamondPlus 10G hard drive. That worked so well, and upgrade prices dropped so low, I went after the processor, too.

Installation was a breeze, but the machine refused to boot. Sonnet Tech support indicated that some residue from the foam protective pad might be clogging the pins. I popped out the card, blew the pins clean and popped it back. It's booted perfectly since, and is running reliably in a temperature range of 39-47c.

One glitch: the computer could no longer communicate with the printer (Apple LaserWriter Select 300) after the upgrade. Sonnet suggested turning on Virtual Memory, which resolved the issue. Apparently Virtual Memory is required to print to a LaserWriter 300 from a 300 MHZ processor or faster. Apple has a TIL (#30597) about it.

I've been using Macs for 13 years, but until a month ago, I'd never been inside the box. If it weren't for your site, I probably would not have tried it.

But now that I'm so confident...do you know where I can find out how to pop the hood on the LaserWriter Select 300 Printer to install RAM? Thanks.
A. Alessi"

I just noticed that my FAQ's Printing section already had this printing tip noted. (The Frequently Asked Questions link is the red "Got Questions? Click here for answers" under the logo above). The FAQ and Apple's TIL also notes the VM tip applies to the Laserwriter 350 model as well. I assume he's either lost the manual or it did not cover the ram upgrade procedure. If anyone has any links or tips on the RAM upgrade, let me know and I'll pass it on.

Another entry also notes a similar tip fixed a problem with a LS2000 film scanner:

" 6500/250 with Sonnet G3/300/150

Hello !
I've posted a previous comment the 03/25/00, shortly after delivery of my upgrade hardware. Now,I would like to share my experiences with my CPU upgrade after 2 months. I'm still running 8.6 French Universal (and I will stick on it), 128 MB RAM, 10 GB 7200 rpm Maxtor HD, Proformance III 16 MB video card, 17 & 14" displays, LS2000 & Agfa 600 Snapscan scanners, Ricoh MP6200S CDRW, external 56K modem, Gravis joystick, Stylus Photo 1200 Printer and Sony speakers + bass box system.

My system is still stable and extremely reliable. The only strange thing I had to face concerns my LS2000 film scanner. After upgrade, I always had vertical parasite lines on my scans. I solved the problem by using VM, then RAM Doubler. VM affects games and QT movies performance but everything runs fine with RAM Doubler - of course within the limits of my 50 MHz bus and limited RAM. This is to say that my upgrade is fully compatible with RAM Doubler. Using QT 4.1, I enjoy to watch 480-size Star Wars, Gladiator or Myst 3 trailers. Quake 3 demo runs at a poor 16 fps rate but I have to be realistic : I don't own a G4 ! I'm still playing Star Wars Racer :its the most impressive improvement I can watch on my Mac. The game is in full screen mode and I can notice FPS slow-downs only when the background is complex ( canyons, buildings, and so on ). Unfortunately, I didn't see any improvement in Virtual PC performances, so I removed it . But Photoshop, Office, NikonScan, iView & Graphic Converter are fast !

After 2 months, I'm still very satisfied. Performance improvement is real, stability is a bit less - I would say I kept 95 % of the old 6500/250 configuration stability. I still have no start-up hanging or freezing. The Sonnet L2 upgrade is worth the money.

Bonjour de la France - country of Mac lovers !
Gilles THEOPHILE"

While on the subject of CPU upgrades, one recent entry in the Rate Your CPU Upgrade database from a 9600 owner with Newer Tech G4 CPU upgrade cited conflicts with both ATI Rage128 and Formac Proformance 3 extensions. He said he was returning the card for some sort of modifications to address the issue.

Firewire ORB drives (Costly): CDW sent a note they are offering firewire versions of the Castlewood ORB 2.2GB drive for (CDW #219607) $399 (ouch!). They also noted a blowout sale on Canon ZR-10 camcorders for $760 while supplies last. (That's about $9 below Bottom Line's price, but not sure how shipping costs compare). CDW just replied the ZR-10 is in stock (4 units as of 11:30 AM EDT) but the ORB Firewire drive takes 4 days to get.

BTO Petition Status: Thanks to MacOS Rumors for posting a note on the petition. As of this morning there are 5,832 entries (up 1,200 since yesterday) in the 3Dfx BTO Petition. We need many more to make an impact, so spread the word to anyone that wants more choices at BTO. Remember these cards will have full OpenGL (32Bit), large texture support, RAVE hardware acceleration, up to 64MB of RAM and dual processors, Quicktime acceleration and the fastest 2D performance on the Mac to date. This is not just a petition for a gaming card. More BTO graphics card options will attract more sales/more developer support, which benefits all Mac owners.

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

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

Software Updates:
• Macally USB Mouse/Trackball
• FileMaker Server 5v2
• Color Buddy 1.0
• Carbon 1.1d9 SDK
• Fast Mail CM Plugin 1.1.1
• What Router 1.6b7
• Optigold ISP 2.1.6
• Socket Sifter 1.5 (communications tool)

Apple TILs:

• Ethernet Update 1.0: Determining Whether to Install It
• Ethernet Update 1.0: Description
• Using DVD-RAM Discs (as start-up disc)
• Mac OS 9: Stops Responding During Startup
• Apple Studio Display DVI: Plug In Power Cord First

Hardware Related News:
• Analysis: Diverging paths for PowerPC (Macwelt)
• Phaser 850 Printer (Tektronix)
• Umax Firewire Scanner - tested (Macwelt)
• 6-Port Firewire Hub/repeater with Powerbrick (firewireworld)
• Big Blue to update non-POWER PowerPC line (the register)
• Micron Tech expected to boost memory prices (news.com)
• National Semi's Gigabit Ethernet Solution (National Semi)
• Iomega to Offer Instant Rebates On Select Zip Drives and Disks (Businesswire)
• #1 Selling DI-701 Home Gateway Gets a Big Brother in the DI-704 Internet Home/Office DSL/Cable Gateway With Integrated 4-Port Switch (Yahoo)
• Samsung to co-develop Linux Alpha supercomputer (the register)
• Intel says replacement for faulty chip ready soon (News.com)
• High End Flatbed Scanner Hi-Scan A3+ (Macwelt)

Gaming News:
• MGL giveaway: Win 'Traitor's Gate' (Mac Gamer's Ledge)
• Sierra launches Tribes 2 site (Maccentral)

Mac Related News Links:
• WebSentinel Security Alert (purity)
• Corel Strikes Finance Deal Worth Up to C$30 Million (Yahoo)
• Apple discusses the future of QuickTime (Maccentral)
• Analysis: Real's challenge to QuickTime (Macweek/ZDnet)
• Networking Macs Correctly (Macwelt)
• iGeek: An armchair CEO looks at Apple (Macweek/ZDnet)
• First complete Gigabit Ethernet adapter card introduced (Maccentral)
• Help Apple improve graphics performance, join the team (Maccentral)
• Quadmation makes Q-Fire, PlayerPRO announcements (Maccentral)
• Markzware Supreme [file inspector tool] (Macwelt)
• Akamai demos hybrid streaming (Macworld UK)
• Apple offers video-editing deal (UK Readers only) (Macworld UK)
• New, old media at Germany's Drupa (ZDnet)
• Viva G3! [Totally misses the point that the reason there are no G4 powerbooks yet is HEAT. Current G4s dissipate far too much heat for a notebook. For G4 vs G3 comparisons, see the many G4 upgrade reviews on the CPU upgrades page.-Mike] (ZDnet)
• Apple Germany part of European Trend (Macwelt)
• Staff Abandon Corel Ahead of Cutbacks, Layoffs (Yahoo)
• Answer to Airport hotel security problem (iBook Zone)

Gossip:
• Pismo-B up next for Powerbook line/Mac OS 9.5 update (MacOS Rumors)

Other Net News
• Flaw found in PGP 5.0 (computerworld)
• Seagate to lay off 1,200, close two plants (news.com)
• Government Denounces Microsoft in Final Breakup Plan (NY Times)
• Drupa 2000 - Photo Report - 1/6 (Macprof)
• Microsoft Backpedals on the Outlook Security Patch (Businessweek)
• Alpha chip update -- it ain't dead yet (ZDnet)
• Japan's cell phone revolution could signal what's to come in U.S. (SVtech)
• Gateway chief looks beyond the desktop (news.com)
• The Breach That's Shocking the Firewall Industry (Businessweek)

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.

Thursday's News Summary

• Notes on Sony Firewire CDRW/Charismac Post
• CD/DVD Speedtools 5.1 Improvements
• Sony Discribe/Firewire CDRW Updates
• OpenGL Duke 3D Project
• Canon Optura Pi Camcorder appx $480 off list @blol
• Free Personal Firewall for Macs
• DFP to DVI Adapters: Differences in DVI Pinout?
• Anyone 'Upgraded' the HD inside a VST Portable Firewire Drive?
• Results of 3dfx's 'Blind' Voodoo5 vs GeForce FSAA Image Quality Tests
• Sony IDE 10X CDRW Feedback
• PF G3/350 is 10X CPU?
• More Beige G3 Rev A + ROM Dimm Upgrade Reports
• DirectCD 1.04 Hack & Yamaha 8424CDRW
• Sonnet PB1400 G3 Upgrade/Starcraft Tip
• EverGreen Firewire/USB Combo Card Feedback
• BTO Petition Status
• Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Drive Compatibility and Mac Game Framerates databases updated.
• Software Updates Listing
• Other Net News (TILs/hardware/general news)

Wednesday's News Summary

• Bootable CompactFlash Feedback
• Anyone 'Upgraded' the HD inside a VST Portable Firewire Drive?
• OWC BTO Legacy Macs: Only 2 S900's Left/PowerCurve's Now $85
• Plextor 12X/10X/32X CDRW
• Beige G3 & Ricoh DVD/CDRW Combo Report
• More Tips on PCI IDE Card vs. Onboard IDE Formatted Disks
• Canon ZR10 Firewire Camcorder Raves/Discounted Price
• Creative Mac SoundBlaster Live Info
• Booting from CompactFlash Devices
• MoniSwitch Pro LDI w/Formac DVI Card Bundle
• Voodoo5 AGP vs GeForce2
• BTO Petition Status
• Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Drive Compatibility and Mac Game Framerates databases updated.
• Software Updates Listing
• Other Net News (TILs/hardware/general news)

Tuesday's News Summary

• Firewire Direct Portable Drive First Impressions
• G4/500 Review by PC Magazine
• F/A 18 Korea Gold Demo
• Note on Mac Voodoo5 Preorders
• Kodak Licenses Apple's QuickTime
• Reader Article Compares iMovie to Film Process
• 10X Audio CDR Burns Fine w/Sony Firewire Drive
• Building Portable Firewire Drive Kit Today
• More Proformance 3 Gaming Feedback
• Apple Ethernet 1.0 Update Feedback
• Reminder on Beige G3 Drive Mounting
• Beige G3 ROM Update Dimm Sources
• IDE Drive Formats - Onboard vs PCI Card
• OWC Reader Specials
• Details on OrangeMicro Firewire/U2 SCSI Combo Card
• (PC) Voodoo5 Cards Shipping
• BTO Petition Status
• Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Drive Compatibility and Mac Game Framerates databases updated.
• Software Updates Listing
• Other Net News (TILs/hardware/general 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.