IX3D 2.0 Driver Feedback: Several IXmicro Ult. Rez card owners reported image quality problems with the 2.0 driver update noted yesterday. One reader sent a sample of blurred/corrupted text in the menu bar and another commented on 'smears' in the display at random times. Reverting to the previous drivers solved the problem he said.

Save HyperCard Petition: I remember Hypercard from my first Mac 128 days. It was one of the first apps that showed how the mac could empower the non-programmer. Wayne Chang writes:

"Though nobody really knows about HyperCard any more, it was a sort of "miscellaneous cool toy" that Mac users throughout the 80s depended on. It's dying, and there's a petition to "Save HyperCard" out there. I think this piece of Apple legacy is worth saving.
http://www.hyperactivesw.com/SaveHC.html
--Wayne Chang "

Reaper Dynamic RAM Allocation Utility: Bob Friede wrote that a new update to of the freeware 'Reaper' control panel is available at: ftp://ftp.akua.com/pub/mac/Reaper13.sit. [Note: I've had no luck with the FTP link all day - visit the Reaper page to get the alternative UUE encoded download file] Here's a snippet from the Reaper info Bob sent:

"The Reaper allows you to control the heap allocation for applications that you may not otherwise adjust. Examples are CD-ROM applications, the Finder and Background applications. It also features a RAM Charger like expansion of the heap of applications you choose.

Requirements?
System 7.0 is the minimum needed. It has only been tested on System 8.51 for PowerMacs and System 7.61 on 68K Macs. [Today's Reaper page notes it was tested on OS 9 w/desktops-Mike] If you want it to run on some system and it doesn't, just let me know and I'll fix it.

Installation
The Reaper is a Control Panel - drag it to your System Folder and restart to have it active.

Examples:
I use AppleWorks a lot. Sometimes when printing digital photos, it needs 20 MB, with normal work it needs 3 MB - so why have to switch back & forth? With "Smart Heap", AppleWorks will expand into available RAM when it needs it. "

I've not tested this software personally but it sounds attractive. I welcome reports from readers who have used it.

More on the VR128 'Havoc' Codec: Another reader said he saw the same sudden appearance of the 'Havoc' Codec as reported previously by Travis Hicks on my VR128 Feedback page:

"RE:ATI HAVOC codec

I pulled out a recent MacAddict mag CD and installed Videoshop 3.0 and used that to try to do video capture. Same results as mentioned on your page by Travis Hicks:

[Travis's comments from my VR128 Feedback page]
"I went to the capture movie section of Adobe Premiere and noticed that I could not resize the window to 640x480. I set my sound input settings to 44.1 kHz, 16-bit stereo, with no compression. When setting my video input settings I noticed three new compressors; ATI Best Quality, ATI High Quality, and ATI Med Quality. I set it to ATI Best Quality and left the frame rate blank so it would record at its best ability. Next, I went to the recording settings, where I said to record at 640x480. I recorded for about a minute, then stopped to examine what it had captured. The movie I captured was 640x480, but was actually two 320x240 signals, each stretched to 640x240, laid on top of each other, making a 640x480 image. This was completely useless, so I continued trying (if you are wondering, the captured movie was between 29.9x and 31.x fps). I thought I would try again, so I went back to the video input settings. There I noticed that the three ATI compressors were gone, replaced by a new compressor called 'ATI HAVOC Quality'".

Same here, first recording was 2 signals, 640x240 laid on top of each other. Second recording in same session was 640x480 which plays just fine with the apple movie player. I got 27.8 fps, but was displaying on my voodoo3 card while recording which I'm sure effected the fps rate. It was only at the second recording session that the ATI Good, Better, Best codecs changed to ATI HAVOC.
Brian Scott Oplinger "

Brian's also noted he installed the OpenGL 1.1.2f6 beta from the first Descent 3 Demo. A full list of his ATI extensions are noted now at the VR128 Feedback page under Travis's 640x480 capture comments. Note - the Final OpenGL 1.1.2 installer does not contain the 'Offscreen Memory Manager'. In Game tests I did not see where that affected performance. And note as I mentioned earlier - the final OpenGL 1.1.2 installer will not overwrite beta 1.1.2 installed extensions. You'll need to manually disabled them before running the updater when it is available.

Sherlock 2 No-Banner Patch: Andy Watters wrote to say he's released his patcher that removes the ad banners from Sherlock 2 (OS 9):

"Mike,
I have released version 2.0 of my popular Sherlock nobanners patch. Version 1.0, available on Info-Mac, works with the Sherlock program included in Mac OS 8.6. 2.0 works only on Sherlock 2 in OS 9. Version 2.0 will be available shortly on Info-Mac, and is available now on my web site at: http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~awatters

More information and in-depth instructions will soon be posted on the website. I modified Sherlock 2 with Metrowerks Constructor and then made a patch with ResCompare, if you were wondering. I thought your readers might be interested in this patch too.
- Andrew Watters"

OpenGL 1.1.2 (Release Version) Tests: The Rage128 realized surprising performance gains in Quake2 from OpenGL 1.1.2. I didn't think the Rage128 chip had another 36% left in it at 1024x768. 640x480 gains were appx 27%. Q3tests scores also improved, but less dramatically. Voodoo3 AGP seemed to benefit more than the PCI version, but since the latest tests used Beta7 rom/drivers vs Beta5 for OpenGL, that adds another variable in performance. My Mac 3D Card Roundup and iMac DV SE pages have been updated to reflect the test results. Apple should be releasing OpenGL 1.1.2 soon at their software updates page.

CPU Review Database Exceeds 2,600 Entries: Yesterday I posted new entries from the last several days in the Rate Your G3 Upgrade searchable database - which now totals 2,617 reader submitted entries (and constantly growing). Thanks to all that take the time to submit their experiences (please use your upgrade for several weeks before submitting an entry).

Game/Video Card Performance Database Exceeds 700 Entries: The latest updates to the Game Framerates searchable databases pushed the current total records over 700. For readers not aware of this database, you can quickly see game performance by game title with specific video card, CPU type/speed and/or Mac model. For those that are entering scores - please use the settings shown on the entry page. For information on how to test framerates in Quake1, Quake2, Q3test, Unreal and Falcon 4 - see the Games topic of the Frequently Asked Questions (which now has over 500 answers organized by topic - it's the first place to check for quick answers to any question you have).

I've also updated the reader Game Reviews database which now contains over 400 reader reviews and ratings of dozens of Mac games.

Sonnet G4 Software Promises Wider Altivec Boost: Sonnet has a press release indicating their G4 upgrades are available at retailers. The G4 350 and 400MHz models are priced at $699 and $999 respectively. The press release had an interesting quote about universal Altivec support extensions that I've not seen other companies claim:

"Altivec Enabling Software
The Sonnet Crescendo G4 upgrade ships with superior Altivec Enabling software, giving all applications access to the Altivec processing engine in the G4 processor. The unique Sonnet Enabler extends Altivec support to even MacsBug, which is an important distinction for software developers and sophisticated users."

Maybe the key word is 'access' (meaning availability) which most may take to mean enhanced performance. Without Altivec code changes, I don't think older/existing applications will benefit from the G4 without some sort of core OS change. I've asked Sonnet for more information and a list of applications that are affected. In my tests of current G4s, most non-Altivec applications run no faster than the same speed G3 CPU (see my MAChCarrier G3/500 and First Look at G4 upgrades articles in the sidebar CPU topic list for test comparisons). Be wary of overstated claims with G4 CPUs from any company, at least until there are more Altivec aware applications.

I corrected a link typo to my guide to installing an XLR8 G4 CPU Upgrade in a B&W G3 article.

ZD/NET has another Mac Poll (called "SM@RT POLL") asking how useful you think the Mac is. You'll have to search down the crowded page to find it however. (Thanks to Chris Wilson for the link).

Here's my suggestion for a PC SM@ART Poll (I've been troubleshooting and using Windows at work and home since the first versions.)

What's your opinion of the PC?

• I love it when it's working
• I get excited by the constant threat of virus and security holes
• It's a great game machine but I spend more time downloading/installing patches & updates than using it
• I reinstall Windows more often than oil changes in my car
• I just bought a 3 month old PC for 30% of the original price!
• There are so many low cost upgrades that I never seem to get settled in enough to use it.

Simon Lisney sent word that AvPnews has a note that Mac Aliens vs Predator is tentatively set to be released in the summer of 2000. Another interesting comment was that their Mac port effort will result in OpenGL mode being supported on the PC version as well. AvP is an innovative game with an interesting theme. As much tension as Rainbow Six, perhaps more.

For a blast from the past see what was on the front page news here one year ago.

Wednesday's News Summary

• IX3D 2.0 Driver Feedback
• Update to IXTV/TurboTV drivers
• Rage128 VR Feedback page updated
• Talks with Apple regarding OpenGL 1.1.2 Final Version
• Important note to those that installed OpenGL 1.1.2f6 beta
• More on VR128 640x480 Capture
• VR128 Audio Capture Problems
• Formac OpenGL Beta & #9 Rev IV Cards
• More on Virex/OS Compatibility
• Other Net News

Tuesday's News Summary

• Installing the XLR8 G4 Upgrade in the B&W G3
• Voodoo3 Beta 7 Drivers Released
• Peek at the Sawtooth G4 CPU Module
• Apple teams up w/CNN, 3 QT press releases
• Reviews of iMac DV SE
• Yikes G4/400 vs Dual PIII 600
• Reader Request: iBook Wireless Modem Scripts
• Rage128 VR - using DVD Player as Input
• ORB Drive/Retrospect Tips
• Requests for OS 9 Compatible Speed Doubler
• Upgrading Tips for Older Macs
• OS 9 File Exchange Tips
• OpenGL installer removed from Descent3 Demo
• Mactell FirePower (FireWire) Drives still alive?
• ATI Rage128 VR owners feedback page posted (reports from working systems)
• Apple's stock trading higher than Microsoft's
• Other Net News

Monday's News Summary

• Voodoo3 Beta 6 Drivers Released (short lived)
• ePower Strike Two
• OpenGL 1.1.2 Beta Clarification
• OpenGL 1.1.2 (Beta) Performance Tests in G4/450 Sawtooth
• iMac DV Review Updated w/OpenGL 1.1.2 Beta tests
• iBook/OpenGL 1.1.2f2/ATI driver Update Comments
• Q3Test 1.08 Performance Tips
• 640x480 Movie Capture with Rage128 VR
• Rage128 VR Feedback page updated
• iBook Keyboard Bounce Fix
• G4 Strip Utility
• OS 9 Feedback/Compatibility/Tips Page created
• Total Impact MP G4/G4 CPU Cards
• HP passes on 3GB DVD-R/W drive, waits for 4.7GB model
• Other Net News

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

Considering a G3 Upgrade? Check the CPU Upgrade Owner's Survey results and search for owner reports by Mac model and/or card brand. Readers post new entries daily and the database is updated several times a week. I urge any owners that have had problems to report this via the Survey Form. Always give the most weight to recent owner reports (dated in the listing) as in many cases problems are later found to be due to settings errors, slow L2 cache, etc.

-Freq Asked Questions

Check Apple's Software Updates
(especially their Recent Updates)

Apple TIL Updates

Apple Forums