EvangeList Digest Thursday, November 12 1998 Volume 01 : Number 1318
In this issue:
Tidbit - Virginia Systems Adds Boolean Search to Sherlock For Websonar PR - OpenGL 1.5 and ATI Support Tidbit - Promised SPSS Macintosh Upgrade Tidbit - Monkey Learn to Count On Macintosh PR - Clean-Install Assistant 1.1 Released ?? - A Better Location Manager Tidbit - Another Sign That Apple is Back (Games) Tidbit - Massive Upheaval At the Complete Conflict Compendium
=========================================================================== Submissions to EvangeList: <mailto:evangelist@apple.com>.
Help: <http://www.lists.apple.com/evangelist.html> or <evangelist-info@public.lists.apple.com> ===========================================================================
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 10:32:11 -0800 From: John Halbig <john@garage.com> Subject: Tidbit - Virginia Systems Adds Boolean Search to Sherlock For Websonar
This tidbit is from:
<mailto: "Duane Bemister" duane@wisdomquest.com>
Download a file to use to search the Evangelist archives with Sherlock by linking to:
<http://www.websonar.com/SampleSherlockFiles.hqx>
You can now use Sherlock for a client to search many different WebSonar document groups and servers at the same time. You can also use all of WebSonar's advanced searching features. A Sherlock search will return up to 50 relevance ranked documents from each document group and each document will display the first 6 occurrences of the search phrase in context.
Natural Language Support!
To expand the searching features of Sherlock we have also added the ability to use natural language criteria in your searches. You can now use and, or, within, and not to define your search query. If you want to include any of these special words in a search phrase you can use square brackets to enclose the phrase. [to be or not to be]
These sample files will let you search some of the documents in the Wisdom Quest eLibrary, the British Columbia Utilities Commission and the Apple Canada List Digest Archives. To use these files just drag them to the system folder and the Finder will put them in the "Internet Search Sites" folder. You'll then be able to search these documents using keywords.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 10:31:50 -0800 From: John Halbig <john@garage.com> Subject: PR - OpenGL 1.5 and ATI Support
This announcement is from:
<mailto: "Janet Stauffer" janet@conix3d.com>
Conix Enterprises, Inc. today announced the availability of OpenGL for the Mac 1.5. This is the OpenGL the Macintosh graphic's community has been waiting for. With incredible performance gains and improved support for hardware acceleration, Conix provides the ultimate solution for 3D graphics on the Macintosh.
* Improved AGL API: support for the MP library and improved off-screen and full-screen support
* An overall average of 25% performance increase
* Four hundred percent performance increase for some texture map modes
* Color index mode support
* Automatic recovery from insufficient hardware memory failures
* Better multi-monitor support
* Finer control over hardware renderer selection
* Improved documentation
To celebrate the occasion, Conix is offering $100 off the regular SDK price of $389. This special offer is good through November 20.
Conix provides affordable distribution licensing for application vendors, and internal distribution agreements for our commercial customers who are developing apps for internal distribution.
See for yourself! Try OpenGL for 10 days with no cost or obligation.
<http://www.conix3d.com/download_request.html>
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 10:31:51 -0800 From: John Halbig <john@garage.com> Subject: Tidbit - Promised SPSS Macintosh Upgrade
Christopher Guest <chris@peyton-guest.prestel.co.uk>
The daddy of all data analysis programs, SPSS for Macintosh, has been languishing behind the latest Windows version for some time. The current Macintosh version hasn't seen a major upgrade since 1995. The reason being, according to SPSS, was based on their concern for the future of the Macintosh platform.
The good news is that we won't be stuck with version 6.1 for much longer. Following a recent message I sent to SPSS <http://www.spss.com> complaining about the lack of an upgrade in the light of the phenominal financial turnaround of Apple recently, provoked the following response from SPSS:
"We are working with Apple to investigate ways in which we can bring new versions of SPSS to the Mac in a cost-effective, timely way. There are some technological hurdles to overcome yet but hopefully we can overcome them. So, I cannot make any promises right now -- any news on this front will be made available on our website. Don't expect any news before next year, however. So, stay tuned."
So, it looks as though we will soon be able to enjoy SPSS version 9 before too long!
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 10:32:06 -0800 From: John Halbig <john@garage.com> Subject: Tidbit - Monkey Learn to Count On Macintosh
This tidbit is from:
<mailto: "jcannon" jcannon@interaccess.com>
Tonite, Oct 22, 1998, CBS Evening News coorespondant John Roberts broke a story that researchers at Columbia University have discovered that monkeys can count. The researchers wrote a program that teach the subjects how to count. While the program is projected into the cages via many different types of touch screen monitors, the computer in the researcher's office was a Mac! Hard to tell what model, but it had the same chassis size as a late model PowerPC or G3 desktop.
__________________________ Digital Guy Sez:
As a former Technical Support engineer I can only IMAGINE the jokes that are circulating through support organizations throughout America...no, the WORLD... regarding that bit of news. As such, I won't bother to make any myself. ;-)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 10:32:12 -0800 From: John Halbig <john@garage.com> Subject: PR - Clean-Install Assistant 1.1 Released
This announcement is from:
<mailto: "Marc Moini" marc@kagi.com>
Clean-Install Assistant 1.1 - Easier System Folder updates!
Clean-Install Assistant makes it easier to migrate third-party and personal items to a new Clean-Installed System Folder, and it may also be used to:
Save space and backup your valuable additions and preference files only, instead of the whole System Folder.
Install the same set of additions on multiple Macs.
Remove extra files and folders from your System Folder to restore it to a previous state: you can take a åsnapshot¼ of the System Folder and have Clean-Install Assistant extract any items added since.
Version 1.1 adds support for Mac OS 8.5 and allows migrating files from previous System Folders as well as active ones. It is free for personal and educational use, download from <http://www.marcmoini.com>
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 10:32:14 -0800 From: John Halbig <john@garage.com> Subject: ?? - A Better Location Manager
This request is from:
<mailto: "Martin Step" mstep@greenval.com>
On Mac OS 8.5, the Location Manager lets you save a number of personal settings to allow you to easily move from place to place, or computer to computer and save those settings. Going one step beyond that, does anyone know if there is such a utility that will let you save EVERY Control Panel setting, so that if different users on one computer can easily reconfigure everything to suit them, or use the settings on multiple computers?
This would be an excellent way of letting me restore all the settings after my kids have been playing games on my Mac, for example.
If there isn't such a utility, someone should write it. I'd ante up $10 to $20 bucks for that in a heartbeat.
__________________________ Digital Guy Sez:
That there sounds like a challenge... ;-)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 10:32:13 -0800 From: John Halbig <john@garage.com> Subject: Tidbit - Another Sign That Apple is Back (Games)
This tidbit is from:
<mailto: "David Mussman" dmussman@scilab.com>
I've been an avid Mac gamer as long as there have been Macs and computer games, but I've always been frustrated by the lack of coverage of Mac games by the mainstream gaming press. A recent event, however, has given me hope that trend is about to change.
Next-Generation Online (http://www.next-generation.com), one of the most respected publications in the video and compter gaming industries, recently inaugurated a new Mac column and has stated their committment to thoroughly cover Mac gaming. They even have a forum where Mac gamers can discuss their favorite games and all things Macintosh.
I hope all the Mac gamers out there who have been looking for quality coverage of present and future Mac game titles, will give Next-Generation a try and show them that we are worthy of their efforts.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 15:46:45 -0800 From: John Halbig <john@garage.com> Subject: Tidbit - Massive Upheaval At the Complete Conflict Compendium
This tidbit is from:
<mailto: "Dave Slipp" c3@mac-conflicts.com>
There have been massive changes at the Complete Conflict Compendium. The site has been rebuilt, from the ground up. It has been redesigned for faster, easier access to the stuff people use the most.
And the C3's gone mobile! The C3 is now available in an offline version. The C3 Offline Reference includes all of the conflict reorts from the C3, is a fast, searchable standalone format. Users can chose the version that meets their needs and budget.
The new site is at <http://www.mac-conflicts.com,> as is the downloadable demo version of the C3 Offline Reference.
Dave Slipp The Complete Conflict Compendium <http://www.mac-conflicts.com>
------------------------------
End of EvangeList Digest V1 #1318 *********************************
