EvangeList Digest Monday, March 9 1998 Volume 01 : Number 1117
In this issue:
PR - Give Your CAD Drawings a Hand Sketched Look PR - The Fantastic War (Game) Tidbit - NT and Windows on G3 Tidbit - Kineticon 1.0.1- Create Your Own Icon Animations Review Tidbit - Mac SCSI Cards and Raid Software Mega Review Followup - Macs at Dartmouth PR - HelpLess 1.1.1 Released. Tidbit - Macs Latest Customer Loyalty Figures Tidbit - Fresh Apples ?? -Telephone Dialing Device for Digital Phone System Tidbit - Another Hard Won Convert Tidbit - Apple Computer on Track
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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 02:10:54 -0000 From: EvangeList <evangelist@apple.com> Subject: PR - Give Your CAD Drawings a Hand Sketched Look
This announcement is from:
Insight Development Corporation, <insight@img-direct.net>
Squiggle is an indispensable tool for preparing "viewer friendly" CAD-generated designs and illustrations.
For a limited time, we are offering Squiggle for only $49.00 - a savings of over 50% off our regular price.
Squiggle enables you to create drawings that are more approachable, allowing your clients to feel more comfortable with your design process.
Squiggle works with all the popular CAD programs, allowing you to transform HPGL and HPGL/2 plot files into hand-drawn art in a matter of minutes. Squiggle allows for the customization of variable line combinations, and allows the user to vary the width and color of up to 255 lines with an unlimited number of hand drawn styles to each line.
You can choose from a range of seven preset styles that range from "carefully sketched with a drafting pen" to "scribbled on the back of a napkin."
Each line is drawn independently, and results are not precisely predictable- just like drawing done by the human hand. Styles can be combined into one image and pen effects can be can be saved into templates to create custom, "in-house" styles.
Our special price is available only through March 15, 1998.
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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 02:11:03 -0000 From: EvangeList <evangelist@apple.com> Subject: PR - The Fantastic War (Game)
Keyword: Market by market, Games
This announcement is from:
Kevin Quigley, <kevin@aladdinsys.com>
Peace, Love and World Groovyness Software is proud to announce that after three years of development, The Fantastic War is finally available to the public. I have always been a strategy gamer. In the days of my youth, I would take entire weekends out to play Stellar Conquest(tm), Dragon Pass(tm) and other strategy war games. When I got my Commodore 64(tm), I created a Fantasy War game and called it The Fantastic War. Written in BASIC, your pieces consisted of letters and numbers you moved around the screen. The limited abilities of the Commodore 64 unfortunately limited the abilities of the game. Now I own a PowerMac(tm) and I have rewritten the game for the Macintosh (68K or PPC). The letters have been replaced by Icons; there are computer opponents, and Zone of Control rules. Though the game has changed a lot from it's Commodore Days, the basic vision remains the same- To recreate the complex strategy found in those games of old using the enhancements a computer can give.
Many strategic war games have made their way to the computer. Unfortunately in order to appeal to the masses they need to in order to make a profit, they're watered down. Many of them are great games in their own right, but fail to achieve the same strategic goal found in the games of old. The Fantastic War is not a game I wrote for profit so there's no watering down of strategic concepts such as Zone of Control or Economics. There are certain loop holes designed to speed up play and make it more exciting but no detail was spared for the purpose of making it easier to play.
I realize this may limit the audience for The Fantastic War but like I said, it's not a profit venture. Play testing has shown that those people who take the time to learn the subtle intricacies of the game go on to play it for years. They get together with their friends and make a weekend of it, Fantastic War, Football, and beer. Just like we use to do when we were kids ('cept for the beer).
Strategic Concepts explored in the Fantastic War contain:
*Conquest of cities *Management of supply lines *Physical Warfare including missile (bows and arrows, javelins ect...) and melee (swords, axes, maces ect). *Magical Warfare *Leadership effects *Major Spells beyond magical warfare *Reconnaissance *Emissaries and mercenaries *Zones of Control *Terrain effects on emissaries, supply, movement and combat *Sneak Tactics and hidden movement. *Attacks by land, sea and air. *Raiding, pillaging and plundering
As with previous releases, The Fantastic War uses Electronic Commerce software from Aladdin Systems(tm) to make on-line registration easy.
To Play you'll need a Macintosh with 8MB RAM, a 640x480 256 color monitor, and a 68020 or faster processor. PowerPC recommended for computer opponent
Kevin Quigley - Peace, Love and World Groovyness Software Ink - <http://www.groovysoft.com>
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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 02:11:08 -0000 From: EvangeList <evangelist@apple.com> Subject: Tidbit - NT and Windows on G3
Keyword: Advocacy, Why Macs Are Better
This tidbit is from:
Gary Zak, <gzak@sd61.bc.ca>
I just saw a demonstration of a G3 tower (266 Mhz) running "Virtual PC". The boys at WestWorld computers in Victoria, BC, loaded Windows NT Server in about four minutes into the Mac and hooked the G3 up to a Powerbook 3400 as client. The Powerbook's Chooser recognized both the "NT" server and the "G3 Mac" server. Then they saved the "PC state" as a file (that's how Virtual PC does it) and knocked out NT Server. Server down? - no problem! Double click on the "Saved PC state" file and 6.5 seconds later the NT server was up and running again. Recover Windows 95? - 7.5 seconds.
It appears that the best machine to run NT or Win95 on is the G3. Seems to be more stable and more easily recoverable upon calamity than when running on Pentium iron. Apart from politics, there really isn't much reason to run either OS anyway, but if you have to, why not buy "Virtual PC" and get Windows 95 included, cheaper than Windows 95 by itself!
Are you a teacher teaching PC networking? Give every kid a Mac (180 Mhz minimum), a copy of Virtual PC, and a "Saved PC state" file with some known problem to solve. If he/she wrecks that NT file, he/she's back at it in 6.5 seconds.
Disclaimer: I am a math teacher in Victoria, BC, who doubles as the MacLab techie in my school. I have no affiliation with Apple computer other than an intense desire that they continue to put out the best education computers in the world. __________________________ Digital Guy Sez:
Ok, so it's sounding like it's a great alternative to running a second pentium based box. Buut what about performance? Does anyone have an URL for some definitive benchmarks on how well NT runs on a G3 (with and without the Finder)?
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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 02:10:53 -0000 From: EvangeList <evangelist@apple.com> Subject: Tidbit - Kineticon 1.0.1- Create Your Own Icon Animations Review
This tidbit is from:
Applelinks.com, <webmaster@applelinks.com>
Applelinks .com has posted their newest review, Kineticon 1.0.1 <http://www.applelinks.com/staff/farr/reviews/KineticonReview.lasso> Kineticon puts animated icons on your desktop, and also in Get Info windows and any other place that icons normally appear! The $10 Kineticon 1.0.1 package (by Sherman Uitzetter) consists of two main parts: a Kineticon extension that displays the icons (called kines -- pronounced "kinnies," as in "skinnies"), and an Editor that allows you to customize the provided kines or create your own. The editor is also used to select which kines are activated, and by double-clicking on a kine ("kinny," remember) in the editor's window, you can open and display for editing all the frames in the animation. All editing and creating takes place in this opened kine window: here is where you paste frames created in image-editing and graphics applications to create your own icons. Applelinks.com Rating is Five out of Five.
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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 02:10:57 -0000 From: EvangeList <evangelist@apple.com> Subject: Tidbit - Mac SCSI Cards and Raid Software Mega Review
This tidbit is from:
Michael Breeden, <mbreeden@cstone.net>
Accelerate Your Mac! <http://www.xlr8yourmac.com> has what I believe is the most detailed and comprehensive Mac SCSI card and Raid Software review available on the net or in print.
PCI Ultra-Wide SCSI cards from Adaptec (2940UW), ATTO (ExpressPCI), Initio (Miles) and Streamlogic (Jackhammer) are tested with 5 of the best Raid software packages available for the Mac - ATTO Raid, Adaptec Remus Lite, CharisMac Anubis Raid, Conley SoftRaid 2.0 and FWB Raid ToolKit. For those not needing Raid, the first report deals with a the performance of the four cards with FWB and Conley disk driver software on a single Ultra Wide SCSI drive.
The review is in three parts (linked):
1) The four SCSI cards are tested for performance with a single U/W SCSI drive. 2) The same tests with two of each SCSI card connected to a two-drive Raid array, illustrating how each of the cards performed with the 5 Raid software packages. 3) Tests with one SCSI card and the same Raid array and software.
There are four benchmarks used for each of the tests - and it was enlightening to see which card and software combination worked best, and also to see that two SCSI cards are not necessarily better than one (saving a PCI slot and $$$).
Features, costs and compatibility issues are also discussed. Well worth a read for addressing a very important part of the total performance equation - disk performance. The Raid software was very easy to configure and the transfer rates were astounding!
If you're not a regular reader I invite you to stop by and check out the site. I publish news updated several times a day (7 days a week), and one of the most extensive collection of in-depth reviews (CPU cards, video cards, SCSI, Cache) anywhere. Illustrated tutorials are also online. 200+ tech support mails answered per day - or post your question in one of my three discussion forums (Apple G3 systems, video cards, and hardware upgrades). I'm in the process of adding Apple G3 system specific pages now (tutorials and reviews on upgrades, compatibility issues, performance enhancements, comparison tests and more). Check the site often for special sale offers from my sponsors as well.
It's a daily stop for over 30,000 visitors a day and growing!
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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 02:10:59 -0000 From: EvangeList <evangelist@apple.com> Subject: Followup - Macs at Dartmouth
This follow-up message is from:
William D. Brawley, <William.D.Brawley@Dartmouth.EDU>
A recent tidbit from Peter K. Martel reminded readers of the list about Dartmouth's strong support for the Mac. More than 90 percent of incoming students buy Macs, which have dominated the computing landscape here for 14 years. They're still the preferred system, our users love 'em, and we're happy to support them.
However, we like to treat all our users, even Wintel users, with some respect. Our voicemail systems don't support subliminal messages or automatic transfers to counseling services, not do we yell at our Wintel users, even if we have been tied up on Wintel calls. (Wintel users have enough problems already without us yelling at them! ;)
Our Mac users will get better service, because that's what we've been providing so well for 14 years -- a computing environment that Yahoo! Internet Life Magazine recognized last year as "The Best School for Mac Users" in its first annual survey of "America's 100 Most Wired Colleges" (we ranked at number 5, and we couldn't have done it without the Mac).
__________________________ Digital Guy Sez:
Well, it was still funny, even if it was entirely apocryphal. :-)
Ever wished you could stop the Apple Guide or other help systems swinging into action when you hit the 'Help' key by accident instead of the delete key. Tired of waiting for Apple Guide to start up while your busy trying to edit a document.
Then HelpLess is what your looking for. It helps prevent accidental hits on the help key, instead just giving a beep.
When you want help to appear you can just hold down a modifier key and HelpLess will make it look like you pressed the 'Help' key. A simple control panel interface lets you turn it's activity on/off, control if a beeps will sound, and choose which modifier key to use.
Compatible with System 7.0 upwards including MacOS 8 and 8.1
1.1.1 Fixes a problem with the HelpLess control not being recognised as an application or control panel on machines running with early systems prior to MacOS 7.6. No extra funtionality is added. If it already works for you then you don't need this upgrade.
New in version 1.1 - ------------------- Added support for Simple Internet Version Control (SIVC). If you are connected to the internet SIVC allows you to find out what is the current version of HelpLess and it also gives Redpoint Software a better idea of how many people are using this software. For more information on SIVC see <http://www.ots.utexas.edu/sivc/index.html>. Added the facility to move the Help menu (under MacOS 8) back to where it was on machines running System 7.x. This is adapted from an extension written by Leonard Rosenthol at MacHack '97 called TempoHelper. Added the facility to exclude some applications from the effects of Helpless. Why? Well maybe you want the help to work in some applications. Or maybe you have an application that is incompatible with HelpLess and acts funny if HelpLess is active.
Shareware. $10. Comment/Queries to <redpoint@kagi.com>
Apple Jumps the Most -- "Jobs Effect" Makes a Difference
Lots of folks talk about customer loyalty. And some companies have even gone so far as to compensate their management based on customer satisfaction. While those are laudable activities, here at InfoBead Insider, we believe that the most important way to measure loyalty is to measure whose products your best customers bought the last time they purchased some products. To that end, we look at sites with PCs where 50% or more of the installed base is made up of one vendor's PC products. Then we look at whose PCs they purchased most recently.
The good news for the larger vendors (IBM, Apple, Compaq, Dell, and Gateway) is that their commercial customer loyalty was up across the board. This is interesting as the "other" category had been steadily gaining share and importance in many commercial accounts. The data today reverses that trend. Consolidation of vendors has been a recurring theme with customers, and this shows they're acting on that theme..
The big story in Q4 was that Apple Computer has not just reversed declining loyalty, but also has jumped back above the key 50% repurchase rate mark. Great news for the company. Although Jobs & crew might not have turned the financial picture yet, the simple fact is that stemming the losses at their best accounts is a key part of any turnaround. And they have stopped the bleeding. Based on this data, it certainly appears to me that Apple has given themselves some breathing room, and if they can keep this trend in place, it should show up in the sales numbers in calendar Q1. Apple desperately needs some good news, and this is a start."
With some nice graphs to back up the text.
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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 02:11:04 -0000 From: EvangeList <evangelist@apple.com> Subject: Tidbit - Fresh Apples
This tidbit is from:
The Blues, <hcleong@krdl.org.sg>
"An Apple A Day" <htp://cafe.AmbrosiaSW.com/AppleDays/> unveils a new section: "Fresh Apple". This section keeps track of the daily happenings around the world of Apple and Macintosh web sites. Do drop by!
And a special note to webmasters who edits sites about Apple, or sites made with Macintosh or uses Apple technologies: please feel free to send me any announcements or updates for publication in "Fresh Apples".
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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 02:11:07 -0000 From: EvangeList <evangelist@apple.com> Subject: ?? -Telephone Dialing Device for Digital Phone System
This request is from:
Thomas R. Doolittle, <TRDoolit@world.std.com>
Several years ago, I had a little device called a "Hyperdialer" which connected between the speaker port on my SE/30 and the handset connection on my telephone. This allowed me to hit the "Dial" button on my address book (Address Book Plus) which then tone-dialed the phone for me.
Times change... My company now has a digital phone system (Meridian by NorTel) that my Hyperdialer doesn't work with; it interrupts the connection between the base unit and the handset when dialing, so you can't hear the dial tones in the handset. Does anybody know of a device that works with this kind of phone system?
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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 02:11:06 -0000 From: EvangeList <evangelist@apple.com> Subject: Tidbit - Another Hard Won Convert
Keyword: Advocacy, Macintosh in Action
This tidbit is from:
Bobby Owsinski, <polymedia@earthlink.net>
Three years ago my partner and I wrote a Multimedia Production program for a local college. Upon setting up the computer labs we were insistant about installing Macs but the President fought us tooth and nail stating loudly and often, "I hate the Mac. Everyone uses PC's." (I don't know why, because it was obvious he'd never touched one).
The Macs (7500 and 8500's at the time) were installed but one of the conditions was that we had to install PC's along side each one to give the students a choice of which to use. After 6 months, the PC's were taken out of the labs because they were hardly ever turned on and were just taking up space!
What's more, the Chairman got so enthralled with the Mac that he personally wound up buying 4 of them for himself (he has two in his office plus separate audio and video workstations) and several more for various friends, family and associates. He's now a Mac lover like the rest of us and wouldn't dream of switching to any other platform.
Bobby Owsinski EuroJam International Sound and Picture
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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 02:11:13 -0000 From: EvangeList <evangelist@apple.com> Subject: Tidbit - Apple Computer on Track
This tidbit is from:
Larry Roth, <rothl@wadsworth.org>
If you are an Apple Computer partisan and you also like trains, take a look at the 1998 Lionel Trains Classic catalog. In it you'll find a new product: an O gauge double trailer set featuring two Apple Computer truck trailers on an articulated TTUX car. The trailers have the rainbow Apple logo on them and "Apple Computer" in large letters. If you have a train layout or know somebody who does, this would be one more way to show the flag. (I can't help thinking a model train setup with these trailers would make a very different in-store display for Apple come the holidays.)
If you'd like to find out more, go to the Lionel web site: <http://www.lionel.com/>
There are several goodies there for Mac users: QuickTime movies, free screen savers, and wallpaper. You can find those at: <http://www.lionel.com/freegraphics/graphic.shtml>
To see the trailers, go to: <http://www.lionel.com/98catalogs/classic/index.html> This will take you to the front page of the catalog. Once there, click first on "Rolling Stock", and when that comes up, click on "T.T.U.X. Trailers" This should bring up the catalog page with the information about the Apple trailers and a picture of them. If you like what you see, contact your nearest friendly Lionel dealer to place an advance order now. Items like this tend to go fast!
If enough Mac users show an interest in this product, Lionel just might be encouraged to offer additional items. (My own wish list is for a Mac interface to the new digital TrainMaster control systems Lionel has developed.) There's a customer survey form at: <http://www.lionel.com/customer/custsrvy.shtml> There's a line for new products you'd like to see. Perhaps we could persuade Lionel to come up with an entire Apple Computer train set! ;-)
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End of EvangeList Digest V1 #1117 *********************************
