Aoraki Macintosh User Group Home Page Snippets from Previous Meetings

April 28, 2006 Meeting

MARAN MacOS X TIGER

Hugh recommended this clearly-illustrated publication which he had recently seen in a Christchurch library. It is available (both new and used) from Amazon.com from $US8.50.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Several computing queries and suggested solutions included:

COPYING WEB IMAGES

Sometimes control-clicking on a web image doesn't give you the option of saving it - so how do I save it?

• With most browsers in MacOS X you should be able to simply drag an image and drop it on your desktop, where it will be saved in JPEG format. You could also drag and drop into an open document, then save it.

FOLDERS NOT DELETING

How do I get rid of a folder (or file) which won't delete when I empty the Trash?

• The offending folder may be locked, which prevents it being deleted, even though you have been able to move it to the Trash. Click once on the folderÕs icon and type Apple I to open its Info window, and ensure that the Locked box is unchecked.
• If your computer will restart in MacOS 9, there may be a conflict between the OS 9 and OS X Trash, ie. the folder may have been trashed in OS 9, and then not want to delete in OS X. Try this:

1. In OS X, move the folder out of the Trash and onto the Desktop.
2. Restart the computer in OS 9.
3. Locate the folder (on the Hard Drive, in the OS X Desktop).
4. Move it to the Trash again, then empty the trash

SESSIONS

APPLE DOWNLOADS

Hugh brought members' attention to the availability of a large number of freeware downloads which are contained within the Software for Starving Students package. Included are utilities, games and graphics software, along with weblinks and demonstrations of how to use the software.

To access this (and other freeware Š there's plenty available), visit http://www.apple.com and go to MacOS X > Downloads > Unix & Open Source > Software for Starving Students.

The size of this download (498MB) makes it difficult to access, particularly if you're on dial-up! Sheryl has it available on CD, so have a look at the website, and contact her if youÕre interested.

Hugh also mentioned Version Tracker and Mac Update.

ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE

Sheryl gave an overview of ClamXav, which is a free virus checker for Mac OS X:

Back in the days before OS X, the number of viruses which attacked Macintosh users totalled somewhere between about 60 and 80. Today, the number of viruses actively attacking OS X users is...NONE! However, this doesn't mean we should get complacent about checking incoming email attachments or web downloads, for two reasons. Firstly, there's no guarantee that we Mac users will continue to enjoy the status quo, but more importantly, the majority of the computing world use machines running MS Windows, for which an enormous quantity of viruses exist, so we must be vigilant in checking the files we pass on to our friends and colleagues etc.

Don't forget, if you run VirtualPC you can still become infected and lose valuable data on your Mac even though technically you're running Windows inside a sandbox. VPC will run any application you tell it to, virus or no virus, it doesn't know the difference. You can protect yourself slightly by not using VPC's "shared folders", but that's a useful feature which you shouldn't have to be without.

Visit http://www.markallan.co.uk/clamXav/ for further information. Note also that now that new Macs have Intel processors in them, the no-=virus status is likely to change!

BOOTCAMP

Barry Bluett introduced Bootcamp to members: this is a system which allows users with new Intel-chip Macs to run Windows XP on their computers. Some information from the Apple website: http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/

Apple will include technology in the next major release of Mac OS X, Leopard, that lets you install and run the Windows XP operating system on your Mac. Called Boot Camp (for now), you can download a public beta today.

Boot Camp lets you install Windows XP without moving your Mac data, though you will need to bring your own copy to the table, as Apple Computer does not sell or support Microsoft Windows.(1) Boot Camp will burn a CD of all the required drivers for Windows so you don't have to scrounge around the Internet looking for them.

Once you've completed Boot Camp, simply hold down the option key at startup to choose between Mac OS X and Windows. (ThatÕs the "alt" key for you longtime Windows users.) After starting up, your Mac runs Windows completely natively. Simply restart to come back to Mac.

CITRIX CLIENT

Sheryl explained how the Citrix Client software works. This is a set-up in which use have access to applications on a remote servers - e.g. you can make use on your computer of an application which is housed in on a server's computer in Australia. This gives inexpensive, safe access to a large range of applications which you would otherwise have to purchase. Visit http://www.citrix.com for further information.

INTERNET BROWSERS

Apple's Safari web browser comes with the Mac, but Lea, Barry B and Hugh presented and compared some alternative web browsers, respectively describing the iCab, Shiira and Firefox applications. Some of the points they made included:

iCab

This browser has been constructed to meet the WWW Consortium guidelines, so that websites designed on it will have an acceptable appearance on any other browser (which does not necessarily happen on all browsers). When uploading web pages, iCab checks their design and gives an error repport if their structure is not acceptable. It is a small download, and has the additional advantage of being available in versions for older Macs - as far back as MacOS 7.1!

Shiira

This works on the same system as Apple's Safari (in comparison to Mozilla's Firefox). It is a very fast browser, and like Safari allows tabbed browsing. It has the ability to block unwanted pop-ups, and new pages load in the background. Like Internet Explorer, it features a sidebar Pageholder which enables multiple pages to be opened simultaneously and archived within the browser.

Firefox

Mozilla's web browser is also very fast, and has a number of customisable features - one of which includes a weather icon on the browser window frame which gives an up-to-date local forecast.

While demonstrating Firefox, Hugh took members to several interesting websites and applications, including Google Earth (more of this later) and the AccuWeather.com site:

This gives detailed local weather forecasts for up to fifteen days, and short-term forecasts are available in hourly predictions. Although this is an American website, Hugh has found the weather information to be very reliable, with actual conditions at his Pleasant Point location being only slightly at variance with the Timaru predictions. As well as the temperature readings, the site also supplies a RealFeel indication, which combines factors such as temperature, humidity and wind-chill to give a reading of what the conditions will actually feel like, eg. Cool, windy conditions are likely to feel much colder than still, frosty weather.

The AccuWeather.com website also powers the local weather Widget: