Unpredictable Back Issue #35

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CHRIS'S UNPREDICTABLE and OCCASIONAL Newsletter for MAC USERS #35,
01/02/02
Contents Copyright 2002 by Christopher Plummer
===============================================

THIS ISSUE
----------
HAPPY NEW YEAR! As usual, this issue contains fascinating Mac trivia,
insightful comments, and personal commentary of questionable merit. And
after reading this issue, don't worry, I haven't been BORGED. I'm just
UNPREDICTABLE!

UPDATES - IE 5.1, Oh Ess Ten 10.1.2
NEWS - Powerbook G4 gets Combo Drive, What's up with Apple?
UNPREDICTABLE READER FEEDBACK - Just the usual accolades
OVERLOOKED AND UNDERUSED - coming back soon, honest!!
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IE
Know The Difference
OCCASIONAL Favorite WEB SITE - MacTopia
Special Bonus Keyboard Commands - Full Screen IE
Good News Press Releases - G4 Titanium gets Combo Drive, Connectix does
Windows,
iPod, A Great Year for Businesses that Use Mac

GEEK SPEAK ALERT: URL CLIPPING, Browser Plugin, BORGED

UPDATES
-------
Internet Explorer 5.1 for Mac Classic -
"Has bug fixes and light on its feet". The bug fixes were needed, that's
for sure.

<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/DOWNLOAD/IE/ie51.asp>

Oh Ess TEN:
Version 10.1.2 - Now supports PC Cards, including 'card readers' for
digital cameras, thank goodness; we're getting there! Use Software Update.

<http://www.apple.com/macosx/upgrade/softwareupdates.html>

NEWS
----
Titanium G4 PowerBook now comes standard with the the DVD/CD-RW 'Combo
Drive'. Really folks, this is a big deal. Especially to peripheral
manufacturers. Get rid of that external CD burner and DO EVERYTHING on
your PowerBook. I'm even thinking about trading in my G4 (400mhz) for the
G4 (550Mhz) just to get that internal CD-RW. Anyone want to buy a
slightly used G4 Titanium?? Details on the new PowerBook models in the
Good News Press Releases at THE END.

It's nearly MacExpo San Francisco (next week Jan 7 - 11), and the Rumor
Mills, inspired by Apple's own website, churn away. Most likely, Apple
will be introducing a new Flat Panel iMac. But who knows?? Only the folks
who have signed the non-disclosure agreements, and they're NOT TELLING!

<http://www.apple.com>

UNPREDICTABLE READER FEEDBACK
-----------------------------
Just the usual Accolades (Thanks!)

What I Like About Internet Explorer
-----------------------------------
If you're not a total Mac NEWBIE, you know the Netscape browser is in
SUSPENDED ANIMATION and everyone but the most adamant anti-monopoly
Macker is resigned to using Internet Explorer. After all, it's pretty
good, isn't it? Internet Explorer, known by TRUE GEEKS as 'IE', has some
nifty features, but in my experience IT CRASHES A LOT. The jury is out
on the latest release, so let's hope it's MORE STABLE. So then, what do I
like about IE?

DRAG'N'DROP CLIPPINGS- If you've expanded your browser window to fill up
your whole display, shrink it! You have to be able to see your Mac
Desktop for this to work!

When you Click on the ampersand symbol (to the left of the URL Field near
the top), hold the mouse button down, drag the pointer off to the Desktop
and let the mouse button up. IE creates a document named after the web
page you were viewing with a '.url' extension. This is in fact the
MYSTERIOUS 'clipping' filetype alluded to WAY BACK in U&O #4. Technically
it's a 'URL Clipping'.

A URL Clipping is a file that when double-clicked (or Opened) launches
your favorite browser (or switches to it if it's already open) and
immediately goes to that web page. You've probably seen these files used
for documentation in the electronic folders that come with software
(especially shareware). It's a convenient and portable way to point to a
specific location. Want someone to see a web page? You don't have to mail
them the URL. If they're a Mac user, mail them the URL Clipping, or copy
it to a CD or floppy! [Netscape Communicator does more or less the same
thing when you grab it's 'bookmark' icon to the left of the URL Field and
drag it onto your desktop.]

DRAG'N'DROP SELECTIONS to SIMPLETEXT - Internet Explorer goes even
further with Drag'n'Drop. Let's suppose you want to use part of a web
page in another document, or you want to print part of a web page without
all the Advertising Dreck that surrounds it. In Netscape you'll be lucky
if you can Copy the text you want. In IE, you can drag across the text,
then drag it to the Desktop. IE will show you a transparent image of your
selection as you drag it, and will create a FORMATTED SimpleText document
on your Desktop. Now you can take that document and do whatever you want
with it, or just mail it to someone else!! No browser required!!

SCRAPBOOK TAB - The vertical tabs that run along the left side of IE do
some neat stuff.

You can check these out: the Favorites tab allows you to organize and
arrange your Favorites. But I like the Scrapbook tab. Want to grab a few
web pages quickly while you have a connection, and read them LATER, when
you're not connected?? Or maybe just SAVE a WHOLE web page for later
reference instead of BOOKMARKING (uh, making a 'Favorite' of) it? (It
would be cool if you could save a PAGE to your Scrapbook, and all the
LINKS down the line, one or two deep, but to my knowledge IE only lets
you grab the page.) While viewing the Scrapbook page, clicking on links
will cause IE to attempt to connect or if you are connected, will take
you to those links. But it can only do that if you have an Internet
connection.

Warning: If you use this feature, bump up the memory that IE uses NOW,
instead of after it crashes when you try to save one too many pages.
Memory is cheap; give it at least an extra 10 Megabytes!

PRINT PREVIEW - This is self-explanatory isn't it? My gosh, this feature
goes back to the early days of Mac, but incredibly, there are still
programs that don't do it. The latest version of AppleWorks for example
(JEEZ APPLE!!) In IE, it's there, it works, it makes it MUCH easier to
see what is going to come out of your printer before you go killing trees
needlessly.

SYSTEM LEVEL INTEGRATION - While we're saying nice things.... As I have
mentioned to excess, Apple believes in providing SYSTEM LEVEL RESOURCES
so that everyone can hook into them, share, and PLAY NICE together.
Functions that many different programs can use are available to everyone.
Why clutter up the hard drive with 6+ Megabytes of Java, the way Netscape
does, when there's already Java available?? IE, and the lesser-known
browser alternative, iCab, use Apple's Java.

Similarly, Apple created an 'Internet Plugins' folder [located in the
System Folder] so Browser Plugins would have a HOME. If you use more than
one browser, they can all share the Plugins. No need to load the same
Plugin for every browser you use! What could make more sense?

Release 5.1 of IE has GOTTEN WITH THE PROGRAM and uses not only Apple's
Java, but the Browser Plugins folder!! Way to go guys. :-)

Know The Difference
-------------------
In the Windows world IE is the DOMINANT browser. (One might be inclined
to say, the ONLY browser.) There are still two or three small tribes of
hacker barbarians in remote corners of the planet who use Netscape and
Opera, maybe even Lynx, MAYBE even MOSAIC. Why do so many people use IE?
Is it because they have all those cool features that we have in the Mac
version? NOPE. They don't have a Scrapbook. They don't have the cool
slide-out tabs. Forget about Drag'n'drop. But you CAN'T BUY A WINDOWS PC
that doesn't have IE on it.

And That's The Difference.

OCCASIONAL Favorite WEB SITE
----------------------------
If you use ANY Microsoft programs on your Mac, you should know about
MACTOPIA, Microsoft's website just for Mac users. It has lots of
workarounds, security patches, service releases, and bug fixes. ;-)

<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/>

Special Bonus Keyboard Commands
-------------------------------
Internet Explorer

[Command] + T - Toggles the Tabs. In Microsoft parlance, this hides or
displays the 'Explorer Bar', but lets face it, 'T' is for 'Tab'.

[Command] + B - Toggles the Toolbar. That's the button and URL field that
run across the top.

With these two shortcuts, you can make maximum use of your screen real
estate!

TFSB! :-)

=========================================================================
** CHRIS'S UNPREDICTABLE and OCCASIONAL Newsletter for Mac Users **
Oriented towards, but not exclusively for, Mac Users in Beautiful Western
Central New Jersey. Published Whenever - About Whatever!
=========================================================================

Non-profit, non-commercial publications may reprint articles if full
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**
SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION
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consultant and am available to HELP YOU on a one to one basis. Macintosh
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<chris@unpredictablemac.com>

TFSB :-)