What You Need To Macsurf The Net
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday April 10, 1995
SOMETIMES it seems as if the entire computer press has gone Internet crazy. Sure, there's a lot of good stuff out there, but there's even more dross. Rather than dwelling on the bad, I'll point out a few recent items of interest to Mac users, but first, here's my guide to getting connected.
0. If you don't already have a modem, buy a V.34 model, plug it in, and make sure it works by calling a bulletin board before you start paying for Internet access.
1. Buy Adam C. Engst's The Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh (TISK). This book lives up to its name by providing all the software and almost all the information you need to get started.
2. Find an Internet service provider that understands the Mac and offers SLIP and PPP connections. One starting point is the list in April's Australian MacUser. If you are a non-commercial user, APANA (phone (03) 571 0484) might be able to put you in touch with a local not-for-profit operator. Some providers offer software bundles, but unless you are running System 7.5, you'll still need MacTCP, and the cheapest legal way I know for an individual user to get that is with TISK.
3. Use the software accompanying TISK to download the current versions of the programs you really want. Don't take this to extremes, otherwise you may find you spend all your time on Internet collecting software so you can use the Internet! That MacUser article is a worthwhile guide and Australian Macworld has covered similar material in recent issues.
What's in my tool kit? NewsWatcher for reading newsgroups, Eudora for sending and receiving e-mail, Anarchie for finding and retrieving files via FTP, Netscape Navigator for browsing World Wide Web pages, and Network Time to synchronise my Mac's clock with a time server. There are other programs, including software for participating in Internet Relay Chat, but this collection does what I need. Many good Internet tools are freeware or shareware, so you can find out what suits you with minimal expense.
So, what have I found recently in the way of Mac information and software? Apple Telecom 2.0 software is now available from Apple's Internet servers. Although it is mainly associated with the GeoPort Telecom Adaptor, portions also apply to the Express Modem. Among the benefits for GeoPort users is MegaPhone, a screen-based telephone with voice-mail capability. The basics of MegaPhone work indefinitely, but the advanced features are limited to a 30-day trial period.
Fax Sender GX, another component of the upgrade, provides QuickDraw GX-compatible, transmit-only fax capabilities that can be shared across an AppleTalk network. A second fax tool, the Apple Fax Gateway (for PowerTalk 1.1), is also included.
Only three of the four disks in the complete update are available for downloading. The fourth (Telecom Applications) is only available if the upgrade is purchased from Apple US. The 2.0 software voids Austel approval of the GeoPort pod, so don't expect to be able to order it locally for some time. I have seen some favourable reports from Australian users who have downloaded the new software, but they're risking a hefty fine.
You can find Apple Telecom 2.0 at ftp://ftp.info.apple.com/Apple.Support.Area /Apple.Software.Updates/US/Macintosh/Net working.and.Communications/Apple.Telecom
It doesn't seem to be available from ftptoo.support.apple.com, which is a good place for downloading the System 7.5 and QuickDraw GX updates.
If you are interested in Macs on the Internet from the perspective of a user or provider, take a look at http://abs.apple.com/apple-internet/. It provides details of a number of mailing lists on related topics, plus an archive of previous messages. If you have problems configuring or using Internet software other than Eudora, there's a good chance the answer's here.
MacWEEK, the well-regarded US news weekly, electronically publishes a small number of articles. They're updated on Mondays (US time) to coincide with the appearance of the real magazine. You'll typically find a lead news story, a review and Mac the Knife's gossip column. The last two weeks saw the results of unofficial testing of a Tsunami PCI-based Power Mac and a pre-announcement report of new Workgroup and Internet Server models. See http://zcias3.ziff. com/%7Emacweek
If you aren't a reader of the TidBITS electronic newsletter, take a look at the April Fools' Day edition. Most editors would be content with slipping in a single hoax, but Adam C. Engst and his team produced an issue full of them. Highlights included "reports" of Apple's customer satisfaction program offering free replacement of existing PowerBook batteries with a 400-year capacity FusionPower device, and of CodeSucker, a utility that purportedly extracts features from your existing programs which the vendor then uses to create a customised application for you.You can read TidBITS in the Internet newsgroup comp.mac.sys.digest or at http://www.dartmouth.edu/pages/TidBITS/Tid BITS.html. You can also have each issue delivered by e-mail.
© 1995 Sydney Morning Herald