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Apple replies on "missing" subfolders in Mac OS 8

Several readers have noted (as we have) that some of the new blessed System Folder sub-folders (such as for Sounds and Chooser items) initially reported by third-party sources as being included in Mac OS 8 - never showed up in the release version. Here is Apple's response to this (as noted on its Discussion Boards): "Those folders were in a beta release but were not fully implemented in the final release version. The custom icons are still present in the System resource, and it is preserved as a custom name, but the functionality does not exist." Apple … Read more

Troubleshooting PowerBook 3400 modems

Avariety of issues regarding using modems with PowerBook 3400s have been raised recently. Here's a sampler of the questions asked and the possible answers:

Can't reconnect after a disconnect (noted on PowerBook Discussion Board) A user writes: "I am having problems with my internal modem on my PowerBook 3400. After a successful connection, the modem will not dial again. It can take up to 2 hours before it gets free again." Apple replies: "This issue has been escalated to the engineering team and as soon as they make the solution known to me, I will … Read more

MacOS 8 Views Setter update released

A new version of MacOS 8 Views Setter is out. The first release ( see previous item) had a bug in it such that when you launched the script it would not be able to find the sound file resource and would quit. This has been fixed. Because this new version is also much smaller (only 43K), it should also remedy the download problems that people were reporting.

ARA 3.0 and multiple modem access

Marty Cohen writes: "With ARA 2.1, I can select a modem different from the one selected in the Modem control panel by using Remote Access Setup. Richard Ford (of Apple Computer) confirmed that I will lose this capability with ARA 3.0 since it will also use the Modem control panel." Richard's response said in part:

"By combining ARA and PPP into a single package with ARA 3.0, you can only make one type of remote connection at a time with ARA. Either an ARA call or a PPP call. In order to replicate … Read more

Apple comments on ARA 3.0 and PPP control panel; OT/PPP Strip 1.0.2 released

Regarding the issue of the PPP control panel ( raised last time) Apple's Richard Ford confirms what we wrote and adds: "ARA 3.0 offers a superset of the features of OT/PPP - it supports both AppleTalk and TCP/IP concurrently over a PPP connection. Both protocols will be enabled if the PPP server supports both. It also supports the Apple Remote Access Protocol (ARAP) v2.0 and so can be used to call either a PPP server or an ARA server. ARA 3.0's ability to use TCP/IP over a PPP connection can and does … Read more

Drive Setup and IDE drives: A follow-up

Regarding the item last time on Drive Setup, several readers inquired how they determine if they have an IDE drive or an Alchemy logic board. Some clone vendors also sent in some news and views.

What's an IDE drive? How do I know if I have one? Keeping it simple here, IDE drives are an alternative to SCSI drives. IDE drives have long been used on PC machines. The Mac traditionally has used SCSI drives. However, recent Mac models have shifted more and more to IDE drives - especially on PowerBooks, Performas and entry level Power Macs (such as … Read more

VM 8.0 Fix from Bare Bones

Rich Siegel (of Bare Bones Software) writes: We have identified a Mac OS 8.0 compatibility issue, which arises when using Apple's virtual memory (VM) on 68040 Macintosh systems.

When using our products, the problem manifests itself as generalized instability when running BBEdit (any version) on a 68040 machine under Mac OS 8.0 with virtual memory turned on. BBEdit may sometimes crash when starting up, but if it doesn't, other misbehaviors will present themselves, such as errors or garbled text when copying, pasting, or scrolling text.

However, the effects of this compatibility issue are not specifically related … Read more

"Important information" from Apple to owners of Mac clones; and news about Power Computing's new models

A page on Apple's web site essentially says that Apple is no longer offering its Up-To-Date program to Macintosh clones.

Meanwhile, an article in the American Statesman says that Power Computing intends to ship its new PPC 750 based machines next week - despite the fact that this "would violate terms of Power Computing's agreements with Apple and could propel the dispute over Mac licensing into the courtroom."

(These links first spotted on MacSurfer's Headline News.)

Troubleshooting issues on MacInTouch

MacInTouch today describes several items of troubleshooting interest:

a. A Mac OS 8 related bug that occurs when using Publish & Subscribe. b. A work-around for Ofoto's incompatibility with Mac OS 8. It involves copying Ofoto preferences templates from a 7.6 System Folder. c. An Import Converter released by Microsoft for converting Windows Word 97 files to a format that can be opened by MS Word 5 or 6 for the Mac.