Cool Mac Gear

I hope everyone who picked up a copy of OS X 10.3 Panther over the weekend is having good results with the new system, and I look forward to hearing reader reports. I'm going to wait for just a bit (I'm still happily using 10.2.6) myself, but likely not as long as I did before installing Jaguar after its release last fall.

Software and shareware developers are scrambling to get Panther updates out the door, and below you will find a roundup of OS X 10.3 updates, releases, tutorials, and other pertinent info.

Apple Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) Operating System

New in this version:
• Finder
Find everything you need just a click away.
• Expose
Quickly tile open windows and reveal files on your desktop.
• iChat AV
Talk face-to-face over the Internet with top-notch video.
• FileVault
Secure your documents with AES-128 encryption.
• Fast User Switching
Change users without logging out of your applications.
• Mail
Follow the thread of any discussion and block junk mail.
• iDisk
Access your iDisk when you're not connected.
• Preview
Scroll through and search PDFs faster than before.
• Font Book
Find, organize and manage all the fonts on your Mac.
• Based on UNIX
Industrial-strength stability, with X11 and FreeBSD 5.
• Works with Windows
Access your Exchange email and sync your Address Book.
• Xcode
Develop Mac OS X applications with powerful, elegant tools.
• Over 150 new features in total. For the full list, visit:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/newfeatures/

System requirements: :
• G3, G4 or G5-based system with built-in USB ports
• Note that official OS X support for the WallStreet G3 Series PowerBooks and the original beige G3 desktops has been dropped with the 10.3 release

Apple Mac OS X sells for $129.00
Family Pack - 5 license - $199.00

For more information, visit:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/

Apple Mac OS X Server 10.3 Panther Server Software

Host Macintosh and Windows workgroups. Set up complex network services. Deploy dynamic web sites and powerful Internet services. Run enterprise applications. Mac OS X Server melds the most popular technologies from the open source community with the latest version of BSD — the long-standing foundation on which the Internet was built.

Server Admin, a revolutionary new tool that simplifies the set up and management of these open standard network services, is just one of over 150 innovative new features in this, the fourth major release of Apple’s award-winning server software. With Mac OS X Server, you don’t need a black belt in UNIX to deploy cost-effective, open-source server solutions.

New in this version:

Server Admin, a revolutionary new tool that simplifies the set up and management of these open standard network services, is just one of over 150 innovative new features in this, the fourth major release of Apple's award-winning server software. With Mac OS X Server, you don't need a black belt in UNIX to deploy cost-effective, open-source server solutions.

System administrators will appreciate the standards-based management and security infrastructure provided by Apple's Open Directory architecture. End users will enjoy the ease with which they can find and access network resources. Open Directory 2, Apple's scalable LDAP directory service - based on OpenLDAP, Berkeley DB and MIT’s Kerberos KDC - comes complete with the tools administrators need to centrally manage users, their computers and network resources. And it delivers conveniences such as single sign-on and network user accounts with automatic configuration of home directories, group folders and email accounts that simplify life for end users.

Escape client access license fees. Samba 3, built into Mac OS X Server and integrated with Open Directory, provides native services for Windows clients. Windows users can authenticate to Mac OS X Server directly from their PC login window. Mac OS X Server can be a Primary Domain Controller (PDC), host Windows home directories and Windows "roaming profiles." Upgrade your Windows servers to Mac OS X Server and Samba 3, the latest version of the popular open source project that delivers high-performance, reliable file and print services to Windows clients.

System requirements:
• G3, G4 or G5-based Mac with built-in USB ports
• Note that official OS X support for the WallStreet G3 Series PowerBooks and the original beige G3 desktops has been dropped with the 10.3 release

Apple Mac OS X Server sells for $499 10 users/$999 unlimited users

For more information, visit:
http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/

Take Control of Upgrading to Panther - an eBook by Joe Kissell

Take Control of Upgrading to PantherStart on the right foot with Mac OS X 10.3 Panther with this detailed guide from Joe Kissell. Joe's expert guidance, developed over innumerable test installations, thoroughly explains the seven steps necessary before upgrading, which of three installation options is right for you, how to perform the actual upgrade, and the four tasks you must perform after the upgrade finishes. Also included are instructions if you're extra paranoid or are upgrading from Mac OS 9. Worried that something might go wrong? Joe provides detailed troubleshooting tips for five possible problems and even instructions on how to downgrade to your previous system if necessary. Bonus Section! Direct links to software update sites for keyboards, mice, tablets, scanners, video cards, audio equipment, and more.
51 pages.

For more information, visit:
http://www.tidbits.com/takecontrol/

You can check out my recent review of Joe Kissell's "50 Fast Mac OS X Techniques" here:
http://www.applelinks.com/mooresviews/50fast.shtml

Coming Soon

Take Control of Customizing Panther, by Matt Neuburg

It's Day 2 of Panther, and you've played with all the big new features. But you can be even more productive with Panther if you customize it for your needs. Matt Neuburg takes you on an in-depth tour of four parts of Panther that give you the most boost for your buck. Matt explains undocumented details about the new sidebar, how it interacts with the toolbar, and how you can customize Finder windows. Keyboard fans will especially appreciate Matt's explanation of how you can create keyboard shortcuts for any menu item in any application. Pay close attention to Matt's warnings about Exposé's keyboard shortcuts, along with his tips for using Exposé more effectively. Tired of infinitely long Font menus? Learn how to disable unnecessary fonts in Font Book, along with the repercussions of doing so on other parts of the system.

30 pages. Coming Soon.

For more information, visit:
http://www.tidbits.com/takecontrol/

MacShareware.net showcases Panther ready applications

Macshareware.net is ready for Panther with front page listings showing a distinctive Panther logo. People visiting the web site can clearly see what programs are compatible with Mac OS X 10.3 Panther.

"People are extremely excited about Panther." said Ricardo Batista. A survey on the MacShareware.net web site revealed that 45.57% of the respondents already had purchased or obtained Panther. 33.33% where thinking about buying it. 11.39% claimed to be happy with Jaguar, 2.53% where happy with 10.1 and 7.17% still use Mac OS 8 or 9. The survey is not scientific but represents the people who chose to participate.

The new web site is being introduced to the U.S. market with an Apple iPod giveaway. Registration at the web site is free and there is no charge for joining the site. The web site address is:
http://macshareware.net

Nisus Writer Express 1.0.3

Nisus Writer Express is an OS X native word processor that is engineered lean, focused, fast, and reasonably priced.

Completely rewritten in Cocoa so it blends seamlessly with the OS X environment, Nisus Writer Express exploits OS X to the full, and it will continue to grow with the power of Mac OS X. Features such as Microsoft Word read/write support, unicode, RTF and plain text format support, a customizable interface, Perl macros, non-contiguous selection, an exclusive Autosave Library and powerful GREP find and replace makes Nisus Writer Express a compelling choice for your word processing needs.

New in Version 1.0.3:

Version 1.0.3 is a free maintenance upgrade provided for users of Mac OS X Panther. As such, it generally does not have any additional functionality.

• Now able to select by paragraph using the arrowkeys (option + shift + up/down-arrow).
• Line spacing in kept at or above 1.0 in the preferences pane.

Changes made for Panther compatibility:
• Palette previews in the palette library show up properly.
• Palettes redraw properly when opened and closed in the tooldrawer.
• Find and Replace properly selects results.
• The silhouette for dragged text is not mirrored across the x-axis.
• Enabled all arrowkey + modifier key navigation shortcuts.
• The document window is properly refreshed when the gutter size is decreased.
• Fixed index out of bounds bug in the character palette.
• ParagraphStyle objects refashioned.
• Added needed methods to automatic text tabs.
• Replaced depreciated/removed function calls.

System requirements:
Mac OS X 10.2 or later

Price:
Full - $59.95
Special for owners of Nisus Writer version 6.0 and above - $34.95

For more information, visit:
http://www.nisus.com/Express/

Default Folder X / Panther Conflict

Jon Gotow, author of Default Folder X, writes:

In the PR for Default Folder X 1.9 on Wednesday, I included a note about the incompatibility of earlier versions of Default Folder X with Panther. Unfortunately, I've seen little mention of it, and wanted to ask you explicitly to help get the word out to users about this potentially messy Catch-22:

If users upgrade to Panther and have Default Folder X 1.8 or earlier configured to launch at login (which is usual), every application that they run will immediately quit. I suspect that users will initially blame Panther, since this will be the first thing they see after restarting their machine and logging in.

Not only is this a terrible way to be greeted by Panther, but even if users know what the problem is, there's no way for them to download the Default Folder X 1.9 upgrade, which fixes the problem. There's also no way to run System Preferences to turn their old copy of Default Folder X off. They need to log out and log back in while holding down the shift key.

I've posted detailed instructions at:
http://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/panther.html

and set up an email address, mailto:panther@stclairsoft.com, specifically for people that encounter this problem and need help.

I'm very sorry for that this mailing was necessary, but I'd like to inform users _before_ they install their Panther upgrades. Downloading and installing the new version of Default Folder X is very easy while they're still running Jaguar or Mac OS 10.1.

The Default Folder X 1.9 update can be found at this URL:
http://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/release.html

Thanks,

Jon Gotow
Author of Default Folder X

ASM 2.1b5 Customizable App Switcher Menu Like OS 9's Panther Upgrade

ASM (Application Switcher Menu) is a small utility that adds a system-wide menu to the right side of the menu bar. This menu lists all of your open applications, so you can easily switch between them. And you can set ASM to automagically hide other apps when you switch to another app! This is one utility you must have! Brings back the application switcher menu (and more) to Mac OS X. It's highly customizable and offers some nice extra features, such as Classic Window Mode (orders all windows of an application to front when it becomes active) or Single Application Mode (automatically hides applications other than the front-most one).

New in this version:
• runs on Panther (with some limitations)

System requirements:
• Mac OS X 10.2 or higher

ASM is $15.00 shareware

For more information, visit:
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/6272

Vicomsoft FTP Client 4.0.2

Vicomsoft FTP Client Panther Compatiblity Upgrade

FTP Client for MacOS X offers top notch FTP speed & performance, claiming to deliver the fastest FTP downloads ever, leaving all other rival FTP software in its wake. At the same time, it uses only modest levels of CPU resources.

The developer says that FTP Client for MacOS X has been rigorously put through its paces in test conditions against rival FTP software. In most cases, FTP Client for MacOS X showed an average speed increase on downloads of up to 30% and was even found to be 70% faster than certain rival programs in SFTP mode. Conclusive proof that FTP Client is simply the best FTP software for MacOS X, bar-none.

In addition to ultimate performance and lightening-fast downloads, FTP Client also offers a host of new features, supreme functionality and ease-of-use, which has become such a feature of the application over the years. FTP Client for MacOS X also boasts many elements of the MacOS X interface, including Toolbars, drawers, live resizing and much more.

New in this version:
Fully compatible with Mac OS X 10.3, Panther.

System requirements:
• Mac OS X 10.2 or higher

Vicomsoft FTP Client sells for $35.00

For more information, visit:
http://www.ftpclient.com/

SpamCop 1.3 Mac OS X Mail Bundle Upgrades To Support Panther

The SpamCop bundle for Apple's Mac OS X Mail client makes it much easier to use the SpamCop reporting service when dealing with spam. To use it properly, you need to sign up for (at least) a free reporting account at spamcop.net.

If you are using Apple's Mail application on Mac OS X to read your email, you will find that it will not forward messages easily/properly for spam reporting. SpamCop does now properly accept web submissions from Mail (and as of 10.2, Mail now generates better source text), but the process is very tedious. You would have to select a spam message and then the menu item View->Show->Raw Source, click on that text, do a Edit->Select All, Edit->Copy, switch over to your browser, click on your SpamCop bookmark, click in the text area, Edit->Paste, and click on the "Process Spam" button to submit it. Whew! And you had to do that for every message. With the SpamCop Mail bundle, it becomes a single menu selection, and you can submit all your spam at once!

Installation gives the Mail application a new Message menu item, Report Spam, just under the Bounce To Sender item. Select any number of messages in the Mailbox list and use this new menu item to generate and submit the web reports for processing. Both web and email submissions are supported, configured by a handy Preference item in Mail.

Version 1.3 adds the following:
• Mac OS X 10.3 (Mail 1.3) supported.
• Supports auto-configuration of preferences.
• Updated preferences interface.
• Added ability to munge messages (USE WITH CARE!)
• Added "Report Spam" item to contextual menu.
• Added support for showing technical details for submissions.
• Fixed "No data / Too much data" errors with free reporting accounts.
• Removed unmaintained localizations.
• Other miscellaneous internal changes.

System requirements:
Mail (included with Mac OS X) SpamCop reporting account.

NOTE: No further development is being done for Mac OS X versions prior to 10.3, and users who have not upgraded must use the older versions. For Mac OS X 10.2.x users, get SpamCop 1.2.2. For Mac OS X 10.1.x users, get SpamCop 1.1.0.

For more information, visit here.

Apple Darwin OS 7.0 OS X Core Open Source Release, Code Only

Powered by Darwin Apple's open source projects allow developers to customize and enhance key Apple software. Through the open source model, Apple engineers and the open source community collaborate to create better, faster and more reliable products for our users.

Beneath the appealing, easy-to-use interface of Mac OS X is a rock-solid foundation that is engineered for stability, reliability, and performance. This foundation is a core operating system commonly known as Darwin. Darwin integrates a number of technologies, most importantly Mach 3.0, operating-system services based on 4.4BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution), high-performance networking facilities, and support for multiple integrated file systems.

The Darwin team is pleased to announce the availability of the source code for Darwin 7.0. These sources correspond to Mac OS X 10.3, and are available via the web. Also, the CVS repository has been updated for gcc, gdb, cups, efax, gimp-print, tcl, Rendezvous, StreamingServer, and HeaderDoc. [Oct 24 2003]

Get up to speed on the latest Mac OS X technology and features. ADC TV offers video of Apple engineers explaining the essentials of Panther, the 64-bit Power Mac G5, and more. A number of videos are available free. To watch all 142 technology sessions from the Worldwide Developers Conference, you may purchase streaming, online access or the full set on DVD-ROM.

System requirements:
• Mac OS X 10.2 or higher

Apple Darwin OS is freeware

For more information, visit:
http://developer.apple.com/darwin/

Daystar Ships MAChSpeed Control-OSX "Panther Ready"

Daystar Technology has announced a new release of its MAChSpeed Control - OSX cache enabling, protection and testing software. This new version provides 100% compatibility in Mac OS X 10.3, as released Friday by Apple Computer.

"Our customers appreciate MAChSpeed's exclusive cache profiling technology. " said Gary Dailey, president of Daystar. "Cache oriented system crashes can destroy a user's system. By ensuring they don't over-clock their system's capabilities, MAChSpeed protects the user, where other cache software can't".

MAChSpeed Control Features

- Dedicated patches for platform specific issues, including...
NVRAM based Speculative Processing protection for
PowerPC 750-7410 CPUs in six-slot (604e) PCI systems.
- Firmware patches for Beige G3 systems running G4 CPUs.
- Low-level System control ensures maximum compatibility / stability.
- Automated cache profiling, verification and testing at boot-up.
- Automatic cache reset in the event of a cache related system shut-down.
- Verification of available cache speeds preventing excessive over-clocking.
- RAM Memory check and review.
- Interactive Cache, CPU, RAM test when utility is open
- Write-back, and variable cache speed controls.
- Unlimited Tech Support at no extra cost.
- AltiVec (Velocity Engine) enabler built-in.

System requirements:
• Any system with PowerPC 750-7410 CPU.
• Mac OS X 10.0-10.3.

MAChSpeed Control - OSX sells for $17.95

MAChSpeed Control - OSX is currently bundled free with 450, 466, 500, 533 and 550 MHz G4 product purchase. Other interested users can purchase MSC-OSX directly from Daystar at:
http://daystar-store.com/product/msc3

DiscBlaze and Macabinet updated for MacOS X 10.3 "Panther"

RadicalBreeze has released updates to Macabinet and DiscBlaze that add compatibility with MacOS X 10.3 "Panther."

Version 2.0.5 of DiscBlaze (the popular CD and DVD burning utility) adds support for Apple's newest operating system.

Version 1.3.4 of Macabinet, in addition to Panther compatibility, received a make-over of it's Preferences dialog.

Features of DiscBlaze 2.0 include:
- Burn data CD's and DVD's.
- Burn multiple sessions to the same CD.
- Save and load "Burn Lists"
- Burn an existing Toast or ISO disc image file. - Burn discs that can be read on Mac's, PC's or both. - Erase re-writable media (such as CDRW discs) for re-use. - Incredibly fast and easy to use!
- Only costs $19! (A fraction of the cost of some other CD burning software!)

Macabinet is a convenient place to put files. It is a theme-able, highly customizable drawer where you can store whatever files you like...and it slides out of your way when not in use.

DiscBlaze 2.0 :
http://www.radicalbreeze.com/blaze/index.html

Macabinet:
http://www.radicalbreeze.com/macabinet/index.html

FinderConfig 1.0 Enables Some Hidden Features In 10.3 Finder & Dock

FinderConfig is a small and rather limited app that lets you enable some hidden features in the Mac OS X 10.3 Panther Finder and Dock.

System requirements:
• Mac OS X 10.3 Panther

FinderConfig is freeware/donationware

For more information, visit:
http://homepage.mac.com/craigmiller/software.html

LetterWorks 1.4.2 Word processor w/Envelopes & Stationery Updated for Panther

Objectpark Development has released version 1.4.2 of LetterWorks Pro and LetterWorks, an update to the easy to use text processor, specially targeted for writing quality letters.

LetterWorks allows you to write quality letters with ease and style.
Focus on the text to write while layout, formatting and default text are determined by a predefined stationery.

• You can choose from the included stationeries or roll your own.
• Create professional quality letters by faciliating pdf letter heads that print with your letters!
• Address Book and vCard support allow you to fill in the receiver instantly via drag & drop.
• LetterWorks was created from ground up for Mac OS X using Cocoa - feel it.

Features:
• True What-you-see-is-what-you-get
• High quality output with PDF letterheads
• Works with the Apple AddressBook and standard vCards
• Automatically fills in address data
• Mail Merge and Fax Merge
(Pro version only)
• Creates letters from stationeries
(customizable stationeries with generic letterheads included)
• Creates envelopes alongside letters
• Extensive undo support

• Fully native Mac OS X look & feel
• Works with Drag & Drop
• Localized in several languages
• Spell checking
• Rich text fomatting capabilities
• Flexible layout editing with frames
• Inline graphics support
• Print letterheads yourself
• Knows about language peculiarities

Besides compability with Mac OS X 10.3 this update features better page setup functionality and printing.

New in this version:
• more flexible page setup
• compatible with Mac OS 10.3 (Panther)
• printing enhancements

System requirements:
• Mac OS X 10.2 or higher

LetterWorks is $29.95 shareware

For more information, visit:
http://www.objectpark.net/

Panther Cache Cleaner

Panther Cache Cleaner is a utility designed to provide easy access to numerous OS X maintenance and utility options.  When used in combination with OS X's disk repair tools, it can be very effective in curing many system problems.  Panther Cache Cleaner helps simplify system maintenance chores with an easy point and click interface to many OS X functions.  Panther Cache Cleaner can improve system performance by tuning internet and file caching settings and by implementing ram disks.  PCC Documents and the PCC Engine can help maintain system health by providing set and forget automation of common maintenance chores.  Used as directed, Panther Cache Cleaner can be a powerful tool to keep OS X running smoothly.

Features
Flexible OS X system cache cleaning options.
Flexible Finder cleaning options.
Clean ".DS_Store" window settings files.
Repair disk permissions.
Repair OS 9 permissions.
Fixes Software Update Permissions.
Rebuild application library prebindings.
Execute Mac OS X maintenance scripts.
Delete Virtual Memory swapfiles.
Force delete files and folders.
Force empty trash.
Clear archived system logs.
Shutdown to Single User Mode.
Enables File System Journaling.
Optimize Internet settings.
Optimize file cache.
Automatically prioritize applications.
Renew DHCP Lease.
Rebuild the Services Menu.
Create Ram Disks.
Repair /tmp link.
Restart system daemons.
Kill or restart the Finder.
Kill or restart the Dock.
Customize hidden Mac OS X settings.
Temporarily disable Energy Saver.
Use the Virex engine to automatically scan and clean viruses.
PCC Documents for one step access to maintenance chores.
PCC Engine for set and forget automatic maintenance.
Use in any user account.
Easy to use graphical interface - no Terminal required.
Illustrated documentation.
 
System requirements:
Mac OS X 10.1 (Puma), 10.2 (Jaguar) 10.3 (Panther)

For more information, visit:
http://www.northernsoftworks.com/panthercachecleaner.html

Stealth and Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther)
 
Updated to version 1.2. Required for Mac OS X 10.3. For earlier versions of Mac OS X, please use version 1.1.

The main benefit of the Stealth Serial Port is that it provides a "native" serial port that behaves just as if it was built-in the G4 or G3 system. With OS X, the Stealth provides that same level of compatibility - if it works with built-in serial port on a Beige G3 running Mac OS X then it will work with a Stealth.

Note - Apple has stated that LocalTalk will not be supported in OS X, so LocalTalk printers will not work with the Stealth under OS X (and under Classic). Also, your serial peripheral may require its own OS X drivers to work under OS X - please check with the vendor of your serial device. This update is not required for Mac OS 9.x users.

For more information, visit:
http://www.geethree.com/StealthPanther.html

PowerKey Pro 4.2 Complete Power Control For Your USB Mac Panther Update

PowerKey Pro Model 650, brings the renowned features of PowerKey products to modern systems through its native USB connection. It features completely rewritten software than runs natively on OS 8.6 through X.

PowerKey Pro 650 is available in two versions. The SOHO version includes everything desktop users need to take control of their systems. Use it to easily control your peripherals with a keystroke or telephone call, automatically switch outlets, and start up or shut down your computer at any scheduled time.

The Admin version turns PowerKey Pro 650 into a full server management system. It adds crash monitoring and recovery and powerful scripting and automation capabilities. The SOHO version can be upgraded to the admin version at any time.

New in this version:
• This version adds support for Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther", and several new features to the Admin version.
System requirements:
• Macintosh computer with USB port, System 8.6 or higher, or OS X 10.1 or higher. Telephone features require an analog phone line. Scheduled startup features require Macintosh G3 or G4 made before September 2002, or iMac made before September 2000.

PowerKey Pro sells for $199/$299

For more information, visit:
http://www.sophisticated.com/products/powerkey/pkp_650.html

If Then Software Panther (OS 10.3) Updates Statement

We are currently evaluating our software and updating as needed for the new Mac OS X 10.3 OS. Please bear with us.

• HomeCalc X (1.3). This is a simple calculator to figure out approximately what your monthly mortgage payment would be. It can handle property taxes and different lenghts of mortgages. Great for realtors, first time home buyers and to have on your PowerBook when traveling around to homes.
• Dragster (1.61). A simple utility that helps fix the issue of not being able to drag and drop any icons in the finder or to and from the dock under Jaguar. It also helps the missing icon issue that will go along with the above problem.
• Labor Day (1.0). This application will help you time and monitor your labor contractions during pregnancy. After the report is done, you can e-mail your results to a doctor or other loved one. Featured on Tech TV's "The Screen Savers" show and MacAddict Magazine (June 2003).
• VideoCalc X (2.0). A revamp of a classic. A completely new version of VideoCalc makes it easier to determine how much video you can capture to any size hard drive. Enter the minutes or hours of the video you want to capture and VCX will do the rest. Featured in MacAddict Magazine (July 2003).
<IMG> My Favorites Martian (1.8). Due to the recent iSync update & the discontinuation of Chimera, we have decided to discontinue MFM at this time. Thanks to all the users who made MFM the leader in bookmark synchronization for quite some time.
• Journalizer (1.0). This software will allow you to activate or deactivate Apple's new file journaling feature without using the command line. File journaling is part of Mac OS X 10.2.2 and higher and will not work with previous versions. Journaling is already built into Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther).
• xChek (1.0). A simple utility that checks various components of your computer, including hard drive, RAM, logic board, etc. We strongly suggest you read the fine print before running, and, don't let too many people in on this software...
• eBreak (1.0). A small application that will keep track of your break time while at work, even sending you SMS messages when you have only a few minutes of breaktime left. Impress your boss and use it daily.
• eScope (1.01). A small application that will deliver your daily horoscope to you, which will then allow you to automatically publish it to iCal, send a daily eMail to you, or even send today's horoscope to a friend via Mac OS X Mail. Featured in MacWorld magazine (Sept. 2003).
• Spacey (1.11). Publishing your iTunes hits from coast to coast, to your iDisk, iCal, or FTP. Even build HTML for web publishing. Not enough for you? You can also send your top 5, 10 or 25 list to a friend via Mac OS X Mail.
• Terminalator (1.0). Open up to 4 terminal windows automatically, assigning colors, position, styles, favorite UNIX commands and even transparency. The windows will be saved for you automatically for next time.
• PDF U (1.22).Turn on the "hidden" PDF Services menu with one click. No more creating folders and adding your own scripts. You can add PDF Services for every user of the system with one click. Adding scripts is as simple as dragging them to a folder in your Library. Works with Panther 10.3
• MacTrivia (1.0).You don't know Mac. Test your Macintosh knowledge with this new Mac OS X trivia game. The game ships with a 25 question starter pack, and you can donate for additional packs. Featuring a working scoreboard and timed play
• eSanta 1.2. The return of a legend. Featured on the June 2003 MacAddict magazine, eSanta will make it easy for your children to send a safe and quick eMail to Santa–they will even get a response while they wait. Print out the letter or have it read to you with the speech capabilities of OS X.
• Ipanema 1.3. Ipanema will report your IP addresses to you via OS X Mail, once a day at a time you can determine. The software can also send instant reports any time you wish. When an IP address changes on ethernet, airport or PPP, Ipanema will automatically send a report--even telling you your "real" non-firewall hidden IP address.
• IDIot (1.0). If you distribute your Mac OS X software electronically, use an internet-enabled disk image (IDI) which "cleans up" after itself leaving behind only the desired software and nothing else related to the download process. Great for developers and system admins.
• Pod 2 Pod (1.0). A tool that will help make an exact clone of an iPod to another iPod--great for those with 2 iPods. P2P will also allow you to backup your single (or both) iPods to your hard drive, in case of theft or loss. Restore the backup to any iPod.
• Status Symbol (1.2). Keep your iChat status in line without hacking your system with a preference pane. Featuring weather, news, fortunes, stock & personal info broadcast as your status in iChat. Add fast access buttons for work, eating, sleeping and custom messages and you have a classic.
• DeciCalc (1.0). A quick calculator for figuring out the decimal equivalents of common fractions. Quickly, what is the decimal equivalent of 13/16? Let DeciCalc help you with that. Copy the result to the clipboard or use the on-screen ruler to help you figure out these problems.
• MailTuner 1.0. MailTuner corrects the slowdown that you may see in Mac OS X Mail if you have a large number of contacts in the Mac OS X Address Book. The message that you will see is "adding contact to address book..." MailTuner will quickly compress your address book and fix this problem.
• Hackposé 1.0. Turn on the secret floating Exposé "blob" in Panther (OS 10.3) without having to issue any terminal commands. The "blob" will allow you to quickly use the best features of Exposé without having to remember which keys activate the new Panther feature.

For more information, visit:
http://www.ifthensoft.com/

Watcher'84 v1.4 Smart Automated Web Page Watcher

Version 1.4 of Watcher'84, a smart automated web page watcher for MacOS X, has just been released.

Watcher'84 monitors a list of favorites web pages and notifies you when something gets updated on one of them. It can for example be used to track changes on your favorite Mac news web site. It is perfectly integrated to MacOS X, very easy to use, and features smart algorithms to only retrieve relevent content.

This new version is optimized for MacOSX 10.3 Panther and features a new option to automatically open all updated pages simultaneously in your favorites web browser. This new command can especially be useful to create new tabs in Safari with all recent news.

New in this version:
- New menu command and toolbar button to automatically open all updated pages simultaneously (useful to create a new tab in Safari for each updated page)
- Optimized for MacOS X 10.3 / Panther
- Minor updates to the detection engine

For more information, visit:
http://www.brunoblondeau.com/watcher84/

Download Link:
http://www.brunoblondeau.com/watcher84/watcher84.sit

The OS X Odyssey archives may be accessed here:
http://www.applelinks.com/news/odyssey/

CM

Charles W. Moore

Cool Mac Gear