493
Query on Cyberdog
Speech recognition
clamAV conflict
HTML in Mail
Thunderbird RC
New Dossier released
EarthBrowser 2.5[/url]


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Query on Cyberdog

From Leonard Isaksson

Hi.

I have recently become curious about the Cyberdog browser that Apple had in the 90s. From reading what I could find, I saw that a Mary Grimsley was much interested in its continuance at that time.

I am looking about to see if there is still a 'community' that uses Cyberdog, on the classic Mac OS, if need be.

I use a dual G4, and am very soon getting a G5. I have used OS X for several years, and I very much like it, and I use Mail. However, I am a curious person, and would like to see what I may learn about Cyberdog. I believe it is possible to still get the software, if nothing else, from an older Mac OS CD.

Two older Macs that I have are sitting around, and I am thinking about getting some use out of them. I always wanted to try out this LIghtning Draw GX programme, and so I may put this on one of these machines, whether running OS 7.6.1 or what. I suppose it is rather like wanting to go for a ride in an older car that you always liked the looks of, or that was in the familiy.

Is Mary Grimsley still around? I saw an address on some web pages from some years ago, related to the Cyberdog, but none of those addresses worked to send any mail to her.

Well, thanks if you can be of any help.

Leonard Isaksson

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Hi Leonard;

You can find out a lot more about CyberDog than I could tell you from my brief experimentation back in the '90s (I never really took to it) at these pages:

http://www.cyberdog.org/
http://www.cyberdog.org/central.html

Charles

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Re: query on Cyberdog

From Leonard Isaksson

Hi.

Yes, thank you. I have been to that site, which I enjoyed quite well. I shall return to it, as there is little else to find on the Web. There are other articles which date from that time.

Mary Grimsley is one person who was much taken with Cyberdog, and she seems to be a very decent person, from reading what is left from that effort to preserve this suite that Apple created.

I would like to see if there is still this community that was using it. She was involved in that. I looked under her name, as that was what was indicated back at that Cyberdog.org site. But each address that I tried, left nothing, so I reckoned that she changed addresses, or ISPs. I did look under her name, as well as the other pertinent type descriptions on Google, which is when I came to a post/mail that she did on your site, and her address was left there.

Now if she does not wish to be contacted, then that is all right with me, as I can appreciate anyone's desire for privacy.

Yet, if she were still interested in the Cyberdog, then she may appreciate someone writing about it. The thing is that people who are still using it, say with older Macs, or with the classic Mac OS, would be helpful to someone like me. The webmaster at the site you gave me appreciated the mail. It was fun talking to someone who had been a part of things.

I think of Cyberdog as being kind of like going for a ride in an older car, which was a good car at the time, and which is now has been passed up by more modern cars. Yet, it may be pleasant to ride in again.

Do you have any contact with Mdme. Grimslely? Or does she prefer to not really be in any contact with people about this former close interest of hers? Or was it just that she had written to your site, which is known by a whole lot of Mac users?

Thanks for the note, anyway.

Cyberdog seems like one of those things that Apple has passed on, and it is not so easy to find out too much about use in the present day, with evolved technologies. I am thinking of QuickDraw GX, which seemed to be an advancement(so far as page description, goes, if not all else) on postscript, with which it competed, and also something like the Newton. It is like these things get locked in the basement, and people do not want to talk about them. It cannot but draw one's interest.

Now like I said, my everyday OS is OS X, and about that I endeavour to learn more, I spend more time with that than anything.

Good day now, and thanks for reply.

Sincerely,
Leonard Isaksson

___

Hi Leonard;

Mary Grimsley's name rings a very faint bell. I have no contact info. However, if she sees this and contacts me, I will forward whatever she wants me to pass along to you.

Charles







Speech recognition

From George Woodrow III

Just a quick question on the state of Mac speech-to-text.

In a recent article in the NYTimes, David Pogue indicated that he uses the Mac most of the time, but that he also uses speech recognition software a lot. I e-mailed him, and he told me that none of the Mac stuff works well, and he uses an old Windows box.

I know that you use some of this software. I have an old copy of ViaVoice (version 2??), but I could never warm up to it. I think I last used it on my Cube.

Any thoughts on
a) has the technology matured at all, especially with faster processors
b) which product works best, especially for non-full-time use.

I hope to be out of the coding game (which is hopeless for speech-to-text) and into more normal writing soon.

Thanks a lot.
George Woodrow

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Hi George;

If I were nearly wholly dependent on dictation software like David is, I might use a PC and Dragon NaturallySpeaking too.

However, while IBM appears to have lost interest in further development of ViaVoice for the Mac, MacSpeech's iListen is improving steadily.A new Version 1.6.6 was just released this week.

When you can get ViaVoice X working, it's quite amazingly fast and accurate, although not up to the standard of NaturallySpeaking on Windows. However, VVX is also rather flaky and cranky, breaks easily, and can be a bear to install and get up and running. It works well on my 700 MHz G3 iBook and 550 MHz G4 PowerBook.

iListen, in my experience, isn't quite and good as VVX for dictation accuracy, and is also a bit slower in transcribing speech, although it's satisfactorily responsive on my 550 MHz G4 PowerBook (but sluggish on the 700 MHz iBook.) However, it's a lot more tractable and forgiving, and easier to install and get working properly than ViaVoice.

In summary the respective virtues are:

ViaVoice:
Faster
Better accuracy
Bigger vocabulary

iListen:
Dictates anywhere
More friendly to install and more stable. Works with a wider variety of mics
Cheaper (but doesn't come with a bundled mic) Comes with both OS X and OS 9 versions
Being actively developed by dyed-in-the-wool Mac enthusiasts

Vices:

ViaVoice:
Can be cranky to install and keep working properly Less flexible and comprehensive about where it can dictate More expensive (but comes with a mic)
Has been farmed off to Scansoft by IBM, which may bode ill for future development. There have been no updates for two years.

iListen:
Slower and somewhat less accurate (but still pretty good)

I’m not thrilled with the correction function in either application, and find it much faster to just correct inaccurate transcription manually, but the programs do “learn” if you have the patience and time to use the correction facility.

ViaVoice comes with an Andrea AK5370 headset, which is the only mic I've tried that wirks with VV. It also works with iListen, although MacSpeech does not recommend it.

One mic that is recommended by MacSpeech is Mac Mice's MicFlex USB Desktop Microphone, which may appeal to you if you like no-headset mics. You can read my recent review here:
http://www.applelinks.com/pm/more.php?id=2006_0_1_0_M42

The best-performing mic I've used with iListen is the VXI iParrott iP ST Stereo Multimedia Headset, which is superb. My review is here:
http://www.applelinks.com/pm/more.php?id=951_0_1_24_M42

MacSpeech offers the VXi TalkPro Xpress Microphone/Headset, which is an is an advanced version of the iParrott 10-3 with a superior quality Gentex noise canceling microphone. MacSpeech notes that sensitivity is higher with the VXi TalkPro Xpress. This makes it ideal for all environments and works particularly well with quiet and soft spoken voices. More info here:
http://store.macspeech.com/

I would say that both applications need more work, but they surely do cut down on the need for long typing sessions, which is a great blessing if you suffer from typing pain.

Hope this helps.

Charles








clamAV conflict

David Percy

After installing clamAV and scanning my 10.3 setup, I found myself unable to use my printers to print clamAV's own user manual. The Brother laserprinter reported a paper jam, and the HP inkjet's churning machines started fighting among themselves. All went well again after deinstalling clamAV. No problems with the new McAfee Virex.

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Hi Dave;

That's a nasty little conflict.

Thanks for the report.

Charles








HTML in Mail

From John Dennis

Is there a way to change messages to html using mail or at least view them in html. I got an email with pictures that I can not see because I need to view them in html.

Hi John;

I've never really used Mail for more than a bit of experimentation. I've still not encountered an email client that comes close to Eudora for my purposes.

However, to turn on or off HTML rendering in Mail:

1. Launch Mail.
2. From the Mail menu, choose Preferences.
3. Click the Viewing icon.
4. Select or Deselect the Display images and embedded objects in HTML messages option.

This review is uncomplimentary about Mail's html support:
http://www2.skidmore.edu/cits/selfhelp/email/osx_mail.cfm

Charles







Thunderbird RC

From John M. Dennis

Well the release candidate is out for all those that want to try it. I
don't use this but may try it.

Download

Thank You,

John M. Dennis






New Dossier released

From John M. Dennis

http://www.vortimac.com/dossier.html

Thank You,

John M. Dennis

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See Notable New Product News today.

CM







EarthBrowser 2.5

From John M. Dennis

http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=4078

Thank You,

John M. Dennis

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See Shareware Beat today.

CM



***



Charles W. Moore


Note: Letters to Moore's Mailbag may or may not be published at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests publication. Letters may be edited for length and/or context.

Opinions expressed in postings to Moore's MailBag are those of the respective correspondents and not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Editor and/or Applelinks management.

If you would prefer that your message not appear in Moore's Mailbag, we would still like to hear from you. Just clearly mark your message "NOT FOR PUBLICATION," and it will not be published.

CM

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