NVMUG eNews 2/17/2001
Last updated 2/23/2001
Midge Lubot Presented Quicken 2001
and Geof Gonter Presented NewsWatcher
We had great meeting with two presentations and two new Macintosh users to ask questions and enliven the discussion. Read all about it.
1. Midge’s Presentation on Quicken
2. Geof’s Presentation on News Groups
3. AppleWorks Discussion for Newer Users
5. Extension Conflict TroubleShooting
6. iMovie 2: The Missing Manual
1. Midge’s Presentation on Quicken
Midge brought in eight Quicken screen shots and started her presentation using them while Richard went home for a computer power cord. When Richard returned the demonstration went live.
Quicken has been the most popular Macintosh home and small office financial tool for a number of years. Each version has added new capabilities and has become easier to use. Quicken 2001 has added a lot of Internet capabilities.
Everything has its own categories, and quick fill for words makes it easier and faster to use. There are tabs to move into sections for banking, investing, planning, reporting, assets & debt, and services. Each section has Quicken Insights and buttons leading to the section's contents.
Midge started with the Home Inventory, which is in the Assets and Debt section along with Registers, Loans, Debt Plan, Credit Check, Loan Rate, Home Refinance, Home Afford, and Bank Rate. She distributed blank inventory pages for the Living Room, and the Office/Study. As examples, and reminders, and a way to complete the inventory more quickly, Quicken provides suggested items for different Item Types within different locations for the inventories. The examples showed a large list of suggested items for furnishings for the living room, and and a smaller list of suggested items for office equipment for the office/study. These pre lists and Quick Fill which fills in the most likely words when you key the first few letters save a lot of work. There rows for inventory items with columns for the description, item type replacement cost, and resale value. Midge keeps a printed copy of the inventory where it will be safe and available if she should need it to collect insurance.
The loans display in this section shows a form to enter the Payee, Amount, and a Memo.
When Midge first started using Quicken, she started with Banking. The banking section is just like using a checkbook and the screen has been designed so that it also looks like a checkbook. It is very easy for people to use and has the capability of growing with the knowledge that you gain through the use of the program.
The Insight for that section contains a reminder that she has not signed up for online banking with the steps to take to sign up. Midge has a friend who signed up for online banking and while she was learning how to pay bills electronically, she ended up paying for them all twice.That was a bit rough on her checkbook balance, and enough reason for Midge not to sign up yet. Other banking Insights include information about scheduled transactions including the next due account, you can schedule monthly payment reminders. For example, your mortgage is due on the same day each month, you can schedule a reminder for that...or every six months or just the once a year payments that you may have. It also has a watch list for stock prices.
There are buttons in the Banking section for registers, checks, Reconcile, Calendar, Bills, Download, Epay, Outbox, and Internet connections. The Calendar is for scheduling when to mail the check in time to pay the bill. Midge demonstrated writing a check which is like any other check except that it contains Quick Fill of categories for later reporting. She also showed how checkbook reconciliations works. You can mark off the checks and the deposits and they are subtracked and added to the balance until it balances to zero.
Midge showed the screen for setting up a banking account which only involves clicking on a choice of account types, entering an account name and optionally a description, and checking whether to hide the account in lists, or to add the account to the toolbar.
(A little background: Behind the Quicken window on the desktop is a large picture of one of Midge's dogs, and an interesting variety of folder icons. Midge did not explain why the image on the New/Stephen folder is a cute bunny rabbit.)
The Investing section includes analytical tools, your watch list, and investment actions. Midge belongs to an investment club, and the accountant of the group does graphs and reports with Quicken. It reallyis a very sophisticated program, especially with all of new internet connections. When you click on the tabs, they bring up pages with ideas and instructions from the net.
The Planning section includes creating a budget, a 401K advisor, insurance, and college. Midge demonstrated the Emergency Records Organizer file within the planning section including emergency contacts.
The Services section includes lots of different web site references. Most of the help information is online.Midge demonstrated the Reporting section's ability to create charts as well as numeric reports.
In response to questions, Midge said that you can split a check and individual deposits into different accounts, and that it is easy to add categories and subcategories so that it is easier to decide which categories all of your debits and credits belong in, making it easier to do your taxes at the end of the year.
2. Geof's Presentation on News Groups
If Napster is shut down, where are you going to find MP3 music?
Geof uses NewsWatcher MT (Multi-Thread) which is one of several news readers for accessing news groups. Another variation on the original NewsWatcher is YA (YetAnother) NewsWatcher. There are about 86,000 news groups but the list you get depends upon the news groups that your server carries.
(I had never experimented with accessing news groups before, so I
downloaded NewsWatcher from VersionTracker
http://www.versiontracker.com
I used it to find that SoVerNet has 55,048 news groups in their list. It is going to take more experience for me to learn it, so I better get back to my notes.)
NewsWatcher MT allows personalities, so Geof has personalized NewsWatcher with an anonymous personality when he uses it.
When you first get the listing of news groups from a server, it takes a long
time. NewsWatcher MT saves this list for use the next time, but will
inform you of new groups added on a regular basis. It is a very long
list of very short names of news groups. There are plenty of topics.
Just use Find
in the Edit menu to search for a subject you are
interested in and see what comes up.
To really know what is in a newsgroup, you need to subscribe, that is to add
it to a user group list. To subscribe you drag the title of the group from
the full group list to an untitled user group list or highlight the
newsgroup and then select Subscribe
under the Special menu item.
You can select multiple newsgroups by holding down the "Command" key while you click on the selected groups before dragging or subscribing. After you have placed one or more news groups to the list, you can use the Save Command in the File window under whatever name you want to give it.
Once you have saved your own user group list, you can double click the identifying icon, or its alias placed on the desktop to read the news, and use it to check to see if any new articles have been posted without having to go through articles you have already read.
Geof showed us how easily you can unsubscribe, if you decide you are no
longer interested in a news group, by simply deleting it from your user
group list by selecting Unsubscribe
under the Special menu item.
After subscribing, double click this short name, or highlight it and hit return, to open the news group to call up threads, that is to see a list of current articles. There is a one line description for each article or thread, with the poster's name, subject, date, and number of lines in the message. These are called threads because they are linked to a sequence of articles posted on the same subject. If it is an MP3 news group, a thread might be the name of a classic rock, blues, or classical number or album.
Before posting a question to a news group, lurk for a week or two, look at what has already been posted, and check for any FAQ, frequently asked questions, articles. Otherwise you may get several hundred angry responses telling you that this is the umpteenth thousand time your question has been answered.
User group articles are in text, but they can have binary files such as MP3 music, or pictures or other graphics attached. This MP 3 music is encoded as text, so when you save it, it is in a text file such as SimpleText. Geof uses uuUndo to convert this text to a binary file. You can also drag the text file to Stuffit Expander to decode it. You can drag the uuUndo result to something like GrayAmp Typer to give it the correct type codes to play with GrayAmp. Always save the translated download to a file so you cannot lose it.
In extracting binaries, there are a couple of things to remember. A
binary file is a single file or group of files that will make one
file when put together with grouping binary files. If a file is
missing the binary group, there will be a < in front of the front
section of the thread. If it is a single file, like a graphic, and is
not complete, there will be a little page like icon in the upper
right hand corner, with a line through it, when you open the message.
To extract, use your mouse to highlight the message(s) and select
Extract Binaries
from the News menu item. When it is finished
downloading all binaries, a check mark will appear in the front of the message
(Meaning it has been read).
Internet service providers normally keep binaries on news servers for a short times, sometimes a couple of days. Don't be surprised if what you saw yesterday is gone today. You might also get a message saying the binaries you requested are no longer on the service.
Your browser or e-mail program may also be able to view text messages in the news groups. However, they may not be as good for downloading binary attachments. Geof likes NewsWatcher MT so much better that he would buy it if it cost $20. For now it is free and a new version (3.1) is due out soon.
Newsgroups can also be a good source of URLs. A news article might tell you to use an URL to get an MP 3 file on the Internet. To save the URL, just drag it to you desktop as a clipping. Some people keep an alias of a folder on their desk top just for saving URLs.
Geof warned that there are a lot of articles in news groups that you might not want to see. There are hate articles and pornographic articles and pictures. You may not be able to completely avoid names of articles that you would rather not see, but you do not have to open the articles or view the pictures.
NewsWatcher allows the user to set up filters to screen out stuff you do not want to see. If you subscribe to a Mac group, for example, there is apt to be someone who always writes how dumb you are not to be using a PC. Geof uses filters to screen out anything by that person or offending threads.
Warren uses a news group to get news on kayaks. Geof uses a number of different servers, so he has access to a number of different news group lists. There are even news group servers that you can subscribe to for a more complete list.
Geof gave us a lot information, and with a lot of enthusiasm. I really
enjoyed it. My notes do not cover it all, but I hope I have enough to
provide a basis for exploring news groups to see if there are ones I really
want to follow. If you have questions about using NewsWatcher MT or
another newsreader, extracting binary files, or converting file
types, please contact Geof by double clicking on the following link:
mailto:gcubed@landmarknet.net
GGG
Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter whe they come at you rapidly.
PS: Simon Frasier just announced the release of NewsWatcher-MT 3.1. However it requires a Power PC processor with Mac OS 8.6. It is available at
http://www.smfr.org/mtnw/
3. Appleworks Discussion for Newer Users
One of our new members was really interested in how to do more things in AppleWorks like columns. Geof demonstrated clicking on the icon with two columns up by the ruler to quickly divide the page into two columns. Then he showed how to add a header (under the Format menu), drag the title from the top of the first column into the header, and click on the icon to center it.
Urged on he clicked away at the double column icon until there were so many columns that only one word fit on a line. Then he clicked the single column icon to as quickly reduce the number of columns.
He showed paragraph and section formatting, but we did not quite get the insert section to change the number of columns on a page. You create a section using Insert Section Break under the Format menu. Whether the new section starts on a new line or a new page is determined within Section under the Format menu. You can make this change after inserting the break by clicking within the section and going t Section under the Format menu. Once you have created another section, on the same page or a new one, with the cursor within the section, click on the double or single column icon to change the number of columns within that section. I cheated and looked it up under the Help menu.
Stephen suggested using four columns with the Page Setup under the File menu set to landscape mode.
While messing around with the section break, Midge suggested changing to show invisible characters, like the section break, in Preferences under the Edit menu. You can also have a button that toggles between showing or hiding invisible characters.
Geof and some others stressed the benefit of using control characters, such as are shown for commands under the menus, instead of always moving the mouse to pull down the menus. About the only ones I ever use are for cut and paste.
It is amazing how rapidly the suggestions fly when talking about AppleWorks. I use it for almost everything, but even those who prefer to or need to use other tools use AppleWorks for some things.
If you ever have any questions about AppleWorks, you will find experienced members will welcome the chance to help. You could also e-mail your question to me. But, the first place to look is under the Help menu. There are a number of good books about ClarisWorks. For AppleWorks 5 you might want
Stephen Farber found this on MacInTouch:
Ian Kasley sent in a note about a conflict between AppleWorks 6 and the AlphaSmart portable keyboards: At the school district I work for (BUSD, Berkeley, CA) we recently discovered a rather bothersome quirk between the AlphaSmart portable keyboarding units and AppleWorks version 6.0.x, namely the fact that when you attempt to transfer text from an AlphaSmart into a computer running AppleWorks 6, it drops characters, spews garbage and generally makes a mess of the students' text.
I've tested this using both the older ADB AlphaSmarts, as well as the newer USB ones, and using a wide range of Macintosh hardware (from 5400/180 era stuff, to G3 All-In-Ones retrofitted with USB cards, to the latest Summer 2000 iMacs) and the problem has consistently appeared. Older versions of AppleWorks (5.0.x), a well as other text/word-processing applications (SimpleText, MS Word, etc.) have NOT exhibited this problem at all.
I've contacted AlphaSmart's support department and they told me that they are aware of the problem, and that AppleWorks 6.0.x is indeed the culprit, but that they do have a workaround in progress, (essentially to allow you to slow down the text transfer speed of the AlphaSmart units) and hope to have it available for download on their web site in the next few weeks. Until then I've recommended that our teachers use SimpleText when having students transfer their work into the computer, and then cut and paste it into AppleWorks 6 if that's its final destination.AppleWorks for Dummies.
For AppleWorks 6 my favorite is AppleWorks 6: The Missing Manual.<.q> Anything written by David Pogue is worth reading.
4. Appleworks N AlphaSmart
http://www.macintouch.com.
I sent a note to Bill Amos, Bill contacted his friends at AlphaSmart, and here's what he found:
Sure enough, there's a problem--but it's Apple's, not AlphaSmart's. Note they offer a temporary means of transferring text, which I've underlined. Quite apart from this, I've learned of similar problems (loss of characters) with AppleWorks 6.0 under certain conditions.
This was news to me, for I use Word and AppleWorks 5.0, with which there no difficulties whatsoever.
Bill
-------message rec'd 02/19/01 from AlphaSmart---------
Sending to AppleWorks Version 6.0, Problems and Solutions
Many AlphaSmart users have correctly noticed that there are problems sending text into AppleWorks version 6.0. This problem is isolated to version 6.0 so users of earlier versions of AppleWorks and/or ClarisWorks won't see it.
Problem
AppleWorks 6.0 takes a long time to start up and even though it looks like it's launched it may still be launching.
Solution
Wait until the wristwatch or beach ball completely disappears before hitting
sendon your AlphaSmart.Problem
Even after AppleWorks is completely launched, there are problems sending into it. It loses characters and even when the AlphaSmart's send speed is reduced to
1there may be missing characters in what was sent.Solution
There is no current solution to this problem as it's a problem with AppleWorks, not the AlphaSmart. Until there is one, a simple work-around is to send from the AlphaSmart into SimpleText or another writing environment and cut or copy and paste into AppleWorks.
AlphaSmart Technical Support is aware of both of these problems and is working on solutions.
This information was supplied by AlphaSmart Inc.
-----------end message from AlphaSmart-----------
Bill
To learn more about AlphaSmart, see our 10/23/00 newsletter in the archives on http://www.sover.net/~nvmug
5. Extension Conflict Troubleshooting
Apple has been writing instructions and guides to help Macintosh users. One of the most common Macintosh problems is conflicts between extensions associated with different programs. Apple has written excellent instructions on using Extensions Manager to trouble shoot possible extension conflicts. They have also written a description of the difference between turning extensions off with Extension Manager or by holding the shift key down when you start up. I recommend these instructions which are available at:
http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n30929
iMovie 2: The Missing Manual
The new improved iMovie 2 is available from the Apple site for $49, but no manual comes with it. If you buy iMovie 2, you will want to get
the latest O'Reilly book iMovie 2: The Missing Manual
by David Pogue for only $19.95).
iMovie: The Missing Manual
--the companion book to the free version of iMovie-- released in May 2000 and became an instant bestseller,
requiring two reprints in three months and earning rave five-star
reviews on Amazon.com. The book's philosophy: giving someone iMovie
without teaching basic film technique is like giving a map to a
teenager without teaching him to drive.
David Pogue says: iMovie 2 has been dramatically improved--it's really
a wonderful program now. By making it possible to perform J-edits,
L-edits, video overlays, slow-, fast-, and reverse-motion, and so on,
anyone can create extremely professional results. Yet there are also
several features in iMovie 2 that make you scratch your head, wondering
what the point is. As it turns out, each of these features was designed
in response to a very specific situation or video-editing problem-but
unfortunately, the paltry online help doesn't give you a clue.
That's where iMovie 2: The Missing Manual
steps in. Far deeper and
more detailed than the meager set of online help screens, the book
helps iMovie users realize the software's true potential. It covers
every step of iMovie video production, from choosing and using a
digital camcorder, to burning the finished work onto CDs. It excels in
guiding the user through all the new features: the option of inserting
new video over a continuous audio track; the elimination of the cap on
the number of raw clips from which to choose scenes; nifty special
effects; brightness and contrast adjustments; greater typographical
flexibility; and a far more useful and complete audio-track editor.
David Pogue's new iMovie 2: The Missing Manual
will take you from
Steven Spielberg wannabe to producer extraordinaire in just under 400
pages.
Chapter 8, Narration, Music, and Sound, is available free online at:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/imoviemm2/chapter/index.html
For more information about the book, including Table of Contents,
index, Author bio, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/imoviemm2/
iMovie 2: The Missing Manual
By David Pogue
December 2000
ISBN 0-596-00104-5, 400 pages, $19.95 US
http://www.oreilly.com/p>
7. OS X and Buyer’s Guides
OS X
Speaking of launches, Mac OS X is just around the corner. Steve Jobs says,
We think strategically it is the most important thing we'll do this year.
Apple will be sending Mac OS 9.1 with OS X so that customers will be assured
of having the right operating system to operate in Classic mode. This will
probably put a crimp in sales of OS 9.1, which is probably the reason that
Apple didn't say too much about 9.1 at Macworld San Francisco.
Mac OS 9.1 serves as the basis for Mac OS X's Classic technology, enabling existing Mac OS 9-compatible applications to run in Mac OS X. Customers who purchase and Mac OS X will be able to run Classic for compatibility or choose to reboot into Mac OS 9.1 as their operating system.
Mac OS 9.1 will be included in Mac OS X, as follows:
Mac OS X Stand Alone
On March 24, 2001, Mac OS X will ship as a stand-alone software product. When it ships in March, Mac OS X will include Mac OS 9.1.
Mac OS X Preinstalled
In the summer of 2001, Mac OS X will be preinstalled as the default operating system on new Macintosh computers. These Macintosh computers will also include Mac OS 9.1 preinstalled. Mac OS X users will be able to run Classic for compatibility or choose to reboot into Mac OS 9.1 as their operating system.
Small Dog Electronics is now taking orders for Mac OS X and, in keeping with our traditions, we offer a FREE pint of Vermont's finest Ben and Jerry's ice cream with each OS X order. I want to show Apple that we can move some software, so here's an OS X preorder special. If you want to be one of the first to get the new operating system, click on the wag below and place your order!
Mac OS X with OS 9.1 and a coupon for a FREE pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream - $119! Shipping March 24th
Small Dog Buyer’s Guides
Small Dog is working with TidBits and putting buyer’s guides on their web site. By now they should have a new one up on CD-RW and similar stuff.
Adam Engst's Modem Buyer's Guide:
Adam Engst's Networking Primer:
8. AUG News: Napster’s Not the Only Game
In the wake of last week's release of the UGNN Pollster results for NAPSTER, and this week's court rulings that Napster will have to shut down, we turn our attention to some interesting and promising new alternatives.
Of course you remember Gnutella was the first to appear, not too long ago, promising to be the next hot alternative to Napster. Early in its life it couldn't keep up with the bandwidth demands. Supposedly all those woes have been cured and one might want to try it out again. Guntella works through a decentralized peer-to-peer network, on hosts operated by ordinary PC users. Its claim to fame is the fact that there is no central server or host. So there's no one for the courts to go after. (Click below) - Thanks to: Gnutella for sending this in.
Here's where you can get it:
http://www.gnutella.wego.com/
Go for a 'Bear Share' of MP3s
For instance, BearShare is a hot one appearing out of nowhere with better bandwidth handling, and greater stability. Bear Share claims to be pulling down some 20,000 to 30,000 file transfers per day. - Thanks to: a UGN reader for sending this in.
Here's where you can get it:
http://www.bearshare.net/
Get a LIME not a lemon.
Yet another Napster clone is LimeWire -- this one's a lot easier to use, are a lot more stable. What we liked best is its powerful search engine. - Thanks to: a UGN reader for sending this in.
Here's where you can get it:
http://www.limewire.com/
Something for Mac users
For once in this wave of music sharing someone is looking out for the Mac users. Carracho is a Mac-only file sharing system. It's out of Frankfurt Germany, and boasts 300,000 clients and 60,000 servers. It's coming on strong, and probably one of the ones Mac users will want to keep their eyes on! - Thanks to: a UGN reader for sending this in.
Here's where you can get it:
http://www.carracho.com/
9. AUG News: Magazine Wars
It's Mac Magazine wars, friends... and your memberships benefit.
Macworld Magazine offers a trial subscription with six free issues, and you can subscribe by clicking on links here. (This is the same offer they hand out at Macworld Expo twice a year.) Thanks to Gail Murphy Glore, UGAB for sending this in.
For more info go to:
http://www.zmcirc.com/mac
MacHome Journal, not to be outdone - AUGAB has passed along this offer from MacHome Journal . MacHome Journal is packed with reviews, news and updates of the latest hardware and software, including current game and education reviews, as well as Back to Basics and the Mac Workshop to keep you and your family updated on the tools and innovations concerning your Mac. As a special bonus, they'll also include the iMac Buyer's Guide, loaded with invaluable new Mac owner information plus tips and trouble shooting guides that will help you enhance your Mac experience.
6 Month MUG Subscription Offer: - 6 issues of MacHome Journal - 3 issues of iMac Buyer's Guide - 3 CD ROMs -- That's 9 magazines plus 3 CD ROMs for a special MUG rate of only $9.95. Plus, you'll also receive a FREE MUG Gift - the 2001 MacHome Games CD! Click here to subscribe or call 800 800 6542 and mention "MUG OFFER." Offer good through September 2001. Thanks to Gail Murphy Glore, UGAB for sending this in.
For more info go to:
http://www.machome.com/mugoffer
AppleWorks users get break on Journal - Also mentioned in the Feb. 8 UGAB Newsletter is a sweet deal from the AppleWorks Users Group. Their Journal is a 24-page newsletter filled with step-by-step tutorials, tips, work-arounds, projects and news for AppleWorks users. A subscription to the AppleWorks Journal usually costs $39, but members of registered Apple user groups can receive a full year of the AppleWorks Journal (10 issues) for only $34. Subscriptions also include membership in the AppleWorks Users Group (AWUG), which provides free telephone and email technical support, access to AWUG's web site with more than 1,500 valuable AppleWorks templates, discounts on AppleWorks training materials and more.
To subscribe, contact AWUG by telephone, fax or email and include the name of your group plus method of payment. AWUG accepts MasterCard and Visa and maintains a satisfaction guaranteed or all money back policy for user group members. Thanks to Gail Murphy Glore, UGAB for sending this in.
For more info go to:
http://www.awug.org
10: Final Stuff
Never ask what sort of computer a guy drives.
- Tom Clancy, author and Macintosh user
If he's a Mac user, he'll tell you. If not,
why embarrass him?
WHY I LOVE VERMONT
When it's Winter time in Vermont,
And the gentle breezes blow,
About seventy miles an hour
And it's fifty-two below,
You can tell you're in Vermont
'cause the snow's up to your butt,
And you take a breath of Winter air
And your nose holes both freeze shut.
The weather here is wonderful,
So I guess I'll hang around,
>
I could NEVER leave Vermont,
My feet are frozen to the ground.
