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TidBITS
The best and longest running weekly Macintosh e-zine on the internet. This link takes you to the latest issue. From there you can get to all the back issues.
MacUtopia NewsStand
Source for news on the MacOS and compatibles
MacSurfer's Headline News
Good daily summary of Mac news with links to details.
Macintouch
Pretty good source of Macintosh news
The ULTIMATE Macintosh
The best Macintosh pages on the World Wide Web.
Macintosh WWW Pointers
Lots of stuff you probably won't want to know.
Used Mac prices
You don't need a new one. Buy a low cost used Macintosh.
Macworld Daily News
Slow but pretty good.
Apple's Shareware Library
MacFixIt
Troubleshooting solutions for the Macintosh
Mac Pruning Page
What are all those weird named extensions for? Don't worry about 'em! In fact, I threw most of them in the trash and my Mac runs better then ever!
Fix your Mac
Hey! Fix it yourself. How hard could it be?
Troubleshooting the Macintosh
A hypertext guide to Macintosh repair.
Common Internet File Format Page
Wonder what programs you need to deal with all the file formats on the internet? Well this page is for you!
A few Macintosh Survival Tips
A Guide To Using Eudora for e-mail
This guide explains all of the functions available under Eudora. The guide can be used as a quick reference by clicking on a particular section of interest listed below or it can be read like a book by advancing through chapters (clicking the next chapter link at the top and bottom of each page).

The guide is generic and applies to both Windows and Apple Macintosh implementations, although all the screen shots are of the Windows implementation.

Macintosh Internet Software Updates
(That FWO thinks might be of some use to a dairy farmer.)

Program

Version

Size

Uploaded On

Download

Anarchie

1.6

667K

01-Aug-95

68K

Disinfectant

3.6

208K

08-Apr-95

68K

DropStuff

4.0

674K

19-Jun-96

Fat

Eudora

1.5.4

348K/658K

02-Feb-96

68K/Fat

FreePPP

2.5

349K

19-Jun-96

68K

Internet Config

1.2

150K

26-Jan-96

68K

InterSLIP

1.0.1

318K

24-Sep-93

68K

MacPPP

2.0.1

55K

28-Oct-93

68K

NCSA Telnet

2.7.b4

185K/335K

17-Jan-96

68K/Fat

Netscape Navigator

2.02

2661K

19-Jun-96

All

NewsWatcher

2.1.3

890K

19-Jun-96

Fat

StuffIt Expander

4.0.1

268K

19-Jun-96

68K

[Back to the Top] Ask FWO about Macs: fwo@bright.net
Ask me any kind of dumb or smart question about Macintosh computer use on dairy farms and I'll come up with a answer. Even if I don't know the answer I'll still answer the question.

I fix my farm machinery with a sledge hammer, a big crescent wrench, duct tape and baler twine. I'm warning you that I use the same general approach on computer issues.

I'll answer the question on the web page and then notify you personally by e-mail that your answer is ready and waiting.

Why am I doing this? Heck, I don't know, but it might be fun, won't take much time, and might help somebody. -FWO

Q. Hey! FWO probably doesn't know much about anything except maybe cows. Where do I access the Macintosh FAQs written by computer experts?
A. Macintosh FAQs
Q. Do I need an expensive new PowerMac?
A. Heck no! Save your money for feed and silo unloader parts.
All you need is an old used cheap Mac with a 60030 or 60040 processor. Put a 16K memory chip in it and buy RamDoubler. That will give you a darn good computer with about 40K of effective ram for under $800. That would likely include the keyboard, mouse but not the monitor. Another $200 should be plenty for a good used monitor.
Here's where I buy used Mac's and accessories: Sun Remarketing. But there are plenty more places to buy used stuff.
Q.Where do I get the latest Mac version of Netscape?
A. Version 2.02 is probably better than Ver 3.01. This turkey (3.01) is too big to run on most Macs unless you have a ton of RAM.
ftp://ftp2.netscape.com//pub/navigator/3.01/mac/netscape3.01.bin ftp://ftp3.netscape.com//pub/navigator/3.01/mac/netscape3.01.bin ftp://ftp4.netscape.com//pub/navigator/3.01/mac/netscape3.01.bin ftp://ftp5.netscape.com//pub/navigator/3.01/mac/netscape3.01.bin ftp://ftp6.netscape.com//pub/navigator/3.01/mac/netscape3.01.bin ftp://ftp7.netscape.com//pub/navigator/3.01/mac/netscape3.01.bin ftp://ftp8.netscape.com//pub/navigator/3.01/mac/netscape3.01.bin ftp://ftp9.netscape.com//pub/navigator/3.01/mac/netscape3.01.bin ftp://ftp10.netscape.com//pub/navigator/3.01/mac/netscape3.01.bin ftp://ftp11.netscape.com//pub/navigator/3.01/mac/netscape3.01.bin
Q. Why would anyone use a Mac for dairy records?
A. I don't think you wrote the question that you are asking. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'll bet that you really want to know: Why I would recommend a Mac instead of Windows for dairy records.

The answer is that it is easier to do anything with a Mac. Compared to a Mac, Windows is awkward. And Filemaker Pro runs great on a Mac.

My hardware recommendation for dairy records: Any old used Mac with at least 4 or 5K of ram.

My software recommendation for dairy records: Filemaker Pro.

Filemaker Pro is a relational database that is highly adaptable to maintaining breeding records, milk production records, pedigrees, daily barn sheets, mixer wagon charts, employee records. You imagine it and Filemaker Pro will let you do it.

Filemaker runs on Windows also, but it's comparatively awkward.

Q. I'm a Mac (Quadra 800) user for 5 years after two wretched DOS computers and now expect things to be simple and fast.

Downloading Netscape 2 took ages, then ages to convert, and it looked like the second line below. The first line was as it should be, why do they have the goobeldigook when some can be in English?

(This file must be converted with BinHex 4.0)
:'djPG(0MBA"P)$)Z-$)J5@jcG'&XE'9b,R0TG!"6594%8dP8)3#3!ak5UJ#3"'$

A.You have downloaded an BinHex encoded version of Netscape. That is just what you want! It needs to be converted to usable form by dropping it on top of Stuffit Expander.

Macintosh programs can't be sent out onto the internet in the form in which they exist on your disk. Internet programs and computers only understand the 128 basic ASCII characters, but Mac programs have a lot more than the 128 standard ASCII characters. So Mac programs somehow have to be converted (BinHexed) so that they contain only the standard 128 characters, sent over the net, and then restored to normal.

All Binhexed programs start out with the line:

(This file must be converted with BinHex 4.0)

The next line starts with a colon just like your sample. All the remaining lines must be the same length except the very last one. If not, your file is trash.

Don't try to decode a BinHexed file with BinHex 4.0. It's buggy and should be avoided. Use Stuffit Expander to decode a BinHex file and everything will be OK.

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A.
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