From John Carter here's a report on which OS is the most used and it also compares the market share of OS X. John comments, "With stats like this, it won't be long before we start seeing virus attacks on Linux and OS X."
Bookmark This Site
"Here is a support website from Apple, for your registered Apple products, that I wasn't aware of and one you might want to bookmark for future reference," Jim Hamm informs us. "You can click here for more info."
Need An Answer?
Need an answer? Here's help! John Carter shares the following: "WolframAlpha Course Assistant has several specialized apps for the iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch that will solve almost all of your technical problems. Here’s a list of apps currently available:
"Algebra, Pre-Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Multivariate Calculus, Statistics, Music Theory, Astronomy, General Chemistry, Physics I, Physics II, Mechanics of Materials.
"And more on the way. These apps are a meager $1.99 each (download through the App Store). Hard to believe.
"But, if you want what all those WolframAlpha Course Assistant apps can do (without the fancy front end that prompts you for input) and answer questions like, “When was Robert Kennedy born?” (the answer is Friday, November 20, 1925) then download WolframAlpha (without specifying Course Assistant) from the App Store ($2.99) and start asking questions.
"Wait! There’s MORE!
"You can use WolframAlpha online for FREE! Give it a try!
There's that word FREE, so you will want to . . . Wait! John has more to say, "PS: The online version has it all. Check out the example subjects here."
.Zip That Photo
Sending some Christmas photos via email brought some complaints from #1 son in Spokane. The picture came up in the body of the email but wouldn’t copy to his PC desktop. Some experimenting showed me the usefulness of the .zip file. The Mac Help category fom the main menu tells us why and how.
Compressed files take less disk space. This is handy for making backup copies of data or sending info on the internet. Select item or items you want to compress and choose File > Compress.
Or, control-click an item and choose Compress from the menu.
Or, in Finder window, select one or more items and choose Compress from the Action menu (it looks like a gear.)
If you compress a single item the compressed file has the name of original item with .zip extension. If you compress multiple items the compressed file is called Archive.zip
To uncompress the item: double-click the .zip file.
Using Your iPhone Camera
John Carter found an article that will interest both photographers and our iPhone users. He begins, "I subscribe to Digital-Photography-School.com. Now and then an interesting post comes through. This one is from a guest post by Sarah and she gives her 10 tips for using the iPhone camera. It seems worth passing on. The highlights are:
1. Hold the phone like you would a camera
2. Don’t zoom in with the zoom on the camera, zoom in with your feet
3. Shoot the same thing a few times
4. Light
5. Check out the resolution and picture quality settings – and set them on high
6. Keep the camera still
7. Move around and get in different positions
8. Clean the lens… duh!
9. Process!
10. Look for clutter-free scenes
John concludes, "Read the full article here. And while you’re experimenting with photos on your iPhone, don’t forget about the video!"
IMAP or POP?
"You may not have ever wondered, or even cared, what is the difference between IMAP and POP protocols for your email system. But, if you really want to know, here is a lengthy article explaining the nuances of both systems," Jim Hamm informs us.
"I'm now using IMAP in my email programs and, overall, like it, after I got used to it. It seems Apple now automatically uses IMAP for any mobile devices, or a Mac, you purchase from them when setting up an email program. That's why/how I switched from POP to IMAP some time ago after purchasing an iPad 2. After switching, I noticed on my Mac that it takes a longer time to shut down the Mail program than it does other programs, and I wondered why. Here is a quote from the article that explains why: 'It's not uncommon for Mail to take a long time to quit. It looks like nothing is happening, but in fact it's trying (clearly, not hard enough) to log out of certain accounts, finish syncing mailboxes, or do other last-minute cleanup tasks such as deleting old messages.'
"If, like me, your eyes tend to glaze over towards the end of the article, I'll understand why. But, you'll be so much better informed," grins Jim.
Parallels Confusion
Got Parallels? Got confusion? Got frustration! David Passell alerts us to this notice: "Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac users: It's your last chance to upgrade to Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac at an upgrade price!
"Soon, Parallels will end support for Desktop 5 for Mac. That means no future software updates, no technical support and no discounted upgrades to newer versions of the software. We don't want that to happen to you. Upgrade today! Hurry! Offer ends on 12/31."
Here's where the problem becomes evident, according to David. He writes, "If you open your Parallels 6 desktop and 'check for updates' you will be informed that Parallels is up to date, checking further you will find information that the Parallels' team has been working with Apple and that 6 is compatible now with Lion. So what is Parallels 7?
"Trying to get further information, I went to their website and after getting logged in (I had to do the PITA of getting my PW in order with current email address) I got little, so I went to the phone number for information.
"I was very quickly (after another PITA push button 1, ... 2, ... 1, etc.) got a representative. He, with an accent, had a bit of trouble understanding me, bad connection. (I remarked that 'maybe that's because you are in India somewhere' -- he laughed and said 'yes').
"In any case, to cut to the chase I told him about the fact I get the message about upgrading to 7, I have Parallels 6 which says it is up to date. He said I should ignore the emails, and I suggested perhaps the message should say if you have 6 ignore this message. He said he would pass the suggestion on.
"I still don't know why they have a 7 from 5, but no 7 from 6. Oh well, what the h---:) In any case, it apparently is not going to cost me 39.99 (or 49.99 if I delay)."
And here David draws his conclusion, "Logic may run one way in the digital world, but in our squishy analog brains, never the twain shall meet--the twain jumps the twack."
Who is Calling ME on the Phone?
No, this won't happen tomorrow. But in the future? Soon? The iPads have been introduced to the orangutans in Milwaukee! Don't miss this provocative article from the BBC. David Passell is sure you want to read it.
Email Warning
Jim Hamm sends this link from MacWorld, and says, "Here's an article about a new 'phishing' attack on Apple customers. The moral of the story here is never click on a link in an email to update anything where a password is required. Always go directly to the website from an address you enter into the browser."
Help for that Snazzy Present You Got
Quicken Soon to be Compatible With Lion
Use Quicken? Jim Hamm tells us, "You may no longer need Quicken, but apparently it will be modified to be compatible with OS X Lion in the near future." Check it out here.
No Need to Defrag
Save time! Jim Hamm tells us how. "You've probably read/heard that it's not necessary to do a defrag on a Mac running OS X. Here's a video that clearly explains the mechanics of de-fragmentation and why it isn't necessary in OS X."
You'll find MacMost has 739 videos! Click on the small box under the title for the listings. This one takes less than 7 minutes, and it's well worth the time.
Are You Thirsty for Knowledge ....and a Degree!
Have you ever considered getting an education from M.I.T.? No? Why not? Too expensive? Too far away?
At this point John Carter gets our attention. He explains, "Well, here’s an opportunity you really should look into.
"M.I.T. is offering over 2000 courses FREE and ONLINE, and to make your time worthwhile for taking these online courses, you can apply for certificates of completion (at an affordable rate)! So now after completing all the free, online Khan Academy courses, you can “graduate’ with an M.I.T. education!
"Read about it here."
What do you think John is going to do? He exclaims, "Aha! Astrophysics, here I come!"
Put Holidays on your iCal
Holidays seem to sneak up on you? Jim Hamm has the remedy you need. He sends this link that will put all National Holidays on your iCal.
Mac & PC
John Carter is smiling as he says, "Do you own both a Mac and a Windows PC? You're not alone: according to a 2009 survey 85% of Mac owners also own a PC. This means millions of people need to, somehow, make these two systems work together."If you're one of those millions, you should check out 'Computing Harmony: Seamlessly Blend Windows and OS X,' the latest free MakeUseOf manual. This manual outlines everything you need to know to get your Mac and your PC to live in harmony, so you can do the things you wanted to do. DOWNLOAD Computing Harmony: Seamlessly Blend Windows and OS X http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/computing-harmony-seamlessly-blend-windows-and-os-x (download password: makeuseof) Thanks again, John, for keeping our Mac newsletter so full of good info!
Good Advice on Passwords
Pay attention: we hear from John Carter who advises we seriously consider ten reasons why we need different Internet account passwords and change them often.
1. There are groups (Anonymous, AntiSec, LulzSec) whose sole purpose is to raid the security of large corporations (Sony is an example) just to prove it can be done and to demonstrate to the public why it is important to not have the same password for every account you have on the Internet.
2. Changing all your passwords every month - even by one letter, number, or symbol - is an effective way to protect your accounts on the Internet.
3. Use a password that contains a minimum of 8 characters (15 is recommended as a strong password) with at least one uppercase, one number, and one symbol (where allowed).
4. If symbols are not allowed in a password (as happens with some sites) increase the password length to at least 10 characters.
5. If a site does not allow symbols and does not allow up to 10 characters in a password it would be best to leave that site alone.
6. Never use a password that makes any sense at all, such as P0pp1 (read as Poppy or Popeye) and avoid repeating characters (as in this example).
7. Use a password generator when at all possible.
8. Keep a written log of all your passwords and keep it updated as passwords change. This is your only hope of remembering them.
9. If you insist on keeping passwords on your computer, such as the Mac Keychain Access or a Password Manager in Windows, then use a strong password to access it, and not like any other password that you use.
10. Repeat #1 through #9 until you get the message.
Thanks, John, for reminding us!
Apple is Doing Well!
Interesting charts and comparisons show how well Apple is doing these days. Jim Hamm writes, "Here's one company's (Trefis) estimate of how Apple's products affect its stock price. It's interesting to note that the iPhone's impact is over 50% on the stock price. Mac computers are third in the ranking.
"Here's an estimate for Microsoft. I was surprised to see the impact Microsoft Office has on the stock price -- more than the Windows operating system.
"You can click on a product (division) and get a forecast (trend line) of future performance. This may be a handy tool for investors in the market. In the upper left corner you can enter the name or symbol of a stock you're interested in to get information on the stock price.
And, Jim, our eagle-eye reporter closes with, "Here is more information on Trefis."
Security & Privacy: Yours and Theirs
"Digital Spies," the feature article in the January Popular Mechanics exposes high-tech espionage: hacked, tracked, attacked. It also advises how to protect your personal data in an article, "Removing Yourself from the Internet."
Clean Your Screen With -- ?
Maybe you noticed the article on cleaning your gadgets in the January issue of Popular Mechanics. But let's see what Apple says. Here's some specific info to read on cleaning your computer. It warns that liquid damage is not covered under the Apple product warranty or AppleCare protection plans. Here's how to clean keyboard, trackpad, mouse. A comment following this MacLife article mentions the Optical Cleaning Kit from CostCo. Anyone use this?
Competition for iCloud
This article discusses Microsoft SkyDrive, a competitor to Apple's iCloud. David Passell sends this info for our iPad and iPhone users. He comments, "The closest I get to clouding (I just invented a new word!) is Dropbox."