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Here are some old editorials and information from the Home page.

iMac alternatives to USB.

USB is slow, only 12Mbps. Ethernet is fast, 100Mbps. Is there such a thing as Ethernet peripherals? This must be possible to create somehow. Then it would allow iMac users to use high speed things such as live video streaming into their computer. If someone figured out how to make a Voodoo 2 chip for the iMac they should be able to figure this out too.

 City Fonts.

Do you know the difference between fixed-width and variable-width fonts? Fixed-width means that every character in the font is the same width, this means an "i" is the same width as a "w". Variable-width fonts have font widths that all vary. How do you tell the two apart? I just found this out, they fixed-width fonts are named after cities. Fonts like Chicago, Monaco, Geneva, and New York are all fixed-width. This can be very helpful next time you need to figure out what kind of font to select.

RAM and ROM mean nothing anymore.

Do RAM and ROM mean anything? In case you didn't know; RAM is supposed to mean Random Access Memory (memory that can be accessed in a split second without any moving parts) and ROM is supposed to mean Read Only Memory (any memory that can not be written to. But these are not being used in their correct places.

The ROM in your computer is actually a form of RAM, it does not have to move anything to access another part of the ROM. It should really be called RAROM (Random Access Read Only Memory). Still, that isn't the most serious problem.

DVD-RAM is a very inaccurate name. If you have not heard of DVD-RAM it is the same as DVD-ROM except the disks can be written to. Now the main problem with this is that DVD-RAM isn't even RAM. To access data on a DVD the disk must be rotated to align with the laser. Data cannot be randomly accessed. DVD-RAM should have been called DVD-SAM (Digital Versatile Disk - Sequential Access Memory) since data is accessed sequentially.

Also, in the Macintosh User's Guide it defines RAM as memory whose contents is lost when the computer is turned off. Now everyone knows that a DVD-RAM disk will not lose its memory when you turn your computer off. Computer companies just need to be more careful on using technical terms and be sure everyone agrees on a definition before attaching a label to hundreds of different products.

Be careful before buying an iMac.

An iMac may not be the right computer for you. If you own any SCSI devices, you won't be able to connect them to the iMac. If you have a printer, you may be able to connect it but you will have to buy connectors in order to connect it to the USB port. Other devices may be compatible, but the manufacturer must create new drivers for the iMac. Upgrading the processor may also be either impossible or very expensive.

Or maybe you should buy it.

The iMac can also be a good buy. Buying the lowest priced computer you can find (don't get too cheap) is usually a good idea since any computer you buy will eventually become obsolete. Spending an extra $4,000 for a more powerful computer may only buy you a few months extra on the life of your computer. Plus, you can attach serial and ADB port devices to the iMac with the right adapters.

For the lowest prices on Macintosh hardware, go to www.macworld.com and sign up for the newsletters or go to the links page (<- left) for some online catalogs.

The iMac mouse

You may have heard already that the iMac mouse is the worst part about the iMac. You will definetly notice a difference if you haven't tried it out yet. The mouse is actually a circle instead of an oval. I actually like the mouse better than the old mouse. The mouse itself is lighter while the mouseball is actually much heavier. This makes it easier to move and much more accurate on screen. The worst part is that it may get turned sideways for some people. This doesn't happen to me though so you'll just have to try it out first.

Claris is gone.

Since Claris is gone, does this mean that PCs won't be getting any more versions of ClarisWorks (AppleWorks)? In my opinion, this would be a smart move for Apple - they should keep their best apps on the Mac platform to attract more Windows users.