:: TCMUG Newsletter Archive ::

Vol 4 Iss 4 April 2005
*April Meeting
*Web Site Links and News of Interest
*Shareware Features - Shutterbug
*The MUG Center Store - Free Freight To Members
*Tip of the Month - Faster Startup in OS 9
*OS X Tip of the Month - Keyboard Shortcuts
*Mac Hardware Spotlight - Techworks
*TCMUG Membership Structure for 2005 - JOIN TODAY!
========== APRIL MEETING ==========
The April meeting is being held on Saturday the 16th at 2:00PM - 4:00PM.
Make a note that this is our 3rd anniversary, so expect a cake to celebrate this one! We will be back at the TCH Educational Service Center in New Philadelphia for this meeting.

========== WEB SITE LINKS AND NEWS OF INTEREST ==========
Viruses, yes. Spyware, no. Just how safe is a Mac? That's the issue Digit magazine looks at in a lengthy piece on the Mac OS and security. "Most Mac users gaze on smugly as reports of each new Windows security crisis break," says Digit . "And they have good reason – research from Sophos PLC showed that 68 viruses have affected the Mac while 97,467 have affected Windows. Of those 68, most are a decade old or older and don’t directly affect OS X." So are Macs really more secure than Windows PCs? Take a look and then decide.
http://www.digitmag.co.uk/features/index.cfm?FeatureID=1239
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Annual Credit Report : https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
Whenever I get a credit card bill, it’s accompanied by an invitation to spend $30 to $40 a year to get a copy of my credit report. The federal government had a better idea: each of three major credit reporting agencies is now required to provide you with a free copy of your credit report once a year. It’s being rolled out gradually, so it’s not yet available nationwide: check the Web site to find out when free credit reports will become available in your region, or to learn how to request a free copy of your credit report. (Note that, for privacy reasons, it is recommended that you call or write for your credit report rather than request it via the online form.)
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Getting Things Done with Your Mac
Even the most savvy Mac user can have problems staying organized. A number of tips for using a Mac to help organize your life are available from 43 Folders and other sources. This article takes a look at them with the help of Merlin Mann himself.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/03/08/productivity.html
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Exploring the Mac OS X Firewall
Like so many tools built in to Mac OS X, the firewall just works. But what's really going on inside it? Peter Hickman explains why the firewall works so well, and then takes you inside and shows you how to fiddle with things. In the end, he returns you safely to the default settings.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/03/15/firewall.html
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O'Reilly and Safari Books Online announce SafariU, a new service that offers computer technology educators a rich platform for creating both online and print materials tailored precisely to your teaching needs. Safari Books Online is a joint venture of O'Reilly and the Pearson Technology Group.
With SafariU (http://safariu.oreilly.com), instructors can compile a custom book from a wealth of information resources, and deliver it to students at a lower cost than a traditional textbook. The custom book is professionally printed and delivered in as little as two weeks. In addition to print books, SafariU offers an online subscription to a syllabus that links to the complete content of up to 10 of the books used in the custom book, plus any supplementary information the instructor chooses, including audio, video, additional reading material, exercises, and links to outside resources. SafariU also provides a peer network where instructors can share learning objects and other teaching resources.

========== SHAREWARE FEATURES - SHUTTERBUG ==========
XtraLean Software: Shutterbug
Introducing ShutterBug,the content creation tool that helps you easily and quickly create digital photo albums and journals, and publish them to your .mac account or other web server. ShutterBug is fully WYSIWYG and can update websites on the fly. Users can choose from more than 50 free customizable templates and easily create sites that render properly across all browsers on multiple platforms -- even if they know nothing about HTML. Find out more at http://www.xtralean.com/SBOverview.html

========== MUG CENTER STORE ==========
Is there something the MUG store can do to help your group?
Just let us know. Our Tuscarawas County Mac Users Group gets 1 percent back on everything members purchase, so we encourage our members to buy from the MUG store where you can get everything from software to new computers for your club for FREE.
The MUG store has free freight to members, RAM rebates, aggressive pricing on new (and reconditioned) Macs and the largest selection of pre-owned Macs on the planet.
March 31, 2005 to June 30, 2005 - User ID: / Password: - See the TCMUG members web site. Place your orders at http://www.applemugstore.com

========== TIP OF THE MONTH - FASTER STARTUP ==========
Faster startup - Want to speed up the time it takes start up your System under Mac OS 9? What a stupid question. Of course you do! Here are nine extensions you can remove to shave magical moments off your Mac's startup time and free additional RAM for your applications to boot. (Time savings were recorded using a Power Mac G4 running at 450 MHz.)
Adobe ATM
If you're not using PostScript fonts you don't need this.
Time savings: 2-4 seconds.
Iomega Driver
You only need this if you use an Iomega drive.
Time savings: 2-3 seconds.
USB Printer Sharing Extension
If you aren't sharing a printer with anyone, then this extension is just wasting precious time.
Time savings: about 1 second.
Network Assistant Startup
This extension is used by network administrators to control and configure a Mac. If you don't have a network administrator (or yours didn't install and configure this for you) then it's a security hole and should be disabled.
Time savings: 1-2 seconds
Multiple Users Control Panel and Multi-User Startup Extension
These are only used if you've set up your Mac so several people-for example, members of your family-can log into it.
Time savings: 2-5 seconds.
ColorSync Extension, Keyboard, Printer Share and Energy Saver
Only the highest end graphics pros need ColorSync; you don't need Keyboard after you've set it up; Printer Share is only needed if you are sharing a printer; and Energy Saver is nice, but expendable if you aren't the extremely frugal type.
Time savings: less than 1 second.
To manage these extensions, create a new set of startup extensions that excludes them using Apple's Extension Manager or Casady & Greene's Conflict Catcher. That way, you can still use your old set if you accidentally turn off something you need. Conflict Catcher will even tell you how much time each extension takes to load so you can more easily tweak your set for ultimate speed.
Turn off Startup Memory Test in the Memory control panel. This hidden feature tests your RAM to make sure it's good every time you start up. If your computer's been working fine you can probably turn this off (just remember to turn it back on if you are experiencing problems or add more RAM). You can access this feature by holding down the Command and Option keys as you open the Memory control panel.
Be conservative about what you launch on startup. The more things that you put in the Startup Items folder in the System folder the longer it will take to launch them all. One example of a startup item you might consider removing is the Kodak Precision Startup. This is a startup item that is installed by some scanners or graphics applications. We've seen a couple of rare cases where an application needs this to run but you probably won't miss it (and you'll save a few seconds at startup time).
Another big resource hog is remote drives that you have set to mount on startup. It takes time for your computer to search the network and mount these remote drives. You'd probably be better off keeping an alias on the desktop and only mounting these drives when you really need to.

========== OS X TIP OF THE MONTH - SHORTCUTS ==========
Creating Your Own Keyboard Shortcuts
One thing in Panther that doesn’t get enough press, but kicks butt in the productivity department is that you can now create your own custom keyboard shortcuts. Here’s how:
Go under the Apple menu to System Preferences, then click on the Keyboard & Mouse icon. In the pane that appears, click on the Keyboard Shortcuts button. Then click the + (plus) sign button at the bottom of the list of existing shortcuts to add your own. The pop-up menu at the top of the dialog that opens lets you choose whether this shortcut works across all applications, or in just an individual app (or just the Finder if you like). In the Menu Title field, enter the EXACT name of the menu item you want a shortcut for, then type in the shortcut you want to use and click Add. It’s that easy.
Note: Make sure the application that you’re creating your own shortcut for isn’t open.

========== MAC HARDWARE SPOTLIGHT ==========
TechWorks: Quality Memory
Founded in 1986, TechWorks has emerged as the leader for Macintosh computer memory (RAM). TechWorks success can be attributed to quality, a money back guarantee, toll-free technical support, lifetime warranty and a commitment to 100 percent customer satisfaction. User group members can receive 30 percent off retail prices on the latest memory products.
Username & Password available on the TCMUG Members web site.
http://www.techworks.com/

========== TCMUG MEMBERSHIP FOR 2005 - TIME TO JOIN! ==========
We are working very hard to make it another exciting year for all local Mac users. We had a small dues structure for 2004. Membership in the TCMUG will cost $20.00 annually for a regular membership and will include a monthly newsletter, a special "members only" section of the web site, monthly meetings, a lending library, discounts on software, hardware and books and much, much more! You can visit our web site to get all of the features and benefits at http://www.tcmug.org/aboutus.html
We are offering three membership levels for 2005. There will be a regular membership at $20 per year and we will have student membership (K-12 & College) at $15 per year and a senior citizen (60+ years old) at $15 per year. All levels of membership will enjoy the benefits of belonging to the TCMUG.
Please contact any of the officers if you would have any questions regarding membership and the associated dues. http://www.tcmug.org/contactus.html
We have an online membership form that you are able to download. You can download the form at: http://www.tcmug.org/tcmug_memberapp.pdf

========== SUBMITTING INFORMATION ==========
Have a software tidbit to share, a Mac related web site to suggest or a news piece to submit? Email me with all the information at kwarrene@mac.com
To unsubscribe from this newsletter: Reply to this email with the subject line of REMOVE.
Forward this message to all of your family, friends and associates so that they can join the TCMUG and receive the monthly newsletter. Get all of the details at http://www.tcmug.org/aboutus.html
If you have any comments or suggestions please feel free to contact any of the officers at http://www.tcmug.org/contactus.html