Initial Observations

As advertised, the 30+ second Startup Delay that has plagued Alchemy board Macs since Mac OS 7.6.1 (see Macs Only!'s coverage) is gone at least in the PowerBase and probably the Performa 6400 as well. It now takes 16-18 seconds from pressing the "on" key to get the gray screen's Happy Mac which is about the same time that my 7100/80 takes. Apple CD ROM v5.4.2 included with Mac OS 8.1 continues Apple's "tradition" since Mac OS 7.6 and does not drive my 8x Philips CD ROM drive. I re-installed Apple CD ROM v5.3.1 from Mac OS 7.6 that I had stashed on a diskette just in case this happened. For some reason I did not get Apple's Internet Assistant during installation and my Open Transport TCP/IP and OT/PPP setting were not changed--cruising the internet seems zippier and I occasionally got download speeds pushing 20K bps but sustained speeds were at 16K bps on dual-channel ISDN.

Well, that's it for now. I'll be posting more on Macs Only! later, including more use observations and installation observations for an 8500, 7100/80 and a 3400/180.

The second wave of CompUSA Apple Store-in-a-Store's are under contruction. Reader Butch Peters wrote that one is under contruction in Knoxville and reader Tom Hollister said one is under construction in Detroit. Please keep these reports coming to me so that Macs Only's CompUSA Watch Page! can be updated.

From Darren Williams regarding Funnel Web v1.5.1 Updater,

"All Funnel Web users please note that version 1.5.1 has been released. This is only a minor upgrade of Funnel Web which adds support for FirstClass and improves handling of IIS 4.0 extended log files.

Please feel free to download the latest updater from our website at "http://www.activeconcepts.com/fweb.html". If you have any trouble with the updater please email us and we will send you the application by return email (~400K).

Version 1.5.1 (January 19, 1998)

- Improved handling of extended log information with IIS 4.0
- Added support for FirstClass log format
- Added DNS caching algorithm to speed subsequent DNS lookups
- Improved WebStar Referral and Agent recognition using the newer tokens introduced in 2.1"

From MacDev,

"Macromedia, Inc. today (1/19) celebrated the second anniversary of Shockwave* with the release of Smart Shockwave*. Through the use of JavaScript, Smart Shockwave allows users to automatically download, install and play the most current version of Shockwave without ever having to leave the intended Web site. Shockwave remains one of the top playback technologies on the Web.

By implementing Smart Shockwave, developers of "Shocked" Web sites make it more convenient for visitors to view interactive content on their site. A smart "Get Shockwave" button detects if the visiting browser has Shockwave installed. If the user needs to download Shockwave or install a more current version of Shockwave, a small status window tells the user the appropriate player is automatically being downloaded. Web visitors can begin playing the Shockwave content immediately without ever having to leave the Web site. Smart Shockwave is compatible with Netscape Navigator 4.0 and Internet Explorer versions 3.0 and 4.0.

Shockwave is available for free from www.macromedia.com or www.shockzone.com. Web developers using Shockwave on their sites can obtain Smart Shockwave at www.macromedia.com/shockwave. Macromedia showcases the newest and most innovative applications of Shockwave in the Shockwave Gallery, the weekly Shockwave Spotlight and the Shocked Site of the Day. For more information on Shockwave distribution statistics please refer to www.macromedia.com/shockwave/distribution.html."

From Derek Haidle:

"JMac, a new web site dedicated to facilitating the growth of Java on the Macintosh platform, has opened here.

JMac offers the following:

• Current Macintosh Java News on the Home Page
• Bulletin Board System for Macintosh Java discussions
• 100% Java - Made on the Macintosh Programs Page
• Bug Tracking for Java related systems
• A Listserv for Macintosh Java Announcements"