Articles


• Claris Emailer 2.0d26 •

It's not too hard to tell this is pre-release software.  The application works, quite stably actually, however all fonts in in dialogs, buttons, etc. are WAY oversized.  Instead of being font size 10 or 12 (or whatever the appropirate size the font is within a button/dialog/etc), it's about size 24.  This oversizing makes it extremely hard to read when configuring options in the preferences.  For example:

 






















There are a few options that don't work, when they are dragged down on from the menus the application quits because of an unimplemented trap--obviously due to the fact that's it's pre-release software.

There are a few minors flaws, but if you are familiar with Claris Emailer 1.x, you should have no problem configuring the latest pre-release of 2.0.  However, if you are new to Claris Emailer, stick with version 1.x until version 2.0 is released, there are some obvious flaws.  It helps to be familiar with the way Emailer works when using 2.0d26.  Do note, e-mail DOES work, nothing is wrong with sending/receiving, the cosmetics just need a lot of work.

-Freakman

• DeskPicture 4.0.1 •

This is something I've been searching for, for quite a while.  After discovering it bundled with Aaron 2.0 in an archive, I was quite pleased.

DeskPicture allows you to use any picture you want as a desktop picture.  It doesn't replace the desktop pattern, it puts the picture over it.  You can have multiple pictures, tile pictures, random pictures, etc.  There is an option to limit the memory requirements, which takes away from picture quality.  This option should be used if you don't have a lot of ram to spare, because it hogs 3mb's of RAM whether or not there is a picture that large loaded as the desktop picture.  The toggling of this option is nice, as the memory it takes up is changed instantly--no need to restart.

If you're looking to set Jenny McCarthey as your desktop picture or some other perverted pict, here's the proggie for you, kiddies!

-Freakman


• Hotline Server 1.1b14 •

Short summary:  BBS software for running on the net.

However, it has quite a ways to go if it is going to be anything like a BBS.  There are no security levels, access restrictions, and all that normaly found within a BBS.  What is neat about it is that it has file transfers, chatting, and messages.  Which makes this function much like a BBS package does.

Your options are limited...many commands are not implemented (deleting files remotely for example).  Only one transfer directory can exist, the amount of users that log in cannot be controlled, usernames/passwords are uncontrolled, no security whatsoever to keep unwanted guests out of the site, only one message area, and a lot of lame sounds that can't be toggled on and off.

Do note, this is EXTREMELY simple to set up.  5 minutes is all you need to quickly set up this server, you have a message area, a transfer area, and online chatting.  If this package continues to be developed like I hope it does, it's got a future ahead of it.  As of now, it is in its VERY early stages of operation.  I wouldnot advise anyone running this unless you openly welcome the entire world to your server--of course the IP and port 5500 must be known, but still...it is a security issue that hasn't been dealt with at this time.

-Freakman


• PageMaker 6.5- Expected release date: Early January •

	The Quark vs. PageMaker battle is about to step to a more vicious
level. Adobe, who is now openly stating that it is DIRECTLY attacking
Quark's business, is turning PageMaker from the slow, un-featured
behemoth, to one kickass page layout app. And as a longstanding Quark
loyalist, I can honestly say that I'm convinced to switch.

	New features abound in 6.5. Of course, it does include many methods of
web page creation, and they work well. But the other advancements
really pertain only to those of us who actually USE a page-layout to
its fullest extent. If you only use this ware to create an occasional
school paper or some such, stop reading now.

	First off, I'd like to say that I really hate Quark's linking tool.
Resizing a text field, deleting one, and sometimes even moving it can
totally jack your text flow. PageMaker has by far the simplest method
of linking I've ever seen. You create a box, paste your text into it,
and simply option-click your way to linking heaven. Delete a text box?
No problem. PM automatically recalculates everything so you don't loose
that flow.

	Speaking of text boxes, another kickass feature of PM is just that;
text boxes. In Quark, you have to really pay attention to the type of
box you're making, and sometimes images or text just won't work in it.
In PM, you can put ANYTHING into ANY type of box. I was really
impressed with how well text was formed into a 7-sided poly box. You
just can't DO this as easily in Quark.

	And of course, you can use Photoshop filters on any image in
PageMaker. No more having to boot the app just because you forgot to
run a blur filter that header. Just select the box, run the filter, and
blammo. PM automatically replaces the image and updates the image list
to point to the new filtered graphic.

	Not the last, but by far the coolest, is the new paper-size changing
abilities. Now, let's say that you just got done spending 40 hours on a
8.5"x11" newsletter for your company. Boss pats you on the back and
says, "Great, now we need an A4 version for our European branch. And we
need it by tomorrow morning." Now, if you were a Quark user, your heart
would have stopped, and you probably would have lost your job (because
you socked your boss in the face). But if you are a PageMaker 6.5 user,
all you do is change your paper size, and PageMaker AUTOMATICALLY goes
through each page and recalculates image sizes, text layouts, kerning,
placement, font sizes, etc. All with a 95% success rate. The job that
would have taken you another 40 hours in Quark, takes you 5 minutes in
PageMaker. So you can spend the rest of your day on more important
things, like playing Marathon :)

	In conclusion, Adobe really got its ass in gear in this version.
There are more new features than I can remember, and even the early
beta was STABLE. Quark now has some serious competition, and I don't
think it will be long before other users convert. Bravo Adobe.

-Wackadoo


• PageMill 2.0 - Expected release: Out by the time you read this. •

	I'll be up front with all of you. I hate
easy-schmeezy-so-simple-your-grandma-can-do-it web page creators. They
hardly ever work smoothly, the html output is totally disgusting, and
the damn things never can make tables correctly. I use BBEdit and vi
for all my page creation, and it works better than anything else. Well,
almost everything else...

	Once again, Adobe listened to the user and made some major changes in
this release. I won't really go into specifics on all the new stuff,
because it simply would take too long. I'll just point out two things:
Client-side image maps and table creation. Two of the most tedious and
boring tasks a web designer has to deal with (other than whiny
department managers of course :)

	First off, client-side image maps. Previously, a client-side image
map, in order to be done correctly, usually involves many hours in
Photoshop getting coordinates and sizes and such. PageMill 2.0 makes
this task VERY simple. Simply double-click on the image, use standard
selection tools (or a poly tool for odd-shaped hot spots), drag (or
type) the page that you want the link to go to into the selection, and
with one click you have turned a 1+ hour job into a 1 minute one.

	Secondly, tables. This is what always made me stick with BBEdit or vi.
Problem was that no do-it-yourself page creator could make a decent
table. PM 2.0 makes it so simple it's frightening. Create however many
cells you want, and simply drag your way to table perfection heaven.
Throw a graphic here, a block of text there, add some color, etc. Drag
cell borders around, widen columns, delete rows...  It is obvious that
Adobe really listened to the designer when they implemented the new
table features, because they work perfectly. This alone is reason
enough to use this program. I'll stick to BBEdit because it's BBEdit,
but for image maps and tables, I'll be spending some time in PageMill
as well. Once again, bravo Adobe.

-Wackadoo


• ATM 4.0 & ATR Deluxe - Expected release: Early January. •

	ATM. Everybody uses it, everybody loved it. But truth of the matter
is, the name can be misleading... It is not, in fact, a true type
manager. All it does is rasterize fonts for improved quality on your
monitor. Version 4.0 changes all that.

	Yes folks, Adobe Type Manager 4.0 is indeed just that - A full-fledged
type manager. And, as you might expect from the inventors of
Postscript, it's also the best. Once again, there tons of new features.
This is just a quick rundown.

	Creation of custom font sets (sorta like Suitcase, but much better),
and the ability to export them to your coworkers. Improved font
smoothing (rasterizing), and automatic font opening. (This has got to
be the coolest feature in ATM 4.0.) To prove why, here's an example:

	Lets say that you've got a PageMaker document (or Quark, or Word, or
whatever) with about a gazillion fonts. You load up your font sets, and
realize (just as you're loading the document) that your buddy down in
development decided to change all the header font styles. Have no fear.
If you have the font anywhere on your drive (or in a specified location
on the network), it will AUTOMATICALLY open it, WHILE the document is
loading. It causes no performance hit on the opening of the document,
and it automatically closes the font afterwards. No longer do you have
to worry about what font sets you have open. ATM manages that for you.

	ATM 4.0 can also find duplicate and damaged fonts. I can't fix them,
but finding that one corrupt font that is wreaking havoc on your system
can be a godsend.

	ATR Deluxe is just as improved and makes a perfect companion to ATM
4.0. For those of you who don't know, Adobe Type Reunion organizes all
the fonts of the same family into submenus in your fonts menu. That
way, when you open your menu to change fonts, so scrolling to the
bottom doesn't take so darn long.

	But like ATM, this new version of ATR adds some very nice new
features. For example, not only does it group fonts by family, but also
allows you to create custom font menus (like say, one menu for header
fonts, one for body fonts, one for captions, etc...) for easy access.
It stores your most recently used fonts at the top of the menu listing
(no more scrolling all the way to the bottom just to get at Zapf
Chancery), and of course: WYSIWYG font menus. 

	Stable WYSIWYG font menus at that!

	ATM and ATR are going to be of great assistance to anyone working with
more than the basic 13 system fonts. If not for the font management
features alone, simply the STABILITY of these two products will be
enough to convince even the most loyal Suitcase user (*snicker*) to
switch.

-Wackadoo