MacLifeInsurance is a set of two control panels that will protect your work from system crashes, accidental deletions, power outs, corrupted files, and other Macintosh disasters with two levels of protection.
MacLifeInsurance—FileSaver will protect you at the file level, by automatically saving your files by time and/or number of key strokes as you specify.
MacLifeInsurance—KeySaver will protect you at the keystroke level, saving every key you type, so that you'll always be able to retrieve your work—no matter what happens.
These two levels of protection will give you piece of mind—and save you hours of aggravation in the case of a Macintosh disaster. All for a one-time premium (otherwise known as a shareware fee) of only $14.95. That's with no deductibles and lifetime protection. (Too bad all insurance isn't this inexpensive!)
WHO IS INSANELY GREAT SOFTWARE?
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Insanely Great Software was founded in 1988 by myself (Adam Stein) while I was a freshman in high school. (I’m currently studying entrepreneurial management at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.) The name comes from Steve Jobs, who often called things he really liked “insanely great.” It’s also our motto—and our standard. We aim to make your experience with us one worthy of our name: from product quality to technical support.
We aim to bring you the advantages of a small company without sacrificing the professionalism of a large corporation. So you’ll be able to talk to me personally whenever you like (try talking to the programmer or President of large companies like Microsoft or Claris!), plus you'll be able to order by credit card 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from our toll-free 800 order lines. (As well as fax, email, and regular mail!) And we ship within 24 hours, so that you won’t have to wait for your products any longer than necessary!
Please feel free to give me a call anytime, about MacLifeInsurance or even just Mac-dom in general. I enjoy speaking with other Mac users---so don’t hesitate to give me a ring!
CREDITS:
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I'd like to thanks all my great beta testers for helping me out in ironing out all the bugs in MacLifeInsurance, and AMW for both beta testing and designing the MacLifeInsurance icons.
INSTALLATION:
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MacLifeInsurance requires System 7 to operate. Just drag and drop the MacLifeInsurance—FileSaver and MacLifeInsurance—KeySaver CDEVs into the System Folder. The Finder will ask you if you want to place it in the Control Panels Folder. Click on OK.
To configure the control panels, select Control Panels from the Apple Menu. Then, double-click on the MacLifeInsurance CDEV you want to open.
CONFIGURATION:
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To turn MacLifeInsurance—KeySaver on or off, click on the appropriate on or off radio button.
To set MacLifeInsurance to automatically delete the key stroke files that it creates, check the Delete saved files after check box. Then type the number of days to keep files in the edit text field. Whenever you start your machine, MacLifeInsurance—KeySaver will check to see if there are any "Strokes" files older than the number of days you specified inside the MacLifeInsurance Files Folder. It checks the date that the file was created, and not the last modification date. Since most key strokes files are probably updated every day, the last modification date will always change. But the creation date never changes. The disadvantage to automatically deleting your files is that you'll then lose the data in the files when they are automatically deleted.
To set the application that will automatically open the MacLifeInsurance key stroke files when you double-click on them from the Finder, click on the "Select application…" button. Then, select the text editor or word processor that you'd like to use. The files are stored as text files with the creator of the application you choose. If you're an advanced user, you can simply type in the creator of the application in this box without clicking the button. The default file type is ttxt, the creator of TeachText. If you do not change this setting, double-clicking on the key stroke files will open TeachText.
SETTING YOUR HOT KEY:
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You can set a toggle hot key to turn MacLifeInsurance—KeySaver on and off at anytime. To set your hot key, click on the Select Toggle Hot Key button. When the dialog box comes up, just type the key combination of your choice. You can use the shift, option, control, and command keys along with any key on your keyboard--including the function keys, escape, arrows, help, home, page up, page down, forward delete, end, and the numeric keypad. When you are finished, click on the OK button. The toggle hot key is very useful for those times when you'd rather not have your key strokes saved to disk. (I realized the need for this when one of my college friends started typing a letter to his girlfriend. When I told him I was testing this utility, we had to restart the machine. A light bulb went off—wouldn't it be great to have a toggle hot key! :) )
Changes to your hot key or any of the other settings will not take effect until you reboot, so you’ll need to reboot before they take effect.
HOW TO USE:
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Using MacLifeInsurance—KeySaver is easy. After setting it up and rebooting, it will automatically work in the background, saving your keystrokes in case of system crashes, power outs, file corruptions, or accidental deletions. Your key stroke files are stored in the MacLifeInsurance Files folder inside the System Folder.
If you want to retrieve text after such an event, or simply want to retrieve that paragraph you wish you hadn’t deleted a half hour ago, just go to the MacLifeInsurance Files folder inside the System Folder. (You might also want to make an alias of this folder if you’re using System 7 for easier access.) Then, double-click on the file named after the application that you were using. The files will automatically run TeachText, or whatever application you set in the MacLifeInsurance—KeySaver Control Panel. If they are over 32k in size, you’ll need to open them with a program other than TeachText by launching your word processor and choosing the Open… menu item from its File menu.
Then, just look for that paragraph you were missing and cut and paste it back into the document that you were working on. You’ll need to clean up the text, as MacLifeInsurance—KeySaver saves every key stroke—including all your typos. But you’re guaranteed never to lose any idea this way. No matter how sure you were a half hour ago (or a week ago) that you didn’t need that paragraph!
Cleaning up the text is the one downside to key stroke saving. This is both intentional as well as necessary. Since it saves every key, you'll be able to recover everything you type. Since no program can make value judgments on what is worth keeping, we play it safe by keeping everything. The other reason is that MacLifeInsurance does not know what you are deleting. So, if you press the delete key, it cannot simply delete the last character typed. You may have moved the cursor to a different location in the document. The end result is that you'll be protected completely, but that you'll need to edit (the amount depending on your typing skills) the key stroke files when you replace your files. We believe that it's a small compromise to make for this powerful level of protection.
CONFIGURATION:
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To turn MacLifeInsurance—FileSaver on or off, click on the appropriate on or off radio button.
Next, you should decide when and how MacLifeInsurance—FileSaver should automatically save your files. You can choose to save by time, by keystrokes, or both. To turn a setting on, simply check its checkbox and type in the appropriate number of minutes or number of keystrokes. MacLifeInsurance—FileSaver will enact its auto-saves according to your specifications.
Then, choose the applications that you want MacLifeInsurance—FileSaver to work in. Simply click on the Add app… button to add an application. Then, click on the OK button and close the Control Panel. Changes to the applications and your other settings will not take effect until you reboot, so you’ll need to reboot before they take effect.
The default command key for saving is S, but you can change this for any non-standard applications you have by selecting the application in your applications list and typing a new key inside the command key edit box. (Just type in the key without the command key. The command key is assumed.)
HOW TO USE:
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After setting it up and rebooting, it will automatically work in the background, issuing save commands according to your specifications. By automatically saving your files, you’ll be protected from system crashes and power outs. You’ll only lose your work since the last save, and even this “deductible” can be eliminated by using MacLifeInsurance—KeySaver which saves every single keystroke that takes place!
The first save in each application may be a little quicker than your settings, but from then on it will occur regularly according to your specifications. Also, in most applications, the first Save brings up the Save as… dialog box. If you have not saved your document, and MacLifeInsurance-FileSaver sends a save command, the Save as… dialog box will probably come up. You can dismiss the dialog box or type in a new file name as you prefer.
SHAREWARE REGISTRATION:
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MacLifeInsurance is a shareware program, which means that it can be distributed freely. However, if you use MacLifeInsurance after the 30 day trial period, you must pay the small registration fee of only $9.95 per module, or $14.95 for both the FileSaver and KeySaver modules. When you register, I’ll send you the registered version of MacLifeInsurance along with the Neat Stuff! Disk, chock full of great shareware programs from Insanely Great Software like the System 7 Pack! (4 Mice, MacUser Magazine), the System 7 Companion Pack!, INSTANT Area Code, and Town Meeting.
MacLifeInsurance will show a “nag” message each time you reboot regarding shareware registration. You can dismiss the dialog box by typing return or enter, or by clicking on the OK button. When you register, I’ll send you the registered version which removes this annoying dialog box.
If you use MacLifeInsurance, please do send in your registration. I've put in a lot of hours and late nights into making MacLifeInsurance the product it is today. Without your support, shareware authors like myself simply cannot afford to continue to develop quality shareware products. MacLifeInsurance is particularly reasonable at only $9.95 per module, or $14.95 for the MacLifeInsurance bundle. So please do take the time to register, whether it's via our 800#, fax, mail, or email.
Ordering is easy! We accept checks, money orders, Visa, and MasterCard! (Purchase orders also accepted. Our Federal Tax I.D. is 154-72-0178.)
We’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (Closed just isn't in our vocabulary!) And you can order any of our products by phone (both toll-FREE and international lines), fax, mail, or email! Plus, we ship within 24 hours.
If you are interested in a site license for your organization, please contact Adam Stein of Insanely Great Software for more information. (Contact information can be found under technical support at the end of this document.)
For more information on our other products, please see the appropriate files in the Other IGS Products Folder.
MacLifeInsurance—FileSaver: $9.95
MacLifeInsurance—KeySaver: $9.95
MacLifeInsurance Bundle (Both FileSaver and KeySaver): $14.95.
System 7 Pack!: $29.95.
System 7 Pack! & MacLifeInsurance Bundle (Both FileSaver and KeySaver): $39.95
AMUG BBS in a Box CD-ROM: $79.95.
Shipping and handling is only $2.50 per order, not per product. (Please add an additional $5 for international shipping.)
Ordering by Mail:
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To order by mail, print the order form (available in a separate TeachText file) and mail it to:
Adam Stein
Insanely Great Software
126 Calvert Ave. E.
Edison, NJ 08820
Checks or money orders should be made payable to INSANELY GREAT SOFTWARE.
Ordering by Phone:
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We’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your convenience.
Call Insanely Great Software Toll-FREE at 800-368-5195.
International users should call 303-872-8651.
These numbers are for orders only. For information, please call Adam Stein at 908-548-5107.
Ordering by Email:
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We can now accept email orders through America Online, Compuserve, and the Internet.
Just send your name, address, credit card information, and the name(s) of the product(s) you’d like to order to:
America Online: AdamStein
Compuserve: 71140,2051
Internet: AdamStein@aol.com
(You can also email us a copy of the order form.)
Ordering by Fax:
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We welcome your fax orders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Just fax your name, address, credit card information, and the name(s) of the product(s) you’d like to order to 908-548-5107.
(You can also fax us a copy of the order form.)
TECHNICAL SUPPORT:
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Technical support is available to all users of MacLifeInsurance at no charge. You may contact our technical support staff (i.e., the author!) if you have any problems with or questions about MacLifeInsurance. Were also very open to suggestions for improvements to the program.
You can call the author direct at (908) 548-5107. Ask for Adam Stein and he’ll be glad to be of service. He still believes in old-fashioned service with a smile!
