We're jumping for joy (and sighing with relief) as we present to you, dear
readers, the brand spankin' new MacAddict CD Tour interface! The interface
was compiled using REAL Software's "REALbasic", and I must say that it's
better looking, faster, requires less from your System software, and is
much more customizable than the other program we used. For those of you
who didn't want to bother with the old Tour's sluggishness, I urge you to
venture into the newly redesigned Tour. This is the only way to fully
experience the very essence of what is the MacAddict CD. I've included the
demo version of REALbasic on this disc for you all to discover this great
program for yourselves.
With the vast amount of different genres of software, we also decided to
restructure our 'Software' category folders to help readers find their
favorite programs more quickly and easily. However, some titles we
encountered didn't exactly fit "comfy and cozy" into any particular
category folder; thus, we felt the need for a "catch-all" folder
resolution. This special folder, which may make only that rare
appearance, will contain software deemed exemplary, yet unclassifiable in
our filing system. So without further ado, I giveth thy readers and
christen thee "The Kitchen Sink"...
On another note, I can't even begin to tell you how much mail we received
regarding the inclusion of the name "Soulblighter" printed on September's
disc sleeve. Needless to say, we were all in utter shock when we saw this
grace the cover. This has been somewhat of a mystery to us as to how it
happened since we all know (well, everybody except for one anonymous soul
obviously) that the demo of Myth II: Soulblighter is STILL not available.
We apologize profusely for any heartache or grief caused to our fellow Mac
gamers. We do have the TEASER for Myth II on this month's CD that we hope
will fill that void created by last month's mishap. As we go to press, I'm
still anxiously awaiting the beloved demo. Our sincerest apologies.
This month's CD is filled with plenty of first-rate demos guaranteed to
bring out the creative side in everyone. Learn how to create special
effects in this month's magazine feature entitled "Movie Magic". Screen
this month's Staff Video "Escape From MacAddict" by Raf Anzovin to see the
special effects at work. Then try your own hand at movie making using some
of the fantastic demos on this disc including Premiere, After Effects,
Elastic Reality, and Ultimatte. So, whether you want to explore movie
making, or perhaps illustration, desktop publishing, or even animation,
you'll find demos of the tools you need right here on this tasty little
disc. Bon appetit!
Kris Fong
MacAddict/Digital Media Editor
"A better machine. A better magazine"
A Note to all of you who contributed software on this CD:
Right before this CD was burned, my poor hardrive met an untimely and
excruciating (well, for me anyway) death. In a nutshell, I lost
EVERYTHING! Thank god this CD was stored on a Jaz disc or we would have
had multitudes of unhappy readers. If any of you had any specific
stipulations or requests regarding the inclusion of your programs on this
month's CD, please get in contact with me ASAP at kfong@macaddict.com.
Sorry about any inconvenience this may cause you. Thanks!
About the Disc
Documentation included with each program will make it clear whether it is shareware, freeware, etc. Please read all accompanying documentation prior to using any software contained on this disc.
Note that not all software contained on this cd is available/installable from the MacAddict Tour. Last minute changes and additions make it impossible to have everything listed there. Look through the disc in the Finder to access programs you can't find in the MacAddict Tour.
First, our standard disclaimer:
We are NOT RESPONSIBLE for any problems caused by using the software on this disc. We did not create the software, we have simply made a collection that we think is useful. If you have problems with any particular piece of software, please contact the author or company directly for help. We will not provide technical support for software.
If you use our disc, you are doing so at YOUR OWN RISK (please read the legal disclaimer and agreement of usage document at the root level of the disc). We test things out as much as possible before sending it out, but we can't exhaustively test out each piece of software on every type of machine and system configuration each month. If you lose data, or your system becomes corrupted, or your computer blows up, don't say I didn't warn you.
The MacAddict Disc Catalog
I have used a program called "DiskTracker," by Mark Pirri, to catalog each and every MacAddict disc back to #1. This program is located on most of the recent discs, in the "Utilities" folder in the "Software" folder. The catalog file itself is located at the root of the disc, and is named "MacAddict CD Catalog (1-x)." You will need to install DiskTracker on your hard drive, and then extract the catalog file (by double-clicking it) to your hard drive. Then use DiskTracker to open the catalog file.
If you continue to use the DiskTracker program, please register it. It is a great program, and the author deserves to be rewarded for his hard work.
Using the Disc
If you still have questions or problems with the disc after reading this file, visit our cd-rom help pages at the URL below. You can view problems reported by others, possible workarounds or solutions, send bug reports, and request a new disc from customer service if your disc is broken or missing. You can also use the phone number below to request a new disc in the latter case.
http://www.macaddict.com/cdrom/
The direct phone number for customer service is 1-800-666-6889. Please call them to request a new disc if yours is missing or broken, or for any issues regarding your subscription.
The MacAddict Tour
Pressing command + Q will quit to the finder from anywhere in the interface.
When you double-click on one of the "MacAddict Tour" icons (either 68k or PPC), you launch our custom-designed REALbasic interface. BE AWARE before doing so that the interface requires you to have AT LEAST 16 MB of real RAM (i.e. without RamDoubler or some other software ram, such as virtual memory) under system 7.5 and AT LEAST 12 MB of real RAM under system 7.1 to devote to the interface.
This is IN ADDITION TO the amount of RAM used by your system software. For example, if you have exactly 16 MB of real RAM installed and you are running system 7.5.x, you will not be able to reliably run the interface because your system software takes up some of that RAM.
If you aren't sure what version of the system software you are using or how much RAM you have installed, select the "About This Macintosh..." menu item under the Apple menu in the Finder. The version of your system software and some memory details will be displayed. Without any applications running, look at the number labeled "Largest Unused Block." If it is 16,000K or greater (or 12,000 or greater with system 7.1 or earlier) you can run the director interface.
If you don't have the required amount of RAM, launching the "MacAddict Tour" is just asking for trouble. It will probably launch, and then at some point your computer will freeze up or give you a strange error.
Okay, Wiseguy, I don't have enough RAM...is my Phat Disc useless?
No! You can still just use the ol' finder to look through the disc and install what you want, even if you can't run the interface. The disc software is organized by category, so you can easily find things.
Many of the installers will give you information about a program when launched, with the option to cancel before you actually install anything. If you can't seem to find any info on something, try this method. Also, many of our installers do NOT put extensions, control panels, etc. into your system folder for you. They simply install a folder on your desktop with all the necessary parts with instructions on where to put them. This way, you will know exactly what went into your system folder (because you put it there personally) and you won't have to go hunting to get rid of it.
Unfortunately, some of the installers are not made by us, and we can't control their behaviour.
A Final Note About Installing Stuff From The Disc
When you use the software from our disc, PLEASE be careful! We try to test everything before we put it on the disc, but due to possible installer corruptions, bad discs, conflicts with your particular system, a less tolerant cd drive (meaning it is less forgiving of minor flaws on a cd), and a myriad of other variables beyond our control, you may still have problems with some or all of the programs on the disc.
To avoid causing yourself frustration and possibly losing important data, the first thing you should do is BACK UP IMPORTANT FILES before using anything on our disc. Then, install things ONE AT A TIME and try them out to make sure they don't cause problems on your system before installing the next one. You will save yourself a great deal of trouble.
Keep in mind that none of the software on the disc is written by us, so we can only offer limited technical support if you call or email us. You should always try to contact the author or company directly, since they are the ones that wrote it. Again, any program you use from our disc is at your own risk (please read the legal disclaimer and agreement of usage document at the root level of the disc).
