Faster Internet Access for Mac Users
- 2002.08.02
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Internet access on the Mac has been getting a lot of bad
reports, since it is slightly slower opening a page on the Mac than
opening the same page on a PC. Choosing a good Internet connection
is key to getting pages to load quickly on your Mac.
A lot of people still use dialup connections, and that's fine.
But if you have an older Mac, it probably came with an older modem.
Even upgrading your 28.8 or 33.6 modem to 56K may greatly improve page loading times,
but it depends what type of machine you have in order to know
whether it is worth upgrading to a faster modem. If you've got
anything with a processor slower than 200 MHz, you may not notice
much of a difference. [Editor's note: You may notice a difference
even on something as old as a Quadra.]
But there is another option for those who have it in their area
- a high speed connection. There are two basic types that are
commonly offered: DSL and cable modems. While both offer high speed
downloads, DSL tends to offer slower uploads. Some DSL providers
also require you to install software on your computer, which may or
may not be compatible with Mac OS X. Be sure you check with
your local provider to make sure your machine is compatible before
signing up for service.
The only thing you need to use a high speed connection on your
Mac is an Ethernet port, and most Macs have them built in already.
If yours doesn't, PCI Ethernet cards are available in most computer
stores - just make sure the one you pick out has Mac drivers.
There are also several different browsers you can use instead of
the default Internet Explorer. I have found that I really like
OmniWeb, from
the Omni Group. It is extremely fast, has a very nice interface
that goes well with the Mac OS X Aqua scheme, and has an easy
to customize Bookmarks drawer, which I find easier than IE's
"folder" for bookmarks. OmniWeb gives you the option to block
common banner, skyscraper, and other ad sizes. However, sometimes
other images can have these proportions, and OmniWeb will block
them, too.
You might also try iCab. Another
one of the "fast browsers," iCab works under Mac OS versions from
the 7.x range all the way up to 10.1.5. With some nice features -
like an option to block images from specific servers and a kiosk
mode that lets you hide everything but the browser and require a
password to get back to your desktop - iCab has found many
users.
Mozilla or Netscape is another
option. Pages load very quickly, but the browser's interface is
clumsy, slow, and very different from Internet Explorer, OmniWeb,
iCab, or the old Netscape 4.x. One nice feature is that you can
block the terribly annoying popup ads with just one check of "Don't
open unrequested windows." It seems to work very well.
However, I find that I really prefer the old Netscape, 4.x when
using Mac OS 9. The reasons? It's small, relatively quick, and
has an interface that I like. You can still download Netscape 4.08
and 4.7 at netscape.com.
If you do decide to upgrade to a broadband connection, there are
a couple tools that can optimize your Internet experience. First of
all, if you use OS X, you might download Broadband
Optimizer. It changes some network settings so that your Mac
OS X computer can load websites and download files more
quickly, although your mileage may vary.
Speed Download helps your
downloads happen a little faster if you are running Mac OS 8.6 or
later. It works with a variety of browsers and claims to be five
times faster than using the browser's built in download
application.
Please note that I haven't verified the claims written by the
developers of these applications.
There are a lot of choices to make when using the Internet -
what connection type to get, what browser to use, and what type of
tweaks to perform. Hopefully this article helps you understand a
few of the many options that you have.
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