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Zis Mac

Alan Zisman on the Mac

is a Mac-using teacher and technology writer based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. He also writes our Mac 2 Windows column, which puts the focus on Macs and Windows working together. Many of his articles are available on his website, www.zisman.ca.

QuickTime X in Snow Leopard Imports, Trims, and Publishes Video Quickly and Easily, 2009.11.04. The long, slow process of importing video into iMovie to edit it, then render it to another format, is history as QuickTime X does that much more quickly.
Another Hard Drive Disaster Ends Happily (Thanks to Time Machine), 2009.10.29. This time it was the MacBook's drive that failed. Thanks to automated Time Machine backup, recovery was easy, although far from fast.
Preview in Snow Leopard Supports Scanners and Screen Shots, 2009.10.19. The newest version of Preview can even use a remote scanner, creates compact PDFs, and includes three screen capture options.
Creative's Vado Pocket Camcorders Now Work with Macs, 2009.09.16. Until now, Creative's Vado camcorders didn't play nice with Macs. With the release of Vado Central for Mac, that has finally changed.
Computer Disaster Ends Happily, 2009.08.05. The iMac was getting slower and slower, and Disk Utility kept trying to fix the same problems. With a new hard drive, the iMac is running as well as ever.
iPhone 3GS an Even Better Computer, but Not a Better Phone, 2009.07.28. The lastest iPhone is faster, less expensive, and has a better camera, but "phone performance remains, at best, so-so".
XMenu: One of My Favourite Things for OS X, 2009.07.15. "The first thing I add to my Macs is XMenu from DEVONtechnologies." Best of all, it's free.
Things You Must Know to When Connecting a USB Hard Drive to AirPort Extreme, 2009.06.29. There are several steps you must take to make sure the drive is properly formatted, visible on the network, and available for backup with Time Machine.
Pinnacle Video Capture for Mac an Easy Way to Digitize Videotape, 2009.02.02. Pinnacle's USB 2.0 device records video to iTunes, and from there you can put it on your iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, etc.
New MacBook Trackpad Takes Some Getting Used To, 2008.12.22. The large glass trackpad is a joy to use in many ways, but it can be frustrating for longtime notebook users and has issues with Boot Camp.
CodeWeavers Brings Google's Chrome Browser to Intel Macs, 2008.10.02. Google's new Chrome browser uses separate processes for each tab and brings other changes to Windows users. Now Mac fans can try it as well.
Apple Innovation Includes Exploiting Existing Technologies Others Ignore, 2008.09.30. Among other things, Apple's 'think different' innovation means taking advantage of technologies that the PC industry has ignored.
MacBook Air Makes a Convert, 2008.09.24. Apple's thin, light MacBook Air makes a great field computer for someone who already has a desktop system up and running.
Time Machine can now backup to a shared hard drive, 2008.07.08. Earlier versions of Leopard didn't seem to allow backup to a shared drive on another Mac, but the 10.5.4 update allows it.
SanDisk Sansa Clip a low cost alternative to iPods for Mac users, 2008.07.01. There's no video or photo support, but the Sansa Clip works with MP3 files and includes an FM radio and a microphone.
Leopard makes it easy to share your Mac's screen locally and over the Internet, 2008.06.30. Mac OS X 10.5 makes it easier to remotely access a Mac's screen on a network or over the Internet with more options than ever before.
Free Time Machine Editor does one thing and does it well, 2008.05.12. If Time Machine's habit of backing up every hour is impacting your work flow, this free utility gives you control options that Apple didn't build into Time Machine.
Online answers for ailing computers, 2008.04.30. "...most of the time someone has had the same problem as you and posted the solution online."
Open Computer: The first Macintosh clone in a decade, 2008.04.16. Whether Psystar survives Apple Legal remains to be seen, but the Open Computer does point to the market for a lower cost, expandable Mac.
Office 2008 a mixed bag for Mac users, 2008.04.02. Office 2008 is more convetional than the Windows version and runs smoothly on Intel Macs, but it's slower than 2004 on PowerPC Macs.
Get more out of Leopard and Vista with these helpful volumes, 2008.03.31. Today's operating systems come with minimal printed documentation. These books will help you get a lot more out of Mac OS X 10.5 and Windows Vista.
Restoring a crashed Mac with an install disc and Time Machine, 2008.02.20. Thanks to Leopard's Time Machine backup feature, it's easy to restore your Mac to an earlier setup if you've inadvertently deleted essential files.
Is the MacBook Air too lightweight for serious users?, 2008.02.06. Apple's slim, ultralight notebook incites lust, but with so many compromises it may not be your ideal field computer.
Could the iPod touch be your next PDA?, 2007.12.12. If you're already happy with your mobile phone, the iPod touch can give you the whole Internet experience without switching to an iPhone.
Slingbox lets you watch TV on your Mac or Windows PC - anywhere, 2007.08.17. Slingbox transmits video from your television or DVR so you can watch it from any computer on your network - or over the Internet.
iPods offer students new ways to cheat - or do they?, 2007.06.12. Banning iPods in schools to prevent cheating is short-sighted, as iPods can also be used as educational tools.
Macs more secure than Windows in the online world, 2007.04.13. Mac OS X always asks users if they want to install software. Before Vista, Windows didn't do that by default - and Vista natters about way too many things.
iPod drive failure: Culprit may not be the drive, fix may be free, 2006.09.11. Many times an iPod's "drive failure" is nothing more than a loose cable inside the iPod. Here's how to reseat it.

VirtualBox 3.0: Free Virtualizer Is Almost Grown Up, 2009.07.13. With version 3, VirtualBox has become a serious alternative to Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion.
In Praise of Netbooks, 2009.04.06. Apple says it can't make a Mac netbook that won't be 'a piece of junk' for $500, yet Dell's Mini 9 is a very nice netbook at half that price.
Darwine: Mac Wine in New Bottles, 2009.03.16. Darwine is a free, open source program that allows you to run many Windows programs on Intel-based Macs without a copy of Windows.
Unbuntu Linux and Boot Camp Make It Easy to Create a Triple Boot Mac, 2008.12.24. Boot Camp makes it easy to install Windows on Intel Macs, and Ubuntu now makes it easy to install Linux to a virtual Windows drive.
CrossOver Mac Free for Just One Day, 2008.10.28. For just one day, CodeWeavers is making CrossOver for Mac or Linux available for free. Don't delay!
Free VirtualBox for Mac now a virtual contender, 2008.07.21. A year ago, the Mac version of VirtualBox lacked some essential features. Over the past year, it's grown into a very useful tool.
SheepShaver brings Classic Mac OS to Intel Macs and Leopard, 2008.05.20. Mac OS X 10.5 doesn't support Classic Mode. Neither does Leopard. But SheepShaver lets you emulate a PowerPC Mac and run the Classic Mac OS.
Leopard brings about a few changes for Boot Camp users, 2007.11.30. Boot Camp no longer requires a Windows drivers disc, and BootPicker makes it easy to choose Windows, Linux, or the Mac OS at startup.
Upcoming expiration of Boot Camp does not mean Windows will stop running on OS X 10.4 Macs, 2007.10.15. Although the Boot Camp Assistant may stop running, your Boot Camp setup and Windows installation will continue to function.
VMware Fusion a good alternative for fusing Windows with OS X, 2007.08.20. Fusion has a few advantages over Parallels, including multiprocessor support, the ability to work with 64-bit operating systems, and less drag on the system when you're using Mac apps.
VirtualBox: A free, open source way to run Windows and Linux on your Intel Mac, 2007.07.27. Although not as polished as Parallels or Fusion, VirtualBox lets you run Linux or Windows alongside Mac OS X - for free.
Safari for Windows not a slam dunk success, 2007.06.19. Not only does Safari 3.0 beta for Windows exhibit some serious teething problems, but it doesn't look or act like a Windows app either.
Parallels 3 narrows the gap between Virtualized Windows and using Boot Camp, 2007.06.13. The newest version of Parallels Desktop adds graphics acceleration, new tools, and easier Windows installation than Microsoft offers.
Boot Camp users have nothing to fear from Leopard's delay, 2007.04.17. Although the current beta of Boot Camp is set to expire at the end of September, Apple has plenty of time to release an update - and users have plenty of time to remove it if Apple doesn't.
VMware Fusion beta 3 adds new features, takes a giant step toward release, 2007.04.11. Looking for a virtualization solution for your Intel Mac? The latest beta of VMWare Fusion makes several improvements and includes some unique features.
CrossOver: Run Windows apps on Intel Macs without Windows, 2007.02.28. If you need to run Windows apps on your Intel Mac once in a while, CrossOver may be the least expensive way to do so since it eliminates the need to buy a copy of Windows.
A tale of two betas: VMware Fusion vs. Parallels Desktop, 2007.01.23. Parallels Desktop has displaced Boot Camp as the choice of savvy Macintel users. Can VMware compete with the entrenched upstart?
One thing Mac OS X should learn from Windows, 2007.01.08. Apple's failure to merge folders in any version of the Mac OS frustrates switchers and can lose important files.
Parallels revisited: Release version far more polished than beta, 2006.11.21. Parallels lets you run Windows or Linux without rebooting your Intel-based Mac, and it's made great strides since the beta came out earlier this year.
Apple's product line: Hiding complexity behind elegant simplicity, 2006.08.28. Consumers are not well served when model after model comes from Apple with the exact same product name but very different configurations.
'Twice as fast': Did Apple lie or just carefully select its truths?, 2006.08.21. Yes, some CPUs are more efficient than others, but by carefully choosing which benchmark results are reported, you can make one chip look a lot better than its competitor.
Love OS X but need to use Windows? FlyakiteOSX may help, 2006.08.09. FlyakiteOSX lets you overhaul Windows XP so it looks and acts more like Mac OS X. It's not perfect, but it is more like using a Mac.
Photoshop Elements 4.0 and Lightroom Beta show Adobe still does well by Mac users, 2006.05.09. Adobe's Photoshop Elements 4.0 provides "85% of Photoshop's power for 15% of its cost" and the Mac-only Lightroom beta looks very promising.
Running Windows in parallel on your Intel Mac, 2006.04.20. Parallels Workstation for the Intel Macs works nicely and supports a lot more than Windows XP. What are its pros and cons compared with Boot Camp?
Not perfect yet, but Boot Camp works as advertised, 2006.04.19. Thanks to Apple's Boot Camp software, you can now install and run Window XP on any Intel-based Mac. It works, but what are the limitations?
Windows security for Mac users, 2006.04.18. Yes, you can run Windows XP on the new Intel-based Macs, but before you do, you should know the dangers inherent in having a Windows machine connected to the Net.
Apple joins 'Win on Mac' army with Boot Camp, 2006.04.07. The hackers did it first, but Apple's Boot Camp is a much more elegant solution to putting Windows XP on Macintel hardware.
Windows XP on Macintel a reality, 2006.03.23. It took a while, but it's now possible to boot Windows XP on the new Intel-based Macs.
VNC, Basilisk II, and SheepShaver: 3 ways to run Classic on an Intel Mac, 2006.02.20. The new Intel-based Macs don't support Classic mode, but there are hardware and software solutions that will let you access some or all of your old Classic apps.
Computer benchmarks and other baloney: Don't expect 2-4x performance from Intel Macs, 2006.02.07. The Intel Macs are faster than the models they replace, but only with software written for them. With older software, they're actually slower than last year's Macs.
Using a shared Windows printer from your Mac with OS X 10.4, 2006.02.01. Step-by-step instructions for getting your Mac with 'Tiger' to see and print to a shared printer on a Windows computer. It's not perfect, but it does work.
Windows on Intel Macs? OS X on PCs? Don't hold your breath, 2006.01.24. At present, it's simply not possible to run Windows or Linux on the new Intel Macs. That will change, but don't plan on running OS X on non-Apple hardware.
'Just Say No to Microsoft' fails to convince, 2006.01.17. Although a useful resource for those seeking alternatives to Microsoft, the author's biases and errors undermine the book's credibility.
Guest PC: A more affordable way to put Windows on your Mac, 2005.12.05. If you need to run Windows now and then and don't want to buy a Windows computer, Guest PC will let you run Windows on your Mac, albeit slowly.
Tiger: Lots to like, but some annoyances as well, 2005.05.18. Tiger seems to be faster and has some great new features, but there are a few things to watch out for as well.
Revolution in the Valley: The people and stories behind the Macintosh, 2005.02.08. Andy Hertzfeld and other members of the Macintosh development team share the stories behind the computer.
MacLink Plus 15: Still capable after all these years, but..., 2004.12.01. MacLink Plus still does a great job of translating files from one format to another, but how many Mac users still need it?
REALbasic: Cross-platform programming for the rest of us, 2004.11.22. REALbasic makes it easy to write programs on the Mac for use with Linux and Windows PCs -- and vice versa.
iMac G5: Nice system, but at a nice price?, 2004.11.01. The iMac G5 sports some impressive improvements, but the question remains the market. Is it too expensive for the low end yet too compromised for the high end?
Virtual PC 7 puts a (sluggish) Windows PC on your Mac, 2004.10.11. If you're already running Virtual PC on your Mac, there may not be enough new and improved features to justify the cost of this upgrade.
AirPort Express: more versatile than your average access point, 2004.10.06. AirPort Express is much more than just another wireless access point.
Mac OS X Panther Hacks, 2004.09.15. "I suspect most Panther users will find enough of these hacks valuable to justify the purchase price."
Microsoft Office 2004 for Macs does more than just match the Windows version, 2004.07.28. Microsoft's Mac Business Unit has given Office 2004 users useful features unavailable on any Windows version of Microsoft office.
SharePoints unlocks hidden network flexibility in OS X, 2004.06.23. "SharePoints does a good job of giving users back the networking potential that Apple chose to hide. Thanks to HornWare for making it available for free."
There's more for Mac users in superstore aisles than many realize, 2004.05.19. Although the staff might not know it, most superstores have plenty of printer, mice, keyboard, drives, and other items compatible with Macs.
Recording a concert with an iBook, 2003.12.24. How to use an iBook, microphones, a mixer, and a collection of free and low-cost software to record a concert and publish it on the Web.
Panther lets Macs and Windows work together better, 2003.11.21. Sharing files between OS X 10.3 and Windows users is easier than ever; so is printing to shared Windows printers.
iTunes sharing lets Mac users become low-end radio stations, 2003.05.28. iTunes 4 lets Mac users share their music with other iTunes 4 users on a local network or over the Internet.
Conversions Plus lets Windows users work with Mac files and drives, 2003.04.30. Program lets Windows users mount Mac floppies and CDs, connect to a Mac iPod, and open and convert files from Mac and old PC software.
Options aplenty to move data from PCs to Macs, 2003.02.13. How to moves files from a Windows PC to a Mac, convert old file formats, and emulate a PC on the Mac.
Using Jaguar's Finder for FTP, 2003.02.11. You don't need any special software to download files via FTP; it's already built into Jaguar.
Gimp-Print to the rescue: Letting Macs with Jaguar print on Windows networks, 2003.01.15. Gimp-Print adds support for a plethora of printers not otherwise supported by Mac OS X.
PC-Mac-Net FileShare: Another way to connect Macs with Windows, 2002.10.23. A simple low cost way for classic Mac OS, OS X, and Windows computers to share files.
Beefing up OS X's Windows networking, 2002.10.07. Software to help OS X Macs better integrate with Windows networks.
XPress Strikes Back, 2002.07.01. Quark XPress 5.0 -- heir apparent or too little, too late in comparison to InDesign 2.0?

Earlier Columns on LEM

Painter 7.0, Low End Mac Reviews, 2002.06.19. For creating original art on the Mac, Painter remains unmatched, although the OS X version is quite sluggish.
Photoshop 7.0, Mac 2 Windows, 2002.06.13. Whether running X-native or under the Classic Mac OS, Photoshop 7.0 offers many helpful new features.
Mac emulation with Basilisk II, vMac, Mac 2 Windows, 2002.05.08. More on Basilisk II, OS X compatibility, and emulating a Mac on a Mac with vMac.
Basilisk II puts a Mac on a Windows computer, Mac 2 Windows, 2002.05.01. Freeware emulator lets you run Mac OS and applications on a Windows PC.
Mac OS X emerges from painful adolescence, My Turn, 2002.02.22. In deciding that all new Macs will boot up to OS X, Apple decided that its technology (and users) are finally ready to make the change.
Hands On: Microsoft Office v. X, Mac 2 Windows, 2002.02.12. Why Microsoft Office v. X is the "most attractive and most fun-to-use version of Office for any platform."
Alan's favourite things, X-Wares, 2002.02.04. Five very useful freeware and shareware utilities to spruce up Mac OS X.
OS X and the iMac 266, 10 Forward, 2001.11.30. Some real trials installing OS X 10.0 on a Revision C iMac - but all is fine now.

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