• Tag Archives Macintosh
  • MacAddict (August 1997)

    Source: MacAddict – Issue Number 12 – August 1997

    have always thought of MacAddict as a Mac version of boot/Maximum PC. It was a great magazines for Mac fans though in my opinion that changed when they became MacLife. The mid 90s was not a great time for Apple in general. This magazine hit the stands only a couple of months before Steve Jobs returned to Apple and a little over a year before the original iMac was released and really started turning Apple around. The August 1997 issue of MacAddict includes:

    Highlights

    • A Visual Tour of Mac OS 8 – Mac OS 8 wasn’t as big of a change as OS X would be a few years later but it was still a pretty big upgrade from OS 7 which was starting to feel a little dated at the time. The transition from 7 to 8 to X was lightning quick compared to how long OS 7 was around.
    • The Frugal Designer – A look at five inexpensive design programs including The Print Shop CD Ensemble, PrintMaster Gold, Corel Print House, Adobe HomePublisher Deluxe, and MacPublisher. Also included are tips for using each of these programs.
    • This Old Mac – Tips for upgrading the Mac LC 475, 520, 550, 575, 580, and 630. These Macs include 608030 and 68LC040 CPUs. Suggestions for upgrades include using a SCSI based ethernet adapter, going from 4 MB of RAM to up to 36 MB, expanding VRAM from 512K to 768K or 1MB (depending on model), add an accelerator (though specific hardware isn’t mention other than to suggest buying one with RAM expansion), and more.

    How To

    • Make a Warcraft II Scenario – At the time (and still today I suppose) the Mac had few games relative to the PC. However, Warcraft II was one that was available for the Mac. This is a guide for creating your own scenario.
    • Use Web Style Sheets – A guide to using HTML style sheets which were a new HTML feature at the time first available in Internet Explorer 3.0.x and Netscape Communicator.

    Every Month

    • Editor’s Note – The editor opines on Internet Explorer, Mac OS 8, and software piracy.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about Marathon, storing magazines, the Mac 9500, and more.
    • Get Info – Updates on Rhapsody for the PowerPC and Macs, Pentium vs. the PowerPC, Apple spins off the Newton, and more.
    • Cravings – A look at some new gadgets including the Comfort Point mouse pad, Norton Utilities, PowerBook PCI Expansion Sytem, and more.
    • Reviews – Reviews of Adobe Illustrator 7.0, the PowerBook 2400c (180MHz 603e CPU, 16MB RAM, 1.3GB hard drive, 10.4-inch 800×600 display and more for $3499), the PowerCenter Pro 210 (210MHz 604e CPU, 32MB RAM, 2GB hard drive, and more for $2525), the PowerMacintosh 9600/333 (233MHz 604e, 32MB RAM, 4GB hard drive, and more for $4299), the NUpowr 1400/183 (replaces teh PowerBook 1400’s 117MHz 603e CPU with a 183MHz version plus 128K L2 cache for $600), Sony DSC-F1 digital camera, Claris Emailer 2.0, SmartSound for Multimedia 1.5, 4th Dimension v6, VectorTools 2.0, F/A-18 Hornet 3.0, and Obsidian. Plus reviews od CD-ROMs including The Harvard Guide to Women’s Health, Wings: London Blitz to Pearl Harbor, Witness to the Future, The Jenny Craig Cookbook: Cutting Through the Fat, Life in the Universe with Stephen Hawking and reviews of kids oriented software including Major League Math 2nd Edition, Mario Teaches Typing 2, Alphabet Adventure with Digby & Lydia, Multiplication Tour With Mike & Spike, Exploration Station, Disney’s Ready to Read with Pooh, and Amazing Animals Activity Pack.
    • Ask Us – Questions answered about reusing AOL disks, upgrading a modem in a Performa, using virtual memory, overlapping icons, accessing internet services, upgrading to a PowerPC, and much more.
    • PowerPlay – A brief look at new games on the Mac including Civilization II, Diablo, Master of Orion II, Racing Days, Starcraft, and Gundam 0079. Plus an interview with Andrew Sispoidis, president of Heliotrope Studios, primarily about Pax Imperia: Eminent Domain.

    …and more!


  • MacAddict (April 1998)

    Source: MacAddict – Issue Number 20 – April 1998

    I was never really a Mac person but if I had been, this is the magazine I would have read. It reminds me of boot/Maximum PC on the PC side. Also, Macs make great retro machines offering the most accessible architecture alternative to x86 with their 68000 and later PowerPC processors. The April 1998 issue of MacAddict includes:

    Highlights

    • The Microsoft Office Makeover – A look at Microsoft 98 which was a major update to the suite for the Macintosh platform.
    • When Worlds Kaleidoscope – a guide to Kaleidoscope, a utility that let you customize the Mac OS desktop in a variety of ways.
    • Seven Killer Customizations – A look at a variety of other utilities that lets you customize your Mac experience, including ScrollMagick, CoolViews, DoubleScroll, DragThing, CopyPaste, ScrapIt Pro, and Aaron Light.

    How To

    • Publicize Your Web Site – Using bots to help publicize your web site. These days you just have to obey the Google gods of SEO.
    • Know It All About Type and Creator Codes – Type and creator codes are specific file properties used on the Mac that responsible for determining things like default applications, icons, etc.

    Every Month

    • Editor’s Note – An introduction to a new editor and changes to the magazine.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about the “It’s a Wonderful Mac” movie included with a previous issue (on disc), Apple decor, and more.
    • Get Info – A look at Apple’s finances, Rhapsody applications, recent 3D graphics and animations packages (some of which are ports from the Amiga) such as Lightwave 3D, Cinema XL, and others.
    • Cravings – A look at new gadgets (software and hardware) including the bluVenom anti-theft device, Orb 2.1 GB disk system, TK11 145 piece Deluxe Tool Kit from Curtis, Surf Express web caching software, Ray Gun audio editor, and more.
    • Reviews – Reviews of Bryce 3D, Live Picture 2.6, MacInTax Deluxe, Hard Disk Toolkit, Carmageddon, Lords Royal Collection, PhotoTools 2.0, GearBox 1.5, MagicMask, Mask Pro 1.0, Final Draft 4.1, StuffIt Deluxe, SpaceSaver 4.5, Digital Radar, Olympus D-500L and D600L Digital Cameras, Apple Remote Access Personal Server, Surf Express 1.1, The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future, The Official Guide to Babylon 5, and Movioke.
    • PowerPlay – A look at the 3D Overdrive module for the Mac Picasso card plus a round-up of new and upcoming games including Play to Win Casino, Mars Rising, Jump Zampoll, and Myth.
    • Ask Us – Questions answered about adding a Windows 95 like task bar to Mac OS, the maximum number of files that you can put in a folder, the differences between the different versions of the PowerPC 603 processor, a disappearing modem in Mac OS 8, changing the default font in ClarisWorks 4.0, the Keyboard menu, moving vs. copying files, and more.

    …and more!


  • Compute! (March 1990)

    Source: Compute! – Issue Number 118 – March 1990

    Compute! Covered many computers over its long life. At one point, it specialized in 6502 based computers. By 1990, Compute! was becoming more PC centric but it was still covering other popular computers including the Apple II, Commodore 64, Amiga, and Macintosh.

    Contents

    • Buy Low, Sell High – An article on using your PC for investing. It covers dedicated software like Market Manger Plus 2.0 as well as subscription services like Value/Screen II which included software and monthly data disks. This data wasn’t cheap though. $396 for a year. There are 15 software packages and online services examined here.
    • My View – A guide to the kind of equipment and software you would need for financial planning type activities. These include a fast 8088 based to 80286 PC preferably with a hard drive, a 2400-baud modem, dot matrix printer, and various software.
    • Smart Money – An overview of six personal finance software packages to help you balance your checkbook.
    • Buyer’s Guide: Tax Preparation Software – A look at the then available tax preparation software including Andrew Tobias’ Tax Cut, DivorceTax, EasyForm W-4, EasyTax, Estate Tax Planner, J.K. Lasser’s Your Income Tax 1990, MacInTax 1040, 1990 Personal Tax Preparer, Swiftax, Tax Advantage, Tax Command, Tax Command Planner, Tax Ease Individual, Tax-Magic Personal, Tax-Magic Plus, Tax Preparer, Tax Shop 1040 Personal, TaxSmith: Family, TaxSmith: Full, and TaxSmith: Quick. I think today there are like two practical choices so there has definitely been a lot of consolidation.
    • Resources – Resources for increasing your investment knowledge, including lists of TV programs, periodicals, books, and more.

    Departments

    • News & Notes – Toolworks and Mindscape merge, Xerox sues Apple, Spectrum Holobyte sues Accolade over Tetris clone, Atari and other third parties sue Nintendo over marketing and licensing practices, new TurboTax/Quicken bundle, IBM cuts 10,000 jobs, Hot Circuits video arcade museum opens in Astoria New York, and more.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about a QuickWrite review, a Zip code database, Game Blaster and Killer Kard (which became Sound Blaster before its release and was released at $239.95), and more.
    • MS-DOS – Organizing files on disk, PC-Kwik Power Disk disk optimizer, Vq2 search retrieval tool, the OmniKey/102 keyboard, and more.
    • Commodore 64/128 – The 1989 world of Commodore Show, RAMLink from CMD, GEORAM 512K memory expansion for GEOS, and more.
    • Apple II – The Oregon Trailer on sale from MECC for $39.95 (I had this for the Commodore 64), Dino Days graphics and word processing software for kids, and more
    • Amiga – VoRecOne voice recognition add-on, F-16 Combat Pilot from Electronic Arts, Jet Instrument Trainer, and more.
    • Macintosh – The Grappler and JetWriter printer interfaces, Broderbund’s Playmaker Football, and more.
    • Reviews – Fiendish Freddy’s Big Top O’ Fun (Amiga, Atari ST, DOS), Tandy WP-2 notebook sized word processor, The Cycles (Commodore 64, DOS), Laser PC3 PDA, If It Moves, Shoot It! (Amiga, DOS), Broderbund’s Bannermania (DOS), Spectrum Holobyte’s Tank (DOS), Algebra I First Semester and Algebra I Second Semester (Apple II, DOS), Activision’s DeathTrack (DOS), QuickLook (DOS), Starglider II (DOS, Macintosh), Serra’s On-Line terminal software (DOS), Broderbund’s Joan of Arc: Siege and the Sword (Amiga, Atari ST, DOS), Electronic Art’s John Madden Football (DOS), Broderbund’s The New Print Shop (DOS), Fire Brigade (DOS), Dolphin Boating Simulator (DOS), Data East’s Robocop (DOS), Eye of Horus (DOS), Toshiba ExpressWriter 301 laptop printer, and more.
    • New Products – hDC Card Designer (Windows), PowerBasic from Borland (DOS), CheckIt 2.1 diagnostic utility, Sierra’s Leisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectoral (DOS), Decisive Battles of the American Civil War Volume III: Wilderness to Nashville (DOS), Canon’s Navigator PC/Fax Machine/Phone/Answering Machine combo, The Norton Backup (DOS), SSI’s Dragons of Flame (DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64), and more.
    • Hotware – Top ten software titles in a variety of categories. Taking the top spots are Quicken (Home Productivity), Flight Simulator (Home Entertainment), and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing (Home Learning).

    Productivity

    • Compute! Choice – A comparison of Lotus Spreadsheet for DeskMate and Lotus 1-2-3.
    • Mail-Order Smart – The advantages and common issues with purchasing computer software and hardware via mail order. I was buying stuff for my Commodore 64 via mail order around this time. Items I know I got that way include a new power supply, modem, printer, monitor, and a couple of games.
    • PC Primer – PC hints and tips including getting cheap composite output, patching early versions of DOS to work with a mouse, and sorting.

    Learning

    • Compute! Choice – A review of Super Solvers Midnight Rescue! from The Learning Company.
    • Preschool Precepts – A guide to selecting good preschool software including an overview of various titles.
    • Homework – Creating a kid friendly keyboard with an old XT keyboard, creating note cards via the PC, and more.

    Entertainment

    • Compute! Choice – A review of Lucasfilm Games’ The Battle of Britain: Their Finest hour for DOS.
    • Take Off! – An overview of the latest flight simulators including Flight Simulator 4.0, F-15 Strike Eagle II, A-10 Tank Killer, Blue Angels, and UFO.
    • Gamescope – Gaming hints and tips for Empire and John Elway’s Quarterback.

    Columns

    • Editorial License – The results of a reader survey six months into the latest Compute! redesign.
    • Conversations – Choosing the right home educational software.
    • Impact – Using AppleLink to bring the world closer together.
    • Discoveries – Useful multimedia in education. From Print Shop to generating screen dumps to using video cameras and digitizers, and more.
    • Gameplay – Orson Scott Cards writes about what makes a good gaming sequel.
    • Off Line – Computer gremlins, phantoms, and monsters…

    …and more!