User group Newsletter Editors: Utilize this content in your newsletter -- PLEASE ... reference The User Group Network _ / _ UG Network Channel _ / _ NEWS_/ _ Info Manager The Info Manager is looking for your rumors and tidbits... give him a post! ...or subscribe... see subscription notes below Info Manager - 3/24/Y2K Timbuktu Pro 2000; OS 9; Adobe; DOS; WriteNow **** Timbuktu Pro 2000 Netopia has announced a new version of one of my favorite utilities. (Just wish I could afford it). It allows customers to connect over the Internet using email addresses, making communication with other Timbuktu Pro 2000 users as simple as sending email. It also has a directory that will allow customers to look up each other. It allows connections over virtually any Internet, Network, Dial-up, or Direct Dial modem connection. Its Direct Dial feature makes communication as easy as dialing a telephone for Windows-to-Windows, Mac-to-Mac, and cross platform connections. It comes with universal licensing, so you can decide what platform to make the installation See netopia.com for downloads and more information. **** OS 9 On March 17, US District Court for the Southern District of Iowa held that Apple is entitled to use the Mac OS 9 name under the doctrine of "fair use," and issued an order denying Microware's motion of a preliminary injunction. Microware is an Iowa based company and has sold a Unix based OS as OS 9 since 1980. They were trying to get Apple to stop using the OS 9 name for its operating system citing confusion in the market place. The court seems to think it wasn't a valid complaint. **** Adobe backed down. Sort of. They announce on Friday, March 17 that anyone who paid full price for InDesign 1.0 ($699) can get the upgrade to version 1.5 for free. Guess that will shut up some of the people that were complaining that with all the bugs 1.0 had, the ugrade should be free. Wonder what the others will say. **** DOS rears its head This article came from the Langa List, a free e-mail newsletter, that seems to be primarily aimed at web masters, but in general a good newsletter for Windows/DOS users. You can subscribe at: http://www.langa.com/newsletter.htm Or, grab the full article. __ "Even after all this time, DOS still sometimes causes trouble. Last week, for example, Microsoft released information on a "DOS Device in Path Name" security problem that could cause your system to crash. The problem affects the entire Windows 9x line, from Win95 through Win98SE. Microsoft describes it this way: __ "DOS device names are reserved words, and cannot be used as folder or file names. When parsing a reference to a file or folder, Windows correctly checks for the case in which a single DOS device name is used in the path, and treats it as invalid. However, it does not check for the case in which the path includes multiple DOS device names. When Windows attempts to interpret the device name as a file resource, it performs an illegal resource access that usually results in a crash. ... A patch is available at these locations: Windows 95: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseID=19491 Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=19389 More info: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/fq00-017.asp **** HTML Newsletters Another newsletter I get is the Strom Report called the Web Informant. In the current issue (#192) he reports on how people that send out html newsletters keep track of what you click through to. For the full newsletter go to: http://www.egroups.com/group/webinformant/ then select the March issue #192. It makes for an interesting read. It is amazing what statistics people can collect. **** WriteNow Long time Mac users will remember the program WriteNow. It is a terrific, fast, basic word processor. While it is no longer produced, MacCentral has reported that there now is an unoffical web site for its support. They are call WriteNow a shareware program, but I remember it as a commercial one. Perhaps it became shareware more recently. Stephen Becker, the developer of the WriteNow Enhancer program (which is shareware) is running the site. Grab the complete article and, visit the support site itself. **** Web site of the Week: This week's site was recently purchased by iBoost.com. iBoost.com is a site that provides links to many free services for Web Developers and Windows users. While TheFreeSite.com also provides links to free stuff, it is mostly for end users on the web. Some of the categories are: Anonymous Freebies (how to stay anonymous on the net), Chat Freebies (free chat programs), and E-mail Freebies (free e-mail, and mailing lists) among others. There are 25 categories in all. While 75% of these are Windows only, we Mac users do get some freebies thrown in as well. So check it out at: http://www.thefreesite.com/anonymous.htm BTW - If anyone know where I can find a web site for Sherman On the Mount, the '80s comic strip about a positive thinking friar. Please let me know. pau **** Don't forget Any suggestions for topics and reports of rumors are always welcome. Please me know at the address below. Thanks ... the Info Manager invites you to use all or part of his column in your user group newsletter. Please let him know at rumormangr@aol.com and if possible send an electronic copy for the old scrapbook. Subscribe to Rumors@lists.user-groups.net DIGEST VERSION: rumors-digest@lists.user-groups.net (recommended) rumors-on@lists.user-groups.net for more information go to: http://www.user-groups.net/ugcommunity/subscribe.html The Info Manager is a veteran of the UGN (AOL User Groups Forum) and User Group Network. He's been a supporter and volunteer on many, many UGNet and User Group Academy projects. 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