User group Newsletter Editors: Utilize this content in your newsletter -- PLEASE ... reference The User Group Network _ / _ UG Network Channel _ / _ NEWS_/ _ Info Manager Shareware Manager is coming: YUM! Show us the shareware! The Info Manager is looking for your rumors and tidbits... give him a post! ...or subscribe... see subscription notes below Info Manager - 09/01/Y2K Developer Depot; Adobe Reader; file extension; icWord (Mac); Office PC . Developer Depot Don't know how many of you are familiar with Developer Depot, but they have a lot of neat stuff for people programming your Macintosh, but lately they have been expanding their line and everyone might be interested in a couple of items that I found out about last week. The first is an X-10 Starter kit for the Macintosh, from IBM. You can get complete info at: http://www.devdepot.com/description.html?PCODE=HHOMAUT (Note your Mac can have your lights, furnace, TV, etc. programmed to come on at certain times with this product. The second product is ZephIR which will let your Macintosh be your remote control for your TV, VCR, CD Player, or other IR devices. I know as complicated as my stereo remote is, that could be helpful. For info at: http://www.devdepot.com/description.html?PCODE=HZEPH . Adobe Reader In the 8/25 edition of Federal Computer Week magazine there is an interesting article about Adobe preparing Acrobat Reader for use by the visually impaired. The Federal government has mandated that web sites be readable by visually impaired users., but pdf files have been a major hang up. So the new reader will follow the logical structure of each story. I assume that it will require some effort on the writer to make the material work with Acrobat efficiently, but I certainly applaud Adobe's efforts in this arena. The complete story is at: http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=303557 . File Extensions While I normally know what a three letter extension means, it isn't always true. For example, a PC user might not know what syd means. Or for that matter what type of file ends in .sit. There is a search engine at http://kresch.com/exts/ext.htm that will tell you. Syd files are created by Sysedit.exe and are backup. Of course, sit is a Stuffit file. With this knowledge, you could then discover what is the appropriate action for you to take. Now us Mac users assume that all .doc files are from Microsoft Word, since that is where we usually see them. But in reality a number of programs use it and this engine will tell you that. But doesn't bother to tell you what those programs might be. But in all likely hood, Word will open them. . Legal Macs When I was working as a Mac consultant in Tulsa, I had two clients that were law firms. Now that Apple has completed its comeback, law firms are buying new Macs and it has been noticed by the legal software community. Law.com's realLegal.com released its first Mac-compatible version if its transcript reader e-transcipt. __ This will allow Mac users to read transcripts that are created by court reporters and e-mailed to attorneys. For the full story see our friends at Insanely Great Mac: <http://www.insanely-great.com/news/00/8/28-reallegal.html> To download the e-transcript Mac Viewer go to: http://www.reallegal.com/softwareetxmacdnload.asp . icWord Insanely Great Mac also reminded me of a shareware application I found last week that will be on the ACD CD ROM shortly it is icWord. It allows you to open and print a Word Document without owning Microsoft Word. Of course Microsoft itself used to have such a product, though I haven't seen it lately. (When you own Word you don't need to look for alternatives.) It won't let you save documents into another format, but you can copy and pasted whole pages for saving and formatting in your word processor. icWord is available now from Panergy's web site. The software can be downloaded for a 30-day trial for free but continued use requires a $19.95 fee. http://www.icword.com. . MS Office upgrade While us Mac users are awaiting the October release of Office 2001, Microsoft has announced the first beta release of Office for the PC. Currently being called Office 10. This is to be a start on Office.Net. The completed Office.Net product is scheduled for release in 2002. Hotmail and MSN Instant Messenger will be integrated into Outlook. Office 10 will not require any hardware upgrades. More info at: http://www.zdnet.com/eweek/stories/general/0,11011,2621714,00.html . Web Site of the Week: A fun site this week. Check out: http:// www.powhitetrash.com/ I won't spoil the fund with a description. . Quote of the Week: (This time from InfoWorld e-newsletter.) "Microsoft.NET is a nonstarter. Ignore it. If by some miracle it succeeds, you'll pay little penalty for waiting. You have no reason to be an early adopter (and of what? There's no product!) and lots of reasons to wait and see what happens." ---- Bob Lewis, InfoWorld columnist in "IS Survival." . I got the following quote from a sig on the InfinityLoop mailing list, I just couldn't resist showing it: "How dare the government intervene to stifle innovation in the computer industry! That's Microsoft's job, dammit." --MacAddict ***pau **** Don't forget ... the Info Manager invites you to use all or part of his column in your user group newsletter. Please let him know, and if possible send an electronic copy for the old scrapbook. Any suggestions for topics and reports of rumors are always welcome. Please me know. Thanks 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. As a long time user group member, he's served as volunteer from Honolulu to Boston and many points in between. 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