Have you discovered older software that still works under Tiger?
... here are a few
Amidst all the excitement and hype surrounding each new Macworld event we sometimes forget Macs humble beginnings; who really made it happen, and the true "rest of us."
Evidently, today's programmers aren't cut from the same cloth as those early visionaries. Upgrading to a whole new computer, whole new system, and all new game rules is never easy. And when we do, there are winners, losers and small victories that say "it's going to be okay."
Having successfully gone through the process of installing the new Tiger-powered iMac at my desk, I set about rebuilding my life in terms of software.
Yes, Widgets are cute, but it's the real day-to-day workhorse software that is the very foundation of keeping on, keeping on. At right you see just three of the programs I'll talk about -- all running nicely in Tiger. (Enlargement)
So, I'd like to send out some long-overdue applause:
Adobe Illustrator: While the latest CS2 package from Adobe is all wonderful, it reminds us of the famous cartoon of the fat lady on the sofa surrounded by empty chocolate boxes. Yes, life has been good for Adobe. She's grown way fat and complacent. Too bad the programmers of yore are no longer with us. But let me send THREE CHEERS for those early Adobe developers and programmers!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Illustrator 3.2 does still run under Tiger. While stretching my legs in the new Illustrator CS2, and enjoying its many fabulous features, it began to bother me that I could not directly open authentic Adobe Illustrator EPS files from the archives, and that simple operations were taking way too long. Now I realize, we're paying three times as much for our software these days; but it shouldn't take three times as long to use it. So, I gunned up the back-up CD from my beige G3 and copied Illustrator 3.2 over to the new iMac.
Like a spoiled young brat, CS2 has no respect for its elders, and doesn't play at all well with 3.2. Nevertheless, the old-man Illustrator easily opened an archived client file, modified vectors, changed colors, updated the text, converted type to paths then saved it out an EPS file -- in about the same time it takes for the new page to appear on the monitor Adobe Illustrator CS2. (Illustrator CS2 still refuses to open the archived client file even though Photoshop, Quark Xpress 7 and InDesign will place it and print it.)
So, yes -- it is wonderful to use the new high-octane, high-cholesterol Illustrator CS2, with its real-butter filters and fresh-cream tools for all those heavy eye-candy projects. But for low-fat jobs; tiny tweaks or quick, hit-and-run, on-the-clock jobs, I might just call on my trusted old friend, 3.2.
Adobe InDesign: I felt the same way George Engel felt when he first started working with Adobe's new InDesign CS2! (See George's review in the 0603 issue of DTG Magazine.) George says "Being an early adopter of Aldus PageMaker, I was relieved they brought back some of the familiar features of PageMaker!"
Yes, that's true -- but far more true is how Adobe provides most of the tools, techniques, and interface metaphors that long-time publishers had grown accustomed to. When it comes to efficiency and profitability, re-learning the publishing industry doesn't cut it. Rightly so, this is why Adobe has had to work so hard and spend so much money getting InDesign's foot in the door. No matter how good the software is, in a production environment, management is not going to casually switch the tools they make their profits with.
Now, the CS2 package does basically exactly what you expect it to, in a fashion you're accustomed to. Yes, they did change some dialogs and functions that you'll have to dig for -- but basically everything's there. They also took it upon themselves to invent new names for terms used by the publishing industry for years. So that will throw off the veterans and pros until they figure it out.
So, a big applause goes out to Adobe for maintaining (or copying) the most important elements of Quark XPress and PageMaker into a single program. Bravo. The learning curve for InDesign was about 20 minutes to get the fundamentals and basic operations leading to a finished, printed document. I'll probably use it for all my meager word processing chores because AppleWorks, iPage, and Microsoft Word truly suck so badly.
Interesting how history repeats itself. We applaud Adobe for ripping off Quark, in their quest for DTP pole-position -- just like I applauded Quark in 1987 for ripping off Ready-Set-Go in Quark's bid for DTP dominance! As they say, there's no honor between thieves.
We've run out of time... but in the next issue I'll talk about VSE Link Tester, HyperCard, FileMaker, Eudora and some of the other oldies that continue to give good service. In the mean time, I'd like to hear what kinds of successes and failures you've discovered in the process of upgrading software or hardware.
'Till next time thanks for reading...
Fred Showker, Editor/Publisher UG Net News
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Fred Showker is co-editor of "MUG Info Manager," the User Group Network News service, and a founding Apple User Group Advisory Board (UGAB) member. He was an original founder of the User Group Forum on AppleLink Personal Edition which became America Online in 1988 ... read more
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