ERIC WOEHLER  Can recommend this app to all. Try it and it is likely that you will keep using it. The developer is very responsive - I reported a bug and within a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon, I had tried a couple of test versions and we had solved the bug. How many developers can you say this about them? I have paid the small fee for the additional use. Recommended!  
(Version 0.800)

ERIC WOEHLER  Seems to work by dumping RAM contents to swap files. I ran this and now I have 6 swap files where before I had just the one! So the trade off is less RAM used but with more and slower swap files - can't see the benefit!!  
(Version 3.5)

ERIC WOEHLER  Forgot to mention - running Vanilla install of CS4 - no plugins removed, no language files removed, no modifications from original CS4 installation other than Adobe updates to 9.1.3!!!

Just tried the updater on a second machine [mirror door G4 desktop) (also unmodified CS4 install) and failed to upgrade: ".. application modified, plugins disabled.." yada yada yada. Negative Adobe - CS4 DVD install and fails to upgrade...

is anyone from Adobe reading this?  
(Version 9.2)

ERIC WOEHLER  Under 10.6.1 some prefs dont work. I can't change the text to a custom colour nor can I change the order of date/time fields. Other prefs seem to work ok. Unsure about reported memory leak - no evidence for me.  
(Version 1.1r2)

ERIC WOEHLER  FD 7.7 now SL compatible!

An excellent app that I can recommend to all who have problems on their mac, esp SL. I tracked down a nasty bug/issue with MS Word 2008 - the fault was a font with two copies in two different libraries. The second font was installed by Office but it took FD to work out the issue. Now Office is running ok and is thanks to FD!

Recommended!! Cost is high for what is an app that you wouldn't have to use too many times, but worth it when all else fails - Apple's Font Book doesn't come close.  
(Version 7.7)

ERIC WOEHLER  Word continues to become more and more unstable. I open a 12 page doc and it thinks it is only 3 pages long. I scroll to the bottom of the file and the spinning beachball appears then Word hangs. Time to force-quit. Re-open.. Same garbage behaviour. I have purged font caches, and tested for font problems - all ok (but Font Doctor doesnt run under SL) so relying on Apple's Font Book to tell me all is ok with fonts. Have deleted all Word Pref files and Font Cache List file. What else?

I absolutely refuse to delete Office 08 and reinstall - I am using a Mac and not Windoze.

I have more problems with Word than all my other apps on my Mac (13" unibody, late 2008, 4gB RAM, twin 2.3GHz). I have NO other crashes or app hangs EXCEPT Word and I use a LOT of apps - not quite a Power user playing with Terminal, but have been using Macs for 25+ years and am highly experienced. This is absolute cr*p and totally beyond belief.

Have given up sending reports to MS as MS doesn't care.

Can't say a good thing about M$ - I want my money back!  
(Version 12.2.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  Unable to install 12.2.1 updater - back the same old garbage.. "no version of software present to be updated" or similar. I have 12.2.0 and have stripped all the excess language files (Swahili, Mongolian, Zulu). M$ have also changed the install scripts, so previous workarounds to edit the scripts also no longer work.

Yet more reasons to forget about MS crapware - is any one from M$ reading this - I paid for a legal install of MS Office 2008. Why the hell can't I keep my software up to date?  
(Version 12.2.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  Major problems after upgrading to 10.6 Snow Leopard. Under 10.6, Word was unstable, crashing occasionally. Under 10.6.1, essentially unusable - hangs/crashes constantly. Have cleared font caches etc. no go. Tried to reinstall latest updater for Office (12.2) but was unable. What now?  
(Version 12.2.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  Gave up on d/l - after 30minutes only had 2mB of 10mB file. What the ...? Wht such a slow server? Overloaded with 1000s of hits per second?? Please allow registered users who have paid for the app to be able to d/l the current version and use it. Please.   
(Version 3.3.5)

ERIC WOEHLER  works excellently under SL. Better graphics and more controls have resulted in an excellent screen saver. Tried it and paid the fee within 5 minutes. Recommend to all to try and buy!!  
(Version 2.2 Beta 3)

ERIC WOEHLER  It does work under SL. I installed onto my Mini and first time it didn't run. Re-installed and all was fine. Both versions were the same (1.42) so maybe a corrupt pref file or it just needed a clean install? worth persisting as it does run under SL - I have it on my unibody 13" and mini.  
(Version 1.42)

ERIC WOEHLER  Has anyone tried it under SL? I have XSlimmer and Monolingual but have yet to run any of them. If you search for .lproj files, there are LOTS of additional language files scattered throughout the apps and system. Some known problems such as Acrobat, which will not run if languages are deleted, are listed, but what about other apps/system files? Any advice/experience welcomed.  
(Version 1.2)

ERIC WOEHLER  Performance not so good under 10.6 Snow Leopard - transparent background is now opaque. Different appearance but not as useful under 10.6 as under 10.5  
(Version 1.3.6)

ERIC WOEHLER  confirming flaky/unpredictable behaviour under 10.6. suggest you dont use it until developer releases update for SL.  
(Version 4.8)

ERIC WOEHLER  Finderpop DOES work on Snow Leopard - under some circumstances.

It wont work when Finder is app in front, but if other apps are in front, and if you have set the FP pref so if you click on the unused menu bar, FP opens. It will not work as a contextual menu on the desktop, but limited use is available - as long as Finder not the front-most app.

All best wishes to Turley for a speedy recovery!  
(Version 2.2)

ERIC WOEHLER  Confirming. doesn't load under Snow Leopard - lets hope we see an update/beta soon!!  
(Version 2.2)

ERIC WOEHLER  Doesn't load under Snow Leopard - lets hope we see an update/beta soon!!  
(Version 2.2.12)

ERIC WOEHLER  Does not load with Snow Leopard - hope to see an update asap!  
(Version 1.3)

ERIC WOEHLER  Links all point to 1.6.1 and I can't find 2.0RC anywhere...  
(Version 2.0rc)

ERIC WOEHLER  Looks like another theme app has bitten the dust. Posting on web site for Magnifique indicate project on hold and app not to be used for Snow Leopard..maybe we see some theme options in 10.6, but somehow I doubt it.. why is theming so diff on Mac? and why do we need all the Apple eye candy [which i detest]??  
(Version 2.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  Love it! Would like to see time added to display. Please consider adding time to this wonderful little app.  
(Version 0.64)

ERIC WOEHLER  nope, doesn't switch off the Finder showing extensions.  
(Version 1.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  Finder does NOT have the option of "Hiding all extensions" - the option is to SHOW all extensions!  
(Version 1.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  Tried it for the sake of hiding extensions - hate them, too much like Windoze for me, and am sick of opening a folder, selecting all then collectively hiding all extensions.

Tried this on individual folders, nested folders and even my home directory. Nothing worked. All files still showing extensions. Restart and try again - same. Other features might work, but hiding extensions doesn't appear to. Running 10.5.7 on unibody with 4Gb RAM, all system software up to date.  
(Version 1.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  Current version (re-)installs the Keystone software that phones home. If I delete all the keystone crap (ie phone home software), GE crashes on startup, so I guess Google wants to know everything about you... suggest not installing this version  
(Version 5.0.11733.9347)

ERIC WOEHLER  Bought this a couple of days ago and immediately decided it was a "must-have". The documentation is somewhat lacking, but the two queries I had about aspects of the app were both answered promptly by the developers with clear instructions and advice.

Would recommend the app - at least try it and see if you like it. I have been looking for a simple to do/reminder/tasks list for a LONG time, tried most of them, but this app is elegant and did it for me.  
(Version 2.0)

ERIC WOEHLER  There is a VERY good article on removing the Background Updater application at

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20090424045847496&query=google%2B

a lot of information is there on the various files to delete and it is all well explained.

I also posted a link previously to the Google Earth Plugin Uninstaller:

http://earth-api-samples.googlecode.com/files/GoogleEarth-Plugin-Uninstaller.dmg

and for interest, check out the extensive comments about the plugin at:

http://groups.google.com/group/google-earth-browser-plugin/browse_thread/thread/146882feca2788c3/951a4533372ba8ce#951a4533372ba8ce

cheers to all

E  
(Version 5.0.11729.1014)

ERIC WOEHLER  Hello David

seems I can't directly reply to your reply - I have to start a new reply.. so I hope you see this

ok, so the reason I posted the hint for others re editing the Updater is that the Updater fails to run if people have stripped the language and Power PC binary from the MS applications. I use XSlimmer in preference to Monolingual, but the end result is the same - strip off the Swahili and Zulu etc language files, remove the un-necessary binary code, and --blammo-- the Updater falls over. Its the same silly situation with Adobe - I have CS4 and the updater for Acrobat won't run if the App has been stripped bare. Stoopid, absolutely stoopid. Some people have criticised me for worrying about stripping language files etc, but the end result is that if I don't need Swahili etc, I can save several gigs of hard drive space on my laptop - a substantial saving on some machines with small HDs, such as Airs.

As for the receipt files consuming another 600+ MB, it just beggars belief - sorry, but it just is not acceptable. Its not like MS is some small, just started software company. It just doesn't come over as very professional, with low quality assurance and no strong sense of valuing their customer base.

Given the considerable number of alternatives (Open Office, NeoOffice and iWork, etc) out there, many of which are free, and compatible with MS Office, it seems that MS might want to consider looking after its Mac users if they want to keep them - there is plenty of anti-MS feeling out there already, without MS adding oil to the fire.

Sincere comments provided for legitimate concerns.

Regards

Eric  
(Version 12.1.7)

ERIC WOEHLER  Just been looking for others' experiences re Office 12 and found an alarming post that reported MASSIVE receipt files - megabyte- rather than kb-sized. Just checked and sure enough - the total size of all my Office 12 receipt files - an astounding 630 megabytes!!!!!!!!!!!!

What the ...

First the software is so bloated because it includes Swahili and Zulu language files, which if removed stop you from updating the software, now the receipts are filling up the rest of the spare room on your drive!!!

Can it get any worse? MS - you REALLY need to lift your game and produce software and updaters that are much better than the present fare.

Any response from MS MBU?  
(Version 12.1.7)

ERIC WOEHLER  Same advice as I have given before, and hope that MS doesn't break this...

-- Download the updater from MS, open the DMG file and copy the Updater application onto your desktop where you can edit the application

--Right click on the update file and click "Show Package Contents"

--Navigate to Contents -> Resources

--You need to modify the script: package_updatable.

Remove these lines using Text Edit:

if not found_valid_version:

sys.exit(48)

--Save the edited Updater on your desktop, then close. Now it will update.

Seems this is an approach that has worked for all the Office 12 updaters. Good luck!!  
(Version 12.1.7)

ERIC WOEHLER  Same advice as I have given before, and hope that MS doesn't break this...

-- Download the update from MS, open the DMG file and copy the Updater onto your desktop where you can edit the Updater

--Right click on the update file and click "Show Package Contents"

--Navigate to Contents -> Resources

--You need to modify the script: package_updatable.

Remove these lines using Text Edit:

if not found_valid_version:

sys.exit(48)

--Save the edited Updater on your desktop, then close. Now it will update.

A lot of shite to update software that I have bought. Just why is it that MS can't write good updater code like the rest of the universe? Why should I keep my un-needed language files (Swahili and Turkestan) when all I need is English?? Why can't I strip the language files to minimise file sizes without being penalised??

C'mon MS - lift your game - there are a lot of options out there and MS ain't the only game in town.  
(Version 12.1.7)

ERIC WOEHLER  Same advice as I have given before, and hope that MS doesn't break this...

-- Download the update from MS, open the DMG file and copy the Updater onto your desktop where you can edit the Updater

--Right click on the update file and click "Show Package Contents"

--Navigate to Contents -> Resources

--You need to modify the script: package_updatable.

Remove these lines using Text Edit:

if not found_valid_version:

sys.exit(48)

--Save the edited Updater on your desktop, then close. Now it will update.

A lot of shite to update software that I have bought. Just why is it that MS can't write good updater code like the rest of the universe? Why should I keep my un-needed language files (Swahili and Turkestan) when all I need is English?? Why can't I strip the language files to minimise file sizes without being penalised??

C'mon MS - lift your game - there are a lot of options out there and MS ain't the only game in town.  
(Version 12.1.7)

ERIC WOEHLER  Just tried to run updater after running the "Repair Acrobat Installation" option under the Help menu in Acrobat. Ran the repair ok, 'repaired' the Acrobat printer (which had been working just fine, thank you for asking), then tried the updater. Same old message, plugins removed, app modified, etc etc

So - it looks like I have to reinstall CS4 to update Acrobat from 9 to 9.1. Or I could remove Acrobat from my mac.... hmmmm.. what to do, what to do...  
(Version 9.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  Updater fails to update. Message "Update failed" claiming application modified, plugins removed etc etc etc

Same old same old garbage from Adobe. The app is vanilla, unmodified install straight off my CS4 install disc and the updater fails. Garbage garbage software. How is it that Adobe can get away with this?

Updater tells me to reinstall original software then run updater - its the same for M$ Office - reinstall the software to update it.. Huh? What is this? Windoze world??

Hello - is anyone from Adobe listening?? I spent big bucks on CS4 and I can't keep the software up to date? Honestly, does Adobe think they will keep their user base with behaviour like this?  
(Version 9.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  Preview does this also - just open all the PDF files you want to concatenate, make sure the sidebar is showing on all the files, then simply drag and drop the thumbnails from one sidebar onto the sidebar of the file you want to combine the additional files. You can do a 'select all' and drag a bunch of thumbnails from one sidebar to another etc etc untill all the files are present in one file, then save/save as and all done..  
(Version 1.0)

ERIC WOEHLER  Seems to be working fine - am using it with Siretoko intel-optimised version and opens PDFs on the web and on my computer ok. Appears to be better than the Firefox PDF plugin for Mac OS X (v 1.0.1) [see http://code.google.com/p/firefox-mac-pdf/ for details]. Free for personal/educational use.   
(Version 2.3)

ERIC WOEHLER  HELP!!!

what did you do to restore leopard?

I have removed themes, uninstalled themes etc but theme elements remain!!!

Many thanks

Eric  
(Version 2.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  I suggest people who are looking for theme changer try Magnifique. v2 just released - a choice of 16 themes, a very stable app (no pref panes etc) and a large community in their forum. Similar in some ways to Shapeshifter - preview a theme, if you like it, d/l it and restart finder and dock. Easy.

Link to Magnifique is http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/30497/magnifique  
(Version 2.0)

ERIC WOEHLER  ok, so no one else has tried it..

installed and tried it - no go - crashed, hung the system, forced to restart

lots of problems so immediately uninstalled it and have purged my system of it

a shame - I am always looking for non-aqua GUI, and this promised an alternative, but the delivery wasnt there - am happy to provide the developers with feedback, and maybe others are willing to try the software, but for now. I am free of CCI  
(Version 2.0)

ERIC WOEHLER  Has anyone installed this? Has anyone tried??

Am curious to try but *definitely* don't want to be the guinea pig for everyone else... :)

any experiences? any thoughts? any responses??

please post your experiences... good or bad - someone has to have tried it???  
(Version 2.0)

ERIC WOEHLER  The software claims to be able to, " to clear potentially harmful files such as most common trojans or other files that may harm your system in any way" but I can't find the settings to do so - is it done behind the scenes? I can't find the panel with the relevant settings. Am I missing something here? Can someone help me pls? Thanks  
(Version 4.3)

ERIC WOEHLER  There is a plugin uninstaller available at:

http://earth-api-samples.googlecode.com/files/GoogleEarth-Plugin-Uninstaller.dmg

and for interest, check out the extensive comments about the plugin at

http://groups.google.com/group/google-earth-browser-plugin/browse_thread/thread/146882feca2788c3/951a4533372ba8ce#951a4533372ba8ce

maybe someone at Google will listen to the user community?  
(Version 5.0.11337.1968 )

ERIC WOEHLER  "To continue using Google Earth, you must accept the new Google privacy policies and allow Google Software Update to run in the background on your computer."

NO WAY. If anyone from Google is reading, please take note of the backlash against Google. I am perfectly capable of updating Google Earth myself - this is the onlyGoogle s/w on my mac and I dont need some daemon rumbling away on my mac to check for updates - I can do this myself.

I really dont care what privacy policy you have, I realy dont care how 'safe' the process is, I can update the software, when I want, by myself.

Is there anyone listening??  
(Version 5.0.11337.1968 )

ERIC WOEHLER  Agreed - much preferred the original icon - pls bring it back!

Eric  
(Version 0.4.5)

ERIC WOEHLER  Hi Billy - check back through this thread and you will find detailed instructions posted by me when 12.1.4 came out..

good luck

Eric (Woehler)  
(Version 12.1.5)

ERIC WOEHLER  I really hope someone from the Mac BU at MS is reading all these posts - why does MS insist on having hundreds of megs of disk space wasted on language files we don't need. I don't need Zulu, Russian, Pakistani or Swahili on my Mac - so why penalise me by making the updater hit a brick wall just because these un-needed files are no longer present? The edited updaters work fine without these files present - and all it does is create animosity in the user community - not a good situation with so many viable alternatives out there.

Not everyone has a Mac with a 300 gb drive - and stripping language and PPC code save a significant %age of available space - an appropriate strategy for all users.

MS should be listening to its user base, not alienating them. I really hope the next updater will (a) run without checking for Swahili, and (b) exist in the form of a como updater, so it will update all previous versions, rather than an incremental update.

Anyone from MS MBU listening?  
(Version 12.1.4)

ERIC WOEHLER  try following my instructions from yesterday about editing the updater

if you dont have 12.1.3 installed, you will have to install that before 12.1.4

if you dont have 12.1.2 installed, you will have to install that before 12.1.3

...

ad nauseum

but - the edits I list below work for all Office updaters, so if you have all the necessary updaters (12.1.1, 12.1.2, 12.1.3, 12.1.4) edit each in sequence then install serially and all should be ok

good luck and see what happens...

Eric  
(Version 12.1.4)

ERIC WOEHLER  Its because we have all saved 100s of megabytes of wasted disk space by getting rid of 100s of un-needed language files. Talk about bloat-ware... if you run Slimmer or Monolingual etc , you can get rid of all the superfluous language files, and strip all the un-nessary PPC code as well - the result - I saved 2gb on a vanilla install of 10.5. On a 80gb hard drive, thats a big saving. Unfortunately, getting rid of PPC and Zulu language files means that MS updater cant update yr english-only version of Office.... give me a break, MS!!!  
(Version 12.1.4)

ERIC WOEHLER  OK Resources. You need to modify the script: package_updatable.

4. Remove these TWO lines using Text Edit, BBEdit or similar:

if not found_valid_version:

sys.exit(48)

Save these changes to the Updater [ALLOW IT TO OVERWRITE WHEN ASKED] then close. Now it will update.

I have added the caps above to clear some ambiguity in my original post - apologies, I thought the orig instructions were clear (they were to me!)

reply here if it doesn't work, but I just updated to 12.1.4 after editing the updater file  
(Version 12.1.4)

ERIC WOEHLER  Hi - did you save the updater file off the DMG image and onto your desktop before editing the file? the whole file has to be on yr desktop (copied from the disk image) before you can edit it - otherwise the installer is locked

get back to me if you need more help

E  
(Version 12.1.3)

ERIC WOEHLER  If you get the message that "No version of the software found on volume", due to having removed all the megabytes of language files etc, you can still get the installer to run.

1. Download the update from MS and save the updater on yr desktop - you will be modifying the file, so need to be able to edit and save it

2. Right click on the Updater and click "Show Package Contents".

3. Navigate to Contents -> Resources. You need to modify the script: package_updatable.

4. Remove these lines using Text Edit or BBEdit or similar:

if not found_valid_version:

sys.exit(48)

Save these changes to the Updater then close. Now it will update.  
(Version 12.1.3)

ERIC WOEHLER   Unable to install updater - I have deleted the numerous additional language files, mainly because I only use English, to save HUNDREDS of megabytes of disk space. Lo and behold, I have to reinstall the software from scratch and run 3 updaters to update it!!!!

The same problem exists for Acrobat Pro in CS3.

When will Microsoft and Adobe provide updaters that don't require complete re-installs for their software, and allow users to delete unnecessary bloat files, such as un-needed language files?

This is probably the last time I use Office - I suggest others look at Open Office 3 or NeoOffice or iWork. All are excellent alternatives to Office with Open Office and NeoOffice both FREE to d/l and use. iWork is a cheap alternative.

Microsoft is losing touch (if that is still possible) with its Mac users - get rid of the stupid requirement of a bloated install as a pre-requisite for upgrading from 12.1.0 to 12.1.1 and from 12.1.1 to 12.1.2 etc etc etc

(8/12/2008, Version: 12.1.2)   
(Version 12.1.2)

ERIC WOEHLER  Unable to install updater - I have deleted the numerous additional language files, mainly because I only use English, to save HUNDREDS of megabytes of disk space. Lo and behold, I have to reinstall the software from scratch and run 3 updaters to update it!!!!

The same problem exists for Acrobat Pro in CS3.

When will Microsoft and Adobe provide updaters that don't require complete re-installs for their software, and allow users to delete unnecessary bloat files, such as un-needed language files?

This is probably the last time I use Office - I suggest others look at Open Office 3 or NeoOffice or iWork. All are excellent alternatives to Office with Open Office and NeoOffice both FREE to d/l and use. iWork is a cheap alternative.

Microsoft is losing touch (if that is still possible) with its Mac users - get rid of the stupid requirement of a bloated install as a pre-requisite for upgrading from 12.1.0 to 12.1.1 and from 12.1.1 to 12.1.2 etc etc etc  
(Version 12.1.2)

ERIC WOEHLER  Same message for me - I have deleted the numerous additional language files, mainly because I only use English, to save HUNDREDS of megabytes of disk space. Lo and behold, I have to reinstall the software to update it!!!!

The same problem exists for Acrobat Pro in CS3.

When will Microsoft and Adobe provide updaters that don't require complete re-installs for their software.

This is probably the last time I use Office - suggest others look at Open Office 3 or NeoOffice or iWork. All are excellent alternatives to Office with Open Office and NeoOffice both FREE to d/l and use. iWork is a cheap alternative.

Microsoft is losing touch (if that is possible) with its Mac users - get rid of the stupid requirement of a bloated install as a pre-requisite for upgrading from 12.1.0 to 12.1.1 and from 12.1.1 to 12.1.2 etc etc etc  
(Version 12.1.2)

ERIC WOEHLER  I have tried to do this, but can't find the file you mention - tried looking with Pacifist and was not found. I have Office at 12.0.1 and have both the 12.1 and 12.1.1 updates, and I can't update as I have removed all the language files. Can you perhaps post the multi-language file so we can all update the software?

thanks for your posting

all best

Eric  
(Version 12.1.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  What a crock!!! The error message "You cannot install Office 2008 12.1.1 Update on this volume. A version of the software required to install this update was not found on this volume." appears and I can not update. Unbelievable!! No wonder people are leaving M$ in droves and using iWork instead..

and M$'s response? delete Office 2008, reinstall and run the updater... just like Windoze... unbelievable...

what a waste of money, time and effort - typical MS crapware!!  
(Version 12.1.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  will grab next time it happens (just updated to 10.5.3)

thanks for response

E  
(Version 1.7.3)

ERIC WOEHLER  sorry, forgot to mention in prev post:

am running OS 10.5.2 and vers 1.7.3 of MainMenu on black MB with 2gigs of RAM.  
(Version 1.7.3)

ERIC WOEHLER  Great app but regulalry unable to run 'Maintenance Scripts' = the cron scrips for daily/weekly/monthly purges of logs etc etc

all other options on offer but the 'Maintenance Scripts' and arrow head is greyed out, and unable to be invoked. All other options are ok

If I want to run the scripts, I have to kill and restart Main Menu. Other utilities (Cocktail, Onyx etc) are all able to run the scripts, so is hard for me to see why...

any ideas out there?

thanks

E  
(Version 1.7.3)

ERIC WOEHLER  seems the Service Pack 1 for MS Office 2008 (12.1.0) can't find my installation on my MacBook

I have an original DVD and the software has already been updated to 12.0.1 with an earlier updater

but the SP1 installer comes up with an error:

"You cannot install Office 2008 SP1 Update (12.1.0) on this volume. A version of the software required to install this update was not found on this volume."

permissions are ok, so unsure why the SP won't install; the software is running ok.

Am hoping this updater addresses the horrendous launch times for MS Word 2008 (still typically 30 seconds ...)

am hoping that someone has the answer for the SP install

all best to all from down under!  
(Version 12.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  Doesn't find the earlier version of Acrobat to install

I have 8.1.1 installed as part of CS3

Installer does not see Acrobat 811 as a valid app to update. I have had so many problems with Acrobat Pro 8 (CS 3) to the point where I question the worth of all the stress. Most of the time Acrobat doesnt launch, crashes on startup, or crashes during use. I have vanilla OS X 10.5.2 and this is the one app that gives me grief.

Adobe needs to do some serious work on this.  
(Version 8.1.2)

ERIC WOEHLER  Discovered a delightful feature that is undocumented - open the preferences for date and edit the selection - so you can include/exclude items as you wish - so eg, my date shows as Tue 01 Apr, without the year and the day name shortened from Tuesday. Edit works in real time so you can see how the edit will look in yr menu bar. I have no reason to believe the time format can be edited similarly to suit yr personal wishes.  
(Version 1.1r1)

ERIC WOEHLER  Excellent little app!

never have to worry about transferring files from mac to mac on memory sticks or external drives or CD

just install the app and you can start transferring files so easily

highly recommended, definitely worth trying if you have more than one mac and you are moving stuff around

now you dont have to open sharing or play with network settings - what a delight - file transfer the way it should be!!

only 1 little glitch - in the prefs I set the position to be bottom/right on my screen, but the app positioned itself top left... manually dragged it to where I wanted it to be, a minor bug perhaps?  
(Version 1.4.5)

ERIC WOEHLER  More details after further use..

doesnt show status of contacts accurately - I am 'invisible' but I show up as online on a friend's contact list, similarly other friends who are offline show up as online.

if you move the chat video window during chat, skype hangs and needs a force quit. Sometimes the hang up button doesnt work and the other party needs to end the call.

Skype is going backwards in its quality on the mac

less stable with every release, more buggy and more of a challenge to deal with...

a shame, the potential was there for great software  
(Version 2.7.0.257)

ERIC WOEHLER  Happy to test another backup Utility. Presently using CCC b6 on Black Intel MacBook. Beta 5 did not run on Intel but Developer (Bombich) provided near-instant feedback on beta 6 - now runs. All Backup utilities have different functionality, and I guess it depends on what meets your needs. I used to use Retrospect, but it is so dated now and so slow- amazing to see it still around. Will try this and see how well it meets my needs.

Eric in Hobart, Australia  
(Version 6.1.1)

ERIC WOEHLER  Some more info on trouble-shooting Skype 2.xxxx.140 release. I purged additional languages and removed the obsolete PPC code, so was running Intel-only code. NO diff, same old same old, constant crashes. Then updated pre-bindings using Cocktail and MUCH better. Only crashes once or twice an hour! Huge improvement despite this process allegedly no longer required under OS 10.4.

Suggest others with problems with stable release of skype try Cocktail/update prebindings to see if it helps them for stability.

Is definitely better for me but is the ONLY app that crashes on me... almost like Windoze apps... lol

cheers to all from sunny Tasmania

Eric  
(Version 2.6.0.140)

ERIC WOEHLER  Am a long-term Mac User (more than 20 years) and use Skype on laptop and desktop. NOT using beta, and skype was crashing with and without Shapeshifter.

Re-installed OS and still crashed. Highly unstable. Would crash during use. Would crash when not being used (no chats/no calls). Just sitting there with list of contacts then blammo.

One thing I have yet to learn is how to 'read' crash logs - how to decypher threads and look for clues ..  
(Version 2.6.0.140)

ERIC WOEHLER  A Shocker!!!!!!!

crashes 3-5 times an hour

crashes during text chat

crashes during voice chat

crashes during video chat

crashes with or without Shapeshifter

crashes when not active

crashes when active

crashes

have written to Skype offering crash log but no reply.... I cant decode crash logs so cant point the fiinger at what might be happening

anyone else experience this?

any suggestions???  
(Version 2.6.0.137)

ERIC WOEHLER  Not working on Black MacBook (CCC3 b5):

2gigs RAM 80G HD OS 10.4.9

repeatedly get 'synch engine failed... reboot" msg with suggestion to look for help on CCC forums. other posts there w same msg

unable to get working despite repeated attempts (del plist etc)

looked at v2.3 (PPC in Rosetta mode) needed 'psynch' to be installed - reluctant to install w/out further info/advice/others' experiences...

NOT WORKING  
(Version 3.0b5)

ERIC WOEHLER  Found the solution for SLOW opening etc on mozillazine forums under the topic 'slow opening':

"There is a current bug which adds spurious lines to your pref.js file every time you open your address book, or load the contact sidebar. When enough of these amass, they can slow down initial address book/contact sidebar loading. See https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=230580

The bug will be fixed in release 2.0. Meanwhile, you may need to clean out your prefs.js file to remove the spurious lines.

With TBird CLOSED, go to your profile, and make a backup copy of your prefs.js file that you can revert to in case of problems. Then open prefs.js in a plain text editor (NOT a word processor like MSWord, Windows' Notepad will do). Find and delete any line with the string servers._nonascii_ in it. If it has gotten bad enough for the slowdown to be noticeable, you probably have hundreds of them.

Save the file under its original filename and location. If the editor you're using gives you a choice of formats, choose plain text or ascii."

IT WORKS: the original posting was by 'makaiguy ' - for further info, search the forums for "slow opening" - just passing on the info to others who are experiencing this bug..

solution above works - I had almost 2000 lines of junk in my prefs file. deleted them and Thunderbird is back to its snappy self.  
(Version 1.5.0.7)

ERIC WOEHLER  Thunderbird 1.5.0.7 on black MacBook (dual 2Ghz proc, 2 gigs RAM) and is dog-slow. 30 seconds on startup, upto 20 seconds to open address book [  
(Version 1.5.0.7)