LARAINE  I have to temporarily drag the files and folders of my web site out of their folder on my HD onto the desktop or I can't see them to drag them to Cyberduck. In the days of OS 9 all I had to do was select them and press command-Y to send them back where they came. I don't know why Apple couldn't bring this feature into OS X.  
(Version 3.1.2)

LARAINE  Having looked at the new features in Toast 10, I've decided to stick with 9.0.4. The upgrade price is atrocious for what's being offered. In fact, I thought the price for Toast 9 was pretty grim. It looked bad enough in American dollars; try looking at it in New Zealand dollars! I'm not having any problems with Toast 9.0.4 (so far, anyway) but I often long for the simplicity of my previous version, Toast 5. Unfortunately, I started needing more than Toast 5 could offer. :-(  
(Version 10.0.1)

LARAINE  I managed to import mail from Mail. But there wasn't a choice of "Mail". I just chose Eudora and navigated to my Mail folder, and as far as I can tell at the moment everything was imported. I find the Thunderbird interface rather messy and ugly so it's going to take a while for me to see if everything was imported.  
(Version 2.0.0.19)

LARAINE  I HATE web-based email. I have to use it when I visit my sister. It's too damned slow.  
(Version 2.0.0.19)

LARAINE  Onyx clearly warns us to backup before using. All you should have to do is use your backup to put things back the way they were.  
(Version 2.0.3)

LARAINE  Frankly, I don't care how applications are installed as long as they install quickly and work once installed.  
(Version 2.0.3)

LARAINE  Ronnie2, I think you should go Windoze-free.   
(Version 1.8)

LARAINE  I've never had any problems syncing with iTunes. Not that I'm aware of anyway. :-)  
(Version 1.8)

LARAINE  All I wanted to do was clip the beginning and end off something my husband recorded onto a DVD for me (from satellite radio) and put onto a DVD for me. I had already stripped the audio using MPEG_Streamclip, but if there was any way to edit the length on that program I couldn't work it out. Anyway, I had worked out (in iTunes) where I wanted my AIFF file to start and end. Audacity did the job beautifully, even if I had to make a few attempts to get it to accept the times I typed in. I don't expect to need the program again, however. I wouldn't have needed it in the first place if EMI had had the decency to reissue the CD. I have been trying for years to buy it second-hand without success.   
(Version 1.3.6b)

LARAINE  Try Firefox. When it's downloaded just double click on it to unarchive it and "Bob's your uncle". Unfortunately, it wasn't what I was looking for. I want to rip audio from a DVD and I want it in AIFF not MP3. Back to the drawing board. *sigh*  
(Version 20080914)

LARAINE  There's no doubt this is an excellent program. I've never had any trouble with it. It therefore seems churlish to complain. But after trying out Yummy I find I miss the two columns--one containing all the files on my hard drive and the other the ones on my server. I seem to remember when I used Fetch (in the days of OS 9 when it too was "freeware") it was much the same and it didn't particularly worry me. I clearly remember taking the files I wanted to upload out of the folder on my hard drive and onto the desktop so I could drag them into Fetch's window. Of course in those days I could ask my Mac to put the files back (remember the old command-Y shortcut?) and with Tiger I can't do that. I guess I shouldn't have tried Yummy! But I wholeheartedly recommend Cyberduck if you are cash-strapped.   
(Version 3.0.3)

LARAINE  Wow! Is the PC version of this really the most popular FTP software for Windows? It's an astronomical price. I thought the ones priced at nearly $30 were bad enough. I like Yummy but suspect when my trial runs out I will be going back to Cyberduck.  
(Version 3.0)

LARAINE  I like it too, Katrina, but will probably be returning to Cyberduck, which is very good for freeware but certainly not as nice as Yummy. Do try Cyberduck. It does everything I want (which is merely to upload my web pages to my server) and the only thing I wish it had is side-by-side columns of the files on my hard drive and the ones on my server so I can just drag the files I want to upload from the left column into the right one as with Yummy.  
(Version 1.7.2)

LARAINE  Aw! OS 9 wasn't so bad. Neither was OS 7 once 7.6 came along. Both were definitely better than anything Windoze had to offer. You had to be an idiot not to be able to keep both OS 7 and OS 9 running sweetly but you just about needed a computer degree to do the same for Windoze. Still do, judging by the problems my friends are having.  
(Version 5.3)

LARAINE  Yes, $40 IS rather a lot for a utility program. But it sounds, from the comments here, that it might be worth it, so I'm going to give it a whirl. I'm driven round the bend by Mariner Write's inexcusably poor International English dictionary. And Dreamweaver 8 doesn't even HAVE one! (Unbelievable.) This (Spell Catcher) is one of those things that Mac users shouldn't have to buy, just as they shouldn't have to buy other utilities like Keyboard Maestro. I HATE that dock. I want to be able to use keyboard shortcuts to open or switch applications. It's so slow and inefficient having to go to the dock. Unfortunately, even Keyboard Maestro won't let me get rid of the dock altogether the way Now Utilities and (as it later became) Action Utilities did with their similar, but plainer, docks. I appreciate how Apple makes its computers so user friendly you'd have to be an idiot not to be able to teach yourself how to use and how to look after one, but there comes a time when Mac users are no longer beginners and want to configure their Macs to suit the way they work. Sorry for the rant. I'll shut up now. *G*  
(Version 10.3)

LARAINE  Wow! You must have unbelievably fast Broadband to even WANT to download 40 files all at once. :-)  
(Version 2.7.5)

LARAINE  Aw! I reckoned I didn't need this because OS X (Tiger) can tell me the time every hour. (It's fairly easy to get used to a sound but a voice is hard to ignore). However, I downloaded Cuckoo and its bong sound reminds me so much of the clock chime I created from a file I downloaded in the days of OS 9 that it reminds me how much I miss it. Cuckoo is a very nice piece of software and it's good to see the developer isn't greedy. Many "small" pieces of shareware are far more expensive than they should be, but the price of Cuckoo seems about right. I've given it only four points for features because I would like to see at least one set of proper chimes (Westminster, for instance) added to it, to be used along with the "bong" sound, so I can turn my Mac into a real (if rather strange-looking *G*) long-case clock and drive everybody else in the house absolutely bananas! They will wonder how come the clock in the living room has moved to my office.  
(Version 1.2.2)

LARAINE  A very elegant and useful piece of software. I haven't been able to find anything wrong with it; it works like a charm on my G5 under Tiger. Therefore, I've given it five points for everything. Many "small" pieces of software like this are much more expensive, so full marks to the developer for not being greedy. I'm sure I will miss it when my trial period runs out so I have it down for a future possible purchase. Keep up the good work, Selznick!   
(Version 3.0.1)

LARAINE  Thanks for this information. Much appreciated. We still have the Quicksilver but are now using G5s. Will try installing Tiger on the Quicksilver when I get some spare time (chance would be a fine thing *G*).   
(Version 5.1.1)

LARAINE  Got a 404 error message.  
(Version 1.1.1)

LARAINE  I've been playing around with this for quite a while. I wanted to give it a fair spin before making a judgement. It seems very good. It's certainly not difficult to learn. Unfortunately, I think it needs something more powerful than my G5 1.8 because it doesn't work at all smoothly for me. Everything happens in jerks, a bit like iDVD 4 on my previous machine, a G3 upgraded to G4 1GHz. The resulting movie, once exported to iDVD 6 and played there, doesn't jerk, but the jerkiness makes it difficult for me to judge what the resulting slide show will look like. It also means it takes longer to do each photo in my slide show than it should. I must add that I use higher resolution photos than Apple seem to recommend, and maybe this is what causes the jerkiness. But I don't see how lower resolution pictures could look good played back on an 8-foot-wide screen. I'll take another look at this program when (or should that be if?) I manage to buy a faster Mac.  
(Version 4.1b19)

LARAINE  I'm surprised that someone who claims to have used a Mac since 1984 finds Pages difficult and unintuitive while so many others find it easy to use. And isn't it supposed to be a word processing application, not a page layout one? My complaint is that Apple won't let me try it out before buying.   
(Version 3.0.2)

LARAINE  InDesign and Quark are page layout programs. Pages is a word processing program. If I want to lay out a magazine, let's say, why would I want to even TRY a word processing program? The ones that attempt to replace proper layout programs do so very badly and are great bloated monstrosities.  
(Version 3.0.2)

LARAINE  Does Word really work smoothly in Windows? The last decent version for Mac was Word 5.1. MS used to make very good software for Macintosh but after Word 5.1 they completely lost the plot. Word 6 still has to count as the worst software that was ever dumped on an unsuspecting and undeserving public. I've tried several versions of Word for Mac since but hated all of them. Great bloated things.  
(Version 3.7.2)

LARAINE  MultiTrackOps, CarbonCopyCloner doesn't make me get off my G5 1.8 (single processor). It often starts its schedule back-up while I am still working and I've noticed no problems.  
(Version 1.2.2)

LARAINE  Do try Carbon Copy Cloner. I would be surprised if it disappoints you.  
(Version 1.2.2)

LARAINE  Sorry, but I couldn't get past that unbelievably ugly interface. As someone else said, it's a monstrosity. Another reviewer said it's very Linux like. That means Linux must be hideous beyond belief. The developer is asking quite a lot for this software (though there ARE more expensive alternatives out there) and I think the least we can expect from him is a quiet, elegant interface to match the Mac environment.  
(Version 1.0)

LARAINE  That's bad, I have to admit. But then *I* would probably have trouble working out which was which if my drives were named similarly! :-)  
(Version 3.1)

LARAINE  I've had similar problems to this before and always solved them the same way you did.  
(Version 3.1)

LARAINE  I thought I would try this software after reading the reviews for it. Hardly anyone had a bad word to say for it! It wasn't so much what the software is intended for (saving HD space) that attracted me as the comments on how much snappier it made applications feel. It is also reasonably priced in comparison with other software that does only one thing. Many cost as much as $20, some even more. I was very happy to pay $12 for this, especially if it helps the developer make the software even better. It's certainly very nice to use. I shaved about 1.5 GB off the contents of my 320 GB hard drive. While that might seem relatively small on a drive this size, I'm expecting the benefits to show when I back up because my back-up drive is only 80 GB.   
(Version 1.5.1)

LARAINE  I tried this software for a whole month, all the while desperately looking for a solution to my problem that would allow me to do without it. Nothing worked. I think the software is well worth what it costs, especially with the addition of FontDoctor, which I think at least doubles the usefulness of Suitcase Fusion, but I still resent not being able to use my favourite Postscript fonts without something like Suitcase Fusion simply because the fonts aren't in suitcases. The fonts come from the days of the MacPlus and a family of four (regular, italic, bold and bold italic) cost $1,000 (NZ dollars).

I can't think of any negative things about Suitcase Fusion, so I've given it 5 stares in all four categories.

Thank you, Extensis, for such lovely software, and keep up the good work. :-)  
(Version 12.1.7)

LARAINE  It really isn't possible to assess a demonstration of a piece of software that won't allow you to actually DO anything! Why can't the developer allow the repair of a limited number of fonts, even if it's only two or three?  
(Version 7.5.1)

LARAINE  iKey doesn't appear to be what I'm looking for. I bought Keyboard Maestro because at least it allowed me to open applications using the keyboard commands I used to use in OS 9 with Action Utilities, and I didn't need a manual to work out how to do it. But I still long for something Action Utilities did, and did so well (allowing me to choose an item from the menu and type my own shortcut for it, even if it didn't originally have a shortcut). Photoshop (version 7 anyway) really bugs me in that so many things have to be done using the mouse. For instance, to choose the plug-in for my scanner I have to go to the file men, choose import and then choose CanoScan 8400F. Grr!  
(Version 2.2.2)

LARAINE  I was going to try this software. But if it does only partial conversions in demo mode how can anyone try it properly? It's far too expensive to buy outright. Extensis Suitcase or FontAgent will solve my problems (not being able to use my favourite old, expensive Type 1 Postscript fonts in Tiger because they aren't in suitcases) and do it a lot cheaper. However, I still think a hundred dollars (the cost of either of these programs) is way too expensive for software I shouldn't need.   
(Version 3.0)

LARAINE  Thanks, ZangieF. That sounds interesting.   
(Version 1.8.3)

LARAINE  I have to agree with you. To put it bluntly, IE 5.2.3 is a heap of cow dung. The only time I use it is when the web site I'm trying to get into is also a heap of cow dung. And that's only when I desperately need to read the page. If I don't I just hit command-w, muttering unprintable imprecations on the web master. :-)  
(Version 5.2.3)

LARAINE  The screenshot is terrible. It looks nothing like the game. In reality, the background is a non-intrusive grey, shading from dark on the left to light on the right.   
(Version 1.26)

LARAINE  Thanks for the advice, MacMelo. Disk Utility reported minor errors that it said it had fixed and everything seems fine. But I have a new drive on the way anyway. 80 GB is far too small.  
(Version 1.8.2)

LARAINE  This is awesome software. Someone whom I judged to have more knowledge than I have recommended Cocktail and I downloaded that. I think the trial worked for a week (not exactly generous) and I don't remember anything about it that persuaded me it was better than Onyx so I returned to Onyx (version 1.7.1 I think it was). I don't think Cocktail could possibly rate against this new version of Oxyx, even if it is only Beta. The developer thinks of new features that I need before I realise I need them myself. For instance, Onyx's SMART feature told me my HD needed repair. Alarmed, I dutifully booted from the Tiger install DVD and ran Disk Utility. Sure enough, minor repairs were needed (and done). Thanks, Joel!

I'm using 10.4.10 on a 1.8 G5, BTW. The Panther version also worked brilliantly on my B&W G3 with a Sonnet 1GHz processor.  
(Version 1.8.1b3)

LARAINE  You have a decidedly slow machine. (Trust me; I've just come from a 1GHz G4 to a 1.8 G5!) Naturally Onyx will be slow on it (though I must admit I was using the Panther version on my G4 and I simply walked away while it did "its magic").) Why not try again? :-)  
(Version 1.8.1b3)

LARAINE  Not exactly ugly (see DiskLister and DiskCatalog if you REALLY want ugly) but far too cluttered. Maybe it's just that the developer has created something that does more than I want: a utility that will catalogue all the files on my CDs/DVDs and that, once I have inserted the appropriate disc, I can open the file I've been looking for just by clicking it, or I can drag it to the desktop--or anywhere else I might want it. I like the simplicity of CDFinder (well, up to version 4.7 anyway; I can't try version 5.0 because I'm still using Panther). I just don't like that price tag of US$39!  
(Version 2.6b12)

LARAINE  I do agree with "going crazy" that this type of software is often too expensive. CDFinder is the worst in this respect.  
(Version 2.6b12)

LARAINE  Try DiskCatalog and DiskLister. They will put you off "eye candy" for the rest of your life. I took one look at them and fled without even finding out what they could do.  
(Version 5.0)

LARAINE  What? You mean like DiskLister or DiskCatalog? I took one look at them and ran away screaming. Didn't even want to give them a fair trial! DiskTracker's interface is plain rather than ugly. I can live with plain. But I still haven't made up my mind which app to go for. I'm used to CDFinder. But CDFinder is definitely too expensive at US$39.  
(Version 2.3.3)

LARAINE  CDFinder is indeed very nice. But it's way too expensive!   
(Version 4.2.2)

LARAINE  I'm unable to test version 5 (because I doubt my Quicksilver 733 could run Tiger very well). So this review is for 4.7. I've never had any problems with CDFinder, except the price. I wondered why I hadn't purchased it long ago, because I liked it so much, and found out when I needed to catalogue more than 25 CDs/DVDs and got on-line to pay for it. Cost is, by necessity, a big issue in this household (we don't use older, second-hand Macs for fun!) and I felt $39 was far too high a price so, after getting myself thoroughly irritated spending days downloading every similar piece of software I could find (all the while cursing Telecom New Zealand left right and centre for their inexcusably bad rural phone lines) and trying them out, I opted for DiskCatalogMaker.  
(Version 5.0)

LARAINE  I'd already decided to go with DiskCatalogMaker but figured since I had downloaded DiskCatalog I might as well try it. Sorry, but, as with DiskLister, I couldn't get past the interface. Too ugly!  
(Version 1.3)

LARAINE  I'd already decided to go with DiskCatalogMaker but figured since I'd downloaded DiskLister I might as well try it. Sorry, but I got no further than opening it Yuk! Unbelievably ugly!   
(Version 5.2r2)

LARAINE  Yes, all I need is an application to upload pages to my web site. I don't need other features. In the days of OS 9 I used Fetch (free at that time). But they now charge for Fetch so I've been looking for something else. The more I look the more confused I get, but so far of the shareware ones (including Fetch) I like Yummy best. Nevertheless, I think I'll give Cyberduck another crack before deciding. They seem to have updated it sinch I last tried it.  
(Version 1.6)

LARAINE  Interarchy ought to be the best. It's atrociously expensive!  
(Version 1.6)

LARAINE  Thank you, HolyPoly. That's very kind of you. I'll have a look at it.

Laraine

http://lbarker.orcon.net.nz  
(Version 16.0010)

LARAINE  I too have stopped using MacLink Plus since upgrading to OS X. I expect people to send Word files to me in RTF. If they don't have the brains to do this in the first place, I ask them to. As for Exel files, if anyone sends me one of these then it's too bad for them that I can't read them. I don't particularly care.   
(Version 16)

LARAINE  I remember downloading version 1.5 of this game a few years ago and finding it quite a lot of fun so I thought I'd coming looking for an update. I find most games requiring fast reflexes downright frustrating but it doesn't take a lot of practice to improve my skills with Christmas Super Frog. Unfortunately, the practice doesn't stick. I had to start over again this Christmas and so far I've managed no further than stage three! I do have to turn off the music. Within minutes it's grating on my nerves. But that's just me. I tend to dislike midis. :-)  
(Version 1.7.8)

LARAINE  That's great. As someone who has no choice but to use second-hand Macs (my B&W G3 is seven years old and I've had it over five years) I know how you must feel. I hope you enjoy your new Mac for many many years. :-)  
(Version 1.4.3)

LARAINE  How about trying Mariner Write?   
(Version 2.0.2)

LARAINE  Thanks, neutralzone. I didn't even know these things were around. But they are way too expensive. By the time I've paid for VueScan and one of these I'd have spent enough to buy a new scanner. I'm going for a new scanner.

I think VueScan is a very nice program. I was particularly impressed by its colour accuracy. I'll try it on my new scanner when I get it, if only out of curioisity.

I found the Canon CS8400F seems to have mostly very good reviews. it appears to be their second most expensive scanner at the moment. The most expensive one is way above my budget. My nephew reckons Canon is the best and can get $200 off Canon NZ's recommended price, so I think I'll go for this.

Thanks again for your help. It's much appreciated.  
(Version 8.3.63)

LARAINE  fire_dragon, why did you choose SilverFast in preference to VueScan, please?  
(Version 6.4.4r6)

LARAINE  Thanks, Chris, for your trouble in replying. Since I posted my comment I found out (simply through trial and error) that only by having the scanner on at bootup was I able to get both VueScan and SilverFast to work. I guess it's no big deal to switch off the scanner after bootup until I want to use it. So that's one problem fixed. But try as I might I still can't get VueScan to scan as well as ScanMaker 3.0.7, or even SilverFast, which I'm also trialling. But SilverFast is more expensive than VueScan and doesn't include OCR. You can't win no matter which way you turn. *G*  
(Version 8.3.62)

LARAINE  I'm afraid I won't be buying VueScan. In my first trial I had no trouble getting it to recognise my scanner (a SCSI ScanMaker E3) but no matter how much I fiddled with different ways to scan the photograph I had previously scanned with ScanWizard 3.0.7, which came with the scanner, I couldn't get a result as good as ScanWizard gave me--and with very little fiddling around too. I was amazed to read nothing but poor reviews for ScanWizard 7 for OS X. Not that it matters to me; ScanWizard 7 doesn't support SCSI scanners.

Anyway, this morning I thought I would give VueScan another try. This time it wouldn't even recognise my scanner, despite my switching it off, quitting VueScan, switching the scanner back on and relaunching VueScan as suggested by VueScan itself. I think others have mentioned this problem in their reviews. I'm very disappointed because VueScan seemed like a really good product and the answer to my annoyance at having to reboot in OS 9 every time I want to do a scan. There was also that refresh time problem that others mentioned. On my machine (which sports an Encore G4 processor running at 1 GHz) it seemed to take forever.  
(Version 8.3.60)

LARAINE  "Microtek is not offering support when connecting a Microtek SCSI scanner to Panther."

That's disgusting. I was also extremely surprised to find so many reviews of "poor" for Scanwizard 7. ScanWizard 3.0.7 (which came with my ScanMaker E3 and which I am still using) was so good. I have been evaluating VueScan and so far finding it disappointing in comparison to ScanWizard 3.0.7.  
(Version 7.52)

LARAINE  Shucks! You can't buy a decent scanner for $50. Well, you certainly can't in NZ. I wouldn't still be using a 24-bit SCSI ScanMaker E3 if you could!  
(Version 8.3.60)

LARAINE  I use a Microtek ScanMaker E3. Version 8.3.60 supports it. It's a SCSI scanner and came with excellent software--ScanWizard--but I have to reboot in OS 9 to use it. That's a pain, so I am in the process of evaluating VueScan. US$50 is a lot of money in NZ dollars but if I decide to buy VueScan it will also replace OmniPage Limited Edition 4.1.0.  
(Version 8.3.60)

LARAINE  I have seen two viruses in 20 years of using a Mac. In both cases they were on disks given to me by friends.   
(Version 1.0.3h)

LARAINE  If repairing permissions doesn't work, you might like to try Onyx (which you can find here on macupdate.com) before you do anything as drastic as wiping your HD and starting again. That's a lot of hard work. :-)

OS X needs to be kept "tuned" just like OS 9 (or any other operating system for that matter). At first I used Macjanitor combined with Apple's Disk Utility. Now I stick with Onyx.  
(Version 1.0.3h)

LARAINE  Maybe you forgot to update your ClamXav virus definitions?  
(Version 1.0.3h)