Summary. With the release of Windows 7, Microsoft has removed some essential software programs and utilities that has previously been included as part of a default installation. These are now bundled as a suite of applications called Windows Live Essentials available for free download and compatible with the Windows Live website.

Included Applications. The following applications are available for download as part of the Windows Live Essentials software bundle:

• Messenger – Used for text, voice, and video communications as well as remote support. Note: Apple will be redirected to Mactopia where the Mac version is available.
• Mail – Get multiple e-mail accounts in one program – Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo! Plus and more. And now Windows Live Mail has a calendar, too. Mail combines the ease of use of Outlook Express, with the speed of Windows Live.
• Writer – Writer makes it easy to share your photos and videos on almost any blog service—Windows Live, Wordpress, Blogger, LiveJournal, TypePad, and many more.
• Photo Gallery – With Photo Gallery, it’s a snap to get your photos and videos from your camera to your PC. Find your favorite photos and share them with friends and family. Make your great photos look even better, and create impressive panoramic photos too.
• Movie Maker – Create movies and slide shows from your photos and videos, and share them with your friends and family. Windows Live Movie Maker is not available for Windows XP or earlier versions of Windows.
• Family Safety – With Family Safety, you decide how your kids experience the Internet. Limit searches, monitor and block or allow websites, and decide who your kids can communicate with in Windows Live Spaces, Messenger, or Hotmail.
• Toolbar – With Windows Live Toolbar, you always have quick access to Windows Live and Bing, no matter where you are on the web.
• SkyDrive – Get 25GB of online storage for free.

Summary. This page offers a list of third-party applications for Apple computers running the OS X (OS 10) Unix-based operating system. These are software applications and utilities that help perform tasks not easily done with the included Apple software. Direct links to information pages are offered below in alphabetical order. Software included with Apple computers isn’t listed below.

• Adobe Reader by Adobe assists in the viewing and printing of PDF files. Although Apple includes built-in PDF compatibility for viewing and creating PDF files, the Adobe Reader has additional features that are helpful.
• Audacity by SourceForge.net is a free program for audio recording, editing, and production. When combined with the Lame utility, it’s possible to export to MP3 audio files.
• Boingo Wi-Fi by Boingo is free software that allows access to Boingo wireless hotspots for about $10 per month.
• Callpod Keeper by Callpod.com is a password and information privacy security software program designed to run on desktop computers as well as mobile devices such as the iPhone. With synchronization between devices, it’s possible to have an up-to-date and complete secure database of passwords, financial information, account numbers, and other personal private information.
• Citrix Client by Citrix Systems is required for some online virtual computing and communications services such as WebEx and Virtual Desktop applications.
• Cocktail by Maintain is “an award winning general purpose utility for Mac OS X. It is a smooth and powerful digital toolset with a variety of practical features that simplifies the use of advanced UNIX functions and helps Mac users around the world to get the most out of their computers.”
• Cyberduck is a free open-source FTP and Secure FTP client.
• DevonAgent by Devon-Technologies.com provides a visual map of Internet search results. The software is also available on Apple’s website.
• Dropbox is a file synchronization, sharing, and backup services that works with Apple, Linux, and Windows.
• Encrypt Mail by ApiMac.com is an email client for sending encrypted email messages and attachments. The software is about $30. However, the email recipient doesn’t need to have a copy to receive an encrypted message. It works independently of Apple’s mail program.
• Epson Printer Utility and Epson Scan are programs for using the Epson multi-function printer-scanner-copier devices. The Epson software for Apple provides nice features for document and image scanning.
• EyeTV by Elgato.com is software included with a digital television tuner card (by the same name) used for viewing cable television and standard television broadcasts received by antenna. The included DVR software allows for recording television broadcasts directly to the computer’s hard drive for playback later, burning to DVD, and/or exporting to various devices.
• Fetch by Fetchsoftworks.com is an FTP software program typically used when uploading website content to hosting services.
• Firefox by Mozilla.com is a free web browser that sometimes works better than Safari for certain websites. However, Safari is recommended for daily use.
• Flip4Mac by Telestream.net is available via Apple or Microsoft as a free QuickTime plug-in or add-on codec utility that allows for Windows Media to be played on an Apple computer using the QuickTime player.
• Google SketchUp is a free 3D computer design program.
• Google Updater is installed with most Google software for updating.
• HandBrake is a free open-source program for converting DVD media to videos that can be stored on a hard drive or transferred to a device such as an iPod or iPhone.
• Hewlett-Packard Image Zone is a suite of software programs for use with the HP multi-function devices. The Image Zone suite of software includes utilities such as Panorama Stitching. Their more basic line of software is accessible through the HP Utility included with the HP Photosmart Premium C309g printer software.
• iGlasses by Ecamm.com can help improve webcam performance and also allows for video rotation if a camera is mounted upside down or sideways.
• iShowU HD by ShinyWhiteBox.com is a screen capturing tool that records video and audio from the screen and saves the resulting file as a high resolution video.
• Lame is a utility used with Audacity (described above) for exporting MP3 audio files.
• Livescribe Desktop by Livescribe.com is the software used with the Smart Pen product for transferring audio and written notes from the pen to a computer.
• MacSpeech Dictate by MacSpeech.com is speech recognition software that converts conversational speech to text.
• Mactracker is a comprehensive timeline encyclopedia of Apple Macintosh Computer hardware and software that includes screen shots and images of Apple hardware. There is also an iPhone App version of Mactracker available through the iTunes Store.
• Microsoft Office is the well-known suite of programs that includes Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• NeatWorks is the software from Neat Company that scans documents and receipts. The software performs OCR (optical character recognition) and indexes all scanned documents and receipts for easy search and retrieval later.
• OpenOffice.org is a suite of programs similar to Microsoft Office, and it includes a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation program.
• PDFpen by SmileOnMyMac.com is a program for Adobe PDF file editing and creation that includes the ability to perform OCR on existing scanned documents that were previously saved as images. The cost is about $50 and well worth it.
• PhoneView by Ecamm is a utility that allows for saving of critical iPod and iPhone data and files that are not otherwise accessible using the iTunes software. The software allows for saving of voicemail messages to your local computer, SMS message conversations, and call logs.
• Picasa by Google is a photo organizing and editing program.
• Picasa Web Album Uploader is a Google utility for uploading photos and photo albums to Picasa Web the online Google photo sharing service.
• Pixelmator is an advanced photo editing program similar to PhotoShop or Fireworks that goes beyond the basic editing features of iPhoto. The ability to work with layers and add text or other elements makes this a very useful product. The cost is about $60 and well worth it.
• Skype is the popular voice and video conferencing communications program.
• Stomp by ShinyWhiteBox.com is a program that converts video from one format to another. It is helpful for converting unusual formats to more compatible ones. Cost is about $30.
• SWF & FLV Player is a program for playing SWF and FLV videos.
• Taco HTML Edit by TacoSW.com is a program for editing website HTML files.
• Thunderbird by MozillaMessaging.com is a free email client that is useful for opening and then converting and exporting email messages and mailboxes from other email clients to make them readable by Apple Mail.
• Toast Titanium by Roxio is a software program for creating and copying CDs and DVDs. The software also makes it possible to create disc images of software you have purchased in case of loss or damage to the original media. DVD videos can be converted to video files for viewing on your computer, iPod, iPhone, or similar device. This makes it possible to backup your DVD collection.
• Turbo.264 HD by Elgato is a video importing and conversion software program that uses a USB device for accelerated video conversion. Turbo.264 HD automatically detects AVCHD camcorders.
• UpperBlip by Blip.tv is a video uploader.
• VLC by Videolan.org is a highly portable multimedia player and multimedia framework capable of reading most audio and video formats (MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, DivX, MPEG-1, mp3, ogg, aac …) as well as DVDs, Audio CDs VCDs, and various streaming protocols.
• VMWare Fusion by VMWare.com makes it possible to run Microsoft Windows and Windows compatible programs on an Apple computer. By creating virtual computers, it’s possible to have multiple versions of Windows (XP, Vista, and Windows 7) on the same computer while running Apple’s OS X operating system. Backing up an entire Windows computer is as easy as copying the VM Ware Virtual Machine file. Rebuilding your entire Windows computer is as easy as copying a single file from an external hard drive.
• WireTap Studio by AmbrosiaSW.com makes it possible to record audio directly from the Internet or any application.
• XMind is an idea mapping and charting tool that shows connected ideas.

The above applications are recommended, as needed, to provide expanded capabilities for computing and working on the Apple OS and platform.

Document History. This document was first posted on 20091026mo1618. Fetch and UpperBlip were added on 20091120fr1227.

Summary. Windows 7 is a significant improvement over previous versions of Windows. However, when upgrading from Microsoft Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7, you’ll soon discover that all of your email messages are missing as a result of the migration. This page explains how to recover your email messages using Mozilla Thunderbird and a special Thunderbird Windows Mail import and export utility available from Nic-Nac-Project.de as a free download. The step-by-step instructions are found at the bottom of this page, following some general information about email clients and why Windows no longer includes one. There is also information about best practices for upgrading to Windows 7. If you’ve not yet upgraded to Windows 7, it would be wise to install Thunderbird first and import your information before the Windows based mail programs are removed. Exporting your address book from Outlook Express or Windows Mail would be a good idea also. More about Windows 7 can be found on Microsoft’s What Is Windows 7 page.

Missing Mail Client Program. Windows 7, like previous releases of Windows, eliminates features that were included in previous versions. For many years, Windows has included email software such as Outlook Express or most recently Windows Mail with Vista as an email client. Windows 7 doesn’t include an email client. This isn’t the first time a software upgrade resulted in lost functionality. Windows 95 included Fax capabilities as part of the installation, but Windows 98 did not. Microsoft Office 2003 lacked utilities and functionality available in previous versions. When Microsoft adds and later removes features from their products, it appears they are making an effort to avoid antitrust action.

Benefits of Email Client Software. Many people use web-based email services such as Google, Hotmail, and Yahoo. The benefit to web-based email services (not using an email client) is that your entire collection of emails are easily accessible from any computer. You don’t need to worry about losing your e-mail if your computer crashes. Also, it’s one less program to install when you upgrade from one computer to another. However, despite the advantages of using only web-based email services, many people choose to use email client programs such as Thunderbird, Outlook, or Apple Mail for the reasons and benefits listed below. It’s also possible to use both systems (client and web-based) simultaneously through IMAP configuration (or POP). Here are some of the advantages to using an email client instead of (or in addition to) your web-based email.

• Archive. Online email services allow some archiving. However, mailboxes can quickly fill-up if messages contain large attachments. Email client software allows you to store many years worth of emails on your computer and quickly search, sort, and export based on a variety of criteria.
• Consolidation. Email clients can help with the consolidation of schedule, contacts, tasks, and other information. Programs such as Outlook help organize schedule, contacts, and emails all in one system. In Apple computers, the Address, Mail, and Calendar programs work together.
• Features. Email client programs typically offer a more diverse set of features and formatting controls, email rules, signatures, and spam filtering.
• Multiple Accounts. Online email services are primarily for accessing email from a single account, though some offer the ability to check other accounts.
• Off-line Access. Online email services require an Internet connection. Perhaps the biggest reason for using an email client is the ability to read and compose email while not connected to the Internet – such as during air flight, riding in a car, or traveling in a remote area.

Windows 7 Upgrade. Assuming you have an existing copy of Windows Vista that is stable and problem free, the best upgrade path to Windows 7 is probably to purchase the $120 Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade DVD. This will retain your programs, settings, and user data.

Windows 7 Clean Installation. If you have several days of free time, there may be a benefit to performing a clean installation of Windows 7. This will required reinstalling and configuring all software programs, as well as drivers for printers and other accessories. For users with only a few data files, who need only Word Processing and Internet access, a clean installation is fairly easy. For users who have numerous programs and hardware devices, and gigabytes of photos, music, and videos, a clean installation will be quite time consuming.

Importing Windows Mail Messages. Below are instructions for importing Windows Mail messages into Thunderbird.

1. Download and configure Mozilla Thunderbird.
2. Download the Nic-Nac-Project import export plug-in for Thunderbird.
3. In Thunderbird, go in Tools > Addons (or Extensions) and click on Install, then pick the xpi file you downloaded and follow the instructions. Restart Thunderbird.
4. Before importing, you’ll need to configure at least one email account in Thunderbird.
5. From the Tools menu find Import / Export Tools. The Import options include the ability to import all the eml files (email message files) from a certain directory, including the subfolders in that directory. Choose to do this, and navigate to Users > Yourname > Application Data > Microsoft > Windows Mail. Or, alternatively, you could probably just click on your user folder and allow the import to search for any email files in your user account. This may result in importing from multiple programs if you had previously used Outlook Express and then later began using Windows Mail.
6. After importing, a folder structure will be added under the Inbox of the Thunderbird account you created. You may need to review the emails that were imported. There may be some email messages with no date, subject, sender, or contents. Delete these or any other messages you don’t need.

Windows Live Essentials Mail. As an alternative to Thunderbird, some users may prefer the free Windows Live Mail email program bundled with Windows Live Essentials from Microsoft.

Document History. This document was originally posted on 20091101su2300. It was revised and republished on 20091120fr0900.

Summary. Dropbox is a service that creates an online live synchronized storage space for data files and also works like a realtime backup service. The client software works on Apple, Linux, and Windows computers to keep a synchronized folder on your desktop computer. Their service and software are free for those needing 2GB or less of storage.

About. The following information from the Dropbox website offers a brief introduction to the company.

Dropbox was founded by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi in 2007, and received seed funding from Y Combinator. Today, Dropbox is well-funded by Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, and Amidzad. Since launching publicly in September of 2008, we’ve attracted over three million users and are growing rapidly. We’ve been featured in the New York Times and on TechCrunch, and have won awards from places like PC Magazine and CNET.

Business Model. The Dropbox business model and pricing is philanthropical and similar to other companies such as Google and Pagelines who offer a solid, usable, stable, secure solution that serves the needs of most people. Those who need more advanced support and features can pay for them.

Review. The Dropbox software and service are easy to use, elegantly designed, and economical.

Summary. It is sometimes necessary to login as root to an Apple computer. For example, if for some reason you are not able to delete a file and are told you don’t have sufficient privileges, and if force empty trash doesn’t work (holding option key while emptying trash), you can usually perform such tasks as root. Another example would be on a computer shared by multiple users if an administrator needs to delete a huge user file that has filled up the entire hard drive causing the system to be unusable by the other users.

Directions. Below are instructions on how to enable the root user. You should probably disabled it after you are done.

1. Open the Directory Utility
   1. For OS X 10.5 Leopard it is found in the Utilities folder inside the Applications folder.
   2. For OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard it is found in the System > Library > Core Services folder.
2. Click the lock to make changes
3. Enter your password to continue
4. From the Edit menu, choose Enable Root User
5. Enter a new password for the Root User account
6. Confirm the password by entering it a second time, then click the OK button
7. Close the Directory Utility and log out of your user account
8. At the login screen, click the picture for Other user
9. Type the username root with the password you created in step #5 above

The root account should only be used when absolutely necessary, and when you know exactly what you’re doing. Once you are finished, follow the above steps to disable the Root User account in step #4.

Page History. This page was originally posted here on 20081209at1535. It was updated on 20091117tu1830 to include information about Snow Leopard.

Summary. The Microsoft LifeCam Cinema is possibly the best camera available for video communications and chat with programs such as Windows Live Messenger, Skype, Google Chat, or Yahoo Chat. This is due to the quality of the glass lens and the high resolution of the camera making it capable of high definition video (720p).

At a retail price of about $80 and discounted pricing at about $55, the camera is a good value. Because it’s from Microsoft, there’s less concern about Windows compatibility. [Buy]

Summary. Dell has announced the new Adamo XPS 13 notebook with an array of features.

• Design. To achieve the Adamo XPS’s 9.99mm1 thinness, Adamo engineers refined the traditional laptop design by cleverly relocating key components and fitting the keyboard inside the reinforced display when closed.
• Display. The Adamo XPS’s innovative design provides strength to the 13.4-inch widescreen 16:9 HD display and gives the laptop a solid feel in spite of its thinness.
• Battery. Advanced lithium ion polymer technology invites you to enjoy up to 5 hours 17 minutes2 with optional 40 WHr extended battery. And when that runs out, you can easily swap out batteries while in sleep mode without turning off the system.
• Touch Activated Enclosure. It all starts with a simple swipe of your finger over the capacitive latch release. Blue lights indicate your Adamo XPS is open.
• Location Awareness. Connect to any network and your Adamo XPS knows where you are, providing you with location-specific content through a special Windows®  7 gadget.
• Wireless. Stay in touch with the world around you even when on the go using Intel®  Ultimate N WiFi Link 5300 (802.11a/g/n) Half Mini Card, a DellTM  Bluetooth®  2.1 adapter and the integrated 2.0MP webcam.
• Power. Powered by the 1.4GHz Intel®  CoreTM 2 Duo ultra-low-voltage processor and with 4GB of RAM3, the Adamo XPS performs at an exceptional level.

Summary. The default startup image for newer Apple computers is the galaxy desktop photo, even if you’ve changed your desktop image to something else. This page explains how to change the startup picture.

Solution. To select a different startup image, follow these steps.

1. Navigate to the Hard Drive > System > Library > Core Services folder and find the DefaultDesktop.jpg file.
2. Right click on the file (or control click) and choose to copy the file. Then right click (or control click) on the desktop and paste it there (Paste Item). This will be your backup of the file.
3. Find a high quality image to replace it with. Choose a high resolution image that is equal to (or similar to) your computer’s maximum display resolution. For example, a PowerBook connected to a 24 inch display would have 1920 x 1200 resolution. A 5 megapixel photo or higher would be adequate.
4. Once you’ve decided on a startup image, copy it, and then rename the copy to DefaultDesktop.jpg and move it to the Hard Drive > System > Library > Core Services folder. When asked if you would like to overwrite the existing file, choose yes. You may need to authenticate with your name and password to overwrite that file. For more information, read the Wikipedia page on video resolution.

When you restart your computer, the new image should be visible.

Summary. Moments ago, Google announced via email to their customers of online storage that the storage capacity has been increased significantly. For example, someone paying $20 per year for 10GB of storage would now get 80GB of storage for the same price.

Industry Impact. As Google raises the watermark for storage while decreasing prices, this will presumably help reduce fees for other online storage providers.

The content below is from the email notice and these Google pages:

• Purchase Additional Storage
• Twice the Storage for a Quarter the Price
• Upgrading Storage: How it Works
• Upgrading Storage: Improved Storage Prices

Email Announcement

Subject: Google storage update: More space for your photos and email

Hi,

We wanted to let you know about some exciting changes to your Google paid storage plan. While storage costs have dropped naturally in the past few years, we’ve also been working hard to improve our infrastructure to reduce your costs even further. On Tuesday, November 10th, we increased the size of each of our tiers to make storage even more affordable and accessible. For the same $20.00 per year, you’ll now get 80 GB, 8 times as much storage as before. Your current plan will be automatically upgraded and your new quota will automatically show up in your account in the next 24 hours.

We hope you’ll like the extra space, but if it’s more than you need you can always change your storage plan or renewal preferences for next year in your Google account settings: www.google.com/accounts/purchasestorage. Feel free to visit our Help Center for more information.

Thanks,

The Google storage team

Twice the storage for a quarter of the price [source]

11/10/2009 06:17:00 PM

People today have more personal data online than ever before. More and more people are starting to move the bulk of their data off the desktop and into servers “in the cloud,” where it’s accessible from any computer or mobile device and easily shareable with friends and family. At the same time, digital photo technology is making it easier and cheaper than ever to take a lot of pictures, and client software like Picasa 3.5 makes it easier than ever to move photos from your camera to the cloud. That’s why we’ve always given you lots of free storage in products like Picasa Web Albums and Gmail, and why for the past two years we’ve offered additional storage you can purchase if you need even more space.

While the cost of hard drive storage has continued to drop in these two years, we’ve also been working hard to improve our infrastructure to reduce your costs even further. Today we’re dramatically lowering our prices to make extra storage even more affordable. You can now buy 20 GB for only $5 a year — that’s twice as much storage for a quarter of the old price, and enough space for more than 10,000 full resolution pictures taken with a five megapixel camera. Since most people have less than 10 GB of photos, chances are you can now save all your memories online for a year for the cost of a triple mocha. If you need more than 20 GB, plans range all the way up to 16 TB, which is enough room for 8 million full resolution photos! And Google paid storage offers an extra level of security, protection and accessibility that you can’t get with an external drive — at a similar cost per gigabyte.

As always, extra storage acts as an overflow that you only start using when you reach the limit of your free storage, and people who have extra storage will be automatically upgraded. So if you need more space for thousands of photos of your toddler, or if you’re running out of room in your overflowing inbox, visit www.google.com/accounts/PurchaseStorage to see all the plans and to buy more storage.

Posted by Elvin Lee, Software Engineer

Upgrading Storage: How it Works [source]

Google offers a way to purchase more storage space when you run out of free storage space in Gmail, Picasa Web Albums and Blogger (for photos). You can check your current storage usage or purchase additional storage at any time.

Free storage. Free storage space is specific to each product. Picasa Web Albums offers 1 GB of storage for photos and videos only. Gmail provides 7+ GB (and counting) which is reserved just for Gmail messages. Free storage from one product cannot be used by or transferred to another product. All photos posted to Blogger are included in the 1 GB of free storage allotted to Picasa Web Albums.

Paid Storage. When you run out of free storage for any product, you can purchase additional storage that is shared between products. This shared storage can be used for Picasa Web Albums uploads, Gmail messages or a mix of both – it will be used by any product that’s over its free storage quota on a first-come, first-served basis. Choose from the following storage plans:

• 20 GB – $5/yr
• 80 GB – $20/yr
• 200 GB – $50/yr
• 400 GB – $100/yr
• 1 TB – $256/yr
• 2 TB – $512/yr
• 4 TB – $1024/yr
• 8 TB – $2048/yr
• 16 TB – $4096/yr

Please note that 1 TB equals 1024 GB.

Google storage purchases are non-refundable. You can upgrade storage plans for the pro-rated difference at any time. The Google storage you purchase is yours for the full year, at which time the plan will auto-renew based on your preference. Paid storage for one Google Account cannot be transferred to a different account. Learn more about Google storage refunds, renewals and cancellations.

It’s normal to experience a delay of up to 24 hours before purchased storage is added to your account. See our storage troubleshooting steps for more information.

On November 10, 2009, Google made changes to both the storage tiers and pricing we offer. If you purchased storage under the previous storage plan, learn more about what this means for you.

Upgrading Storage: Improved Storage Prices [source]

Google has offered people the option to purchase additional storage for photos and email for over two years, and we’ve recently dramatically lowered our prices to make this storage even more affordable. As of November 10, 2009, there are several more storage tiers to choose from, including 20GB of storage for only $5 a year.

If you purchased storage before November 10, 2009:

• Your total storage will be increased according to the table below at no extra cost. For example, if you had previously purchased 10 GB of Google storage, you now have 80 GB available.
• Your plan renewal date will not change. It will renew based on your preferences one year from your previous purchase date. Unless you manually adjust your plan, you’ll be renewed for the new storage amount at the new cost as shown below.

If you purchased your storage within 30 days of this change – between October 10, 2009 and November 10, 2009 – you can contact us to request a downgrade in your plan and/or a refund of the price difference.

Summary. This page offers general information about 4th Dimension database software and basic installation instructions for the 4D v11 SQL database server application software. In addition to links on the main 4D website, other resources are also available including the 4D Partner Central support site, the 4D Partners website for finding 4D support providers, and the 4D Knowledge-base. There is also a 4D page on Wikipedia with more information. A 4D Documents page is also available on the 4D website.

Server Installation. Here are the basic instructions for installing the 4D Server software on an Apple computer as a server.

1. From the 4D Download Page, download the 4D pack containing the software suite of applications.
2. Double click on the disk image (DMG) file and agree to the license to open the disk image and view the contents.
3. Create a 4D folder in your Applications folder and copy all contents of the disk image (495.7MB of files) into the 4D folder. Eject the disk image.
4. Run 4D Server for the first time and choose Activate when asked to Activate, Evaluate, or Purchase (assuming you have already purchased). Agree to the license (again). Choose Instant Activation (Deferred and Emergency are other options). You will need to use your 4D Account login of email and password. Then provide your Product Number (Product ID). When complete, click on the Go to 4D button.
5. Use the 4D Server program to open your structure file. A conversion of your data may be necessary.

4D Database Conversion. If you are upgrading from a previous version of 4D, when starting 4D Server the conversion process will automatically begin. It is suggested that  you check your database with the 4D Tools for your current version before upgrading to the new version.