By Gary Kirchherr
I'm back.
Actually, I never left. But the last two months I've been too preoccupied with other work-related duties, including writing The Sentinel's new Web page, to devote time to this column. But the trade-off was worth it. If you haven't yet called up www.sentinelnet.com, I encourage you to do so.
Since my last column I've updated my own Macintosh computers' system software. Whoop-dee-doo, right? Well, USA Today and CNBC went ga-ga over Windows 95, so I believe that I'm entitled to sing the praises of System 7.5.3.
Back in the days of System 6 and earlier, that third number in the system name didn't mean much. But System 7.5.3 has many significant changes and improvements from previous incarnations of System 7.5.
The most talked-about addition is Open Transport 1.1, the latest version of the Macintosh's all-new networking software and the first that's bug-free enough to be taken seriously. Open Transport's networking also extends to Internet connections, and my experience has been that Open Transport does indeed seem to offer speed advantages over "classic networking" (Apple's term, not mine). But Open Transport also doesn't get along well with some older networking software. I had to revert to classic networking on my computer at work when it became apparent that Open Transport and AppleShare 3 don't get along too well.
Another drawback of Open Transport for some people is the hefty RAM requirements. On my computer, it gobbles up about 640K, or almost two-thirds a meg. Obviously, if you still have just the four megs that came with your Performa 400-series Mac, using Open Transport could be a problem.
Another highly touted improvement to the system software is the Finder. No, we Mac users still can't copy files in the background like those oh-so-lucky Windows folks, but at least we spend a lot less time waiting for the copying to finish.
The system is faster, and not just from the Finder fixes. If you have a Power Mac, you'll spend a lot less time twiddling your thumbs - more of System 7.5.3 is in native code.
Finally, from my perspective, I appreciate having in one place all the minor bug fixes that have been trickling out of Apple the last year or so. I don't just mean the minor revisions to seldom-used control panels - I'm also talking about printer drivers, especially LaserWriter 8.3.3. At last, desktop printing is a part of the standard system software!
Desktop printing creates printer icons for each of your printers and printing devices, allowing drag-and-drop printing by dragging a document to the appropriate printer icon. It also allows you to switch printers and printer drivers without using the Chooser. For those of us who switch frequently between printers and printer drivers, this feature is a godsend.
System 7.5.3 is available either as an add-on to the original System 7.5, or as a whole new OS. The add-on version was dubbed System 7.5 Update 2.0, and was available as a download or through Apple. The download is only for those who aren't expecting any important phone calls for a while; the "update" is 14 disks - twice the number that holds the original System 7.5! And the update can be installed only on top of the original System 7.5. So if you installed System 7.5 Update 1.0, be prepared to reinstall System 7.5 before the update.
A far better idea is ordering System 7.5 Update 2.0 on a compact disc from Apple by calling (800) 293-6617, extension 984. Apple has it on floppies, too, but the CD is far faster and less aggravation.
Your best bet, though, is to spend $100 for the shrinkwrapped System 7.5.3. The documentation and utility disks are a big help. And Apple has sweetened the deal by including in the new package its Internet Connection Kit. This includes every Net application you need to get online. The crown jewel is Netscape Navigator 2.0, which by itself would cost $50. The de facto Web-browser standard is a big improvement over its previous version, and something you'd willingly pay for anyway.
If you can't find the System 7.5.3 and Apple Internet Connection Kit bundle for $100, e-mail me and I'll tell you where to look.