PC/IE vs Mac/Safari -- looking for advice

This may be a really dumb question. I'm asking anyway.
For some reason, now that I'm beginning to use style sheets for everything (not just text), the issues of platform/browser differences seem more noticeable, less controllable. Is working with tables more forgiving? Or is this just a typical learning curve situation? I don't know.
I work on a Mac. I include reviews in Windows/IE.
I'd appreciate a recommendation on the most practical approach to dealing with the major visual differences that occur in 2 environments. Given that I mostly develop small- to modest-sized websites:
Should I continue to use a single style sheet that covers both environments?
With CSS, do I have to be more aware of issues and more informed about ways to resolve them (specifically with regard to IE)?
Is there an alternative approach I should think about (browser detection and separate style sheets -- no idea even if this is feasible)?

Start your projects with a pre-built CSS layout that has been tested to perform well in all browsers. CSS divisions do not behave like tables.
My personal favorites (not free) are the CSS Templates or Page Packs from Project Seven. If you do much development, CSS Layout Magic is a good tool to use within DW and it will give you a running start on all your projects.
http://www.projectseven.com/products/
Rule of thumb, use valid code. Error free code gives the best cross browser results.
Code Validation Tools
CSS - http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/
HTML - http://validator.w3.org/
Get the Web Developer Toolbar for Firefox (a must have)
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60
Test pages in a standards compliant browser first (Chrome/Safari, Firefox, Opera). It's a good bet that if your pages work in one of the good browsers, it should hold up in most of them. Then test in IE. If necessary, use Conditional Comments to counteract IE's negative issues.
IE Conditional Comments -
http://www.quirksmode.org/css/condcom.html
Hope this helps,
Nancy O.
Alt-Web Design & Publishing
Web | Graphics | Print | Media Specialists
http://alt-web.com/
http://twitter.com/altweb

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Unfortunately, Safari cannot be updated past 5.1.10 on a Mac running v10.6.8.
So, the options are to upgrade to a newer OS X or use Firefox or Chrome.
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See if your Mac can run v10.9 Mavericks > OS X Mavericks: System Requirements
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Read prior to upgrading > Upgrading to 10.7 and above, don't forget Rosetta! | Apple Support Communities

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New at this and looking for advice

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Hi Jon,
I've also started investigating the qmaster.
I'm following this guide you posted on digitalrebellion :
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but I the 'options for selected service' is greyed out when I click on compressor.
I can selected the 'options for...' when I click on rendering, but it just allows me to add another computer (but my only choice is 'this computer'. I see the option for SSH, but if i'm logged into another computer, shouldn't I be able to see it in the list?
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I have the following at my disposal:
mac pro 2.66 (main machine)
imac 2.16
macbook pro 2.2
powermac g5 2.0
cheers,
Keebler

How can I 'force' my Macs to look for each other on the network?

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Thanks... if you need further information, just ask... - beck

If you are using Tiger, go to
Finder menu -> Go -> Connect to Server
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Once you have mounted the volume you to access, make an alias for it and place it in the Dock or on your Desktop. The next time you want to connect to that server, use the alias.

HT1338 My Mac keeps Looking for Networks? The ICON in menu when clicked shows the WI- FI (in gray) ON then goes to Looking for Network again. Shutting down the connection.

My MAC keeps looking for networks? The ICON in menu bar when clicked shows the WI-FI (in grey) it keeps shuting off and disconnecting. Any Ideas???

Test after taking each of the following steps. Back up all data before making any changes.
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Passing cursor record values to procedures - looking for advice

I frequently use cursors in my programs and need to pass the values from said cursor around in the program to other procedures/functions. I am looking for advice on the best or recommended way of doing this.
Currently the majority of my programs do something like this:
CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE BODY some_pkg AS
     CURSOR some_cursor IS
          SELECT t.col1,
                           t.col2,
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PROCEDURE sub_proc
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IS
BEGIN
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PROCEDURE main_process
IS
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BEGIN
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Can anyone provide some feedback on how I currently handle this situation vs. the alternatives?
Thanks

I am not sure what you need to do.
You can base records on cursors or tables using the %ROWTYPE operator.
Cursors can be defined in the package header and used elsewhere by using normal cursor functionality (untesed)
create or replace package my_package as
cursor my_cursor is
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      from dual;
my_procedure;
end my_package;
create or replace package body my_package as
procedure my_procedure is
my_record my_package.my_cursor%rowtype;
begin
    for r in my_package.my_cursor loop
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    end;
end my_procedure;
end my_package;
This can allow you to define the cursor in one place and reference it elsewhere.
Reference cursors are pointers to result sets. They reference actual datasets and can be passed between routines if defined in package headers. There is a little more overhead using reference cursors but they support dynamic sql if needed (it usually isn't). and you MUST carefully coordinate FETCH commands to receive the values the cursor is selecting (this is harder than it looks)(untested)
create or replace package my_package as
type my_refcur_type is sys_refcursor;
my_procedure;
end my_package;
create or replace package body my_package as
procedure my_procedure(p_refcur out my_package.my_refcur_type) is
begin
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end my_package;
--elsewhere
my_package.my_procedure(my_cursor);
fetch my_cursor into v_dummy;
Hope this helps

Powerbook Titanium user looking for advice on MacBook Pro

Hello, all,
After almost 10 years of faithful service, I'm afraid that my 15" TiBook is showing signs of age and may soon need replacing. For financial reasons, I can't spring for a brand-new, top-of-the-line MBP, and I was wondering if you had any advice about what I should look for in a reconditioned model from the AppleStore. Aside from basic functions like emails and web, I'd be using it primarily for the Adobe Creative Suite (no animation or any really heavy stuff) and for watching DVDs when away from home. How do you feel about the glossy screens, for example? On the French AppleStore, there are a couple of MBPs from early 2011, but I'd seen that there were concerns with the temperature/fan noises… I realize that almost anything I may buy now will be light years faster and more powerful than the 667 Mhz that I have now, but I'd like for the replacement machine to be as impervious to ageing as the PB has been.
Any and all advice would be most welcome.
Thanks for reading.

My suggestion since you prefer to maximize your computers lifespan is to get either the new:
1: High res, anti-glare 15" 2.2 Ghz or above
2: High res, anti-glare 17" 2.2 Ghz or above.
(The 13" MacBook Pro is integrated graphics, the 15" 2.0 has a dedicated graphics card that is as weak as the integrated graphics. Both are very poor choices for the long term.)
The two models I've mentioned have the top of the line i7 Quad cores that simply blow the dual cores away in every way possible. The 1GB Radeon 6750M GPU is a monster video card that will satisfy ANY need you have for a long time.
If your trying to save money and going for a used dual core i5, your doing yourself a great disservice because those machines are soon destined for the scrap heap.
I opted for the anti-glare because with a laptop it's a necessity unless you live in a basement or a cave.
The glossy forces you to seek dark locations to see the screen because it reflects dam near everything, even your face.
Some people say to get a aftermarket anti-glare film, but those are expensive, they dry out, peal and bubble, not very nice looking and need occassional replacement.
You will not give a flying ratts *ss four days later if you don't have a snazzy black bezel, your going to want to use the machine as intended in nearly any location. The matching case bezel is just wonderful and the new anti-glare (not ugly matte like before) screen is of a higher quality, looks fantastic being able to see every inch of the screen all the time.
You can do a Google image search for "Mac glossy anti-glare" and get hundreds of pictures for your decision making process.
The new machines are easily opened up to add more RAM or switch out the hard drive with a 00 micro-phillips screwdriver and a plastic compartmentalized holder to place the screws in order so the right ones go into the right holes. Won't void your warranty as long as you don't do any damage. Don't strip the screws.
Do get AppleCare and a good case, even a MacTruck.
Use the keyboard and trackpad as little as possible, use a wired or wireless instead to keep the wear off the machine.
Keep the keyboard area covered and away from food/liquids, it gets behind the keys easily and will fry it.
If you use the keyboard and trackpad, take off any jewelry and use a pad protector as you'll wear the case and 3 years from now it will look ugly as sin.
Snow Leopard is a great OS, Apple plans on major changes in the next one to make OS X look like a iPad, you might not like it. The grumbling has already started.
So get a Snow Leopard machine now with the iLife on the installer disks while you have a chance, a few weeks from now you might not have that option as all new machines will be forced into Lion.

New Mac user looking for help with Finder, Preview, Keyboard, & Dock

So about a month ago I switched over from a lifelong Windows user to a brand new MacBook Pro, and while I am adjusting pretty well, there are still some things that I haven't quite figured out.
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Next up is Preview. Again, I like the Windows Way and I like to be able to browse between the files in a folder while using Preview/Windows Photo Viewer. I know that there is a way to browse between files if you select the whole folder and stick it in Preview, but is there a way to achieve the same result without having to do that? An app or "extension" of some sort that adds arrows in to browse between photos? I've had no luck finding anything other than the aforementioned option. Is there a good free alternative to Preview that will function similarly with the browse between photos option?
One of my favorite things about my new Mac is the backlit keyboard function. My old laptop didn't have it and as someone who is online more often at night it is super helpful. But is there a way to turn it off during the day/in bright settings? A way to put it on a timer? In System Preferences I selected the option "Adjust keyboard brightness in low light", which I assumed to mean would have the keyboard NOT very bright when there IS light, but it continues to light up just the same. Any apps or extensions to help with this one?
And finally, the dock! This question is more about aesthetics than functionality but help is appreciated all the same. Currently, my dock looks like this: http://i42.tinypic.com/35ktxlz.png It is rather opaque and the indicator lights can barely be seen. However, in a lot of tutorial videos I've been watching, many people have docks that look like this: http://i.i.cbsi.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2011/07/19/Lion_LaunchPad.png It is a darker shade of gray, the divider is dashed rather than a straight line, and the indicator lights are clearly visible. Does anybody know how to get this look for the dock? I've looked in the dock preferences but there's not really anything in there other than magnification/size/effects.
That about sums things up! I'm sorry if any of these seem like "silly" questions but they are all things I have been unable to find answers for. Any and all tips, tricks, and help is appreciated! Thanks in advance for all your help!!

congratulations on coming over from the dark side.
Seems like you are interested in column view, which would show you the hierarchy of folders and files: Column View in Mac OS X Mountain Lion - For Dummies Not sure what's going on if your finder settings don't stay put. May be a corrupted preferences file, which is easy to fix, but is perhaps a topic for another discussion.
What I'd suggest is to have an open mind and try to see what the mac can do, rather than force it to look like your windows machine. I mean, if you just want it to look like windows, then why bother switching? If you give it a little time, you'll start to appreciate the mac way of doing things, and see how it is infinitely more awesome, powerful, creative, intuitive, and better designed (and the software way better written) than what you left behind. But that's your call.
There are some threads on this forum with complaints about the backlight. Keyboard backlight settings query...: Apple Support Communities Evidently it depends on the angle of the screen and the light sensor relative to the light. Some suggest that a SMC reset may help: Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) This is not an issue for me, I just adjust the brightness with the keyboard buttons if I want. Real men shift their own gears, drink their coffee black, and adjust their own keyboard brightness. I am not aware of any software to exert more control over this feature but a search of macupdate Download Apple Mac Software & iPhone Software : MacUpdate may help. I mean, it's up to you what is important. I can waste a lot of time playing around with the GUI and with unnecessary software, or I can just get my work (and play) done.
You might prefer the no-glass dock, that removes the shelf, and makes the indicator lights like more discrete orbs. You can do this with the terminal. Using the terminal is also, perhaps, a topic for another discussion.I like the 2D dock much better. If you want I'll give you some directions for how to do it. Otherwise, here's a reference: 2D Dock - MacRumors Forums

New to photoshop, looking for advice on creating a stencil design, can anyone explain how to do this

Heya,
So I'm hoping to get back into photoshop, my knowledge at the moment is pritty minimal, but i'm going to start learning how to use it again.
I'm new to this forum and don't intend to come on here often for advice but i hope that someone would be kind enough to point me in the direction that i'm looking for, i would be very grateful.
Firstly, i haven't yet decided which adobe photoshop product is best suited for what i'm looking for and i aim to go and explore the trials first to find out.
I'm looking to create designs with software that doesn't really have any limits in terms of creating designs.
I was wondering if someone could give me some links to a tutorial or something that explains how to create the stencilling effect in the image that is seen as a tree with a cityscape in the background, and possibly the other effects seen on the t-shirt. I know it might be a lot to ask but it would really mean a lot if someone could explain how you create effects like this.
Here's the image:http://www.gifts.com/products/Kohls/Mudd-Tree-Tee?p=6886:1945256129:35
I know that the image is small, it was the best i could currently find, i hope that you can still see it well enough.
Thank you in advance
I really appreciate it!!

First you may want to google »photoshop tutorial distresssed«.
As for combining images like that a combination of Blend If-settings (one can split the handles by alt-click-dragging them)), Layer Groups set to Blend Modes other than Pass Through and Grtadient Maps may be employed to maintain high editability.
One could also just use the images as Layer Masks for Solid Color Layers (and use Levels or Curves to get the intended contrast), though.

New System Build For Premiere 5.5 Looking For Advice

Hi there, this is my first time on here and it looks like this is the best place for advice.
So I've been tasked to build a new computer for a client for Premiere 5.5. He's running a very basic studio setup and his main complaint is how it takes
such a long time to render video. He told me it takes him about 6 hours to render a 40 minute sequence to MPEG2 standard(this is what he mostly renders as). I did some playing around and it turns out that his current system is relatively good but it uses a HD 6990 as its GPU(which can't even take advantage of Premier's hardware rendering capability!)
Now initially I was going to go the all SSD route with a a budget of about $2500 or so. However, after doing some reading on here, I've decided that this
isn't necessarily the best way. So I will only run the OS of an SSD. Here is what I have so far:
PROCESSOR:
Intel Core i7-2600K Quad-Core Socket LGA1155, 3.40Ghz, 8MB L3 Cache
(I will overclock this as much as possilbe with the Noctua cooler)
MOTHERBOARD:
Asus P8Z68-V Pro Socket 1155 Intel Z68 Chipset
RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series DDR3 1600MHz (PC3-12800) 16GB (4x4GB) Dual Channel Kit
VIDEO CARD:
EVGA GeForce GTX 570 HD Superclocked 1280MB GDDR5 (012-P3-1573-AR) nVidia GeForce GTX 570Chipset(797MHz) 1280MB GDDR5 Memory(3900MHz)
POWER SUPPLY:
OCZ ZX Series 1000W Fully Modular 80 Plus Gold Certified Power Supply (OCZ-ZX1000W)
HARD DRIVES:
OCZ Vertex 2 SATA II 2.5" 120GB Solid State Drive (OPERATING SYSTEM DISK)
Western Digital VelociRaptor (WD3000HLFS) 300GB SATA II 10000RPM 16MB x2 (Project Disk Run in RAID 0)
Western Digital VelociRaptor (WD3000HLFS) 300GB SATA II 10000RPM 16MB x2 (Output Disk Run in RAID 0)
CPU COOLER:
Noctua NH-D14 Six Heatpipe Dual Radiator CPU Cooler
OPTICAL DRIVE:
ASUS DRW-24B1ST Black SATA
Now if there are any suggestions, PLEASE let me know how I can improve this build. I really don't want to disappoint the guy, especially if he isn't going to get a great performance boost in terms of rendering time. Considering he can't use GPU acceleartion right now on his $600+ card, I would imagine this should be a better build.
Also, will there be a problem if I run four hard drives in RAID 0 mode using the motherboards onboard RAID capability?

Photomaster,
I think you are on the right track to speed up this guys system (2600k w/ OC, dual RAID 0) and I second Harm's comment about large 7200 drives being better than the prev. generation VR 300GB drives (HLFS series).
Be aware however that "rendering" does mean different things, and if you are thinking that MPE will increase AME rendering to MPEG2-DVD by 10x you will be very disappointed! Here is the rest of the story...
Timeline rendering, as benchmarked in PPBM5, will indeed speed up on the order of 10x with the addition of MPE using the appropriate nVidia hardware. PPBM5 is a test carefully constructed test that represents how long it takes for Adobe Premiere Pro to prepare (render) a timeline for playback. In actual use, your results will vary. Some timelines may only be sped up by 2x (i.e. very complex and/or using non-MPE effects, filters, etc.) to more than 1,000,000x faster for the case where a non-MPE system requires rendering, whereas the MPE system can play back the timeline without ANY rendering (i.e. simple SD timelines with MPE compliant effects).
Next, full timeline rendering and "exporting" from a Premiere Pro timeline to MPEG2-DVD format are both sped up, but more on the order of 2x. On my fast quad-core system, I'm getting about a 1.8x improvement from MPE assistance using the PPBM5 project for testing.
Finally, using Adobe Media Encoder (AME), and I can only speak for CS5, the MPE hardware does not even come into play and does not speed things up at all. On a positive note, Harm has reported that AME ver. 5.5 ran just over 2x as fast as ver 5.0.3; possibly the newer version is in fact tapping the MPE hardware for this gain?
Regards,
Jim

Mac Newbie looking for short answers to multiple questions...

My computer experience started with the Commodore 64 in the 1980's and progressed to building my own Core Duo PC with 4 GIG RAM running 64 bit Vista Ultimate and several flavors of Linux. My only Mac experiences happened when I visited my elderly parents, who insisted on only using Mac's, generally ancient Mac's that they bought on eBay.
I was not interested at all in Macs and found the GUI very confusing to use. All that changed when my dad showed me the Mac Mini he bought. Instead of the hulking, slow, underpowered behemoths he usually used, this little machine was amazing. I had to have one, and yesterday bought a Mac Mini with superdrive and 512 MB of RAM, along with Bluetooth wireless keyboard and mouse. This was amazingly easy to set up, just starting with all of the PC stuff I have lying around.
Now, I need some one-line opinions from people who use Mac's, nothing complicated, just opinions. I don't need help configuring this machine, I just want to know what I can do with it. I find most people enjoy giving opinions!
--Is it worth it to upgrade the RAM to 2 GB? I wanted to do that at the store yesterday, but the salesman said that the procedure was too complicated in a Mac Mini to do myself, and I wanted to take the computer home right way.
--I use Photoshop Elements 5. Is it worth it to get Photoshop Elements 4 for Mac, or does my machine come with imaging editing software that does the same thing, just as well?
--I use Quicken 2007. I read a couple of reviews of Quicken for Mac from unhappy customers. Any comments?
--Can I use my existing external USB 2 or Firewire drives with my Mac Mini, even though they are partitioned as FAT32 and have many backup files from PC's on them? Do Mac Mini's write to FAT32 like Linux does, or do I have to reformat the drives?
--I use Acronis True Image to backup & image my hard drives so I can restore them if disaster occurs (as it seems to, rather often). How do you image a hard drive with a Mac, and is it worth doing?
--Is it worth it to use antivirus software on a Mac?
--Does anyone have any experience using open source software like Open Office or GIMP on a Mac?
--Are there any decent flight simulators that work on a Mac?
Please don't flame me or tell me to read the manual. I am looking for opinions, not instructions. I am also not interested in running Windows software on my Mac - I have had mixed results trying to do this under Linux, and I also have plenty of Windows machines to operate Windows software. Remember, the more people like me who are interested in switching over to Mac's, the better and cheaper the platform should become. Thanks in advance!

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Glad you found your way to the Mac in the present incarnation of MacOS. Earlier flavors of it were perhaps somewhat less elegant, though I have always had a liking for the relative simplicity and the integration of features which tend to make some work more easily accomplished than on the PCs I have also used.
--Is it worth it to upgrade the RAM to 2 GB? I wanted to do that at the store yesterday, but the salesman said that the procedure was too complicated in a Mac Mini to do myself, and I wanted to take the computer home right way.
Yes, the memory upgrade is very worthwhile. A stock mac mini runs perfectly well, but when taking into account the RAM used by the on board video, and the possibility of using Rosetta if you're using any non-native software, 512Mb is really not enough for smooth operation. Indeed, you'll tend to get pauses which can become annoying, particularly if you want to run multiple applications.
The salesman really should have pointed out that while the procedure to upgrade RAM isn't really all that difficult, the mini is not intended to be opened by the user at all because there are no user serviceable parts inside. However, RAM is readily available from third party suppliers and with a little on-line research, is a fairly simple job to undertake. Two things to watch for: 1) that the memory comes from a supplier who will swap it without question, because Macs are rather more fussy about RAM than PCs tend to be, and 2), when completing the memory upgrade, ensure you reconnect the tiny fan control cable - failing to do so will leave the fan running at full blast all the time. It's an easy omission, and even the experts forget it sometimes!
--I use Photoshop Elements 5. Is it worth it to get Photoshop Elements 4 for Mac, or does my machine come with imaging editing software that does the same thing, just as well?
Depends on what kind of editing and image adjustment you generally do. The mini comes with iLife, which includes iPhoto, which has all the usual array of adjustment tools for brightness, contrast, color balance etc, plus a useful one for tilting images to straighten them if taken at an angle, but it doesn't include the filters and effects of a true image editing application. Photoshop Elements on the other hand is feature rich and easy to use, though at a cost. Personally, I don't like iPhoto much and use Photoshop Elements, though there is also a truly excellent shareware application called GraphicConverter, which started life as a tool to convert images from one format to another (hence the name) but is now a very feature-rich image processor in it's own right. Worth a look and can be tried out for free. Have a look at http://www.lemkesoft.com/xd/public/content/index.cGlkPTE5Mw.html
--I use Quicken 2007. I read a couple of reviews of Quicken for Mac from unhappy customers. Any comments?
No experience of this personally, but I'd check those reviews and any others you can find to see what it is the writers liked or didn't like about using the software, and see if that helps you. There are always unhappy customers though, so reviews in magazines may be more objective.
--Can I use my existing external USB 2 or Firewire drives with my Mac Mini, even though they are partitioned as FAT32 and have many backup files from PC's on them? Do Mac Mini's write to FAT32 like Linux does, or do I have to reformat the drives?
You can use your FAT32 formatted drives with the Mac though you are limited to files of 4Gb maximum.
--I use Acronis True Image to backup & image my hard drives so I can restore them if disaster occurs (as it seems to, rather often). How do you image a hard drive with a Mac, and is it worth doing?
It IS worth doing, yes. I use SuperDuper! which is first rate and free for making complete duplicates of a drive, or $29 for the paid/registered version to allow incremental backups. Works like a charm. If you use a drive partitioned in the GUID scheme (as the mini's internal is) you can even then set that drive, and the cloned copy of your system to boot the mini.
--Is it worth it to use antivirus software on a Mac?
Personally I'd say yes. ClamXav is open source (thus free) and reliable, has a marginal hit on CPU load and helps ensure you don't inadvertently pass on infections (it can also spot types of malware such as phishing scames). As yet, however, there are no known viruses/worms/trojans that affect MacOS, so it isn't critical at this time. However at some point it is likely there will be - in my view it's better to be prepared than to be left to react at the time.
--Does anyone have any experience using open source software like Open Office or GIMP on a Mac?
Yes. Like all open source projects, there are some good and some bad, but by and large the open source community for MacOS based systems is active and effective. Both Open Office and Gimp work well for example.
--Are there any decent flight simulators that work on a Mac?
X-Plane springs to mind.
There really are very few people you'll find in Apple Discussions who would flame you for asking such questions. Indeed, answering such things is one of the prime reasons we're here, and while there's always value in reading the manuals, it must also be said that in many ways getting useful information out of them means you have to know enough already to be able to work out what information you need from all the stuff available. Questions are easier to ask and pertinent information easier to give as a result!

Web Based Messageboard (JSP, XML, XSLT) - Just Looking For Advice Please!

I have a general question - I am not looking for any code, just some advice if possible. I am studying on a Masters course and I have been given an assignment to do which I am having difficult getting started. I have worked a lot with Java up until now, however this is the first time I have had to JSP on my course.
My current assignment is that I am required to create a simple web based message board, using JSP and XML, which allows users to post messages to the board, and also to reply to messages. The content of the message board is stored in an XML file, and there is no database involved. The message data needs to be formatted for viewing in a browser using XSL transformations.
I am stuck as to how to go about starting the project, and this is all I am asking for advice in. I have created the basic XML file which has some preliminary data stored within it, and I have created an XSL stylesheet to transform this data, however I am stuck with the JSP. Do I need to create a seperate JSP page for each page of the website? How does this link in with the XSLT?
I would welcome and really appreciate any advice, but I stress that I am not looking for anyone to give me any code or anything like that.
Thanks.

You can use XSLT to convert XML to HTML. Then include this HTML in your JSP. Further on you've a plain HTML form with an input field for a message which you submit to a servlet. In the servlet validate/convert/whatever this message and add it to the XML file and then forward/redirect the request back to the JSP.

Looking for advice on small office use ...

I'm looking for options to share our photo library in a small office environment. Essentially we have a single person (ie, our photographer) who is responsible for maintaining our program's photo library. What we're looking for is a way for him to very easily "publish" the photos which would allow other staff in our environment to quickly find and use images when necessary. We're a pure mac environment, although our photographer is currently a bridge / CS3 user (ie, not Aperture). I'm an experience Aperture user at home, and I'm trying to see if it could be used in a shared environment.
If not - does anyone have any suggestions ?
Thanks,
Paul

Tell us about your "shared environment." I assume the various Macs are connected via a local network. Do you have a dedicated server? (A mac that is used to store files and is always on - that all other macs can access via cable or wireless.)
If so, it seems that Aperture may be the wrong app for this. Since "everyone else" just needs to access pictures that the photographer has adjusted (using AP), what you need is software that accesses a "library" of image files. I'm thinking of something like the old iViewMedia Pro (now MS Expression Media, yes it's available for the Mac). So, basically you need a good DAM (digital asset management) app for everyone to use.
What I envision is this (not sure if this is the workflow you are thinking about) - photog processes RAW or other image formats in AP and exports adjusted images to jpg or tiff. These are then stored in some folder hierarchy. "The DAM Book" discusses a strategy for this - folders in the
<year>
<month>
<day>
hierarchy, but you can use some other organization like
<year>
<subject>
Once the photog has processed the images and exported the final products, you import each new batch of images into each of the DAM software on each Mac. This software should be able to read metadata like keywords (you'd have to be sure the AP exported image files have XMP sidecar files or DNG files with embedded metadata that includes keywords - keywords are the important data you really need for everyone to use when searching for images). Unfortunately, DNG is still not well supported in AP, it's better handled in Lightroom. However, others here may want to add some ideas. I believe you can add some metadata like keywords directly inside other image file formats (tiff, jpg??). Don't know if AP handles this.
At any rate, look into Expression media or something similar that others here might suggest.

Looking for advice on photo software

I am a recent 'switcher'. After using a PC for almost 25 years, I recently bought an iMac and couldn't be happier with the switch.
Here's my problem: I currently have about 2,000 photos on my iMac and iPhoto has been awesome up until now for handling my photo needs. However, my family has recently gathered ALL of our old family photos and are passing them from one relative to another to copy, make prints or whatever they want to do. I plan on scanning most of them into my iMac. I realize that I'm going to have more photos than iPhoto is made to handle and I'm looking for Mac software capable of organizing these photos.
For background, I own a Canon PowerShot 75 (point-and-shoot) digital camera and usually only take pictures while on vacation or at family gatherings. I am NOT a power user in photography. I rarely edit photos. I NEVER use RAW format and probably never will. Basically, I'm just looking for Mac-capable software capable of organizing and letting me find photos out of thousands of photos. I am willing to buy whatever I need but don't know which way to go. I've looked at Aperture and don't know if it's what I need or not. Something else?

However, my family has recently gathered ALL of our old family photos and are passing them from one relative to another to copy, make prints or whatever they want to do. I plan on scanning most of them into my iMac. I realize that I'm going to have more photos than iPhoto is made to handle...
Is that more than 250,000 photos? Because that's what iPhoto's made to manage. And once you hit that you still have the possibility of additional libraries.
All of this:
I own a Canon PowerShot 75 (point-and-shoot) digital camera and usually only take pictures while on vacation or at family gatherings. I am NOT a power user in photography. I rarely edit photos. I NEVER use RAW format and probably never will. Basically, I'm just looking for Mac-capable software capable of organizing and letting me find photos out of thousands of photos.
points me to recommend iPhoto. Aperture is geared to RAW shooters.
For a point of reference: I have 22k photos in my main library, and I can find any I need in seconds. The key is using Keywords:
I use Events simply as big buckets of Photos: Spring 08, July - Nov 06 are typical Events in my Library. I use keywords and Smart Albums exensively. I title the pics broadly.
I keyword on a
Who
What
Where basis (The When is in the photos's Exif metadata). I also rate the pics on a 1 - 5 star basis.
Using this system I can find pretty much find any pic in my 20k library in a couple of seconds.
So, for example, I have a batch of pics titled 'Seattle 08' and a typical keywording might include: John, Anne, Landscape, mountain, trees, snow. With a rating included it's so very easy to find the best pics we took at Mount Rainier.
File -> New Smart Album
set it to 'All"
title contains Seattle
keyword is mountain
keyword is snow
rating is 5 stars
Or, want a chronological album of John from birth to today?
New Smart Album
Keyword is John
Set the View options to Sort By Date Ascending
Want only the best pics?
add Rating is greater than 4 stars
The best thing about this system is that it's dynamic. If I add 50 more pics of John to the Library tomorrow, as I keyword and rate them they are added to the Smart Album.
Keywording takes time to set up, there's no doubt about it. I use Keyword Manager as it's much more powerful than the inbuilt system, and adds the possibility of nested keywords. So, for instance, if I add John to a photo it also adds 'Family'. Now I can add many keywords to a pic quickly.
In the end, organisation is about finding the pics. The point is to make locating that pic or batch of pics findable fast. This system works for me.
Regards
TD

PC/IE vs Mac/Safari -- looking for advice

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