Some advice before I spend my money

I`m planning on buying the MSI Radeon 9800 pro. I would like some feedback on that video card.
Is it good? how is its performance?
Any kind of information would be apreciated.
I would also like to know if it is true that it has the procesor of a 9800XT.
Thank you very much.

Here in Sweden the nVidia 6600 GT are starting to appear, so if I was you, I would wait a couple of weeks and let their price drop a little and maybe that card instead...
The first version of 6600 GT will be PCI-E followed a couple of weeks later by an AGP version if I'm correctly informed.
"NVIDIA has pioneered the development of mainstream PCI Express graphics adapters priced at $200 and with a performance of the RADEON 9800 XT."
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/geforce6600g-games_28.html
Read that and the page after that...

Similar Messages

Upgrading from 10.2.8 to 10.4.6. Need some advice before I begin.

I'm running a workgroup server, that handles an in-house web page, retrospect backup services, file sharing, and mail list handling through sendmail.
The Hardware: Dual 1.4 GhZ G4, Mirrored drive doors. 1.5 gigs of installed RAM. Presently running Mac OS X server, v10.2.8. I already have the latest version of Retrospect, v6.1.126. This has been running for several months now, with no problem.
I've been requested and required to upgrade this operating system to OS X server, version 10.4.6. I already have the duly licensed copy of the OS, and I've downloaded the OS X server combo updater for 10.4.6. (Yes, I know 10.4.7 is posted. )
My question: what "gotchas" should I be aware of before I begin? It looks as though user account info, file sharing, and the small web page will stay just fine, but I have concerns about sendmail. This needs to work with a minimal amount of grief. Sendmail on this system handles several mailing lists of considerable size, and it would rather painful to have to rebuild the entire thing. I don't think switching this duty to another application is an option.
Any help and answers would be appreciated, thank.

I did that a few month's ago now, and for the most part it wasn't a problem. I lost a little of the stored e-mails because of not backing up the drives properly but that was okay, they were just archives anyway.
As far as using sendmail, I don't know, as I went from Apple's MTA to Postfix with Mailman, which works wonderfully. But I would think if you just make sure to backup your sendmail config files and then copied them into the appropriate places on the new server you should be set... But again, I don't know how sendmail works

40ft x 10ft banner in photoshop..need some advice before printing

With this banner's size 40ft x 10ft (480in x 120in), is 62 PPI good enough to maintain the quality when printing? I'm afraid it will be blurry. This banner will be viewed about 20ft away or more... please need answer asap!! tq

According to these
Resolution for print viewing distance
http://www.digitalphotopro.com/images/stories/2011/dec/printing/12-lg.jpg
the resolution should be fine.

Questions Before I Spend Money

Hello all,
I'm thinking of buying a Mac Pro to replace this Windows box I have, but I have a few questions before I spend the money that aren't answered in the literature for the machine:
1. A second DVD burner is a $100 option (a rip off for a burner) so I'm thinking about adding my own. From what I've read here it seems you can do it, but I'm wondering, can I use a regular DVD burner (I have a few NEC burners I ordered from Newegg laying around - IDE of course) as a second drive? Do I have to do anything weird when mounting it due to the way the case is in the Mac Pro?
2. If I add a second DVD burner as I described above and a few SATA 150 drives I have laying around, do these void the warranty or my AppleCare?
3. Are there any serious issues with the Pros, like there was with iMac G5s overheating, MacBook Pro batteries blowing up, etc.?
12 PowerBook G4 1.33 GHz Mac OS X (10.4.8)

1. A second DVD burner is a $100 option (a rip off
for a burner) so I'm thinking about adding my own.
From what I've read here it seems you can do it,
but
I'm wondering, can I use a regular DVD burner (I
have
a few NEC burners I ordered from Newegg laying
around
- IDE of course) as a second drive? Do I have to
do
anything weird when mounting it due to the way the
case is in the Mac Pro?
It is very easy to mount a second DVD and the screws
are provided. The Sony DW-D150A that is provided is
really a clone of the NEC ND-4570A. See details
here:
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/article
s/intel/macpro/
2. If I add a second DVD burner as I described
above
and a few SATA 150 drives I have laying around, do
these void the warranty or my AppleCare?
This does not impact your Apple warranty at all.
3. Are there any serious issues with the Pros,
like
there was with iMac G5s overheating, MacBook Pro
batteries blowing up, etc.?
If you put four hard drives in it they may run warmer
than if only a few are installed. It only accepts
PCIe and not PCI. Memory for it can be more expensive
than other models.
That is about it.
Cool. From the way the case looked I wasn't sure mounting the drives would be as simple as in a regular PC case, and I obviously didn't want to void my AppleCare. Thanks for your help!

HT1311 i have american account but i just now have 0.61$ and i have another gift card from uk.i want to use it but itunes said i have to change my country and its not possible before i spend all my money.my question is how i can spend a 0.61$ ?

i have american account but i just now have 0.61$ and i have another gift card from uk.i want to use it but itunes said i have to change my country and its not possible before i spend all my money.my question is how i can spend a 0.61$ ?

If you are now in the UK then you can try contacting iTunes support and see if they can remove the balance from your account : http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact/ - click on Contact iTunes Store Support on the right-hand side of the page

Would love some advice on a new purchase . . .

I want to buy a new laptop. I currently have a 2001 PowerPC G4. 500MHz with 640 RAM. I'd love some advice on a new purchase. Sorry if this gets long-winded.
These are my desires:
(1) A serious upgrade in speed, into the Giga world. I work for a law firm, and I do a lot of research. Lexis-nexis seems to put a serious strain on my G4. I see some of the new models are over 2 gigs. I've read that 2 gigs is not 4x faster than 500Mhz, in the linear sense. Will going from 500 to 2 gigs nevertheless be substantially noticeable.
(2) More memory. In the near future, my employer is going to give its attorneys outside access to our email system and hard drive files. It would seem to me that I'll need to clear as much memory to make room for that. It look like most of the new models have a max space of 2 Ghz. That's more than 3 times the space i currently have. I'd like to think more memory will make my OS run more smoothly. If that's true, I wouldn't mind spending more money to get the biggest memory chip.
(3) I do a lot of word processing. I grew up on Macs (California girl), but I gave up on AppleWorks a couple years ago. I hated it. I purchased Word:Mac and have been very happy with it. Nevertheless, Word:Mac slows me down. Again, that seems to be consistent with the whole need for more speed and memory.
(4) I want wireless connectivity. I assume new Macs come with this capability (Airport?), but I'm not sure if I'll need an upgrade during the buying process. And I really have no idea how buying the airport hardware/software impacts my need what I have to but from my ISP (my cable company).
(5) The 15 inch seems like a nicer upgrade; 17 would be nicer, but I don't need it.
(6) I really don't want to spend more than $2500.00. But I'll spend a little more if it makes sense.
(7) Protection. I've read that Tiger is substantially safer than other OS's. That said, if someone could infect/corrupt/whatever my files (or access client files), that would be a disaster. I've read that Norton slows your down and is unecessary with Tiger.
There's a lot of pretty cool things Mac offers that I DON'T use. Like making movies or the isight stuff. I'm mainly a girl who is either writing, researching, emailing, or reading stuff online.
I'd love some advice. Some of the stuff I've read online has left me with too many questions.
Thanks!
Lindsay

(1) Comparing clock speeds isn't a good way to compare processors. That said, because of various architecture changes, the MBP is probably a solid 8-10 times faster than your G4 system.
(2) Definately max out the RAM. My advice is to get the stock, single 1GB stick from Apple, and then head over to Crucial and buy yourself another stick. It's fairly easy to install, and Apple gives you a step by step guide on the MBP manual. You could have Apple pop in another stick, but it'll cost you more than double what you'll pay by going with Crucial ($300 vs. $135)
(3) Office:Mac will work just fine on your MBP. It might be a little slow to open when you first boot up (6, 7, 8 bounces on the dock), but after that everything starts right up. It should make too much of a difference, but since Office is running through emulation the 2GB will help.
(4) The wirless in an MBP is the same as in every other computer: 802.11B/G compatible. It'll work with any router out there; no need to go out and buy an AirPort router from Apple if you already have one. Then again, at $200, I don't know that I'd ever buy an AirPort. A plain old Linksys for $50 should work just fine...assuming you even need a router.
(5) You said it. The 15" is nice, but the 17" is nicer. The 17" has a few other goodies (a few extra USB ports, a FireWire800 port, an extra FireWire400 port), but unless you have a ton of devices you're plugging in, or an external hard drive you're constantly reading from/writing to, they're a non-factor. If you wanna save some money, go with the 15"; if you wanna live a little, the 17".
(6) On the laptop itself, that shouldn't be a problem. You can get yourself a nice 15" with AppleCare for right around what you're looking to spend. Of course, depending on what addons and software you get (MS Office, a bag, mouse, etc.), you're probably looking at closer to $3000.
(7) You hit it right on the head. There's really not much you need to do. Turn on the firewall built into OS X; make sure your router is secure (MAC address filtering, strong pass code, WPA2 encryption); and make sure you change your passwords every so often (every month or two should be more than sufficient). While it's not entirely necessary, based on your line of work it, it would probably be wise to get yourself an external hard drive (HDD) onto which you can backup your files. A MyBook from Western Digital wouldn't be a bad idea. If you go with the 17", get the Pro edition for higher speeds with FireWire 800. If you go with the 15", get the Premium. And, to save some money, buy through Amazon.com
Some suggestions on what you should get to compliment your MBP:
The first is a nice bag to carry it in. I personally like Marware's black italian leather CEO Milano. But if you're not into leather or don't want to spend that kind of money (why money would be a problem when buying a $3000 computer, I don't know...), then check out Brenthaven. They have some quality bags with plenty of storage for all your gadgets and whatnot.
The second thing you needs is AppleCare. While I personally find it ridiculous that a person who just bought a $3000 computer doesn't get at least a years worth of tech support, AppleCare is well worth the money. It extends your tech over the phone tech support from 90 days to 3 years and your warranty from 1 year to 3.
Apple's tech support is second to none (and they actually speak english ), and the extended warranty is a must. The best part of all is being able to take your computer to the Genius Bar in an Apple store. There's nothing quite like being able to walk into a store and have a living, breathing person help you. No crappy music while your put on hold, no having follow directions over a phone... you just give your Mac to a genius and let them do all the work.
If for whatever reason you're unsure about getting AppleCare, you don't have to buy it right now. So long as you buy it and register your MBP within the initial warranty period (1 year), you're all set. So, feel free to try out AppleCare under your current warranty before you drop $300 or so on the extended AppleCare.
The final thing that I recommend you buy, especially if you plan on having this baby on your lap, is a cooler. That is, a laptop tray with fans to provide some extra cooling capacity. Your MBP (or any other laptop/portable, for that matter) sits on top of, or attaches to, the cooler and provides power to the fans via USB cable. I don't know that you'll be getting any burns if you use this thing on your lap without a cooler (or any kind of tray, for that matter), but it certainly isn't comfortable.
As for particular brands/models, I can't really give you one. These things are put out by a lot of smaller companies, and come in so many different variations that it's hard to keep track of. For example, the website I bought mine from no longer exists and I've yet to see anything else that quite resembles what I have. That's not to say these things aren't quality, but don't go looking for something from a name brand company. All I can say to do is search on Google or Froogle for laptop cooler. On the bright side, you'll find plenty of coolers to choose from and you'll have something totally unique.
Well, that covers the three musts. There other various things that you may or may not like...maybe a Marware protection pack or a mouse...but it's really a matter of preference from here on out. Personally, the only other thing I'm getting is a mouse. I've never been a fan of trackpads. I much prefer using a mouse, especially if I'm at a desk writing a paper or doing research. But that's just me...
Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck, and enjoy your MBP!
MBP: 17" Matte; 7200rpm 100GB HDD; 2gig RAM Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Editing a feature, advice before I go in?

Hi all,
I'm going in, editing a 90 min. feature from 25 hours of footage on Final Cut Studio, (latest non-universal binary release).
I have a Dual 2 Ghz G5 Tower, 20" aluminum apple display, ATI Radeon 9650 with 256 VRAM, and 2.5 gigs RAM, a 250 GB internal HD, plus a 160 GB LaCie Firewire Drive, M-Audio Studio Pro 4 monitors, and a Contour ShuttleXpress.
If necessary, I can spend a mere $500 for any tweaks/upgrades, (Final Cut Pro Keyboard? Others?)
Any advice before I go into this thing so I start it right?
Suggestions, encouragement?
All responses appreciated, (but please don't say get a Quad or a MBP or whatever, because I was lucky enough to get this equipment and even that was a stretch. Thanks!)

If you are truly editing SD, you don't list any sort of capture card. Exactly how are you planning on getting that footage into your system? Another issue is that the drives you have will not really support SD footage.
Are you doing the finishing, or just off-lining? If the former, you do not list a production monitor, or a beta deck of any sort.
So you are missing, at the very least, four necessary components. Or I'm missing something.
I too will second everyone's comments. First off, before you even boot up the machine, it's time to lay out all the tapes in a row and give them each a number. Box AND tape. Build yourself a tape/content database. This can be something as simple as a spiral notebook where you compile all the camera reports, sound reports, tape numbers etc-- or a full blown as an excel spreadsheet.
Then get hold of a copy of the script supervisor's book, and cross correlate scene and take numbers with your tape log.
You should be easily able to know exactly where any video clip is residing on what tape, and be able to pull it off the shelf immediately.
Establish a project backup strategy and back up the project every night. I keep a little portable zip drive and cart to copy my folder of projects, and take it home every night.
Make sure you have enough shelf space to get all those tapes up off the floor into some sort of logical order. A clean cutting room is a joy to work in. Take the last half hour of your workday to leave the cutting room every night (WHENEVER that might be) in such a state that another editor can walk in tomorrow and pick up right where you left off. You might get hit by a bus or car. I know it sounds morbid, but that actually happened to me back in 1988. I was in the hospital for 10 weeks, and the show went on just fine without me. This will also make it a joy for you to step into every morning, even when you're at the "I'm going to strangle this @&$$&)* director!" phase.
If you're lucky enough that they hire you an assistant, let him or her have a crack at roughing in a scene or two. Don't let that person just do all the grunt work. A happy assistant = a happy cutting room.
Get some plants into your cutting room, they absorb some of that raditaion coming out of the monitors, and will make you feel better-- you're not the only living thing in there. Allow for some daylight when you're not color correcting-- that'll make you feel better too. Have a client table with a monitor on it. Being crowded at the edit desk can make one pretty squirrelly and testy. Keep your personal space clear.
Above all, have fun. This is supposed to be fun.

Some advice for newbie backup-ers?

Hello, I've just come across a few dollars to spend on a drive to backup my macbook pro. I am fairly new at this so would appreciate some advice.
I considered the 1T Time Capsule but looked at some reviews and too many people would not reccommend due to it failing after a year. Plus I think I could probably get a better Seagate drive for less money.
First question, can I still use time machine with a Seagate external hard drive? Or could I somehow use migration assistant with it - to save my hard drive as is on my external?
I've also read a little about cloning and downloaded carbon copy cloner to do this but am not sure how it works. Would I just save a clone on my external and then copy it over to my mac in the event I lost my data? Does this take a lot of time? Would that be quicker than time capsule?
Ohh so many questions I know. Its just all so overwhelming and I want to make the right choice. Basically Im after non-complicated, easy, one-click approaches to backing up - similar to how easy migration assistant is. But it would also be good to have the option of manually transporting important documents like assignments to a backup drive. Thanks for reading!
Message was edited by: girrrl

girrrl wrote:
I considered the 1T Time Capsule but looked at some reviews and too many people would not reccommend due to it failing after a year.
those early problems haven been ironed out. the newer models are quite reliable.
Plus I think I could probably get a better Seagate drive for less money.
consider a [refurbished|http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC343LL/A?mco=MTY5MTQ5Njc] unit.
First question, can I still use time machine with a Seagate external hard drive?
yes, if the drive is properly formatted. check out [this_|http://web.me.com/pondini/TimeMachine/2.html] user tip.
Or could I somehow use migration assistant with it
MA is for migrating data from one Mac to another.
I've also read a little about cloning and downloaded carbon copy cloner to do this but am not sure how it works. Would I just save a clone on my external and then copy it over to my mac in the event I lost my data?
you would clone your cloned system from the external back to your internal HD, yes.
Does this take a lot of time?
depends on how much data you're cloning. via a firewire 800 connection, cloning 60 GB takes about an hour (YMMV).
Would that be quicker than time capsule?
again, depends on how much data to backup. if you're using an ethernet connection instead of wireless, it will be faster. the initial backup will take rather long, but subsequent backups are incremental and take much less time.
you might find the following enlightening: [_*Time Machine vs. Clones and Archives*|http://web.me.com/pondini/TimeMachine/Clones.html]
Basically Im after non-complicated, easy, one-click approaches to backing up
IMHO, that would be time machine.

Need some advice on a new build for CS5 Web Premium

I am looking for a powerful PC that I can use mostly for work and some light video work. I have been looking at several systems, but I can't decide if I should get the Core i7 875K, 950 or AMD 1090T for my needs.   I typically have many Adobe CS5 applications open at once like Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator and Flash, iTunes, Quickbooks, Microsoft Work and Excel. I would ideally like to buy a pre-built rig, but I can surely put together if better. Below are a few I have been looking at, but I am unsure about cooling on one of them and about the 875K processor on the other one. I figured a gaming PC would be fast and powerful as my needs are behond a standard base config. I would like some advice also on a good video card. Been looking at crossfire ATI HD 5770, single ATI HD 5870, Radeon 6870, and GeForce GTX 470 and SLI GTX 460. I am not a typical overclocker, but I can be if it will help performance running apps. I leave my PC on all day and night so cooling is a factor.
Thanks in advance everyone for the advice on this.
==========================================
Approximate Purchase Date: (the closer the better)
Budget Range: ($1000-$1500)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: (Web Development, Graphic Design, Internet, Movies))
Parts Not Required: (keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (newegg.com)
Country of Origin: (USA)
Parts Preferences: by brand or type (I would like to use an Intel Core i7 or AMD X6 CPU to power dual Big 27" Samsung LCDs via DVI and full or mid tower case)
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Monitor Resolution: (1920x1080 each monitor)
=========================================
Here is my latest config. How does this one look?
Qty.
Product Description
Savings
Total Price
1
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case Item #: N82E16811119160Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$159.98$129.98
1
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Item #: N82E16822136533Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$89.99
1
EVGA 012-P3-1470-AR GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card Item #: N82E16814130550Return Policy: VGA Replacement Only Return Policy
$259.99
1
Nvidia Free Mafia 2 Game Coupon Item #: N82E16800999247Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$59.99 Saving
$59.99$0.00
1
CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply Item #: N82E16817139011Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card17-139-011
$189.99$159.99
1
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-12GBRL Item #: N82E16820231358Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$269.99
1
LG Black 10X Blu-ray Burner - Bulk SATA WH10LS30 LightScribe Support - OEM Item #: N82E16827136181Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$109.99
1
Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950 Item #: N82E16819115211Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard Item #: N82E16813131665Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
-$14.99 Combo
$499.98$479.99
1
Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Item #: N82E16820148348Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM Item #: N82E16832116758Return Policy: Software Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
-$30.00 Combo
$419.98$379.98
Subtotal:
$1,879.90
Calculate ShippingZip Code:    13662   FedEx 3Day Express Saver -- $145.44FedEx 2Day -- $219.19FedEx Standard Overnight -- $263.21UPS Guaranteed 3 Day Service -- $15.97UPS 2nd Day -- $127.74UPS Next Day Saver -- $135.95
Shipping:
$15.97
Redeem Newegg Gift CardsCard Number:                                          Security Code:
Apply Promo Code(s):BFMB
Click here to clear promotion code(s).
Sorry, the promo code BFMB you've entered is invalid.
Promo Code:
$0.00
No Interest if paid in full in up to 12 Months. Minimum purchase required.
Subject to credit approval. See Terms
Grand Total:
$1,895.87

Here is the final config I am looking to get. I am just debating the hard drive config and video cards. I want to be sure my video card will use teh GPU Accelleration and Advance features of Photoshop CS5. Do you know if the NVIDIA GTX 460 is compatable or should I spend more for the 470? I will not be gaming much and this pc is used mostly for work on CS5 Web Premium. How does this all look? All prices from NewEgg. I have another machine I will backup sata to each evening, so I really want a fast drive for program load and operation and another drive for data. What is best way to config drives? Should I get 2 of them and an SSD?
Qty.
Product Description
Savings
Total Price
1
EVGA GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 012-P3-1470-AR Video Card
Item #:N82E16814130550
Return Policy: VGA Replacement Only Return Policy
$259.99
1
Nvidia Free Mafia 2 Game Coupon
Item #:N82E16800999247
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$59.99
1
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
Item #:N82E16811119160
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$159.98
$129.98
1
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
Item #:N82E16820231358
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$269.99
1
LG Black 10X Blu-ray Burner - Bulk SATA WH10LS30 LightScribe Support
Item #:N82E16827136181
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$109.99
1
CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-850HX 850W Power Supply
Item #:N82E16817139011
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$189.99
$159.99
1
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #:N82E16822136533
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$89.99
1
ASUS Sabertooth X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131665
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Intel Core i7-950 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
Item #: N82E16819115211
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
-$14.99 Combo
$499.98
$479.99
1
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders
Item #: N82E16832116758
Return Policy: Software Standard Return Policy
Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820148348
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
-$30.00 Combo
$419.98
$379.98
Grand Total:
$1,879.90

Looking for some advice.

Hi. Hope this is right forum. First post. A brief background. Years ago (2007-2008) I created a web portfolio for school. First it was in HTML (Dreamweaver) and then Flash. I hadn't really touched it in years and decided this past couple of months, after playing in the medium again, to get back into wed design, 3d, and digital content creation. That said, I went in and updated both the HTML and Flash versions with the knowledge I currently have, limited though it is. I now would like to go forward and build a completely new site and teach myself HTML, JavaScript, and WebGL along the way (possibly before hand). Hopefully I'll get working on the new site before the end of the year. In the mean time, I'm using my old site as a stop-gap measure. I've also taken books out from the library to begin journey into the above mentioned languages.
This all said, I'm looking for some advice on what direction I should go next...look into... Does my current objective seem reasonable? Also, could anyone give feedback on what I did wrong and what I've done right on my old site. I think, as far as what went wrong, the Flash page is just too large. No one wants to wait so long for it to load. I think I got carried away with it. Also, too many sound effects. That said, I think the HTML site was constructed in an "old-fashion" way. No one makes sites like that anymore. I basically set it up in Photoshop, sliced it, and assembled it in Dreamweaver. The end result is a bunch of tables in HTML? A friend suggested I look into a CMS (?) like WordPress?
Here's my current site: http://www.personal.kent.edu/~mstingle/
Constructive feedback on what I did right and wrong would be great. And, where I should be looking next for rebuild of my portfolio.
Cheers.

WebGL is still experimental. Most browsers don't fully support it yet.
http://caniuse.com/webgl
The current trend is Responsive Web Design -- layouts that work in all devices (mobile, tablet and desktop). This technology relies on CSS layouts (no tables) with media queries for different viewport widths. Below is a crude example built with the FluidGrid Layouts feature in DW CS6 or CC:
http://alt-web.com/FluidGrid/Fluid2.html -- resize your browser's viewport to see it in action.
Flash is dead on the web now because the world's most popular mobile & tablet devices don't support it. Animations are mostly being built with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. See Adobe Edge Animate.
If you're not a skilled coder and just want a basic static web site, Adobe Muse might be all you need. http://www.adobe.com/products/muse.html That said, Muse cannot support server-side programming so you can't use it for advanced features like CMSs, blogs, etc...
If you're a Creative Cloud member, you can use Behance & ProSite to build & share your portfolio online.
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativecloud/behance-community.html
http://prosite.com/
In terms of your own site, ask yourself how much content & which features it will need to support in the coming months/years. If it's going to be a relatively small site (under 20 pages), a static HTML site is probably all you need. IMO, WordPress -- a dynamic CMS built with PHP & MySql databases -- would be overkill. However, if you plan to make your site into a blog for example, then a dynamic CMS is an option to consider. WordPress isn't the only kid on the block either. There's also Drupal, Joomla!, and many more...
Nancy O.

Looking for some advice on what to do about

So I have a macbook pro - late 2007 model I guess
2.16 core duo(just before the core 2 duo's i guess)
2gig's ram
ATY,RadeonX1600 256mb
My problem itself is in 3 parts
1.) My battery fried late 2008(have it running off the adapter since) and I was wondering if my model will fit with the 2008 model batteries? If so do you know how much it would cost(cdn dollars if possible)
2.) My video card is from what I believe to be ruined/terrible shape. I've been using SMC fan control for awhile to sway the overheating, and it helps but I believe the damage was already done while I did not have it active while using my computer for games and other various things(MBP's seem to run insanely hot?)
I will be calling the apple store i bought it from tomorrow but I was looking for some advice on any type of diagnostic tests I might be able to do to test my video card as well how much would it cost to replace(assuming you can't upgrade much in a laptop)
3.) Wondering your opinion on the overall value of the computer with the replacements/without.
It appears to run perfectly fine though sometimes when program's open up I start to see tearing and pixel's looking crazy all over my screen(assuming a fried video card)

You can buy the battery design for any old MacBook Pro models (not the unibody). MacBook Pro from the first to the last generation uses the same battery. It cost $129 (not sure how much it cost in Canadian but probably a $20-$30 premium). As for your graphics card, Apple has a one price model for all hardware repairs ($310 or something around there and converted to Canadian probably around $350 to $360). I think you should get it replaced. The only test that I can think of is to re-install the OS and see if the problem occurs, if it does then its most likely a hardware issue. There is no standard test that's widely available. With the replacement I think the computer values in the range of $1800 to $1500) and without the repair I would say about $1350 to $1000 at best.

I'm trying to downgrade my storage on my ipod but when I chose my new storage i'm not able to complete the choice because the 'done' button doesn't do anything. can someone please give me some advice?

I'm trying to downgrade my storage on my ipod but when I chose my new storage i'm not able to complete the choice because the 'done' button doesn't do anything. can someone please give me some advice?

Are you choosing a different plan before tapping Done?
To downgrade, you should be doing the following:
Go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup.
Tap Change Storage Plan.
Tap Downgrade Options and enter your Apple ID password.
Choose a different plan to use when your current storage plan expires.
Tap Done.

Where to begin? Need some advice

Greetings all,
I've been poking around here trying to find a topic that matches my question and have not had much luck. Here is my situation.
I'm back into photography after many years and, of course, am coming from the traditional film and darkroom days and now find myself drinking from a fire hose trying to master digital photography.
I want to use Photoshop but would appreciate some advice on how best to learn it? Can you folks recommend what you consider the best books for a total neophyte to Photoshop to use to learn the fundamentals?
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Paul McCain
Saint Louis

I was surpised to see that was from back in April; I would have said September or October, if pressed to guess when the thread ran. Glad I have it bookmarked, and archived on my hard drive.
If it ever
would
be considered for an addition to the FAQs, I hope someone asks me first, because there are a few things I'd like to add and clarify before it gets all sticky.

Need some advice on this big project

Hello there!
Let me introduce myself. My name is Wisse and I have been working with Adobe products since I was a child at the age of 8 (10 years ago). Well, then it was called Macromedia Flash but you understand what I mean.
I have always been using flash for making animations and small simple applications (for presentations and games) in my spare time. I also use photoshop and dreamweaver for making sites and other things. So I will soon order the new CS5 web design collection.
I have a big (biggest so far) project coming up and before I really started I thought it'd be best to orient on what Flash application(s) to use and how I will make this project. So here is the plan:
I am making a dutch driving exam site where people can take practice exams for a small text message fee. The application will have to look slick and work smoothly. I made this to clarify what the application has to do.
I have never worked with Flash Builder and Catalyst but I kind of like the idea of making nice looking interfaces using Catalyst and then export them to Flash Builder. But as I just said, I have never worked with Flash builder and so I don't know whether I will be able to make this on Flash Builder (due to it's complexity). Flash builder also has some nice options for accessing external data (the XML, HTTP API and PHP in this case). Catalyst's data list designer and transition animator will save a lot of time and effort when compared to doing it manually in Flash Pro. The big issue here is that I have no idea how to script the rest in Flash builder. the 5 day course might help, but I want to make to be sure that Builder is the best way to go before doing so.
But on the other hand, I am quite familiar with flash and that could also save time. Flash is a bit harder to use when I want to make a good UI and Flash builder wins when you look at the server communication and the debugging tools.
So I would like some advice from some fellow Adobe users. What would you do? What would be the best way for me to go, according to you?
Thanks in advance,
Wisse Jelgersma.

Just to elaborate,
The shape and look of the outside of a car is defined by A) its colour and B) the reflections of the light sources on its surface.
It's relatively easy to change the colour of the shell of the turtle, but making it look reflective is much harder (I didn't do a very good job myself), especially if you also want to keep the textures of the shell somewhat intact.
To light the shell you need to consider what the light sources are that are hitting the shell when it is outside. Reflections of the sky and clouds should be brighter, reflections of the ground should be darker.
In my attempt, I overlaid a landscape picture, warped to roughly follow the shape of the car, then played around with blend modes and opacity and colouration to achieve the above effect. (Although the "specular" highlights could stand to be brought up a bit more). In practice, making this look realistic is probably beyond my skill set.
Then I added the lightning bolt and wheels for fun.
Mike

Business Delegate pattern - need some advice

Hi. First let me apologize for the long post. I could see no other way. I�m building a system that quite large and I need some advice. The system is a type of transaction system, let�s suppose a shopping cart. I�m using struts taglibs and tiles for presentation, struts proper for controller, and POJOs for business logic. Also I�m using OJB for my data tier.
Now I�ve been reading Pro Jakarta Struts (Apress), which BTW is a recommended read to anyone with novice experience in struts and related technologies. I�ve assimilated most of the techniques and patterns described in the book, and most of them make sense to me. However, I�ve hit a snag while reading the Business Delegate and Service Locator patterns.
The way I had though of building my application before reading the book, was to have a wrapper class, such as the following:
public class ShoppingCart {
private IAuthenticationService authenticationService;
private ITransactionService transactionService;
public ShoppingCart() {
     authenticationService = new DBAuthenticationService();
     authenticationService = new DBTransactionService();
public login(String username, String password) {
     String sessionToken = authenticationService.logon(username, password);
     return sessionToken;
private boolean isValidUser(sessionToken) {
     bolean validUser = authenticationService.isValidUser(sessionToken);
     return validUser;
public performTransaction(sessionToken, TransactionVO) {
     if (!isValidUser(sessionToken) {
          throw new AuthenticationException();
     transcationService.performTransaction(TransactionVO);
public editPreferences(sessionToken, PreferencesVO) {
     if (!isValidUser(sessionToken) {
          throw new AuthenticationException();
     authenticationService.performTransaction(PreferencesVO);
}My idea was that my wrapper class would isolate all the business logic and could perform login service in case my application was ever to be used with other presentation layer than struts (standalone client, web services). However I believe that this overlaps the Business Delegate pattern and maybe even totally implements it. The way I understand the code I�m reading in the book, they suggest having a BD for each major service such as AuthenticationServiceBD, TransactionServiceBD, etc� However this would break my single point of entry for authenticating users. I really need some advice on my design and how it fits with the BD and SL patterns (or others). I would also like to know what you think/recommend of my authentication strategy.
thanks in advance
Raphael

Thanks for your reply. This however, I understood. My concern is regarding my application in regards to business delegate pattern. You see I have this class (simplified for clarity):
public class ShoppingCart {
   private ILoginService ls = new DBLoginService();
   private ITransactionService ts = new DBTransService();
   // and so on for all services I offer.
   // then I mirror all the calls of my private interfaces
   // and pass them through internally
   public String sessionToken login(String username, String password) {
        ls.login(username, password);
   public boolean addToCart(sessionToken, itemNo) {
        // check session
        ts.addToCart(sessionToken, itemNo);
   // and so on
}Multiple questions for this one:
1) Am I not already implementing the Business Delegate pattern with my ShoppingCart class since all interfaces are private and all calls are mirrored from the wrapper class (ShoppingCart) to the private interfaces? All services are implemented as POJOs and I am not using JNDI at the present so I don't use the ServiceLocator pattern.
2) I store a reference to the wrapper class (ShoppingCart) in the ServletContext so I can grab it from my Action classes. What do you think of this approach?
3) How many BDs should an application contain. In my case I use just one. What is the advantage of using more?
4) I create my own session tokens in case I ever want to use to business code in a non-web applications where sessions are not available readily. This brings about the problem that I can't pass the interfaces directly to the Action classes because the login session needs to be checked before any calls to services. So all methods include a sessionToken parameter which I use to check the session. This way, if I want to expose some of the services through web services, I can still use a login. What do you think of this approach.
5) Any other remarks are very welcome...
I really need help with this from an experienced programmer. Most things I can handle on my own but with this type of design issue, books just don't cut it. I need experience. I would really apreciate some feedback.
Raphael
ps: I would give all my Duke dollars for this (I only have 30), but I'm not sure how. If you want them I can create a dummy question and give them to you.

Some advice before I spend my money

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