Macs Are Safer

        David Passell starts off his New Year with, "Here is an article that should make Mac users happy or unhappy depending on which OS they are running:). http://www.zdnet.com/why-mac-users-are-safer-7000024694/?s_cid=e539&ttag=e539  
        Some controversial comments provide food for thought. One person said, “A 10 year old Mac should be safer than the latest Windows 8 with all securty patches, the best anti-virus and malware fighter installed.” 

        Another informs, “the main vulnerability on Mac is the user. . . “

iOS 7 Tips to Try

        "If you use iOS 7 on your iPhone or iPad, you may want to take a look at these 18 tips from InfoWorld. Many you'll probably already be aware of, but there might be a new one or so. Worth a look," declares Jim Hamm. 

CopyLess Clipboard Manager

       " Here is a short blurb about the CopyLess Clipboard Manager," states Jim Hamm.  He goes on with more details, " I've used this app for over a year now and can recommend it if you need/want to keep a history of items you've copied to the clipboard handy for future reference. It is simple to use and takes only about 8MB of memory when it's running. I have it open at startup and leave it running all the time." He found it for $6.99.
        Today iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id416439303?mt=8  has it listed for $1.99. 

Happy New Year to YOU

Here's sending you a New Year's wish from your Prescott Mac User Group.  May your year ahead be fun, as well as productive. May it be a time to keep learning, as well as keeping doing good.  Thanks to Bobbie Pastor for the outstanding illustration here.  See you all at the January meeting?  

Got a New Apple Product?

         If you — or a friend of yours — received a new Mac computer or iPad, iPod, iPhone for a holiday gift  (Congratulations!)  you'll want to mark your calendar now. You can learn more and make friends at the Prescott Mac User Group. 
         Bobbie Pastor, PMUG secretary has just reminded us of the January events.  John Carter and Bobbie hold SIGS (Special Interest Groups) on the first and fourth Fridays each month. 
         Our monthly meetings are practical and fun. January 18, 10 am to 12 starts us off.  Prez Art Gorski has plans for the year to announce, and Ginger Carlson, our cookie lady, will have some yum-yums for us.  Other board members, David Rothgery and David Passell will be happy to shake your hand.  And you'll meet the other Chairs, Mary Ann Clark, Ward Stanke, Sharon Lampert, Howard Reider, and Elaine Hardt.  http://pmug.us/about-us/ 
        So come and bring a friend! 

Mobile Phone Magic

        "Did you know -- or even care -- that your mobile phone has two operating systems? I didn't either, but here is an interesting article that explains the two systems," Jim Hamm announces this morning.  He continues with, "The little mobile phone that we use to casually talk to one another, check emails and surf the net, is one complex piece of equipment."  Check out that article from Macworld, "The Hidden Magic: A Look at the Secret Operating System Inside the iPhone." 

Apple Store Coming to San Francisco

Jim Hamm sent us the article about the 27 year-old Mac computer — and he's also sent this info on a snazzy new Apple store coming to San Francisco. (Jim keeps up with the old and the new!)         "Take a look at these renderings of Apple's new store coming in San Francisco. Hope all that glass front doesn't face west where the sun would be an irritant every afternoon. Well, maybe in SF the fog or other tall buildings might block the sun, though. Still, an impressive-looking store."

1986 Mac Plus Meets the Web

        "Talk about a labor of love," exclaims Jim Hamm.  "Read how a guy updated a 27-year-old MacPlus computer http://www.keacher.com/1216/how-i-introduced-a-27-year-old-computer-to-the-web/
        "And the speed was, well, it took 4 minutes to load a simple page after he finished. Quite an interesting process, though, and far, far beyond my skill level."

Safari Vulnerability

        If you haven't upgraded Safari to the latest version,  6.1,  give this your attention!  David Passell sends this link:  http://www.zdnet.com/safari-on-mac-os-exposes-web-login-credentials-7000024287/   with the notation:  "This seems important for users of Safari before Lion.  I notice mine is 5.1.  However, I use Firefox browser."  
        

Some FREE AntiVirus Programs for Mac

        Jim Hamm started off with a link http://www.slashgear.com/avg-antivirus-for-mac-launches-with-triple-protection-12308577/ about AVG AntiVirus protection,  but that raised a few questions.  Have you used this?  Will it run on Mac running an earlier system?  Jim obliged with more info,  "I haven't used AVG, but it's been around for a long time and has a good reputation. It will run on Mavericks and Mountain Lion. Here's some more info on AVG."  
        But Jim, what antivirus program are you now using?  "I use Avast AV, which is also free."
        So, there you have it.  Any more questions from anybody?  Any recommendations?  Let's keep up on what works! 

Secure From Hackers?

        The headline brought attention to a new hackers' method: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/12/12/computers-can-be-hacked-with-high-frequency-sounds/?intcmp=obnetwork
        Time to get John Carter's opinion of the serious possibilities.  This is what he has to say,  "This technique takes advantage of the audio input/output on the computer. Most notably, the computers mentioned were a Lenovo business computer. Also mentioned was Linux. Now, if Linux computers can be hacked like this, so can a Mac or any smart phone or tablet.

        "The security measure mentioned is to turn off the audio and mic, and this can be done just by muting both the mic and sound. (No, I hadn't heard of this before.)"

        But then John goes on, " Now, if you really want to be afraid of your computer being hacked—even a Mac—look at method #3 in this link.

         "The hackers are teaching each other how to break into any computer by posting their findings on the web."  So, what can we do?  Keep alert to what's going on, so we can take action to avoid these problems. 

Has Your Password Been Stolen?

          David Passell informs us, "I tried the program referenced. It didn't detect any problems via any of my e-mail addresses." Look here:  http://www.zdnet.com/how-to-find-out-if-your-password-has-been-stolen-7000023990/?s_cid=e589&ttag=e589   And read down to see the 49 comments of people adding their own experiences and opinions on this subject. 

12 Days of FREE Gifts

         Got an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch?  Don't miss this deal; it's FREE.  You can just see Jim Hamm grinning as he announces this, "For 12 days, starting December 26, Apple will provide a free download -- songs, apps, etc -- for 24 hours. There is an app for this so you don't miss a freebie. Take a look  here." 

Avoid This Amazon Virus

        John Carter grabs our attention with this information on how to avoid this Amazon virus.  
        "Here’s a new way to install a virus or tracking cookie on your computer. Just make the email message look like an official note from Amazon and include a zip file to click on to let the curious try to figure out what it’s all about.      
        The email address in the message wasn't mine.  I never order from Amazon using the email address the message used.  And if I wanted to verify the order, I would go online and check out the order ID mentioned in this email.
        (Remember you can click to enlarge the illustration.)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

A Review of Apple's New Router

        "Here is a review of Apple's new router," begins Jim Hamm.   "It gets good marks with one exception: it is not friendly with PCs, which I think is a huge mistake by Apple. One initially needs a Mac or iOS device to set it up. Afterwards, a PC can connect and use it easily. But Apple is missing a huge chunk of the router market by not designing it to be PC friendly to set it up.

        Jim closes with these comments,  "For years I've used use the older Apple Extreme router, and both of them have worked flawlessly. Next time I get a router, it will be this new one from Apple."

iPad Fingerpainting Video

        "An amazing likeness of Morgan Freeman," Jim Hamm calls it.  The 3:45 minute video shows this, and mentions that he uses the app Procreate to do the painting on the iPad.  Jim adds,  "The Cult of Mac is usually very reliable, so I'm assuming it is true.  Take a look . . . "  http://www.cultofmac.com/256473/fingerpainting-morgan-freeman/        The app Procreate is listed in the iTunes Store for $5.99.  

CPU vs RAM vs SSD: Which Upgrades Should You Get?

        If you're in the market for a new Mac don't miss this helpful article forwarded by Jim Hamm.  It explains and compares CPU and RAM and SSD.  

Yahoo Groups: Upgrades & Changes

        "If you are using one of the Yahoo Groups and your Mac is not at the latest OS update, you may find that you can’t upload files/photos to your Yahoo Group anymore," John Carter says.  He goes on to explain,  "A friend of mine posted this comment:

Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, etc. have all recently made significant "upgrades??" - in their minds, not mine - to include numerous social networking capabilities to their e-mail sites, group sites, etc. They all require significant upgrading of the Mac OS on my primary desktop computer from OS 10.4.11. I cannot upgrade the OS for this computer because it's a PowerPC G5 and I still want to maintain OS 9 Classic for a couple of legacy programs. It appears that the changes Yahoo, Google & Microsoft made to the functioning of their various sites are incompatible with OS 10.4.11. I only get rudimentary e-mail capabilties on my desktop now - barely functional. The sites work perfectly fine on my MacBook Pro OS 10.6.8 - for now."

        John explains his conclusion, "So, if you thought that you could continue to use your old OS for years to come, then the changes that are happening with websites are in the direction of what’s happening with the new versions of any OS, be it Mac or Windows, will leave you behind and not able to work with those websites. If upgrading your computer or OS means giving up a legacy app, welcome to the 21st Century! Find the best alternative, if any at all, and move on. And all this just to be able to continue browsing the Internet and using online services!"

Windows 8.1 vs OS X Mavericks

        "Here's an interesting comparison between the two subject OSes," Jim Hamm begins.  "Although this comparison won't, I suspect, induce anyone to change from one OS to the other, it's interesting to read what one knowledgeable writer has to say. I use both OSes, and both work well for me, especially after installing Classic Shell on Windows 8, which continues to work after the update to 8.1."

         Jim winds up his commentary with, "I think Microsoft continues to shoot itself in the foot by trying to force two dissimilar OSes into Windows 8: a 'Metro' style for tablets and a desktop style for Windows. It was confusing to use Windows 8 before the update to 8.1, as so many writers have pointed out."   

Verizon's Pay-Per-View

        Jim Hamm brings an important controversy to our attention.  "You may have already read about the lawsuit Verizon filed against the FCC some time ago.  Here is an article that provides additional detail about the lawsuit, and what might happen to the free internet if Verizon should win.

       "One aspect, which I hadn't considered, is this problem, in theory, should go away if the FCC would declare ISP's are a 'Common Carrier.' Truck lines, for example, are Common Carriers and can't discriminate against customers and have to haul a legal product for anyone, at the same rate." 

        Now, Jim puts the question to us, "What do you think? Should the internet be equal and free for all, or can some company, such as Verizon or AT&T, be able to charge a fee depending on what you're doing? If, say, you're streaming Netflix, should you pay more than if you're just checking emails or surfing the net? 

        "When the lawsuit is decided, I guess we'll learn the answer."