"On Monday, several media outlets mistakenly reported that Apple had installed 'backdoors' on millions of iPhones and iOS devices," states David Passell. He sends this link http://www.zdnet.com/the-apple-backdoor-that-wasnt-7000031781/ and comments, "Interesting article on 'hacking the 'backdoor.' Media reports anything that may upset somebody or make them insecure. Then they will make themselves happy again by buying a sponsor's product."
OS X and iOS Application Compatibility Table
Past Prez Art Gorski passes along this info: "If you are waiting to install a new OS (such as the Yosemite Public Beta) because you are worried about compatibility issues, check out the Application Compatibility Table over at RoaringApps. There are compatibility charts from Snow Leopard up to Yosemite, and from iOS 5 up to iOS 8. If you don't see an app listed there and you know its status, you can submit it to the list. It's a great resource that is easily searchable if you need to determine what does and doesn't work." Try this link: http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/cool_stuff_found/post/os-x-and-ios-application-compatibility-table?utm_source=macobserver&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_everything
Remember, you can enlarge your view of the page by doing Command with the +
You Can Beta Test OS X Yosemite
Good news from John Carter: "Take Control helps you beta test OS X Yosemite with confidence." Here's the link http://tid.bl.it/tco-yosemite-beta-leanpub to read all about it. Note there are three convenient formats: PDF for Mac or PC, EPUB for iPad, iPhone, Android, and other ebook readers, and MOBI for Kindle. The book is 51 pages.
Suggested price is $5.00. "The Yosemite beta is exciting stuff, at least for those of us who love poking around in new software to see what has changed. But the rewards of beta testing come with risks and responsibilities, so in “Take Control of Beta Testing Yosemite,” Joe Kissell draws on years of experience with testing every version of OS X since 10.3 Panther to make sure you know what you’re getting into. Follow Joe’s advice and you can be confident that you won’t mess up anything as you switch to and from the beta.
"In the 51-page book, Joe teaches you what’s involved with beta testing in general, and he discusses the pros and cons of installing the beta on a startup volume, virtual machine, separate volume, SuperDuper sandbox, or (best of all) a separate Mac. Next up, you’ll run the installer (without letting it delete itself). With installation completed, Joe suggests key post-installation tasks and categories of software you may need to reinstall, plus gives tips on how to look for new features and report any bugs you may find. Perhaps most important, Joe explains how to switch between the beta and your main installation of OS X, how to downgrade from Yosemite if necessary, and how to upgrade to release version when that ships.
"You may be thinking, “Really? A book about how to beta test Yosemite?” We won’t pretend that it’s essential, even though there are helpful details you won’t find elsewhere (such as which virtualization program can run Yosemite as a guest OS) and advice that could save you significant headaches (such as the best destination for your installation). And, of course, the lifespan of the book is limited — it’s useful only until Yosemite ships.
"So we’re doing something unusual with pricing: we’ve set a suggested price of $5, but you can pay whatever you think it’s worth — whether that’s more or less than the suggested price, or even nothing at all. (That’s why there’s no MUG discount this time. And if you get it for free and later decide it was valuable to you, you can come back and buy a copy.) Paying helps Joe and his wife keep their baby in diapers and gives us concrete feedback that books of this sort are worth doing.
"In keeping with the fast and fluid nature of beta testing, we’ve decided to publish this ebook exclusively via Leanpub, which was designed for quick releases. Had we used our traditional method, we wouldn’t have been able to publish the book at the same time as the public beta, and we would need more time to react to new versions (nor would we have been able to do the choose-your-own-price approach). Any updates to the book will be free.
http://tid.bl.it/tco-yosemite-beta-leanpub
"Thanks for your support of the Take Control series and our authors!
cheers... -Adam & Tonya Engst, Take Control publishers
Internet Tracking
Maybe you saw this, Jim Hamm did. "The creepiest Internet tracking tool yet is 'virtually impossible' to block, says Yahoo News." http://news.yahoo.com/creepiest-internet-tracking-tool-yet-virtually-impossible-block-170017224.html and see this:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/07/21/ios_firmware_contains_packet_sniffer_and_host_of_secret_spying_tools/
Miracles of Music, Via iPods
Apple Hot News today links to a documentary about Alzheimer’s patients who have been revitalized through music. Social worker, Dan Cohen brings iPods loaded with personalized playlists to elderly Alzheimer’s and dementia patients across the U.S. The movie “Alive Inside” -- which opens this weekend in New York -- documents a 94 year-old patient’s amazing response. See the 2 minute trailer.
Solving iPhoto Problems
If you were at Saturday's PMUG meeting you heard John Carter answer various concerns of those in the audience. Now, John has more to share! What follows should all be enclosed with quotation marks: it's all quoting him!
There may be times when you open iPhoto and you are presented with a cryptic error message that the iPhoto library is locked.
That indicates that the library was open at a time when the computer was improperly shut down and iPhoto did not have a chance to unlock the library. Or it could be that you are using two different computers or two different logins using the same library, and that the other computer or user left the library in a locked state or one or the other is still using it.
You can unlock any file/folder/library using the following procedure:
- Open Finder and navigate to the Pictures folder.
- Look carefully in the lower left corner of the icon for the iPhoto Library. If it has a tiny lock pictured there, go to the next step. Otherwise, jump over steps 3 and 4.
- Select the iPhoto Library folder (left-click once), and then hold down the Command key and press the ‘i’ key momentarily. This will bring up a new window.
- In the new window, look for the box in the General section that says “Locked.” Uncheck the box and close the window. You should now be able to open the iPhoto Library.
If the iPhoto Library is not locked, there may be an item inside that folder that is locked. Of course, the only way to see the contents of that folder is by the following:
- Right-click on the iPhoto Library folder and select “Show package contents.”
- In the content, look for a tiny lock icon on any item, and if found, unlock it as in step 4 above.
If none of the above helps, restart the computer.
If that doesn’t help, restart the computer and do a PRAM reset. This is done by holding down the Command, Option, P, and R keys all at the same time when you start the computer - and keep holding the keys down until you hear the second “gong” (the startup sound).
If that doesn’t help, open Disk Utility and run Verify Disk Permissions and Verify Disk. If you get an error on Verify Disk, you then need to restart your computer in Recovery Mode and run Disk Utility to perform Repair Disk. To start up in Recovery Mode, hold down the Command and R keys together until you see the Apple logo appear. After selecting English for language, you will be presented with a menu. In the menu is Disk Utilities, and it works just like it does when running in user mode. After running Repair Disk, click on the Apple logo in the menu bar and restart the computer.
If that doesn’t help, call Apple Support. If you are out of warranty, the call will be just $19.99, and it’s good for up to 60 days on the same issue - no matter how long you are on the phone with them or how many calls you have to make to clear up the problem.
There may be times when you get the message about a locked file when opening a document or the iTunes library. The same steps apply as above.
(Thanks to John for this step-by-step solution.)
Learn About iPhone and Its Apps
On August 2 in the Prescott Library Founders Suite starting at 1 PM, John Carter will be talking about the iPhone and the millions of apps that are available. Okay, 1.2 million as of June, 2014. Most of them are probably copycats or lame gadgets, so that pares it down to probably less than a few thousand useful apps.
John will focus on the 24 standard apps and some others that he has found useful with categories in Astronomy, Business, Communication, Education, Entertainment, Finance, Internet, Lifestyle, Music, Navigation, Photography, Productivity, Reading, Social, and Utilities, probably none of which are in the top 100 apps for the iPhone for 2014 (but he will show you the list of 100.) Games will not be talked about, unless you like Sudoku.
He will also cover the upcoming iOS 8 and what features you won’t be able to use if you don’t have a Mac.
This talk follows John's monthly Digital Mac SIG which is in the same room, starting at 10 AM. Please attend and harass John just enough to keep him awake. (Who said that!)
iPhone's Mysterious "Other" Data
"f you own an iPhone here is some info that may be helpful -- particularly the tip about iMessage," Jim Hamm writes. Here he explains:
"If you’ve ever filled your iPhone to capacity, you may have suddenly noticed a gray section of stored data titled “Other” in iTunes. What could this mysterious data be?
"Well, there could be a couple things that could be contributing to it, but the most likely culprits are your apps. More specifically, one culprit: iMessage. You’re probably not aware of this, but every time you send or receive a file within an iMessage — whether it’s photos or various documents — your iPhone stores that data. If you are like millions of other users who enjoy sending silly photos to friends and family (or inappropriate ones if you’re into that sort of thing), that data can accumulate very quickly over time.
"On the rare occasion, restoring the iOS on your iPhone can resolve this issue, but the less invasive solution is to locate problematic apps on your phone that could be taking up space.
"To free up that space, follow these instructions:
"Well, there could be a couple things that could be contributing to it, but the most likely culprits are your apps. More specifically, one culprit: iMessage. You’re probably not aware of this, but every time you send or receive a file within an iMessage — whether it’s photos or various documents — your iPhone stores that data. If you are like millions of other users who enjoy sending silly photos to friends and family (or inappropriate ones if you’re into that sort of thing), that data can accumulate very quickly over time.
"On the rare occasion, restoring the iOS on your iPhone can resolve this issue, but the less invasive solution is to locate problematic apps on your phone that could be taking up space.
"To free up that space, follow these instructions:
- Make sure your phone and apps are synced in iTunes.
- If possible, make sure you have backed up or copied off any documents or data you might need, as you will lose it. A lot of apps allow you to email documents and data.
- On the phone, go to Settings/General/Usage. You should find a list of all the apps.
- On the right hand side is a list of the total storage space each app is using, including the app itself. The list is also handily listed in descending order of size. If you tap on on one of the apps on the list, it shows you how much space is being used by documents and data. You also have the option to delete the app.
- To delete the app, simply tap on “Delete App.” The app is deleted, and so is the data stored in the ‘other’ area. Repeat for other apps if necessary.
- To re-install the app(s), plug it in to your iTunes and re-sync your phone. The app(s) are re-installed with no data taken up in the ‘Other’ area.
"If you want a visual representation of your data, the third party app iExplorer is very easy to use and available as a temporary demo. You can also buy it if you want."
http://www.macroplant.com/iexplorer/
Net Neutrality
You've seen that term in the news, "net neutrality." David Passell sends info that explains the problem and the possibilities. Get informed and make your voice heard. It's an important issue.
MacBook Pro For Sale
Mary Ann Clark has posted a 17" MacBook Pro for sale. John Carter provided a lot of details about it. http://pmug.us/benefits/for-sale/
Want to Experiment on OS X?
Jim Hamm comes up with an idea: "For those of you that like to experiment and explore a bit on OS X, here is an app you might try: XtraFinder. (http://www.trankynam.com/xtrafinder/)
"I've not tried it yet. On the website, if you click on one of the images it will open up a window and show you screen shots. Keep clicking on the image and another image will appear, etc."
So, what do you think? Jim says, "Looks interesting. If someone tries it, let our Newsletter Editor know so your comments can be posted."
Gmail Tips
"If you use Gmail, here are some tips that might make your emailing a bit easier. Over time, Gmail has evolved into a powerful email system. Of course, it's got Google with lots of money and people pushing it along," exclaims Jim Hamm. Take a look at these 35 tips the columnist has labeled "awesome," and note the various comments posted.
NeoOffice Now Available at App Store
John Carter has some good news. "In the past, NeoOffice (which contains a full featured word processor nearly identical to Word in MS Office) was available for a nominal fee of $10, which presumably had to be renewed every year. NeoOffice is now available in the App Store for $29.99, and presumably all future updates will be FREE. I would expect this to apply to minor updates, but major updates might come with a fee (and discounted if you own a previous version).
"If you decide to get the FREE version as indicated in the image, please note that you won’t be able to save changes — or save a new document. It is therefore a read-only version.
" If you already have NeoOffice installed, there is nothing for you to do. You will still receive notices when an update is available, but now you will no longer be bothered with having to login to get the update. I might expect that when the next major update comes along that you will be asked to pay for it — but you can continue using your current version.
" LibreOffice, and its precursor OpenOffice, works equally well on PCs as it does on a Mac, whereas NeoOffice runs only an a Mac. There is almost no difference between LibreOffice or OpenOffice and NeoOffice. Unlike LibreOffice or OpenOffice, NeoOffice runs natively on Mac OS X. Since it’s inception in 2003, the NeoOffice engineers - Patrick Luby and Ed Peterlin - have continually added improvements to NeoOffice that users will not find in OpenOffice or LibreOffice such as:
• The option to open Calc or Impress instead of Writer at launch
• Works with Mac OS X Gatekeeper
• Works with Mac OS X Versions
• Native Mac OS X text highlighting
• Native file locking support for local and networked volumes
• Mac OS X Services support
• Native floating tool windows
John has more info here: "If you find that some of the above features are not working in your current version of NeoOffice, then purchasing NeoOffice from the App Store will make those features available.
"LibreOffice does ask for a donation when you initially download it, but you can still get the app if you choose not to donate and nothing will be disabled.
"One word of caution about LibreOffice: Do NOT download it from anywhere other than www.libreoffice.org. If you do a Google search for libreoffice, be sure that the site you go to is the authentic place.
"One user has reported that NeoOffice has been acting up lately. Switching to LibreOffice resolved that issue, and there were no noticeable differences.
"How NeoOffice (or LibreOffice) differ from Pages is fairly significant. For one, Pages does not have a feature to include cross references in a document. That feature is only useful for serious authors. For two, it is much easier with greater flexibility to manage the properties of a picture or other object in NeoOffice/LibreOffice. Pages does have an extensive assortment of templates to work with whereas NeoOffice/LibreOffice have only a few.
"LibreOffice loads much faster than NeoOffice. Patience will be needed when downloading either one. If you download LibreOffice, you then have to install it and then remove (eject) its presence in the Devices section of Finder and then delete the .DMG file in your Downloads folder. If you purchase NeoOffice from the App Store, installation is automatic and there is no clean up to do.
"For as long as LibreOffice is free, that is the app that I will be recommending."
And John concludes with, "The choice is yours."
Apple Stops Development of Aperture, Dropping iPhoto
"Apple introduced a new Photos app during its Worldwide Developer Conference . . . " is how the article dated 6-27-14 from the Loop begins. Ward Stanke sends this article that goes on with some details mentioning iPhoto, and is followed with 256 posted comments. Take a look.
Here John Carter jumps in with his observations. "I am very happy to see this coming. The iPhoto app has not been as powerful as I would like it to be. Aperture also misses the mark. I fully expect that the new Photos app will be at least as good as Elements (layers, etc). A much better search feature also has to be included for iOS. Slideshow need to be available across all devices with a view only capability for sharing. Same for photo Books. We shall see."
For Sale!
Mary Ann Clark reminds us to check out the For Sale listings on the PMUG site: http://pmug.us/benefits/for-sale/ Today you'll find a well-cared-for iMac ( (Serial No. QP7450P0ZCV) "Core 2 Extreme" 2.8 24-Inch (Aluminum) is running System 10.9.2 (Mavericks).
MacWorld Has Podcasts
"You may already be aware of this," begins Jim Hamm, "but, if not, MacWorld publishes a weekly podcast covering various aspects of the Apple and Mac world. Here is one example, and you also can link to other podcasts from this website. Normally Chris Breen and Serenity Caldwell host the podcasts, but on this particular episode Chris has two other guests.
"Just something for you to possibly listen to as you work away on your Mac," comments Jim.
How to Designate Someone as VIP in Mail
Lately, Jim Hamm's emails have come with a star beside his name. Jim has been designated as a VIP. Wonder how he does it. . .
With emails from my six siblings it would be nice to have the mail list show them with the star and VIP to find them from all the other email. Turns out it's easy to do.
Click to open a message from a sender you want to designate as VIP. Put your cursor beside the sender’s name and click. Up comes a little box with choices: Copy Address, Add to VIPs, New Email, Show Contact Card. Click on Add to VIP and a little star comes to the left of that person’s name on that email. In the list of emails you’ve just received there’s a star also by their name. You can designate someone -- or yourself! -- as VIP by clicking same place in an outgoing mail.
A long article about Mail is here.
Add Comments to an Email and Send It Back
David Passell had ideas to send to me after reading my email to him the other day. I got his email with his comments added in red so they were easy to find.
I hadn’t noticed this feature before, but it’s so easy I will be using it myself.
- Open Mac's Mail program.
- Highlight the Subject of one of the emails you've received.
- On the top menu bar click on Message.
- On that drop down menu go to Move to Drafts, but if you want to preserve the inbox message intact choose Copy to Drafts.
- Double click on the Message in Drafts and it will come up as a draft to be edited, addressed, etc.
Here’s where you can click on the little black box by the name of the font and the font size and choose another color so your writing stands out from the color that the email came to you. (Click on this screen shot to enlarge it, then click again to come back to this article.)
6. Make any desired changes, address it, and then Send.
David put his comments in red, but you can choose the color. This makes it easy to critique, suggest, or improve what the other person has written.
Practice by sending yourself an email message and trying out the steps above.
Amazing Photos From Your iPhone
"If you haven’t heard about it yet, this is totally awesome — and I don’t say this about anything unless it really is!" Now John Carter goes on to explain.
"Fyuse is a FREE app for the iPhone that takes astounding 3D images (actually, a GIF image that you can manipulate to make it look like a short movie which gives you a 3D look and feel). Really! But I’m not going to spend any time here talking about how to use it or what it's like, because you can see the short demo yourself here in iTunes."
Meet Our New Officers
Election for our new officers was held last week at the June 21 PMUG meeting. First, thanks to those four hard-working individuals who led us for the last 2 years: Art Gorski, the out-going Prez, Dave Rothgery, out-going Veep, then the two who agreed to be continue and were re-elected: Bobbie Pastor, secretary, and David Passell, treasurer. Give each one a pat on the back!
Meet our new PMUG Officers:
Robert Raess, alias “Rob” is Prez. Here’s a brief introduction to a busy man. He’s been a Prescott resident since 1971. Back in the 80’s he had an Atari for computer games and he remembers “trying to wrap my head around DOS, going to bed with a 2” thick manual on DOS. Fast forward to the mid 90’s we got a PC and never did anything except play solitaire. I remember it giving us fits and became a money pit.”
Anyone else identify with those frustrating early computers?
Rob goes on, “My daughter is a grapic designer and used Macs and helped us get our first iMac running Jaguar, gave us tech support, and we were off.” He exclaims, “Now, I’m swimming in the deep end, time for the big boy pants!”
You can picture his smile as he recites this well-known verse, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
Is there more? Rob adds this, “Wood artist, wood turner, and Chinese brush painting, hiking, birding, and Bonsai.”
He’s looking forward to a good year at PMUG, working with the team of officers and all the volunteers that make our group such a helpful and friendly bunch of people.
Stepping up to serve as Vice-Prez is Pam Wickstrom. You’ve seen her helping at the
monthly meetings, but let’s get better acquainted with this smiling gal.
She’s a 17 year resident of Prescott, and has been in PMUG since 2007 when she “invested heavily” in a Mac Pro desktop and 32 inch monitor for her photography and music interests. Acquiring multiple Mac devices and software perpetuate her claim of “being master of none.”
Pam’s education and work experiences have been interestingly varied. After graduating in 1964 with a BS degree from Columbia University she went to Madison WI where she practiced clinical nursing in the university’s neurosurgical intensive care unit. Moves to Rochester NY, Redlake, MN, Salt Lake City UT, and Denver CO were career builders, including her MBA.
Her business years included developing and administering managed care programs for Blue Cross, Blue Shield organizations, then building and directing operations for 10 years as a co-owner of a radiology facility in Prescott. Most recently, she’s been doing intermittent medical consulting.
Pam describes herself as “always challenged by adventures and learning.” This involves completing 10 marathons, including Boston. Then, there’s camping — from tent, to car-top tent, to a truck with camper and finally to her current RV.
Spare time? hiking, antiquing, knitting, playing bridge, grandmothering twins, volunteering at museums at the city of Prescott, and taking OLLI classes. Oh, ask her about her Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Maggie Mae, who Pam says rescued her!
Continuing as Secretary is Bobbie Pastor.
She's there at the table with a friendly greeting and your name tag. Her working years followed two years of junior college with a secretarial major. She worked for Uniroyal Corp, then for Laura Scudders, picking and packing potatoes chips. This production experience qualified her to apply to Kimberly Clark in Fullerton, Ca where she worked for 33 years and retired with a pension!
Bobbie says she fell in love with the town square in 1991 when she went through Prescott on the way to Sedona. She moved to Prescott in 2004.
A few years ago she started teaching Beginning Mac SIGs. (Special Interest Groups) She is interested in creating photos and takes John Carter’s Digital SIG every month.
Bobbie is Vice-mum for her Red Hats chapter. She is creating a free website just for the Diamond Chics.
In her spare time she loves to garden and has a very high maintenance landscape. She shares her life with a "special needs" Jack/Rat terrier named Archie. Archie is totally blind and socially challenged, but in spite of his peccadilloes, he has volunteered to man the projector during SIGs at Bobbie’s house.
Continuing as Treasurer is David Passell.
He’s been in PMUG since 1997 and served as President twice, and he’s continuing now as Treasurer.
Before retiring with his wife Betty in Prescott in 1996 he had some interesting positions.
He has a degree from USC in Telecommunications (TV and Radio production) and worked W56 as broadcast engineer/DJ for KUTE in Glendale, CA, then Chief Engineer for FM station WNCN in NYC.
He has a degree from USC in Telecommunications (TV and Radio production) and worked W56 as broadcast engineer/DJ for KUTE in Glendale, CA, then Chief Engineer for FM station WNCN in NYC.
In 1961 he was telecommunications engineer at JPL (analyzing spacecraft data, writing reports, and writing FORTRAN programs). He did technical writing (IBM, Litton, Associated Writers, Conrac) retiring in 1996 from Ameritec, Duarte, CA.
David’s Mac history goes back to Apple II in 1978, MAC portable in 1991, Mac TV in 1995. Currently he has a MINI, an iMAC, and a G3. Latest is 1 TB Time Capsule, scrapped the G3. Has Apple IIc, PB 190CS, SE30, Mac M0001, inoperative (trans) Portable. Old SW books/magazines (hoarder.) "I should dust them off for show at a future meeting :)."
David is also a member of the PCS (Prescott Computer Society), Yavapai Amateur Radio Club (YARC), and does video recording for his church, and is a PWC volunteer. Keeping busy is just normal for him.