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Routers, Switches, Network Hardware

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        What is a router and what does it do? What difference is there in the WiFi speeds?  Why are network hubs no longer needed? 
        Well, Jim Hamm found this article to explain these to the person with a need to know.  "Here's an article explaining how a home network functions," he says.  
http://www.howtogeek.com/99001/htg-explains-routers-and-switches/

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Where's Apple's Chromebook?

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        According to David Passell there's a need for an Apple that isn't so expensive.  He suggests we read this.  "I think the Chromebook is going to give Apple a bit more competition than first assumed.  Consumers, schools, and businesses are buying Chromebooks instead of more expensive devices.  This could put new pressure on Apple to create a cheap device. 
        With his P.S. David reminds us he still has a 2008 Mini running Snow Leopard, and "I probably don't know what (hassles?) I am missing."  He signs off by calling himself the "browsing triceratops."

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Happy Birthday, PMUG!

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        Here's an early "Happy Birthday!" to PMUG, Prescott Mac User Group which officially started twenty-five years ago on August 21, 1989.  
        At today's meeting new Prez Rob Raess presided, VP Pam Wickstrom encouraged those attending to volunteer to speak to us at some later dates.  
        We also heard from David Passell, treasurer, and we signed a pretty card to send to Bobbie Pastor, PMUG secretary.  Our "cookie lady" Ginger Carlson brought cake for the birthday.  Jeff Ian from Think4Ink gave a jolly presentation that informed all of us about printers, ink, and the history of PMUG in Prescott. 

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Learn Via Video, etc.

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        Helpful PMUG leader John Carter scores big with this link, www.macmost.com/  and you'll want to take a look at this website.  Turns out they have more than 900 FREE video tutorials on how to use your Mac, iPad, iPhone and other Apple Technology.  
        And here's some very welcome news: They never sell, rent or share your email address.  Read details at Policies. 
       No, we're not listing all 900 of their video tutorials.  But look at some of these other helpful categories.  

Here's another list of pages you'll want to check out. 
And this concludes the August PMUG meeting handout that's not getting handed out tomorrow, August 16; it's just posted here for your convenience.  Thanks again to John Carter who keeps an eye out for useful info for us.  
by Elaine Hardt. 
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Apps: Adobe and Alternatives

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        "Sometime in the past you installed software from Adobe. When you did this, it scattered a bazillion files all over the place on your Mac. Now you want to delete the Adobe software. Good luck finding all the cruft!" exclaims Past Prez Art Gorski.  
        He goes on,  "Utility programs that claim to be able to uninstall software for you fail miserably when faced with the Adobe challenge.  Here’s a good on-line discussion of the involved procedure needed to absolutely clean this stuff off your computer:"  http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/applications/topic3000-026.html#d12aug2014 

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Solving Flash Player Problem

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         Jim Hamm is on the lookout for helpful info, and today he writes, "If you're running an older version of OS X and are having a problem with Adobe's Flash Player, following is a tip from the "Tech Tails" newsletter that may be of help. The article is by Jeremy Holt."

        If you’ve purchased a computer in the last four years, this post does not apply to you, but if you’re one of many that haven’t committed to upgrading your system just yet then please continue reading.
        If you’ve upgraded to/from either Leopard (OS 10.5.8) or Snow Leopard (OS 10.6.8), you may have discovered that Safari (version 5.1.7) stubbornly refuses to play Flash-based media. This would be web content that involves motion graphics. There are a few reasons for this.
        The most simple resolution is simply navigating to Adobe’s website and installing the latest version of Flash Player.
        Another issue could have to do with your system’s software updates. Have you run all of your software updates? Mind you, this process may need to be performed a few times as more current updates do not become available until previous ones have been installed. More specifically, you’ll want to be sure to run any and all OS X Security Updates for Leopard/Snow Leopard.
        The reason for this is because Safari 5.1.7 for OS X Snow Leopard, and Leopard Security Update 2012-003 disable out-of-date versions of Adobe Flash Player. Out-of-date versions of Adobe Flash Player do not include the latest security updates and will be disabled to help keep your Mac secure. If Safari 5.1.7 or Leopard Security Update 2012-003 detects an out-of-date version of Flash Player on your system, you will see a dialog informing you that Flash Player has been disabled. The dialog provides the option to go directly to Adobe’s website, where you can download and install an updated version of Flash Player.
        However, if your software is completely up to date and/or you’ve installed the latest version of Flash Player from Adobe’s site, I suggest following these instructions that might resolve your issue. Quit out of Safari before performing this task.
  • Navigate to the /Library/Internet Plug-Ins (Disabled) folder.
  • Drag “Flash Player.plugin” into /Library/Internet Plug-Ins.
  • If the browser is running, quit and restart it.
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Using a Signature & Using Stationery

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        Maybe you haven't tried this yet; John Carter to the rescue! "There have been times when I was responding to someone’s question when I really wished I had a template with a stock answer.

        "Well, it’s really easy to do. There are two ways to do it. One is using a Signature, and the other is using Stationery.
        "Using a signature is easier to work with if you need to edit the content. I have discovered that if you are using Stationery, it’s more difficult to edit the content. In fact, it appears to be impossible. It’s just very difficult. I’ll explain how to create both. The amount of detail below is for beginners."  And here we quote John in all these directions: 
                                              Using a Signature:
        Create a new message. It can contain images. Whatever you put in that message, including how it appears, will show up in the new signature.
        Select the entire body of the message, including your actual signature - if you put one there. (Cmd-A)
        Copy the selection to the clipboard. (Cmd-C)
        Open Mail->Preferences. (Cmd-,)
        Select the Signatures tab in the toolbar.
        Make sure that the left side panel is showing “All Signatures” and click on it to make it active.
        Click on the ‘+’ sign under the center panel.
        Change the name of that Signature from “Signature #x” (where ‘x’ is a number) to something you will recognize.
        The right side panel may or may not contain something.
        Click inside the right side panel and paste the content of the clipboard. (Cmd-V) If there was something else there, just do Select All (Cmd-A) followed by Paste (Cmd-V) and it will be replaced.
        In the left side panel, leave the “All Signatures” selection active and scroll down to the e-mail account that you want to add the new signature to. Do this without clicking inside that panel. Instead, just hover the mouse pointer in that panel and scroll down. (Using the Magic Mouse, slide your finger up and down the center. Using a mouse with a center wheel, move the wheel back and forth. If you have neither, click and hold the scroll bar on the right side of the panel to move it up/down). The center panel should still be showing the signatures (by name).
        With the desired e-mail account in view, click and drag the new signature onto the e-mail account.
        Check the bottom part of the Signatures window and note what “Choose Signature:” contains. If it is blank, that means no signature will be added to your e-mail messages. It doesn’t matter in this case - you don’t want it to show the new signature unless you want every message you start contain that signature.
        Also note the box for “Place signature above quoted text.” If checked, your signature will appear above any message you may be replying to or forwarding. If not checked, it will always appear below any message you may be replying to or forwarding. If you are not replying to or forwarding a message (you are creating a new message), there will be a blank line above the signature in your new message.
        When you start a new e-mail message, you should see “Signature:” on the bottom right side of the message header. Click on it to show all the signatures and select the one you want to show in the message. Whatever signature is selected will automatically appear in the body of the new message (even a message that you are replying to or forwarding).
                                       Using Stationery.
        Create a new message. It can contain images. Whatever you put in that message, including how it appears, will show up in the new Signature.
        Click File->Save as Stationery.
        Give your new Stationery a name and click “Save.”
        Stationery is intended to be a background and/or template to a new message. You cannot use Stationery in a reply to, or forwarded message like you can with a Signature.
        If you put text in Stationery at the time you create it, it shows up in a text box and you are expected to click anywhere in that text box to change the entire content. To edit the content is not impossible, but requires patience while you move the text cursor around with the arrow keys on the keyboard. For any other prepared Signatures, you can place the text cursor anywhere are start editing. To create a Stationery like that requires more detailed instructions - which are available online.
        For Signatures that I have created containing text, as soon as I select any part of the text, the entire text is highlighted, including any images I placed there. It is impossible to place the text cursor anywhere in the text such as to select a word. Once the entire area is highlighted, if I want to edit any part of it, I have to use the arrow keys to move the text cursor around, and it always starts at either the very beginning or the very end.
        My choice is to save a template as a Signature. Any part of it can then be edited as you would normal text.
        And so, that's John Carter's lesson for today.
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Security Flaw in USB Flash Drives

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       Quoting from the link below:  " . . . any USB device (flash drive, external hard drive, smartphone, digital camera, mouse, keyboard, etc.) that has been plugged into an untrusted computer should be treated with suspicion -- much like a used hypodermic needle. Further, erasing, formatting, or using anti-virus tools will not remove malicious code from the firmware of USB devices. And there is no known method at this time to scan USB devices to see if they are clean."
       Read about this serious problem here.  Thanks to Jim Hamm for his eagle eye, spotting this vital information. 

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Identity Theft Warnings

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        A recent notice from LifeLock contains some useful information on identity theft.  It states that a Russian cybergang amassed over 4.5 billion records of usernames and passwords.  See here.  They state that smartphone users are 35% more likely to experience fraud than the average customer.  See here.  And, did you know that identity thieves may target the mail sitting out in your mailbox when your flag is up.  See here. 

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Temporary Price Cut for Password App

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        "In security presentations at PMUG meetings, we’ve often mentioned 1Password as one of the apps to use for password security,"  Past Prez Art Gorski reminds us.  He then gives the good news.  Read on!  
        "While LastPass is free and does a good job, 1Password has always been pricey. What you get for the money is continuous development and features that you can’t get in free alternatives. For example, the next version for iOS8 will support the TouchID fingerprint sensor and the new extensions that will let it work with many more iOS apps. Currently, 1Password for both Mac and iOS has been reduced in price."  Note here that the price cut is temporary, but the upcoming iOS 8 version will be a free update. http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/08/07/1password-for-ios-gets-temporary-price-cut-upcoming-ios-8-version-with-touch-id-support-to-be-free-update 
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FBI Tracking

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        "In a recent email I mentioned three browsers which offered more security when browsing the internet. Tor was listed as the most secure browser. Here is an article describing how the FBI got into Tor to track people who were frequenting a child pornography network."

        Jim Hamm concludes his remarks with "I'm for keeping government from snooping in our lives, but I fully support the FBI doing something like this. The problem is where does the government draw the line between what is snooping and valid law enforcement? A tough question, and one I don't have a good answer to. What do you think?  Does the end justify the means?"
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Comparing Three Browsers for Security

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       "If browsing more safely on the internet is a concern for you, here is an article that compares three browsers that offer additional browsing security. As the article mentions, no browser offers complete protection," Jim Hamm informs us.  
        He goes on to explain, "After reading the article, I may try the Epic Browser just to see what it's all about.  I'm not paranoid about internet security, but I exercise reasonable caution and run a good anti-virus program."  
        Stay tuned for more info from Jim . . .