Update Firms Performance for Blue G3 Macs -- Apple is recommending that all owners of blue and white Power Mac G3 computers install the Power Macintosh G3 Firmware Update 1.0.2. The update improves performance of PCI devices and the built-in FireWire ports, plus includes enhanced support for NetBoot and minor changes to the Open Firmware for Mac OS X Server. Be sure to follow the installation instructions; the updater resets your Parameter RAM (PRAM) and requires that you hold down the programmer's button (located on the front of the case) while starting up the machine to verify that the firmware is up to date. The Firmware Update 1.0.2 is an 870K download that works on all worldwide systems. [JLC]
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Option-Click AirPort Menu for Network Details
If you hold down the Option key while clicking the AirPort menu in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, you'll see not just the names of nearby Wi-Fi networks, but additional details about the selected network. Details include the MAC address of the network, the channel used by the base station, the signal strength (a negative number; the closer to zero it is, the stronger the signal), and the transmit rate in megabits per second showing actual network throughput. If you hover the cursor over the name of a network to which you're not connected, a little yellow pop-up shows the signal strength and type of encryption.
Written by
Adam C. Engst
Published in TidBITS 478.
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Update Firms Performance for Blue G3 Macs
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