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ExtraBITS for 19 September 2016

In ExtraBITS this week, Ars Technica profiles users who cling to Mac OS 9, Peter Cohen has a fix for T-Mobile users on iOS 10, Brett Terpstra provides the ultimate guide to iOS text editors, and TechHive’s Jared Newman offers a cord-cutter’s guide to watching the NFL.

Mac OS Users Who Are Keeping It Classic — Forget macOS, there are a number of Mac users who still haven’t made the leap to Mac OS X. Ars Technica profiles the people who stick to the 16-year-old Mac OS 9 and reveals some fascinating reasons for why they persist with such a hoary operating system. For some, it’s a matter of cost, but for others, the classic Mac OS actually maintains technical advantages. In particular, some audio professionals prefer Mac OS 9 for its low latency, high speed, and bevy of free production software.

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Solving “No Carrier” Problems with T-Mobile in iOS 10 — Peter Cohen reports that many T-Mobile customers who updated an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, or iPhone SE to iOS 10 suddenly had trouble getting cell service on their phones. Power cycling the iPhone fixed the problem temporarily, but if you’re suffering from this bug, you can now eliminate the error permanently with a carrier update from T-Mobile. Apply it by going to Settings > General > About.

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Massive iOS Text Editor Comparison Chart — How many iOS text editors are there? We’re not sure, but the number certainly exceeds 100. We know this because text maven Brett Terpstra has, with the help of a number of contributors, compiled a list of more than a hundred such apps, presented in an extensive dynamic chart that lists several dozen features and characteristics of each app. If you’re looking for an iPhone writing tool that can export PDF, costs less than $3, and supports Markdown, Brett Terpstra’s chart is the place to go.

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A Cord Cutter’s Guide to the 2016 NFL Season — If you love watching football but hate paying for cable TV, Jared Newman of TechHive has compiled an excellent guide to watching NFL games without a cable or satellite subscription. We have one update: Twitter now has an Apple TV app that you can use to watch Thursday Night Football games for free.

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