This issue features news about how to keep up with updates, as well as details on new versions of FreePPP, Mac TCP Watcher, and World Wide Web Weaver. We also include information about banishing erroneous "System memory too low to run Word" error messages and reader responses to the idea of a system-level database. Rounding out the issue, Adam writes about his latest book, the fourth edition of Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh.
Our transition from LISTSERV to ListSTAR continues this week, so please bear with us as we iron out the wrinkles. The bug that caused many of you to receive two copies of last week's issue was squashed promptly by Quarterdeck, and we're now running the fixed version of ListSTAR
FreePPP 2.5v2 -- Last week, the FreePPP Group released FreePPP 2.5v2, replacing version 2.5rf. Although the release offers no new features, it does contain a number of significant bug fixes, and users of Global Village modems may be particularly interested in the upgrade
Mac TCP Watcher 2.0 -- Peter Lewis recently released version 2.0 of Mac TCP Watcher, a $10 shareware utility favored by network administrators, power users, and the interminably inquisitive
Another Miraculous Release? HTML aficionados take note - Miracle Software has released World Wide Web Weaver 2.0. Also known as W4, the new version adds many new features, including a special version of Casady & Greene's new Spell Catcher (formerly Thunder 7) and multi-file search and replace (though the search and replace lacks a "whole word only" feature, wild cards, and grep)
Stay Up on Updates -- In TidBITS-309, I wrote about the Macintosh Software Update Report from LEVEL 6 Computing, formerly an electronic- and paper-based publication that succinctly listed information about recent Macintosh software updates
Several years ago, when I worked at Microsoft answering questions about Word for the Mac, people frequently called in to ask about an annoying "System memory too low to run Word" error message that would appear when they launched Microsoft Word 5.x
My comments in TidBITS-341 about building a database into the system for applications to use hit a chord with readers. A number of people wrote in with additional comments and ideas.
Alex Sirota offers an additional requirement to my suggestions for what features are essential for a relational database system:
Another requirement that you didn't mention is a structured language with which to manipulate the contents of the database system
As I noted briefly in a few previous TidBITS issues, the fourth edition of Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh (ISBN 1-56830-294-0, Hayden Books, $39.99) is available and should be appearing in bookstores now