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Adam Engst No comments

FinderKeys

Nice idea, mediocre implementation (though one user considers FinderKeys the second best utility in the entire package, which proves that the Now Utilities meets different needs for different people)

Adam Engst No comments

MultiMaster

I've heard that MultiMaster was designed to compete with OnCue, but I've never seen OnCue. MultiMaster has two basic components - a pop-up window attached to a hot key and a drop-down menu that can be installed in either (or both) the upper right hand corner (on the right of the MultiFinder icons) or the upper left hand corner (on the left of the Apple icon)

Adam Engst No comments

Now Menus

Now Menus is another one of those programs that you wonder how you lived without. Its primary function is simple, yet elegant. It provides hierarchical submenus from the DAs in the Apple menu

Adam Engst No comments

Print Previewer

This is an odd one. It's a Chooser device that allows you to print to screen and see your document reduced to fit in the window or full size when you zoom in

Adam Engst No comments

Profiler

This is a separate application, and to be honest, I'm not really sure why Now included it as such. I say this because the Startup Manager has a "Profile" button that does exactly the same thing, producing an extremely detailed report on your system configuration

Adam Engst No comments

Screen Locker

This part of the Now Utilities suffers from the Claris syndrome, having been spun back into the Now Utilities, though Now still sells it as a separate product for $79 or so

Adam Engst No comments

Super Boomerang

Crashed when I tried to configure it. Of course, you idiot, you forgot to remove the original files from Boomerang 2.0 from your System Folder. After I removed those (and reinstalled, just for the fun of it) Super Boomerang worked fine

Adam Engst No comments

WYSIWYG Menus

This is another simple, but useful member of the Now Utilize. Its purpose in life (don't you wish your life was this simple sometimes?) is to display the font menu of your current application in the correct fonts

Adam Engst No comments

Documentation

The documentation for the Now Utilities is decent, with a few typographical errors, including one mistake on page 1-1 (the punctuation gods will be unhappy with Now Software)

Adam Engst No comments

Overall Evaluation

The Now Utilities needs more work, and I suspect it will continue to evolve, especially when System 7.0 makes FinderKeys and MultiMaster less useful by including some of their abilities

Adam Engst No comments

Excel Turns Three

Microsoft has always led the Macintosh world by its spreadsheet nose, although other companies have come out with more powerful programs over the years

Adam Engst No comments

Guerilla Marketing

No, I don't mean putting simians in your booth at Macworld Expo! I'm talking about the cut-rate offers that many software firms are using now that the economy is feeling blue

Adam Engst No comments

Snazzier Graphics

I've put this article off for a little while because every time I think about it, something new happens. I'm talking about the epidemic of upgrades for major graphics programs that have swept the Macintosh world

Adam Engst No comments

Lotus Tries Harder

I'll give Lotus a lot of credit, it takes a beating and keep coming back for more. Unfortunately, like baseball's New York Yankees, Lotus insists on trying to buy success, which works neither in baseball nor the computer industry

Adam Engst No comments

Warranty Realities

This isn't exactly news, but I think all Mac owners should know this important information. You do know that Apple finally extended its warranty period from 90 days to one year, a move which we at TidBITS considered to be a case of "About time!" You may not know that it's easy to void that wonderful one year warranty, at which point your friendly local dealer will be more than happy to fix your broken machine and take your first-born as a down payment on the repair bill