Apple OS X Lion

I finally made the transition to OS X Lion. Once the download was complete, it took about an hour.

I did not like the "new" look of Mail, so I'm very happy you can still use the "classic" look.

Many of the "changes" appear to be user interface issues, but others, such as enhanced security, go well beyond that and are worth further examination.

All of my key applications run without any problems, though not all of them support certain Lion features, such as the "full screen" view (this will probably come in time for most of the applications, and even if it does not, it is no big deal).

I do like the enhancements to Preview, which is underrated-it is much more than an "image viewing" application.

Apple OS X *is* the world's most advanced operating system, and this upgrade is well worth the price!

Review and commentary (c) 2011 by Patrick Jost

Another Snow Leopard Update

A few minor things, all resolved now: an incompatibility between Firefox and Flash, and new a new driver was needed for a Canon scanner.

Speaking of scanners, many of the software packages that come with them have "issues" with Mac OS X; a very good alternative is VueScan. In addition to running without problems, it has many features not found in the bundled packages.

All in all-Snow Leopard was more than worth the price!

Patrick Jost

Mellel: Simply the Best

I've used a Macs since they came out. MacWrite was nice, but limited. The first version of Word got me through graduate school, but it had issues. WriteNow! was great, but sadly not available for OS X.

The best word processor for OS X is Mellel.

Go to http://www.redlers.com and download the trial and try it out. You'll be convinced.

Apart from being a great product, the company offers unparalleled support.

There was a minor issue with Mellel and Snow Leopard. It was resolved promptly. I received an email saying "within hours" and it was. The company is in Israel, so they were working well into the wee hours of the morning.

But this is typical-if you email, they respond. I have an old copy of Word as a last resort for reading documents. Pages is very nice, and my "Word reader" of choice. Bean is a nice product (and it is free) but Mellel is the one I have to have.

Patrick Jost

Snow Leopard UPDATE

Very minor issue: the mail database conversion lost two of my passwords.

Not a big thing, but mail says a server is "offline" when it doesn't have the password, it should ask for the password.

The improved performance and extra features of Preview more than make up for this, though.

Patrick Jost

Watchmen Blu-Ray DVD

I have to admit-I was not a "fan" of Watchmen until the film came out.

I would agree with many reviewers that without some familiarity with Moore's novel, the film could be confusing.

I know there are purists who think Snyder should have filmed it panel-by-panel, I don't completely disagree with them, but that may not have been practical.

This DVD was on sale at the place where I got the Snow Leopard upgrade. I noticed it was Blu-Ray at checkout, and nearly did not buy it.

I had noticed the "digital copy" designation, and they said I would, in fact be able to view the movie. I like the movie, but was not familiar with the "digital copy" concept, so I decided to give it a try (worst case: return it).

The digital copy option worked perfectly. I put the DVD into the iMac, and iTunes took care of the rest. The download was fast, and now I have Watchmen!

Patrick Jost

Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard: First Impressions

I have been a Mac user since 1984, and have trouble finding fault with the company or its products.

The iMac, combined with a few pieces of software (e.g., Mellel, the world's greatest word processor) make it an unparalleled business tool.

I had no problems with Leopard but was understandably curious about what improvements Snow Leopard might bring.

When I learned of the early release of Snow Leopard (on August 28, 2009), I decided that would be "Snow Leopard" Day!

The installation was painless-put in the DVD and go, just as it should be. The installation took just under an hour. I had seen reports of problems with restoring Internet access, but I did not have any.

The only moment of concern was with Mail-it did take about 5 minutes to rebuild the mail database, but there's a lot of mail to go through!

I have used it for about 12 hours, and have noticed increased speed, especially with opening documents.

The new features in Preview are nice, and it is now the way to go for viewing documents.

I still like Firefox, but it is obvious that Safari will win any speed test, so I may be using it for intensive browsing.

The upgrade is well worth the $29.99, and confirms the iMac as the leading business productivity tool!

Patrick Jost