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MailBITS/10-Jul-00
Microsoft Patch Helps Word & PowerPoint -- Microsoft recently released a patch for Macintosh Office 98 that fixes a troublesome bug in Word 98 and adds support for upcoming file formats in PowerPoint 98. The patch to Word fixes a problem where Word could corrupt data when saving files containing complex table formatting. The PowerPoint patch enables the program to open files created by the subsequent versions of PowerPoint for Windows and Macintosh. The update is a free 5.6 MB download. [JLC]
<http://www.microsoft.com/macoffice/ProductInfo/98DL/word98_ppt98_update.htm>
Web Companion 5.0v5 Available -- FileMaker Inc. has released Web Companion 5.0v5, the Web publishing component of FileMaker Pro 5.0 and FileMaker Pro 5 Unlimited. Web Companion 5.0v5 fixes two Mac-specific crashing bugs, permits substitution tags to be used inside the new inline action tag (useful for creating flexible queries embedded in a Web page processed by Web Companion), and returns proper MIME types for CSS and XSL style sheets. The update also fixes a problem where new portal records were unintentionally created by Instant Web Publishing and introduces new syntax for editing or creating records containing related fields. You need this update only if you're using FileMaker's Instant Web Publishing or custom Web publishing; it doesn't change anything in the FileMaker application itself. Web Companion 5.0v5 is presently available for English-language versions of FileMaker 5; localized versions should be released shortly. The update is a 650K download. [GD]
<http://www.filemaker.com/support/updaters.html>
ATM Light 4.6 Adds OpenType -- Adobe has released Adobe Type Manager Light 4.6, adding support for displaying OpenType fonts. OpenType is a font specification co-developed by Adobe and Microsoft that combines both PostScript and TrueType font information into the same file, supporting a larger variety of international and extended typographic characters. ATM Light 4.6 is a free 2.5 MB download; it requires a PowerPC-based machine with Mac OS 8.1 or later. [JLC]
<http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/atmmac.htm>
<http://partners.adobe.com/asn/developer/typeforum/opentype.html>
PowerMail 3.0.4 Available -- CTM Development has released PowerMail 3.0.4, squashing several bugs and adding the capability to export messages in tab-delimited text format. The new version of the email client fixes a handful of crashing problems and miscellaneous errors, and also launches faster than previous versions. (See "Migrating to New Climes with PowerMail" in TidBITS-530.) PowerMail 3.0.4 is a 2.3 MB download and requires Mac OS 8.5 or later; a 30-day demo is available. [JLC]
<http://www.ctmdev.com/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05930>
Correction: IE 5.5b1 Not on MacHack CD -- I screwed up! Contrary to what I said in "The MacHax Best Hack Contest 2000 Winners" in TidBITS-537, Internet Explorer 5.5b1 (the hack entry from the Microsoft Internet Explorer team) is not on the MacHack CD-ROM that's available for sale. It was on the CD distributed to MacHack attendees, and I incorrectly assumed that the two CDs would be identical. Since the availability of the CD-ROM was a last minute thing at our publication time last week, the comment about IE 5.5b1 wasn't in the article draft that the MacHax folks fact-checked for me. My apologies for any confusion or inconvenience, and rest assured that wet noodle flagellation was carried out with enthusiasm! [ACE]
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=06011>
Poll Results: What A Tangled Web We Weave -- Last week's poll asked what sort of tools you use when you create Web pages, and the results proved fascinating. Respondents were mostly a do-it-yourself kind of crowd, with 79 percent using text-based editors like BBEdit versus only 53 percent using graphical editors like GoLive. Far fewer used HTML converters built into other applications (16 percent) or Web-based tools like Apple's iTools (7 percent). It was good to see that 71 percent of the respondents test pages in multiple Web browsers, though fewer than 20 percent rely on HTML validators or link checking utilities. [ACE]
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbpoll=47>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=1088+1089>
Poll Preview: I Go, You Go, We All Go Expo -- It's nearly on time for Macworld Expo again, and we've started up our coverage with a look at how to plan your time and find your way around at the show. Plus, we'll be writing several articles after Macworld Expo to tell you what we saw that warranted mention. But are Macworld Expos a big deal to you? Do you go to every one? Do you go when they're nearby, go occasionally, or (gasp!) not go at all? This week's poll asks how often you attend Macworld Expos - vote today so we can get a sense of whether TidBITS readers are likely to bomb off to the nearest Macintosh event or stay rooted at home behind an Internet connection. [ACE]
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