How to post a story to MacMerc
Here are just a few strong suggestions on how to submit news to MacMerc.com and get the story published.
WE ARE A MAC SITE!!
The first three letters of MacMerc.com are M A C. This is not because we are Scottish, it is because we are Mac centered as far as or computing platform. The farthest we’ll delve outside of the Mac category is to cover iPod stories. If you are flogging some Windows-only software or non-Mac-compatible hardware, WE DON"T CARE!!!
Choose a punchy headline
We get a lot of our traffic from RSS readers and Mac news headline sites. If
the headline isn’t unique and intriguing, people will assume the story isn’t
either. Furthermore, if every Mac site is following the same story and posting
it with a similar headline to yours, why would anyone choose the story you wrote?
You’ve got to hook the reader.
Blah: WiebeTech introduces FireWire KeyChain
Better: Lose
up to 1GB of files along with your car keys!
Use correct and supported HTML tags
We don’t expect everyone to card carrying code monkeys before they can successfully
post to the site. We do expect you to make sure the story you post looks the
way you want it to when you post it. We shouldn’t have to clean up every story
that gets posted here, but to a large extent, we do. Please do us all a favor
and become familiar with the following HTML tags:
<br><br>
Authentic code monkeys might question this code, but trust me, it works just
fine. Anytime you want to create a paragraph break, punch in a pair of <br> tags instead of hitting “Return” twice. Make this code your friend.
<a href="http://www.macmerc.com">MacMerc</a>
Since every story must have a link, you may as well link properly. Replace
the “http://www.macmerc.com” with the URL you are linking to and replace
the “MacMerc” with the name of the page to which that URL belongs
and soon MacMerc readers will be flocking to your site.
Once you’ve plugged in these tags where they belong, don’t forget to change
the story format selector from “Plain Old Text” to “HTML Formatted”
Choose an appropriate topic heading
We have a large
and growing collection of topics (45 topics at the time that I write this).
Certainly at least one of them pertains to your story in a deep and meaningful
way…if not choose one that pertains to it in a loose and tenuous way, but
choose one. Try to stay away from using the Apple / Mac topic in a generic sense
— we’d like to reserve that topic for stories that are specifically about
Apple.
Use Story Text & Extended Text fields appropriately
On the Submit News page, you will notice that there is a large text submission
field marked “Story Text” and another marked “Extended Text”.
Admittedly, this interface could have been made to be more clear. The Story
Text field is for a short introductory paragraph to introduce your story on
the front page of the site. It’s your opportunity to hook the reader. The Extended
Text field is for the bulk of your story. Readers see this part when they click
the “Read more…” link. Submitting stories this way keeps from having
to scroll down screens and screens of text.
Make sure your story goes somewhere
Like I said while discussing HTML tags, every story should have a link. Okay
maybe if you submit an editorial you may not need a link, but it would probably
be a much stronger piece if you could include links to other stories and sites
that back up your claims. Include a link and include it properly.
View the preview
You cannot submit a story without previewing it first. You can’t! What you
evidently can do is ignore the preview. You can, but you shouldn’t.
If your story looks bad, if it’s poorly formatted, if the links are invalid
and you choose to submit it anyway, then we are likely to just delete it. Study
that preview. Look at it objectively. Ask yourself, “Would a MacMerc visitor
want to read this?” If the story is worth posting, it’s worth posting properly.
For bonus points…
Become a registered user of MacMerc
Avoid having your story credited to “Anonymous Coward” by registering
with MacMerc and logging in before you post.
Support your story
Once you have written your story with a snappy headline, entered in all your
text, checked your tags, corrected your spelling (sorry no spell check on the
site, you’ll have to do that on your own), chosen a topic heading, verified
your links and submitted your masterpiece (with “HTML Formatted” selected),
you may have to wait a little while for one of us here to receive and approve
it for posting. Once we do (and if you have done everything the way I have recommended,
there should be no reason why you shouldn’t get posted) the next step might
be to publicize your story by emailing its Headline, Story Text and Permanent
Link (the URL that the “Read more…” link uses) to other Mac news
sites like MacSurfer.
Current Mozilla Foundation Projects
Brought to you by: James
Last Update: 3/4/2006
Well, for those of you who are interested, here’s my take on the Mozilla Foundation’s current, major projects.
The Mozilla Foundation is a non-profit and open-source organization that develops Mozilla and all of its related apps.
Firefox: 
Firefox features the Gecko rendering engine and is very similar to Safari when comparing standard features. Out of the box, you’ll notice tabs, pop-up blocking, and a search field. After digging deeper, you’ll notice settings that are very similar to Safari’s. Of particular notice, Firefox’s ability to clear all privacy settings makes it the best browser for the work place, but don’t tell your boss that I said that.
Pros: Firefox is easily expandable and has a large and fast-growing user base (mostly IE refugees). Firefox is a cross-platform browser for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Cons: None significant.
Rating: 
Camino: 
Camino is a Mac-only browser from the Mozilla Foundation. Camino features the same Gecko rendering engine as Firefox and is built with Cocoa. It’s fast and surprisingly stable. Camino’s key features are tabs, pop-up blocking, an Aqua user interface, and a search field. Camino was originally the default browser for most of the Mac community until Safari’s release. Ironically, Camino contributed to a few of the features that we see in Safari (specifically, tabs).
Pros: Camino features the power of the Gecko rendering engine and “looks and feels like a Mac OS X application should because it was designed exclusively for Mac OS X and the high standards set by its users.”
Cons: None significant.
Rating:
Thunderbird: 
Thunderbird is basically an off-shoot of Mozilla’s original email core and it is beautiful in both look and feel. It runs smoothly and has a very familiar feel. In fact, it’s amazingly similar to Outlook Express. Thunderbird has a spam detection system which is very similar to Mail.app and just as effective, an integrates RSS reader, and also supports GPG encryption. See Secure Your Email for details.
Pros: Thunderbird is easily expandable and has a large and fast-growing user base (mostly Outlook Express refugees). Thunderbird is a cross-platform email application for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Cons: None significant.
Rating:
Mozilla Add-ons:
Mozilla Add-ons is the official Extension and Theme source for Firefox and Thunderbird.
MozDev:
MozDev is not part of the Mozilla Foundation and entirely independent, though you can consider it as the original developer community. MozDev is a community dedicated to expanding Mozilla and building applications that are based on similar code. I highly suggest that you stop by and take a look.
Nightly Builds:
All of the above apps have was the Mozilla community calls “Nightly Builds”. These are new versions of the app released each night. The new versions contain bug fixes and the occasional new feature.
Well, I hope you enjoyed my little walk-through of the current state of the Mozilla Foundation’s major projects. Have a nice day!
SNES Emulation
Who wants free games? We all do. How many of you remember Super Nintendo? I’m sure that most, if not all, of you do. Well, today I’ll show how to legally play your favorite Super Nintendo games and add about 300 games to your library.
First, the legal stuff. Yes, it is currently illegal to emulate and play high-tech games that are still being sold on the market. This would include Nintendo 64, Playstation 1 and 2, X Box, and MAME (arcade). However, you can legally play these games up to 24 hours. After which, you must delete the game. Notice, Super Nintendo is no longer sold on the open market and is considered a “classic”. This means that most SNES games are freely available to download, however, games that currently have their own legal protection are blocked by the IDSA. If you currently own the IDSA protected game, however, you can legally have the ROM on your computer.
Now for the emulator. I highly suggest that you use SNES9X Custom HQ. This is based off of SNES9X, of course, but features at least one thing that the original Mac version left out. If you said C4 chip emulation, you’re right. The C4 chip is the base of Mega Man X2 and 3 among other popular SNES games. If you played Mega Man X3 with the original SNES 9X, you’ll notice that the game “plays” as a black screen. However, the game runs normally under SNES9X Custom. Please note that emulation isn’t perfect. Some games still have odd bugs.
And, of course, you’ll need ROMs. The only site that we’ll be endorsing in this article is CherryROMs, due to their high legal standards. All you have to do is sign up (it’s free and they don’t SPAM) and you’re on your way to downloading all the games you ever wanted. While you’re searching for games, you’ll want to notice that “[!]” means the ROM is a “good dump”, which means that it’s “perfect”.
Now, get out there and have some fun!
Note: CherryROMs is the only site that we are endorsing in this article. Any other sites posted in the comments are subject to review and possible deletion.
This spotlight has been brought to you by MacManX.
Studio MX 2004 First Look
Studio MX 2004 First Look
By: Jon Gales
There aren’t many prodcuts I use every day, but Macromedia Studio MX is one
of them. So when Macromedia let me know that MX 2004 was on the home stretch,
I couldn’t have been happier. Here’s a quick run-down of each application.
Be warned that the software I have been using is all still in beta… Stuff could still
change. I’ll post real reviews once the golden master ships (it’s not fair
to review beta software).
Studio MX 2004 in general
This release features a new look and feel. It’s called Halo, and it has been
used throughout the product. Incidently, its also been adapted for use on
Macromedia.com. The cool part of Halo (technically called MX Elements) is that
you can use the standard elements yourself in the Studio products. I haven’t
quite figured this out in Dreamweaver, but it’s easy enough in Flash and Fireworks.
I’ve been promised it is in Dreamweaver though.
Across the board, the 2004 release is focusing on a few things:
- Standards – Full unicode, CSS, XHTML support across product line.
- Integration – You can edit images in Dreamweaver, make HTML in Fireworks,
and author sites in Flash. This isn’t “toss the file back and forth” integration.
It’s real.
- Accessibility – Flash has much better accessibility features,
and Dreamweaver makes the ones it had a lot more apparent. If you work for
the government, or a major company, this is a must.
The pricing is the same, but if you want Flash MX Pro instead of the normal
Flash, you’ll have to cough up an extra $100. Not a bad deal though since Flash
MX Pro retails for $699 (Studio sells for $899).
Note, Freehand MX has not been updatedóit typically does not follow
the same release schedule as other MX products.
Dreamweaver MX
At first look, it didn’t seem like much changed. However, after digging in
a while I found some gems:
- Expanded Tables Mode – hit F6 and your tables get real big (sort of like ExposÈ
in reverse). This is killer when you have one of those situations where there
are lots of tiny little cells that you can’t seem to select. Hit F6 again and
the tables are back to normal.
- SFTP – FTP is so insecure that it is amazing we’re still
using it. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. I think this makes
Dreamweaver the only WYSIWYG
to support SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocal).
- MS Office Support – I know this is weird for a Mac guy
like me to like, but I’ve gotten site copy (hell, even design) in a .doc
or .xls
many many times. Since they buy my dinner, I can’t really complain too
much. You can copy/paste Word and Excel documents and preserve
formatting. Dreamweaver converts Microsoft’s stuff into standards based CSS on
the fly. I think I wet myself after trying it the first time.
- Cross Browser support – Ever wonder if there is a problem with your code
executing in WhateverBrowser 2.6? Dreamweaver MX 2004 will tell you with built
in validation for every major browser (yes, including Safari). Use those
newly freed brain cells for other more important tasks.
- CSS - Past versions of Dreamweaver had great support for
styling text with CSS. You could use it to make a tableless site,
but only if you lacked things to do and a family that loves you. It’s almost
fun with this version.
There’s a lot more, but that will have to wait until the review. If you’ve
got any questions about this product, head over to the forums and ask away.
Fireworks MX
I haven’t been a real Fireworks user, but mostly because the bulk of my work
is PHP coding. I leave the graphics up the graphics guy. However, I have done
a few design gigs lately. I’ll have to give it another look. Here’s what I liked
best:
- Integration – Remember when I said Studio MX 2004 focused
on integration? Well it shows. If your team uses the “check-in/check-out” feature
of Dreamweaver (basically a dumbed down, “for the people”, CVS), you’ll be
happy that you can check in/out files right in Fireworks!
- Speed - Macromedia boasts that Fireworks is up to 85%
faster at certain operations. After further questioning it came out that
masking is
one of those features that has really gotten a speed boost.
- UI – The user interface [screen shot] has
gotten cleaned up a bit. Take a look at the screen shot.
- Commands – You can change around all the commands [screen
shot]
. Under the Application menu just select “Keyboard Shortcuts”. If that’snot
cool,
check out the pull-down
menu that lets you select standard command sets. Like Adobe’s commands.
Make it so. Almost no effort.
- Unicode – Since it now supports Unicode fully, you can
author images in any language that your computer supports. This was a slow-down
before, because images are often
used for languages that are commonly not accessible on the average user’s
computer (international prodcut/comapny names for instance). If you did a
regular install of OS X, you should have about any language worth its weight
already installed. Start studying.
Word on the street is that there are some neat extensions coming out for Fireworks
in the near future. Some of the coolest stuff Dreamweaver does is done through
its exentions, so this sounds like good stuff. Since I haven’t seen them yet,
I can’t comment. If you’ve
got any questions about this product, head over to the forums and
ask away. Expect a full review once the golden master ships.
Flash MX
One could argue quite well that this is the product that saw the most change.
That’s probably because it’s the only one to actually get a pro version. The
codebase is exactly the same for the two versions (Flash MX and Flash MX Pro),
but you enter diffferent serial numbers based on what you pay for.
One of the best things about this release is that it is fully international.
You can finally code a multilingual site in Flash. Like Fireworks lacking Unicode
support, this was a slowdown and in many cases a deal breaker.
So here’s the run down:
- ActionScript 2.0 – As you know, ActionScript is the programming
language that Flash uses to do the “cool stuff”. Version 2 is a
major step forward. For programming-types, it supports Object Oriented design
(just like Cocoa). Even though it’s the
latest and greatest, it can still be compiled down to ActionScript 1.0, meaning
it won’t break anything you’ve already written.
- CSS – No, I wasn’t kidding about Studio MX 2004 focusing
on standards. Flash can now handle standards-based CSS.
- Spell Check – Not too cutting edge, but for non-English
types like myself this is a great feature. Macromedia said it was one of
the top
requests.
- Accessible components – Another positive aspect of using
Macromedia’s components in your Flash movies is that you gain all their accessibility.
- PDF + EPS support – OS X has had great support for PDF’s
for a while, but now Flash is getting in on the game. Also added is EPS.
Makes work go faster
if your graphics departments likes to use either of the common standards.
If you want to talk Flash MX 2004, head over to the forums.
That’s all for now, look for more detailed coverage in the weeks to come.
Director MX 2004 sneak peek
By: Jon Gales
January 5th, 2004
Director has long been the de facto tool for multimedia gurus. It has actually been around since the 80′s, but has obviously added a lot more power in the years since. Once Shockwave was installed on most internet connected computers, Director became really powerful because its applications were able to be deployed over the internet, in the browser.
Today Director is being used to power enhanced Enhanced CDs, such as on the popular release by Kelly Clarkson, the first American Idol winner. Enhanced CDs help drive sales, as you don’t get access to the content without buying the actual CD (sorry iTunes Music Store!). Another popular use is prototyping. Because development in Director is rapid, companies can test out new designs for products like slot machines in just days instead of the weeks it takes with more conventional methods.
What’s new
If you’re going to shell out cash for an update, you better know what’s new. Here it goes.
Ever since the MX family was announced, every release has brought the applications more tightly integrated. I’m happy to report that Director MX 2004 does not change this fact.
- Flash integration – You can now import .fla files directly, and take advantage of all the optimizations the latest version of flash has to offer. According to Macromedia, you should notice a 15-70% performance increase.
- Components – One of the more handy features of Flash is now in Director. There are components for common interface elements:
- Button
- Check Box
- Date Chooser
- Label
- List
- Numeric Stepper
- Radio Button
- Scroll Pane
- Text Area
- Text Input
- Tree
- Docking – The stage can now be docked. One of the best features of the MX interface is the ability to dock windows, especially when you consider that docked windows can be minimized by clicking the carrot to the left of the name.
- Display template – You can now control the elements of your projectors in one easy MX like pallet. Complex tasks, such as creating windows and drag masks are now as simple as selecting a cast member in a pop down list.
That’s about it for the integration with the rest of the MX suite, on the next page we’ll take a look at some of the new features that aren’t seen in the rest of the MX family.
We see a lot of focus on integration with other MX products, but that’s not enough to warrent a new version. Below follow some killer features unique to Director (although seeing some of these in Flash would be slick):
- HOT! Use JavaScript in place of Lingo – Up until this release, Lingo was the only way to program in Director. Although a fully developed language, having options is nice. Director MX 2004 supports JavaScript fully, which greatly reduces the learning curve for users that already know JavaScript (no need to learn Lingo, a whole other beast). You can see a screenshot of this functionality here. Lingo also got an update to its dot syntax.
- DVD video support – You can now directly embed DVD video into your projects. Why’s this handy? Cross platform training materials are a cinch. But there are a million other uses. Just remember that home DVD players aren’t able to play Director files.
- Real Player tweaked – When Director MX shipped, Real Player for the Mac was still a bit wonky. In the last year, Real has fixed things. Thus, the support for Real media is improved (that is on the Mac side). Windows Media is also supported in this release, but is not of much interest to Mac developers.
- HOT! Cross platform projectors – In prior versions of Director, you had to compile your project in both Mac and Windows versions to get it to work on both platforms. This lead to some Mac users being shafted, when there really is no reason for having a Windows only Director app. In Director MX 2004, you can export for both Mac and Windows with no extra work. This can be seen in a screen shot shown here.
- Sticky publish settings – When you publish your project for public consumption, there are a ton of settings. Director MX 2004 remembers your settings, so that every time you publish you do not have to re-configure. This is a major time saver, and frankly should have happened a long time ago. However, it’s never too late to say hi to a great feature.
- HOT! English named sprites – This is another one of those features that we should have seen a long time. Director MX 2004 now lets you name sprites with real English names. No more integers to gum up the works. If you have a pipe sprite, go ahead and name it “pipe”. Can’t get any easier than that! This feature can be seen in a screen shot shown here.
These aren’t the only new features seen in Director MX 2004, but they are the highlights. It’s a major update, and is a must-have for serious developer.
Pricing
Nothing has changed on the pricing front:
Full version: $1,199
Upgrade: $399
Education full version: $499
Macromedia says Director MX 2004 will ship in February. At that time, expect more coverage here on MacMerc.com. For now, remember that all screenshots are still subject to change, as the software is still in beta.
If you have any specific questions on this release, let me know and I’ll see what I can do. Comments are welcome too.
Be a MacMerc and look the part
Is this a crass commercial announcement? Yes, yes it is.
MacMerc.com was started several years ago but it wasn’t until January 2002
that the MacMerc culture really started to gel. If you’ve spent any time in
our forums, you know
the names and the personalities. If you were one of the early MacMerc forum
pioneers, you might even have one of our limited edition (now discontinued)
second generation MacMerc.com caps. If you missed out on the caps, you can still
dress yourself up in MacMerc.com attire with the vast selection of items in
our
store. Let’s take a look at the selection:
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The This is our main line of products and the best way to send the clearest Products available: Baseball Jersey (retro MacMerc.com |
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Inspired by the threadbare shirt worn by Eddie Murphy in Beverly Products available: White T-Shirt, Ash Grey T-Shirt, |
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Don’t you get it? Don’t worry, just go into TextEdit and hold down the Products available: T-Shirt, Ash Grey T-Shirt, Jr. Baby |
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A few people have misinterpreted our Option-Shift-K graphic as being Products available: White T-Shirt |
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One of two shirts we have inspired by events at the site itself. This Products available: Grey T-Shirt |
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MacMerc.com Part Apple logo, part Maltese cross and all MacMerc.com. This collection Products available: T-Shirt, Baseball Jersey, Grey T-Shirt, |
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This t-shirt commemoratesthe Products available: White T-Shirt |
