Leopard
i don’t often post Apple Macintosh specific stuff here. In fact, I use both a Mac and a PC; though, the PC is on my Mac. heh. but the newest operating system for the Mac is being released tomorrow and it’s supposed to be a great upgrade. i know on the PC side that many folks are less than enthusiastic about Vista with many folks choosing to stick with XP for now (and that includes me). but i’ll be upgrading my computers tomorrow when the fedex driver drops my new software off at my house. you can read about the 300+ new features in the OS release here, but one thing has me most excited . . . and it has to do with iChat.
i rarely use video chatting that’s built into iChat, but i now have some new folks to add to my buddy list. last week my dad’s Dell died. i helped him upgrade to a new Mac. yesterday my brother’s Dell died and he’ll be buying a new Mac laptop this weekend. both intend to use video chatting to talk with me and also to my children. but i am looking at this from another angle. every time they’d have problems in the past and give me a call, i’d have to talk them through what to do without knowing exactly what was on their screen. the new iChat has VCN built into the application. in other words, i will be able to chat with them and then have them click a single button on the iChat window interface to that allows me to see their screen and even take it over. this is going to make my tech support life much smoother.
i anticipate my father needing this much more than my brother. in fact, my brother did a quick search the other day and found a Mac using lawyer’s blog. this lawyer talks about all of the applications he uses to succeed so just reading this convinced my brother. my brother will be fine. but my dad is a whole different ball game. my dad helps to keep me grounded as i teach technology. i don’t think i can ever encounter a student who has technology skills that are below my father’s. i think my father has had a computer and a broadband connection for about 3 years now and he’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between being in Outlook Express and Internet Explorer. Most of the tech support I’d provide will be just helping him to learn how to do pretty basic stuff, but my hope is that this stuff is simple enough that it starts to be understood and that he stops fearing technology. anyway, here’s the quick description of screen sharing.
# Screen Sharing
Collaborate with a buddy via iChat. Work on a Keynote presentation together, surf the web as a team, or help each other with an iMovie project. iChat initiates the connection (asking permission first) with an audio chat so you can talk things through as you work or play. Trade views of each other’s desktops. Even drag files from one computer to the other.
i also bought a new external HD to accompany the new OS. i’ll be using this for Time Machine:
#Back Up Everything
Automatic backup, built right into your Mac. Never worry about losing a file again. Time Machine stores an up-to-date copy of all your Mac’s files on an external hard drive, personal file sharing volume, or Mac OS X Server. That includes system files, applications, accounts, preferences, music, photos, movies, and documents.# Go Back In Time
See what your computer looked like in the past. Select a specific date and let Time Machine find your most recent changes, or do a Spotlight search to find exactly the file you’re looking for. Once you do, click Restore and Time Machine brings it back to the present.
my copy is scheduled to be delivered by 10:30 AM tomorrow. i need to get as much grading done today as i can. ;~)