tjc@hou2a.UUCP (T.COFFEY) (09/28/84)
I am interrestedested in finding out what I can about software for the Mac, either public domain or commercial. I am partiularcularly interested in up/dowmloadnload capability to Unix as well as terminal emulation (VT100 textronicx etc). Also If anyone could recommend periodicals that mrefer to Macrefer to MAac stuff , I would appreciate it. In AaddtionIm'm still excited about the Mac despite the talk on the net.
murlocker@watrose.UUCP (murlocker) (09/29/84)
The best source of information for mac users is probably other mac users! There are a few magazines that are either entirely or partly devoted to the mac and depending on your interests you may want to check a few out. St. Mac by softalk was quite good, but alas, they have gone bust. Macworld, by the people who bring you PCworld is geared towards the novice mac user and tends to have rather trite articles and lots of ads for "soon to be released" software. You might want to pick up the odd copy if there's an article you're interested in, but on the whole I wouldn't recommend subscribing. Byte is a solid computer magazine covering the entire micro community and there reviews are quite thorough. Don't expect a lot of fanatical Mac praise or Mac articles every month. It does help you see what is available on other machines and Jerry Pournelle's column is worth the cover price if you can stand his style. There are a slew of Mac books around, but most were real rush jobs and contain nothing beyond a detailed explanation of stuff that's either in the user manual or unnecessary. Two exceptions are Carry Lu's book and Doug Clap's. If there's a chapter or two that really strikes your fancy, they may be worth the $20. Again, it depends on your interest. If you want to do any advanced programming you need Inside Macintosh by Apple. If you're just interested in using applications, you don't need any books. The best place for public domain software is a user group. Look for one in your area, or start your own and try to get in touch with one of the larger clubs to get a library going. And don't be tempted to copy software you didn't pay for. The support is usually worth the price. Besides, you don't steal newspapers from the blind vendor, do you?