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From: Bruce Grubb <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.comm,comp.answers,news.answers
Subject: comp.sys.mac.comm FAQ (v 2.3.0) Jan 1 2002
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From: [email protected] (Bruce Grubb)
Last-modified: Feb 1, 2002
This is the comp.sys.mac.comm Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list
=====================================================================

This list of frequently asked questions and answers is intended to
help reduce the number of "often asked questions" that make the
rounds here in comp.sys.mac.comm. Since comp.sys.mac.comm is intended
as a forum to discuss telecommunication (and related issues) that are
specific to the Macintosh, most questions about modems,
telecommunications in general, and other non-Macintosh specific
communication questions are not listed here. The proper newsgroup for
such questions is usually comp.dcom.modems.

This list is posted periodically (about once a month) to the Usenet
groups comp.sys.mac.comm, comp.answers, and news.answers. Latest
versions of the FAQ can be retrieved via anonymous FTP from any
info-mac mirror and from
<http://members.aol.com/BruceG6069/csm-comm-FAQ.txt>

This FAQ is purely a volunteer effort. Although every effort has been
made to insure that answers are as complete and accurate as possible,
NO GUARANTEE IS IMPLIED OR INTENDED. The editor and contributors have
developed this FAQ as a service to Usenet. We hope you find it useful.
It has been formatted in both HTMl and ASCII format for your browsing
convenience.

The editor/maintainer of this FAQ takes no responsibility for its
contents.  Thanks to David Oppenheimer for giving me permission to
continue the FAQ.

Please send your corrections and comments to the editor, Bruce L
Grubb at [email protected]

            SHARE THIS INFORMATION FREELY AND IN GOOD FAITH.
            DO NOT DISTRIBUTE MODIFIED VERSIONS OF THIS FAQ.
              DO NOT REMOVE THIS NOTICE OR THE TEXT ABOVE.
             (INCLUDING THE 'LastModified' HEADER; THANKS.)

Exception to the above: Excerpts of this FAQ not exceeding 9000
characters in length may be reprinted PROVIDED that
"the comp.sys.mac.comm Usenet newsgroup FAQ" is credited as the
source of the information. Even in this case, no editing of the
quoted material is permitted


=====================================================================

                             TABLE OF CONTENTS:

+ = Updated or New information

[1] Modems and Cables

[1.1] What kind of modem will work with my Macintosh?
[1.2] What kind of cable do I need to use my external modem with my
        Macintosh?
[1.3] What do V.32, V.42, bis, MNP, etc mean?
[1.4] How fast could the Macintosh serial ports really go?
[1.5] How can I disable call-waiting when using my modem?

[2] File Formats and Conversion

[2.1] What is a resource (or data) fork?
[2.2] What is encoding?
[2.3] What is BinHex? What is uuencode? What is Base64?
[2.4] What are AppleSingle and AppleDouble? What is MacBinary?
[2.5] What do file suffixes like .hqx, .sit, .bin, etc ... mean
        and how can I convert such files back to normal Macintosh
        applications and documents?
[2.6] I keep hearing about 'tarball' files what are they?
[2.7] What is file mapping and why is it important?
[2.8] After decoding and expanding a file I get an unknown document
      file. How do I open this file?

[3] Macintosh File Transfers

[3.1] What is the difference between a commmunication and an
      Internet connection?
[3.2] What commmunications programs are available?
[3.3] What Internet programs are available?
[3.4] What is Telnet, and what MacOS Telnet Programs are there?
[3.5] What's the best compression program to use when uploading
        files to an archive? Are there any other guidelines
        I should follow?
[3.6] How can I transfer Macintosh files to/from my Macintosh and
        other non-Macintosh computers (eg: mainframes, UNIX boxes,
        PCs)?
[3.7] Is there a newsgroup for MacOS binaries?

[4] Networking basics

[4.1] What is the difference between AppleTalk, LocalTalk,
        Ethernet, EtherTalk, TCP/IP, etc?
[4.2] What are the network methods of the Mac OS?
[4.3] How can I change the Chooser "user" and name of my Macintosh?
        Also: Why can I no longer change the name of my hard-disk?

[5] Internet Networking

[5.1] What kind of hardware and software do I need to have a
      direct connection (ie use TCP/IP protocol) to the Internet?
[5.2] What are SLIP, CSLIP and PPP?
[5.3] OT/PPP (Remote Access) Frequently Asked Questions
[5.4] Do I have to know anything about Unix to use the Internet?

[6] Miscellaneous

[6.1] I just downloaded an .AVI file but Quicktime will not play it
      correctly.  Am I missing something?


Appendices:

[A]   List of Common File Suffixes and Abbreviations
[B]   Mac program archive list link and Vendor Information
[C]   Contributors

=====================================================================
[1] Modems and Cables
=====================

[1.1] What kind of modem will work with my Macintosh?
-----------------------------------------------------

Any *external* Hayes compatible modem will work with your Macintosh.
There are too many to list or review here. The USENET newsgroup
comp.dcom.modems is a good place to ask questions about the many
different external Hayes compatible modems. Such modems can be used
with any computer (Macintosh, UNIX box, MS-DOS PC, Amiga, etc) with
a serial port (e.g.: Macintosh modem port) or USB interface.
However, there *are* modems that are designed specifically for use
with the Macintosh but they are usially internal modems.

    Note that modems for the Macintosh Performa apparently can only
    plug into the Macintosh Performa because of an extra pin which
    they posesses (there is a corresponding extra hole on the
    Performa serial port connector into which this pin fits). As a
    result, the bundled Global Village FAX modem can only plug into
    the Performa.  Other modems can of course also plug into the
    Performa; the extra pin only prevents plugging the Performa-specific
    modem into other Macs.

Assuming you wish to use an external modem, your only other hardware
consideration is to find an appropriate hardware-handshaking cable
to connect it to your Macintosh. (see [1.2] for details).

Various special modems exist with unique features; the most
notable type is the dual FAX/modem. For more information,
visit comp.dcom.modems or your local dealer: there are simply
too many products to describe here.


[1.2] What kind of cable do I need to use my external modem with my
Macintosh?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

There are currently two type of modems out there; the older modems
which have DB-25 (25 pin) connector labelled RS-232C on their
backsides and the newer modems which have a USB port.

Connecting one of the older modems to a Mac with a serial port
(Mac Plus to the first G3s) involves getting a DIN-8 to DB-25
hardware handshaking cable which typically sale $10.00 (10 ft)
via mail order.  Connecting one of these older modems to a USB
port involves getting a USB to DIN-8 adapter in addition to the
cable which given the cost makes it more practical to go with a
USB modem.

There is no way to connect a USB modem to a serial port though a
USB card can be put into a PCI baced Mac.

[1.3] What do V.32, V.42, bis, MNP, etc mean?
---------------------------------------------

Because these topics are universal telecommunications issues,
they are more fully discussed in comp.dcom.modems. However, a
short description of some of the more common abbreviations and
buzzwords is given below.

<<An excellent article on the subject of modems, including
a guide to buying high-speed modems, is available from
InfoMac and its mirror sites as the file
info-mac/comm/info/modem-guide-11.hqx.>>

  Buzzword         What it typically means
---------------   ----------------------------------------------
  bit             : binary digit; amount of information necessary
                    to distinguish between two equally likely
                    events (such as the value of a binary digit)
  byte            : eight bits; size of a single ASCII character
  bps             : bits per second
  baud            : one analog signal state change; people usually
                    use baud and bps interchangeable, although most
                    modern modems can encode multiple bits per baud
  Bell 103        : 300 bps U.S. Standard
  Bell 212A       : 1200 bps U.S. Standard
  LAP/M           : Link Access Protocol/Modem.
  MNP             : Microcom Networking Protocol (Proprietary)
  MNP5            : MNP extension; 2 to 1 data compression.
  V.32            : 9600bps, 4800bps
  V.32bis         : 14.4Kbps, 12Kbps, 9600bps, 7200bps, 4800bps
  V.32terbo       : psuedo-standard extending V.32bis to 16.8, 19.2 kbs
  V.34            : 28,800 bps, 14,400 bps, 9,600 bps, 2,400 bps
  V.Fast          : Interim version of V.34; sometimes used as a
                        nickname for V.34
  V.FC            : proprietary Rockwell protocol used before V.34
                          was approved as a standard
  V.42            : MNP 4 and LAP/M modem to modem error correction
  V.42bis         : LAP/M and 4-to-1 data compression.
  V.44            : Internet focused compression
  X2/K56flex      : Two incompatable proprietary formats for 56K
                    Dependent on a digital equipment which some areas
                    do not have.
  V.90            : base standard for 56K; 33,600 bps upload maximum
  V.92            : Improved 56K stadard; 48,000 bps upload maximum

  Note: Some V.FC modems do not work with V.34 modems at 28,800 bps.

  FAX standards:
    V.21          : 300 bps FAX
    V.27ter       : 4800 bps FAX
    V.29          : 9600 bps FAX
    V.17          : 14400 bps FAX

                            Table 1.3.1


[1.4] How fast could the Macintosh serial ports really go?
--------------------------------------------------------

Orignally the MacOS supported up to an asynchronous data rate
of 57600 bps though the serial hardware could support much higher
transfer rates externally clocked (as much as 16 times synchronously).
The AV and Powermac introduced a different SCC clock and DMA based
serial driver which allowed 115,200 and 230,400 bps.
(Ward McFarland <[email protected]>,
Dan Schwarz <Dan_Schwarz/[email protected]>) USB which replaced
the serial ports can go as fast as 1.5 MB/s

While these speed are impressive one must rember ther are the maximum
possible under ideal conditions. In addition due to
limiations in equipment and phone line quality even a 56K modem
rarely gets a sustained throughput over 51K.  However the new V.92
standardworks best with the faster ports as there is 'speed to burn'.


[1.5] How can I disable call-waiting when using my modem?
---------------------------------------------------------

This varies depending on your local phone company, but often, if you
preced the phone number you wish to tone dial with "*70," (omit the
quotes but not the comma), you can disable call-waiting FOR THAT CALL
ONLY.

If you have a strictly rotary dial line, try preceding the
phone number with "1170".

In the United Kingdom, the code to use is #43#.

  In New Zealand, the code to use is *52.

  If you are using Telecom Australia,
  ATDT#43#,;H     Will turn call-waiting OFF
  ATDT*43#,;H     Will turn it back ON again.

=====================================================================
[2] File Formats and Conversion
===============================

[2.1] What is a resource (or data) fork?
----------------------------------------

A Macintosh file has two parts: a data fork and a resource fork. Text
files and GIF image files are examples of Macintosh files that are
usually stored completely in the data fork, and have an empty
(or nonexistent) resource fork. Applications, as a counter-example,
store most if not all of their information in 'resources' in the
resource fork and usually have an empty data fork.

Because this two-forked organization of files isn't very common,
not only did Mac archive formats have to support them but a means to
turn the two fork Mac file into a data fork had to be developed so that
mac files could pass through non-macintosh machines (such as UNIX boxes,
or MS-DOS machines) without being damaged.

This also means that without modification non-mac archives and encoding
formats cannot be used to send mac files.

[2.2] What is encoding?
------------------------

To understand 'encoding' as the term is normally used on the Internet
one needs to understand the difference between "binary" and ASCII.
With the noted exception of text files computers store information in
"binary" format which means that all 8-bits of a byte are used.  By
contrast ASCII originally only defined the first 7 bits of a byte
setting the high bit in each byte to zero. As an added complication
the character sets for byte values 128-255 used by ANSI and early
(1981-c1990) IBM PCs differed.

As a result for 8-bit information to reliably be sent between
computers it had to be translated into 7-bit ASCII text or 'encoded'.
This was especially true of Usenet and e-mail which even today mostly
supports 7-bit ASCII.  Because 8-bits worth of data are being put into
a 7-bit text file encoded files are always larger than their binary
counterparts.

Due to its data and resource fork structure the Mac has an additional
type of encoding structure: Binary encoding.  Unlike ASCII encoding
there is virturally no increase in file size but since these formats
are 8-bit they cannot be used on their own in the remaining areas of
the Internet that only support 7-bit (like E-mail and Usenet).

[2.3] (a) What is BinHex? (b) What is uuencode? (c) What is Base64 ?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

These are all ASCII encoding (see [2.2]) formats.

(a) BinHex 4.0, by Yves Lempereur, is a binary to text translator
that can directly encode any Macintosh document (ie: it knows how to
convert information in both the resource and data forks).  Since the
format is mainly used on already compressed files the RLE compression
method that can be part of the format is rarely used.
BinHex files can be easily recognized since they begin with the line:

               (This file must be converted with BinHex 4.0)

and are followed by a line starting with a colon, ':'. The BinHex
encoding of the file follows, and is ended with another colon.
Binhex 4.0 files also can be identified externally by the suffix ".hqx".

The best option to handle BinHex 4.0 is to use one of the utilities
like StuffIt Expander and other StuffIt programs, SunTar, and HQXer
to  name only a few.  StuffIt Expander has the advantage of also
being able to automatically expand StuffIt, Compact Pro, and
Applelink archives and being available on PCs.

The specifications to BinHex, should you be an interested programmer,
are available at the University of Michigan's Macintosh archive site
as mac/misc/documentation/binhex4.0specs.txt, or at InfoMac sites as
dev/info/binhex-40-specs.txt.

There is also a program/format called "BinHex 5.0"; but it is NOT a
more advanced version of "BinHex 4.0" but rather a separate _binary_
encoding format (see [2.2]). BinHex 5.0, written by Yves Lempereur,
in 1985 was the first MacBinary converter available. BinHex 5.0 (also
called MacBinary I) was replaced by the MacBinary II format which
added support for several then new MacOS features (see [2.4b]).

As new versions of BinHex were developed, they encoded only the
new format but continued to decode all previous formats:

    BinHex 1.0 encodes .hex and decodes .hex
    BinHex 2.0 encodes .hex & .hcx and decodes .hex & .hcx
    BinHex 3.0 never existed
    BinHex 4.0 encodes .hqx and decodes .hex, .hcx & .hqx
    BinHex 5.0 encodes MacBinary I and decodes .hex, .hcx,
               .hqx & MacBinary I

(b) "uuencode" is a binary to text translator that serves the same
purpose as BinHex, except that it knows nothing about the Macintosh
resource/data fork structure. Uuencode was designed to allow UNIX
binary files to be easily transferred through text-only interfaces,
such as e-mail. Every uuencoded file contains a line similar to:

               begin 644 usa-map.gif

followed by a series of lines of ASCII text characters (which are
normally 60 characters long and begin with the letter 'M').
The file ends with a line containing the word 'end'. There may be
other special keywords included.  Externally uuencode files are
usially denoted with the suffix ".uu" or ".uue".

Usually, one won't find Macintosh files in uuencode format; however,
most non-Macintosh specific binary data posted to Usenet is
uuencoded, so if you wish to use any of this data (such as the images
posted in alt.binaries.* and elsewhere), you will need to deal with
uuencode.  The programs 'uuencode' and 'uudecode' exist on most UNIX
systems. If not, don't worry as there are many programs allow you to
convert to and from uuencode using your Macintosh (see [2.6]).

(c) Base64 is the encoding format used by Multipurpose Internet Mail
Extension (Mime) files.  The reason mime uses Base64 rather than the
more popular uuencode format is that uuencode is not really a standard
but rather a collection of related but different formats.  This rendered
uuencode impractical as a cross platform encoding format.

Mac files being sent via e-mail are usially binary encoded (usially
in AppleDouble) before being encoded in Base64.


[2.4] a) What are AppleSingle and AppleDouble? b) What is MacBinary?
------------------------

These are all Mac binary encoding (see [2.2]) formats.

a) AppleSingle and AppleDouble were developed out of a need to share
Mac file between the MacOS and A/UX (Apple's first UnixOS) as well
as allowing A/UX users to edit MacOS files.  The specs of these
formats can be found at
<http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/htbin/rfc/rfc1740.html>.

AppleDouble is useful today because it divides a Mac file into
two files: one for the data fork (with original filename) and the
other for resource fork (with '%' prefixing the original filename)
This made it easy to adopt AppleDouble to MIME - have non-mac
systems simply ignore the '%' file.

Mac e-mail programs that use AppleSingle and AppleDouble encode them
into Base64.

b) MacBinary is the Mac's standard binary encoding (see [2.2]) format.
MacBinary's purpose is to encapsulate *all* information (including
the filename, creation and modification dates, file type and creator)
contained in a Macintosh file for transport over a non-Macintosh medium.

Although a Macintosh program (called MacBinary) does exist
to do the converting to and from MacBinary, almost all modern
Macintosh telecommunications and Internet programs have the
capability of converting and unconverting MacBinary files for
you.

    Dennis Brothers, Yves Lempereur, and others gathered on
    CompuServe to discuss what eventually became the original
    MacBinary standard. According to Lempereur, "We finally
    agreed on using the MacTerminal format (without the modified
    XModem protocol). I then wrote BinHex 5.0 (see [2.3]) to
    support MacBinary. A year later, the same group got
    together on CompuServe again and created MacBinary II."

    MacBinary I is the name given to the old MacBinary standard.
    MacBinary II is the name given to the c1987 update to the
    standard.
    MacBinary III is an update to the vernerable c1987 format
    that supports the icon badge custom routing information
    finder flags that are part of MacOS 8.5 and later.

Since then, BinHex and the MacBinary II have become the standard way
of encapsulating Macintosh files for transfer over foreign systems
throughout the Internet, USENET, and elsewhere. Of course with the
coming of a data only .sit format and programs like MacLHA, ZipIt,
and DropZip, StuffIt Deluxe using MacBinary internally for .lhz
and .zip PC formats MacBinary (which was never as popular as
Binhex to begin with) has been religated mainly to older
compression formats, sea, and smi files.

MacBinary's correct MIME type is "application/x-macbinary" and if
you want StuffIt Expander to launch when you double click on the file
set the type and creator fields to BINA and SITx.

[2.5] What do file suffixes like .hqx, .sit, .bin, etc ... mean and
     how can I convert such files back to normal Macintosh
     applications and documents?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Most files available by FTP or posted to Usenet are modified twice to
allow them to more easily pass through foreign computer systems.
First they are compressed and then either ASCII or Binary encoded with
BinHex (.hqx) and MacBinary (.bin) being the formats of choice for
Macintosh users (see [2.3] and [2.4] for an explanation of these
formats).

Generally the suffix on these files only tells you the encoding
method used and nothing about the compression method.  As a result
StuffIt Expander has become the defacto decoder utility especially
when combined with the StuffIt Engine. You can use the following
table to determine what Macintosh programs handle which formats.
For a more complete description of the various Macintosh archival
programs, see the excellent FAQ for comp.sys.mac.apps.

This table is also part of the Mac-Site-list and listed on its own as
format-chart.txt both of which are at
<http://members.aol.com/BruceG6069/>
as well as being archived on any info-mac mirror site, in the
/info-mac/comm/ directory.

Here's a handy chart to keep track which programs unmangle which formats:

                                             unix  gzip  .uu/ .b64/
Macintosh            .sit .hqx .bin .zip .tar  .Z  .gz/.z .uue .mime*
Stuffit Expander**     D    D    D    D    D    D     D     D    D
DropStuff**            C    C
DropTar**                                  C    C     C     C
DropZip**                        I    C                     C
StuffIt Deluxe***      X    X    X    X    X    X     X     X    D
MacCompress                                     X
MacGzip                                         D     X
MPack 1.5.1                 D                               D    X
Rosetta                     D    D                          D    D
SunTar 2.2.3                X    X         X                X    D
ZipIt                       D    D    X

Other                                         unix  gzip  .uu/ .b64/
computers            .sit .hqx .bin .zip .tar  .Z  .gz/.z .uue .mime*
Aladdin Expander 5     D    D    D    D               D     D
Aladdin DropStuff      X              X
Aladdin DropZip        X              X
StuffIt (Win)***       X    D    D    X    X          X     X    X
Expander (Linux)       D    D    D    D         D     D     D    D
StuffIt (Linux)***     C    C    C    C         C     C     C
binhex-pc-13                X
MPack                       D                               D    X
PKZIP                                 X
xferp110 (win)              X                               X    X

D = Decode/decompress only
C = Create/compress only
I = MacBinary format is supported internally only
X = Encode and decode

sit refers to all versions of the Stuffit format.  A '/' denotes the
inability to handle certain formats as outlined in the legend above.
hqx = BinHex4; .bin = BinHex5, MacBinary I, II, and III

*   .b64/.mime (Base 64) refers to the encoding format used by the
   Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension.  For more information consult
   the MIME FAQ.
<http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/mail/mime-faq/top.html>.
**  Stuffit Expander (free) along with DropStuff, DropTar, and DropZip
   (shareware) are combined into StuffIt Lite.
   Current public versions are 6.5.0
*** Current versions as of this writing are 6.5.0 (Mac), 5.5 (Win)
   and 5.2 (Linux and Solaris)
   Aladdin has a more detailed format chart at their site
   <http://www.aladdinsys.com/support/techsupport/fileformats.html>

                               Table 2.5.1

Note: .gz and .Z compression systems, while both native to UNIX, are
completely different, and these suffixes cannot not be interchanged.

WARNING: .hqx, .uu, .b64, and .txt files are the ONLY files that can
be downloaded in ASCII mode; all others must be downloaded in BINARY
[IMAGE] mode for the file to decompress properly.  This is especially
true of ".bin" and "unstuffed" files.  Otherwise you will get errors
like "unreadable file" or "file is corrupt" when you try to decompress
them.

Less commonly used formats.  Those followed by a + are Mac formats.

arc
    old (c1990) MS-DOS compresion format, replaced by .zip.
    Decompressed by Stuffit Engine, StuffIt Deluxe,
    MacArc (can also compress), and Aladdin Expander.
arj
    PC format common to European sites. Decompressed by unArjMac,
    DeArj, Aladdin Expander, and Stuffit 5.5 (Win).
cpt +
    Mac compression format created by Compact programs (last
    updated April 1995).  Decompressed by Stuffit Expander,
    StuffIt Deluxe, and Compact Pro.
dd  +
    Disk Doubler {Mac} format. Decompressed by DDExpand, DiskDoubler
    and Stuffit Expander 6.0.1
exe
    DOS/Windows executable file (program); also used to create
    self-extracting archives. An .exe file used as a self-extracting
    archive can usually be decompressed with Stuffit Expander w/ DSEE.
    Use of this format as an archive is strongly discouraged as it
    can cause problems crossplatform.
html (.htm)
    WWW document. Used by WWW browsers such as Netscape and lynx.
image/.img/.ima/ (related format - .smi .dmg) +
    These are all disk image extensions.  They represent Mac disk image
    (.image/.img), Microsoft Disk Image Utility (.img), and Winimage
    (.ima) formats.  Most can be mounted via StuffIt Expander 6.0.1
    or ShrinkWrap 3.5.1 <http://www.aladdinsys.com/shrinkwrap/index.html>.
    To eliminate the need for a mounter program there now exists a
    self mounting disk image format called .smi.
    .dmg is a new disk image format designed for MacOS X.
    Note that .img is also used as an graphic file extension and
    needs GraphicConverter to view.
lzh (related formats - .lha and .lzs)
    old PC/Amiga format that is still quite popular in Japan and
    by Aminet Amiga site <http://us.aminet.net/~aminet>, largely
    replaced by .arc and .zip elsewhere; decompressed via
    Stuffit Expander 6.5, LHA Expander 1.0.3, and French KISS 2.2.0.
    StuffIt Deluxe 6.5 and MacLHA 2.2.1 also can compress in this format.
rar
    A DOS compression format.  Handled by MacRAR <http://macrar.free.fr/>
    StuffIt Expander 6.5, and Stuffit Deluxe 6.5.
sea +
    A special version of a Mac compression format that decompresses
    itself when opened.  The most common .sea files are Stuffit,
    Compact Pro, and Disk Doubler.  Use of this format is strongly
    discouraged as it can cause problems crossplatform.
shar
    Unix shell archive. Decoded by Unshar.
taz
    another name for .tar.Z
tgz
    another name for .tar.z and .tar.gz (do not confuse with .tar.Z).
txt (.abs, .doc)
    ASCII text file. There is a slight differance between ASCII text
    files of Mac, PCs, and UNIX systems which can cause problems when
    trying to read them. Mac ASCII uses carrage returns, UNIX uses
    line feeds, and PC uses both.
z
    Suffix used by both Unix pack and early (c1993) Gzip files.
    Due to confusion between these compression methods and Unix
    'compress' suffix (.Z) it was abandoned in favor of
    the .gz suffix.  Unix pack itself has been effectively
    replaced by both Unix compress and Gzip.
zoo
    old (c1989) PC/Amiga format, replaced by .arc which in turn was
    largely replaced by .zip. Decompressed by MacZoo and MacBooz.

                               Table 2.5.3

[2.6] I keep hearing about 'tarball' files what are they?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The term tarball originally refered to a tar (Tape ARchiver) file.  As
its full name suggests tar was designed to group files together for
a tape archive. As a result the format is very simple containing only
the files themselves and a header that give directory and other key
pieces of information.  As such the format itself has no compression
capabilities on its own and so people would compress tar files with was
known as feathering (partly for euphony reasons but this also refers
the method used to cutdown resistance on propellers and oars)
Today the term is also used to refer to a compressed tar file (ie
you compress the tar file into a ball).

[2.7] What is file mapping and why is it important?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

File mapping is the method by which a file's application is identified
by a three or four letter extension.  This feature was used by Internet
Config (MacOS 7.x) and later Apple's own Internet control panel
(MacOS 8.x-9.x) to give a downloaded file a "type" and "creator"
by extension. The programs ICFileDiverter and ICTypeChanger
<http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~marcb> use this extension file mapping
to change "type" and "creator" to whatever is set by either Internet
Config or the Internet CP.

If something happens to file mapping or the file lacks an extension then
non-mac files cannot be given a "type" and "creator" and one must either
trust Easy open or try to determine what broad type the file is (see [2.7]).


[2.8] After decoding and expanding a file I get an unknown document
     file. How do I open this file?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The best thing to do is to try and see if there is any way to figure out
what -broad- type of file it is: word processor, picture, sound, or movie.

Word processor
    Tex-Edit Plus <http://www.nearside.com/trans-tex/> will read
    most of these out there though some will require Adobe Acrobat
    Reader (.pdf), a commerical Word Processor such as
    MS Word or WordPerfect, or a convertion utility like
    MacLinkPlus <http://www.dataviz.com/>
    I should mention that Stuffit Expander has a little known
    problem with PDF files; having the 'convert text files to
    Macintosh file' option under cross platform on can mangle PDFs
    to the point they are unreadable.  This should -always- be
    set to Never (I don't even understand why this option is
    even there as any good word processor can do this for you).
Pictures
    GraphicConverter (Shareware, $30-$35, /info-mac/gst/grf/,
    http://www.lemkesoft.de/) is one of the most powerful shareware
    graphic programs for the Mac.  It is able to open about 100 graphic
    formats, edit them, and save in about 40 of these formats including
    .gif, .tiff, .png <http://www.cdrom.com/pub/png/>, and .jpeg.  But
    even it cannot view propriety formats such as used by Photoshop or
    Canvas or relatively obscure formats such as .ecc.
    More details on graphic formats in general can be found in the
    PC Webopaedia
    <http://webopedia.internet.com/TERM/g/graphics_file_format.html>.
Sound files
    Sound App 2.7.3 (Freeware, /info-mac/gst/snd/) will play most sound
    formats out there including .mod, mp3, .wav, .au, and .aiff.
Movie files
    Varies depending on the movie file type.  Quicktime 4.0 is able to view
    .mov, .mpg, .fli/.flc, and .avi (1.0, 3.2) formats.
    Extentions for allowing QuickTime to handle the Indeo 3.2, 4.4 and 5.0
    .avi formats can be accessed via Apple's QuickTime support page
    <http://www.info.apple.com/support/quicktime/> under the Update menu
    or via Apple's QuickTime technologies page under "Indeo"
    <http://www.apple.com/quicktime/technologies/indeo/>
    DivX based AVI require the DivX Player
    <http://mac.divx.st/download/index.html> with Windows Media
    Player 6.3 (DivX Player does NOT work with version 7 of
    WMP player) GraphicConverter is able to view .Ani, .dl, gif,
    and .fli/.flc formats
Other files
    Hopefully there is a document file that tells you what is needed
    otherwise it is pretty much a lost cause.

=====================================================================-
[3] Macintosh File-transfers
============================

[3.1] What is the difference between a commmunication and an
     Internet connection?
--------------------------------------------------------------------

A commmunication connection was the original way home computers
remotely connected to other computers.  It basicly consisted of
a direct connection between the personal computer to the computer
on the other end of the phone line.

Originally each communication program had its own method and
interface but then Apple created the Communications Toolbox (CTB)
as a standard interface for programmers writing communications
programs.  In addition, specific "tools" that interfaced with
modems, provided terminal emulation, or handled file transferring
could be implemented as external add-on features to CTB-aware
programs.

The protocals most commonally associated with commmunications
software are (in order of preferance): Zmodem, YModem, Xmodem,
and finally Kermit.  However because it was a direct connection
you could only do one thing at a time and the interface tended to
be at best a Command Line Interface.

By contrast Internet connections grew out of the development of
personal computers.  Originally Internet computers were directly
connected to each other providing information to the user via dumb
termanals.  With the development of personal computers a need to
allow dial in connections developed with SLIP and PPP (see [5.3])
being the result.   These additional protocals allowed personal
computer users to use such Internet protocals as FTP, Gopher, and
SMTP.

Most importantly via PPP Internet connections allowed multiple
connections through one modem allowing the user to perform several
tasks at once.  Due to this multifunction ability continued development
of communication programs has fallen off in favor of the more robust
Internet programs though they are still the best way to connect to
a local BBS.

Since support for Internet connections was rolled into the MacOS
beginning with System 7.5 it has become the defacto way to link a
personal Mac to the outside world.


[3.2] What communication programs are available?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a short list of shareware/freeware and commercial communication
programs from the orginal list that are still available.  As a matter
of practicality only those programs that have been written or updated
since 1993, support at least three of the standard protocols (Kermit,
Xmodem, YModem, and Zmodem), and either are available or have web pages
are listed.

BN:   Black Knight 1.0.7, $30 shareware,
     Raine Storm softworks <http://www.kagi.com/raine/products.html>
MT:   MacToPic Plus, $195, site licenses available, Carnation Software,
     <http://www.webcom.com/~carn/carnation/HT.Carn.Home.html>
PT:   ProTERM 1.5, $69.95 commercial, 30 day free trial,
     InTrec Software <http://www.intrec.com/proterm-mac/>
VT:   VersaTerm and VersaTerm Pro 5.0.6, $145 and $195 respectively
     Synergy Software <http://www.synergy.com/vt.htm>
ZT:   ZTerm 1.0.1, $30 shareware, $40 with disk, Dave Alverson,
     [email protected]

Shareware/freeware communications programs can be found in the
/info-mac/comm/term directory of any Info-mac mirror.

Table 3.1.1 summarizes file transfer capabilities of various Macintosh
telecommunications programs.

         |       Programs
Protocols | BN MT PT VT ZT
---------------------------
XMODEM    |  X  X  X  X  X
YMODEM    |  X  X  X  X  X
ZMODEM    |  X  X  X  X  X
Kermit    |     X  X  X  X
QuickB    |              X
B Plus    |              X
CTB tools |  X        X  X
FTP       |     X        X

              Table 3.1.1

Table 3.1.2 summarizes the terminal-emulation capabilities of various
Macintosh communications programs and Table 3.1.3 summarizes the
scripting capabilities of various  Macintosh telecommunications programs:

         |    Programs                      |     Programs
Terminals | BN MT PT VT ZT        Scripting  | BN MT PT VT ZT
---------------------------       ----------------------------
TTY       |     X  X  X           Recording  |  X     X  X
VT52      |        X              If/Else    |     a  X
VT100     |  X  X  X  X  X        Loops      |     a  X
VT102     |  X     X  X           FileOps    |     a  X
VT220     |  X        X           Arithmetic |     a  X
PC/ANSI   |  X     X     X        Variables  |     a  X     X
Tek 4010  |           X           User Input |     a  X
Tek 4014  |           X           Key Remaps |  X  *  X
Tek 4105/7|           P           Arrays     |     a  X
DG210/211 |           X           Wait/Send  |  X     X  X
CTB tools |  X                    AppleScript|  X     b
Controls  |  X     X     X
Viewpoint |     X  X             a = capability is accessible
Wyse 50   |     X                    through AppleScript
Prism     |     X
Televideo |                      b = script commands can be fed to
     910 |        X                 the program via AppleScript
     925 |        P
     950 |        P             * Allows programmable
HeathktH19|        X               function keys
LSIADM3a/5|        X
PTSE/A2   |        X

          Table 3.1.2                        Table 3.1.3

[3.3] What Internet programs are available?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The desire to get on the Internet has produced dozens of such programs
many of which are listed at The Mac Orchard web page
<http://www.macorchard.com/>. To help the fledgling Internet user I am
listing the most commonly used programs below:

E-mail
    Eudora <http://www.eudora.com/> is perhaps the best written and
    most popular e-mail program available for the Macintosh. Eudora
    is a complete and versatile e-mail package which can send e-mail
    via SMTP (see [5.4]) and receive e-mail via a POP server. It can
    even be used with UUPC 3.0 (as a mail reader and message generator,
    not a transport agent). Eudora can also be used to transfer
    arbitrary Macintosh files between computers through its BinHex 4.0
    attachment features. Many accolades go to the author, Steve Dorner.
    Hank Zimmerman maintains the comp.mail.eudora.mac FAQ which can be
    found at <http://www.ka.net/eudora/faqs/> and the [Unofficial] Eudora
    Web Site can be found at <http://www.emailman.com/eudora/>

FTP clients
    The two most popular MacOS FTP clients are Interarchy (formally
    known as Anarchie) and Fetch.
    Interarchy is shareware and has a home site at
    <http://www.stairways.com/> and <http://www.interarchy.com/>
    Fetch 4.1 is also shareware and has a home site at
    <http://fetchsoftworks.com>
    Two releatively newer FTP clients are Vicomsoft FTP
    <http://www.vicomsoft.com/ftp_client/ftp.client.html>
    and NetFinder
    <http://www.ozemail.com.au/~pli/netfinder/sw_and_updts.html>

News
    All Mac newsreaders make use of NNTP (see [5.4]).
    Newswatcher (2.2.1) by John Norstad and its close sister
    Multi-Threaded NewsWatcher (currently Version 3.1.0) by Simon
    Fraser are likely the most popular online Newsreaders.
    <http://www.macorchard.com/usenet.html>
    For offline browsing MacSOUP
    <http://home.snafu.de/stk/macsoup/index.html>
    by Stefan Haller is likely the most popular.

Browsers
    The two most popular browsers are Netscape and MicroSoft Internet
    Explorer both of which support frames and other Internet goodies.
    The most recent versions (6.0.1 and 5.1 respectively)
    can be found at <http://www.netscape.com/> and
    <http://www.microsoft.com/>

MacOS X
    MacOS X has at its heart UNIX which means in theory the old
    UNIX utilities like rn, tin, pine, ssh, and FTP server would be
    available via the terminal program.  [email protected] stated that
    at least ssh is included in the public beta.


[3.4] What is Telnet, and what MacOS Telnet Programs are there?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Telnet is a high speed terminal connection protocol designed with TCP/IP
in mind. A Telnet program allows you to connect to computers that accept
Telnet sessions (such as UNIX boxes) with interactive full-screen
console input and output capabilities.

There are several Telnet programs for the Macintosh.

NCSA Telnet and succesors (BetterTelnet and MacTelnet)
    The most widely known and used is the freeware NCSA Telnet
    for which developement stopped January 1, 1996.  The last
    'offical' version was 2.6 though there is a 2.7b4 available.
    There are serveral succesor programs which improve on the
    NCSA Telnet code.
    One such freeware successor is Sassy Software's BetterTelnet
    (Version 2.0fc1) <http://www.cstone.net/~rbraun/mac/telnet/>
    which uses the 2.7b5 code and provides many bug fixes, an
    improved interface, and additional features. Both of these
    programs support TEK 4105 graphics, provide both an FTP server
    *and* client, and can do session logging. About the only drawback
    is that these programs use Classic rather than Open Transport
    networking.
    MacTelnet <http://home.austin.rr.com/telnet/> is another such
    program and one of the few that is MacOS X ready.  Still in the
    alpha stage of development.

dataComet
    dataComet <http://www.databeast.com/> is both the oldest
    (1986 as Cornell TN) and longest supported MacOS Telnet
    application.  This shareware application supports PC-ANSI,
    VT220, & TN3270 terminal emulation, as well as serial
    connections and communications protocols (including ZModem)
    and suuports both 68K and PPC machines.

Nifty Telnet
    Nifty Telnet <http://andrew2.andrew.cmu.edu/dist/niftytelnet.html>
    is a freeware Telnet program that supports Kerberous encrypting
    (US version only), has a clean interface, and is Open Transport
    native.

ProTERM
     $69.95 commercial program by InTrec Software
     <http://www.intrec.com/proterm-mac/> with a 30 day free trial
     that also supports a communiction connection (see 3.2)

tn3270
    If you need to telnet to an IBM mainframe this program at
    version 2.5b5 this makes tn3270 more enjoyable.

[3.5] What's the best compression program to use when uploading files
     to an archive? Are there any other guidelines I should
     follow?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Best Compression: (Revised 01/2002)
---- -----------

The shareware program DropStuff (and its commercial sibling, StuffIt
Deluxe) is generally regarded as providing the best compression
performance of the many Macintosh compression utilities.  StuffIt
Deluxe has a fancy user-interface while DS has a very simple interface.

StuffIt Lite (free Stuffit Expander along with the shareware DropStuff,
DropTar, and DropZip) seems to be the most comprehensive shareware package
currently available for handling files.
There is one special issue to be aware of though; StuffIt Expander
(and Deluxe) does not seem to look -within- formats for the Macbinary
format.  As a result non-mac archive formats that have had Macbinary
added -internally- to support the two fork Mac format ([2.4b]) do not
always decompress properly resulting in the resource fork information
being corrupted or loss.  Fortunitly there are very few Mac files archived
in this manner but considering I ran into this situation myself I though
it best to alert people to the situation.

The closest rival to the Stuffit programs was Compact Pro but it has
two problems: 1) it has not been updated since April 1995 and 2) it
cannot decompress the Deluxe .sit formats.  As a result StuffIt has
become the defacto king of Mac compression.

Posting Macintosh Programs: (Revised 08/2001)
------- --------- --------

You should use either DropStuff or StuffIt Deluxe to compress
Macintosh files you send to anonymous FTP sites and Web sites.
While MacBinary internal versions of zip and LZH exist
it is better to stick with sit for Mac files.  Zip and LZH
should at best be used for data fork only files intended for
all computers.

Regardless of which archiver you use, PLEASE DO NOT MAKE AN ARCHIVE
YOU ARE POSTING SELF-EXTRACTING!  The convenience of self-extracting
archives is not worth the space they waste at anonymous-FTP sites and
Web sites (where literally thousands of compressed files are stored) and
the problems they create on other platforms. Self-extracting archives
are useful in other contexts, but should be discouraged as a medium
for posting to archives.

Before you create your archive, set the Finder label of all
files you plan to include in the archive to 'None'.

Avoid using strange punctuation marks in filenames that you will
distribute. Characters such as exclamation points, spaces, dollar
signs, etc, are legal characters in Macintosh filenames but can be
difficult to work with on non-Macintosh systems (where most Macintosh
archives are stored). Since all current mac specific formats store the
original Macintosh filename changing the same of the archvie file does
not change the files inside it.

After you have created the archive and named it appropriately, BinHex
encode it (see [2.3]). Preface the resulting text file a short
description of the archive you want to distribute, including any
system requirements and problems.  Do not bother with a signature.

Finally, upload the text file (if necessary) and e-mail it to
[email protected].  Your subject line should specify a suggested
name with a suggested location in the text file.
             To: [email protected]
             Subject: myfile-215.hqx

Mailing your archive to macgifts automatically submits it to the
InfoMac archive and its active mirrors.

[3.6] How can I transfer Macintosh files to/from my Macintosh and
     other non-Macintosh computers (eg: mainframes, UNIX boxes, PCs)?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Regardless of whether you are using a communications or Internet
program the procedure you should follow will be the same.  First the
file should be compressed with StuffIt and then binhex encoded.  Some
programs like Eudora will do the binhexing for you so you can skip
the encoding step.

The reason you will want to use Binhex rather than MacBinary as your
encoding format is that Binhex is useable in the 7-bit only areas of
the Internet like Usenet and E-mail that MacBinary cannot go.

For Internet programs downloading a file is very simple.  For systems
or programs that do not support Drag and Drop you simply click (or
double click) on the file and it is downloaded for you.  Drag and Drop
aware programs allow you to drag the file to the desktop which results
in it being downloaded.  Uploading varies from program to program and
some FTP sites only allow files to be E-mailed.  Consult your program
and destination site documentation for the proper procedures.

Communication downloading and uploading is a little more complicated.
This is because the remote computer is usially running a totally
different OS that the Mac user must interact with.  As a result the
remote computer must be first be told that a file is being sent
or received and then the Mac commmunications program told the
same thing.

Since Unix shell accounts were the most common remote OS they are
used as example but it should be noted that many BBSes use a different
interface and therefore different commands.

For a unix shell account the command consists of two parts:
    % method filename
'Filename' is the name of the file on the remote machine and 'method'
is the protocal and whether the file is being sent or received.

The methods are generally as follows:

           Kermit      XMODEM      YMODEM       ZMODEM
           -------     ------      ------       ------
sending     kermit        sx          sb           sz
receiving   kermit        rx          rb           rz

As one goes from left to right in the chart above the protocal's speed
increaces.  As a result as early as 1994 some communication programs
were not supporting Kermit.  With Internet connections becoming more
accessable communication software and its protocols are rapidly fading
into the mists of history.

[3.7] Is there a newsgroup for mac binaries?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes there is; it is called comp.binaries.mac.  But due to the nature
of Usenet it has become impractical to post today's larger MacOS
programs.  In any case this is the *only* proper mac newsgroup to post
a MacOS program binary.

Any as explained in section [2.2] any MacOS program intended for
comp.binaries.mac must be in BinHex 4.0 format following the
step described in section [3.5].

As far downloading what few programs do appear on comp.binaries.mac
use a NewsWatcher baced newsreader and simply select extract binaries.
This will do the tedious task of joining up a multipart binary for you.

Otherwise there is not much reason to bother with comp.binaries.mac.

=====================================================================
[4] Networking basics

[4.1] What are AppleTalk, LocalTalk, Ethernet, EtherTalk, TCP/IP, etc?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

When attempting to describe networking terms, a distinction should be
drawn between networking _protocols_ (such as AppleTalk and TCP/IP)
and networking _hardware_ (such as LocalTalk, Ethernet, and TokenRing).
In most cases, a specific protocol can be used over more than one
hardware medium.

In order to help understand the interaction of these disparate parts
in a real-world network, we can adopt the useful analogy of multi-layer
cake with the physical wire at the very bottom and the software which
you are running at the very top.

Thus, we can think of LocalTalk, Ethernet and TokenRing as being the
layers at the bottom, AppleTalk and TCP/IP in the middle and programs
like NCSA Telnet, NFS/Share and Netscape at the top.

The following terms describe protocols (software descriptions) common
to the Macintosh networking world:

AppleTalk
    A proprietary suite of protocols developed by Apple Computer,
    Inc. that provides for near-transparent network connections
    between Macintosh computers. However, over the years AppleTalk has
    been ported to other OSes including UNIX, VMS and DOS.
    Questions about the AppleTalk protocol are probably best posed
    in the newsgroup comp.protocols.appletalk.

EtherTalk and TokenTalk
    The drivers which allows AppleTalk protocols to be transported
    by Ethernet and over IBM TokenRing networks respectively.

TCP/IP
    A suite of protocols developed by the Defense Advanced Research
    Projects Agency (DARPA) whose purpose is multi-platform
    connectivity.  TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control
    Protocol/Internet Protocol, because these are the two most
    widely used protocols in the suite. However, TCP/IP includes the
    User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Address Resolution Protocol (ARP),
    Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) and others. TCP/IP
    drivers are available for almost all of the computer platforms
    in use today, including micros, minis, main-frames and
    supercomputers.

The following terms describe hardware (the physical link such as the
wire(s) connecting computers) common to the Macintosh networking
world:

LocalTalk
    One type of hardware over which AppleTalk protocols can be
    transported. LocalTalk has a throughput of 230.4 Kbps
    second, or roughly a quarter of a Mbps.

PhoneNet
    Another type of hardware commonly used to transport AppleTalk
    packets. PhoneNet mates LocalTalk hardware with ordinary
    (unused) telephone wire. PhoneNet is probably the cheapest way
    to connect widely separated Macintosh computers within a single
    building.

Ethernet
    A network medium over which AppleTalk, TCP/IP and other
    protocols travel, often simultaneously. Ethernet's maximum
    throughput is 10 Mbps. FastEthernet offers 100 Mbps.

TokenRing
    A network medium developed (and patented) by IBM based on a
    topology of a ring of nodes connected serially by a single cable.
    Each node, or computer, speaks on the cable only when it has
    posession of a token. TokenRing technology can demonstrate
    throughputs of ranging from 4 to 16 Mbps.

[4.2] What are the network methods of the Mac OS?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The three methods that the MacOS has used are: Classic, Open Transport,
and Unix-based.

Classic Networking is the name given to the method used originally in
the MacOS.  Originally the MacOS's only native protocolwas AppleTalk and
anything else had to be added on.  In addition thanks to the AppleTalk
Manager (which resided in the ROM of most 68K Macs) AppleTalk got
privileged access.  As a result network software developers not only
had to write each and every non-AppleTalk protocol they wanted to use
but they had to contend with AppleTalk.  Apple improved things with the
addition of the Communications Toolbox which made adding protocols and
methods somewhat easier but it still was a hassle and not all programs
used the Communications Toolbox. After Open Tranport came out this
method became known as Classic Networking (not to be confused with the
Classic enviroment In MacOS X).

Open Transport was Apple's first complete revision to the MacOS's
network system software.  Interegrated into the MacOS with 7.5.3
Open Transport changed the situation that had existed with
Classic Networking by using industry standard Application Programing
Interfaces (APIs) Not only did the APIs eliminate the need for
developers to reinvent the wheel but they put all the protocols on
an equal standing. In addition Open Transport is Power Mac native
resulting in speed ups in both AppleTalk and TCP/IP.  While
Open Transport did in theory back support Classic Networking it
didn't change the fact that programs written specifially for one
Network method didn't work that well (if at all) with the other.

Unix-based networking is part of Darwin 'the under the GUI hood'
section of MacOS X.  From what I have read since Darwin has
neworking APIs built in and Open Transport still had a few
non-stadard aspects to it (MacAddict Feb 2001) it made little
sence to port Open Transport to MacOS X.  Due to the its age
it is iffy that programs written only for Classic Networking
will work under MacOS X.

So read the documentation of any networking software you plan to use
to make sure it is compatable with your networking method and OS.

[4.3] How can I change the Chooser "user" and name of my Macintosh?
     Also: Why can I no longer change the name of my hard-disk?
-------------------------------------------------------------------

To change the owner and name of your Macintosh under System 7, select
"Controls Panels" from the Apple Menu and double-click on the
"Sharing Setup" Control Panel.

The Chooser "user" is the "Owner name:". Change it like any standard
edit field. The name of your Macintosh is the "Macintosh name:".

Also on this Control Panel is a button to turn File Sharing on and
off. When File Sharing is on, you cannot change the name of shared
disks. If you are trying to change the name of your hard disk but
cannot get the name to turn into an edit field, File Sharing is
probably on. Use the Sharing Setup Control Panel to turn File Sharing
off, change your hard disk name, and then turn File Sharing back on
(unless you have no need for it).

=====================================================================
[5] Internet Networking
==========================================

[5.1] What kind of hardware and software do I need to have a
     direct connection (ie use TCP/IP protocol) to the Internet?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

For best performance there are some common hardware and software
requirements:

    a program that implementes the Defense Advanced Research Projects
    Agency (DARPA) TCP/IP Protocols (see [4.1]) This has been included
    with the MacOS since 8.1.

    a direct connection to an Ethernet or TokenRing network or PPP
    dialup connection.

Note that some ISP require their own software to use.  IMHO this is
only usefull if they are providing some service (like AOL's parental
controls) that are not easily implimented with existing Internet
software otherwise it is a waste of time and resources on their part
to go with some propriority software.


[5.2] What are SLIP, CSLIP and PPP?
-------------------------------------

SLIP stands for Serial Line Internet Protocol.  SLIP was a "non-standard"
for framing IP packets and shipping them over a serial line (e.g. a
cable, or a pair of modems), thus allowing a home machine to dial up and
become part of the Internet. Effectively, SLIP turned a serial port into
a logical Ethernet port.  PPP (see below) has effectively replaced SLIP
as the standard of choice for Internet connections.

CSLIP stands for Compressed SLIP.  CSLIP reduces the size of the
headers in IP packets by eliminating a certain amount of redundancy.
This improves interactive performance.

    Synergy Software offers a CSLIP MacTCP extension with its
    VersaTerm/VersaTerm-PRO packages. If you already own Versaterm,
    SLIP is a $20 upgrade. If you buy the complete VersaTerm 5.0.4
    package, you will also get an FTP server and client, a Telnet
    connection tool, and MacTCP. Performance is comparable to that
    of MacSLIP.  Contact: [USA] (215) 779 0522

PPP stands for Point-to-Point Protocol.  PPP has been stated as a
standards-track protocol by the Internet Engineering Task Force and
the Internet Activities Board.  PPP can support both synchronous
and asynchronous connections and protocols that are not IP-based
(such as AppleTalk). It provides specifications for error detection,
feature negotiation, escaping control characters, etc.  As a result
PPP has become the defacto standard for connecting to the Internet
with Remote Acceess being the most popular extension for Classic Networking.


[5.3] OT/PPP (Remote Access) Frequently Asked Questions
---------------------------------------

  * What things in TCP/IP do I -not- need to bother with?

         You can safely ignore the IP address field, Gateway Address,
         Subnet Mask, and generally the LCP and IPCP Options.  These
         will be set up by the server at connect time.

  * How should I set the 'Obtain address' setting for TCP/IP?

      This should be set to 'server'  The load on the Internet today
      has rendered manual addressing virtually useless.

  * Do I need to set the Domain Name Servers in TCP/IP?

      Yes.  This information needs to provided to you from your system
      administrator or service provider.  Without this information
    internet programs will not work correctly.

  * Which Port Speed setting should I use for TCP/IP?

    If you have a good modem script you should not have to worry
    about this.  If you have two modem scripts based on port speed
    (like Global Village's V.92 modem) the rule of thumb is the
    fastest speed for a PowerMac and the slower one for a 680x0 Mac.

  * What modem initialization string should I use?

    Again a good modem script should prevent you from worrying about
    this and it is best to your modem manual or local systems
    administrator for advice.  The only genralization that can be made
    is that if you are using a modem not specfically designed for a mac
    you will likely have to add 'DTR override' (&D0) in your
      initialization string after the &F (factory default setting).

    * Should I specify my username/password in the
    Accounts/Connections box?

      These Authentication Dialogue boxes are only for use if you
      are connecting to a PPP server that supports PAP.  If setting
      your username and password in the Accounts box does not result
      in a successful login, and you are sure that the information
      is correct, and you have ruled out any other problems, then
      you should not use this part of Accounts box; its fields must
      be left blank.
    In this case use the Connection Script dialogue to build a script
    which includes your username and password. If you do not know
    whether your PPP server supports PAP, check with your service
    provider or System administrator.

   * Do I need to specify a connection script?

    If you are connecting to a PPP server which does not support
      PAP, then you must specify a connection script rather than using
      the Authentication Dialogue box (see above). The connection
      script must include your username and password. If you want to
      "watch what happens" in order to develop a connection script,
      OT/PPP haa a Terminal Window option.  Note, You may need to include
      a command to   start PPP at the remote end (this often happens
      automatically) - if you need to, put this command at the end
      of your script.

   * Can I control OT/PPP using AppleScript?

   Yes, OT/PPP supports AppleScript directly and comes with documentation
   and example scripts.

   * How do I make a OT/PPP Connection Script pause?

     You can build a pause into the connection script using the '\d'
     special character in an out string. '\d' represents a 1 second
     pause.   If you need a 5 second pause use '\d\d\d\d\d'.

   * OT/PPP drops the line after a few minutes. What's wrong?

     This phenomena has a number of causes.

  1) One cause is not setting your modem for DTR override when
     using 'CTS & RTS (DTR)' or 'RTS (DTR) Only' Flow Control. Mac
     hardware handshaking cables have the hardware line from the Mac
     wired to both the RTS and DTR lines of the modem. This means
     that when the Mac drops its handshake line to stop the flow of
     data from the modem, both RTS & DTR are dropped at the modem end.
   Dropping the modem's RTS line is fine because that stops the
   flow of data to the machine (until the machine is ready,
   whence the line is raised again and the flow of data
     resumes). However, if DTR is dropped, the modem will hang up.
     To avoid this, configure the modem for 'DTR override' by
     including the appropriate setting (&D0) in your modem
     initialization string.

  2) If you have selected an Idle Timeout, then OT/PPP
     will seek to drop the connection when there has been no traffic
     for the period you have specified.  A dialogue box will
     appear alerting you that PPP is disconnecting.

  3) Some PPP servers will cut the link after a number of minutes
     of inactivity. This is to stop you tying up a network line if
     you are not making use of it. If you want to defeat this you
   will need to generate some network activity every few minutes.

4) A significant drop in the quality of the connection.  To some
   degree the higher the modem connection is the less tolerant
   it is of connection quality variation.  This cause is the
   least likly but does occur often enough that it should be
    noted.

   * When I have closed OT/PPP but leave some Internet
     programs open I discover that after while it will attempt to
     reconnect.  How do I stop this?

     Click Options, select connection, and uncheck the
     'Connect automatically when starting TCP/IP appplications' box.

[5.4] Do I have to know anything about Unix to use the Internet?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

For the most part the answer to this question is no though there are
some Unix and Internet protocals you should know about.  The ones
followed by a * you need to be aware of.

DNS (Domain Name Server) *
    desinates the servers that translates domain names to IP
    numbers.  If this server has problems then you cannot use
    domain names at all and have to use IP numbers. Interarchy
    has DNS lookup as one of its many network tools.

NFS (Network File System)
    file sharing protocol used by many UNIX workstations.  The
    average Internet surfer doesn't need to worry about this as
    most file transfers involve FTP or HTTP not NFS.  Since MacOS X
    and higher have Unix as their core this is effectively built-in.

NNTP (Net News Transfer Protocol) *
    a protocol used to transfer articles between a central news
    server and many client machines over TCP/IP or a serial link.
    Used by about every MacOS newreader program available.

SMTP (Simple-Mail-Transfer-Protocol) and POP (Post-Office-Protocol) *
    These are two protocols for transfering electronic mail between
    machines that have a TCP/IP interface or equivalent.  Without
    these you cannot send or receive e-mail.

UUCP
   UUCP (Unix-to-Unix-Copy) is a protocol originally intended to be
   used to transfer files between Unix machines over telephone lines.
   As with NFS it can be safely ignored by the average Internet
   surfer.

=====================================================================
[6] Miscellaneous
========

[6.1] I just downloaded an .AVI file but Quicktime will not play it
     correctly.  Am I missing something?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Quite possibly as there have been serveral codecs for AVIs over the
years each of which have been respresented on the mac with it own
extension: Intel Raw Video (1.10.20.02), Indeo Video (3.22.24.09),
Indeo Video4 (4.4.0), and Indeo Video5 (5.0).  While Windows did have
an i235 AVI codec no Mac extension exists to view these AVIs.

The mac extensions Intel Raw Video and Indeo Video codecs were
originally included in a Quicktime 1.5 and higher program called
Video For Windows (c1994) which allowed QT to view these AVIs. Today
the Indeo Video codecs 3 through 5 plugins for Quicktime 3.0 though 5.0
can be found at <http://www.apple.com/quicktime/technologies/indeo/>
and the Intel Raw Video seems to be part of the Quicktime 4.0 and
higher install.

Futher complicating matters is the emergence of a new AVI codec known
as DivX.  Currently the only way to play these DivX AVIs on a Mac is
use DivX Player <http://mac.divx.st/download/index.html> with Windows
Media Player 6.3 (DivX Player does NOT work with version 7 of the
player); unfortunity the OpenDiv codec
<http://www.divx-digest.com/software/divxcodec4.html> which is usable
with Quicktime does not seem to be able to decode DivX AVIs.
DivX 4.1.1a <http://www.divx.com/divx/> another Quicktime
alternative has problems with the audio in some DivX AVIs perhaps due
to the audio sometimes using a different codex altogether.

=====================================================================
Appendix
========

[A] List of Common Abbreviations
--------------------------------

       Abbrev-
       iation  Description
       ------- ------------------------------------------------------
       ADB     Apple Desktop Bus
       ARA     Apple Remote Access (was AppleTalk Remote Access)
       bps     bits per second
       CSLIP   Compressed SLIP
       csmc    comp.sys.mac.comm
       CTB     Communications Tool Box
       CTS     Clear-To-Send
       DSR     Data-Set-Ready
       DTR     Data-Terminal-Ready
       FTP     File Transfer Protocol
       IP      Internet Protocol
       LAP     Link Acess Protocol
       MNP     Microcom Networking Protocol
       NNTP    Net News Transfer Protocol
       PPP     Point-to-Point Protocol
       RTS     Request-To-Send
       SID     Sound Input Device
       SLIP    Serial Line Internet Protocol; also seen as SLIP
       TCP     Transmission Control Protocol


[B] Mac program archive list link and Vendor Information
------------------------------------------------------------------

Nearly all shareware or freeware programs described in this FAQ are
available from one of the many archives that mirror the InfoMac archive.
Over 90 of these mirror sites are listed in the FTP section of
the Mac-Site-list
<http://members.aol.com/BruceG6069/ftp-list.html#mirrors>

These vendors are either mentioned in this FAQ or provide products
relating to Macintosh networking. Neither the editor of this list
nor any of the contributors necessarily endorse any of the vendors
or their products. The following information is provided for your
convenience only.

Please bring any errors or additions to the attention of the editor.

Aladdin Software <http://www.aladdinsys.com/>

Apple Developers Association (APDA)
    [USA] (408) 974 4667

Asante <http://www.asante.com/>

Ascend Communications <http://www.ascend.com/>

Carnation Software
    <http://www.webcom.com/~carn/carnation/HT.Carn.Home.html>

COM One [France] <http://www.com1.fr>

Compatible Systems <http://www.compatible.com/>

Farallon Computing <http://www.farallon.com/>

Global Village <http://www.globalvillag.com/>

Hayes Corporation <http://www.hayes.com/>

QUALCOMM, Incorporated <http://www.qualcomm.com/>

Quiotix Corporation <http://www.quiotix.com/>

Raine Storm Softworks         <http://www.kagi.com/raine/>

Sassy Software <http://www.cstone.net/~rbraun/mac/telnet/>

Sonic Systems <http:/www.sonicsys.com/>

Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc.   <www: http://www.wrq.com>

ZyXEL Communications <http://www.zyxel.com/>


[C] Contributors
----------------

The editor of this FAQ would like to graciously thank all of the
following individuals who have contributed in some form or another
to the answers provided above, and to the many others not listed
who have nonetheless encouraged and corrected us along the way.

      Erik Adams                 (DivX information)
      Steve Baumgarten           (Versaterm)
      Jack Brindle               (BinHex, MacBinary)
      Eric Behr                  (MacTCP)
      Jim Browne                 (NCSA Telnet)
      Josh Cole                  (Networking, MacTCP, AppleDouble)
      Bill Coleman               (Smartcom)
      Steve Dorner               (Eudora, SLIP)
      Don Gilbert                (SLIP)
      Tom Gewecke                (European E-Mail, Archives)
      Elliotte Rusty Harold      (General, File Transfer Programs)
      Patrick Hoepfner           (various tidbits)
      Greg Kilcup                (CSLIP, PPP)
      Andy Y. A. Kuo             (Networking)
      Yves Lempereur               (MacBinary/BinHex)
      Peter N. Lewis             (General)
      Ward McFarland               (Mac serial port speeds)
      Dick Napoli                (DivX information)
      David Oppenheimer          (original c.s.m.comm FAQ maintainer)
      Leonard Rosenthol          (General, StuffIt)
      Richard Saint              (MacPPP [now FreePPP] FAQ)
      Bonze Saunders             (dataComet Inforamation)
      Dan Schwarz                (Mac serial port speeds)
      Eric P. Scott              (General)
      Jon L. Spear               (General, Baud Etymology)
      Tony Stuckey               (AppleDouble information links)
      Christopher Swan           (Black Night)
      Werner Uhrig               (Macintosh Expert)
      dzubera                    (56K and .z information)
=====================================================================

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