Raoul's China Saloon (V5.0) Beta

The Bar Room => The Bar (ON-TOPIC) => Tech Talk, or If Yer So Damn Smart, What The Hell You Doin' Teachin' English? => Topic started by: Con ate dog on December 30, 2007, 07:05:08 AM

Title: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Con ate dog on December 30, 2007, 07:05:08 AM
I finally bought a genuine AC adaptor cord for my iBook.  Then the salesdude reloaded the OS and changed my username and password.

Now the setup claims I don't have Airport installed.  If you lift the keyboard, there it is in plain view.

Why would this be?  Why suddenly can't it recognize the wireless modem?
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Raoul F. Duke on December 31, 2007, 12:10:04 AM
Smoke signal say: Kimosabe buy real computer! ahahahahah
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Con ate dog on December 31, 2007, 03:13:39 AM
If I'd known how long these troubles would last, I would have.  I just paid 790 kwai for an AC adaptor cord, and I STILL can't get online.  llllllllll
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Nolefan on December 31, 2007, 04:10:17 AM

could be that the card was dis-lodged somehow.. pull it out and put it back in!

it should be detected right away.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Con ate dog on December 31, 2007, 04:16:21 AM
 bibibibibi Obvious.  I titled this thread well.  I'll do just that tonight when I get home...
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Con ate dog on January 02, 2008, 12:30:20 AM
It worked! axaxaxaxax I gotta get my laptop to a wireless bar ASAP.

Naw, tomorrow.  Too many places are closed today, and I'm too hung over to run around.

Now how can I get Word onto my system?
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Pashley on January 02, 2008, 06:02:13 AM
Now how can I get Word onto my system?
Why do you want it?

MS Office is available from Apple, for "only" $149 with a student & teachers' discount.
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=540836A6&fnode=home/shop_mac/software&nplm=T9188LL/A
Or $400, regular price.

No doubt someone here has it for the usual 6 RMB, but that's unethical, quality often sucks, and it would likely be hard to find.

There's a free alternative called Open Office that does more-or-less everything MS Office does, including read and write files in MS formats. I routinely use it, on a PC running Windows 2000. My documents print fine on the machine in my office, which has Word, and my slides display fine on the classroom machines which have Powerpoint. The only catch is that I have to remember to tell OO what format to save in; if I don't,it uses its own formats and Microsoft products cannot read those.

Free (huge) download for many systems including Mac: http://www.openoffice.org/
Link on Apple's site
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/unix_open_source/openofficeorg.html

Then there's NeoOffice, based on OO but with a more mac-ish interface
http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php
I've no experience with that, but it sounds good.

Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Con ate dog on January 03, 2008, 06:35:53 AM
Thanks, man.  I was shown a program called Parallel by the guy who sold me the adaptor cord, but he said my system was too puny to handle it.  Hope this Open Office will work.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Nolefan on January 03, 2008, 03:44:38 PM
Con, are you writing for yourself or do you intend to share M$ word documents with other folks?

If it's just writing on your own, may I suggest looking up "MELLEL " which is my favorite word processor of all times when I need to write something.

For office documents, you can always use google docs to open them and save as microsoft office format. Get Mellel and PM me your for serial.

Another option is apple's own iwork suite which can open MS office documents and is out of this world. Download the free trial and Pm me for the extra stuff


Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: old34 on January 03, 2008, 07:18:48 PM
I, too just went Apple after 20 years of Microsoft (DOS 2.0-6.0; Windows 3.2-XP). Picked up a MacBook 2 weeks ago. I like it so far, but there IS a learning curve. I'm focused right now on just finishing up work on my classes on the MB and haven't gotten in to really porting everything over from my old HP.  I'm sure I'll be having lots of stoopid questions soon though...my point being....

There seem to be a fair amount of questions and discussions about various gadgets and devices here at the Saloon (i.e. computers, cameras, and phones, and Wiis) Why not set up a dedicated sub-board for Gadgets and Devices, similar to the sub-board on the Thorntree entitled, you guessed it, Computers, Cameras and Phones. I had to go back and search for awhile to find a post that nolefan had made which had 3 URLs listed for switching to OSX...finally found it under the heading of "Will it be life changing".

So how about it bosses? Let's assemble all the techie/geek stuff in one board where it's easier to find - maybe a sub-board under the Library.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Stil on January 03, 2008, 07:26:04 PM
It's good idea.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: old34 on January 03, 2008, 07:29:20 PM
Oh, and con, about using alternatives to MS Office, I've been using the iWorks set which came with my MacBook. I've had no problem converting my Word Docs within the Pages program of iWorks, nor my many PowerPoints in the Keynote program (which is actually uch slicker than PowerPoint). Also the Numbers spreadsheet has seamlessly, more or less, converted my Excel gradebooks. The formats changed a bit, but no data (i.e. grades, student info, etc.) lost.

And the guy at the "authorized" Apple Shop near my home was kind enough to slip in a disk, punch some keys, and voila my trial version became a registered version. He did it for free (although I had just bought a DIV cord from him to connect the MacBook to the projectors in my classrooms).
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Con ate dog on January 03, 2008, 11:58:17 PM
Cool!  thanks, Maccabees, I'll get on this after work tonight.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Con ate dog on January 04, 2008, 04:29:34 AM
iWorks would take 9 HOURS to download!  kkkkkkkkkk  What's MELLEL's downside?
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: icebear on January 04, 2008, 04:31:40 AM
I think he mentioned that it won't save into MS Office compatible formats, while iWork will. I think iWork is worth the wait, as it will basically cover all your bases in the future should you need to work with at Windows files (or send them to others). 9 hours is pretty long, but why not just leave it on overnight?
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Con ate dog on January 04, 2008, 05:48:59 AM
Because I'm not online at home. 

I just downloaded Mellel, wrote and saved my first document.  For 30 days at least, I can write on my own.  I'll work the rest out later.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: icebear on January 04, 2008, 06:15:05 AM
I know a few people that refuse to get Internet at home, but it seems like they're always bitching about having to hit up Internet cafes! Not saying you are, just musing out loud as to why someone would pass on what costs under 100 RMB per month.

Regarding your download, use Bit Torrent, which will allow you to pause and resume as necessary/convenient.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Lotus Eater on January 04, 2008, 06:52:53 AM
I have both Windows and Leopard on my MacBook.  But the Mac system has Word 4 for Macs also loaded into it.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Pashley on January 04, 2008, 01:47:21 PM
Smoke signal say: Kimosabe buy real computer! ahahahahah
I recall a discussion with someone who claimed "real computers require raised flooring".

My line has always been "real computers run Unix", so Macs qualify. There's FreeBSD underneath the GUI.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Nolefan on January 04, 2008, 07:23:26 PM

What most people don't know is that there are soooooo many software options on a mac, it's mindboggling considering the market share. There are over 30 word processors on the platform and most if not all can read M$ word format.

I stand corrected on Mellel! I just checked their website and they do indeed read M$ format.

another lightweight option is abiword ( http://www.abisource.com/ ) which is FREE and can do all that. give it a shot. Also, check out this article about 6 fantastic utilities for mac users who like to write:
http://mac360.com/index.php/mac360/comments/6_free_utilities_for_mac_users_who_like_to_write/

Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Noodles on January 04, 2008, 08:00:36 PM
Good links Noles. Keep 'em coming. I'm a fairly new mac convert and need pointing in the right directions
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Pashley on January 05, 2008, 02:45:37 AM
Not just for Mac, a great utility for some writers is Zotero, a Firefox extension for managing research citations. It can import and export to/from web and several standard research paper bibliographic formats.
http://www.zotero.org/
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Noodles on January 05, 2008, 07:20:08 PM
So how about proxys. Do you fellow mac users have a proxy that you prefer, it seems there are a lot for pc but not so many for mac. Can anyone point me in a good direction.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Nolefan on January 05, 2008, 08:33:20 PM

you can use the same proxys on mac and pc! you just need to enter the information in your browser's network settings.

Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: icebear on January 06, 2008, 08:03:48 PM
Issue that's be bothering me for awhile. When I'm using Firefox and typing Chinese characters in a text field (i.e. the search box on Google/Dict.cn, or typing in Gmail) after the first character or so there starts to be this very weird blend of them, all in the space of one character. Chinese works fine in all other programs such as Safari, MSN, text editors, etc.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Nolefan on January 06, 2008, 08:53:07 PM
Firefox on the mac is a big disappointment. I hate using it and almost never do except when I need one of the extensions for webdesign!

Camino is basically the same thing as firefox but built from the ground up for mac.
Flock is also built on the firefox engine and a great browser for those in the whole web2.0 thingy.
give them a shot... I stick with Safari...
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: icebear on January 06, 2008, 10:04:44 PM
I'm giving Camino a try. Safari, for whatever reason, never really rubbed me right; that's mostly because I'd have to sacrifice plugins I use in Firefox. Same problem with Camino I think, so we'll see how long I last there.

Two Firefox plugins that I'm a huge fan of:
Chinese pera kun - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3349 which gives a pop-up translation of any Chinese on web pages.
ScribeFire - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1730 allows you to create blog posts and post them remotely, which is helpful since I can only view my blogs admin features through a proxy, which tends to break all the WYSIWYG functionality.

If you know alternatives to either of these that would work with Camino/Safari I'd be keen to hear.

And regarding the question earlier about proxies, this program seems like it may be worth checking out:
Chameleon - http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/internet_utilities/chameleon_heebieinc.html
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Stil on January 06, 2008, 11:12:05 PM
My favourite Firefox plugin is foxmarks. It syncs your bookmarks online so that when I use my laptop all the bookmarks from my desktop are there. It's also handy if you have re-install so you don't need to save your bookmarks file.

Opera has a similar tool. I use Opera mostly on my Windows machine because i like the mouse gestures.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: old34 on January 07, 2008, 03:11:40 AM
Long time Opera user here. I just installed Opera for Mac on my new MB and am very, very happy that I can still surf in the same Opera environment.

There are lots of reasons I prefer Opera, speed has always been at the top of the list. I didn't realize, though, how much I appreciate the mouse gestures until I had to spend a week or so with Safari until I installed Opera for Mac, and I kept shaking my Mighty Mouse and nothing was happening. With Opera for Mac, you can shake your Mighty Mouse for all its worth.

I don't want to sound like an Opera fanboy here; I just want to point out that Opera for Mac is a good implementation of Opera on the Mac.

 
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: monkeymind on January 09, 2008, 03:20:25 AM
Same topic but a bit of a swerve...

Your mentioning getting a genuine ac adaptor cord for your mac reminds me that I'm running my powerbook through a cheap travel adaptor. It lets me plug it in to the wall, but there's no grounding. I've been slowly getting more comfortable with it (i.e. letting it be plugged in for longer and longer) but do you think I should be much concerned and remedy this? I haven't been to a city sophisticated enough to have an apple store yet ;)
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Lotus Eater on January 09, 2008, 03:34:25 AM
Where are you?  Xi'an has an Apple store and the other thing you can try is E-Bay.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: icebear on January 09, 2008, 03:39:46 AM
re: browsers
I've been using Safari for a few days and am really liking it this time around. Did it have tabs before? Anyway, once I found SafariStand I was sold. Although I still haven't found a replacement WYSIWYG html editor, but I only use that every week or two so Firefox will work for now. Safari feels significantly faster.

re: power adaptors
I've always used one since getting to China. Presumably fake power strips with surge protection cost under 20元 at Wal-Mart... genuine  ones seem to remain in the 50-100元 range. Comparing this price to the cost of a new laptop, and keeping in mind the endemic shoddy wiring in much of China, it seems foolish to chance it. Remember, you don't have to lug that strip around or always break it out - run off your battery while in a cafe to avoid looking like a dork  ahahahahah
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Nolefan on January 09, 2008, 04:48:41 AM
Same topic but a bit of a swerve...

Your mentioning getting a genuine ac adaptor cord for your mac reminds me that I'm running my powerbook through a cheap travel adaptor. It lets me plug it in to the wall, but there's no grounding. I've been slowly getting more comfortable with it (i.e. letting it be plugged in for longer and longer) but do you think I should be much concerned and remedy this? I haven't been to a city sophisticated enough to have an apple store yet ;)

what kind of cheap travel adaptor?
anyways, and I could be wrong, as far as grounding goes, just get one of those "power bars" from the closest electronic/computer shop. The good ones with proper grounding will run you about 100 RMB and solve all your grounding problems.

Quote from: icebear
re: browsers
I've been using Safari for a few days and am really liking it this time around. Did it have tabs before? Anyway, once I found SafariStand I was sold. Although I still haven't found a replacement WYSIWYG html editor, but I only use that every week or two so Firefox will work for now. Safari feels significantly faster.

As far as I remember, safari has had tabs for over 2 years... I can't seem to remember a time when it did not have them. For a WYSIWYG HTML editor, try  NVU or good old seamonkey. They should do the trick

Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Con ate dog on February 23, 2008, 05:26:39 AM
Bump.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Raoul F. Duke on February 23, 2008, 06:09:16 AM
Bump.
That's a strange expression, Bruce... mmmmmmmmmm
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Con ate dog on February 23, 2008, 06:14:25 AM
Sorry, moving this thread up to the front page so I could find it easily.

Abiword works! axaxaxaxax I'm write-capable again.  gggggggggg
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Stil on February 23, 2008, 02:08:27 PM
Report: 400,000 unlocked iPhones loose on Chinese network

Nearly half of the 800,000 to 1 million iPhones that are believed to have been unlocked for distribution and use outside Apple's sanctioned networks may be in China, according to a new report.

Market research firm In-Stat reported Friday that China Mobile, the nation's largest wireless carrier, said there were 400,000 unlocked iPhones using its cellular network service at the end of 2007, representing approximately 10 percent of the touchscreen handsets sold at the the time.

"The figure surprised us as it is fourfold of that we estimated before," the firm said. "We have never doubted that the iPhone will achieve greater success than iPod in China if Apple teams with China Mobile to launch its Chinese version."

The surge is credited to a fundamental difference between American and Chinese buyers. Where most US buyers confine smartphone purchases to the workplace, Chinese customers often use their phones for entertainment or Internet access, such as playing music or e-books. Apple's focus on this last usage pattern for the iPhone, especially with its user interface, makes it a logical fit for the market.

Chinese are also more likely to spend larger amounts of money on their phones, In-Stat says, despite lower average incomes. A full fifth of all phones sold in the southeast Asian country cost at least 4,000 Yuan Renminbi each, or $533.

Separate reports in recent days have pointed to China as the heart of a thriving gray market economy in unlocked iPhones. With as many as one million of these devices on the market around the world, the country is potentially a hotbed of supply chain leaks that sees iPhones reach unofficial hands before ever reaching territories officially slated to receive the shipments.

Analysts have wrestled with tracking the missing devices themselves and, in one case, estimated that the number of iPhones in use outside of Apple's official bounds could total 1.5 million, or more than a third of the entire supply as of last month.

In the short term, however, Apple is unlikely to convert this semi-underground trade into legitimate business. China Mobile, the dominant carrier in the country, claimed to have ended talks regarding an official iPhone in January. Company chief Steve Jobs later contradicted these claims and said that the provider had only made one visit to Apple headquarters to discuss the possibility of a Chinese iPhone.



So, Do you know anyone with one?
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: icebear on February 23, 2008, 05:22:41 PM
No, but I see them daily on the subway in Beijing. The first time I was a bit surprised, since then its just normal. They're pushed pretty hard at the Silk Market.

I have a iPod Touch and its pretty... pretty. Really good toy, definitely a favorite. If I had the money or the resolve that I'd definitely be in China for years I'd get a iPhone, but I'm not will to shell out that much on a phone which probably won't work back home or in Europe or in many other places I'll end up moving eventually.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Acjade on February 23, 2008, 11:33:34 PM
I do. Yes. One person.
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: Con ate dog on February 24, 2008, 01:22:29 AM
Right now, here in the Bookworm, reading this, I am erect.  ME WANT iPHONE!!!!  bzbzbzbzbz

How much are they?
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: AMonk on February 24, 2008, 01:29:27 AM
Right now, here in the Bookworm, reading this, I am erect.



W T M I!!!
Title: Re: Apple idiot needs help
Post by: George on February 24, 2008, 01:37:35 AM
Means he's standing up. Couldn't find a seat!! bibibibibi