Maria’s Guides

Information from Software Update.

This update is recommended for all Safari users and features improvements to stability, compatibility, JavaScript performance and security.

For detailed information on this update, visit http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307467

For information on the security content of this update, visit http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61798

Information from Software Update.

The AirPort Base Station Update 2008-001 includes general fixes and compatibility updates for the following applications:

• AirPort Utility (updates to 5.3.1)
• AirPort Disk Utility
• AirPort Base Station Agent

For more information, consult http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/application_updates/
airportutility531forleopard.html for Leopard or http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/application_updates/
airportutility531fortiger.html for Tiger.

Links worth following.

Here are the links of interest to readers of my books for the week ending March 8:

• Mac Automation: Save websites to iPod for later
  A great how-to explains how you can use Automator to save the text contents of a Web page for offline reading on your iPod. On The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).
  (tags: Apple Macintosh web ipod)
• Things I Learned At The Apple Store
  Great first-person experience on a first visit to an Apple store. On Burbia.com.
  (tags: Apple Mac shopping funny)
• Things I Learned At The Apple Store — Part 2
  The second part of the Apple Store article on Burbia.com.
  (tags: Apple Mac funny shopping)

Information from the FileMaker, Inc. Web site.

Bento 1.0v2 replaces all previous Bento versions, including the Bento Preview

Who needs it?


Everyone using an earlier version of the Bento software, including the Bento Preview and Bento Trial. Do not uninstall your current Bento software. This new version will overwrite and update necessary files automatically. Note: this software will not extend any software expiration dates.

What’s new?



This new version of Bento includes support for additional languages, improvements to overall stability, and is compatible with Mac OS X 10.5.2 (Leopard)

Updates include:

• Additional language support
• Bento now supports Worldwide English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish
• Overall stability improvements
• Resolves an issue related to exporting Smart Collections in the iCal Events library
• Resolves a case sensitivity issue related to automatically completing text in a text field
• Resolves issues related to the calculation field
• Improves file import
• Resolves issues related to related records lists
• Resolves issues related to address formats outside of the United States
• Resolves several minor issues related to printing forms and tables
• Compatibility
• Compatible with Mac OS X 10.5.2 (Leopard)

Get the Update.

Help us learn more about how Time Machine really works.

Most Leopard users have at least a vague understanding about how Leopard’s Time Machine feature is supposed to work. My understanding is that it churns away in the background, copying changes to your hard disk’s contents to a backup volume. I’ve successfully used it to retrieve a file I deleted in error — just like Apple said I could.

That’s my experience. I’d like to know yours.

Have you actively used Time Machine to back up and restore files? Did it work as expected? Have you ever tried it to restore an entire disk? Or your System Folder? Or go back to a pre-update version of Mac OS (for example 10.5.2 to 10.5.1)?

If the answer is yes to any of these things, can you please take a moment to use the Comments for this post to share your experiences with the rest of us?

I’m trying to understand the strengths and weaknesses of Time Machine as a stand-alone backup program. The real-life experiences of users will help me and other readers determine just how much they can depend on Time Machine to keep their data and system files safe.

Postscript: Just moments after hitting the Post button for this post, I discovered that Miraz Jordan blogged about this topic yesterday. You can read her post here.

Information from Software Update.

This update improves overall stability and addresses issues with the automation of software instrument parameters, FireWire and USB based audio devices and Magic GarageBand.