EMUSIC-L Digest Volume 41, Issue 06 This issue's topics: Outbound beta testing (2 messages) PowerBook caffeine (2 messages) Your EMUSIC-L Digest moderator is Joe McMahon . You may subscribe to EMUSIC-L by sending mail to listserv@american.edu with the line "SUB EMUSIC-L your name" as the text. The EMUSIC-L archive is a service of SunSite (sunsite.unc.edu) at the University of North Carolina. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1992 10:18:05 EDT From: Brian Adamson Subject: Outbound beta testing > I am now organizing a cadre of MIDI beta testers for the Outbound Systems > Portable Mac compatibles, a set of Mac laptops that IMO are better built > and better designed than the PowerBooks-- and are rapidly being shown to have > no MIDI problems at all. They're cheaper than PBs, too. > I've got access to 2 Outbounds, an older one with the separate remote keyboard & display/CPU which we've had for 1.5 years I think maybe longer (uses a 16 Mbyte RAM hard disk backed by battery), and a newer compact Outbound we got just a few months ago just before Powerbooks were available (Because they are generally not used for MIDI, we have been getting Powerbook 170s since ... the active matrix screen & processing speed is just too attractive, however for personal use, out of pocket, maybe Outbound is good enough). Anyway I can get the Outbounds we have whenever I need them and can perform any beta testing you want to try. I'll try it with software I have.... Where do I send the results to, etc? -- Brian Adamson NRL Code 5523 adamson@itd.nrl.navy.mil ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1992 11:03:42 EDT From: metlay Subject: Re: Outbound beta testing > I've got access to 2 Outbounds, an older one with the separate > remote keyboard & display/CPU which we've had for 1.5 years I think > maybe longer (uses a 16 Mbyte RAM hard disk backed by battery), and a > newer compact Outbound we got just a few months ago just before Powerbooks > were available (Because they are generally not used for MIDI, we have been > getting Powerbook 170s since ... the active matrix screen & processing speed > is just too attractive, however for personal use, out of pocket, maybe > Outbound is good enough). What kind of Outbound is the new one? I thought their top of the line model could outfly a PB170 with little trouble. Active matrix displays are no good for anal retentive people like me, who freak out and get all itchy when they start to drop pixels. > Anyway I can get the Outbounds we have whenever I need them and can > perform any beta testing you want to try. I'll try it with software I > have.... Where do I send the results to, etc? Well, if you HAVE one already, you don't need to get into the beta test program Outbound is setting up right now, as they're looking for buyers. However, their doors are ALWAYS open to people who HAVE Outbounds already and want to try out MIDI software for them, so you can contact Neil Zimmerman at Outbound and make him the offer yourself. That number again is 800-444-4607 extension 161, and tell him Metlay sent you. If anyone's wondering, I am not getting a kickback from Outbound to do this. It is in my best interest to help them find people who are either Outbound owners already or genuinely interested laptop-Mac-MIDI users-to-be, so that the most software can be tested out in the shortest time. The recent negative review in KEYBOARD was a Godsend to Outbound, as they were worried about losing their market niche once the PBs came out. Now they have a market to aim at, but no resources to doublecheck the available software. If the beta tests turn out positive, I plan to buy an Outbound and use it as my second MIDI computer (after my Amiga). If a computer is made available that is small, powerful and MIDI friendly, everyone benefits. The current PB situation is unacceptable, and shows no sign of change in the neaar or far future. -- Mike Metlay metlay@minerva.phyast.pitt.edu Atomic City, P.O. Box 81175, Pittsburgh, PA 15217-0675 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1992 07:34:04 EDT From: Brian Adamson Subject: PowerBook caffeine I've heard some comments about problems with the Powerbook doing MIDI (i.e. MIDI out OK, but problems with sustained MIDI input), because of power saving tricks the Powerbook does. Has anyone had any additional insight into the actual cause of this problem? BTW, there is a fairly un-obvious way of defeating some of the Powerbook sleep modes. 1) Select the "Portable" control panel. 2) Click on the text at the top of the window (reads "minutes to sleep" or something) while holding down the "Option" key. 3) This brings up a dialog to to keep the Powerbook from sleeping and specifically mentions that this helps out when using applications which use the serial port. I just thought I'd point out this trick because of its relative obscurity, and I didn't think I'd seen it mentioned in related message traffic on this list. -- Brian Adamson NRL Code 5523 adamson@itd.nrl.navy.mil ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1992 09:49:28 EDT From: metlay Subject: Re: PowerBook caffeine > > BTW, there is a fairly un-obvious way of defeating some of the > Powerbook sleep modes. > > 1) Select the "Portable" control panel. > > 2) Click on the text at the top of the window > (reads "minutes to sleep" or something) while > holding down the "Option" key. > > 3) This brings up a dialog to to keep the Powerbook > from sleeping and specifically mentions that this > helps out when using applications which use the > serial port. > > I just thought I'd point out this trick because of its relative > obscurity, and I didn't think I'd seen it mentioned in related message > traffic on this list. KEYBOARD Magazine did this in their PB reveiw and said it didn't help at all. I am now organizing a cadre of MIDI beta testers for the Outbound Systems Portable Mac compatibles, a set of Mac laptops that IMO are better built and better designed than the PowerBooks-- and are rapidly being shown to have no MIDI problems at all. They're cheaper than PBs, too. If you consider yourself qualified to beta test these things and would be interested in obtaining one at a discount to do so, call 800-444-4607, extension 161, and ask for Neil Zimmerman for details on the offer. Please tell him that you were referred there by Mike Metlay, and don't be too disappointed if he tells you that their available beta tester spots are full. Even so, the educational discounts are really good, and that's how I'M going to afford mine..... -- Mike Metlay metlay@minerva.phyast.pitt.edu Atomic City, P.O. Box 81175, Pittsburgh, PA 15217-0675 ------------------------------ End of the EMUSIC-L Digest ******************************