April 2001 - Volume 3, Number 1
The Mac 512 User Group Newsletter
In this issue...
The Future of the Macintosh OS
Mac OS X
The future is here. A stable Unix kernel provided by Mach and the visual appeal by Quartz makes Mac OS X the new standard. Yes it is coincidental for Microsoft to come up with their Luna user

interface right after the Mac OS X Public Beta went live. The Quartz interface is so cool that any major company will emulate its interface design, wait until Linux sports a similar look. Every Penguin knows they can have it now, with Mac OS X.

How important is Apple's newest Operating System? Do you remember System 7? This was a big change back then. System 7 gave us Macintosh owners a stable OS that allowed us to: Multitask applications, Virtual Memory, ease of adding Fonts, IAC (InterApplication Communication), AppleEvents and a new Finder. Many of these same reasons are why we are moving onward to Mac OS X. System 6 was pretty stable with the current applications at that time, however System 7 meant more robust applications. This is the foundation of System 7.x, Mac OS 8.x and Mac OS 9.x.

We have a choice - continue to use the older software or embrace change and take charge of the new legacy, which Apple is

presenting to us. I will continue to support both, as if we don't support Apple's new OS now, Macintosh will be just a memory...


MacPaint drawing
Understanding MacPaint 1.x:

A Brief Guide

MacPaint was a tandem partner with MacWrite when the original Macintosh was introduced. Using MacPaint was a dream for most people. I remember sitting in a local computer store playing with MacPaint and MacWrite wanting this at my home. Just click on a tool and move the mouse while holding down the mouse button. Simple!

Pictured below is the tools you will be using to create your masterpiece. Remember these versions of MacPaint are in monochrome, no color. It is amazing what you can do with only black and white.

A landscape picture, notice the dithering patterns used to create shading effects.
The main screen of Paint has your toolbar to the upper left, the border to the bottom left and the patterns along the bottom. Your workspace is in the middle. You can neither expand your workspace nor change the

placement of the tools. these are fixed by design. They conform to the Macintosh 9" screen. What it does give you is a "hand" to drag the picture image as the workspace window is a small section of a larger document.

MacPaint Tools
MacPaint drawing
The tools you will use with MacPaint.
MacPaint Tools
Under the goodies menu is a view which will let you see the whole doucment. Use this to quickly manauver to a new spot in the document.
The menus Font, FontSize and Style are your tools to manipulate text. You can select the text with the Text tool, then apply the typeface (Font). Specify how large it is and choose the Underline, Bold or Italic styles. Very handy if you need to add a caption or an inspiring note. Keep in mind once you click on the screen
More tools and special key combinations.
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Understanding MacDraw 1.x:

A Brief Guide

Understanding MacPaint 1.x:
A Brief Guide
Continued from page 2
MacDraw was the application many people were waiting for. The precision of manipulating objects was the ticket for technical drawing on Macintosh for many years. The idea of drawing a box and adding text was not new. The idea of then moving it to a new spot by clicking to select it, then hold down the mouse button and drag it to the new spot was. This idea is very powerful. Unlike MacPaint with its "place once or redraw mentality", MacDraw could be used to create flowcharts, organization charts, bar graphs and other useful documents.
the text becomes a non-editable paint object. In this case an object cannot be moved, just the paint pixels can be manipulated. So add a border with the Pencil tool, then add a pattern with the Paint Bucket tool.
MacPaint drawing
MacDraw drawing
The brush styles & shapes. Explore the Goodies menu.
MacPaint can share its documents with MacDraw and MacWrite. Utilize the Cut, Copy and Paste commands under the Edit menu. This is how the integration of the original Macintosh was performed, it was the way to creating a powerhouse document.
A sample drawing showing text, patterns, and boxes.
MacPaint drawing MacDraw Tools
Fatbits lets you work on the detail.
Boot up MacPaint and relax. You too can print a

masterpiece with a bit of patience and determination.

Continued on page 4

Understanding MacDraw 1.x:

A Brief Guide

Continued from page 3
MacDraw drawing
Objects can overlap, just like windows. Whenever you draw a new object, it will be in front of the other objects. You can control this overlapping by using the Arrange menu.

When you select any object handles appear. These black boxes let you shape the object or its size. By pressing the Shift key, you can select more than one object to manipulate.

Text is always in an "invisible" box. You can move this box or shape it to a different size, the text will wrap as needed to conform to the new size. Think of this "invisible" box as a frame.

Drawing polygons is pretty easy. Select the polygon tool, then click on the document where you want the first corner. Move the mouse to drag and click on the second corner. Continue clicking and dragging to create the other corners. Once you are done, double-click and it will complete the polygon. Now fill it up with a pattern or use it as is.

Using the Layout menu, you can specify how large your drawing can be, or to extend your original drawing.
MacDraw drawing

The clipboard can be your friend. MacDraw can show you what is in the clipboard at any time.

MacDraw drawing
Arcs can be created by clicking and dragging. As you drag up, down and across the Arc will take shape. When you have the shape you want, release the mouse button.

Freehand is another powerful tool. Select the Freehand tool, click and drag to draw a line. Drag up, down, left and right to get different results.

MacDraw can become a powerful tool you can use with other Macintosh applications. Use the best of all of them to create that spectacular document.

The About MacDraw... dialog box. The statistical information about your document can be priceless.
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Mac OS X Product News

On Tuesday, April 3, Apple is launching a new, bi-weekly email newsletter, Mac OS X Product News. It will introduce new products available for Mac OS X and give you the opportunity to download and/or purchase with the click of a button.


Get the first issue including info on OS X-ready iTunes, iMovie, printer drivers and more.

http://www.apple.com/enews/subscribe/

MUG Store Deals

Visit www.applemugstore.com for the usual impressive array of Mac deals exclusively for user group members. There are free speakers and RAM for the G4/466 and G4/533, great deals on iMacs including the hard-to-find Sage and Ruby iMacs, and a whole new array of iBooks and G4s to tempt your pallette.


And don't forget to browse through the "Apple Logo Goods" section, some of those items have been spotted on the web at five times the cost shown on the site.

http://www.applemugstore.com

Masthead
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