• apple,  archive,  filemaker pro,  software,  vintage

    Installing and Archiving FileMaker Pro 2.1v3

    March 5, 2022 /

    I have been in the IT field for over 25 years now. Interestingly, one of the applications that I have used almost daily for that entire time is Claris FileMaker Pro. Over the years, the company name changed from Clairs to FileMaker and back to Claris again. The one constant is that FileMaker has always been FileMaker.

    As a help desk technician, I deployed and supported FileMaker Pro on Macintosh and Windows PCs. As a server admin, I deployed, managed, and upgraded FileMaker Server and the databases they contained.

    So, it is only natural that when restoring a Macintosh SE with System Software 6.0.8 installed, that FileMaker Pro 2.1v3 be installed to go along with it. The Disk Copy floppy disk images that I found were either of 1.4MB floppies – which my SE can’t read – or 800k floppies that did not work for one reason or another (i.e.: corruption or a bad image file).

    I ended up purchasing an original copy of FileMaker Pro 2.0v2 on a set of four 800kb floppy disks from eBay. Then, I found and downloaded the 2.1v3 updater from a University of Michigan software archive. With a working set of disks and the 2.1v3 updater in hand, I was able to install FileMaker on my little vintage pal. Using a Power Macintosh 7200/120 with a 1.4MB Apple SuperDrive, I created my own disk image archive in Disk Copy 4.3 and 6.3.3 formats suitable for use on vintage hardware like mine, or in a Classic 68k Mac emulator.

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  • backblaze,  ios,  iphone,  mac,  mac os x,  pc,  software,  windows

    Backblaze – Effortless Backups for Mac OS X and Windows PC

    November 3, 2013 /

    I’ve been listening to the Accidental Tech Podcast and The Talk Show for sometime now and one recurring sponsor, Backblaze, caught my attention.

    Backups are boring and nobody likes doing them.  But, when disaster strikes, everyone wishes they had one.  And that is where Backblaze comes in.  Backblaze, with it’s great team of people, including some ex-Apple employees, is an elegant backup solution that takes minutes to setup and gives you the piece of mind that lets you sleep at night.

    Installation and Setup

    Blackblaze works with Mac OS X 10.5 and later, Windows XP (32-bit), Windows Vista (32 & 64-bit), Windows 7 (32 & 64-bit), and Windows 8.  You download and install a small client application on your computer.  After the easy installation processes, it’s time to configure your backup.  You simply select which hard drive(s) you want to back up, select any folders that you want to exclude from the backup, and set your backup schedule.

    For me, I’m backing up my MacBook’s main hard drive.  I’ve excluded my iTunes movies folder because I can redownload most content from Apple.  I want to make sure that I always have the most current version of my documents backed up all of the time, so I selected the default back up schedule of “Continuously (Recommended)”.  If your installation is anything like mine, you’ve spent about 10-15 minutes setting up the software.

    What I really liked about the client installation is that is a real native application for Mac OS X.  It’s not a warmed over Java application that runs equally poorly on all of the support platforms.  I also appreciate that the developers have made this a “real” Mac application – one with the same look and feel that makes you believe that the application belongs on your computer.

    Be Productive, We Got This

    But you might be thinking, “Ya, but I have a lot of data.  This is gonna cost an arm and a leg.”  Here’s another thing that sets Backblaze apart from other online backup solutions: They will back up all of your data.  All of it.  Got 500MB? No problem.  Got 2TB?  No problem.  You just pay your monthly flat rate fee and Backblaze will back up all of your data.  The software throttles the data streaming back to their data center so get to you keep working the same way you always have.  Continuous backups run in the background keeping your data safe.  Based on my ISP upstream connection and the amount of data I have, my initial backup has been estimated to run about 42 days.  (I don’t keep my Mac on 24×7.  Your milage will vary.  When I last checked, the initial backup is projected to be completed in 22 days.)

    With Backblaze, backups really are a “no brainer” and once the software is setup and running, you can forget about it and just do what you do best.

    Hassle Free Recovery

    When disaster does strike, you won’t have to worry about getting your data back because Backblaze makes recovery super easy.  If you accidentally deleted a folder, overwrote that important document or photo, or had a hard drive crash? Getting your data back is easy.  Login to the Backblaze website and select the computer that had the file.  Backblaze gives you four options for recovering your data: Single file download, multi-document .zip file download, restored data on a USB flash drive, or restored data on a USB hard drive.  The first two options are free, the flash drive option is $99 with a 53GB file maximum, and the hard drive option costs $189 for up to 3TB of data.

    To help with your data recovery, the web UI data restore console allows you to navigate the folder structure on your hard drive or search for files/folders.  Have an iPhone?  Don’t forget to download the Backblaze iOS app.  With it, you can download individual files right to your iOS device.  That’s really handy if you need to look up some information that is back at home or the office when you’re out or at a customer site.

    It’s aways a drag when a hard drive or computer dies.  But there is nothing more infuriating when the data loss is due to a stolen computer.  If you enable the feature, Backblaze has a Locate My Computer feature that can be used to locate your computer based on it’s network connection.  It’s a nice little bonus at no additional charge.

    Plan Pricing

    The personal plan that I selected is $5/month, but you can get down as low as $3.96/month if you pre-pay for two years of service up front. You can change your subscription plan at any time.  Business plans are $50/year per computer.

    Conclusion

    No body likes to run backups on their computer.  With Backblaze, backups are super simple and easy to setup.  When you need to, Backblaze makes it easy to get your data back a hassle free process.  If there is only one software service you buy this year, make it Backblaze.  You’ll be glad you did.

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  • app store,  apple,  ios,  software

    Apple Store iOS App Gets Updated

    April 24, 2013 /

    Last night, Apple released and update to their iOS Apple Store application.

    The update, while minor, strikes me as a tool to help keep new iPhone owners all worked up about when they can upgrade to the new iPhone, allegedly the iPhone 5S.

    The two new features puts up a notice of when you are eligible for an iPhone upgrade, with pricing, keeping you informed once you buy your new phone with delivery notifications.

    Hey, when it’s a new toy, even overnight shipping is too long and we *need* to know where our phone is and when it will arrive at on our front porch.

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  • software

    Alex Pruss Freeware Software Archive

    December 3, 2007 /

    When the “new” PocketGear.com went online recently, I discovered that I was unable to find NVBackup in the catalog of software. I figured that I was doing something wrong and started poking around the PocketGear site thinking that I was looking in the wrong place.

    The PocketGear.com Developer Guide shed some light as to what was going on. The following are excerpts from that document.

    “Affiliate relationships associated with PalmGear, however, have ended with the exception of the existing Palm.com partnership. Motricity will cease support for the existing PalmGear platform and infrastructure. As a result, the classic PalmGear site will redirect in the near future to the unified new PocketGear. This move to the new platform and site will limit our ability to support existing affiliate locations. We are preparing to launch a new affiliate program in the near future, and look forward to presenting our partners with new opportunities for distribution and sales.”

    This includes the software store that was being hosted for ACCESS, formerly known as PalmSource. Jim Della, ACCESS Software Store Manager, writes on the ACCESS website:

    “The ACCESS Software Store will officially close on November 27th. We thank you for your patronage.

    You will still be able to review and purchase Garnet OS (formerly Palm OS) applications at www.pocketgear.com, an exciting new online store launched by Motricity, the ACCESS partner formerly hosting the ACCESS Software Store.”

    The Palm online software store is still very much running and open for business.

    My problem is with the following passage from the PocketGear Developer Guide:

    “We have taken careful steps to ensure that the new PocketGear is populated to the fullest extent and reflective of our prior catalogs at the ‘legacy’ sites. While we have eliminated much of the outdated and freeware listings, actively selling current titles have been migrated to the new PocketGear. Please note that listings at the new PocketGear have been assigned new product ID’s as well as new urls.”

    Way back when I first got started in the Palm user community, great sites like PalmGear helped me learn about my new Palm IIIx, but introduced me to a world of great commercial, shareware, and freeware applications for my device.

    The elimination of freeware from the new PocketGear and the shuttering of PalmGear is clearly a business decision that Motricity is free to make, but I don’t have to like it.

    That said, I have decided to do something about this situation. I have obtained permission from Alexander Pruss, who is a well known and respected Palm OS application developer, to host his freeware applications here on FoleoFanatics. Over the coming weeks I will grow the catalog of software that is available for download.

    It is this spirit of community that really is one of the best rewards of being a member of the Palm user community.

    Enjoy!

    Alan Grassia
    Editor, FoleoFanatics

    Visit the Software by Alex Pruss archive…

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