Hard Cider Index

by Suzanne Lavender

MacLinkPlus Deluxe Version 11 - A Guest Review

What can one say about a trusted old friend who changes beyond all recognition? I suppose as everyone and everything ages it is inevitable that complexity, as well as sophistication, is gained. Sometimes these changes are for the better, while at others we long for the simplicity and ease of times gone by.

I have owned a current version of the MacLink product since it was first released. While retaining many of the fine old qualities that made MacLinkPlus a "can't-live-without" tool to a die-hard Mac user in a P.C. world, I found that the first time I tried to use MacLinkPlus Deluxe v.11 it failed me horribly. What, I wondered, could be so complicated about translating the bookmarks file saved from Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.5 to a Microsoft Word 98 file that retains the hyperlinks? Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, some HTML files aren't supported as anything but text. I had even worse results with the Netscape Navigator 4.72 bookmarks file that I tried to convert to Word format. MacLinkPlus Deluxe did not even recognize the file as being HTML, although it works fine when opened in Navigator.

A rather curious thing has happened to the way MacLinkPlus Deluxe functions with HTML files from Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0, though. Since I upgraded to that version last week, MacLinkPlus Deluxe seems to recognize files associated with IE as HTML, which leads me to believe that the initial problems I had converting HTML files originating in the Microsoft browser had more to do with the format they were saved in than with MacLinkPlus Deluxe's translation capabilties.

Pros: MacLinkPlus Deluxe has an uncluttered, fairly intuitive interface reminiscent of WinZip, and many methods of translating files: directly from the application, control-clicking a file's icon from The Finder, and, according to the enclosed manual, double-clicking the icon or dragging it to a previously formatted copy of a Document Converter file.

I found that, in instances when there was another application on my G3 that could translate a file I double-clicked on, the file would be opened by a program other than MacLinkPlus Deluxe. This version also supports a huge amount of filters for all of the most popular DOS and Windows, and Macintosh word processing, spreadsheet and database applications, going back quite a few generations for many.

An excellent feature, although one not specifically advertised by DataViz, is MacLinkPlus Deluxe's ability to convert many Mac to Mac files. For instance, I received a file in AppleWorks 5 format. My word processing application, Microsoft Word 98, does not include filters for importing or exporting AppleWorks files. However, when I double-clicked the document on my desktop, MacLinkPlus Deluxe immediately prompted me to ask if I would like the file translated to MS Word format.

My favorite feature in MacLinkPlus Deluxe is the ability to simply change any file's type and creator. I prefer changing them manually, as the selections the program makes when I click on the "Fix" button is sometimes not the format I'm looking for. It would be very useful to have some options to choose from when changing the type and creator, so users wouldn't have to memorize the necessary values for specific applications and file types.

MacLinkPlus Deluxe allows you to "View" a file before it's converted so you can get an idea of what the selected file is. This is especially helpful when you aren't sure you've added the correct file. I found the "View" feature to be helpful about half of the time, the other half showing me absolutely nothing at all, although MacLinkPlus Deluxe often converted the file into the format I selected when I clicked the "Translate" button. Not a big problem for a user who knows the best format to translate a file to, but it could be confusing to a novice.

Another great feature, which alone may make this program worth the price of $99.95 for many people, is MacLinkPlus Deluxe's decompression filters. This is particularly helpful when used to expand or dearchive multiple e-mail attachments at one time, especially for people who don't have a clue what programs the various DOS/Windows file extensions are associated with. MacLinkPlus Deluxe also includes the ability to translate improperly encoded/decoded files that show up as a long string of ASCII text embedded within an e-mail message.

Cons: For testing purposes, I added the SimpleText ReadMe! file included with MacLinkPlus Deluxe to the program window. MacLinkPlus Deluxe displayed "Type and creator do not match recommended settings" when I selected the file so I clicked the "Fix" button.

All the formatting seemed to be removed from the document as shown in the "View" window, and the same message remained. I quit the application and double-clicked the file. It opened with Microsoft Word 98, my default word processor and the formatting was indeed gone. However, when I opened the same file in SimpleText, the formatting remained intact.

One shortcoming of MacLinkPlus Deluxe is the type of graphic conversion options offered. I have found that the excellent shareware application, GraphicConverter, works much better for me when I need more flexibility in this area.

While testing MacLinkPlus Deluxe's batch translation procedure, the program seemed to archive an already stuffed file. At least that's what I thought, as a new folder was created inside my "Translated Files" folder with a .sit file extension. There was another folder inside of the new folder with a single file in it. If I double-click the original icon in The Finder, Stuff-It Expander (the free version) decompresses it and creates a folder containing 3 files. However, no application seems to know what to do with the version of the file that was processed by MacLinkPlus Deluxe. I tried rebuilding my Desktop in order to remedy this problem, using all three methods recommended at DataViz's Website, but I still could not get MacLinkPlus Deluxe to recognize the file.

MacLinkPlus Deluxe ran out of memory when I attempted to convert a SimpleText screen shot I had taken using command/shift/3 in Netscape Navigator. I simply allocated extra RAM to the application and the conversion went fine. Additionally, didn't seem to have a filter for a CD label my husband had created in Adobe Illustrator and saved as encapsulated PostScript. According to the package documentation, MacLinkPlus Deluxe should recognize an EPS PC file and offer me the option of converting it to EPS Mac. There seems to be no support for converting sound files. Not really a big deal, since there are many great utilities available which do. I guess I expected MacLinkPlus Deluxe to at least recognize what kind of files they were though, since their package states "Open Windows Files on Your Mac. Instantly." And, "Use virtually any file, regardless of where it came from; convert and use files that were created in applications you don't have; open unreadable e-mail attachments." The back software cover does go into more detail about which formats are supported, though, and users can find an extensive list of supported and unsupported file types on http://www.dataviz.com.

In order to test the batch processing capabilities, I tried adding about ten files of varying sizes and types. While attempting to add a particular file, its icon kept bouncing back to the folder I was dragging it from, but no error message (or even a beep) came up. It finally occurred to me to check the list to see if the filename was already in it. It was. Additionally, no error messages, etc. occurred during batch processing for files that are not supported by MacLinkPlus Deluxe. However, when I attempted to translate certain files individually, or even selected them in the application list, I received a message telling me no translators were available.

Another peeve is that the included Help files are in HTML format for either Internet Explorer or Netscape. There is also a PDF version of Help, but no Acrobat Reader. So, if you don't have a browser or Acrobat Reader, you're pretty much stuck with the SimpleText ReadMe! file for help. I'm told that these html files are intended for use with Apple's built in "help viewer" application. I'm not sure how to access that application independently, but when I open one of the help files, either by double-clicking on it or by selecting "Local Tech Support" from MacLinkPlus Deluxe's Help menu, one of my browsers is automatically launched (depending on which version of the file I select). Because I wasn't quite sure what some of the program's icons are for, I tried turning on Balloon Help, which I, personally have never cared for. Nevertheless, I thought it might be useful in this instance. However, Balloon Help does not seem to be tied to MacLinkPlus Deluxe's Help at all and, in fact caused my computer to crash with a Type 10 Error.

I would like to point out that with programs becoming increasingly more complex, manuals and help files seem to be less frequently included, so DataViz should be commended for their attempts at including Help in multiple formats.

Conclusion: Although overpriced for what it offers, MacLinkPlus Deluxe is still the best one-stop solution for many users. For that lone Mac user in a Wintel business environment, this could be the ideal product for converting word processing, database and spreadsheet documents. Hopefully, DataViz will realize the need for more filtering alternatives and offer them as add-ons to this application. I will still try this program when I'm out of conversion options for files I receive from others, but my first choice will always be to have the files' creators use the "Save As" option in their original applications to have them do what Macs do best, open a file when it's double-clicked in The Finder. Especially when I'm trying to use a file that was created in yet another Pentium operating system, like the one my husband uses, OS/2.

If you know of an OS/2 to Mac conversion program, I'm eager to hear about it.

Suzanne has worked in the computer industry since graduating from a course in computer programming in 1983. She has worked in a variety of computer sales, support and training positions. Finding it difficult for most people to learn by osmosis, she currently creatues user and tech support manuals.

MacLinkPlus Deluxe 11 Suggested Retail Price: $99.95