Lion Mail: To POP or APOP, That Is The Question

The process of migrating eMail from OS X SnowLeopard to Lion has not been quite as simple from some as it might be.

The migration of our Earthlink POP Accounts was straight forward.

The system recognised the configuration properly and the accounts were good to go, so I assumed the other ISP we used would be as well.

Well, we all know that to assume makes an ass out of you and me.

The other ISP uses the same address for both the outbound and inbound mail service... mail.providername.net, and does not use an POP/APOP Authorisation, but instead requires Username & Password authorisation, which means that you have to configure the outgoing mail server manually.

 ..and TaDa! Success!

All of which we determined by trial and error because, like many ISP's, their on-line support documentation does not match the actual current service configuration.

... and there are several other possible configuration permutations, depending upon which service you're using. 

If you're migrating IMAP accounts... that's a-whole-nother-story

But, the moral of the story? 

The Bottom Line?

Instead of wasting time swearing at the software or cursing  the developers, call your service provider's help-desk and ask for HELP.

The Bloggers New View

Stepping away from Writing and related news for a moment, Blogger is giving us a chance to change how we, as blog owners, present the face of our content to the world, and for readers to view it.... beyond simply changing templates and backgrounds.

Rather than try to explain this, let your fingers do the clicking. 


Go to http://pagesforsmallwages.blogspot.com/view/

... or any other favourite Blogger URL and add /VIEW at the end of the link, and explore the view options presented.


Note:
These views require a current browser (Internet Explorer 8+, Firefox 3.5+, Chrome, Safari, Opera, etc..). Many elements of these views will not work should you have an older browser.


In all views, search is available in the upper right hand corner. Clicking on the ">" arrow in the very top left of the header bar will slide the header bar across and allow you to choose different views for the current blog as well as type in a new blog URL.

There is also a feedback link for each view.


Which view do you like best? Do you prefer one view over another for different blogs? 
Would you like the option of setting a default view for all blogs or for individual blogs?
Is there a different view format you'd like to see?

Let the folks at Google Blogger know what you think. 

Ah, Nostalgia

There has been a question making the rounds of discussion groups on the internet which goes: 


Which would you choose? Computer or Typewriter?


Back in the bad old days of banging out our chapters, daily copy, or itemised expense reports on our trusty Underwood, the writer had to choose words carefully. Composition was performed, not on the page but in the head, with the help of a pad of paper or the back of an envelope or dinner napkin, long before a word was ever typed on a page.

When the desktop computer came into being and potential customers were asking 'Why' they should replace their typewriters with computers... 


Vendors and consultants used to explain that 'the computer was essentially nothing more than an electric typewriter with a built-in dictionary, calculator and filing cabinet.'

Despite all of the years and advances in technology, how many people still use a computer, be it on the desktop, laptop or even portable devices like the Apple iPad or even a cellular telephone... (and Yes, you too, Twitterers) primarily for those same basic functions?

Dear fellow writers;


    Set aside your pencils and dessert napkins, and Raise Your Hands.

Information overload, the early years - The Boston Globe

Five centuries years ago, a new technology swamped the world with data. 

What we can learn from the aftermath?

An absolutely fascinating read at