We’ll do an overview of Mac OS 10.5 “Leopard” which is due for release in October. The new cat on the block is full of improvements and interesting goodies. These range from basic improvements to the operating system, to new ways to organize and access your files, to souped-up versions of the included applications. We’ll cover as much as we can in the time available.

See the Sidebar for date and time. Don’t forget the Macintosh Mystery Hour starting at 6:30. Bring your questions. Bring your answers. Bring a friend!

This month we’ll explore Beryl, a piece of open source software similar in effect to the Core Animation and Spaces components of the upcoming Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) release. It’s written in C using OpenGL and we’ll be viewing it mounted on a PC.

Derek Dickerson will show us what it’s all about. Derek is new to the group and has listed numerous open source applications and utilities on the EMUG Forum. Check out the links he listed in the post “Open Source Software Links” in the Forum.

As we did last month, we’ll tinker with Automator again if time allows. Bring your scripts and actions to show the group.

As always, bring your questions, bring your answers, and bring a friend.

Is your data safe? What if your hard disk fails? Or a burglar ransacks your office? A backup is essential, but not all backups are created equal. You need a rock-solid backup strategy that ensures you can restore quickly and completely, no matter what catastrophe arises.

The second edition of the best-selling Take Control of Mac OS X Backups, provides the straightforward advice you need to go beyond the false security of copying a few files to CD. You’ll find an at-a-glance comparison of different backup strategies (low-cost, easy, safest) for backing up and restoring data, including digital photos and video projects.

You’ll learn the pros and cons of each type of backup media, including hard disk, recordable disc, tape, and more; discover how to pick the best backup software for your needs; and find time-tested recommendations for setting up, testing, and maintaining backups, complete with instructions on how to restore after a crash. Important lessons you’ll learn along the way include the utility of having both a duplicate and an archive, the necessity of testing backups, and the role of offsite backups. Includes over 20 pages of step-by-step directions for Retrospect!

New coverage in the second edition includes:

• How the forthcoming Time Machine feature in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard might work in your backup strategy.
• Backup-related advice for people who are running Windows on a Mac.
• Recommendations for how to back up while traveling.
• Significantly expanded information about SAN and NAS.
• Info about offloading seldom-used data to recover drive space.
• Advice on setting up an easy-to-use backup system for a relative or friend.
• Discussion of issues associated with creating command-line backup systems.
• Using Amazon S3 for inexpensive Internet backups.

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We’ll have a copy to raffle at the meeting.