Need Help With New Web Page

Hi Folks!

I’m working on a new Web page. It’s live on the Web right now, but I need folks to look at the page and tell me if it makes sense, if it needs changes/additions etc.

The page is designed to answer several questions that come up all the time, such as whether to upgrade to the latest version of the Mac OS when it first comes out, what does it matter if one doesn’t upgrade, etc. and it gives tips on doing such an upgrade, including info on backing up and doing a clean install.

Please have a look. I’d really appreciate any suggestions before I start telling folks all over about the site. Thanks!

Upgrading To The Very Latest Macintosh Operating System
http://www.macattorney.com/upos.html

I may have more to say later, but after a quick scan I do have one recommendation to help our non-US users. Remove the country code from the urls and apple will figure out the correct language based on local.

Examples:

Change https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886 to https://support.apple.com/HT206886 by removing /en-us.

Change https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?mt=12 to https://itunes.apple.com/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?mt=12 by removing /us.

also, the link I get for Sierra is just https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-sierra/id1127487414?mt=12

-Al-

My I/N speed has decreased substantially since upgrading to Mojave.
What settings can I increase to get the speed back up? Should be about 180Mbps and its at 50Mbps
Thank you
David

I did not read the whole thing. Sorry, it is too long for me. I did read #1 through #4. I just reverted two machines because of software compatibility issues and had some interesting experiences.

Number one seemed pretty accurate from my experience. You mentioned the security issues, something that is still hard to evaluate for most people.

Number two mentioned clones, which I consider critical. But reverting from clones is not as easy as it used to be. One machine went from 10.10 to 10.9 because of Toast problems. That caused Backblaze to “fail” which requires reinstallation. Backblaze does not have the best user interface! The other machine went from 10.13 to 10.12 because of CanvasDraw problems. This required the target drive to be erased and reformatted using Disk Utility because of the format change 10.13 installs. I also use Dropbox. Just to be safe, right before the reinstall, I make a current copy of Dropbox. After the reinstall, before booting on it, I replace the Dropbox folder contents with the current contents. I’m not sure it is necessary but sync apps can be tricky.

Number three - well, I guess I did have to do a sort of clean install on the 10.13 to 10.12 machine.

Number four is important as mentioned above. Unfortunately, I have never succeeded in finding out ahead of time if software is compatible. Manufacturers don’t cover it very well, if at all. I checked Roaringapps and ClarisDraw was not even on the list and Toast just had question marks.

Hope that helps. John

PS I just noticed Big Tip Number Two. I’ve never succeeded in that and abandoned it.

John

Thanks folks! Anyone else have any comments, corrections or suggestions?

My I/N speed has decreased substantially since upgrading to Mojave.
What settings can I increase to get the speed back up?
Should be about 180Mbps and its at 50Mbps

David, to my knowledge there is nothing intrinsic to Mojave, or to upgrading your OS, that should cause your internet speeds to decrease. My wild ass guess is that the proper settings in System Preferences → Network got munged/lost in the process.

What I recommend is that you either go to your ISP’s Web site and see what they list as the proper settings for a Macintosh, and see if that helps.

If it doesn’t, I recommend that you call your ISP and seek their advice. They should be willing to help you because you are paying for a certain speed and your aren’t getting it. It’s on them to figure out why and make sure that you are getting those speeds.

If your ISP won’t help, then I recommend calling your state’s Public Utilities Commission and filing a complaint against your ISP. Unlike most government agencies, I’ve found that state PUC’s often are very helpful and carry a lot of clout to motivate your ISP to help you.

Please let us know how things go.

As always, you offer great and thorough information! :+1:

Only two minor suggestions:

  1. For older viewers, increase the font size a bit. I know it’s just a couple of “command +” key strokes to get it a bit bigger, still, I think fewer folks even know that much about their browsers! :roll_eyes:
  2. Maybe you could mention opening each topic in the ToC in a new tab (usually command-click). The current page is extremely long and it can be helpful to have two or more topics more readily available. I assume you were trying to keep the page as simple as possible to allow maximum performance. Reminding tech-challenged viewers of the tabbed viewing method could make them a bit more confident about their capabilities. (I live with such an individual! :grin: )

Thanks for you well written page!

Thanks Jim!

Maybe I should create a page of tips on using one’s browser?

:joy: I am constantly amazed at how many seem to have no idea what their apps can do! Of course, most pf them will never read your instructions either. Oh well, I blame Apple. They got rid of “step 2” so why would we need a manual?!

Keep up the good work!

I took a quick look at the web page. It is a nice simple site, which makes it easy to read and to maintain. You did well to provide a table of contents so that readers can find what they may be looking for.

Stylistically speaking, though, I suggest that your headings do not need to be in all caps. That actually makes them harder to read, not easier. Putting them in bold should be enough. You used a different font for the headings, which is a good idea. However, if you want to emphasize them more effectively, use a larger font size—and perhaps put them in color (a dark color that will preserve contrast with the white background). In which case, you won’t need to put them in bold face. These are all simple changes to do in HTML, no fancy CSS required.

If you want to check my recommendations, consult the book “The Mac is not a typewriter” by Robin Williams (not the comedian). The book addresses issues for print output, but the same design principles apply on the web, though they are most often honored in the breach. You can give your site a little bit of style without making it difficult to use or to update. And it will look less like an ammeter operation.

People will be more likely to trust—and appreciate—your content if the page is well designed. As for the accuracy of the content, I’m afraid that I don’t have time to read it right now. If I get around to doing so, I’ll let you know. Certainly your site performs a useful service; most people do not haunt the tech sites; I expect that is as true for attorneys as it is for everyone else. So props for taking the initiative.

Thanks. I’ve had several people give me style suggestions, and as a result I’ve have had one of those cases with “too many cooks.” This was supposed to be a quick and dirty Web page…and it is.

Hi Randy -

Well, it’s your web page to do with as you please. The suggestions I gave you are simple enough. A few extra tags here and there. It wouldn’t take more than an hour to implement. Anything more complex would be counter-productive. In any case, whatever you do will reflect your intent. It was my thought that a little style would go a long way to enhance your credibility. What I said about styling type is in line with best practices, in print and on the web. People like Donald Trump type in all caps. On the web it’s considered shouting and is in very poor taste. Design-wise it’s harder to read than regular type. Check out Robin Williams. Her books are an easy read.

On the positive side you used a san-serif font for your text. In that respect the web is different from print. In print a serif font is preferred because it flows more easily on the page. On the web, however, a serif font is easier to read. You did well, too, to use a serif font in your headings. But if you check any book or magazine you’ll see that headings almost always use a different font than the text and that font is substantially larger. A little larger is no good. The size has to provide some separation and, hence, emphasis. In fact, in HTML there are a number of heading tags to choose from so that you don’t have to specify a font size. You just pick one that suits your purpose. As for color, it may be hard to remember all those hexadecimal codes; in fact it’s downright impossible. Apple’s color picker can show you the codes to use for any color you like. And, unlike the early days on the web, you are not restricted to 256 colors. Of course Dreamweaver has a color picker that will supply the right values. There are many apps that help with color design, but I have a simple script, saved as an application, that calls Apple’s Color Picker. Very handy.

The biggest challenge will be retyping your headings without all those distracting caps, if you choose to do so.

In your case you don’t mean to shout; you are just trying to emphasize your headings. Still, all caps is bad form.

I haven’t worked on a web site in quite some time; I’m semi-retired. I’ve been doing Mac maintenance and troubleshooting for more than 25 years. In that time I also picked up other computer skills, including web and print design with a variety of applications. But at 73 I’m aging out. Still, if you were to send me you web site files (probably just one index.html file at that) I would undertake to buff it up along the lines I’ve described. It wouldn’t be difficult as there are no fancy scripts of CSS to deal with. I could edit the basic HTML, but I might put it in Dreamweaver just to get a few of my chops back. I could even put it up on a test page on my own web site in order to see it online. That’s a good way to proof your work. Like outputting an InDesign file as a PDF and reading that. Mistakes just pop off the page. At least that’s how it works for me. This saves a lot of paper.

At the same time I could proof your text for accuracy. I’ve done a lot of OS upgrades over the years. I started out with Mac OS 7.2 on an old Performa. :wink:

I apologize if my offer is too forward. It’s just a thought. At my age I can use an intellectual challenge, even a modest one in a field I haven’t used for awhile.

Hi Randy,

I think the content of the page is great. Although I underderstand the “too many cooks” stirring the pot, there is a navigation and usability issue that’s easy to address that I think is important to fix. In a few places, you’ve got links ganged up against one another that could cause users to think they are just one big link. All you need to do is to add a hard return to keep them distinct from one another. Canon is one example.

This page is another terrific addition to an already valuable site.

I think the content of the page is great. Although I underderstand the “too many cooks” stirring the pot, there is a navigation and usability issue that’s easy to address that I think is important to fix. In a few places, you’ve got links ganged up against one another that could cause users to think they are just one big link. All you need to do is to add a hard return to keep them distinct from one another. Canon is one example.

Yes, I was thinking about that as I created the page. Thanks!

This page is another terrific addition to an already valuable site.

Thank you!

Thanks, that’s a generous offer! But I think that I’ll keep everything in-house for now.

That’s cool.