Contributing Editor Jim DeLaHunt again comes to the rescue of Macintosh users in his latest installment of the Macintosh Survival Guide. In this article, Jim showcases some great software packages that improve the HotSync process, make installing applications far less cumbersome, and fix the icons on downloaded PalmPilot files. Last month, we chopped Jim's article in half in order to make it fit better in the publication. Unfortunately, when we modified Jim's article, we left in some references to content that wasn't there. Oops! The missing content is in this article and you can expect more hard-hitting Macintosh content from Jim in future issues. -- DG

Problem: It takes too long to turn the HotSync monitor on and off
In order for HotSyncs to happen, you need to run the HotSync monitor software. Some people can just set the software to run automatically when they start up their Mac. Not me. My Macintosh has a variety of software competing for the one serial port on the back. If the HotSync monitor is running, I can't connect to my ISP and read PalmPower magazine. So I have to turn on my HotSync monitoring just before I HotSync, and turn it off just after.

Now, it's quite possible to do this by selecting the HotSync control panel from the Control Panels. However, this is really slow -- twelve seconds on my Mac. When I'm trying to HotSync one last time and get out the door, I can't afford it. Judging by the number of software packages addressing this problem, I'm not the only one who's impatient.

My favorite of the bunch is HotSyncCSM 0.2d, by Yukinari Suzuki. "CSM" refers to Control Strip Module. PowerBook users will know the control strip -- a little tab on the bottom-left corner of the screen, which expands out to give access to a list of commonly-used controls. HotSyncCSM is simple and effective. You can see it in Figure A. HotSyncCSM is at the right-most end of the strip.

FIGURE A

HotSyncCSM, at the far right, is simple and effective. Click picture for a larger image.

When you click on the HotSync icon on the control strip, a little three-item menu pops up. You can turn start HotSync monitoring, stop monitoring, or open the HotSync control panel. Turning monitoring off or on happens in under three seconds. The little HotSync logo on the control strip switches between light and dark gray to indicate monitoring on and off. Despite the zero in the version number, I found HotSyncCSM to be reliable. HotSyncCSM is freeware.