Starter Questions

What is Cyberdog?

Cyberdog is almost all things to all people. It is Apple's integrated Internet client solution. It is a collection of OpenDoc "parts" that allow access to information on the Internet. It is a web browser, a mail client, a newsreader, a telnet client, an an ftp client...for starters. Although Apple has placed Cyberdog into "maintenance mode" Cyberdog remains quite extensible by third parties who wish to supplement Cyberdog's functionality.

Can't I do all the things I can do with Cyberdog with other products?

Oh, sure, and you can also perform brain surgery with common gardening implements...but you probably don't want to.

If you use Netscape Navigator (or Communicator) for web browsing, Eudora or Claris Emailer for email, Fetch or Anarchie for FTP, one of the incarnations of NewsWatcher for news...you can do pretty much everything that CD does. Some things you might even be able to do better. But, when it comes to integration, Cyberdog clearly stands out.

What am I losing out on by using Cyberdog as my Web browser?

Not a lot. The browser is compliant with "standard" HTML, as well as some Netscapisms, tables, forms, frames and animated and transparent GIFs (although some don't look right, this is due to changes in the color palette used from frame to frame...). With Macintosh Runtime for Java, you get Java. Also, you can turn off frames, animations, and Java. This can be a very good thing.

Style sheets? JavaScript? Not yet, if ever.

Plug-ins? Many, yes. The Internet Plug-In Viewer lets you use many Netscape plug-ins. Not all. Trial and error.

Allrighty, fine, what about the mail client? Can it filter my mail?

Your mail and your news, on a variety of criteria, into separate mail "trays", or different colors within trays, or straight to the trash.

And multiple mail accounts?

No problem.

Does it have one of those hokey "You've got mail" alerts?

Well, it can. Or, it can speak a number of phrases, if you save them as system sounds. Or, it can speak the name of the sender (this is the one that makes most people think it's pretty cool).

Okay. How about the ftp client?

I think it's a joy. I wish that the Mac's "view by name" was as aethetically pleasing as the ftp view. It doesn't estimate the remaining time for download, like Fetch and Netscape do, but when was the last time one of those was accurate? FTP is fully drag and drop, and you can set Cyberdog to automatically binhex your uploads.

News?

You want news, you got news. From multiple servers, filtered, organized, color-coded, kill-filed, mime-capable, binaries decoded...it's a very capable client.

What's left? Oh, the telnet client...

It's here that CD got the least fit and finish. It's pretty bare bones, and seems to have a few kinks still to be worked out (YMMV). Still, many people find it usable. If you're used to NCSA Telnet, or Nifty Telnet, you may be disappointed with the lack of features. Still, if someone wants to write a telnet part (and/or, better yet, a MUD/MUSH/MOO client for Cyberdog/OpenDoc) it will fit in quite nicely with the overall CD package. Were I to be suddenly imbued with OpenDoc programming knowledge and skill, it is to this that I would first turn my attention.

Back to the Main Cyberdog Central Page