<A NAME="intro"><P CLASS="medium">1. Introduction to Caching and NavCom Cache Control</P></A>
<P>Generally speaking, a cache (pronounced "cash") is a place used to store things. In the computer world, caches are special storage areas set aside for the quick retrieval of data. The PowerPC microprocessor in your computer has a cache, where it stores recently-used instructions and data. Macintosh system software sets up a disk cache in RAM, which stores recently-read data from your hard drives.</P>
<P>In both instances, the goal is the same: to speed up the access to frequently-used information by keeping it near at hand. The Level 2 cache in a PowerPC microprocessor is, to use a technical term, a gazillion times faster than RAM. Things can be retrieved from Level 2 cache much faster than from RAM. The same holds true for the system's RAM-based disk cache: information can be retrieved from RAM much, much faster than it can from a disk drive.<P>
<P>Browsers do the same thing with their caches, only for a slightly different reason. The bottleneck with a browser is the network connection. Most of us are stuck with dialup connections to the Internet. Even with a 56K modem operating at its theoretical maximum, throughput will be limited to about seven kilobytes per second. And, as anyone who has tried to view a graphics-heavy Web page can testify, seven kilobytes per second (or less) turns the World Wide Web into the World Wide Wait. Imagine how slow it would be if every page, even ones you've just visited, had to be reloaded from the network every time you wanted to view them.</P>
<P>That's where your browser's cache comes into play. When the cache is activated on your browser, the entire time you are browsing the browser is storing copies of the sites you visited in the cache. Then, if you revisit a site you've already browsed, the browser looks in the cache to see if it has a copy of that site's information. If it does, the site is loaded from the cached local copy. This saves you the time and tedium of a reload from the network.</P>
<P>Obviously, how much information your browser can remember about sites you've visited is going to be limited by the size of the cache. Larger caches can hold more information about more sites. The default cache sizes for Netscape browsers are 7680KB for disk cache, and 1MB for memory cache.</P>
<P>As alluded to above, browser caches come in two flavors: disk and memory. A disk cache stores the elements of Web pages (HTML, graphics, sounds, etc.) as a file or files in a special location on your hard drive. Netscape browsers store each element as an individual file, whereas Internet Explorer uses one big file for its disk cache. In both cases, the cached information is placed in its own folder, so the browser can find and retrieve it quickly.</P>
<P>The Macintosh versions of Netscape browsers only let you activate and adjust the disk cache your browser uses. The controls for doing that are found in the "Advanced" section of your browser's Preferences control panel. An illustration of the Preferences control panel from Netscape Navigator 4.08 is shown below.</P>
<P>As you can see, there are number of options here relating to the size, location, and usage of the disk cache. For more information about these, consult the documentation that comes with your browser. Since I use NavCom Cache Control to activate and adjust my browser's memory cache, it has turned off the disk cache by setting its size to zero. If you use NavCom Cache Control to set up a memory cache for your browser, the only option you may need to set here is how often the browser compares cached pages to the network. If you are using a memory cache, that option should be set to "Once per session" or "Never".</P>
<P>But, wait: we're getting a little ahead of ourselves here. What the hell is memory cache, anyway? Well, it operates exactly the same way as disk cache, except that the cached information about sites is stored in RAM instead of on your hard drive. Since writing to and reading from RAM is many orders of magnitude faster than writing to and reading from a hard drive, a memory-based browser cache is going to be that much more efficient than a disk cache.</P>
<P>Hey, that's great! How do I set up a big memory cache for my browser?</P>
<P>Well, with Netscape 4.x browsers (Navigator or Communicator), there is no easy or direct way to do it. As stated above, the default memory cache size for these browsers is 1MB. That is the size they will use until they are told to use a larger memory cache. So, even if you turn off your browser's disk cache by setting its size to zero, you'll still only have a 1MB memory cache to work with.</P>
<P>Unfortunately, there are no options in the Preferences control panel that allow users to adjust the size of the memory cache. Over time, a number of workarounds have been developed for this apparent deficiency in Netscape browsers. For the most part, however, they require technical expertise beyond the ken of the average user. If you want to know how to set up a RAM disk for your browser, or manually edit the JavaScript in your Netscape Preferences file, or hack the TEXT resources in your browser with ResEdit, instructions on how to do this are publicly available. But, there is an easier way: NavCom Cache Control.</P>
<P>NavCom Cache Control takes all of the muss and fuss out of setting up your browser's memory cache. With a couple of menu selections, and the press of a button, your Netscape 4.x browser will be ready to rock with a memory cache: without using a RAM disk, without hand-parsing JavaScript files, and without hacking resource files with ResEdit.</P>
<A HREF="#top"><P CLASS="center">Table of Contents</P><BR></A>
<A NAME="system"><P CLASS="medium">2. System Requirements</P></A>
<P>NavCom Cache Control is a PowerPC-only application, designed for Macintosh PowerPC computers and clones. It will not run on computers using a 680x0 processor.</P>
<P>Because it relies on the Appearance Manager, NavCom Cache Control requires Mac OS 8 or better. It may run on earlier versions of System software that use the Appearance extension available from Apple. The Appearance extension is not, however, distributed with NavCom Cache Control. If you desire more information about adding Appearance Manager functionality to System software earlier than OS 8, visit <A HREF="http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n24453">Apple's web site</A>.</P>
<P>NavCom Cache Control will work with Netscape Preferences files introduced in Netscape's 4.x series of browsers (Navigator or Communicator). Although there has been some anecdotal evidence of NavCom Cache Control operating with Netscape's 3.x series of browsers, it has not been (and will not be) tested with those browsers.</P>
<A HREF="#top"><P CLASS="center">Table of Contents</P><BR></A>
<P>NavCom Cache Control is a Macintosh application. It is not a system extension or control panel. As a result, it does not add to or modify any system-related code or resources. The only changes NavCom Cache Control can and does make are to the Netscape Preferences file you've elected to work with.</P>
<P>Since NavCom Cache Control is a regular Macintosh application, it does not need to be placed in any special folder to operate. It can be launched and used from any location on your hard drive. The way we like to set it up here at Day Job is to place the entire NavCom Cache Control folder in our Utilities folder, then place an alias to NavCom Cache Control in the Apple Menu Items folder. That way, NavCom Cache Control is just a menu selection away.</P>
<P>When installing NavCom Cache Control, however, it is important to keep its documentation all in one folder. The documentation consists of the "Start Here" document you are now reading, and two folders: "HTML" and "Graphics". These three items must be kept in the same folder to work correctly.</P>
<P>If you intend to use NavCom Cache Control on more than one computer, or on one computer which can boot from more than one version of Apple's system software, you may need more than one license for NavCom Cache Control. See the section on <A HREF="#registering">Registering NavCom Cache Control</A> for more details.</P>
<A HREF="#top"><P CLASS="center">Table of Contents</P><BR></A>
<A NAME="using"><P CLASS="medium">4. Using NavCom Cache Control</P></A>
<P CLASS="center">The Registration Reminder</P>
<P>You can launch NavCom Cache Control like any other Macintosh application. If you are using an unregistered version of NavCom Cache Control, the very first thing you will see is the registration reminder:</P>
<P>While the reminder is displayed, you can copy your registration key to the clipboard by pressing the "Copy Key" button. If you have your registration code and would like to register NavCom Cache Control, pressing the "Register" button will take you to the registration dialog. Press "Continue" to proceed to NavCom Cache Control's main dialog.</P>
<P>You can use NavCom Cache Control for seven days from the time you first launch it. If it is not registered at the end of that time, NavCom Cache Control will lock itself so that it can't be used again until a registration code is entered. The important thing about this alert is your registration key. It's what we use to generate the registration code that will unlock your copy of NavCom Cache Control. For more information about obtaining a registration code, see the <A HREF="#registering">Registering NavCom Cache Control</A> section.</P>
<P CLASS="center">Selecting A Preferences File</P>
<P>If more than one person uses your computer's browser, there's a very good chance that each user will have their own Netscape Preferences file. When it starts up, NavCom Cache Control locates all the Netscape Preferences files on your computer. If it finds more than one, it will display a dialog box that looks like this:</P>
<P>At this point, you can choose the Netscape Preferences file you want to work with. Simply click on a file in the list and press the "Select" button. If the file you want isn't in the list (a highly unlikely occurrence), you can push the "Manual Search" button and search for the file yourself using a standard Macintosh file dialog.</P>
<P>If NavCom Cache Control can't find any Netscape Preferences files on your computer (again, a very unlikely occurrence), an alert will pop up telling you so, and asking if you would like to search for the file manually. If you choose to search for the file manually, you will be able to do so using a standard Macintosh file dialog.</P>
<P>If NavCom Cache Control finds only one Netscape Preferences file on your computer (which should be the case for most users), it will load, scan, and read that file, and proceed directly to the main dialog.</P>
<P CLASS="center">NavCom Cache Control's Main Dialog</P>
<P>The next thing you will see is the NavCom Cache Control main dialog. This is where you enter and change the cache settings for your browser. It looks like this:</P>
<P>When this dialog first appears, it displays the current cache settings for your browser. Until you make changes to the current settings, the "Save Cache Settings" button will remain inactive and dimmed.</P>
<P CLASS="center">Changing Your Cache Settings</P>
<P>You can make changes to your browser's cache settings using the popup menus next to the "Disk Cache" and "Memory Cache" labels.</P>
<P>Using the popup menus, you can set your disk and memory caches to zero ("None"), the default size ("Default"), one of the preset sizes, or a custom size ("Other..."). Simply select the size you want from the options presented in the menu.</P>
<P>Selecting "Default" for either cache setting will restore that setting back to the browser's default value. For 4.x versions of Navigator and Communicator, the default disk cache size is 7680K, and the default memory cache size is 1MB.</P>
<P>If you select "Other...", a small window will appear asking you to type in the size of the cache you want in kilobytes (KB). You can enter any value you want from 0 to 99999. Just make sure your computer has enough hard drive space or physical memory to support the cache size you enter.</P>
<P>When you've finished adjusting your cache settings, just press the "Save Cache Settings" button at the bottom of the main dialog. NavCom Cache Control will then save your new cache settings to the Netscape Preferences file. They will go into effect the next time you start your browser. If your browser was running while you were making changes (which is perfectly OK), an alert will be displayed to remind you that the changes you've made won't take effect until you restart your browser.</P>
<P>The changes you make to your cache settings only become permanent when they are saved by clicking the "Save Cache Settings" button. You can exit NavCom Cache Control without making any permanent changes by clicking on the close box of the main dialog, or selecting "Quit" from the File menu.</P>
<P>Since any changes you make become part of the browser's preferences once the changes are saved, NavCom Cache Control does not need to be open and running for your browser to take advantage of its memory cache.</P>
<P>Also, once you've changed your browser's cache settings with NavCom Cache Control, you do not need to adjust any of the Disk Cache settings in your browser's Preferences panel. Your browser will automatically detect the changes made by NavCom Cache Control and adjust the controls for those settings appropriately.</P>
<P>The only exception is that you may need to adjust how often your browser compares cached pages to the network. If that setting is "Every time", then you should change it to either "Once per session" or "Never". If you are using a memory cache, these settings are equivalent, so you can use either one.</P>
<P>You do not need to increase the memory partition of your browser to use a memory cache. Netscape browsers use what is called "temporary memory" - unused memory lying outside of the system heap and application partitions - to store cached items.</P>
<A HREF="#top"><P CLASS="center">Table of Contents</P><BR></A>
<A NAME="tips"><P CLASS="medium">5. Tips and Troubleshooting</P></A>
<P CLASS="center">Setting Up Memory Cache</P>
<P>Using NavCom Cache Control to set up a memory cache for your browser is fairly simple and straightforward. First, open up NavCom Cache Control, and, if necessary, select the Netscape Preferences file you want to work with. When the main dialog appears, set "Disk Cache" to "None", and "Memory Cache" to the size you desire. With that done, click on the "Save Cache Settings" to save your cache preferences. If the new cache settings are saved with no errors, NavCom Cache Control will quit automatically. The next time you fire up your Netscape browser it will be using the cache settings you entered.</P>
<P>It is important to set "Disk Cache" to "None" when you are setting up memory cache. Netscape browsers will always use a disk cache first, if one is available. As a practical matter, this negates the advantages of having a memory cache.</P>
<P>Also, your browser should only be comparing cached pages to the network "Once per session" or "Never". You can check this setting by opening the "Cache" section of your browser's Preferences panel.</P>
<P>Finally, memory cache will only work if you have enough unused physical memory to support the cache size you want. If your memory cache has to rely on RAM Doubler or virtual memory to perform its caching, you are, in effect, creating a disk cache.</P>
<P>When NavCom Cache Control starts up, it scans your Netscape Preferences file for corruption. If it detects an empty file, or a file that has improperly formed preference lines, it will display an alert telling you so. NavCom Cache Control will not work with an empty or potentially broken Netscape Preferences file.</P>
<P>Some plug-in installers have a reputation for incorrectly modifying Netscape Preferences files. The file may seem to work OK with your browser, but, for your safety, NavCom Cache Control is very picky about the files it will work with.</P>
<P>If NavCom Cache Control is telling you a file is empty or corrupted, you should let your browser create a fresh Netscape Preferences file for you. This is how you do it. First, locate and make a copy of the suspect Netscape Preferences file. Once the copy is made, throw away the original. Now, start your browser up. It will automatically create a Netscape Preferences file to replace the one you just threw away. Try NavCom Cache Control on the newly-created Netscape Preferences file. If NavCom Cache Control can read and save the new file, then the old file was indeed corrupt.</P>
<P>At this point, you have two options. First, you can throw away the copy of the original preferences file, in which case you will need to reset your personal preferences in the browser's Preferences panel. The new Netscape Preferences file the browser created for you will contain only default settings.</P>
<P>If you want to keep the original preferences file, throw away the one the browser just created for you, and rename the copy of the original to "Netscape Preferences". Your original preferences will be intact and used by your browser the next time you start it up.</P>
<P CLASS="center">NavCom Cache Control Can't Find A Preference File</P>
<P>NavCom Cache Control is very thorough when it searches for Netscape Preferences files. It is also very strict when it attempts to identify a file as a Netscape Preferences file. To be identified as a Netscape Preferences file by NavCom Cache Control, the file must have a creator of 'MOSS' and a file type of 'pref'. It can only be named "Netscape Preferences". If any of these identifiers have been changed, NavCom Cache Control won't recognize the file. If your Netscape Preferences file's icon doesn't have the little radio buttons that other preferences files have, you can be fairly certain that its creator or type has been changed.</P>
<P>In theory, none of these identifiers should ever change, since they are given to the file by your browser when the file is created. In practice, they can be changed by some plug-in installers, or, in some instances, by users who have hand-edited the file.</P>
<P>The quick fix to this problem is to just let the browser create a new Netscape Preferences file for you, using the steps outlined in the previous section. A second approach is to take a utility that allows you to edit the creator and type of a file (ResEdit, Resourcerer, or Snitch, for example), and manually change the creator and type of the file. If you're really in a jam, e-mail us and we'll send you an AppleScript droplet that will make the change for you.</P>
<A HREF="#top"><P CLASS="center">Table of Contents</P><BR></A>
<P>NavCom Cache Control is shareware. You can try it out for seven (7) days to decide whether you want to keep it. If it hasn't been registered by the end of that period, it will lock itself so that it can't be used again until a registration code is entered.</P>
<P>There are two registration options, each with its own registration fee. The first is the "buckware" option. The registration fee for users who employ this option is US $1.00. To register with the buckware option, simply put US $1.00 in an envelope and mail it to:</P>
<P>To make things easier for buckware registrants, I've included complete registration instructions and a convenient registration form in the Register NavCom Cache Control folder that accompanies this distribution. Whether you use the form or not, please be sure to include your registration key and e-mail address: that's the only way I'll be able to send your registration code back to you.</P>
<P>The second registration option is Kagi. Due to the increased costs of collecting registration fees this way, however, the fee for Kagi users is US $3.00. With Kagi, though, users can pay by credit card over the Internet, and users outside the United States can pay the registration fee in cash in their local currency. Complete instructions on how to register NavCom Cache Control through Kagi are contained in the Register NavCom Cache Control folder that accompanies this distribution.</P>
<P>Once I receive confirmation of your payment from Kagi, I will send you e-mail asking for your registration key. As soon as I receive a registration key from you, I will e-mail your registration code back. If you'd like, you can e-mail your registration key to me at the same time you register with Kagi. I will keep your registration key on file and send you your registration code when I receive confirmation of your payment from Kagi.</P>
<P>This package should contain the Register NavCom Cache Control folder. If it does not, you can obtain the registration materials at the following URL:</P>
<P>Payment of the registration fee gives you a license to use NavCom Cache Control on a single computer. Because of the way registration is implemented, your license to NavCom Cache Control will only be valid on the computer on which NavCom Cache Control was originally registered. If you have a registered copy of NavCom Cache Control that you want to remove from one computer and place on another, please contact Day Job Softwerks.</P>
<P>If you want to install NavCom Cache Control on more than one computer at the same time, just copy the NavCom Cache Control application to each of the computers you want it on. Each copy of NavCom Cache Control will, however, have a separate registration key, and require a separate registration code.</P>
<P>If you install a single copy of NavCom Cache Control on a computer capable of booting more than one version of Apple's system software, you will only be able to use NavCom Cache Control when using the version of system software NavCom Cache Control was registered with. We can probably work around this, so contact Day Job for more information.</P>
<P>Given the extremely low price of NavCom Cache Control, site licenses are not currently available. On the other hand, everything is negotiable... :)</P>
<P>When you receive your registration code, you will need to tell NavCom Cache Control what it is. If your copy of NavCom Cache Control has not expired, you can do this by pressing the "Register" button in the registration alert described in the <A HREF="#using">Using NavCom Cache Control</A> section. If your copy has expired, you will see this alert:</P>
<P>From the expiration alert, you can copy your registration key to the clipboard by pressing the "Copy Key" button. If you have your registration code and want to register NavCom Cache Control, clicking on the "Register" button will take you to the registration dialog. This is the registration dialog:</P>
<P>You should enter your registration code exactly as it was given to you. It will be ten capital letters. The "Register" button will remain dimmed until you enter ten valid registration code characters. If you hear a beep while you are entering your registration code, you'll know you attempted to enter an invalid code character.</P>
<P>When you finish entering your registration code, click on the "Register" button, sit back, and feel the good vibes emanating from your computer. You've done your part to combat the scourge of overpriced, underfeatured corporate bloatware.</P>
<P>And we thank you!</P>
<A HREF="#top"><P CLASS="center">Table of Contents</P><BR></A>
<P>Technical support for NavCom Cache Control is available via <A HREF="mailto:dayjob@kagi.com">e-mail</A>. We are dedicated to making NavCom Cache Control work for you, and consider your feedback an important part of NavCom Cache Control's development and growth. If you have any questions about N3C, or want to report a bug or problem, just contact us, and we'll give you an answer or a fix!</P>
<P>To assist us in assisting you, it would be very helpful if you answered the following questions in your correspondence:</P>
<P CLASS="center">What version of NavCom Cache Control are you using?<BR>What is the make and model of your Macintosh?<BR>How much physical RAM do you have?<BR>Are you using virtual memory or RAM Doubler?<BR>If so, what is the total amount of memory available?<BR>What version of System software are you using?<BR>Are you using Communicator or the Navigator standalone?<BR>What version of the browser are you using?<BR>Is there anything unique about your system?</P>
<P>Given the demands that releasing a new version of NavCom Cache Control place on the support staff, however, technical support for versions earlier than 1.2 will only be available to registered users. If you are an unregistered user of an earlier version, we recommend that you upgrade immediately.</P>
<A HREF="#top"><P CLASS="center">Table of Contents</P><BR></A>
<P>NavCom Cache Control is provided to the user "as-is", without any warranties, express or implied, regarding its performance, operation, or effects. This software has not been tested on computers other than those used to author it. There may be hardware and software configurations, including those that fall within the stated system requirements, on which it will not work. While we do not believe that this software can cause damage to your computer or any of its hardware and software components, the user assumes the risk for any such damage.</P>
<P>NavCom Cache Control is the property of Day Job Softwerks and Jack Browning. Users who pay the registration fee for it are granted a license to use NavCom Cache Control on a single computer. A separate registration fee must be paid for each computer on which a copy of NavCom Control is used, even if those copies originate from the same source. Any disassembly or alteration of the compiled code of this software and its resources is prohibited, as is the creation and distribution of software or data intended to defeat or circumvent the registration scheme used in this product.</P>
<P>NavCom Cache Control may be distributed on shareware CD-ROM compilations and uploaded to publicly-accessible shareware archives. Please notify us in advance, however, so that we can avoid duplicating your efforts. If you want to distribute NavCom Cache Control this way, please keep the complete NavCom Cache Control package intact. The complete NavCom Cache Control package consists of the NavCom Cache Control application, the Register NavCom Cache Control and User Manual folders, and the Read Me and Version History documents.</P>
<P>If you are a user of NavCom Cache Control, and you would like to pass it on to your friends or co-workers, please feel free to do so, but keep the distribution intact.
<A HREF="#top"><P CLASS="center">Table of Contents</P><BR></A>
<P>Day Job Softwerks and Jack Browning can be reached via e-mail through <A HREF="mailto:jackb@io.com">Day Job</A> or <A HREF="mailto:dayjob@kagi.com">Kagi</A>. The most recent version of NavCom Cache Control, and information about other Day Job products, can be found through the <A HREF="http://www.io.com/%7Ejackb">Day Job Softwerks web site</A>. The mailing address for Day Job Softwerks is:
<P>This document may not be reproduced or altered without the express permission of the author. Any product names mentioned in this document are the registered trademarks of their respective owners.</P><BR>
