GREAT NEWS! It seems the software company can install a patch to allow it to be seen by Macs using Microsoft's Explorer browser. Hopefully they'll get it done by the end of Monday or Tuesday. Thanks very much for your patience! In the meantime, Mac users should, if they can, view the message board with Netscape.

Saludos, MadridMan

UPDATE: For those Mac users who are viewing this now using Netscape , good for you. I just got an email from the BB makers and they say:

I'm not so sure how easily #1 can be accomplished (I have this question posed to them and am waiting for a reply).

As for #2, you can upgrade your Mac's Internet Explorer browser to version 5.0, Macintosh Edition, (about 7mb) @ http://www.microsoft.com/mac/download/ie/ie50.asp .

I know #2 will take time, especially with older Mac's slower modems, but you'll browse the internet better on the whole. I'm putting a link to this download site on my opening page (but doubt anyone will notice. hehehe...).

Thanks for your patience! Feedback appreciated.

Saludos, MadridMan

I've been using the new IE 5 for macs for a while now (yup, it's great), but I can't see the board with it. I took another look at the thread on infopop's message board about this problem, and it seems newer systems work. For example, someone using IE 5 with OS 9.1 can see the new boards. My mac has a slightly older OS. It seems the change of masterCharset is working for everyone, though. There's supposed to be an announcement with a link to instructions on how to do it in their forum. Good luck, MM! And thanks for all your hard work!

Wow, Diana! I'm impressed you looked so deeply into this matter. Well, having said that, all I can suggest is to ask you to use/download the free Netscape for Macintosh. (I really can't believe I'm directing people towards Netscape as I've been trying to stear them AWAY from it for years! hehehe...)

Saludos, MadridMan

Hello Group. I wish I was happier this sad day.

No. No one died (thank God). I didn't lose my job (but sometimes I.... ). I wasn't turned down for a residency visa. And my madrileña ladyfriend didn't turn down my proposal again (because I haven'd asked in years as I already know the answer).

With MUCH feedback from Macintosh users (mainly Spanish teachers, other teachers, and students) accesing from from school, work, or home, I looked into getting the newly discovered/available version of the message board. I was all ready to do it too.

My annual "Members Access" expired 2 months ago and I knew of this Mac/Internet Explorer problem then, but there was no way to "FIX" the problem then according to Infopop, the creators of the software.

NOW they tell me that the Macintosh BUG fix is available, making the message board accessible to ALL Macintosh users and thereby ALL MadridMan Message Board members, current and future.

They say I can purchase a NEW annual membership to the "Members Access" portion and then an upgrade to the newest (accessible to everyone) version 6.04x, but it will cost $200 ($100 for Members Access and $100 for the upgrade).

I was SO angry to be told this since I made it PAINFULLY clear during the last months of my Members Access license that my Macintosh users could NOT access MadridMan's Message Board, but at that time they had no answers. NOW, conveniently, there IS a fix and my annual Members Access has expired.

I'm SO sorry for essentially locking out so many current and future users to this active and (arguably, I suppose) best soley Spain-focused message board on the internet, but I really cannot afford the upgrade. Okay, sure, I could afford it, but with "strain/stress" and too much money has gone into this as it is and guess (read: HOPE!) a small minority of users, potential and current, are accessing from Macintosh computers.

I ONLY WISH is that they would have had a FULLY functional message board version for all operating systems at the time the software version upgrade was available 2 months ago. I feel burned, angry, and "spent" in more ways than one.

Enough ranting and raving. It usually never does any good anyway. I'm tired of it all. I'm so sorry to teacher/students like perfect, Diana, and connie to name only a few who have mentioned problems in this thread.

VERY sadly, MadridMan

So what if all of us sent $1 to the Madrid Man PO Box #? It would be a pain for those outside of the US to send the equivalent (though if the Euro were IN, at least conversion would be easier for MM!) Seriously, that would help, right? There must be 200 of us in the US who feel we've gotten at least our $1's worth of information on this site! What do you think, fellow MMMB addicts...can we solve this problem?

[ 07-02-2001: Message edited by: la maestra ]

MM - say the word and my dollar is on the way! Seems like that is the very least all us Spainophiles can do - we would be lost and minserable without our daily fix! Come on gang - lets hope that 200 odd envelopes with a dollar each are in the post!

Thanks la maestra and Puna! Your kindness is MUCH appreciated. BUT, I've been in the internet "game" since the beginning and know that people still want (and expect) internet services for free and am quite certain this is no exception. I think this concept is starting to change, but very very VERY slowly.

I have no doubt a few kind-hearted message board members would be happy to send in their dollars, but I can't ask you to do this - you're setting yourselves up for disappointment. I'm quite certain only a few dollars would be received leaving a huge balance and this only gets peoples' hopes high and without results.

Thanks, but no thanks. Really. I do appreciate it. I'll save the money little by little and hope that by next year sometime I'll make the upgrade. Still, I'm haggling with the software makers to allow for a free upgrade since they knew of this deficiency when I purchased my licence 14 months ago. But YOU know how software developers develop software -- they make software WITH bugs so you're forced to upgrade at your own expense later on down the road. They say amongst themselves, "Don't make it too good too fast. We need to feed them a little bit at a time, always keeping them hungry for the next development."

Happy 4th of July USA!! Saludos, MadridMan

MadridMan--Don't be such a pessimist!! I am sure that many of us are willing to donate to this worthy cause. And a dollar doesn't have to be the limit, right? Just give us an address and, as they say, the check is in the mail!!

Sending individual dollars by post might be a bit awkward. But here's another idea. If all those who are passing through Madrid, say, every month, get together for a few drinks, we'll buy you a beer. Since you're not here to drink it, we'll just have to put the money in a hat - el bote - and send it to you now and again. This should be a fun way of raising a bit of money and honouring/drinking to your health at the same time.