Timbuktu Pro has gone from 5.0 to Pro 1.0, but the name change overstates the product revision. This could easily have been called Timbuktu 5.5, since it’s a welcome but not groundbreaking enhancement. Like its previous version, Timbuktu Pro offers easy file exchange among Macs and Windows PCs, plus the ability to observe or control other users’ screens (helpful for in-house tech support). But Timbuktu Pro adds two main enhancements. One is support for TCP/IP networks — even for the Internet (the previous versions supported only LocalTalk) — although Timbuktu Pro supports only Macs over TCP/IP, not Windows nodes. (The reason is that the new Windows version of Timbuktu does not offer the Pro enhancements.) The other improvement is noticeably faster screen redraw (about 20 percent overall) when observing or controlling another system. One or the other of these changes alone makes upgrading worthwhile.
You’ll also notice some subtle changes if you use the observe or control options with other Macs. These include two new icons in the border around the remote Mac’s screen. One lets you switch between monitors on a Mac that has more than one monitor connected; the other lets you capture a screen image of the observed or controlled system.
Timbuktu Pro also puts a small program called Timbuktu Sender on your desktop. It’s essentially a shortcut for sending files to another system — you can even drag and drop files onto the Sender icon, rather than launching the program and then selecting the files to send. And with Pro’s new group-send feature, you can configure Pro to send a file to multiple users at once. Other enhancements include support for Apple’s PowerTalk mail extension and securer methods of restricting access to authorized users. While Timbuktu Pro supports System 6.0.5 and later, you’ll need System 7 for these three enhancements.
Timbuktu Pro retains a few limitations from its earlier versions, mainly the limited connection document and the inability to assign appropriate file creators and types to Windows files transferred to the Mac. The connection document saves the path and connection type (such as control, exchange, or observe) that you establish for a particular system — even connections that use Apple Remote Access. But it can’t do more than reopen that connection. I’d like connection documents to remember the path on the connected system so that I can quickly connect to that system and move to the desired disk or folder. The creator assignment has traditionally been weak in both Timbuktu and its PhoneNet software for PCs. And unfortunately, DOS-mounting utilities such as Dayna Communications’ DOS Mounter Plus and Apple’s Macintosh PC Exchange can’t pick up the slack, since the former supports only Novell NetWare connections and the latter only floppies and removable media.
Timbuktu Pro also has some problems you should be aware of before you buy. One, Pro conflicts with On Technology’s Meeting Maker, which is known to conflict with several other products as well. Two, a conflict with CE Software’s QuickMail 2.5 client causes sporadic system lockups; you’ll need to update to QuickMail 2.6 to run Timbuktu Pro. Also, on Macwords network, using Timbuktu Pro resulted in the sporadic disappearance of the menu bar in many applications. This did not occur on remote computers, and we could not pinpoint the cause.
Timbuktu has improved in this new incarnation, even if the change of name and version number seems to promise a greater degree of change than is actually offered. But who cares? Farallon’s Timbuktu Pro is a must-have for inhouse technical-support staff and people who need direct connections to computer systems on a variety of networks.
Gruman, Galen. (May 1994). Timbuktu Pro. Macworld. (pg. 67).
Farallon Computing, Inc.
Applications
out of 10 (0 vote)
38 / 
2014-04-14 / 
1bc9a93f5c31b51a75aac34a23fb0f1248624984 / 
/ 
timbuktu_pro_1.0.sit
Emulating this? It could probably run under: 
Basilisk II
