FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MacTech Makes Mac HelpMate Utility Available
- An easy-to-use graphical user interface for a collection of
command-line utilities and open-source tools
- Allows maintenance tasks to be run as a scheduled job, and more

January 9, 2006 -- WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA -- MacTech today that it's making
Dean Shavit's Mac HelpMate available for free download, and as a free CD
during Macworld Expo this week. Mac HelpMate is a collection of tools and
utilities that help novice and experienced admins alike with maintenance,
support, and other tasks.

Mac HelpMate performs a long list of functions. As an example, Mac
HelpMate cleans up "trash" files, cleans out caches, and removes unwanted
log files. It's good for "peeking under the hood" of Mac OS X and users
can accomplish in seconds what takes minutes of typing in the Terminal.
Mac HelpMate allows for scheduled maintenance tasks and notifications via
the Finder or via Growl when completed (http://growl.info). And, Mac
HelpMate can also make remote technical support easier, and it acts as a
multi-cast ASR server for mass deployments (10.4.3 required).

With Mac HelpMate, you can find information about your system, serial
number, status of hardware sensors, view logs and more. You can also clean
up your system, and set a wide array of preferences. One of the best
features is the ability to see the condition of your disk drive, low-level
reporting (S.M.A.R.T) data and to catch problems before you lose data, and
even to perform an array of rebuilds.

"Even as a columnist for MacTech, I've learned a great deal from the
articles over the years," said Dean Shavit, Developer of Mac HelpMate. As
I stepped through the instructions in those articles, I started developing
a set of scripts and an interface for some terminal commands and
open-source tools I use, and that's what Mac HelpMate grew out of. It's now
something the entire community of Mac admins can use, so I decided to make
Mac HelpMate available to MacTech readers. I look forward to meeting
people at Macworld, and seeing what they'd like to see in the future of Mac
HelpMate."

"Dean is an experienced trainer and consultant," said Neil Ticktin,
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, MacTech Magazine. "He's taken a lot of his own
knowledge and his 'tool kit,' and put them behind a GUI that he uses
himself. Mac HelpMate is a helpful resource for Mac consultants to use for
their own machines, or for their clients, especially if you want to use the
GUI instead of a command line interface."

Users are invited to visit MacTech's Booth (#2816) at Macworld Expo this
week. Mac HelpMate will be available on CD, free of charge, while supplies
last. Or you can download a version today from MacTech at:

http://www.mactech.com/misc/machelpmate/download.html

About MacTech Magazine:

MacTech Magazine has been supporting the Macintosh technical community
since 1984, providing the reviews, technology overviews, conference
reports, and monthly columns by experts in Macintosh technology. MacTech
Magazine is for anyone that wants to know what's under the hood.

Whether a power user, hobbyist, IT Pro, consultant or developer, MacTech
has something to offer. MacTech is already read every month by tens of
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heart and soul of the Macintosh technical community - the most influential
part of the Mac market.

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About Dean Shavit:

Dean Shavit, the author of Mac HelpMate, is a Mac OS X Trainer and
Consultant, and columnist for MacTech Magazine. As a Partner at MOST
Training & Consulting, Dean specializes in cross-platform IT and
Open-Source software solutions for non-profits, education, corporations,
small business, and individuals. For more information on Mac HelpMate or
MOST, visit http://www.macworkshops.com/