Link Archive: May 2004
Around the Web
- Opinion: Mac
desktop or Mac laptop? The eternal question remains, Bill
Palmer, BillPalmer.net, 05.31. "...it comes down to two factors:
how often you're going to travel with it outside of your home, and
how often you're going to want to use it . . . within your home
other than at your desk."
- Advice: Should
aging iMac be upgraded or replaced?, Bob Levitus, Dr Mac,
Houston Chronicle, 05.21. "A friend recently asked what I thought
he should do about his wife's 400-megahertz Blueberry iMac
G3."
- Web:
Mac SE alive and kicking on Web, Leander Kahney, Wired, 05.19.
"...a pair of German Web designers has created a working simulation
of Apple Computer's classic Mac SE on the Web." Very cool.
- OS X: Now
you see 'em, now you don't: Invisible files in Mac OS X, Ted
Landau, MacFixIt, 05.19. How to work with files you can't normally
see in Mac OS X.
- Tech: Fragmentation
in HFS Plus volumes, kernelthread.org, 05.19. With 10.3:
"Defragmentation on HFS+ volumes should not be necessary at all, or
worthwhile, in most cases, because the system seems to do a very
good job of avoiding/countering fragmentation."
- Opinion: Macintosh: It's not just
the same crap, but different, Bill Palmer, BillPalmer.net,
05.18. "...the very fact that Windows is so crappy, is one of the
things that makes it so difficult for Apple to lure people away
from it."
- Apple: Apple's
platform agnosticism, Julio Ojeda-Zapata, TwinCities.com,
05.18. In another sign of Apple's increasing platform agnosticism,
the firm now lets .Mac members create HomePage Web pages on PCs
(that's right, not Macs) running Windows XP and Internet Explorer
6.
- OS X: New
"serious" security flaw found in OS X, Bryan Chaffin, Mac
Observer, 05.18. "The vulnerability allows malicious scripts to be
run just by visiting a Web site."
- Advice:
A Compleat Buyer's and User's Guide to High-end Macintosh Laptops
2004 Edition, Charles W. Moore, Road Warrior, Applelinks,
05.18. Looking at the value of new and used 'Books at US$1,000 and
beyond.
- OS X: Safari
security issue affects all OS X browsers, Rob McNair-Huff, Mac
Net Journal, 05.18. "So far the security exploit that is stirring
up the Mac world has been portrayed as something tied to Apple's
Safari browser, but the truth is that it affects all Mac OS X
browsers...."
- OS X: Apple to slow pace
of Mac OS X tweaks, Ina Fried, Cnet, 05.18. "We're slowing
that (pace) down a little bit...because that's not a sustainable
rate. But you'll still see us go really fast." A lot faster than
Windows.
- Rights: Googol
may sue Google, The Inquirer, 05.18. Relatives of Milton
Sirotta, who came up with the word "googol" in the 1940s, consider
suing Google for "playing off that number and not compensating them
even a little bit."
- Advice: Networking
with Bluetooth and FireWire, Charles W. Moore, OS X Odyssey,
Applelinks, 05.18. Ethernet and AirPort aren't your only options
for networking Macs. FireWire is "wicked fast," while Bluetooth is
very slow.
- Software: Sony halts
development on Mac Everquest, Tuncer Deniz, Inside Mac Games,
05.18. "Sony Online Entertainment today confirmed what many in the
Everquest community have known for months: development on Mac
Everquest has been halted."
- Opinion: The Apple of the
enterprise's eye, Aaron Vegh, OSNews, 05.17. "With the
introduction of the XServe, XServe RAID, XGrid and OS X Server, why
hasn't Apple penetrated the enterprise market?"
- Dark Side: Why Windows is a security
nightmare, latif, TechUser.net, 05.16. "Worms and viruses are
so stunningly effective on Windows only because Windows provides
some atrocious functionality which makes it easy for worms to
strike."
- Opinion: Top
ten reasons you should buy a $799 eMac, even if you think you don't
need one, Bill Palmer, BillPalmer.net, 05.16. "...at $799, the
eMac represents such a good value that you should probably buy one,
even if you don't need it."
- Opinion:
Apple Death Knell #40, Enderle vs. Chaffin finale, Bryan
Chaffin, Mac Observer, 05.14. "Apple has about 24 months to get its
act together and position itself for the post-Longhorn world of
Linux and Windows." Uh huh.
- Tech: This hard
drive belongs in Mensa, Tom Mainelli, GeekTech, PC World,
05.14. "NCQ allows the drive to handle multiple outstanding
commands at the same time (a feature that first appeared in SCSI
2-based drives a while back)."
- Opinion: Mac Death Match,
round six: Chaffin vs. Enderle, Robyn Weisman, MacNewsWorld,
05.14. "Apple's marketing organization needs a dramatic
overhaul."
- Rights: Online music prices
going up, Jefferson Graham, MacNewsWorld, 05.13. Although Apple
is holding at 99¢ for individual tracks, album prices are
going up everywhere. At which point, why buy online?
- Opinion: Mac Death Match,
round five: Chaffin vs. Enderle, Robyn Weisman, MacNewsWorld,
05.13. "...there's a glaring hole in Apple's approach, and that is
in the entry-level market - the market from which new users
typically come."
- Advice: Stock 15"
PowerBook 1.5GHz versus "Configure-To-Order" - 64MB or 128MB VRAM?
4200RPM or 5400RPM Drive?, Bare Feats, 05.13. Is it worth $50
more to get 128 MB of video RAM? Does the 5400 rpm drive speed
things up enough to justify the cost?
- Advice: A
low-cost graphic card solution for old Macs, Kenji Nakagawa,
Mac Observer, 05.13. Here's the scoop on a $109 AGP 2x/4x video
card with 32 MB for older G4 Power Macs - all you have to do is
flash the ROMs.
- Virus: 'Trojan
is not a virus' - Apple, Macworld UK, 05.13. "This is not a
virus, does not propagate itself and has only been found on a peer
to peer network. This is an example of the perils of seeking
illegal software."
- Opinion: The
death of all things non-digital, part two: Apple's waiting
arms, Bill Palmer, BillPalmer.net, 05.13. "Sooner or later,
digital camcorder owners everywhere are going to . . . figure out
how to get their footage into their computer and do something
worthwhile with it, if kills them."
- Virus:
Wallon virus wrecks Windows Media Player, Cnet, 05.12. "A new
mass-mailing virus called Wallon, which wipes out Windows Media
Player and is activated when a user tries to play MP3 or video
files from an infected PC, was discovered in Europe...."
- Virus:
Mac Trojan horse disguised as Word 2004, Slashdot, 05.12. Best
comment: "This would never of happened if they were using a secure
operating system like Windows."
- Opinion: The
reasons I prefer to teach on a Mac, John Nichols, Mac Using
Educators, 05.12. "People are always telling me how great Microsoft
Word is. I use it every day on both platforms. The Mac version is
better."
- Virus: Mac
under fake Word 2004 attack, Macworld UK, 05.12. "Macworld has
been able to acquire the file from Limewire, and . . . its contents
appear to be malicious."
- Opinion: The
death of all things non-digital, Bill Palmer, BillPalmer.net,
05.12. The iPod is killing off CD changers, cell phones are
replacing land lines, and analog video is giving way to digital
recording.
- Opinion: How
Apple is killing the Mac myths one by one, Bill Palmer,
BillPalmer.net, 05.11. "Apple has already won the digital music
war, and it's managing to use that victory to pry people's eyes
open when it comes to the myths surrounding the Mac platform."
- Opinion: Mac
Death Match, round two: Chaffin vs. Enderle, Robyn Weisman,
MacNewsWorld, 05.10. "That makes two more of Enderle's fundamental
arguments that are based on downright factual errors."
- Opinion:
Should Apple get out of the PC business?, Rob Enderle, eWeek,
05.09. "...Apple hasn't exited the party yet and until they do, the
company remains one of the most important players in this
segment."
- Benchmarks: How
fast does a USB 2.0 drive go on the newest Macs? how does it
compare to FireWire?, Bare Feats, 05.08. Same drive, same
enclosure, same benchmark test - but FireWire 400 is about twice as
fast as USB 2.0.
- News:
iBook G4 graphics update available, MacCentral, 05.07. "Apple
has posted a graphics update for owners of the iBook G4 12- and
14-inch models."
- Opinion: Smoother
migration to Mac OS X, Teemu Masalin, Mac Using Educators,
05.07. "While Mac OS 9 can be quite reliable and pleasant to use,
Mac OS X provides educators a much better working environment and
many benefits...."
- Opinion: What I miss
about using MS Windows, Steve McCullough, Inside Apple, 05.07.
Computers that slow down over time, crash regularly, make you feel
victorious when you actually get to be productive.
- Opinion: Mac Death
Match, round one: Chaffin vs. Enderle, Robyn Weisman,
MacNewsWorld, 05.07. "Apple controls its OS and hardware, the only
remaining PC company in the desktop market that can make that
claim."
- Opinion: I
hate Mac OS 9. I hate Jaguar. Wow, am I spoiled., Bill Palmer,
BillPalmer.net, 05.06. "After having spent the past half-year using
the near-perfect Panther interface, I found Jaguar and OS 9 just
lacking in usability, in comparison."
- Virus: Could a worm
on Mac or Linux ever get traction?, Larry Seltzer, eWeek,
05.06. "Based on this, you really could build a Sasser-type worm
[for the Mac], one that travels from computer to computer without
the user having to do anything stupid such as launch an
attachment."
- Opinion: Repeat after me:
Apple is a business, Aaron Vegh, OSNews, 05.05. "Having made it
through the recession as the only computer company (along with
Dell) to turn a profit, Apple chose to innovate instead of
insulate."
- News:
Apple sells 3.3 million songs on iTunes in week, Reuters,
05.05. Apple "said it has sold 3.3 million songs on its iTunes
online music store since [releasing iTunes 4.5], with nearly as
many downloads of the new version of its music player
software."
Rights:
$50
million in royalties returns to artists, New York State Att'y
General, 05.04. "...many artists and writers were not being paid
royalties because record companies had failed to maintain contact
with the performers and had stopped making required payments."- Opinion: Sorry, Windows users, we
just have it better than you do, Bill Palmer, BillPalmer.net,
05.04. "As a Windows user, you are the definition of a
second-class computing citizen."
- Opinion:
Online music prices must be lower than CDs, Bryan Chaffin, The
Back Page, Mac Observer, 05.04. "Of all industries that have been
driven (into the ground) by the greed of those at the top, the
recording industry may epitomize just how stupid an industry can
act."
- Opinion: AirHub,
Damien Barrett, mrbarrett.com, 05.04. "How long before Apple really
upgrades their Airport Base Station, and not just with the new
Power-over-Ethernet option? How long before they start turning it
into the digital hub it could be?"
- Advice:
The Road Warrior compleat buyer's and user's guide to low-end
Macintosh laptops, 2004 edition, Charles W. Moore, Road
Warrior, Mac Opinion, 05.04. All covered models can run Mac OS X
and are available for under US$1,000.
- News: Steve Jobs
to introduce Mac OS X "Tiger" at WWDC, Bryan Chaffin, Mac
Observer, 05.04. "Apple has made it official: At this yerar's World
Wide Developer Conference (WWDC), Steve Jobs will show off yet
another new version of Mac OS X." Release date unknown.
- Virus:
Sasser worm disruption growing, Slashdot, 05.04. "Yet another
virus is causing problems with Internet Explorer. 'Sasser, unlike a
virus which travels through e-mails and attachments, spreads
directly from the internet.'" Windows only.
- Opinion: Click,
clack, I want my extended keyboard back, Gene Steinberg, Mac
Night Owl, 05.04. "Did I say mechanical? Yes, these keyboards use
standard, spring-loaded mechanical keyswitches, just as Apple did
in the good old days."
- Opinion:
The coziest Office yet, Anita Hamilton, Time, 05.04. For
personal productivity, the Mac version of Office has it all over
the Windows version.
- Upgrade: Daystar
announces PowerBook Lombard XLR8 G4 upgrade, Charles W. Moore,
Applelinks, 05.03. 433 MHz G4 upgrade must be installed by Daystar.
Priced from $259 shipped.
- Advice: Fifteen
steps to juicing your aging Macs, Bill Palmer, Mac Using
Educators, 05.03. Those old Macs keep on working, but they'll work
better with more RAM, the latest Mac OS they can run, and other
low-cost and no-cost improvements.
- Opinion: The
rebirth of Apple as a multimedia company, Rob Enderle,
TechNewsWorld, 05.03. Author predicts death of Apple has a hardware
and OS company, survival with iPod and cross-platform
software.
- Opinion: iTunes and
lawsuits: The labels still don't get it, Steven Levy, Newsweek,
05.03. The iPod and iTunes Music Store are successful, but why does
it cost more to download some albums than buy the CD online?
- Hardware:
Cube slip cover, Leander Kahney, Wired, 05.02. Does your Cube
look dated when compared with the G5? This attractive cover will
make it look like a whole new computer.
- Opinion: Apple know
UI, Brian Duff, Duffblog, 05.02. "I keep discovering things in
iTunes that convince me of the fact that Apple's engineers know a
hell of a lot about usability."
- Opinion: My
PowerBook wishlist, Brian D Foy, O'Reilly Network, 05.01. "You
know those little displays on the outside of some flip phones? I
want one of those for my PowerBook."
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