Low End Mac's Link Archive: March 2005
Links Around the Web
- Opinion: Apple,
Microsoft prepare for war with new systems, Mike Wendland,
Detoit Free Press, 03.31. "...Longhorn will be competing with
Apple's new Tiger operating system - and Tiger is about ready to
pounce."
- Analysis: Gartner
warns about "potential" Mac OS X vulnerabilities, Misha
Sakellaropoulo, Mac Observer, 03.31. "...spyware is not 'almost
nonexistant' [on the Mac], it is nonexistant as of this
writing."
- News:
iMac G5 a winner in 'First Annual Bottom Line Design Awards',
Dennis Sellers, Macsimum News, 03.31. "...Apple created a desktop
computer in the iPod's image that's likely to be seen by a much
wider audience."
- Software: Camino 0.8.3 update
released, MacMinute, 03.31. "Camino 0.8.3 is the latest version
of the light-weight Mac OS X Web browser based on the Mozilla
project."
- Review:
GyazMail 1.2: Upstart e-mail program picks up where Apple's Mail
leaves off, William Porter, Macworld, 03.31. "GyazMail's user
interface and features often invite comparison with Apple's Mail,
and GyazMail stands up against Mail remarkably well."
- Opinion: Unswitch?
I don't think so, Janet Tokerud, Tech Ronin, 03.30. "Lots of
people seem to be switching to Mac but a couple well-read geek
bloggers threatened in the last week to unswitch. Cute. But the
question is what can you switch to...?"
- Tech: IBM
launches formal initiative to push Cell beyond gaming,
Hannibal, ars technica, 03.30. "IBM has launched an initiative
aimed at moving the Cell into the broader DSP and imaging markets
by offering design services."
- News:
HP seeks larger role in iPod mania, Ina Fried, CNET News,
03.30. "The computer doesn't have a dock itself, but rather
features a molded piece of plastic that fits around Apple's own
dock to allow the device to gracefully dock atop the PC."
Rights:
Out-of-state telecommuter ruled liable for N.Y. taxes,
SiliconValley.com, 03.29. "A man who lives out of state while
working by computer must pay New York tax on his full income, the
state's highest court ruled Tuesday in a case that could have wide
implications...."- Analysis: All
right, Macs are slow and expensive, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night
Owl, 03.30. "Actually I believe quite the opposite, that the issues
of performance and price are not relevant, and haven't been in
years. So why bring it up?"
- Opinion: Unswitch?,
Tim Bray, 03.30. "My big gripe with Apple, of course, is their cult
of hermetic secrecy."
- Advocacy: Mac OS
10.5: Time for a new user interface?, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night
Owl, 03.29. "While your Mac may seem fairly easy to use now, do you
recall how you felt when someone put a mouse in your hand, or when
you first looked at the Mac desktop and tried to figure things
out?"
- Tech: Toshiba
preps minute-charge 'miracle' battery, Tony Smith, The
Register, 03.29. "Toshiba has developed a Lithium-Ion battery
capable of being charged to 80 per cent of its full capacity in
under 60 seconds."
- Opinion: A
Word to the unwise - program's grammar check isn't so smart,
Todd Bishop, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 03.29. "...the English
language is very complicated, but I think we should expect more
from grammar check."
- Opinion:
Firefox or Safari? Or even OmniWeb?, Rob McNair-Huff, Mac Net
Journal, 03.28. "I post this because today I made the switch to
using Firefox as my main browser, after using OmniWeb as my default
browser for the last few months."
- Opinion:
Free Firefox browser is better than Safari, Al Fasoldt,
SanDiego.com, 03.28. "The Mac OS X version seems more stable than
the version for Windows and runs a tad faster. Better yet, Firefox
is clearly better in some ways than Safari."
- History:
Macintosh paternity woven in Web, Paul Andrews, E-conomy,
Seattle Times, 03.28. Who deserves the title "Father of the
Macintosh"?
- Opinion: Is this
the first Mac OS 10.5 wish list?, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night
Owl, 03.28. Four ways Apple could Mac OS X even better - ways that
aren't expected in Tiger.
- Opinion: Should
iPods carry health warnings?, Andrew Orlowski, The Register,
03.27. iPods can lead to social isolation: "People were not tuning
into other people because they're tuned into themselves."
- Opinion:
Madison Avenue's image of the iPod is a shadow dancer getting
down..., Kentucky.com, 03.27. Although the iPod "resents
challenges" to classical music fans, many choose it because it's
simply the best choice despite several drawbacks.
- News:
DVForge virus prize offered, rescinded, Peter Cohen, Macworld,
03.26. "Campbell called Symantec's report 'complete nonsense' and
threw down the gauntlet, offering a $25,000 cash prize to any
hacker that could infect with Mac OS X viruses two DVForge-owned
Macs."
Dark Side: Microsoft
funding of security report decried, Todd Bishop, Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, 03.25. Microsoft Windows is more secure than
Linux - according to a study funded by Microsoft.
Rights: Canada
fights off DMCA-like law, Ken 'Caesar' Fisher, ars technica,
03.25. While Canada will be adopting anti-circumvention statutes,
they do the United States one better by making circumvention
illegal only in cases where someone is actually infringing on
copyright.- Rights:
FCC unplugs states' rules on 'naked' DSL, Ben Charny, CNET,
03.25. FCC rules that telcos can no longer be required to offer
'naked DSL' - DSL service for those who don't also pay for land
line phone service.
- Opinion: Mac OS
7.5: Better than Tiger will ever be, Gregory Ng, AppleMatters,
03.24. Today's computers may be faster and OS X prettier, but
System 7.5 with Quark XPress 3.3 absolutely screamed on a Power Mac
G3.
- Analysis:
Is Microsoft toast?, Thomas W Hazlett, Financial Times, 03.24.
"Hammered on multiple fronts by opportunistic rivals, the
high-flying starship of the PC Age has stalled, and many wonder if
it will now crash and burn."
- Analysis: Macintosh
security: No need for perfection, Chris Seibold, AppleMatters,
03.24. "...it is not really necessary to have a nearly uncrackable
computer box, you just have to have a computer that is much tougher
to hack than the next guy."
- Advice:
How to set up a VNC server, dantekgeek, The Mac Mind, 03.24.
How to install OSXvnc and VNCthing, set things up, and access your
Mac remotely - even over the Internet.
- Rights:
It's the content, not the source, Adam L Penenberg, Wired,
03.24. "What exactly does Apple lose by the publication of
Asteroid's specs and a diagram?"
- Opinion:
How will Apple fare in predictions of worldwide computer
shipments?, Dennis Sellers, Macsimum News, 03.24. Overall PC
market growth slowing while Apple is on the increase.
- Opinion:
Apple and IBM: Rethink the PowerPC revolution, Neo, Next Wave,
Macsimum News, 03.24. Fascinating speculation about the future of
Apple, IBM, OS X, and the Internet.
- Opinion:
How will Apple fare in predictions of worldwide computer
shipments?, Dennis Sellers, Macsimum News, 03.24. Overall PC
market growth slowing while Apple is on the increase.
- Huh?: EU
sleuths think Microsoft sabotaged Windows, Slashdot, 03.24. EU
insists that Microsoft sell a "stripped" version of Windows without
Media Player - then complains when embeded video clips won't
display in Word?
- Web: The next
big thing in online type, Anne Van Wagener, The Design Desk,
Poynter Online, 03.04. Microsoft has created "six brand new
typefaces created especially for extended on-screen reading."
- Software: Mozilla
unleashes Firefox security update, Mac Observer, 03.23.
"Firefox 1.0.2, released Wednesday afternoon, corrects three
security vulnerability with the Web browser, release notes from
Mozilla indicate."
Rights:
Google begins removing AFP from Google News, Slashdot, 03.23.
Don't Link To Us Dept. - "Agence France Presse had sued Google for
displaying their photo's, stories, and news headlines on Google
News without permission."- Analysis: Bad e-mail
habits sustains spam, BBC News, 03.23. Survey finds nearly 1/3
of email users have responded to spam - and 10% "have bought
products advertised in junk mail."
- Opinion: Mac
news you can use (more or less), Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl,
03.21. It's taken some time, but it looks like the iPod's halo
effect is finally kicking in.
- Opinion: Apple eats
its own, Julie Jargon, Chicago Business, 03.21. "An aggressive
push by . . . Apple to create a network of sleek, company-owned
stores across the U.S. - including four in Chicago - is crushing
those who remain in its longtime dealer network."
- Virus: More
Macs means more malware - Symantec, Macworld UK, 03.21.
"Increasing target" - well, nobody has hit it yet. The only people
who profit from viruses are antivirus software makers, incuding
Symantec.
- Analysis: Apple
world market on rise, Macworld UK, 03.21. "Apple may see its
global slice of the PC market take a rapid Northward hike to five
per cent, says Morgan Stanley."
- Opinion:
Napster vs. iTunes: Let the contest begin, Wilson Rothman,
Cnet, 03.19. For people who like to explore and discover new
music, $15 a month makes more sense than 99¢/track for
something you may not like.
- Rights: Is that
a spreadsheet on your screen - or solitaire?, Patrik Jonsson,
Christian Science Monitor, 03.18. "A central question is whether
playing a hand or two of solitaire has a dramatic effect on the
bottom line - or if it actually helps productivity by giving
workers a low-stress outlet...."
- Rights: What price for
'trusted PC security'?, Bill Thompson, BBC, 03.18. "What we
want is not so much a trusted computing platform as a trusted
customer platform."
- Web:
Yahoo waters down Firefox pledge, Munir Kotadia, ZDNet, 03.18.
Yahoo! Australia promises all future products will be
Firefox-compatible, but Yahoo! HQ says otherwise. No word on
Safari.
- Dark Side: Anti-virus
vulnerabilities strike again, John Leyden, The Register, 03.18.
Anti-virus software dangerous? Apparently so - there's a
vulnerability in the McAff AntiVirus software itself!
- News: Apple
acknowledges trackpad defects in PowerBooks, PowerBook Zone,
03.17. "...Apple confirms that this problem is not isolated to any
particular models in the latest revision, but all
configurations...."
- Opinion: An Apple
branded two-button mouse? Can't we talk reality for once?, Gene
Steinberg, Mac Night Owl, 03.17. If Apple is going to produce a
two-button mouse, it had better really distinguish itself. And what
about a Mac multimedia keyboard?
- News: Apple seeks
royalties for "Made for iPod" logo, Mac Observer, 03.17. "Apple
Computer is asking third party iPod accessory vendors for as much
as 10% of their wholesale costs in exchange for the right to use a
new 'Made for iPod' logo...."
- Rights: Spammer
sues spam victim, continues spamming him, eMediaWire, 03.16.
"Imagine asking a corporation to stop spamming you and instead of
honoring your request, it sues you in federal court and continues
to send the same unwanted, junk email...."
- History: A
history of Apple's operating systems, Amit Singh, kernelthread,
03.16. "Mac OS X is a unique operating system in that it represents
a rather successful coming together of paradigms, ideologies, and
technologies that have usually resisted each other in the
past."
- News: IBM
outs dual-core PowerPC, Tony Smith, The Register, 03.16. IBM
releases details of dual-processor G5 - 1 MB cache per core,
thermal diodes, higher speeds expected.
- Advice: Minimizing
system-wide freezes where "Force Quit" will not work, MacFixIt,
03.16. "One of the most frustrating problems under Mac OS X 10.3.x
are system-wide freezes where nothing short of a manual restart
will resolve the situation."
- Analysis:
The truth about iPod batteries, Lance Ulanoff, PC Magazine,
03.16. Despite the rumors, the battery in any iPod can be replaced.
You don't have to buy a new iPod or pay Apple $99 for a new
battery.
- Opinion: Can we
survive without Mac rumor sites?, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night
Owl, 03.16. "...in the end, an online world without Mac rumor sites
just won't be as much fun."
- Opinion: Apple's
advantage, Jason Snell, Macworld, 03.15. "...which company is
the leader when it comes to giving people easy access to and
control over their music and pictures?"
- Advice: In
most cases, you can't have too much RAM, Bob Levitus, Dr Mac,
Houston Chronicle, 03.15. "The more programs you have open
simultaneously, the more RAM you need. Period."
- Web:
Does your Wi-Fi hotspot have an evil twin?, Erin Biba, Yahoo!
News, 03.15. "...identity thieves are discovering that, through
'evil twin' attacks, hotspots are a great way to steal unsuspecting
users' private information."
- Opinion: The Mac,
merely a safe Windows system?, Chris Seibold, AppleMatters,
03.15. "If Apple starts to base the appeal of its products on the
problems found in other systems it just becomes a game of we don't
suck so much."
- Rights: Data
theft fallout: US may ban sale of Social Security numbers, Eric
Bangeman, ars technica, 03.15. "... the US Congress has begun
turning a long-overdue eye to the problem of third parties
trafficking in consumer data without their knowledge or
consent."
- Review:
LapWorks Mac Feet, Charles W. Moore, Road Warrior, Applelinks,
03.15. "...one way to improve cooling is by letting air circulate
underneath as well as on top of the PowerBook."
- Advice: The big
clearout, Giles Turnbull, MacDevCenter, 03.14. It's amazing how
much stuff accumulates on your hard drive over time. Clear out
those unused apps and unneeded installers.
- Opinion: iTunes'
black mark, Jason Snell, Macworld, 03.14. "By preventing iTunes
songs from playing on Squeezeboxes, Apple is making its DRM a
visible barrier . . . rather than an invisible threat against those
who would steal music."
- Rights:
AOL clarifies IM privacy guarantee, Declan McCullagh, Cnet,
03.14. "America Online said late Monday that it plans to revise its
user agreement in response to concerns that instant messages sent
through the company's service could be monitored."
- Review:
Seagate 5GB USB 2.0 pocket hard drive, Lars-Goran Nilsson,
Trusted Reviews, The Register, 03.14. Pocketable 5 GB hard drive
sells for about the same price as a 2 GB flash drive.
- Dark Side:
Spyware Assassin censured for 'bogus' claims, John Leyden, The
Register, 03.14. "According to the FTC, the 'anti-spyware' software
is vapourware which failed to 'remove all or substantially all
spyware', contrary to the defendants' claims."
- Rights:
AOL: AIM conversations are safe, Ryan Naraine, eWeek, 03.14.
"America Online quells public criticism of changes to its AIM terms
of service service, insisting the controversial privacy clause does
not pertain to user-to-user instant messaging...."
- News: Apple confronts
LuxPro over iPod shuffle imitator, Larry Angell, iPodlounge,
03.13. It looks almost exactly like the iPod shuffle - but"Super
shuffle" adds FM radio, ability to record audio.
- Rights:
Flat-screen makers face patent lawsuits in U.S., CNET, 03.13.
"Guardian and Honeywell have sued dozens of companies in the global
PC and video display businesses in a U.S. federal court to try to
recoup royalties on LCD technology."
- Tech: Why
viruses have trouble penetrating the Mac, Graham K Rogers,
EcommerceTimes, 03.12. One reason Macs are so secure is that any
changes to the system require Root access and a user-entered
password.
- Rights:
Microsoft calls for patent law change, Slashdot, 03.11. "In a
CeBIT debate today it was concluded that the MS monopoly would not
exist with today's software patenting in place back in 1985."
- Dark Side:
Intel in antitrust trouble in Japan, Slashdot, 03.10. "...Intel
was adjusting customer discounts based on the volume of competing
products they purchased, which is not legal."
- Rights:
Media organizations join forces to fight Canadian ruling,
Slashdot, 03.10. "...former UN employee . . . sued the Washington
Post in Ontario for libel, arguing that because the Post's Web site
carried the story. his reputation had been 'damaged' in that
province."
- Rights: WI
governor proposes state sales tax on downloads, Hannibal, ars
technica, 03.10. The 5% iTunes, ebook, shareware, online software
purchase tax....
- Review:
I'm a sucker for cool Mac utilities. Now, 3 from 1, Tera
Patricks, Mac360, 03.10. Three low-cost programs every iChat user
should know about.
- Review:
Instant collaboration, Fleishman/Carlson/Engst, Macworld,
03.09. How SubEthaEdit makes it possible - and relatively easy -
for Mac users to collaborate on a written project.
- Analysis: Apple's Mac mini vs. a
VIA Mini-ITX system, Dave Salvator, ExtremeTech, 03.09. "We at
ExtremeTech decided to look at how much tiny PC can you build for
about $800, and pit it against the cute new Mac."
- News:
CherryOS Mac emulator resurfaces, Slashdot, 03.09. From all
indications, the CherryOS Mac emulator is just a rebadge version of
PearPC.
- Analysis: What's a
downloaded episode worth?, MrAndrews, Kuro5hin, 03.09. Survey
finds majority would gladly pay 99¢ per episode to download
their favorite programs.
- Advocacy: We
need automatic maintenance!, Gene Steinberg, The Tiger Report,
Mac Night Owl, 03.09. "The Mac is supposed to be the computer that
just works, but some functions require you to leave it on during
the wee hours when certain Unix-related tasks are performed."
- News:
Logitech announces their first iPod speaker system, Dan Frakes,
Playlist, 03.09. Turn you iPod into a small desktop stereo with
Logitech's US$80 mm22 speaker system.
- Rights:
Legal status of bloggers debated: Journalists' shield claimed in
response to Apple's lawsuit, Dan Fost, SFGate.com, 03.08. "The
case comes as bloggers are gaining increasing credibility in media
circles."
- Analysis: Anti-rumour
Apple boosts blog belief, Macworld UK, 03.09. "Apple's move to
litigate against the Mac rumour sites has added credibility to
those news sources."
- Review: Programming Tools: HTML
WYSIWYG editors, Reg Charney, Linux Journal, 03.09. "NVu is an
exciting new product that is trying to fill a void that now exists
in the world of Linux applications." Freeware also available for OS
X.
- Rights: Journalism
and revealing sources, Dori Smith, Backup Brain, 03.09.
"...reporters ought to be required to reveal sources if, and only
if the source was breaking a law or legal contract in revealing the
information, and there is no public interest being
protected...."
- News:
Linux creator Torvalds switches to an Apple Mac, Renai LeMay,
ZDNet, 03.09. "Linux creator Linus Torvalds said this afternoon
that he's now running an Apple Macintosh as his main
desktop...."
- Rights: If the New York
Times jumped off a bridge, John Gruber, Daring Fireball, 03.08.
"If The New York Times, or any other deep-pocketed mainstream
publication, had published the same information, obtained in the
same way, Apple might have been more likely to file suit...."
- Opinion:
iBook at home and on the road, Charles W Moore, Road Warrior,
Mac Opinion, 03.08. The joy of 'Books - if you work on a laptop,
you can just take it with you, work in the field, and not have to
worry about synchronizing files afterwards.
- Rights: Ohio
wants eBayers to post $50k bond, Slashdot, 03.08. "If you are
in the state and selling on eBay, you will need to pay $200 for a
license and post a $50,000 bond or face possible fines and jail
time." Or maybe not.
- Review:
Mac mini a great system for certain users, Dennis Sellers,
Macsimum News, 03.08. "...if you can get by on the power of an
iBook or eMac, you'll do fine by the Mac mini."
- Opinion:
This is the year when the Mac's comeback begins, Dennis
Sellers, Macsimum News, 03.08. "If indeed the Mac market share
makes substantial gains, it will be one of the most incredible
rebounds in tech history."
- Advice:
MacBasics 10: More on contextual menus - er, shortcut menus,
Don Foy, Macsimum News, 03.08. The power of shortcut menus on the
Mac.
- Rights: Meet
John Doe, Nick Mamatas, Village Voice, 03.07. Millions of
illegal downloaders, 8,400 have been sued by the RIAA, 1,700 have
settled, and none have gone to court.
- Analysis:
Is Apple about to become an industry giant?, Robin Bloor, IT
Director, 03.07. "The point is that Apple clearly intends to play
in the mass PC market and it now has the foundation and a product
with which to do that."
- Web:
Phishers use wildcard DNS to build convincing bait URLs,
Netcraft, 03.07. "Phishing operations have begun using DNS
wildcards and URL encoding to create email links that display the
URLs of legitimate banking sites...."
- Rights:
Copyrights, copyfights, and morality, Charles W Moore,
Applelinks, 03.07. "Technology has made the model of copyright as
we've come to perceive it over the past 100 years or so,
obsolete."
- Rights:
Companies claim iTMS, iPod patent infringement, Slashdot,
03.07. "Apple has found itself facing a pair of intellectual
property challenges that separately claim its FairPlay DRM system
and its iPod music player contain technologies to which the Mac
maker does not have a right."
- Rights: Why DRM offends
the sensibilities, Adam C Engst, TidBITS, 03.07. "...DRM
technologies are more subtly pernicious in their effect than may be
apparent from first glance...."
- Analysis:
Apple: Here to stay, Don Tennant, Computerworld, 03.07. "I
found it striking that the IT visionaries who foresee a decline in
Microsoft's dominance due to threats like Linux and Google never
mentioned Apple Computer."
- Rights:
Say no to Big Brother plan for Internet, Michael Geist, Toronto
Star, 03.07. "If lawful access becomes reality, Canada's
telecommunications service providers (TSPs) will be required to
refit their networks to allow for real-time interception of
communications...."
- Rights:
Apple goes to the source, Declan McCullagh, CNET, 03.07. "Apple
Computer's attempts to strong-arm Web publishers into divulging
their . . . sources illustrates how bloggers, Internet
journalists and other online scribes remain second-rate
citizens."
- Opinion:
A Mac mini dock, anyone?, Dennis Sellers, Macsimum News, 03.07.
"Come home from work with your Mac mini, plug the computer into the
dock and &endash; voila! &endash; you're up and
running."
- Rights: Are
you sure Deep Throat started this way?, Gene Steinberg, Mac
Night Owl, 03.07. "...if you reduce it to its raw components, how
does CNET differ from, for example, Think Secret?"
- Analysis: Divide and
conquer yourself, mjr, Ranum, 2004.12.04. How Unix vendors
assured the dominance of Windows with constant infighting - and now
Linux is doing the same thing.
- News: Pat-rights
demands 12% from iTunes, Pat-Rights, 02.28. Company claims
Apple violates its patent for Internet login, seeks 12% of gross
iTunes Music Store and iPod sales.
- Rights:
The gathering storms over speech, Dan Gillmor, Gillmor on
Grassroots Journalism, 03.05. "...we can't let government or Big
Media decide who has the right to inform the public about matters
of interest or urgency."
- Tech: New
iPod mini already uses new PortalPlayer chipset, Gizmodo,
03.04. New chipset is biggest reason iPod mini battery life has
gone from 8 hours to 18 hours.
- Huh?: LisaQuarium, Jim
Lower, techquarium, 03.04. The old Apple Lisa makes a wonderful
aquarium - if you can locate one of these rare computers.
- Tech:
Next wave commentary: Apple's silence on the Cell processor irks
author, Neo, Macsimum News, 03.04. "There is no ambiguity on
IBM's part: user applications for the PowerPC will run on the Power
Processor Element on Cell - period!"
- Rights:
Is Apple the new Microsoft?, Lisa DiCarlo, Forbes, 03.04. "It's
ironic that a company as innovative as Apple Computer could have
such a regressive view of the changing world of American
media."
- Rights: Apple's shame
continues, The POMO Blog, 03.04. "Do we really want business or
government deciding press legitimacy? Of course not!"
- Tech: Wireless USB
set to kill off Bluetooth, Iain Thomson, vnunet, 03.03.
"Wireless USB is designed to be used at ranges of less than 10
metres and will allow peak data speeds of 480Mbps."
- News:
Camino man moves to Firefox to boost Mac progress, PC Pro,
03.03. Firefox to become more Mac-like as "Josh Aas will focus on
code that the two browsers share and on Firefox-specific OS X
code." [registration required]
- Rights: Apple wins
initial ruling against Mac sites, MacMinute, 03.03. "A
California judge ruled Thursday that Apple can force three Mac
sites--Powerpage.org, AppleInsider and Think Secret--to disclose
where they got confidential information...."
- News:
Anti-phishing act introduced, Elizabeth Millard, Yahoo! News,
03.03. "His act makes it illegal to send out spoofed e-mail that
links to sham sites with the intention of committing a crime. Also,
it criminalizes the operation of such sites...."
- Web: Media
sites: Say no to pop-ups, Adam L Penenberg, Wired, 03.03. "Of
course, the reason pop-up blockers are so popular is because
pop-ups (and pop-unders) are so unpopular." But some sites just
don't get it.
- News:
Business interview: CPA firm goes all Mac, Tera Patricks,
Mac360, 03.03. "In regards to training, all our employees were
former PC users and adapted quickly to the new OS."
- News: Fujistu
pushes laptop drive limits to 120GB, Mac Observer, 03.03.
"Fujistu introduce the world's highest capacity 2.5-inch hard drive
earlier this week, a 120GB drive that spins at 4,200-rpm."
- Opinion:
The best Mac utility. Ever. Plus, #2, #3, #4, Alex Kayhill,
Mac360, 03.02. Why DragThing has been the best Mac utility since
the mid-1990s.
- Advice:
Shopping for an inexpensive PC? Make it a Mac mini. You won't
regret it, Tom Gromak, Detroit News, 03.02. "...even my
performance-oriented, home-built PC is getting a run for its money
from Apple's latest, greatest product."
- News: iTunes
Music Store hits 300 million download mark, Mac Observer,
03.02. "Apple last reported it surpassed 250 million in online
music sales on January 24, meaning the company has sold some 1.3
million songs daily in the last 38 days."
- History: From
NeXT to OS X, MLAgazine, 03.02. NeXT turned its first profit in
1995, and Apple acquired it one year later, eventually morphing
OpenStep into OS X.
- News:
8 vulnerabilities discovered in Firefox/Mozilla, Forever Geek,
03.02. "If you have downloaded the Firefox 1.0.1 update, you have
nothing to worry about."
- Dark Side:
Intel shows off Mac mini-like concept PC, Cnet, 03.02.
Microsoft has been copying Apples for decades. Now Intel is showing
a prototype "living room PC" that looks like the Mac mini.
- Huh?: Gamers
get greater access to pizza, The Register, 03.02. Everquest II
players can type "/pizza" and have a local Pizza Hut deliver their
favorite pie.
- Web:
Internet dramatically impacting our lives - not all for the
good, Dennis Sellers, Macsimum News, 03.01. "About five minutes
out of every hour on the Internet (over eight percent of the total
time online) are spent dealing with spam."
- Opinion: From
GUI-avoider to OS X, Mary Stamper, homepage.mac.com, 03.01.
"I'm always looking for ways to use my computer more efficiently
and for more things."
- Hardware: Battle
of the cheap PCs: Mac mini vs. Windows competitors, Matt
Elliott, Cnet, 03.01. Side-by-side comparison of Mac mini,
eMachines T5026, Gateway 3200XL, Dell Dimension 3000, and WinBook
PowerSpec 8344.
- Advice: The macmini
touchscreen edition, MacMartin, 03.01. How to set up and use
the Mac mini with a 7" touchscreen LCD - no keyboard or mouse
required.
- Hardware:
Touchscreen VGA displays, mp3car, 03.01. Seven 7" to 10.4"
touchscreen LCDs that should work with the Mac mini. Prices:
US$279-579.
- Advocacy:
Memo to Steve Jobs - buy TiVo, J Bernoff, C Charron, Forrester
Research, Cnet, 03.01. "We know you've never acquired a company
with a recognizable consumer brand before, but you need this
one."
- Opinion: Should
Apple port Safari to Windows?, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl,
03.01. "...I think it would be a grave mistake on Apple's part to
move any more of its software to Windows."
- Web: New
browsers, same unwanted ads, Joanna Glasner, Wired, 03.01. As
Firefox becomes more popular, programmers are finding ways to
create popup ads that get around the popup blocker - and working on
malware.
- Hardware: Migilia
Technology announces Evolution TV, MacMinute, 03.01. US$279
device turns any Mac with USB 2.0 and an 800 MHz or faster CPU into
a digital video recorder - even create iMovie-compatible
recordings.
- Analysis:
Has the Age of the Disposable Laptop arrived?, Charles W.
Moore, Road Warrior, Mac Opinion, 03.01. Except at the top end, it
often makes more sense to replace a broken 'Book than have it
repaired.
- History: The UnGoogle
(yes, Yahoo!), Michael S Malone, Wired, 03.01. Over ten years,
Yahoo has evolved from a search engine into a whole family of free
and commecial online services.
- Spam: Send-Safe
spam tool gang evicted by MCI, John Leyden, The Register,
03.01. "Send-safe.com, which sells a package that uses
broadband-connected PCs infected by viruses such as SoBig to
distribute junk mail, has been left searching for a permanent
home...."
- Hardware: Iogear
introduces combination USB 2.0 hub & card reader, Mac
Observer, 03.01. Clever - combine a powered 6-port USB 2.0 hub with
a 12-in-1 card reader. US$59.99.
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