The Low End Mac Link Archive, December 1999
External news links are listed below by the date of publication
with the most recent articles listed at the top, older ones below
them. Other monthly archive indexes are linked on the right. Links
were correct when originally posted. However, we cannot guarantee
that these links are still active.
- Opinion:
What will, and won't, be announced at Macworld, Bryan Chaffin,
Mac Observer, 12/31. Pismo, yes. 17" iMac, no. More.
- Opinion: Last
Busman's Holiday for 1999, Steve Wood, 12/31.
- OS:
New home version of Yellow Dog Linux coming, Mac Observer,
12/31.
- Advice: Millennium
Voodoo, Macworld. Best 3D cards for the Mac are made for
PCs.
- Advice:
Want American Express Blue? Better get a PC, Mac Observer,
12/30. "...the representative told us that it is not compatible
with the Mac OS."
- Advice: Email
attachments, Deb Shadovitz, MacCentral, 12/30. "Each computer
platform has a different file format, and that's where
complications set in."
- Advice: Maximizing
time with a mac, Jordan Streiff, Mac Observer, 12/30. "So while
you love your Mac, if it takes up time instead of giving time back,
then what good has it done you?"
- Analysis: Y2K
is here, but new millenium isn't, Charles Moore, 12/30. Only
one year until the new millenium begins.
- News:
Greenwich could mark web time, BBC, 12/30. Move afoot to
establish GMT as standard internet time - especially for legal,
ecommerce issues.
Opinion:
Get Macs out of Futureshop, Stephen Van Esch, osOpinion. "Ever
had a salesman laugh in your face?"- Flame Bait: Four who
shouldn't matter in the next decade, Jesse Berst, ZDNet, 12/30.
Steve Jobs. "Will they ever be more than a fringe player?
No."
- News: Bug fix draws
complaints, MacWeek, 12/29. "...users who have applied the new
OT
Tuner 1.0 patch are reporting loss of all network connectivity
or crashes during startup."
- Opinion: If loving my G3 is wrong, I don't wanna be right,
Rodney O. Lain, MacSimple, 12/29. "Is it possible to fall in love
with a computer?"
- News:
Team Mac Observer #19 on SETI@home, Mac Observer, 12/29. Won't
you join us?
- News: JPEG2000 wavelet
compression spec approved, EETimes, 12/29 [Steve's
Digicams]. Very high compression with minimal loss. Includes
sample photos.
- Review: Microsoft
IntelliMouse Explorer, MyAppleMenu. The Microsoft product Mac
users are taking to in droves.
- News: eToys
relents, won't press suit, Wired, 12/29. With Christmas behind
them, the online retailer has decided to co-exist with etoy, the
art group.
- Advice: 3dfx Voodoo3 cards
for gaming, Macs Only!, 12/29. "My advice is to save your money
and go with the 2000...."
- News: OpenTransport
Tuner, Apple Computer, 12/28. Fixes problem with OS 8.6 on G4,
iBook, new iMacs and OS 9 on all Macs that can cause denial of
service attacks. This may cause problems with regular dialup
connections.
- News: Apple
may unveil new notebooks at Macworld, Cnet, 12/28. "Apple had
dual processor servers ready to go for the Seybold trade show in
August but held back because of a shortage of the then new G4
processors."
- Advice: Tuning your
browser, MacInTouch Reader Report. Tips seem to improve
performance on my setup.
- Deal: G3 upgrades from $155, Small Dog Electronics. G3/250 and
faster upgrades at other special prices - click on the "PowerLogix
Special" link.
- Review:
MoniSwitchUSB, USB Workshop. "...one should be pleased to see a
KVM switch that finally works between Mac and PC."
- USB: Using a
Windows USB keyboard on a Mac, ResExcellence, 12/27 [No Beige].
Swaps Alt and Windows keys for Cmd and Opt. Warning: this involves
manually modifying your System file.
- Analysis: Benchmarks
revisited, David K. Every, MacWeek, 12/28. "Benchmarks aren't
really addressing the issues people should care about."
- OS:
Living with BeOS, Michel Claquin, osOpinion, 12/28. It's not
the Mac OS, Linux, or Windows, but it is a viable OS.
- Coming: Epson Stylus
Photo 870 [Macs Only!].
USB, edge-to-edge photo printing, intelligent ink monitoring, but
not yet available in the States.
- Review:
Two USB flash memory readers, The Review, 12/28. "Transfer
rates live up to their impressive reported speeds of 500-800
KB/sec."
- Correction: Mac-on-Linux, tells how
to run the Mac OS on top of Linux with Mac hardware.
- Web: Macs Only! is five
years old today, 12/28. Congratulations!
- News: Apple #4
in retail sales for November, Insanely Great, 12/28. Nice to
see Apple in the U.S. Top Five again with 9.8% of the retail
market.
- Tech: xDSL
Q&A, Vicomsoft. Various forms of DSL will compete
head-to-head with cable modems in many markets.
- Opinion:
Using a Mac? You don't know what you're missing!, Mac Observer,
12/28. The blue screen of death, Y2K issues, Intel's latest chip
problems....
- Review: Galaxy
Quest, CmdrTaco, Slashdot, 12/28. Recommended for science
fiction fans with a sense of humor - definitely on my "must see"
list.
- Review: iMac
350, Daily Mac, 12/27. Hands on user report by Amy Hoy.
- Web: Mac-on-Linux, how to get
Linux running on Apple hardware.
- Consumer: Canon PowerShot A50
"Editor's Choice," Steve's Digicams, 12/27. "'...Best Overall
Value for a Digital Still Camera,' and . . . acknowledged
for its wide-angle zoom, sharp optics, easy handling, durability,
and price."
- Analysis: Highlights
of Apple's annual report, Charles Moore, Applelinks, 12/24.
Unit sales up 25%, but net sales only up 3% due to lower cost
units.
- Benchmark: Ultra-ATA/66 vs. Ultra Wide
SCSI, Bare Feats, 12/24. The results may surprise you.
- Consumer: New
camera? Go analog, Wired, 12/23.
- Analysis: PC sales lull
as shoppers get less for more, Cnet, 12/23. "Apple's two iBook
models, which sold for an average $1,540, captured the consumer
retail crown...."
- Opinion: Multiple monitors,
multiple options, David K. Every, MacWeek, 12/23. "...remember
that having enough screen real-estate can make you far more
productive by requiring less scrolling or layering of information
you're working with."
- News: Apple
sales in Japan, YTD, iMac NewsPage, 12/20. Nine of top ten
desktops, three of top ten notebooks made by Apple.
- Opinion: Stranger in a
strange land: Macintosh in the business arena, Tim McManus,
Graphic Power, 12/12. "Apple needs to work more closely with
Microsoft and Novell to empower a TCP/IP printing
solution...."
- OS: BSD as free as
Linux, but finds few takers, ET Online, 11/22. "When Berkeley
stopped funding this project, BSD fragmented...."
- Analysis: Apple unit shipments expected to top one million,
AAPL Investors, 12/23. Last quarter with this many unit sales was
four years ago - and Apple lost $69 million.
- Opinion:
The Apple of my eye, Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe, 12/23.
"Computer video editing isn't new, but the iMac DV with iMovie sets
a new standard...."
- News: iMac
DVD-ROM Update 1.0, Apple Computer, 12/22. Improves ability to
load certain CD-ROM discs.
- Review:
Wacom Graphire tablet & mouse, Mac Observer, 12/22. "...an
excellent value."
- News: Internet
Explorer 4.51, Outlook Express 5.01 released, Microsoft.
Updater fixes problem with certificates expiring 12/31/99.
- News: Michigan,
North Carolina want sales tax for 1999 online purchases,
Yahoo/ZDNet, 12/22. This despite federal government moratorium on
Internet taxes.
- News:
MacWarehouse bought out by group led by Apple board member, Mac
Observer, 12/21.
- News: Apple
board member leads MicroWarehouse buyout, MacCentral, 12/21.
This is the parent of MacWarehouse.
- Analysis: Apple's safety
valve, Robert Morgan, MacWeek, 12/21. Why the iMac 333 at Sam's
Club and Costco is a good thing.
- USB: allUSB Cable
Guide, allUSB. Different types, sources for USB cables.
- Opinion: Of mice and
keyboards, Marvin Smith, MacMilitia, 12/21. "...sometimes they
forget the basic need of the user: usability."
- Tech:
New G4?, Philip Machanick, MacOpinion, 12/21.
- Opinion:
Road Warrior year end roundup, Charles Moore, MacOpinion,
12/21.
- News: German
Win2K bug: Scientology, Wired, 12/21. "For years, German
officials . . . have pursued what they see as consitutional threats
posed by the Church of Scientology." (More on Scientology)
- Dark Side:
Memory makers salivate over Win2000, The Register. Microsoft
recommending 128 MB minimum for bloated OS.
- Web: Macinstein banner
exchange, new exchange with 03.2 ratio.
- Opinion:
The problems with being a Mac user in Canada, Oliver Dueck, Mac
Observer, 12/21. "Apparently, Apple places a very high value on its
cozy relationship with Mac Warehouse and will stop at nothing to
protect it."
- First Hand: AirPort with a
PowerBook 2400c, Macs Only!, 12/21. Lucent WaveLAN card allows
older PowerBooks to work with AirPort base station.
- Opinion: Apple makes
wireless networking great, ZDNet, 12/21.
- Web: Lefthandmouse.com,
mice for southpaws.
- News: MoniSwitchADB, Dr.
Bott, 12/21. New model combines functionality of original with appearance of
MoniSwitchUSB.
- Low End: Using a Mac for
home automation, Jag's House. Even a Mac Plus can run an X-10 setup.
- Opinion: Dumb ideas of
Internet taxation, MacBC, 12/21. North Carolina's proposal is
silly, among other things.
- News: Riven
ships on DVD, MacGameNews, 12/21. As far as we know, this is
the first software shipping on DVD.
- Web: MacDaily
+ MacAddict = MacAddict.com, 12/20. MacDaily to be merged into
MacAddict site.
- Deal: Mac OS 8.1 on CD,
US$15, Small Dog Electronics.
- Opinion: With 1999, Apple's no
longer beleaguered, Martin Cortinas, Byte, 12/20. "By any
standard you care to use, Apple has had a year of unprecedented
success in 1999."
- News: Computer
sales in Japan, 11/99, iMac NewsPage, 12/20. Nine of top ten
models by Apple, with 23% total market share.
- Advice: Connecting to the
Internet made easy, MacInstruct, 12/20.
- Opinion: Bye-bye
mouseball, hello IntelliEye, ZDNet, 12/20. "Hats off to
Microsoft for killing the mouse ball and probably even the mouse
pad."
- Analysis:
Mac OS and Year 2000 revisited, About.com, 12/20.
- Opinion: Taxes may
be hazardous to your internet, Jesse Berst, ZDNet, 12/20.
- Opinion: The fork in
the road ahead, John Martellaro, Applelinks, 12/19. "...Apple
is now calling the shots and making other companies look very bad
as they try to lamely follow Apple's lead."
- Low End: Using a Zip drive on a
Mac Plus, Jag's House. You must use pre-5.0 drivers and never
allow them to be updated.
- Advice: Rebuilding
the desktop, Bob LeVitus, MacCentral, 12/18. Latest word on
rebuilding the desktop file.
- Review: Apple's iMovie
software, MacWeek, 12/17. "This entry-level video editing
application is almost childishly simple and makes movie-making
something that even Prince Edward could do."
- Advice:
Which Voodoo3 card is right for you?, Ask Dave, Mac Observer,
12/17. Not should I buy a Voodoo card for gaming, but which
one.
- Advice: Networking a Mac Plus to
an iMac, Jag's House. Key component is a SCSI-ethernet
adapter.
- News: iSub to surface
next month, MacWeek, 12/17. "We will show the iSub at Macworld
Expo and will start shipping it in mid-January."
- Benchmark: YIkes vs. Sawtooth
G4/400, Bare Feats, 12/17. How much faster is the new
motherboard?
- Benchmark: 1 MB vs. 2 MB
cache, Accelerate Your Mac!, 12/17. XLR8 G4/350 prototype shows
where larger cache makes a difference.
- Review: Graphire
graphics tablet, MacNow. "At $100, the price is right...."
(Only $89.99 from Outpost.com)
- News: Dealer sues Apple Canada
over mail-order sales, ehMac, 12/17 [MacSurfer]. CBDW claims Apple
Canada unfairly support MacWarehouse Canada's Mac mail-order
monopoly.
- Opinion: The world's
worst keyboard, ZDNet, 12/17. No, it's not Apple's; it's
Microsoft's line of "natural" keyboards.
- News: New
Mexico breaks DSL deadlock, Cnet, 12/16. "...a glaring example
of how rural areas have been excluded from the boom in broadband
services."
- Review:
Panasonic PV-SD4090, Digital Camera Resource Page, 12/16.
Clever: digicam uses USB and connects to computer as a 120 MB
SuperDisk drive!
- News: Simplified
online tax system spawns complex debate, Yahoo/Reuters, 12/16.
"...this has created an uneven system where consumers have the
choice to buy offline and pay a tax or buy online and avoid
it."
- PR: Dr. Bott
LLC ships iBook Bag, 12/16. Designed especially for the iBook
in blueberry or tangerine.
- Opinion: Dysfunctional
Windows family exposed, Jesse Berst, ZDNet, 12/16. "The
Microsoft Windows family is as dysfunctional as they come."
- Advice: Email: Say
it with feeling, Dev Shadovitz, Mac Central, 12/15. This week
covers abbreviations, emoticons, and emphasis.
- News: E-riots
threaten eToys.com, Wired, 12/15 [Slashdot]. "The domain name battle
between toy giant eToys.com and the Swiss art site formerly known
as etoy.com continues to escalate."
- News: Good-bye,
Charlie Brown. Charles Schults retiring, Comics.com, 12/14.
Thank you for 50 years of Peanuts!
- Opinion: Internet
Tax Issue Resurfaces Following Seattle WTO Fiasco, Charles
Moore, Applelinks, 12/15. "If the government and regulatory
agencies take a forward-looking perspective on these issues, they
will nix the idea of Internet taxation."
- Web: Protest
group out to 'destroy' eToys, ZDNet, 12/15. "...the campaign is
intended to protest a trademark infringement suit eToys is waging
against a European conceptual artist group called 'etoy.'"
- Low End: How to
squeeze value from old PCs, Jesse Berst, ZDNet, 12/15. Of
course, low end in the PC world means pre-Pentium II (1997).
- News: Apple going direct in
Canadian education market, MacNN, 12/14.
- News:
Three of top 20 SETI teams Mac-based, Mac Observer, 12/14. Low
End Mac proudly supports Team Mac
Observer.
- Web: We
love our new policy, Applelinks, 12/14. "We're not fooling
around with silly pre-Macworld Expo rumors any more."
- Advice: Leaving
WebTV, a guide for moving from WebTV to computer internet
access.
- Advice: Hard
drive installation guide, slot-loading iMac, iMac2Day.
- Dark Side: MS shops around
for Win2K web stats, The Register, 12/14. Microsoft claims
thousands using Win2K to build web sites, but doesn't trust it for
Hotmail, msn.com.
- Review:
Umax AstraCam, Digital Camera Resource Page, 12/14. Darn, the
USB camera is Windows only. To think, Umax once made some great Mac clones.
- Review: Sony
DSC-F505, Imaging Resource, 12/14. Sony electronics coupled
with a Carl Zeiss lens.
- Review: Kodak
DC290, Imaging Resource, 12/14. Kodak's top consumer
model.
- Opinion:
Apple's top five achievments of 1999, Mac Observer, 12/14.
- Opinion: Rumors, damn
rumors and Apple, Loose Cannons, Applelinks, 12/14. Those who
post rumors have egg on their face.
- Opinion: Peppy PowerBook
on tap for Expo?, Jason O'Grady, MacWeek.com, 12/14. Should be
smaller, lighter, and faster than current PowerBook G3.
- Advice: Who needs a PC
notebook? Try a PowerBook G3, Government Computer News, 12/13.
"... managed to make evan a cynic such as myself sit up and take
notice...."
- Advice: Digital
camera buying guide, part 2, TitBITS, 12/13. I want a PowerShot
A50 for Christmas.
- Tech: A multiprocessing
primer, David K. Every, MacWeek, 12/13. "The point of
multiprocessing is to make your computer go faster by allowing it
to do more things at once."
- Opinion: Steve
Jobs: Exec of the year, ZDNet, 12/13. "...Jobs' biggest
achievement was the return of excitement and luster to a tired
brand."
- Holidays:
Mac cookie recipe, Nancy Gravley, Mac Observer, 12/13. Cookies
that feature the Apple and Macintosh logos!
- News: Quebec
language police crack down on English-only games, websites,
Charles Moore, Applelinks, 12/13. "...Canada's federal government
says Ms. Beaudoin's Office de la Langue Française has no
jurisdiction over the Internet."
- Opinion: Do you
customise your Mac?, 1984 Online. Sure you do. You're a Mac
user.
- OS: What is
Linux?, MacInstruct, 12/13.
- Review: AirPort in a
wired/wireless network, Macs Only!, 12/13. It took minutes (not
hours) to add AirPort to an existing network.
- Opinion: Top ten
hacks of all time, Slashdot, 12/13. Who better to call them
than the uber-nerds of Slashdot? Includes the Apple II.
- USB: Logitech USB Wheel
Mouse announced.
- News: Researchers
develop 200 ppi LCD display, IBM [Slashdot]. That's like StyleWriter
quality on your screen.
- Opinion: Two of my favorite things, Rob Stevenson, MacSimple,
12/13. "...my two main tools are inexpensive and readily available
over the net."
- Opinion: On selling
solutions, not computers, John Martellaro, Applelinks, 12/12.
"...Apple is selling solutions through effective marketing while
the PC camp is still selling hardware."
- Web:
Some timely guidelines for web design, Dan Gillmor, Mercury
News, 12/11. Good advice on site design - I think Low End Mac meets
all but one of his suggestions.
- Opinion: I love my G4!,
Gregg Younk, 1984 Online.
- Low End: MacAquarium.
Do it yourself or ready to go. (Also see our Macquarium page.)
- Opinion: It's (not) the megahertz, stupid, Rodney O. Lain,
MacSimple, 12/11. How Apple could communicate the message in an
ad.
- Hands On: New G4/350
faster, better, Macworld, 12/10. Almost every benchmark score
improves.
- Review: Contour
UniRiser, The Review, 12/10.
- Opinion: Why the
iBook (still) doesn't impress me, iBook2Day, 12/9. "The iBook
in its current state simply isn't a refined machine."
- Opinion: Is an iBook revision
approaching?, The iMac, 12/8. Well, duh! Good speculation on
probable features.
- MacInSchool: Elon
College, Whittier Elementary, Yucaipa Christian School,
MacCentral, 12/10. Yucaipa replacing Apple II lab with iMacs!
- Opinion:
SETI@home best viewed with Homewine.com, Mac Observer, 12/10.
New addition to Team Mac Observer moves it to 21st place overall
(up from 22, and nearing 20). Low End Mac supports Team Mac
Observer.
- USB:
Logitech announces QuickCam Web, updates QuickCam Pro, USB
Workshop, 12/10.
- Opinion: Macs
rule; PCs drool!, ZDNet, 12/10. "...as a journalist, I try to
limit my unquestioning loyalty to my wife, my kids, and my mom; as
far as I can tell, Apple Computer does not fall into any of
those categories."
- Opinion: Five
reasons your next PC could be a Nintendo, Jesse Berst, ZDNet,
12/10. "...their new features and ease-of-use could be the ticket
for those stuck in PC Purgatory."
- Web: AOL
unplugs CompuServe forums, Interactive Week, 12/9. AOL
"essentially gutting the formula for building proprietary online
communities that have long differentiated" CompuServe.
- Analysis: Free
software puts squeeze on Mac email, Macworld. "...some e-mail
developers will find that they can't compete with free
products."
- Review: Kodak
DC215, Digital Camera Resource Page, 12/10. "...a good choice
for an entry level [digital] camera."
- Review: Canon
PowerShot S10, Imaging Resource, 12/10. "...an excellent
digicam that we anticipate will do very well with consumers."
- Review: Kodak
CD-215, Imaging Resource, 11/26. "...the Kodak DC215 camera is
clearly intended to meet the needs of the point & shoot user,
and succeeds well in that goal."
- Review: Canon
PowerShot A50, Imaging Resource, . "The PowerShot A50 produced
some of the best-looking images we've seen from any 1.3 megapixel
camera to date!"
- News: Mode32
back in action, Apple. They recently changed the link, but
we've managed to find this essential utility for some early
Macs.
- USB: MS
Natural Driver, Khalid Shakir. Remaps Alt/Option and Command
keys to regular Mac locations on MS Natural Keyboard.
- News: New G4s
shipping in volume, MacWeek, 12/9. Finally!
- Opinion: Mac
clone controversy revisited, Charles Moore, Applelinks, 12/9.
"Between 1995 and 1997, Apple's own Macintosh system sales dropped
from about 4.5 million units to 1.8 million units...."
- Opinion: Speaking
of rumor sites, where are they?, John Farr, Applelinks,
12/9.
- Opinion: One
month to Expo: Let the silly rumors begin, John Farr,
Applelinks, 12/9. G4s and PowerBooks at JC Penney and Sears?
- News: Internet
Explorer 4.5 not only browser with year-end certificate glitch,
Charles Moore, Applelinks, 12/9. Problem is with certificates set
to expire 12/31/99, not with the browsers.
- Opinion: Mac community: community, continuum, or cult?, Rodney
O. Lain, MacSimple, 12/9. "We are a movement, as I've elaborated on
other occasions. We are a zeitgeist. We are a worldview."
- News: Qualcomm
makes Eudora free, MacCentral, 12/9. Free, but with a
catch.
- Opinion: Mac OS X
Server: Where's the machine to match?, MacBC, 12/9. "...there
is no true server machine offered by anyone that will run OS X"
Server.
- OS: Mac OS X
Q&A, Raven Zachary, MacWeek, 12/8. Lots of good
tidbits.
- News: Mac uprising in
Taiwan, MacWeek, 12/8. Even made-in-Taiwan Apple product more
costly than in Hong Kong or Singapore.
- Review:
Turning point for digital cameras, Mac Observer, 12/8. A look
at the Olympus Camedia C-2000, C-2020.
- Tech: The dirty
stinkin' truth about "shared video memory," MacMilitia. Apple
abandoned it years ago, but now PC makers have discovered how to
save money and cripple performance.
- Review: XLR8 USB
Performance Package, MacTips. "...a terrific value for a lot of
Macintosh owners, helping to bring [older] desktop Macintoshes
closer to current standards."
- Advice: Preventing
spam, Deborah Shadovitz, MacCentral, 12/8.
- Y2K: Year
end bugs discovered in Internet Explorer 4.5, Charles Moore,
Applelinks, 12/8. No, it's not the dreaded Y2K bug, but some
certificates will retires 12/31/99.
- Analysis:
Cloning the iMac, Tom Egan, Channel 4000, 12/7. After looking
at clones, "If you're looking for a new computer that's easy to
use, go for the iMac. It takes more memory and has more options for
expansion."
- Virus:
Disguised as Y2K fix, self-updating virus spreads on Internet,
Nando, 12/7. "The first of its kind, this virus primarily affects
home computers and spreads through Microsoft software used for chat
rooms."
- News: Newest iMac
clone, MacWin. "...a machine that reminds the average computer
user of an iMac, but . . . vague enough not to get sued."
- OS:
The Linux lineup, Cnet, 12/7 [Slashdot]. Seven distributions
compared.
- OS: Unix/Linux/Minix on
older Macs, JAG's House.
- News: Intel
shipping Itanium developer systems, Yahoo/Reuters, 12/7. Intel
shipping systems with prototype 64-bit Itanium (formerly Merced)
CPU.
- Benchmarks: Fastest 20 GB Ultra-ATA/66
drive under $200, Bare Feats, 12/6.
- Opinion: Mac clone
kill-off worst business move ever claims book, The
Register, 12/6. "And what was the best management decision ever?
Why, Bill Gates' move to license MS-DOS to IBM, of course."
- News: Apple Computer
raided by Japan fair trade authorities, Canoe, 12/6. "Officials
searched the Japanese unit of Apple Computer on Tuesday for
evidence the company broke Japan's antimonopoly law by allegedly
fixing prices...."
- News: Future Computing E-Power
page hacked [iMac2Day],
12/6. It's evidently the work of a Macintosh fan unimpressed by the
iMac look-alike.
- Web: Pair Networks moved today, and about two dozen Mac sites
were down for much of the day. Although it's been a nuisance, it
says a lot about industry respect for Pair Networks. Here's the
play-by-play.
- Low End: SE fever: the lure and reward of vintage computing,
Steve Wood, MacTimes
- Opinion: I don't do
reviews!, Steve Wood, Busman's Holiday, 12/6. No, Steve really
does do reviews, but here he explains why some products won't be
reviewed.
- Web: Help me pay my writers, Jason Pierce, MacTimes, 12/6.
"Some of my writers and editors have not been paid for over a
year...."
- Review: XZR8
IceView 4-Port USB Hub, The Review, 12/6. "...XLR8's exclusive
USB Loadmeter is what really sets the hub apart from all
others."
- News: Stealth Serial
Port for G4 (Sawtooth) shipping, GeeThree [MacNN]. Add an old-fashioned Mac serial
port to a new G4.
- Opinion: Tomatoes
galore!, MacBC, 12/6. Congratulations and rotten tomatoes for
some of last weeks news stories.
- Connectivity:
AT&T to open door to net rivals, Washington Post, 12/5
[Slashdot]. AT&T working
with MindSpring to give cable modem customers an ISP
alternative.
- Web: MacNurd.com
- Analysis: CompUSA
is killing itself off - on purpose, Fortune. CompUSA, under a
deathwatch, has launched Cozone.com.
- News: Internet provider
no liable for defamation, NYLJ, 12/3 [Slashdot]. "...the Court of Appeals on
Thursday held that an Internet Service Provider is merely a conduit
for information, as opposed to a publisher, and consequently is no
more responsible than a telephone company for defamatory materials
transmitted over its lines."
- News: Support for
OpenGL slipping, MacWeek, 12/1. Microsoft, among first to
embrace OpenGL, now pulling support for cross-platform
standard.
- Consumer: Digital
projection and Toy Story 2, DVD Resource Page, 12/3. "Plain and
simple, digital projection is the future of movie theater
projection systems."
- News: Phase 5 begins
shipping 7400 G4 upgrades [Macs Only!]. Daughter cards, ZIF
upgrades, and more.
- Opinion: The
Tech Commandments, Julie Fugett, Hissyfit. How techs
should work with customers.
- Deal:
Garage sale at Small Dog Electronics this weekend.
- USB: FastLane
USB MIDI interface. Finally, a MIDI solution for those with
newer Macs!
- MacInSchool: Champlain
College, Blacksburg High, MacCentral, 12/3.
- First Look: PowerLogix Z-Force in a
PowerBase, Macs Only!, 12/3. Card allows use of ZIF upgrades in
"daughter card" Power Macs, clones.
- Opinion: Hot Wheels,
Barbie make poor PCs, Jim Louderback, ZDNet, 12/3. "I recently
tested to new computers from Mattel. They look great, but perform
like dogs."
- Analysis: No etoy for
Christmas, Slashdot, 12/3. "It's absurd to think that one
website can shut down another for having a similar domain
name - when the second site is not a domain poacher and has been
operating two years longer than the first."
- Low End: The Mac 512 User
Group
- Consumer: It's clear
that DVDs are here to stay, USA Today, 12/2. (To learn more
about DVD, visit The
DVD Page.)
- Analysis: More forgotten
Mac markets, MacWeek, 12/2. "Add South Korea to the list of
countries that suffers from a serious shortage of Macs. Then add
India, Brazil and most of the Middle East."
- Opinion: Kanga:
The forgotten PowerBook G3, Charles Moore, 12/2. "...obviously
a transitional model designed to hold the fort until the WallStreet
Series was ready to ship."
- OS: Mac OS X:
The NeXT generation, Bill von Hagen, Adobe Magazine. "The core
component of Mac OS X is the Mach kernel, initially developed at
Carnegie-Mellon University in the 1980s and enhanced and fine-tuned
ever since."
- Advice: How to
use a desktop Mac with AirPort, MacBC, 12/2. Yes, you can use a
PCI Mac (or clone) with AirPort!
- Opinion: A columnist's manifesto, Rodney O. Lain, MacSimple,
12/2. "I thought it would be nice to pause and explain why I write
the way I write."
- Opinion: Adventures
in buying, Mac Zeeder, MacOpinion, 12/2. Caveat emptor -
be an informed consumer.
- Virus: Explorer
Zip bug reports grow, but damage limited, Yahoo/Reuters, 12/2.
"...security firms said damage to systems has so far been
limited."
- News:
Mega-rally continues, Apple stock climbs to new high, Mac
Observer, 12/1.
- News: Motorola
hard at work on Intel-toasting G5, Charles Moore, Applelinks,
12/1. "Initial versions of the G5 will have clock speeds in the
2-GHz neighborhood...."
- Dark Side: Coppermine
bug stops PC shipments, ZDNet, 12/1. Oops, Intel shot itself in
the foot with a Pentium design - again.
News:
Cable charges stirr up Big Pond users, Fairfax IT, 12/1.
Australia's only provider of cable internet service wants to charge
users by the megabyte.- Opinion: MOSR.net
bashes Microsoft plan to drop OpenGL, Charles Moore,
Applelinks, 12/1. Move targets Linux, Mac OS.
- Low End: Hack Plus
Pages, information on hacking the Mac Plus and Portable,
more.
- Advice: Preventing
spam, Deborah Shadovitz, MacCentral, 12/1. Also see Spam Filtering Guide, our hints on creating your
own spam filter.
- Benchmark: Castlewood
SCSI ORB, Hog Heaven. Drive appears optimized for large files.
ORB Tools compromises performance. Fast SCSI is a must.
- Opinion: Palm vs.
WinCE, Jason O'Grady, MacWeek, 12/1. "...big names like Compaq,
Sony and Everex will stop making Windows CE devices in the new
year."
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