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The Low End Mac Link Archive, February 2001
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core 8GB kit $232 / 4GB kit $116 / 2GB kit $72. New Macbook 2GB DDR3-$65. HARD DRIVES available -- Free shipping / LIfetime warranty.
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
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.
Oops: Mac OS
X will not include DVD player, Go2Mac.com, 2/28. "This is
particularly troublesome considering that the Apple DVD Player for
OS 9 will not run in the classic environment."
Opinion: What does it mean
to "think different"?, Stanislav Kelman, osOpinion, 2/28.
"Macintoshes stand out because the 'experience' of using one is
different from that with any other personal computer...."
Advice: Backing
up computer information, Nancy Carroll Gravley, Mac Observer,
2/28. "...I was so enamored with the ease of use and the
dependability that I never once considered backing up information
saved to my hard drive."
Opinion:
Making ad banners suck less, Kurt Gray, Koro5hin, 2/27.
"...suppose you could click a link right next to the banner 'Never
show me this ad again....'"
Opinion:
Flower sour, Joel Davie, iMaculate Conception, Applelust, 2/27.
"A random splatter of Dalmatian spots would look pretty cool -
albeit like a blue cow, and that's some other computer
manufacturer."
News: Disc Burner
1.0.1 available, Apple, 2/27. Disc Burner allows drag-and-drop
burning of CD-R, CD-RW with many third-party drives. May cause
problems with third-party burning software, just like iTunes.
Opinion: Get
your spray paint iMac analysis here, Michael Munger, On the
Flip Side, Mac Observer, 2/26. Key truth: Too many people stay away
from the platform because of the price; even folks who believe that
it is superior!
Tech: PowerPC
750 vs. 750Cx: Differences explained, David K. Every, MacNN,
2/26. "...by reducing the pin count and eliminating the need for
the external cache, [IBM] drove the overall cost of the processor
down."
Opinion: Apple,
what is your product strategy?, Paul Shields, Business Mac,
2/23. "...the new machines seem inconsistent with both Apple's
marketing strategy and market experience over the last 6
months."
Hands On: iMac 2001,
international edition, Macworld UK, 2/01. Report confirms
international version of 500 MHz iMac differs from North American
one.
Opinion: What were they
thinking?, Charles W. Moore, Moores' Views, Applelinks, 2/23.
"...someone once said that 'nobody ever went broke betting on the
bad taste of the American public.'"
Hands On:
Titanium PowerBooks: Marvelous design, David Rosen, Canada
Computes, 2/21. "...the first thing that hits you about the machine
is its amazing industrial design. Simply put, the PowerBook is
beautiful."
Opinion: About those
colors..., Stephen Beale, MacWeek, 2/21. "So what was the
thinking behind Flower Power and Blue Dalmatian?"
Opinion:
Honey, did you puke on the iMac?, David Egger, Mac Monkey,
2/21. "Just when Apple really started to get the color thing right,
they go and screw it up."
Opinion: The
scourge of Arial, Mark Simonson Studio, 2/01. The history of a
ubiquitous, parasitic, third-rate typeface.
Software: iTunes
1.1, Apple Computer. Now supports over 25 third-party
drives.
Opinion: A
Mac success story, Nancy Carroll Gravley, Mac Observer, 2/21.
"...she could still remember that feeling of amazement and sense of
accomplishment when she turned it on and it worked right off the
bat."
Archive:
Old beige gets a boost with brain upgrade, Jim Heid, LA Times,
12/21/00. Thanks to Dough Hinshberger for sending this link -
article also mentions LEM way at the end.
News: iTunes
revision "on the way," Macworld UK, 2/16. This explains my
problems burning with Toast - the kids put iTunes on the computer,
and the drivers conflict. iTunes 1.1 will address this.
Opinion: On the Internet in
30 seconds or less, Stanislav Kelman, osOpinion, 2/16. "...I
was really amazed at how little time it took to get an EarthLink
connection up and running [on an iMac]."
Opinion: The
deadly task of backing up, Marc Zeedar, Mac Opinion, 2/15. "If
there was a fire and your computer was lost, would you be more
upset about the missing hardware or the missing data?"
Rights: Net
filters don't work, Karen Thomas, USA Today, 2/15. "Despite
years of tweaking, software programs that claim to "filter" the
Internet to protect kids from porn and other objectionable material
still don't do a very good job...."
Dark Side: Microsoft to steal
Linux coders?, Peter Revill, osOpinison, 2/15. "Can't buy out
the company that competes with your application? Why not buy out
its developers?"
Opinion: Beyond the
speed bump, Wes George, MacWeek, 2/14. Personal computers have
a long, bright future.
New: Compact AC
adapters for TiBook coming, Go2Mac.com, 2/14. Good, because a
huge flying saucer power supply is an insult to the compact
PowerBook G4 and its user.
Hardware: Maxtor drives
use new head technology, MacWeek, 2/13. Reduced part count and
head retraction make for more reliable, cost effective drives.
Virus: Macs
"safe" from Kournikova server volley, Macworld UK, 2/13. "A
virus disguising itself as an image of sexy Russian tennis star
Anna Kournikova is clogging the email systems of companies across
the globe."
Accessories: Dr Bott ships updated
iBookBags, Dr Bott, 2/12. Our choice in iBook bags - now
available in indigo, lime, and graphite.
Opinion: The
net effect of Internet pricing, Mac Zeedar, Mac Opinion, 2/12.
"Mail order's been around for decades, but it never truly
threatened physical stores - and buying on the Internet isn't much
different than traditional mail order."
Opinion: Road
warrior, Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Pioneer Planet, 2/12. "Don't even
think about buying a pedestrian PC portable until you've kicked the
tires on this metallic Mac."
Review: Connectix
DoubleTalk, Bill Fox, Macs Only!, 2/12. New $99 utility lets
Macs work with Windows servers on a network.
Web: The 6400
Zone has moved to a new server and URL.
Humor: Zap the PRAM,
Macboy.com. Call 1-800-SOS-APPL.
Software: Adobe
unveils Photoshop Elements, MacWeek, 2/11. Described as
"Photoshop [6] cut off at the knees," $99 program may be all the
Photoshop a lot of us need.
TiBook: PB G4
cautions/observations, Go2Mac.com, 2/10. LEM has seen the
static problem mentioned here - and our office isn't carpeted.
Web: A day in the
life of a webmaster, Cameron Wilmot, TweakTown, 2/9. As a
webmaster, this story sounds suspiciously like my daily grind.
;-)
Opinion: MSNBC
says AOL should buy Apple, Bryan Chaffin, Mac Observer, 2/8.
"The only thing worse than [Apple owned by Microsoft] would have to
be a world where Apple is owned by AOL."
Oops: DVD
player compatibility, Apple. Some DVD players won't work with
DVDs mastered on Apple's new SuperDrive. Here's the list of players
Apple has tested.
Consumer: Need a
faster Mac: Upgrade vs. new, Paul Shields, Business Mac. How to
compare the cost of upgrading vs. replacing your old Mac.
Review: CopyAgent and
TurboKeys, Gary Coyne, Applelinks, 2/7. LEM has been using this
combo since Macworld New York. Recommended.
Advice: Return
receipt email, Deborah Shadvitz, Mac Efficiency 101,
MacCentral, 2/7. "Return-Receipt is not a standard yet, but it is
possible for email applications to request a return receipt
message."
Opinion: Apple
and the lap(top) of luxury, Peter H. Lewis, Fortune. "...the
new PowerBook G4 Titanium is the most impressive notebook computer
ever."
Review: Virtual PC 4.0: A great upgrade to a good product, John Egan,
The iMac.com, 2/5. "Connectix claims that version 4 is twice as
fast [as version 3], and I'd have to agree."
Opinion: The
TiBook Chronicles, Charles W. Moore, 2/5. Note especially the
LapDog case designed for the TiBook.
News: Kmart's
bluelight.com dumps Mac support, Charles W. Moore, Applelinks,
2/5. "...a big raspberry to Kmart. Perhaps Mac users should find
another discount department store."
Opinion: Zoom
rage, Marc Zeedar, MacOpinion, 2/5. Driven batty by small
fixed-size type on some sites, the author suggests a browser that
zooms.
Benchmarks: New
G4/533 vs. old G4/500, Bare Feats, 2/2. Dual G4/500, single
G4/500, G4/533, G4/466, Pentium III 1 GHz, and Pentium 4 1.4 GHz go
head to head.
Review: MacSense
XRouter Pro, Insanely Great Mac, 2/1. "The XRouter Pro ... is a
cable/DSL Internet router designed to connect multiple devices to
the Internet."
Opinion: Are Macs
getting too cheap?, Charles W. Moore, Applelinks. "There is
some question as to whether Apple hasn't pushed the bottom end of
the price envelope bit too far already with the lower end
iMacs."
MacInSchool: Schools
go with iBooks, iMacs, Dennis Seller, MacCentral, 2/2.
"Treadwell High in Memphis, TN, recently wrote a requisition for a
15-unit wireless lab from Apple."
Advice: RAM too
cheap not to buy, Mac-Upgrade.com. We have to agree -
we've seen 256 MB modules for under US$100 recently.
News: Titanium
PowerBook ships (plus first looks), John H. Farr, Applelinks,
2/1. "...the best reading on how the PowerBook G4 feels and
works.... Dan Knight is having quite an enjoyable time transferring
files and learning to live with his new laptop, and we think you'll
enjoy the vicarious experience."
Deal: FireBook
2.5" FireWire enclosure sale, PowerBook Zone. Turn a 2.5" IDE
drive into an external FireWire drive for $115 plus shipping -
limited supply
Consumer: