All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For
price quotes and advertising information, please contact
at BackBeat Media
(646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.
Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer
5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We
recommend Firefox
for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more
secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox
than any other browser.
The Low End Mac Link Archive, August 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.
Benchmarks: New
G4s vs. older G4s, Bare Feats, 08.31. Yes, the old G4/733 was
faster than the new one - but also twice the price.
Rights:
Protester declare war on copyright law, ZDNet, 08.30. "This is
a war being waged by copyright interests who see each opportunity
on the Internet as an opportunity to change the meaning of
copyright law."
AAPL: Doing the dancing
bear waltz, Wes George, Working Mac, 08.29. "Think for
yourself. Don't follow the herds."
News: We call
them "modelizers," Tom's Hardware Guide, 08.29. AMD to abandon
MHz rating of chip in favor of model names, such as Athlon 1600 for
a 1.4 GHz chip.
AAPL:
No shine to Apple on the street, Charles Haddad, Business Week,
08.29. "Apple is a news-driven stock. Its fortunes are tightly tied
to the product cycle."
Tech: Motorola to
link PowerPC direct to DRAM, Tony Smith, The Register, 08.29.
"With an on-die memory controller, the PowerPC can talk to memory
at its own pace and not the speed set by the main system bus."
Advice: Mac OS X:
Firewall at startup, Brennan Stehling, GreasyDaemon.com, 08.28.
"By combining the startup process with some firewalling I was able
to build my very own firewall system from scratch in minutes."
Rights:
Russian programmer indicted, Washington Post, 08.28 [
Slashdot]. "Prosecutors said the indictment was the first under
the Digital Millennium Copyright Act...."
Interview: He's
not just a science guy, David Colker, LA Times, 08.28. Bill Nye
uses a TiBook - because a virus ate his Sony Vaio. A very good
read.
Doh! Feds may tap
Social Security funds, Fox News, 08.28. Government may be $9
billion short. I'll bet a 10% reduction in all those tax rebates
would have covered it....
Opinion: He who
controls the bootloader, Scot Hacker, Byte.com, 08.27. "So why
aren't there any dual-boot computers for sale?"
Lifestyle: TiVo:
Freedom through time-shifting, Andrew Laurence, TidBITs, 08.27.
Better than a digital hub for TV watchers, although not really
Mac-related.
Benchmarks: Dual G4
shootout, Insanely Great Mac, 08.27. Dual G4/533 vs. dual
G4/800 - and some results will surprise you. (Also see Bare Feats.)
Opinion: Netscape's
baaack, CodeBitch, MacEdition, 08.27. Looks like Netscape
finally got it right with version 6.1 - and Mac users are starting
to adopt it.
Dark Side:
Pentium 4 reaches 2 GHz, The Tech Report [
Slashdot]. If you design a chip inefficiently enough, 2 GHz
still won't outperform a G4/867.
Macinschool: Success
Maker problems, John Droz & Steve Wood, Educator's News,
08.27. Success Maker software could lead to demise of Mac in school
system - help wanted.
Opinion:
The failure of tech journalism, Steve Gilliard, NetSlaves,
08.26 [
Slashdot]. Interesting analysis of tech Web and press -
including Windows, Linux, and Mac hacks. A very good read, some
strong language.
OS: Yellow
Dog Linux 2.0, Maximum Linux.org, 08.25. Linux distro tested on
a PowerBook G4.
Connectivity: Roll your
own, Robert X. Cringely, I, Cringely, 08.23. How to cobble
together your own DSL-speed circuit.
Dark Side:
Windows and Linux: In perfect harmony, ZDNet, 08.22. Yes, it's
kinda off topic for Low End Mac, but it's an interesting look at
five Windows-on-Linux emulators.
Dark Side: New
Windows bug involves beams, Excite/ABCNews, 08.21 [TMO]. Holy IrDA,
MacMan, Win2K machines can attack each other using infrared!
Connectivity: Bridging
802.11 networks with Linksys, Glenn Fleishman, O'Reilly, 08.24
[
Slashdot]. AirPort can be an alternative to running wires when
connecting or building two networks.
Web: StarMax-Talk,
Yahoo! Groups. An email list for Motorola StarMax and related
clones.
Rights: Fingered
by the movie cops, Amita Guha, Salon, 08.23. Under the DMCA,
you can lost Internet access on the basis of accusation, not proof
of guilt.
Opinion: A
copyright solution, Marc Zeedar, 08.23. "My chief worry is that
in the quest to stop piracy manufacturers will eliminate our
ability to make personal copies...."
Analysis: More on the PCs
for Kids/Microsoft battle, The Register, 08.22. Interesting
comments on Microsoft refurbishment license - which the don't sell
down under.
Analysis:
Where Apple harvests some of its innovations, Charles Haddad,
Business Week, 08.22. "Apple and Microsoft have long borrowed - or
coopted, depending on your point of view - features pioneered by
rebel programmers."
Humor: Windows
RG, NewGrounds [The
Register]. Interactive Shockwave movie shows off "Windows
Really Good."
OS: What's new
in Mac OS 9.2.1, Bryan Chaffin, Mac Observer, 08.22. "Mac OS
9.2.1 has a significantly faster startup time, and general use
appears much faster."
OS: MacFixIt has lots of
good information on Mac OS 9.2.1. "...it was very worth the 80 MB
download."
Advocacy: No More AOL
CDs. Group collecting unwanted AOL CDs "to make it clear to AOL
a lot of people do not want and have never asked for their CDs and
to stop the needless pollution of the environment due to
distribution of unwanted materials." I have dozens to collect and
send in.
Hack:
Overclocking the iBook (2001), Tycho, Accelerate Your Mac,
08.21. Warranty-voiding mod boost performance 40% by hitting
600-650 MHz on 100 MHz bus.
Dark Side:
Hack insurer adds Microsoft surcharge, ZDNet, 08.20. Insurer
charges higher premiums for those running Microsoft's Internet
Information Server (IIS).
Opinion: The SirCan dilmma
and Mac OS X, John Siracusa, Working Mac, 08.20. Using cron and
perl to delete unwanted email before you download it. Clever!
Opinion: Only liberals like Macs? Why people choose Macs, Marvin Price,
The iMac.com, 08.17. Another take on the control (Microsoft) vs.
freedom (Mac) debate.
Dark Side: Code
Red worm can cause minor Mac problems, Dennis Sellers,
MacCentral, 08.17. Let's call that an understatement as Code Red
continues to hammer cable modems around the world.
Opinion: The
virtue of not giving a damn , Rodney O. Lain, iBrotha, Mac
Observer, 08.17. Getting beyond ideology, money, fame, and market
share.
Opinion: Making
lemonade, Robert X. Cringely, I, Cringley, 08.16. Microsoft has
removed Java from WinXP, broken support for QuickTime, and may be
moving toward "TCP/MS."
Dark Side: IIS
über-patch claims to wipe out all old Web server flaws,
John Leyden, The Register, 08.16. "...it took the outbreak of Code
Red for Microsoft to take anything approaching decisive [action] in
making its easier for admins to guard against the many flaws in
IIS."
News: Be announces sale
to Palm, PRNewswire, 08.16. Interesting tidbit: Both operating
systems have roots in the Mac.
Opinion: Chipping
away at our copyr(rights), Marc Zeedar, Less Tangible, Mac
Opinion, 08.15. "I am sick and tired of this chipping away at our
First Amendment rights."
Macinschool: Taxpayers
fight to save Macs, Wired, 08.15. "...a persistent and vocal
citizen's group has doggedly petitioned the school district not to
ditch its Apple computers."
Opinion:
One software company, Philip Machanick, Macintelligence, Mac
Opinion, 08.15. Intead of many companies competing via a single
standard, imagine the innovative possibilities if one company
controlled it all....
Macinschool:
The cure for teachers' technophobia: Macs, Charles Hadded,
Business Week, 08.15. "...nearly 30 years after the advent of the
Apple II, . . . educators are still wondering whether the
computer is friend or foe."
History:
Code Red: It could happen here, Jon Lasser, Security Focus,
08.14. The first worm to attack servers attacked Unix boxen way
back in 1988.
Dark Side: IT giants
whacked by Code Red, John Leyden, The Register, 08.14.
Microsoft, FedEx, Associated Press, Computer Associates, and Lucent
were apparently infected.
Opinion:
One phone company, Philip Machanick, Macintelligence, Mac
Opinion, 08.14. Intead of many companies competing via a single
standard, imagine the innovative possibilities if one company
controlled it all....
Privacy:
"Web bugs" are tracking use of Internet, John Schwartz, New
York Time, 08.14. Good piece explaining how Yahoo, free servers,
and others are monitoring users - posted on a site that requires
registration?!?
Opinion:
Mac portables as desktop computer substitutes, Charles W.
Moore, Mac Opinion, 08.14. "I work at home and don't travel much,
so in practical terms there is no compelling reason why I really
need a laptop computer. Nevertheless, laptops are my strong
preference."
Opinion: Does Apple matter?,
SiliconValley.com, 08.13. Gil Amelio, Monish Bhatia, Jean-Louis
Gassée, Dan Gillmor, Shawn King, Jeff Raskin, and others share
their thoughts.
News: Hey Mac,
the moose is loose, Wired, 08.13. Mac OS X version of
Uli's Talking Moose, a Mac classic, being prepared.
Opinion: Intel, AMD, and
Apple leverage the MHz myth, Kelly McNeill, osOpinion, 08.10.
"...some chip manufacturers have allowed their silicon squares to
sacrifice significant levels of performance in an effort to
increase MHz to even higher levels."
Dark Side: Code Red III
detected in South Korea, c|net, 08.10. "Code Red III worm
spreads even faster than earlier versions and leaves a wider 'back
door'...."
Humor: Windows,
Windows everywhere, Dave Wilson, LA Times, 08.09. "For
instance, Apple Computer . . . gained tax-exempt status
as a religion in 2015."
History: Apple
at the core of PC revolution, Jim Heid, LA Times, 08.09. IBM PC
turns 20 on August 12, so expect more good historical pieces in
coming days.
Dark Side:
Code Red II: Worse to come?, Dennis Fisher, eWeek, 08.09.
"...security experts worried that this latest attack is just a dry
run for crackers who may be gearing up for something far
worse."
Opinion: Let's bring back System
6, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl, 08.09. Some thoughts on the
nature of progress and Mac OS X.
Grr: Stuffit
Expander compatibility issues, Charles W. Moore, Applelinks,
08.09. Stuffit 6 seems to be creating files incompatible with
Stuffit 5.5. Again?!?!?
Opinion: What
if?, John H. Farr, Applelinks, 08.08. "...what if it turned out
that there is something fatally flawed about the operating systems
used by 95 percent of the computers?"
Macinschool: More on
the "Mac vs. PC" debate in Carteret County, Dennis Sellers,
MacCentral, 08.08. Favorite quote: "...decisions by the District's
technology staff that have caused many substantial problems."
Kudos: AT&T
Broadband quietly blocks port 80, MacNN, 08.08. Port 80 is the
one Code Red checks - and also the one used for hosting
unauthorized Web servers on AT&T's network.
Hmm:
Fight virus with virus?, Slashdot, 08.08. " I am curious if it
would be possible to create a friendly worm/virus/whatever that
would fight the original by using the same security holes."
Web: iCab v2.5.3 released. An
alternative browser for Mac OS X and the classic Mac OS.
Opinion: Darwin
would be proud of Microsoft's plan to "embrace, extend, extinguish"
TCP/IP, Rodney O. Lain & Bryan Chaffin, Mac Observer,
08.08. "...the company is hoping to scare the bejesus out of the
Internet-using world, coercing them into accepting a proprietary
communications protocol that is owned (and licensed out) by
Microsoft."
Opinion: The
dangers of immunity, Marc Zeedar, Less Tangible, Mac Opinion,
08.08. "...because Mac users are so used to viruses not being a
factor, it'd probably be easier to distribute a Mac virus!"
Virus: New virus
travels in PDF files, Stephen Shankland, c|net, 08.07 [MacMinute]. Only affects full
version of Adobe Acrobat, not more commonly used Acrobat
Reader.
Opinion: What
were the 10 worst Macs of all time?, Charles W. Moore,
Applelinks, 08.07. "...if these are the worst machines Apple has
produced out of over 200 different Mac models, then things are
pretty good."
Opinion:
Are PowerBooks designed with planned obsolescence in mind?,
Charles W. Moore, Road Warrior, Mac Opinion, 08.07. "...a service
life of between two and three years for a product that costs as
much as a PowerBook is outrageous and pathetic."
Opinion: What thinking
different will get you, Scott "Damage" Wasson, Tech Report,
08.06. How someone who believes the Megahertz Myth responds to
demonstrations of G4 superiority.
Opinion: The 10 worst
Macs ever built, Remy Davison, Insanely Great Mac, 08.06.
Thumbs down for the PB 150 and 5300, Classic, IIvx, and other "road
apples."
News: PC sales
fall, Apple in top five, Macworld UK, 08.06. Apple #4 in U.S.
market - and that's not counting direct sales, which account for
about 40% of Apple's sales.
Opinion: Microsoft must
die - so shoot already!, John H. Farr, Grack!, Applelinks,
08.06. "Anyone who regularly uses Microsoft software or services is
part of the problem."
Consumer: Are
high-end CPUs worth the money?, Jeff Field, NewsForge, 08.06.
Shop smart. The next fastest processor is probably a better
value.
Dark Side: New,
nastier Code Red spreads fast, MSNBC, 08.06. "A new computer
worm that acts much like Code Red but packs a much nastier payload
began spreading around the Internet over the weekend...."
OS X: OS X for
legacy Macs, Ryan Rempel, Other World Computing, 08.03.
Unsupported UtilityX out of beta stage, allows installing Mac
OS X on most PCI Macs, clones.
Analysis: The
megahertz gap, Marc Zeedar, Less Tangible, Mac Opinion, 08.03.
"...I'd like play devil's advocate and look at the 'megahertz gap'
from a different perspective. "
Huh? Apple
sign request must be reworked, GoMemphis.com, 08.03 [MOSR]. Germantown sign ordinance prohibits
internally illuminated signs and signs with food.
Opinion: New
iBook vs. upgraded WallStreet, Charles W. Moore, Applelinks,
08.03. Why a used WallStreet may be a better value than a new
iBook.
Macinschool:
Macintosh vs. PCs, Jannette Pippin, Jacksonville Daily News,
08.02. Carteret County school system still caught up in Mac vs. PC
debate. More on Carteret News
Times site, but link will fail with next daily site
update.
Opinion: The death
of TCP/IP, Robert X. Cringely, I, Cringely, 08.02. "Any Visual
BASIC programmer with a good understanding of how Windows works can
write a virus."
Virus: SirCam worm
enjoys virus gang bang, The Register, 08.02. Attachments may
contain multiple infections. Makes me so glad I don't use
Windows.
Tech:
Multithreading options, Philip Machanick, Macintelligence, Mac
Opinion, 08.02. "Why ... do processor designers opt for deep
pipelines and the capability of executing multiple instructions per
clock cycle, if these design choices do not fit current
workloads?"
Opinion: Good iMacs don't
leave, Dave Ficks, osOpinion, 08.02. A roundabout case for
portables vs. desktop computers.
Opinion: Another
iBook look, w/FireWire angle, John H. Farr, Applelinks, 08.02.
Some interesting comments on a piece Low End Mac published this
morning.
News: Say good-bye to
Apple TIL, Go2Mac.com, 08.02. Last time it was easy access to
software downloads. Now you'll have to use the Knowledge Base for
TIL information, too. :-(
News: An epitaph for
Richochet, Doug Broussared, Go2Mac.com, 08.02. Innovative
wireless service overpriced, poorly marketed, and shutting
down.
Analysis: File extensons vs.
type/creator, David K. Every, iGeek, Working Mac, 08.02. "It's
far better UI to split the type identification from the filename
and let the user be in complete control of the name."
Analysis:
Bite-Size Apple, Charles Haddad, BusinessWeek, 08.01. "The
company doesn't need to rival Microsoft to justify its existence.
As a niche player, Apple has everything it takes to remain
healthy."
Advocacy: Why I Prefer
Macs in the Classroom, Steve Wood, View From the Classroom,
08.01. "It is interesting...that the four or five computer 'power
users' in the elementary, all MacHeads, were not consulted on
platform preference until now."
