Top Links: August 2001

Mac News Today

The Low End Mac Link Archive, August 2001

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."
Opinion: "Brand in the PC industry ain't worth much," John H. Farr, Applelinks, 08.30. Only Apple makes a Mac, but with Wintel PCs, brand doesn't count for much.
Tech: New standard to boost hard-drive speed, Cnet, 08.30. Serial ATA to start out 3x faster than current FireWire speed, cost less to implement.
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.
Dark Side: Facts behind Dell's claim that Dell was first with wireless portables, Bryan Chaffin, Mac Observer, 08.29. Dell has a hard time accepting the iMac shipping first.
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."
News: Amazon.com now selling computers, including Macs, 08.29. Similar price to other mail order vendors, but currently offering free shipping.
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.
Advice: Is now a good time to buy a TiBook?, Charles W. Moore, Road Warrior, Mac Opinion, 08.28. Maybe.
Web: FasterMax, Motorola StarMax forums
News: Mac fans eager to surf on a cruise, ZDNet, 08.28. Geek Cruises has never had the kind of response it's seeing from Mac users.
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.
Gotcha! PC recycling charity says to heck with Microsoft, Charles W. Moore, Applelinks, 08.27. New computer users don't find Linux hard to use.
Dark Side: MS bugware blamed for "inadvertent" hack, The Register, 08.27. Defense lawyers claim MS IIS "bugs" allowed anyone to hack into Daily News files.
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.
Connectivity: Internet access via power lines reborn in Europe, IDG.net, 08.24 [ Slashdot]. World's first commercial high speed Internet access via power lines being launched.
News: Apple offers aggressive new pricing on Titanium PowerBook G4, PRNewswire, 08.24. TiBook 400 now $2,199 - 500 MHz model down to $2,999.
Consumer: Week's best PowerBook, iBook deals, PowerBook Central, 08.24.
OS: Macs Only! recommends against Mac OS 9.2.1 on 604-based models.
Advice: How to create a Linux-based network of computers for peanuts, LinuxWorld.com, 08.23. First in a series on how to repurpose old Windows PCs. (And Linux can support AppleTalk....)
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...."
News: IBM front-runner to buy Motorola chip unit, ZDNet UK, 08.23. AMD interested, but IBM is already making PowerPC chips.
Opinion: Nancy's stats on seniors & their Macs, Nancy Carroll Gravley, Mac Observer, 08.23.
Dark Side: Lobbyists tied to Microsoft citizens' letters, LA Times, 08.23 [ Slashdot]. "We'd write the letter and then send it to them," he said. "That's fairly common practice."
Hands on: Mac OS 9.2.1: First run comments, macXcess, 08.23. Feels snappier, loads more quickly, appears stable.
Advice: Reader guides to installing OS 9.2.1 on pre-G3 Macs, Accelerate Your Mac, 08.22. Tips from two readers who have done it.
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."
Opinion: AppleWorks - or something - should be bundled with PowerBooks, Power Macs, Rodney O. Lain, Mac Observer, 08.22. iBook & iMac ship with it, and most PCs include MS Works or Office.
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."
Review: Mac OS 9.2.1 well done, Robert Accettura, MacVillage, 08.22.
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.
News: Mac OS 9.2.1 available for download. Helpful comments on Macs Only!, 08.22. You must have OS 9.1 or 9.2 installed before running the update.
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.
Opinion: Solar powered road warriors, Charles W. Moore, Mac Opinion, 08.21. Solar power for your PowerBook.
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!
MacInSchool: iBooks at home in school system's new mobile computer lab, Dennis Sellers, MacCentral, 08.20
Rights: Does this article violate the DMCA?, Grant Gross, NewsForge, 08.17. "...freedom of speech is getting its ass kicked by the DMCA."
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: Is the computer community really a den of thieves?, Charles W. Moore, Applelinks 08.17. A look at copyrights and copying.
Opinion: Making lemonade, Robert X. Cringely, I, Cringely, 08.16. Microsoft has removed Java from WinXP, broken support for QuickTime, and may be moving toward "TCP/MS."
Advice: Updating to OS 9.1 causes dialup connection to drop frequently, AppleTechs, 08.16.
Privacy: Web sites fail global privacy standards, Yahoo/Reuters, 08.16. Survey of 75 corporate sites finds none measure up to international privacy standards.
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."
History: How Apple change the future of computers, Jim Heid, Nando Times, 08.15. The significance of the Macintosh project for the face of computing.
Opinion: How Linux can breath new life into antiquated hardware, Charles W. Moore, Applelinks, 08.15.
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: 30 Macs, 30 PCs, 9 Mountain Dews, 1 Cherry Coke, Brad Smith, Mac Observer, 08.15. Setting up a 30 PC lab in six hours or so - and a 30 iMac lab in 70 minutes.
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.
News: FBI announces arrest of 24-year-old British hacker, Yahoo/Reuters, 08.14. Apparent designer of "Leaves worm" apprehended.
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."
Advocacy: Help disprove the MHz Myth, join SETI@home, Bryan Chaffin, Mac Observer, 08.14. According to SETI@home, Macs are faster than Pentia.
Opinion: A modest proposal to Apple management: You need to sell Apple logo merchandise, Rodney O. Lain, Mac Observer, 08.14. No, the Apple store doesn't sell t-shirts, pens, bumper stickers, etc.
Web: Clinton Yelvington's online Apple museum.
Opinion: Does Apple matter?, SiliconValley.com, 08.13. Gil Amelio, Monish Bhatia, Jean-Louis Gassée, Dan Gillmor, Shawn King, Jef 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.
Huh? Microsoft Officeô Keyboard powers up on productivity, PRNewswire, 08.13. Has innovative keys like cut, copy, paste, and undo - just like my old Apple Extended Keyboard.
History: 20 years of the IBM Personal Computer, IBM, 08.12. It was 20 years ago today that IBM joined the personal computing revolution.
Dark Side: Microsoft releases tool to eliminate "obvious effects" of Code Red II, Microsoft, 08.11. Removes malicious files, reboots system, removes mappings worm uses, can permanently disable IIS, and should be run twice.
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, Cnet, 08.10. "Code Red III worm spreads even faster than earlier versions and leaves a wider 'back door'...."
Dark Side: Code Red alive and well; MS patch not helping?, John H. Farr, Applelinks, 08.10. And now we have Code Red III to contend with. :-(
History: IBM PC turns 20, Cnet, 08.10.
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.
Web: Block X10 popunder for 30 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?"
Dark Side: Microsoft may have been victim of Code Red worm, SF Gate, 08.08 [ Slashdot]. "...some of its MSN Hotmail servers were infected with a Code Red virus." Guess they don't install their own security patches. ;-)
Rights: They made him feel like a criminal, St. Petersburg Times, 08.08 [ Slashdot]. Oops, surveillance camera, misidentification lead to visit by Tampa police.
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.
Advice: Connecting two Macs using an ethernet crossover cable, Charles W. Moore, Applelinks, 08.08.
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!"
Opinion: Where the hell is the back content?, Tim Robertson, MyMac.com, 08.07. How accessible are the archives on popular Mac sites?
Virus: New virus travels in PDF files, Stephen Shankland, Cnet, 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.
News: AT&T WorldNet installs Brightmail solution suite, anti-virus solution powered by Symantec, Yahoo/PRNewswire, 08.07. 24x7 antiviral, antispam service for AT&T customers.
Tech: The emerging race for faster busses, David K. Every, iGeek, 08.07. Why HyperTransport is being embraced by the computer industry.
Dark Side: Code Red II crashes dinner for Internet experts, Yahoo/Reuters, 08.06. Latest Windows worm spreads fast, installs "back door" for future access.
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.
Ouch: My WallStreet PowerBook just died - and I just finished paying for it!, Rodney O. Lain, Mac Observer, 08.03. Moral of the story: Always buy AppleCare on a portable Mac.
News: Apple defeats patent infringement claims again, Tony Smith, The Register, 08.03. Imatec's claim that ColorSync infringes their 1998 patent thrown out of court.
Consumer: Week's best iBook, PowerBook deals, PowerBook Central, 08.03.
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.
Dark Side: Bill for Code Red: $1.2 billion and rising, ZDNet, 08.01. Another reason not to use a Windows-based Web server.
Low End: Add a 6 GB hard drive to your PowerBook 1x0, PowerBook Central, 08.01. You can do it, but who would invest $399 in upgrading such an old computer?
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."
Update: Microsoft offers "zilch, zero" to PCs for Kids, Remy Davison, Insanely Great Mac, 08.01. "Ever heard the one about the guy who steals from the poor to give to the rich?"
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."

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