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The Low End Mac Link Archive, August 2002
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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.
OS X: Default
Folder X v1.6.2, St. Clair Software, 08.31. "This version
includes a number of fixes for problems with Mac OS 10.2 and other
compatibility issues."
News:
Apple's Xserve appeals to new breed, Ashlee Vance, InfoWorld,
08.30. In a tight hardware market, Apple's Xserve has become an
unexpected hit.
Software: TextSoap
3.2 good to go, John H. Farr, Applelinks, 08.30. "This is
actually a press release, but we're running it under our own byline
because we have extensive experience with the product and love it
to death." Ditto.
OS X: Apple keeps
x86 torch lit with "Marklar", M Rothenberg, N. dePlume, eWeek,
08.30. "[Apple] has been working steadily on maintaining current,
PC-compatible builds of its Unix-based OS."
Dark Side: Legal
threat to Windows, Andy McCue, vnunet.com, 08.30. "By contract,
[PC makers] have to report any customer that requests naked PCs and
it often triggers a software audit by Microsoft."
Opinion: Newton
X: Why Apple needs to go this way, Anthony Frausto-Robled,
Architosh, 08.29. "The Newton should come back to challenge
Microsoft's Tablet PC initiatives...."
Hardware: SuperMac
Insider, Kennedy Brandt, 08.29. Umax's SuperMac site is gone,
but this former SuperMac insider has built an even better one.
Spam: Spam "worse
than ever", Peter Cohen, MacCentral, 08.29. "As anyone who has
an e-mail account knows, the abuse of spam - unwanted bulk e-mail -
is on the rise."
Web:
Meet Mr. Anti-Google, Farhad Manjoo, Salon, 08.29. "Daniel
Brandt is a 54-year-old webmaster in San Antonio, Texas, and he's
not a fan of Google."
Opinion: Getting
pro-active, Garry Barker, The Age, 08.29. "...far from pulling
in its horns, [Apple] is announcing new hardware and software
faster than ever, and continuing to cut prices."
Web: Netscape's share
continues to shrink, Matthew Broersma, ZDNet UK, 08.28. "IE has
now reached 96 percent market penetration, according to
StatMarket...."
Web:
Keep it simple, Peter-Paul Koch, DigitalWeb, 08.28. "Why do
people make complex sites? When does a site become too
complex?"
News: Jaguar
"sold out in UK", Dominique Fidele, Macworld UK, 08.28. "Most
resellers have either sold-out of 10.2 &endash; known as Jaguar
in the US &endash; or simply haven't been able to get hold of
it...."
Opinion:
Apple's Jaguar leaps ahead of Windows, Charles Haddad,
BusinessWeek, 08.28. "The new version of OS X once more gives Macs
clear superiority in operating systems."
Advice: The Jaguar report:
What if your Mac isn't ready?, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl,
08.28. "The real question is, however, whether you can expect much
in the way of performance on those older models."
Rights:
Canadian ISPs could take on Big Brother role, Slashdot, 08.27.
"...the Canadian Government is considering a proposal that would
force ISPs to keep logs of web browsing for up to 6 months."
Opinion:
OS 9.2.2 boosts Pismo performance, Charles W. Moore, Mac
Opinion, 08.27. "...the Pismo is significantly faster running under
OS 9.2.2 than it has been under OS 9.1, especially for Web
work...."
OS X: XPostFacto 2.2
available, Ryan Rempel, Other World Computing, 08.27. Utility
allows installation of Mac OS X on "unsupported" hardware.
Opinion: The
future of the Linux desktop, Vincent Danen, Freezer-Burn,
08.26. With Mac OS X 10.2, "Linux has no future on PPC hardware as
a desktop."
Benchmarks: New
867MP versus 1000MP, Bare Feats, 08.26. How does the new G4/867
dual compare with the new G4/1 GHz dual?
Review: Netscape
Communicator 4.8 mini-review, Charles W. Moore, Applelinks,
08.26. "Communicator is technically faster on many pages, but iCab
is a lot more efficient...."
Review:
Review: Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar, Pudge, Slashdot, 08.26. "...I am
using Mac OS X as my primary OS right now, and it's the least
painful it's ever been."
.mac: Minting
money (.mac revisited), Robert Paul Leitau, Mac Observer,
08.26. "One year of .Mac.com service plus two e-mail only addresses
and the family pack of OS X, 10.2 have only cost me $270...."
Opinion:
Buy or hold?, Chris Taylor, Time, 08.26. "If you're a Mac user
who's been holding out on OS X, it could be time to play around
with a furry feline."
Opinion:
Apple may ride Jaguar into mobile computing, James Coates,
Chicago Tribune, 08.25. "Jaguar is crammed with features and
improvements that would lend themselves nicely to mobile
computing...."
Apple:
Apple can't keep up with demand for newest iMac, Jon Swartz,
USA Today, 08.25. "Apple Computer's sleek new 17-inch flat-panel
iMac is so popular that some buyers have to wait weeks to get
one."
OS X:
Apple turns search engine into concierge, James Coates, Chicago
Tribune, 08.25. "Mac OS X 10.2 is far bigger than just Sherlock 3,
but this one huge improvement in how people can use their Macs
stands out far more for most users than the rest."
Forum: Jaguar
first impressions, MacSlash, 08.24. What new features do you
like? Was it worth it? What's still missing?
Advice:
Setting up a site server with Jaguar, James Duncan Davidson,
O'Reilly Network, 08.24. "...almost all of the software to set up a
heavyweight, full-fledged site server - a machine that not only
serves Web pages, but handles DNS and mail as well - is already on
your machine?"
OS X: RageLTPro
patch for MacOS X (10.2), James Denton, 08.23. Jaguar doesn't
support accelerated graphics on Lombard PowerBook. This patch
does.
Analysis: Cost
analysis: Upgrading to OS X 10.2, Damien Barrett,
mrbarrett.com, 08.23. The benefits of upgrading the Macintosh
computers to Apple's newest operating system are numerous.
News: BT
loses hypertext claim, Tim Richardson, The Register, 08.23. BT
patent does not apply to hypertext links. The Web is saved.
Advice: Resolving
conflicts with Extensions Manager, Charles W. Moore,
Applelinks, 08.22. "As a general rule, it is advantageous to turn
off any extensions you don't need...."
Spam: Internet
can level the political playing field, M. McCurry, L. Purpuro,
BayArea.com, 08.22. "We believe e-mail is no more intrusive than
direct mail, telemarketing or TV advertising when it comes to
politicians seeking to reach voters." Yikes!
Review:
Mac OS 10.2 reviewed, David Pogue, New York Times, 08.22.
"Apple, long a victim of idea theft by Microsoft, saw no reason not
to borrow (and improve on) a few good ideas from Windows XP,
too."
Web: MSN coming to
Mac OS X, Jim Dalrymple, MacCentral, 08.22. I'm sure Mac users
have been longing to have Microsoft as their ISP.
Web:
An ad-free Web might be a barren place, Jonathan Krim,
Washington Post, 08.22. "...the pop-up blocker has renewed my
appreciation for Internet advertising."
Rights: California
warns home schoolers, Ellen Sorokin, Washington Times, 08.21.
State Deputy Superintendent: "Parents who home-school their
children are operating outside the law."
Tech: Sony Ericsson P-800
phone, Damien Barrett, mrbarrett.com, 08.21. Phone is a nice
size, has Bluetooth, and includes a PDA operating system.
Dark Side: Why the new MS
licensing Ts & Cs are important, John Lettice, The
Register, 08.21. "...you will not be able to obtain fixes to the
product you have already paid for without being forced to agree to
whatever new terms the software industry . . . find
convenient."
Rights: Copyright
infringement in the news, Slashdot, 08.21. "The DOJ announced
that they are planning to prosecute filesharers under the the No
Electronic Theft ('NET') Act."
Tech: Power Mac
tests spark debate, M. Rothenberg, N. dePlum, eWeek, 08.21.
"Are the dual Motorola PowerPC G4 processors within each Power Mac
able to draw on the architectural enhancements being touted by
Apple?"
AAPL: Apple
execs began buying AAPL stock in July, Bryan Chaffin, Mac
Observer, 08.21. "Stock buying and selling by corporate executives
. . . is often an early indicator of the confidence
. . . executives have in their own company's
future."
Forum: I need 10
reasons to use Macs, Mac Observer, 08.21. Graphics dept.
required to provide concrete reasons for sticking with Macs instead
of going Win2k.
Upgrade: Seeking sounds
of silence, Bob Snow, O'Grady's PowerPage, 08.21. "...a recent
[hard drive] upgrade has brought me peace and quiet along with
significantly more storage and faster rotational speed."
Spam:
Spam's other victims, Dan Gillmor, SiliconValley.com, 08.21. "I
loathe spam as much as anyone, but the vigilantes are taking over
the town - and the results are grotesque."
OS X: Youpi
Key, Youpi, 08.21. Freeware keyboard macro program for OS X
10.1 and later.
OS X: The Jaguar Report: The
first wish list for Mac OS X 10.3, Gene Steinberg, Mac
Night Owl, 08.21. "...this report will focus on the features that
didn't make the cut into Jaguar and what I'd like to see in a
future system release."
Opinion:
What Mac fans want from Microsoft, Charles Haddad,
BusinessWeek, 08.21. "First, Gates & Co. has only itself to
blame for the disappointing sales of Office X, in the opinion of
many."
Humor: HyperCard
crisis threatens Mac community's ability to track crap, Crazy
Apple Rumors, 08.20. "With no clear migration strategy for
thousands of HyperCard stacks being used to track its collections
of comic books, Star Wars action figures and Hummels...."
Spam: Adios, SpamCop,
Damien Barrett, mrbarrett.com, 08.20. "I can no longer in good
conscience continue to use (and therefore support) SpamCop."
Opinion:
What's next for Apple's Book brigade?, Charles W. Moore, Mac
Opinion, 08.20. "Another question is whether Apple will stick with
a metal case for the next PowerBook generation."
Analysis:
Apple's Mac muscles in, Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe, 08.20.
"...OS X has already made inroads among scientists and
engineers."
News: .mac services
extension, RAILhead Design, 08.20. "...the Mother Ship has
extended the first year of membership to September 30, 2003."
News: Mac figurehead
hits his Waterloo, Leander Kahney, Wired, 08.20. "Shane
Anderson, the 'list dad' of the once-mighty Mac EvangeList mailing
list, is in jail after being charged with two
misdemeanors...."
Web: PayBITS:
Acknowledging the value of information, Adam C. Engst, TidBITS,
08.20. "If you find an article valuable or particularly interesting
. . . click the author's PayBITS link to compensate them
directly...."
Rights: IWT bans
RIAA from accessing its network, Information Wave Technologies,
08.19. ISP blocks RIAA to protect users from "risk of unintentional
damage, corporate espionage, and invasion of privacy" by RIAA.
News:
Earthlink software helps banish pop-up ads, Reshma Kapadia,
Yahoo/Reuters, 08.19. "About 4.1 billion pop-up ads are served on
the Internet, and we have had consumers tell us that is the most
annoying experience on the Internet."
OS X: Jaguar is fast
but..., Jake Savin, Jake's Radio 'Blog, 08.19. "There are two
deal-stoppers for me...."
Web: Let
users control font size, Jakob Nielsen, Useit.com, 08.19.
"Because so many sites have made bad decisions regarding font size,
users commonly need to change it."
Opinion: "iPhone"
on Apple's horizon?, Peter Cohen, MacCentral, 08.19. That would
solve the problem with phones that don't support the Mac OS.
News:
XPostFacto updated to 2.2b17, Ryan Rempel, Other World
Computing, 08.18. "The most serious is that Jaguar simply does not
work with the 603 or 604 processor...."
Software: Netscape Communicator 4.8
released, MacNN, 08.16. Well what do you know, the old browser
for the classic Mac OS has been updated.
Web: 10 tips for
writing on the Web, Mark Bernstein, A List Apart, 08.16. "If
you know your facts and have done your homework, you have a right
to your opinion. State it clearly."
Dark Side: Intel, PC
makers sued over P4 performance, Tom Mainelli, PCWorld, 08.16.
Group has filed suit against Intel, HP, and Gateway "alleging the
companies misled them into believing the Pentium 4 was a superior
processor to Intel's own Pentium III...."
Huh?: Gov't
shows "core competency of losing computers", Peter Cohen,
MacCentral, 08.16. "I'm worried that just as clothes dryers have
the knack of making socks disappear, the federal government has
discovered a core competency of losing computers."
Review: Mac OS X
10.2 Jaguar, Jason Snell, MacCentral, 08.16. Interface tweaks,
functional improvements, and better performance among Jaguar
values.
Advocacy: I
have a dream, David Strom, TechWeb, 08.16. "Windows has to go
from our desktops. It is time for the 'nixes (Unix, Linux, and
Apple's OS X) to play a more major role...."
Advice: Migrate to
OS X 10.2 with a clean install, Dan Frakes, Macworld, 08.16.
"Although you can update your existing OS X system to 10.2,
you may encounter several problems (including crashing
applications) after doing so."
Benchmarks: New
DDR 1GHz MP Power Mac versus "old" SDRAM version, Bare Feats,
08.15. "...the new DDR Power Mac has no apparent performance
advantage over the old SDRAM Power Mac running at the same clock
speed."
Deal: Apple gives
break to multi-Mac homes, Ian Fried, c|net, 08.15. "Under the
plan . . . consumers can buy a $199 a copy of the
operating system and install it on up to five Macs in a single
household."
Opinion: Apple's
wider iMac screen, Jaguar system are big steps, Walter S.
Mossberg, Wall Street Journal, 08.15. "...Apple is introducing
family pricing for Jaguar. The company will sell for $199 a family
version that can be legally installed on up to five computers."
News to us!
Dark Side:
Arrogance, thy name is Microsoft, Charles Haddad, BusinessWeek,
08.14. "...nearly 40% of those surveyed said they were so outraged
that they would actively consider alternatives to Office and
Windows."
Rights: Intel case tests
e-mail as free speech, Allyce Bess, MSNBC, 08.14. "At issue is
whether an unwanted, unsolicited e-mail can be actionable as a form
of trespass." Sounds like spam!
Rights: Can the
digital hub survive Hollywood?, Cory Doctorow, TidBITS, 08.13.
"Hollywood . . . is calling for a new law that would give
it ultimate control over the design of every device capable of
handling digital television signals."
News: InterView for Mac OS
X, EchoFX, 08.13. EchoFX now handling drivers for XLR8
InterView.
Opinion:
Making .mac right, Bryan Chaffin, Mac Observer, 08.13.
"Charging for .Mac really makes sense from the standpoint of
Apple's business model, as well as the realities of today's
Internet."
Analysis: Analyst:
Dual processors a "smart move", Jim Dalrymple, MacCentral,
08.13. "The all dual line-up takes advantage of what we're doing
with Mac OS X."
Web: Re-launched OSNews
is now one year old, Eugenia Loli-Queru, OSNews, 08.13. Site
has excellent coverage of Mac OS, Linux, Windows, and lots of other
operating systems.
Opinion: AOL and Apple: Made
for each other, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl, 08.13. "When I
first joined AOL as a 'charter' member in 1989, the landscape was
barren, but confined to Mac users."
Rights: EU
recycling law hits Apple, Macworld UK, 08.13. Now if we could
make car manufacturers responsible for disposing of abandoned
cars....
Forum: New G4s to arrive
tomorrow, Ron Carlson, Insanely Great Mac, 08.19. "...the
modest 250MHz speed increase at the high-end is greatly
disappointing."
News: XLR8
re-thinking business strategy, MacMinute, 08.19. "...the Mac
upgrade and peripheral maker is re-assessing its business model and
may not go out of business entirely."
Opinion: iGouge
or simply a good business decision?, Rob McNair-Huff, Mac Net
Journal, 08.19. "Apple has shown . . . that in the small market
where it holds a monopoly . . . it is more than willing to stop
innovation in an effort to direct more dollars to the company
coffers."
Humor: In the
year 2525, Joy of Tech, 08.19. Ellen "is she stoned?" Feiss as
Mona Switcher.
Opinion:
Is Apple a company you can trust?, Bryan Chaffin, Mac Observer,
08.19. "...if Apple wants to continue to make money . . . we need
to not feel like we were being screwed...."
Software: New AOL for
Mac OS X arrives, Dennis Sellers, MacCentral, 08.19. AOL for
Mac OS X "totally redesigned to look and feel like a true Mac
application."
Advocacy: Apple and
IBM, Norman D. Shutler, CoolMac, 08.10. Why Apple should adopt
IBM's new Power4-based chip for future high-end Macs.
Dark Side:
Dell no longer selling systems w/o Microsoft OS, Slashdot,
08.10. "New Microsoft contract rules stipulate that we can no
longer offer the 'NO OS' option to our customers beyond September
1st."
Web: Apple "Switch"
star flies high, Leander Kahney, Wired, 08.10. "Teenager Ellen
Feiss, the 'is-she-stoned?' star of one of Apple's new 'Switch'
ads, is quickly becoming a Web celebrity...."
Analysis: Microsoft, FTC
Passport settlement: More consumer fraud?, Jill Eriksson,
osOpinion, 08.09. "Microsoft got 20 years - two decades - of
government surveillance over their Passport identification system
for misleading customers...."
Opinion: Why ads on the
Net don't work, Bill Thompson, BBC, 08.09. "I don't want
intrusive adverts, but I don't mind commercial links."
Advice:
Homemade dot-Mac with OS X, Alan Graham, O'Reilly Network,
08.09. "...Mac OS X is packed full of features that make many
aspects of .Mac unnecessary."
Forum:
PowerPC goes 64 bit, Slashdot, 08.09. "Apple would be a fool
not to jump on this CPU for their high-end workstations or low cost
servers."
Analysis: Will Apple put
Intel inside?, Arik Hesseldahl, Forbes, 08.09. "The PowerPC has
a lot to do with what makes a Mac distinctly different from a
Windows-based PC."
Review: AppDisk and
ramBunctious RAM disk applications, Charles W. Moore,
Applelinks, 08.09. "For my purposes, as a speed booster for Web
browsing, both programs proved very satisfactory."
Digicams: Fuji FinePix 3800
Zoom, Digigraphica, 08.08. "Based on features and price, we
expect the 3800 to be a strong contender when it ships in
September."
Digicams: Fuji FinePix A203
Zoom, Digigraphica, 08.08. Compact 2 MP digicam with 3x zoom to
sell for $280.
Digicams: Fuji FinePix A200,
Digigraphica, 08.08. Compact 2 MP digicam will sell for
US$180.
Opinion: My
name is Ms. Duh, and I'm a macmac..., D. Martin, RandomMaccess,
08.07. "My eyes got big and my hands inexplicably started fondling
the machines."
Analysis: Identity thieves:
Make an arresting development, Elizabeth Millard, osOpinion,
08.06. "...if we want to boost e-commerce potential, there must be
specific laws geared toward punishing identity thieves, and justice
must include incarceration."
Advocacy:
Apple trying to get people to switch, Michael Woods, Corpus
Christi Caller-Times, 08.06. "Macs are probably the best all-around
computers available today."
Advice: OS
X user accounts, Charles W. Moore, Applelinks, 08.06. "OS X
. . . is engineered from scratch as a multiple-user
operating system...."
Deal: MacWarehouse
offers $30 rebate on Jaguar, Rob McNair-Huff, Mac Net Journal,
08.06. "MacWarehouse is offering a $30 rebate on the purchase of
Mac OS X 10.2...."
Advice: PayPal password
scam, O'Grady's PowerPage, 08.05. "I just recieved this email
requesting my PayPal password, and I stupidly replied...."
Opinion: Open
letter to Apple about Jaguar, Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network,
08.04. "Offer Jaguar at a reduced price for existing Mac OS X
users."
Digicams: xD-Picture
Cards, Dan Knight, Digigraphica, 08.02. Does the new xD-Picture
card have the potential to displace Secure Digital on the small end
of the memory card spectrum?
Opinion: The cost of
secrecy, Bob Snow, O'Grady's PowerPage, 08.02. "Due to the high
level of security surrounding Apple product development, it is not
possible to test user's perception of pricing prior to product
announcements."
Opinion:
Do you still boot into OS 9?, Rob McNair-Huff, Mac Net Journal,
08.02. User comments on how often (or rarely) they boot into
OS 9 these days.
Web:
Quantifying paid content, Rich Gordon, E-Media Tidbits, 08.02.
"9.2% of the U.S. Internet population . . . paid for
online content in Q1 2002."
Opinion: My
WallStreet has died, Charles W. Moore, Applelinks, 08.02.
"After never missing a beat - not even a hiccup - in more than
three and a half years of daily use, my faithful WallStreet
PowerBook suddenly croaked...."
Opinion: Why
I haven't switched to Mac OS X, Gregory Tetrault, ATPM, 08.02.
The cost of OS X plus new software and new hardware is
prohibitive.
Opinion: New
PowerBook is fast, but is it a two-in-one?, Bob Levitus,
Houston Chronicle, 08.02. "The PowerBook G4/800 was the first
PowerBook powerful enough for me to consider as my one and only
Mac."
News: Apple to slam
lid on Mac OS 9, D. Turner, M. Rothenberg, eWeek, 08.02. "A
tweak to new models in its Macintosh line of desktop and portable
computers will prevent booting into Mac OS 9, sources said,
leaving the Unix-based Mac OS X as the sole operating
system."
Review: Mac ARA Modem
Magic 5.5, Charles W. Moore, Applelinks, 08.02. "...the Modem
Magic scripts do seem to hold onto connections more tenaciously,
and dropped connections have been extremely rare since I started
using them."
Analysis: Is Apple really
responsible for low Office sales?, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night
Owl, 08.02. "...the real issue is whether Mac users feel the need
to pay full price for a version of Office that is basically
prettier to look at and not much else."
Rights:
Journalists are from Mars, IT managers are from Venus, Steve
Outing, E-Media Tidbits, 08.02. "...a poorly implemented technology
solution is dictating what words I can use in my publications and
even my private messages."
Analysis: Could Apple go
subscription?, Oliver Thylmann, OSNews, 08.01. "Let's suppose
Apple were to move into services with force and stop 'selling' the
OS. It is part of the service."
Forum:
Disk defragmentation utility, MacSlash, 08.01. What do you use
to defragment and otherwise optimize your OS X hard drive?
Advice: Liquid
design: Go with the flow, Tioka Internet, 08.01. The term
liquid implies that a website should flow smoothly into whatever
space it is given.
News: 
Rights: 
Spam: