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 2003
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.
Dark Side:
Don't rely on Microsoft, trade group urges Homeland Security,
Tony Smith, TechWeb, 08.31. "The Computer & Communications
Industry Association has urged the Department of Homeland Security
to reconsider its decision to use Microsoft software on its desktop
and server systems...."
Opinion: Planning a trip?
Don't forget the scanner, Jim Rossman, Dallas Morning News,
08.31. Why taking your laptop, scanner, cell phone, digicam,
digital camcorder, and iPod on vacation can be a very good
idea.
Opinion: Switch!,
Mitch Kapor, Mitch Kapor's Weblog, 08.30. "Total Microsoft
dependence significantly reduced, though not eliminated."
Benchmarks: G5
versus G5 versus G5, Bare Feats, 08.29. All three Power Mac G5
models compared with most recent Power Mac G4 models.
OS X: Thirteen
days of uptime and still performing nicely, Charles W. Moore,
OS X Odyssey, Applelinks, 08.29. "The cool thing is that after
nearly two weeks of uptime . . . performance has hardly
deteriorated since the memory usage became maxed out on about day
2."
Dark Side:
Microsoft seeks cash from IM client makers, Joris Evers, IDG,
08.29. Microsoft provides MSN Messenger for free and allows users
to use their messaging service for free - but wants software makers
whose software interoperates with MSN Messenger to pay a fee.
News:
FBI to arrest teen in Internet attack, Ted Bridis, Washington
Post, 08.29. "The FBI has identified a teenager as the author of a
damaging virus-like infection unleashed on the Internet and plans
to arrest him early Friday...."
AAPL: AAPL
advisory: Apple sets a new 52-week high, Robert Paul Leitau,
Apple Stock Watch, Mac Observer, 08.29. "On Thursday Apple Computer
(AAPL) set a new 52-week high of US$22.22 before closing at
US$22.19 for the day."
Analysis: Size
doesn't matter, Jason Deraleau, O'Reilly Network, 08.28.
"Security is a core goal of every Unix project. Yet on Windows, it
almost seems that security is an afterthought."
Opinion:
Sobig, so what - Why should Mac users care?, Jim Dalrymple,
08.28. "...while Macintosh computers were not affected by the virus
and didn't spread the worm, Mac users have been indirectly affected
by this latest outbreak."
Spam: EarthLink targets
100 spammers, Tim Richardson, The Register, 08.28. "US ISP
EarthLink is on the hunt for around 100 spammers it claims are
guilty of sending more than 250 million junk emails."
Hardware: Logitech
Click!, Galen Wiley, Inside Mac Games, 08.27. "...the Click! is
an affordable, reasonably featured mouse for regular users who
specialize in productivity."
Humor: Hall of
technical documentation weirdness, Darren Barefoot, 08.27. "On
this page, I list wacky, bizarre, surreal and otherwise strange
examples of technical documentation, particularly
illustration."
Dark Side: Power Mac G5 not as
open to Windows, Ina Fried, c|net, 08.27. Now that Microsoft
owns Virtual PC, G5 owners may have to wait a year before they can
run the program.
Dark Side:
Dumb software for dumb people, Farhad Manjoo, Salon, 08.27.
"...a year and a half since Gates sent his memo, it doesn't seem as
if Microsoft is doing much better."
Software:
Macintosh browser smackdown, Eric Bangeman, ars technica,
08.27. With nine browsers available for OS X, which is the
best?
Software: Virtual
PC no-go on G5, Macworld UK, 08.27. Oops, Microsoft's latest
update to Virtual PC isn't ready for the Power Mac G5 yet.
Rights:
iTunes economics and a comparison to writing, Rob McNair-Huff,
Mac Net Journal, 08.26. "The Downhillbattle.org Web site tears into
Apple for the economics behind its iTunes Music Store, but the
site's authors are missing a big part of the story."
Opinion: Latest
virus shows Windows' weaknesses, Andy Ihnatko, Chicago
Sun-Times, 08.26. "Windows XP has so many holes in its security
that any reasonable user will conclude it was designed by the same
German officer who created the prison compound in 'Hogan's
Heroes.'"
Dark Side: Microsoft: IM
party's over, Matt Hicks, eWeek, 08.26. Once a proponent of
open messaging standards, MS now says, "The way third-party
services are being built without our permission, we don't know who
is on the network."
Dark Side: SoBig.F
Windows virus cost the world as much as US$1 billion, Bryan
Chaffin, Mac Observer, 08.26. "According to BusinessWeek, SoBig.f,
the latest viral craze to sweep the Internet . . . alone cost as
much as US$1 billion in lost productivity."
Opinion: Getting
burnt by Apple, Kray Mitchell, Inside Apple, 08.26. "There are
many times in the day that Apple makes me want to pull out all my
hair, strip down naked, smear myself with peanut butter, and run
screaming through the streets...."
Low End:
AppleGEOS released as freeware, Breadbox, 08.26. Early Mac-like
GUI operating system for the old Apple II series now available as a
free download.
Analysis: Doing
business, Del Miller, Difference Engine, Mac Opinion, 08.25.
Why Apple can no longer afford to ignore the business market.
Dark Side:
Microsoft Windows: Insecure by design, Rob Pegoraro, Washington
Post, 08.24. "In its default setup, Windows XP on the Internet
amounts to a car parked in a bad part of town, with the doors
unlocked, the key in the ignition and...."
Virus:
SQL Server worm on the loose, Lisa Vaas, eWeek, 08.22. "A worm
code-named 'Voyager Alpha Force' that targets Microsoft Corp. SQL
Server databases is roaming the Internet...." Other versions of SQL
seem to be unaffected.
Virus: Sobig-F timed for
Trojan download tonight?, John Leyden, The Register, 08.22.
"The prolific mass-mailing Sobig-F email worm, which has flooded
computer users this week, could attempt to download a Trojan horse
tonight, anti-virus companies are warning."
Opinion: eMac named
as 'starving student' desktop choice, Dennis Sellers,
MacCentral, 08.22. "ZDNet says the eMac is an 'affordable
all-in-one Mac system with adequate speed and a 17-inch
display.'"
Macinschool:
City schools infected by worm virus, Robyn L. Minor, Bowling
Green Daily News, 08.21. City schools crippled by Windows worms,
but county schools have no problems - they're Macs.
Virus:
What, me worry?, David Zeiler, The Mac Experience, SunSpot.net,
08.21. There are only about 50 viruses for the classic Mac OS - and
70,000 or so for Windows. And not a single one written for OS X so
far.
Advice: Switching to
Macs can help users avoid hassle of viruses, Walter S.
Mossberg, Wall Street Journal, 08.21. "...if you are tired of all
the patches and of worrying about viruses, switching to a Mac could
bring you great relief."
Virus: Microsoft
systems life-threatening?, John H. Farr, Applelinks, 08.21.
"...we think that when Microsoft-enabled computer viruses cripple
networks that communicate with devices designed to prevent trains
from crashing into one another, that's big news."
Opinion: Apple's window of
opportunity, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl, 08.21. Next
revision of Windows - Longhorn - not expected until 2004, will add
many features Mac OS X already has.
Rights: The return of
DontBuyMusic, MacTeens, 08.20. "Well folks, DontBuyMusic has
met the demands of BuyMusic and we are now back in action."
Virus:
Was yesterday the day email died?, Rob McNair-Huff, Mac Net
Journal, 08.20. "I am having a very hard time not blaming Microsoft
on the one hand and email users who keep clicking on attachments
without thinking on the other hand."
Opinion: Are Macs becoming
respectable?, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl, 08.20. "As prices
go, Macs have become mighty competitive, especially if you consider
the long-term upkeep costs."
Virus:
W32.Squirm@mm, Symantec, 08.20. Third Windows virus in less
than a week, this one infects Win95-NT using Outlook, ICQ, and
P-to-P file sharing programs.
Rights:
Recording,
movie industries appeal file-trading ruling, Grant Gross,
MacCentral, 08.20. "...entertainment groups have appealed . . .
Court ruling saying that operators of two file-sharing services are
not liable for any copyright infringement . . . on their
networks."
Virus: World
squirms as Sobig returns, c|net, 08.19. "The Sobig e-mail virus
that caused havoc two months ago has reappeared in a virulent new
form...."
Dark Side: Microsoft
to lock down MSN Messenger network, Joris Evers, MacCentral,
08.19. Remember when Microsoft was promoting open standards for
messaging software in hopes of gaining access to AOL's users?
Forum:
Beige G3 resurrection project, Slashdot, 08.19. Author wants to
upgrade a G3/266 so he can run OS X, but many respondents urge
replacing the whole thing.
Opinion: Don't tell anyone
Macs are more secure, Gene Steinberg, Mac Net Journal, 08.19.
"... don't become overconfident that it can't happen here. It has
and it will."
Opinion: OK, Apple -
you win, Chad Dickerson, Chad Dickerson's Weblog, InfoWorld,
08.18. "...I decided to give OS X a more serious whirl . . .
and I'm head over heels - I've asked the G4 to move in for
good."
Advice:
When's the right time to buy a new 'Book?, Charles Moore, Road
Warrior, Mac Opinion, 08.18. "It's impossible to generalize about
the appropriate time to upgrade one's 'Book to a newer, faster
machine."
Forum:
Used Mac portables?, MacSlash, 08.18. Why are used WallStreet
PowerBooks so expensive?
Rights:
The sad
tale of a security whistleblower, Mark Rasch, The Register,
08.18. "...the government here has stretched the federal computer
crime statute to include not only attacks on computers or networks,
but the dissemination of information about vulnerabilities."
Virus:
RPC DCOM cleanup worm appears, Slashdot, 08.18. "...the worm
will actually clean up machines. It tries to download the correct
patches from Windows Update and remove the Blaster worm."
News: For
those needing 32 more bits, John Markoff, New York Times,
08.18. Apple has sold 100,000 Power Mac G5s - and they are expected
to begin reaching stores today.
MacInSchool:
Apple's school days are numbered, Slashdot, 08.17. "From an
administrative standpoint, it is a lot cheaper (in the short run)
to get a truckload of Dells for $400."
Humor: The
Nigerian SCO connection, ars technica, 08.17. "KINDLY TREAT
THIS REQUEST AS VERY IMPORTANT AND STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL."
Analysis: Apple in the
enterprise market, Damien Barrett, MrBarrett.com, 08.17. How
Xserve and OS X Server are helping Apple make inroads with
corporate IT departments.
Advice: AppleShare
IP black magic, Brad Suinn, MrBarrett.com, 09.14. Lots of good
tips for those still using AppleShare IP with the classic Mac
OS.
Opinion: My wife hates my
Mac, Tony Lawrence, 08.16. "I think at this point it is better
to just leave things as they are: her softly cursing as she types,
and me at the other end of the trailer rolling my eyes and biting
my tongue."
Rights:
DontBuyMusic.com
shut down by Buy.com, MacTeens.com, 08.15. "Popular
BuyMusic.com parody DontBuyMusic.com was shut down today at the
request of Buy.com's legal team."
Rights:
RIAA
methods under scrutiny, Wired, 08.15. "A Senate panel will hold
hearings on the recording industry's crackdown against online music
swappers...."
Dark Side: Microsoft
already under attack, John H. Farr, Applelinks, 08.15. "A
denial of service (DoS) attack apparently unrelated to the
W32.Blaster worm hit Microsoft's Windows Update site late yesterday
and is still going on...."
Analysis:
iMac turns 5 today: Looking back at launch, effect of iMac,
Bryan Chaffin, The Back Page, Mac Observer, 08.15. "It's easy to
take the all-in-one form factor for granted today, but at the time
the iMac was almost a novelty in its difference."
Spam: Do blackouts reduce
spam?, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl, 08.15. "While a lot of
spam supposedly emerges from servers located outside of the USA,
the amount of it reaching me went down sharply after the streets
darkened in the northeast."
Opinion: Why I keep
sticking with Eudora, Charles Moore, Applelinks, 08.15. "...I
would consider Eudora 6.0 as close to perfect as you can currently
get in a Mac email client."
Digicams: Fuji's SR
sensor technology - side by side results, Dave Etchells,
Imaging Resource, 08.10. "The tendency of digicams to totally lose
detail in strong highlights has been a persistent bugaboo from the
outset."
Benchmarks:
Dual 2 gig G5, jeremyw, Soundtrack Lounge, 08.12. Tests on a
prerelease G5 find it to be very fast compared to 933 MHz G4.
Opinion: May the
source be with you, Robert X. Cringely, I, Cringley, 08.14.
"...I think Macs threaten the livelihood of IT staffs."
MacInSchool:
With the apples arriving by e-mail, teachers adapt, Barnaby J.
Feder, New York Times, 08.14. Blogs and websites help teachers
interact with student. Palms and PocketPCs displacing desktops and
laptops as they grow in power.
Opinion: Should
PC users switch?, Del Miller, Difference Engine, Mac Opinion,
08.14. "If Windows XP is good enough then why should a PC user even
consider a Macintosh?"
Virus: More
worm news than you ever wanted, John H. Farr, Applelinks,
08.14. The Blaster worm "spreads without a vulnerable machine's
owner doing anything at all, other than having the PC hooked up to
the Internet or a LAN with an infected computer."
Opinion: Windows-bashing
Thursday continues, John H. Farr, Applelinks, 08.14. "Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me for the rest of the days of my
life, and I will dwell in the house of Mac forever."
Web: Internet
survives blackouts, Stephen Lawson, PC World, 08.14. "...there
were early signs that the Internet had survived the incident
without disruption, although cellular networks were clogged in some
areas."
Opinion:
Class action lawsuit against
Apple nets big legal fees, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl,
08.14. "It's said that the only winners in a class action lawsuit
are the attorneys who filed the action." $350,000 worth.
Digicam: FujiFilm FinePix S5000
or Minolta Dimage Z1?, Dan Knight, Digigraphica, 08.13. Which
provides the better value among 3 MP 10x zoom digicams, the new
FujiFilm FinePix S5000 or Minolta Dimage Z1?
Macinschool:
Apple's school days are numbered, Charles Haddad, Byte of the
Apple, BusinessWeek, 08.13. "Why should my child work on a Mac in
class when most people use PCs at home and in the office?"
Opinion: Man's
best friend, Marc Zeedar, Less Tangible, Mac Opinion, 08.12.
"...will I decide that Emailer, now that it's running smoother, is
still good for a few more years?"
Virus:
Be thankful for Apple's Software Update, Rob McNair-Huff, Mac
Net Journal, 08.12. "Software update may feel like an intrusion now
and then, but if Mac OS X ever becomes a platform for viruses and
worms . . . then Apple has taken a first positive step...."
Dark Side: Worm's spread shows
holes in patch system, Robert Lemos, c|net, 08.12. "The ability
of the MSBlast worm to spread has underscored the view that today's
methods of patching security flaws . . . is too time-consuming to
react to critical vulnerabilities."
Rights:
G3 OS X support suit reaches 'conditional settlement', Peter
Cohen, MacCentral, 08.12. "The agreement covers 'Bondi Blue' and
'Fruit'-colored tray-loading iMacs, several generations of Power
Mac G3, older iBooks, and PowerBook G3s up to and including the
'Lombard' series...."
Virus:
How Blaster worm affects Mac networks, MacMegasite, 08.12. A
single Windows PC on your network can wreak havoc due to the
Blaster worm. Blocking port 135 helps.
Deal: Hot
deal! 30 GB external FireWire drive for $49, Vectronic's Apple
World, 08.12. While they last, Shreve Systems has those ugly old
orange 30 GB VST FireWire hard drives for just $49.
Dark Side: Here we go
again, Charles Cooper, c|net, 08.12. "For the umpteenth time in
recent memory, companies around the globe were sent scrambling to
catch up with an Internet worm that penetrated a security hole in
Microsoft Windows."
Opinion: My Apple
does Java, Daniel Brookshier, Java.net, 08.12. "Why an Apple?
Because it is as close to Linux as I can get without having to
install it myself."
Rights:
FTC
cracks down on Web marketers, Joris Evers, PC World, 08.12.
Business "hawks Web presence over the phone and then assesses its
targets on their phone bill without their authorization."
Virus: MSBlaster worm
spreading rapidly, John Leyden, The Register, 08.12. "A worm
that exploits a critical Remote Procedure Call (RPC) flaw to infect
vulnerable Windows machines is spreading rapidly across the
Internet this morning."
Opinion: It's the
World Wide Web, CodeBitch, MacEdition, 08.11. "...I
can't read and understand the non-English blog postings referring
to MacEdition's resources, but the people who posted those links
clearly can read those resources...."
Analysis: Bullish
on Apple: But why?, Del Miller, Difference Engine, Mac Opinion,
08.11. "Apple's development plan is one of such scope and
complexity that I find it astonishing that they have been able to
succeed as well as they have."
Advice:
Which iBook to buy?, Charles Moore, Road Warrior, Mac Opinion,
08.11. "With the fact that the current iBook is getting toward the
end of its model life in mind, it's still a sweet and capable
little machine, and a great value."
Dark Side:
My trip to Windows hell . . . and back, David Coursey, ZDNet,
08.11. "As much as I love Norton SystemWorks and as highly as I
recommend it, should I really have to buy third-party software to
solve Microsoft's problem? I don't think so."
Opinion:
Why upgrade for the sake of upgrading?, Rob McNair-Huff, Mac
Net Journal, 08.11. "Rest assured though that once you do move to
Mac OS X, after an initial learning period, you will find the
benefits of the OS outweigh the downsides."
Opinion: Consumer
Reports repeats silly Mac myths, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night
Owl, 08.10. "Consumer Reports has been publishing incorrect
information on Macs for years, even if the products get pretty good
ratings in its tests."
Opinion: Evolution,
Damien Barrett, MrBarrett.com, 08.09. "There's nothing wrong with
Mac OS 9, except that it's a dead OS. Apple end-of-lifed (EOL'd)
it. There is no more support for it."
Opinion: John
Droz Jr. on OS X vs OS 9, Charles Moore, OS X Odyssey,
Applelinks, 08.08. "...why in the world would I change to a tool
that makes me less efficient?"
Rights:
SCO battle rooted in Unix's fragmented history, USA Today,
08.08. "Caldera changed its name to the SCO Group last year and set
up a business to protect its newly purchased intellectual
property."
Opinion: 101 uses for
Apple iChat, Leander Kahney, Wired, 08.08. "Since iChat AV is
an Apple-only technology - for now, I hope - there is a smaller
base of people with which to chat."
Rights: Is music
piracy stealing?, Charles Moore, Applelinks, 08.08. "Under
current copyright legislation, downloading music for free is
definitely theft under letter of the law. But is the law just and
fair?"
Rights: The Big
Blue empire strikes back: IBM countersues SCO, Vern Seward, Mac
Observer, 08.07. "...IBM has filed a countersuit against SCO in
which it says that SCO has no right to sue IBM because [SCO]
distributed a version of Linux under the General Public
License...."
Digicams: Going mostly
digital, Dan Knight, Digigraphica, 08.06. How one new digicam
has convinced me to sell of the majority of my 35mm camera
gear.
Opinion: Uncool "switcher"
flirts back with the PC, Sean Rose, OSNews, 08.06. "If I had to
choose which is more productive throughout an entire day of working
on the computer, it would go to the Mac hands down."
Opinion: Memory
management update and iListen 1.6.1, Charles W. Moore, OS X
Odyssey, Applelinks, 08.06. "This little AppleScript application
does wonders for preventing slowdown as OS X memory usage gets
maxed out and the pageout parade commences."
Analysis: Most never consider
Macs, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl, 08.05. "Apple's biggest
problem is that the vast majority of potential customers rarely
consider a Mac...."
.mac:
Why I am not continuing my .mac subscription, Cortland Haws,
Instant Mac, The Mac Mind, 08.05. "Essentially, the services I need
and the services .mac provides are two different things."
Dark Side: How to install
Windows XP in 5 hours or less, Mark Pilgrin, dive into mark,
08.04. "Every installation of Windows naturally degrades along a
logarithmic curve until it becomes annoying, then unbearable, then
unusable." Step 1: Backup to iMac over network....
Rights: Stopping the
pop-swappers, Mark Ward, BBC News, 08.04. "The net has given
rise to many novel ways of doing business but the methods of the
Recording Industry Association of America has got every twisted
e-commerce scheme beaten."
Virus: Sneaky virus poses
as email from sysadmin, John Leyden, The Register, 08.04.
"Mimail, which poses as an email from a potential victim's own
sysadmin or ISP, suggests that a user's email account is about to
expire."
Rights: Red Hat takes aim at
infringement claims, Business Wire, 08.04. "We filed this
complaint to stop SCO from making unsubstantiated and untrue public
statements attacking Red Hat Linux and the integrity of the Open
Source software development process."
Opinion: The
Kensington StudioMouse, should Apple take notes?, Kris
Hookerman, Vectronic's Apple World, 08.04. "The old standard is no
longer valid. Apple's ease of use philosophy is beginning to work
against itself."
Dark Side:
Microsoft's Web site brought down by attack, John Foley,
InformationWeek, 08.04. "The outage, which began about 1:21 p.m.
Pacific time, was the result of a conventional denial-of-service
attack and not a software vulnerability being exploited, a
Microsoft spokesman says."
Rights:
Now fans call the tune, Geoff Boucher, LA Times, 08.03. "After
years of paying for CDs that had only one or two good tracks, he
feels less than guilty about his collection."
Virus: Attack bot exploits
Windows flaw, Robert Lemos, c|net, 08.02. "Online vandals are
using a program to compromise Windows servers and remotely control
them through Internet relay chat (IRC) networks, system
administrators said Saturday."
Hardware: D-Link
bridge connects Ethernet boxes to 802.11g, Peter Cohen,
MacCentral, 08.02. US$135 DWL-G810 Xtreme G Wireless Bridge
developed to connect Ethernet-bound devices to a high-speed
wireless network.
Dark Side: Concerns
mount over possible big Net attack, Paul Roberts, MacCentral,
08.01. Vulnerability in Windows could be used by a powerful
Internet worm that could disrupt traffic on the Internet and affect
millions of machines worldwide. Windows machines only, of
course.
Web: End
of the road for SMTP?, Paul Festa, c|net, 08.01. Simple Mail
Transfer Protocol leaves itself wide open to abuse by spammers,
viruses, and worms.
Digicams: FinePix S5000, S7000
promise great value, Dan Knight, Digigraphica, 08.01. The
Fujifilm FinePix S7000 is a worthy successor to the S602, but the
new S5000 gives it a real run for the money.
Advice: Is your Mac
inadequate for Mac OS X?, Gene Steinberg, Mac Hardware Report,
Mac Night Owl, 08.01. If your Mac is officially supported and
you're comfortable with its speed, you may be very happy with OS X,
especially with a memory upgrade.
Rights:
RIAA
challenged by ISP, Andrew Orlowski, The Register, 08.01. "'In
this country we don't cut off people's hands when they steal,'
[Senator Norm Coleman] said. 'One question I have is whether the
penalty here fits the crime.'"
Web:
Anatomy of an attempted PayPal scam, Derek K. Miller, Pen
Machine, 08.01. "...for someone who wasn't specifically watching
out for this sort of scam . . . this could easily have turned into
a quick harvest of name, PayPal ID and password, credit card
information...."
Dark Side: