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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.
Apple:
G3/OS
X class action settlement details posted, Peter Cohen,
MacCentral, 10.31. Lawyers will net a small fortune, and OS X
adopters willing to surrender their copies can get their money
back.
Opinion: Interview
with Ryan Rempel, author of XPostFacto, Accelerate Your Mac,
10.31. Comments on revising XPostFacto to support Panther, FireWire
PCI card booting, the 20th Anniversary Mac, and more.
OS X: Apple
will fix security flaws in Jaguar, Jim Dalrymple, MacCentral,
10.31. Those who stick with Jaguar, whether by choice or necessity,
will eventually be able to get a security fix.
OS X:
WiebeTech releases FireWire 800 firmware updater, Jim
Dalrymple, Christian Perspectives, 10.31. "...it is important that
the drives first be unmounted from the Panther system, then
firmware updated on a Jaguar system (OS X 10.2.8 or lower) before
re-attaching the drive to Panther."
OS X: A
special message for FireWire 800 disk drive users, Apple,
10.31. "Apple has identified an issue with external FireWire hard
drives using the Oxford 922 bridge chip-set with firmware version
1.02 that can result in the loss of data stored on the disk
drive."
OS X: Houston, we've got a
problem!, Gene Steinberg, The Panther Report, Mac Night Owl,
10.31. Problem seems to occur most often when FireWire 800 drives
are connected to FireWire 400 ports.
OS X: LaCie warns
against using FireWire 800 with Panther, Jim Dalrymple,
MacCentral, 10.30. "An updater is available immediately for users
with access to Macintosh computers that can boot Mac OS 9." Others
must wait.
OS X: Panther
reports good, but watch for FireWire, Bob Levitus, Dr Mac,
Houston Chronicle, 10.30. "After a week of everyday use, I couldn't
be happier with Panther. It boots faster, and the Finder is easier
to use and faster, too."
Web: Berners-Lee comes
out fighting to save Web, Kieren McCarthy, The Register, 10.30.
"The US Patent and Trademark Office will take around 90 days to
decide whether to launch a formal re-evaluation of the [Eolas]
patent."
Macinschool: Apple
succeeds in 1:1 educational computing solutions, Dennis
Sellers, MacCentral, 10.30. "We have 1:1 solutions in over 400
schools across the country, and we're excited to see what is
happened in learning and teaching."
Opinion: A memo to Mac OS 9
holdouts, Gene Steinberg, The Panther Report, Mac Night Owl,
10.30. "I'm not going to say that you have to move to Mac OS X. But
consider the move carefully."
Opinion:
Even Microsoft wants G5s, Michael Hanscom, 10.29. For posting
the "news" that Microsoft is receiving G5s, this guy gets
fired?
News: iTunes
for Windows more than doubles Apple site traffic, Dennis
Sellers, MacCentral, 10.29. "Nielsen//NetRatings . . . says that
people flocked to Apple's Web site during the week ending Oct. 19
to download the new iTunes for Windows."
Analysis: Attack of the
iPod clones, Walter S Mossberg, Wall Street Journal, 10.29.
"After testing the players for weeks against the latest iPod with
new features Apple added this month, I still give the edge to
Apple...."
Opinion: The
end (almost) of dual-booting, Charles W. Moore, OS X Odyssey,
Applelinks, 10.28. "With the release of the G4 iBook and the mild
upgrade of the eMac last week, the last consumer Macs that could
boot into OS 9 are now gone."
Virus: Sober email worm
gives Windows users the DTs, John Leyden, The Register, 10.28.
"On infected machines, the worm makes certain registry changes and
installs its own SMTP client to further its spread."
Spam:
California
wins first state suit against spammers, Scarlet Pruitt,
MacCentral, 10.27. "California Attorney General Bill Lockyer
claimed victory in the state's first antispam lawsuit late last
week, after a court ordered PW Marketing and its owners to pay a
US$2 million fine..."
Review: The Panther
review, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl, 10.26. "Panther is an
absolute tour de force, a stunning system upgrade that provides a
compelling case for Mac OS 9 users to finally make the
switch."
OS X:
TextEdit rocks under Panther, Rob McNair-Huff, Mac Net Journal,
10.25. "...my nomination for the most useful feature in the upgrade
is the new version of TextEdit that can open and save .doc [MS
Word] files without any muss or fuss."
Advice: Cool Panther
tricks, Mike Wendland, Mac-Mike.com, 10.25. Six tips for
Panther users.
OS X: Exposé,
David K. Every, iGeek, 10.21. "I saw the first real major change in
the GUI in quite a few years; that's Exposé."
OS X:
Multi-users and Panther, David K. Every, iGeek, 10.20. "What
I've always felt is far more important is good single user support.
OS X has taken some huge strides backwards in that arena."
Virus: Flea bugs
Windows users, John Leyden, The Register, 10.24. "Unlike most
Windows nasties, the bug does not depend on a user opening an
infectious file to do its mischief, Finnish AV vendor F-Secure
warns."
OS X: Panther: I've
got mine, Mike Wendland, Mac-Mike.com, 10.23. "Installation was
without even the slightest hitch."
Opinion: Something is
missing from Apple's current product line, Gene Steinberg, Mac
Night Owl, 10.23. Apple needs to address the low-end market to grow
market share. Why not a lower cost eMac or a headless model to
compete with Dell?
OS X: More
nickling and diming from Apple and checking out XDock Dock
Utility, Charles W. Moore, OS X Odyssey, Applelinks, 10.22.
"Even though Mac OS Classic Mode might reasonably be considered an
integral feature of OS X, Apple is nailing OS X purchasers who
don't already have a copy of OS 9.x for an extra $19.95...."
Opinion:
iTunes for Windows and the 'Windows' way of thinking, Adam
Knight, Code Poetry, 10.22. "Windows users are used to a hard life.
They're used to importing CDs into one program, playing them in
another, and burning them in another."
Opinion: Rating
the new music sites, Walter S. Mossberg, Wall Street Journal,
10.22. "Overall, I believe Apple's iTunes is the best combination
of a music store and jukebox program for Windows users."
Software: Apple to address
iTunes for Windows problems, MacMinute, 10.22. iTunes 4.1.1
(Windows only) fixes some of the bugs found in last week's release
of iTunes for Windows.
News: Apple
releases G4 iBooks, MacCentral, 10.22. "At long last, Apple has
excised the G3 processor from its consumer laptop line."
News: Apple
lowers eMac price, MacCentral, 10.22. 800 MHz eMac phased out,
price of 1 GHz models reduced to US$799 (Combo) and $1,099
(SuperDrive).
Analysis: The broadband
report: On the death of dial-up Internet, Gene Steinberg, Mac
Night Owl, 10.22. "Whether it's cable, DSL, wireless (including
satellite), some 36% of the Internet users in the U.S. are now
cruising in the fast lane."
Opinion: Do Windows users
resent iTunes?, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl, 10.21. "...why
are some Windows users yapping about problems with Apple's
software? Platform prejudice?"
Opinion:
Is Apple's 'Book quality slipping?, Charles W. Moore, Road
Warrior, Mac Opinion, 10.21. "...there is a worm in this Apple, so
to speak, and that is what appears to be deteriorating Apple
portable reliability."
Dark Side:
Microsoft lassos music customers, Wired, 10.21. Windows XP
feature - Shop for Music Online - only uses Microsoft's browser,
then brings users to a Microsoft website.
Analysis:
iTunes for Windows - Apple's hidden agenda, Sandy McMurray,
Globe and Mail, 10.20. "iTunes for Windows isn't just music
software, it's a competitive advantage for Apple and a shot across
the bow of Microsoft, Real, MusicMatch and other
companies...."
Dark Side: More bad
news for Windows users: Serious flaws found in Microsoft apps,
Vern Seward, Mac Observer, 10.20. "Still more problems for
Microsoft: Yahoo! News is reporting that the Redmond software giant
has issued advisories and patches for seven new flaws found in
several Microsoft applications."
Opinion: Apple's
music man, Steven Levy, MSNBC, 10.20. Jobs: "Maybe if we're
lucky Apple can be the Amazon or eBay of downloaded music."
Hardware: Miglia now
shipping Alchemy TV card, Mac Obesrver, 10.20. "The Alchemy
[PCI] card is a device designed as a television and radio
tuner."
Rights:
RIAA to
issue warnings first, lawsuits second, Tony Smith, The
Register, 10.20. "The Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA) has
selected its [next] batch of lawsuit targets, but this time has
given . . . swappers the chance to pack it in before being served
with writs."
Advice:
Decisions in the week before Panther, Rob McNair-Huff, Mac Net
Journal, 10.19. "There are a few things you can do in this week
leading up to the release of Panther to protect your documents and
make the transition easier."
Opinion:
Bill Gates: "We invented personal computing", Bryan Chaffin,
The Back Page, Mac Observer, 10.16. No Apple, Radio Shack,
Commodore, or Atari - Gates claims Microsoft invented personal
computing.
Review: Eye TV - TV
for your Mac, Andrew Wilkinson, MacTeens, 10.16. "There is no
doubt about it, the EyeTV is the ultimate solution for Mac users
looking for a TV solution."
Opinion: The
benefits of multiple platforms, part III, Marc Zeedar, Less
Tangible, Mac Opinion, 10.16. "Within computing, there are many
ways to do things. It's good to have variety...."
Web:
Tangles in the Mac Web, David Zeiler, The Mac Experience,
SunSpot.com, 10.16. "Ironically, as ad revenue dropped, traffic to
most Mac Web sites increased dramatically."
OS X: Preview: What to
expect from Mac OS X Panther 10.3, Eugenia Loli-Queru, OSNews,
10.15. "Last but not least is Panther's speed. Users with older Mac
computers will welcome the overall new speed levels and UI
responsiveness."
Dark Side:
Windows: More flawed than ever, Wired, 10.15. "Microsoft warned
consumers Wednesday about four critical new flaws in its popular
Windows software...."
Analysis:
A Mac head's bow to Dell, Alex Salkever, Byte of the Apple,
BusinessWeek, 10.15. Why are entry-level Windows PCs faster than
Macs? Blame Motorola's design of the G4.
Opinion: Will Apple's
'Panther' make a meal of Microsoft's 'Longhorn'?, Peter Coffee,
eWeek, 10.15. "Longhorn won't go up in 2005 - or maybe even later
than that - against this year's Panther, but rather against that
year's Cougar, Lynx, Leopard or Tiger...."
Benchmarks:
OS X RAID vs Acard ATA/133 RAID card, Accelerate Your Mac,
10.14. Is OS X RAID a viable alternative to a PCI RAID card? Not
quite as fast, but it's free.
Rights:
Mac job
seekers disenfranchised, Karen Haslam, Macworld UK, 10.14.
Government's "inclusive" website unusable by those with Macs or
Linux computers.
Benchmarks:
Apple AirPort Extreme - How fast is it?, Macs Only!, 10.14.
"The Extreme ABS's throughput is supposed to be on the order of 5
times faster than the original and now ubiquitous WiFi 802.11b
protocol...."
Opinion: Do Windows advocates
really believe this stuff?, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl,
10.14. "...maybe Thurrott is not serious, but merely a clever
satirist, who is laughing up his sleeve at the folks who take his
claptrap seriously."
Apple:
Is Apple in tune with Windows?, Rex Crum, CBS MarketWatch,
10.13. Everyone expects Apple to jump into the growing "music for
Windows" market this Thursday.
OS X: How about some
optimism?, Gene Steinberg, The Panther Report, Mac Night Owl,
10.13. "All in all, Panther looks to be an even more compelling
upgrade than Jaguar, and no doubt well worth the $129 purchase
price."
OS X: WallStreet
snubbed by Panther, Charles W. Moore, Road Warrior, Mac
Opinion, 10.13. Both the WallStreet PowerBook and Beige G3 will not
be officially supported under OS X - but there is hope.
Software: Smart
Scroll X, Marc Moini, 10.13. "...Smart Scroll X's universal
Scroll Keys are often the quickest and most convenient scrolling
method available!"
OS X: Apple to
support DVD+RW in Panther, Peter Cohen, MacCentral, 10.13. Mac
OS X 10.3 to support CD+R/RW, the norm on Windows systems but less
compatible with DVD player, but most apps will have to be updated
before they can use the new formats.
Education:
Let teachers choose the computers, Vic Sperry, St. Petersburg
Times, 10.12. "It is the responsibility of the teachers to evaluate
the existing computing platforms and choose what advances their
goal of educating the children of Pinellas county."
OS X:
10.2.8 killing processor speed?, Apple, 10.10. Some Mac users
are find their Macs running slower after the 10.2.8 update. Use
Xbench to find speed, then zap PRAM if not what it should be.
Opinion: Panther
worth expense if given RAM to run, Bob Levitus, Dr Mac, Houston
Chronicle, 10.10. "...in my humble opinion, Panther makes using
your Mac a whole lot better. It's worth every penny."
OS X: Ten
things I dig about Panther, James Duncan Davidson, O'Reilly
Network, 10.10. Eleven reasons upgrading to Panther will be worth
it.
Opinion: Sculley explains
how he missed the chance to trash Apple, John Lettice, The
Register, 10.10. "If Apple had switched to Intel at almost any time
in the last 15 years it would have been making a dangerous,
possibly reckless move."
OS X: See
what Apple's latest OS can do for you, Macworld, 10.09. A
preview of the new Finder, Expose, Mail, Font Book, user switching,
and other enhancements we'll see in 10.3.
Opinion: Microsoft
has a dedicated multimedia OS, should Apple follow?, B
Chaffin/A Allee, Mac Observer, 10.09. "Apple shouldn't think about
shooting for the lows achieved by the Media Center PC, but the
company could definitely bring more oomph to its Digital Hub
concept...."
Opinion: Here come the
upgrade follies, Gene Steinberg, The Panther Report, Mac Night
Owl, 10.09. "While nobody can dispute Apple's right to set whatever
upgrade policies it wants, this is, shall we say, a little
ridiculous."
Opinion:
Taking the digital hub to the next level, David Zeiler, The Mac
Experience, SunSpot.net, 10.09. "...Apple needs to consider
harnessing its renowned design abilities to come up with some sort
of media-handling device, though not necessarily a full-fledged Mac
with a new name."
Analysis:
Taking success in its stride, Garry Barker, Sydney Morning
Herald, 10.09. "If ever a plan came together for Apple Computer it
was in QuickTime, the cross-platform audio and video file format
that, perhaps surprisingly, is now 12 years old."
Opinion:
Apple's greedy side, Dan Gillmor, SiliconValley.com, 10.08.
"...even people who bought machines in the last week (as I did)
will have to fork over the $129 for the new OS."
Analysis: The
benefits of multiple platforms, part II, Marc Zeedar, Less
Tangible, Mac Opinion, 10.08. "The odd thing is that the people who
would best benefit from a multi-platform setup . . . are the ones
who usually standardize on a single platform."
Opinion: Mac OS X: Still
widely misunderstood, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl, 10.08.
"Among my pet peeves are news sources that publish material as fact
without checking first."
News: Apple
officially unveils Panther for October 24th release, Bryan
Chaffin, Mac Observer, 10.08. Same old $129 price tag. Same old
lack of upgrade pricing. Built-in USB now required, leaving beige
G3 and WallStreet PB officially unsupported.
Opinion:
Computers are too much fun to turn into TVs, Carl Skadian,
Straits Times, 10.08. "...computers in the home are for nothing if
not fun. Apple, I believe, was one of the first to realise this
some time ago...."
Apple: Apple Death
Knell #30: "Apple is in decline", Bryan Chaffin, Mac Observer,
10.07. "Apple is one of two profitable PC companies (the other
being Dell), and the company is showing growth...."
History: Vintage
PCs evoke sweet memories, Leander Kahney, Wired, 10.07.
"...Vintage Computer Festival to celebrate the 30th birthday of the
Xerox Alto - the genetic Eve to today's modern PCs."
Spam:
Spam and cockroaches, Philip Machanick, Macintelligence, Mac
Opinion, 10.07. "What's the difference between spam and
cockroaches? Cockroaches are useful."
Virus:
Permanent virus protection, David Frith, The Barrow, Australian
IT, 10.07. "There is one beautifully simple way to keep your
personal computer free of viruses. Switch to an Apple Mac: it comes
- and stays - virus-free."
Benchmarks: Mac OS X 10.2.8
- How fast is it?, Macs Only!, 10.07. "...basically no speed
differences among the five most recent Mac OS X versions." But
10.2.8 does load a bit faster.
Opinion: The Mac OS 10.2.8
update: Has the dust settled?, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl,
10.07. "While the core issues of networking and accurate display of
laptop battery life seem to have been resolved, there are still
reports of black screens on [some G3 models]."
Digicams: Minolta Dimage
Z1, Steve's Digicams, 10.06. With 3.2 megapixels and a 10x
optical zoom, this US$399 digital camera looks like a real
winner.
Opinion: Apple, Linux
and BSD: The 'other' platforms, Rob Enderle, TechNewsWorld,
10.06. "The Mac OS platform might not have as many applications in
total as Linux does, but it has one thing Linux doesn't: a very
solid version of Microsoft Office."
Virus: Linux vs. Windows
viruses, Scott Granneman, SecurityFocus, The Register, 10.06.
"...Unix-based OS's will never experience all of the problems we're
seeing now with email-borne viruses and worms in the Microsoft
world."
Review: Apple Wireless
Bluetooth Mouse and Keyboard, Macs Only!, 10.06. Excellent
products with only one glitch - and it's something most users are
not likely to encounter.
Macinschool:
District's move to drop Apples leaves sour taste, Richard
Bockman, St. Petersburg Times, 10.05. "They kept the district's own
director of technology in the dark, and they sought no input from
parents and teachers."
Advice: Mac OS X
Hints, Rob Griffiths, Macworld, 10.03. Lots of useful tips for
anyone using OS X.
Rights:
Charter cable sues to block music inquiry, STL Today, 10.03.
"Charter . . . filed a suit on Friday seeking to block the
recording industry from obtaining the identities of Charter
customers who allegedly shared copyrighted music over the
Internet."
Virus: Trojan hijacks Web
browsers, John Leyden, The Register, 10.03. "The QHosts
(Delude) Trojan can't spread by itself. Users only become infected
if they visited a maliciously constructed website containing code
which allows the malware to run." IE only.
Web: MacShareware.Net,
MacShareware.Net, 10.03. New website tracks Mac shareware.
Opinion:
The beginning of the end for .sit compression?, Rob
McNair-Huff, Mac Net Journal, 10.02. "It looks like the makers of
Stuffit have a serious problem on their hands, as many users of
Stuffit Expander 8 are starting to see."
Dark Side:
Microsoft faces class-action on security breaches, Reuters,
10.02. Microsoft "faces a proposed class-action lawsuit . . . based
on the claim that its market-dominant software is vulnerable to
viruses capable of triggering 'massive, cascading
failures....'"
Opinion: Palm's
debt to Newton, Jonny Evans, Macworld UK, 10.02. "Despite its
marketplace failures, the Newton attracted a wide congregation of
converts. Some still use it today...."
Opinion:
Lick me, I'm a Macintosh, Mark Morford, SF Gate, 10.01. "You
can't help but notice. Apple seemed to really put some serious work
into this, into the details, the packaging, the shape and
texture."
Opinion: Should Apple make a
two-button mouse?, Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl, 10.01. "Did
you know that Mac OS X supports a two-button mouse with a scroll
wheel? You don't need any special software. Just plug in the device
and it just works."
News: Palm updates
PDAs with larger screens, Palm OS 5, MacCentral, 10.01. Some
models include Bluetooth, 320 x 480 or 320 x 320 display. All run
PalmOS 5.
Apple:
Rights: