Low End Mac Link Archive, November 1999

Mac News Today

The Low End Mac Link Archive, November 1999

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.

Virus: MiniZip, nasty version of ExporeZip, ZDNet, 11/30.
Opinion: Microsoft to drop OpenGL, MOSR.net, 11/30. "...this is another effort to use Microsoft's monopoly powers to force Windows-only development of 3D software."
OS: OS X DP2 running on G3 upgraded 7300, Accelerate Your Mac!, 11/30. Officially unsupported, OS X Client can be installed on some older Power Macs.
Rumor: Pismo PowerBook details, MOSR, 11/30. Rumored at about 1" thick, 4 pounds, and including FireWire disk mode (like SCSI disk mode, but faster).
Rumor: Apple still developing OS X for Intel, MOSR, 11/30. With possible breakup of Microsoft, OS X could be well positioned as a multiplatform OS.
Privacy: Cursor software tracks customers, USA Today, 11/30. Don't worry - unless you use Windows.
AAPL: Apple stock tops $100, MacWeek, 11/30.
Opinion: Those legions of Mac defenders are right to fight back, Boston Globe, 11/30. "Without a doubt, the Macintosh is the friendliest, easiest-to-use and the most colorful computer on the market today."
Web: MacLaunch officially opens to the public. Stop by and register for free prizes.
Software: iCab Preview 1.8 available. The little browser still lacks Javascript, but keeps getting better, now included OS 9 key chain support.
Opinion: What the heck is wrong with the web?, Michael Munger, Mac Observer, 11/30. "If it is print, it is serious. The Web is not."
Privacy: Cursor software track web traffic, Yahoo/AP, 11/30 [Slashdot]. Comet Systems Inc.'s free cursor software reports browsing habits back to central computer - and a Mac version seems to be under development.
Opinion: Plenty of power, nowhere to go, Wired, 11/30. "...for the first time hardware processing power far outstrips the needs of the software that runs on it."
Opinion: Top 10 dangers for Apple in 1999, final report, John Martellaro, MacOpinion, 11/30. "Back in December of 1998, I never would have predicted that Apple could deal so successfully with all of these dangers."
Opinion: Thumbs up for Mac OS 9, Jim Louderback, ZDNet, 11/30. "...OS 9 is one of the most righteous things they've done recently."
First Look: Five 2-megapixel digital cameras, PC Magazine, 11/29. Latest offerings from Canon, Epson, Kodak, Olympus, and Ricoh.
Review: A look at HTML optimizers, W3Nation. Programs reduce size of HTML files, but are they safe?
Web: Everything you ever wanted to know about any Mac, Charles Downs, Arizona Central, 11/29.
Opinion: Mac OS 9 as good as buying a new computer, Detroit News, 11/29.
News: No recall of Mac OS 9, MacWeek, 11/29. Internal CompUSA error led to rumors of OS 9 recall.
Review: Testing the Power Mac G4/450, MacWeek, 11/29. "...even for non-optimized programs, the G4 delivers appreciable performance improvements."
Advice: RAM disks and why you should trash your hard drive, Charles Moore, Applelinks, 11/29. "I used to run my PowerBook 5300 off a RAM disk most of the time in blissful silence...."
History: How two Steves created Apple, Ottawa Citizen, 11/29.
Update: First Look: PowerLogix Z-Force, Accelerate Your Mac!, 11/29. "Based on the results I saw, the CarrierZIF now has some real competition...."
Opinion: Lies, damned lies, and Mac OS Rumors, Rodney O. Lain, 11/29. Apple pulling OS 9? Don't you believe it!
Benchmark: AirPort vs. wired ethernet, Dale Sorensen, MacInTouch, 11/29. Not as fast as 10Base-T ethernet, but it can reach beyond the rated 150'.
Rumor: OS 9.0.1 surfaces internally, AppleInsider, 11/29.
Rumor: AppleWorks 6.0 uncovered, exposed, AppleInsider, 11/29. Among other things, it will run under OS X.
Web: Bush tries to shut down parody site, Washington Post, 11/29 [discussion on Slashdot]. George W. says "there ought to be limits to freedom."
Tip: OS 9 Startup Disk Selector, Macs Only!, 11/29. Hold down option key while starting to choose any bootable drive.
MacInSchool: Teacher uses guerilla warfare to promote Mac, MacCentral, 11/29.
Analysis: Lands that Apple forgot, MacWeek, 11/29. Apple representation in Israel, Taiwan, and South Africa leaves a lot to be desired.
Software: Alsoft DiskWarrior, MacCentral, 11/29. Proactive disk utility improves drive performance.
Opinion: The Art of War: Exploiting the critical failure path, John Martellaro, Applelinks, 11/28. "...when a Microsoft server sneezes, all the rest of the interconnected computers catch a cold."
MacInSchool: Belmont Academy, Branch Elementary, MacCentral, 11/26. New Mac acquisitions at both schools.
Dark Side: Here come even cheaper PCs, ZDNet, 11/24. "Timna" to combine CPU, graphics controller, memory controller on one chip.
OS: Resurrect your old laptop with Linux, webreview.com, 11/19. Old laptops inadequate for Win98 can be great Linux machines.
Low End: Color Classic Forever, an obsession
Rumor: Apple pulling OS 9 over OS name?, MacInTouch, 11/27.
OS/Web: Xappeal, OS X site, is back. Site was pulled by previous host because it was too busy, but new host has more bandwidth.
Opinion: iMac vs. iBook: The happy dilemma, Charles Moore, Applelinks, 11/26. "...if I were in the hunt for a new Mac, the iMac and iBook would top my short list."
Opinion: Should Mac web sites be Apple watchdogs or lapdogs?, Rodney O. Lain, The iMac, 11/26. "Do I really have any right to criticize Apple Computer? Do I have any ability to divine why Apple does or doesn't do certain things?"
Low End: The Legacy of Lisa. This is where it all started, Apple's first computer with a graphical user interface and mouse.
Benchmark: New OpenGL drivers from 3dfx, wincent.org, 11/25. "...we think the OpenGL support is very impressive."
Opinion: Top 10 computing duds (bottom of page), PC World, 11/24. List includes NeXT (10 years ahead of its time), Apple's Lisa, Newton, and PowerPC (even the G4?).
News: Motorola to demo 780 MHz G4+ in February, The Register, 11/24. It's an odd clock speed, but it will finally put PowerPC near MHz parity with Pentium III and Athlon.
Advice: How to build a successful web page, part 2, iTeen, 11/24.
Analysis: Blueberry iBook outsells PC competitors, PC Data still clueless, Daily Mac, 11/24. The kind of headline we love - welcome back, Amy!
Opinion: Professional PowerBook prognostications, Charles Moore, MacOpinion, 11/24. "...Lombard is not my all-time favorite PowerBook model."
Opinion: The naughty Mac web, MacBC, 11/24. "Controversial, hard hitting columns or sites are not unethical...."
Opinion: If you agree with everything I write, then you're not thinking, Rodney O. Lain, MacSimple, 11/24.
Advice: Spammers and Miners, Deborah Shadovitz, MacCentral, 11/24. "The message to take away this week is simple: Don't respond to unsolicited email."
Rumor: 780 MHz second-generation G4 to be demonstrated, MOSR, 11/23. I'm still trying to figure out where MOSR comes up with these numbers - 780 MHz isn't a multiple of any known bus speed!
Opinion: The Mac web's credibility, Michel Munger, Mac Observer, 11/23. Rumor mongers, imagineers, and flamers give all a bad name.
Web: Daily iMac is back - and we're glad to see it!
News: Buy.com Canada launched. All prices in Canadian dollars!
News: MoniSwitchUSB now shipping, Dr. Bott. Two- and four-way keyboard/monitor switchboxes for newer Macs.
Opinion: Which niche is the one?, MacBC, 11/23. "As for Apple's play on Desktop Video, this can be quite interesting."
Opinion: Why Apple's graphics don't cut it, Wincent.org, 11/22. "...the problem is ATi is giving Apple substandard cards."
Benchmark: The G4 processor and QuickDraw 3D speed shootout, Architosh, 11/22. "Most importantly, the G4 outpaced the Pentium III by a factor of 2x, being up to twice as fast...."
News: iBook top selling portable in U.S. retail market, Apple Computer, 11/22 [Macs Only!].
Opinion: The Mac trap, MacOpinion, 11/22. "...since I started using a Mac 12 years ago, I've managed to avoid learning how to even start up a PC."
Hands On: Pointing the way with USB mice, part 1, part 2, TidBITS. Good overview of Mac-compatible USB mice.
Consumer: FireWire guide, MacInTouch. Listing of known FireWire hardware.
Review: XLR8 G4z/400, Accelerate Your Mac!, 11/22.
First Look: PowerBase G4 by PowerLogix, Macs Only!, 11/22. "Saturday I received one of PowerLogix's forthcoming G4 CPU upgrade cards...."
Web: G4/350 upgrade shootout, Insanely Great, 11/22 [MacLaunch]. Comparison of Newer Tech, PowerLogix, Sonnet, and XLR8 G4/350 daughter cards.
News: Sonnet cuts prices on G4 upgrades, MacCentral, 11/22.
Opinion: Crushing spam avalanche may be too powerful to stop, Ed Foster, Infoworld, 11/22. "...the battle to keep vendors from spamming their own customers is a lost cause."
Virus: Christmas virus could reformat hard drives, Cnet, 11/19. "It follows an increasingly common trend of using security holes in Microsoft's Outlook and Outlook Express...."
Opinion: Supporting Mr. Lain, MacSimple, 11/19.
Opinion: Mac games and the iMac, Oliver Dueck, Mac Observer. "While the iMac meets the needs of a vast majority of consumers (and educators), there is one faction that it has not completely satisfied: Mac gamers."
Tech: All about RDRAM, David K. Every, MacWeek, 11/19. All about Rambus, PC-100, and SDRAM.
Advice: Replacing the hard drive in the new iMac, iMac2Day, 11/20.
News: Jonathan Ive talks Mac design, MacWeek, 11/19. "Design guru Jonathan Ive on Thursday night landed a prestigious award for his ground-breaking work at Apple, where he heads the group that gave us the iMac, iBook and new G4 Power Macs."
Opinion: One road warrior's PowerBook upgrade saga, Charles Moore, MacOpinion, 11/19.
News: Mac OS X Developer Preview 2 progress report, MOSR, 11/19. "This operating system completely changes the rules - in no small part by barely changing the user's experience at all."
Review: iMac DV Special Edition, Ben Apple, Mac Junkie, 11/19. "I was leapfrogging an entire generation of Macs, from my painfully aged Quadra 610 to a lightning-like G3 machine."
Low End: 6100 DOS cards, Quadras, and you. How to put a 66 MHz 486 DOS card intended for the 6100 in a Quadra.
News: iMac named "design of the decade," MacCentral, 11/19. Business Week names iMac decade's best industrial design.
News: Webb School to buy over 100 iBooks, MacCentral, 11/19.
Advice: Free email services, Charles Moore, MacSimple, 11/19. "A very cool thing is that having multiple email accounts need not cost you a cent."
News: Hotmail criticized over spam filter woes, Cnet, 11/18. "Two weeks after Hotmail implemented a controversial junk-email filter, users are complaining...." Also see Hotmail fights spam (and so do I).
News: Apple developing AirPort Software Base Station, MacBC, 11/18. Software will allow any AirPort equipped Mac to share an internet connection with another AirPort equipped Mac.
Benchmark: Seagate Barracuda ATA/66 vs. HotLink FireWire, Bare Feats, 11/18. "The Seagate Barracuda 20 gig ATA/66 drive really screams...."
Opinion: Windows is dead, says columnist, Charles Moore, Applelink, 11/18. "...Microsoft has tried so hard to make Windows 2000 make your life easier, that it has succeeded only in complicating things."
News: Net victory could cut DSL prices, Cnet, 11/8. "...Baby Bell companies must allow competitors to share the main telephone line into homes to offer high-speed digital subscriber line service."
Analysis: Does Sherlock 2 play fair?, MacWeek, 11/18. "...Sherlock 2 will override ad banners in third-party plug-ins outside Apple's built-in set."
News: iBook, G4 "Best of What's New," Popular Science.
OS: Linux test drive, part 2, MacWeek, 11/18.
Opinion: Macintosh is the "nigger" of the computer industry Rodney O. Lain, MacSimple, 11/18. An excellent piece on Macs and race relation. (I don't use the N-word, but when a black man does, I'll allow it on my site.)
Low End: House of PowerBooks. All about PowerBooks - all of 'em.
News: OpenGL 1.1.2 offers improved 3D acceleration, Mac Junkie, 11/18.
Review: Interex XLR8 Point & Scroll USB mouse, Mac Junkie, 11/18.
Advice: How to build a successful web page, iTeen, 11/18. "Have you ever tried to make a cool web page, but seen it fail?"
Connectivity: 56k modems to improve, PC World, 11/18. "V.90 Plus modems could speed uploads and connect more quickly."
News: Mac sales in Japan, iMac NewsPage, 11/17. Apple makes 7 of top 10 models sold in Japan, has #1 market share.
Tech: More on copying files, MacKiDo, 11/17. "Windows is not an Operating System with one interface, it is many."
Web: MacinStart goes weekly, MacinStart, 11/16. New articles will appear each Monday.
Advice: How to write for the Mac web, Dell Miller & John Martellaro, MacOpinion, 11/16.
Opinion: Maybe Best Buy can get it right this time, Rodney O. Lain, MacSimple, 11/16. "Nearly every employee hated Apple and the Mac - and they were not shy about saying it."
Low End: Champagne taste on a tap-water budget, Ben Grogan, MacSimple, 11/16. "Hello. My name is Ben Grogan, and I own a Performa."
Dark Side: Why Microsoft really does suck, Salon, 11/15. "I got a fresh view of why Microsoft bugs me a couple of days ago, after I bought a new laptop."
Opinion: Apple's new OS 9 is worthwhile, Cox, 11/15.
Tech: Only one optimal bus speed for each CPU speed, MacSpeedZone. A Newer Technology white paper on bus speed.
News: ehMac launches "ehBay" auction service, Charles Moore, Applelinks, 11/15. "Online auctions are hot, and Canada's ehMac Website has just launched a free Mac Auction site...."
News: The new Voodoo, 3dfx, 11/15. 3dfx announces Voodoo4, Voodoo5; achieves gigapixel speeds.
News: PC manufacturers encountering Pentium III shortages, ZDNet/Yahoo, 11/13. At least we're not alone.
OS: iMacLinux. Slashdot lookalike covers Linux on iMac, other Macs.
Advice: Informed buyers know not to spend too much for an iMac, Sun-Sentinel, 11/12. "...a rundown of all your iMac options."
Opinion: Apple Retail Stores: It's just a question of when, John Farr, Applelinks, 11/12. "This business model has the advantage of funneling more profit directly to Apple...."
Opinion: Are web applications leaving Mac users behind?, Cnet, 11/12. "I am becoming increasingly tired of Web sites that produce content that won't run on a Macintosh."
Virus: MS flags OE 5 security threat, MacWEEk, 11/12. "Microsoft Corp. has revealed a security issue with the Mac version of Outlook Express 5.0 that may leave users of the free Internet e-mail client open to invasions by potentially destructive Trojan horses."
Rumor: Best Buy back on Mac track?, MacWeek, 11/12. "After an abortive first stab at selling iMacs a year ago, national electronics chain Best Buy Co. Inc. is reportedly preparing a return to the Mac fold."
News: Apple may be heading toward opening retail stores, Jim Davis, Cnet, 11/12. "Operating retail stores potentially would pit Apple against its resellers, but also raise the possibility of boosting the company's bottom line." (Also see Good-bye, Apple dealer.)
Web: Home built computer furniture, part 7, MacCentral, 11/12.
News: Direct mail double-cross?, Salon, 11/12. Pro- and anti-spam can't agree. (And I will never trust my email address to any opt-out list.)
Survey: Operating systems rated, deja.com. Mac OS 9 currently #1, OS 8 at #3, and Windows way down the list.
Virus: Researchers warn about 'FunLove' virus, Yahoo/ZDNet, 11/12. "...it uses a new way to attack the file security system of the Windows NT operating system. The virus may also use the network to spread itself."
News: Axis 1440 Print Server, Epson [MacInTouch]. Puts current Stylus and Stylus Photo printers on ethernet for about $160.
Rumor: Mac OS 9.0.1 due in January, AppleInsider, 11/11.
OS: Linux test drive, MacWeek, 11/11. On the importance of reading the manual instead of winging installation.
News: Mac OS 09. UK strikes back, 11/11. "Even Windows is UK localized." Canadians and Australians have been putting up with American (er, International) English for years.
Opinion: Powerful, inexpensive alternative to a laptop, iTeen, Mac Observer, 11/11. Palm + keyboard, $300 and up.
News: Mac sales tops in Japan, iMac NewsPage, 11/11. Four of top five models in Japan made by Apple, which has 25.7% market share!
News: IBM preps eye-catching LCD display, MacWeek, 11/11. 20.8" 2048 by 1536 display "is a breakthrough in technology."
Opinion: Sony should build Mac subnotebook, Macs Only!, 11/11. See Sony PowerPage - Small, light subnotebook with 1024x480 screen, USB, FireWire. Just needs G3 and Mac OS!
Review: Wacom Graphire, The Review, 11/11. "Up until now, the market for affordable graphics tablets has been virtually nonexistent...." ($89.99 from Outpost.com)
News: MSNBC blunders over poll position, The Register, 11/11. MSNBC took a poll on Microsoft, but Mac and Netscape users couldn't vote!
Dark Side: Compaq iPaq [Macs Only!]. Legacy-free Wintel machine doesn't resemble the iMac in any way.
Opinion: Microsoft: Nothing else matters, MacBC, 11/11. "The only thing that matters now is that Microsoft will have to curtail their bad practices - which is all anyone really ever wanted."
Web: Macintosh Digital Video List, The Macintosh Guy. "The MacDV list is a place for everything about digital video on the Macintosh."
OS: Macs OS X Developer Preview 2 released, Stepwise, 11/10.
Interview: Dan Knight of Low End Mac, MacDaily, 11/10. "The Wintel crowd can fight over the cheap and free PC market, but Apple will continue selling profitable computers that defy conventional wisdom."
Opinion: IE for Mac: I guess so, Epinions.com, 11/10. "Microsoft Internet Explorer for the Mac is a solid, well-done piece of software. In general, I think it's more useable than Netscape."
Opinion: Apple is back on top, Epinions.com, 11/10. "[The PowerBook G3] is literally voluptuous with curves."
News: IBM demonstrates 2048x1526 20.8" LCD, Yahoo/Business Wire, 11/10 [Slashdot]. 123 pixels per inch means a 1280 x 1024 screen with a 13.3" diagonal. I want a PowerBook with one!
Advice: Email efficiency, part 6, Deborah Shadovitz, MacCentral, 11/10. "This week we look at some more issues pertaining to replying and forwarding email."
Analysis: Does i-Bench matter?, David K. Every, MacWeek, 11/10. "Just what the world needs: another misleading benchmark test of PC performance." (Congratulations to Every on his debut MacWeek column!)
Analysis: Copying files, David K. Every, MacKiDo, 11/10. Compares elegance of Mac copying vs. "features" of Windows copying.
Humor: DOJ targets Mac Observer for questionable use of Microsoft products, Mac Observer, 11/10. "...several members of the staff are regularly using Microsoft products they have covered in the past, including Office, IE, Outlook Express, and even the IntelliMouse Explorer."
Virus: Researchers grapple with "Bubbleboy" virus, Yahoo/ZDNet, 11/10. "Prepare to unlearn everything you've learned about computer viruses."
Virus: "Bubbleboy" virus propagates, ZDNet/Yahoo, 11/10. "Simply using the preview function of Outlook Express will allow the worm to replicate." (Win95/98/2000 only.)
News: Maxtor introduces IDE drive with "SCSI performance," MacCentral, 11/10.
Opinion: Apple branded stores have merit, Mac Soldiers, 11/9.
News: New ix3D drivers for Road Rocket, Ultimate Rez, ixMicro [Accelerate Your Mac].
News: Hotmail uses controversial filter to fight spam, Cnet, 11/9 [MyAppleMenu]. RBL controversial? It only blocks known spam servers.
Benchmark: Sonnet vs. XLR8 G3/500 cards, Mac Speed Zone, 11/9. The phrase "wicked fast" comes to mind.
Connectivity: Which wireless cards work with AirPort?, PowerBook Zone, 11/9.
Analysis: Apple defends UK Mac OS 9 chop, Macworld UK, 11/9. Canucks, Aussies, Brits, and others will have to get used to American English on their Macs. (I guess we really did win the Revolutionary War!)
Virus: Outlook vulnerable to masquerade attack, Cnet, 11/8. "Programs which exploit the vulnerability, however, fool Outlook into executing the potentially harmful software without asking permission."
News: AirPort card finally shipping!
Freeware: TechTool v1.1.9 now available, MicroMat [Macs Only!]. It's a free utility no Mac owner should be without. (Requires System 7.0 or later.)
Web: Home built computer furniture, part 5, MacCentral, 11/9.
Software: OS 9 spells end to After Dark, MacCentral, 11/9/1999. Berkeley Systems has no plans to make After Dark screen saver OS 9 compatible.
Benchmark: Dual P-III/600 vs. Yikes! G4/400, Bare Feats, 11/9. Which is faster for graphics?
Advice: Virtual memory, Ask Al, Alsoft, 11/9. "Virtual memory cannot work with programs stored on all types of disks. If a disk has very slow throughput, is accessed over a network, or is manually ejectable (without a software lock), a program stored on the disk will run as if virtual memory was off."
Software: OptimaHTML 1.6 cleans up HTML and more, Charles Moore, Applelinks, 11/9. $8 shareware optimizes web pages, includes meta tag generator. (I planned on testing it, but it doesn't like .shtml files. dk)
News: The hell that is DSL, Interactive Week, 11/8 [56k.com]. Getting DSL installed can be a nightmare.
Opinion: Apple Computer out to lunch?, Abby's Apple, 11/8. "Maybe . . . they are waiting for [Steve] to go away again, so they can get back to the business of mediocre management of insanely great technology."
USB: Lucent introduces four-host USB chip, Business Wire, 11/8 [AllUSB]. New chip supports four independent 12 Mbps buses.
Review: VST FireWire hard drive, The Review, 11/8. Bus powered drive convenient, not too fast.
Preview: Fireworks 3, MacWORLD, 11/8. "Instead of using multiple programs for creating JPEG or GIF graphics, Fireworks provides an all-in-one solution."
News: Apple stock surpassed Microsoft, MacCentral, 11/8. Mark it on your calendar!
OS: The promise of Mac OS X, Donald Shimoda, Think Secret, 11/8. Excellent overview of OS X.
Analysis: Jerry's take on the Microsoft decision, Jerry Pournelle, Byte, 11/8. "Nearly every page of this decision indicates that it was written by lawyers unfamiliar with this industry...."
Analysis: Can PCs surf the internet faster than Macs?, Insantely Great, 11/8. "Considering the nature of the tests however, cross-platform tests may be more telling of software speeds than hardware performance."
Design: Home built computer furniture, part 4, MacCentral, 11/8.
Opinion: Shopping for that dream set-up, Seattle Times, 11/7. "...Apple builds in leading-edge capabilities to Macintoshes that cost extra on PCs."
Design: Home built computer furniture, part 3, MacCentral, 11/6.
OS: How to upgrade to Mac OS 9 safely and sanely, Bob LeVitus, MacCentral, 11/6. "If you use a variety of third party extensions, control panels or even application programs, you are more than likely to encounter incompatibilities and other anomalies."
Low End: Macintosh Portable, Cybermuseum@HongKong. Slow site, but interesting. Registration required.
Microsoft: It reads like a novel, Salon, 11/6. "...Microsoft has indeed leveraged its position to the detriment of both consumers and competitors."
Connectivity: A new age of consumer cable modems, ZDTV [56k.com]. "One big surprise . . . was just how simple the installation process is for the end user."
News: Sales of iMac clones blocked, SiliconValley.com, 11/5. "A San Jose federal judge suggested Friday that he will block two companies from selling clones of Apple Computer Inc.'s popular iMac...."
Dark Side: Compaq to show 'legacy free' PC, ZDNet/Yahoo, 11/3. "...Apple Computer Inc., has shown that it can be done successfully with the iMac."
Analysis: Market ends week in rally mood, Apple roars to 88 5/16, Wes George, Mac Observer, 11/5.
News: Motorola to meet G4 demand, MacWeek, 11/5. Should be able to meet demand for G4/350, 400, and 450 chips this quarter.
News: Apple buys Raycer for $15 million, MacWeek, 11/5.
Benchmark: i-Bench, ZDBOp. Cross-platform browser-based benchmark.
Benchmark: Fastest FireWire drive money can buy, Bare Feats, 11/5.
OS: Apple drops British English Mac OS, The Register, 11/5. "Apple UK is keeping mum on the plan, relying on the fact that most users installing the 'International English' version won't spot the fact that it isn't 'British English.'"
Rumor: Pismo PowerBooks seeded to developers, AppleInsider, 11/5. Expect 400, 500 MHz G3s on 100 MHz bus.
Web: Homemade computer furniture, part 2, MacCentral, 11/5.
Web: Homemade computer furniture, part 1, MacCentral, 11/4.
News: Apple's third all time high in a row, Mac Observer, 11/4. Apple stock closed at 87.56 on Friday, lengthening the streak to four days.
Connectivity: IPNetRouter 1.4.4 released, 11/4. It's how I connect my network to the internet.
News: Kinks remain in G4 systems, MacWeek, 11/4. "...Adobe Systems Inc. acknowledged bugs in the Velocity Engine-enabled plug-ins for the company's flagship product, Photoshop 5.5."
Opinion: In the iBook of the beholder, Simson L. Garfinkel, Boston Globe, 11/4. "The iBook is a masterpiece of industrial design."
News: Blind sue AOL for access, PC World, 11/4. "Unlike other service providers, AOL's internet service is incompatible with the . . . programs that enable blind people to use the internet."
Hardware: PowerView 290, Panoramatech [Accelerate Your Mac]. You've heard of surround sound? How about a surround screen?
Opinion: We need another word for evangelism, Rodney O. Lain, MacSimple, 11/4. "Actually, religious imagery is the only metaphor to describe the relationship that exists between the Mac and the Mac user."
Opinion: $1599 iBook or WallStreet?, Charles Moore, Road Warrior, 11/4. Which is the better value?
Analysis: Supply problems persist for Apple, Jim Davis, Cnet, 11/4. Will Apple be able to meet holiday demand for iMac, iBook, more?
Opinion: In defense of the 'hockey puck' mouse, Rodney O. Lain, The iMac, 11/4. "The round mouse is the most easily recognizable mouse in the world. When you see that round mouse, you know it is an Apple mouse. It's an ingenious marketing ploy via industrial design."
Low End: In praise of older Macs, Rick Booth, Macville, 11/3. "[M]any Macs have been replaced. But they are far, far from being obsolete."
Dark Side: The Rare Glitch Project: Searching for a stable version of Windows, CNN, 11/3.
Advice: You can record video on old iMacs, The iMac, 11/3. You'll need extra hardware, but it can be done.
Virus: New Word 97 macro virus discovered, InfoWorld, 11/3. Described as the virus "that will not die until you put a stake in its heart."
Advice: Email efficiency, part 5, Deborah Shadovitz, MacCentral, 11/3. "Since I'm an advocate of plain text e-mail, and it's what you should be using most often, we'll focus on replying to plain text messages."
Opinion: "iCopies" still few and far between, MacBC, 11/3.
News: XLR8 shipps G4/400 upgrades, news release, 11/3.
News: Computer scientists poised for revolution on tiny scale, NY Times, 11/1 (registration required). Molecular circuits could be 1/100 size of those used in today's chips. (This had to come out after I wrote After Moore's Law, where I argued that we're running up against the laws of physics. Sigh.)
Opinion: What is going on with Apple and its retailers?, Applelinks. "Does Apple really need to have people tell them that CompUSA isn't a good retail environment for a large number of people?"
Connectivity: Six months with a cable modem, 56k.com. "The lesson in this is that a modem is only as good as the network behind it...."
News: Mac OS 9 incompatible with USB cards, Apple TIL 60654. No support for PCI or CardBus USB adapters in OS 9.
News: Voodoo 4 to process one billion pixels per second, 3dfx [Macs Only!]. If you thought Voodoo 3 was hot, you ain't seen nothing yet.
Benchmark: Dual Voodoo 2 card tested, Mac3dfx, 11/3.
Opinion: PC Magazine is right about iBook, Mac Junkie, 11/3. "Recently, ZDNet published an article by Jon Hill of PC Magazine, clearly rebuking Apple for offering such an obviously . . . unqualified product. And rightly so...."
Connectivity: VDSL offers ten times ADSL speed, TechWeb, 11/2 [56k.com]. "VDSL technology has an aggregate capacity of up to 60 Mbist/second over short distances...."
News: AIM 3.5 offers real-time voice chat, Mac Junkie, 11/2. "...the telephone companies certainly have something to be afraid of."
Advice: Digest Viewer makes email list digests more manageable, Charles Moore, Applelinks, 11/2.
Rumor: G4 processors to recover nicely in 2000, MOSR, 11/2. Errata problem solved, next revision G4 will support speeds to 650 MHz, following generation to 900 MHz, and after that 1.1 GHz by end of 2000. Based on Moore's Law, the Pentium III should reach 1.2-1.4 GHz then, so this really reduces the "MHz gap."
Web: Macinstein, a Mac-specific search engine.
Review: XLR8 MAChCarrier G3/500 CPU card, Accelerate Your Mac!, 11/2.
Low End: An oldie but goodie, MacWeek. Reader reports 1984 version of Solitaire works under OS 9!
News: Epson Stylus 1160 offers fast wide-format printing, Applelinks, 11/2. If you need larger printouts, this printer supports 13"x44" pages.
Opinion: Apple's back in school, MacSimple, 11/2. "...Apple has indeed done the work necessary to cement its place in the market."
Opinion: A great fix for Apple's awful mouse, ZDNet, 11/2.
Opinion: Missing the point: The USB 2/FireWire debate, Jeff Lewis, Mac Opinion, 11/2. "OK, it sounds like I've proven that FireWire is better than USB and that USB 2.0 is a crock. Bear with me for a second."
News: PC makers hit with floppy drive suits, Yahoo/ZDNet, 11/2. Suits filed over flawed floppy drive controller that can lose data. Toshiba has settled. (Apple has abandoned floppy drives.)
Benchmark: XLR8 G3, G4 upgrades vs. Apple's G4/400, Bare Feats, 11/1. G3/400, G3/500, and G4/400 upgrades tested in ancient Power Mac 7500 against "Yikes" G4/400.
News: Apple maintains top education spot, Apple Computer, 11/1. "Dell didn't incorporate Apple's direct sales into their education market share calculations." That drops Dell to #4 in the education market.
News: Toshiba agrees to $2.1 billion settlement, MSNBC, 11/1. Floppy drive controller design flaw goes back to 1987.
News: Rantic Labs to pick up Mactell's FireWire product line, Mac Observer, 11/1. Fate of Voodoo 3 card unknown at this time.
Opinion: 3dfx and the Mac: Where do we go from here?, Sean Terrill, Mac Junkie, 11/1.
Advocacy: Most Hugest Page of Mac Facts. "Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, inventors of the Apple computer, were recently named the 5th most influential businessmen of this century. Bill Gates is 50th."
Benchmarks: G3 vs. Pentium II, Nicholas Coult, 11/1. Linux HINT benchmark shows G3/333 outperforms Pentium II/400.
Review: Using the Wacom "Graphire" graphics tablet, Tim Hillman, MacCentral, 11/1. I want one! Only $89.99 from Outpost.com
News: Apple expects 71% increase in unit sales for Christmas, Wes George, Mac Observer, 11/1.
OS 09. Steve Wood notes that Claris Home Page doesn't work under Mac OS 9. Darn - I love Home Page!
OS 09. HP 500 series drivers support StyleWriter 4000 series, HP [MacInTouch]. Mac OS 9 doesn't otherwise support the HP-made StyleWriter 4000 series.
Halloween: The iBook Costume
News: SETI@home Team Mac Observer update, Mac Observer. Team growing, but has slipped back to 22nd place. Consider joining! (For more information, see our SETI@home article.)
Advice: Hot swapping your OS, John Martellaro, MacSimple, 11/1. "So how do you manage your OS and your drives so that you can experiment with the latest and greatest OS and protect your data to boot?"
Update: USB 2.0, David K. Every, MacKiDo, 11/1. "Specsmanship is the way the game is played - but users (and managers) won't know that Intel's 480 Mbps USB 2.0 will almost never perform as well as . . . FireWire."
Opinion: Lombard aging fast: New 'Books by January?, Dan Cohen, MacinStart, 11/1. PowerBook G3 seems a bit overpriced compared with the iBook.
Opinion: Apple vs. Dell: Apple's education tree falling!, Brian Breslin, MacinStart, 11/1. "...we can't allow our country's children to grow up learning that computers were hard, and computers break all the time."
Analysis: Graphics get hot, Ricky Spero, MacinStart, 11/1. Strengths and weakenesses of Voodoo 3 and ATI Rage 128 graphics cards.

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