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Tuesday, September 30, 2003

News

NoteTaker 1.6 Brings Web Page Browsing, More
by MacMinute

Apple Named Among Top 10 Most Innovative Companies
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Apple has been named as one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in a new report released by Cheskin, a consulting and research firm, and Fitch Worldwide a brand and design company.

Adobe CEO: Relationship With Apple, Jobs Is Great
by MacMinute

Adobe's PDF-Everywhere Strategy
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Adobe Systems wants to put more than a few pulp mills out of business.

Apple's New Bid For Insane Greatness
by Robyn Weisman, E-Commerce Times
"Apple's position as the front-runner in music downloads depends utterly on its ability to offer the best and hottest music player on the market."

The Level Of Discourse Continues To Slide
by John Schwartz, New York Times
Is there anything so deadening to the soul as a PowerPoint presentation?

From NEXTSTEP To Now: An Interview WIth LaunchBar's Norbert Heger
by Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network
LaunchBar allows a user to enter a range of abbreviations for any term. It analyzes the user's behavior and adapts rating criteria dynamically, so search results become more accurate as LaunchBar "learns" how to serve the user. Like so many good ideas, the concept for this software has been around for a while.

Profiles In Success: Hampton School District — Building A City Of 21st Century Learners
by Apple
"In my opinion, any school that has the chance to participate in a 1:1 student laptop program should jump on it."

Aladdin Offers StuffIt Standard 8.0
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
The new version features faster compression, DropBox filters, access to newsgroup and Windows formats .yenc and .cab, and integrated HTML help.

Opinion

Bad Handwriting And The Tablet PC
by Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network
I'm not wishing ill on Tablet PCs. But unless there's a potential for them to flourish outside of niche markets such as healthcare, I'd just as soon Apple not waste its time on them.

Review

Apple's New PowerBook Shines
by David Adams, OSNews.com

PhoneValet, Can You Get That?
by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS
If I had a job that revolved around the phone, particularly one that involved billing for call time, I'd consider PhoneValet an essential tool for conducting business. But despite the fact that I don't really need to track calls, and despite my problems with identifying incoming calls, I've become quite fond of PhoneValet, particularly the voice dialing feature.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
by Kirk Hiner, Applelinks.com
There's not enough game in here to make it interesting for those even slightly outside its strict target audience, and there's not enough new abilities in here to make it interesting for many who already own THPS2 or 3.

Wintel

Software's Gentler Giant?
by Jonathan Krim, Washington Post
Microsoft is used to winning; now CEO Steve Ballmer is trying to win it some friends.

Tablet PCs Finally Taking Off
by Reuters
After a slow start, tablet personal computers are starting to take off, fueled by Microsoft's release of its operating system Windows XP Tablet PC and manufacturers rolling out a wider variety of easier-to-use devices.

Monday, September 29, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Rises Following Lehman Upgrade
by Rex Crum, CBS MarketWatch
Apple Computer shares rose Monday after Lehman Brothers analyst Dan Niles gave the company high marks for back-to-school sales and other initiatives.

Apple Row 'May Go On For Years'
by Nic Hopkins, The Times
A battle over name rights between the Apple computer company and Apple Corps, the Beatles' record label, may take years to settle, according to Steve Jobs.

News

Apple Renames, Extends .Mac Promo
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral

School Celebrates Computer Success
by Lincolnshire Echo
With many primaries struggling to meet a Department for Education and Skills' target of one computer for every nine children, Willoughton Primary is regarded as one of the best equipped schools in the country.

AMD Beats Apple To A Real 64-Bit PC
by Nebojsa Novakovic, The Inquirer
64-bit desktop PC finally for real?

Adobe Unveils Creative Suite
by Jim Dalrymple, MacCentral
Adobe Systems Inc. on Monday will announce the Adobe Creative Suite (CS), which includes updates to the company's professional Web, publishing and creative applications.

Apple's Man In Black Takes On The Music Pirates
by Nic Hopkins, The Times
Even Jobs, the most ardent evangelist of Apple products, admits to some surprise at the impact of iTunes.

Opinion

Apple Dismisses Dell As Unoriginal, But Misses The Point
by Bryan Chaffin, Mac Observer
I wish Dell would actually work with Apple to develop its online music store. A Dell branded iTMS would offer Dell's customers a better experience, and it would offer Apple more market share. Everyone wins.

Wintel

To Fix Software Flaws, Microsoft Invites Attack
by Steve Lohr, New York Times
Why is it still so difficult to make software that is not vulnerable to network attacks like the SoBig virus and Blaster worm?

Sunday, September 28, 2003

News

Nisus Thesaurus 1.0.1 Fixes Expiration Issue
by MacMinute

Apple: Dell Re-Branding Music Store, Player
by MacMinute
"There is little original here."

Opinion

Laptops: Apple's Window Of Opportunity
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
Macs may become the power user's dream machine.

Wintel

IE Holes Lead To AIM, Dial-Up Attacks
by Reuters
Security holes in Microsoft's Internet Explorer have been exploited by hackers to hijack AOL instant messaging accounts and force unsuspecting Web surfers to run up massive phone bills, computer experts cautioned on Friday.

MusicMatch, Dell To Launch Music Stores
by John Borland and John G. Spooner, CNET News.com
MusicMatch plans to jump into the digital song-selling business next week, with Dell promoting the company's new download service, sources familiar with the plan said.

Saturday, September 27, 2003

News

Crafting The View
by Bija Gutoff, Apple
"It's easier to pack my entire editing suite than to decide what shoes to bring! I can throw my computer with the entire project over my shoulder and feel confident about getting the job done."

Apple Updates AirPort Extreme Firmware
by MacMinute
The update offers enhanced security, improved USB printing, improved performance when 2.4GHz devices interfere with the AirPort network, enhanced performance between wired and wireless clients, and more.

Review

Owners Of Older Macs Prowl For Panther Power
by Glenn Fleishman, Seattle Times
Apple recommends at least 128 Mb of RAM and 3 Gb of free hard-disk space. I'd go further and say that without at least 192 Mb or 256 Mb on an older machine, you might find performance far too slow.

An Introduction To WebObjects
by Josh Paul, O'Reilly Network
WebObjects is most often referred to as an application server; however, it's much more.

The Ultimate Toaster
by Michael Bean, AMUG
Most software upgrades improve the product a bit and perhaps add compatibility for a new operating system. Not Toast.

Power Mac G5s: As Promised, G5s Leave Their Predecessors In The Dust
by Henry Norr, Macworld
If your time is money, the performance boost this amazing piece of engineering delivers will pay for itself.

Our Look At Apple's Dual 2-GHz G5
by Ken Mingis, Computerworld
To say that the latest and greatest G5 screams does a disservice to the word. To paraphrase Oldsmobile, this is not your father's Power Mac.

Sidetrack

Saturday, September 27, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

"MOST PEOPLE HERE [AT MICROSOFT] are trying not to do anything that would make vendors do anything but take the high road," remarked Robert Scoble. "It doesn't help our PR when stuff like this happens — it also really hurts our efforts to turn around the preception of our company."

Wintel

Tiptoeing Around A Sleeping Giant?
by Rob Flickenger, O'Reilly Network
If we find that we've built a sleeping giant, it's our duty to light a fire under them from time to time, whether they like it or not.

MSN's Smart Move On Anonymous Chat
by Alex Slakever, BusinessWeek
Sorry, critics. Microsoft's decision to limit its service to paying customers makes sense both legally and economically.

Mass. Wants To Use Linux-Type Systems
by Justin Pope, Associated Press
Massachusetts, the lone holdout state still suing Microsoft Corp. for antitrust violations, will become the first state to adopt a broad-based strategy of moving its computer systems toward open standards, including Linux, the rival operating system to Microsoft's Windows.

Friday, September 26, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Doin' The Logo-Motion
by Leander Kahney, Wired News
The world-famous Apple logo is getting a new look. Purists may not approve, but the designer of the original Apple logo, Rob Janoff, likes what he sees.

News

Nisus Thesaurus 1.0 A Free Download
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
After a period of beta testing, Nisus Software has released Nisus Thesaurus 1.0, an electronic thesaurus that automatically integrates with any Service-aware Mac OS X application including Nisus Writer Express, Mail, TextEdit and Safari.

Apple Adds Free iBlog, VersionTracker Plus To .Mac
by MacMinute
Apple has added three new exclusive gifts for .Mac members — a free copy of the iBlog weblog software, a free VersionTracker Plus subscription and a US$30 discount on SmartDisk hard drives.

Porting Linux To The iPod
by Howard Wen, O'Reilly Network
With Linux on iPod, you can play (to a limited degree, as of this writing) MP3 and Ogg files under Linux on your iPod. This is possible thanks to the work of just one man, Bernard Leach, a 30 year old software engineer in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Tokyo U Buying 1,150 iMacs (The Right Story)
by Ron Carlson, Insanely Great Mac

'1984' In 2003?
by Ray Baltes, Hampton Chronicle
Comparisons to George Orwell's "1984" may be inevitable, but parents of Hampton-Dumont students now have a powerful new tool to help keep track of their student's performance.

Apple Financial Results Coming Oct 15
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Apple will announce its fourth quarter and end-of-year financial results on Wednesday, Oct. 15, and will Webcast the announcement at 2 p.m. Pacific.

Opinion

How The iPod & iTunes Changed My Life
by Bob LeVitus, Mac Observer
I love it every time I use it, which is to say every single day. If you don't have a 'Pod yet, you don't know what you're missing.

Do You Want A Cheap Mac?
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
You can argue lower support costs and superior standard equipment till you're blue in the face, but the initial purchase price still hurts.

Panther OS Brings Touch Of Old, Much Of New
by Bob LeVitus, Houston Chronicle
Panther isn't expected to be out until later this year, but here's a taste of what you can expect when it leaps onto the scene.

The Fudge Factor
by Jarrod Spiga, APC Magazine
Hardware manufacturers and system builders use benchmarking to show how well their products perform, but the figures aren't always what they seem.

Review

DiskWarrior 3
by Gary Coyne, Applelinks.com
There isn't a Mac out there that couldn't benefit from owning and running DiskWarrior.

Should A Windows User Buy An iPod?
by David Coursey, ZDNet
I can tell you that the iPod is an absolutely wonderful device on a Mac and 10-15 percent less wonderful on Windows. That is still wonderful enough for many of us.

Sidetrack

Friday, September 26, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

WHILE LISTENING TO MY MP3 COLLECTION, I just noted that my music are mainly from CDs I bought during the last 80s and early 90s. Then I fondly remember what good time I was in then — no worries, no need to plan beyond next semester.

One does always seems to remember only the good things — your first project, your first crush, your first date.

As I approaches my mid-life crisis (no idea when that is yet), maybe I should start doing a lot of things for the first time too. Maybe I should tear down MyAppleMenu.com and built something new.

(Oh yeah, I didn't really get into that Napster craze.)

KILL SITEFINDER? Have you taken actions yet?

Wintel

Microsoft Celebrates Longhorn 'Gold Release' Early
by Andrew Orlowski, The Register
How do you keep a large team of developers on a big project motivated during the inevitable slippages? Easy: you just pretend the project is already complete.

Microsoft Critic Dismissed By @Stake
by John Borland, CNET News.com
A computer security expert who contributed to a paper deeply critical of Microsoft has been dismissed by his employer, a consulting company that works closely with the software giant.

Judge Tosses Microsoft Smart Tags Case
by David Becker, CNET News.com
A federal judge has dismissed a patent infringement case against Microsoft.

Shutting Of MSN Chat Rooms May Open Up IM
by Jim Hu, CNET News.com
In announcing it would shutter free chat rooms, Microsoft highlighted problems with spammers and pornographers. But analysts said there may be benefits for the software giant, which is trying to shunt customers to paid services across its network.

Thursday, September 25, 2003

Top Stories

Foreign Matter
by David Zeiler, Baltimore Sun
International users likely wouldn't begrudge the new services becoming available first in the United States, as long as Apple communicated the reason for the delay and offered some timetable for when it will become available to them. As it is, Mac users outside the United States often don't know what to expect, all while paying higher prices for less functionality.

News

Greene Students Will Soon Take Laptops Home
by LaToya Mack, Kinston Free press
The county's iTech program, which will allow every student in middle and high school to have access to an Apple iBook computer, is ahead of schedule. Superintendent Steve Mazingo originally expected students to take computers home after Christmas, but most students should have their laptops by November.

Thinking Differnt, Saving Money
by Michelle Delio, Wired News
The creators of the world's fastest Mac supercomputer insist they opted for Apple because Macs provided significant price and performance benefits over hardware running Linux or any other Unix-based solution.

Apple G5: Can You Feel The Power?
by James Maguire, NewsFactor
Could Apple, lagging Intel-based machines markedly with the G4 platform, actually have come from behind to produce the fastest desktop — not just in advertising hype, but in reality?

School Board OKs Laptop Loaning Plan
by Greg C. Huff, Stillwater Gazette
Although a district official outlined a plan to fund about $850,000 of the project's total cost — which does not include funding for increased computer support staff — he did not elaborate on where the district would find the additional $2 million it will need.

'Tea Cart' Brings Computers To Kids
by Nora Fascenelli, Arizona Republic
Abandoning the traditional brick-and-mortar computer lab approach, Washington is putting 30 laptops on compact, mobile carts and taking the latest in computer technology to the student rather than having the students go to a lab.

Opinion

Selling Air: The Nebulous Advertising Of Apple Computer
by Del Miller, Applelinks.com
Influencing skeptical consumers to buy a Macintosh has always required more than hand waving and lofty references to thinly related imagery. So why does Apple choose the most nebulous of advertising approaches to sell Macintoshes?

Review

iListen 1.6: Speak And Your Computer Will Obey... If It Can iListen
by Markkus Rovito, MacHome
iListen's plentiful voice commands worked very reliably and its dictation, while not yet perfect, worked well enough to produce written documents needing light editing.

Geneforge 2
by Ken Newquist, Inside Mac Games
For $25 players get a huge world to explore and — thanks to the intricacies of the game's plot — re-explore. It's a real find for any player who's ever bought a $50 game and then abandoned it a few days later after finding that its stunning graphics and jaw-dropping movies were little more than a spectacular facade for non-existent game play.

What To Do Now That Mac OS X 10.2.8 Has Been Pulled; Continuing Solutions
by MacFixIt
Since Mac OS X 10.2.8 has been pulled from Apple's servers, several readers are wondering what they should do.

Wintel

Dell Opens Its Doors To Home Electronics
by Richard Shim and John G. Spooner, CNET News.com
Dell introduced a digital music player, online music service, multifunction LCD television and computer screen, and projector, as well as a new handheld.

Microsoft Is Not Complacent About Innovation
by David Kirkpatrick, Fortune
Yes, it has followed others at times. But it's one of the few companies now spending real money on research, and the results are on the way.

Microsoft Office 2003 Reviewed
by David Pogue, New York Times
In Office 2003, Microsoft has made shockingly few changes to Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The message seems to be: "You people didn't like it when we piled on features? O.K., fine. Let's see how you like it when we add none at all."

Dell: Home Is Where The PC Is
by John G. Spooner, CNET News.com
Michael Dell elaborated Wednesday on his vision of the PC becoming the nerve center of home entertainment, but he was vague about how the company plans to achieve that goal.

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Top Stories

Thanks To New Technology, Macintosh Gets In On The Action
by Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe
Even though there's little original game development for the Mac, this is a golden era for Mac gaming.

News

Apple May Benefit From Expected Increase In IT Spending
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral

iBook-Intensive Henrico Schools Win Another Tech Award
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Henrico County Public Schools has won the 2003 Governor's Gold Technology Award for the Teaching and Learning Initiative. The school system also earned the distinction in 2001 for the same initiative.

Supercomputer Goes Online
by Bryan Nieder, Collegiate Times
The computer cluster composed of Apple G5 machines will not only rank highly in computing power but also with the economically minded.

Apple Posts Darwin 6.7, 6.8 For Latest OS X
by MacNN

Stillwater: Board Gives Go-Ahead For Junior High Laptops
by Megan Boldt, Pioneer Press
The Stillwater Board of Education approved a plan to give every junior high student in the district a laptop to use at home and school, despite requests from dozens of angry parents to delay the decision.

Opinion

As The Mac OS 10.2.8 Dust Settles: What Went Wrong?
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
An obvious question comes to mind: Doesn't Apple test its system updates before release? Another, that it is so involved in getting Panther out the door that maybe the Q&A process for the apparent final Jaguar update wasn't as rigorous as it should have been.

A Wireless iPod Can Torpedo The Pirates
by Charles Haddad, BusinessWeek
Riddle me this: What would you get if you crossed a BlackBerry with an iPod? The answer: The future of the music business.

Review

Age Of Empires II Gold Edition
by MacDirectory
Age of Empires II Gold Edition will have you hooked — it's challenging and visually impressive.

Heroes Of Might & Magic IV
by Sabih Mir, MacDirectory
The interactive element adds an entirely new scope to the game as fighting real people is always more fun than just battling it out with the computer.

Finding Nemo: Nemo's Underwater World Of FUn
by Amy R. Wood, MacHome
Parents should find that the difficulty level isn't too daunting for little kids and the activities are interesting enough for older kids (in the 6-10 range). All in all, it's a fun game that'll keep kids obsessed with Nemo until the DVD release.

More iSight Video Tricks
by Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network
When you're not video conferencing, you still have a powerful camera perched atop your Mac.

Nascar Racing 2003
by Andy Largent, Inside Mac Games

Wintel

Security Report Puts Blame On Microsoft
by Jonathan Krim, Washington Post
Viruses, worms and other cyber-attacks that are crippling computers with increasing frequency cannot be stopped as long as the software of one company — Microsoft Corp. — dominates computing, according to a paper prepared by corporate technology officers and researchers.

State Department Computers Hit By Virus
by Associated Press
The State Department's electronic system for checking every visa applicant for terrorist or criminal history failed worldwide for several hours late Tuesday because of a computer virus, leaving the U.S. government briefly unable to issue visas.

Microsoft To Shut Down Chat Rooms
by Reuters
Microsoft said Wednesday it would shut down its Internet chat rooms in 28 countries, saying the forums had become a haven for peddlers of junk e-mail and sex predators.

Microsoft Hops On The 64-Bit Bus
by Ina Fried and John G. Spooner, CNET News.com
Microsoft on Tuesday said it had released a beta version of its Windows XP operating system for 64-bit PCs based on Advanced Micro Devices' new Athlon 64 processor.

Microsoft Touts Communications Services
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Microsoft's new Live Meeting service is part of a broad effort by the software giant to improve the way office workers communicate, with future enhancements including videoconferencing applications and telephone connectivity, a company executive said Tuesday.

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Pulls Mac OS X 10.2.8 Update
by MacMinute
Apple has apparently pulled the Mac OS X 10.2.8 update, as it is no longer available via the Software Update preference pane or as a standalone download.

News

Ethernet Problems After Installing Mac OS X 10.2.8
by Mac Net Journal
A number of people are noting some problems with selected machines that lose Internet access after updating to Mac OS X 10.2.8.

Logitech Debuts Cordless Optical Mouse For Laptops
by MacMinute

iBooks Delivered To Quebec School
by MacNN

Sun's 'Mac OS X' Suite To Remain In Sun Morgue
by Andrew Orlowski, The Register
After investing heavily in the StarOffice suite, Sun Microsystems has no plans to release another productivity suite, one of its hidden gems, we learn. Sun acquired NeXT developer Lighthouse Design in 1996, bringing with it Jonathan Schwartz, who's now Executive VP for Software.

Stillwater: All In Junior High Might Receive Laptops
by Megan Boldt, Pioneer Press
If the proposal passes, school officials say it will be the first time a public school district in Minnesota has taken on such a program, beyond some grant-funded pilot efforts.

Opinion

Microsoft, Linux, Apple, Reality Games
by Robin Bloor, IT-Director.com
I'm not sure if I'm witnessing a trend, but quite a few people I know have recently made the move from Windows PCs to Apple PCs.

20 Years After 1984
by Chuck Toporek, O'Reilly Network
I'm thinking that the 20th anniversary spot won't be done by Ridley Scott, but instead by John Lassiter. You know. The top director at Pixar.

PC Magazine "Fibbed" In Article On G5/Dell Comparo?
by Macs Only!
Similarly priced? Give us a break! According to our visit to the Dell web site, the similarly configured Dell 650... is over $1500 more expensive!

Review

What's New In StuffIt Deluxe 8.0
by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS
This major upgrade to StuffIt Deluxe 8.0 brings to Mac OS X an extremely useful feature from the Mac OS 9 versions of the program — Archive Via Rename.

Wintel

Intel Gives Notebook Chips A Boost
by John G. Spooner, CNET News.com
Intel on Tuesday added to its fleet of mobile Pentium 4 processors for consumer-oriented notebook PCs.

AMD Unveils Details Of Its 64-Bit Chip
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
Advanced Micro Devices tried on Tuesday to make the case that its 64-bit processor line adds up to a better deal than Intel's Pentium 4 family, which remain 32-bit chips.

Microsoft Ordered To Pay Mass Legal Fees
by Ashlee Vance, The Register
Microsoft is to cough up $1 million in legal fees to Massachusetts - the lone state pursuing an appeal against the 2002 antitrust ruling.

Bill Gates Gives Billions To Africa
by Claire Keeton, Sunday Times
Gates, the founder of Microsoft, has contributed more money than the US and European governments to fighting malaria.

Exchange 2003 Targets Admins
by Michael Caton, eWeek
With many features geared toward reducing management and network overhead, Microsoft Corp.'s Exchange 2003 definitely delivers more value to administrators than previous versions of the messaging server. However, the hurdles of Active Directory and system migration still remain high for sites that have balked at upgrading from Exchange 5.5.

Dell Thinks Small With Windows Server
by Dinesh C. Sharma, CNET News.com
Dell has unveiled a server bundled with Microsoft's Windows operating system, targeted at small and medium-size businesses.

AMD's Athlon Steps Up To 64 Bits
by John G. Spooner, CNET News.com
Advanced Micro Devices wants to give you something Intel can't.

Monday, September 22, 2003

Top Stories

Apple's Safari, So Far
by James Maguire, NewsFactor
"We have the same amazing team that went from beta to 1.0 from January to June, and they have not slowed down."

Success In Appleland
by Victoria Shannon, International Herald Tribune
In the business of personal computers, does size matter? If you ask Steve Jobs, the answer is a resounding "it depends."

Why Microsoft Won't Beat Six Apart
by Robert Scoble
It's the connectors who influence what the rest of us buy.

News

NetNewsWire Updated To Version 1.0.5
by MacMinute

Apple Releases Mac OS X V10.2.8 Update
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral
The 10.2.8 Update delivers enhanced functionality and improved reliability.

Virgina Tech Prepares To Deploy Apple Supercomputer
by Tom Krazit, IDG News Service
Faculty and students hope to set up the 1,100-node Terascale Computing Facility by the end of this week, said Lynn Nystrom, a Virginia Tech spokeswoman.

First Of The Independent Labels On iTunes Music Store
by O'Grady's PowerPage

E.Biz 25: Steve Jobs, Apple
by BusinessWeek
Count on Apple Computer Inc. Chief Executive Steven P. Jobs to "think different."

Reseller 'Leaks' iBook G4 Specs
by Tony Smith, The Register
A major UK reseller may have inadvertently pre-announced Apple's intention to migrate the iBook consumer notebook line to the G4 processor.

Opinion

Java On The Desktop: An Idea Whose Time Has Come... And Gone
by David Strom, Internet Week
Java on the desktop is an idea that has come and gone. Stick to servers, Scott, and move front and center to fight that battle. Better yet, buy Apple.

Review

BusinessCard Composer
by Macs Only!

Wild FX Pro 3
by Kirk Hiner, Applelinks.com
Video hobbyists will be able to put Wild FX Pro to good use many times, but prosumers — or those who want to get really creative — may quickly find themselves checking Wildform's website for news of Wild FX Pro 4.

Wintel

Will Microsoft Ever Get Secure?
by Robert Vamosi, CNET
I believe it's reasonable to expect Microsoft to secure the new version of Office. After all, it was Bill Gates himself who threw down the gauntlet almost two years ago and asked his employees to ensure the security of all Windows products. I'm just asking the company to follow up on the promise. So far, it's not looking good.

Intel: Happy Days Will Come Again
by Stephen Shankland, CNET News.com
It's been a tough haul for the technology industry, but the good times will return, according to an Intel executive speaking at a trade show that has seen its own share of difficulty.

Blackmailed By Pop-Up Advertising
by Brian McWilliams, Wired News
Windows computer users are fuming over a new breed of pop-up ads with a dubious sales pitch: Buy our software, and protect yourself from pop-ups like this one!

Office Hunts For New Niches
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Microsoft plans to announce new specialty software packages on Monday based on the upcoming update of its Office productivity software.

Want To Sue Over Buggy Code?
by stephen H. Wildstrom, BusinessWeek
Forget it. Microsoft and other software makers shield themselves with the "End User Agreement." What if no one agreed?

Virus Attack Leaves SOS Messages Unread
by Wong Sher Maine, Straits Times
A computer virus attack left 112 desperate people, who had turned to the Samaritans of Singapore for help, temporarily stranded.

Can Microsoft Finally Kill All The Bugs
by Bill Breen, Fast Company
Viruses, flaws, and worms, oh my! With PCs crashing and the Internet wheezing, Gates & Co. are on the quality hot seat. We'll take you inside Microsoft's effort to get its software right, right from the start.

Sunday, September 21, 2003

Top Stories

Windows Dressing Isn't The Apple Way
by Stephen Pritchard, Independent
If this means putting innovation ahead of market share, Apple executives are happy with that.

News

Steve Jobs: Once More At The Core Of Apple's Success Story
by Charles Arthur, Independent
The computer pioneer says his is the only vertically integrated technology company left. Plainly the formula works.

Opinion

Singing Those Music Downloading Blues
by Debra Pickett, Chicago Sun-Times
As much as Apple hates Windows, Windows hates Apple right back.

It's Rant Time Again: Time To Fix Phony Specs
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
While I wouldn't want to get government agencies involved in this messy affair, I do think it's time for a little realism in specs. Why can't they just rate things in a way that represents the experience of real user?

Wintel

Microsoft's Security Honcho Wants To Regain Customer Trust
by Allyce Bess, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Microsoft Corp.'s chief information officer, Rick Devenuti, is so busy that he has been reading the same Tom Clancy novel for the last four years.

Fast-Growing Company Sunk By Loss Of Microsoft Contract
by Clayton Park, King County Journal
One of the state's fastest growing companies over the past several years notified its vendors Friday that it has been forced to liquidate its business after losing a long-standing contract with its biggest client, Microsoft Corp.

Microsoft's Patchy Security
by Straits Times
Microsoft is on the back foot again as computer viruses and worms find their way through its patches and defences. Can the world's biggest software company fulfil its pledge to make its software more secure?

Saturday, September 20, 2003

Top Stories

Eolas Suit May Spark HTML Changes
by Paul Festa, CNET News.com
As anxiety builds throughout the Web over the patent threatening Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, the Web's leading standards group is considering modifying the medium's lingua franca itself, HTML, to address the same threat.

Eolas Says It Would Settle Over IE
by Paul Festa, CNET News.com
In response to newly revealed details of Microsoft's potential plans to redesign its browser, Eolas founder Mike Doyle urged the software giant to leave Internet Explorer alone and pay his company a license fee instead.

News

Apple Posts Apple Expo Keynote In QuickTime
by MacNN

Apple Sports Bluetooth 1.2 Features
by Glenn Fleishman, Wi-Fi Networking News
Apple slipped in a few features that will appear in the upcoming Bluetooth 1.2 specific in their new Bluetooth firmware and their new keyboard and mouse: adaptive frequency hopping.

'School Night At The Apple Store' Resumes
by MacMinute
Ready for the new school year.

French TV Interviews Steve Jobs
by MacNN
"We have so much to do still with music and we are going to continue to grow our presence in this area."

Review

Control Your Mac From Afar
by Harold Martin, O'Reilly Network
There are many different ways to control your Mac — even when you're not sitting at it.

Test Bench: Apple Final Cut Pro 4.0 Editing Software
by D. Eric Franks, Videomaker Magazine
Four apps in one suite make Final Cut Pro 4.0 the most complete and powerful editing package found in a single box.

Apple Power Mac G5: Neck-And-Neck With Intel PCs
by Troy Dreier, PC Magazine
By outperforming top-specked Windows machines on some tests, Apple has proved that megahertz isn't everything.

Friday, September 19, 2003

News

$2.15 Million Wires Classrooms With Computers
by Jessica Wanks, Arizona Republic
Apples aren't just for teachers anymore. With two new Apple eMac computers installed in each classroom of the Tempe Elementary District's 24 schools, students will be learning how to use technology and the Internet as learning tools.

iPod Is 'Serious Temptation'
by Macworld UK
UK consumer magazine Computing Which? has declared Apple's iPod its Best Buy MP3 player in its September issue.

Logitech Announces Bluetooth Devices
by Eddie Park, Inside Mac Games
Hot on the heels of Apple's recent announcement of Bluetooth-powered devices, peripheral maker Logitech has announced its own lineup of Bluetooth devices.

The Apple Of Jonathan Ive's Eye
by Ken Spencer Brown, Investor's Business Daily
Jonathan Ive, Apple's in-house product designer, reinvented the firm's computer line with a revamp of its Macintosh line.

Jobs Is 78th Richest Person In America
by MacMinute

Columbia High School Parents Now Have Access To Records
by Columbia Ledger
Columbia Junior-Senior High School parents will be able to check on their students with a simple click of the mouse.

'Messiah' Accidently Tagged As 'Explicit' At iTunes Store
by Associated Press
George Frideric Handel has at least one thing in common with Eminem and other modern artists: his music was slapped with an "explicit" warning at Apple Computer Inc.'s online iTunes Music Store.

Opinion

Does Going Windows Save Schools Money?
by Dan Knight, Low End Mac
Put the pressure on. Try to unearth any evidence that any school anywhere has saved any money by adopting Windows PCs after the initial savings based on a lower purchase price.

G5 PowerBook? It Could Happen
by Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica
Reading between the lines (which is always helpful when speculating about new products), it looks like we can definitively expect G5 PowerBooks at some point.

Why The Beatles Are Hitting On Apple's ITunes
by Naseem Javed, Axcess Business News
Can Apple computers go into music business without upsetting The Beatles? This will be decided by the courts and most probably in favor of Beatles.

Review

Warrior Kings
by Kirk Hiner, Applelinks.com
The safest thing to do when sitting down to play Warrior Kings is to take what you know about and expect from real-time strategy games, fold it all up nicely, and stick it in your computer desk drawer with the pencils, paper clips, and photos of ex-girlfriends you pretend you don't think about anymore.

The Game Room: Eye Of The Tiger
by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Mac GEMS: Simple Shortcut
by Dan Frakes, Macworld

iListen 1.6: Dictation And Editing Anywhere That You Can TYpe
by T. Patrick Henebry, Macworld
iListen 1.6.1 is moving in the right direction; its support for digital recorders and improved select-by-saying capability demonstrate this. But if you run OS 9 or need truly hands-free computing, you should look elsewhere.

DeltaGraph 5.0: Visually Rich Charting Application Makes Belated Jump To OS X
by Franklin Tessler, Macworld
The charting functions in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint may be sufficient for simple jobs, but DeltaGraph 5.0.2 offers many more specialized chart formats than either program.

Bravo Disc Publisher: Disc Production Speeds Along With Personal DVD/CD Duplicator ANd Printer
by Robert Capps, Macworld
Although we'd like to see the included software refined and expanded, the Bravo Disc Publisher is a useful machine and a new option for people who burn CDs and DVDs. The Bravo is most cost-effective for people who need to duplicate a modest number of discs fairly regularly.

Apogee Mini-Me: Analog-To-Digital COnverter Performs Well — For A Price
by David Leishman, Macworld
If you're an audio pro, or if you need to record sound or music on location for video work, the Mini-Me deserves your serious consideration. And if you're an enthusiast who wants to significantly improve the sound of song demos, it's definitely worth a look — just be prepared to trim your living expenses.

G4 Processor Upgrades: Four 1.4GHz Cards Offer A Timely Stopgap Measure
by Kristina De Nike, Macworld
Any of these four cards will rejuvenate your older computer, but the Sonnet card is a good choice only if you're sure you won't move it after installation. On the other hand, the OWC card works in the widest variety of systems and is relatively easy to move between systems. It's the best choice for an office with a variety of computers.

QuicKey X2: Powerful Utility Rewards Effort With Timesaving Macros
by Franklin Tessler, Macworld
Although programming complicated shortcuts demands patience and experimentation, QuicKeys is excellent for replicating many of the repetitive tasks that you perform every day.

DiskWarrior 3.0: Repair Utility Does No Harm
by Stephan Somogyi, Macworld
DiskWarrior 3.0 is a tool that any serious Mac user — and certainly every IT administrator — should have.

iTools 7: Front End Simplifies Access To Open-Source Internet Services
by Macworld
iTools 7 takes industry-standard Internet- service software and makes it as easy to use as an OS X preference pane. iTools 7 may not appeal to advanced administrators with experience using text files to configure Unix software. But if you need a professional Internet presence without dedicated administrators, iTools 7 will save you time and effort.

ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
by Lucian Fong, Inside Mac Games
ATI has paired a powerful piece of hardware with an equally powerful software package that has many innovative features. Gamers will find the OpenGL Overrides useful for maximizing image quality and graphics and multimedia professionals will value VERSAVISION and the various output options.

Sidetrack

Friday, September 19, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

BYE BYE MONEY : ATMs are going Windows. Expect blue screen of deaths, and other bugs, soon. An example here.

MONOPOLY! : The first question is, how can I use this, an analysis of the probabilities on landing on the different squares in the board game Monopoly, to my advantage?

My second question, does my computer know about this?

Wintel

Windows To Power ATMs In 2005
by Elisa Batista, Wired News
Most U.S. banks plan to convert their ATMs to the Windows operating system by 2005. Will this move make bank customers vulnerable to malicious Internet attacks and the infamous blue screen of death?

A Kinder, Gentler Microsoft
by Joris Evers and Robert McMillan, IDG News Service
Talk on the campaign trail can get pretty rough, especially when the debate pits open source against Microsoft Corp. software. But now, Microsoft says, the gloves are back on, though the company has pledged to take the invective out of its talking points about Linux and open-source software.

Gates Holds Richest Slot
by Theresa Agovino, Herald Sun
The US economy is improving for the super rich.

New Internet Worm Targets E-Mail, P-To-P Software
by Paul Roberts, IDG News Service
Antivirus companies are warning Internet users about W32.Swen, a new worm that spreads using e-mail messages, vulnerable network connections, IRC (Internet Relay Chat) and peer-to-peer (P-to-P) networks.

Gates, Ballmer Get Slight Pay Raises
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
Microsoft's top executives all saw slight increases in salary and bonus last year, according to the company's annual proxy statement, filed Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Thursday, September 18, 2003

News

Computer Makers Sued Over Hard-Drive Size Claims
by Reuters
A group of computer owners has filed a lawsuit against some of the world's biggest makers of personal computers, claiming that their advertising deceptively overstates the true capacity of their hard drives.

MS Keyboard, Mouse Drivers Updated
by Macworld UK

G5 PowerBook 'A Challenge'
by David Fanning, Macworld UK
The current crop of G5 processors are designed for desktop machines, and a cooler-running version of the processor would be needed for a PowerBook.

Microsoft Polishes Up Apple Users
by CNET News.com
Maybe Microsoft just wants to make it appear as if Windows isn't the only target.

Opinion

Thoughts, Reflections And Opinions
by Marc L. Rubinstein, Casco Bay Weekly
Ever ask yourself why Mac owners love their computers while Windows users barely tolerate theirs? Why Mac users who hate Windows are those forced to it at work but Windows users who hate Macs have never used one?

Should Apple Give Up On Mac OS 9 Holdouts?
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
Apple has other priorities and it has moved on. Whether you want to get aboard the train is your choice.

No More Apples For Teachers
by St. Petersburg Times
As the computing universe changes, so must school desktops.

Computer Switch In Schools Is Hard To Understand
by St. Petersburg Times

Apple Records Thwarts iTunes Europe Launch
by Snorre Valen, MacNN
It really adds nicely together.

Nice Computer, Nasty Details
by Chris Adamson, O'Reilly Network
Apple community, unix toolset. Nice combination.

Government Issue: Macs Could Help Defend Federal Agencies From Cyber Attacks
by David Zeiler, Baltimore Sun
Regardless of Microsoft's progress on improving security, the federal government would be wise to look to diversification among operating systems as a basic defense against cyber terrorists.

Review

Are PowerBooks Really Ready To Replace Desktop Macs?
by Rob-ART, Bare Feats
The PowerBooks lag significantly behind the newest desktops.

Making The Switch From A PC To A Mac
by Walter S. Mossberg, Wall Street Journal
Here are a few questions about computers I've received recently from people like you, and my answers.

15" PowerBook G4/1.25 Compared To Others
by Rob-ART, Bare Feats
The new 15" (and 17") Aluminum PowerBooks don't seem to suffer from the missing level 3 cache.

Breaking The Speed Barrier: The Frontside Bus Bottleneck
by Brian R. Hok, TechNewsWorld
AMD, Intel, Apple and Motorola seem headed down the right path — at least in terms of frontside bus technology. After all, in a market hungry for speed, the disparity between processor and bus speed is certain, at least eventually, to foster major breakthroughs.

Scoring With Home Movies
by Garry Barker, The Age
Soundtrack is a great tool. If you have a reasonable grasp of how Mac software works, you should have no trouble. The interface is clear, the learning curve not steep and the presentation logical. Above all, it is fun.

For A Creaky Mac, Tricks To Jog The Memory
by Howard Millman, New York Times
Macintosh computers — at least those using the OS 9 operating system or earlier versions — can be afflicted by memory malaise. Antidotes for the Mac can be tricky, though, depending on which operating system is involved.

White Noise
by Charles Wright, The Age
According to our friend, there is a secret society of iPod users who acknowledge each other's existence solely by the fact that they wear white earphones with white cords. The ones in the store were black.

Wintel

New Virus Preys On Old IE Flaw
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
A new e-mail worm has started to spread quickly, taking advantage of an Internet Explorer vulnerability that was first disclosed two years ago.

Microsoft Adds Two To Its Board
by Mike Ricciuti, CNET News.com
Microsoft said Thursday that it would expand its board of directors in order to strengthen its corporate governance.

Lindows Capitalizes On Microsoft Settlement
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Linux software seller Lindows.com is looking to capitalize on Microsoft's antitrust woes with a new program that promises free PCs and software.

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Top Stories

Schools Will Give Kids New Windows On The World
by Howard Troxler, St. Petersburg Times
I totally endorse the decision of Howard Hinesley, the school chief in Pinellas County, to eliminate Apple computers from the public schools and switch to Windows-based computers.

Setback For Microsoft Ripples Through The World Wide Web
by Steve Lohr, New York Times
Last month, Microsoft suffered a stinging legal setback. But this time, the rest of the industry is not smiling.

News

Every Carroll Seventh Grader To Get Laptop
by Associated Press
Every seventh grade student and teacher in Carroll in western Iowa should have a laptop computer as early as the end of the month.

QuickTime Chief Queries MS Standards Tactic
by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

PowerSchool Announces PowerPack Add-On
by MacMinute
The PowerPack includes PowerSchool and PowerGrade tutorials, templates, user guides, product overview QuickTime movies, and more.

Apple To Open Second Seattle Retail Store
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
Apple will open a second retail store in Seattle, Wash., on Friday, Sept. 26. The grand opening of the retail establishment — located at the University Village Mall, 2656 NE University Village Street — will be from 6-10 p.m.

SSH Security Glitch Exposes Networks
by Patrick Gray, ZDNet Australia
A critical security flaw in SSH has been revealed that threatens servers worldwide.

Review

Hands-On Report — New 15" PowerBook G4
by Macs Only!
Every major complaint that we had about the TiBook has been taken care of in the new 15" AlBook.

Apple iMac G4 1.25Ghz: A First Look
by Mattt Elliott, ZDNet UK
Although the changes to the iMac amount to only a few bumps in speed, you're still getting more for the same old price — always good news for consumers.

Apple's Mac Offers Refuge From Barrage Of PC Virus Attacks
by Yeong Ah Seng, Straits Times
For the multitude of Wintel users who have been flabbergasted time and again by virus attacks and Microsoft's lacklustre response, the prospect of undisturbed surfing and checking e-mail on a Mac is becoming a more attractive option every day.

Sidetrack

Wednesday, September 17, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

iKnowKungFu, and other ads.

Wintel

Does Microsoft Want To Lose The Plug-In Patent Case?
by Jeffrey Zeldman
The "losing to win it all" theory has been coming to light in mainstream publications that are finally beginning to cover the case.

Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Unveils 15-Inch PowerBook, Updates 17 And 12
by Jim Darlymple, MacCentral
Apple on Tuesday announced the long awaited revamped 15-inch PowerBook at Steve Jobs' Apple Expo keynote in Paris, France. The company also offered customers updated versions of its 17-inch and 12-inch PowerBooks, increasing speed and adding features.

Apple Introduces Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard And Mouse
by Jim Darlymple, MacCentral
The wireless keyboard and mouse have reliable performance up to 30 feet from the computer and offers secure 128-bit, over-the-air encryption keeping sensitive information safe as it is being typed.

News

Apple's Houston Retail Spot Named Ultimate 'Cool' Store
by Dennis Sellers, MacCentral
"Not coolest computer store or electronics store, but the coolest store of them all."

Jobs: European iTunes Music Store 'Next Year'
by MacMinute
"We're clearly working on it (but) I think we'll do it next year."

No Ship Date For Panther, 3GHz G5 By Summer
by MacMinute

Apple Offers Keynote Rebate With Mac Purchase
by Jim Darlymple, MacCentral
Apple Computer today announced a US$50 rebate offer for customers that purchase a new Macintosh and its presentation software, Keynote.

64-Bit Desktop Computing Unnecessary, Says Intel CEO
by Tony Smith, The Register
AMD and Apple are touting 64-bit computing on the desktop far too quickly, Intel CTO Pat Gelsinger said today.

Opinion

Does This Mean We Can't Say "TiBook" Anymore?
by Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network
I'm sure as heck not going to write, 15" PowerBook G4 every time I refer to the laptop formerly known as the TiBook.

Review

WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne
by A. Ectal Greenhaw, Inside Mac Games
Any Warcraft III fan should pick this expansion up without hesitation. Between the improved game play, the new units, the multiplayer/custom game improvements, and a full game's worth of new missions, you can't miss.

Wintel

Microsoft Joins 802.11g WLAN Game
by Joris Evers, IDG News Service
Microsoft Corp. introduced 802.11g-based wireless networking gear Tuesday, catching up with rivals Cisco Systems Inc., Netgear Inc., and D-Link Systems Inc.

Patch-Fatigued Users Contemplate Ditching Microsoft
by John Foley and Goerge V. Hulme, InformationWeek
A year-and-a-half after Bill Gates declared that trustworthy computing had become Microsoft's No. 1 priority, the software bugs keep coming.

Microsoft Pitches Xbox Deal For Holidays
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Microsoft on Monday announced a new holiday package for its Xbox video game console, dimming expectations for another price cut this year.

Ballmer: Stop Viruses Before THey Start
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer warned Monday that recent security vulnerabilities represent a "new and growing challenge to innovation" and conceded that his company is under attack from "thieves, con artists, terrorists and hackers."

Monday, September 15, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Memories Not Sweet As Pie
by Leander Kahney, Wired News
An Apple reunion of former employees was dominated by the one person who wasn't there: Steve Jobs.

25 Innovators: Jon Rubinstein
by Vincent A. Randazzese, CRN
Jon Rubinstein's hardware team at Apple Computer has certainly been busy this year, contributing the breakthrough iPod and the Power Mac G5. His latest project is AirPort Extreme, which is ushering in the 802.11g Wi-Fi standard among Apple loyalists.

25 Innovators: Avadis "Avie" Tevanian
by Vincent A. Randazzese, CRN
Over the past few years, Avadis "Avie" Tevanian and his engineering team have blurred the line between fantasy and reality when it comes to what can be accomplished with software.

News

Apple Pushes iPod In New Print Ads
by AdWeek
On the heels of Apple's claims that its iPod sales quadrupled in the fiscal third quarter and that 10 million songs have been downloaded from its 4-month-old iTunes online store, Omnicom's TBWA\Chiat\Day is breaking a print and outdoor campaign for the portable-music player.

Jobs To Deliver Keynote Speech Tomorrow
by MacNN

EyeTV To Support Toast 6 Titanium, European TV
by Peter Cohen, MacCentral

How To Go Legit
by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Time
Pay for music online? It used to be square, but the crackdown on pirates is giving legal sites new life.

FCP 4 Optimized For G5
by Macworld UK
Apple will ship a version of Final Cut Pro 4 that is optimized for Power Mac G5s, the company revealed at European broadcast and media event, IBC.

Getting More From A PC's Spare Time
by Joan Oleck, New York Times
Millions of PC users are volunteering their terminals' unused processing power to help analyze data and perform computer simulations for research into an AIDS cure, climate prediction or the mysteries of biological proteins.

Opinion

iPod Competition
by Bill Howard, PC Magazine
Will Apple's domination of the personal audio player business be challenged?

Away From The Core
by Neil McIntosh, The Guardian
Today, the "rest of us" are mostly using Windows, and Apple is no longer concerned with changing that.

The Passing Parade
by John Atkinson, Stereophile Magazine
Not only is the iPod a great product, but for it to come from Apple rather than, say, Sony, is significant.

Review

Rolling Out Mac OS X In A Lab Environment
by Damien Barrett
Test everything. I mean everything.

Tactile Pro Keyboard
by Kirk Hiner, Applelinks.com
What you gain, though is potentially a higher degree of accuracy and improved speed, and that will prove to be tremendously important. Just make sure that, if you share an office, you let your coworkers borrow your iPod when you're into some heavy typing.

Wintel

Microsoft Launches Into Web Conferencing
by Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com
Microsoft will unveil its Web conferencing service on Monday, the latest step in its plan to transform Office from a product suite to a concept.

Motorola, Microsoft To Team On Cell Phones
by Associated Press
The fledgling competition to develop "smarter" cell phones for Web-hungry consumers is getting a powerful new tag-team entry: Motorola Inc. and Microsoft Corp.

Sunday, September 14, 2003

News

Readers: Problems With iTunes Radio Services
by MacNN

Ranchero Releases New NetNewsWire Beta
by MacMinute

Upton Middle School Addition Dedicated
by Kim Strode, The Herald-Palladium
The library/media center has a wireless computer laboratory with 30 MacIntosh ibooks, portable laptop computers that students or teachers can check out. Teachers can take the remote hub to their room to create a computer lab in their classrooms.

Opinion

This Is What I Really Believe About Macs
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
I agree Apple can, like any company, screw up from time to time. And I will continue to call them on it. Maybe the company's executives will listen to me, and maybe they won't. But that won't stop me from saying my peace.

Review

Kernel Panics On A Sunday
by Bob LeVitus, Mac Observer
I wouldn't dream of operating my Mac without my DiskWarrior CD close at hand.

Wintel

Microsoft Says It Is Planning To Double Its Dividend
by Steve Lohr, New York Times
The higher payment — an annual dividend of 16 cents a share — is still small compared with the enormous piles of cash generated by Microsoft's dominant desktop personal computer software franchises, the Windows operating system and the Office suite of programs.

Saturday, September 13, 2003

Top Stories

Keynote Plays Ball With PowerPoint
by Ian F. Darwin, O'Reilly Network
I've removed PowerPoint from my Mac notebook; Keynote does it all. Watch for more and more people using Keynote.

Beatles Group Sues Apple Over Trademark
by David Becker, CNET News.com
A representative for Apple Corps, the corporate face of rock icons The Beatles, said Friday that the company has sued Apple Computer over its iTunes service, in a sequel to a previous trademark dispute.

News

Teachers Losing Their Apples
by Monique Fields, St. Petersburg Times
Pinellas County schools will phase out Apple computers and only buy PCs. Some teachers and administrators are upset.

The Long And Winding Trademark Dispute
by Jon Fortt, San Jose Mercury News
Though the lawsuit might be a hassle for Apple Computer, few in the technology industry said they thought it would cause long-term problems.

Dave Skwarczek: He Plots With Bzots
by Barbara Gibson, Apple
"If the Mac wasn't around, I'm not sure we'd be able to create the series so easily — or at all."

Macromedia Updates FreeHand MX
by MacMinute
The new version contains fixes for issues identified since the release of FreeHand MX (version 11) and includes product activation, according to the company.

Opinion

Apple Polishes Stability, Memory With New Lines
by Glenn Fleishman, Seattle Times
The future is arriving for Mac users and potential new Mac users, in the form of the Power Mac G5, new iPods and iMacs, and the upcoming Mac OS X 10.3, code-named Panther.

Mac OS X: It Just Works
by Chad Dickerson, InfoWorld
This is what makes Mac OS X so compelling: With decimated IT staffs getting slammed from without (Sobig.F) and within (frustrated end-users), something that just works is downright refreshing.

Wintel

Microsoft Goes To Hollywood
by Stefanie Olsen, CNET News.com
Microsoft's surprise decision to submit Windows Media Series 9 as a standards candidate to Hollywood underscores the software giant's ambitions to take its multimedia technology beyond the Net, as well as the considerable barriers it faces.

Friday, September 12, 2003

News

Ex-Apple Employee Slams Company
by Leander Kahney, Wired News
On the eve of a big reunion of Apple employees, a former Apple marketing director is blasting his former co-workers for failing to make the company a success.

Pixar To Launch RenderMan Pro Server For Mac
by MacNN

Opinion

Microsoft's Favorite Gadget?
by Todd Bishop, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Is it the next version of Windows? The Xbox? Office 2003? Nope, it's the iPod.

Review

Nisus Writer Cures My MS Word Blues
by Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network
I still use Microsoft Word when I have to, but when it's my choice, I'm enjoying Nisus Writer.

First G5 Test Results: Dual 2GHz Power Mac G5 Is New Mac Speed King
by Jim Galbraith, Macworld
We've tested all three models, and found them be clearly faster than the previous generation of Power Macs.

Wintel

IE Patent Endgame Detailed
by Paul Festa, CNET News.com
Microsoft has suffered another legal setback in the patent dispute with software developer Eolas and is now advising Web authors on workarounds, as new details emerge of its plans to tweak Internet Explorer.

Microsoft To Open Office Doors Early
by Jim Hu, CNET News.com
Microsoft said Friday that it would allow some of its business customers to download its new Office desktop application bundle about two weeks sooner than originally planned.

Thursday, September 11, 2003

Top Stories

The Beatles Sue Apple Computers Over iPod, iTunes
by Roger Friedman, Fox News
The inevitable has happened: The Beatles have sued Steve Jobs over Apple iTunes and the Apple iPod — at least the band's company, Apple Corps., has sued Apple Computers.

News

Within A Lilliputian Player, A Hefty Archive That Travels
by J.D. Biersdorfer, New York Times
So how do these newer hard drives manage to pack even more songs into your pocket?

iBooks Are The Talk Of The Schools
by Karen Shoffner, Schaumburg Review
With the new iBooks in District 54, it could be that students will be teaching their parents a thing or two about technology.

Adobe Profits Exceed Forecasts
by Macworld UK
Adobe returned profits in excess of analysts' expectations in its third quarter 2003, the company announced last night.

Apple Expands Events' Reach
by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK
Apple's plans for growth require the company to penetrate diverse markets, and the selection of events at which the company will take part in the coming weeks underlines the breadth of its corporate growth strategy.

Macs Called Virtually Virus-Proof
by Frank Bilovsky, Democrat And Chronicle
"People have PCs that do everything they want them to do, but they just don't love them."

Apple Gears Up For Fall
by Arik Hesseldahl, Forbes
Apple may not be done with new product news for the rest of the month.

Bomb Scare Causes Seybold Evacuation
by Jim Darlymple, MacCentral
Attendees of this week's Seybold Seminars and OracleWorld were evacuated late this afternoon due to a bomb scare. Both tradeshows are held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Opinion

Mac.Ars Takes On The Young People
by Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica
I hear Apple is popular with the young people.

Review

Shadowbane
by Chris RItchie, Inside Mac Games
Fans of RPGs in general will enjoy how this game is run, and those with lots of patience will be rewarded when they gain enough levels to start taking part in the in-game politics.

Making The Switch: A PC Guy Goes Mac
by Douglas Schweitzer, Computerworld
After toying with the computer in the store and talking with the outlet's in-house Apple representative, I decided to give the Apple eMac a try.

Publisher Of WinTel Gets Unsatisfactory BBB Rating
by Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl
Until OpenOSX is more forthcoming about its products and how it is handling such issues, I'd urge extreme caution.

Dot Mac Revisited
by David Zeiler, Baltimore Sun
Yes, .Mac still suffers from a few kinks, and the service may not be robust enough for those who need more sophistication and control than what Apple offers, but for the technically challenged who need a basic, easy means of sharing files over the Web and synching their data, .Mac lives up to its promise.

Email Encryption For OS X
by Steve Mallett, O'Reilly Network

Wintel

New Study Backs MS Claims Overs Linux
by Andy McCue, Silicon.com
Only Microsoft users on older versions of its desktop operating systems are likely to get any benefit from migrating to Linux, according to a new report by Gartner.

New Windows Virus May Hit Soon
by Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com
A virus or worm that exploits newly revealed vulnerabilities in the current versions of Windows could emerge fairly soon, security experts say, in part because the vulnerabilities are very similar to the flaws exploited by the MSBlast worm.

Wednesday, September 10, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Customer Resells iTunes Song
by Evan Hansen, CNET News.com
A customer of Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store said he has successfully resold a he song purchased through the service, ending a weeklong exercise he hoped would highlight the legal and technical nuances of emerging digital music services.

News

Apple To Attend Government Video Technology Expo
by MacMinute

Apple To Showcase Products At Stuff LIVE 2003
by MacNN

Flash Player 7 Released
by Macworld UK
Macromedia has released the final version of Flash Player 7, and a selection of demos of its recently-upgraded MX 2004 products.

Apple Targets Euro Media Show
by Macworld UK
Apple's growing focus on the digital-production market will be the central theme of a company presentation at Europe's biggest broadcast and media event, IBC.

Profiles In Success: University Of Washington: A Video Journey Of Nations
by Apple
When Scott Macklin left to shoot his documentary video, he had $12 and one credit card in his pocket. In his backpack were a few essentials: a digital camcorder, a Super 8 camera, and his PowerBook G4. During a ferry crossing, the credit card was lost. Eight-foot ocean swells also threatened to capsize the support boat in which Macklin was visiting Native American tribes and their villages. But thanks to Final Cut Pro, he was able to capture a ceremonial journey that few non-Native Americans will ever see. He even came home with his $12.

Schaumburg Schools Buying Thousands Of Laptops For Kids
by Chris Fusco, Chicago Sun-Times
By fall 2004, each fourth- through sixth-grader in northwest suburban School District 54 will get an Apple iBook to use both in school and at home — about 5,200 computers total. The idea isn't to have the machines replace textbooks, pens and paper, but to use them as research and writing tools that will lead to students performing better on reading and writing exams.

Microsoft Opens Up Video Standard
by Reuters
In an effort to spread the use of its technology, Microsoft Corp. said on Monday it will open the specifications for its video compression technology, which would allow other companies to make products based on its technology.

Opinion

A Mac-Style Spercomputer
by Charles Haddad, BusinessWeek
Virginia Tech is tying 1,100 G5s together to achieve top-dollar performance for a relative bargain, a ringing endorsement for Apple's latest machine.

Review

Macromedia Contribute 2
by MacMerc.com

Zoo Tycoon
by Applelinks.com

Top Ten Tips For Mac Conference Goers
by Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network
The following ten tips will help you get the most out of this (or just about any) Mac conference. So right after you book your flight on Southwest or JetBlue, refer to this list for your final preparations.

Sidetrack

Wednesday, September 10, 2003
by Heng-Cheong Leong

AN APPLE A DAY : Macinblog presents your daily tips, hints and frustrations.

JUNK E-MAIL DU JOUR : Keep the rest of your hair for $39.96... otherwise you'll come and rip them out? Thanks. I need a haircut anyway...

Wintel

Windows Flaws Allow PC Takeover
by Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com
Microsoft identified three vulnerabilities in Windows on Wednesday that could have a similar effect to that of the dreaded MSBlast worm of August.

Microsoft Must Search For E-Mails For Burst
by Bloomberg

Microsoft Updates Works
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Microsoft on Tuesday launched a new version of Works Suite, its budget software package for consumers.

New Microsoft Storage OS Gets Backers
by Ed Frauenheim, CNET News.com
Computer maker Hewlett-Packard and software company Veritas on Wednesday will announce products tailored for the new Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003 operating system.

Tuesday, September 9, 2003

Top Stories

Apple: Reselling iTunes Songs 'Impractical'
by Ina Fried and Evan Hansen, CNET News.com
An Apple Computer executive on Monday downplayed recent questions over the download resale policy of the company's iTunes Music Store, saying technical if not legal barriers would largely prevent such transfers from taking place.

News

An Apple A Student For Denali Borough School District
by Kris Capps, Daily News-miner
When school begins Sept. 15, the Denali Borough School District will become the first in Alaska to provide a laptop computer for every student in grades 9 through 12. A total of 129 laptop computers are being prepared to hand over to high schoolers at Tri-Valley, Anderson and Cantwell schools.

Washingtonpost.com: Committed To DV News
by John Courtmanche, Creative Planet Communities
They call it "the movement." That's how the staff of video producers at The Washington Post refer to the current revolution in documentary and news video.

Review

Eudora 6.0 SlamsSpam, Concentrates Content
by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS

Latest Keyboard Needs Refining
by Mark Kellner, Washington Times
Users should look carefully at reviews of potential replacement keyboards and check out user groups for others' experiences and perspectives.

Wintel

Study: Windows Cheaper Than Linux
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
A Microsoft-commissioned study has found that companies could save up to 28 percent by developing certain programs with Windows instead of Linux, the software company plans to announce on Tuesday.

Monday, September 8, 2003

Top Stories

Apple Announces New, Faster iMacs
by Jim Dalrymple, MacCentral
Apple on Monday announced new, faster iMac desktop computers with PowerPC G4 processors running up to 1.25 GHz, faster 333 MHz DDR memory, faster NVIDIA graphics and the move to the faster USB 2.0 standard.

Apple Offers New 20, 40GB iPods, Sells 10 Millionth Song
by Peter Cohen and Jim Dalrymple, MacCentral
Apple on Monday updated its iPod product line to include new 20GB and 40GB models — the high-end model can now hold up to 10,000 songs. Apple also offered an update on the success of its iTunes Music Store.

News

Apple Releases New Java Update
by MacMinute

Apple's New San Francisco Store Starts To Shape Up
by The Inquirer

Seybold Scales Way, Way Back
by Elisa Batista, Wired News
In addition to a smaller home — the west wing of the Moscone Center — and a shorter list of exhibiting companies, the premier publishing trade show will have some conspicuous absences this week, including digital-publishing bigwig Apple Computer.

Woz OK's Apple I Resurrection
by Leander Kahney, Wired News
Apple's co-founder Steve Wozniak has given his blessing to the production of a replica of the Apple I — the legendary machine that launched Apple.

Review

Warror Kings
by Michael Yanovich, Inside Mac Games
In short, this game is a lot of fun but is in need some serious tweaking.

Europa Universalis II
by Bill Stiteler, Applelinks.com