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Friday, July 12, 2002 |
Notable software updates
A couple of key programs saw updates earlier today
- iView MediaPro 1.5r3 - A new version of the media organizer and presentation tool that can work with images, video, and other multimedia.
- OmniGraffle 2.0.5 - Today's update to the graphing application includes on new feature and a bug fix. Check the release notes for more details...
10:41:46 PM 
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The financial reality of Mac Net Journal
You may notice that I have added new advertiser links to Mac Net Journal this week. The reason is simple: MNJ is not paying for itself. The site is a popular success, with hundreds of readers each day and many of you offering comments about some of the items I post, but that popularity has not resulted in donations through my PayPal link or through other financial support to keep the site running. And now the popularity of the site translates into additional throughput charges from the company that hosts Mac Net Journal, Digital Forest.
The way I see it, there are a couple of options going forward. I need to build a sustainable source of income for running the site, not only to support the hosting charges but also to pay a nominal amount for the hours spent running the site that I hope is a resource for readers in the Mac community. So far, running a couple of advertisements that pay on a commission basis and soliciting donations from all of you haven't worked very well. To date, MNJ has received just over $100 in donations and a grand total of $4.38 in commissions from advertisements.
If you find Mac Net Journal a resource, a source of useful OS X and Mac news filtered through my eyes, then support MNJ with your donation or by purchasing products through the advertiser links on MNJ. I will start disclosing each week where MNJ sits financially. I know that there is a community of readers here who find MNJ useful, and I am sure that many of you could afford a $10 or $20 donation to keep the site running. That is all I ask...
10:07:23 PM
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Toast notes are leading to outrage
The move to a new world where consumers don't own their own CDs, video tapes and other digital assets is well underway, from the sounds of discontent that some people are beginning to make. Mike Cohen, a Mac user and software developer, posted the following on his Weblog today:
I haven't updated to Toast 5.1.4 and I don't intend to do so as long as 5.1.3 continues to work for me. Roxio's updated license agreement says:
Content providers are using the digital rights management technology contained in this Software to protect the integrity of their content so that their intellectual property, including copyright, in such content is not misappropriated. Owners of such Secure Content may, from time to time, request Roxio or its suppliers to provide security related updates to the digital rights management components of the Software that may affect your ability to copy, display and/or play Secure Content through the Software or other applications that utilize the Software.
F*** them! We're coming closer to end users having no rights at all. When I buy a CD, I should have the right to use it as I see fit. I'm not selling pirated copies of that CD - I just want to burn music mix CDs with a collection of tracks from various CDs that I own, since most of my CDs have tracks I don't like and I would prefer to listen to a mix of tracks from several CDs.
Remember the scene in Network where everyone opened their windows and shouted "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore"? It's time for us to send that message to the recording industry. [Mike Cohen: MacOS X]
This is just the start of the battle for digital rights. And, while some have been writing about the issue on the Web sites or even sending letters to their political representatives about the issue, the move to make copying your own music or videos is plodding forward with no end in sight. Right now the only option looks like it will be to stockpile older CD burners and burning software to ensure that at least those CDs that are not created to kill computers (You know what I am talking about, Celine Dion and Ozzy Osbourne) can still be copied for your own personal use. Meanwhile, it is time to send a huge Fuck you! to the music industry executives whose greed has blinded them to the reality that customers are not criminals, and that when given a choice, we will all gladly take our money elsewhere.
Do you want to bet how much an older copy of Roxio Toast will start selling for on the used software market soon?
11:18:03 AM
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OnTime reminder utility updated
OnTime v1.1. - OnTime allows OS X users to create reminders that will play sounds, run macros, or run applications when they come due. Version changes: Improved sorting capabilities, better sound capability, and various internal enhancements. [AppleScript Info]
9:53:27 AM
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Mac laptop users get an iCurve
Griffin Technologies has announced its newest product, iCurve. The $39.95 stand for iBooks and PowerBooks is designed to raise the LCD screen to a neck and back-friendly viewing height of 16 inches, which can make your portable computer into a more ergonomic desktop computer when combined with a keyboard and mouse.
9:51:34 AM
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A new slim and portable CD-RW drive
MacCentral notes that MCE is shipping a 24x portable Lucid FireWire CD-RW drive now at a cost of $299. This could be a useful addition to the traveling computer tools for those using older PowerBooks, or for those who want to move a compact CD burner from one computer to another in a home or office...
9:30:59 AM
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A follow up on chat protocols
I downloaded and played around with the latest version of Proteus X 2.0b3 yesterday, and as I suspected, it cannot connect with the Yahoo Messenger chat protocol right now either. Trying to connect with Yahoo Messenger through Fire and Proteus stopped working a couple of days ago. I haven't seen anything definite mentioned about the change yet, but until either the third-party chat programs are updated to work with Yahoo or until the server that allows access to the Yahoo protocol is running again, the only reliable option for using Yahoo Messenger under OS X is to use the official Yahoo client...
I should offer a couple of comments on my impressions of the latest version of Proteus. It works well and it should appeal to people who want more bells and whistles with their multi-protocol chat program than they can get with Fire. It is much easier to set up Proteus to work the way that you want to work, but if you want a chat client that will make the most of your screen space (like I do, as a PowerBook user), Fire is still the better choice. Both Fire and Proteus can be used for free, but the author of Proteus is now seeking a small shareware fee to help support the development of the program. If you like Proteus, pony up the cash. It is growing into a great program!
9:26:14 AM
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SuperCard coming to OS X
SuperCard OS X version is on its way. - According to this MacCentral article, the new owners of SuperCard have announced that an OS X version is in the works. SuperCard is a rapid application development environment which provides support for Apple's Appearance Manager, Drag and Drop, Color, multiple windows (including dialogs and palettes), QuickTime and QTVR, Speech Recognition, AppleScript, and much more. [AppleScript Info]
7:29:21 AM
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© Copyright 2002 Rob McNair-Huff.
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