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- Mac OS X apps ranked by category - Politics - Using Graphic Converter for image management
- Maximizing battery life under OS X 2004
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2003
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2002
- December - November - TidBITS - Apple - Macintouch laptop battery report - Apple - Tinderbox Community Forum (not official) - WebMonkey - Great HTML authoring stuff... - WhatIsMyIP - Wherever you are, there you are... - TinyURL - Turn big ugly URLs into cute little ones... - rob at whiterabbits.com - rmchuff - Eudora - Fire - BBEdit - Mozilla - Internet Explorer - Transmit - iTunes - VNCthing - Terminal
MNJ RSS
MNJ Politics RSS Here is a collection of link to sites maintained by people who have mentioned that they read MNJ:
- Dan Hon - An imaginary place in a reactionary time 
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Smarter sharing between Macs and PCs Smart File Sharing Between Macs and PCs - There are lots of ways to share files between Macs and PCs, and most of them are aggravating at best. Wei Meng Lee shows you a method that's much easier and cleaner than just about every other solution. [O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com]
Final Cut Express 2.0.2 Apple releases Final Cut Express 2.0.2 Update - Apple has released Final Cut Express 2.0.2 Update which includes fixes and improvements for Final Cut Express 2. Improvements include changes to the user interface and window displays, documentation, and user preferences. This update also fixes known issues with audio and video syncing over FireWire, Timeline editing functionality, and capturing long clips. Final Cut Express 2.0.2 is strongly recommended for all users of Final Cut Express 2. More info and download link here. [MacDailyNews]
Mac lovers at Microsoft Seattle P-I: The Mac lovers of Microsoft
AppleScripting iChat to set away status iChat Knows Where I Am - Jason Snell: "So I decided to write an AppleScript that remembered to set my status on iChat AV, even when I forgot. It finds out what Base Station my PowerBook is attached to, and based on that, it sets my iChat AV status. If it doesn't recognize where it is, it does nothing. And it checks to see whether iChat was running or not when it launched, so that it can get iChat back out of the way again once it's finished." [Studio Log]
The first Audubon Society site with an RSS feed? Tonight I hoisted a new version of the Tahoma Audubon Society Conservation Committee page onto the live Web server. I continue to rework the entire site using Tinderbox, but the Conservation page is the first to go live, since it is based around a blog. I can't say for sure, but this may indeed be the first Web page from an Audubon Society chapter that offers an RSS feed...
Common sense tips for Mac users who have to use Windows Here are a couple of tips for Mac users who suddenly find they have to use a Windows machine: - Hide the Windows machine in a different room than your Macs, just to make sure it is not a bad influence on them. - Be sure to buy the right version of Windows XP for your needs. Unlike Mac OS X, which includes all the bells and whistles in every copy of the OS, Windows users have to decide which flavor and which features they need from their OS. Windows XP Home Edition may work for some users, but Windows XP Pro - which of course costs more - may be required if you do anything more than balance your checkbook and use the machine as a glorified typewriter. - Unless you are buying a Windows laptop, remember that PCs are still clunky pieces of poop and not something you want visible. If you are buying a Windows laptop, disregard this note, since some Sony laptops compete with Apple's best machines in the overall look and feel department. - Only run the software that you absolutely need for work on your Windows machine. Get Office if you need it, but whatever you do, don't use Outlook on Windows. If you do then you will look back with longing at the days before you encountered the flood of email viruses, worms, and other issues that come along with Outlook. - If you can swing it, set up a Virtual Network Computing server on the Windows machine and access it across your network from your Mac. This is how I plan to use my Windows box the majority of the time. I am sure I will have more to say on this topic in the coming week or so. More to come...
On the pain of buying a Windows desktop Earlier this week I noted that I had to buy a Windows box to be able to continue doing some writing work that I do each quarter, and yesterday I plunked down $500 for a decent used machine and another $229 for a copy of Windows XP. I mentioned last night in chatting with a couple of friends just how different it feels to be spending money on a Windows machine, even though it is just another tool to help me continue working. The first difference in buying a PC vs. a Mac was that I simply don't trust the machines made by most PC makers. Sure, I could buy a $400 Dell desktop with Windows XP Home Edition, but I have heard too many stories of people whose PCs had tons of problems and who had repair people out to deal with problems with cheap PC components that failed within months of purchase. The same goes for other mainstream PC makers. HP, Gateway - they can keep them. Instead, I bought a used machine from a friend who is adding more RAM, a bigger hard drive, and testing out the system a bit before I take it. The biggest difference is the cost of the Windows OS itself. I am not a huge fan of paying a lot for system software, and I haven't groused too much about Apple's annual $129 updates, but to buy a full-featured copy of Windows XP, the Pro version and not the watered down "Home Edition," costs much more than OS X. In fact, I have spent roughly $390 on Mac OS X since it became the standard Mac OS in 2001. Windows XP Pro costs nearly $300. Ouch. I ended up buying my copy from Buy.com and using a $50 rebate to cut the final price down to $229. And so I bit the bullet and added another computing tool to the Mac Net Journal office. Now I just need to rearrange the office for the first PC I have bought in a decade and the first desktop machine I have bought in eight years...
Fire chat app regains Yahoo connectivity A new version of the free Fire multi-protocol chat application was released today, and for the first time since Jan. 8 users can now connect to the Yahoo IM network. Cool! Fire works with AIM, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, Jabber, and IRC.
iBook logic board repair program from Apple iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program - The iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program covers repair or replacement of the logic board in specific iBook models manufactured between May 2002 and April 2003 that are experiencing specific component failures affecting built-in and attached external displays. [Jan 28] [Apple Hot News]
A new IE vulnerability...just FYI Security firm warns of new IE flaw - A security services company points out a new vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser that could allow Web surfers to be tricked into downloading malicious files. [CNET News.com]
Panic's Unison Usenet browser Unison is a new Usenet newsreader from Panic, the makers of the excellent Transmit FTP client (which I use here at Mac Net Journal). Four browsing modes, live MP3 previews of audio files, file groups, and elegant design make this new newsreader sound interesting. The program has a free demo and it sells for $24.95. Seeing that Panic has created this new program and freshened up the idea of using Usenet, I have to wonder if what was once the mainstream for communicating with others in a one-to-many medium on the Internet is going back into style? Every now and then I hear a whisper that Usenet has grown useful again, after suffering from an influx of Internet newbies who took over the medium in the mid-90s.
MyDoom variant aims at Microsoft This note represents a weblog item or note. Notes won't usually be exported as separate pages; instead, several notes may be assembled together to make a page of current items, while older items are assembled in the archives.
Darwine Darwine seeks to port WINE to Darwin, OS X - The developers behind the Darwine project hope to bring the popular WINE technology first to Darwin and then to Mac OS X. If successful, Darwine could eventually pave the way to Mac OS X users being able to run Windows software without having VirtualPC or Windows installed. [MacCentral]
Wow...someone at MS notices MyDoom worm It only took more than a day for Microsoft blogger Robert Scoble to catch onto the latest worm attack to hit Windows. I wonder if he didn't hear about the MyDoom worm for so long because even he is smart enough to avoid using Outlook?
By the way, Scoble's note of MS's virus alert comes 29 hours after I first posted a story from CNET about the worm. Draw your own conclusions...
Converting from one email app to another If you ever need to move from one email application to another and you can't find a simple, built in way to do it in the target email app of your choice, be sure to check the eMailman Conversion site. Bookmark it. You never know when you might need it...
Is it spring yet? For those being buried under snow on the East Coast of the U.S., this may sound like a silly question. But here in the Pacific Northwest we are between storms and the warm sunshine, the budding red-flowering currant bush outside my window, and the hurried pace of songbirds in the yard could easily fool me into believing that spring begins today...
Apple Knowledge Base RSS feeds Want to get news about the latest updates to the Apple Knowledge Base in your favorite RSS newsreader? MacOSXHints posted yesterday with a link to the feeds. Excellent!
TouchStream MacNTouch PowerBook keyboard At $259 the TouchStream MacNTouch ergonomic keyboard can serve as a replacement keyboard for G4 PowerBooks, including my 12-inch PowerBook G4. The device from FingerWorks definitely looks interesting. I am not sure I am ready to replace the great keyboard on my almost one-year-old PowerBook...
AirPort Software 3.3 Late yesterday Apple released an update to its AirPort Extreme and AirPort products with AirPort Software 3.3, which is available through the Software Update panel in System Preferences. Here are the release notes from Apple:
I will install this update this morning...
SpamSieve adds full Apple Mail support SpamSieve adds full Apple Mail support - Michael Tsai's Bayesian spam filtering utility for Mac OS X SpamSieve has been updated to v2.1.2. This release adds full support for Apple Mail and a variety of other enhancements. [MacCentral]
A clue for Bill Gates Mr. Gates has been on TV over the last few days with news coverage touting that Windows would wipe out spam from our email within two years. Here's a clue, Mr. Gates - try fixing the gaping invitations to virus makers built into Windows first. So far your illustrious company has been working on its security initiative for well over a year and yet the viruses and worms keep on coming.
New virus hitting email in-boxes New virus hitting in-boxes - Antivirus firms have little information on a new mass-mailing computer virus, but initial data suggest the program is spreading fast. [CNET News.com] Symantec offers details about the MyDoom worm, which of course only affects Windows...
Apple releases another security update Check the Software Update panel under Mac OS X 10.3.x for the latest security update from Apple. This 7.8MB update, which will require you to restart your computer after installation, offers the following fixes, according to Apple:
I am downloading and installing the update now...
Devising the ideal digital photographer's workflow Ken Milburn offers tips for how to work with digital images once you move them from your camera to your computer in The Ideal Digital Photographer's Workflow, Part 2. While the article focuses on using common tools such as Photoshop and iPhoto, the same kinds of things could be done with tools such as GraphicConverter...
Microsoft trying to patent Office XML Microsoft patenting new Office XML format - Microsoft is attracting renewed attention with its XML strategy as reports surface that Microsoft is applying for patents in the EU and New Zealand that detail how other applications can/should interoperate with MS Office XML formats. [Ars Technica] Related story: Here is Microsoft's spin control from CNET: Microsoft says XML patent moves are no big deal...
Ric Ford on the Mac's next decade Macintouch publisher Ric Ford offers his take on the 20th anniversary of the Mac and where the Mac is heading in the next decade in Communication, Control and Collaboration...
More Mac marginalization One of the writing jobs I do each quarter includes listening to webcasts presented by Wall Street firms. Over the last couple of years I have used an old PowerBook 3400c to listen to and record the calls, because the Mac OS X version of Windows Media Player, which many Wall Street firms use as their standard webcast platform, won't play the streaming webcast audio. Using the old Mac has worked fine until this quarter, as more and more companies are switching to newer versions of WMP that won't play on the aging version that is available for Mac OS 9.x. WMP was updated in November 2003 for Mac OS X, but it still won't play this streaming audio. In fact, WMP for Mac OS X has never worked with streaming audio from these earnings webcasts, which is why I have been using the old PowerBook to listen to and record the audio. The long and short of this situation is that this is one more core area where people who use their Macs to do business and even to track their own investments are being forced to use a Windows machine in order to stay in touch with modern protocols that are widely used in the business world. I will have a Windows desktop in the house by the end of the weekend, or early next week at the latest. My Mac has failed me. Or more appropriately, the decisions made by the vast majority of businesses are freezing out modern Mac users. Of course, with less than 2% of the worldwide computer market share, who can blame them? Related story: Macintouch reader report update on Mac marginalization...
Retrospect 6.0 is available Dantz Retrospect 6.0 now available for download - Dantz has announced the immediate availability of Retrospect 6.0, the latest version of the company's popular backup and restore software... [MacMinute.com]
Testing a new comments system on MNJ Over the next week I will be running a test of the Haloscan commenting system - something that I last used on this site more than a year ago. Let me know what you think about it compaired to QuickTopic...
iPhoto 4 problems
Amazing live webstreaming of the Opportunity landing Make that two-for-two! So far it appears that the landing of the Opportunity rover on Mars has worked as planned tonight. It is rolling to a stop on the Martian surface right now. I have been watching and listening to the landing through a live webcast on NASA TV, found on the Mars Landing site...
Imagine the last 20 years without the Mac On this 20th anniversary of the Apple Macintosh, I can't help but wonder what the last 20 years of computing would have been like without the Mac. Would we be where we are today? Would the graphical user interface look like it does today, or would it even exist? For all of its arrogance, Apple did the world a huge favor by unveiling the Mac 20 years ago. Discuss
Where have I been today? I haven't updated MNJ today due to an unusually heavy workload. Lots on my plate, which is good news for the time being. Things will slow down too soon and I will be fishing for more work.
A make-or-break day for Howard Dean I normally post political notes on the Politics feed for Mac Net Journal, but I want to make an exception here in the interest of offering some public information. In the wake of coming in third in the Iowa Caucus and a widely criticized consession speech, Howard Dean faces his biggest day as a presidential hopeful today as he and his wife Judy will appear in an interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC tonight, as he is set to appear on the Late Night with David Letterman show on CBS tonight, and as he is to appear in a debate with the other candidates for the Democratic nomination for President later today. It's a make-or-break day for Howard Dean...
XML shortcomings will plague Office 2004 for Mac Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac to lack XML features found in Office 2003 for Windows - "Microsoft Corp. is readying a new version of Office for Macintosh for release in the first half of 2004 -- but it won't support many of the XML (Extensible Markup Language) features of its Windows cousin, Office 2003," Matthew Cooney reports for Macworld UK. "Although Office 2004 for Macintosh will read and write Excel files saved in XML format, it won't support other XML file formats, including WordML, and won't have any equivalent to Office 2003 features such as XML... [MacDailyNews]
On what's at stake in the 2004 election Howard Dean: "If George W. Bush gets to appoint even one anti-choice justice to the Court, the era of safe, legal abortion in the United States will end."
Want to save a Web page? Furl it Furl your favorite URLs - If you do a lot of Web surfing and always seem to lose the things you wish you had saved, you're gonna love Furl, a new Web-based filing cabinet for keeping track of Web sites. The name Furl comes from what this free service lets you do - file a URL, or Universal Resource Locator. You can organize them by category, share them with the world or keep them private. Very handy.... [Mike Wendland's E-Journal]
RSS feeds for the iTMS Apple is offering a few RSS feed options to hear about new releases, top songs, top albums, just added, and featured and exclusive music via the iTunes Music Store RSS Feed Generator...
A Keynote discount and free themes for .Mac members .Mac Members Get Keynote Discount, Free Themes - Apple's latest promotion for members of its .Mac subscription-based online service rewards them with US$30 off Keynote, the presentation software, as well as seven free themes from third-party designers valued at $100. By Peter Cohen (MacCentral via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
A magical night birding encounter On our way home from dinner with friends tonight Natalie and I were treated to a ghostly bird encounter along Schuster Parkway along the waterfront here in Tacoma. As we drove toward home a bright white bird - clearly a Barn Owl - emerged from the darkness and flew out over the road in front of and a little above our car. We were driving 50 mph, so there was little time to look, but I watched in the rear view mirror as the owl flew back into the trees along the side of the road. We doubled back and pulled off the road to try and find the owl again, but it was gone or at least unseen to our meager eyes. Magical!
Remembering to run disk utilities periodically One of the best things you can do to help keep your Mac running day-to-day is to supplement your daily or at least weekly backup regime with regularly scheduled disk and system maintenance. At the very least, you should run Apple's Disk Utility from a startup CD, such as the installer CD for Panther. And if you have a utility such as DiskWarrior, which I ran on my disk yesterday, then use it since it can do things and recover from problems that Disk Utility cannot touch. I advise people to run a disk utility on their Mac at least once a month, just to keep everything in working order. One way to make sure you do it is to set a recurring alarm in iCal or whatever calendaring application you use. Set it to go off once a month and commit to run your utility at that time and you can rest a little easier that your Mac will keep working day after day...
Setting up encrypted mail on Mac OS X How To Set Up Encrypted Mail On Mac OS X - Apple just added support for S/MIME in the latest Mail version, the one that ships with Panther. By Francois Joseph de Kermadec (O'Reilly Network via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
Your donations support Mac Net Journal Mac Net Journal is a publication supported by readers through direct donations and advertising clicks. If you find MNJ a useful site, please visit the Web page and click to send a donation using either PayPal, Amazon, or by finding out how to send a check to support the site. Every little bit helps!
Does the iCal update address shortcomings? Does yesterday's update to iCal address the shortcomings of Apple's default calendaring app? If not, what still needs fixed? Discuss
Dave Pollard on The Blogger's Role in the Media OK, this is a little off the main topic of Mac Net Journal, but it is yet another insightful article from Dave Pollard's How to Save the World weblog that should make people think - especially those who dabble with creating and running their own weblogs: The Blogger's Role in the Media.
Konfabulator updated to 1.5.4 Konfabulator 1.5.4 fixes Widget issues, more - What's a Widget? It's whatever you want it to be, and the newest release of Konfabulator makes them easier to use. Arlo Rose and Perry Clarke's application is now at version 1.5.4, and the latest update fixes issues with Widgets that vanish when your Mac wakes from sleep or re-open when they shouldn't, in addition to tooltips support for the XML and JavaScript engine, graphical improvements, international support for the stock ticker, and more. [MacCentral]
Merge AppleWorks and OpenOffice.org? Benjamin Horst proposes that Mac OS X users would benefit if Apple combined the capabilities of the Open Source productivity suite OpenOffice.org with the ease-of-use that has been a standard with AppleWorks.
Downsizing Apple While Apple has shifted its focus to music and entertainment, much to the benefit of its bottom line economics in the short term, there are rumblings that the company is winning the music battle while losing the bigger war. Market shares that Mac users used to worry about when they were in the 5% range have now dropped below 3%, and once-core markets such as the education segment continue to be eroded while Apple plays around with music and GarageBand. As a long-time Mac user I hope that Apple is taking the right course, but something worries me when Apple's strategy seems to rely on the whimsical music and fashion tastes of well-healed teens while the company largely ignores the education and business markets. The problem with banking the company's fortunes on consumers' disposable income spent on entertainment is that fads come and go, and income that is disposable right now may well shift to more important things in the future... I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and hoping I am not watching a slow-motion train wreck. Discuss
SightSpeed Video Messenger 2.0 SightSpeed Video Messenger 2.0 debuts - Does iChat AV's Mac-only video conferencing leave you craving contact with Windows users too? Berkeley, Calif.-based SightSpeed Inc. has announced the release of SightSpeed Video Messenger 2.0, a new version of their full-motion videoconferencing software. The software supports both Mac and Windows, and will soon support Linux too. [MacCentral]
Thoughts on PowerMail vs. Mail The Grey Notebook offers details on a two-month experience using PowerMail vs. Mail...
A Merlin vs. an Anna's Hummingbird Some high-speed aerial acrobatics took place just outside my window earlier this morning as a Merlin flashed past the window in a dark blur, apparently in an attempt to take a female Anna's Hummingbird that was feeding on sugar water that hangs just a few feet from me. The attack happened so fast that the only way I could be sure that the attacker was a Merlin was by seeing its size and profile as it banked to the left and down the alley before slamming into a neighbor's garage. As for the hummingbird, it appears to be fine. It has returned to feeding at the hummingbird feeder as I am writing this. What an invigorating way to mark the glories of nature on a sunny Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
eMachine beats Apple with a 64-bit laptop eMachines beats Apple to first 64-bit laptop computer - "Everyone imagined Apple Computer would be the first company to offer a 64-bit processor notebook computer, but with no near plans to release a G5 notebook, Apple for once got beat. Today e-Machines began offering the first 64-bit notebook computer using the AMD Athlon 64 processor," Fabrizio Pilato writes for MobileMag. "The eMachines M6807 is loaded, with 512MB ram, 60GB HDD, Integrated 802.11g and 10/100Mbps ethernet a massive 8-cell Lithium-ion battery and of course... [MacDailyNews]
Apple releases iCal 1.5.2 Check the Software Update panel for the latest update to Apple's calendar and organizer program, iCal 1.5.2. According to Apple's release notes, the new 7.7MB version includes performance and reliability fixes as well as the ability to view calendar, event, or To Do info in a drawer or a seperate window:
I am downloading the new version now...
Tinderbox Community Forums The Tinderbox Community Forums is a Web site for Tinderbox users seeking help from other users. The forums are not the official source for Tinderbox info, but this new resource may help add to the growing community of users digging into the information management tool.
Everything is spam now Writing about the guilty until proven innocent approach of spam filters, Michelle Delio digs into the way filters can lump email from friends and clients in with spam:
A critical warning: Back up iPhoto libraries Macintouch readers note serious consequences for anyone who upgrades to iPhoto 4 without first backing up their photo library...
MacSlash: 20 minutes with iLife '04 A poster on MacSlash offers his first impressions of iLife '04...
Cunning Fox can extend PowerBook battery life O'Grady's PowerPage offers a story about a new OS X app called Cunning Fox:
Mozilla 1.6 adds email features and more The final version of Mozilla 1.6 for Mac OS X was released yesterday, and among the highlights of the new version are improved email features, security improvements, and a few other enhancements. I used the new version for a while this morning and it works as advertised, but Mozilla remains an eyesore and it fails to integrate with other Web tools I use, such as the menu sharing features in URL Manager Pro. I am back to using the latest nightly build of Camino as my browser of choice this afternoon...
BloggerStorm BloggerStorm is a site that offers news from webloggers covering the Iowa Caucuses, hosted by the folks running Howard Dean's weblog...
I feel the earth move under my feet... Brent Simmons dug up an excellent bit of news: an RSS feed for earthquake alerts from the USGS.
Distracted by global warming This morning I am being distracted by matters of international importance as I watch a speech unveiling scientific proof of the ongoing global warming. The presenter: Al Gore. You can watch the presentation, which was made yesterday in New York, from this page on MoveOn.org.
Corel cutting Mac development Corel kills Mac development of CorelDraw Graphics Suite - Macworld UK reports that Corel has discontinued Mac development of its CorelDraw Graphics Suite. The suite, whose earlier version beat some of Adobe's own graphics application to the punch with native Mac OS X support, consists of the illustration app CorelDraw, digital imaging application Corel Photo-Paint and Corel R.A.V.E., an application suited for motion-graphics creation. [MacCentral]
Issues with the Apple Pro Mouse MacFixIt has information about problems some users are encountering with the Apple Pro Mouse and its USB cable. As always, read it quick before it hides in the for-pay section of MacFixIt...
Mac marginalization If you haven't already been reading it, you should check out the reader report on Mac marginalization on Macintouch. The topic is interesting, and it seems to be gaining traction as more and more Mac users note the way that they are being discarded as insignificant in the wake of Apple's shrinking market share. Dan Gillmor wrote about the issue yesterday as well, and today MacMinute notes that Apple's U.S. market share dropped to 3.2% in 2003, while its worldwide market share remained under 2%... Discuss
Logic Pro 6 and Logic Express 6 Apple introduces Logic Pro 6, Logic Express 6 - At this week's NAMM show in Anaheim, Calif., Apple announced that it's streamlining its pro audio production software line with Logic Pro 6. It's also introducing Logic Express 6, aimed at students and educators. [MacCentral]
Apple updates Soundtrack Soundtrack 1.2 adds MTC and MIDI beat clock synchronization, user customizable effect presets, improved support for large audio files, compression, media manager and timeline enhancements. The update is free for current license holders.
Apple releases AppleWorks 6.2.9 Apple has released another minor update to AppleWorks, bringing the current version of 6.2.9. The 13.1MB update improves scroll wheel support and performance and reliability in the presentation and spreadsheet environments. The update also offers improved printing and resolves issues with using Web-based templates and clip-art on networks using proxy servers. This is a free update for current license holders.
iPhoto 4 still falls short Derrick Story writing on the MacDevCenter: "I can tell you that the amateur photographers who are using Mac OS X are smarter than Apple realizes. I know this from my classes and from the correspondence I receive. It's time to bring iPhoto up to the level of its customers." Read more...
Apple posts $63m profit with revenues up 36% The bare-bones results due to be reported now on Apple's 1Q04 earnings call are that the company posted a $63 million profit and saw revenues increase 36% over 1Q03. I am offering live notes from the earnings webcast below: Apple CFO Fred Anderson -
Question and answer highlights:
NOTE: A phone call cut off my live coverage of this event at midway through the question and answer session. Apologies for the incomplete report...
On why I cover the Apple earnings call on MNJ Just in case anyone wonders why I would bother to include notes from the Apple earnings call on MNJ, the main reason is that comments made during the call can offer insight into where Apple is going in the future. The earnings numbers themselves are interesting and must-see info for investors, but what I am most interested in are comments about products that might offer tips about where Apple is heading.
On writing a novel in Tinderbox Novel Writing in Tinderbox - I had an email the other day asking how I write a novel in Tinderbox. This is more than I have time to do justice to right now but here's a taster. I'm currently revising my manuscript... [08# - The Grey Notebook] I point to this as a Tinderbox user who also plans to do future major writing projects in Tinderbox. Right now I am in the midst of converting the Web site for the Tahoma Audubon Society to Tinderbox (I am the Conservation chair and co-vice president of this chapter of the National Audubon Society) and creating other Web projects including a companion site for the upcoming book, Birding Washington.
Net users aren't geeky hermits after all Department of good news - Slashdot already has this link, but some information bears as wide distribution as possible! CNN reports on a study that says avid Net users watch less TV but aren't geeky hermits at all: [Scott Rosenberg's Links & Comment]
iLife '04 reportedly shipping MacNN readers say that they are getting notice that iLife '04 is shipping...
What is the oldest Mac you still use? One of the main advantages of using Apple's hardware, historically, is the useful lifespan of Macs. I still have and regularly use a PowerBook 3400c (link to historical info from Low End Mac), circa 1997, which serves as my legacy machine with SCSI support, a floppy drive for the rare occasion when I need to use a floppy, and my main OS 9.x machine that I use for recording streaming audio that still cannot be listened to or recorded under Mac OS X. What is the oldest Mac you still use? And what function does it serve? Discuss
Useful iTunes tips MacOSXHints offers a couple of useful iTunes tips today, including an easy method for creating iTunes MP3 CDs from AAC files and how to move an iTunes library to a new machine...
Apple offers webcast of its 1Q04 earnings today I plan to listen to and offer live notes from today's 2 p.m. Pacific Time (5 p.m. Eastern) earnings report from Apple. If you want to listen to the live webcast, here is the address for the 1Q04 report...
New user site for GarageBand New GarageBand User Site - A new site dedicated to providing news, information, help, and discussion related to Apples' GarageBand music software has been launched. GBUsers.com offers unique analysis and reviews of GarageBand-related topics and welcomes all users interested in learning more about creating music with Apple's new killer app. [MacMerc]
Kodak ditching film cameras? Kodak gives up on film cameras - Eastman Kodak, the company that democratized the Daugerrotype by inventing amateur photography, has decided to stop selling film cameras in the US, Canada and Western Europe. Link
DEVONtechnologies offers updates DEVONtechnologies issues two updates, one new app - German developer
Sick of your loud 12-inch PowerBook G4? Me too. Ever since the arrival of Mac OS X 10.3.2 I have been regretting that I own a 12-inch PowerBook G4. Why? It's simple. Shortly before Christmas 2003 Apple decided to make the 12-inch PowerBook G4 for the loudest laptop I have ever owned, and the endless droning of the fan has grown bad enough that last night I shut down the machine so I could hear the TV. Rolled into the update to Mac OS X 10.3.2 was a change in the temperature threshold at which the fan in the first generation 12-inch PowerBook will turn on, and Apple set the threshold so low that now the fan runs all of the time. There is no user configurable way to turn the fan off, and a freeware software tool that initially seemed to fix the problem never really has worked for me. So, why does this situation frustrate me? Simple. My PowerBook was hot on my lap over the first 10 months that I owned it, but it was whisper quiet and had a great touch to the keyboard and it offered a lot of computing power in a small laptop. But without any warning in December Apple turned this machine from a toasty but quiet machine into an endless wind machine. The only way to minimize the amount of time that the fan runs is to cripple the G4 processor and set it to run at reduced speed in the Energy Saver panel in System Preferences, and even this step won't stop the fan but rather just minimize it. Apple needs to fix this situation. It has nearly been a month since 10.3.2 was introduced. If Apple is paying attention to its loyal users it will revert the fan settings back to their original settings in Mac OS X 10.3.3... Discuss
TunesAtWork lets you share iTunes Net iTunes-Sharing Tool Debuts - TunesAtWork is new beta software that claims to allow iTunes users to access their personal iTunes collections remotely over the Internet from their Mac. (Macworld UK via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu] The question is, how long will it be before Apple slaps this software solution into oblivion?
Mac OS X vs. Windows XP in a school setting Noah Kravitz writes about the pluses and minuses of using Windows XP vs. Mac OS X in a school setting in Reflections on Four Mac-less Months. Apple should be reading his story, especially this bit near the end:
A critical iPhoto warning about RAW photos Macintouch has a reader note today that is critical for anyone who shoots RAW format photos and then uses iPhoto to work with those images. In short, iPhoto doesn't work with RAW files, but to make matters worse, if you try to move a RAW file from a CompactFlash card into iPhoto then your Mac will not move the file and instead erase it from the CF card...
Congrats to PowerPage, and we welcome the RSS feed O'Gradys PowerPage is celebrating its eighth year of publication, and the site the offers PowerBook news has just added an RSS feed to enter the current age of Internet publishing. Welcome to the party! Now, one tip...try placing a link to or information about the RSS feed on the front page the the PowerPage. Right now the only way to find the feed (the URL is http://www.powerpage.org/rss.xml) is to read today's story about it...
Yahoo connection issues with Fire If you use Fire as your chat client and you normally connect to Yahoo Messenger servers then you know that Fire has problems with Yahoo IM right now. The developers of Fire, an excellent multi-protocol chat client that has always been the best freeware chat client for Mac OS X, say that they are working on a fix. Meanwhile, Yahoo's own chat client works in a pinch...
HP announces its HP Digital Music Player HP unveils iPod-based 'HP Digital Music Player' - Carly Fiorina, Hewlett-Packard's chairman and chief executive officer, has unveiled the new iPod-based HP device at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas... [MacMinute.com] Now it will be interesting in the coming weeks and months to see if this is a brilliant partnership move by Apple or complete folly...
About Griffin Technology's SightLight SightLight for iSight - Met the guys from Griffin Technology out here at CES and they had this very cool add on for the iSight camera. It fits around the camera and automatically adjusts to ambient light conditions and thus assures perfectly lit Web cam shots. Price is a very reasonable $39.95. What a great idea.... [Mike Wendland's E-Journal]
Mark Bernstein's laptop lessons Mark Bernstein, the creator of Tinderbox and other software, has been shopping for a Windows laptop. He writes about the experience in Laptop Lessons. Why mention it here? Because people who use computers as tools often need to cross the platform line and have Macs and Windows machines... Related links:
20 Macs that mattered the most The 20 Macs That Mattered Most - Twenty years after the introduction of the first Macintosh, here's a list of the 20 most memorable Mac models. Presented in chronological order, all of these machines advanced the state of the art on the Mac, and many featured innovations that influenced the computer industry at large. By Owen Linzmayer (Wired News via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
Let the battle over the AAC format begin New RealPlayer Avoids Apple DRM License - Analysts said RealPlayer's support for iTunes songs is likely to prove controversial and could spur Apple to consider legal action, or implement software patches that would prevent playing of its music file format. By Steven Davis (eWeek via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
SpamSieve 2.1.1 released SpamSieve 2.1.1 offers faster message processing, improved accuracy with the Panther version of Apple's Mail.app, better interaction with Eudora and Entourage, and a statistics window that show percentages instead of ratios, among other fixes. The update is free for registered users of the most current version of the junk mail filtering software. I use SpamSieve with PowerMail 4.2.1 and its spam filtering capabilities are necessary for anyone who manages multiple email accounts and who doesn't want to spend much time fussing with junk mail.
RealPlayer 10 a no go on the Mac Macintouch notes that although RealPlayer 10 supports iTunes downloads and iPods, the software doesn't run on the Mac. RealNetworks claims it will announced news about a Mac version of the client "in the coming months." I wouldn't hold my breath...
Apple's new Playlist to DVD AppleScript Playlist to DVD - Apple has released a very cool new script called Playlist to DVD for iLife 04. [MacMegasite]
A new USB Server from Keyspan Keyspan introduces revolutionary USB Server
Nikon unveils the D2H professional digital SLR MacNN: Nikon unveils D2H professional digital SLR camera. Among the features: "a new DX format 4.1 effective megapixel JFET imaging sensor, and Wi-Fi capabilities for 802.11b wireless transmission of images."
Shortcomings in Mac OS X I just spent an hour plus doing some tech support for a client who was having problems with keychain management and getting his login information for an Earthlink account to stick in Internet Connect. Since I have never had keychain problems myself, I didn't realize just how convoluted it can be to work with them until recently. In the case today, deleting an old keychain and creating a new one simply wouldn't solve the problem because Mail.app kept insisting on using the deleted keychain. This is simply not intuitive and easy for many end users to fix. To solve the problem I restarted from a Panther install CD and chose to reset my client's admin and username passwords (he couldn't recall the current passwords, which made this step necessary), being sure to set them to the same exact password, and then when Mail.app insisted on using the non-existent keychain we had the machine reset to the default keychain, created a new default keychain, and Mail.app started saving login information correctly. I realized that I could have used Keychain Access, the application in the Utilities folder in Mac OS X's Applications folder, to repair the broken keychain that Mail.app was trying to access, but there were two problems with this. Mainly, if you cannot recall the password for either your Administrator or user account then you cannot use the Keychain Access application to fix things. And, since Mail was insisting on using a keychain that no longer existed, there was no way to fix that keychain in the first place. It simply wasn't there any more. Talk about stupid app tricks... The other non-intuitive Mac OS X behavior that I was reminded about was the confusing way that dial up information is saved in Internet Connect. Why is it that I can create a new dial up configuration and save changes to it directly from within Internet Connect, but to get the changes to the Main Number - the default dial up config - to save I have to edit that information in the Network panel in System Preferences? So much for being either intuitive or consistent... Discuss
Rob Galbraith updates his processing performance report The Mac vs. PC debate from the perspective of professional photographers takes center stage in a detailed comparison on Rob Galbraith's site. The conclusion:
And the story is even more PC leaning when laptops are considered:
More perspective on iPhoto 4 The perceived strengths and weaknesses of iPhoto 4, including reaction to the fact that the application is no longer free, are highlighted on dpmac today: iPhoto 4 and the 'Basement Darkroom' proposal...
eWeek profile of the upcoming Office update eWeek offers more details about Microsoft Office for Mac 2004, which is set to be released sometime during the spring... One thing I have not read is whether the new Mac version of Office will be able to open secure files created with Digital Rights Management features in the new Windows version of Office. Discuss
Will you buy an iPod mini? The press seems focused on one announcement from yesterday's keynote address at Macworld Expo - the new $249 iPod mini. Does the 4GB audio player appeal to you? Why would you buy a mini when you could pay another $50 for a 15GB iPod? Discuss
Mailsmith 2.1 released Bare Bones Software Ships Mailsmith 2.1 - Bare Bones Software announced the release and immediate availability of Mailsmith 2.1, an update that now supports automatic attachment encoding based on file type, a new keyboard command that quickly moves messages between mailboxes, enhanced SMTP features, and new preferences and interface changes, including improved handling of random signatures. By Brad Cook (MacCentral via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
Dan Shafer's take on Macworld - It's a klinker Dan Shafer - "I have to wonder if this is the last MacWorld we're going to see. It's really depressing."
Controlling your Mac with a PDA Control Your Mac with Your PDA - Over on MacDevCenter.com, it's Control Your Mac with Your PDA, my first article for the O'Reilly Network. It's material that didn't quite fit into Mac OS X Unwired but I thought was too cool to not tell people about. [Backup Brain]
Snow and ice Temperatures are starting to rise this evening as darkness falls over Puget Sound Country. We have seven inches of snow on the ground and freezing rain coating everything with ice. Rain is on the way. Today was the first time ever that I could go cross country skiing from our front door. Excellent!
iPhoto and iMovie are gonna cost ya A few folks are just beginning to realize that the free ride is over. With the unveiling of iLife '04 today, Apple also removed the free download of iPhoto from the Apple Web site. The same goes for iMovie. If you want to update those apps, get ready to pay $49 for the iLife suite. It appears that iTunes will remain free for the time being, but any of the other iApps in the iLife suite are now for-pay applications. Apple should clearly announce that the iApps are no longer a free ride, but regardless of whether that announcement arrives, it's time to pay...
A Safari bug with Amazon Amazon Safari Bug - Alerted by a reader, we just confirmed that Safari access has been broken by Amazon, although Internet Explorer works fine in Mac OS X. We've emailed Amazon, and we encourage other Safari readers to email Amazon, as well. [MacInTouch]
iPod added to modified 1984 Mac ad Apple posts modified 1984 ad - Apple has posted a slightly modified version of their famous 1984 ad. The woman who throws the hammer at the screen now has an iPod. [MacMegasite]
Apple's year of software, music, fun, and not much business Boiling down today's keynote address from the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Apple's theme to kick off 2004 seems to be a focus on multimedia and play. Apple is refreshing its iLife suite, adding a GarageBand application that should appeal to closet musicians and may be a useful tool for audio authoring in addition to playing around with sound, and the new iPod mini promises to appeal to a slightly lower end MP3 player market than its larger cousin. What is missing from this mix is business. Apple addresses the server market with a new G5 version of the Xserve, but Apple continues to avoid creating a useful productivity suite or even to offer a meaningful update to AppleWorks. If there is a business highlight in what was announced today, besides the Xserve, it would have to be the improvements in iPhoto 4 that make the photo management app more capable of working with up to 25,000 photos. This is definitely good news for those who work with photos and either can't afford or don't want access to the more powerful features offered in professional apps such as iView MediaPro. What are your thoughts on one of the longest and most ponderous Steve-notes in recent years? Discuss
Macworld Expo keynote coverage - live Keep checking this note throughout Apple CEO Steve Jobs' keynote speech as I offer highlights from the announcements: Opening comments
Final Cut Express 2.0
Microsoft Office for Mac 2004
G5 Xserve
Storage System upgraded as well...storage at $3 per GB. iTunes
iLife '04
iPod
iPod mini
Adam Engst's take on where Apple should go TidBITS editor Adam Engst offers his take on Apple Computer, Going Forward into 2004...
Where to watch the streaming Steve-note Steve Jobs' keynote address at Macworld Expo will take place tomorrow at 9 a.m. Pacific Time. Apple has posted the URL of the official streaming video feed (QuickTime required), and I will be watching the keynote and boiling down the news live on MNJ. Fingers crossed for some useful as well as cool stuff. Useful would be good...
Here comes the snow! The skies are clouding up and temperatures are hovering in the mid-20s after overnight lows of 16 degrees, but the real fun is yet to come. By this time tomorrow we are predicted to have anywhere from 6-10 inches of snow on the ground, and as the day progresses the snow will likely turn to freezing rain and then rain as the temperatures rise. This should be fun!
CNET's Macworld preview - the key is software Apple preps for Macworld harvest - Company CEO Steve Jobs is set to take the stage at Macworld Expo to tempt the Mac faithful with new wares. A good deal of his keynote speech is likely to focus on software. [CNET News.com]
A Web design FAQ The monthly online magazine Web Page Design for Designers offers a top-10 of frequently asked questions encountered when designing a new Web site...
FileMaker real-world database applications FileMaker showcases real-world database solutions - Apple database software subsidiary FileMaker will kick off Macworld Expo by demonstrating a variety of real-world database solutions, all running on Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, for small business and education... [MacMinute.com]
PowerBook power adapter problems
Brrr... I love cold weather and snow, and that is what we are experiencing here in Puget Sound country right now. There is a light dusting of snow on everything and temperatures never rose above 24.6 degrees today. But there is a downside to the cold. Specifically, I spent five hours working in the crawl space under our house trying to get our pipes unthawed before temperatures take a dive into the teens again tonight. Success! But we will see if the water keeps running tonight... Temperatures are supposed to start climbing tomorrow, but it sounds like it will be Tuesday afternoon before the temps top the freezing mark, and we could have a serious snow storm tomorrow night before everything turns to rain sometime Tuesday afternoon.
Macworld Expo details Macworld Expo will be held from January 5-9 at The Moscone Center in San Francisco. Steve Jobs will provide the keynote address from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 6, and the keynote will be broadcast live on Apple's Web site. Stay tuned to Mac Net Journal next week for coverage of the keynote address and important happenings at the expo, including insight into which new products could be a key to your Mac experience in 2004...
A slow start to the new year Mac news is off to a slow start in 2004, with the community holding its breath to see what Apple will unveil at the Macworld Expo. While we wait, I am doing some house cleaning on my 12-inch PowerBook G4, cleaning up the desktop files that have accumulated and clearing out my email attachments folder to get rid of the numerous files that have built up there over the last year. While I clean up, I have also made my first Mac software purchase of 2004. This morning I purchased a license for SpamSieve. It's an indispensible tool combined with PowerMail... |
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