Making the most of OS X on your Mac |
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- Mac OS X apps ranked by category - Politics - Using Graphic Converter for image management
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2002
- December - November - TidBITS - Apple - Macintouch laptop battery report - Apple - 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
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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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On making the switch from Eudora to PowerMail I knew that testing email search speed on PowerMail would lead to trouble, and I was right, if you define trouble as making the wholesale move to a much faster email program. After spending the last few months using Eudora 6.x on Mac OS X, it is refreshing to move back to PowerMail 4.2.1 - surely the fastest of the email clients I have used under OS X. Here are a few notes about making the transition and insight into why I made the move. Read more...
Someone else discovers email speed with PowerMail Jon Buscall is starting to explore the advantages of a speedy email client, as he gets started using PowerMail...
Tips for faxing under Panther Faxing in Panther - Are you neglecting your modem because you no longer use dialup for Internet connectivity? Thanks to Panther, you can breath new life into your modem by using it as a built-in fax machine. Wei Meng Lee shows you the ins and outs of this new Mac OS X 10.3 feature. [O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com]
And another OS X security problem Security: Finder Circumvents Root File Permissions - And another security issue: "Finder Authentication In Mac OS X 10.3 Circumvents Root File Permissions" [MacInTouch]
Notes on a new OS X security hole Macslash offers notes and comments on a security hole that remains open in the current version of Mac OS X, including tips for how to close the hole... Macintouch has information on this security exploit as well.
The iPod movie that's sweeping the Net iPod's dirty little secret video - Hats off to the Neistat Brothers for using iMovie and a Mac to produce a very powerful and creative guerilla-style message video exposing Apple's $250 battery charge to fix an iPod. The QuickTime video starts with a phone call to an AppleCare tech who delivers the bad news and then proceeds to document a spraypainting campaign that says "iPod's Unreplaceable Battery Lasts Only 18 Months." According to a counter on the site, it's had nearly 90,000 viewings. I love it! Using Apple's own tools to deliver a high tech protest. [Mac-Mike.com] It should be noted that now Apple offers Applecare for the iPod, although I am unsure of the terms, and other companies are starting to step onto the scene to offer replacement battery service for the spendy iPod...
A disk utility face off David Shayer takes a look at major disk utilities for Mac OS X in TidBITS: Shootout at the Disk Repair Corral... David's conclusion, which sounds like good advice: Try Disk Utility first and if it can't fix a problem, then go to DiskWarrior. If DiskWarrior won't fix it then go to the next best utility, Norton Disk Doctor in his article, and on down the line. Once you move down the line far enough, David offers the most humorous and possibly most effective solution - "After that, try sacrificing chickens."
Frederic Latour's guide to searching in Mail Frederic Latour offers a basic guide to the search capabilities in Mail.app, including tips about marking results you need to refer back to later with flags or colors. These capabilities in Mail are a good start, but they still fall far short of the powerful labeling features in PowerMail, Eudora, and Mailsmith...
A place for useful Eudora tips Mactips.info offers a collection of useful tips for Eudora users...
QuicKeys X2 released QuicKeys X2 Panther update released - Following the release of an earlier public beta version, CE Software Inc. has released QuicKeys X2 v2.0.2, a new version of its automation software for Mac OS X. The new version of QuicKeys X2 is available for download from the QuicKeys Web site. [MacCentral]
All about email and address book conversions If you are considering switching from one email application to another, eMailman.com offers a great page with tips and links to utilities to make the job easier...
An addition to the email search debate To add another data point in the search speed face off between OS X email applications, no email application can match the time it takes to do the same search in PowerMail. Here are the parameters: I am doing a search for a particular person's last name in my 29,000 message email collection, and the search is being done across the entire email archive in Eudora, Mail, Mailsmith, and PowerMail. The results:
I am still digging into the reasons that Mailsmith is so slow in this search... On a closing note, after going through the long, two-hour process of loading my email back into PowerMail, I may stick with it for the rest of this week. Throughout this process as I am testing various email apps I have set each of them to leave my mail on my mail server, so there is little time lost in the whole process. Now if I can just figure out how to work SpamSieve effectively to do junk mail filtering on PowerMail then I may just be able to make it work as a long-term solution. PowerMail is one of the fastest email apps on Mac OS X and it has a better user interface than most - far surpassing Eudora. And although PowerMail's strength is working with plain text email, it easily allows users to read HTML messages if they must...
A new approach on Mac Net Journal I am making some major changes to Mac Net Journal right now, mostly in the way I approach updating the site. Over the last few months, as I was busy with my online work and finishing our Birding Washington book, MNJ degenerated into a site that simply pointed to notable posts on other sites. While I think these links are useful when combined with commentary and context, they don't make MNJ any different than the dozens of similar Mac sites on the Net and they don't embody my goals for making this site something that is useful for a wide range of Mac users. And so my new take on MNJ is to begin adding more original content. I will do this as long as I have the time, and how I divide my time depends a lot on how well MNJ does in terms of generating donations and ad clicks to support the site. If you like the idea of seeing more original content on MNJ, let me know. Send me an email, join the discussions, and send along whatever amount you feel is appropriate in donations to support the site. Thanks! Discuss
Spyware and Mac OS X Macintouch offers a reader note about spyware applications that are making the move to Mac OS X, creating a new problem that was previously more common on Windows computers...
Eudora Mailbox Cleaner - more than its name implies In the discussion following my article yesterday comparing Mail.app and Eudora, Matt pointed out that making the switch from Eudora to Mail.app can be made much easier by using Eudora Mailbox Cleaner, a freeware application that does much more than its name implies. In addition to fixing any date problems created by Mail's import scripts, Eudora Mailbox Cleaner can import all of your Eudora filters into Mail, thereby taking away a lot of the initial pain in making the switch from one program to the other. If Mail sounds like it will fit your needs, this could be a very useful application in the switching process...
CodeWarrior gets Panther support CodeWarrior gains Panther support - Metrowerks on Monday released CodeWarrior Development Studio 9.1, an update to its software development environment... [MacMinute.com]
A warning about using 'secure empty trash' MacFixIt offers a warning today that the 'secure empty trash' option under Panther can delete files that are currently in use. It looks like this is another new feature in Panther that should be used very carefully...
An email search speed comparison As a follow up to my email related articles earlier today, I have done a little testing tonight. I did the test because I was astonished how slow Mailsmith was when searching through my 29,000 message email archive. I searched for a person's name across the entire archive, using the same exact archive in Eudora, Mail, and Mailsmith. The applications finished in that same order, with Eudora taking 20 seconds to search through the entire archive, Mail taking 28 seconds, and Mailsmith taking 2 minutes and 28 seconds. I know why Mail is fast, since it builds indexes of messages in its archive periodically, and Eudora has always been the fastest of any OS X email clients, but it is beyond me why Mailsmith is so glacial... Given the results of this testing, and my dislike for the Mailsmith user interface, I am stepping back from trying to make a go of using it for a few days as my email client. I will write more about my experience using Mailsmith in the future, but for now, it is time to get back to work using Eudora, which is simply the fastest of the OS X email clients I have tested... If anyone can offer tips for how to speed up Mailsmith's search mechanism, I would love to hear them... Discuss
An email odyssey continued After Rich Siegel from Bare Bones Software reminded me about the free 30-day demo for Mailsmith, I think it is only fair that I give that email program as much of a test drive as I gave to Mail.app. As a result, I have downloaded Mailsmith and SpamSieve and started importing all of my mail from Eudora into Mailsmith for testing over the next few days. In my post earlier this morning I mentioned that Mailsmith cost too much for me to consider testing it. I should have stated that I find the $100 purchase price of Mailsmith a bit too high. We will see if I continue to think that is that case after I use the demo for a few days... Update: Rich pointed out that a cross-grade license to move from Eudora to Mailsmith is $79. Meanwhile, I managed to move my email data into Mailsmith, but it took forever. The program was about 75% through importing my email when it crashed. To its credit, Mailsmith picked right up and continued importing when I restarted the program, but it had to rebuild all of the mailboxes it had already imported, which meant that it took more than 90 minutes to get my 30,000-plus messages from Eudora into Mailsmith...
A look at Mail.app under Panther There is a lot to like about Mail and it has made major improvements over previous versions. The built in Spam filters in Mail seem superior to the SpamWatch capabilities in Eudora, and the look and feel of the Mail user interface runs circles around Eudora. But the limitations that killed my user experience with Mail were threefold: the inability to apply labels to mail, the awkward process for creating Rules, and the limitations of Mail's search capabilities that were the final deal killers that sent me running back to Eudora. Read the full story for details...
iTunes Gift Certificates Send iTunes Gift Certificates Via USPS - You can now send iTunes Gift Certificates purchased from the online Apple Store via the United States Postal Service. (MacMinute via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
MacDevCenter on Panther maintenance tips The MacDevCenter offers a useful article with Panther maintenance tips...
Columnist advises cautious approach to Panther After offering the advice to go ahead and switch to Panther in a recent column, Glenn Fleishman backs off and offers caution in Eager for Panther? There's reason for pause...
Project Timer Pro 1.0 Project Timer Pro 1.0 adds new features - Script Software has released Project Timer Pro 1.0, a complete rewrite of the company's application for project tracking and invoicing. The new version of the software is a cross platform tool for tracking the time spent on a project, and for creating customized invoices based on the results. [MacCentral]
Transmit update makes FTP app more Panther-friendly Transmit 2.6.1 fixes a handful of minor bugs with the FTP application that were introduced with the arrival of Mac OS X 10.3. This is a free upgrade for current licensed users. Release notes are available. Mac Net Journal uses Transmit daily in maintaining this Web site...
Nisus Writer Express 1.1 adds new features Nisus Writer Express 1.1 is a major upgrade to the word processor from the long-time makers of word processing software from Nisus Software. Version 1.1 offers file opening times up to 12 times faster than in the previous version, better handling of languages within documents through a new Language palette, and spelling and thesaurus suggestions based on the current language being used in a document. Nisus Writer Express 1.1 is a free download for owners of version 1.0, and the software costs $59.95 for new users. Release notes for NW Express 1.1 are available. I should note that I completed the last third of my recently finished Birding Washington book using Nisus Writer Express 1.0, and for basic word processing the program worked pretty well. Look for a thorough examination of using alternatives to Microsoft Word to complete the first phase of writing a book sometime in the coming week...
Securely trash files under Panther Apple's Ken Bereskin profiles Panther's ability to ensure that when you trash a file, no one can find it...
Macworld compares FireWire Web cams If you are considering which FireWire Web cam to buy for use with iChat, Macworld has an article comparing the iSight, the iBot Standard, the Pyro 1394 WebCam, and the Fire-i. The verdict: iSight is hard to beat...
AT&T sues eBay and PayPal Web patent wars continue to escalate, as noted by CNET:
WebSTAR V v.5.3.2 released 4D WebSTAR V v5.3.2 Update now available - 4D, Inc. today released 4D WebSTAR V v5.3.2, an update to 4D WebSTAR Server Suite V now with enhanced performance, improved Entourage features, important security updates, enhanced Search Engine capabilities and more. The v5.3.2 update features improvements to the Mail Server including improved support for Entourage clients and DNS Blacklists. The Search Engine has been updated to provide even more relevant search results by supporting PDF Metadata. 4D WebSTAR V v5.3.2 also includes... [MacDailyNews]
All about backing up your Mac Derek Miller offers a great collection of links about computer backup strategies. I am thinking more about backups these days as well, now that I can do things other than frantically work on a book project. The decision that lies ahead for me: Which new FireWire drive to buy as a backup drive now that it is dead clear that the 40GB drive I am using right now is simply too small. I back up two Macs to the 40GB drive, just syncing the user folders from my machine and Natalie's machine across a network to the drive. I may pick up two drives - one to hold my daily backups and another to hold the growing collection of digital music we have on our three PowerBooks that run Mac OS X. Right now I have a 60GB drive in my 12-inch PowerBook G4 and Natalie has a 40GB drive in her Pismo PowerBook... Discuss
A new security warning for Mac OS X users SecurityTracker offers a warning today stating that using 'sudo' on PowerBooks may allow local users to execute commands without authenticating...
A new version of Xcode coming? Apple working on XCode Update - Apple is priming an enhancement update to its XCode developer software, sources tell AppleInsider. Version 1.1 began seeding to developers last week and continued with build 7K105 earlier this week. The update contains a substantial list of improvements and bug fixes based around developer feedback on the initial 1.0 release of the software. [Studio Log]
1GB memory upgrades for newer iMacs 1GB memory upgrade for newer iMacs now available - Memory maker Trans Intl. has announced 1GB memory upgrades for the latest revisions to Apple's iMac. With these memory upgrades in place, users can have up to 2GB of memory installed -- twice the memory capacity specified by Apple's own documentation. [MacCentral]
Keynote and XML Keynote's XML Connections - Keynote goes one step further than PowerPoint by making it easy to dynamically create presentations from within other applications. By David Miller (O'Reilly Network via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
Macintouch readers on scanning solutions Macintouch has an interesting new reader report today about document scanning options for Mac OS X...
Apple releases security update for Jaguar and Panther A new security update from Apple addresses issues with OpenSSL and the zlib "gzprintf()" function (whatever that is...). The download is available in the Software Update pane in System Preferences, and it weighs in at 1.3MB. As usual with Apple's system software updates, a restart is required after installing the update...
MediaEdit Pro for Mac OS X MediaEdit Pro comes to Mac OS X - macXware today announced they have released MediaEdit Pro for Mac OS X. The software is both a video production tool and imaging editing application and is aimed at the advanced beginner to professional. [MacCentral]
Flipping the switch from Eudora to Mail.app Since my deadline pressures are behind me, I flipped the switch and will spend the next week or more trying out Apple's Mail.app program rather than Eudora. The user interface is the main reason I am trying Mail, but I am also curious if it is more ready for heavy-duty email management than it has been in previous versions. Time will tell...
It's been a long, hard slog, but the book is done! Ten minutes ago I emailed the last of the materials for Birding Washington to our publisher. It's break time later tonight!!! Discuss
The iMac swells to a 20-inch LCD Apple Unveils 20-Inch iMac - "By offering a huge, gorgeous 20-inch widescreen display, Apple has once again raised the bar on what customers can expect from an all-in-one desktop." By Jim Dalrymple (MacCentral via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
A new Power Mac G5 desktop Apple Offers Dual-Processor 1.8GHz Power Mac G5 - Apple on Tuesday announced a new dual-processor Power Mac G5 operating at 1.8GHz. The new dual-processor system replaces the single-processor 1.8GHz G5 previously available, and costs US$2,499 -- only $100 more than the 1.8GHz system it replaces. By Peter Cohen (MacCentral via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
Bluetooth GPS receivers and the Mac MacSlash offers a discussion about Bluetooth GPS receivers and the Mac...
Bluetooth software updated by Apple Check the Software Update panel in System Preferences for today's update to Bluetooth Software 1.4.1. Apple offers the following notes about the 2.2MB download:
A restart is required after installing this software...
Almost ready to emerge from behind the book Last week was serious crunch time for finishing our Birding Washington book, and today, after doing final edits on the last of the bird watching site descriptions, I sent off the last big bunch of materials for the book to our editor at Falcon Publishing. I am still working on a couple of the early chapters of the book today, and Natalie and I will be finishing the bird list for the back of the book later in the day. And then, after more than two years of work on the project, it will be time to move on to something new. Natalie and I have been involved in other book projects in the past. In late 2001 our first co-written book, Insider's Guide to the Olympic Peninsula, came out after we spent about a year working on the project. During that same year I was the revision editor of and added 10 new chapters to a book about mountain biking in Washington (Mountain Bike America: Washington). But this is our most ambitious and long-term project so far. It will be great not to have a book deadline hanging over our heads! Now we can get back out in nature and start taking more photos and writing more about our favorite places!
New Keyspan drivers for Panther users Keyspan drivers updated for Panther - Keyspan has posted several drivers for its products that offer compatibility with the newly released Mac OS X 10.3 Panther... [MacMinute.com]
MCE offers pumped up iBooks MCE offers iBook G4 with 2x DVD-R/RW/RAM drive - MCE Technologies today announced that it is now offering Apple's new 12 and 14-inch iBook G4s with a 2x DVD-R/RW + DVD-RAM drive option... [MacMinute.com]
National Geographic maps for Macs National Geographic offers TOPO State Maps for Mac - Hikers, bikers or outdoor enthusiasts who have been looking for topographic maps for their Mac may want to check out National Geographic's TOPO! State Series, which is now Mac-compatible. [MacCentral] My take: This is excellent news for detailed mapping on the Mac. Maps are on my mind today, since I have spent the last couple of days creating maps for the 70 birdwatching sites profiled in Birding Washington. We should have the book complete sometime this weekend!
Problems with Panther's Disk Utility Macintouch takes a look at problems with Panther's Disk Utility reported by some readers...
A new version of BBEdit BBEdit adds SFTP support, Rendezvous, more - Bare Bones Software on Thursday announced a significant update to their flagship text editor BBEdit. The new version of BBEdit gains support for SFTP, adds FTP and SFTP server discovery through Rendezvous and a new "Preview in BBEdit" live HTML rendering feature. [MacCentral]
Mail.app stability under Panther I have read a few reports of people who run into odd instability problems with Mail.app under Panther. I spent one weekend working with Mail on my PowerBook, and I opted to go back to my trusty Eudora installation until I really had the time to play around with creating a ton of new rules under Mail to really put it to the test. Richard Smith offers his take on Mail.app in his post Mail ate my mail:
Smith got Mail working again after a restart, and it sounds like his installation of Panther may have some general stability problems since he is also seeing odd behavior from DragThing. Regardless of the cause of Mail's odd behavior, he is eyeing alternative email apps... Discuss
Firebird vs. Safari Thorsell.com offers a look at the relative rendering speed of Safari vs. Firebird. The winner in the unscientific tests - Firebird:
I haven't used Firebird for a couple of weeks, so it may be time for another look. Over the last month I have used Camino as my default browser, before giving Safari a spin as my default today...
On scripting power management under OS X Greg Neagle posts an interesting item about the way he uses startup scripts to control his power management settings...
Brent on bug guilt trips Get inside the mind of NetNewsWire creator Brent Simmons as he offers his take on Bug Guilt Trips. Brent's piece and Safari creator Dave Hyatt's comments on the way people submit bugs and the tactics they use to try and get their pet problems noticed are enlightening. I only wish I had never used the tactics described...
Internet sharing under Panther Panther Internet Sharing - A quick look at sharing an Internet connection in Panther with IP over FireWire (which is now built into Mac OS X 10.3) and AirPort, including the pros and cons of each method. [O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com]
An interesting note about the 10.3.1 update I find it interesting that when I upgraded to Mac OS X 10.3.1 this morning that the installer inserted Safari into my Dock as the first item in the Dock, just below the Finder. I don't use Safari as my default browser right now, so it is interesting how much trouble Apple is going to in order to try and standardize everyone on their Web browser...
Back in town and back to work Our jaunt down the Oregon Coast ended last night and we are back home and getting back to work drawing maps o' plenty for our Birding Washington book over the next couple of days. To make things a little more interesting, Natalie crashed our Ford Taurus wagon last night when she made a run across town to pick up dinner. Thankfully, she wasn't hurt and neither was the other driver. The car, on the other hand, was towed away for evaluation by our insurance company. It couldn't be driven, with a smashed in driver's side front corner panel. We await word from our insurance company later....ugh...
Limited updates in the coming days Expect things to be relatively quiet on Mac Net Journal over the next few days, as I put the finishing touches on our Birding Washington book and spend a few days in other parts of the Pacific Northwest. Things should be back to normal around the middle of next week...
Windows Media Player 9 for OS X Microsoft offers Windows Media Player 9 for OS X - Microsoft's Windows Media Web site now offers Windows Media Player 9 for Mac OS X for download. Microsoft indicates that this new release can play secure content protected using Microsoft Windows Media Rights Manager v1.3. [MacCentral] It's about time this arrived. I really could have used it over the last month as I listened to corporate earnings webcasts on the Net...
An excellent look at Mac outliner features Ted Goranson takes an exhaustive look at Mac outliners and their myriad features, including notes about strengths of the two outlining apps that I use every day - Tinderbox and OmniOutliner...
Panther two weeks later Panther Two Weeks Later - Make sure your FireWire 800 drive gets the latest firmware, stay clear of FileVault for now, and confirm that the drivers for your peripherals are compatible. You get past these simple requirements, and I have no qualms about recommending that you begin a belated celebration of the Night of the Panther. By Gene Steinberg (Mac Night Owl via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu] I agree with Gene Steinberg's conclusion. The speed boosts and usability tweaks in Panther are ready for widespread use, as long as you pay close attention to the FireWire issue and you avoid FileVault like the plague...
Is the Panther bug really dead? Panther Bug: Is It Really Dead? - Apple says the hard-drive-eating glitch in the latest upgrade to its OS X operating system is fixed. But others say the problem lives on, affecting multiple devices that use FireWire, including camcorders. By Leander Kahney. [Wired News]
Roxio updates Toast 6 Roxio updates Toast 6 Titanium - Roxio has released Toast 6.0.3, an update to the company's popular CD and DVD burning software... [MacMinute.com]
87% renew .Mac Apple's Glass is More Than Half Full with .Mac - Steve Jobs reports that 86-87% of the initial .Mac members have renewed their memberships for another year, but what will the attrition rate be for 2004? [O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com] On the other hand, my wife and I didn't renew .Mac and we have yet to find a compelling reason to sign up again...
An Office 2003 patch for Windows users If you are running Microsoft Office 2003 on a Windows machine in your office, you should check out the following:
Problems with Panther and FireWire 400 drives? A trickle of reports at different Web sites about people having trouble with FireWire 400 drives being disabled following the installation of Panther has people wondering if Panther's FireWire problems are more widespread than previously believed. MacCentral offers the following:
Meanwhile, MacFixIt reports it suffered a FireWire 400 drive failure after installing Panther. Either some FireWire drives are getting old and failing, the reports are being played up because of the recognized problems with some FireWire 800 drives and Panther, or there is an isolated issue with drives other than those running the Oxford Semiconductor 922 chipset...
Another Eudora tip for Panther users Following up on my note about problems attaching documents to messages from the standard drop-down menus in Eudora 6.x under Panther, an MNJ reader offers another attachment tip:
Anyone have any other Eudora hints or bug complaints under Panther? Discuss
On Tinderbox, notetaking, and remembrance agents Doug Miller writes about something he calls his Commonplace Book, a Tinderbox document that he can use "to easily and quickly retrieve articles, web sites, e-mail and blog posts related to the subject at hand to provide context and further reference. Unlike a Google search, the results returned are from my personal context of information I've specifically marked and retained." Reading about how others use Tinderbox can provide a lot of inspiration about what more I could do with the program that I have now used for a full year to write, manage, and publish Mac Net Journal. On Nov. 6, 2002 I turned the switch and moved from Radio Userland to Tinderbox as my Web site management and weblog tool, and now I have posted nearly 2,000 notes and extensive archives using the program with nary a hiccup. I have still barely scratched the surface of what Tinderbox can do for me, and I plan to explore it more once I am finally done with our Birding Washington book late next week. Meanwhile, MNJ keeps ticking along thanks to one of the most valuable Mac OS X applications I have on my PowerBook... Discuss
Making the most of a Genius Bar visit A Happier Hour At The Genius Bar - My Genius Bar experience was really pretty optimal, but as I watched others come and go, I realized that part of that was because I was well-prepared. If you're having hardware trouble and you're thinking of taking your machine in, here are some tips that might help. By Terrie Miller (O'Reilly Network via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
Time to watch the skies Spaceweather.com notes a possible record-breaking solar flare today that may shatter previous records:
It sounds like the next two nights could be worthwhile for watching the dark skies...
Weighing notetaking methods In Contentious, Amy Gahran considers the best options for taking notes at live events - an issue for anyone who needs to take quick and accurate notes. I wonder how well an iPod with its new microphone option would work...
Trying not to hit Apple when it is down The last couple of days I have been holding off and trying to avoid taking cheap shots at Apple when the company is wiping the egg off its face from FireWire problems, FileVault problems, and other glitches associated with the release of Panther, but I can't help but wonder whether Mac OS X 10.3 would be such a risk for end users if Apple was concentrating on making the best OS on the planet instead of giving away iApps over the last year-plus...
Eudora attachment problem under Panther I have noticed that since I installed Panther I cannot create attachments in Eudora 6.0.1 the same way that I did with Eudora 6 under Jaguar. In short, when you go to the Message menu item and choose to attach a document, and then you go to browse and select the document, the button to choose the attachment stays grayed out. You can double click on the file or document you want to attach and it will attach the item, but something is wonky with the Attach button...
Xcode update addresses bugs Apple has released an update to Xcode, its new tool for programmers, that addresses major problems encountered by some using the first version of the program. MacMinute has more details on the update, which is highly recommended due to the possibility of data loss in the first version of Xcode...
WPA and Apple's AirPort AirPort's WPA - Glenn Fleishman's written about the new addition of WPA to AirPort: part 1 is at TidBITS and part 2 is at Wi-Fi Networking News. [Backup Brain]
Apple releases new security update Apple has rolled out another security update, available for download from the Software Update panel in the System Preferences application. Here are the brief released notes:
The update weighs in at just 712k ...
Apple admits FileVault glitch Mac OS X 10.3 FileVault glitch can damage Keychain data - "Mac OS X 10.3's FileVault system, which protects each user's home folder with on-the-fly 128-but AES data encryption, has been found to contain a data-damaging glitch, Apple has admitted," Tony Smith reports for The Register. "The bug manifests itself as a request to regain lost disk space in the encrypted directory. If the user responds in the affirmative, FileVault's reclamation process damages the user's keychain data. Keychain is the Mac OS' secure password... [MacDailyNews]
My own odd Panther bug One oddity I have experienced in the nine days since I installed Mac OS X 10.3 on my 12-inch PowerBook G4 is that the Network item in my Finder has disappeared. At first it simply stopped functioning and it would tell me that the original item could not be found, and then I simply removed the icon altogether since it was just a tease, sitting there and supposedly offering new functionality that had been ripped away from me shortly after I started using Panther. I can still connect to external servers using the Command-K key combination when in the Finder, and networking works fine, but the Network item that had seen some improvements in Panther when I tried it in the first couple of days of using the new OS has disappeared altogether since then. Odd... Discuss
Apple says it is addressing white spot issue Apple Official Weighs In On 15-In. PowerBook Problem, Laptop Successes - Dave Russell, director of product marketing for portables and wireless at Apple, said late last week that the company is aware of the white blemishes on some new 15-in. screens, but hasn't yet "captured" enough of the computers to figure out why the spots are appearing. By Ken Mingis (Computerworld via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
The lesson in the Panther upgrade Now that word of a second major bug with the Panther release of Mac OS X has spilled onto the Internet, it appears that the lesson hidden in the upgrade process to Mac OS X 10.3 is that early adopters pay and this was one major upgrade where those with more patience won. The first major bug afflicting Panther was the FireWire drive issue that Apple acknowledged last week. This bug, which seemed to affect those connected to external FireWire 800 drives most of all, was widespread and well documented, and I noted its existence one day after installing Panther on my own 12-inch PowerBook G4 (Rev. 1). Since I don't directly connect a FireWire drive to my machine, and since I cannot use a FireWire 800 drive with this PowerBook, I wasn't hit by this bug. The next major bug appears to be a serious problem with the new FileVault utility included in Panther that allows users to encrypt their home directories to lock out unauthorized access. MacCentral details the problem in this case, along with a timeline of the failures associated with Panther so far, in FileVault problems continue Apple's OS woes. In short, if you insist on trying FileVault, don't allow the utility to reclaim disk space when you shut down your machine. A number of people who have chosen to reclaim disk space have been unable to get into their home directories following a reboot. Apple is quoted in the story saying, "Apple is aware that some customers have reported an issue when using FileVault's 'reclaim used space' feature. Apple is investigating these reports and any customers with questions should contact AppleCare." Again, I wasn't affected by this bug, mostly because I am conservative when it comes to using new utilities that stand to cause major problems with my system if something goes awry. It is enough of a risk to install a new OS on the night of its release, but to be one of the first to encrypt my file directory just didn't seem like a good idea. The question to come from the problems exposed by the release of Panther is whether someone should run out and install Mac OS X 10.3 now, or whether that same someone should wait until a patch or two are offered to address the problems? If you rely on your Mac for business or some other critical function, it would pay to wait, in my opinion. Panther offers some new eye candy, some speed improvements, and some functional improvements in component applications like Mail.app, but nothing in Panther is worth risking the ability to use your Mac for an extended period of time while you wait in line for help from an Apple technician when so many other users are having problems already. You have already done the prudent thing by waiting more than a week since the release of Panther. You may as well have a functioning Mac and take the leap to Panther when these issues are fixed. If your Mac is simply a personal computer and not something critical to your income, as long as you are aware of the problems and you try to address them by doing things such as downloading and installing new drivers for your FireWire disk, go ahead and take the leap today. Panther does offer some cool new features, and it may be worth the risk if you stay aware of the issues and feel comfortable with living just a little bit on the edge. Discuss
iView MediaPro 2.0.1 released iView MediaPro 2.0.1 - iView Multimedia today released iView MediaPro 2.0.1, an update that provides Panther compatibility, Nikon View 6.1 compatibility and Olympus C5050 support, along with additional enhancements. [iView MediaPro Weblog]
A new Panther troubleshooting guide New Panther troubleshooting guide - Randy B. Singer has posted a very useful Panther troubleshooting guide, listing common problems & solutions. I personally haven't run into any of these widely reported problems with Panther, either on my 12" PowerBook G4 or my G4 minitower (with an OWC Mercury 1GHz CPU upgrade). [MacMegasite]
New change notification in Address Book One of the new features in the Address Book application under Panther is the ability to notify critical people on your email list about changes in your contact information. Ken Bereskin offers details...
Improved address printing options in Panther Apple's Ken Bereskin details improvements in printing options from the Address Book under Panther...
Macintouch on the critical FireWire bug Critical "Panther" FireWire Bug - We now have a special report that covers all aspects of the critical FireWire bug with Panther, which can instantly ruin the data on a hard drive. [MacInTouch]
Robb Beal offers advice for new Mac developers Robb Beal, the creator of Spring, offers advice for prospective Mac developers:
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