Info Manager

Info Manager for September 8, 2003

[*]   Government office approves use of Mac OS X

[*]   Going to Boston?

[*]   Apple I to be cloned

[*]   FileMaker, Inc. announces two new applications

[*]   OpenOSX Offers G5-accelerated WinTel Emulator

[*]   Pop-up Ads Get Federal Court Approval

[*]   Surprise! More Flaws in Windows

[*]   Aladdin kicks off 3rd Annual Charity Drive

[*]   Outlook Calendar substitute

[*]   Schaumburg, Illinois students getting iBooks

[*]   Mac magazines take to the airwaves

[*]   Mac becomes home security system

[*]   Looking for Amnesty?

[*]   SpamSieve brings Bayesian filtering to Spam War

[*]   Spammers back out of suit

[*]   Juno/NetZero users get Anti-Spam tools

[*]   The Return of Sobig

[*]   iView catalogs now cross platform and free

[*]   The Future: New Transistor

[*]   CDW to buy Micro Warehouse's North American assets

[*]   Quotes: Mencken; Wright; Ruskin; Wooden
 

Government office approves use of Mac OS X

During the week I was off, the US Government's Office of Management and Budgets added the Mac OS X and Linux to its list of approved platforms. So Apple is starting to make headway. I remember going to the last MacWorld Expo in Washington D.C. and the turn out was extremely small as in 1989, "everyone" was moving to the WinTel platform. Although was still able to get plenty of temp work using Excel and other programs on Macs around town. See: FCW.com, and GCN.com/

Going to Boston?

Well, IDG World Expo announced that it will be holding its July 2004 Expo in Boston after all. Apple has said they will not support the move. However with the decreased costs of the show in Beantown, IDG obviously feels that other vendors will take up the slack. I attend my first Apple Fest in Boston back about 1984 and my first Expo was at the Boston show in 1986. It is a great town to be in for a show and I hope it is successful enough to get Apple back in the fold in '05. I am planning on being there, how about you? (Held at: Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) July 12-15, 2004 Of course, I also hope to see everyone in San Francisco in January. However I am not as firm about making that one this year.
MacworldExpo.com

Apple I to be cloned

Several sources have talked about the fact that Steve Wozniak has given permission to Vince Briel, to make a new version of the original Apple computer, to be sold for $200. This is quite an undertaking, as most of the chips used back in 1977 are no longer available and of the chips that can be used, they are now more sophisticated. So now they must be dumbed down. Full story at Wired

FileMaker, Inc. announces two new applications

FileMaker, Inc. is expanding beyond its database software by offering business applications. The two applications, "FileMaker Recruiter" and "FileMaker Meeting" are constructed using the FileMaker Pro 6 database, and are two of a new series of applications. To read the press release on the new products go to Filemaker dot com

OpenOSX Offers G5-accelerated WinTel Emulator

WinTel v1.0.1 is a new version open source "Bochs" PC emulator that is now accelerated for Power Mac G5s. This of course, provides an alternative to Microsoft's Virtual PC that does not currently run on the G5. Of course, in order to use it you would still need to get a copy of Windows or Linux for Intel machines. Full story at Computerworld.com

Pop-up Ads Get Federal Court Approval

CNET reported last Monday, that a U.S. district court judge ruled that online advertising companies such as Gator and WhenU.com can legally impose their advertising over third party web sites. The judge feels that the end user is in control and has "invited" them to do so. Guess he doesn't surf much. As I know that several times a month, I get asked by Gator if I want to install their software. And many users are used to clicking OK even before they read the dialog box. This is a bad decision. Full story at: CNET.com

Surprise! More Flaws in Windows

On Wednesday, Wired ran alerts that Microsoft now admits to new critical flaws that leave its Windows software vulnerable to Internet attacks similar to the Blaster virus. The company urges customers to immediately apply a free repairing patch from its website. Hotwired.com

Aladdin kicks off 3rd Annual Charity Drive

Again this year, Aladdin will be donating one dollar of every sale from their web site to help national and local charities. The drive started on September 11 and will continue until October 11. Customers can select from the American Cancer Society, America's Second Harvest Food Bank, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Hospice Caring Project or the Make-A-Wish Foundation as the recipient of the donation. Aladdin Systemsp

Outlook Calendar substitute

Here is a shareware program called GroupCal from Snerdware, that allows a Mac running OS X 10.2 to connect to an Outlook Exchange server. This can be used in much the same way as Outlook on the PC for setting up meetings and remembering appointments. It also connects Outlook to your iCal account. See it and download it at: Snerdware.com

Schaumburg, Illinois students getting iBooks

I used to live in Schaumburg, and in fact bought my first Apple computer when living there. And I took programming classes in nearby Palatine at the community college on Apple IIs. (Not II+.) So it is particular gratifying to see this story.
      Over the next three years 5,000 fourth through six graders will get an iBook to use at home and school. This is patterned after a similar program in Henrico schools in Virginia. (Also a former residence - wonder if GRUMPS (Greater Richmond Users of Macintosh and Programmers Society) is still operating.) It is good to see that Apple is making a come back in the school systems. At least some of the schools understand that their goal should be teaching the subject matter, not computers per say. Full story at the Sun Times, and at the Pioneer Press' Schaumburg Review

Mac magazines take to the airwaves

Scott Sheppard is banking that Mac users would rather "listen" to the news than read it. Today, he'll be dishing up old news from the Mac magazine community for the radio listeners in the San Francisco area. It's billed as the first and ONLY daily Macintosh radio show. The new show "Inside Mac" will be broadcast Monday through Friday with a summary of the day's news events, as well as interviews and other special features with the leading publications in the Macintosh community. However, a radio show for Macs still has to rely on publications and web sites for its content. Inside Mac lists a line-up of "partners" from the existing Mac arena. Scott Sheppard is the founder and editor of OSXFAQ, and is Executive Producer/Host of the nationally syndicated broadcast radio show "Inside Mac" (formally of CNET Radio). InsideMacRadio.com/

Mac becomes home security system

HomeGuardian is a powerful new tool that turns a Macintosh computer and a web camera into a security system by integrating motion detection with extremely flexible reporting. It's the brainchild of SubRosaSoft.com Ltd (New Zealand) who says their product is focusing on system utility and privacy. When HomeGuardian detects any movement, it can sound an audio alert and snap a series of photos then immediately send them via eMail away from the scene to a designated eMail account. Any evidence will be kept secure since it is sent to another location. The software sells for $34.95. You'll need OS X, but Mac OS 9 and Windows versions are promised. Subrosasoft.com

Looking for Amnesty?

So the RIAA has been bantering their "" plan all over the media, however at least one California man smells something fishy -- and has filed a legal challenge to the music industry's amnesty program. The complaint says the plan will not protect file traders from lawsuits, contrary to what the RIAA promises. Read Katie Dean's article: "Lawsuit Attacks RIAA Amnesty Plan"

SpamSieve brings Bayesian filtering to Spam War

Of course it won't help stop spam, and it won't help you 'hide' from the spammers, but it will help you more effectively 'hide' from the spam. The updated SpamSieve actually learns what your spam looks like! A novel approach. It looks at your address book and learns what your good messages look like, so it won't confuse them with spam. Other spam filters get worse over time as spammers adapt to their rules; SpamSieve actually gets better over time as you train it with more messages. SpamSieve doesn't delete any messages--it only marks them in your e-mail client--so you'll never lose any mail. SpamSieve works with any number of mail accounts, of whatever types are supported by your e-mail software (e.g. POP, IMAP, Hotmail, AOL). Spamsieve requires Mac OS X 10.1.5 or later, and is only $25 -- or -- free to existing owners at C-command.com

Spammers back out of suit

Remember when we told you about the law suite brought by eMarketersAmerica.org against antispam organizations? Now they're trying to back out. Cheers for the defendants won't let it drop -- instead, they want to recoup legal costs and send spammers a message. Read this article by Brian McWilliams: "No Truce in the Spam Wars"

Juno/NetZero users get Anti-Spam tools

A new version of the E-mail software in Juno and NetZero employs both a "Block List" and a "Safe List" to let users fine-tune their filtering. "Mail Assistants" will act as a "sorter" for all new incoming mail, based on the logic defined by the user. This becomes a supplementary junk mail filter providing a 2-step filtering process. NetZero Platinum and Juno Platinum are $9.95 monthly dial-up services. NetZero HiSpeed and Juno SpeedBand are $14.95 per month and serve NO banner ads. UNTD.com

The Return of Sobig

A new version of the Sobig worm is expected any day now, so computer experts and law enforcement officials have testified in Congress on the best way to protect computers from ever more virulent intruders. Wired reporter Kim Zetter reports "Just Say No to Viruses and Worms"

iView catalogs now cross platform and free

How many times have we bragged about how great iView is? Now they've launched a free, cross-platform application for unlimited catalog sharing! Version 2.0 increases capacity to 128,000 media items per catalog while reducing catalog size. Fast and easy to use, it is backward compatible with earlier versions of the application. Along with version 2 comes the iView Catalog Reader, a royalty-free, cross-platform software utility that permits unrestricted sharing of iView catalogs. iView Catalog Reader displays media and slide shows in an iView catalog, regardless of which iView program was used to create it. Think of it as an extreme version of iPhoto on steroids! iView-multimedia.com

The Future: New Transistor

Hewlett-Packard is working on building computers that are based on the workings of Individual molecules. It would be a big breakthrough if they can pull it off. Full story on this at: Technologyreview.com

CDW to buy Micro Warehouse's North American assets

Apparently the European assets are also for sale, meanwhile what is left of Micro Warehouse has declared bankruptcy with debt and assets being roughly equal. This means that Mac Warehouse that we have all come to love and many to dislike, may be no more. CDW of course has its own catalog business. CDW.com

Quotes: Mencken; Wright; Ruskin; Wooden

"A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin."
      - H.L. Mencken

"The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes."
      - Frank Lloyd Wright

"The highest reward for a man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it"
      - John Ruskin (1819-1900) Writer, Social Theorist

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
      - John Wooden

Personal Note:

Thanks to Fred Showker for filling in last week while I was having my surgery. (Angioplasty.) To those who inquired, everything appears to be doing better and while I will be on a new exercise regime and will have to report back in, I am up and about and working as usual. This weekend in fact, we are moving into the first house I have ever owned. (Along with the bank of course.) So for a few days I will once again be without Internet access at home. Personally I can do without the TV, but doing without Internet is harder. Thanks for your well wishes. Looking forward to meeting all of you at a future Expo. - Lynn

 
      pau

 

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Also see: MUG NEWS bursts from the AACUG Mac User Guide (MUG)

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