User group Newsletter Editors: Utilize this content in your newsletter -- PLEASE ... reference The User Group Network _ / _ UG Network Channel _ / _ NEWS_/ _ Info Manager Shareware Manager is coming: YUM! Show us the shareware! The Info Manager is looking for your rumors and tidbits... give him a post! ...or subscribe... see subscription notes below Info Manager - 7/21/Y2K AACUG; PCers at Macworld; V.92;CD-RW Prices; Anti-Spam Bill; Apple Announcement; Circuit City; Web Mergers * The Association of Apple Computer User Groups ...launched on Thursday, July 20 in the User Group Lounge during Macworld. Rumors are flying -- one observer said "It's been a long time coming, but it seemed like everyone went away with high hopes for the organization!" and "Their hearts are in the right place, I certainly hope the [UG] community gets behind them and supports them." __ Another rumor passed around that at least four outspoken launch attendees appeared to have been sent as a hit squad to undermine the launch. More on this once people get back from Macworld to feed the rumor mill. __ The association's web site is appropriately at: http://www.AACUG.org * PCers Dig for MUGs at Macworld News came yesterday that the Association of PC User Groups was actively soliciting Mac groups at the Adobe breakfast during Macworld. According to sources the table was next to the door as everyone passed by -- manned by Rose Lynn, President of Gold Coast Macintosh Users Group in Miami, FL, flanked by Lorene Romero of the North Coast Mac Users Group, Santa Rosa, CA and a representative of the APCUG. __ Interesting that after more than a dozen years of PC only support APCUG would show up at Macworld looking for Mugs to join. Guess PCers want to grab a piece of the Apple success pie while Macs are flying high! * New modem A new standard for dial-up access should soon be here. The V.92 standard has been proposed. It tweaks 56K modems to 48K actual connection speeds. It will also have faster setup times. It will also put modem connections on hold to take incoming phone calls. The hang up is that just like the intro of the original 56K modems, the ISPs will have to have a compatible modem. Full story: http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2000/0717v92.html * CD-RW Prices According to the Register (UK) the prices of CD-RW drives are going up because that some of the chips needed in the drives are being used in cell phones. The demand for cell phones is so heavy that the CD-RW producers are unable to produce all the drives that their customers desire. Story at: http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/2/11995.html * Anti-Spam Bill By a 427-1 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed an antispam bill that would prohibit commercial e-mail messages from being sent to recipients who have asked to be removed from the sender's distribution list. Now if the Senate will pass it, the President sign it and someone figure out how they can enforce it. We might all have emptier mailboxes. * MacWorld Expo/Apple As Christopher Albrecht, Associate Editor at ZDNet's AnchorDesk said: "Wow. It's feast or famine for Mac news. For weeks -- nothing. Then yesterday at Macworld. Whamo!" His story is at: http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2605399,00.html One thing he and several other people got wrong. OSX is not being futher delayed. Apple had announce the public bata would be available in the summer of 2000. Everyone just assumed that meant MacWorld in New York. Really strange since usually people have come to realize that software is released at the last possible time to live up to their deadlines. __ The new iMacs really are still beautiful with their new colors and the prices are what they should have been for the past three months. $799 for the entry level machines (Indigo only), that doesn't have FireWire and is till at 350 MHz. The 400 MHz DV now is at $999 and comes in Indigo and Ruby. The limitation on it is that it like the 350 MHz machine has a CD-ROM drive instead of DVD. They added the color Sage to the DV Plus and made it a 450 MHz machine with a 20 Gig hard drive. The SE machine moves those up to a 500 MHz and a 30 Gig drive Also the SE now comes in Snow as well as Graphite. __ Of course the "surprise" announcement was the G4 Cube. An 8 INCH to a side cube. It comes in two models. One at $1799 with a 450 MHz G4 and one at $2229 with a 500 MHz. Both have a DVD drive and Harman Kardon speakers. __ The best news to the average Mac user is that ALL the new machines will ship with a new optical mouse and an extended keyboard. Those are also available individually at $59 each for those who want to upgrade their older machines. Of course, if I had an iMac, I would have already bought a third party mouse. __ Another big announcement at Expo was about the G4 Towers. The base model is not changing much, just getting a processor up grade to a 400 MHz. But the two more powerful models are going to duo processors of 450 and 500 MHz respectfully. Also they are getting a 30 and a 40 GIG hard drive. All at no additional cost. Sounds great! * Circuit City While announcing their profits for the 3rd Quarter, Apple let it out that Circuit City would soon be selling iMacs and iBooks as well as AirPort. They will be displayed right next to the digital cameras What with Canon using iMacs in their TV advertising for their digital cameras, they should move well. Especaily the Ruby ones. * Web mergers In a $1.6 Billion deal, CNET purchased ZDNet. The best way to eliminate a rival is to purchase it. Both companies do a good job of providing the news even if they do it quite differently. It will be interesting to see how they consolidate. Meanwhile, the company that owns VersionTracker.com has purchased the macfixit.com web site. MacFixIt with its forums is one of the best places for Mac owners to go for support. Since Ted and Ilene are suppose to continue on, there shouldn't be any lowering of standards. * Quote of the Week: (This one from InfoWorld's e-newsletter.) "Once you have the link open, you should be able to get the (Internet Protocol) address on the other side. If the drives are password protected, it is far more difficult to get access. If sharing is turned on and there's no password protection to the hard drive, you are just playing Russian roulette." --Rob Enderle, a senior industry analyst at Giga Information Group, based in Santa Clara, Calif., speaking about a new multimedia search engine. Full story at: http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/00/07/14/000714hnscour.xml?0717mnpm pau **** Don't forget ... the Info Manager invites you to use all or part of his column in your user group newsletter. Please let him know, and if possible send an electronic copy for the old scrapbook. Any suggestions for topics and reports of rumors are always welcome. Please me know. Thanks The Info Manager is a veteran of the UGN (AOL User Groups Forum) and User Group Network. He's been a supporter and volunteer on many, many UGNet and User Group Academy projects. As a long time user group member, he's served as volunteer from Honolulu to Boston and many points in between. Currently working with the Apple Corp of Dallas, the Dallas Mac Pack, Cowtown MUG of Ft. Worth and TUMS (the Tulsa Users of Macintosh Society) doing newsletter articles and the monthly CD-ROM Update. Post a lead Rumor Manager should follow up on. Subscribe to Rumors@lists.user-groups.net rumors-on@lists.user-groups.net for more information go to: http://www.user-groups.net/ugcommunity/subscribe.html UG Network Channel _ / _ NEWS _ / _ UG Library _ / _ UG Bookshelf Article Reprints -- User Group Network Affiliates may reprint articles as long as full credit is given. Other Non-profit or non-commercial publications should contact us. The UGNN cannot guarantee accuracy or timeliness of articles. Many have been forwarded to us by field correspondents, or press release services. 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