Info Manager for August 26, 2002

[*]  Gateway to make an "iMac" PC;   [*]  No Floppy?;   [*]  Broadband Co-op;   [*]  Intel, PC Makers Sued Over P4 Performance;   [*]  OS 9 available for OSX 10.1.2 Buyers;   [*]  PGP is back!;   [*]  MS gives New Orleans 'free' systems for City Hall, PD;   [*]  Notebook batteries to run for days instead of hours?;   [*]  Dell to use resellers;   [*]  iMrMicrophone;   [*]  Cheaper Flat-Panels?;   [*]  Educational resources;   [*]  MSN for Mac OS X;   [*]  15" LCD iMac production to end?;   [*]  More on Boston's MacWorld;   [*]  AOL to create more original content;   [*]  Kid's stuff;   [*]  Reports! Lives!;   [*]  MUG of the Week - AppleSiders of Cincinnati;   [*]  Quotes: William Ellery Channing;   [*]  User Group Tip: Apple Product Info & Graphics;  
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Gateway to make an "iMac" PC

CNET is reporting that Gateway is going to start selling an flat panel computer that is similar to the G4 iMac, but cheaper and it takes up less desk space. eyes a bigger slice of iMac pie.
Full story at:
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-954291.html

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No Floppy?

In an Associated Press article, ABCNews is coming to the conclusion that Apple did 4 years ago. Namely, that the floppy drive is an obsolete piece of technology. But their reason is a replacement product called a "Cruzer". It is a piece of RAM that comes with a USB connector and shows up as a disk drive on a PC or Mac desktop. BUT it can come with up to 256 megs of space. Not bad, I have been reading articles lately that are saying that storage devices are on the way out to be replaced by much faster RAM. I would think that something more permanent than RAM would be wanted, but this would seem to indicate that those stories are correct.
This story is at: http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/Business/ap20020819_368.html

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Broadband Co-op

In what is a different kind of user group, FoxNews.com is reporting that residents in Summit County, Colorado formed the Ruby Ranch Internet Cooperative Association to bring broadband Internet to its members. Qwest had negotiated with residents for over a year and then backed out. So the residents setup their co-op. See the story at: Fox NewsOr the association web site at:
http://www.rric.net/

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Intel, PC Makers Sued Over P4 Performance

In an article with the above title, PCWorld is reporting that some of Intel/PC producers customers are suing them over misrepresenting the Pentium 4. They are saying that it is actually SLOWER than a P3. It will be interesting to see how this one comes out.
Full story at: http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=729993

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OS 9 available for OSX 10.1.2 Buyers

The Mac Night Owl is reporting that "According to Chris Bourden, Apple's Product Line Manager for Mac OS X, the vast majority of Mac users who will be buying the 10.2 upgrade already have Mac OS 9 installed on their Macs. After all it was released nearly three years ago. For those who don't, Apple will soon offer a convenient "Up-to-Date" program to accommodate folks who need a copy. When it's launched, it's expected to cost $19.95 and require proof of purchase of Jaguar. Such coupons come in the Jaguar box, so don't despair."
Full story at:
http://www.macnightowl.com/

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PGP is back!

Network Associates agreed to sell the technology it mothballed back in March to a start-up specially created to market PGP. Jon Callas, the former PGP chief scientist, becomes the CTO of the new company, PGP Corporation. Will Price, former Director of Engineering at NAI, becomes VP of engineering.
      The good news is that the Windows XP and Mac OS X versions of version 8.0 of the excellent PGP Desktop, which were ready when Network Associates canned the division, will now ship in the fourth quarter.
Story at: http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26734.html

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MS gives New Orleans 'free' systems for City Hall, PD

The Register is reporting, that Microsoft has agreed to update the new Orleansā City Hall and Police Department's computers for FREE! This would save the city $100 million. Hard to compete with that. Sounds like an antitrust move to me. All New Orleans has to do is agree to pay a nominal fee for some software AND be a model for Microsoft to sell the system to other communities.
Full story at: http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26725.html

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Notebook batteries to run for days instead of hours?

London's Financial Times reported on 8/19, that NEC is going to start mass producing fuel cell using a new technology called carbon nanohorns. It will enable cell phones to run for weeks without recharging and notebooks for days. Hopefully they will be recyclable as weill. Full story at
Full story at http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1028185877202&p=1012571727313

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Dell to use resellers

Not able to continue to grow the company as fast as they would like, Dell has decided to use small resellers that deal with small businesses. That is resellers who basically are the IS department for other small business via contracts. Dell would supply "white" boxes without logo to those resellers. Full story at:
Full story at: http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/08/20/020820hndellresell.xml?0820tuam

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iMrMicrophone

After all the rumors this week concerning a supposed Apple iPhone product, this brought some chuckles my way:
http://www.crazyapplerumors.com/2002_08_18_archive.htm

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Cheaper Flat-Panels?

According to an aricle on IDG News Service, (PCWorld.com), the prices of flat-panel displays are going to drop because of an increased production. They also are predicting that because of increased demand by 2004, prices may go back up.
Full story at: http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=731562

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Educational resources

Our friends over at the TourBus** have come up with a couple of web sites for educational resources. (Since this is back to school time). One is the New York Times Learning Network, for students and teachers in grades 3 through 12. It is a free service provides news summaries, quizzes and daily lesson plans. URL Below
      The second is the AskEric lesson plalns. There are over 2000 lesson plans which have been written and submitted by teachers. You can even upload your own. Its URL is Askeric Org
The Learning Network is at: http://www.nytimes.com/learning

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MSN for Mac OS X

That's right Microsoft, who has been complaining about there not being enough OS X users has announced that they will soon allow Mac OS X users into their service. That sounds like they are taking a page out of AOL, who quit developing for Mac with version 5. The Windows version is now at 7. AOL has been beta testing an OS X version for some time. Of course, MSN has about 1/10th the number of subscribers as AOL.
Full story at: http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=833

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15" LCD iMac production to end?

Ron Carlson is reporting that the Digitimes is saying that the production will end in October. Apparently the 17" model is really cutting into sales of its older and less expensive brother.
Full story at: http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=834

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More on Boston's MacWorld

The Boston Herald has a good story on where we are at in terms of moving the show back to Boston. Keep your fingers crossed. It would be much nicer than NYC. But then, Steve Jobs may over rule and keep it there anyway.
Full story at: http://www.businesstoday.com/business/business/linx08222002.htm

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AOL to create more original content

When AOL fully embraced the Internet, it pretty much gave up on its original content. (About 5 years ago). Now it has realized that it needs content to separate it from other ISPs. (As my 5 year old granddaughter Alexys would say,: "DUH!") So it is going back to its original concept. To bad they stopped the User Group Forum. That was about the only content I ever found that interesting.
Full story from the New York Times at: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/22/technology/22AOL.html

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Kid's stuff

Scholastic Inc. has opened up a shopping site at: www.scholasticstore.com
      You can read a story about it at: Silicon Prairie
      Then, a kid's hand is possibly too small for the mouse on your current computer. So there is now a mouse designed specifically for a tot's hand: www.kidzmouse.com.
Story at: http://tm0.com/siliconprairie/sbct.cgi?s=354246326&i=632858&m=1&d=3033777

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Reports! Lives!

I know there are still a lot of HyperCard developers out there. Recently on the iHUG mailing list, there was a discussion about reporting in HyperCard. I remember using Reports! Back in the late 80s to print reports from HC. Well it is still around in version 3.0 now.
You can get details about it at: http://www.Rpcontrol.com/

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MUG of the Week - AppleSiders of Cincinnati

With about 150 members, AppleSiders is one of the older Apple groups in the country. According to the web site, they have a SIG that covers legacy machines. Both Apple IIs and NON PowerMacs. They also have free access to PDF versions of their newsletter. (Why not, free advertising)
See their site at: http://www.applesiders.com/

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Quotes: William Ellery Channing

"Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage.
The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict."
      William Ellery Channing,1780-1842, American Minister and Author
 
"The difference between Success and Significance:
Success is when I add value to myself.
Significance is when I add value to others."
      Author Unknown

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User Group Tip: Apple Product Info & Graphics

When you go to publish/edit your newsletter and want to talk about the latest and greatest from Apple, what do you do for information and graphics? Well, Apple has long sent out CDs (now DVD) to dealers and user groups on a quarterly basis. But if you need it faster, you can go to Apple.com and look at the PR material. It is there to use. (Appropriately of course)
See: http://www.apple.com/pr/

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News and Info you can use...

The Info Manager invites user groups to use his column in full or in pieces in their newsletter. He would appreciate word that you are doing so however and if you can, please send a pdf version of the newsletter for his perusal. Or just provide him with the link. Use this address: Infomanager@user-groups.net or... our online Information form

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 Info Manager should follow up on.

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