[AppleSurf Inbox] Apr 28, 2000

[applesurf at myapplemenu.comapplesurf]

AppleSurf Inbox

== Top Stories ====================

Where To Find Those Missing Software Manuals (BusinessWeek)
<http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/apr2000/nf00427f.htm>
There is some built-in aid available that's decent by the standards of online help. If you already know how to use AppleScript, it might help you remember a trick you've forgotten. But I defy anyone to learn how to write a script using it.

Apple Offers iMovie Free To G4 And PowerBook Users (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0004/28.imovie.shtml>
Apple announced this morning that iMovie -- the video editing software included with its line of iMac DV computers, and the focus of Apple's current television advertising campaign -- is available as a free download for users of FireWire-equipped PowerBook and Power Mac G4 users. 

== Seize the Day! (Great news for Mac users) ====================

Apple Offers iMovie Free To G4 And PowerBook Users (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0004/28.imovie.shtml>
Apple announced this morning that iMovie -- the video editing software included with its line of iMac DV computers, and the focus of Apple's current television advertising campaign -- is available as a free download for users of FireWire-equipped PowerBook and Power Mac G4 users. 

Apple Posts QuickTime 4.1.2 (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/04/23/0426qtupdate.html>
Apple Computer issued an update to QuickTime on Wednesday, bringing its rich-media technology to version 4.1.2. The update fixes several bugs in QuickTime 4.1.1, which Apple released early this month.

== Listen Up! (Opinions around the web) ====================

Post PC Tech Investing: What's Next For Apple And Microsoft? (Money.com)
<http://www.money.com/money/magazine/postpc/page5.html>
Apple's Internet moves are encouraging, but it sure isn't a value stock at these levels.

A Bold Prediction: Apple Will Build An x86 PC (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/JimWhite/JimWhite7.html>
So will it happen tomorrow? I don't think so. Apple will move to x86, but it will be a gradual, calculated journey. They've spent years telling Mac users how bad the x86 platform was. It should take a year or two to undo all of that brain washing.

One Year Later: Where Are The "Easy PCs"? (Applelinks.com)
<http://www.applelinks.com/articles/2000/04/20000427164910.shtml>
According to Intel's Ease of Use Initiative manager, "consumers are turned off by towering beige PC boxes that remind them of the nasty old problem PCs of yesteryear." In other words, if they make PCs that are differently shaped and colored, consumers may think they are easier to use.

== Reviews (The good and the bad) ====================

Sherlock: Apple's Top-flight Hard-drive Detective (BusinessWeek)
<http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/apr2000/nf00426b.htm>
Just like the special-features package in a Mercedes. It's truly cruising in style.

== Thousand Flowers (News on Macintosh third-parties) ====================

Where To Find Those Missing Software Manuals (BusinessWeek)
<http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/apr2000/nf00427f.htm>
There is some built-in aid available that's decent by the standards of online help. If you already know how to use AppleScript, it might help you remember a trick you've forgotten. But I defy anyone to learn how to write a script using it.

New Component For MS Office (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/04/23/0427msoffice.html>
Microsoft didn't exactly introduce a new version of Office, but on Thursday the company announced that it will add a new component to Office 2001 Macintosh Edition when the upgrade ships later this year: a full-featured e-mail client integrated with a personal information manager (PIM).

The Sims For The Mac (Macgamer's Ledge)
<http://www.macledge.com/sneakpeeks/thesims/thesims.chtml>
While it took Will Wright over 7 years to mold and create The Sims, it will likely take less than six months to bring the title to the Mac platform.

== Know Thy Enemy (Keeping track of the Wintel empire) ====================

Fishpc: "We're Not Trying To Copy The iMac" (MacUser)
<http://www.macuser.co.uk/macsurfer/php3/openframe.php3?page=/news/32832.html>
Although Apple has won a number of injuctions against companies it claimed had directly copied the iMac concept, including Daewoo, eMachines and Sotec, it would be unlikely to have a case against Fishpc.

Microsoft Employees Found Using eBay Site To Auction Copies Of Windows 2000 Software At Deep Discounts (ZDNet)
<http://news.excite.com/news/zd/000425/11/is-that-your>
Microsoft Corp. staffers have been auctioning off copies of Windows 2000 software on eBay, a practice the company frowns on but has had only mixed success reining in.

A Pound Of Microsoft's Flesh (Inter at ctive Week)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2557031,00.html>
What's fascinating is that it took a spate of bad news for the biggest and most profitable name of the "old" PC economy to prick the bubble of market value lavished upon the unprofitable vanguard of the new Net economy. 

Intel Scoffs At 'Post-PC' Computing, But Prepares For It (ComputerWorld)
<http://www.computerworld.com/home/print.nsf/all/000428D9AE>
Intel Corp. executives may dismiss the notion of a "post-PC era," but in their six-hour briefing yesterday with New York financial analysts, their focus was sharply trained on e-business growth areas far beyond the PC market. 

Is It Time To Buy Microsoft? (Salon)
<http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/04/28/microsoft_stock/index.html>
Wall Street has pummeled Bill Gates' stock price -- and the reasons are more psychological than financial.

Microsoft Doesn't Trust Windows (Geek.com)
<http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/q22000/gee2000428001302.htm>
If you've ever wondered how Microsoft ensures that the software it ships is virus-free, you'll enjoy this item we've uncovered.

Windows CE Market Penetration Evaporated Before Pocket PC Release (allNetDevices)
<http://www.allnetdevices.com/news/0004/000428cesales.htm>
Retail sales of Windows CE-based handhelds all but disappeared prior to this month's release of Microsoft's next-generation Pocket PC devices.

Microosft: The Next Generation (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/stories/news/0,4164,2556472,00.html>
While all eyes are focused on the effects that a possible breakup of Microsoft Corp. might have on the company's future, few are contemplating the more immediate impact of the launch of the software giant's forthcoming services architecture, dubbed Next Generation Windows Services, or NGWS.

Economists Recommend Four-way Split For Microsoft (Bloomberg News)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1775767.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..1003-200-1775767>
Microsoft should be split into four companies to end its anti-competitive practices, a group of leading economists told the judge who declared the world's largest software company an illegal monopoly. 

Microsoft Accepts 'Mission Embeddable' (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2556541,00.html>
A Windows-powered gas pump or networked refrigerator may sound more like science fiction than fact. But if Microsoft Corp. has its way, they could arrive a lot sooner than expected.

Would Microsoft's Parts Be More Or Less Valuable Than The Whole? (San Jose Mercury News)
<http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/stock042800.htm>
Analysts say that if Microsoft is broken up by the judge into two or more different pieces, shareholders may not fare very well. That's contrary to conventional wisdom about breakups of big companies -- that the sum of the parts are worth more than the whole.

Microsoft Breakup Could Boost Valley Firms (San Jose Merucry News)
<http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/ms042800.htm>
After two years of legal wrangling, today the government will finally tell the world exactly what should be done about Microsoft Corp. and its illegal monopoly over PC operating systems. And some leading players in Silicon Valley's technology industry -- which helped goad the Justice Department into filing the antitrust suit -- could end up as big winners from Microsoft's woes.

Microsoft's Ballmer Won't Consider Possibility Of Breakup (San Jose Mercury News)
<http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/columns/gillmor/docs/dg042700.htm>
No way, no how, because Ballmer and his colleagues, starting with the company's famous co-founder and chairman, Bill Gates, are the truest of believers in their fundamental rightness. They aren't even making contingency plans for a breakup, Ballmer insisted.

Intel To Phase Out Serial Number Feature (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-1773089.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..1006-200-1773089>
Intel will phase out its practice of stamping serial numbers on its processors with the next generation of chips, the final chapter in a public relations fiasco.

Judges Consolidate 27 Microsoft Antitrust Suits (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1770698.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..1003-200-1770698>
A panel of federal judges has consolidated 27 of the private antitrust suits pending against Microsoft to a single court in Baltimore. The move benefits both Microsoft and lawyers suing the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant. For Microsoft, the move reduces the number of jurisdictions it must battle. Lawyers gain a larger, united case that consolidates resources and diminishes divisions among them.

Microsoft Dangles The Carrot (The Industry Standard)
<http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,14539,00.html?nl=dnt>
What's a company to do when a market slide has left many employees holding stock options that are worthless in the near term? Microsoft, which has produced a large share of the Seattle area's millionaires because of its generous stock-option plans, responded to its current precipitous stock drop with a swift, counterintuitive answer: offer more options.

One Year Later: Where Are The "Easy PCs"? (Applelinks.com)
<http://www.applelinks.com/articles/2000/04/20000427164910.shtml>
According to Intel's Ease of Use Initiative manager, "consumers are turned off by towering beige PC boxes that remind them of the nasty old problem PCs of yesteryear." In other words, if they make PCs that are differently shaped and colored, consumers may think they are easier to use.

== Breaking Barriers (About the internet and the web) ====================

Internet Equality In Town And Country (USA Today)
<http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20000427/2204319s.htm>
Clinton: lack of high-speed access hurting rural areas.

A Pound Of Microsoft's Flesh (Inter at ctive Week)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2557031,00.html>
What's fascinating is that it took a spate of bad news for the biggest and most profitable name of the "old" PC economy to prick the bubble of market value lavished upon the unprofitable vanguard of the new Net economy. 

Security Hole Found In Eudora (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2557027,00.html>
Flaw in the Eudora e-mail program could allow a hacker to execute code on a user's machine.

Court Rules Mp3.com 'Liable' (Reuters)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2557159,00.html>
Music site's stock plunges 32 percent after U.S. judge rules it violated copyright law.

A New Media Format For The Web (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/04/23/0427onflow.html>
Onflow, a San Francisco-based application-service provider, has developed a technology that enables creation of low-bandwidth banner ads that resemble TV commercials. On May 8, Onflow plans to offer a 250K Mac browser plug-in that allows users to produce ads with the company's online authoring tools. The same plug-in lets you view Onflow content.

Amazon.com's March To Profits Still Hazy (ZDII)
<http://www.zdii.com/industry_list.asp?mode=news&doc_id=ZE504013&pic=Y>
If you were trying to guess when Amazon.com will be profitable, keep on guessing. Amazon's first quarter results made it clear that the company won't be pinned down. Amazon execs, however, did dangle enough vague statements to keep you hanging on.

== Press Release (Spreading the news) ====================

Apple Offers iMovie As Free Download For PowerBook And PowerMac G4 Users (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2000/apr/28imovie.html>
Reinforcing its lead in the desktop video revolution, Apple® today announced that iMovie™, its groundbreaking video editing software, is now available as a free download for its PowerBook® and Power Mac™ G4 users.

Microsoft Unveils New E-mail And Personal Information Manager (PRNewswire)
<http://www.cnetinvestor.com/newsitem-fd.asp?symbol=85501232>
Microsoft Corp today announced a new integrated e-mail and personal information manager for the upcoming release of Office 2001 Macintosh Edition. The new application is designed to make communication effortless with industry-leading e-mail editing and management tools. The new program will help users centralize personal information and manage their time. Tight integration with Microsoft Office 2001 Macintosh Edition will enable people to use the tools in Office to get more out of their personal information. Office 2001 Macintosh Edition, the world's most popular productivity suite for the Macintosh, is scheduled to be available in the second half of this year.

== The AppleSurf Reader (Great Reads!) ====================

How To Fashion Your Own Obituary (Washington Post)
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30797-2000Apr27.html>
A person's life story lies in how he was perceived, not in how he perceived himself.

Attack Of The Giant Shopping Carts!!! (Slate)
<http://slate.msn.com/Economics/00-04-26/Economics.asp>
A good theory doesn't just explain why shopping carts grow; it has to explain why they've gorwn at this particular time.

The Last Days Of Saigon (Newsweek)
<http://newsweek.com/nw-srv/printed/us/sr/a18984-2000apr23.htm>
The communist takeover of South Vietnam's capital was a low moment in the American century. Twenty-five years later, the collapse still haunts the men -- politicians, soldiers and spies -- who were caught up in the maelstrom of the escape from the U.S. Embassy. The human story of the war's bitter end.

== Technology (The Technology Scene In Singapore) ====================

Get Yor Local Domain Today! (MacSingapore)
<http://www.macsingapore.com/news200004b.html#domain>
There will be a special price just for Macintosh Users - Macomania Shiokwaive Special.

== Entertainment (The Entertainment Scene In Singapore) ====================

Singapore To Have Its Own 'Time Square' (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/money/sinb15_0428.html>
Located along a private street owned by Pontiac Marina at Millenia Walk, the 70,000 sq ft food and beverage hub boasts a food environment not found anywhere else in Singapore.

== Around Town (News out of Singapore) ====================

Silkair Crash Trial Will Be Held Here (Seattle Times)
<http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/silk28_20000428.html>
A federal judge in Seattle will hear pretrial motions and arguments in dozens of wrongful-death lawsuits arising from the 1997 crash of a Boeing 737 that killed 104 people in Indonesia.

DBS: We Won't Gain From New Charges (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/primenews/pri1_0428.html>
DBS has broken its silence and come out in strong defence of its unpopular decision to impose service charges on POSBank account-holders.

Face Up To S Responsibilities, DBS (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for5_0428.html>
Siew Kum Hong: Both the Government and DBS will say what Mr Low said: that DBS, as a profit-seeking entity, must act rationally. But that misses the point: POSBank, with its massive deposit base, had been given to DBS on a silver platter.