[AppleSurf Inbox] Jun 1, 2000

[applesurf at myapplemenu.comapplesurf]

AppleSurf Inbox

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

Apple Sales Jump In April; Growth Below Average (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/feature.php?id=26>
U.S. retail and catalog sales of Macintosh computers were up in April to 9.6 percent, but overall sales are off substantially from a year ago and sliding from the Christmas holiday buying season.

Are iMac Sales Softening? (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/05/28/0601ml.html>
Fortuna added that some consumers may be holding off on purchasing iMacs with the expectation that Apple will introduce a new iMac at Macworld Expo in New York.

Undo Me! (Salon)
<http://www.salon.com/tech/col/2000/06/01/undo/index.html>
Why can't operating system designers build a better "undo" feature?

When Dull Work Piles Up Too High, Switch To The 'Fun' Tools For Creativity (Union-Tribune)
<http://www.uniontrib.com/news/uniontrib/tue/computers/news_1u30mactrack.html>
As an alternative to taking the rest of the day off, I usually move one of my more creative projects to the top of the pile, and attempt to put some fun back into my work.

Apple Earnings To Be Off As iMac Sales Slump (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/feature.php?id=23>
Sales of iMacs have been slipping in the past few months and are expected to continue to fall as stock market analysts are starting to re-think just how good a third quarter and remaining year Apple will have.

== Bad Press (Bad news, or simply bad reporting) ====================

Apple Sales Jump In April; Growth Below Average (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/feature.php?id=26>
U.S. retail and catalog sales of Macintosh computers were up in April to 9.6 percent, but overall sales are off substantially from a year ago and sliding from the Christmas holiday buying season.

Analysts Say iMac Sales Expected To Cool This Summer (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1995080.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Strong sales of the iMac, which propelled Apple Computer back to profitability and respectability, are expected to cool slightly this summer.

Apple Earnings To Be Off As iMac Sales Slump (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/feature.php?id=23>
Sales of iMacs have been slipping in the past few months and are expected to continue to fall as stock market analysts are starting to re-think just how good a third quarter and remaining year Apple will have.

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

X'ed Out (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/05/31/os_x.html>
One Mac user is already weary of an OS she hasn't even used.

Putting Back The Share In Shareware (Insanely Great Mac)
<http://www.insanely-great.com/editorial/fo-shareware.html>
Over the years we haven't given shareware the status or importance we should have. We've downloaded lots of PD and shareware. We've installed it. We've checked it out. And we haven't paid for many products that we decide to use.

Mr Jobs, You Saved Apple... And We Saved The Mac Users (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/perspectives/lain/2000/2000601thanks.shtml>
I don't claim to understand nor agree with everything that Apple has done under your watch, but I can't disagree with the public perception towards things Macintosh nowadays.

Undo Me! (Salon)
<http://www.salon.com/tech/col/2000/06/01/undo/index.html>
Why can't operating system designers build a better "undo" feature?

What Makes A 'Pro' Graphics Card? (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/05/28/0531pro3d.html>
Can graphics cards aimed largely at gamers also fulfill the needs of 3-D graphics professionals, the people who make their living as architects, artists, game developers, visual-effects specialists and the like?

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

Alien Crossfire (Macgamer's Ledge)
<http://www.macledge.com/Reviews00/alpha-centauri/aliencrossfire/aliencrossfire.html>
It's an excellent way to continue the Alpha Centauri experience but at a price.

Where'd My Manual Go? (MacTeens)
<http://www.macteens.com/exclusives/jun00/manuals.html>
If you want a printed source for your questions, give the Missing Manual line of books a look. Not only do the books go over the basics of applications, but they go deep into little known features.

Real And QuickTime (big g media)
<http://www.biggmedia.com/#real>
All in all Apple has superior tech, and better versatility; they simply need t work on the player a bit, and optimize their codecs a bit.

What's The Best "Low End" PowerBook For Sub-Workhorse Use? (MacOS Daily)
<http://www.macosdaily.com/opinion/columns/cmoore_037_20000601.html>
Some people just want to send and receive email, casually surf the Web, and do a little word processing.

PowerBook Firmware 2.4 (Go2Mac)
<http://www.go2mac.com/displaynews.cfm?newsid=6526>
Update claims to add FireWire booting, but wait! Wasn't that supposed to be in FireWire 3.0? We're confused - and so are our PowerBooks.

MacGamer's Ledge (iReview)
<http://ireview.mac.com/WebObjects/iReview.woa/wa/GoReview?t=e&cat=400&site=59&u=18483272>
MacGamer’s Ledge leads with its strength — a more or less continuous weekday flow of headlines aimed at keeping you on top of what’s happening and might be happening in the Mac gaming community.

When Dull Work Piles Up Too High, Switch To The 'Fun' Tools For Creativity (Union-Tribune)
<http://www.uniontrib.com/news/uniontrib/tue/computers/news_1u30mactrack.html>
As an alternative to taking the rest of the day off, I usually move one of my more creative projects to the top of the pile, and attempt to put some fun back into my work.

AirPort: A Gamer's Primer (Inside Mac Games)
<http://www.insidemacgames.com/columns/hardcore/>
AirPort is perhaps the single most important network gaming technology to come along in years.

Optimize Your Mac's Performance And Stability (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/tips/2000/05/20000531munger2.shtml>
Well, here are a few solutions and tips to get the most out of your machine and to keep it running for days without a single crash.

Stephen King's F13 (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0005/31.f13.shtml>
If you're not a killer King fan and a hard-core completist it's unlikely you'll find much in F13 to get excited about.

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

iM2 - Incredible Milestones Of The iMac NewsPage (iMac NewsPage)
<http://www.adforceonline.com/newspage/>
This page will self-destruct in 5 seconds.

Adobe Discusses Fate Of PageMill (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0006/01.adobe.shtml>
Adobe may have ended PageMill development but the company hopes to make PageMill fans an upgrade offer they can't refuse.

Wanna Be A Mac Mp3jay? (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2000/05/mixman/>
Ever wonder what goes into remixing? Thought about getting your own turntable, but feared your coordination might fail your creativity?

Jukebox On The Mac (MacWEEk.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/05/28/0531dlmmatch.html>
MusicMatch... told MacWEEK that it's inviting Mac music fans to use the program "and to provide us with a list of features that they want in the final product."

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

Intel Plan: New Chip Sets, Faster PCs (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2580342,00.html>
They're not the glamor products of the semiconductor business, but Intel's new chip sets promise a performance boost for consumers.	

Reno Defends MS Purchases (Reuters)
<http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,36702,00.html>
Just because the Justice Department purchases thousands of Windows-based PCs doesn't mean it's being hypocritical in light of the antitrust case, the attorney general says.

SOAP Will Succeed Where Other Technologies Have Failed (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1995181.html?dtn.head>
IBM's SOAP for Java could potentially become an Internet standard for linking Web-based software.

HP Offers Jornada Buyers Refund On Screen Glitch (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-1995479.html?dtn.head>
Hewlett-Packard will offer refunds to all Jornada customers, the company said today, confirming that even previous Jornadas show fewer colors than originally thought.

AMD's Thunderbird To Debut Monday (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-1995226.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
The Thunderbird is essentially an enhanced version of the Athlon, a line of processors that has been credited with turning the company's fortunes around. Its release is expected to spark a new round of competitive battles with Intel.

Judge Gives Government Another Chance To Revise Remedy (CENT News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1994828.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
In a conference call with Jackson this morning, government lawyers requested an opportunity to respond to Microsoft's filing.

Microsoft Seeks Hearing, Expands List Of Witnesses (Washington Post)
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39887-2000May31.html>
Microsoft's last-ditch attempts to gun down the government-proposed breakup plan or to win the argument on the need for extended hearings on a remedy for Microsoft's antitrust violations is not expected to sway Jackson, who has said he was eager to send the case to appeals courts.

Linux Still A Force Despite Windows 2000 (TechWeb)
<http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20000601S0002>
Linux, which saw a boost in customers last year as Microsoft kept delaying the Windows 2000 launch, seems to be holding its own four months after the Microsoft operating system shipped.

Palm Developers Unite Against Microsoft (Wall Street Journal)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2580093,00.html>
How does a small company fight a juggernaut? Tens of thousands of loyalists are fighting to keep Palm handhelds ahead of Microsoft's Pocket PC.

Microsoft Group Sees New Gains As Internet, Software Split Looms (Wall Street Journal)
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/414827.asp>
If Microsoft Corp. is split into two separate companies, the work being carried out in a cluster of buildings known as Red West will suddenly be thrust into the spotlight.

Message To Microsoft: Just Do It (E-Commerce Times)
<http://www.ecommercetimes.com/news/viewpoint2000/view-000531-1.shtml>
Drop the appeal. Swallow hard and agree to work out a suitable plan for breaking up the empire.

Sony Plans Desktop PC Push (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-1990418.html?dtn.head>
Sony Electronics plans to expand its presence in the desktop computer market with a $999 line of entertainment PCs due for release in June.

Undo Me! (Salon)
<http://www.salon.com/tech/col/2000/06/01/undo/index.html>
Why can't operating system designers build a better "undo" feature?

Microsoft Files Last Word In Landmark Trial (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1987750.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Microsoft again slammed the government's proposal to break up the company today, a last-minute move before the final ruling in the celebrated case.

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

Internet Gambling Rolls Ahead (PC World)
<http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,16993,00.html>
Virtual casinos are booming while the laws surrounding them remain unclear.

SOAP Will Succeed Where Other Technologies Have Failed (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1995181.html?dtn.head>
IBM's SOAP for Java could potentially become an Internet standard for linking Web-based software.

Will B2G Become The "Next Big Thing?" (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1995229.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
First came B2C, then B2B. Now investors are bracing for the newest e-commerce niche: B2G, or business-to-government Web sites.

Fashion Portal Acquires Boo.com (Reuters)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-1994920.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
The Web site of collapsed Internet clothing retailer Boo.com has been bought by U.S. portal Fashionmall.com, according to an announcement on Boo.com.

Real And QuickTime (big g media)
<http://www.biggmedia.com/#real>
All in all Apple has superior tech, and better versatility; they simply need t work on the player a bit, and optimize their codecs a bit.

Who Should Fight Cybercrime? (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,36566,00.html>
When it comes to passing legislation about cybercrime, engineers say most governments are in the dark. So should the technically minded do more to assist the police?

IBM Donates Net Communications Technology (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1993071.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
IBM has donated an Internet communications technology to the Apache Software Foundation, a nonprofit organization that builds free Web software.

'Netizens' Click Away At Chinese Control, Isolation (Christian Science Monitor)
<http://www.techserver.com/noframes/story/0,2294,500210867-500296126-501621056-0,00.html>
Then came the Internet. And young "Netizens," like harp student Sun Lingsheng, are among the 10 million Chinese today who are chipping away, at mouse-click speed, the great walls of xenophobia and fear of change.

Desktop Java A 'Plug-In' On The Internet (TechWeb)
<http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20000601S0001>
As the JavaOne conference approaches next week, Sun Microsystems' renewed push for Java on the desktop has left the company in a Catch-22 situation.

Yahoo In Talks To Buy Web Music Firm Myplay (Reuters)
<http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article/0,2171,3_109272_Ext,00.html>
Myplay is a closely held company in Redwood City, Calif., that has attracted attention for a digital system that appears to be acceptable to record companies concerned about the issue of piracy on the Internet.

Critics Fear Exodus From French Websites (Europemedia.com)
<http://www.europemedia.com/content1/France/30_May_2000.shtml>
The French Government is currently considering introducing legislation that critics say will drive internet users out of France to Net companies abroad.

Stop Chatting And Deal, Grandpa (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/circuits/articles/01card.html>
Heart and Pinochle, not Quake and Doom, attract older gamers to web sites.

All The Weather You Will Ever Need (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/circuits/articles/01weat.html>
Internet offers a wealth of weather data, almost enough to satisfy the true fanatic.

The Bad Thing About Net Time (Internet World)
<http://www.iw.com/print/current/point/20000515-bad.html>
Investors (and Reporters) Help Firms Rush to Wall St., without a reality check from users.

Need To Get Online Fast? (Salt Lake Tribune)
<http://www.sltrib.com/05292000/business/business.htm>
[NetWORLD Connections Inc.] has started a high-speed or broadband Internet service that competes with US West's DSL and AT&T's cable modem services. Only this system is wireless and travels through radio frequencies.

Web Sites 'Stolen' By Cyberthugs (MSNBC)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2580039,00.html>
It was a busy weekend for hackers, as they hijack 'Web.net' and 'Bali.com,' breaking the sites and registering them to someone else.

Analyst Puts Whammy On Sites (Reuters)
<http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,36686,00.html>
A Goldman Sachs e-commerce expert targets a few sites, saying they'd better perform well in the last half of the year or ... dum-de-dum-dum.

Study: Demand For Wired Buildings To Skyrocket (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-1987933.html?dtn.head>
Communications equipment and services for office parks and other commercial multi-tenant unit buildings will reach a value of nearly $2 billion by 2004, according to a new study.

Sinking Or Swimming In The Net (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,36684,00.html>
So where will that money end up, with returns plummeting from the stock market's tumble?

ICANN's Role Explained (IDG News)
<http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,16981,00.html>
The private organization that handles technical management of the Internet has to raise its profile and its reputation, its interim head says.

Free Net Access: Everybody's Doing It (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1990084.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
The number of companies hoping to grab new viewers or customers by giving them free access is growing weekly and shows no signs of stopping.

Amazon Snags Patent For Recommendation Service (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-1987741.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
The new patent could spell trouble for dozens of e-commerce sites that use similar technology to recommend books, videos or other products to customers, patent experts say.

== Misc (The other stuff) ====================

Are iMac Sales Softening? (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/05/28/0601ml.html>
Fortuna added that some consumers may be holding off on purchasing iMacs with the expectation that Apple will introduce a new iMac at Macworld Expo in New York.

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

The Guilty Pleasures Of Seattle (Salon)
<http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2000/06/01/seattle_money/index.html>
Even facing a Microsoft breakup, the city is prospering like never before. So why do these people feel so guilty?

"Pass The Virtual Champagne, Please" (Salon)
<http://www.salon.com/business/feature/2000/06/01/bookparty/index.html>
Goodbye, chips and dip: The book party comes to cyberspace.

Are Web Deals Good News For Newspapers? (Slate)
<http://slate.msn.com/netelection/entries/00-05-31_83445.asp>
[N]ewspaper people think their ultimate defense against any threats to quality created by the joint ventures is maintaining a firewall between their values and those of television. So far, so good. But if the money starts rolling in, good luck to the newspaper folks.

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

iM2 - Incredible Milestones Of The iMac NewsPage (iMac NewsPage)
<http://www.adforceonline.com/newspage/>
This page will self-destruct in 5 seconds.

'Maps On Mobile' Puts Singapore's Street Directories On Handphones (Channel NewsAsia)
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/articles/2000/06/01/singaporenews28797.htm>
Singapore Power has found a new use for its detailed maps of the city-state - it is putting them onto mobile phones as street directories.

Move Over, MP3: Here's Z-Music From Singapore (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/cybernews/cyber1_0601.html>
Singapore company CyberInc's z-music format retains MP3 sound quality but takes up far less space.

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

Piggy Cast Is A Gem (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/life/life13_0602.html>
Ng Wei Choy, more familiarly known as the author of the travelogue Knapsack On My Back, moves away from his usual realist and autobiographical material to helm this broadly farcical work as its director and playwright.

Six Screens Open At Sembawang (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/life/life7_0602.html>
Movie magic swings into one of the last neighbourhoods in Singapore without a cinema.

Playgrounds Lose Their Dazzle (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/life/life5_0602.html>
Indoor playgrounds are not as popular as they once were. Over two years, their numbers have plunged from 11 to one.

Lights, Action... And Arts Festival Begins (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/primenews/pri6_0602.html>
The outdoor event, which kicks off the 25-day arts festival, features folk music, dance and opera from six foreign and two home- grown arts groups.

Fort Canning Park Comes Alive With Drumbeats, Songs And Dances (Channel NewsAsia)
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/articles/2000/05/31/singaporenews28723.htm>
Indigenous sounds and exotic sights from far away lands will dominate the rustic setting of Fort Canning Park from 7pm on Thursday.

Free The Kid's Mind, The Rest Will Follow (Business Times)
<http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/4/news/nsing05.html>
Sculpture event lets kids' imagination build a new world.

London Look Vs Singapore Style (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/life/life10_0601.html>
London's top-selling brands have arrived. How will Miss Selfridge, Topshop, Topman and Warehouse shake up Singapore's mass retailers?

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

Address Income Imbalance: WP (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/sin15_0602.html>
The Workers' Party (WP) yesterday called for the Government to take measures to address the income imbalance between the rich and the poor here.

How Could Forum Have "Imposed" On Others? (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for2_0602.html>
Siew Kum Hong: [T]he reasoning used by the police would appear to prohibit any public forum on the abolition of a law.

No One Earned $133 A Month: Chief Statistician (Channel NewsAsia)
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/articles/2000/06/01/singaporenews28800.htm>
Nobody as long as he has a job and is gainfully employed in Singapore, would earn only $133 a month said Dr Paul Cheung.

Singapore Press Unfazed By Speculation On Competitor (Bloomberg, CNET News.com)
<http://singapore.cnet.com/news/2000/06/01/20000601ak.html>
Managers at Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH), the island-state's monopoly newspaper publisher, say they are not losing any sleep over speculation that the government will issue a second newspaper license.

Training Will Ease Salary Gap: NTUC (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/sin2_0601.html>
Skills upgrading - and not a minimum wage - will raise lower-end incomes and with affordable public services should ensure decent living standards.

HDB Looking Into Network Cabling (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for3_0601.html>
Housing and Development Board: [T]he HDB is studying a proposal to provide structured network cabling within its flats to facilitate the installation of local area network (LAN) systems.

Rich Richer, Poor Poorer (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/opinion/opin1_0601.html>
Editorial: Aside from predictable macro-economic options, this is a call to civic virtues.

Taiwan's Reunification With China Is Inevitable: Singapore Leader (China Times)
<http://www.chinatimes.com.tw//english/epolitic/89053105.htm>
Taiwan's unification with China is inevitable, Hong Kong based weeekly magazines quoted Singapore senior minister Lee Kuan Yew as saying.