[AppleSurf Inbox] Jun 2, 2000

Fri Jun 2 21:30:01 EDT 2000

AppleSurf Inbox

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

Adobe Ships Illustrator 9.0 (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/05/28/0602illo9ships.html>
The upgrade adds object transparency, graphic styles and a host of features for Web designers, including a live Pixel Preview mode that lets you see how pages look when rendered on screen.

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

You Are Not Immune! A Cautionary Tale Of A Mac Virus (MacSpeedZone)
<http://www.macspeedzone.com/frames2000/resurrectedmac.shtml>
A virus infection was something I hadn't seriously considered on a brand new computer, and so hadn't bothered to get any virus detection software.

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

Reactions To The Mac OS X Delay (MacOS Daily)
<http://www.macosdaily.com/opinion/columns/joecarson_007_20000602.html>
Some developers said The original schedule was causing some concern amongst developers about providing well tuned drivers peripherals. The new schedule allows them to resolve those issues.

Microsoft Math: Long Division? (Washington Post)
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48898-2000Jun2.html>
What Microsoft really needs is more and better competition from the Linux folks, Apple and others.

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

USB Web Cameras (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/08/reviews/usb_web_cam.html>
Video and still images on the cheap.

FTP Client Pro 3.0 (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/08/reviews/ftp_client.html>
FTP Client Pro 3.02's slick interface and handy new features make it a must-have utility for anyone moving files over the Internet.

VST Full Height FireWire Hard Drives - Sexy & Solid! (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/newreviews/bc/00/000602vstdrives/vst.html>
They work well, and we found them to be very solid and dependable.

The Quest For A Microsoft-free Desktop (MacOS Daily)
<http://www.macosdaily.com/opinion/columns/cmoore_038_20000602.html>
If you're stuck in the MS Office ghetto, I would encourage you to at least check out some of the alternatives.

Idea Keeper 2.0.8 (Applelinks.com)
<http://www.applelinks.com/mooresviews/ik.shtml>
If a more structured and systematic approach to data management appeals to you, I encourage you to check out Idea Keeper.

Keyspan USB Self-Powered/Bus-powered Hub (Applelinks.com)
<http://www.applelinks.com/reviews/keyspan.shtml>
Aside from the obvious application of providing more USB ports, I found that by placing the hub in front of my monitor provided easy access to the port for easily plugging devices in and out.

Alien Crossfire (Applelinks.com)
<http://www.applelinks.com/reviews/smacx.shtml>
In a game that's already infinitely replayable, you get new angles to play. The factions may seem a little hokey, but take a deeper look, and you'll see some interesting texture beneath the aggressively youthful faces.

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

Rad Brings New Game APIs To Mac (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/05/28/0602rad.html>
"I'm positive you will see more games ported to the Mac now that our tools are available," said Rad programmer Jeff Roberts.

Adobe Ships Illustrator 9.0 (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/05/28/0602illo9ships.html>
The upgrade adds object transparency, graphic styles and a host of features for Web designers, including a live Pixel Preview mode that lets you see how pages look when rendered on screen.

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

Intel Chip Will Be Bigger, More Expensive To Make (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-2001874.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Intel's upcoming Willamette processor eventually will reach speeds beyond 2 GHz, but the size of the chip is raising questions about how much it will cost to make.

Microsoft Says It's Staying In Redmond (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-2002184.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Microsoft and Canadian officials today poured cold water on reports authorities in British Columbia were trying to lure the software behemoth north amid its antitrust battle with the U.S. government.

Microsoft Office Rocked By Blast (Reuters)
<http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000602/tc/safrica_blast_2.html>
An explosion rocked the South African office of U.S. software giant Microsoft on Friday, shattering windows but causing no injuries, a company spokeswoman said.

Microsoft Vs DOJ: It's All In The APIs (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/stories/news/0,4164,2580771,00.html>
As both sides in the Microsoft Corp. antitrust trial rush to paint their perspective of the software giant's future... their filings are spotlighting a geeky nugget of technology that for years has spelled dominance for Microsoft: the API.

Canada Urging Microsoft To Move North (Bloomberg)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-2000017.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Canada is encouraging software giant Microsoft to relocate its operations to British Columbia, according to reports.

Microsoft Math: Long Division? (Washington Post)
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48898-2000Jun2.html>
What Microsoft really needs is more and better competition from the Linux folks, Apple and others.

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

FTP Client Pro 3.0 (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/08/reviews/ftp_client.html>
FTP Client Pro 3.02's slick interface and handy new features make it a must-have utility for anyone moving files over the Internet.

PlayStation Could Be Net Access Leader (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-2001928.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
The coming boom is a significant growth opportunity for Sony. A significant number of PlayStation users already play multiplayer games on the Internet.

Julia Roberts Prevails In Domain Name Dispute (Reuters)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-2000077.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Actress Julia Roberts today won back her own name from a cybersquatter, a U.N. trademark agency said.

Healtheon/WebMD Enters Insurance Venture (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-2002278.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Internet health care company Healtheon/WebMD today unveiled a partnership with an e-commerce site that provides health insurance to individuals and small businesses.

Porn Sites: Give Us Some Credit (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,36714,00.html>
Miffed over American Express' decision to reject transactions from porn sites, a couple of adult Internet associations have formed a lobby group.

Site Provides Fresh View On Failure (San Jose Mercury News)
<http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/start060200.htm>
For Nicholas Hall, the road to success is paved with failures. the three-time business loser is banking on his new Web site -- www.startupfailures.com -- to be a winner

Women Of The Muslim World See Future Online (Associated Press)
<http://www.techserver.com/noframes/story/0,2294,500211235-500296821-501628927-0,00.html>
The key to a better life for millions of women in the Muslim world struggling against poverty, illiteracy and isolation may be found in the letter "E."

Will WAP Wireless Live Up To Hype? (Computerworld)
<http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,17007,00.html>
Smart phones and other devices using the Wireless Application Protocol for Web browsing are drawing considerable attention, but analysts differ on what's really in store for the WAP market.

IBM Taps Net Services Firms In Wireless Push (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-2000046.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Shooting for first place with its aggressive wireless moves, IBM today said it has teamed with a number of Internet services firms that have already made strides in the booming market.

Television Site Say It Has Solutions To Copyright Problems (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/cyber/articles/02icrave.html>
Bill Craig, iCraveTV's founder, said in a telephone interview that the company's has developed a system that can identify users by country.

In Fight Over Anonymity, John Doe Starts Slugging (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/cyber/cyberlaw/02law.html>
In the process... everyone's right to uninhibited and robust anonymous speech on the Internet is chilled.

Lay Off The Layoff Stories (Salon)
<http://www.salon.com/tech/log/2000/06/02/layoffs/index.html>
The dot-com business press is going ga-ga over dot-com layoffs. Enough, already.

A Cancer On The Web Called Flash (Flazoom.com)
<http://www.flazoom.com/news.shtml>
Do these hot shots even care about the people who are visiting the Flash sites that they create?

Stolen Goods Making Way To Internet (Boston Globe)
<http://www.globe.com/dailyglobe2/153/metro/Stolen_goods_making_way_to_Internet+.shtml>
[I]t used to be that a thief had few options other than to dump stolen goods quickly, often for much less than they were worth.

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

The Toons That Won't Be "King" (Salon)
<http://www.salon.com/business/feature/2000/06/02/animation/index.html>
The most successful cartoon ever made is also the worst thing that could ever happen to animation.

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

Hong Leong Units Plan Cybercafe Network (Asia One)
<http://it.asia1.com.sg/newsdaily/news003_20000602.html>
Through a proposed Cybercafe and ATM network, Hong Leong Finance (HLF) and Singapore Finance (SinFin) -- part of the Hong Leong Group -- plan to educate the public to be more computer savvy in making financial transactions.

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

Paintings Brought To Life On Stage (Asia E!Online)
<http://asia.eonline.com/News/Stories/Content/1,1028,2211,00.html>
"The whole concept came about because we wanted to explore the process of creating new theatre pieces using another artform as a creative springboard," says Ekachai Uekrongtham, Artistic Director ACTION Theatre.

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

SingTel Might Get ICEed By Start-up InnoMedia (CNET Singapore)
<http://singapore.cnet.com/news/2000/06/02/20000602a.html>
[InnoMedia] claimed that [its] service can potentially provide as much as 80 percent savings as compared with regular International Direct Dialing (IDD) rates.