[AppleSurf Inbox] May 31, 2000

[applesurf at myapplemenu.comapplesurf]

AppleSurf Inbox

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

Flying the Unfriendly Skies... And Loving It (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2000/05/warbirds/>
If youÕve never piloted a plane Ñ let alone a 55 to 85 year-old bomber Ñ iEntertainment Network has made it easy for you to get started on the path to acehood.

Core Changes To The Mac System (BusinessWeek)
<http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/may2000/nf00531c.htm>
OS X, Apple's new operating system, fundamentally transforms the venerable Macintosh.

Apple's 'Core' Shareholders Skewer Analyst (CBS MarketWatch)
<http://cbs.marketwatch.com/archive/20000530/news/current/all_aboard.htx?source=blq/yhoo&dist=yhoo>
Jobs and the boys have always proved the naysayers wrong, and Apple's faithful have learned to smugly turn the other cheek.

Encouraging News From WWDC (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/05/28/0530welch.html>
Apple people seem genuinely interested in helping I.S. support the Mac and Mac OS. Maybe it's because they understand that Mac OS X will be a much bigger product for the enterprise, in terms of operations such as rendering farms and server farms.

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

Core Changes To The Mac System (BusinessWeek)
<http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/may2000/nf00531c.htm>
OS X, Apple's new operating system, fundamentally transforms the venerable Macintosh.

Apple Firms Up Firmware (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0005/30.firmware.shtml>
Apple has released four firmware updates that add FireWire startup disk support to older Power Mac G4s, PowerBooks, and iMacs. They also spruce up USB support (for iBooks, as well) and take care of some potential startup problems on G4s and iMacs.

AppleWorks Upgraded To 6.0.4 (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0005/30.appleworks.shtml>
With the previous 6.0.3 update and now this one, Apple has addressed two of the worst problems -- spotty performance and instability -- in AppleWorks 6.0.

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

Futureshop and Macintosh products Status: (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/JenniferFraser/JenniferFraser1.html>
This editorial piece is a letter I recently sent to Futureshop customer service as well as its reply. I think it all speaks for itself. My motivation is the inability to respond to an article already posted on a similar subject. 

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

Will Apple Survive The Test Of Adversity? (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/columns/flipside/2000/20000531.shtml>
This spring and summer, we will see what Apple is really made of. After a couple of almost flawless years of computer business, a few aspects of Apple's situation are darker than before.

Futureshop and Macintosh products Status: (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/JenniferFraser/JenniferFraser1.html>
This editorial piece is a letter I recently sent to Futureshop customer service as well as its reply. I think it all speaks for itself. My motivation is the inability to respond to an article already posted on a similar subject. 

Fruit-flavored Slot Of Death? (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.net/tf/2k0531.html>
Slot-loading drives and laptops could be a dangerous combination.

Encouraging News From WWDC (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/05/28/0530welch.html>
Apple people seem genuinely interested in helping I.S. support the Mac and Mac OS. Maybe it's because they understand that Mac OS X will be a much bigger product for the enterprise, in terms of operations such as rendering farms and server farms.

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

The Browsers Wars In The New Millennium Battle - What's Faster Netscape, Microsoft Or iCab? (MacSpeedZone)
<http://www.macspeedzone.com/frames2000/performanceedge.shtml>
On most performance tests Communicator 4.7.3 and iCab won the speed test. Internet Explorer was not that far behind and in the Java test it blew the competition away.

HP DeskJet 1220C Professional Series (MacAddict)
<http://www.macaddict.com/news/reviews/2000_06_08.shtml>
If you need to print large-format color or if you've got the extra cash to experiment with roomier projects, the HP 1220C offers outstanding quality at a home-office price.

Spark 1.5 (MacAddict)
<http://www.macaddict.com/news/reviews/2000_06_09.shtml>
If you are serious about audio editing and mastering, Spark 1.5 is a great investment.

Inside Mac Games (iReview)
<http://ireview.mac.com/WebObjects/iReview.woa/wa/GoReview?t=e&cat=401&site=56&u=18550978>
What’s on the Web site is good; it’s what’s not there that frequently disappoints.

Logitech Optical Wheel Mouse (Holy Mac!)
<http://www.holymac.com/news/reviewlogitechopt.shtml>
It's better than the IntelliMouse, better than Kensington's line, and the best replacement for the money if you're like me and hate the Apple's standard mouse.

Sony Spressa USB CD-RW (MacTeens)
<http://www.macteens.com/exclusives/may00/spressa.html>
Sony's drive is one solid piece of hardware, and works flawlessly at 4X speeds.

Bingo Bingo Bingo (Applelinks.com)
<http://www.applelinks.com/reviews/bingo.shtml>
People buy what they're familiar with, assuming it'll be as much fun on the computer as it is in real life. With Bingo Bingo Bingo, they'll be woefully wrong.

How To Speed Up Your Start Up (Macinstruct)
<http://www.macinstruct.com/tutorials/startup/index.html>
Plus, a fast startup speed impresses pretty girls!

HP's DeskJet 1220C (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0005/30.hp.shtml>
I'm in love with the new DeskJet 1220C Professional printer from Hewlett Packard. Sure, it may be a little on the hefty side, but it's quiet and offers beautiful output.

Choosing A Portable: iBook or PowerBook? (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0005/30.portables.shtml>
Decisions, decisions. iBook or PowerBook? An "iMac to go" or a professional laptop? Which do you choose?

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

Flying the Unfriendly Skies... And Loving It (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2000/05/warbirds/>
If youÕve never piloted a plane Ñ let alone a 55 to 85 year-old bomber Ñ iEntertainment Network has made it easy for you to get started on the path to acehood.

Nisus Email, An Email App That 'Thinks Different' (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0005/31.nisus.shtml>
Soon Nisus Software will unveil the Nisus Email System (NESY), a transparent e-mail application that's designed to go unnoticed and to be a totally new approach to sending and receiving e-mail.

Can WordPerfect For Mac Be Resurrected? (Go2Mac)
<http://www.go2mac.com/newswire/displaynewswire.cfm?id=33>
An online campaign is second-guessing Corel's decision to kill the venerable program.

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

Top 10 Other Reasons For A MS Breakup (Inter at ctive Week)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2578926,00.html>
Government economic advisors' reasoning: More Microsofts, more jobs.

MS Trial: If The Shoe Fits... (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,36581,00.html>
During a hearing last week, the Justice Department and Microsoft each cited United Shoe Corp. to buttress their arguments, and both sides have referenced it in recent legal briefs.

Analysts: It's A Banner Year For PC Sales (MSNBC)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2579256,00.html>
Performance is up, orders are up and prices have stabilized. Corporate buyers are giving PC makers a reason to smile.

MS Leaking Sun Code Three Times Entirely Accidental - Judge (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/000531-000003.html>
The skirmishes going on do not bear much on the merits of the main case that Sun has brought against Microsoft, but it does tell us that Sun's licence for Java was not very watertight legally.

Is Microsoft The Buy Of The Millenium? (CBS MarketWatch)
<http://cbs.marketwatch.com/archive/20000531/news/current/diligence.htx?source=htx/http2_mw>
"If Microsoft was an average diversified company, (a breakup) would be good for shareholders. But I'm not convinced. It seems to me to have much more synergy or monopoly profits than most diversified companies."

Microsoft's New Web Menu (BusinessWeek)
<http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_23/b3684154.htm>
Can Bill Gates transform the way business and consumers use the Net?

Intel Dials Up Software To Improve Net Phone Calls (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-1980447.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Intel claims it has created new software that improves the quality of phone calls over the Net.

Breaking Up Microsoft Is Not Enough (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/KennethStandard/KennethStandard5.html>
>From purely a general business aspect, Linux must have these productivity tools to be taken seriously by current MS Windows users and business analysts.

Does Big Business Want Legacy-free PCs? (eWEEK)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2578136,00.html>
The new generation of legacy-free PCs has turned some heads with its sleek styling, but many IT managers have yet to give the machines much more than a passing glance.

MS Should Take Comfort In Ruling (eWEEK)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2577540,00.html>
What could be worse news for Bill Gates & Co. than being split into two pieces? How about three chunks?

Breaking Up Microsoft Is Not The Solution (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2578469,00.html>
Any "solution" which results in still having only one source of the Windows operating system is -- "No solution at all!"

'Resume' Worm Squished Without Much Damage (TechWeb)
<http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20000530S0012>
Any damage caused by the "resume" worm by midday Tuesday, however, was insignificant.

Gateway, AOL Deal Doesn't Mean The End Of Wintel (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-1981226.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Net appliance offerings from Gateway and America Online represent another step in the evolution of technology options for consumers.

Intel Cuts Prices For Wide Range Of Chips (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1981064.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Intel has slashed list prices for its desktop and mobile processors, although many of the discounted chips remain in short supply.

Sun's Claim Against Microsoft Dismissed In Pretrial Ruling (Bloomberg News)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1981265.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
A U.S. judge tentatively denied Sun Microsystems' claim for $35 million in damages as part of the company's breach-of-contract dispute with Microsoft.

New Features For Photoshop 6? (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/05/28/0530pshop.html>
Adobe Photoshop 6, the next version of the market-leading image-editing package, will sport a raft of interface improvements along with new layer and type functions, according to an 11-page "Detailed Feature Guide" distributed to beta testers.

Microsoft Prepares Final Arguments (Associated Press)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1983212.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Attorneys for Microsoft were busy today preparing their final legal response to the government's plan to break up the software giant for antitrust violations.

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

The Browsers Wars In The New Millennium Battle - What's Faster Netscape, Microsoft Or iCab? (MacSpeedZone)
<http://www.macspeedzone.com/frames2000/performanceedge.shtml>
On most performance tests Communicator 4.7.3 and iCab won the speed test. Internet Explorer was not that far behind and in the Java test it blew the competition away.

A Dog-Eat-Dotcom World (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,36643,00.html>
Competitors in the crowded online pet supply business are realizing that the market might not have room for everyone.

Home Is Where The Heart Is For Bezos (MSNBC)
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/414209.asp?0m=-15P>
HereÕs your brain teaser for this week: What would you rather own, a $7.5 million apartment on Central Park West or a horse-choking wad of stock in Amazon.com?

Flying the Unfriendly Skies... And Loving It (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2000/05/warbirds/>
If youÕve never piloted a plane Ñ let alone a 55 to 85 year-old bomber Ñ iEntertainment Network has made it easy for you to get started on the path to acehood.

Nisus Email, An Email App That 'Thinks Different' (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0005/31.nisus.shtml>
Soon Nisus Software will unveil the Nisus Email System (NESY), a transparent e-mail application that's designed to go unnoticed and to be a totally new approach to sending and receiving e-mail.

Napster-like Technology Takes Web Search To New Level (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1983259.html?dtn.head>
The loose group of open-source programmers responsible for the controversial Gnutella file-swapping software have turned their technology into what they say is a powerful new Web search tool.

Microsoft's New Web Menu (BusinessWeek)
<http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_23/b3684154.htm>
Can Bill Gates transform the way business and consumers use the Net?

Google Bets The Ranch On Linux (TechWeb)
<http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20000530S0011>
Search engine Google has deployed 4,000 Linux servers, with plans to increase to 6,000 this year, making it possibly the largest Linux installation in the world.

Intel Dials Up Software To Improve Net Phone Calls (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-1980447.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Intel claims it has created new software that improves the quality of phone calls over the Net.

High Schools Discourage Use Of Free E-mail Sites (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/05/cyber/education/31education.html>
The schools are trying to manage limited network resources and keep an eye on students as they traverse the Internet.

Firetalk Lets Site Visitors Speak To Each Other (San Jose Mercury News)
<http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/firetk053100.htm>
Surfing the Internet is about to get a whole lot more social.

The MP3 Of Movies? (Salon)
<http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/05/31/divx/index.html>
A new video compression technology promises to make online film swapping as easy as pie, but Hollywood's got nothing to worry about yet.

English-only Web Sites Becoming A Tough Sell Overseas (Computerworld)
<http://www.computerworld.com/home/print.nsf/all/000530E44E>
The days when English-only Web sites could suffice internationally appear to be nearing an end, according to analysts and other industry observers.

Gateway, AOL Deal Doesn't Mean The End Of Wintel (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-1981226.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Net appliance offerings from Gateway and America Online represent another step in the evolution of technology options for consumers.

AOL Tests Linux-based Web Appliance Software (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1980986.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
America Online is testing new software that will allow Linux-based Web appliances to access its popular services and browse the Web.

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

Futureshop and Macintosh products Status: (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/JenniferFraser/JenniferFraser1.html>
This editorial piece is a letter I recently sent to Futureshop customer service as well as its reply. I think it all speaks for itself. My motivation is the inability to respond to an article already posted on a similar subject. 

Apple's 'Core' Shareholders Skewer Analyst (CBS MarketWatch)
<http://cbs.marketwatch.com/archive/20000530/news/current/all_aboard.htx?source=blq/yhoo&dist=yhoo>
Jobs and the boys have always proved the naysayers wrong, and Apple's faithful have learned to smugly turn the other cheek.

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

Retired? Fine. Now Get Back To Work (U.S. News)
<http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/000605/nycu/main.htm>
Wait a minute. Isn't this corporate America, where companies give overripe workers the old heave-ho at the earliest possible opportunity and employees are said to feel "finished at 40"?

A Big Fish From Over The Pond (Independent)
<http://www.independent.co.uk/news/Digital/Digerati/index.shtml>
"We're sufficiently powerful now that people are really beginning to listen to us. We wrote an open letter to Gil Amelio of Apple, saying 'Please resign, you don't have the intellectual heft'. Two weeks later he did, saying he had been hounded from office."

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

Bright Days For Homegrown Portal (Business Times Singapore)
<http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/3/focus/focus11.html>
Want to keep up to date with the changes at your pet Web sites? BuzzCity can give you a buzz.

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

Dinosaur Is King! (MTVAsia Online)
<http://www.mtvasia.com/News/Asia/Items/0005/0005056.html>
Nothing beats a good animation film.

Movie Channel Plans New Look With Revamped Shows (Bangkok Post)
<http://www.bangkokpost.com/today/310500_Business08.html>
Cinemax movie channel plans to revamp its programming with a new look and more movie selections in a bid to expand its subscriber base and create brand awareness in the region.

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

LTA Introduces Classic Car Scheme For Vintage Vehicles (Channel NewsAsia)
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/articles/2000/05/31/singaporenews28700.htm>
The LTA said the scheme would enable some Singaporeans to own well preserved cars from a bygone era that are of heritage value.

Singaporeans Worry About Unemployment When Population Hit 5.5 Million - Survey (Channel NewsAsia)
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/articles/2000/05/31/singaporenews28617.htm>
Besides the problem of space, Singaporeans think there will be insufficient jobs as well.

Singapore Worker Satisifed, But Most Likely To Job-hop: Poll (Straits Times)
<http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/3/news/nsing03.html>
The survey of 1,676 workers in nine economies showed Singaporeans were the most likely to defect to another company, as skilled workers were in high demand.

Feeder-service Fares To Go Up Tomorrow: SBS (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/sin19_0531.html>
These fares will go up by five to 10 cents tomorrow, but those who pay by farecard will enjoy a five to 15-cent increase in transfer rebates.

Govt Accepts NWC Call To Give Pay Rises (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/primenews/pri4_0531.html>
Next CPF cut restoration to be announced by October, it says, when prospects for the year are clearer.

Low-income Group Hardest Hit By Recession (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/primenews/pri1_0531.html>
Widening income gap as their wages plunged by as much as 34 per cent last year, while top salaries increased.

Did School Have To Call Police In Fake $2 Case? (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for4_0531.html>
Tim Leroy: This incident... seems to be an appalling case of overkill.