[AppleSurf Inbox] May 3, 2000

[applesurf at myapplemenu.comapplesurf]

AppleSurf Inbox

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

Apple Heads For Interface Oblivion (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/05/01/appleheads.html>
It seems a shame to sacrifice over a dozen years of common-sense progress at the alter of cool. It seems foolish to ignore every lesson that's been painfully learned about user productivity in the face of translucent plastic. It seems suicidally stupid for Apple to toss aside one of their core competitive advantages in the name of making pretty pictures. Turn back, Apple; turn back before it's too late. Even people who think different should still use their brains.

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

Apple Teams Game Developers With WWF (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/04/30/0503wwf.html>

 Apple Computer, in cooperation with a San Francisco television station and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), has launched an unusual marketing program that will allow Mac game developers to promote their products in advertising spots shown during WWF broadcasts in Northern California.

AppleWorks 6.0.3 Promises Stability, RTF Translation (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0005/03.appleworks.shtml>
AppleWorks 6.0, the controversial update to Apple's suite of productivity tools has been updated to version 6.0.3, an update that purportedly improves the performance, compatibility and stability of AppleWorks 6 and adds RTF (rich text format) translation.

Smile For The iMac, Dahling... (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2000/05/majikam/>
What if you were at some chichi event none of your friends  could get into, and dressed to the nines, and found out you could hop into one of those old photo booths, and instantly email your gleaming mug out to all of your hapless friends — to their envy and spite?

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

Wanting More From Apple (Mac OS Daily)
<http://www.macosdaily.com/opinion/editorials/thillman_022_20000503.html>
The iMac and iBook were barely the beginning -- a lot of exciting things are left for Apple to develop and innovate. I just can't wait for that innovation to start.

Play Different (Inside Mac Games)
<http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/00/play_different/>
The iMac as currently envisaged can catch up with the Playstation hardware to remain popular, and sell at a good price with its own distinctive style. However, it needs to catch up on software - fast!

Beyond Four (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.net/musings/beyond4.html>
Apple has created models for what they consider the four largest, most important markets -- why are some Mac users still disappointed?

Apple Heads For Interface Oblivion (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/05/01/appleheads.html>
It seems a shame to sacrifice over a dozen years of common-sense progress at the alter of cool. It seems foolish to ignore every lesson that's been painfully learned about user productivity in the face of translucent plastic. It seems suicidally stupid for Apple to toss aside one of their core competitive advantages in the name of making pretty pictures. Turn back, Apple; turn back before it's too late. Even people who think different should still use their brains.

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

A Powerful Shareware Rival To Mighty Microsoft Word (BusinessWeek)
<http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/may2000/nf00503b.htm>
Idea Keeper is shareware for the Macintosh at its best. This little, inexpensive program is nearly as powerful as Microsoft Word. It can even do some things that mighty Word can't, such as automatically stripping out the weird formatting of e-mail text. Not a bad trick for a program that costs only $15.

What's The Best Choice For A Budget Workhorse PowerBook? (Mac OS Daily)
<http://www.macosdaily.com/opinion/columns/roadwarrior_021_20000503.html>
A couple of letters I received from readers this week ask essentially what is the minimum specification PowerBook practical for all around use these days. There is of course no simple single answer to this question. 

AppleWorks 6 (ATPM)
<http://www.atpm.com/6.05/aw6.shtml>
AppleWorks 6 receives a Good rating—three out of five—because of the strong feature set and good design that it inherits from ClarisWorks 4 and 5. The new table editor is nice, the presentation module is adequate for its first version, and there are some nice new features for novices, but most of the other changes are for the worse.

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

Newer Resurrects Upgrade Products (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/04/30/0502newer.html>
The CPU upgrade vendor, on the comeback trail after averting bankruptcy, has revived its NuBus and L2 cache products.

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

Windows Bug Shuts Down School System's Computers (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0005/03.bug.shtml>
Calgary Board of Education officials shut down the computer system Friday after staff detected a computer virus in the system.

Microsoft Breakup May Doom Strategy For Internet (Seattle Times)
<http://www.seattletimes.com/news/business/html98/micr02_20000502.html>
Although the government's proposed antitrust remedies focus on two of Microsoft's oldest businesses - Windows and Office - its real aim may be the company's sweeping plans to merge Windows with Internet services.

How Relevant Is Microsoft? (InformationWeek)
<http://www.informationweek.com/784/microsoft.htm>
To maintain its influence in the post-PC world, Microsoft must hit it big with its Next Generation Windows Services.

Compaq And Sony Unveil Notebooks (PC World)
<http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,16561,00.html>
It must be spring. Like plants putting forth flowers, PC vendors keep rolling out new notebook computers that feature more power and lower prices. The latest entries to bloom are from Compaq and Sony.

Across The Atlantic, Interest In Microsoft Antitrust Case (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/05/biztech/articles/03euro.html>
In Britain and on the Continent, the latest chapter in the Microsoft saga has gotten prominent attention in the media. For many, Microsoft has served as the best example of an entrepreneurial success story. Others see it as embodying the worst traits of American excess.

MS: Beware Of The Charging Bull (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2560099,00.html>
Why do Chairman Gates and CEO Ballmer insist on waving a red flag in front of a charging bull?

Microsoft's Real Problem: No Innovation (PC Magazine)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2559857,00.html>
At this point in time, I think it's all over anyway. It's Microsoft's complete lack of vision and innovation that is killing the company. Most of its technology is bought from others and tweaked. The Microsoft marketing machine then kills off the competition, which is where the innovations came from in the first place.

What If Microsoft Hadn't Been A Bully? (USA Today)
<http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/cth824.htm>
Chances are we'd see a more dynamic software marketplace, a larger number of thriving high-tech firms with record revenue - even an earlier Internet boom.

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

Time Warner's Hardball Tactics Could Hurt Merger Plans (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1806022.html?tag=st.ne.1002.thed.1005-200-1806022>
With its megamerger with America Online hanging in the balance, Time Warner chose a path this week that could influence regulators who are reviewing the deal.

A Plan To Track Web Use Stirs Up Privacy Concerns (Wall Street Journal)
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/401945.asp>
A tiny new Web company, Predictive Networks Inc. of Boston, is causing concern among privacy advocates — even before its start-up Monday.

Fumble.com (Salon)
<http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/05/03/super_ads/index.html>
Internet companies threw millions into the air at the Super Bowl. They're still pretending they scored a touchdown.

Microsoft Responds To MacNN Reader Questions On IE 5 (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/features/ie5kwong.shtml>
With the recent release of Internet Explorer 5.0 for Mac, MacNN readers have been very active in our IE 5 forum. We've selected a handful of questions from a wide variety of issues and turned to Irving Kwong, Microsoft Product Manager for the Macintosh Business Unit to answer them. 

An Alpha-male Dot Com Battle (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,36026,00.html>
Back when publishing pictures of naked women in mainstream mags was a shocking enterprise, Playboy and Penthouse battled it out tooth and, um, nail. But with so much to choose from online, are the dot com versions relevant?

MP3.com Offers Pay-for-play Music (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2560141,00.html>
Will you pay to hear classical music over the Net? MP3.com, recently the target of the recording industry, is looking for customers and partners.

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

Aestiva Delivers Web-based Database (Business Wire)
<http://www.cnetinvestor.com/newsitem-fd-bloomberg.asp?symbol=86221822>
To most database vendors, a database is just one element of a Web site. But Aestiva, a proponent of Webputing, thinks databases should be more than just an afterthought. It is now delivering database management, access and control entirely through the Web. 

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

Design For A Life (Edge)
<http://www.edge.org/documents/archive/edge67.html>
Some people see the process of growth and development as very simple. They seem to think it is something that is read out of the genes, and that when the human genome project is completed we shall have the book of life, including an understanding of all human behavior. Others take the view that the developmental process is so immensely complicated that we shall never understand it properly. I take the view that although on the surface developmental processes may look complicated, the underlying rules are analogous to those that underlie a game like chess. The rules of chess are simple, but the games that can be generated by those rules are enormously complex. What we have to do as scientists is try to understand rules that produce a design for a life.

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

Why End Of Tech Mania Is Good For Everyone (Business Times)
<http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/3/views/views04.html>
New technology driven economy is here to stay, but a continued rush just leads to worse crash.

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

Snow City Comes To Topical Singapore In June (Channel NewsAsia)
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/articles/2000/05/03/singaporenews25446.htm>
Singapore will have snow all year round starting in June when Snow City, housed permanently next to the Singapore Science Centre, opens.

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

Mr Merlion To Move House In 2 Years' Time (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/sin18_0504.html>
In the spirit of upgrading, the Merlion will be moving 200 m down the Singapore River to a new home in two years. At a press conference hosted by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) yesterday, he said: "I've stayed put at the mouth of the Singapore River since 1972 and so I think it's high time I moved."

Give Cabbies A Break, Don't Begrudge Hike (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for8_0504.html>
Patrick Poh: Now that we are enjoying sunny days, let's share and not be miserly about giving.  Let us be considerate and help taxi drivers provide for their families, and thereby make Singapore a better home for everyone.

CDCs Plan Help For Families Hit By DBS Bank's Surcharge Move (Channel NewsAsia)
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/articles/2000/05/02/singaporenews25444.htm>
Community Development Councils can complement the government's efforts to help those affected by DBS Bank's decision to impose a surcharge for those without a minimum balance in their POSBank accounts.