[AppleSurf Inbox] May 18, 2000

[applesurf at myapplemenu.comapplesurf]

AppleSurf Inbox

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

Winners Named For Apple Design Awards (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2000/05/dawards/>
Was it the pizza, the cookies and the soda pop that inspired the heated debate in the judging room for the Apple Design Awards, or was it just frenzied fever and excitement accompanying the closing of another year of awards for the best new software products designed for the Mac platform?

Learning From The Cult (TechShopper)
<http://techshopper.com/learn/desktop_computers/TSH20000516S0005>
Here's the biggest lie the Apple cult would have you believe: the iMac is easy to use.

Mac OS X = BeOS PR2 (Be Dope)
<http://www.bedope.com/stories/0105.html>
[Jean-Louis Gassee] is looking forward to welcoming Jobs and Mac OS X "to the nineties", when Mac OS X ships sometime in 2001.

Apple Retreats On Gaming Tools At WWDC (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2571404,00.html>
Sources say Apple is cutting down on its Game Sprockets APIs and turning most gaming hooks back over to third-party developers -- raising compatibility concerns.
 

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

Winners Named For Apple Design Awards (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2000/05/dawards/>
Was it the pizza, the cookies and the soda pop that inspired the heated debate in the judging room for the Apple Design Awards, or was it just frenzied fever and excitement accompanying the closing of another year of awards for the best new software products designed for the Mac platform?

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

Developers Have Mixed Reaction To OS X Delay (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0005/18.developer.shtml>
Although Apple says it's a matter of semantics, the general opinion is that Mac OS X is still a bit behind schedule.

Apple Retreats On Gaming Tools At WWDC (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2571404,00.html>
Sources say Apple is cutting down on its Game Sprockets APIs and turning most gaming hooks back over to third-party developers -- raising compatibility concerns.
 

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

Help! I Need A Computer For College! What Do I Get? (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/columns/iteen/2000/20000518.html>
What exactly does the freshman in college need to get his/her job done? 

Service Bureaus, R.I.P.? (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/05/14/0518svcburone.html>
Service bureaus are being squeezed from two sides--customers who are now doing their own desktop production, and commercial printers that have installed digital prepress equipment. 
 

Open Letter To Apple: The Medical Industry Offers Significant Opportunity To Apple (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/news/00/may/000518/openletter.shtml>
I assert that Apple is in a unique position to exploit this market with a complete enterprise solution to all aspects of the medical industry.

Apple's Power Failure (Real World Technolgies)
<http://www.realworldtech.com/page.cfm?articleid=RWT051400000000>
The recent nose-to-nose horse race between Intel and AMD to push the clock rate of x86 processors to 1 GHz stands in striking contrast to the dismal situation Apple Computer finds itself in with the snail-like pace of innovation of the PowerPC processors used in its Macintosh computers.

Gate-crashing Apple's WWDC (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2571561,00.html>
Judging from these ringsiders' remarks, WWDC's developer-only sessions have a lot in common with Apple CEO Steve Jobs' Monday morning keynote speech: evolutionary, not revolutionary, with as many mild disappointments as minor revelations. 

I Can't Believe It's Not Better: WWDC Brings Letdowns (The Mac Junkie)
<http://www.themacjunkie.com/archives/5.18.00.wwdc.html>
Those of you sitting in some shaft of light beaming from this year's WWDC may find my attitude gloomy and my outlook bleak, but hey, I call them like I see them.

Is OS X Really Delaye Or Just Another Way For Apple To Make Cash? (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/lindenpratt/lindenpratt4.html>
[S]top worrying about OS X being on time, and remember what Apple puts out in public is only a few months behind what they have.
 

Tiny Treasures (MacOPINION)
<http://macopinion.com/columns/macskeptic/00/05/17/index.html>
The ultra-compact notebook market is one of the fastest growing markets out there - I hope Apple has something in mind for it.
 

What Can You Squeeze Into A Compact Mac? (Low End Mac)
<http://lowendmac.net/archive/2k0518.html>
Sure, the screen's small. They aren't fast, and no, they can't run Mac OS 8.

New Hope For Mac Network Managers? (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/05/14/0517jwwwdc.html>
iServices means Apple will be the point for integrating Mac products in the corporate market. The iServices Web site specifically mentions business, right next to creative and educational markets. For the first time in years, Apple is reaching out to the business market.

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

System Lets You Make Family Videos That Are Actually Worth Watching (Los Angeles Times)
<http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/20000518/t000046899.html>
 Given the complexity of the system, I found the iMovie Help instructions and tutorial to be inadequate. That's a common problem with software, however, and the folks at Apple say various books are in the works to help you learn the iMovie craft. 

Learning From The Cult (TechShopper)
<http://techshopper.com/learn/desktop_computers/TSH20000516S0005>
Here's the biggest lie the Apple cult would have you believe: the iMac is easy to use.

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

Religious Wars On The Graphics Front (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/05/14/0518shalatone.html>
Both Adobe and Macromedia are back at it again this season, touting their respective new releases of Illustrator 9 and FreeHand 9.  And the question arises: Is this new version enough to make you switch from one to the other?

ViaVoice Named 'Best New Product' (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0005/18.viavoice.shtml>
ViaVioce is IBM's speech recognition software providing Mac users with a way to perform everyday computer tasks, such as creating e-mail and editing documents, by speaking.

New Front In The Copyright Wars: Out-of-print Computer Games (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/05/circuits/articles/18aban.html>
 Gamers don't go out and download games for the original Nintendo Entertainment System instead of buying new games for Nintendo 64. Someone who wants to play an older game is looking for an experience that is different from what is available from a modern game.

Analysts: Corel Needs New Plan (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,36416,00.html>
After its proposed merger with Inprise/Borland goes up in smoke, the Canadian software maker has to come up big with a new plan, analysts say. 

The Microsoft Advantage Now Pops Up In PIMs (BusinessWeek)
<http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/may2000/nf00517b.htm>
Gates & co. is tightly integrating its personal information manager with Office. That could give it a leg up on Mac rivals.

LaCie Shows Off Upcoming DVD-DRAM Drives At WWDC (Insanely Great Mac)
<http://www.insanely-great.com/news/00/5/17-lacie.html>
 The FireWire drives offer high performance and greater capacity for Mac users.
 

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

Dell Taps Windows Me For Faster PCs (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-1895320.html?dtn.head>
Microsoft's upcoming consumer operating system features software that helps computers boot faster. Dell's upcoming Dimension PCs running Windows Me will include this feature, giving customers quicker access to the Internet and other software, the companies said. 

Microsoft Fixes Quintet Of Security Holes (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1896556.html?dtn.head>
Microsoft has patched several security holes in its Internet Explorer and Office software, closing five potential avenues for online attacks against its customers.

Users Might Eye Linux If Office Were Ported To OS (Computerworld)
<http://www.computerworld.com/home/print.nsf/all/000518E04E>
[I]f a breakup were to lead to development of Office for Linux, a good number of users said they would consider that alternative operating system, according to the survey of 104 information technology professionals working in companies of more than 500 employees. 

Microosft's Lobbying Largess Pays Off (Washington Post)
<http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14372-2000May16.html>
"They are going full blast in all dimensions of lobbying--coalition building, grass-roots, top-roots, contributions to charitable organizations," Thurber said. "It doesn't surprise me. It surprises me it took this long."
 

Can Judge Jackson Find A Middle Ground? (eWEEK)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2569552,00.html>
Why the courts bother with this silly step of asking the defendant how it should be punished is beyond me.

Market Not Ready For High-end Linux Systems (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1890078.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Gartner does not consider the Linux technology or the market itself as mature enough for a significant run at the high end.

Red Hat Releases 64-bit Itanium Linux (Sm at rt Reseller)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2571379,00.html>
This first public alpha release of a full 64-bit Linux, complete with kernel, drivers and software, gives software developers the info they need to start serious Itanium development. 
 

Windows Media Heads For TV (PC World)
<http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,16779,00.html>
Microsoft partners with video designer SeaChange to push Webcasting, broadcasting closer.

Expect More Of The Same After Microsoft Penalty Ruling (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1890043.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
The stage is set in the Microsoft antitrust case for nothing more than the continuance of the status quo.

Microsoft Squashes Office 2000 Bug (PC WOrld)
<http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,16780,00.html>
The Microsoft Office Assistant, the talking paper clip that Microsoft cited as an example of its innovation during its antitrust trial, has a security hole that allows attackers to take over a user's computer. 

MSN Update Targets AOL (PC World)
<http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,16781,00.html>
Microsoft previews a revamped online portal with AOL-like features and integrated services.

Mac OS X = BeOS PR2 (Be Dope)
<http://www.bedope.com/stories/0105.html>
[Jean-Louis Gassee] is looking forward to welcoming Jobs and Mac OS X "to the nineties", when Mac OS X ships sometime in 2001.

Microsoft Breakup Is The Only Remedy, U.S. Says (San Jose Mercury News)
<http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/ms051800.htm>
In its reply to arguments made by the world's largest software maker last week, the Department of Justice said Microsoft "proposed a cosmetic remedy that would have virtually no competitive significance."

The Microsoft Advantage Now Pops Up In PIMs (BusinessWeek)
<http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/may2000/nf00517b.htm>
Gates & co. is tightly integrating its personal information manager with Office. That could give it a leg up on Mac rivals.

Tiny Treasures (MacOPINION)
<http://macopinion.com/columns/macskeptic/00/05/17/index.html>
The ultra-compact notebook market is one of the fastest growing markets out there - I hope Apple has something in mind for it.
 

And The Loser Is... (Sm at rt Reseller)
<http://www.zdnet.com/enterprise/stories/main/0,10228,2570180,00.html>
Microsoft operating systems, especially NT, has more reported security bugs over the last two years than any other operating system.

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

DoubleClick In Double Trouble (The Industry Standard)
<http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,15228,00.html?nl=mg>
Rival Net ad firm L90 files a lawsuit alleging unfair business practices and patent infringement. 

New Privacy Threat: Genealogy? (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,36442,00.html>
That top-secret password of yours is your mother's maiden name, isn't it? And someone can find that name on any one of a number of genealogy sites, right? Therefore, says a congressman, we must legislate! 

Instant Messaging Battle Flares Again (IDG News Service)
<http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,16788,00.html>
The battles over instant messaging are once again heating up. The pending merger of America Online and Time Warner has rekindled the fight, as AOL’s competitors are renewing their charges that the company is hindering standards development.

Startups Hope GUIs Are Sticky Swee (Red Herring)
<http://www.redherring.com/vc/2000/0518/vc-gui051800.html?id=yahoo>
Search engines are about as boring as a library card catalog, and bookmarks are as appealing as a dented metal file cabinet. But if two new upstarts have their way, your desktop is going to look like the electronic equivalent of the Vegas strip -- neon signs flashing and corporate logos ablaze. 

Borders To Have E-listening Stations (InternetNews.com)
<http://www.internetnews.com/streaming-news/article/0,2171,8161_366491,00.html>
Borders Books and Music Thursday revealed that it is setting up digital, interactive kiosks that enable customers to access and preview the music titles in a store's inventory, simply by scanning the product barcode. 

What Wil The New Lycos Look Like? (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1896410.html?dtn.head>
International business experts say the new Lycos will be a cross between the free-wheeling culture of American dot-coms and the more button-down feel of its European parent after the Waltham, Mass.-based Web portal is fully absorbed by Terra Networks and its Spanish parent company, Telefonica. 

Web Marketplaces Face Industry Goliaths (Computerworld)
<http://www.computerworld.com/home/print.nsf/all/000518E03E>
Most of the attendees at this week's Net Market Makers conference put on a brave face. But inside the neoclassical Imperial Ballroom at the stately Boston Park Plaza Hotel, one could almost smell the fear. 

Plug Pulled On Digital Entertainment Network (Wall Street Journal)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2571842,00.html>
One of the most closely watched experiments in online entertainment is shutting down and weighing bankruptcy.

Few Net Surfers Use RealNames' Keyword Service (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1889845.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Despite a recent security fiasco and a scuttled initial public offering, the Internet keyword company RealNames still has the aura of an Internet darling, enjoying the benediction of Microsoft and the momentum of an apparently good idea for simplifying Web addresses.

MP3 Player "Sale" Exposes Amazon's Flexible Prices (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-1889854.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Customers are upset that Amazon.com has been offering random discounts on a popular MP3 player, revealing a little-known marketing practice that is gaining popularity among e-tailers.

Wireless Web fight Gets Catty (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,36051,00.html>
The technologists who govern Web development agree to disagree over using WAP to push data to mobile phones. Testy engineers argue that rulemakers are forgetting about users.

MSN Update Targets AOL (PC World)
<http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,16781,00.html>
Microsoft previews a revamped online portal with AOL-like features and integrated services.

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

Babes Dominate, Virtually (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,36348,00.html>
Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, and Dan Rather all occupy the top spots in broadcast journalism. So why is Ananova, the first virtual newscaster, a woman? 

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

Listen Up! IBM's ViaVoice Named Best New Product For The Mac (Business Wire)
<http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000518/ca_ibm_sof_2.html>
ViaVoice for Mac has also been chosen by the New York Times as one of the Most Wanted top 10 titles for business software in 2000. 

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

School For Hackers (Time)
<http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,45155,00.html>
The Love Bug's Manila birthplace is just one of many third world virus breeding grounds.

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

Instant Experts (Time)
<http://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/time/asiabuzz/2000/05/18/>
So next time someone mouths off as to how much of a guru they are, and you are a little dubious, ask them a couple of innocent questions--and then kick back and enjoy the squirming. 
 

Assif Online (Asiaweek)
<http://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/business/2000/05/17/>
While Hong Kong went beserk over the Internet, sober, sedate Singapore watched in amazement. Would Singapore ever allow the likes of tom.com to go public at such ridiculous valuations? 
 

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

One Fruit Juice With Attitude, Please (Business Times)
<http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/5/news/nfrnt03.html>
Juice bars are fast becoming Singapore's new 'in' thing.