[MyAppleMenu] Oct 30, 2000

[applesurf at myapplemenu.comapplesurf]

MyAppleMenu Newsletter

== AppleSurf (Top Stories) ==============

Macs In Paradise (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/10/29/1030shalathawaii.html>
Hawaii is a Mac-friendly environment. Hawaiian Mac users are just as virulent in their platform choice as those on the mainland. And their newfound Linux compatriots are warming to the upcoming OS X. That's what I discovered at Oceanic Cable Computer Expo 2000, an exotic mix of aloha smiles and tech-weenie talk held here last week.

== AppleSurf (News) ==============

Cheryl Vedoe Joins Apple As Vice President Of Education Marketing And Solutions (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2000/oct/30vedoe.html>
"The education market is a top priority for Apple, and we intend to regain market share beginning in 2001."

Macs In Paradise (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/10/29/1030shalathawaii.html>
Hawaii is a Mac-friendly environment. Hawaiian Mac users are just as virulent in their platform choice as those on the mainland. And their newfound Linux compatriots are warming to the upcoming OS X. That's what I discovered at Oceanic Cable Computer Expo 2000, an exotic mix of aloha smiles and tech-weenie talk held here last week.

Apple: Has The Magic Gone? (Stuff)
<http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,458255a1897,FF.html>
After chief executive officer Steve Jobs warned that the company will miss analyst sales and earnings estimates in the fourth quarter, Apple Computer's stock lost half its value as investors believed there was no good news on the horizon.

FileMaker Seeks Affiliates (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/10/29/1030filemaker.html>
Web sites can earn a 5 percent referral fee by sending customers to the FileMaker online store. The service is managed through the LinkShare Network.

Sonnet Announces Upgrades For Power Mac 7200 (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/10/29/1030sonnet.html>

== AppleSurf (Opinions) ==============

Jobs Blows Off The Next Three Months! (Applelinks.com)
<http://www.applelinks.com/cannons/blows.shtml>

Apple Explained Part III: Discounting The Fears (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/columns/appletrader/00/001030.shtml>
Apple has a lot of work to do, but every problem the company faces has a silver lining.

The Age of Everyman Tech: Bill Cosby Lied. Classic Was Better  (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/JohnHolmes/JohnHolmes1.html>
"While I do enjoy computing, I don't believe that a person must know an OS inside and out to use it. A computer to me is just a tool. I don't use it to stroke my ego. I turn it on and off. I'm not interested in the source code. I'm not interested in CLI. I am interested in whether OSX behaves like a Mac, not a UNIX box, and certainly not NeXTOS ... a rejected OS."

== AppleSurf (Reviews) ==============

Risk II (MacNN)
<http://reviews.macnn.com/reviews/risk2/risk2.phtml>
MacSoft's Risk II comes far closer to mirroring the classic board game than any previous Risk title, and in many ways it also enhances the true Risk experience.

== The Wintel Empire (Top Stories) ==============

MS Blocks Staff Dial-In Access After 'Minor' Hack (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/1/14327.html>
The only reasons for shutting down access must surely be that Microsoft has belatedly concluded that there are - as we suggested yesterday - serious problems with the way it runs its network security.

MS Claims Hacker Was Watched (Wall Street Journal)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2646430,00.html>
A senior official of Microsoft Corp., which is eager to reassure consumers and business partners after an embarrassing electronic break-in at its headquarters, said the company detected the trespass from its earliest moments and surreptitiously monitored the hacker's activities for the duration of the attack.

Gateway Puts Fashion First With All-In-One PC (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-3339079.html>
The San Diego, Calif.-based company on Monday unveiled the Profile 3, an all-in-one desktop computer with a built-in flat-panel LCD monitor and a Pentium III processor.  But, while aesthetically elegant, Gateway faces an uphill battle. At $1,999, the Profile 3 certainly isn't cheap compared with computers of its class.

== The Wintel Empire (News) ==============

Does Microsoft Have Egg On Its Face? (Internetnews.com)
<http://www.internetnews.com/wd-news/article/0,,10_498611,00.html>

Possible News Corp Deal Could Boost Microsoft TV (Reuters)
<http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001030/tc/newscorp_microsoft_dc_2.html>
Such an investment could give Microsoft another customer to deploy its software for interactive television, which the company has fingered as a key area it hopes to dominate in as computing moves beyond its traditional stronghold on the desktop, analysts said.

Microsoft Objects To AOL Brief In Antitrust Appeal (Bloomberg News)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-3340746.html?dtn.head>
Microsoft on Monday opposed America Online's request to file a brief with an appeals court in support of a judge's order to split the world's largest software company.

What Did Bill Say? (eWEEK)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2646523,00.html>
The Top 10 things Bill Gates said when he found out Microsoft had been hacked.

Order Up MS Apps At Internet Cafe (Wall Street Journal)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2646541,00.html>
Microsoft will rent software to consumers on a per-use basis for the first time next month through the easyEverything chain.

MS Blocks Staff Dial-In Access After 'Minor' Hack (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/1/14327.html>
The only reasons for shutting down access must surely be that Microsoft has belatedly concluded that there are - as we suggested yesterday - serious problems with the way it runs its network security.

MS Claims Hacker Was Watched (Wall Street Journal)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2646430,00.html>
A senior official of Microsoft Corp., which is eager to reassure consumers and business partners after an embarrassing electronic break-in at its headquarters, said the company detected the trespass from its earliest moments and surreptitiously monitored the hacker's activities for the duration of the attack.

Unhooking MS Browser, Again (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,39852,00.html>
The latest version of 98Lite modifies Windows Registry to unhook Internet Explorer from Explorer, speeding up the operating system in the process.

Redmond Strives To Cram Great MS Hack Back In Box (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/1/14306.html>

Acer Cuts Sales Forecast Amid PC Sales Slowdown (Associated Press)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-3338086.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>

Gateway Puts Fashion First With All-In-One PC (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-3339079.html>
The San Diego, Calif.-based company on Monday unveiled the Profile 3, an all-in-one desktop computer with a built-in flat-panel LCD monitor and a Pentium III processor.  But, while aesthetically elegant, Gateway faces an uphill battle. At $1,999, the Profile 3 certainly isn't cheap compared with computers of its class.

AMD Switches To Faster Memory (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-3340679.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Advanced Micro Devices on Monday released a chipset that allows computer makers to adopt faster memory for PCs and sets the stage for a performance showdown with Intel.

Micron Passes Over Pentium 4 For Athlon (TechWeb)
<http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20001030S0001>
The decision to select the Athlon tips Micron, Nampa, Idaho. more firmly into the AMD camp, but doesn't rule out the possibility of a Pentium 4-based machine in the future. Other PC vendors are expected to hedge their bets with both Pentium 4- and Athlon-based machines.

Microsoft Mulls Stake In News Corp. Unit (Reuters)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-3336614.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Microsoft and News Corp. are in discussions that may result in the software giant investing more than $1 billion in the media company's Sky Global Networks unit, according to a report.

AMD Releases AMD-760 Chip Set (InfoWorld)
<http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/00/10/30/001030hnamdchip.xml>

Microsoft Monitored Hacker (Associated Press)
<http://www.techserver.com/noframes/story/0,2294,500274256-500428400-502685382-0,00.html>
Microsoft Corp. said Sunday that a hacker had high-level access to its computer system for 12 days - not up to five weeks, as the company had first reported - and that the company monitored the every move the trespasser made for the duration of his visit.

== Breaking Barriers (Top Stories) ==============

Snared In The Web (Contra Costa Times)
<http://www.contracostatimes.com/stories_hold/1lockin_20001001.htm>
"Web sites try to increase 'stickiness' by making it more difficult to move away but 'stickiness' in and of itself isn't a good objective."

Flash: 99% Bad (Useit)
<http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20001029.html>
Although multimedia has its role on the Web, current Flash technology tends to discourage usability for three reasons: it makes bad design more likely, it breaks with the Web's fundamental interaction style, and it consumes resources that would be better spent enhancing a site's core value.

== Breaking Barriers (News) ==============

Snared In The Web (Contra Costa Times)
<http://www.contracostatimes.com/stories_hold/1lockin_20001001.htm>
"Web sites try to increase 'stickiness' by making it more difficult to move away but 'stickiness' in and of itself isn't a good objective."

Dot-coms' Unhappy End (Interactive Week)
<http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/stories/news/0,4164,2646716,00.html>
Dot-coms are learning to think long-term - at least when they go out of business.

A Key Date In The AOL-Time Warner Antitrust Talks: Election Day (BusinessWeek)
<http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/oct2000/nf20001030_148.htm>
The thinking is that a Bush win -- which looks more likely than it did just a few week ago -- would give the merger partners a bit more leverage at the bargaining table.

Flash: 99% Bad (Useit)
<http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20001029.html>
Although multimedia has its role on the Web, current Flash technology tends to discourage usability for three reasons: it makes bad design more likely, it breaks with the Web's fundamental interaction style, and it consumes resources that would be better spent enhancing a site's core value.

Selling Votes Or Peddling Lies? (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,39770,00.html>
Did Voteauction.com really solicit bids on American votes, or was it all a mirage? The owner says yes, while the site's creator says no. A judge will decide.

FileMaker Seeks Affiliates (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/10/29/1030filemaker.html>
Web sites can earn a 5 percent referral fee by sending customers to the FileMaker online store. The service is managed through the LinkShare Network.

== PenguinSurf (Top Stories) ==============

Linux Growth Rate Slows In Japan (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/1/14315.html>
Linux's explosive growth as a server operating system appears to be slowing, at least in Japan. However, it is still growing faster than the market as a whole.

Tesco To Use Linux Checkouts For 'Thin Store' System (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/1/14317.html>
Tesco tills are going Linux, following an agreement with Israel-headquartered retail food industry software specialist Point of Sale Limited. The deal, announced today, will cover up to 20,000 checkouts in eight countries.

== PenguinSurf (News) ==============

Linux Growth Rate Slows In Japan (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/1/14315.html>
Linux's explosive growth as a server operating system appears to be slowing, at least in Japan. However, it is still growing faster than the market as a whole.

Tesco To Use Linux Checkouts For 'Thin Store' System (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/1/14317.html>
Tesco tills are going Linux, following an agreement with Israel-headquartered retail food industry software specialist Point of Sale Limited. The deal, announced today, will cover up to 20,000 checkouts in eight countries.

== The AppleSurf Reader ==============

How Much Is A Calista Flockhart Impression Worth? (Green Magazine)
<http://www.salon.com/business/green/2000/10/30/rachel_dratch/index.html>
"Saturday Night Live" comedian Rachel Dratch explains the economics of being funny.

== SingaporeSurf (Top Stories) ==============

Testing Political Limits (Asiaweek)
<http://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/magazine/2000/1103/nat.sing.html>
"Shame furthers the discussion of politics locally," said lawyer Kevin Tan of the discussion group Roundtable at the publication's launch. "That is a very good sign."

Make It Service With A Smile, Not A Snarl (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/sin3_1031.html>
Hospitality industry needs facelift to change negative public image of service staff and boost their quality.

Memoirs Recall Past, Which Cannot Be Changed (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for1_1031.html>
Yeog Yoon Ying, Press Secretary to the Senior Minister: Because he insisted on being legal and logical, there were riots in Butterworth. There were none in Singapore because the Singapore Government decided to be practical, not legal and logical.

== SingaporeSurf (News) ==============

Testing Political Limits (Asiaweek)
<http://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/magazine/2000/1103/nat.sing.html>
"Shame furthers the discussion of politics locally," said lawyer Kevin Tan of the discussion group Roundtable at the publication's launch. "That is a very good sign."

Malaysia's (Not So) International irport (Asiaweek)
<http://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/business/2000/10/27/>
With the advent of super jumbos like the new Airbus A3XX or Boeing's 747-Stretch X, airports around the world will be further divided into hubs and spokes. Hubs will be airports where all the major regional and global airlines fly to and from, while local and regional airlines take passengers to nearby spokes. Singapore and Hong Kong have already carved their niches as Asia's premier hubs.

Make It Service With A Smile, Not A Snarl (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/sin3_1031.html>
Hospitality industry needs facelift to change negative public image of service staff and boost their quality.

Half Of Tang Dynasty City Artefacts Sold (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/sin1_1031.html>
Resort developer Citiraya Group pays about $1 million for them. Other items will go under the hammer at an on-site public auction at 10 am today.

Memoirs Recall Past, Which Cannot Be Changed (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for1_1031.html>
Yeog Yoon Ying, Press Secretary to the Senior Minister: Because he insisted on being legal and logical, there were riots in Butterworth. There were none in Singapore because the Singapore Government decided to be practical, not legal and logical.

Panic Buttons Stops MRT Trains Daily (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/primenews/pri2_1031.html>
More than 300 times a year, a train grinds to a stop and operators rush to reset the buttons and check that all is well.

Singapore Opposition Leader To Go To Bankruptcy Court (Associated Press)
<http://asia.biz.yahoo.com/news/asian_markets/article.html?s=asiafinance/news/001030/asian_markets/dowjones/Singapore_Opposition_Leader_To_Go_To_Bankruptcy_Court.html>
One of Singapore's opposition politicians Joshua Jeyaretnam said Monday his offer to pay damages in a defamation suit against him had been rejected, and that the country's ruling party was trying to bankrupt him out of politics.

== SingaporeSurf (Technology) ==============

Telstra Eyes Singapore As 3G Auction Looms (Business Times Singapore)
<http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/2/news/nsing03.html>
Telstra Corp, Australia's No 1 telecommunications company, said it was keen to expand its business into Singapore, though it was too early to comment on how much it would spend on spectrum auctions.

Dot.coms Join Forces To Trade (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/cybernews/cyber5_1031.html>
As venture capital dries up, members of new website network to raise cash, offer their services and products, and trade intellectual properties.