[MyAppleMenu] Sep 13, 2000

[applesurf at myapplemenu.comapplesurf]

MyAppleMenu Newsletter

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

Remembrance Of QuickTime Past (WebTools)
<http://www.webtools.com/story/multimedia/TLS20000907S0007>
With rumors circulating that QuickTime 5's release is somewhere on the horizon (quite possibly at the QuickTime Live! conference in October), I thought it would be appropriate to look at the present state of version 4+ and what's to come.

Mac OS X: The Full Story (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/09/12/xpreview.html>
Here's a complete overview of Apple's new operating system, from Aqua to pre-emptive multitasking.

Sprinkler Accident Floods Convention Hall (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0009/12.expoflood.shtml>
The sprinkler system apparently went off without warning and was not set off by a fire in the hall, reports indicate. A number of sources report a large part of the hall has been affected with some areas receiving almost two inches of water before the system was shut off.

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

Apple Beefs Up iBook With DVD, More Storage (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-2765274.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Apple Computer today added brawn to its colorful line of iBook notebooks by beefing up storage and adding DVD.

Jobs Announces Two New iBooks (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0009/13.ibook.shtml>

Jobs Announces New iBook, OS X Beta (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/09/10/0913parisone.html>
Speaking to an enthusiastic overflow crowd at Apple Expo here, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs announced new models of the iBook and the public beta release of Mac OS X. He also revealed that ATI's Radeon graphics card will be an option for the Power Mac G4 and G4 Cube.

Apple Set To Unveil Beta Version Of Much-Delayed OS X (San Jose Mercury News)
<http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/macos091300.htm>
Even as the company reaches this milestone, some companies developing software for the new platform say they and Apple have a lot of work ahead of them.

Remembrance Of QuickTime Past (WebTools)
<http://www.webtools.com/story/multimedia/TLS20000907S0007>
With rumors circulating that QuickTime 5's release is somewhere on the horizon (quite possibly at the QuickTime Live! conference in October), I thought it would be appropriate to look at the present state of version 4+ and what's to come.

X Marks The Spot (ABCNews.com)
<http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/osx000912.html>
Biggest Apple release in over a decade and a half.

Mac OS X: The Full Story (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/09/12/xpreview.html>
Here's a complete overview of Apple's new operating system, from Aqua to pre-emptive multitasking.

Sprinkler Accident Floods Convention Hall (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0009/12.expoflood.shtml>
The sprinkler system apparently went off without warning and was not set off by a fire in the hall, reports indicate. A number of sources report a large part of the hall has been affected with some areas receiving almost two inches of water before the system was shut off.

Icons Of Mac OS X (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/09/10/0912icons.html>
Application icons--those small bit-maps that you click on to launch a Mac program--are due for big changes in Mac OS X, but Apple is having trouble getting some developers to buy into its vision of depicting programs as scalable, photorealistic images measuring up to 128 by 128 pixels.

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

Our Man In Paris - Part One: We're Doomed (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/09/11/france.html>
Why is Apple going to Paris? Apart from the food, I mean? If it's just to hand out beta CDs and show folks for the umpteenth time that you can crash an application without it affecting the Mission: Impossible 2 trailer used in every OS X demo...well, you can do that just as easily from Paris, Texas, as you can from Paris, France.

We Have A Long Way To Go (Applelust.com)
<http://www.applelust.com/#canwetalk>
"I didn't even know they made them anymore."

No More Speed To Give (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.com/scope/2k0913.html>
It's time for Apple to start brandishing the big stick. OS X can work on Intel, AMD, and Transmeta. Why wait for Motorola, which doesn't seem to be too interested in staying ahead of the pack?

The Megahertz Can Of Worms (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/columns/flipside/2000/20000912.shtml>
Argument after argument, pundits and armchair experts will trade until they run out of gas and everybody realizes that Apple has a tricky situation on its hands.

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

PC At Work, iMac At Home? Virtual PC Bridges The Gap! (TheiMac.com)
<http://www.theimac.com/articles/categories/features/story328.shtml>
Connectix offers a product line which takes advantage of the adaptability of the Mac operating system, giving iUsers very nearly 2 computers in one.

Diablo II (MacAddict)
<http://www.macaddict.com/news/reviews/2000_10_01.shtml>
Quibbles aside, Diablo II is a brilliant game. Unless you've decided Unreal Tournament is the first, last, and only game you'll ever play, you should get your hands on this one.

Best Mac For A Kid (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.com/macdan/2k0913ek.html>
Not every kid will always fall in to one category for which Mac to get. But this will help you get started. At least it's better than going to a computer store where they might push one of those "other" computers.

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

Microsoft Hawks .Net (IDG News Service)
<http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,18439,00.html>
Ballmer says online effort will permeate software's future, eventually.

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

Yet Another Problem With Windows 2000 (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/LesBrunswick/LesBrunswick3.html>
At some point in the next few years, Microsoft is going to initiate another radical, billion dollar re-write, hoping to produce a new version in the hopes of finally catching up with Unix.

Microsoft Hawks .Net (IDG News Service)
<http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,18439,00.html>
Ballmer says online effort will permeate software's future, eventually.

Why Dell's Approach Works (eWEEK)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2625950,00.html>
Michael Dell has made plenty of goofs on his way to the corporate summit, but he maintained the objective of making the computer purchase less cumbersome rather than more complicated, and that is a lesson all dot-commers should take to heart.

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

Copyright Control A Losing Battle (AFR)
<http://www.afr.com.au/information/20000913/A61944-2000Sep12.html>
Recording and movie companies were fighting a losing battle to try to control the copying and distribution of their products over the internet, Mr John Gage, the chief scientist at computer maker Sun Microsystems said yesterday.

Electrical Storm Hits New Economy (The Industry Standard)
<http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,18391,00.html>
The Internet Economy is peculiarly vulnerable to shrinking power surpluses. Digital businesses require not only massive quantities of power, but also reliable systems: An interruption in power as instantaneous as one-sixtieth of a second won't cause the lights to flicker – but it will crash a computer.

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

A Bug In The Legal Code? (Salon)
<http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/09/13/touretzky/index.html>
It's proof that the judge didn't know what to do. He admitted that Congress made a mess but that it wasn't his job to clean it up. I think if he really tried to protect the plaintiffs' interests like they wanted him to, he would have had to ban all discussion, which he knew he couldn't do. So he made this token gesture.

Copyright Control A Losing Battle (AFR)
<http://www.afr.com.au/information/20000913/A61944-2000Sep12.html>
Recording and movie companies were fighting a losing battle to try to control the copying and distribution of their products over the internet, Mr John Gage, the chief scientist at computer maker Sun Microsystems said yesterday.

Electrical Storm Hits New Economy (The Industry Standard)
<http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,18391,00.html>
The Internet Economy is peculiarly vulnerable to shrinking power surpluses. Digital businesses require not only massive quantities of power, but also reliable systems: An interruption in power as instantaneous as one-sixtieth of a second won't cause the lights to flicker – but it will crash a computer.

Napster Positives Cited By Rival (InfoWorld)
<http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/00/09/12/000912hnnapemusic.xml>
Although a staunch competitor of Napster, Bob Kohn, founder and chief executive officer of EMusic.com, actually voiced some support for the rival music-swapping site during the Internet Law & Policy Forum held here Monday.

Few Olympic Sponsors Duking It Out For Web Ads (Reuters)
<http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article/0,,3_123242_Ext,00.html>
Only a limited number of the sponsors of this month's Olympic games in Sydney are fighting for promotional dominance online, according to a report released by Media Metrix's AdRelevance unit.

Why Dell's Approach Works (eWEEK)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2625950,00.html>
Michael Dell has made plenty of goofs on his way to the corporate summit, but he maintained the objective of making the computer purchase less cumbersome rather than more complicated, and that is a lesson all dot-commers should take to heart.

Adults Surf Web Way More Than Kids (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2627125,00.html>
The younger you are, the more you're online, right? Wrong. Kids have better things to do, says a new Jupiter report.

Government Sites Get An 'F' On Privacy (Reuters)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2627311,00.html>
Only 3 percent of surveyed U.S. government Web sites fully meet proposed privacy standards for commercial Web sites, a congressional report said Tuesday.

Recess Needed For Classroom Computers, Critics Say (Associated Press)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-2761929.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Billions of dollars spent on school computers and Internet connections deliver little long-term benefit and could be better spent on more teachers and other improvements, a group critical of technology in the classroom said today.

Amazon Backs Away From Test Prices (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-2761900.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
Under fire from confused customers, Amazon.com has decided to back away from a price test in its DVD store and give refunds to customers who paid higher prices.

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

VA Linux Plunges Into Booming Storage Market (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-2762339.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..ni>
VA Linux Systems leaped into the market for storage servers today, becoming the latest example of a server company trying to benefit from the need for housing data.

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

Welcome To The Curriculum From Hell (Salon)
<http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2000/09/13/hotel_california/index.html>
OK, I will concede that the first couple of lines of "Hotel California" are sort of nice. That "on a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair" bit is quite poetic. But that's it.

A Bug In The Legal Code? (Salon)
<http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/09/13/touretzky/index.html>
It's proof that the judge didn't know what to do. He admitted that Congress made a mess but that it wasn't his job to clean it up. I think if he really tried to protect the plaintiffs' interests like they wanted him to, he would have had to ban all discussion, which he knew he couldn't do. So he made this token gesture.

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

Pasar Malam Pirates Are Alive And Well Despite Police Checks (Project Eyeball)
<http://eyeball.asia1.com.sg/Eyeball/Story/1,1381,2975,00.html?>
Their presence came as a bit of a surprise, given that both the cops and pasar malam organisers have made their rounds.

No Incenstive To Conserve Water (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for8_0913.html>
Vernon Lim Seng Kiat: What I would like to highlight is the water conservation tax. This was meant to encourage water conservation. But it seems that is not the case now.

How Long Must Potong Pasir Wait For Upgrading? (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for6_0913.html>
Zhang Weisheng: The Housing Board is a government agency and not a PAP party organ. Its policies should be geared towards benefiting the Singapore population in general and not just PAP supporters.

Allow Speakers To Have Their Say (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/for1_0913.html>
What is more essential now is to encourage citizens with the commitment to certain ideals, and the attendant courage, to stand up and articulate, and defend, their views, and continue to do so -- even if it is only to let off steam.

IDA Gives More Details On Payout (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/money/sinb1_0913.html>
Move comes after calls for more info and greater transparency on $2b compensation to SingTel and StarHub.