[MyAppleMenu] Feb 15, 2001

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu Newsletter

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

 75 Mac Advantages: Part I (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.com/lab/010215.html>
The list still remains as a reference to Mac diehards, who bring it up now and then and wish that Apple would update it. That's not going to happen, folks, but here at the Low End Mac Lab Report we're going to make a stab at updating it for you over the next several weeks.

 XP Just Another Apple Clone? (Wired News)
<http://www.wirednews.com/news/technology/0,1282,41822,00.html>
"Any similarities are coincidental... We did not steal any ducks from Apple."

 Portable Computer Lab Opens For High School (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2001/02/fremont/>
"Because the computers give us wireless Internet access, students can do research in the classroom. We don't have to shuttle kids back and forth between labs, or tell them to research something at home and then come back."

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

 Start-Up Attempts To Bridge Choppy Streaming Waters (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-4821476.html?tag=ch_mh>
Online multimedia pioneer Peter Hoddie has launched a company that aims to bridge incompatible streaming media applications, including those developed by rivals RealNetworks, Microsoft and Apple Computer.

 Steve Jobs' Tokyo Keynote Beamed To... Croydon (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/39/16931.html>
Why this southern suburb of London - incidentally, the former home of London's international airport - should be chosen, we're not entirely sure, but PC Worlders will be handing out sushi, demonstrating Macs before finally hinting that maybe a Windows machine might be better.

 XP Just Another Apple Clone? (Wired News)
<http://www.wirednews.com/news/technology/0,1282,41822,00.html>
"Any similarities are coincidental... We did not steal any ducks from Apple."

 PC World Offers Jobs Keynote Night (Macworld UK)
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=2493>

 Portable Computer Lab Opens For High School (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2001/02/fremont/>
"Because the computers give us wireless Internet access, students can do research in the classroom. We don't have to shuttle kids back and forth between labs, or tell them to research something at home and then come back."

 Apple DVD Player Regional Restrictions (Go2Mac.com)
<http://www.go2mac.com/newswire/displaynewswire.cfm?id=236>
Is there some way around regional limitations of the Apple DVD player for those who travel internationally and use DVDs from different regions at differeent times?

 QuickTime Preview 3 Standalone Available (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/news.php?id=3441>

 Apple Moots Return To UK Mac Show (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/39/16921.html>
Apple has been in negotiations with the organiser of the UK's unofficial Mac show - indeed, the UK's only major Mac-oriented event - raising the possibility that the company may abandon its policy of focusing solely on Europe's only official Mac event, Paris' MacWorld Expo Europe.

 Apple Announces WWDC 2001 Plans (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2001/02/11/0214wwdc.html>
Although the conference will feature technical sessions covering Apple hardware, the focus appears to be on software, as Apple plans presentations on AppleScript, Aqua, BSD Unix, Carbon, Cocoa, Darwin, Development Tools, Internationalization and Localization, Java, Mac OS X, Networking and Security, OpenGL, Quartz, QuickTime and WebObjects.

 QuickTime 5 Preview 2 Expires Feb 15 (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/news.php?id=3414>

 Windows XP Says Luna For Aqua (Macworld UK)
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=2485>
Microsoft’s XP has a new interface (called "Luna") that’s recognizably similar to Apple’s "Aqua" user interface for OS X.

 Apple Begins To Code Key Mac OS X Apps (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/39/16890.html>

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

 Will Apple Ever Conquer The Office? (BusinessWeek)
<http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/feb2001/nf20010214_751.htm>
Macs retain a solid following among writers, artists, photographers, and graphic designers. They're also still dominant in the publishing market. And if Apple can win back its lead in schools and universities, education isn't lost, either. But Macs conquering the office? Dream on.

 75 Mac Advantages: Part I (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.com/lab/010215.html>
The list still remains as a reference to Mac diehards, who bring it up now and then and wish that Apple would update it. That's not going to happen, folks, but here at the Low End Mac Lab Report we're going to make a stab at updating it for you over the next several weeks.

 It's A Small, Small Mac World (Macinstein)
<http://www.macinstein.com/pressrelease.cfm?ID=789>
I sometimes think we have painted ourselves in a corner, limiting our thinking to what's Mac.

 Beyond The Speed Bump (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2001/02/11/0214wgbump.html>
Relax. Personal computers aren't going away. Moore's and Metcalfe's laws will continue to accelerate productivity and innovation rates, guaranteeing that the little recession we're currently fretting about will be forgotten long before PCs ride off into the sunset.

 Give Me A Word Processor (Low End Mac)
<http://lowendmac.com/myturn/010214.html>

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

 The Sims (MacDirectory)
<http://www.macdirectory.com/reviews/sims/index.html>
The Sims has proven to be ridiculously addictive, and you may find yourself playing it constantly.

 Netscape 6.0.1 Feedback (Macinstein)
<http://www.macinstein.com/pressrelease.cfm?ID=785>

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

 You, Too, Can Write An Anna Worm (Wired News)
<http://www.wirednews.com/news/technology/0,1282,41817,00.html>
If you can install a program on a computer, you can also -- using one of these kits -- write and release a virus just like the authors of Cartman, Poppy and Kenny did.

 Ballmer's Power Seen Undiminished (TechWeb)
<http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20010214S0023>
Nearly everyone agrees that Microsoft, Redmond, Wash., is not the lean, mean, fighting machine it once was.

 belluzzo To Take On Some Of Ballmer's Tasks (Reuters)
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/530738.asp>
Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday said it named Rick Belluzzo as its new president and chief operating officer.

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

 Microsoft Readies "Hailstorm" Against AOL (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-201-4825884-0.html?tag=owv>
In short, Microsoft's strength is building software technologies and convincing developers to write applications and services for them. With Hailstorm, sources said Microsoft is attempting to position instant messaging as a complete development platform, rather than as a limited-purpose application.

 Dell Earnings Unlikely To Impress (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-4825992.html?tag=owv>
It's a new era for Dell Computer, and one that isn't nearly as glamorous.

 You, Too, Can Write An Anna Worm (Wired News)
<http://www.wirednews.com/news/technology/0,1282,41817,00.html>
If you can install a program on a computer, you can also -- using one of these kits -- write and release a virus just like the authors of Cartman, Poppy and Kenny did.

 AMD's Chief Executive To Step Down In 2002 (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-4822321.html?tag=owv>
W.J. "Jerry" Sanders will step down as chief executive officer of Advanced Micro Devices in April 2002 and hand control of the company to his hand-picked successor.

 Ballmer's Power Seen Undiminished (TechWeb)
<http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20010214S0023>
Nearly everyone agrees that Microsoft, Redmond, Wash., is not the lean, mean, fighting machine it once was.

 Microsoft Nails Down Xbox Distributors (Bloomberg News)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-4821261.html?tag=owv>
Toy maker Bandai and Internet investor Softbank will be the sole distributors and marketing agencies of the Xbox game console in Japan, Microsoft said Wednesday.

 A Busy Morning For Microsoft (Upside)
<http://www.upside.com/HardwareSoftware/3a8ab4e01.html>

 Microsoft Uncloaks New Security Software (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-4819365.html?tag=lh>
With network security concerns rising, Microsoft on Wednesday released new security software featuring firewall and Web-caching technology intended to protect corporate networks.

 XP: 'Your Mother's Windows' (Wired News)
<http://www.wirednews.com/news/technology/0,1282,41561,00.html>
"Simplify, simplify, simplify" was the message of the day as Microsoft tried to build excitement for its next generation operating system, Windows XP.

 WinXP Testers Get Unique IDs From MS, Plus A Workaround (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/16904.html>
Previous leaked builds have been accompanied by various patches and workarounds that deal with the product activation technology, but with 2428 Microsoft is saving these, er, misguided enthusiasts the effort by putting the workaround in the release notes.

 Windows XP Says Luna For Aqua (Macworld UK)
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=2485>
Microsoft’s XP has a new interface (called "Luna") that’s recognizably similar to Apple’s "Aqua" user interface for OS X.

 belluzzo To Take On Some Of Ballmer's Tasks (Reuters)
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/530738.asp>
Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday said it named Rick Belluzzo as its new president and chief operating officer.

 Microsoft Begins Windows XP Hype (vnunet.com)
<http://www.vnunet.com/News/1117691>

 Giants Offer Different Views On Future Of Web-Based Services (MSNBC)
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/530589.asp>
Two giants of the online world presented sharply different views Tuesday of a future in which they both will be scrapping to boost what consumers pay each month for Web-based services. Top executives of AOL Time Warner and Microsoft described their visions in separate sessions attended by hundreds of investors at a technology conference in San Francisco.

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

 Microsoft Readies "Hailstorm" Against AOL (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-201-4825884-0.html?tag=owv>
In short, Microsoft's strength is building software technologies and convincing developers to write applications and services for them. With Hailstorm, sources said Microsoft is attempting to position instant messaging as a complete development platform, rather than as a limited-purpose application.

 Thanking Web Sites, With Cash (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/15/technology/15SHOP.html?pagewanted=all>
Call me stingy, but I can't think of a single time I suddenly got the urge to pay for something I had been getting free and could continue to get free.

 Injunction Overturned In Amazon Case (Associated Press)
<http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/techwr/20010214/tCB00V0806.html>
A federal appeals court overturned a lower court ruling that barred bookseller Barnes and Noble's Internet store from using Amazon.com's single-click checkout technology, pending a trial.

 Deja UI Too Costly To Save, Google Boss Tells Reg (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/16888.html>
"The operational costs would be very very high," said Page. "It's true that software doesn't rust - but 100 machines and big data center is a lot to ask our staff to support."

 Adult Content Dispute Causes AltaVista To Shutter Features (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2685787,00.html>
Web portal AltaVista has abandoned its community features after the Better Business Bureau found the site too loose in preventing children from visiting adult-only areas.

 Good Gnus In Napster Ruling (Wired News)
<http://www.wirednews.com/news/politics/0,1283,41784,00.html>
Napster's future may look dimmer than ever, but the Ninth Circuit's decision could help other file-trading services that have different designs.

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

 Start-Up Attempts To Bridge Choppy Streaming Waters (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-4821476.html?tag=ch_mh>
Online multimedia pioneer Peter Hoddie has launched a company that aims to bridge incompatible streaming media applications, including those developed by rivals RealNetworks, Microsoft and Apple Computer.

 Microsoft Readies "Hailstorm" Against AOL (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-201-4825884-0.html?tag=owv>
In short, Microsoft's strength is building software technologies and convincing developers to write applications and services for them. With Hailstorm, sources said Microsoft is attempting to position instant messaging as a complete development platform, rather than as a limited-purpose application.

 Dot-Coms? This Year, Students Are Wary (New York Times Service)
<http://www.iht.com/articles/10716.htm>
Ask business school students what "B2B" and "B2C" stand for these days, and you will probably not hear the same answer you would have heard a year ago.

 Thanking Web Sites, With Cash (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/15/technology/15SHOP.html?pagewanted=all>
Call me stingy, but I can't think of a single time I suddenly got the urge to pay for something I had been getting free and could continue to get free.

 Injunction Overturned In Amazon Case (Associated Press)
<http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/techwr/20010214/tCB00V0806.html>
A federal appeals court overturned a lower court ruling that barred bookseller Barnes and Noble's Internet store from using Amazon.com's single-click checkout technology, pending a trial.

 Standards Sees Layoffs (CNNfn)
<http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2001/02/14/news/standard/>
New economy publication The Industry Standard plans to announce another round of layoffs next week, a source close to the situation told CNNfn.com Wednesday.

 Picking At The Bones Of Napster (Wired News)
<http://www.wirednews.com/news/business/0,1367,41806,00.html>
Everybody's got an angle. Everybody's got a solution. In the wake of a federal court's ruling Monday that could shut down the file-trading company, those in the music and technology industry are circling Napster's 51 million users with dollar signs in their eyes.

 Deja UI Too Costly To Save, Google Boss Tells Reg (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/16888.html>
"The operational costs would be very very high," said Page. "It's true that software doesn't rust - but 100 machines and big data center is a lot to ask our staff to support."

 Think The Web Is Huge Now? It Might Get Bigger (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2686218,00.html>
The Internet may not exactly be broken, but some new start-ups are rushing to fix the way the decades-old maze of communications networks functions anyway.

 Record Labels In Denial About Peer-To-Peer (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-201-4824189-0.html?tag=owv>
The recording industry won the battle to shut down Napster, but the U.S. Appeals Court's ruling also asserted that peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing is legal--and many services will take advantage of that opening.

 Online Greeting Sites Grow Lovesick (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-4821606.html?tag=lh>
Electronic greeting card sites including Hallmark.com and AmericanGreetings.com have been crushed by traffic on this Valentine's Day morning.

 Adult Content Dispute Causes AltaVista To Shutter Features (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2685787,00.html>
Web portal AltaVista has abandoned its community features after the Better Business Bureau found the site too loose in preventing children from visiting adult-only areas.

 AOL Claims 5.0 Users Have No Right To Sue (Newsbytes)
<http://www.washtech.com/news/media/7526-1.html>
A law firm representing a group of users of America Online Inc. version 5.0 software said today that the giant online service has filed a legal brief asserting that users of the software have no claim for compensation.

 Peer-To-Peer Goes Beyond Napster (Wired News)
<http://www.wirednews.com/news/technology/0,1282,41768,00.html>
Napster may be on its deathbed -- or at least in need of medical attention -- but its legacy of popularizing peer-to-peer (P2P) networking will probably only grow stronger in 2001.

 Good Gnus In Napster Ruling (Wired News)
<http://www.wirednews.com/news/politics/0,1283,41784,00.html>
Napster's future may look dimmer than ever, but the Ninth Circuit's decision could help other file-trading services that have different designs.

 A Win For Intellectual Property (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/14/opinion/14WED2.html>

 Netscape 6.0.1 Feedback (Macinstein)
<http://www.macinstein.com/pressrelease.cfm?ID=785>

 Giants Offer Different Views On Future Of Web-Based Services (MSNBC)
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/530589.asp>
Two giants of the online world presented sharply different views Tuesday of a future in which they both will be scrapping to boost what consumers pay each month for Web-based services. Top executives of AOL Time Warner and Microsoft described their visions in separate sessions attended by hundreds of investors at a technology conference in San Francisco.

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

 The Story Of Linus' Babies (Wired News)
<http://www.wirednews.com/news/culture/0,1284,41778,00.html>
Moody said he was particularly interested in finding out who did what, when, in the world of open-source and free software. But he also wanted to understand the unique dynamics of this community. And he wanted to fit it all together into a coherent picture, rather than present "yet another disjointed geeks-as-freaks exposé."

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

 The Story Of Linus' Babies (Wired News)
<http://www.wirednews.com/news/culture/0,1284,41778,00.html>
Moody said he was particularly interested in finding out who did what, when, in the world of open-source and free software. But he also wanted to understand the unique dynamics of this community. And he wanted to fit it all together into a coherent picture, rather than present "yet another disjointed geeks-as-freaks exposé."

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

 MAD Magazine To Welcome Ads (Deseret News)
<http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,250009482,00.html>
How much for a full-page ad in the unapologetically juvenile magazine? Try $7,500 (Cheap!).

 Standards Sees Layoffs (CNNfn)
<http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2001/02/14/news/standard/>
New economy publication The Industry Standard plans to announce another round of layoffs next week, a source close to the situation told CNNfn.com Wednesday.

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

 Most Parties Welcome Political Donations Act (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,1870,23644,00.html?>
But what irks many of the opposition party leaders is the $5,000 cap on anonymous contributions and the strict definition of donations.

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

 MediaCorp Listing Likely To Be Delayed (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/money/story/0,1870,23726,00.html?>
Weak market sentiment is key reason for postponement of IPO to perhaps second half, say industry observers.

 Most Parties Welcome Political Donations Act (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,1870,23644,00.html?>
But what irks many of the opposition party leaders is the $5,000 cap on anonymous contributions and the strict definition of donations.

 Taxis At Turf Club Charging $40 Per Trip (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,1870,23694,00.html?>
Evelyn Ng Swee Chin: Do the cabbies at the turf club have the right to charge $40 per trip regardless of the passengers' destination?

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

 SingPower's Stake In StarHub Sold (IDG)
<http://www.idg.com.sg/dev/idgnew.nsf/UNID/0C14626170DE5140482569F3002E14F8!opendocument>

== SingaporeSurf (Entertainment) ==============

 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' Movie On TV 8 Next Year (Channel NewsAsia)
<http://sg.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/singapore/cna/article.html?s=singapore/headlines/010215/singapore/cna/_Crouching_Tiger__Hidden_Dragon__movie_on_TV_8_next_year.html>

 Movies This Week (Movies Online)
<http://www.movies-online.com.sg/>
Miss Congeniality (Sandra Bullock, William Shatner, PG); Bounce (Ben Affleck, Gwyneth Paltrow, PG); Dracula 2000 (Johnny Lee Miller, Justine Waddell, PG - Censored); Quills (Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, R(A) - Censored)

 Cantonese Opera Comes To SSO (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/life/story/0,1870,23590,00.html?>
SSO ventures into unchartered waters with Cantonese opera stars from China fronting the stage.

 Mobile TV Bane Of Bus Commuters (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,1870,23730,00.html?>
Wee Kok Chew: Give me a break - I do not want to live with advertisements around me 24 hours a day.