[MyAppleMenu] Jul 3, 2001

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu Newsletter

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

OS X Boosts Apple's Security Focus (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-6454334.html?tag=cd_pr>
The rising popularity of the current Mac OS X and the new operating system's foundation in the ubiquitous Unix operating system have started to draw the scrutiny of hackers and security experts. The result: Electronic mailing lists dedicated to security are seeing the first reports of Mac OS X vulnerabilities.

Company Aims To Emulate PowerPC And Mac OS On PC (MacCentral)
<http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0107/03.emulation.shtml>
Emulators Inc. President Darek Mihocka boldly suggested at the MacHack conference that low prices and the considerable power of X86 processors make it more attractive than ever to run the Mac OS on X86 hardware instead of Apple hardware. Emulators' flagship product, SoftMac, emulates the Mac OS as a standard Windows application.

Apple Discontinues Cube (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-6453084.html?tag=owv>
"Cube owners love their Cubes, but most customers decided to buy our powerful Power Mac G4 minitowers instead," Apple vice president Phil Schiller said in a statement.

A White Rabbit, A Crazy Alice, And Mac OS X (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2001/07/alice/>
In other words, this isn't your parents' Alice.

GMTV's iBook Competition Excludes Macs (Macworld UK)
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=3121>
Mac users can't enter an online GMTV competition to win iBooks.

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

OS X Boosts Apple's Security Focus (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-6454334.html?tag=cd_pr>
The rising popularity of the current Mac OS X and the new operating system's foundation in the ubiquitous Unix operating system have started to draw the scrutiny of hackers and security experts. The result: Electronic mailing lists dedicated to security are seeing the first reports of Mac OS X vulnerabilities.

Apple GeForce Graphics 2.1.1 Released (MacCentral)
<http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0107/03.geforce.shtml>
If you use Nvidia extensions with the 1017F version firmware, you'll want to download Apple GeForce Graphics 2.1.1, a graphics card update.

Fizilla: Development Of OS X Native Mozilla (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/news.php?id=7715>
Fizilla, the OS X port of Netscape's open-source Mozilla browser project, has posted a new version based on the latest Mozilla 0.92 release.

Company Aims To Emulate PowerPC And Mac OS On PC (MacCentral)
<http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0107/03.emulation.shtml>
Emulators Inc. President Darek Mihocka boldly suggested at the MacHack conference that low prices and the considerable power of X86 processors make it more attractive than ever to run the Mac OS on X86 hardware instead of Apple hardware. Emulators' flagship product, SoftMac, emulates the Mac OS as a standard Windows application.

Apple Discontinues Cube (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-6453084.html?tag=owv>
"Cube owners love their Cubes, but most customers decided to buy our powerful Power Mac G4 minitowers instead," Apple vice president Phil Schiller said in a statement.

Gamers Get Up Close And Personal (Des Moines Register)
<http://DesMoinesRegister.com/news/stories/c4780940/15140959.html>
Fingers spring into action. Game characters dart across the screen at dizzying speeds to elude gunfire from an enemy packing an arsenal of automatic rifles and bazookas.

A White Rabbit, A Crazy Alice, And Mac OS X (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2001/07/alice/>
In other words, this isn't your parents' Alice.

eKiosk 2.0: Manage Machines In Public Places (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/news.php?id=7699>

GMTV's iBook Competition Excludes Macs (Macworld UK)
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=3121>
Mac users can't enter an online GMTV competition to win iBooks.

Apple's Free CD-RW Drive Offer For UK (Macworld UK)
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=3120>
Apple's free CD-RWs for PowerBook G4 laptops offer has been extended to the UK.

LaCie Ships FireWire 24x/10x/40x CD-RW (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/news.php?id=7692>

Multi-Lingual HTML Editor Released For OS X (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/article/2001/07/02.8.shtml>
Muwse allows users to easily create Web sites in a number of languages, and the latest version is Carbonized to run natively under Mac OS X.

Size Does Matter When It's Small (Daily Yomiuri)
<http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20010703wo61.htm>
Now, PCs are so passe that only Apple can really rustle up any enthusiasm for a new product, such as its shimmering white iBook laptop.

Hollywood Computers Grow Up (Washington Times)
<http://www.washtimes.com/technology/oncomputers-20017220473.htm>
Besides watching movie trailers, those QuickTime TV channels are a nice touch.

== AppleSurf (Opinion) ===============

Switching Teams (phonezilla9)
<http://phonezilla.net/misc/teams.php>
If you told me just one year ago - heck, even just six months ago! - that I'd be totally geeking over a Mac, I would have laughed you out of the state.

Discussion: Has The Mac Lost Its Next Generation? (MacSlash)
<http://www.macslash.com/article.pl?sid=01/07/03/1636253>
I mean, yes, I think the latest generation cares less about which operating system I use, but I don't know if that's a bad thing for the Mac OS users.

So Long Cube! Apple Officially Kills The Cube (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/article/2001/07/03.11.shtml>
It is more likely we will see new fanless G4 towers, and a return to the Four Corner model with some aspects of the Cube rolled into both the new iMac and new PowerMac G4 line.

Dealing With The PowerBook G3 Series Display Hinge Failure Defect (MacOPINION)
<http://www.macopinion.com/columns/roadwarrior/01/07/03/index.html>

The Apple PDA - Cheese Looking for A Mouse (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/perl/story/11710.html>
Many industry observers believe the Newton, the groundbreaking handheld organizer from Apple Computer and one of the company's buried treasures, was an intriguing and revolutionary failure. At the same time, we still want a new Apple personal digital assistant (PDA) to take its place. Rumors of an iPhone, an iPad, or an Apple-branded Palm OS machine predictably surface whenever a large Apple event looms on the horizon.

[corrected link] Del Miller: One Dead Opossum (Applelinks)
<http://www.applelinks.com/abacus/dead_opossum.shtml>
A dead opossum in my garden box and Microsoft's .NET strategy have more in common than you might think.

Has Substance Finally Upstaged Form? (Sydney Morning Hearld)
<http://it.mycareer.com.au/opinion/macman/2001/07/03/FFXNH3V4NOC.html>
As Macworld Expo New York approaches the old rumour mill is beginning to churn out its chestnuts for the Apple fraternity. As usual they range from the intriguing to the downright impossible but, as General Custer once said about his exchanges of opinion with Chief Crazy Horse, dullness is not one of their attributes.

The Apple PDA - Cheese Looking For A Mouse (osOpinion)
<http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nf/20010702/tc/11710_1.html>
There is a strong market for an Apple PDA, and if users salivate over phony mock-ups of products that do not exist, Apple could profit considerably by making those myths become reality.

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

Learning Carbon (Applelust.com)
<http://www.applelust.com/resources/books/archives/learning_carbon.html>
Novices should find the reading to be easy, advanced programmers will probably be flipping through the pages. But there's enough information there that it is likely Carbon experts may also learn a pointer or two.

Risk II (ATPM)
<http://www.atpm.com/7.07/risk-ii.shtml>
Its shortcomings are big enough to barely withhold it from an Excellent rating, but only barely.

Now Contact And Up-To-Date 4.0 (ATPM)
<http://www.atpm.com/7.07/now-contact.shtml>
Whether you're in the market for a new application with the promise of an OS X future to replace your aging PIM, or are simply drowning in appointments and phone numbers, why not give Now Contact and Up-to-Date a try?

Computer Shopping: Ask The People Who Make 'Em (Scripps Howard News Service)
<http://augustachronicle.com/stories/070301/tec_124-4912.shtml>
Shopping for a computer for a student in high school or college may seem like a daunting task for parents, but computer companies are ready to help.

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

Don't Look For An Appeal Or A New Trial For Microsoft (TheStreet.com)
<http://www.thestreet.com/comment/techsavvy/1478821.html>
When you build your case theory around a couple of big points and then the appeals judges knock those out from under you, it's hard to stand in front of yet another appeals court -- especially the U.S. Supremes -- and say the Court of Appeals missed the point.

Microsoft's Arrogance May Backfire (San Jose Mercury News)
<http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/opinion/svguest/pk070301.htm>
It's now up to Microsoft to prove that [Jackson] was wrong. Otherwise, we'll see them back in court -- and the next judge will keep his mouth shut but carry a big stick.

Silenced By Microsoft? (The Two Way Web)
<http://www.thetwowayweb.com/stories/storyReader$56>
At the time, I was asked whether this unexpected move (my column was among InfoWorld's most popular) was due to pressure by Microsoft. My answer: I had no hard evidence, but it certainly could have been.

Kodak Tangles With Microsoft Over Win XP (Wall Street Journal)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2781900,00.html>
Kodak's story offers a snapshot of a now-familiar tale in the software business. Despite the government's antitrust case against Microsoft, which was partly upheld and partly reversed by a U.S. Court of Appeals last week, the software giant continues to use its monopoly operating-system software as a lever to pry its way into new businesses. And companies such as Kodak are responding by crying foul, hiring antitrust lawyers and lobbyists.

Microsoft Employees Are Business As Usual (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-6440690.html?tag=ch_mh>
Thursday's appeals court decision, which spared Microsoft a breakup but said it illegally maintained an operating systems monopoly, seems to have landed with a dull thud on the company's Redmond, Wash., campus.

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

Company Aims To Emulate PowerPC And Mac OS On PC (MacCentral)
<http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0107/03.emulation.shtml>
Emulators Inc. President Darek Mihocka boldly suggested at the MacHack conference that low prices and the considerable power of X86 processors make it more attractive than ever to run the Mac OS on X86 hardware instead of Apple hardware. Emulators' flagship product, SoftMac, emulates the Mac OS as a standard Windows application.

Private Lawsuits Could Cost Microsoft Billions (IDG)
<http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/industry/07/03/ms.pvt.suits.idg/index.html>
An appeals court ruling to uphold a lower court decision that Microsoft Corp. illegally used its desktop operating system monopoly puts the software maker in danger of facing billions of dollars in damages from private antitrust lawsuits, analysts and legal experts said Friday.

MSFT Case Anything But Resolved (Industry Standard)
<http://www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,27671,00.html>
The courts have yet to fully decide which new software Microsoft may integrate with Windows - and in some ways this brings us back to the beginning.

Don't Look For An Appeal Or A New Trial For Microsoft (TheStreet.com)
<http://www.thestreet.com/comment/techsavvy/1478821.html>
When you build your case theory around a couple of big points and then the appeals judges knock those out from under you, it's hard to stand in front of yet another appeals court -- especially the U.S. Supremes -- and say the Court of Appeals missed the point.

Will Microsoft Embrace Or Deface XML? (eWEEK)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2780550,00.html>
In my reviews of XML standards and Microsoft's .net products, I've consistently questioned whether Microsoft will support the standards and, if so, how fully. Well, just about two months after the release of the key XML Schema standard, it looks as if Microsoft is going for full support of the standards, rather than its more common embrace-and-extend strategy.

Microsoft's Gamble Leaves It Vulnerable (Los Angeles Times)
<http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/20010703/t000054777.html>
Gambling he could prevail in the federal courts, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates rejected a settlement with the Justice Department last year that would have put strict antitrust limits on his company. Now he must be wondering if he should have accepted the offer.

Intel To Launch First Xscale In September (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/3/20140.html>
Intel will unveil a new processor based on its ARM-derived XScale architecture in September. And the chip giant may have signed up Palm among its first major customers.

Microsoft's Arrogance May Backfire (San Jose Mercury News)
<http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/opinion/svguest/pk070301.htm>
It's now up to Microsoft to prove that [Jackson] was wrong. Otherwise, we'll see them back in court -- and the next judge will keep his mouth shut but carry a big stick.

Silenced By Microsoft? (The Two Way Web)
<http://www.thetwowayweb.com/stories/storyReader$56>
At the time, I was asked whether this unexpected move (my column was among InfoWorld's most popular) was due to pressure by Microsoft. My answer: I had no hard evidence, but it certainly could have been.

Microsoft Ruling: Everybody Wins (Interactive Week)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2781354,00.html>
Last week's unanimous appeals court decision overturning substantive portions of the Microsoft antitrust verdict took everyone by surprise. Anticipating a complete victory for Microsoft, reporters had already lined up industry wags and economists to rail against the ruling as the death of antitrust enforcement.

Microsoft: Two-Pronged Open-Source Attack (Interactive Week)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2781638,00.html>
Microsoft is launching a two-pronged offensive against what it sees as its chief competition on the Internet: open source code.

Microsoft Releases XP Preview Version (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-6440086.html?tag=owv>
Microsoft on Monday started distributing one of the final testing versions of its Windows XP operating system to about 100,000 testers.

Analysts Slash Estimates For PC Makers (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-6440686.html?tag=ch_mh>
Two big names in the PC industry are likely to miss estimates in their upcoming quarters, according to analysts who lowered projections for Gateway and Compaq Computer Monday.

Computer Shopping: Ask The People Who Make 'Em (Scripps Howard News Service)
<http://augustachronicle.com/stories/070301/tec_124-4912.shtml>
Shopping for a computer for a student in high school or college may seem like a daunting task for parents, but computer companies are ready to help.

Kodak Tangles With Microsoft Over Win XP (Wall Street Journal)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2781900,00.html>
Kodak's story offers a snapshot of a now-familiar tale in the software business. Despite the government's antitrust case against Microsoft, which was partly upheld and partly reversed by a U.S. Court of Appeals last week, the software giant continues to use its monopoly operating-system software as a lever to pry its way into new businesses. And companies such as Kodak are responding by crying foul, hiring antitrust lawyers and lobbyists.

Microsoft's Next Trial To Be In Europe (Interactive Week)
<http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,s2090501,00.html>
A European Commission probe into Microsoft's market practices could mean trouble for the company despite it having won its US battle.

Microsoft Employees Are Business As Usual (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-6440690.html?tag=ch_mh>
Thursday's appeals court decision, which spared Microsoft a breakup but said it illegally maintained an operating systems monopoly, seems to have landed with a dull thud on the company's Redmond, Wash., campus.

Compaq CEO Explains Processor Shift (eWEEK)
<http://www.zdnet.com/eweek/stories/general/0,11011,2781578,00.html>
It was sort of a transitional thing as we thought through and understood Intel's strategy and as they understood our strategy and as we really listened to what the customers wanted—and so this one was one of those that percolated through time.

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

Slashdot In The Balance? As Parent Company Struggles, Fiercely Independent Geek Site Is Newly Vulnerable (Inside)
<http://www.inside.com/jcs/Story?article_id=33819&pod_id=13>
As part of VA Linux, the open-source movement's virtual water-cooler, confessional and meeting hall gained additional resources. But now its future is in the hands of others.

Web Tips And Rants (Low End Mac)
<http://lowendmac.com/tech/webtips.html>
It was about five years ago that I first used the Web -- and four-and-a-half that I started building my own Web pages using Claris Home Page. I've learned a lot along the way, some of it the hard way.

E-Mail Is In The Doghouse At Work (ZDNet UK)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2781892,00.html>
Recent surveys suggest that despite a growing number of e-mails being sent, users increasingly prefer other types of communication. Analysts say one reason for this shift may be that the growth of e-mail is causing information overload, and firms should therefore introduce new policies on e-mail use or risk lower productivity.

Napster Unplugged (Industry Standard)
<http://www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,27650,00.html>
Napster pulled the plug on its song-swapping service late Sunday night because of glitches in its music database.

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

Hackers May Profit From Spam (Interactive Week)
<http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/zd/20010703/tc/hackers_may_profit_from_spam_1.html>
Several small Internet service providers have been shocked to see some of their most unlikely users turn into spammers. But it turns out the users are unwitting tools of a new virus that experts say is the first case they've seen of hackers finding a way to commercially exploit their skills.

Fizilla: Development Of OS X Native Mozilla (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/news.php?id=7715>
Fizilla, the OS X port of Netscape's open-source Mozilla browser project, has posted a new version based on the latest Mozilla 0.92 release.

Slashdot In The Balance? As Parent Company Struggles, Fiercely Independent Geek Site Is Newly Vulnerable (Inside)
<http://www.inside.com/jcs/Story?article_id=33819&pod_id=13>
As part of VA Linux, the open-source movement's virtual water-cooler, confessional and meeting hall gained additional resources. But now its future is in the hands of others.

Web Tips And Rants (Low End Mac)
<http://lowendmac.com/tech/webtips.html>
It was about five years ago that I first used the Web -- and four-and-a-half that I started building my own Web pages using Claris Home Page. I've learned a lot along the way, some of it the hard way.

Will Microsoft Embrace Or Deface XML? (eWEEK)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2780550,00.html>
In my reviews of XML standards and Microsoft's .net products, I've consistently questioned whether Microsoft will support the standards and, if so, how fully. Well, just about two months after the release of the key XML Schema standard, it looks as if Microsoft is going for full support of the standards, rather than its more common embrace-and-extend strategy.

Most Hacking Hides Real Threats (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,44955,00.html>
The high profile of such relatively inconsequential online political warfare as denial-of-service attacks and playful site defacement has the general public distracted from much graver risks.

Another 53 Internet Firms Closed In June (Reuters)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-6447369.html?tag=owv>
Another 53 Internet companies closed in June, bringing the total of dot-com sector companies to shutter in the past year and a half to 555 or more, Webmergers.com said Tuesday.

Silenced By Microsoft? (The Two Way Web)
<http://www.thetwowayweb.com/stories/storyReader$56>
At the time, I was asked whether this unexpected move (my column was among InfoWorld's most popular) was due to pressure by Microsoft. My answer: I had no hard evidence, but it certainly could have been.

Multi-Lingual HTML Editor Released For OS X (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/article/2001/07/02.8.shtml>
Muwse allows users to easily create Web sites in a number of languages, and the latest version is Carbonized to run natively under Mac OS X.

E-Mail Is In The Doghouse At Work (ZDNet UK)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2781892,00.html>
Recent surveys suggest that despite a growing number of e-mails being sent, users increasingly prefer other types of communication. Analysts say one reason for this shift may be that the growth of e-mail is causing information overload, and firms should therefore introduce new policies on e-mail use or risk lower productivity.

Napster Unplugged (Industry Standard)
<http://www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,27650,00.html>
Napster pulled the plug on its song-swapping service late Sunday night because of glitches in its music database.

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

Slashdot In The Balance? As Parent Company Struggles, Fiercely Independent Geek Site Is Newly Vulnerable (Inside)
<http://www.inside.com/jcs/Story?article_id=33819&pod_id=13>
As part of VA Linux, the open-source movement's virtual water-cooler, confessional and meeting hall gained additional resources. But now its future is in the hands of others.

Microsoft: Two-Pronged Open-Source Attack (Interactive Week)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2781638,00.html>
Microsoft is launching a two-pronged offensive against what it sees as its chief competition on the Internet: open source code.

Linux Standard Eases Programming (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-6445478.html?tag=owv>
An industry group has released the first version of a standard designed to make it easier to write Linux software by guaranteeing that different versions of Linux work similarly.

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

Lobby Groups Want Singapore To Be More Transparent (Business Times Singapore)
<http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,2276,13389,00.html?>
Before introducing a new regulation or amending an existing one, government agencies should invite public comments, take the comments into account, and hold public hearings when appropriate. They should also draft regulations in a clear and understandable manner and ensure that market participants have a reasonable time to become familiar with them.

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

Lobby Groups Want Singapore To Be More Transparent (Business Times Singapore)
<http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,2276,13389,00.html?>
Before introducing a new regulation or amending an existing one, government agencies should invite public comments, take the comments into account, and hold public hearings when appropriate. They should also draft regulations in a clear and understandable manner and ensure that market participants have a reasonable time to become familiar with them.

'Media War And Pricing' Hurt Eyeball (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,1870,54885,00.html?>
He hoped that in spite of the competition, the two main newspapers, The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao, would still maintain their quality and focus on issues important to nation-building.

Media Watchdog Gets It License (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,1870,54893,00.html?>
The licence was given two weeks ago on June 19, but the group, which has about 20 advisory-council members, did not realise it until a few days ago, said Dr Tan Chong Kee, who is part of the group.