[MyAppleMenu] Mar 9, 2001

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu Newsletter

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

Apple Offers Taste Of Upcoming OS X (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-5074594.html>
Apple Computer executives are offering a small sneak peek into its highly anticipated new operating system, but are asking fans to focus on what OS X will have, not on what it's missing.

Prep Your Mac For OS X (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.com/itc/010309.html>
Follow these easy steps and you'll be playing with OS X, and enjoying the familiarities of previous versions in no time at all.

Cheaper Power Mac Unveiled, Sans DVD Burner (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-5067251.html?tag=lh>
For those who only want the "power to burn" CDs, Apple Computer introduced a cheaper version of its fastest desktop computer Thursday.

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

Developers Get OS X Release Candidate (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/news.php?id=4169>

OS X To Include QuickTime 5 Final (MacNN)
<http://www.macnn.com/news.php?id=4157>

Apple To Dub First X Release As Mac OS X 10.0 (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/article/2001/03/09.8.shtml>
Ugh, blech! Bah!

Apple Offers Taste Of Upcoming OS X (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-5074594.html>
Apple Computer executives are offering a small sneak peek into its highly anticipated new operating system, but are asking fans to focus on what OS X will have, not on what it's missing.

Apple Patents Desktop Themes (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/39/17461.html>
Microsoft's plan to providing Windows XP (aka Whistler) with interface themes (aka skins) may be knocked on the head by Apple, which has patented desktop themes.

Apple Event To Sell Mac OS X Midnight 23/24 March (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/39/17464.html>
Want to get your hands on MacOS X as early as possible? Apple UK will be selling its next-generation operating system as soon as the clock chimes midnight on Friday 23 March.

Teaching Untethered Future Teachers (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/education/hed/macsinaction/cortland/>
Making connections for students among mathematics, science, social studies, and educational technology is no small feat for teachers. But the State University of New York (SUNY) Cortland has hit upon an innovative approach: iBook computers and QuickTime videos now help bring the four subjects into focus for New York’s elementary school instructors of tomorrow.

Apple UK Plans OS X Parties (Macworld UK)
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/top_news_item.cfm?NewsID=2594>
The launch party offers free refreshments, food, live music and a selection of one-off deals.

Mac OS X Classic Faster Than Expected? (MacCentral)
<http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0103/09.classic.shtml>
With Mac OS X having gone "gold master" and being prepped for production, there have been reports that the Classic environment is very slow. However, other sources have told MacCentral that it will be much zippier than reports have indicated.

Mac OS X Takes A Walk On The Unix Side (Government Computer News)
<http://www.gcn.com/vol20_no5/reviews/3747-1.html>
It’s not strictly open-source, and it needs more big apps, but this OS will be instantly familiar to Linux and Unix users.

Cheaper Power Mac Unveiled, Sans DVD Burner (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-5067251.html?tag=lh>
For those who only want the "power to burn" CDs, Apple Computer introduced a cheaper version of its fastest desktop computer Thursday.

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

Survey Says... (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.com/musings/harris.html>
The mere fact that this survey found Mac users are 47% likely to leave the Mac behind when they buy a new computer. That's disturbing.

Ups & Downs To Apple Retail Store (Macinstein)
<http://www.macinstein.com/pressrelease.cfm?ID=828>
As a consumer, I am excited about the idea, but I do have a sympathetic ear to those Apple retailers I have grown to know over the years, seeing how close to the margin they live to survive.

Apple Banks On OS X - Wisely? (IT Week)
<http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/2001/8/ns-21321.html>
Apple's OS X platform, which will ship on 24 March, is vital to Apple's future, but the operating system could be hampered by incompatibility with recent products, according to industry watchers.

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

Que! M2 QuadSlim Drive (Applelinks.com)
<http://www.applelinks.com/mooresviews/quadslim.shtml>
After battling the idiosyncrasies and weirdnesses of SCSI all these years, the no-hassle flexibility and user-friendliness of FireWire is a breath of fresh air, and the Que! M2 drive is a superb product.

Does The Flower Power iMac Have More Graphics Power Or Is It Just A Deeper Snow Job? (Bare Feats)
<http://www.barefeats.com/iMac8.html>
Sorry, folks. If graphics speed is your desire, the iMac isn't going to satisfy you. If you are a serious 3D graphics user or 3D game nut, you are going to what a G4/466 Minitower with a fast graphics card.

Prep Your Mac For OS X (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.com/itc/010309.html>
Follow these easy steps and you'll be playing with OS X, and enjoying the familiarities of previous versions in no time at all.

It Doesn't Get Any Worse (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.com/archive/010309.html>
It seems as if everyone who works on computers has some bad/good/difficult upgrade and repair stories. I always find these stories interesting to read. Here a few of my own for your reading pleasure.

Two Months Later: Titanium Reliability Report, What Works Well, What's Broken (The PowerBook Zone)
<http://www.pbzone.com/index.shtml#reliability>

G4 Speakers (MacNN)
<http://reviews.macnn.com/reviews/prospeakers/prospeakers.phtml>
Ultimately, it will be both your aural and visual preferences that dictate which solution—if any—you go with. And while it goes without saying that superior alternatives exist that carry the same price tag as these systems, as every Mac user knows, specs aren't the only thing that counts.

Silence Is Golden: The Quest For Quiet Computing (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.com/misc/010308.html>
I'm a big fan of silence, whether while hiking or while computing. And certain Macs are some of the quietest computers -- perhaps the quietest -- and they always have been.

Simon The Sorcerer II (MacNN)
<http://reviews.macnn.com/reviews/simon2/simon2.phtml>
Simon the Sorcerer II is a nice diversion for those interested in adventure gaming, but for most the dated graphics and annoying flaws will be too much to handle.

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

If Intel Warns, Can Microsoft Be Far Behind? (TheStreet.com)
<http://www.thestreet.com/tech/software/1336582.html>
Nearly 70% of Microsoft's sales are tied to PCs.

Intel: One Step Closer To 10GHz (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5079256,00.html?chkpt=zdnn_rt_latest>
Intel passed another milestone this week in the development of a key technology for creating processors that run more than five times faster than current chips.

New Microsoft Office Faces Dual Obstacles (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-5067906.html?tag=owv>
When Microsoft releases Office XP in a few months, the company will face off against its two toughest competitors: software pirates and, well, Microsoft.

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

Tech Stocks Slump On Intel Warning (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-5076347.html?tag=ch_mh>
Technology stocks took a beating at midday Friday as the market continued to react to warnings from bellwethers.

Compaq To Double Memory In Its iPaq Pocket PC (InfoWorld)
<http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/ptech/03/09/compaq.ipaq.idg/index.html>

Microsoft's Ironic Valentine (Linux.com)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2693472,00.html>
Giving Microsoft -- or any other large, proprietary software company -- the control they want over the Internet would be just as ruinous to the entire technology industry as would the closing of all sources of sunlight to the industries of 19th century France. But we're not worried.

Global Woes A Part Of Intel's Worries (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-5075871.html?tag=owv>
Analysts said Friday they are worried that Intel's job cuts and warning of a revenue shortfall could be a sign of trouble overseas.

Apple Patents Desktop Themes (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/39/17461.html>
Microsoft's plan to providing Windows XP (aka Whistler) with interface themes (aka skins) may be knocked on the head by Apple, which has patented desktop themes.

Russian Mafia Uses NT Flaws To Raid Internet Banks (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/8/17456.html>
Eastern European crackers have spent a year systematically exploiting known NT vulnerabilities to raid online banking and ecommerce systems.

Microsoft Predictions Coming To Pass (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/perl/story/8045.html>
All big companies tell the government to get lost when things are going well, but go cap-in-hand to scrounge off the taxpayer when things aren't so good.

Thoughts On Microsoft Trial (osOpinion)
<http://www.osopinion.com/perl/story/8046.html>
It would be great to think that the courts and the government are smart enough not to let a rogue company like Microsoft run unchecked again.

MS Blurring The Lines: Will 'Experience' Be Worth The Costs? (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2694019,00.html>

With Sales Hurting And Few Signs Of A Pickup, There's Little Intel Upside (TheStreet.com)
<http://www.thestreet.com/tech/semis/1336513.html>
While still maintaining some optimism that the year's second half would improve, officials, when queried on a conference call, couldn't point to any signs that show an improvement in demand, as the slowdown has spread from the PC sector to the networking, communications and server sectors.

If Intel Warns, Can Microsoft Be Far Behind? (TheStreet.com)
<http://www.thestreet.com/tech/software/1336582.html>
Nearly 70% of Microsoft's sales are tied to PCs.

Microsoft's Hailstorm To Hit (eWEEK)
<http://www.zdnet.com/eweek/stories/general/0,11011,2693882,00.html>
Microsoft Corp. will formally introduce its Hailstorm Web services development platform initiative to the market in a marathon 14-hour session next week in Redmond, Wash.

Intel To Cut 5,000 Jobs, Warns On Revenue (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-5069610.html?tag=owv>
Intel slashed its earnings forecast again Thursday and announced it would cut 5,000 jobs--about 6 percent of its work force--over the next nine months.

Security Of Windows/Office XP Activation Code? (Slashdot)
<http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/03/08/189248>

Intel: One Step Closer To 10GHz (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5079256,00.html?chkpt=zdnn_rt_latest>
Intel passed another milestone this week in the development of a key technology for creating processors that run more than five times faster than current chips.

Intel Warns Sales To Fall Below Expectations (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/08/technology/08CND-CHIP.html>
Providing perhaps the strongest evidence yet of the deepening difficulties at technology companies, the Intel Corporation warned late today that its revenues would fall about 25 percent in the current quarter from its previous quarter.

Microsoft Co-Opts Open Source Approach (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-201-5067896-0.html?tag=lh>
In a major extension of corporate policy, Microsoft has quietly started a program to provide selected large enterprise customers with copies of the source code for Windows 2000 (Professional, Server, Advanced Server and Data Center), Windows XP (released betas) and all related service packs.

New Microsoft Office Faces Dual Obstacles (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-5067906.html?tag=owv>
When Microsoft releases Office XP in a few months, the company will face off against its two toughest competitors: software pirates and, well, Microsoft.

Microsoft Is Us (Forbes)
<http://www.forbes.com/2001/03/08/0308malone.html>

Cracks Appear For Latest WinXP Protection Tech (The Register)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/17438.html>
Within 24 hours of the build leaking out onto the Web, cracks for the protection system were being published.

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

The Dreams Of Webzines Fizzle Out (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/09/technology/09ZINE.html?pagewanted=all>
Five years ago, Slate and Salon arrived amid proclamations that "Webzines" would become a multibillion-dollar business and displace print publications by stealing their readers and sucking their advertising dry. Many people, including not a few print publishers, believed it. But none of it happened.

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

Ad Slowdown Hits Cnet (Financial Times)
<http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3NM5FR2KC&live=true&useoverridetemplate=ZZZUGORQ00C&tagid=ZZZAU2EX70C&subheading=us>
Cnet, the online media group, lowered its first-quarter forecast yesterday due to the spending slowdown by internet and technology companies, which comprise more than half its advertisers.

Start-Up To Tune Napster Fans Into Net Radio (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5078895.html?tag=lh>
The free software application, set to launch Monday from Internet research and development company The Audio Mill, will work like a VCR for Internet radio. Music fans will be able to search for their favorite artists from a list of thousands of Internet radio stations and then record songs onto a computer.

One Click Setback For Amazon (Slashdot)
<http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/03/09/123244>

Improving AOL 5.0 (Low End Mac)
<http://www.lowendmac.com/macdan/010309ek.html>
One of the most vexing problems with AOL 5.0 is that its browser is painfully slow, not to mention very unstable.

The Dreams Of Webzines Fizzle Out (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/09/technology/09ZINE.html?pagewanted=all>
Five years ago, Slate and Salon arrived amid proclamations that "Webzines" would become a multibillion-dollar business and displace print publications by stealing their readers and sucking their advertising dry. Many people, including not a few print publishers, believed it. But none of it happened.

IP Addresses Have Us Driving In Circles (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2693395,00.html>
The problem is, the Internet's mechanism for finding machines, the Domain Name System, relies on domains assigned to fixed IP addresses. This leaves most PCs and other devices unnamed and unreachable.

Yahoo Shares Remain Too Steep (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5064552.html?tag=owv>
Shares of Yahoo fell 16 percent Thursday, but analysts said the Internet portal's stock is still too expensive, considering its 2001 earnings will be substantially lower and CEO Tim Koogle is stepping aside.

EarthLink Promises "Anonymous" Web Surfing (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5068930.html?tag=lh>
EarthLink is mining privacy paranoia in a bid to sign up new subscribers, a move that could add new heat to marketing battles in the bitterly competitive Internet access business.

Like The Blizzard Of '01, Yahoo's News Anticlimactic (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5062656.html?tag=owv>
We just can't get rid of the overdramatization these days.

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

Even Among Big Names, Linux OS Has A Future (Internet.com)
<http://cyberatlas.internet.com/big_picture/hardware/article/0,,5921_708871,00.html>
Linux remains well behind operating systems such as Microsoft's NT and Sun's Solaris, but the open-source system does have a future in corporate computing, according to a survey by internet.com Corp.

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

Microsoft's Ironic Valentine (Linux.com)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2693472,00.html>
Giving Microsoft -- or any other large, proprietary software company -- the control they want over the Internet would be just as ruinous to the entire technology industry as would the closing of all sources of sunlight to the industries of 19th century France. But we're not worried.

Even Among Big Names, Linux OS Has A Future (Internet.com)
<http://cyberatlas.internet.com/big_picture/hardware/article/0,,5921_708871,00.html>
Linux remains well behind operating systems such as Microsoft's NT and Sun's Solaris, but the open-source system does have a future in corporate computing, according to a survey by internet.com Corp.

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

Case May Be Given More Power (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,1870,28449,00.html?>
Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Peter Chen said yesterday his ministry will work with Case on a framework which may see it act like a 'fair-trading office'.

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

Amendment To Keep Foreign Broadcasters Out Of Local Politics (Channel NewsAsia)
<http://sg.news.yahoo.com/010309/5/jr0h.html>
The Newspaper and Printing Presses Act already establishes this principle for foreign newspapers and magazines, and Mr Lee will soon introduce an amendment bill to cover foreign broadcasters.

Public Transport To Be Made More Family-Friendly (Channel NewsAsia)
<http://sg.news.yahoo.com/010309/5/jr0g.html>

Let's Not Get Personal, Horn Kee tells Media (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,1870,28567,00.html?>
People's Action Party MP Leong Horn Kee yesterday took the media to task for what he saw as an increasing tendency to focus on Members of Parliament, rather than the issues they raise.

Case May Be Given More Power (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,1870,28449,00.html?>
Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Peter Chen said yesterday his ministry will work with Case on a framework which may see it act like a 'fair-trading office'.

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

Magix Speeds Up (Project Eyeball)
<http://eyeball.asia1.com.sg/Eyeball/Story/0,1381,14502,00.html?>
It's the fastest all-you-can-surf broadband access plan you can find in Singapore. The catch: it will cost you an arm and a leg.

HK SAR Firms Sweep Internet World Asia Industry Awards (Singapore.Internet.com)
<http://singapore.internet.com/r/article/jsp/sid/718>
Last night's gala event at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Singapore saw companies from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) walking off with more than half of the awards being given out for this year's Internet World Asia Awards, organized by Penton Media.

Government Cuts 3G Auction Reserve Price By $50m (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/primenews/story/0,1870,28456,00.html?>
Unexpected move comes just seven weeks after it said no major change would be made to 3G licensing process.

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

For Kids Aged Four To 40 (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/life/story/0,1870,28411,00.html?>
The Singapore Symphonia Company's The Music Carousel may just be the key to happy school holidays for the whole family.