[MyAppleMenu] Mar 18, 2004

Thu Mar 18 13:15:00 EST 2004

MyAppleMenu Newsletter
Thursday, March 18, 2004

MyAppleMenu
==================================================
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/index.html>
Mac News for Mac Users

[Top Stories]

*** Microsoft Takes On Apple
<http://www.iht.com/articles/510808.html>
by Nicola Clark, International Herald Tribune
Microsoft is expected to announce Thursday a series of partnerships linked to the planned introduction of its new hand-held combination music and video players in Europe, a development that Microsoft hopes will give it an edge against Apple and others in the market for portable media devices.

[News]

*** iPod: Core Of A New Apple?
<http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=40b7d444-b59b-400b-966e-15b3d5f862e1>
by Stephen Miles, Financial Post
Digital music player has been touted as a saviour. But are the numbers sustainable?

*** Apple Adds Developer-Support Archive
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=8208>
by Macworld UK
Apple has launched the Apple Developer Collection (ADC) Reference Library -- a comprehensive collection of Aple technical resources, including documentation, technical notes, sample code, technical Q&As, and release notes.

*** More Than A Bunch Of Dates
<http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/17/1079199279353.html>
by Garry Barker, Sydney Morning Herald
iCal, teamed with iSync, is much more than a record of the passing days and greatly enhances the productivity and friendly relationship you have with your Mac.

*** Apple's Ron Okamoto Previews WWDC 2004
<http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/33133.html>
by Robyn Weisman, E-Commerce News
"Year after year, we see more developers with cross-platform experience. Whereas before it was WIndows and Mac, today it is very rich and very diverse. It's some open source, some Java, some Unix, some Windows and some Mac, and that's a really great thing for us."

[Opinion]

*** iSight: Is The Novelty Gone? (Or Do I Have A Face For Text?)
<http://weblog.dendro.com/2004/03/16#031604_isight>
by Sean Gallagher
After an initial flurry of video use, everyone seemed to slide back toward text-only messaging.

*** iTunes Vs. WMA: Round Two
<http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1549735,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532>
by Jason Cross, ExtremeTech

*** Average Joe Still In The Dark About Macs
<http://lowendmac.com/scope/04/0317.html>
by Stephen Van Esch, Low End Mac
There are serious advantages to owning a Mac, and the general public should be made aware of them.

*** Sony Vs. Apple: Sony Takes It Up A Notch
<http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1550233,00.asp>
by Rob Enderle, eWeek
This wouldn't mean that Wintel won and Apple lost; only that Apple has carved out a uniche of unique users whom it serves extremely well.

[Review]

*** Final Cut Pro 4
<http://macdirectory.com/newmd/mac/pages/reviews/finalcutpro4/>
by Ric Getter, MacDirectory
Final Cut Pro 4 remains one of the most remarkable non-linear edit systems ever created.

*** Are You Talking To Me? Speech On Mac OS X
<http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/03/17/speech.html>
by Francois Joseph de Kermadec, O'Reilly Network
Speech really was born again with the introduction of Mac OS X and especially in the two latest releases, Jaguar and Panther.

*** iPods Less Expensive Alternative In Long Run
<http://www.indianastatesman.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/03/17/4057dd5b349f4>
by Mandi Scott, Indiana Statesman
iTunes and iPods team up to create new way to get your favorite music.

[Sidetrack]

I Want My iTMS 
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/2004/03/18/#20040318bg000003>
by Heng-Cheong Leong
Singapore gets its first (?) online music store at StarHub<http://play.starhub.com/>. It does not support the Mac nor the iPod -- and I doubt it will ever will.

Apple, can you hurry and bring iTMS to Singapore?

(Oh, by the way, I am still waiting for photo book printing in iPhoto. Pretty please?)

What Is Important, And What Is Not 
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/2004/03/18/#20040318bg000002>
by Heng-Cheong Leong
All news web site publisher should take a look at this article<http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/stopthepresses_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000464406> by Steve Outing. You may not agree with all the recommendations or conclusions made, but you should at least understand why the recommendations or conclusions.

"The home pages of most news Web sites are too cluttered and suffer from link and content overload. Nearly all handle photography poorly. Page designs are the same day after day..."

Even though MyAppleMenu is not strictly a news site, I'm also guilty of some of the observerations made in the article by Alan Jacobson and Steve Outing.

But what Steve Outing pointed out is accurate: "Web-publishing reality gets in the way. Content management systems often dictate a more structured approach; they accept a basic home-page template that can be tweaked only modestly from day to day. Rare is the CMS that can support the kind of daily changes that a print-edition front-page designer can make."

Yeah, all CMS developers -- the Movable Types, Userlands, and Vignettes -- should also read this article.

What do I plan to do? Look out for more evolution of the MyAppleMenu design. Not today, not tomorrow, but someday. :-)

Mismatch 
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/2004/03/18/#20040318bg000004>
by Heng-Cheong Leong
The tagline of this article<http://slate.msn.com/id/2097296/fr/rss/>: Why are Hollywood actors starring on your PlayStation?

The accompanied illustration: Xbox.

Why? Anything to do with where the money's coming from?

Rumor Today 
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/2004/03/18/#20040318bg000001>
by Heng-Cheong Leong
Apple is getting ready for the new iPod<http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=393>, featuring bigger storage capacity, color screen for displaying photos (and album art?), and the click wheel.

Also, new Power Mac and Display<http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2004/03/20040317111449.shtml> updates will be unveiled anytime now.

[Wintel]

*** Microsoft Embraces Open Source -- With Reservations
<http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/03/17/HNmatusow_1.html>
by Paul Krill, InfoWorld
Microsoft recognizes the benefits of open source but is not prepared to turn over its crown-jewel Windows operating system to the paradigm, according to a Microsoft official speaking at the Open Source Business Conference in San Francisco.

*** E-Mails Give Peek At Microsoft Strategies
<http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-5173992.html>
by Declan McCullagh, CNET News.com
An e-mail message that may become part of a Minnesota antitrust case is providing a rare glimpse into the way a top Microsoft executive tried to persuade an iconic investor to buy into the company's software business.

*** Windows XP Update Gets Face-Lift
<http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-5174903.html>
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Microsoft released a close-to-final version of the second major update to Windows XP, adding new security tools to the operating system.

*** Microsoft-EU Antitrust Settlement Hopes Dim
<http://www.itworld.com/Man/2699/040317settlementdim/>
by Paul Meller, IDG News Service
Hopes of a last-minute settlement dimmed after a morning meeting between competition commissioner Mario Monti and Steve Ballmer broke up early without any apparent meeting of minds, said people close to the talks.

The Tomorrow Weblog
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<http://www.myapplemenu.com/tomorrow/index.html>
Emerging Technology. Innovative Applications. New Economy.

[Top Stories]

*** Is A Reporter's E-Mail Address Really Anyone's Business?
<http://www.ojr.org/ojr/glaser/1079478749.php>
by Mark Glaser, Online Journalism Review
As e-mail becomes an indispensable tool, it will likely become more ingrained in a reporter's day-to-day life. Whether news organizations decide to include all e-mail addresses or some of them, the result will mean more tips and feedback for reporters, and a better understanding of the newsroom process for readers.

*** Sun Reluctant To Make Java Open Source
<http://news.com.com/2100-7344-5173427.html?tag=nl>
by Martin LaMonica, CNET News.com
Sun is reluctant to make Java source code available through an open-source model because it would encourage incompatible versions of the software, Sun's top software executive said.

[News]

*** The Check's No Longer In The Mail
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2789-2004Mar17.html>
by Leslie Walker, Washington Post
Some things you expect to be no-brainers online turn out to be as tricky as a Rubik's cube. Bill payments fall into that category.

*** Who Says Standards Are Sacred?
<http://news.com.com/2010-1013_3-5174908.html>
by Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com
Standardization msotly benefits large companies, not small ones.

*** Newspaper Web Design Is Seriously Flawed
<http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/stopthepresses_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000464406>
by Steve Outing, Editor And Publisher
Experts say it's time for the next generation of navigation, advertising, functionality and home page hierarchy.

*** Microsoft Embraces Open Source -- With Reservations
<http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/03/17/HNmatusow_1.html>
by Paul Krill, InfoWorld
Microsoft recognizes the benefits of open source but is not prepared to turn over its crown-jewel Windows operating system to the paradigm, according to a Microsoft official speaking at the Open Source Business Conference in San Francisco.

*** A TV That Cuts All Cords
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/18/technology/circuits/18stat.html>
by David Pogue, New York Times
You can bring the 11-pound screen anywhere in the house as you work, play or enterain, without being tethered to your home-theater setup.

*** Building The Perfect PDA: How I'd Do It
<http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AnchorDesk/4520-7296_16-5126097.html?tag=adts>
by David Coursey, ZDNet

*** The Both-Source Way To Open Source Revenues
<http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3327101>
by Susan Kuchinskas, InternetNews.com
Many open source vendors are using a combination of free and commercial licenses. They offer some products as free downloads, then charge for proprietary enhancements.

[Internet]

*** The Internet Will Never Be Idiot-Proof
<http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=310932004>
by Stewart Kirkpatrick, The Scotsman
"People are stupid," Culture Club observed in the 1980s, and the information revolution has done nothing to change this.

[Linux]

*** Novell Releases 64-Bit Linux
<http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153585>
by Robert Jaques, vnunet.com
Novell has unveiled what it claims to be the first complete commercial Linux products based on the 2.6 kernel, allowing users to take advantage of Linux on both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms.

*** The Rise And Rise Of The Linux Desktop
<http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/sub/bizit/story/0,4574,111174,00.html?>
by Tang Weng Fai, Business Times
A new power structure could develop as the Linux desktop computer gains momentum, particularly in Asia.

MyAppleMenu Reader
==================================================
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/reader/index.html>
The other things in life

[Tech & Science]

*** The Game's The Thing
<http://slate.msn.com/id/2097296/fr/rss/>
by Clive Thompson, Slate
Why are Hollywood actors starring on your PlayStation?

SingaporeSurf
==================================================
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/singapore/index.html>
Life in the city

[Top Stories]

*** Deciding Who Pays How Much Is About Logic... And Emotion
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,240842,00.html?>
by Tan Tarn How, Straits Times
As some MPs noted yesterday, the devil is in the details.

[News]

*** Changes To Pri 4 Streaming: EM1 And EM2 To Be Merged
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/print/76068/1/.html>
by Channel NewsAsia
>From this year, the EM1 and EM2 streams will be merged and schools will set their own Primary 4 exams.

*** Why Buyers Shun 5-Room, Exec Flats
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,240831,00.html?>
by Straits Times
Size... too big; Price... too high; location... too far away.