[MyAppleMenu] May 5, 2004

Wed May 5 13:15:00 EDT 2004

MyAppleMenu Newsletter
Wednesday, May 5, 2004

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

[Top Stories]

*** Student Hacks iTunes For Compatibility
<http://www.securityfocus.com/news/8561>
by Patrick Gray, SecurityFocus
According to the Australian researcher who cracked the authentication used by Apple's iTunes software, current-generation Digital Rights Management (DRM) will never work.

*** Apple's iPod Lead Creates New Challenges, Analysts Say
<http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=5038298>
by Duncan Martell, Reuters
The runaway success of the iPod poses a happy problem for Apple that the computer maker has not had in years: how to remain the market favorite, not just the favorite underdog.

[News]

*** Laptop Program Given New Lease On Life
<http://www.wmtw.com/Global/story.asp?S=1837773>
by Associated Press
Just when it looked like a proposal to expand the state's laptop computer program to high schools was dead, the Baldacci administration has managed to bring it back to life.

*** Apple Deleting Criticism On 15" PowerBook Issue
<http://www.boingboing.net/2004/05/04/apple_deleting_criti.html>
by Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

*** Mo' Better Blogging With Newton
<http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,63317,00.html?tw=rss.TOP>
by Leander Kahney, Wired News
Further proof that Apple's Newton will never die: A Seattle blogger is using the brick-like PDA to run the very latest in personal publishing -- a mobile blog.

*** Sony Unveils Music Service, Mulls 'iPod Killer'
<http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=musicNews&storyID=5039821&section=news>
by Sue Zeidler, Reuters
Sony became the latest entrant into the increasingly crowded online music market.

*** MSN Messenger 4.0 Released
<http://www.macminute.com/2004/05/04/msnmessenger>
by MacMinute
Version 4.0 brings Office 2004 and Entourage integration, spam filter, Hotmail support, and more.

*** Inside Apple's G5 Shift
<http://www.macnewsworld.com/story/machardware/33628.html>
by Jack M. Germain, MacNewsWorld

*** Not So QuickThinking
<http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/cultofmac/index.blog?entry_id=303337>
by Leadner Kahney, Cult Of Mac
Why is the QuickTime updater so much larger than the actual installer? Some genius at Apple aed 15 MBytes in the form of 15 identical QuickTime logos, each weighing 1 Mbyte each.

*** Apple Changes .Mac Support
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=8586>
by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK
Tech support for .Mac used to be forum-based. The move to email support means no new topics can be created in any of the existing forums.

*** Not In Our Backyard
<http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/story.jsp?story=518148>
by Charles Arthur, Independent
Well-placed industry sources revealed that the record companies are now scared that the European iTunes Music Store will dominate rivals -- and dictate the future direction of online music.

*** Mac OS X Riddled With Security Holes
<http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsid=1497>
by Kieren McCarthy, Techworld.com
Apple is downplaying the issue but one security company at least is concerned that the vulnerabilities could be extremely serious.

Editor's Notes : This news article sounded like a press release from the security company.

[Opinion]

*** iShoot, Apple's Next Consumer Play?
<http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/index.php?topic_id=5365&sid=2149eb8500af6f68032c88a8a884378e>
by Kent Pribbernow, Digital Media Thoughts
It makes perfect sense to me that Apple will create an amazing digital camera and leverage iPhoto in new ways, ways that we haven't thought of.

Editor's Notes : Pair this "rumor" with the other rumor that the next generation of iPods will sport a color screen for your photos, and your imagination can run wild.

*** It's Time For An iPod IPO
<http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2004/tc2004055_8689_tc056.htm>
by Alex Salkever, BusinessWeek
For Apple, the best move right now is to spin out iPod and pocket the cash, because Wall Street's current euphoria marks the market's peak. Although Apple would be loath to admit it, digital music players are on the verge of commoditization.

*** AirHub
<http://www.mrbarrett.com/mt/archives/2004_05_04.html>
by Damien Barrett
How long before Apple really upgrades their AirPort Base Station, and not just with the new Power-over-Ethernet option? How long before they start turning it into the digital hub it could be?

*** The Challenge Apple Faces In Enterprise Computing
<http://www.macnewsworld.com/story/macenterprise/33624.html>
by Paul Murphy, MacNewsWorld
The bottom line is that trying to sell tomorrow's ideas to yesterday's people is a recipe for yet another failure to crack the enterpris market.

[Review]

*** Apple OS X 10.3
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php?id=1177153848&fp=16&fpid=0>
by Neal Weinberg, Network World
While we found only nominal performance increase, Panther shows a determination on Apple's part to be taken seriously in the server operating system market.

*** RAW, iPhoto, And Mac OS X
<http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/05/04/iphoto_raw.html>
by Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network
To manage RAW files, you simply need to add a few easy steps to your existing workflow to keep misery at bay.

[Wintel]

*** MS Opens Hotmail To Bulk Mailers
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/05/ms_bonded_sender/>
by John Leyden, The Register
Microsoft said yesterday that it had introduced a white list scheme to allow well-behaved email marketing firms to reach its customers without falling foul of its spam filters.

*** Viruses Can Be Tamed -- By Upgrading Users' Brains
<http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39153395,00.htm>
by Munir Kotadia, ZDNet UK
Despite the Sasser worm, PCs are now safer than they were four years ago, if users would only observe basic precautions, say security experts.

*** WinHEC Highlights Microsoft's Biggest Gamble
<http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/Preview4998.html>
by Dan Farber, ZDNet
Right now, Microsoft is branded as the company that has virus- and worm-infected code. Until that problem is resolved, Microsoft will have a hard time convincing the masses that it has mastered the fundamentals.

*** An Inside Look At XP SP2
<http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2004/05/04/SP2RC1.html>
by Wei-Meng Lee, O'Reilly Network
Security seems to be the primary focus of SP2, but improvements in areas like networking make SP2 a compelling upgrade as well.

*** Microsoft Aligns Longhorn Client And Server Work
<http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/05/04/HNmsalignslonghorn_1.html>
by Joris Evers, IDG News Service
Microsoft has synchronized development efforts for the client and server versions of Longhorn.

*** Gates Calls For 64-Bit Software Support
<http://news.com.com/2100-7343_3-5205806.html?tag=nl>
by Ina Fried, CNET News.com
"This is going to be a really wonderful transition."

*** Apple Patented By Microsoft
<http://news.com.com/2100-1008_3-5205574.html>
by David Becker, CNET News.com
Microsoft mistakenly received a patent on Tuesday for a new variety of apple tree.

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

[Top Stories]

*** The Rise Of Interface Elegance In Open Source Software
<http://www.actsofvolition.com/archives/2004/april/theriseof>
by Steven Garrity
Rather than adding more and more features for the mythical "power user", or swing to the other end of the spectrum and dumb-down the interface for the mythical "average user", smart developers are learning that good defaults and elegant interface design makes software better for everyone to use, regardless of their level of experience.

[News]

*** Why Do-It-All Devices Won't Do
<http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1083180279458>
by Richard Waters, Financial Times
How many different electronic gadgets will you end up cramming into your suite pockets or your handbag? More than you might expect, if the games industry gets its way.

*** Why GMail Matters (Really!)
<http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/4796>
by William Crawford, O'Reilly Network
With any luck, this application will inspire richer, more interactive web application interfaces and more out-of-the-box thinking about the applications we live with (and sometimes suffer from) every day.

*** No Business In Social Networking
<http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1584469,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594>
by David Coursey, eWeek
Social networks are more a curiosity or parlor game or hobby than a real business.

[Linux]

*** SCO Confirms 'Minor' Layoffs
<http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1584394,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594>
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, eWeek
Some observers had thought SCO was cutting staff to stop working on Unix and other matters to focus its full attention on its Linux litigation with IBM.

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

[Life]

*** Hack Job
<http://slate.msn.com/id/2099895/fr/rss/>
by Bradford McKee, Slate
How clueless weekend gardeners mistreat their plants.

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

[News]

*** Heavier Cars OK At HDB Carparks
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,249329,00.html?>
by Christopher Tan, Straits Times
The Housing Board has amended a decades-old weight limit rule.

*** Took Note Of New Plastic $10 Bills? Most Didn't
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,249318,00.html?>
by Joann Tan, Straits Times
The polymker notes hit the streets yesterday, but there were no queues for them at banks or ATMs -- in fact, few noticed the change.

*** Hong Kong Air Ticket Price War?
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,249319,00.html?>
by Karamjit Kaur, Straits Times
SIA joins in the fray, but hours later Cathay slashes prices to match Valuair.

*** Nan Chiau Principal Would Have Been Asked To Go
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/topstories/story/0,4386,249325,00.html?>
by Sandra Davie, Straits Times
MOE would have done this even if the school head who hit student had not offered to step down, says the ministry.

*** Singapore Film Festival: Censors Cut 3 Films, Ban 3 Others
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/print/83202/1/.html>
by Channel NewsAsia
This is double the number usually censored at the annual show.