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News & Opinion
Apple Updates
Software
News & Opinion
2007 Sees 'Spectacular' Rise in Mac Usage
ZD Net UK's Richard Thurston
reports:
"The use of Apple Macs leapt over half a percentage point as 2007
drew to a close, according to statistics released this week.
"Web analysis company Net Applications monitored the operating
systems being used to access its customers' sites, which receive around
160 million visitors per month.
"Net Applications found that Mac operating systems represented 7.31
percent of web traffic during December, but that figure shot up after
Christmas to 8.01 percent on the last two days of the year. The
increase was 'nothing short of spectacular', Net Applications said on
its website."
Link: 2007
Sees 'Spectacular' Rise in Apple Mac Usage
Apple Primed to Hit 10% in 2008
The Inquirer's
Wily Ferret reports:
"New research suggests that one in ten PCs on the web will be of a
fruity flavour by the end of 2008.
"Research firm Net Applications reckons that, as of December, 7.3
per cent of all visits to its suite of statistic-gathering websites are
from Macs, and that the figure is growing at around half a percentage
point a month . . . according to Net Applications, the number
of clients surfing the web via iPhone will exceed those on Linux by the
end of 2008...."
Link: Apple
Primed to Hit 10 Per Cent in 2008
Ultimate Leopard Tweaking Guide
Appletell's
Michael Mistretta says:
"No matter how good Apple Mac OS X Leopard is, there will always be
features that people dislike, and want to change. And while Apple may
think they have the perfect recipe for a perfect OS, many power-users
will want to tweak OS X to their liking. They want to change more than
their desktop image, or the icons in their dock. Sometimes Apple
doesn't always make it easy to tweak your Mac, so Appletell has
compiled a list of several ways to tweak your Leopard."
Link:
Ultimate Leopard Tweaking Guide
Mammoth Update Ahead for Leopard
ITWire's
Stephen Withers reports:
"Developers have received their first pre-release build of the Mac
OS X 10.5.2 updater, and it's a biggie.
"Changes have reportedly been made to the Finder, iCal, iChat, Mail,
Safari and Time Machine, along with fixes for Rosetta....
"The 10.5.2 update could appear as early as next month, possibly to
coincide with Macworld Expo."
Link: Mammoth Update Ahead for
Leopard
One Reason Why Leopard Trumps Windows
OSWeekly's
Brandon Watts says:
"...as a former 24/7 Windows user, I just don't understand how
someone could compare Windows and OS X and pick Windows anymore. For
me, the game is over, and Apple has won.
"Oddly enough, one of the endearing things about Leopard is made
clear as soon as the installation process is underway and then
completed. Yes, before you even use Leopard for the first time, you'll
love something about it, and for all of you Windows users out there,
you may need to sit down for what I'm about to say: the install is
simple and there's no activation....
"...Leopard simply installed itself on my Mac and then helped me get
started immediately without any activation or the need for complex
registration and licensing headaches....
"...As a software developer, I understand the importance of software
licenses, and if I'm presented with two similar software titles that
have somewhat similar licenses, I'll choose the option that makes it
easier for me to use the software without regularly being confronted
with the technicalities of the license...."
Editor's note: Me too. I won't use an OS with DRM as long as there's
an alternative (e.g.: Linux). And Apple (evidently) is fixing to screw
this all up? What are they thinking? cwm
Link:
One Reason Why Leopard Trumps Windows
Used Mac Better than New PC
Top Tutorials says:
"As someone who has always has a nice PC at home, I always envied
the Mac users. Macs are just sleeker, better, more convenient and
overall last longer. The only disadvantage of Mac is the price, which I
believe hold some people back from getting Mac, however, if Macs are
expensive in your local malls, does not mean you cannot afford a used
Mac. You will not get the experience of unpacking a bland new one, but
you also would not need to pay a fortune for it, right?"
Link:
Used Mac Is Still Better than New PC
Dell XPS vs. Apple iMac: Both Suck?
PC Mechanic's
Rich Menga reports:
"There's been a lot of talk going 'round the internet lately about
the new Dell XPS One. It is built as an all-in-one monitor+computer
similar to the iMac.
"After some intense research, I offer the following well-thought-out
and poignant anecdote:
"They both suck.
"Now I'll explain why:....
"The reason why these slabs can fit so much into such a compact
space is because the parts are smaller, i.e. laptop parts.
"Let me give you the 101 on laptops.
"Any laptop is designed to last 2 years. That's it. If you can get
more than 2 years out of any laptop, consider yourself fortunate. It
doesn't matter who makes it because the parts are essentially all the
same across the board."
Editor's note: I won't dispute that desktop computers with their
generally larger internal components inside a more commodious and
better-ventilated case are generally more robust than laptop
computers, but . . . the PowerBook G3 2000 "Pismo"
laptop I'm typing these words on was built in October 2000 and has been
in regular use ever since. Still going strong, with no problems
whatsoever other than that the display backlight (a $15 part) is a bit
dim for a short while after startup and really should be replaced if I
can get around to it.
I also have a
1996 PowerBook 5300 that served
as my main production workhorse for three years, then served as my
daughter's computer through high school and her first year of
university. My old 1999 PowerBook G3 WallStreet did
suffer a processor failure at 3-1/2 years (the only hardware failure
I've experienced in nearly a dozen years of using Apple laptops), but
has been serving my wife as her Internet and word processing computer
for the past several years until she moved up to our five-year-old iBook G3 (completely
trouble-free) this week because she finally needed an application that
wasn't available for OS 9. Then there's the other Pismo, a
PowerBook 1400, and my 17" PowerBook - all of which are more than
two years old, and still in good working condition - even the old 5300.
cwm
Editor's note: Maybe two years is the norm in the Windows world of
commodity laptops, but five years isn't at all unusual for Apple
notebooks. My titanium
PowerBook G4 lasted 5-1/2 years before being dropped and damaged
beyond repair. dk
Link:
Dell XPS vs. Apple iMac - Which Is Better?
Dump the DVD Player for a Mac mini
Dallas
News' Jim Rossman says:
"I've ditched my DVD player in favor of an Apple Macintosh mini in my home entertainment
system.
"I was hesitant to do it because of the WAF (wife acceptance
factor), but I think I won her over.
"My theory is that the mini has a DVD player built in, and the fact
that it has an operating system and a hard drive means I can copy
movies from the DVDs onto the hard drive and access them instantly.
"The only thing I needed besides the mini was a DVI-to-HDMI
cable."
Link:
Dump the DVD Player for Apple Hard Drive
Apple Files Patent for WGA-Style Anti-piracy
Tech
Computerworld's Gregg Keizer reports:
"Apple Inc. has filed an updated application with the U.S. Patent
& Trademark Office for a product activation and anti-piracy
technology that would give the company the same kind of control over
its software as the oft-criticized Windows Genuine Advantage platform
provides its rival, Microsoft Corp.
"Patent application 20070288886, titled 'Run-Time Code Injection To
Perform Checks' and dated Dec. 13, spells out a 'digital rights
management system' that would 'restrict execution of that application
to specific hardware platforms.'"
Editor's note: I really don't like the sound of this, and if there's
anything that would drive me into the embrace of desktop Linux, OS DRM
on the Mac OS is it. In the article, Gregg Keizer notes that this
filing is an update and enhancement of a patent application Apple filed
in 2005, so it would appear they are proceeding cautiously, and well
they might. I would counsel them to apply some sober second and third
thought before imposing WGA-style DRM on Mac-users. cwm
Link:
Apple Files Patent for WGA-Style Anti-piracy Tech
Apple's Antipiracy Patent Similar to Microsoft's
WGA
InformationWeek's Elena Malykhina reports:
"Apple recently filed an updated patent application with the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office for a digital rights management system
similar to Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage.
"The patent application No. 20070288886, titled 'Run-Time Code
Injection To Perform Checks,' describes a DRM system that permits an
application developer to inject code into the application's runtime
instruction stream, which would restrict execution of the application
to specific hardware platforms....
"...If the check fails, a part of the application's execution string
is stopped and the application becomes unusable.
"The periodic check would be transparent to the user, the patent
application states. It's designed to be implemented on Apple's latest
operating system, the Mac OS X, which is currently not
copy-protected...."
Editor's note: For just one of the manifold reasons why this is a
catastrophically disastrous scheme, read the next item. cwm
Link:
Apple's Antipiracy Patent Similar to Microsoft's WGA
The Megapixel Myth
Ken Rockwell says:
"Forget the silly debate over pixel counts among digital cameras.
There is little visible difference between cameras with seemingly
different ratings. For instance, a 3 MP camera pretty much looks the
same as a 6 MP camera, even when blown up to 12 x 18!" I know because
I've done this. Have you? NY Times tech writer David Pogue did this
. . . and saw the same thing - nothing!"
"Resolution has little to do with image quality. Color and tone are
far more important technically. Even Consumer Reports in their November
2002 issue noted some lower resolution digital cameras made better
images than some higher resolution ones.
"Digital does not replace film . . . If you do fret the
pixel counts, I find that it takes about 25 megapixels to simulate 35mm
film, which is still far more than any practical digital camera. At the
6 megapixel level digital gives about the same sharpness as a duplicate
slide, which is plenty for most things...."
Link: The Megapixel Myth
Apple Updates
Apple Security Update 2007-009 for OS X
10.4.11
Security Update 2007-009 (10.5.1) is recommended for all users and
improves the security of the following components:
- Core Foundation
- CUPS
- Flash Player Plugin
- Launch Services
- Areal
- python
- Quick Look
- ruby
- Safari
- Samba
- Shockwave Plugin
- Spin Tracer
For detailed information on Security Updates, visit this website:
http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n61798
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.4.11 client and server.
Software
Warp: Switch between Spaces with Your
Mouse
PR: Warp is a preference pane that allows you to use the
mouse to switch between Spaces rather than using the keyboard.
Warp is available free of charge, but donations are appreciated and
assist in support and development.
System requirements: Warp requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.
System Support: PPC/Intel
Free
Link: Warp
Bochs x86/Pentium Emulator
PR: Bochs is a highly portable open source IA-32 (x86) PC
emulator written in C++, that runs on most popular platforms (including
Macs). It includes emulation of the Intel x86 CPU, common I/O devices,
and a custom BIOS. Currently, Bochs can be compiled to emulate a 386,
486, Pentium/Pentium II/Pentium III/Pentium 4 or x86-64 CPU, including
optional MMX, SSEx and 3DNow! instructions.
Bochs can be compiled and used in a variety of modes, some which are
still in development. The 'typical' use of Bochs is to provide complete
x86 PC emulation, including the x86 processor, hardware devices, and
memory. This allows you to run OS's and software within the emulator on
your workstation, much like you have a machine inside of a machine.
Bochs will allow you to run Windows applications on a Solaris machine
with X11, for example.
System requirements: Bochs is capable of running most Operating
Systems inside the emulation, for example Linux, DOS, Windows
95/98/NT/2000/XP or Windows Vista.
Bochs was written by Kevin Lawton and is currently maintained by the
Bochs project. Bochs is distributed under the GNU LGPL.
Link: Bochs
Desktop Mac
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