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Steve Jobs, 1955-2011
News & Opinion
Products & Services
Software
Steve Jobs, 1955-2011
Steve Jobs passed away on Wednesday, and the news spread quickly via
traditional electronic media and contemporary social media. Twitter was
awash with comments, people shared their feelings on Facebook, flowers
and other memorials were placed at Apple Stores around the world, and
we all felt the loss.
Steve Jobs was born in 1955 and adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of
Mountain View, California. He attended school in Cupertino, California,
graduated in 1972, and spent one semester at Reed College, although he
continued to audit classes, including one on calligraphy. Jobs returned
to California in 1974 and began attending meetings of the Homebrew
Computer Club with his friend Steve Wozniak.
Wozniak developed the Apple I
computer in 1975, and he and Jobs cofounded Apple Computer in 1976.
Jobs ran the Macintosh development team, which introduced graphical
computing to the world with the first Mac in 1984. Jobs
was forced out in 1985, founded NeXT Computer
immediately thereafter, acquired Pixar in 1986,
returned to Apple in 1996 and began reinventing the company.
Highlights of his "second coming" at Apple include introducing
the iMac in May 1998,
the first Mac with Apple's
high-speed FireWire port in January 1999, the iBook in July 1999, the
Power Mac G4 in
August 1999, iMovie in October 1999, iTunes in January 2001, and
overseeing the transition to Mac OS X (based on NeXTstep and Unix,
and first released in March 2001). He moved Apple into retail storefronts in
May 2001, introduced the beautiful Power Mac G4 Cube in July 2001,
took Apple in a new direction with the iPod in October 2001,
rolled out the
iTunes Music Store in April 2003, orchestrated the Mac's transition
from PowerPC processors to Intel chips in 2006, unveiled the iPhone in
January 2007, launched the iPhone App Store in July 2008, and put the
iPad on sale in April 2010, kick starting the tablet computing
revolution.
Job's investment in Pixar made him the largest shareholder in Disney
when Disney purchased Pixar in 2006, and in the past year Apple has
become the most valuable company on earth. To say that he changed the
world is an understatement, and his focus on excellent design, the
end-user experience, and detail created a legacy that will live on.
The Internet is full of articles about Steve Jobs, including several
that we posted on Low End Mac yesterday. I have cherry picked four of
the most significant ones - from his family, Apple, longtime friend
Bill Gates, and President Obama - to share here without further
comment.
- - Dan Knight, publisher, Low End Mac
Remembering Steve Jobs on Low End Mac
Steve Jobs' Family
Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family.
In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private
life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who
have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve's
illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer
tributes and memories.
We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our
feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask
that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.
Apple Inc.
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has
lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough
to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring
mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built,
and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
Bill Gates
I'm truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs' death. Melinda and I
extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to
everyone Steve has touched through his work.
Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues,
competitors and friends over the course of more than half our
lives.
The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve
has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to
come.
For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an
insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.
President Obama
Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs.
Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to
think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world,
and talented enough to do it.
By building one of the planet's most successful companies from his
garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making
computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the
information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And
by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions
of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived
every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our
lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest
feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the
world.
The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute
to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his
passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and
prayers to Steve's wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved
him.
News & Opinion
Apple Discontinues Boxed Software for Education
Buyers
AppleInsider's Slash Lane reports that as part of Apple's strategy
to encourage digital software purchases through its Mac App Store, the
company has begun informing educational resellers that it will no
longer offer most boxed software except "with limited exception".
Lane notes that when Apple released Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, virtually
all of the company's retail software was declared "end of life",
meaning it would no longer be sold in physical form at stores,
including iWork '09, Aperture 3 and iLife '11, and that the education
store recently received its final shipment of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow
Leopard, the last operating system by Apple to be distributed on
disc.
Link: Apple Discontinues
Boxed Software for Education Buyers in Digital Push
Safari Lingers on as Second-Rate Browser
The Mac Observer's John Martellaro observes that most of us want the
very best Web browser, and that regrettably, the largest, most
successful company in the world, Apple, has flubbed it with Safari,
failing to gain customer traction while Google's Chrome from has continued
its stellar ascendance.
Martellaro suggests that Apple may have been able to rationalize
that Safari, primarily focused on Apple customers, would never achieve
a large market share because the Mac only has about 10 percent of it,
but then the reason Apple ported Safari to Windows was to show the PC
world what a better life could be like using Apple products, and that
hasn't worked out. Instead, Google has stolen the hearts of PC and Mac
users, even carving a chunk out of MS Internet Explorer and Firefox, so
clearly Google is doing something right and Apple is, well, limping
along with Safari, and seems to have shot itself in the foot with again
with Safari 5.1.
John speculates that part of the problem may be that Safari is
overburdened with too much Apple agenda, which currently and unhappily
seems to be focused on dumbing down . . . er . . .
simplifying software user interfaces in convergence with its mobile iOS
conventions (an example being Apple's dumb-down of the cookie display
in version 5.1), and observes that users who want their browser to be
the best on the planet, the fastest, most secure, most stable, couldn't
care less less about Apple forcing Lion gestures down their
throats.
Link: Apple's Safari:
Lingers on as Second-Rate Browser
Going Vintage: How and Why to Start Using Mac OS 9
Software
AppStorm's Adam Williams notes that
despite the public
funeral Steve Jobs gave for Mac OS 9 back in 2002, it is still
being used and even developed for, with users attracted to its speed,
unique UI, and, most importantly, the untold wealth of applications
that have never made the leap to OS X.
Williams observes that if you've only become familiar with Apple
computers since the debut OS X, as he did, you may be forgiven for
having no idea about this rich software history that is just waiting to
be explored. He's posted a thoroughgoing introduction to Mac OS 9
and how you can get started using it. He says he's come to realize that
even the oldest of Macs can be useful and attract talented enthusiasts
hell-bent on keeping the machines capable of productivity in a
post-Internet world - but why go so low as OS 9?
He explains that beyond the fact that its simply good geeky fun to
have a play with older systems and software, there's actually a lot of
compelling software available for OS 9 - myriad word processing
applications, graphics apps, music software, task management and number
crunching tools, plus one particular area where OS 9 excels that may
surprise you: retro-gaming, with countless titles to have fun with,
such as X-Plane 6, Caesar I, II & III, Another World, Descent and
more.
And then there's abandonware....
Publisher's note: This is Low End Mac, and we love reading stuff
like this. I know of people who love using an old Mac Plus with System
6 on a floppy drive as a quiet (no cooling fan, no hard drive noise)
writing machine, people using Quadra AV Macs to add text and graphics
overlays to video, people using ancient NuBus Macs because of some
specialty add-on card, and people who just keep using whatever aging
Mac they have because they don't see any need for something newer or
faster. New is great, but old has its place. dk
Link: Going Vintage: How
and Why to Start Using Mac OS 9 Software
Products & Services
Mac Expert Shares Tips on Getting the Most Out of
Apple Products
PR: Jonathan Zschau is not your average Mac enthusiast. He is
a Boston-based attorney, a consumer rights advocate, a regular
columnist for a popular Mac blog site Cult of Mac, and author of the
new book Buying and Owning a Mac: Secrets Apple Doesn't Want You To
Know.
Two
years ago Zschau got Apple to agree to replace his MacBook with a brand
new model - free of charge. In his new book he shares what he has
learned about how consumers can get what they need and want from
Apple.
It's a little-known secret, he says, but you have the ability to
make Apple bend over backwards for you. The onus is on you, the
consumer, to make it happen. It's your job to be an informed and
proactive consumer advocate for your own interests and rights.
The book covers a multitude of Mac situations including:
- How to save money, time, and headaches when things go wrong
- Selecting your first Mac: Choosing what's right for you
- Saving the most money when buying a Mac
- How to spot defects immediately and get them repaired before it's
too late
- Getting Apple to repair or replace your Mac free of charge when
it's defective
- Making the most of your Mac's warranty and AppleCare
- What to do if Apple sells you a lemon
- How to get killer customer service at the Genius Bar
Buying and Owning a Mac: Secrets Apple Doesn't Want You to
Know is a savvy buyers guide to owning Apple products. Whether
choosing a Mac for the first time or trying to get an old one repaired
or replaced, this is the essential insiders guide to Mac ownership.
From purchasing tips and explanations of hardware to secrets of
dealing with customer service, this insightful book shows how to select
and maintain a Mac that best suits your needs and how to take full
advantage of Apple's policies and procedures should anything go wrong.
Also included are sections on how to recycle, donate, or dispose of
your Mac, how to detect and properly articulate product defects, and
how to make the most of consumer rights.
- Buying and Owning a Mac: Secrets Apple Doesn't Want You to
Know
- Jonathan Zschau
- ISBN-10: 0983107009
- ISBN-13: 978-0983107002
- Kindle Edition File Size 1900 KB
- Print Length 85 pages
- Publisher Cultomedia Corp.
Link: Paperback
edition, $9.99 from Amazon.com
Link: Kindle
edition, $7.99 from Amazon.com
How to Find Nearly Anything in Linux
PR: One of the biggest challenges we face in using Linux and
Unix [Mac OS X is Unix at its core - and you can run Linux on PowerPC and Intel Macs] on
servers is how to find files or small strings of text lost in the
labyrinthine file system of a server. "Where was that executable?"
"PHPMailerHost? Where's that?"
Fortunately, most Linux (and Unix)
systems provide two powerful tools for searching.
IT veteran Don R. Crawley says that you can almost always find
anything you want in the file system with either the "find" or the
"grep" commands. These are just two of the commands he explains in his
new book, Tweeting Linux, 140 Linux Configuration Commands Explained
in 140 Characters or Less - a straightforward approach to learning
Linux commands. Each command is first explained in 140 characters or
less, then examples of usage are shown in screen captures, and finally
more details are given when necessary to explain command usage. You'll
see the most commonly used commands, plus a few gems you might not know
about.
Written by a veteran IT trainer and Linux administrator, the book
covers:
- How to use rsync to synchronize files
- Two tools for managing Apache Web servers
- Four commands to query name servers
- Four ways to get help
- Four ways to install and manage software
- The secret command that prevents even administrators from deleting
a file
- How to use diff to compare files
- Seven ways to use "find" to search for files
- The three steps to installing software from source code
- The little-known Linux tool that combines ping and traceroute
- How to create popup notices in the system tray
All information is presented in a straightforward style designed for
everyday use by working system administrators.
The "find" utility does just what the name suggests: it finds things
by filename, size, date modified, or any of a number of other searching
options.
The "grep" tool is a reminder that there is a God, a kind and loving
God. The grep command traces its roots back to a vi predecessor called
"ed". The name is an acronym based on globally search (g) for a regular
expression (re) and print (p) the output. With "grep", we can filter
output to look for a specific text string or perhaps the absence of
such a string.
"FIND"
- "find /etc -name httpd.conf" will find the file named httpd.conf in
the directory /etc
- "find /home -user beatriceh" will find all files under the
directory /home owned by user beatriceh
- "find /etc -name "(*)conf"" will find all files under the directory
/etc that end in conf
- "find /var/log -mtime +30" will find all files under the directory
/var/log that were modified more than 30 days ago
- "find . -perm 644" will find files which have read and write
permission for their owner, but read-only permission for their group
and the world
- "find -iname FindThisFile" will find all files, regardless of case,
named "FindThisFile" in the current directory and subdirectories
- "find ~ -empty" will find all empty files in your home directory
and subdirectories
- "find . -type f -exec ls -s {} \; | sort -n -r | head -5" will find
the five largest files in the current directory and subdirectories
"GREP"
- "grep -Hrn Skinner /home" will search for every instance of the
text string "Skinner" in the home directory and print to standard
output. The options Hrn tell grep to print the filename (H) for each
match, search recursively (r) under each directory, and to prefix each
line of output with the line number (n) within its input file
- "ps aux | grep httpd" will pipe the output of "ps aux" into a grep
filter to display only processes associated with the text string
"httpd"
- "grep - c "cfquery" form.cfm" will search through the file
"form.cfm", count the number of instances of the text string "cfquery",
and print the number to standard output
There are myriad options with both "find" and "grep". As usual, the
man pages or your favorite search engine are your good friends.
Explore and experiment in your test system (You do have one, don't
you?) and you'll discover many ways to use these two powerful tools to
find nearly anything in Linux.
- Tweeting Linux - 140 Linux Configuration Commands Explained in
140 Characters or Less
- By Don R. Crawley
- List $30.00
- 308 Pages trade paperback
- ISBN: 978-0-9836607-1-2
Also available as an ebook in Kindle format.
Published by soundtraining.net
Link: Paperback
edition, $30 from Amazon.com (free super saver shipping)
Link: Kindle
edition, $27 from Amazon.com
Neato XV-11 Automated Robotic Vacuum Cleaner
PR: The Neato XV-11 is
a smart, powerful robotic vacuum that does the dirty work of cleaning
all types of floors and carpets automatically, while giving people more
time to do the things they love. Unlike other robotic vacuums, it
carefully avoids furniture, obstacles, pets and stairs, is a real
vacuum - not a sweeper, and leaves a nicely-groomed pattern because it
doesn't randomly bounce around.
The Neato XV-11 is a real vacuum cleaner, not a sweeper-vac. It uses
the most powerful vacuum system with efficient air flow and suction to
clean up dirt, dust, and pet hair. Press the big orange Start button
and the Neato starts cleaning for you. Set the schedule, and the Neato
automatically starts up and cleans for you while you are doing other
things. It can automatically clean every day if you desire. When done
cleaning, the Neato vacuum finds its charging base. Between uses, it
will store itself on its charging base so that it will be ready for the
next cleaning run.
Best of all, it works on all
floor types - carpet, tile, hardwoods. It's right at home in your home,
moving easily from rugs to wood to tile and back. It's one more way
that the Neato XV-11 makes it easy for you to keep your floors
clean.
Some of the innovative features and benefits of the Neato XV-11
automatic vacuum cleaner include:
- Powerful suction: Designed as a true vacuum with a beater brush and
the strongest suction available in any robotic vacuum cleaner.
- Methodical cleaning: Come home to that "just cleaned" look. The
Neato XV-11 cleans using smart path planning and a back and forth
pattern, ensuring neat, clean homes.
- Scuff-free navigation: The robot's laser-mapping technology
constantly updates its internal map so it can accurately detect objects
greater than four inches in height and carefully clean around them
without damaging furniture and walls.
- Low-profile access: The automatic vacuum cleaner's low profile
(less than four inches high) allows it to clean under beds, sofas and
kick boards in the kitchen.
- Cleaning scheduler: With its easy-to-use interface, customers can
schedule it to clean every day automatically, keeping homes neat and
healthy and carpets well-groomed.
- Easy to Use: Just press start and it cleans for you. Low
maintenance design means you just need to empty the dirt bin between
cleanings.
- Charges Automatically: Finds its base when done cleaning or when
batteries run low. Then finishes cleaning where it left off.
- Dirt Bin: Largest dirt bin in a robotic vacuum - its easy to access
and empty.
- Obstacle Avoidance: Neato cleans carefully around furniture and
along walls. Its sensors even detect stairs and avoids them.
- Path Planning: Using the laser map, the robot plans how to most
efficiently clean the room, using a straight-line back and forth
pattern.
The Neato XV-11 retails for $399
Link: Neato
Robotics (get your Neato XV-11 from Amazon.com
for $378.54 with free super saver shipping)
Software
DropCopy: Share Files Across Your Wired or WiFi
Network
PR: Easily and quickly send files and folders to multiple
destinations across your LAN by simply dragging files onto recipients
in a popup window.
The easiest way to get things from one place to another quickly
without dialogs, passwords, or confirmations, DropCopy is free for
personal use (up to three machines on a network) and $25 for larger
networks. Donations welcomed.
DropCopy is designed to function as intuitively as possible: Simply
launch it on two or more Macs (or iOS devices) and wait for the
dropzone to appear. Then drag a file to the dropzone and drop it on
your chosen destination.
DropCopy can be used in several different scenarios.
- Individuals with 1-3 devices can simply download the free version
from either the App Store or from the DropCopy Web page.
- Individuals or households with 1-10 devices must purchase the Pro
version from the App Store, which is tied to an Apple ID. Every machine
that is linked with that same Apple ID can download the pro version for
no extra cost.
- For large households or small businesses, a site license will cover
an unlimited number of simultaneous devices. Note that a site license
can not be purchased or applied via the App Store, but only via a link
on the DropCopy site.
System Requirements:
- Universal Binary
- Rns on Mac OS X 10.4, 10.5, and 10.6
Create An Ad Hoc WiFi Network Using Your Mac
Instructions for creating an ad hoc WiFi network to share files
between iOS devices and Macs without an external router
- Turn AirPort off.
- Open System Preferences -> Sharing and select Internet
Sharing.
- Under Share your internet from:, select Ethernet or
whatever's available. Anything except AirPort.
- Under To computers using, check AirPort
- Click on the Internet Sharing checkbox to the left to turn
sharing on.
- Turn AirPort back on. Your MacBook is now, effectively, a WiFi
router.
- Go to your iPhone's Settings -> WiFi. It should be showing a
Network name that reflects the name of your MacBook.
- Sometimes it takes a few moments for the new network to show
up.
- Choose Connect.
This will establish a local area network (LAN) that includes the
MacBook and the iPhone. If you run DropCopy on both, you'll be able to
share files.
For more information about using DropCopy, check out the DropCopy
Tips and DropCopy FAQ pages for lots of helpful solutions and tips.
Link: DropCopy
Adobe Flash Player 11 for Mac OS X 10.6 and
Later
PR: Adobe Flash Player is a cross-platform browser-based
application runtime that delivers uncompromised viewing of expressive
applications, content, and videos across screens and browsers.
Flash Player is optimized for high performance on mobile screens and
designed to take advantage of native device capabilities, enabling
richer and more immersive user experiences.
Mac OS X System requirements:
- Mac OS X v10.6, Mac OS X v10.7
- Intel Core Duo 1.33 GHz or faster processor
- 256 MB of RAM
- 128 MB of graphics memory
- ATI Rage 128 GPU does not support fullscreen mode with hardware
scaling.
- Recommended for GPU hardware acceleration dependent features. Flash
Player will use software mode for systems that do not meet the system
requirements.
- Safari 5.0 and above, Mozilla Firefox 4.0 and above, Google Chrome
(beginning with Flash Player 10.2, Flash Player is integrated as part
of Google Chrome), or Opera 11
Link: Adobe
Flash Player
Desktop Mac
Deals
Low End Mac updates the following price trackers monthly:
For deals on current and discontinued 'Books, see our 13" MacBook and MacBook Pro,
MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro, 15" MacBook Pro, 17" MacBook Pro, 12" PowerBook G4, 15" PowerBook G4, 17" PowerBook G4, titanium PowerBook G4,
iBook G4, PowerBook G3, and iBook G3 deals.
We also track iPad,
iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle deals.
