To reduce the database size and server load, all articles from 2004 or earlier are archived here.

Return to MacMegasite

• December 2004 (52)
• November 2004 (33)
• October 2004 (54)
• September 2004 (43)
• August 2004 (41)
• July 2004 (57)
• June 2004 (82)
• May 2004 (53)
• April 2004 (45)
• March 2004 (49)
• February 2004 (40)
• January 2004 (46)
• December 2003 (44)
• November 2003 (48)
• October 2003 (57)
• September 2003 (45)
• August 2003 (54)
• July 2003 (62)
• June 2003 (46)
• May 2003 (47)
• April 2003 (51)
• March 2003 (63)
• February 2003 (69)
• January 2003 (72)
• December 2002 (63)
• November 2002 (70)
• October 2002 (72)
• September 2002 (73)
• August 2002 (41)
• July 2002 (39)
• June 2002 (19)
• May 2002 (3)
• April 2002 (1)

Panther 7B21 Notes

*DELETED*

Screen shots deleted by Apple's request.

You should be aware that by displaying the Material, you may be
unlawfully disclosing Apple's trade secrets and are infringing Apple's
copyrights in violation of federal law. Apple believes that the person who
disclosed the Material to you violated a non-disclosure agreement with
Apple. Consequently, Apple has never authorized the Material to be
disclosed or published, and your continued display could result in you
and/or your company being held liable for violating Apple's intellectual
property rights.

Therefore, we request that you cease and desist from displaying the Material
on all web sites and servers under your control, including any hyperlinks to
other locations where the Material may be available. We further request
that you destroy all copies of the Material in your possession.

[] permanent link

A New Look At Mac OS X

Tired of the bland, default Mac OS X theme? Try Themechanger, coupled with the theme Milk.

Themechanger, a program that allows you to completely change the look of many programs in OS X by using themes, can be found at "Clichesw.com" . Milk, the theme I am currently using, takes away the metal look of the applications, but does not replace with the equally ugly manilla, lined look of Aqua. Milk can be found at "Homepage.mac.com" .



Many other themes can be found at "Resexcellence.com" .



Enjoy!

[] permanent link

Glider Pro is now free

Since Casady & Greene went bankrupt, the rights to the game Glider have reverted to the author, John Calhoun. He decided to make the games available as free downloads from his homepage.

[] permanent link

FolderControl 1.20

Derman Enterprises announces an update to FolderControl,
the utility that automatically sets up, sizes and arranges your Finder's
folder windows into settings and configurations you define.

By request, FolderControl 1.20 adds a drag 'n drop window to provide a
convenient drag 'n drop target when processing folders. In addition,
many "under the cover" improvements are included. The previous 1.10
update also added preference sets so you can easily use different
preference configurations, each of which gives you control over:

• which folders participate in the processing
  
  
• how folder windows are sized, both vertically and horizontally
  
  
• how sub-folder windows are arranged, relative to their enclosing folder
  
  
• how various folder-window attributes, such as sorting and view kind,
  are set
  
  
• setting the permissions on the files that control these capabilities
  

FolderControl requires Mac OS X 10.2 or newer and can be downloaded via
http://www.derman.com/. A trial version is available and a license can
be purchased for $21.95 USD (1.20 is free for current FolderControl
licensees).

[] permanent link

DontBuyMusic.com

The self proclaimed geniuses behind macteens.com are proud to announce their new flagship website, DontBuyMusic.com. The first viable alternative to BuyMusic.com! The new site features a more honest point of view than it's predecessor and lets the world know all about the best way to download music! We whole heartedly suggest you check out this revolutionary new website.

[] permanent link

New RSS feeds from RollingStone

RollingStone.com has several new RSS feeds to bring you the latest entertainment news & reviews.

• http://deploy.rollingstone.com/rssxml/album_reviews.xml
  
  
• http://deploy.rollingstone.com/rssxml/movie_reviews.xml
  
  
• http://deploy.rollingstone.com/rssxml/dvd_reviews.xml
  
  
• http://deploy.rollingstone.com/rssxml/music_news.xml
  

[] permanent link

Another way to spamproof your email

Spamgourmet.com provides a free spamblocking service which is more flexible than Mailinator.

Unlike Mailinator, which lets you create an insecure throw-away email address any time, Spamgourmet lets you sign up for an account which provides unlimited self-destructing spamproof addresses.

With spamgourmet you choose a username & give it your own email address to forward email to. However, the actual username you choose can't receive mail. Instead you choose a time-limited address by prefixing your username with some word and a number which tells the number of emails it will receive before it self-destructs. Once that number of emails is received, the address will no longer work.

For example, bogus.5.macguy@spamgourmet.com will only allow 5 emails to be received before it stops working.

[] permanent link

''Like flicking a booger at spam''

Mailinator.com offers a unique way to deal with spam.

If you ever need a throw-away email address to register for some site, just make up any name at mailinator.com. The address will automatically be created as soon as any email is sent to it.

Next, go to mailinator.com and enter that name to read watever was sent to that address. No password is required and this is totally insecure - anyone can read that email, but it's a good way to register anyplace you don't want to give your real email with the understanding that you shouldn't send anything critical to that address, and any password you receive that way should be changed immediately.

Note that if you lose your password at most sites after registering with a throw-away address like that, you won't be able to recover it.

[] permanent link

New Panther Seed

A new Panther build, 7B21, has been seeded to developers. According to the release notes:

This release reflects extensive engineering efforts since the WWDC, with
issued addressed in almost every component of the OS. The extent of the
bug fixes limits our ability to communicate each of them here. Please
test your applications against this build to verify previously reported
bugs, and also refer to the on-line bug reporter for some status
changes.

High traffic volumes are currently affecting performance of the ADC Member Site. You may wish to select an alternate regional server for downloads or return at a later time. Thank you for your patience.

[] permanent link

ProQuest Acquires SIRS Publishing

ProQuest Information and Learning has acquired SIRS Publishing, Inc. (SIRS), the highly respected publisher of SIRS Researcher®, SIRS Discoverer®, SIRS Enduring Issues™ and other databases. ProQuest Information and Learning, a unit of ProQuest Company, is a leading provider of online information services to libraries and educational institutions worldwide.

SIRS, based in Boca Raton, Fla., provides online, CD-ROM and print reference databases to more than 50,000 libraries worldwide. SIRS’ proprietary published products are designed to address curriculum-oriented, research-based information needs that arise as students study social problems, science, health, controversial current issues, legal issues, ethics and more. SIRS’ databases place their editorial emphasis on balanced coverage of both current and enduring social topics.

“With the acquisition of SIRS, we have reinforced our commitment to provide a comprehensive catalog of high-value information to students using K-12 and public libraries,” said Ron Klausner, president of ProQuest Information & Learning. “SIRS has a clear understanding of users’ needs for balanced information on all sides of current and enduring issues, and translates this understanding into effective products. We look forward to integrating these excellent products into ProQuest to continue to grow our business.”

SIRS products are sold by subscription to libraries, school districts, and consortia worldwide. They are highly complementary to ProQuest’s existing product suite of K-12 student resources. The acquisition enhances ProQuest’s leadership in the K-12 library market and diversifies its offerings with strong topic-specific content. SIRS products join the recently acquired bigchalk™ and eLibrary™ offerings to create a product suite that will provide ProQuest customers with a rich range of choices.

"ProQuest is elated and proud to welcome SIRS to our family of products created for student researchers. SIRS’ editorial quality and 30-year history of excellence, service, and innovation will strengthen our publishing program. We look forward to bringing together resources that will create clear benefits for our customers and users," said Barbara Beach, Vice President, K-12 Publishing, ProQuest Information and Learning.

The acquisition was finalized on July 21, 2003. SIRS co-founder Eleanor Goldstein will remain with ProQuest as Founding Publisher, reporting to Barbara Beach. SIRS offices will remain in Boca Raton, Fla.

About SIRS Publishing, Inc.

With headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, SIRS Publishing is a leading provider of online, CD-ROM and print reference databases to more than 50,000 libraries worldwide. SIRS is an acronym for Social Issues Resources Series and its proprietary published products have been designed to address curriculum-related, assignment-driven information needs that arise as students study social problems, controversies, legal issues, and ethics. SIRS Publishing products are sold by subscription to libraries, school districts, and consortia worldwide.

About ProQuest Company

ProQuest Company (NYSE:PQE) is based in Ann Arbor, Mich., and is a leading provider of value-added information and content to the library, classroom, automotive and powersports markets. We provide products and services to our customers through two business segments: Information & Learning and Business Solutions. Through our Information & Learning segment, which primarily serves the library and classroom markets, we aggregate and publish value-added content from a wide range of sources including newspapers, periodicals and books. Our Business Solutions segment is primarily engaged in the delivery in electronic form of comprehensive parts and service information to the automotive market. It also provides dealers in the powersports (motorcycle, marine, RV and outdoor power) markets with management systems that enable them to manage their inventory, customer service and other aspects of their businesses.

ProQuest Information and Learning is a world leader in collecting, organizing, and distributing information worldwide to researchers, faculty, and students in libraries and schools. Known widely for its strength in business and economics, general-reference, humanities, social sciences, and STM content, the company develops premium databases comprising periodicals, newspapers, dissertations, out-of-print books, and other scholarly information from more than 8,500 publishers worldwide. Users access the information through the ProQuest® Web-based online information system, Chadwyck-Healey™ electronic and microform resources, UMI® microform and print reference products, eLibrary™ educational resources, and XanEdu™ online faculty and student resources. For more information about ProQuest Information and Learning, visit www.il.proquest.com.

[] permanent link

Secure Programming Cookbook for C and C++

Over the next three years, private organizations and
government agencies will spend an estimated $21 billion on network
security to fight off password sniffing, spoofing, buffer overflows,
denials of service, viruses, worms, and other attacks. Despite this
tremendous effort, experts including John Viega, coauthor of the
"Secure Programming Cookbook for C and C++" (O'Reilly, US $49.95),
assert that many security problems boil down to one fundamental cause:
poorly written, poorly tested, and insecure code underlying
applications that run the very systems everyone is trying so hard to
secure.

That's not something system administrators can fix at the network
level, Viega explains, but depends on programmers to write code that
attackers cannot exploit. "Writing secure code is difficult, even for
experts," he points out. "Unfortunately, programmers generally hold a
world view that they write correct code all the time, and only
occasionally do mistakes occur. In reality, mistakes are commonplace in
nearly everyone's code." He points to a recent NIST study that
estimates the computer industry in the United States alone spends $60
billion a year patching and customizing poorly written software.

Viega is one of the pioneers in the field of software security who
wrote the first publicly available tool to help programmers find and
fix security vulnerabilities in their own code. His new book,
co-written by Matt Messier, takes the same practical approach to
fortifying code. Rather than recite principals and guidelines, "Secure
Programming Cookbook for C and C++" is a nuts-and-bolts reference that
teaches by example, focusing on two of the most widely used programming
languages available.

"There are already several other books out there on the topic of
writing secure software," Viega explains. "Many of them are quite good,
but they universally focus on the fundamentals, not code. None of them
show you how to do such things as SSL-enable your applications
properly, which can be surprisingly difficult."

The book shows how to eliminate common problems by providing code
solutions that programmers can insert directly into their applications,
along with explanations of why and how the code samples work. Viega and
Messier cover a wide range of security topics, including cryptography
(both symmetric and public key), random numbers, safe initialization,
input validation, networking, authentication, access control, email,
and anti-tampering. Altogether, there are more than 200 recipes to help
programmers secure the C and C++ programs they write for both Unix
(including Linux) and Windows environments.

Viega assumes that programmers who pick up "Secure Programming Cookbook
for C and C++" already understand security basics, but that "strangely
enough, programmers make the same mistakes over and over again," he
says. "Most security problems have been seen before. It's rare to
actually see a new one. We give people the tools they haven't had
before, so they have a fighting chance."

Additional Resources:

Chapter 11, "Random Numbers," is available free online at:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/secureprgckbk/chapter/index.html

For more information about the book, including Table of Contents,
index, author bios, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/secureprgckbk/

[] permanent link

Hydra 1.1.1 Released

TheCodingMonkeys are proud to release a new version of Hydra, the
award winning Rendezvous based, collaborative text editor with
developer support.

Hydra 1.1.1 features an industry's first Safari-powered live-updated
HTML preview. This together with Base-URI support enables users to
edit HTML files YSWYWG ("You see what you will get") style. By
eliminating the tedious save-reload-workcycle this makes your website
development much faster.

This release of Hydra contains localizations for French, German,
Japanese, Swedish, Traditional Chinese and Ukrainian.

Hydra 1.1.1 requires Mac OS X 10.2 and Safari 1.0.

Hydra won the 2003 Apple Design Award for "Best Mac OS X Student
Product" honoring outstanding excellence in software design and
innovation at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, 2003.
Hydra also received the first-place award in the international
category of the O'Reilly's second Mac OS X Innovators Contest.
Entries were judged on innovation, ease of use, adherence to the Mac
OS X Human Interface Guidelines, and use of Mac OS X technologies.

TheCodingMonkeys is a small group of computer science students at
"Technische Universität München" (Technical University of Munich).
TCM took form at the chair of applied software engineering, known for
its continued commitment to the macintosh platform. This laid ground
for a thriving group of cocoa developers.

Hydra's Website: http://hydra.globalse.org

About TheCodingMonkeys: http://www.codingmonkeys.de

[] permanent link

Link Checker 1.1.6

dot software is pleased to announce the release of Link Checker 1.1.6. Link Checker quickly goes through your web site and finds any broken links or images. It also displays any redirected links it comes across so the links on your web site are not outdated. If the web site you are checking is stored locally, you can fix the broken links right inside Link Checker! Link Checker is great for anyone with a web site because broken or outdated links and missing images don't look good.

Key Features:

• Multiple web sites
  
• Custom parse modules
  
• Fix broken links
  
• Find outdated links
  
• Blazing speed
  
• HTML reports
  
• Also checks images, files, and more
  

• Auto filling for creating new web sites
  
• Bug fixes
  
• Link Checker now works with multiple index file name web sites
  
• Report format improved and the generated HTML is easier to read
  

[] permanent link

4D Summit 2003 Announced

4D, Inc., publishers of the 4th Dimension RAD/RDBMS environment, 4D Business Kit and 4D WebSTAR Server Suite, today announced details of the upcoming 4D Summit Conference 2003. Scheduled for October 15-19 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the 4D Summit is a place for developers to discuss driving technology topics with other developers and with the 4D engineers. Early-bird registration discounts are available to all registrations submitted by July 31, 2003.

The 4D Summit covers many current topics, such as XML and cost-effective application integration using Web Services. Designed for 4D developers, and taught by 4D developers, the 4D Summit is geared toward education about 4th Dimension, and also includes classes on 4D Business Kit and 4D WebSTAR Server Suite V

"The 4D Summit is the time for the 4D community to come together, learn and share ideas that will impact and shape technology for the future," explained Brendan Coveney, president and CEO of 4D, Inc. "Summit is also the place to get a sneak peak at the future of 4D."

"The 4D Summit is a fun, energizing experience," said Jeffrey Kain, executive vice president of Orchard Software Corporation. "Five days immersed in 4D and associating with fellow 4D developers is a great way to share ideas and learn new techniques. While certainly entertaining, the practical education gained from the 4D Summit makes it a terrific value every time."

With over 40 conference sessions, the 4D Summit also offers a special pre-class on Web Services, a third-party exhibit fair, the not to be missed "An Evening with 4D" event, and the always popular post-class focusing on the future of 4D.

For further information and registration for the 4D Summit Conference 2003 see http://www.4D.com/summit/.

About 4D, Inc.

Located in San Jose, California, 4D, Inc. is the U.S. distributor of 4th Dimension (4D), 4D Business Kit, and 4D WebSTAR Server Suite. 4D is an award-winning, tightly integrated suite of Windows and Mac OS, Web-embedded development tools for business solutions. 4D Business Kit is a complete, multi-language, multi-store e-commerce development tool, designed for rapid development of storefront solutions. 4D WebSTAR Server Suite V is a fast, secure and extensible server suite for Mac OS X, best known for easy administration. 4D, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of 4D SA. Further information can be found at http://www.4D.com/.

The URL for this release is:
http://www.4D.com/press/press_releases/pr072203_4D_Summit.html

[] permanent link

New Mac OS X Project Management Software

PMX leads the pack in price, performance and aesthetics in under-served Mac OS X shareware market.

The Mac OS X market is in sore need of a native, quality, simple to use and inexpensive project management application. To fill this need has been the driving motivation behind the folks at JTech Softworks (http://www.jtechsoftworks.com). In recognition of this, JTech Softworks is proud to announce the availability of PXM 1.80, its flagship project management application for Mac OS X.

Some of the features you get with PMX 1.80:

• Microsoft Project MPX Import/Export.
  
• Full schedule modeling, including tracking schedule slippage.
  
• Ability to track resource usage and cost.
  
• Ability to change starting times, starting days and
  length of a work day.
  

JTech Softworks mission is to provide quality software solutions, great customer service and high customer satisfaction to the Mac OS X community. Visit http://www.jtechsoftworks.com to learn more.

[] permanent link

New Themes

Two new site themes, MMosx2 and Professional, are now available for registered users. MMosx2 is a Mac OS X style theme. Professional is a very fast loading theme with minimal graphics.

[] permanent link

Popular Windows FTP client comes to the Mac

GlobalSCAPE has released a Mac beta of their popular CuteFTP client.

The download includes both Mac OS X and classic versions. Note that GlobalSCAPE still doesn't mention the Mac version anywhere else on their site.

Although they haven't announced pricing for the Mac version, their Windows pricing is time limited, from $0.99 for a 1 day license to $39.95 for an unlimited license.

[] permanent link

iTunes competitor blocks Macs

buymusic.com now blocks Macs completely. If you try to visit the site with any Mac web browser, including IE, you get the following message:

In order to take full advantage of BuyMusic.com's offerings you must be on a Windows Operating System using Internet Explorer version 5.0 or higher.

[] permanent link

SuperDrive DVD-Burner Upgrade for G4 PowerBooks

PowerBookResQ SuperDrive Upgrade. For just $399, you get a new DVD-Burner that works perfectly with
iDVD, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and other applications like Toast, and
creates DVD discs that you can play in most consumer DVD players ... plus
you get 24-hour turnaround on the upgrade at no additional
charge! Woo Hoo!

PowerbookResQ will pick up your PowerBook at your home or
office in a custom PowerBox, overnight it to PowerBookResQ, install the
"SuperDrive" into your PowerBook within 24 hours, and send your PowerBook
back to you via overnight courier! What does this extra service cost?
NOTHING, it's included in the $399 upgrade cost!

Compatible with G4 PowerBooks 400 Mhz
through 1 GHz. Exp. 7/30

[] permanent link

Services at your fingertips with HotService

DEVONtechnologies presents HotService 1.0 and updates WordService and ServicePack to version 2.5

HotService 1.0 makes the keyboard shortcuts of all installed services available right after launching Cocoa applications. Due to a bug in Mac OS X up to the current version 10.2.6, the system requires to pull down the Services submenu at least once to use the shortcuts. This is extremely annoying with text-centric services such as WordService, CalcService or the DEVONthink services.

WordService 2.5 features new commands for inserting date and time not only in short, but also in long, verbose form. Also, the keyboard shortcuts for shifting text blocks left or right have been modified and new shortcuts for inserting date and/or time have been added.

AntiWordService enables all well-behaved Cocoa applications able to read plain text, for example TextEdit or DEVONthink, to open Microsoft Word documents, BlueService sends selected text to compliant Bluetooth devices. CalcService and WordService insert new commands into the Services submenu allowing to make simple calculations and reformat text within any Services-aware Cocoa or Carbon application, for example TextEdit, Mail, ProjectBuilder, OmniWeb or DEVONthink. CalcService replaces a selected formula by the result of the calculation sending Calculator.app into retirement, and WordService provides a variety of 35 functions for converting, formatting, sorting or speaking text, inserting the current date, time or folder contents, and showing statistics about selected text.

AntiWordService, BlueService, CalcService, HotService and WordService require Mac OS X 10.1.5 or higher and are available as "ServicePack" or as separate files for free download from www.devon-technologies.com. BlueService also requires a BlueTooth adapter and a BlueTooth-enabled PDA or mobile phone to communicate with.

[] permanent link

Yet another critical Windows security flaw

Microsoft has discovered a new Windows security flaw involving DirectX which can allow an attacker to execute code on a user’s system.

DirectX consists of a set of low-level Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that are used by Windows programs for multimedia support. Within DirectX, the DirectShow technology performs client-side audio and video sourcing, manipulation, and rendering.

There are two buffer overruns with identical effects in the function used by DirectShow to check parameters in a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) file. A security vulnerability results because it could be possible for a malicious user to attempt to exploit these flaws and execute code in the security context of the logged-on user.

An attacker could seek to exploit this vulnerability by creating a specially crafted MIDI file designed to exploit this vulnerability and then host it on a Web site or on a network share, or send it by using an HTML-based e-mail. In the case where the file was hosted on a Web site or network share, the user would need to open the specially crafted file. If the file was embedded in a page the vulnerability could be exploited when a user visited the Web page. In the HTML-based e-mail case, the vulnerability could be exploited when a user opened or previewed the HTML-based e-mail. A successful attack could cause DirectShow, or an application making use of DirectShow, to fail. A successful attack could also cause an attacker’s code to run on the user’s computer in the security context of the user.

For more information or to obtain a patch if you're unlucky enough to be running Windows, see Microsoft's Security Bulletin MS03-030

[] permanent link

Rainjul Announces Aizai 1.4 with WebKit Engine and Ninety-Nine Cent Special

SACRAMENTO, CA, USA, July 24, 2003 - Today, Rainjul released version 1.4 of Aizai http://www.rainjul.com/aizai/, the first technology to allow individuals and groups to view, create and distribute digital photos, movies, music, web pages, documents and folders via virtual television channels. Rainjul also announced their ninety-nine cent Summer Special offer. Aizai runs on Apple Computer's Mac OS X Jaguar.

"Aizai 1.4 has fully integrated support for the WebKit, the same engine that powers Apple's Safari browser. This is the most powerful and exciting release of Aizai yet", said Steven W. Schuldt creator of Aizai, "our ninety-nine cent Summer Special offer means that now every Mac user can afford to own the world's premiere video blogging software."



Version 1.4 also includes features improvements to performance, audio playback and channel feedback. The ninety-nine cent Summer Special offer begins today and ends September 30, 2003.



Aizai, downloadable as a demo, comes complete with Aizai Global Tuner and Aizai Global Broadcaster. A single user license costs $0.99 (US) during the Summer Special and can be purchased via PayPal. Licenses may also be purchased though Kagi for $1.00 (US). Registered users of Aizai get five starter channels on the Aizai Channel Service Network. Aizai runs on Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar or higher.



For more information: http://www.rainjul.com/aizai/

Contact: swschuldt@rainjul.com or 916-752-5534



###

[] permanent link

Eliminate wireless interference

If you find that you frequently lose the connection to your airport base station, it's possible that a cordless phone or other device is interfering with it. Changing the channel may solve the problem.

For the last few weeks I've been having a problem with my PowerBook losing the connection with my D-Link DI-624 802.11g access point several times a day. After changing the access point's transmit channel from 1 to 11, I'm now able to maintain a reliable connection.

On the wireless settings screen for your access point or Airport Base Station, you'll see a menu which lets you select a channel between 1 and 11. Changing the channel will usually clear up interference problems. You may have to try several different channels before you find one that works.

[] permanent link

Unsanity Releases FruitMenu 3.1

Unsanity LLC announces the immediate availability of FruitMenu 3.1. This update adds several new features and fixes bugs.

FruitMenu is a haxie that gives you the ability to customize the Apple Menu and contextual menus. Using a visual editor you can edit the contents of the menus to suit your needs and taste. FruitMenu will also display the contents of the FruitMenu Items folder inside of your Library folder, launch applications and shell scripts from the Apple Menu and contextual menus, to allow easy file navigation and launching. To make the haxie completely flexible and customizable, you can assign hot keys to particular Apple menu items.

New in this version:

• This update is free for all registered users, as usual.
  
• A list of installed Application Enhancer modules is now displayed in the System Preferences submenu for the APE Manager.
  
• New "Display Folders First In File Listings" option in the Advanced settings to make FruitMenu display folders on top of all other files in the file listings.
  
• Updated for Application Enhancer 1.3.
  
• Significant speed optimizations.
  
• Mounted Volumes are now displayed in all contextual menus and not just when clicked on the Desktop, due to many users requests.
  
• Fixed a bug with certain contextual menu items not working when Apple menu is not enhanced.
  
• Fixed a bug with not being able to add Microsoft Office X and some other applications to individual application settings.
  
• Miscellaneous bug fixes.
  

More information on FruitMenu can be found here:

http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/fruitmenu/

FruitMenu is priced at $10.00 per license. For more information on Unsanity haxies, please visit:

http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/

Unsanity LLC is the creator of popular haxies such as Mighty Mouse, Labels X, WindowShade X, FruitMenu, Xounds, Dock Detox, Silk, ClearDock, Cee Pee You, and ShadowKiller. Unsanity is dedicated to providing quality software for the Macintosh community.

[] permanent link

Colourfull Creations releases the greatest update for Maxi Bidder yet

July 18, 2003; Colourfull Creations releases the greatest update for Maxi Bidder yet. Maxi Bidder now supports eBay Motors auctions; a feature that our customers and potential customers have been asking for. UK eBay Bidders can now bid natively on the UK eBay web site.

Maxi Bidder also fixes some issues that our customers had been experiencing.



Other great features that are included with Maxi Bidder are the ability to sync prices with eBay, audio alerts, and much more. If you are a current user don't forget to download your update. New customers check out the demo available online at: http://www.colourfull.com, you'll love the product and the world class support.

[] permanent link

CD Baby announces Digital Distribution Program

CD Baby has announced a new program which allows musicians to distribute their music through iTunes Music Store and other download services.

The deal allows musicians to retain all rights to their music while allowing CD Baby to distribute it digitally through iTunes Music Store, Listen.com, and other legal download services.

CD Baby takes only 9% and pays 91% of all income, with a one-time setup charge of $40 per album.

For more information, visit http://cdbaby.net/dd.

[] permanent link

FmPro Migrator 1.46 EE for MacOS X adds Perl CGI scripting feature

FmPro Migrator Enterprise Edition migrates FileMaker Pro database structure and data to MySQL, Oracle, Access, SQL Server, Sybase and DB2. FmPro Migrator Enterprise Edition also adds Perl CGI scripting capability for FileMaker databases which have been migrated to MySQL or Oracle.


Perl CGI scripts are generated for each FileMaker layout within the database and can include customized data entry and data validation for each layout field. The Perl CGI scripts generated by FmPro Migrator automatically provide support for insert/update/view/delete of GIF/JPEG images via a web-based interface. The Perl CGI scripts generated by FmPro Migrator are designed to follow industry standard best practices regarding web form processing. Critical web form processing parameters are hard-coded within each script instead of being accepted via POST or GET operations - thus preventing web form hijacking. Web attackers cannot view sensitive data by guessing at and passing in their own database column names for processing.



FileMaker Pro database fields containing more than 255 or 4000 characters of text are migrated to the appropriate large text column type in the destination database (generally supporting 65000 to 4 billion characters). JPEG Image data within FileMaker Pro container fields is migrated directly to the appropriate BLOB type of database columns through a network connection to the destination database. No manual data entry is required for processing either of these specialized data types.



Migration scripts and documentation files are generated for all open FileMaker Pro database files. This feature can be utilized to quickly produce documentation of database structure for large numbers of existing FileMaker Pro solutions.



Feature Summary:

-- Generates Perl CGI scripts for MySQL and Oracle

-- Process Images via the Web With Ease for MySQL and Oracle

-- Supports insert, update, query and delete of images and text via Perl CGI scripts

-- Documents FileMaker Pro database structure

-- Migration of large text fields and image data for all supported databases

-- Processing of up to 50 open FileMaker Pro databases

-- Supports FileMaker Pro stand-alone solution files

-- Economical Site License

-- FileMaker JPEG image export feature


FmPro Migrator utilizes specialized features of MacOS X, therefore it is available only for MacOS X. For more info please see: http://www.dotcomsolutionsinc.net/products/fmpro_migrator/index.html

A free demo version of FmPro Migrator may be downloaded from http://www.dotcomsolutionsinc.net/downloads/index.html



Contact Info:

David Simpson

http://www.dotcomsolutionsinc.net

[] permanent link

Macintosh Online Backup (BackJack) Endorsed

The Authors of The Backup Book endorse BackJack for Macintosh Online Backup

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



Friday, July 18, 2003 - CONTACT: Lynn Heiberger (email lheiberger@netfrontiers.com) and Julie Hetherington (email julieh@backjack.com)



When Network Frontiers needed a place to store their most valuable asset, The Backup Book: Disaster Recovery from Desktop to Data Center, they chose BackJack. “Both BackJack and Apple have reliable Internet backup solutions for the Macintosh,” stated Dorian Cougias, author of The Backup Book and CEO of Network Frontiers. “We chose BackJack because they could support our total data requirements of 3 Gig. Apple’s iDisc solution is restricted to 300 MB and really isn’t geared toward the organizational user.”



Network Frontiers is definitely eating their own dog food. The book features an entire section on Internet backup, with 10 pages dedicated to BackJack alone. “When people think of Internet backup, they think, ‘Hey, this is a great way to protect my data if I lose it on the road.’ While that certainly is true, Internet backup is more than that,” declared Cougias, the de facto expert on backup and restore. “What data do you need most if your entire building is gone and you’re relying on tapes stored offsite? Your catalogue! Rebuilding a catalogue can take days, if not weeks. Just ask Mahboud Zabetian of WildPackets. It took them seven days, 24 hours per day, to rebuild their catalogue. Trust me, this is not how you want to be spending your time during a disaster.”



Of the hundreds of products considered for inclusion in The Backup Book, most never made it onto the pages of the book—but BackJack did, chosen as best of breed for the Macintosh market. The company offers a cost-effective Internet backup solution that is easy to use and reliable.



Dorian Cougias is the founder and CEO of Network Frontiers. Previously, Dorian served as CIO of two of the world’s leading advertising agencies, Fallon McElligott and True North Communications. Dorian has authored four certification programs, eight books, and numerous technical articles. He’s a member of the University of Delaware Technology Advisory Board as well as an adjunct professor in the HRIM and distance learning schools.



Synectics Business Solutions, Inc. is rooted in Macintosh. From the company’s inception in 1990 until early 1998, Synectics operated as a Mac-only consulting/software development company, dedicated to both recommending and implementing complete Mac solutions. In June of 1998, Synectics proudly introduced the BackJack Online Backup Service. Since its launch, BackJack has revolutionized the way Mac users back up and restore their critical data. As a pioneer of this technology, Synectics now dedicates 100 percent of its time to assisting Mac users worldwide with their offsite backup and recovery needs. Synectics is a small, privately-held company located outside of Toronto, Canada.



To sign up for BackJack’s free trial or to learn more, visit www.backjack.com (OS X users can email osx@backjack.com for complete download instructions).



MORE:

To purchase copies or read excerpts online, go to www.netfrontiers.com

For review copies or interviews, contact Lynn Heiberger of Network Frontiers directly by e-mail at lheiberger@netfrontiers.com

[] permanent link

FolderControl 1.10 released with new features.

Derman Enterprises announces a free feature update to FolderControl, the utility that automatically sizes and arranges your Finder's folder windows into configurations you define.

FolderControl now includes preference sets so you can easily use different preference configurations, each of which gives you control over:



- which folders participate in the processing



- how folder windows are sized, both vertically and horizontally



- how sub-folder windows are arranged, relative to their enclosing folder



- how various folder-window attributes, such as sorting and view kind, are set



- setting the permissions on the files that control these capabilities



FolderControl 1.10 has the most popular setup configurations pre-defined. Most users can use it without any further configuration.



FolderControl requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later and can be downloaded via http://www.derman.com/. A trial version is available and a license can be purchased for $21.95 USD (free to current FolderControl licensees).



Derman Enterprises manufactures and sells software products and provides Unified Process consulting services, mentoring and training, focused on Use Cases, Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, Unified Modeling Language and Software Architecture.



Derman Enterprises Incorporated
http://www.derman.com/

[] permanent link

EverQuest on the Mac

EverQuest, the very popular online game from Sony Entertainment, has been released for Mac OSX. The Mac version of leading massively multiplayer online game includes all the versions of the game up to the last expansion, Planes of Power.

Scott McDaniel, Vice President of Marketing at SOE (Sony Online Entertainment), says: “Supporting the Mac platform is a logical step towards growing our online community and building the most complete, interactive experience for gamers. Combine the power and stability of Mac OS X with Apple’s outstanding desktop systems and you’ve got an incredible gaming environment that’ll take full advantage of EverQuest’s huge and seamless 3D world.”



You can purchase the Mac version of the game at computer retailers worldwide now.



To read more on this subject, go to Everlore.

[] permanent link

Microsoft admits security flaw in Windows

Microsoft Corp. acknowledged a critical vulnerability Wednesday in nearly all versions of its flagship Windows operating system software, the first such design flaw to affect its latest Windows Server 2003 software.

Meanwhile, Microsoft was awarded a $90M contract to provide the Department of Homeland Security with desktop and server software. Now doesn't that make you feel safe?

Microsoft said the vulnerability could allow hackers to seize control of a victim's Windows computer over the Internet, stealing data, deleting files or eavesdropping on e-mails. The company urged customers to immediately apply a free software repairing patch available from Microsoft's Web site.

The disclosure was unusually embarrassing for Microsoft because it demonstrated the first such serious flaw in the company's powerful new computer server software, billed as its safest ever.

The software is aimed at large corporate customers and was the first product sold under a high-profile "Trustworthy Computing" initiative organized last year by Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

You can read the full article here.

[] permanent link

EverQuest Exposes Price of Sexism

Many people enjoy playing the online RPG EverQuest. Many enjoy it more when they have a high level character. So, they choose to purchase them from other players, sometimes.




Why is it, however, that male characters seemingly cost more than female ones to purchase? Gender holds no advantage or disadvantage during game-play, so this should not happen.



Prof. Edward Castranova, who did a study on this subject, says it is generally females of the much prettier races that are played. "There are very few female ogres and trolls," he says.



Castranova, by studying the prices people will pay for different avatars on such sites as PlayerAuctions.com, he has concluded that players spend more money on male avatars. Since it makes no difference which gender you play, he sees it as sexist that male avatars are more expensive than female ones of the same level.



As studies continue, you may expect more about sexism in video games in the future.


You can read the full article at BBCnews.com.

[] permanent link

America's Army for Mac OS X

America's Army 1.7 has been released for Mac OS X. You can download it free from macgamefiles.

Note the hefty hardware requirements: 1.25GHz G4 Processor (700MHz G4 Processor at minimum); 512 megs of RAM (256 Megs of RAM at minimum); 1 gigabyte of hard drive space; GeForce4 or Radeon 8500. (GeForce2 or Radeon 7500 at minimum)

[] permanent link

Special Event introducing Quark XPress 6

Apple, MacCenter, and Quark are hosting a special event to introduce QuarkXPress 6.

Attendees will get an up close look at the all new QuarkXPress 6 - now ready for Mac OS X. QuarkXPress, the choice of publishing and design professionals across the world, combines revolutionary features with reliable tools that millions depend on to deliver real results. Much more than a page layout tool, QuarkXPress 6 provides a way to work efficiently to achieve innovative outcomes. That's the creative productivity that drives business.

You will also learn what's new with Mac OS X and Apple hardware that your business can depend on. See how Mac OS X and QuarkXPress 6 work together to deliver your projects on time and within budget.

Date & Location:

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Sun Sentinel Auditorium

200 E. Las Olas Dr

Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301

For more information, contact MacCenter at 954-486-5500 or visit www.maccenter.com

[] permanent link

Playstation 3?!?!

Is a Playstation 3 not far off? One UK news program says, no, no it is not far off. Sony supposedly jumped up the PS3 project when they saw the Xbox's capabilities.

Although Sony assures itself it can compete at the moment with the PS2, they are developing their new system, right now. The PS3 is being designed, unlike the three systems currently on the market, to specifically handle online games.



While all three systems (Gamecube, Xbox and PS2) can play online games, some systems require upgrades or additional hardware to play them. These can be costly.



But, with the release of the PS3, it looks like you will be able to play online games from the start.



All I can say is, what will this do to the sales of the PS2? Heh.



The full article can be found at http://www.the-nextlevel.com/board/showthread.php?threadid=2264.

[] permanent link

AOL officially kills Netscape

AOL has cut or will cut the remaining team working on Mozilla in a mass firing and are dismantling what was left of Netscape (they've even pulled the logos off the buildings). Some will remain working on Mozilla during the transition, and will move to other jobs within AOL.


Meanwhile, Mozilla.org, the organization that coordinates Mozilla open source development, today announced the launch of a new foundation that will continue to promote the development, distribution and adoption of the award-winning Mozilla standards-based web applications and core technologies, including the Gecko browser layout engine. The Mozilla Foundation will continue and expand on the efforts of mozilla.org, the group managing the daily operations of the Mozilla project since its inception.

Read more about it here or visit the Mozilla Foundation.

[] permanent link

DEVONagent makes the Internet the world's largest knowledge base

DEVONtechnologies' new Internet search agent software DEVONagent is getting closer to the first public beta, and so the product page has been updated with new screenshots and a description of the forthcoming features.

Based on DEVONtechnologies' revolutionary DEVONtechnology, DEVONagent is the information finding tool of the next generation. It simulates the behaviour of a human web surfer scanning the Internet for a specific piece of information. Technically, DEVONagent uses a variety of searching techniques and collects the results from major search engines. Then it visits all the found web sites, downloads, analyses and weights them to find the most relevant pages, eliminating information junk (empty pages, HTTP errors, sites that don't contain the search phrase, similar or duplicate pages, or pages with too little information) automatically on-the-fly.

Especially useful for anyone visiting the same pages over and over again to see if there's something published about a specific topic is the brand new crawler. It scans through lists of interesting pages and reports only those dealing with what the user is looking for.

The final results are presented by DEVONagent in a plain list, sorted by decreasing relevance, together with a first summary of all paragraphs that DEVONagent thinks are the most relevant to the query. A double-click on any link opens the pages directly in an integrated web browser built upon the fast and rock-solid Safari engine (including Java, JavaScript, Plug-Ins and all the rest).

A second, more spectacular view shows a list with the most important topics related to the query and a digest instantly created for selected topics or based on the query. Ocurrences of the selected topics words are highlighted, the digest is editable and can be saved as plain text or RTF. Both views, page list and digest, are easily accessible through tabs below the toolbar. Also, selected pages can be exported as HTML, plain text or RTF/RTFD. In almost all cases, the results filtered and weighted by DEVONagent are much better that those returned by the standard search engines. Additionally, DEVONagent stores all or selected results in a searchable archive very similar to DEVONthink, DEVONtechnologies' current flagship freeform database and knowledge manager (commands to store selected pages or links to them in DEVONagent are also available).

Key features:

• Automatic querying of search engines
  
• Collecting, analysing, weighting and summarising search results
  
• Crawler to auto-surf your favourite web pages
  
• Dynamic digest based on intelligent topic list
  
• Automatic junk filter
  
• Integrated web browser based on the Safari engine
  
• Clean text-only preview
  
• Searchable web page archive
  
• Integrated with DEVONthink
  
• Highly multi-threaded, uses all core technologies of Mac OS X
  
• Flexible plug-in architecture.
  

[] permanent link

Reader Specials from MacResQ

Part #P006616
AC Adapter, PowerBook G3 (all), iBook (clamshell), 3400, 1400
Normal price: $69. This week's Q-Tastic price: $49 with Q-Pon Code "ACA"

Part #P009329
80 Gigabyte QPro ICE 7200 RPM FireWire & USB External Hard Drive
Get it all for $189.99 - order this week and get FREE Shipping with Q-Pon
Code "QT80S"

Part #3.6
Battery, Lithium, 3.6 volt, 1/2 AA
Get that $9 battery for $5 this week with Q-Pon Code "Q36"

Exp. 7/22

[] permanent link

MySQL Studio for Mac OS X

MySQL Studio 4.2.3 is a Database GUI Tool for administrating and monitoring MySQL server on Mac OS X platform. This new release contains several minor enhancements and bug fixes including MySQL Connection settings and backup feature enhanced, and improvement on the data transfer for MySQL.


An evaluation version of PremiumSoft MySQL Studio is available for download at www.mysqlstudio.com/shareware.php3. To use the product, you'll need Mac OS X 10.1 or later.

MySQL Studio is a set of graphical database management and monitoring tools for MySQL database systems that offers full control over any MySQL database server as well as displays various administrative information. It includes a full featured graphical manager for users and access privileges and that can easily migrate your data from one database to another database and backup your files. It comes with a well-edited manual and installation guide.

Major features include below:

• Browse your databases
  
• Create and delete databases, tables, indexes and users
  
• Modify your data
  
• Create, Save or Run SQL queries
  
• Manage user privileges [security configuration]
  
• Backup/Restore your database
  
• Data Transfer - you can transfer data from one MySQL server to another MySQL server (1. Local to Remote , 2. Remote to Remote , 3. Remote to Local)
  

[] permanent link

Security Update 2003-07-14

A new security update, available via the Software Update panel, fixes the widely-reported buffer overflow problem. According to the release notes:

Security Update 2003-07-14 addresses a potential vulnerability when a password is required upon waking from the Screen Effects feature, which could allow an unauthorized user access to the desktop of the logged in user.

[] permanent link

Panther Software Update

An update is now available for Panther via the Software Update panel. According to the release notes:

This Panther Update is being made available to test the Software Update feature in Panther and address a few Exposé, Mail and iChat issues. Please install this update and provide us feedback via your normal channels.

[] permanent link

EFF Deep Links

Deep Links features noteworthy news items, victories, and threats
from around the Internet.

• More Copy-Protected CDs to Hit the U.S.
  Let's hope these aren't the ones that leave a smoking hole where your
  computer used to be.
  
  

  
  

• Sony Lead Counsel in Betamax Case Passes
  Dean Dunlavey defended Sony in front of the Supreme Court and helped
  establish the legality of the VCR in the "Betamax" case. He was 77.
  

  
  
  

• Euro Scheme Makes Money Talk
  Euro cash could be embedded with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags
  if a reported deal between the European Central Bank and Hitachi becomes
  reality.
  
  

  
  

• It's a P2P World
  Siva Vaidyanathan writes about the cultural and political power of P2P.
  
  

  
  

• UK Downloaders Buy More Records
  Now isn't that ironic?
  
  

  
  

• RIAA: Why Do You Treat Me So Bad?
  Alternet's Sean Gonsalves has a good, balanced, and funny look at the
  RIAA's
  threats.
  
  

  
  

• Why It's Too Easy to Steal Music
  A reasonable piece on the many factors (education, morals, law, policy,
  etc.) that induce consumers to follow a certain path.
  
  

  
  

• Stop Us if You've Heard this One
  Napster's Shawn Fanning gets behind audio-fingerprinting technology. (Free
  registration required to view article.)
  
  

[] permanent link

EFF Opposes Printer Manufacturer's Broad DMCA Claims

San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) asked a federal
appeals court to rule that refilling printer toner cartridges does not
violate the DMCA or infringe copyright. The case will determine whether
purchasers of printers continue to be able to buy compatible replacement
toner cartridges from competitors of Lexmark or whether they are forced to
buy only "factory parts" from Lexmark once they've purchased a printer.

Printer maker Lexmark had sued, claiming that cartridge remanufacturer
Static Control Components circumvented Lexmark's access control
technologies and infringed its copyrights by "reverse engineering" its
printer toner cartridges. Static Control produced replacement microchips
that enabled resellers to refill toner cartridges and sell them more
cheaply.

Lexmark cited provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and
traditional copyright law in the lawsuit. The district court ruled in
Lexmark's favor, and Static Control appealed to the Sixth Circuit.

"Creating a post-sale monopoly in printer toner cartridges clearly wasn't
what Congress intended when it past the DMCA," said Wendy Seltzer. "The
Lexmark lawsuit shows how far copyright law has strayed from its original
foundations, that is, 'to promote progress of science and useful arts.'"

EFF's amicus brief continues the EFF tradition of defending the rights of
technologists and innovators. The brief argues that manufacturers should
not be able to use the law to thwart interoperability with their products,
because reverse engineering is protected fair use of copyrighted programs.

Links

• EFF amicus brief in Lexmark v. Static Control
  
  
• EFF Lexmark v. Static Control archive
  
  
• EFF Reply Comments to Copyright Office, supporting Static
  Control
  

[] permanent link

More new Panther features

Among the enhancements in Panther are secure delete in Finder, user-defined keyboard shortcuts, and an enhanced address book.

The Finder now has a Secure Empty Trash sub-menu in the Finder menu with options for 1, 7, or 35 pass overwrite.

The Keyboard & Mouse preference panel now lets you change any existing keyboard shortcuts or assign new shortcuts to menu items in all applications or a specific application.

The address book now lets you customize which fields appear on the card. You can also define relationships between contacts such as friend, assistant, manager, etc. There's also a command to open a card in a separate window, a command to email changes to your card, and a new script menu.

[] permanent link

Ambrosia Releases EV Nova for Windows

Ambrosia Software, Inc. announced today the release of EV Nova for Windows, a port of the epic third title in the incredibly popular Escape Velocity series for the Macintosh. It features stunning graphics for throughout the game, a huge new universe and an in-depth plotline with 6 different major storylines to keep you on the edge of your seat.

You can download it here now:

http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/games/evn/

EV Nova finds you, a young pilot with a brand-new shuttlecraft, full power cells, and an entire universe to explore. You must choose which missions to take, which people to trust and which gear to buy. Will a rack of solar panels be more useful than a shiny new laser turret? Which ship has the best layout for your playing style? You'll be able to choose from literally hundreds of ships and upgrades in your journeys.

"The Auroran warlord looked out into space from the bridge of his carrier. All around his ship were strewn destroyed or disabled vessels, both Federation and Auroran. Not more than an hour ago they had been functional, powerful weapons, poised to deal death at each other across the blackness of the interstellar gulf. Now they were nothing more than torn fragments of metal..."

[] permanent link

Interesting Panther bug

I notice that the Startup Disk panel in Panther allows me to select my classic system folder & presents 9.2.2 as a boot option on my 12" PowerBook G4, which isn't capable of booting 9. I didn't attempt to actually boot it :)

[] permanent link

New Feature: Bookmarks

Registered users may now create their personal bookmark list, which they can access from any computer as long as they're logged into MacMegasite.

[] permanent link

Colourfull Creations releases update for Maxi Bidder eBay Snipe Tool

Colourfull Creations releases update for Maxi Bidder the premiere eBay Snipe Tool for Macintosh OS X. The newest features and updates include: Works with new eBay layout, Updated Auto-Bid Feature, and New Updated Status. For more information Maxi Bidder go to http://www.colourfull.com

[] permanent link

The Gallery is growing!

The Keynote Gallery has produced four new versatile theme and add-on packages designed to easily brighten professional Keynote presentations.

Presenters can have some fun with the Jelly Pack, Jelly Buttons and Smileys V3 and grab audience attention with a sparkling-clean Tin Theme!

Jelly Pack is a creative add-on package that presenters will want to use to enhance Apple or Keynote Gallery themes. The brightly colored Jelly Pack features 16 Jelly photo borders, 14 Jelly underlines, 14 Jelly bullets, 14 Jelly backgrounds, and 16 1024 x 768 Jelly borders.  Jelly Pack is an instant "Yes" at only $4.95 US or combine it with Jelly Buttons for only $6.95 US!

Jelly Buttons are an add-on "flexibility" package with over 150 professionally designed buttons to supplement Apple or Keynote Gallery themes.  The buttons come in blue, green, and red and are saved in .key format for simple copy and paste between presentations and are also included in their raw .png format so that you can insert them as bullets into any of your presentations.  Jelly Buttons are next-to-free at $2.95 US or may be combined with Jelly Pack for only $6.95 US.

Spread happiness throughout the audience with Smileys V3, a free add-on to the Gallery's popular Smiley Theme, which, by the way, is also free. The 15 new smiley faces are an excellent addition to the existing Smileys V1 and V2.  Download them each for free, from the Extras section of the Keynote Gallery website. They're a bonus from the Gallery Team, just for checking out all the other time saving and inspired themes during your visit.

The Gallery's brilliant new Tin Theme is superbly clean and professional. It is ideal for medicine, dentistry, business, consulting, or science or any other topic that needs a hi-tech, leading edge appearance.  The cutouts simulate a "stamped metal" look.  This theme comes complete with 30 masters in both 1024 x 768 and 800 x 600 formats.  The Tin Theme is definitely worth a very reasonable $9.95 US.

The Keynote Gallery Team


http://www.keynotegallery.com/

[] permanent link

Ambrosia releases free audio capture utility

Today Ambrosia Software, Inc. announced the release of WireTap 1.0.0 for MacOS X 10.2 or later. WireTap is a free product for that allows you to record any audio playing on your Mac, saving it to a file for later listening or processing. This allows you to record news from Internet radio stations such as the BBC News, sound snippets from your favorite DVD movie, record the audio from a game, or even iChatAV conversations.

WireTap 1.0.0 can be downloaded here:

http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/freebies/

WireTap works using a simple tape recorder-like interface. Simply click the record button, and any audio playing through your Mac will be recorded to disk. WireTap can record any sound that is playing regardless of the source, so RealPlayer, iTunes, DVD Player, Windows Media Player, etc. are all supported.

The technology in WireTap will be coming to a future version of our video/screen capture product Snapz Pro X. WireTap is a completely free product.

Ambrosia Software, Inc. - publisher of award winning programs for the Macintosh and Windows - distributes a full line of utility, productivity, and anti-productivity (game) software through the Internet, America Online, and CompuServe as shareware. Unregistered versions of Ambrosia's products on CD can be obtained at Ambrosia web site, http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/ or by calling Ambrosia's order center at 585.325.1910

[] permanent link

CPLAT 5.1 Released

ksoft is pleased to announce the latest version of CPLAT (version 5.1), a modern C++ framework for cross-platform development.

Some of the new features are:

• MacOSX HIView support.
  
• MaxOSX window compositing support.
  
• MacOSX drawer and metal window support.
  
• New DataBrowser class.
  
• New UI elements - round buttons, disclosure button, icon and picture
  control and more.
  
• New and reorganized documentation.
  

CPLAT is an easy-to-use full-featured (not just a thin layer over the
underlying OS) modern C++ (STL, exception handling, XML) framework for
MacOS/Windows/Linux development. CPLAT supports development under
CodeWarrior, Visual C++, and ProjectBuilder.

CPLAT also includes a RADTool / Resource Editor for importing / creating /
editing the resources your application uses including, menus, icons,
pictures, cursors, patterns, windows (UI elements), alerts, dialogs,
strings. You can create a single resource and generate the appropriate
resource definition for MacOS/Windows/Linux.

CPLAT is available for $50 and includes complete source code, headers and
projects to the framework, demos and RADTool / Resource Editor (including
source code). Updates are posted several times a year.

Full details and the lastest trial versions / demos can be found at:
http://www.ksoft.net.

[] permanent link

New & Changed Panther Utilities

Here's a look at some of the utilities which have changed or been added in Panther.

The first change you'll notice in the System Preferences is that there's no longer an Internet settings panel. Instead, the .Mac panel only allows you to manage your .Mac account. To change your default web browser, you now use the preferences in Safari or Internet Explorer. Similarly, Mail.app now lets you choose your default mail client.

A new Ports Manager application in the utilities folder allows you to install and manage third party Unix software. This is based on Darwin Ports and is very similar to Fink.

Disk Copy is gone and Disk Utility now lets you mount or burn disk images. A restore function now lets you restore a drive from a disk image.

Many other utilities such as System Profiler have been redesigned. Tabs are gone from all standard applications. Instead, they use either the new switch control or a selection list.

[] permanent link

Review: SmartDisk FireLite 60G Drive

I just posted a review of SmartDisk's portable FireWire drive.

[] permanent link

XBox vulnerability allows it to boot Linux without modchip

This article describes an XBox vulnerability which allows it to execute any code, providing a way to boot Linux withut a mod chip. Of course Microsoft won't acknowledge it.

[] permanent link

Panther Notes

Here are some interesting things I've noticed about Panther after running it for a week on two systems.

I'm running Panther on both a G4/500AGP minitower and a 12" PowerBook G4. I find it faster than 10.2.x on both machines and I haven't found too many problems.

On my G4 minitower, I installed Panther on a second internal drive as a clean install. For my PowerBook, I installed it on an external 60G FireWire drive. I first cloned my internal drive and did an update, but I found many problems such as freezes that way. The problems were gone after I did a clean install on that drive.

Interestingly, the Expose effect seems to benefit more from video perfornace than CPU speed. I find that it's a lot faster & smoother on my G4/500, which has a Radeon 9000, than it is on my PowerBook G4/867 with the slower GeForce 4MX.

In Panther, if you try to copy a file you don't have access to, it will prompt you for an administrator password instead of simply aborting the copy as 10.2.x does.

I was pleased to find that most of my applications & extensions still work, including the drivers for my Logitech cordless keyboard & mouse. However, Mail.app disables the PGP plugin when it starts up.

The Finder-style list window with icons for favorite folders is used for the open & save dialogs in applications. It's possible to add any folders you want to the list by just dragging them to that column.

[] permanent link

Boca Raton Apple Store

Today I visited the new Apple Store in Boca Raton's Town Center Mall. Here's a brief report.

Town Center is an upscale mall just off Glades Road in Boca Raton, about 15 minutes from Fort Lauderdale.

The store itself is fairly small, but it was very busy and the staff was very helpful. They had at least one of every currently available Macintosh model, including 12" and 17" Powerbooks, 12" and 14" iBooks, an eMac, several iMacs, and a few G4 minitowers. There were also many iPods, several of them connected to JBL Creature speakers. A table in the back demonstrated digital cameras & PDAs. The genius bar is on the side and was helping a customer with a Blue & White G3. The cashier in the back uses iMacs.

The store had a good selection of books, software, and peripherals.

[] permanent link

SmartDisk FireLite 60 FireWire drive

The FireLite 60 is a compact bus-powered external firewire drive. Since it gets its power from the computer's FireWire port and doesn't require any AC power, it's perfect for mobile use (although it shouldn't be used when running on batteries, as it will drastically reduce their life).



Like most external FireWire drives, you just plug it in and it works. Although SmartDisk's included CD includes drivers & a utility, it isn't needed - in fact when you try to install it, after telling you all running applications need to be quit, it will simply alert you that it isn't needed for Mac OS X (even though the installer is native) and will tell you to use Apple's Disk Utility.



The only thing I don't like about this drive is the noise - it emits a very annoying high-pitched squeal. Aside from that, it's fast, convenient, and easy to carry with your PowerBook. With the FireLite drive, you no longer need to keep your backup drive at home when you travel.

[] permanent link

Audio Routing Tool Detour 1.0 Released

Rogue Amoeba Software is announcing the immediate availability of Detour, our newest audio utility for Mac OS X. Detour provides the ability to choose the audio output device and relative volume for all of your applications - a capability never before seen on OS X that will appeal to users of all types. From serious audio pros to the computer music lover in all of us, Detour provides the control over your sound that you've always wanted.

With Detour, you can send iTunes music and DVD Player sound to an external set of speakers or headphones while keeping noises from iChat and other programs coming out of the computer's smaller built-in speaker. Keep your music distraction-free and never again be jarred out of a groove session.

Detour can also be used to lower the volume of some applications relative to others. Even users with just one system output will benefit from Detour. Use Detour to lower the volume on your email notifications so they don't cut through music and movies - or selectively mute programs which insist on making noise you don't need to hear.

Detour compliments the popular Griffin iMic wonderfully, and works great with any USB speakers such as the Harman Kardon SoundSticks. Users owning MiniDisc players will also appreciate Detour's ability to send the audio from a single application directly to the MiniDisc for recording. Anyone who has the volume turned on in OS X will benefit from Detour.

Detour 1.0 (for OS X 10.2 and up) is immediately available for download and purchase. Head over to the Detour page for more information, or download Detour now. Detour is $12 shareware, with an introductory price of $10 through July 31st. Get it today!

Detour Links

See Detour in action, redirecting several individual applications:

http://www.rogueamoeba.com/detour/images/parts_fullsize.jpg

Detour information link:
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/detour/

Direct download link:
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/detour/download/Detour.dmg

[] permanent link

Reader Specials

P007908 PowerBook G4/550 256/20gb/DVD/56k/15.2"
Normally $1249.99, yours now for $1149.99 when you use Q-Pon Code:
"JULY" (note: if regular price drops below $1249.99, lowest price is still $1149.99)

3 Black & 3 Color InkResQ Cartridges, Compatible with Epson Stylus Color
740 740i 740TB 760 860 1160, Stylus Scan 2000 2500
Normally $24.99, take $5 off with Q-Pon code "JULYINK"

[] permanent link

Broken RSS feed

I just fixed our RSS feed, which I discovered has been broken for a few days. You should now be getting updated headlines in your news aggregator.

[] permanent link

Deep Links from EFF

Deep Links features noteworthy news items, victories, and threats
from around the Internet.