To reduce the database size and server load, all articles from 2004 or earlier are archived here.
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Fri, 29 Aug 2003
Cyberduck-2.1beta5
Cyberduck is an open source SFTP (SSH Secure File Transfer) and FTP browser licenced under the GPL. Cyberduck features the same intuitive interface for both FTP and SFTP browsing. Cyberduck is now Mac only, with a completly rewritten user interface using the Cocoa Framework.
You can open connections to multiple servers thanks to its document based interface. A simple favorites manager
allows you to store frequently-used servers.
Drag and drop is supported for both downloading and uploading files. Just drag the file(s) or folder from the Finder to the browser window or vice versa to start the transfer.
File deletion and renaming, checking and changing of permissions is possible with a Finder-like info panel.
What's new in 2.1beta5
- HTTP is now supported again. Files can be downloaded from regular web servers.
- Cyberduck can now be configured as the default FTP helper application. See "http://www.monkeyfood.com/software/moreInternet/". This seems to work with Safari and Internet Explorer.
- Dragging files to the Finder is now more reliable.
- The transfer panel does now close again if defined so in the preferences.
- The buffer size (the size of download chunks to keep in memory before writing to disk) is now adjustable.
- Login to anonymous FTP servers where no password is needed is now supported.
- Smaller bug fixes
Thu, 28 Aug 2003
IBM releases G5 optimized compilers
IBM has released betas of their XL C, C++, and Fortran compilers for Mac OS X. More information is available here.
New Panther Seed
Panther 7B49 has been seeded to developers. There are no details about what changed in this build, but the release note mentions a possible issue with displays on 12" PowerBooks not waking from sleep.
DOUBLE IMPACT: DEVONAGENT AND DEVONTHINK
DEVONtechnologies releases the first public beta of the intelligent Internet search agent DEVONagent and updates DEVONthink to version 1.7.1. The DEVONagent Public Beta 1 is immediately available for everyone as a free download from www.devon-technologies.com.
DEVONagent 1.0b1 comes with a total of 15 plug-ins for querying a great variety of search engines and databases, scanning the Usenet, and much more. Also, crawler sets allow users to define their own lists of pages and scan them automatically with just one click. The NEAR operator, which is unique to DEVONagent and some super-high-end databases, dramatically improves the quality of the search results, and the integration with DEVONthink makes it easy to archive and organise the found information.
DEVONthink 1.7.1 adds tight integration with DEVONagent, features an automatic update check function and is overall faster. An improved database optimisation let's the application start up much faster, and some minor interface glitches and bugs have been removed.
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
DEVONagent runs on any Mac with Mac OS X 10.2, 256 MB RAM and Safari installed. A fast Internet connection is recommended. DEVONthink 1.7.1 runs on Mac OS X 10.1 or higher. Both applications are available as a free download from www.devon-technologies.com.
The Great Cube Adventure
Surf-Bits.com has just published the first in a series of articles on finding, purchasing , upgrading and modding an Apple Cube.
A Better Finder CREATORS & TYPES 3.2 for Mac OS X
PUBLICSPACE.NET is pleased to announce version 3.2 of its "A Better Finder
CREATORS & TYPES" Macintosh Finder enhancement.
The new version allows the tool be started from the Finder by pressing the
Command-Control-C hot key combination. The hot key is also configurable
from the "System Preferences..." panel.
A Better Finder CREATORS & TYPES is shareware and cost $9.95. Upon popular
demand, we now also offer forever upgrades and licenses.
The new version can be downloaded from:
http://www.publicspace.net/ABetterFinderCreatorsAndTypes/
More information on "A Better Finder CREATORS & TYPES" is available at the
same address.
New Mac Peer-to-Peer Guide
mac-p2p.com is a new website that serves as a guide to Mac clients for Peer-to-Peer networks such as Gnutella, Fastrack (Kazaa), Bittorrent, etc.
Classic improvements in Panther
Even though Mac OS 9's days are numbered as a stand-alone operating system, Classic has some nice improvements in Panther. There's now an option to show classic status in the menu bar.
The new classic status menu not only lets you start & stop Classic, it also lists the Apple Menu items in your Classic startup folder.
Time for hard hitting Apple ads
With Windows uers still reeling from last week's worm attacks, Apple can use it to their advantage to point out that Macs were unaffected.
Many companies were brought to a standstill in recent weeks by Windows worms including MSBlast & SoBig, and IT departments are still scrambling to apply patches & eradicate infections. Meanwhile, Mac users were unaffected and were able to continue doing productive work.
Windows users are now more receptive to alternatives than ever before as they realize how buggy and insecure their systems are. Apple needs to take advantge of it now by emphasizing the Mac's strengths and pointing out that the Mac is a viable alternative to Windows.
Here's an idea for an Apple ad, which I give them permission to use freely:
We see workers pacing back & forth while their PCs are disabled. Cut to the IT department scrambling to fix the damage caused by the worms. Meanwhile we see Joe Mac User working happily on his Mac, using popular office applications like Word & Excel and actually getting his work done.
FTP and SSH Browser for Mac OS X
Cyberduck is an open source SFTP (SSH Secure File Transfer) and FTP browser licenced under the GPL. Cyberduck features the same intuitive interface for both FTP and SFTP browsing. Cyberduck is now Mac only, with a completly rewritten user interface using the Cocoa Framework.
You can open connections to multiple servers thanks to its document based interface. A simple favorites manager allows you to store frequently-used servers.
Drag and drop is supported for both downloading and uploading files. Just drag the file(s) or folder from the Finder to the browser window or vice versa to start the transfer.
File deletion and renaming, checking and changing of permissions is possible with a Finder-like info panel.
Version 2.1beta4
Cyberduck-2.1beta4.dmg
Bash replaces tcsh as default shell in Panther
In a move that will please many Unix geeks, Apple has made bash the default shell in Panther rather than tcsh used in previous Mac OS X versions. If you do an update install and preserve your old user accounts you won't see the change, however.
Bash is a flexible shell which uses a more standard syntax than csh or tcsh. For more information about Bash see http://www.gnu.org/software/bash/bash.html.
New Panther Seed - 7B44
Panther 7B44 has been seeded to developers. Note that the FileVault feature in this build, which encrypts a user's home directory, is incompatible with the format used in previous builds. If you've enabled FileVault in 7B39, you must turn it off before upgrading to 7B44.
The Register: It's time to recall Microsoft
For the second time this year, Microsoft is the source of a major internet security event. First was Slammer/Sapphire in January that seriously impacted networks and corporations around the world, including shutting down ATM machines at some large banks. And now, we've got MSBlaster taking advantage of a years-old vulnerability in Microsoft Windows operating systems. But unlike Slammer that only targeted servers, this one goes after desktop computers as well - meaning that ninety percent of the world's computers are potential targets and victims this week. Consumer desktops are significantly more plentiful than corporate ones but less-protected against viruses, worms, and other attacks. As low-hanging fruit goes, they're a perfect target of opportunity for cyber-mischief.
According to a Wired story today, Microsoft is confused why these worms continue plaguing users when the company's made great effort to improve the patch delivery process. Microsoft says it's working with federal law enforcement to find out who's behind the dastardly deed that's giving the software monopoly yet another embarrassing black eye in the media. This is a typical Microsoft response full of proactive sound of fury, but signifying nothing helpful. And the media's full of reporting about the pervasiveness of MSBlaster and what people can do to protect themselves against this "latest" cyber-threat.
Yet Microsoft says third-party software accounts for half of all Windows crashes. Funny, it also blamed the competing DR-DOS for Windows 3.1 crashes in an attempt to get people to buy MS-DOS back in the 1980s. (It was later discovered that Microsoft had engineered false error messages to trick users into buying MS-DOS.) It also said Internet Explorer couldn't be removed from Windows 95 without crippling the operating system, and was proven wrong by enterprising researchers. So Microsoft's track record for veracity isn't exactly stellar when it comes to its products and business practices.
But, few if any are mentioning the real issues here: MSBlaster's ability to affect practically all versions of Windows shows that despite Microsoft's marketing flacks, there is still significant code shared between all versions of Windows. Anyone who thinks DOS is dead, or Windows XP's code internals have little in-common with Windows NT 4 should think again. MSBlaster proves it.
Also, MSBlaster takes advantage of known vulnerable network ports in Windows, ports that any competent network administrator or internet provider should have closed long, long ago. In fact, there's probably no good reason why these ports should be enabled on consumer versions of Windows or supported by ISP networks, for that matter. In other words, it baffles the mind why these well-known ports continue to be a major security vulnerability in Windows.
Read the full article here.
Koverz Provides Cure for Not-so Mysterious PowerBook Woe
PARADISE, Utah – August 20, 2003 – Thousands of people open their Apple PowerBooks on a daily basis and are discouraged to find mysterious marks and smudges on their laptop computer screens. Some of the marks are easily removed from the screen with a swipe of a cleaning cloth, while others remain as permanent reminders of how a small problem can turn into a big problem for possibly the most powerful laptops in the industry.
The mysterious marks are not so mysterious however. The marks are actually caused when oil and dirt left on the keyboard and/or wrist-rest come in contact with the computer screen when the laptop is closed. The marks can be easily prevented with the help of a laptop screen protector from Koverz, Inc. (www.koverz.com).
“We have customers from across the country that have recognized the marks on their screens, and have chosen a simple, yet elegant solution to their problem,” said David Leishman, president of Koverz. “At Koverz, we have created a leather laptop screen protector that fits perfectly over the keyboard and/or wrist-rest of most Apple PowerBooks and iBooks. The result is a protective barrier that prevents the dirt and oil on the keys from coming in contact with the delicate LCD screen.”
Koverz laptop screen protectors are made from 100% cowhide leather, which will not bleed or shed and is the most durable material for this type of product. The topside, which faces the screen features a chrome finish, and the bottom side is unfinished suede.
“We have been contacted about our screen protectors by everyone from individual computer owners to universities that purchase large quantities of Apple laptops,” Leishman said. “In some cases, people, schools, universities or companies are spending upwards of $3,000 for an Apple laptop, and for less than 1% of the cost of the computer, owners can purchase a Koverz laptop screen protector and insure that their laptop screen will last as long as the rest of their investment.”
The Koverz laptop screen protector is available for most Apple PowerBooks and iBooks. Pricing ranges from $11.95 to $15.95. Koverz offers volume discounts, as well as customized laser etching. For more information on Koverz, visit www.koverz.com or email questions to sales@koverz.com.
# # #
DontBuyMusic is back!
As you probably know, the site was offline for several days at the request of Buy.com's legal team (a law firm operating out of the great mass of humans known as "Los Angeles"). The new site can now be completely, totally, 100% certainly defined as a parody web site, as it contains absolutely none of BuyMusic.com's original graphics or HTML code, and unless Buy.com has trademarked the ugly colors and fonts that they like too, then they are operating what is legally recognized as a form of free speech.
Visit the new, improved site at www.dontbuymusic.com.
Keynote Gallery Theme Upgrades Available
KeynoteGallery's Molecular, Executive Ivory and Executive Gray professional Keynote themes have been expanded. Multiple cut-outs, more masters and extras and still at reasonable prices. If you are an existing owner of any of these themes, check out http://www.keynotegallery.com to see if you qualify for a FREE upgrade.
Keep up with exciting new themes and upgrades by joining the Keynote Gallery email newsletter list. Go to http://www.keynotegallery.com.com and click on the Join our E-mail Newsletter!
Superdrive Firmware Update
An unsuported Superdrive firmware upgrade for PowerBook G4s is available from http://superdrive.cynikal.net/. I installed it on my 12" PowerBook G4 with excellent results.
After the upgrade I'm now able to burn CDs at 16x and DVD-R media at 2x. I was able to burn a Memorex DVD-R that had previously failed with the old firmware. I haven't noticed any more heat, although my powerbook always gets extremely hot when burning a CD.
Milan - Psychomechanics for Animation & Games Workshop by JEFFREY HINZE
Bringing Virtual Characters to Life for Film, Television and Games
This popular workshop is for animators and game producers who have mastered their software and want learn new methods to produce more convincing characters, levels, stories, movement and scenarios and will be taught by character development specialist Jeffrey Hinze on Friday and Saturday, September 19th & 20th, 2003.
The seminar is platform independent (Maya, Softimage XSI, 3D Max, Lightwave etc.)
The number of participants is limited.
More information at: Psychomechanics Seminar Information
Pre-Registration: Register Online
Contact:
Upgrade Authorized Training Center
Corso Lodi N47
Scala D Citofono 4301
Milan, Italy
(T) +(39) 02 55 17 290
(F) +(39) 02 55 010 357
www.upgrade.tv
info@upgrade.tv
Find an RSS feed for your favorite artist
Rollingstone.com has a new feature which lets you find an RSS feed for your favorite artist.
Go to http://www.rollingstone.com/rssxml/search.asp and enter the name of your favorite artist. You'll get a list of available RSS feeds. Click on the orange XML icon to access the feed, which you can then subscribe to in NetNewsWire or any other news reader.
Apple ships both single processor G5 models
Apple today announced that both of the single processor Power Mac G5 models are shipping, and the Dual 2 GHz model should be shipping before the end of August, as planned. Also the Power Mac G5's should be in stores on display and for purchase today.
Since the unveiling of the Power Mac G5, Apple has received over 100,000 orders for them.
Photologist Update
Version 1.2.3 of Photologist is now available to download.
Photologist is a versatile image management, manipulation, and presentation solution. It provides users with easy but powerful ways to work with digital photos.
Photologist provides users with easy but powerful ways to work with digital photos. Manage photo folders and create custom photo albums. Show photos with slide shows, web albums, and custom print layouts or print layout templates. Scale photos visually. Crop, rotate, and flip images. Adjust photo brightness, contrast, and colour. Edit images pixel by pixel. Apply special effects, styled text, shapes, and background colours. Use Photo Finder for quick, easy, and flexible photo searches. Batch process image files (rename, scale, apply shape, add keywords, categories, and comments).
New in this version:
- added ability to display EXIF picture data
- changed User's Guide to Help Viewer format
- disabled qtslideshow controls if processing is in progress
- added abort instructions to qtslideshow window
- resizing problem on Photo Finder window fixed
Product URL: http://www.ttpsoftware.com/photologist.html
Download URL: http://www.ttpsoftware.com/photologist.sit
Home Page: http://www.ttpsoftware.com
Contact: contact@ttpsoftware.com
Apple Security Update 2003-08-14
Security Update 2003-08-14, now available via the Software Update panel, addresses a potential vulnerability in the fb_realpath() function which could allow a local or remote user to gain unauthorized root privileges to a system.
PowerBook G4 Combo Drive Upgrades
Have a DVD drive in your G4 PowerBook? Don't want to spring for our $299
"SuperDrive" DVD-R upgrade? Still like to be able to burn music and data
CD's? Of course, we can help. Upgrade your G4 PowerBook's DVD drive with
our PowerBookResQ DVD/CD-RW Combo Self Serve upgrade! For just $189,
you'll be burning CDs with iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and other third party
applications in no time. Plus, this week we'll throw in FREE shipping!
Part #P009681
PowerBookResQ DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive Self Service Upgrade for G4
PowerBooks: Only $189.99
Use Q-Pon code "CDRME" when ordering to get FREE ground shipping.
Exp. 8/20
Click "read more" for more deals, including $15 off Airport card.
Take $15 off AirPort Cards!
That's right, go wireless and save $15 off our regular price when you
order by 8/20!
Part #MR004322
AirPort Wireless Networking Card
Normally $79.99, take $15 off with Q-Pon code "AIR15"
Exp. 8/20
Store It!
Choose from our 80 or 120 gigabyte QPro ICE drives on sale this week. Our
ICE FireWire and USB enclosure provides super quiet operation in a
durable enclosure that is ATA6 compatible.
Get the big one:
Part #P009330
120 Gigabyte QPro ICE 7200 RPM FireWire & USB External Hard Drive
Normally $199.99, take $10 off with Q-Pon code "Q120"
Or, save on shipping with the QPro 80:
Part #P009329
80 Gigabyte QPro ICE 7200 RPM FireWire & USB External Hard Drive
Only $169.99. Use Q-Pon code "QP80"
Exp. 8/20
iChatters.com Fills Niche Nicely. Hooking-up iChatAV Users.
San Francisco, CA (August 14th, 2003) - After successfully launching iChatters.com in beta on August 4th, today iChatters.com emerges from beta testing with over 1300 members just over a week. Such success, based almost entirely on word-of-mouth, proves that there is a viable market for creating an online space where iChatAV users can find each other online.
iChatters.com, a free service, allows iChatAV users to create profiles (with photos) and sign up sign up for affinity rooms ranging from General Chat to uncensored Adult Chat. Once logged-in, users will see other users who have signed up for the same type of affinity rooms.
Recently, iChatters.com added an extended profile functionality which shows a live status indicator, optional photo, and other optional information that people may want to put into their profile. The software has also been upgraded to show only users with similar Adult Status. Users who have not chosen Adult Access will not have to be subjected to adult content.
New features added this week are:
Profile Search - Users can search other online profiles, including those that are currently online or those that are offline.
Konfabulator Plugin - This plug-in shows how many people are online that want to chat at any given time.
New features coming soon:
Buddy Lists - Email or an instant message notification when their friends come online.
Stealth Mode - This optional user made will keep your username hidden and others will have to use iChatters.com's "blind-massaging" system to request chats.
Instant Messaging through iChatters.com - Users can request chats (with a preview picture and profile) directly through iChatters.com. Instead of sending just a simple text message through iChatAV, users will be able to attach a preview picture and more profile information allowing for a more functional chat-request screening system.
About iChatters.com
iChatters.com was written, designed, and developed by Jeffrey M. Glover. Mr. Glover came up with the idea for iChatters.com during Steve Job's Keynote in June at the Worldwide Apple Developers Conference. While there are other sites that have similar ideas and concepts, he believes that iChatters.com fills the niche nicely while maintaining a distinct Mac OS user experience. iChatters.com plans to remain as a free service by subsidizing the cost with online banner advertising and donations.
For more information please contract:
Jeffrey M. Glover
iChatters.com
ichatters@ichatters.com
415.553.4080
Linksys Wireless Media Adapter
Linksys has a very cool device which lets you access your music & pictures from your TV & stereo. Unfortunately, it isn't Mac compatible since it depends on PC-based software.
The Linksys Wireless-B Media Adapter lets you bring the digital music and pictures stored on your computer to your Home Entertainment Center, without running cables through the house. Using a wireless connection, the Media Adapter displays your digital photographs on the TV for the whole family to enjoy. And your digital music collection is finally freed from those little computer speakers and can play in full glory through your stereo system.
The Wireless-B Media Adapter sits by your home stereo and television and connects to them using standard consumer electronics cables. Then it connects to your home network by Wireless-B (802.11b) wireless networking, or if you prefer, it can be connected via standard 10/100 Ethernet cabling. Using the included remote control and the user-friendly menus on your TV, you can browse through the digital pictures on your computer by folder, filename, or thumbnail. You can view pictures one at a time, or watch an automatically created slideshow of all the pictures in a given folder. The Media Adapter supports four popular picture formats: JPG, GIF, TIF and BMP. Use the remote control's Zoom button to get a close-up of the details in your pictures.
You can also use the remote to browse your MP3 or WMA formatted music collection by title, artist, genre, folder, or playlist. Choose the music you want, and let the Wireless-B Media Adapter play it through your stereo system. You can even let music play in the background while you browse your pictures.
A Mac version would be even nicer.
Wed, 13 Aug 2003
Mac Talk Show in Spanish
Hi,
I have just launched a new radio talk show for macintosh in spanish, it is not live yet but is an mp3 recorded show. Is intended for mac audience who speaks in spanish and can't listen to other mac shows on the net do to language barriers, and is great for people who loves mac and is learning spanish, because is a great way to practice listening while hearing great news from that thing that we love... Apple Macintosh!
URL: http://www.radiomac.com.ar
Thanks for spreading the news!
Hydra having legal problems
Due to legal issues The Coding Monkeys were forced to remove any occurance of the application's former name and replace it with "#####". As of now they are trying to resolve the issues and are searching for a new name, if you want to suggest a new name, email the team. More information is available here.
Google Calculator in Safari
Google has a new calculator feature which can be invoked by simply entering an expression in Google's seach box. As a side-effect, it can also be used anywhere a Google search can be done, including Safari's Google search field.
To use Google's built-in calculator function, simply enter the expression you'd like evaluated in the search box and hit the Enter key or click the Google Search button. The calculator can evaluate mathematical expressions involving basic arithmetic (5+2*2 or 2^20), more complicated math (sine(30 degrees) or e^(i pi)+1), units of measure and conversions (100 miles in kilometers or 160 pounds * 4000 feet in Calories), and physical constants (1 a.u./c or G*mass of earth/radius of earth^2). You can also experiment with other numbering systems, including hexadecimal and binary.
You can also enter an expression directly in Safari's google search field.
DEVONthink is now also an outliner and a notepad
DEVONtechnologies releases a new version 1.7 of its revolutionary information manager and freeform database DEVONthink Personal Edition.
The new outline feature allows every content stored in DEVONthink to be checkable, a simple but extremely effective way of melting the "best of both worlds", of an outliner and a freeform database. Also, with version 1.7 it's now possible to edit text or RTF contents directly in any browser window, making DEVONthink an easy-to-use but full-featured, powerful notepad application.
Additional new features of DEVONthink 1.7 are a syntax colouring option for HTML and XML, a must-have for everyone writing mark-up code within DEVONthink, a highlighting toolbar button to simply highlight selected text like one would do with a text marker, and a command for converting PDF and HTML contents to plain and rich text. Images, HTML and text contents can now be zoomed in and out, and a realtime character and word count helps writers and editors to create articles of a predefined length. As with every release, DEVONthink is also faster, uses less memory and is more stable than ever.
Without the need for indexing, DEVONthink fully or semi-automatically classifies elements, lists similar contents and words immediately using fuzzy algorithms, finds and compares text and even images, summarises texts intelligently and provides high performance concordance tools. As a Cocoa application it's perfectly integrated into Mac OS X including it's own services for storing and summarising text clippings, has advanced text editing functions including rulers and provides a Finder-like interface with contextual menus, Dock menus, different views and drag-and-drop. Finally, DEVONthink is the first product based on the powerful and language independent DEVONtechnology which is suitable for a wide range of applications.
DEVONthink Personal Edition 1.7 runs on Mac OS X 10.1 or higher and is immediately available as a free download from www.devon-technologies.com. It must be registered for US$ 35 after the evaluation period.
NEWS FLASH! How Blaster Worm Affects Mac Networks
Today, the Win32 Blaster Worm is wreaking havoc on the net. You might
think that this only affects Windows networks, but that appears now to not
be the case.
Reports are still coming in, but it does look like the Win32 Blaster Worm
*can* affect Mac networks as well. Macs do appear to be unaffected, but if
even if you have only a single Windows machine on your network, it can
affect not only the Internet connection ... but also your LAN. Even
machines that are on private IPs on the net will have connectivity
problems, and the worm appears to be able to permeate through routers which
would normally act as a gatekeeper.
The solution: Unplug the Windows machines from your network, update with
the appropriate security patch, and then run the removal tool. More
details can be seen at SlashDot.org
Patches can be downloaded from the Microsoft web site at:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/bulletin/ms03-010.asp
and the removal tool can be downloaded at:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.blaster.worm.html
Details are still evolving, but already this morning there are reports of multiple
large, primarily Mac networks be seriously affected. Unplugging the
Windows machines from the network instantly brought them back up.
Make sure you have port 135 blocked at your firewall. I checked my D-Link DI-624's log and find I'm getting lots of attacks, which it's stopping. The entries look like this:
| Aug/11/2003 19:49:59 | Drop TCP packet from WAN | xx.xx.xx.xx:1417 | yy.yy.yy.yy:135 | Rule: Default deny |
| Aug/11/2003 19:46:42 | Drop UDP packet from WAN | xx.xx.xx.xx:30099 | yy.yy.yy.yy:135 | Rule: Default deny |
Apple 5x Internal IDE/ATAPI DVD-ROM Drive
Use this in a Mac or a PC! Must have DVD decoder video card on pre-AGP
machines (ie Beige & B&W G3s as well as PCI Graphics G4s)
Was $49.99, now $29.99 with Q-Pon Code "DVDZ"
Product #661-2163R Exp. 8/19.
FaceSpan is coming to Mac OS X
Facespan, the original AppleScript design tool, is coming to Mac OS X.
FaceSpan is a cutting edge interface design and rapid application development (RAD) tool, which gives you the power to build and customize Macintosh applications quickly and easily. It includes editors for constructing windows, scripts, and menus, as well as a management environment through which you can inspect, edit, duplicate, and delete each application's scripts, interface components, and resources.
FaceSpan is used in conjunction with AppleScript and gives you the power to add the features and functionality you need to customize virtually any scriptable application such as FileMaker Pro, Cumulus, QuarkXPress, InDesign, Creator2, Word, Excel, Photoshop, Illustrator, and the Macintosh Finder to name a few.
Unlike most other programming environments for the Macintosh --- FaceSpan makes programming easy and accessible to the novice. Without any previous programming experience, you can quickly learn to design and build your own applications. AppleScript alone is a powerful scripting language but has a limited interface capability. With FaceSpan, a unique scripting environment is created that possesses the ability to create powerful applications with Macintosh interfaces.
Use FaceSpan and automate often-repeated tasks, customize existing applications, integrate the functionality of multiple applications, rapidly build applications and prototypes, and personalize your Macintosh computing environment.
For more information, visit facespan.com.
Ambrosia rereleases Escape Velocity and EV:Override
Ambrosia Software, Inc. announced today the rerelease of their original, classic epic space game, Escape Velocity and it's sequel EV: Override. The difference? They are now native for Mac OS X and Windows and free for registered EV Nova customers!
Ported by Ambrosia, w00tWare and Michael Judkins, the re-releases run through the improved game engine of EV: Nova; you can now join the rebellion on Mac OS X or battle the Voinians on Windows, all the while benefit from the advances, additions and refinements of Nova's engine.
Lovingly hand-crafted by programmer Matt Burch, Escape Velocity offers a rich and open-ended environment that evolves as you play. Over a hundred worlds occupy the galaxy, each with its own technology, alliances, and commodities. As you earn credits and gain fame, Confederation peace keepers and Rebel patriots struggle for power, leaving you in the middle.
EV: Override is Ambrosia's huge follow up to the classic Escape Velocity. With an immersive story and universe created by Peter Cartwright, a new conflict begins to unfold. Override features a universe five times the size of the original game, and a slew of populated worlds within. Winning critical battles can change the face of the universe, or, if you're happy with the existing balance of power, you can make a living as a humble trader. Just watch out for those pesky renegades, who want nothing more than to swipe the precious cargo from your holds. Additionally, the game contains stunning new graphics and sound, over 250 new missions, a multitude of human and alien governments, and all the excitement of the original EV game.
These releases require a registered version of Nova to use, but being drag & drop they are simpler to install than a cloaking device! The great news is they are free, making registering Nova now an even better deal than before, 3 epic titles for the price of one! All the credits you save should go towards that first laser cannon!!
Both Mac and Windows versions can be downloaded at:
http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evn&category=essentials
The EV Nova homepage, with download link is only a click away at:
http://www.ambrosiasw.com/games/evn/
Colourfull Creations Releases minor update for Power ToDo
Colourfull Creations Releases minor update for Power ToDo. The updates include A few minor bug fixes are included in the 2.1 version and a few other trivial improvements were made. A new feature was also added, the ability to select the color of the adornment bars on the main window. For more information on this update go to http://www.colourfull.com
SuperDrive Upgrade from MacResQ
Full Service "SuperDrive" upgrade for $399, or you can select Self Serve and install the drive yourself for just $299! Believe me, the first time you pop a DVD into your friends'/parents'/grandparents' DVD player to show off some video or pictures you took, you will be a hero. It's a small price to pay for greatness, don't you think? ;-)
You can find more information, and purchase either the Self Service
upgrade or the Full Service upgrade here
Yet another reason I'm glad I don't use Windows
Marketers have discovered how to use yet another Windows flaw to annoy people: Notepad popups.
Notepad popups take advantage of Internet Explorer's view-source protocol to open any text file in Notepad by embedding such URLs in a web page, often as an image link.
Thankfully this doesn't affect macs - yet.
Panther Finder Tip
The shortcut bar at the left of Finder windows can accomodate applications as well as folders. Put your most commonly used drag & drop applications such as Stuffit Expander there to access them quickly & easily.
OmniWeb 4.5 Final Released
After a long beta period, the final version of OmniWeb 4.5 has been released.
OmniWeb 4.5 incorporates the open source WebCore and JavaScriptCore frameworks from Apple Computer Inc., which brings renewed support for the latest Internet standards like CSS, HTML, XHTML, and JavaScript to the Mac OS X browser. In addition to greater compatibility, OmniWeb 4.5 also contains many enhancements and fixes a number of bugs over previous versions. Improvements have been made to bookmarks, AutoFill, plug-ins, history indexing, and more.
OmniWeb 4.5 can be downloaded from http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omniweb/.
How BuyMusic really makes their money
BuyMusic's ads are served by the infamous DoubleClick network. In the past, Buy.com's profit philosophy was to underprice products and make up for the loss in profits by advertising, and it's very likely BuyMusic.com is doing the same thing. The site's privacy policy says that BuyMusic.com itself will not collect IP addresses and other personal information. But that doesn't keep them from doing so in a roundabout way:
"We use a third party to provide digital music download samples for our customers. That service collects your IP address, browser type, ISP, platform, and a date/time stamp."
The excerpt means that "third party" will sell your info (like the songs you've listed to) to many other third parties. In essence, you buy one James Taylor CD, you'll see James Taylor merchandise everywhere you go on the internet.
In addition to this story submitted by Martin Miller, you can find other surprising facts about BuyMusic at www.BoycottBuyMusic.com.
New Panther Seed - 7B28
A new panther seed is now available from Apple's Developer Connection site.
According to the release notes, this version has many changes to AFP, CUPS, AppKit, Web Services, QuickTime, Mail, System Events, Printing, Web Core, HI Toolbox, Carbon Core, Kernel, Address Book, Launch Services, OpenGL, Chinese Input Method, AppleScriptKit, Graphics Drivers, Script Editor, Finder, Character Palette, Core Audio, and Navigation Services.
Since Apple got their panties in a bunch when I posted screen shots & detailed information about 7B21, this is the only Panther that will be seen here from now on.
Apple Public Source License 2.0
The Darwin team at Apple is pleased to announce that version 2.0 of the
Apple Public Source License, which includes numerous changes to make it
even easier for Open Source developers to use and comply with, has been
certified as conforming to the definition of a "Free Software License". To access source code under the terms of APSL 2.0, you can now use
your new or existing "Apple ID", rather than needing a separate Darwin
account.
Additional information about APSL 2.0 and changes to source code access
are below, with full details available at
http://www.opensource.apple.com/news/2.0-announce.html.
If you have any questions, please contact
admin@opensource.apple.com.
[1] Apple Public Source License 2.0 now a "Free Software License"
Apple is pleased to announce the 2.0 version of the Apple Public Source
License. It improves upon the OSI-approved APSL 1.2 by conforming to
the definition of Free Software Licenses
www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html, as certified by the Free
Software Foundation:
Excerpted from the FSF web site:
"The Apple Public Source License (APSL) version 2.0 qualifies as a Free
Software License. In version 2.0 of the APSL, the definition of
"Externally Deployed" has been narrowed in a way that is appropriate
for the respect of users' freedoms. The APSL 2.0, like the Affero GPL,
seeks to defend the freedom of those who use software in these novel
ways, without unduly hindering the users' privacy nor freedom to use
the software."
We are grateful to Richard Stallman for his many helpful comments in
this process. APSL 2.0 is also being submitted to the Open Source
Initiative http://www.opensource.org/licenses/index.php to certify
its continued compliance with the Open Source Definition.
The Apple Public Source License 2.0 includes numerous changes to make
it even easier for Open Source developers to use and comply with,
including:
- Source distribution is only required for "External Deployment",
allowing individuals and corporations to do private internal
deployments - An option to distribute source only to those receiving binaries,
rather than always having to distribute to the general public - Simpler, clearer, and more symmetric licensing terms
The full text of the APSL is available from the following locations:
- http://www.opensource.apple.com/apsl/2.0.txt (full text)
- http://www.opensource.apple.com/apsl/2.0-redline.pdf (diffs from 1.2)
More details are available at
http://www.opensource.apple.com/news/2.0-announce.html.
[2] Open Source now accessible using Apple IDs
The Darwin team is pleased to announce that we are now using Apple IDs
to indicate acceptance of the terms of the Apple Public Source License
2.0. Now the same Apple ID you use for Apple Developer Connection, the
AppleCare Knowledge Base, the Apple Store, the iTunes Music Store, or
your .Mac account may be used to view and download APSL-licensed Darwin
source code. Additionally, you may update your contact information via
myinfo.apple.com or request a reminder for your password from
iforgot.apple.com. If you don't already have an Apple ID, please
obtain one at signin.apple.com by clicking the "New Account" button.
Intel VP dishes FUD
You can tell Intel is nervous about Apple when their VP needs to use Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt as a weapon.
In this interview, Intel VP Pat Gelsinger says that Apple has chosen the wrong CPU and is destined to fail because of it.
Q. How would you compare the Apple vertical market to Intel’s horizontal?
A. There is no right vs. wrong, but we see the extraordinary innovative power of the horizontal industry. At this point, in Apple's 3% of the market share, people say they can't innovate when they (Apple) control the hardware or the software. In our horizontal market anybody at any layer can largely and independently perform independent innovation. Now when you add up those two models, at the end of the day, the horizontal one wins most of the time and that's what we've committed ourselves and our industry to.
Q. How much life does Intel’s traditional chip making silicon technology have?
A. Our belief is that silicon has no less than a decade and probably close to two decades and in fact we're expanding that canvas of silicon to make more and more types of devices. We plan to add new ingredients like carbon nano-tubes on top of the existing silicon superstructure.
Q. Seems like niche chip makers like IBM, boast of new ways to shrink chips, yet you are staying with silicon.
A. Make no mistake, we're doing a bunch of hypey, nanotechnology, like our atomic layer self composition formation. So if you want to go hype we'll talk about a number of those just to keep it fun. IBM makes it sound like silicon is nearing its end, but since their silicon business is trivial and ours is huge, of course they would be motivated to present it that way.
Q. Did Steve Jobs make the right chip decision, choosing IBM for his upcoming G5 processor, or will Apple be missing out on some pretty hot Intel technology.
A. I think Steve Jobs has made the wrong CPU choice for 20 years, he just added a few more years to the life of his bad decisions. Steve's not an illogical guy, he's passionate and opinionated about the directions he wants is a poor path for the company as well as a poor path for the users.
Note that Intel's x86 chips are based on a 20+ year old 8-bit architecture and still carry around a lot of its baggage. Most of their chips actually consist of separate cores which implement the 32-bit mode and backwards compatibility for the older x86 architecture. Newer Intel chips such as the Itanium use a completely different architecture but still have the old features kludged on top of it, and are seriously hobbled when running older software.
The PowerPC architecture, on the other hand, was designed from the start with a 64-bit future in mind. It was also based on a minicomputer architecture, IBM's RS-6000, and was scaled down for smaller systems, rather than being designed as a calculator chip that was pushed beyond its limits.
Servoy Announces Programming Guide For FileMaker Developers
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - Servoy BV announces the immediate availability of a new publication entitled "Servoy Advanced Programming Guide for FileMaker® Developers." The 336 page manual includes a JavaScript Tutorial, a SQL tutorial, a function-by-function and script step-by-script step tutorial on the similarities and differences between script and calculation functions in Servoy versus FileMaker Pro.
The guide is available for FREE at the Servoy Developer's site (http://developer.servoy.com - in the "Documentation" Section) and available in book form for US $25 from On Demand Manuals (http://www2.ondemandmanuals.com/servoy).
Here is an excerpt from the Table of Contents:
SQL Primer
Introduction to SQL.
SQL Core Language
Querying data
Basic queries
Multi-table queries (joins)
Matching multiple columns
Summary queries
JavaScript Primer
Basic programming terminology
JavaScript introduction
JavaScript grammar
Browser DOM vs. Servoy SOM
Object references
JavaScript functions
JavaScript flow controls
JavaScript reserved words
Regular Expressions
Introduction to Regular Expressions
Constructing Regular Expressions
Backreferencing in Regular Expressions
Substitutions in Regular Expressions
Defining a Regular Expression
RegExp cheatsheet
RegExp examples
FileMaker to Servoy Scripting
Introduction
Control scripts
Navigation scripts
Sort/Find/Print scripts
Editing scripts
Editing Scripts
Record scripts
Import/Export scripts
Window Scripts
File scripts
Spelling scripts
Open Menu Item scripts
Miscellaneous scripts
FileMaker Pro Functions vs Servoy Functions
Text functions
Number functions
Date functions
Time functions
Aggregate functions
Summary functions
Financial functions
Trigonometric functions
Logical functions
Status functions
Design functions
Auto Update functions
Servoy also announces a FREE workshop in Phoenix, Arizona on August 28th aimed at Filemaker Pro developers. The workshop covers an introduction to Servoy, JavaScript and covers Filemaker Pro migration to Servoy. Attendance is free after registration through www.servoy.com . Places are limited so register now.
©2003 Servoy BV. All Rights Reserved. Servoy and the Servoy Logo are trademarks of Servoy BV. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
iDevGames Kicks off uDevGame 2003 Mac Game Development Contest
iDevGames, the leading website
for Macintosh game development, announced the start of uDevGame 2003,
the 3rd annual Macintosh game development contest today. The uDevGame
Contest gives programmers, designers, artists, and musicians the chance
to both improve the state of gaming on the Macintosh platform, and to
contribute to the independent development community. More than $16,000
of prizes are offered as incentives this year!
"iDevGames has received an immense amount of support in our efforts to
make a difference at the grassroots level through the uDevGame Contest,
and we are dedicated to highlighting the tremendous talent of
independent game developers," said Carlos Camacho, Editor-in-Chief of
iDevGames. "The uDevGame Contest provides developers with a unique
opportunity to utilize their skills as well as improve Mac gaming."
iDevGames established the uDevGame Contest in 2001 to energize game
development on the Apple Macintosh platform, encourage innovation in
Mac games, and to garner recognition for the best Mac independent game
developers. The uDevGame 2003 Contest is based on three fundemental
principles: Creation of original Macintosh games, Education of the
Macintosh development community, and Success of talented Macintosh
programmers, artists, musicians, and designers.
The contest challenges entrants to create an original Mac OS X game in
only three months. The games are then subjected to a period of public
voting and rated in five categories: Game Play, Originality, Polish,
Graphics, and Sound & Music. Prizes are awarded to the developers of
the top three ranking games in each category, as well as the top three
Best Overall Games. A complete list of prizes with descriptions can be
found at: http://www.idevgames.com/content/contest.php?id=10&prizes=1
"uDevGame is the best thing to happen to Mac game development in a very
long time," said Colin Lynch Smith, Vice President of Freeverse
Software, "The encouragement and resources it provides to independent
developers make titles like Rocco Bowling's 'Solace' possible.
Freeverse is proud to be publishing such a terrific Mac-developed game."
Entries are limited to one per person or team, and must run natively in
Mac OS X. Entries may be created with any Mac OS tool, but must be less
than 10MB when compressed. The source code, or source files, for all
entries must be submitted to iDevGames. The uDevGame Contest is open to
all developers in any country.
More information about the competition and how to enter can be found at
uDevGame 2003's official home page.
(http://www.idevgames.com/content/contest.php?id=10)
The generous support of the following businesses and organizations have
made uDevGame 2003 possible: Aladdin Systems, Inc.; Ambrosia Software,
Inc.; ATI Technologies, Inc.; Bare Bones Software; Belkin Corporation;
Big Nerd Ranch, Inc.; Codenautics; Curious Labs; Danlab Games; dot
software; e-on software; Eovia; Flamin' Ghost Software; Freeverse;
GarageGames; Harman Multimedia; Inside Mac Games; International Game
Developers Association (IGDA); Inventive, Inc.; Mac-Yun-Soft;
MacRadio.com; MacTech Magazine; Manning Publications Co.; MAXON
Computer, Inc.; McWare USA; Metrowerks; Monte Boyd Interactive;
Nathalie Poitiers Design; New Riders Games; Paraglyph Press; Pixels
Digital, Inc.; Pixologic, Inc.; Premier Press; REAL Software, Inc.;
REALbasic Developer; Sagan Technology; STAZ Software, Inc.; Stone
Design; Strange Flavour; Strata Software; The Omni Group; The Sound
Guy, Inc.; TNT Software; Tribeworks; Wbws Inc.; Westlake Interactive;
Wordware Publishing, Inc.; Xgaming, Inc; Xtreme Game Developers Xpo.
(Sponsor list:
http://www.idevgames.com/content/contest.php?id=10&sponsors=1)
Companies wishing to become official sponsors are still welcomed.
Please read the editorial titled "uDevGame 2003: Calling Mac Software
and Hardware Vendors"
(http://www.idevgames.com/content/article.php?id=133) to learn what the
benefits of sponsorship entail, and for information on signing up.
About iDevGames
Established in 1998, iDevGames' mission is to educate, support, and
enhance the Macintosh Game Developer community. We also hope to
facilitate the exchange between developers and designers so that the
Macintosh game market can expand and improve. iDevGames features
articles, the latest industry news, tutorials, an active forum,
downloads, and much more for Macintosh Game Developers.
Debugging tips
CodeWarrior's debugger lacks some of GDB's full capabilities, yet it's the only thing that will easily debug CFM binaries. Here's a way you can use GDB to debug CFM applications.
In the terminal, change to the directory containing the application you want to debug and type on a single line:
gdb /System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Support/LaunchCFMApp
Once gdb starts up, type 'r progname' to load and run your application. This will let you use GDB's trace facilities, including event and malloc tracing, by setting the appropriate environment variables.
The environment variable EventDebug will trace all events sent to your application. CFMDebugFull will enable additional debugging output. You can set them from the shell using the commands:
setenv EventDebug 1
setenv CFMDebugFull 1
Alternately, you can set those variables directly from gdb with the command 'set env EventDebug 1'.
Thanks to Jim Matthews for pointing this out.
CodeWarrior 9 Announced
Latest Version of CodeWarrior(TM) Development Studio for Mac(R) OS,
Industry's "Gold Standard" Development Suite, Enhances Developer
Productivity, Speeds Time to Market
Metrowerks' position as a leading
provider of development solutions for the Mac(R) OS platform has advanced
with the release of CodeWarrior(TM) Development Studio for Mac OS, v9.
The studio includes a broad array of features that enhance productivity and
shorten development cycles, including:
-- the Metrowerks PowerPlant(TM) X C++ framework, which allows developers
to write native Mac OS X code using Mac OS X supported features;
-- the fastest compiler and build system available for the Mac platform;
-- a feature that provides developers a visual display of their package and
allows for easy drag-and-drop of files or folders into the package; and
-- expanded Objective-C code development within the CodeWarrior tool suite.
"This newest version of the CodeWarrior(TM) Development Studio for Mac OS
reflects Metrowerks' deep understanding of the Macintosh(R) platform and
demonstrates the company's ongoing commitment to Mac developers," said
Metrowerks President and Chief Executive Officer, Jim Welch. "Nearly all of
the existing Mac applications released have been built using CodeWarrior
tools, and this new version includes innovations to help Metrowerks
maintain its leadership in development solutions for the Mac platform."
The newest CodeWarrior suite operates seamlessly with the recently
introduced Metrowerks(R) CodeTEST(TM) Software Analysis Tools for Mac(R) OS
X -- the only comprehensive suite of C/C++ software analysis tools
available for the Mac OS X platform. The two products combine to offer a
comprehensive set of development solutions for Macintosh developers.
CodeWarrior Development Studio for Mac OS, v9 runs on Mac OS X and includes
the ability to target Mac OS X, Classic Mac OS and Windows(R) OS
development within a single project to create applications with cross
platform capabilities. The suite supports most common development languages
including C, C++ and Objective-C, allowing developers to work in Apple
Cocoa frameworks within the CodeWarrior environment.
The product includes PowerPlant X, a Macintosh framework for Mach-O
development based on the standard programming language C++. The PowerPlant
X framework for Mac OS X development supports carbon events, HIViews and
Unicode, and allows developers to write native Mac OS X code using Mac OS X
supported features. Also included in the studio is the popular PowerPlant
framework for Classic OS and Mac OS X PEF development.
Availability and Pricing
For a limited time, Metrowerks is offering CodeWarrior Development Studio
for Mac OS, v9 to new Mac OS X developers at a low pre-sale price, and with
a special renewal incentive for current Metrowerks customers. See
http://www.metrowerksstore.com for details. Developers can select and pay
for the specific tools that they want, and then load them to an assigned
machine.
CodeWarrior Development Studio for Mac OS, v 9 is expected to be available
in early September 2003, and may be purchased directly from Metrowerks.
Renewal pricing for users of Versions 7 and 8 of the CodeWarrior studio is
available. The pre-sale special pricing for new Mac OS developers is
$349(USD) per license for the base product (Mac OS X host and Mac OS X
target) and $199(USD) for license renewals. Pre-sale pricing is available
from August 5 to September 1, 2003. After September 1, 2003, the offering
is scheduled to be available at the suggested retail price $399(USD) for
the base product. To place an order, or for more information, contact
Metrowerks by telephone at 800-377-5416 or +1-512-996-5300, or by e-mail at
sales@metrowerks.com. For pricing availability outside the U.S. and
Canada, please see the list of Metrowerks International Sales Offices at
http://www.metrowerks.com/buy or e-mail intlsls@metrowerks.com.
About Metrowerks
Metrowerks Corporation creates CodeWarrior software and hardware products
and services for developers, with a particular focus on the following
industries: consumer electronics; transportation; wireless; and networking
and communications. The CodeWarrior product line includes hardware and
software development tools and middleware that enable customers to decrease
their time to market. The company also offers services, including training
and custom software development. Founded in 1985, Metrowerks is today an
independently operating subsidiary of Motorola, Inc. Metrowerks corporate
headquarters are in Austin, Texas; Metrowerks Europe is headquartered in
Basel, Switzerland; and Metrowerks Japan is headquartered in Tokyo. More
information is available from http://www.metrowerks.com.
About Motorola, Inc.
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT ) is a global leader in providing integrated
communications and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 2002 were $27.3
billion. Motorola is a global corporate citizen dedicated to ethical
business practices and pioneering important technologies that make things
smarter and life better for people, honored traditions that began when the
company was founded 75 years ago this year. For more information, please
visit: http://www.motorola.com.
Party in the Park at EFF's Freedom Fest 2003!
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is proud to host EFF's Freedom Fest 2003
on Saturday, August 9, from Noon to 5pm at Golden Gate Park's Music
Concourse Bandshell. This free event will showcase an eclectic lineup of
performers, including award-winning Bay Area musicians and an array of
other talented artists.
Hosted by EFF's John Perry Barlow, the afternoon is a celebration of Bay
Area talent and an opportunity for them to share their music.
"The day is to celebrate freedom, and we can't think of a better way to do
that than through free music and variety performances in Golden Gate Park,"
said EFF Executive Director Shari Steele. "We're thrilled to have such an
impressive lineup for this event. It's truly a reflection of the caliber of
talent that resides here in the Bay Area."
Rock to Reggae
EFF's Freedom Fest 2003 will feature a diverse musical lineup, including:
- Box Set, the clown princes of folk rock www.boxset.com
- Noelle Hampton, award-winning rock diva www.noellehampton.com
- Austin Willacy, rock, pop and soul crooner www.austinwillacy.com
- Colin McGrath, singer, strummer, arranger www.colinmcgrath.com
- Lasana Bandele, the "Storitela" from Jamaica www.lasanabandele.com
The performers that were selected for this year's event represent an
extraordinary combination of Bay Area artists, many of whom have earned
critical acclaim and become nationally recognized acts.
"I've known about EFF and its pursuit of digital rights for years," said
Tommy Boy/Warner Bros recording artist, Austin Willacy. "When they
approached me about performing at EFF's Freedom Fest 2003, it struck me as
a great way to both share my music with Bay Area residents and educate the
community about EFF and all the great work they're doing on our
behalf."
In addition to the musical performers, EFF's Freedom Fest 2003 will also
feature a variety of other performers, including:
- Ashley Foster, the One Wheeled Wonder
- Willy Bologna and his Sideshow Circus
- Frantastic Hands, chair massage
- Art Table with Eleanor
- Cat Hare, juggler extraordinaire
- Technomania Circus, vaudeville and variety performers
www.technomaniacircus.com
KFOG 104.5/97.7 morning radio host Peter Finch will be making a special
appearance at the event to introduce the bands and host the KFOG booth.
Concert attendees can stop by to meet folks from the critically-acclaimed
rock station and enter the EFF Freedom Fest 2003 Contest.
More details on EFF's Freedom Fest 2003:
http://www.eff.org/freedomfest/
For more information please contact:
katina@eff.org
BuyMusic.com not selling 300,000 songs
So, BuyMusic.com started out by saying they had 300,000 songs available for download the first day of business. IF that were true than their claim would also be true that they were "The Largest Online Music Store". Well, Mr. Blum in the past has also stated that they were the first legal online music downloading service, which we all know to be false.
So judging on BuyMusic's track record I set out to find out how many songs BuyMusic really had ready for download. By clicking on every single category and then by clicking on "List all" I could get an accurate number. I added all the numbers together and came out with a nice figure of 200,069. Yup, that's right, nowhere near the figure of 300,000.
You see, the problem is that Buy.com is privately owned by Scott Blum, that means that he can release no official word on how many downloads he has, how many songs available, or how many people have visited his store, etc.
So just a fair warning, every time you hear a figure come out of his mouth, take it with a very large grain of salt.
In addition to the above facts, more interesting information can be read on one of the first websites against ‘Getting Loaded’
MySQL Studio from PremiumSoft
MySQL Studio 4.2.4 is released. MySQL Studio is a MySQL Database GUI Admin Tool for administrating and monitoring MySQL server on Mac OS X platform. The new version improves support for MySQL 4.x, enhances MySQL Connection settings and backup, and fix the evaluation expiry problem.
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 MySQL GUI database management, import/export, backup 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 data transfer from one MySQL server to another, backup and restore of databases, local and remote connections, and more. This GUI Admin Tool comes with a well-edited manual and installation guide. Through Aug 30, Navicat is $78 (regularly $88) for Mac OS X 10.1 and up ($88 for Windows).
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)
Camino nightly builds are back
Camino nightly builds are available again, after a temporary break when AOL terminated Netscape's staff. I just tried the build from Aug 4 and found it to be very fast & stable.
Entourage update adds Exchange support
Microsoft has released an update to Entourage which adds support for Exchange servers. With the update, Entourage supports Exchange calendar & directory services as well as Exchange email.
Panther screen shots deleted
After receiving a legal threat from Apple's copyright department, I have deleted the Panther screen shots and the rest of that article's contents.
Here's the text of the email I received:
It has come to our attention that you are posting Apple Computer, Inc.
("Apple") confidential and proprietary material on your website.
Specifically, you have posted unpublished Apple screen shots from Mac OS X,
v. 10.3 (Panther seed 7B21) at:
http://www.macmegasite.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=974
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.
Apple reserves its rights to contact your Internet Service Provider.
The foregoing is not intended to be a complete statement of the facts, and
shall not constitute a waiver of any of Apple’s rights or remedies, all of
which are expressly reserved. Please confirm in writing that you have
removed the Material from your web site.
Sincerely,
Fri, 01 Aug 2003
New Forum: Panther Talk
We now have a new forum, Panther Talk to discuss the new Panther seed & other issues related to Panther.
Review of WiFi Finder
Wi-Fi Networking News has posted a review of Kensington's WiFi Finder. It looks like the device only locates Wi-Fi activity, not the actual presence of an access point.
Note that Mac software such as iStumbler can reliably identify access points.