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For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul

Saturday, September 27, 2003

Mozilla 1.5 RC2 available
The second release candidate build of Mozilla 1.5 is now available. The new release includes a number of feature changes and bug fixes. Download for Windows now. Firebird users will be happy to hear that Firebird 0.7 is due any time now.

[ Posted at 10:20 AM | Permalink ]

Fedora Core (codename Severn) test release 2
The second test release of the Fedora Core (codenamed Severn) is now available for testing. According to the schedule, this release will last from September 25 until early October. I'm downloading the three ISO's as I write this...

[ Posted at 9:55 AM | Permalink ]

Red Hat "Fedora"
Red Hat is apparently returning to its roots with Project Fedora. So what is Project Fedora? "Fedora is what Red Hat Linux was," Red Hat's Jeremy Hogan says in an interview with LinuxQuestions.org. "Kind of the People's Republic of Myanmar to Burma. It's a project with rolling releases, not a product with predictable release dates, support, services, etc. We decided that the rapid release cycle of our retail product was not conducive to retail selling paradigms, nor was slowing down innovation to suit that. We also decided it was time we made it a little easier for folks to develop with us, and to build on our products. I would compare it to Debian. What's in the release is what would have gone in Red Hat Linux 10, if there was one. The main difference will be the amount and level of influence contributors and thrid parties will have on the project's direction." Interesting, and a slightly more positive spin on the company's decision to bail on the retail market.

[ Posted at 9:47 AM | Permalink ]

Mac vs. PC: a reader question, and my own dilemma

A reader asked, "To Mac or not to Mac?" The answer isn't straightforward. But here are my thoughts on this debate.

This is kind of complicated.

I do have an iMac (17-inch model, 1 GHz) and an older, 500 MHz iBook. I'm really disappointed in the performance of the iMac, to be honest. The screen is nice, but since getting it, I've gotten a much larger widescreen on my PC and it makes the iMac look like a PDA by comparison. But that's not a problem with the iMac, per se: It's a nice-looking machine.

I've been using OS X for over two years now, and I bring my iBook on virtually every trip I go on (and I travel quite frequently). It gets great battery life and is very light, so it's ideal for a lot of what I do. The problem, again, is performance, and now, over two years after I bought it, it's kind of a joke. I use a text editor, rather than Word, when taking notes because the perf is so bad. It's really bad.

I bought the iMac for two reasons: One, I wanted a Mac that could do everything, including iDVD (the iBook lacks a SuperDrive or G4 processor, both required by iDVD) because I need to write about this stuff. And I was working on a book for the education market that would need info about high-end video apps like Final Cut and Premiere, and it was Mac-oriented, so I figured a G4-based Mac would be great. At the time, the loud "wind-tunnel" PowerMacs and the iMac were the only viable choice (the 12 inch PowerBook was too slow and the 17 inch PowerBook was too big and expensive; too, the 15-inch PowerBook was due for replacement at any time--that it took until just a week ago is amazing). So I bought the iMac.

I've kind of regretted it ever since. I maxed the thing out with memory and it's just no good. What I wish I could have gotten was a 15 inch aluminum PowerBook, but they were delayed all year.

So now I've got an underpowered desktop Mac and a severely underpowered portable Mac. The book is done, and I wish I hadn't bothered. My current plan is to sell both Macs and get a 12-inch PowerBook with a SuperDrive: It's ultraportable, does everything I want, and finally has a decent processor and cache (the previous version was underpowered). But it won't be the constant companion that the iBook was for over two years: I'm also getting an IBM ThinkPad X series, and that's what I'll bring on trips.

Now that I've convolutely gone through all that, what should you do? I can't honestly recommend a Mac to almost anyone, despite all the positive press they get. They don't perform well, though I haven't tried a G5 yet. Apps like iPhoto and iMovie are nice, but perform horribly on any Mac (as does PhotoShop, an app I use on both the PC and the iMac; it's shocking). Other iApps, like iSync and iCal are only partially complete. Safari is nice. Mail.app is pretty good. Etc. I honestly think XP is easier to use, and it certainly has far more to offer for software and compatible hardware. Price is another huge issue: You can get a PC that blows away virtually any Mac for less than $1000. That's just the way it is.

But I understand the lure. They make good hardware. And they package it right. So if you have to get a Mac, I guess it comes down to price and what you're looking for. How do you anticipate using it, and how much are you willing to pay for the privilege?

[ Posted at 8:32 AM | Permalink ]

Friday, September 26, 2003

Yet another reason not to use Internet Explorer
I keep telling anyone that will listen: Don't use Internet Explorer. Here's yet another reason. So I'll say it again. If you're using a Mac, get Safari now. If you're running Windows, use Mozilla (or the excellent Firebird standalone browser). Either way, you won't be disappointed. Either way, you won't be constantly hacked either.

[ Posted at 8:54 PM | Permalink ]

Honest examination of Apple's G5 benchmarks
It's always nice when someone calls a spade a spade. It's particularly nice when it's someone who knows what he's talking about. "When Apple claimed the Power Mac G5 was the 'the world’s fastest personal computer', I thought, 'Yeah? Prove it.'" Jarrod Spiga writes. "Check out the company’s Web site and you’ll see that an Intel Pentium 4 system outperforms the G5 in the single-processor, integer-operation SPECint_base2000 benchmark. This test represents the types of processing most single-processor machines do, and it’s the only processor-based result relative to the majority of PC users. Interestingly, a 3.0GHz P4 chip was used and not the faster 3.2GHz, even though it’s been available for months. How can anyone say they have the World’s Fastest PC crown without testing against the fastest gear available from the competition, or proving dominant performance in the most common type of processing task?" Simple, Jarrod. They can't. And yet, Apple does this type of thing all the time. Apple lovers suck it up like so much Johannesburg Kool-Aid. People like me, well, it drives us nuts.

[ Posted at 5:59 PM | Permalink ]

If the Fellowship of the Ring had Yahoo Maps...
... the Mines of Moria never would have happened. LOL.

[ Posted at 5:17 PM | Permalink ]

Go Massachusetts!
My home state of "Massachusetts, the lone holdout state still suing Microsoft for antitrust violations, will become the first state to adopt a broad-based strategy of moving its computer systems toward open standards, including Linux, the rival operating system to Microsoft's Windows," according to the AP wire.

[ Posted at 12:04 PM | Permalink ]

Thursday, September 25, 2003

Microsoft and innovation
Great article about Microsoft innovation, based largely around an interview with Microsoft Research's Rick Rashid. The conclusion: "Rashid and his company deserve a lot more credit than they get ... to say that Microsoft never innovates unless it is forced is simply not true. The innovation may not always lead to further profits or to products you and I can see, but the company keeps trying."

[ Posted at 10:58 PM | Permalink ]

Interesting Panther review
The Blog From Another Dimension has a nice mini-review of Panther, the next version of Mac OS X. What strikes me most about this release, of course, is how much Apple has stolen from Microsoft: An Expose clone was demonstrated by Microsoft at WinHEC early this year and the new task switcher, Explorer-style Finder, built-in file compression, and fast user switching features are, obviously, stolen straight from Windows, though Apple has added the usual graphical niceties, all of which are rather amusing when you consider how underpowered most Macs are to begin with. But this makes me ponder: Is it enough? Apple seems to live and die on its hyberbole, and there doesn't seem to be much steak to go with the sizzle here.

[ Posted at 4:43 PM | Permalink ]

Mac users explained
This cartoon would be hilarious, you know, if it weren't true.

[ Posted at 2:55 PM | Permalink ]

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

GameCube firesale
Thanks Keith! You know it's a bad sign that Nintendo had to cut the price of their GameCube video game console to $99 and I think this marks the beginning of the end for the once-mighty game maker's hardware efforts. On the other hand ... $99? Geez. Who could resist at that price?

[ Posted at 1:22 PM | Permalink ]

Serious Sam 2 game and engine update
Croteam, the genius developers behind the amazing Serious Sam games, this week provided an update about their next-generation game engine technology and Serious Sam 2, the first game that will utilize it. "Most of our fans already know or read that, but for those less familiar, we are in development of Serious Sam 2 for PC and Xbox for quite some time now," writes Croteam CEO Roman Ribaric. "To be precise, as soon as we finished Serious Sam for the Xbox, we started the design for the sequel. Serious Sam 2 development is planned to be finalized in second quarter of 2004, so you can expect the release also in that period. We are currently on schedule, so I don't expect any delays." If you haven't tried the Serious Sam games (Serious Sam the Second Encounter is better, and longer than the original), and love first-person, Quake-style shooters, I highly recommend them. Plus, they usually cost under $20, which is a bargain.

[ Posted at 10:44 AM | Permalink ]

DOOM 3 previews
And speaking of games I'm waiting (ahem, patiently) for, there are a wide variety of DOOM 3 previews available this week. Take your pick: GameArena, GameArena Q & A, GameSpy, GameSpot, Eurogamer, Computer and Video Games and IGN.

[ Posted at 10:39 AM | Permalink ]

Half-Life 2 delayed
Argh. There go my plans for next week. According to Valve's Doug Lombardi, "The previously announced September 30th release date for Half-Life 2 is being pushed back. We are currently targeting a holiday release, but do not have a specific "in-store" date to share at this time. We will release that information as soon as we have confirmed a new date."

[ Posted at 10:34 AM | Permalink ]

Apple quietly pulls OS X 10.2.8 update
After witnessing massive customers problems with its latest software update--including a nice denial of Internet access bug for Ethernet users--Apple quiently pulled its 10.2.8 update to OS X, along with all of the associated support documents. No word on when it will be re-released, but so much for the theory about the quality of Apple's software and the benefits of writing code that only has to run on a limited set of hardware.

[ Posted at 10:17 AM | Permalink ]

AMD: Athlon64 is the world's fastest desktop CPU
Thanks Keith! From eWeak: "The Athlon 64 is the world's fastest 32-bit processor, and that would be enough for today," said Rich Heye, vice president and general manager of the Microprocessor Business Unit of AMD, based in Sunnyvale, Calif. "But it's also the most advanced PC processor in the universe. This chip will change the world."

[ Posted at 8:06 AM | Permalink ]

More benchmarks: PCs handily beat G5 for 3D gaming
Bare Feats once again provides proof that the PowerMac G5 is not the world's fastest PC, as it lost every single 3D gaming benchmark to various PCs. The site's comments are self-explanatory, especially their suspicion about Apple's reported numbers. "Though the G5 has gained ground, the Pentium 4 (3GHz, DDR, 800FSB) still dominates when it comes to 3D HW accelerated games. Maybe the story will change when Apple releases OS X 10.3 "Panther" and developers tweak the gameware with G5 code optimizations ... Apple Computer posted their own G5 vs P4 Quake test results on their Power Mac G5 Graphics page (near bottom). As you can see from the Quake 1024x768 graph above, we got different numbers even though we tested the same machines with the same configurations and same version of OS. Apple may have used tweaked version of Quake, but that doesn't explain why their Pentium 4 numbers were so low." No, it doesn't.

[ Posted at 12:05 AM | Permalink ]

Monday, September 22, 2003

Apple updates Mac OS X to 10.2.8
Apple has released the Mac OS X 10.2.8 Update via Software Update. The 10.2.8 Update delivers enhanced functionality and improved reliability for the following applications, services and technologies: Audio, Bluetooth, Classic compatibility, Finder, Graphics, LDAP, Power Management, Safari, and FireWire and USB device compatibility. It also provides updated security services and includes the latest Security Updates. This software updates Mac OS X 10.2.6 or 10.2.7 to version 10.2.8. I'm downloading now to the iMac, so I'll see if there's anything truly interesting. In the meantime, Apple has a support page available about the update.

[ Posted at 10:55 PM | Permalink ]

StarOffice 7 review
I wasn't even aware it was available already, but I found this nice review of Sun StarOffice 7, which offers a number of improvements over its OpenOffice.org brethren. The reason I was unaware of its release, I think, is that OpenOffice.org is still in release candidate. Anyway... worth looking at. For more on what's new in this version, check out the Sun Web site (PDF).

[ Posted at 8:07 PM | Permalink ]

For the CSS gurus out there
Sweet! Jeffrey Zeldman today highlights an excellent new CSS tool called the List-o-matic, which will automatically generate correct CSS/XHMTL code for cool standards-compliant menus. Very nicely done and highly recommended if you're a Web monkey. Yes, that means you, Joe.

[ Posted at 11:43 AM | Permalink ]

Classic computer magazine archive
This is just excellent. The Cassic Computer Magazine Archive features electronic archives of articles from groovy 80's-era computer magazines like Compute and Creative Computing. One select example: Compute's article introducing the orignal Macintosh.

[ Posted at 11:36 AM | Permalink ]

Nice look at the PowerBook G4 15-inch design
Geekbox has a fantastic and detailed comparison of the design of the new aluminum PowerBook G5 15-inch to the old TiBook, definitely worth reading if you're into this kind of thing. One item though, remains unaddressed: On the old TiBook, the location of the SuperDrive (under the right palm rest) meant you couldn't leave a disk in there and type at the same time, because the disk would painfully grind under the weight of your hand. Is this still a problem in the new 15-inch model (or the 17-inch, where the drive is in the same place)?

[ Posted at 11:07 AM | Permalink ]

New Stephenson book
Tomorrow, Neal Stephenson's latest book, the oddly titled Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1), goes on sale. Described as a very long historical novel (it's almost 1000 pages long) and the first volume of a projected trilogy, QuickSilver is basically a prequel to Stephenson's epic and excellent Cryptonomicon. However, since finding fame with Snow Crash, Stephenson has moved more and more into historical novels and writes less about technology, which is what I enjoyed most. I'll still read it, but at 1000 pages, this might be the ultimate example of Stephenson's inability to end a story at the right time (both Snow Crash and Crypto end in a very meandering fashion).

[ Posted at 8:36 AM | Permalink ]

Science fun: Galileo ends mission to Jupiter
NASA plunged the Galileo spacecraft into Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere today, bringing a fiery conclusion to a 14-year, $1.5 billion mission. More...

[ Posted at 8:34 AM | Permalink ]