More of my sites

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Thurrott Dot Com
Windows Weekly at TWIT

About this site

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, January 31, 2004

Roxio looks to slice Apple pie

New York Post: "Companies are angling to catch up [to Apple iTunes] on the Windows side. The first major threat arrives in mid-February from Roxio, owner of the Napster online music store. Roxio's Creator 7 will be the closest thing to iTunes on the market — so close that it almost looks like the Apple service. It's integrated with Napster, allowing users to download songs, organize playlists, load a digital-music player and burn a CD ... One advantage for Roxio is that Creator supports a number of digital-music players, whereas iTunes is limited to the iPod. Creator also plays songs from other music stores, such as Wal-Mart, that use Microsoft's digital-music format. Because Creator includes video and digital-photo editing functions, Roxio also markets it as an all-in-one digital media solution."

[ Posted at 3:25 PM | Permalink ]

Moving Towards a Clearer [Linux] Desktop Goal

Linux Today: "I am becoming increasingly concerned with the Linux on the desktop movement that's innundating the community of late. Vendors, developers, users--even Linus Torvalds is touting that the future of Linux is in the desktop. Initially, this seems to be a good thing. After all, who wouldn't want to see the penguin dancing merrily away on the desktops of the world? But where I have the problem is this: I am not sure that the people who are driving all of these desktop products really know what the end result needs to be. And the result, I fear, will be a chaotic mess that still won't be ready for the business or home desktop."

[ Posted at 3:18 PM | Permalink ]

Should Apple buy Pixar?

No. That's a stupid question. Should Steve Jobs become CEO of Disney? Now, that's an interesting question.

[ Posted at 3:16 PM | Permalink ]

Paying for style

Dan Bricklin: "To many people, expressing themselves through designs, combinations of products, and attention to detail is worth paying [more] money. They buy and wear products (and deliberate mixtures and juxtapositions of products) that 'say something'. It may be 'I identify with this brand.' ... I believe that a significant portion of the population has an artistic drive and expresses that drive through their choices of clothes, accessories (worn, carried, used), ornaments (desk, room, cubicle, etc.), tools, and more. Like amateur artists, they pay extra to express themselves ... It is interesting that the Apple iPod addresses multiple categories here. It is for listening to music, it is from a company some people like to support, and it exudes a variety of style attributes as it appeals through the stark color carried through even to the earpieces and wires, the smooth, compact, and sealed physical design, the minimalist simplicity and responsiveness of operation, and more."

[ Posted at 3:06 PM | Permalink ]

Final Cut Express upped to version 2.0.2

You know, this happens all too often: Apple releases a new version of a software product and just days or weeks later, it requires a significant upgrade because the original version was so buggy. While I'm still waiting to see the various iLife 04-related upgrades we'll inevitably see in the days ahead, Apple did release yesterday an update to Final Cut Express 2, which debuted earlier this month at MacWorld. The new version, 2.0.2, "includes changes to the user interface and window displays, documentation, and user preferences. This update also fixes known issues with audio and video syncing over FireWire, Timeline editing functionality, and capturing long clips." Apple recommends that all Final Cut Express 2 users upgrade to the new version.

[ Posted at 2:58 PM | Permalink ]

Friday, January 30, 2004

Freshening the rotten Apple

Q Daily News: "I've gotta say, there's precious little that makes me more annoyed than a company that miraculously decides to do right by its customers just after enough of those customers express interest in a class-action lawsuit against it. Being someone who paid Apple $289 for the pleasure of having them repair something that should’ve never broken, I called them today to find out how I could get my reimbursement." Hey, good luck with that.

For an alternative (and freaky) take on what is a fairly obvious turn of events, check out this bizarre little piece of Apple ass-kissing: "Now that Apple has stepped up to the plate, it is time to pass along some well deserved praise ... It is a real breath of fresh air when a pretty good corporate citizen like Apple does what is right. We all should really applaud and encourage this type of behavior." Honest to God, you just can't make this stuff up. But even the editor of this site felt the need to add a little note at the end of this claptrap: "It must be pointed out that even Apple has a history of deleting forum posts about widespread problems on its website, denying that problems exist, and charging customers up the wazoo for repairs that should have been covered under [its warranty] program."

[ Posted at 1:55 PM | Permalink ]

Nice write-up about the Mac Business Unit at Microsoft

I've met with these folks a few times, most recently just last week, and Todd Bishop's excellent write-up in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is dead on: "The Mac BU, as it's known, makes Microsoft software for Apple computers, bridging the gulf between the companies' operating systems and linking their respective followers in the process ... as one observer put it, it's as if they were working for a division of General Motors making parts for Volkswagens ... Employees of the Mac Business Unit [speak] of their enthusiasm for making Mac software and their fondness for Macs in general. In an employee video shown at an event last year, they recounted with pride such tales as the colleague who broke up with a girlfriend who bought a Windows PC. Their devotion to the Mac is an important point, given the complex set of consumer emotions Microsoft faces in selling software to Mac users."

[ Posted at 12:41 PM | Permalink ]

David Hasselhoff ended communism

LOL. Ananova: "[Baywatch actor] David Hasselhoff has complained to museum curators after finding his photo absent in a collection of memorabilia about the fall of the Berlin Wall ... [He] claims he is partly responsible for the fall of the concrete divide. Speaking to German magazine TV Spielfilm, Hasselhoff said in 1989, the year the wall fell, he had helped reunite the country by singing his song 'Looking for Freedom' among millions of German fans at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin."

[ Posted at 9:29 AM | Permalink ]

A Nit-Pickers Guide to Deviations Between the Books and the Films

Thanks Joe. As a huge fan of Tolkien's work--I've read the Lord of the Rings over a dozen times since first reading it in the sixth grade--I alternatively loved and loathed Peter Jackson's epic movie series about the books. It's impossible to understate how well done the characters, locations, and events are depicted in Jackson's movies. But why did he feel the need to change so much, especially when his changes actually detune some classicly constructed scenes? (The Battle of the Pelennor Fields is a perfect example: In the books, the arrival of the Rohirrim comes as doom appears to be falling on Minas Tirith; in the movies, it's a total non-event. Boo.) Anyway... An enterprising geek with way too much time on his hands has started a page documenting the differences between the movies and the books. Interesting stuff if you're a die-hard like me.

[ Posted at 9:25 AM | Permalink ]

Thursday, January 29, 2004

Coca-Cola joins with Musicmatch in marketing venture

Reuters: "Coca-Cola said on Wednesday it has teamed up with online music company Musicmatch Inc. to promote its Sprite brand, marking the latest alliance between a major beverage maker and an online music service. Specific details are expected to be unveiled in the coming months, but the deal's announcement comes just days before Coke's rival, PepsiCo Inc. and Apple Computer Inc's iTunes Music Store kick off a promotion to give away up to 100 million song downloads ... Musicmatch's Jukebox had more than 45 million registered software users in 2003, representing a 25-percent increase over 2002."

[ Posted at 10:51 PM | Permalink ]

Oh, the irony (Part two)

In other case of misappropriated ideas, Sean Foley of macwriter.net has come around to the notion that Apple's comparison to BMW is completely baseless. As I've noted numerous times in the past, BMW, unlike Apple, doesn't compete in a market with just one dominant player. Instead, BMW competes in a market with dozens of other car models, none of which hold a dominant position. "The analogy just doesn't hold up," Foley writes. "A car and a computer are both tools, you could even say that they both take you places, I suppose. But that's about where their similarities end. A car is good for two things - to drive or to look at. No matter how much you accessorize it, it boils down to transportation and aesthetics. A computer, however, is a tool with an infinite number of uses ... It's nice to say that the Mac is the BMW of the computer world. Aesthetically (if you like Beemers), it rings true enough. I like the sound of it. But future BMW sales aren't threatened by a potential decision by JBL to stop manufacturing CD disk changers that would work in their cars."

[ Posted at 10:58 AM | Permalink ]

Oh, the irony

I've been writing for a while now that Apple's lock-in strategy is inferior to Microsoft's strategy of getting Windows Media on as many devices as possible, and have noted that it is harmful to consumers. In fact, I wrote an editorial about this topic ("HP's iPod Moves Could Hurt the Industry") that was blasted by Mac advocates. So why is it that when a Microsoft employee writes the very same thing (after clearly reading what I had first written), you start seeing Mac advocates starting to come around the notion that Microsoft might have a point? In a bizarre PowerPage editorial, managing editor Peter Kirn says, "The guy's got a point. With DRM and proprietary formats -- which both WMA and Apple AAC represent -- buying music is no longer a simple matter of buy once, play everywhere. Apple should look at the future: will its songs be compatible with future consumer electronics? ... Apple lovers may flame Scoble now, but you know they'll be angry at Jobs if a few years down the line they can't play their music where they want."

Huh. That's exactly what I've been saying all along. Pfft.

[ Posted at 10:52 AM | Permalink ]

PowerBooks, iBooks exhibit USB 2.0 port problems

Aargh. Another PB G4 problem for me to worry about: MacFix It reports that about an Iomega engineer who discovered the problem: "It seems that on the newer aluminum-clad G4's (and iBooks with USB 2.0), when the computer goes to sleep, the USB port does not properly come back after waking up. Some USB 1.1 devices will power up and mount, but no USB 2.0 devices will. I have duplicated this with our devices and USB drives from M-Systems, C-One, Sony, Lexar and SanDisk. It affects Mac OS 10.2.7, 10.2.8, and I'm currently verifying it with all versions of 10.3. Interestingly, this problem does not happen with the G5. Different chipset, I guess?"

Jerry Pournelle had previously complained that his PB-15 did this too. Great.

[ Posted at 10:45 AM | Permalink ]

Jef Raskin, Macintosh inventor, looks to the future of computing

Pacifica Tribune: "Raskin's involvement [with the development of the Mac] is best chronicled in Stanford University's official computer history files as opposed to MacWorld magazine and other Apple organs." [I love the explicit acknowledgment that MacWorld is an "Apple organ."]

"'I invented click and drag,' he says. 'Nobody else was using click and drag.' Nowadays, that alone can be seen as a universal computer element. Unfortunately, while working for Apple, the company would not allow Raskin to publish, something that kept his importance to the Macintosh project private for too long. "

Raskin even notes, as I have, that today's OS X doesn't offer a huge change over the desktop metaphor Apple introduced in the first Mac. "'The industry forces incompatibility,' Raskin says. It also gets bogged down in its own success. 'I can't believe I can buy a Macintosh that works like it did 20 years ago,' he muses. 'I want to change things again.'"

[ Posted at 8:23 AM | Permalink ]

Sun preps second version of Java desktop

InfoWorld: "Sun Microsystems Inc. plans to release midyear the second version of its Java Desktop System, featuring new tools for centralized management of client systems -- and a higher price tag. Sun released last year the debut version of the Java Desktop System (JDS), its attempt to win a share in the desktop operating system (OS) and applications market away from Microsoft Corp. The software is currently selling at a promotional price of $50 per user, per year, but the cost will rise to the product's planned selling price of $100 per user with JDS' second release, according to Peder Ulander, Sun's desktop products marketing director."

[ Posted at 8:17 AM | Permalink ]

Apple offers iBook repair

CNET: "Apple Computer on Wednesday launched a program to repair some iBooks that have a faulty logic board. In a posting to its Web site, Apple said it was launching a worldwide program offering free repairs to customers with faulty logic boards producing various display problems, such as scrambled or distorted video, the appearance of unexpected lines on the screen, and video that freezes or displays intermittently."

[ Posted at 8:15 AM | Permalink ]

Wednesday, January 28, 2004

The Linux Experiment

PC World: "Our intrepid editor was fed up with Windows hassles--so he went on a Microsoft-free diet for four weeks. Here's what happened ... I wanted an OS that didn't need me to constantly install fixes, that didn't crash at the worst times, and that wasn't a target of every punk itching to prove his hacker skills. I didn't want a Macintosh ... That left me just one other choice: Linux ... I found that, as its devotees swear, Linux is stable and highly customizable. I discovered a lot of solid and free--if sometimes pretty basic--apps, as well. But I also learned that Linux can be demanding for Windows users accustomed to having jobs (like installing new software) done for them almost automatically. And making the change meant making some compromises and leaving behind some old software friends that I couldn't take with me."

[ Posted at 5:33 PM | Permalink ]

Carmack weighs in on PC vs. Mac debate: The PC is still faster

UPDATED: Apparently, this post was from some time ago and is not current. My bad.

Programming guru and id Software co-founder updated his .plan file this week with interesting comments on the Mac vs. PC debate. "[Quake] 3 can be run without 3D output to test just the identical compiled code. Wintel is still faster, although somewhat less so ... 'Sucks' is a subjective description that can be dismissed as opinion. Note that I have NEVER said that the [Mac] hardware sucks, or the user interface sucks, just that the mac OPERATING SYSTEM sucks. 'Faster', when qualified with testing conditions, is objective, and all the wishing in the world doesn't change it. Objectivity and quantification are the paths to improvement. I will be very happy if Apple can produce a desktop system that is faster than anything else you can get. I respect good engineering from any source. Altivec should be better than the PIII extensions (trinary ops -- yeah!). The upcoming system architectures look good. They have a shot at it, but they won't make it if they complacently think 'oh, we are already faster than any pc system.'"

[ Posted at 5:18 PM | Permalink ]

Sun Java Desktop demonstration - Get a free copy of StarOffice 7

Sun is sponsoring a one hour live e-conference that will highlight the benefits of its Linux-based Java Desktop System. If you attend this free event, you'll get an evalulation copy of the software and a free copy of Sun StarOffice 7, which is a decent deal. To attend, you must first register here for the event, which runs from 2pm to 3pm on Tuesday, February 3. "Through a series of demonstrations - including a peek at Project Looking Glass, the next generation 3-D desktop - you'll see just how familiar and compatible Sun's alternative to Windows can be."

[ Posted at 4:56 PM | Permalink ]

Jerry, welcome to my world (Part two)

Jerry Pournelle continues to get mail that's reminiscent of my own mail. His responses are classic, and correct. "Let's see. The message here is (1) Macs are really really intuitive and easy to use, and (2) I should buy a book ... and go read it, so that I will understand that when the Mac vaporizes my file it really hasn't done that. Also, that pretending to have destroyed your file is not serious compared to having to to to the START menu to shut the machine down, that being far less intuitive than going to the Apple symbol on the Menu bar. And it's all my fault, for not having learned about about how it all works. But Macs are very intuitive and easy to use, unless you're a damned fool idiot like me? ... Once you know how to do [some task], it will seem simple, so much so that when someone asks you about it, you may forget just how hard you had to work to find out how it was done, and be tempted to say 'it's obvious' and dismiss the questioner as lazy or stupid or both." It's astonishing how many Mac advocates take that stance: After all, if you know how to do it, it must be intuitive!

[ Posted at 3:10 PM | Permalink ]

Analyst: Apple Supercomputer No Stand-In for Strategy

NewsFactor: "Apple's goal is to be recognized as a bona fide supplier to the enterprise, but Forrester analyst Frank Gillet says the firm can only be a niche player. Its user-friendly marketing strategy rings hollow to many I.T. professionals who are focused on two dominant systems: Linux and Windows ... 'Was there anything in particular that Apple added to this?' Forrester analyst Frank Gillet pondered. 'Fundamentally -- no, the heart of the processing power here comes from IBM, and at some level, IBM could have done something similar to this,' he told NewsFactor."

[ Posted at 2:26 PM | Permalink ]

Interesting new Napster 2.2 feature: Cheaper bulk purchases

Napster PR: "Napster also announced that the updated version of the service allows Premium members to purchase tracks in bulk, reducing the cost per track to as little as 80 cents. Members can choose to buy packs of 15, 25 or 50 tracks for $13.95, $21.95 and $39.95, respectively. Members of Napster's Premium Service enjoy unlimited listening to full-length songs, unlimited downloading on three computers and access to Napster's interactive radio and message boards for $9.95 per month."

[ Posted at 12:46 PM | Permalink ]

Napster upgrade supports numerous portable players

Napster quietly released version 2.2 of its client software today, and the service now supports a wide range of WMA-compatible portable audio devices, and not just the Napster-branded Samsung YP-910 as before. So if you own a Rio Cali, Rio Fuse, Rio Chiba, Rio Nitrus, Rio S10, Rio S30, Rio S35, Rio S50, Creative NOMAD Jukebox Zen USB 2.0, Creative NOMAD Jukebox Zen, Creative NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX, Creative NOMAD Jukebox Zen Xtra, Creative NOMAD Jukebox 2, Creative NOMAD Jukebox 3, or a Dell Digital Jukebox (DJ), you can now take advantage of what is quite possibly the best PC-based online music store. The service also notes that a wide range of other devices will now work as well, though they haven't tested all of them yet.

UPDATE: Napster has finally issued a press release describing the changes. "Napster's focus on consumer choice as the nucleus of their digital music service ensures that music fans will have high-quality experiences that fit their individual needs," said Dave Fester, general manager of Microsoft's Windows Media Division. "Many different devices from a variety of manufacturers are available today that support WMA, making it easy for Napster customers to get the combination of a great device, a superior music service and a flexible, high quality music format."

[ Posted at 12:26 PM | Permalink ]

Old-fashioned photo books made with high-tech toys

Herald Tribune: "Similar services are offered elsewhere, including in Apple Computer Inc.'s iPhoto organization software. In fact, MyPublisher appears to produce the books created in iPhoto, with both shipping from Valhalla, N.Y. But iPhoto works only on a Mac. I started my baby book project with iPhoto, but was frustrated by the layout. MyPublisher offered a free program with more flexibility, but it only worked on a Windows PC. I exported the pictures from iPhoto and transferred them to a computer running Windows XP. It was easy to move pictures into the book, even with a baby slouched over my shoulder. The images are simply dragged from one part of the program to another."

[ Posted at 10:55 AM | Permalink ]

Tuesday, January 27, 2004

Apple Save

I just got an interesting phone call from a new program at Apple Computer called "Apple Save." It turns out they've noticed that I've been going into Apple's online store, configuring PowerBooks, saving the orders, and then not actually buying them. So the company has this program that will give such people a business discount on their purchase, in a bid to spur the sale. It's a great idea. I've gone through many manifestations of what it is I want to do with the Mac, and what it boils down to now (though this changes almost daily) is that I'd like to replace both my aging iBook and my iMac with a single, decent, PowerBook G4.

There are numerous problems with doing this. PowerBooks are expensive. The 15-inch model gets lousy battery life. The 17-inch model and, to a slightly lesser degree, the 15-inch, don't travel well. But the 12-inch is too small, given my experience with the excellent screen on the iMac (I have a 17-inch widescreen model).

So I've played around with different configurations, as do many people, I suppose. My most recent inclination is to the get the stock 17-inch model with an extra battery. Online, that comes out to $3128 pre-shipping. Through Apple Save, I can get the same machine (and the extra battery) for $2973, but with free shipping. Or I can pay $15 for 2-3 day shipping. Basically, the deal amounts to about $155 off pre-shipping costs, which is pretty good, and better than the $100 off deal you can get now on PowerBooks at Amazon.com. I'm considering it.

Any thoughts? And would anyone care to purchase a lovingly-cared-for iMac-17 at a reasonable price? :)

[ Posted at 2:31 PM | Permalink ]

Which Format Will Win?

Business Week Online: "Rival formats make it hard to mix and match songs bought at different online music stores. Apple's iPod, for example, can't play songs bought at Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart uses Microsoft's WMA. And Dell's DJ and Samsung's Napster digital players can't play music bought at Apple's iTunes music store ... Most experts think the battle will play out between Microsoft and Apple. Apple has the early advantage, with 70% of the music-download market and 25% of the music-player market. Still, Microsoft's WMA works with 60 different music devices and a handful of download services. So Apple will have to be innovative if it doesn't want to be marginalized once again."

[ Posted at 2:13 PM | Permalink ]

The iMovie Hard Drive Diet

Good advice from Apple-x.net: "Apple's iMovie has brought desktop video creation to the masses. But is it also bringing unwanted mass to your hard drive? If you use iMovie frequently, then you might need to do some hard drive hygiene. Every time you trim or delete a clip, those edits get stored in iMovie's trash can. This feature allows you to do virtually unlimited undos, or to use the "restore clip" function. These are all great features, but what if you've finished your movie and have no more need for the various edits, tweaks, and second-guesses that accompanied your latest cinematic triumph? Here's a simple but powerful tip that will extend the life of your hard drive: delete all the unused clips in the clip window, then empty the trash in the project window. I recently went through about two dozen old movies and saved more than 10GB of otherwise dead space in my LaCie 120GB external."

[ Posted at 2:11 PM | Permalink ]

Mac OS X lawsuit deal gets final nod

CNET: "A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Monday gave final approval for a class-action settlement that will allow some Mac owners to receive a refund for their Mac OS X purchase. Under the terms of the deal, owners of certain older Macs can get a refund if they return their copy of Mac OS X or, if they want to keep Mac OS X, they can obtain a coupon for $25 off a $99 purchase at the Apple Store. Apple also agreed to pay $350,000 in legal costs to King & Ferlauto, the law firm that brought the suit." This is what happens when you lie to your customers.

[ Posted at 2:10 PM | Permalink ]

The Mac at 20: An Interview with Bruce Horn

TidBITS: "Let me introduce you to another member of the original Macintosh team, Bruce Horn, who was responsible for a number of the key aspects of the Mac and who has continued to write innovative code. At Apple, Bruce was responsible for the design and implementation of the Finder (oh, that!), the type/creator metadata mechanism for files and applications, and the Resource Manager (which handled reading and writing of the resource fork in files; a note in Apple's technical documentation at one point exclaimed, "The Resource Manager is not a database!"). The Dialog Manager and the multi-type aspect of the clipboard also appeared thanks to Bruce's ingenuity. So, to commemorate this 20th anniversary of the Macintosh, I wanted to talk with Bruce about not just what he did at Apple, but also what he's up to now, since in many ways, his current work is both a return to his roots and a glimpse at what might be possible with the Macintosh in the future."

[ Posted at 2:01 PM | Permalink ]

Musicians Unveil Digital 'Manifesto'

Associated Press: "Rock veterans Peter Gabriel (news) and Brian Eno (news) are launching a provocative new musicians' alliance that would cut against the industry grain by letting artists sell their music online instead of only through record labels. With the Internet transforming how people buy and listen to songs, musicians need to act now to claim digital music's future, Gabriel and Eno argued Monday as they handed out a slim red manifesto at a huge dealmaking music conference known as Midem. They call the plan the "Magnificent Union of Digitally Downloading Artists" — or MUDDA, which has a less lofty ring to it. "

[ Posted at 12:06 PM | Permalink ]

A few reasons why you should switch to Nvu

Daniel Glazman: "Nvu is the new Web editing environment based on the Mozilla platform and its Gecko layout engine. Primarily made for LindowsOS and other Linux flavors, its cross-platform architecture makes it available on a wide variety of other platforms. Nvu 0.1 binary test builds are now available for Linux and Windows. The source code of Nvu will be released when we reach a more complete product in terms of features. The code will be tri-licensed MPL/GPL/LGPL and we'll contribute it back to Mozilla.org at that time." Note that Nvu is not yet available for download.

[ Posted at 12:02 PM | Permalink ]

The most hated company in tech

Suprise, it's not Microsoft. Business Week: "SCO's huge Linux suit against IBM is a long shot that may yield nothing but bile ... SCO has become the most hated company in the tech world, surpassing, at least temporarily, Microsoft Corp. SCO has infuriated dozens of businesses and thousands of volunteer programmers who helped Linux become the world's second-most-popular operating system for server computers, with tens of millions of copies in use, trailing only Microsoft's Windows."

[ Posted at 12:01 PM | Permalink ]

Mozilla's back

Actually, it never left, but The Straits Times looks at "the new king of Web browsers, with more features and functions than most surfers are used to ... Chances are, you've never heard of it before."

[ Posted at 11:59 AM | Permalink ]

GNOME if you want to

Computerworld: "According to GNOME release team head Jeff Waugh, who gave a presentation at the Linux.conf.au 2004 conference last week, the GNOME project has undergone a major facelift over the past 12 months. This has included switching to a time-based release schedule, starting with its 2.x series, as well as redefining the project's social structure into module maintainers, a release team, and an administrative and advisory foundation board."

[ Posted at 11:57 AM | Permalink ]

Apple posts OS X security, AirPort updates

Apple's Security Update 2004-01-26 delivers a number of security enhancements and is recommended for all Macintosh users and is available for Mac OS X 10.3.2, 10.3.2 Server, 10.2.8, 10.2.8 Server, 10.1.5, and 10.1.5 Server. The update fixes the following issues:

* AFP Server: Improves AFP over the 2003-12-19 security update.
* Apache 1.3: Fixes CAN-2003-0542, a buffer overflow in the mod_alias and mod_rewrite modules of the Apache webserver.
* Apache 2: Fixes CAN-2003-0542 and CAN-2003-0789 by updating Apache 2.0.47 to 2.0.48. Installed only on Server systems.
* Classic: Fixes CAN-2004-0089 to improve the handling of environment variables.
* Mail: Fixes CAN-2004-0085 and CAN-2004-0086 to deliver security enhancements to Apple's mail application.
* Safari: Fixes CAN-2004-0092 by delivering security enhancements to the Safari web browser.
* System Configuration: Fixes CAN-2004-0087 and CAN-2004-0088 where the SystemConfiguration subsystem allowed remote non-admin users to change network setting and make configuration changes to configd.
* Windows File Sharing: Fixes CAN-2004-0090 where Windows file sharing did not shutdown properly.

Also, Apple released AirPort Software 3.3 and AirPort Base Station Firmware 5.3 to Software Update.

[ Posted at 10:12 AM | Permalink ]

Monday, January 26, 2004

The Mac OS X Hall of Shame - Part 1

Applelust.com: "There are lots of truly great things about Mac OS X, and I’ll be the first one to admit that it’s made a tremendous difference in my computing life and overall productivity. That being said, the brand new system also introduced a whole slew of brand new unwanted behaviors and, while Apple has made great progress in adjusting these behaviors in order to make the system more intuitive and efficient, there are still a number of outstanding issues in Mac OS X that have yet to be addressed." Part one addresses the Dock, corrupted preference files, forgetting preference files, and applications that can't be trusted; arguably the last three are a problem in Windows XP as well.

[ Posted at 1:05 PM | Permalink ]

Get LindowsOS for free

LindowsOS.com: "Click here to be taken to an online form where you can then click the 'coupon code' link and be given immediate digital access to LindowsOS Developer Edition, LindowsOS Laptop Edition, LindowsOS Espanol, and LindowsCD. Be sure to click the 'Click Here if you have a coupon' link and enter the following code: imaKDEdeveloper. This will apply your discount and allow you to get your software free of charge. After completing your sign-up, you'll have access in your 'My.Lindows' account at my.lindows.com to download and burn a LindowsOS Developer Edition CD."

[ Posted at 12:00 PM | Permalink ]

Word of the day

Misologist. Hatred of reason, argument, or enlightenment. In clearer terms, a person who wants to win an argument more than learn the truth. I deal with these people regularly.

[ Posted at 10:34 AM | Permalink ]

Mac market share hits new low in 4Q 2003

Business Week: "Apple's market share has slipped inexorably. It dropped from 9.4% in 1993 to just 3% in 1997, the year Jobs was rehired to run the company ... Apple held just 1.8% of the worldwide PC market in the fourth quarter of 2003. And some think Apple's share will fall further, if it can't keep pace with surging overall PC demand. Salomon Smith Barney analyst Rich Gardner expects Apple to post PC unit growth of 6% in 2004 this year, vs. 11% for the entire PC industry. One reason is price. Gardner says the average price of a Mac is $900, although half of PC buyers now spend less than $600."

[ Posted at 9:11 AM | Permalink ]

Newsweek opines on Mac's 20th anniversary

Newsweek: "The original Mac was costly, underpowered and had no cursor keys. Early sales disappointed Apple, and the then CEO John Sculley fired Jobs in 1985. Eventually, Mac became equipped with more memory and storage, and people began to discover the machine's ability to become a tool for the new pursuit of desktop publishing. The machine began to take off. But the business world never warmed to Macintosh, and by the mid-'90s tech pundits were crafting Apple obituaries. In 1997 prodigal cofounder Jobs returned and restored Apple's luster with innovations like the eye-popping iMac."

[ Posted at 9:04 AM | Permalink ]

Original Mac team posts stories about the "computer for the rest of us"

Folklore.org: "Anecdotes about the development of Apple's original Macintosh computer, and the people who created it." Awesome stuff, and it has an RSS feed!

[ Posted at 8:55 AM | Permalink ]

Science fun: Opportunity knocks ... on Mars

CNN: "The Mars rover Opportunity is sending fresh data, including new photographs taken on the vehicle's parachute trip to the planet's surface, to mission control. Enthusiastic scientists told reporters that the rover, which touched down in a small crater on the red planet, was in 'excellent condition' and that its landing site was unique."

NASA: Just three weeks after NASA's Spirit rover touched down on Mars, its twin Opportunity joined it on the red planet, landing shortly after midnight eastern time on Sunday, January 25. Ground controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory erupted in cheers and applause, a replay of the celebration following the Spirit landing. Mars Exploration Rover Project Manager Peter Theisinger summed up the emotion of the night with a simple phrase: 'We are two for two.'"

MSNBC: "Opportunity scores 'interplanetary hole-in-one' ... NASA's 2nd rover lands inside small crater, near much bigger one."

[ Posted at 8:52 AM | Permalink ]

Sunday, January 25, 2004

More Whoppers from Jobs

In an interview with Business Week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs reminisces about 20 years of the Mac (though he was gone for over half of that) and talks about the success of the iPod. Needless to say, there are some serious whoppers. However, I do give the unnamed writer of introduction to the interview credit for getting the Mac's market share figure a lot closer to reality than most reports ("Apple's share of the worldwide PC market slipped to an all-time low of 1.9% in 2003's fourth quarter." Actually, it's 1.88 percent, and that's based on PC sales figure for all of 2003, not just for the fourth quarter.)

Steve: First of all, Apple is the most creative technology company out there -- just like Pixar is the most technologically adept creative company. It's interesting, isn't it?

Response: It's not that interesting unless you're the CEO of both companies and you're trying to draw some parallel to the success of both companies. Jobs cannot be credited with the success of Pixar, however, as anyone with knowledge of that company would admit. Jobs should be credited with helping prevent Apple from going bankrupt, and I do give him full credit for that: Few Mac advocates understand how close it was. On the other hand, I take exception to his opinion that Apple is "the most creative technology company out there." Microsoft is arguably far more "creative," in the sense that it is making exciting new markets and products. And besides, half of the so-called new features in Apple's latest OS were stolen directly from Microsoft.

Steve: Also, almost all recording artists use Macs and they have iPods, and now most of the music-industry people have iPods as well. There's a trust in the music community that Apple will do something right -- that it won't cut corners -- and that it cares about the creative process and about the music.

Response: This is all true, but of course it's perception. Microsoft, to use an obvious comparison, isn't any less ardent in its desire to help people enjoy music. Arguably, the music industry itself is a niche market, one that Apple can honestly brag about, but let's be serious. This isn't a lot of people we're talking about here.

Steve: Also, our solution encompasses operating system software, server software, application software, and hardware. Apple is the only company in the world that has all of that under one roof. We can invent a complete a solution that works -- and take responsibility for it.

Response: These comments are literally insane. Apple's "solution," such as it is, encompasses Apple-only products. Microsoft has built a complete DRM solution that bridges software and hardware (both PC and non-PC) in ways that Apple can only dream of. This is a lie of the highest order, since he's obviously pitting "Apple's solution" against competing solutions. Apple doesn't have a solution. It has lock-in.

Steve: [The] transition to this new world of digital music [is] what's determining our growth. We've had some strong competitors over the past two years, and we've managed to come out on top.

Response: Unless Apple's music business rises by a factor of ten, it will never compete with the Macintosh from a financial perspective, thus the concept of "growth" is untrue. Apple's music business is growing. Apple's (much bigger) Mac market is shrinking. If the current trend simply continues, Apple will be a much smaller company a year from now, and again two years from now. People aren't suddenly deciding to buy Macs.

Furthermore, Apple has not had competition in the online music store business for "the past two years." The first iTunes Music Store competitor, Buymusic.com, didn't appear until August 2003, or five months after iTunes debuted. Since then, more viable competitors like Napster have shown up. It's unlikely that Apple can control a market in which its lock-in strategy doesn't give it a leg-up on the competition. In other words, the choice model of the wider PC industry will kick-in eventually. The PC world isn't like the Mac world, where everything comes from one company.

Steve: The people using [Microsoft's digital media] technologies have yet to be successful.

Response: I assume he's really just talking about the online music stores here, but there are many companies making Windows Media-compatible software, hardware, portable devices, online services, and other products, and many of them are successful. Arguably, the market for Windows Media-compatible products is very many times the size of the market for all of Apple's products combined.

Steve: Whoever enters this market now, is going to enter a market that's not in its infancy.

Response: The online music store market is very much in its infancy.

Steve: And they'll enter a market against a competitor that has a 70% market share -- and surprisingly, that competitor's name will not be Microsoft. It will be Apple. Now, I understand that there's no guarantee we'll stay on top, but that's the situation.

Response: Yep, that's the situation. It's a situation so many companies have found themselves in before, including WordPerfect, Lotus, IBM, and, most tellingly, Netscape. The Netscape comparison is particularly good, because Netscape actually had 95 percent of what was a market in its infancy, and it was all taken away.

Steve: [The history of the Mac and PC, and the relevance it has to the music business is] ancient history ... I don't think of it that way. I just don't. I got back to Apple six-and-a-half years ago. The hand was dealt [by then].

Response: In the sense that the Mac no longer competes in the market with the PC industry, yes, it is ancient history. But the Mac was once the number one selling computer system, just as the iTunes Music Store is now the number one online music store. History has a way of repeating itself, especially when the details are all so similar: A single tech supplier trying to foster vendor lock-in in a market where any competitor can make similar products, but at much lower prices.

Steve: We've done a really great job of building great products for the best 25 million customers any company ever had.

Response: Ah yes, the never-changing 25 million users figure. Could you imagine how shareholders would react if, every year, a company like TiVo claimed that its user base never changed? That figure never goes up, and it never goes down. The number of Macs the company sells goes down every year, and its usage and market share figures drop every single year, but that 25 million figure just sits, nice and static. Curious. Actionably curious.

Steve: Hopefully, more customers will decide they want the world's best computers, too.

Response: Well, Dell is the world's number one personal computer maker for a reason, Mr. Jobs. They do make the world's best computers, and are able to transfer their market power into lower prices for customers too. That's what you get in an industry with choice, and no lock-in.

Steve: HP looked at the choices they had, and they thought what we were doing was the best in the industry, and they expressed an interest in working with us. The more we discussed it, the better it sounded. Look, we don't make our own printers. We use HP's printers. They're better at making printers than we are. HP decided that we're better at making portable music players and online music stores, and there is no shame in any of that. I think it's pretty smart.

Response: Sure, you're the CEO of the company getting the best part of the deal. What about HP's users though. Are they getting a good deal? Will the "hPod" work with all of HP's existing products? What about Protected AAC?

Steve: [Referring to the iPod] It's very exciting to be able to apply Apple's innovation, engineering excellence, and marketing skill in a market where we don't have that 5% market-share ceiling to see what we can do.

Response: Like the "25 million users" factoid, Jobs still refuses to drop the "5 percent market share" lie. The Mac's market share hasn't seen five percent in several years. Right now, the figure is 1.88 percent, much less than half of 5 percent. Arguably, there are more people using Linux than Mac OS X right now. That's just going to skew even more in favor of Linux over the next several months.

[ Posted at 12:15 PM | Permalink ]

Mac market share vs. usage share

UPDATE: I had a cute little math error in the original posting, so I've fixed that. Sorry for any confusion...

A reader wrote me a note this morning about measuring the actual number of Mac user out there. Here is my reply.

Market share is only ever defined as sales. That can be for a quarter, or, more commonly, the most recent yearly figure. The Mac's worldwide market share is 1.88 percent (not 1.18 percent) based on PC and Mac sales information for 2003 provided by IDC and Apple Computer.

However, the other interesting figure you're alluding to is "usage share" (actual people using actual systems) and this one is wide open for debate. Here's how I look at it.

According to Apple, the Mac purportedly has 25 million "users" but that figure has always been suspect, and hasn't changed a bit for several years (making it further suspect). However, thanks to Apple, we do know that there are (again, supposedly) 10 million Mac OS X users, or will be soon. (Why supposedly? Because most Mac OS X users have purchased OS X several times each, either with a new Mac--most Mac users buy many Mac over the years--or with each OS X revision at retail--OS X 10.0, 10.1, 10.2, and 10.3). OK, whatever. We'll accept the 10 million figure, as it's as close to accurate as we'll ever see.

Now. How many PC users are there? We know there are about 150 million to 200 million people using Windows XP, but that doesn't mean much. We need to know how many non-Mac users there are in the world. Is it 700 million? 1 billion? 1.5 billion? It could be much higher. Heck, it's definitely much higher. It would be interesting see what the figure really is, not that we'd really be able to find out.

But let's say it's 1 billion. If there are 1 billion PC users worldwide, and 10 million OS X users, what is the Mac's usage share? It's one-percent (1 percent). Not a huge number. Or we could use the whole (admittedly completely bogus) 25 million figure. Then, the Mac's share is 2.5 percent.

Either way, if you're a Mac fan, you really don't want to go there, I guess. But that's why people stick with market share, even though that number is so hotly contested by the Mac advocates. Usage share is even uglier. Another way to look at this, I guess would be just to stick to the US. There are only so many people in the US, and only so many of them use computers. And Mac's market share in the US is higher than it is worldwide, which makes sense when you consider how wealthy this country is compared to much of the world. I seem to recall that the Mac's market share in the US for 2003 was somewhere around 3.5 percent. I'm sure this figure is less troubling to many people than 1.88 percent (or, ahem, 1 percent, both of which are far closer to reality).

[ Posted at 10:26 AM | Permalink ]