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About this siteFor 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 Friday, May 28, 2004PowerBook Luggage With a ConscienceGood stuff. O'Grady's Powerpage has a classic note about the washing instructions from a laptop bag, which includes "washing instructions in both English and French. The English is exactly what you would expect and so is the French, for the first 6 lines. The last three lines of French are most interesting. 'We are sorry that our President is an idiot. We didn't vote for him.'" [ Posted at 5:45 PM | Permalink ]
Installing Software on Mac OS X: Software Update to the iTunes Music Store of SoftwareThis horribly named article is nonetheless dead-on."Ever since I upgraded from MacOS 9 to the first version Mac OS X, I’ve often wondered how user-friendly OS X is with regard to installing software. Finally (now that I’m using the latest (Panther, 10.3.4), I thought I’d document the install process and make some notes as I go ... This is the supposedly normative [sic?] Apple procedure. And it’s not user-friendly. It’s not easy. It doesn’t even, in some cases, make sense. It should be a much easier process - maybe a general installer built into the operating system [ala Windows] ... Apple needs to create a newer, better Software Update. Eventually, it should include a payments system for paid upgrades and updates, and new software. In other words, it should be an iTunes music store for software. Let’s go, Apple. Time to lead again." Microsoft is moving to a standardized installation routine as part of its mid-2004 patch management change-over, which will include new versions of Windows Update, Automatic Updates, and Windows Update Services (WUS, formerly Software Update Services), among other technologies. Starting with SP2, Microsoft will support only two installer types (down from dozens today), and the end user experience will be identical on both. Clearly, Apple has some work to do in this area. [ Posted at 2:09 PM | Permalink ]
Safari global usage nearly doubled! (Updated)LOL. I just wanted to beat Mac Central to the headline. This quarter, OneStat reports that Safari's share of the Web browser market stands at .71 percent, up from .48 percent in the previous report (when it jumped from .23 percent). Also up are Mozilla (from 1.8 percent to 2.1 percent), Opera (up from 0.8 to 1.02 percent) and, alas, market leader Internet Explorer 6.0 (up from 68.1 percent to 69.3 percent).Update: Damn, Mac Central must have caught my non-so-subtle dig. Their headline for this quarter's change (despite the fact that it's virtually identical to the last quarter's change) is a more demure (but accurate) "Safari worldwide percentage inches upward." See, people can learn. Or not. :) Macsurfer.com pointed to Mac Central's January 2004 article instead of the current one, no doubt because I did so here. Funny. And now, they can fix it. :) [ Posted at 2:03 PM | Permalink ]
FairPlay: Another Anticompetitive Use of DRMDeep Links: "On a panel a few weeks ago, I asked the head lawyer for Apple's iTunes Music Store whether Apple would, if it could, drop the FairPlay DRM from tracks purchased at the Music Store. He said 'no.' I was puzzled, because I assumed that the DRM obligation was imposed by the major labels on a grudging Apple ... Fairplay is a great barrier to entry that keeps the iPod as the exclusive device for the Music Store. Competitors who dare to reverse engineer the protocols or otherwise support interoperability find themselves staring down the barrel of the DMCA. And, of course, Apple's FairPlay DRM is pathetic as a mechanism for 'protecting' copyright owners -- every copy of iTunes allows users to neutralize FairPlay by burning to CD and re-ripping to MP3. No wonder Eric Garland at Big Champagne tells us that every 'exclusive' iTunes track has been up on Kazaa within 2 minutes of release. At the same time, FairPlay is plenty good enough to frustrate legitimate users. It's rather cynical, isn't it? FairPlay is bad for everyone besides Apple. Useless to copyright owners, irritating to legit customers. So, when you think about it, Apple's warm embrace of DRM here is every bit as reprehensible as Lexmark's effort to use DRM to eliminate interoperable printer cartridges and Chamberlain's effort to use DRM against replacement garage door clickers."Sorry, but this guy's an idiot. We can argue about whether Fairplay is a decent DRM solution (it isn't), but there's nothing inherently wrong with DRM, whether it comes from Microsoft, Apple, Real, or anyone else. DRM, like any other technology, can be abused, but the market will sort out the bad implementations. DRM does protect copyright holders, even if it isn't (and perhaps can't be) perfect. [ Posted at 12:32 PM | Permalink ]
Apple 'pompous' over OS X flawsMacWorld: "Apple continues to attract criticism for the manner of its reaction to recent security weaknesses identified in Mac OS X. Today's Techworld castigates the company, saying: 'Apple has failed to keep it up-to-date with security patches, despite claims to the contrary and a variety of pompous pronouncements.' It appears yesterday's Mac OS X 10.3.4 update does not include security patches released by the company last week ... The story also points out Apple's failure to patch an additional security weakness identified last week."I've avoided discussing Apple's many security problems of late. Many might wrongly concluded that I would gloat over this (inevitable) development, but nothing could be further from the truth. Certainly, it validates what I've been saying all along about Mac OS X security and the fact that Apple simply doesn't have the resources to secure this system, but thankfully has such a small user base that few hackers have bothered attacking OS X thus far. I guess that's changing. Apple lackluster response to these events should be disturbing to the company's fans. Welcome to the real world, Gustav. Related: TechWorld: "Apple has released the latest version of its Mac OS X operating system - 10.3.4 - but has failed to keep it up-to-date with security patches, despite claims to the contrary and a variety of pompous pronouncements ... Not only does a patch rated 'extremely critical' not come with the latest OS but Apple makes no mention of the need to download and install it. In fact, it claims it is already installed. On top of this, Apple has yet to provide a patch for another 'extremely critical' hole first reported over a week ago, even though it falsely claimed that its Help viewer patch also covered this hole which allows a malicious hacker to remotely execute code. These holes are still easily exploitable ... One wonders how much longer the software company can continue to pretend that security somehow does not apply to its operating system." TechTree: "Although Apple issued a patch late Friday afternoon to fill in a security hole, Secunia, the security firm that first found out about the security hole, warned that, users of the operating system would still remain vulnerable to an 'extremely critical' security flaw ... even if they apply a patch that Apple published Friday to fill the security hole. It would also be possible to execute arbitrary code on a vulnerable user's system, just as easy as before Apple issued Friday's security update for Mac OS X." Dr. Mac: "I suppose it had to happen ... There is a definite security hole in Mac OS X that could be exploited and damage the data on your hard disk ... you should know that the Apple Security Update released late last week, Security Update 2004-05-24, does not fix this security hole, so even if you applied a Security Update to your Mac this week, you are vulnerable." InternetNews.com: "Apple Winds Down Buggy Panther OS ... Security firms are finding chinks in Apple's usually bulletproof armor." Search Security: "Another vulnerability in Mac OS X that could be exploited by malicious Web sites has been reported by IT security firm Secunia. The problem has been confirmed on machines fully patched using fixes Apple released last week to address two earlier holes ... While Microsoft and other companies have learned the hard way that public backlash can be fierce when vulnerabilities aren't quickly and fully disclosed and fixes made available, Apple has not caught on. 'Microsoft and most Linux distributions have learned the lesson and properly describe the nature and the impact of (most) vulnerabilities, allowing their customers to properly estimate the severity of a fixed issue,' said Niels Henrik Rasmussen, chief executive officer of Secunia. 'This is not possible when reading an Apple update.'" Sydney Morning Herald: "A security patch released by Apple last Friday, to fix critical vulnerabilities in two URI handlers, does not fix the problem ... A researcher who goes by the name lixlpixel informed Apple about it on February 23 and heard back from the company on May 20, saying that a fix would be available soon." Silicon.com: "Mac OS security fix fails to plug vulnerabilty ... Apple would not comment. The company released the original patch last Friday after news of the vulnerability appeared on the internet. The vulnerability actually involves two flaws ... Perhaps the biggest problem is that there seems to be no easy solution ... The issue is the first major security problem for Mac OS X that has not been caused by the operating system's underlying Unix roots. Previously, Mac OS X has mainly had to patch problems that affected FreeBSD, the Unix-like operating system on which it is based. However, the current issue is in the code that the company built on top of that software. Forno maintains that the Mac is more secure than Windows but stressed that this problem should have been caught in testing before the operating system had shipped. Moreover, in light of the goofed patch and previous issues with Apple downplaying security problems, he said the company needs to start being more proactive about security." [ Posted at 12:10 PM | Permalink ]
Mainstream press reviews Far Cry ... And gets itA great review of Far Cry in the New York Times (free registration required) proves that even the mainstream press gets it occassionally. "Most games funnel the player down a particular path, placing combatants where they are sure to be encountered, but Far Cry furnishes vast areas patrolled by alert, intelligent guards who respond to noises and movements and are stationed just where a smart commander would want them. Taking the most obvious route is often deadly and you need to experiment, an effort not helped by Far Cry's system of saving the player's progress only at set points in the game. Crytek promises to release a quick save patch soon ... The artificial intelligence of enemy combatants is quite impressive; they will hunt for you if they hear you and attack on sight, and sometimes even circle around for a rear assault ... The game is so convincing that as you combine stealth with action you sometimes feel as though you are approaching situations as you would in real life (although if I were really on an island being hunted by men with machine guns, I would probably just hide somewhere whimpering)."Far Cry is the best first-person shooter I've seen in years, and it's not just the 3D-card-busting visuals. I just finished it, and will likely play it again now on a harder skill setting (though frankly, the game is wicked hard compared to similar games as it is). Not to be missed. [ Posted at 9:27 AM | Permalink ]
Thursday, May 27, 2004Microsoft again misquoted by the Mac pressAt the Goldman Sachs 5th Annual Internet Conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Microsoft corporate vice president Yusuf Mehdi said the following:"I've spent time with a bunch of hardware manufacturers who will launch hardware products when we ship our service that will look and feel as good as the iPod product. And they will undoubtedly be a little bit less expensive and so head-to-head against Apple we'll have a device that will be available to the consumer. We won't produce it but it will be available to the consumer. We gave a lot of input. And then we'll have a bunch of other devices, some that we've already talked about, one the Portable Media Center, which is a device that's a little bit bigger and a little more expensive that has video and audio, much higher end looking device. It's for people who really want to sort of look at music videos and not just music, which is very powerful, we'll have that offering. And then a bunch of devices in between, little ones that cost 50 bucks and you can go running with." When he said "we," he meant the wider "me," as in "Microsoft's hardware partners," who, combined with Microsoft, make up the Microsoft-oriented side in the digital music wars. This is pretty obvious. Well, not to the Mac Web, of course, who I foolishly quoted earlier when noting this story. See how similar these all are? Macworld: " Microsoft is to sell its portable music-players for 80 per cent less than Apple 's iPod, the company has announced. MSN corporate vice president Yusuf Mehdi told the Goldman Sachs fifth annual Internet Conference that the Microsoft-branded devices will 'look and feel as good as the iPod for as little as $50'." MacNN: " Microsoft will begin selling portable music players for as much as 80 percent less than Apple's iPod ... 'The Microsoft-branded devices will look and feel as good as the iPod for as little as $50, said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of MSN at Microsoft Corp., at the Goldman Sachs fifth annual Internet Conference in Las Vegas. The iPod sells for $249 to $499. Microsoft will release a number of music players when it launches its online music service later this year, giving customers more choices than Apple, Mehdi said.'" Mac Central: "Microsoft Corp. Corporate Vice President of MSN Yusuf Mehdi told attendees of Goldman Sachs' fifth annual Internet Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada that the company will produce its own line of portable music players for as little as US$50." Mac Minute: "At the Goldman Sachs fifth annual Internet Conference in Las Vegas, Microsoft said it will begin selling portable music players for as much as 80 percent less than Apple's iPod. The Microsoft-branded devices will 'look and feel' as good as the iPod for as little as US$50, said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of MSN at Microsoft." And so on. There are actually more examples out there, but you get the idea. Why are these all the same? Because they all quote the same snippet (it's not even a story) in The Denver Post (!!!), hardly a member of the high-tech news source of fame. Folks, check the transcript. That's not what he said. That said, PC economics are wonderful. I suspect Apple will be slashing iPod prices by Christmas. [ Posted at 9:26 PM | Permalink ]
I assume everyone's seen this already... .... and asked, "Why the heck didn't this ship last summer with the G5?" Thanks Keith. [ Posted at 9:23 PM | Permalink ]
Fear And Loathing Fueling The Virus RevoltLindows.com: "It's a sad time when people are afraid of their own computers, but that's where Microsoft Windows users are at currently. It's reminiscent of Hal from Space Odyssey. Computer owners fear that if they launch the wrong program, visit a 'bad' website or simply view an email, they will trigger an unstoppable torrent of emails and virus spewing from their computer. Then comes public humiliation and chastising for not having performed the mandatory daily software and virus update routine (which often times wouldn't have prevented it anyway). If the PC were any other type of product, it would have been recalled by its manufacturer, and congress would have stepped in, demanding accountability. Lets be clear where the blame lies - it is on Microsoft's shoulders for writing very low quality software and then even worse, not standing behind that software in spite of garnering unprecedented profits. Each new outbreak prompts the Microsoft PR machine to point fingers at users for not maintaining their computers, or at deviant hackers, when they should really be pointing the finger at their own wobbly software. I'm not excusing virus authors. In most countries, authoring software which intentionally harms computers is a criminal offense and it should be. I should point out also, that all software will have vulnerabilities since it is authored by fallible humans. What I'm challenging is the number of vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, and Microsoft's abandonment of their responsibility to invest a tiny sliver of their profits in proactively resolving the problem."Given my recent experience with a nasty Trojan in XP, he might just have a point. [ Posted at 7:14 PM | Permalink ]
Science fun: The Way We Eat Now Harvard Magazine: "Ancient bodies collide with modern technology to produce a flabby, disease-ridden populace ... As the world's wealthiest nation, the United States is also building the biggest bodies. It's hardly cause for patriotic pride ... Two-thirds of American adults are overweight, and half of these are obese ... Americans eat 200 calories more food energy per day than they did 10 years ago; that alone would add 20 pounds annually to one's bulk ... Never in human experience has food been available in the staggering profusion seen in North America today. We are awash in edibles shipped in from around the planet; seasonality has largely disappeared. Food obtrudes itself constantly, seductively, into our lives—on sidewalks, in airplanes, at gas stations and movie theaters."
This is a fantastic article, and a warning for us all. [ Posted at 5:27 PM | Permalink ]
Is the Netscape Browser Being Reborn or Just Stabilized?eWeak: "AOL is planning to release an updated Netscape Navigator as early as June, but whether one of the Web's original browsers will make a comeback remains uncertain. Written off for dead about a year ago, the forefather of Web browsers, Netscape Navigator, is being resuscitated in the coming months with an updated version. But whether it will mark a revival of the browser, or simply some life support, remains to be seen. America Online Inc., which owns Netscape Communications Corp., is preparing a summer release of Netscape Navigator 7.2, an AOL spokeswoman confirmed ... It is unclear whether AOL is planning to unveil significant new browser features as part of the release ... Daniel Glazman, a former Netscape engineer, said he doubts AOL will add major features to Netscape Navigator or make significant changes to its core browser technology. 'AOL does not have … the work force to make significant changes," Glazman said in an e-mail interview. "In my opinion, Netscape 7.2 new features will be Mozilla 1.7 new features.'"The time has passed for a Netscape browser release that's of any interest. I'll keep using Firefox, watch Mozilla suite releases, and only use IE when I absolutely have to, as before. And for what it's worth, Opera 7.5 is surprisingly nice looking. But Netscape? Sorry, AOL. [ Posted at 5:00 PM | Permalink ]
MS to undercut iPods 'by 80%'Macworld: " Microsoft is to sell its portable music-players for 80 per cent less than Apple 's iPod, the company has announced. MSN corporate vice president Yusuf Mehdi told the Goldman Sachs fifth annual Internet Conference that the Microsoft-branded devices will 'look and feel as good as the iPod for as little as $50'." [ Posted at 10:43 AM | Permalink ]
MSN vs. iTunes, iPodMicrosoft blog, Seattle PI: "Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi talked Wednesday about how the company's forthcoming MSN Music service will compete against the one-two punch of Apple's iTunes Music Store and its popular iPod music player. Here's what he said, in response to an audience question: 'Number one, our strategy is certainly to offer a multitude of devices. I think the iPod’s a great product, but there’s a lot of opportunities. They’re only in 4 percent of U.S. homes today, even with all the success they’ve had. There are a number of other great devices that are coming out. I personally have spent time with a bunch of hardware manufacturers who will launch hardware products when we ship our service that will look and feel as good as the iPod product. And they will undoubtedly be a little bit less expensive. … The proposition is that you can buy a number of different devices with the MSN Music service as opposed to just a single device from Apple. The other thing is, of course, we’ll have a very broad selection of music. My goal is that if we don’t have the broadest selection, we’re tied for the broadest selection of music. We’ll have the best discovery (of songs), it’ll work with your Windows PCs, and that alone I think will give us a big enough market share that we certainly should be able to go out there and be in a nice horse race, if not take the lead at some point in the future.'" [ Posted at 10:39 AM | Permalink ]
iPod: Leader, but Not RulerBusiness Week: "Apple's digital-music player is a bona fide hit. But analysts' belief that it commands 25% of the global market may be overblown ... Although no one monitors overall international numbers, most analysts have assumed Apple has well over 25% of worldwide digital-music player sales. They base that view on Apple's strength in those three key markets. Too bad their assumption is off base: The iPod's global market share may actually fall well below the 25% mark ... An April, 2004, report from investment bank CIBC on this market estimated global sales of flash and hard-drive music players at 17 million. If that's true, then the 1.5 million iPods sold in 2003 gives Apple 8% to 10% of the global market. In fact, SigmaTel alone sold 9 million chips specifically designed for rival digital-music players, dwarfing iPod sales ... The CIBC report estimates that unit sales of flash and hard-drive players will grow 85% in 2004, to 31.5 million. Apple sold just over 800,000 iPods in its second fiscal quarter, ended Mar. 27 -- usually its slowest quarter. So even if Apple only matches the 800,000 number for the next three quarters, it will sell 3.2 million iPods. This represents a 113% growth rate and a world market share of just over 10% ... A quick look at the big picture shows that Apple has yet to achieve dominance in the sector, despite the hype." [ Posted at 10:38 AM | Permalink ]
Wednesday, May 26, 2004Seeking the best battery for digital music playersUSA Today: "One reason for the popularity of the iPod is its largest model is the size of a deck of playing cards and weighs only 5.6 ounces. But the battery that makes the small size possible can only power the machine for eight hours. By contrast, distant rival Dell's 7.6-ounce player can hold a comparable number of songs with a battery the company says can last more than twice as long, up to 20 hours. Recharging a battery shortens its life. Other factors, such as the size and type of the player's LCD display, can also affect the life span of a battery. Playing time may depend on the music format. Windows Media files are smaller and can consume less power than those in the popular MP3 format."My experience with a Dell DJ mirrors this comment: I just took the DJ to New York for three days, listened to it constantly on the train both ways (four hours each way), and didn't charge it once, and the battery meter is still on three bars (full). I would never attempt such a thing with an iPod; indeed, you'd have to bring a charger on such a trip, because the battery would have died while I was away. Don't get your iPod-loving panties in a bunch. Yeah, the iPod is really nice looking and elegantly designed. But it's pretty clear that iPod owners are sacrificing battery performance because of both the smaller size (the battery lasts a short time) and becaues of frequent recharging (the battery loses its capacity steadily over time). I've only had the DJ for a few months, but I'm blown away by how much better it is than the iPod. It's no contest. Unless, of course, you're only interested in a fashion accessory, that is. [ Posted at 9:39 PM | Permalink ]
Downloading pioneer Napster branches out to Canada with legal music siteVancouver Sun: "The music software responsible for kicking the music industry upside down some five years ago has officially crossed the border. Napster.ca went live coast to coast Wednesday and hopes its heavy brand recognition combined with hipster origins will lure music fans to the service over others already available in Canada, namely Puretracks.com and Archambault.ca ... Canada is the second international market for Napster. It launched in the U.K. last week. Before going live, Napster acquired music rights from the country's five major labels - Universal, Warner, EMI, BMG and Sony - as well as several home grown indie labels, growing its library to more than 300,000 tracks. By comparison, Puretracks has only 175,000 songs."Looks like Napster beat iTunes to Canada as well. Very interesting, and unexpected. [ Posted at 9:33 PM | Permalink ]
Tuesday, May 25, 2004Linux and Windows security comparedNewsForge: "Thechallenge in evaluating Windows and Linux on any criteria is that there is not a single version of each operating system. Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows 2003 Server, and Windows CE are just a subset of Microsoft's offerings. Linux distributions vary by the Linux kernel release each is based on (e.g., 2.2, 2.4, and 2.6) and the versions of all the packages each contains. This study evaluates operating system security according to the current technology available in the market rather than legacy solutions ... Users need to keep in mind that there are philosophical differences in the design of Linux and Windows. The Windows operating system is designed to support applications by moving more functionality into the operating system, and by more deeply integrating applications into the Windows kernel. Linux differs from Windows in providing a clear separation between kernel space and user space. This matters because the ability to make either operating system more secure varies depending on architectural design." [ Posted at 10:26 PM | Permalink ]
A First Look at CodeWeaver's CrossOver Office 3.0Mad Penguin: "Easily worth the measly forty bucks they charge for it, CrossOver Office provides an easy way for regular users to easily install and use many Windows products on Linux ... CrossOver Office handles many popular Windows programs such as Microsoft Office, but it also allows for the advanced user to attempt installs of programs that are not officially supported by CrossOver Office ... Overall, the application works flawlessly, and the ability to create custom-built deployment RPM packages makes the package that much sweeter. I also highly recommend this software for people who absolutely require Windows-based applications to run on Linux." [ Posted at 10:23 PM | Permalink ]
Monday, May 24, 2004Apple notebook alert: PowerBook G4s: The Whole Line Sports Faster CPUs; AirPort Extreme Now StandardMacworld: "2004 is shaping up as a year of incremental improvements, at least judging by the first round of PowerBook updates. Instead of new designs or breakthrough technologies, Apple has delivered modest improvements in performance, made AirPort Extreme standard in all configurations, and trimmed prices at the upper end of the line. And it appears -- knock on wood -- that the company has resolved the quality problems (with screens and latches) that marred many of last year's mobile Macs ... The biggest changes are in the smallest and newest member of the PowerBook G4 family, the model with a 12-inch display ... For the larger PowerBooks, the latest update brings fewer enhancements, such as faster processors ... Our favorite PowerBook is the 12-inch Combo-drive model, because it packs so much power into such a compact and elegant design. Among the new PowerBook models, the performance differences are now insignificant, and relatively few users, we think, have a real need for the advanced features the 12-inch model lacks. That makes the trade-offs pretty straightforward: screen real estate versus size, weight, and cost. If you don't mind bearing such burdens, go for a 15- or 17-inch configuration." [ Posted at 11:54 PM | Permalink ]
Apple notebook alert: iBook is a lean, clean machineGovernment Computer News: "I’ve been testing the $1,299, 933-MHz midrange model with a 14.1-inch TFT active-matrix display. It has a 40G hard drive and a CD-burning, DVD-reading optical drive. I upgraded the standard 256M of RAM to 640M of double-data-rate synchronous dynamic RAM and added an Apple AirPort Extreme IEEE 802.11b wireless card. Together they raised the price $300 ... The iBook has been a solid performer at a variety of tasks. Using Apple’s Safari browser and sharing a Verizon Wireless digital subscriber line connection via a Cisco Linksys wireless router, I downloaded Web pages as fast as on a hardwired Ethernet. For ordinary e-mail and word processing, the computer felt as fast as any Microsoft Windows notebook I’ve used. PhotoStudio image-editing software from ArcSoft Inc. of Fremont, Calif., did tax the iBook’s 133-MHz system bus and processor, however. Re-rendering a 5-megapixel color photo into 24-bit grayscale took about 10 seconds. If you do a lot of graphics-intensive work, consider Apple’s pricier PowerBooks with more Level 2 cache and beefier graphics subsystems."Performance is definitely going to be an issue for me. Hmm... [ Posted at 11:51 PM | Permalink ]
Fedora Core 2 ReviewLinuxLookup.com: "My first impression was that it looks like RedHat 9. I don't care for the default icon set or the menu layout. The fonts look great, but that has become my expectation. There isn't a reason for ugly fonts anymore, so to trumpet the fact they look good feels silly. The panel is filled with Openoffice.org icons but missing a terminal icon ... The odd thing about Fedora is that it seems to be aimed at novice users but is inconsistent. We are given the choices Web Browser, Email, Music Player and Audio Player, but left with Kopete, Kget, Emacs and so forth. Either your user knows what Kopete is or they don't. If you are simplifying the menu, do it across the board or don't do it at all. This inconsistency extends to the system itself. It is pretty and newbie friendly at first, but if you need basic functionality such as mp3 playback you must hand edit the yum configuration file. Up2date freezes, but the command line program yum works well ... There is just too much that doesn't make sense to me. If I am going for ease of use, why do I have to work to get basic programs installed? If you are going to hold my hand, hold it the entire time. If you are giving me a crippled system for patent and licensing reasons, tell my why and how to easily get around it. Ultimately, it is a shame that a distribution is done so well, but lacking in basic functionality. Fedora should decide who they are aiming their distribution at."Interesting. I haven't spent enough time with this distribution to say yet, but I was impressed with the fonts and, oddly, how nice OpenOffice.org apps look; they need a nice job skinning those apps to match the Fedora look and feel. Still no luck install Fedora Core 2 in a virtual machine of any kind, but I did get it installed on an old laptop. I'll look at it some more when I get back from New York. [ Posted at 11:45 PM | Permalink ]
First look: Sun Java Desktop System Release 2linux.com: "Sun Java Desktop System 2 is a good example of a great idea poorly implemented. The base system is exactly the same as the original 2003 release, the only difference being the addition of the rest of the operating environment: proprietary system management tools and the Java development software. Those are significant enhancements, but considering the atrocious functionality that the base system has, the primary focus should have been on improving the range of hardware support rather than adding more software. The idea of an operating environment specifically designed for Java development with the look and feel of a streamlined GNOME desktop intrigues me enough to want to learn Java just so I can use it. Only the licensing and the poor hardware support stand in the way of my use of this operating environment, and if it were more sensibly licensed I would recommend it to others who have older systems. Sun hopes that JDS2 will displace older versions of Microsoft Windows in emerging markets, especially in Asia and South America. Given the expanded language support for these regions and the fact that older versions of Windows are certain to be using outdated hardware, Java Desktop System 2 may do quite well in those markets."Yikes. The first one was surprisingly good, so I (still) have high hopes for this version. [ Posted at 11:41 PM | Permalink ]
Sound and Vision: Jason Snell Doesn't Get ItIn his June 2004 MacWorld Magazine editorial, Jason Snell writes the following (ultimately clueless) summary of rumors that Apple is dropping the Mac:"Numerous industry pundits are questioning [Apple's] loyalty to its Mac product line. After all, the thinking goes, if the iPod and iTunes are so popular with Windows users, why should Apple waste its time catering to the comparatively miniscule Mac market? That way of thinking is crazy; you can't ignore the fact that Apple makes about 90 percent of its money from sales of Mac-related products. But even if Apple is destined to bring innovative digital entertainment products to the masses, regardless of the platform they're using, the Mac--and Mac users--remain a vital part of that destiny." He's wrong. And I can prove it, if you'll accept Apple and Steve Jobs history as a precedent. Twenty years ago, when the Macintosh was going nowhere and Apple was earning, ahem, 90 percent of its profits from the Apple II line (remember "Apple II Forever"? Jason doesn't), the company literally abandoned its cash cow, the Apple II, to focus on the Macintosh, despite the fact that IIe and IIc sales were through the roof. Today, the situation is similar, and though Mac sales aren't through the roof, they certainly do represent the majority of Apple's profits. But the company is clearly focusing on the iPod and consumer electronics. Huh. Let's recast Jason's editorial as it might have been written exactly 20 years ago. Notice how well it works? "Numerous industry pundits are questioning [Apple's] loyalty to its Apple II product line. After all, the thinking goes, if the Macintosh is the future, why should Apple waste its time catering to the Apple II market? That way of thinking is crazy; you can't ignore the fact that Apple makes about 90 percent of its money from sales of Apple II-related products. But even if Apple is destined to bring innovative GUI products to the masses, regardless of the platform they're using, the Apple II--and Apple II users--remain a vital part of that destiny. Apple II Forever!" The lesson here is that, 20 years ago, the original Mac was Steve Jobs' baby, and he did everything he could to kill Apple products--no matter how successful they were--that competed with the Mac for attention. Today, Jobs is obviously riding the high of his digital music revolution and the Mac--well, what can I say? It's boring. Apple lost the computer wars, the OS wars. Jobs knows this. And he wants to win, badly. Digital music--and specifically the wider consumer electronics industry--offers him the chance of an all-new battlefield that isn't yet contaminated by Microsoft's unfavorable conditions. But back to Snell. Why would I refer to such a man as "clueless"? Snell claims that the reason Apple won't ultimately drop the Mac is that "Mac users defy convention. We care about computer design and computer interfaces in ways that PC users clearly don't, and we're generally willing to spend more money for our computers to get a high-quality product ... Mac users can visualize ways that technology can change our lives. And we have courage enough to take risks, in terms of time, money, and the frustrating of living on the cutting edge, so we can be among the first to have our lives changed by groundbreaking innovations." Gag. In other words, Snell says, Mac users are better. They're superior. This, folks, is bulls$%t. You can say whatever you like about competing computer systems, but people are people. There are idiot PC users and idiot Mac users. But it's this particular attitude that prevents me from completely embracing the Mac community. On the one hand, I've got a slew of people giving me friendly advice about which Mac to buy, which is wonderful and appreciated. But on the other hand, we've got clowns like Snell, spouting the same religious rhetoric that got the Mac absolutely nowhere in the first place. Computers aren't what's important. What you do with them is, and everything you can do on a Mac--and more--is possible on a PC. Hey, some of it happens first on the PC, too, and there's certainly more choice on the PC side. But describing yourself as superior because you chose differently then me--and many others--is both insulting and incorrect. Apple II Forever. [ Posted at 5:05 PM | Permalink ]
Thanks for the adviceThankfully, but unexpectedly, I received a ton of advice about how to proceed with my next Mac, which will be a portable of some type. I still haven't narrowed it down--refurbished or new, iBook or PowerBook--but I think I've identified which features are most important. What I will likely do, though there's probably little point in this, is wait until the WWDC in June to see whether there are any Apple notebook upgrades. Frankly, I'm not expecting any, and as most of you realize, Apple has plowed ahead with an unpredictable release schedule anyway; they could announce no new hardware at the show and then unveil the G6 three days later. You just never know.In the meantime, I'll be mulling over my options. Thanks again to everyone who wrote in. I'll try to get back to all of you as soon as possible. [ Posted at 5:04 PM | Permalink ]
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