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Saturday, December 27, 2003

Books: A Few Good Ones

Here are a short list (to be continued) of a Few good books, considered essential to master OSX Panther for the New Year;

O'Reilly

Mac OSX Panther Pocket Guide
isbn 0-596-00616-0

Mac OSX Unwired
A guide for home office and on the road
isbn 0-596-00508-3

Wireless Hacks
100 Industrial-Strengh Tips and Tools
isbn 0-596-00559-8

Sybex

Mastering Mac OSX covers OSX v.10.3 Panther
isbn 0-7821-4283-4

Peachpit Press

The Visual QuickStart Guide Mac OSX 10.3
isbn 0-321-21351-0

And Just For The Fun Of IT

O'Reilly
The Best Of The Joy of Tech
isbn 0-596-00578-4

Cool Site: Internet iTunes Registry

We found a cool site today, which has recently launched. Called the Internet iTunes Registry. You upload your iTunes Playlists in xml, and then play with the data of yours or other users.
visit them at: www.itunesregistry.com/

Rumours: Apple to Sell Software via Software Update?

Embedded in one of the configuration files of Panther's Software Update is evidence that Apple has planned for the implementation of a new feature in Software Update: Selling Software. In addition, it appears Apple also plans on offering discounts on the sales to current .Mac subscribers. The Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) Software Update's English.lproj Localizable.strings file includes the following messages (which were not present in Mac OS X 10.2):

A 1-Click account is required to purchase software.
To purchase software, you need an Apple account with 1-Click ordering enabled. If you don't have an Apple account, you can create one in just a few minutes by clicking Set Up.

Save ?? with a .Mac membership.
.Mac members enjoy free or discounted pricing on software. Click Set Up to make sure your member name and password are correct, or sign up for a .Mac membership. Click Continue if you don't want a .Mac membership now.
Longstanding rumors have hinted that Apple will be revamping Software Update to allow 3rd party developers to provide their own updates through the Apple utility. It's unclear if purchasable software would be limited to Apple's own selections or opened to 3rd party developers as well.

Official MacWorld San Francisco 2004 Quicktime Stream

Apple has posted [link no longer working] a placeholder page for the official MacWorld San Francisco 2004 Keynote Quicktime Stream. Watch Apple CEO Steve Jobs deliver the Macworld Expo keynote address from Moscone Center in San Francisco. See the live webcast right here on January 6 at 9am PT exclusively in QuickTime and MPEG-4. It's an event you won't want to miss. IDG confirmed last week that Steve Jobs will be giving the MacWorld San Francisco 2004 Keynote speech.

Rumours: Macworld SF brings new iLife Updates but no new CPU?

ThinkSecret cites "reliable sources" that MacWorld San Francisco will bring new major update to Apple's iLife package. The "music centric" Keynote is also said to bring updates to Apple's various iApps. Updates are reportedly inline for iPhoto, iMovie (to 3.5), iDVD (to 4.0) and iTunes along with possible updates to Final Cut Express (to 2.0). eMagic related announcements are also possible, according to ThinkSecret.

Finally, major Xserve announcements are also predicted for the January expo, but ThinkSecret claims that there will be no new CPU announcements (either desktop or laptop) during the event -- contrary to circulating rumors from Appleinsider. Previous MacRumors sources reported on iApp updates as well as the possible introduction of a new Application at the Expo.

Rumours: PowerBook Trade-in Program?

ThinkSecret reports that U.S. owners of the original and "Gigabit Ethernet" G4 PowerBooks will be able to take part in a new pilot trade in program. According to the rumor site, Apple will be offering $700 trade-in credit for eligible laptops towards a new 15" or 17" PowerBook from Apple. Eligible laptops need to be in reasonable physical condition, free from LCD or other accidental damage. The program will reportedly be available through AppleCare until March 27, 2004. Will it be available in Canada also?

The 400$(US) Issue: GM's OnStar System Hacked

According to this Mercury News article users of GM's OnStar system are finding that they can modify their OnStar unit to make it work with commercially available mapping software after disconnecting it from the OnStar network. Websites and message boards are rife with step-by-step instructions to personalize OnStar's navigational and communications components. When a driver requests directions from OnStar his GPS data is routed over an analog cellular network to OnStar computers and the directions are read back to the driver on the same network. The price for this service is around $400(US) each year. Those who tap into their OnStar systems pay no such fees."

Rumour: Attorneys Prepare iPod Class Action Lawsuit

It was bound to happen. It looks like some lawyers are preparing to file a class action lawsuit against apple computer due to the iPod's battery problem. Will we see the same in Canada?

Rumors: Mini iPods?

According to Thinksecret: 'Reliable sources inside and outside of Apple have confirmed Apple will announce the new pocket-size iPods in a number of capacities and in various colors, including stripes. Capacities will be 2 and 4GB -- meaning users could store some 400 and 800 songs, respectively. It is not known if the new product line will be available immediately after introduction. It is also expected that current iPod models will be revamped to add body colors as well.' With the $99 (US) price tag, it seems these rumored iPods could make big headway in the low end mp3 player market."

Sunday, December 21, 2003

RealBasic Wants to consolidate it's position with Apple

If you've created an application for Mac OS X that is made with
REALbasic, you can help us show Apple how important REALbasic is to the
Mac community and promote your application at the same time.

Apple's Macintosh Products Guide is a comprehensive listing of
Macintosh software and hardware. It's a great place to promote your
made with REALbasic applications. Apple has recently added a field to
the submission form where you can indicate what development tool you
used to create your application. This information isn't displayed to
the public but Apple is looking at this data and the more applications
that are made with REALbasic, the better.

The number of applications available for Mac OS X is often mentioned
during the keynote address at MacWorld Expo. Adding your applications
to the guide or updating your entries if you're already listed, helps
you, helps us and helps Apple. It's a win-win situation. The form only
takes a few minutes to complete. Please do it today and help us show
Apple how important REALbasic is to the Mac community.
Go to: http://guide.apple.com/submit/

Spam controversy update: Virginia indicts two on spam felony charges

Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore announced Thursday that his office had made its first felony indictment under the state's antispam law.

The charges were filed against North Carolina resident Jeremy Jaynes, also known under the pseudonym "Gaven Stubberfield," for allegedly using fraudulent means to transmit unsolicited bulk e-mail. Jaynes was arrested Thursday morning in Raleigh, N.C., and will be extradited to Virginia, Kilgore's office said. Kilgore's office said an arrest warrant also was issued for Richard Rutowski, an associate of Jaynes, on the same charges. Rutowski had not yet turned himself in as of late Thursday, a representative for Kilgore said.


According to antispam organization Spamhaus, "Stubberfield" is well-known for pornographic and "get rich quick" offers online and was ranked No. 8 on the group's top 10 spammers list for November. The charges were based in part on reports from America Online subscribers. Kilgore announced the indictment at AOL headquarters. "Falsification (of e-mail headers or routing information) prevents the receiver from knowing who sent the spam or contacting them through the 'from address' of the e-mail," Kilgore said in a statement. "This is what makes this e-mail a crime in Virginia, and the volume that was sent during this period elevates the charge to a felony."


The criminal indictment is a sign of a growing focus, at both the state and federal level, on bringing the growing daily bulk of unsolicited e-mail under control. However, policies at the state and federal level have diverged with therecent passage of the federal Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (Can-Spam) Act.


The federal bill, which has not yet been signed by President Bush, would continue to outlaw falsifying e-mail headers to mask an e-mailer's identity. But antispam activists say the proposal would in fact make the problem worse by allowing businesses to send unsolicited e-mail legally as long as it was accompanied by an "opt out" link. "Anyone with any sense would, of course, realize that if Can-Spam becomes law, opting out of spammers' lists will very likely become the main daytime activity for most U.S. e-mail users in 2004," reads a Spamhaus analysis of the bill. "The second main activity will be sorting through mailboxes crammed with 'legal' spam every few minutes to see if there's any e-mail amongst the spam."


The Virginia indictment alleges that Jaynes sent more than 10,000 e-mails a day on three days in July and August, through servers located in Virginia. More than 100,000 messages were sent over a 30-day period, it says. Those amounts are enough to trigger the criminal provisions of Virginia's antispam law. Jaynes faces four felony charges, each of which carries a penalty of one to five years in prison, a fine of up to $2,500, or both.


"We applaud Attorney General Kilgore's swift action to vigorously enforce Virginia's tough antispam law," Curtis Lu, AOL deputy general counsel, said in a statement. "Spammers who use outlaw tactics of falsification may find themselves behind jail bars instead of computer screens."

Thanks for the "Heads Up" on this Cnet story, to Aladdin Systems and ProLine Communications

NABIAS first feature film to be screened on internet

NABIAS first feature film to be screened on internet in full screen streaming DVD quality using Matrix Stream technology.

Raider Productions and Purple Globe Communications have partnered to bring you the first animated feature film to be released in DVD full screen streaming " North America's Best Independent Animated Shorts.

"To gain further publicity for the NABIAS feature film and Purple Globe's Matrix Stream Technology Raider Productions will be screening it for free on the NABIAS website to those of the media and the general public who would like to gain a better understanding of this movie viewing experience. The viewing experience that the Matrix Stream Technology will create for feature films such as NABIAS will enhance content viewing by creating a means by which internet content viewers can instantly view programs in a high quality picture format while using computer hardware that is available to the average home consumer."

In order to view the movie you will need a player that can be found at:
www.movie99.tv/get_player-nabias.htm
Enjoy!

Safe Place Provides Secure Password Storage to Mac OS X Users

Mere Mortal Software today released Safe Place version 1.3, a free upgrade to its password storage database. Safe Place is a Mac OS X shareware application that makes it easy to find your passwords, credit card numbers, software registration numbers, and any other information that needs to be kept safe from prying eyes. Version 1.3 lets adds new preference options and offers an improved interface. The Safe Place application comes pre-configured with seven common categories for storing software registration information, banking and credit card numbers, and Web and FTP site passwords. You can change these default categories as well as create new ones. Safe Place stores its data using industry-standard encryption algorithms and uses a user-supplied password as the encryption key. A free 30-day trial version can be downloaded from www.mere-mortal-software.com/safeplace/.