On October 17th, Applelinks' Charles Moore gave a great review of Bento 2. What I'd like to do here is provide a more detailed exploration of FileMaker and Bento, and explain why both are excellent database programs which serve two completely different customers. The fact is, Bento is an amazingly simple, easy to use database that requires no knowledge on how to create a database. FileMaker is an amazingly powerful database that is very simple (when compared to other databases), but requires creating every field, every relation, and every structure of a database. Admittedly, this is much more complicated and more work than many people need. Thus, there is Bento (and to borrow a phrase from the early days of Apple), a database "for the rest of us."

Cool Mac Gear


iTunes_RGB_9mm
image DriveSlim should prove especially popular with MacBook Air Users and those who go with the 128 GB Solid State Drive option on other model MacBooks
Thursday, January 08, 2004

Macworld Expo New Product Announcements And Specials196

• Contour Design Unveils New Macro Capability for Macintosh ShuttlePRO V.2 Jog/Shuttle Users at MacWorld Expo
• Toshiba Introduces World's Smallest Hard Disk Drive
• Red Rock DeltaGraph 5.5 for the Mac Now Available for Mac OS X Panther
• LiveTime Software announces LiveTime Support 2.5 and launches a Special Support Program for Members of the Apple Consultants Network.
• COMPUneering Releases Exterior3D, A New Digital Terrain Modeling Program for the Macintosh
• Radical Breeze Announce The Release Of RadicalPhoto, A Photo Enhancer And Converter For MacOS X.
• PDFMerge Document Merging and Assembly for Mac OS X
• CRYPTOCard Announces CRYPTO-Server X For MacOS X
• MacSpeech Releases FileMaker Pro ScriptPak
• Liquid Ledger 1.2.2 Personal Finance Solution
• MicroNet Announces SANcube800 - The Industry's First FireWire SAN
• You Software Introduces New You Synchronize for Fast, Dependable File Synchronization Using Mac OS X
• @Last Software Releases SketchUp 3.1
• Roku Unveils New Network Music Players; Roku SoundBridge Features Sleek Design, Large Display, Apple iTunes Support
• Zoran's Generation9 ICs, Software and Platforms Enable New Concept Model Of Digital Home Media Server From Toshiba


Shareware Beat - Thursday, January 8, 2004190

• Script Software Releases 7 New Products and Upgrades
• NcFTP Client 3.1.7 FTP Client [OS X 10.3.2 up]
• ThermographX 1.2.2 Temperature Monitoring Utility [OS 10.2.4 up]
• Back up user prefs 4.2.5 [OS 10.2 up]
• InforMac 0.02b4 System Profiler [OS 10.2 up]
• Drag'nBack 0.7 Fully Featured Backup & Archive Solution
• Car Lease 1.1 Vehicle Lease Calculator [OS X 10.1 up]
• iMage 1.0.2b7 Image File Format Translator [OS 8.6 up/OS X]
• Magellan Pro 1.5.2 Email Management Tool [OS X]
• X Overload v2.1 Released
• NoteAbilityPro 1.996 Music Notation With MIDI Input & Part Extraction [OS X 10.0.4 up]
• EasyAccounting with FileMaker Pro 2.5.4


Wednesday, January 07, 2004

Applelinks ThinkDifferentStore Macworld Specials Also Online185

If you can't get to the show this year, the ThinkDifferentStore is offering the same Macworld sale price to everyone via our website.


Moore’s News Roundup Digest - Wednesday, January 7, 2004163

• Native KDE Port for Mac OS X
• PowerBook 65W AC Adapter Issues Cited
• Defrag? MicroMat Tech Says Yes
• In Europe, Apple Threatens Linux
• iTunes DRM Cracked Wide Open For GNU/Linux
• Will Apple's Innovations And Influence Ever Translate Into Market Share?
• Top 10 Spam Topics
• Microsoft Notebook: Microsoft has plans to take on ... Apple?
• Living Off The Grid – Life Without My Mac
• Getting To The Core Of Apple's Shortcomings
• New Article At applecatholic.com
• GNU/Linux Home Desktop Kit PC Project: code named Gates Crusher
• eWeek: Microsoft Must Move On
• eWeek: IBM Revs Blade Strategy Pace
• Microsoft Watch: Microsoft: What's in Store for 2004?
• eXtreme Chat Forums Informational Notice



Moore’s News Roundup Digest Macworld Expo - Wednesday, January 7, 2004248

• eWeek: Mac Enterprise Computing -- The Return of the King
• RadTech offers Notebook Enhancement Clinics during Macworld San Francisco 2004
• OWC Presentation Schedule Macworld San Francisco 2004
• RadTech Sends Your Mac Life to Expo
• Lord of the Rings presentation by Weta Digital at L.A.
• Mac Night Owl: The One Paragraph Keynote Report
• IDG's PC World Announces Winners of the First-Ever Next Gear Innovations Awards
• James A. Lawrence Joins Apple’s Board of Directors
• Mac Night Owl: Random Notes From the Expo #1


Macworks Expo Product Announcements And Specials - Software279

• Mellel 1.7 Word Processor Released
• Nisus Writer Express 1.1.1a Word Processor / Outliner
• The Nisus Macworld Sale
• Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac and Virtual PC for Mac
• Grammarian PRO X 1.5.1 Spelling, Grammar, Dictionary, Thesaurus, AutoCorrect, and AutoType
• Toast 6 Receives International Acclaim and Hits New Sales Milestones
• VPN Tracker Server Substitutes Leased Lines And Dial-up Modems For Home And Branch Offices
• Access Your Filemaker Database Securely Over The Internet Using VPN Tracker
• APC Tracker 4 Manages USB Power Supplies Under Mac OS X
• eZedia Releases the Next Generation in Multimedia Authoring Software for the Web - eZediaQTI 2.0
• Prosoft Engineering Debuts Two New Products at Macworld San Francisco 2004
• Apple G5 Optimized Version of Urchin 5 Released - New Performance Standard Set
• Sybase Announces Availability of Enterprise RDBMS on Mac OS X Panther
• BakBone Announces Enterprise-Level Data Protection For MAC OS X 'Panther' Server
• Dantz Launches Retrospect 6.0, the New Benchmark for Macintosh Backups; Now Protects Mac OS X "Panther'' and Xserve RAID, Breaks Terabyte Limit
• Brother Launches New 21ppm Desktop Laser Printers For Home or Office
• CE Software Releases Trans Lucy DVD Player Designed for Mac OS X 10.3
• Pooch Adds New Brains and Beauty
• NewTek's LightWave 3Dto Migrate to Apple's Xcode Development Environment


Macworks Expo Product Announcements And Specials - Hardware320

• WiebeTech announces ComboDock: Dual FireWire 800 and USB2 Drive Docking
• WiebeTech Announces QuadFire: 1U Rack Mount FireWire 800 storage Device With Four Hot Swappable Bays
• WiebeTech Announces G5Jam: Internal Storage System Adds Two Drives to G5; Supports 200MB/sec Performance; Supports HD Video Editing
• QuickerTek Announces A Custom Impedance Matching Module For all the Apple Extreme Airport Base Stations
• Alpine Debuts World's First Car Audio Head Units That Allow True Integration With iPod
• FireWire Depot Introduces The Diskology Disk Jockey FireWire/USB2 Device


Shareware Beat - Wednesday, January 7, 2004185

• GraphicConverter 4.9.3 [OS X]
• Easy Card 2.2 Create & Email Or Print Greeting Cards And Envelopes [OS 10.2 up]
• Smart Scroll X 1.1 Scrolling Options And Enhancements For Mac OS X [OS 10.2 up]
• DriveGauge 3.0.1 Customizable Drive Usage Meter On Drive's Icon [OS 10.2 up]
• Global Warmth 1.0.1 Monitors Global Weather In 5 Different Ways
• iEvents 2.0.9 Update Released



Tuesday, January 06, 2004

View From The Expo Floor182

Impressions of the Keynote and more


New The Road Warrior MailBag Posted On MacOpinion303

• RE: ibooks
• Re: Ten Best
• Wireless Question
• Partition Redux...
• Wallstreet Screen
• PowerBook 1400 NewerTech Ethernet driver software?
• NewerTech Ethernet Driver For PowerBook 1400
• Multiple questions
• More heat relief for PowerBook
• Re: jerky, freezy mouse
• iBook
• Thank You!


Apple Introduces iPod mini and New 15GB Model Added to iPod Family187

Smallest 1,000 Song Music Player Ever Comes in Five Colors - Over Two Million iPods Sold


Apple Introduces Xserve G5 and Xserve RAID Storage System170

• Xserve G5 - Dual 2.0 GHz PowerPC G5 Processors Deliver Over 30 Gigaflops of Power in a 1U Enclosure • Xserve RAID - Delivers Incredible Price Performance & Support for Windows & Linux • Major Developers Commit Support to Apple’s New Xserve G5



Apple Announces iLife ‘04199

New Versions of iPhoto, iMovie & iDVD; Introducing GarageBand and JamPack


Apple Previews Xgrid Technology204

Uses Rendezvous to Make Cluster Computing Easy


Apple Introduces Final Cut Express 2182

Professional Video Editing for Everyone


Steve Jobs’ Keynote Highlights184

- 20th Anniversary year - Mac OS X transition is finally over (not for all of us CM) - G5 XServes - iPod MInis - New iLife - iTunes market share - new GarageBand program



More MacWorld Expo Product Announcements and Specials - Tuesday, January 6, 2004206

• Daystar Online Macworld Sale - Up to 35% off On Top Rated G4 Upgrades For The Power Macintosh.
• Other World Computing Launches New Mercury Extreme G4/1.25GHZ Processor Upgrade Guaranteed To Operate At Speeds Up To 1.467GHZ
• Free Fix for Dr. Bott Wireless Airport Antenna
• Other World Computing Introduces 5400rpm 80gb Mercury On-the-go Portable Firewire And Firewire+USB 2.0 Storage Solutions
• RadTech Announces MacTruck Notebook Case, X-ScreensavRz and PodSleevz; To Be Unveiled at MacWorld Conference and Expo
• MacSpeech Announces Adobe Creative Suite ScriptPaks
• Griffin Unveils iTalk Voice Recorder for iPod Exclusive Features Include External Mic Input And Headphone Pass-through
• EarthLink Launches TotalAccess 2004 for Macintosh
• CE Software, Inc. Reports the Sale of QuickMail; Outspring to Continue Development and Marketing
• CMS Ships New BounceBack Professional for MacOSX
• Adobe Eases Transition to Next-Generation Publishing with InDesign CS PageMaker Edition
• TiVo Inc. Invites You to Join Its Conference Call and Webcast from the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show


Shareware Beat - Tuesday, January 6, 2004261

• ScreenMenu 1.0 Store & Take Screenshots From The Menu Bar
• InforMac 0.02b3 AppleSystemProfiler-like Utility [OS 10.2 up]
• Cocktail 3.3.1 General Purpose System Modify / Repair Utility [OS 10.2 up]
• PDFpen 1.0 Split, Combine, Reorder PDFs With Text & Image Overlays
• LineBreak 2.6 Converts Between UNIX, Mac, Windows/DOS Line Breaks
• JunkMatcher 0.97 Spam Filter For Mail.app [OS X 10.3 up]
• DV Backup 1.2.1 Use Your Digital Camcorder To Back Up Data [OS 10.2 up]
• MileageSaver 2.8 Tracks Business Miles For Income Tax Purposes [OS X 10.1 up]
• iWatermark 1.0 Adds Your Signature Or Watermark To Images [OS X]
• eOrdering Complete X 2.3.3 Shopping Cart And Online Store Solution [OS X]
• eOrdering Gold X 2.3.3 Multi-option E-commerce Shopping Cart
• eOrdering Professional X 2.3.3 E-commerce Shopping Cart [OS X]
• osxutils 1.3 Mac-Oriented Command-line Utilities
• RealCADD 3.6 Vector-Based CAD App [Mac OS 9.x, or Mac OS X 10.1 up]
• Wordoolio 1.0.0 Simple Text Editor


MacWorld Expo Product Announcements and Specials - Tuesday, January 6, 2004233

• Runtime Revolution to Preview New Technologies at Macworld
• Contour Design Unveils New Capability for ShuttlePRO V.2 at MacWorld Expo
• CodeTek Introduces CodeTek VirtualDesktop 3.0; Offers Users Improved Multitasking, Productivity, Compatibility With Apple's `Panther'
• Nikon Announces New and Enhanced Suite of Coolscan High-Speed Desktop Film Scanners
• Macromedia Announces Macromedia Director MX 2004; Features support for Flash MX 2004 content, JavaScript, and DVD-Video
• WEBmail 5.2 with WEBcalendar Available for Mac OS X
• YazSoft To Release Major Update To Speed Download 2
• Chronopath Introduces The New Chronoscan
• Chronopath Unveils Library 2.0
• Kaidan Announces PiXiMation
• Discreet Unveils Combustion 3 for Apple Macintosh - Desktop Visual Effects, Motion Graphics and 3D Compositing Software
• The Epson P-1000 Photo Viewer is the Ultimate Digital Camera Companion
• Upcoming Salling Clicker for Sony Ericsson P800/P900 to be demonstrated at MacWorld
• Macabinet 1.5.1 released : New behavior preferences


Monday, January 05, 2004

Steve Jobs Keynote at Macworld 2004 to be Broadcast Live Via Satellite183

The presentation will be available via satellite at the following coordinates.....