Applelinks Tech Web Reader -Friday, May 30, 2008
Apple Mega Update Strikes Out Calendar Bug
Will Seagate build a flash SSD foundry?
LCD Panel Makers Pushing 15.6-Inch As Next Notebook Mainstream
Apple vs. Google vs. Linux vs. Microsoft: The Fight For the Desktop is On!
Via Releases Laptop Design as Open Source
First Look: Fireworks CS4 beta
Apple Mega Update Strikes Out Calendar Bug
The Register's John Leyden reports:
Apple pushed out a bumper security and performance update on Wednesday that finally plugs a long-standing security hole.
Mac OS X version 10.5.3 updates open source components that Apple bundles with its software (such as Apache) as well as its own software and third party components. In total the software upgrade patches 22 modules, including a fix for a serious security bug in Apple's calendering application iCal.
For the full report, visit:
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/05/29/apple_mega_update/
Will Seagate build a flash SSD foundry?
The Register's Chris Mellor reports:
The ebullient Seagate CEO Bill Watkins has made it clear that Seagate thinks flash solid state drives (SSDs) are interesting and Seagate will sell them - but not yet. When Seagate does sell a Seagate-brand SSD how will it make it? Will there be a Seagate flash foundry?
A customer buys a hard disk drive (HDD) array from an OEM or channel source and the innards consist of a controller from LSI or someone similar and disk drives from Seagate or someone else similar. Seagate makes drives but not controllers.
A flash SSD array or array component will consist of a flash array controller and flash SSDs, which consist of flash chips and the SSD-level controller, roughly equivalent to the HDD integrated circuit board sold and supplied by Seagate as an intrinsic part of the hard drive.
So, logically, Seagate would sell to OEMs a flash SSD equivalent to a HDD unit; that is to say, a bunch of flash chips and control electronics. Will Seagate make the flash chips?
For the full report, visit:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/29/will_seagate_build_a_flash_foundry/
LCD Panel Makers Pushing 15.6-Inch As Next Notebook Mainstream
DIGITIMES Rebecca Kuo and Rodney Chan report:
LCD panel suppliers are gearing up for the promotion of 15.6-inch 16:9 aspect ratio panels as the next mainstream standard in the notebook market. PC vendors are expected to roll out products towards the end of the second quarter or early in the third quarter, according to industry sources....
PC vendors, such as Dell, Acer, Asustek Computer, Toshiba, and Lenovo all have plans to launch 15.6-inch notebooks, forming a new trend in the second half of the year, the sources commented.
For the full report click here.
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20080527PD214.html
Apple vs. Google vs. Linux vs. Microsoft: The Fight For the Desktop is On!
IT Management's Rob Enderle says:
This week marks several important events:
• Google announced their broad Web-as-a-platform developer toolset.
• Microsoft showcased part of their Windows 7 user interface and set the date for their PDC which indicates their new OS, Windows 7, is approaching Beta.
• In addition, I and a number of the folks I work with are seeing what appears to be a rather massive move to the Mac platform, which hasn't seen this kind of growth since the 80s.
• Finally, Linux is beginning to get some actual traction, showing up on a number of low cost "Netbook" offerings and MID (Mobile Internet Devices); it is starting to look like even this platform may have some legs....
I have not seen this level of competition before and Microsoft has never appeared more exposed......
IBM had a similar fight on their hand in the 1980s against their mainframe platform, which was dominant prior to their collapse at the end of that decade...
For the full commentary, click here.
http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/features/article.php/3749786/
Via Releases Laptop Design as Open Source
IDG News Service's Sumner Lemon reports:
Via Technologies released the hardware design for a low-cost laptop with WiMax support under an open-source license on Tuesday, a move intended to make customization easier and shorten design cycles for system makers.
The CAD (computer-assisted design) files for the OpenBook reference design can be downloaded for free and made available to anyone under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 license. The terms of this license allow the CAD files to be freely copied, shared and modified.
The only requirements are that use of the design is attributed to Via and changes made to the design can only be distributed under the same license or one that has similar terms....
The OpenBook is based on Via's 1.6 GHz C7-M processor and VX800 chipset. The design includes an 8.9-inch screen with a resolution of 1,024 pixels by 600 pixels and calls for a hard disk with a capacity of 80G bytes or more
For the full report, visit:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/146313/
First Look: Fireworks CS4 beta
Macworld's Cyndy Cashman reports:
When Adobe acquired Macromedia in 2005, many people speculated that the software maker would scrap Fireworks would be retired in favor of its competitor, Photoshop ImageReady. Instead, ImageReady was sent out to pasture, and Adobe released feature-rich Fireworks CS3 (). Adobe further expands upon those features in Fireworks CS4, which debuted as a public beta this week.
The beta for the vector and bitmap graphics editor introduces a number of new features and enhancements that reflect Adobe's commitment to innovative products.
For the full commentary, click here.
http://www.macworld.com/article/133659/2008/05/fireworkscs4beta.html
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