Applelinks Tech Web Reader - Monday, March 31, 2008
Mac Is The First To Fall In Pwn2Own Hack Contest
Apple grants Windows PCs the right to run Safari for Windows
Firefox 4 Features Surface
Mozilla blasts Acid3 as Safari and Opera grab the brass ring
Digital SLR, Aperture Make Taking Photos Fun
A Fresh Firefox Install: Drastic But Cathartic
PCMag Reviews Axiotron Modbook Review
Adobe Joins List Of Companies Not Reading Own EULAs
MacBook (Early 2008) and MacBook Pro (Early 2008): Migration
The Tech Night Owl Newsletter: The Night Owl Examines the Great Mac Security Fraud
The Tech Night Owl: Exploring Apple's Time Capsule
Mac Is The First To Fall In Pwn2Own Hack Contest
The Register's Dan Goodin reports:
A brand-new MacBook Air running a fully patched version of Leopard was the first to fall in a contest that pitted the security of machines running OS X, Vista and Linux. The exploit took less than two minutes to pull off.
Charlie Miller, who was the first security researcher to remotely exploit the iPhone, felled the Mac by tapping a security bug in Safari. The exploit involved getting an end user to click on a link, which opened up a port that he was then able to telnet into. Once connected, he was able to remotely run code of his choosing. The feat won him a $10,000 prize paid by Tipping Point, whose Zero Day Initiative pays bounties to researchers for responsibly disclosing vulnerabilities.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/03/28/mac_hack/
Apple grants Windows PCs the right to run Safari for Windows
The Register's Cade Metz reports:
In a sudden about-face, Apple has allowed Safari for Windows to run on Windows PCs.
Until yesterday, Apple's Safari for Windows license agreement permitted users to install the browser on no more than "a single Apple-labeled computer." But after a setteB.IT-fueled exposé from The Reg, Steve Jobs and his minions have changed the license, telling the world that installing Safari for Windows on a Windows PC isn't such a bad idea after all.
At least, we think that's what they're telling the world.....
For the full report visit here:
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/03/27/apple_updates_safari_eula/
Firefox 4 Features Surface
TGDaily's Mark Raby reports:
Although Firefox 3 is still in research and development, Mozilla is already working on new features for the fourth version of its increasingly popular Web browser.
Webware spoke with Mozilla vice president Chris Beard, who mentioned two specific new concepts for Firefox 4 that will evolve the online experience and add greater integration with content stored on computer hard drives.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36686/118/
Mozilla blasts Acid3 as Safari and Opera grab the brass ring
ZNet blogger Ed Burnette says:
Ask Mozilla co-founder Mike Shaver what he thinks about Ian Hixie's Acid3 test and he'll give you an ear full. On his blog today Shaver defended the Mozilla Firefox team as they watched both Opera and Safari/WebKit apparently achieve a 100% pass rate Wednesday.
Ian's Acid 3, unlike its predecessors, is not about establishing a baseline of useful web capabilities. It's quite explicitly about making browser developers jump — Ian specifically sought out tests that were broken in WebKit, Opera, and Gecko, perhaps out of a twisted attempt at fairness.
For the full report visit here:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Burnette/?p=560
Digital SLR, Aperture Make Taking Photos Fun
The Seattle Times' Jeff Carlson says:
All my life I've used compact, point-and-shoot cameras, from a Kodak disc camera to a Canon Digital Elph and a slightly less compact Canon PowerShot S2 IS. Last year, after realizing I wanted to capture better images, I decided to move up to a digital SLR (single-lens reflex) camera.
In addition to having more control over the images I shoot (and having a higher learning curve to climb, since I don't have a 35mm background), I've found myself working with photos on the Mac differently.
To read more, click here.
A Fresh Firefox Install: Drastic But Cathartic
Znet's Dennis Howlett says:
Following last weekend's mea culpa I thought I'd make amends this weekend with a post about how I nearly ditched Firefox but decided instead to do some housecleaning with a fresh install on my MacBookPro. The results were astonishing. Note: some of what I say only applies to Apple kit - Windows users have a bit more of a tortuous route but the results should be the same.
Over the last few months, Firefox has been driving me nuts. Performance was the real killer. Firefox would take ages to load, sometimes it would sit there apparently doing nothing but in fact fighting to grab memory faster than it was leaking. I was at the point of giving up on the old 'fox when 'bingo' a light went on. Re-install.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Howlett/?p=348
PCMag Reviews Axiotron Modbook Review
PCMag's Cisco Cheng reports:
Apple has long neglected the tablet community by not offering a tablet PC of its own. But now, another company has stepped into the breach with its take on a Mac-based tablet PC. The Axiotron Modbook ($2,629 list) is certain to pique the interest of Mac-based graphics designers and illustrators who prefer to work with a pen rather than a keyboard. Axiotron literally took an Apple MacBook 13-inch (Core 2 Duo), ripped off the lid, and fused a Wacom digitizer screen to the chassis. The Modbook is a slate tablet (rather than a convertible tablet that would have had the benefit of an integrated keyboard), but it's a better alternative to plugging a Wacom device into an Apple computer. This slate tablet doesn't come cheap, though, and it's available only through Other World Computing, an online Mac retailer.
For the full review visit here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2279982,00.asp
Adobe Joins List Of Companies Not Reading Own EULAs
Ars Technica's David Chartier reports:
Adobe released Photoshop Express this week, its first SaaS (Software as a Service) offering in the form of a free Web-based photo editing, organizing, and sharing service. The early reaction to this (naturally) beta program has been positive, but a few aggressive terms in its EULA have caused some to put down their color adjustment palettes. While Adobe has already stated that it is rewriting the terms in question, it has still joined the growing list of major software shops who aren't paying attention to their own EULAs.
To read more, click here.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080329-adobe-joins-list-of-companies-not-reading-own-eulas.html
MacBook (Early 2008) and MacBook Pro (Early 2008): Migration
Apple Support says:
FireWire connections are still the fastest way to migrate applications and data from an older computer to your new computer, however, these new models now offer the ability to perform a system migration over network connections. This gives you more choices and flexibility in migrating your applications and data.
Products Affected
MacBook Air, MacBook (13-inch, Early 2008), MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008)
For more information, visit:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1291
The Tech Night Owl Newsletter: The Night Owl Examines the Great Mac Security Fraud
If you take those published reports at face value, the vaunted security of the Mac OS is just an illusion. During the annual Pwn2Own hacking contest this past week, someone easily exploited a supposedly unknown vulnerability in Apple1s Safari on a MacBook Air within a mere two minutes, earning a ten thousand dollar paycheck for his efforts.
To read more, click here.
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The Tech Night Owl: Exploring Apple's Time Capsule
I am a preacher in one respect, and not in the same fashion as a certain controversial minister you1ve read about lately. You see, I am absolutely a devoted follower of the backup religion, and I practice it with great dedication.
Here's the link to the story:
http://macnightowl.com/newsletter/2008/03/30/newsletter-issue-435/#capsule
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