Applelinks Tech Web Reader - Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Opening up Psystar's Open Computer
The iMac turns 10
The philosophy of iMac
Pros and Cons of Using Linux on a WallStreet PowerBook
Is It Time to Switch to a Mac?
My OS is the best OS because …
OpenBSD 4.3 released
Nanowires for Displays
Review: Apple iMac 20in Desktop Computer
Apple's Hot Air And The Advantages Of A Copyright Dongle
Hyundai and Kia's latest pitch to US drivers - Windows
Opening up Psystar's Open Computer
Macworld's James Galbraith reports: tha the OS X-capable Psystar PC has arrived in their lab and releates first impressions
Because we think it's informative to see how OS X performs on a computer that isn't a Mac, Macworld ordered a Psystar Open Computer about a week or so ago. The machine, which Psystar touts as a low-cost alternative to Apple's hardware, has arrived in our lab...
We had a bit of scare...when we tried to start up the computer. As soon as I hit the power button it sounded like I'd turned on the garbage disposal. I quickly unplugged the power cable and opened the case. It turns out that one of the power cables was getting caught in the fan. I rerouted the cable and restarted. The crunching sound of the cable hitting the fan was gone, but the fan was still pretty darn loud. You won't want this computer sitting on your desk.....
That said, I've been impressed by how compatible the Psystar is with applications and peripherals—many of the OS X features work as they would on a legitimate Mac.....
For the full report visit here:
http://www.macworld.com/article/133323/2008/05/psystar.html?lsrc=top_1
The iMac turns 10
Ars Technica's Charles Jade says:
To understand how far the iMac has come in the last ten years, one need look no further than the first letter in the word. When Steve Jobs unveiled the iMac on May 6th, 1998, he explained the "i" was for Internet. Today, connectivity is intrinsic to all personal computers, and yet the iMac name remains, as does its all-in-one design. However, that singular design has seen three significantly different forms in the last ten years....
Happy 10th birthday, iMac. Enjoy your second decade, as it will likely be your last....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/05/06/the-imac-turns-10
Perfect Timing: The iMac's Introduction in May 1998
Low End Mac's Tamara Keel says:
....In the Summer of 1997, Wired magazine's cover featured the iconic Apple logo surrounded by a crown of thorns in a reference to the Sacred Heart over the single word: "Pray."
In what was widely seen as a desperation play - a "Hail Mary" if you will - exiled Steve Jobs was brought back to provide direction to the fast-sinking Apple. Jobs quickly launched a palace coup and once again took control of his old brainchild. As events were about to prove, it was Railroading Time.
The Internet had just taken off, and the buzzword of the day was the "Internet PC". Using the adaptability of the Wintel machine's open architecture and the faux-Macintosh friendliness of the latest version of Microsoft's Windows, makers like Compaq trotted out computers in the $1,000 price range designed to let grandpa and mom and Aunt Edna access the Internet. They were all obviously kludged together from parts-bin pieces: oppressive mare's nest tangles of cables and beige boxes and monitors and speakers and installation CDs and EULAs and legacy technology.
This was the moment Apple and Macintosh and Steve Jobs had been waiting for all those years: It was time for a "computer for the rest of us".
Ten years ago, on May 6, 1998, the announcement of the iMac hit the computing world like a bombshell......
For the full commentary visit here:
http://lowendmac.com/ed/keel/08tk/imac-perfect-timing.html
The philosophy of iMac
TUAW's Erica Sadun says:
Let me tell you something about my mindset. When I bought an iPhone, one of my first thoughts was: "How do I hook up a bluetooth keyboard to this thing?" It's that kind of thinking that has always stood between me and the iMac. Because in this world, there are two kinds of people: the iMac people and the tower people.
iMac people love the all-in-one package that their system brings.... The iMac delivers the entire computing experience in a single friendly unit. Customization? They do it at the store. Buyers decide what kind of memory and hard drive space they want. And then they buy it. And they're done.
Tower people don't think that way. Memory, drives, peripherals -- these are all things that ebb and flow throughout the lifetime of the unit. More USB ports? Throw in a card. Widescreen monitors just went on sale? Buy one and eBay the current screen.
Coming from an tower perspective, the iMac has always puzzled me. It makes people happy without ever needing to be disassembled and reassembled......
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/06/the-philosophy-of-imac/
Pros and Cons of Using Linux on a WallStreet PowerBook
Low End Mac's Larry Stotler says:
I still feel that Linux is a viable option for our low-end Macs, and I hope to be able to help our readers get it up and running on their machines.
I am typing this on my son's PowerBook WallStreet Series II. In the last two years, there have been good times and bad times with the WallStreets. But even though it's almost 10 years old it's still a very useful machine.....
I originally installed openSUSE v10.0. It ran very well on the Series I with no noticeable problems. System performance was very good with the G3/466.
I was unable to install openSUSE v10.1 because it would not run on any Old World Mac due to a compatibility issue with the version of the Linux kernel.....
I have openSUSE v11.0 Beta 2 currently installed. Package system and installation is much faster (probably 3-4 times faster than 10.3). I haven't noticed any stability issues, but there are some problems that I am hoping will be taken care of soon. One issue was that while my Atheros based WiFi card was detected, it wouldn't work until after I had compiled the driver from source (which is what I had to do for the previous versions anyway).
Web browsing isn't too bad, and it's more than adequate for typing on. A faster processor would definitely make things snappier though. It plays MP3s just fine, and it will play movies, although at a low resolution and with frame dropping enabled.
For the full report visit here:
http://lowendmac.com/stotler/08ls/linux-wallstreet-powerbook.html
Is It Time to Switch to a Mac?
PCMag's Alan Freedman says:
Are you sick and tired of Windows? I mean, who among us hasn't tired of watching it slow to a crawl, waiting anxiously for apps to open? Who among us hasn't experienced the quiet panic that sets in each time we install a new application, wondering what will go wrong? And who among us hasn't come face to face with the daunting task of choosing whether or not to reinstall the blasted OS because no one was able to fix the problem we were having?
If you've experienced any of this, odds are you've at least thought about switching to a Mac, especially now that it's an Intel machine that runs Windows almost as fast and perhaps even faster than your old Windows clunker. I know I have.....
I asked my buddy Pete which antivirus software he uses (I also asked the guy who sold me the Mac what he recommends to customers). The answer was the same. They don't use any. Now I'm not saying this is a prudent course of action, but, well, 'nuff said.......
What makes a Mac attractive, however, are the intrinsic things. Three years later, the machine will run just as fast as it did when you bought it. That alone is justification for switching.....
For the full report visit here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2293509,00.asp
My OS is the best OS because …
Hardware 2.0's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes says:
I've come back from a long weekend (a long weekend of moving several PCs from mid towers to full towers and fitting 5-in-3 hard drive enclosures) to find my inbox crammed with OS related emails. It seems that something I said last week.... upset some readers.
Here's a shortlist of people I seemed to have upset:
The "XP will must live forever" brigade....
I think that everyone who is still running Windows 95 has been in touch with me over the past few days.....
Team Mac - Obviously a post on Windows XP is going to generate a lot of Mac chatter!....
Oddly enough, I didn't get that many emails from Linux users this time around.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1802
OpenBSD 4.3 released
ZDNet.co.uk's Matthew Broersma reports:
[Editor's note: BSD is the development branch of UNIX upon which Mac OS X is based]
The OpenBSD project has released version 4.3 of the popular descendant of Berkeley Software Distribution, featuring a large number of new drivers, software packages and bug fixes.
The distribution, released late last week, is available via FTP or by ordering a set of CDs, a distribution mechanism the project uses to help pay its costs....
The operating system is a descendent of Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD), a Unix derivative developed at the University of California, Berkeley. OpenBSD is more directly related to NetBSD, from which it forked in 1995. OpenBSD is the second most popular BSD derivative among BSD users after FreeBSD, according to a survey by the BSD Certification Group.
For the full report visit here:
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39411110,00.htm
Nanowires for Displays
technologyreview.com's Prachi Patel-Predd reports:
Copper nanowires could be used in ultra-thin field-emission displays that are brighter and sharper than flat-panel displays...
Researchers at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign have developed a simple process to grow upright copper nanowires on different surfaces. The nanowire arrays could find use in field-emission displays, a new type of display technology that promises to provide brighter, more vivid pictures than existing flat-panel displays. In such an application, the nanowires would be used to fire electrons at phosphor particles on a screen, lighting them up.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/20728/
Review: Apple iMac 20in Desktop Computer
VUNET's Cliff Joseph reports:
Apple's Macbook notebook computers have sold like hotcakes over the past year and the iMac – formerly the flagship of Apple's home range – has taken a back seat.
However the company recently updated its entire iMac range and one of the main beneficiaries is this new entry-level model
.....though games are a weakness, the iMac does well as a versatile multimedia machine. There's a webcam and microphone built into the unit, along with the stereo speakers....
There are cheaper Windows PCs available but they rarely have the same range of hardware features and added software that you get with the iMac.....
For the full review visit here:
http://www.vnu.co.uk/computeractive/hardware/2215937/review-apple-imac-20in
Apple's Hot Air And The Advantages Of A Copyright Dongle
PCW's Clive Akass says:
A stroke of luck last week made me the owner of one of the latest MacBook Air notebooks. We are broad minded here at PCW and have always covered Mac news; some of our friends even use Macs. Time was when I used a Mac (for Quark Xpress) side by side with a PC and was well acquainted with the pros and cons of both designs, but it has been some time since I used one in earnest.
I'll report more about my impressions in the printed PCW but broadly they are in line with what I wrote when the Air as first announced. This is an exquisite design, aesthetically and (up to a point) ergonomically, marred by two or three screaming snags caused by form being given priority over function.
Apple boasts that it is ahead of the curve in dropping the wired Ethernet port and relying on wireless, but that cuts both ways. It may be that the port will be unnecessary once wireless infrastructure has matured; but this is not yet the case and the boast sounds more like an excuse for a poor design decision.....
For the full review visit here:
http://labs.pcw.co.uk/2008/05/pros-and-cons-o.html
Hyundai and Kia's latest pitch to US drivers - Windows
The Register's Bill Ray reports:
Microsoft has signed deals with Hyundai and Kia to supply voice recognition kit for cars sold in the USA, just as soon as its exclusive deal with Ford runs out in November.
The system is called Sync, and uses an ARM-based system running Windows Mobile for Automotive with voice recognition provided by Nuance. It allows drivers to talk to various forms of media player and/or mobile phone, and support for new devices can be uploaded as and when the customer wants to use them....
Right now the system is only available in the US on Ford[s].... sometimes bundled but available as an option on the Focus and Fusion
For the full report visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/06/windows_mobile_automotive/
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