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Barclaycard dumps Mac users
UK Military Denies Ban On iPods
Why Apple Needs To Shine Up iMac
In Absentia, Jobs Still Towers Over Macworld
Mac Night Owl: The Tiger Report: Apple's Secret Plan To Make You Upgrade
Apple Close To Cutting European Indie Deal
Apple 'Close' To Accord With Indie Labels
Installing and Tuning OpenOffice on Mac OS X
Six Design Lessons From the Apple Store
Getting Dirty Under the Hood of Mac OS X Panther O'Reilly Releases "Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, Second Edition"
eWeek: IBM Unveils New Power5 Unix Servers
IBM Gives Unix Servers A Power5 Injection
IBM Unveils eServer Computers Using Power 5 Chip
Toshiba To Offer TV-quality Notebook
Mac Night Owl: The Apple Music Report: Do You Need Lossless Encoding?
eWeek: Chip Vendors Skittish on New Industry Bubble
Microsoft Watch: Microsoft Delays By a Year Delivery of Two New Patching Systems[/url]



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Barclaycard dumps Mac users

The Register's Lucy Sherriff reports:

"Anyone trying to pay a Barclaycard bill from an Apple Mac in the last six weeks or so, has run into a small problem. The site won't take their money.

"A frustrated journalistic comrade-in-arms, and long time Mac fan contacted El Reg with the news. During his conversations with customer services he discovered that 'less than' 100 people had complained to Barclaycard about the lack of access.

"It seems, he says, as though the site stopped working as soon as Barclaycard changed its logo. Most odd, he said, because logos can't break browsers, surely?

"Is this a case of corporate branding gone mad?"

A fascinating conversaton with a Barclaycard functionary is transcribed.

For the full report, visit here.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/13/barclaycard_mac_mystery/






UK Military Denies Ban On iPods

BBC News Online technology editor Alfred Hermida reports:

"The Ministry of Defence has denied reports that it has banned Apple's iPod due to fears it could be used to steal sensitive files.

"News reports said the music player and other portable storage devices had been banned from most sections of its headquarters in the UK and abroad.

"But a MOD spokesman told BBC News Online that was there no outright ban on the iPod....

"Last week, analysts Gartner said businesses were increasingly putting themselves at risk by allowing the unauthorised and uncontrolled use of these gadgets."

For the full report, visit here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3891421.stm







Why Apple Needs To Shine Up iMac

A Businessweek Commentary says:

"Apple Computer Inc. is known for its remarkable ability to wow the world with its hot new products. That's why its July 2 announcement was so disappointing. Without citing specific reasons, the company said it would not roll out a new version of its iMac home PC until September, rather than in July, as it had hoped. Since the outfit also announced that it would run out of stocks of the existing iMac in a few weeks, Apple won't have a home PC to sell for the most crucial part of the back-to-school buying season. Investors reacted quickly, pushing down the stock 3.7% that day, to $31.08.

"It was a stark reminder that Apple does more than make the iPod. Given the ubiquity of the elegant little music player, it's easy to forget that Apple is still at heart a computer company. While commanding just 2.8% of the global PC market, the company's line of Macintosh PCs -- including the iMac, PowerBook, and PowerMac G5 -- still accounts for 58% of its overall revenues. By focusing so hard on the iPod and the iTunes Music Store, has CEO Steven P. Jobs taken his eye off the Macintosh franchise?...

"Apple is now clearly milking the Mac for profits. After all, its PowerMac and PowerBook models reap fatter margins than the iPod, especially when loaded with Apple's iLife suite of software. The company also is charging higher premiums for its PCs than are rivals. Two years ago, says First Albany Capital Inc. analyst Joel Wagonfeld, the average selling price of a Mac was $154 higher than that of a Windows PC. Now it's about $400 higher."

You can check it out at:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_29/b3892073_mz011.htm






In Absentia, Jobs Still Towers Over Macworld

CNET News.com's Matt Hines says

"Despite the fact that Apple Computer Chief Executive Steve Jobs chose not to attend the ongoing Macworld conference, the company's mercurial founder still managed to remain at the center of the show's attention.

"When Apple announced its decision not to participate in the Macworld Boston conference it became clear Jobs wouldn't occupy his traditional role as the event's opening keynote speaker. Instead, show organizer IDG World Expo put together a reunion of the design team that built the first Macintosh desktop computers at Apple more than 20 years ago.

"And rather than giving Jobs credit as a key member of that effort, the panel of designers used the event to repeatedly deride the executive, saying his style of management had threatened the Mac's very existence. The group even parodied Jobs' taste in clothes, draping the executive's trademark black turtleneck and jeans over a chair on the stage to stand in the CEO's place."

For the full report, visit here.






Mac Night Owl: The Tiger Report: Apple's Secret Plan To Make You Upgrade

And this is definitely NOT a conspiracy theory.

Here's the URL for today's commentary:

http://www.macnightowl.com/index.htm#upgrade






Apple Close To Cutting European Indie Deal

timesonline's Nic Hopkins reports:

"Independent record labels are on the verge of striking an agreement with Apple Computer that will allow its iTunes music service to sell tracks by artists such as the White Stripes and Basement Jaxx across Europe.

"A pact could be announced as early as today, sources close to the talks have told The Times, ending a feud that has kept independent labels off iTunes since its launch in the UK, France and Germany last month.

"The new deal is expected to ease the concerns of independent record labels that they would be locked into long-term contracts at fixed prices."

For the full report, visit here.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9075-1177832,00.html







Apple 'Close' To Accord With Indie Labels

The Register's Tony Smith reports:

"Apple is close to signing a deal with major players in the UK independent music label community, sources familiar with the talks' progress have claimed.

"According to the Times, an announcement that the iTunes Music Store will get access to key indie acts like the White Stripes and Basement Jaxx could come as early as today.

"When ITMS launched in the UK, Germany and France on 15 June, it was only able to offer tracks from a "dozen" independent labels, CEO Steve Jobs admitted. In the UK alone, indies together account for a quarter of record sales."

For the full report, visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/13/apple_itunes_indies/







Installing and Tuning OpenOffice on Mac OS X

This tutorial provides tips for users of OpenOffice on Mac OS X.

"<rant>MS Word and Adobe Acrobat are useless for this because sadly enough there is just no way to get structured PDFs out of Word on Mac OS X. Adobe's PDFMaker Plugin for Mac OS X is a sick, cruel joke. It takes ages to create flat PDF files without any bookmarks. A technical document without these is unacceptable. PDFMaker's output doesn't have any advantage over the PDFs produced using Apple's standard Print dialog, and it's slower. The Windows version of the plugin works fine and does everything I need. I wish Adobe would get its act together...</rant>

"Using
• OpenOffice 1.1.x,
• Apple's X11 server package
• a third-party macro called extendedPDF
• a custom hybrid Perl/AppleScript
• Adobe Acrobat Distiller (could also be replaced using GhostScript)
• EPS images in my document,

"I get perfect documents with all the structure information I need.

"Along the way, I also had to tweak some font settings and libraries to get our corporate font working and to fix the ugly font rendering in the OpenOffice GUI, so that it is easier on my X11-weary, Aqua-spoiled eyes "

You can check it out at:
http://www.entropy.ch/software/macosx/docs/openoffice-mac/






Six Design Lessons From the Apple Store

Jesse James Garrett says:

"Here in San Francisco, Apple buffs are rejoicing at finally getting an Apple Store of our very own. (Sure, there’s been one across the Bay for months, but it’s just not the same.) As the newest of Apple’s five “flagship” retail stores, the San Francisco Apple Store reflects the company’s latest thinking about how to translate its brand identity from its software and hardware products to the user experience of a retail environment.

"There’s a lot about the Apple Store experience that we can apply to the design of many other kinds of products — and a few lessons we can take from Apple’s missteps as well.

1. Create an experience, not an artifact.
2. Honor context.
3. Prioritize your messages.
4. Institute consistency.
5. Design for change.
6. Don’t forget the human element.

Jesse James Garrett is a Partner at Adaptive Path. His latest book is The Elements of User Experience.

For the full commentary, visit:
http://www.adaptivepath.com/publications/essays/archives/000331.php







Getting Dirty Under the Hood of Mac OS X Panther O'Reilly Releases "Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, Second Edition"

The new "Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition" (O'Reilly, US $39.95) is a thorough overview of the sleek and powerful Mac OS X Panther operating system (Version 10.3)--from its Aqua interface right down to its BSD Unix core--and an all-purpose, dive-in-any-time reference guide for longtime Mac users and hardcore Unix users alike.

Chuck Toporek, Chris Stone, and Jason McIntosh encourage power users and system administrators to roll up their sleeves and get dirty as the authors show them "what happens under Mac OS X's hood (and how you might tinker with it)." They give readers everything they need to know about this remarkable operating system, including practical tools and advice they can put to use every day--things like configuring an ideal system, managing files, scripting, running Java applications, and Apple X11 distribution. The book includes the most complete Unix command reference found in print; each command and option has been painstakingly tested and checked against Panther. Even the manpages that ship with the system can't compete in accuracy with the thorough and systematic documentation found here.

Fully revised for Mac OS X Panther, the comprehensive "Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition" delivers:

-Detailed advice on how to configure your Mac OS X system, with extensive coverage of the System Preferences and use of the Finder and Dock
-Hundreds of tips, tricks, and clever ways to do familiar and not-so-familiar tasks
-Ways to keep your Mac secure, including coverage of Panther's FileVault system for encrypting your Home folder
-An overview of basic system and network administration features, including coverage of NetInfo and Directory Services
-An introduction to using Mac OS X's Unix command-line interface, the Terminal application
-An overview of Mac OS X's Unix test editors, including vi and Emacs
-An overview of the concurrent version system (CVS)
-Information on shell syntax and variables for the bash and tcsh shells

The indispensable "Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition" belongs on the desktop of any serious user who wants to know Mac OS X Panther inside and out.

Chapter 13, "Security Basics," is available online at:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/macpantherian/chapter/index.html

For more information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bios, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/macpantherian/

Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition
Chuck Toporek, Chris Stone, Jason McIntosh
ISBN: 0-596-00606-3,
1054 pages,
$39.95 US, $57.95 CA

1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
http://www.oreilly.com






eWeek: IBM Unveils New Power5 Unix Servers

"Two months after introducing the Power5 processors in a line of new systems running its OS/400 operating system, IBM on Tuesday is unveiling Unix servers running the new chip.

IBM, of Armonk, N.Y., will roll out three new servers that will hold from two to 16 processors and run the newest version of its Unix operating system, AIX 5L v5.3, as well as Linux."

Read more at:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,,1622940,00.asp






IBM Gives Unix Servers A Power5 Injection

The Register's Ashlee Vance reports:

"IBM's already strong Unix server line just got stronger today with the announcement of a new line of Power5 processor-based systems.

"By the end of August, IBM will deliver three new Power5 servers that stretch from the low-end to midrange. The p5 520 will ship with two processors and be followed by the four-processor p5 550 and 16-processor p5 570. Starting prices for the systems range from $12,920 for the 520 up to $25,928 for the 570. IBM will roll out higher-end systems over the course of this year, including a big daddy 64-processor box."

For the full report, visit here.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/13/ibm_power5_rollout/







IBM Unveils eServer Computers Using Power 5 Chip

Reuters' Duncan Martell reports:

"IBM Corp. unveiled on Monday powerful business computers using the company's latest microprocessor, the Power 5, and technology that lets each chip run as many as 10 servers.

"The eServer line would allow customers to use fewer servers to perform business automation functions, part of a trend among technology customers to demand more performance and capacity from a smaller number of computers, IBM said."

For the full report, visit here.





Toshiba To Offer TV-quality Notebook

Bloomberg News reports:

"Toshiba plans to begin selling a new line of notebook computers with visual and audio capabilities equal to or better than that of televisions.

"The new computers will sell for ¥250,000 to ¥300,000, or $2,300 to $2,800, the Nihon Keizai reported on Monday. A Toshiba spokeswoman said the computers would begin selling this month or next but declined to comment on the price."

For the full report, visit here.
http://www.iht.com/articles/529184.html






Mac Night Owl: The Apple Music Report: Do You Need Lossless Encoding?

Sell you the same product again and again; that's the ticket.

Here's the URL for today's commentary:

http://www.macnightowl.com/index.htm#encoding






eWeek: Chip Vendors Skittish on New Industry Bubble

"SAN FRANCISCO-Analyst concerns about the recovery of the technology market were echoed by attendees on the floor of the Semicon West 2004 show, which covers the technologies and services used to produce computer chips. While exhibits packed the venue here to capacity, there looked to be more vendors than potential customers strolling the aisles.

With two venues in as many cities, Semicon West opened its doors on Monday, focusing on the manufacturing of semiconductor wafer fabrication, or "fabs." On Wednesday, the show's second half starts in San Jose, Calif., covering the interconnects and packaging used in the final processing of chips. More than 1,500 vendors are showing at the combined event."

Read more at:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,,1622905,00.asp






Microsoft Watch: Microsoft Delays By a Year Delivery of Two New Patching Systems

"TORONTO - Microsoft is delaying by a full year two of its four software patching/upgrade systems, company officials told those attending the worldwide partner conference here.

Microsoft's Windows Update Services (WUS), the product formerly known as Software Update Services (SUS) 2.0, is now due to ship by mid-2005, rather than mid-2004. And the new Microsoft Update (MU) Service, a new patching system designed to provide fixes to not only Windows, but also Office, SQL Server, Exchange Server and other core Microsoft products, also is now due out by mid-2005, a year later than anticipated."

Read more at:
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,,1622941,00.asp

***



Charles W. Moore


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