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PC Mag: If You Don't "Do" Windows
Windows vs OS X Shootout In The Times
Mac OS X Panther (Visual QuickStart Guide) Available
Panther Server Reviewed
Panther IP Over FireWire Tutorial Posted
Wal-Mart To Launch Discount Online Music Store
Iomega Announces Removable HDD Backup Alternative To Tape
Asian Computer Newbies Prefer Linux to Windows
Looking In On Windoze After Three Years Of OS X
Griffin Technology Presents Your Mac Life @ The Apple Store! Nashville, TN
Safari is fast but Mozilla Firebird is faster - Report
Mac Night Owl: Important Message for Mac Night Owl Readers
Mac Night Owl: Is Apple Giving Independent Dealers the Boot?
Sony Unveils World's Lightest Laptops
eWeek Messaging and Collaboration: Social Networking Companies Get Funding
eWeek Special Report: Comdex, Comdex, Comdex
CDW Announces October Sales Results[/url]
PC Mag: If You Don't "Do" Windows
"There's no denying it: We live in a Windows world. Microsoft's operating system dominates over 90 percent of the current installed desktop market worldwide, while most of the remaining users run either the Apple Mac OS or Linux. These renegade users can be quite loyal and quite vocal. What do they know that Windows users don't?"
Read more at:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1373604,00.asp
Windows vs OS X Shootout In The Times
The Times has posted an interesting comparo between OS X an Windows head to head:
Apple user Nigel Kendall says of Windows:
"I’ve been an Apple Macintosh user since 1993 and have never had any serious contact with Windows... the four Macs that I’ve owned have always done what I want them to do.... None of my Macs has let me down, and all the computers that I have owned are still in daily use.
"Coming to Windows for the first time is therefore a bit of a heart-stopping experience and, though I’ve been pleasantly surprised by XP’s apparent ease of use, there’s always the feeling that something nasty and utterly incomprehensible is lurking just below the surface....
"Other frustrations that I’ve encountered are largely the result of things that I take for granted on a Mac not transferring to another platform. Why do the applications always quit when you close a window? Why can’t the system display Japanese and Russian properly? Why do the bubble messages designed to help irritate me so much? After a week with a Windows machine I get the feeling that this system is designed by people who know a lot about computers. Macs, on the other hand, seem to be designed by people who know a lot about people. If you like Windows and are comfortable with it, keep using it.... But if you find Windows a chore, think about a change. Now can I have my Mac back, please?"
PC user Stuart Miles says of OS X:
"PC users like to tinker, Mac users like to use" goes the saying....I have always been a Windows-based PC man and proud to say that my machine is always in pieces.
"...It hasn’t been an easy ride, with the infamous blue screen of death at one point becoming a rather annoying friend. What makes it worse is that after only three hours of using Apple’s latest operating system, 10.3, I started to wonder if I should have made the change years ago....
"The installation, when compared with a Windows PC, was annoyingly easy and even getting it to talk to my home PC was simple — something that even my Windows laptop struggles with occasionally....
"...I think that if I were new to computers I would go for a Mac, but as a Windows user I get the feeling that I am too far gone: it’s too late for this old dog to learn any new tricks...."
You can read Nigel and Stuart's full comments and observations at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-8088-882668,00.html
Mac OS X Panther (Visual QuickStart Guide) Available
A tsunami of Mac OS X 10.3 Panther books is about to come ashore. One of the first entries is Maria Langer's Mac OS X Panther (Visual QuickStart Guide), now available at Amazon.com, whose blurb reads:
"So you're finally ready to find out what all the fuss is about! Whether you're switching from a Windows system or upgrading from an older Mac OS, this task-based guide represents the surest way to go from 0 to 60 in no time flat with Apple's much anticipated Mac OS X Panther-more mature, powerfully... "
Mac OS X Panther (Visual QuickStart Guide) List Price is:$24.99
Amazon.com price: $17.49
You can check it out here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0321213513/
Panther Server Reviewed
ComputerWorld's Yuval Kossovsky says:
"Much has been written about the recently released desktop version of Apple Computer's newest operating system, Mac OS X 10.3, or Panther. I'm one of the many who think the Panther client software is rock-solid, has tremendous speed and utility advantages over its predecessor and is generally a better operating system than Windows XP.
"But little has yet been said about Panther Server. Over the past week, I've given the new server operating system from Apple a detailed evaluation and have begun field testing. I am happy to say that it's everything I had hoped for and more. This product is truly enterprise-ready, has many service and security improvements and should easily integrate into Mac-dominant or Windows-centric environments...."
For the full report, visit here.
Panther IP Over FireWire Tutorial Posted
Mac DevCenter has posted a Panther networking tutorial by Wei-Meng Lee, Author of Windows XP Unwired, Contributor to Mac OS X Unwired
The Editor notes:
"IP over FireWire is now integrated into Mac OS X 10.3. We're publishing this short article by Wei Meng Lee to serve as a reminder that this method for sharing an Internet connection at work is preferred over setting up an ad hoc AirPort base station that might compromise security. Since many of us readily have FireWire cables on hand (for our iPods, iSights, etc.), IP over FireWire seems like a reasonable and secure option for quick and dirty Internet sharing in the business world. Here's a quick look at using it and a refresher on AirPort sharing."
Says Wei-Meng Lee:
"I'm sure you've encountered this many times; you're at a location with a single network connection, but you need to provide connectivity for one or more machines. Since you most likely don't have a hub handy in your back pocket, it's helpful to know the options provided by Mac OS X. In this article, I'm going to show you how to share an Internet connection using IP over FireWire (more secure) and AirPort Internet broadcasting (less secure).
"With the release of Panther, you can use your FireWire port for Internet sharing using a technology known as IP over FireWire (previously available for download as preview release). IP over FireWire essentially allows IP protocols-based services (such as HTTP, FTP, SSH, etc.) to be used over the FireWire connection. This means that you can use your FireWire port much like your Ethernet port...."
You can check it out at:
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2003/11/11/panther_internet.html
Wal-Mart To Launch Discount Online Music Store
A Reuters report says:
"Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to introduce an online music store as soon as next week, The Wall Street Journal said on Thursday, citing people close to the company....
"The store will have about 200,000 song titles available for downloading, and they are expected to cost less than the customary 99 cents a song charged by competitors such as Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes Music Store..."
For the full report, visit here:
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/031113/retail_walmart_music_1.html
Iomega Announces Removable HDD Backup Alternative To Tape
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Iomega announced its Removable Rigid Disk (RRD) system last August. Three months on, it has finally unveiled a product that will feature the system - which won't ship for another four months.
"The Rev is an alternative to tape back-up systems and archival storage rigs for SMEs and enterprise workgroups. Iomega will bundle back-up software that copies and compresses - effectively doubling the drive's native 35GB capacity, it says - the files that need backing up.
"RRD is a 2.5in disk system that incorporates its own motors and read/write head assembly into the cartridge...."
For more, visit:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/63/33978.html
Asian Computer Newbies Prefer Linux to Windows
The Register's Andrew Orlowski notes:
"Microsoft recently broke its global pricing policy for the Thai market, offering steep discounts in the Royal Kingdom for its Windows and Office products. From a report at Linux Insider, we learn why.
"First-time computer users are flocking to a government-subsidised programme to bring cheap PCs to the public. Although pirate copies of Windows and Office have a street price as low as $4, the information ministry's scheme of selling PCs loaded with Linux and OpenOffice for $250 is a runaway success. A million new PC owners will be using Linux within the next few months.
"'Charging Thai consumers nearly $600 for Windows/Office is the equivalent of charging US consumers $3000,' notes the report. But even at the right-sized price of $37, Thai first-timers are preferring Linux. Which also cites Linux's superior Right-to-Left support as a reason why the ministry's computers are popular...."
For the full report, visit:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/33963.html
Looking In On Windoze After Three Years Of OS X
In an interesting aside to the Asian Linux article, Andrew Orlowski makes these personal observations:
"...Not having spent more than an hour at a time at an x86 PC in the past three years, I was curious to see what was going on in the Windows world. I have no great revelations that you haven't heard: yes, Opera on Windows is incomparably great (and makes Safari look like, to paraphrase my colleague Ashlee Vance, a grey rectangle). And yes, the hardware is much better value and feels dangerously cheap. (When I began to burn a CD, the USB bus failed: Windows reported that there had been a "power surge" - and disabled all the USB devices).
"But all this, you already know. However, I found that moving from a coherent (although still flawed, as John Siracusa points out this week in his latest heroic installment) the user interface on Windows is a very jarring experience. There are many patches, spyware and virus checkers to install, nothing is ever quite predictable, and the system guides the user over a barbed wire fence. Ctrl-W now closes many applications windows, but not all. Alt-F4 closes the others. What should I press?..."
You can check it out at:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/33963.html
Griffin Technology Presents Your Mac Life @ The Apple Store! Nashville, TN
On Wednesday evening's Your Mac Life show, the Host and Executive Producer, Shawn King, made a Special Announcement.
On December 1st, 2003, at 7PM ET, Griffin Technology Presents Your Mac Life @ The Apple Store!
Your Mac Life will do a live version of the show in person at the Apple Retail Store in the Lennox Square Mall in Atlanta, Georgia. This is the first in a series of live shows to be presented in Apple retail stores around the US.
"We're very excited about taking our show on the road with Shawn King at the Apple Store - Atlanta. It will be a great opportunity to meet our customers and show them our favorite new toys in person!" Said Andrew Green, VP of Marketing & Design.
The show will have the usual great guests, news and audience questions but will be focused on "Cool Stuff for Christmas". Says Shawn King, Host and Executive Producer of the show. "If you are looking for cool Mac products for yourself, friends or family, come down to the Atlanta Apple store and see live demos of the things Your Mac Life thinks will be the hottest gift ideas this season."
Since 1992, Griffin Technology has been an innovator of exciting hardware and software products for the Personal Computer market. Griffin currently manufactures numerous innovative USB, video, audio, serial, and ADB adapters for the PC and Mac. This includes the award winning and unique USB controller, the PowerMate.
Your Mac Life is the most popular Macintosh-focused Radio Show on the Internet. Bringing together the best of the Mac web, with guests, news, contests and audience interaction.
Safari is fast but Mozilla Firebird is faster - Report
This blogger notes:
"A few weeks ago I saw how people were raving about Mozilla Firebird over at VersionTracker. As it is more or less compulsory in my own book to have a closer look at anything remotely exciting, I downloaded it.
"After doing some not particularly scientific research (trying it out on two G4's, both running 10.3), I found out that while Safari sweeps through sites like a race car, Firebird actually takes off and flies - it loads some pages at least twice as fast as Safari."
For more:
http://homepage.mac.com/quine/
Mac Night Owl: Important Message for Mac Night Owl Readers
Sorry, this is not an announcement I like to make.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.macnightowl.com/index.htm#readers
Mac Night Owl: Is Apple Giving Independent Dealers the Boot?
Will it be the end of an era?
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.macnightowl.com/index.htm#boot
Sony Unveils World's Lightest Laptops
ft.com 's Michiyo Nakamoto reports:
"Sony on Wednesday unveiled a line of notebooks and desktop PCs in a bid to breathe new life into a business it considers crucial to its future growth.
"The new Vaio notebook PCs, which go on sale in Japan over the next two months, use highly advanced materials to provide a strong, light casing.
"The lighter of the notebooks, which uses carbon fibre casing and has a 10.4-inch liquid crystal display, weighs just 785 grams and is less than one centimetre thick, leading Sony to claim it is the world's lightest and thinnest notebook PC."
An interesting comment in the article is from Richard Chu, electronics analyst at ING Securities in Tokyo, who observed:
"Sony was never good at making standard products like desktop PCs, for which a company has to be 'a grinder'. 'Sony is a finesse player'..."
For the full report, visit here.
eWeek Messaging and Collaboration: Social Networking Companies Get Funding
"Social networking got a boost on Wednesday-at least financially-as two burgeoning companies in the space gained additional funding. LinkedIn Ltd., of Mountain View, Calif., announced that it has secured $4.7 million in financing, while Palo Alto, Calif.-based Spoke Software Inc., according a posting on its blog, has secured an additional $10 million in funding.
Social networking refers to a growing number of Web-based networking sites and software companies that link people together based on their connections to one another. Perhaps the best-known is Friendster Inc., which connects people on its site through common friends for dating and forming new friendships."
Read more at:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,,1380700,00.asp
eWeek Special Report: Comdex, Comdex, Comdex
Check back frequently as eWeek covers the heck out of Comdex -- who's there? What's there? Is it still there?
Coverage from all of Ziff Davis's publications under one convenient link. And updates multiple times a day!
Read more at:
http://www.eweek.com/category2/0,4148,1381395,00.asp
CDW Announces October Sales Results
MacWarehouse parent CDW Corporation has announces announced sales for October 2003 of $490.4 million, an increase of 25.8 percent compared with sales of $389.7 million for October 2002. Both months had 23 billing days.
Approximately 60 percent of the increase is attributed to sales made by former members of the Micro Warehouse sales force, who joined CDW in September in conjunction with the Micro Warehouse transactions. These sales are in line with the previously announced expectation that Micro Warehouse will contribute between $170 to $190 million to fourth quarter 2003 sales.
Double-digit unit volume growth was achieved in a number of product categories. Most notably desktop, notebook, and server CPU unit volumes increased more than 30 percent for the month on a year-over-year basis.
"We are very pleased with sales for the month of October, following our record sales in the third quarter," said John A. Edwardson, CDW's chairman and chief executive officer. "Both our corporate and public sectors experienced double-digit growth. While we are certainly encouraged by these growth trends, we remain cautiously optimistic about the future."
For more information, visit:
http://www.cdw.com/
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