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Cupertino, Start Your Photocopiers
How Does Vista Compare with Mac OS X and Windows XP?
Dear Bill Gates; Give Me Back My Weekend
Gorbachev Tells Gates To Leave The Pirates Alone
Does Using a Mac Get You To Think Differently?
Stop The US Daylight Saving Madness!
iPod Will Be the New CD
Mac OS X: Firmware Updates for Intel-based Macs
PC Mag: Kodak Enters Consumer Ink Jet Fray
PC Mag: Kodak (Finally) Bets on an All-Digital Future
eWEEK: Princeton Libraries Join in Google Book-Scan Project
PC Mag: Corel Painter X Review
PC Mag: Build It: The Green PC
PC Mag: The Vista Supremacy
Cupertino, Start Your Photocopiers
The Apple Core's Jason D. O'Grady says:
When Steve Jobs demo'd Mac OS 10.5 (a.k.a. "Leopard") at last year's Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) on August 7, 2006 he deliberately kept many of its major features "top secret." Jobs justified the secrecy by saying that he didn't want "our friends to have to start their photocopiers any sooner than they have to." Apple even went so far as hanging banners in Moscone West that taunted "Introducing Vista 2.0" and "Hasta la Vista. Vista."
Now that Vista has shipped I think that Apple should be the one starting the photocopiers....
Like it or not, Vista's Aero theme and Aero Glass are impressive, the accordion view is cool, Microsoft's Gadgets are a huge step above Apple's dashboard and Vista features a killer launcher implementation that's like the best parts of Quicksilver and Spotlight put together. Now that Vista is shipping I hope that Apple is taking a long hard look at it.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303880
How Does Vista Compare with Mac OS X and Windows XP?
Low End Mac's Andrew J Fishkin says:
Tiger was by a wide margin my favorite OS until last week, but the January 31 mainstream launch of Windows Vista was significant enough to beg a comparison. So here it is, without further ado - a very informal, seat of my pants, totally subjective comparison of Windows Vista to both Mac OS X and Windows XP (which I never particularly liked, yet always considered "good enough" and thus tolerated).....
First off, I'll be quite honest and say something I've said for a great many years: So long as the user is familiar with the OS, productivity isn't that different between Macs and Windows unless your system itself is unresponsive, slow, or unstable.....
This isn't about features, but about feel. So here goes.....
I'll bet you thought I would try to say that Vista is better than Tiger, but I won't.
Vista is actually quite good - far better than I expected it to be....
Finally, it's pretty, very pretty. The Gadgets are a lot prettier than the most of the Widgets that came with Tiger's Dashboard, and the Aero interface with its translucency and cool fade effects is as impressive today as OS X's Genie-effect fades were back when I started playing with Panther in 2003. Whether in real-world, long-term use the visual effects turn out to be annoying I cannot yet say, so far I rather like the look...
What holds Vista back from the crown are the stupid choices made to protect me from myself. OS X is smart enough to ask me for my password when I install an application or run a patch. Vista is smart enough to know that I'm making a change, but rather than entering my password, I only have to confirm that I really want to do it....
And that's where it is: subtly annoying....
OS X succeeds by giving considerable power in a clean, simple interface that is also intuitive and flexible. Yes, it's annoying to be asked for my password when running the update program, but I understand why it's doing it and accept that small annoyance for the corresponding increase in security that it gives me.
With Vista, the annoyance is the same, but there is no real benefit behind the annoyance. That, and OS X is still prettier, though in a "less is more" kind of way.
Still, I'm really hoping that Apple knocks our socks off with Leopard, because Vista, unlike XP, is much better than "good enough". ...
For the full report visit here:
http://lowendmac.com/fishkin/07/0206.html
Dear Bill Gates; Give Me Back My Weekend
In an open letter to Bill Gates, BBC blogger Robert Peston says:
Dear Bill Gates
Give me back my weekend. I bought a new Windows Vista laptop - and that's when the trouble began.
My dislike of your new user interface you can put down to the conservatism that comes with advancing years. However having loyally stuck by the galumphing, unaesthetic functionality of your operating systems over the past 15 years, while faced with ridicule from pretentious Mac-loving types, I resent your attempt at an elegance transplant.
But what really grates is that your system is incompatible with two of the vital tools of my trade....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2007/02/an_open_letter_to_bill_gates.html
Gorbachev Tells Gates To Leave The Pirates Alone
The Register's John Oates reports:
Mikhail Gorbachev, the former, and last, leader of the Soviet Union is asking Bill Gates to intervene in a case of a Russian school teacher who is facing time in a Siberian prison camp for using pirated software.
In a letter on his website, yes Gorby's got a blog, Gorbachev calls on Gates to show mercy....
Microsoft rejected the call for clemency, telling the New York Times it had full confidence in the Russian courts.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/06/gorby_writes_to_gates/
Does Using a Mac Get You To Think Differently?
mipsscan.com says:
Many people, myself included, talk about the virtues of getting a Mac over a Windows PC. You've heard it all before: better user interface, tighter integration of applications, great user experience, gorgeous looking hardware, the ability to run Windows, excellent multimedia applications. The list goes on and on. Over this past weekend, I was reflecting on people I know who switched within the last year from a PC to a Mac and I came to a realization. The value of using a Mac goes beyond the features and functions of the Mac. One user told me "Since I started using a Mac it has completely reinvigorated my computing experience." Apple does things differently and in turn, that cause people to think differently. That is the thrust of this post - that using a Mac actually gets you to think differently. How about a couple of case examples from my personal experience to highlight this.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.mipsscan.com/2007/02/does_using_a_ma.html
Stop The US Daylight Saving Madness!
It's a Topsy-Turvy world and that's a fact
OUT-LAW.com says:
US plans to change daylight saving hours this spring could wreak havoc on computer systems, Gartner claims. The analyst firm said utomated systems could run haywire this March.
Disruptions could affect calendars, billing programs and security systems as well as undermining automated trading systems....
Gartner has discovered that few organisations have put systems in place to deal with the change, and few may even be aware that such a change is planned.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/06/gartner_daylight_savings/
iPod Will Be the New CD
Cult of Mac's Leander Kahney says:
Big changes are afoot for the iPod in the wake of the Beatles settlement -- the iPod is about to become the new CD.
On Monday, Apple Inc. and the Beatles' Apple Corps announced that a 15-year legal spat over the "Apple" trademark had been settled in Steve Jobs' favor.
But the biggest news wasn't mentioned at all in the joint press release: The new contract clears the way for Jobs to sell iPods loaded with music.
Who cares?
Well, the iPod could become the new CD, especially if Apple starts offering cheap shuffle iPods pre-loaded with hot new albums or artists' catalogs. Imagine a whole range of inexpensive, special-edition iPods branded with popular bands containing a new album, or their whole catalogs.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,72656-0.html?tw=rss.technology
Mac OS X: Firmware Updates for Intel-based Macs
A new Apple Knowledge Base article says:
Firmware updates for Intel-based Macintosh computers may not be displayed automatically using Software Update. If they do not appear in Software Update, they must be manually downloaded from the Apple Support Downloads site.
If you are unsure whether your computer needs a particular update, simply download and open the update installer. The installer will alert you if the firmware update is already installed or not needed.
To check your computer's version string of the Boot ROM or SMC firmware
1. From the Apple menu, select About This Mac.
2. Click the More Info... button.
3. Under the Content header, select Hardware.
4. The version information will be located in the dialog that appears
For a list of the current versions of firmware for Intel-based Macs, see:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303880
PC Mag: Kodak Enters Consumer Ink Jet Fray
"Kodak has thrown its hat into the consumer ink jet ring by announcing the EasyShare 5100, 5300, and 5500 All-in-One (AIO) Printers. The three AIOs all use a six-color, two-cartridge ink system; the black cartridge is priced at $9.99 (list) while the five-ink-color cartridge costs $14.99. Kodak claims that the new printers and cartridges let consumers print the same number of pages at half the cost of other consumer ink jet printers, and that when the Kodak Photo Value Pack is purchased, the cost of printing a 4-by-6-inch photo will be as little as 10 cents."
To read more, go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2090449,00.asp
PC Mag: Kodak (Finally) Bets on an All-Digital Future
"I remember talking to executives at Kodak, Polaroid, and Fuji during the mid-1990s when digital photography was still in its infancy. While they were forward-thinking enough to see that digital imaging was the future, determining just when to move forward and bet the farm on a digital business model was a difficult task for Kodak and other companies whose business had been centered on silver halide products and traditional photo-processing solutions. It was especially difficult for Kodak and Polaroid, since the companies each invented key technologies for analog photography and their entire businesses were grounded in what some now refer to as "old-world technology." And timing the transition correctly has meant life or death for some companies, as witnessed by the overall implosion of Polaroid and the difficult times Kodak has had over the last decade."
To read more, go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2090413,00.asp
eWEEK: Princeton Libraries Join in Google Book-Scan Project
"Princeton University has become the 12th major library system to join Google's ambitious, sometimes-controversial project to scan the world's great literary works and make them searchable over the Web.
The Web search leader said on Monday Princeton had agreed to work with it to digitize about 1 million public domain books-works no longer covered by copyright protections."
To read more, go to:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2090588,00.asp
PC Mag: Corel Painter X Review
"Painter X remains the best choice if you're serious about digital painting. The program's top-notch tools and robust interface can help decode your inner da Vinci."
To read more, go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2090424,00.asp
PC Mag: Build It: The Green PC
"That's where you can help. Building a green PC means you can be part of the solution by using all lead-free parts that are also more energy-efficient."
To read more, go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2089042,00.asp
PC Mag: The Vista Supremacy
Vista will succeed, as have all of Microsoft's previous operating systems. This is destiny. This is marketing. This is the retail channel.
To read more, go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2088740,00.asp
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Charles W. Moore
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