Meeting Notes - Jun 20, 2001

By: Mikio Moriyasu - Revised: 2006-10-05 devin


What's New by James Reynolds

Shown below is an abbreviated breakdown of James entire presentation. Please click here to see his complete presentation.

Additional information on certain subjects is available and can be found by selecting the underlined, blue text located throughout this section.

Mac OS X
  • Mac OS X now ships pre-installed on new Mac hardware - More info.
  • Apple will be the largest Unix supplier in the world by the end of the year.
  • Most people who maintain mac labs (those who are on mail lists) are not planning on putting OS X in a lab environment until Summer/Fall 2002. However, a few OS X labs already exist.
  • Apple iServices offers training in Mac OS X - More info.
  • Mac OS X wins over Win 2K in CNET OS Faceoff:

    Color us shocked, but our panel of seven judges delivered a solid victory to the revolutionary Mac OS," wrote CNET. The site recently compared Mac OS X to Microsoft's Windows 2000 operating system, and writers John Rizzo and Matt Lake said that the judges were bowled over by Mac OS X's installation ease and smooth hardware integration -- especially for FireWire-compatible digital camcorders. The results have been published a new feature entitled OS Death Match: Windows 2000 vs. OS X - View article.
  • Poll: How many of you are using Mac OS X?
Notable New Software
BBEdit 6.1.2
BBEdit Lite 6.1.1
DVD Player 2.7
Code Warrior 6.2
Extension Overload 5.8.4
File Buddy 6.1
FileMaker 5.5
GraphicConverter 4.0.8
Mac OS X Server
MacSSH 2.1b8
Netscape 6.1p1
PowerBook G4 DVD-ROM firmware update
REALBasic 3.2.1
Resorcerer 2.4
Tex-Edit Plus 4.1.2
WebObjects 5

Full listing for 5-15 to 6-? (xxx M file):

Or see: versiontracker.com

Other Software News
Netscape admits it lost the browser war. Does anyone remember what the Microsoft lawsuit started over? Read this yahoo.com article.

As stated on Microsoft's web page for the new Word Security Update: "If you have modified any of the originally installed files in the Microsoft Office 2001 folder in any way (such as changing the icon, the splash screen, or renaming a file or application to anything other than its original name), the update will not complete properly. While the installer will report that it installed successfully, one or all of your Office applications will crash immediately after being launched indicating that the install failed. The only way to alleviate this issue is to remove and reinstall Office 2001 from the original CD, and then run the Service Release 1 Updater again."

More Microsoft security problems: RTF documents linked to a template can run macros without warning in Word. Both Word 98 and 2001 for the Mac are vulnerable. Patches that fix this security risk will be available soon.

There is an new email virus for the Mac. The virus is an AppleScript application that will open Outlook or Entourage and email a copy of itself to all the entries in your address book. Basically, harmless, but you shouldn't run applications that come as email attachments unless you were expecting it. See, if your friend emails you the application, you are very likely to run it because you trust your friend... The email is about The Simpsons cartoon episodes that are available on the internet. - More info.

Hardware News
  • Apple focuses on LCD displays, no more CRT's. Apple now offers a 17-in LCD as well with 1280 by 1024 resolution at a retail price of $999. Apple lowered the prices for the other two LCD's: 15-in $599, 22-in Cinema Display $2,499. - More info 1 - More info 2
  • Wireless routers: Asante, MacSense
  • There seems to be problems with 512MB ram and PowerBooks/iBooks.- More info
  • New iMac coming out soon. - The new iMac.
  • Expect to see 550 and 600MHz Powerbooks by August. There are rumors of dual-processor Powerbooks.
Retail News
  • The new iBook is popular. Read these reviews from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Boston Globe.
  • Two Cnet.com articles (one and two) cover recent financial woes afflicting Palm.
  • Retail stores popular: http://www.apple.com/retail/ - Cnet article.
Genius Bar and Other Laughs
Are you a "Mac Genius" and do you need a new job? Please click here for details

Under that line of thought, need a laugh?
  • TI PB = chick-magnet
  • Apple Dancers for the rest of us
  • When Windows guy meets Mac Genius girl (Genius Bar 1)
  • Genius Bar 2
  • Apple Store
  • Genius Bar 3
  • Genius Bar 4
  • Bill's Brainiac Bar (Genius Bar 5)
  • Genius Bar 6
  • The new iMac
  • "X"y
WWDC 2001
Richard Glaser, James Reynolds, and Terry Simons attended the WWDC 2001 (World Wide Developer's Conference) from the ACLIS group. There were several others on campus that went as well.

Please click here to view the extensive notes that were taken by James at the conference. Subjects include WebObject, Audio, OS X programming tools, Java, Quicktime, and Printing issues. Terry Simons also took extensive notes while at the conference. They will be available on the Mac Managers Web Site shortly.

The conference was focused completely on Mac OS X. Out of the sessions James attended, he saw one demo Mac running Mac OS 9. - More info.

WWDC Session topics:

Aqua,
Quartz,
OpenGL,
QuickTime,
WebObjects,
Project Builder,
Interface Builder,
other Mac OS X
development tools,
Carbon,
Cocoa,
Java,
BSD UNIX,
AppleScript,
Darwin,
Hardware,
Internationalization/Localization,
Networking and Security.

Official WWDC 2001 page: http://www.apple.com/developer/wwdc2001.

To see sessions from last year: http://connect.apple.com/WWDC2000 (case sensitive URL).

More on last year's WWDC: http://www.apple.com/developer/wwdc2000.

What's Old?
Want Mac OS 1.0? Want a Commodore 64? Want software or hardware for all that old stuff? Check these pages out:

SUR-TECH, Surplus Computers, Parts, etc.,.
Home Page of Gamba
Junkyard Jeff's, Computer Wrecking Yard

Volume Purchase
The combined campus volume purchase included the following:
  • Twenty 733MHZ Macs with a free 17-in flat panel display.
  • 218 466MHZ Macs
  • 3 copies of OS X Server 10
Kudos to Richard Glaser for putting in the time and effort to coordinate this.

Mac OS X Security by James Reynolds

Shown below is an abbreviated breakdown of James entire presentation on OS X security issues. Please click here to see his complete presentation at our dedicated Mac OS X Pages at www.macos.utah.edu.

Additional information on the subjects discussed in James' presentation can be found by selecting appropriate links.

Making OS X safe to put in a public environment
Goal: limit root or administrator access.

Q. "Why? It didn't matter that users had full access in OS 9."

A. Command line - the classic Mac OS doesn't have a command line (thus "system 'rm -r /'" or "system 'del c:'" do not work)

A. More interest - because many didn't respect the old Mac, hacking it was not popular. But now, that has changed.

A. More crackers - UNIX crackers were the first crackers...

A. Networking - Mac networking has mainly been AppleTalk, which usually isn't routed to the world

Read this "Wired" article for a discussion on this subject.
Out of the box vulnerabilities:
  • Startup in single user mode - root access
  • Sudo contains buffer overflow
  • Password file readable
Other concerns:
  • Timbuktu Pro
  • OpenSSH
  • File sharing
  • Firewall
  • Viruses
  • Booting from CD
  • Booting to OS 9
Links:
  • SecureMac (down as of 5/16/01)
  • OSX Security
  • Mac Security
  • Mac Craziness (for more links)

iDVD/DVD Studio Pro Overview By Larry Anderson

Apple's DVD software are powerful tools but they will not work their "magic" by themselves. Having the DVD support systems in their CPU is just not enough. You have to use them and most people, unless their professionals, don't. In Larry's experience, there is a 98.5% chance that people who have spent the money for the hardware and the software, don't use it. This is important as the the hardest part of using iDVD or DVD Studio Pro for that matter is making the stuff that you process with it.

Apple DVD Solutions: idvd and DVD Studio Pro

iDVD

iDVD allows users to create DVDs on their desktops. With it, one can easily put movies and pictures on a DVD at a fraction of the time it took before. It is the perfect complement to Apple's iMovie - Create with iMovie & archive with iDVD DVDs produced with iDVD will work in any commercially available home DVD player and best of all iDVD is free.

iDVD Key Features and Benefits:
  • It is included with all Power Mac G4 systems equipped with DVD-R drive (internal SuperDrive or external Pioneer DVD-R drives).
  • MPEG encoding is available, MPEG-1 is not, however.
  • iDVDcan imports movies and images in all QuickTime formats.
  • It works well with iMovie version 2.0.3 and OS 9.1 but only in Classic, not in OS X.
  • The DVD media holds either 4.7 Gigs or 1 hour of video.
  • iDVD is set to play in all regions of the world.
  • There is no copy protections.
  • Users can choose from a variety of menu formats and even modify them.
For additional information on iDVD, click here to visit the dedicated Apple's iDVD site.

For additional information on iMovie, click here to visit the dedicated Apple's iMovie site.

DVD Studio Pro

Studio Pro provides DVD authoring capabilities for the creative professional. It features full power DVD video creation without the complexity. Even thought it was developed primarily for professionals it can be used by anyone with the right hardware.

Key Features
  • It can process multiple tracks and angles.
  • Region decoding is available.
  • Users can create still or motion menus.
  • Subtitles can be added to video
  • Multiple sound track encoding is available.
  • Scripting
  • Chapter and story creation
  • Dolby Digital encoding
  • Flexible output options
  • Users can write DVD-R using the Apple DVD-R drive or the Pioneer authoring drive
  • Users can "burn to the hard drive to preview their work" by writing to DVD RAM disks
Each DVD Studio Pro package comes with:
  • DVD Studio Pro
  • Quicktime
  • MPEG Access
  • DVD@ccess
  • Apack Dolby
  • Subtitle Editor
  • QuickTime Pro
  • A full instruction manual (unlike iDVD which indicates it higher degree of complexity)
For additional information on DVD Studio Pro, click here to visit the dedicated Apple's DVD Studio Pro site.

A Few Notes about DVD General vs DVD Authoring:

Process
  • DVD Authoring is a designed for mass replications and copy protections (CSS - Content Scrambling System).
  • The iDVD burning process is DVD General.
  • Studio Pro, however, can process for DVD General as well as DVD Authoring.
Media
  • The basic media (blank DVDs) is the same
  • iDVD, with DVD General recording, produces DVDs that are different from Authoring Master Discs that can be created with DVD Studio Pro.
  • The Apple SuperDrive writes only to DVD-R (General). For DVD Authoring, a Pioneer Authoring drive is required.

netOctopus Overview by Scott Doenges

Shown below is an abbreviated breakdown of Scott's entire presentation on netOctopus. Please click here to see his complete presentation at www.macos.utah.edu.

What is it?
netOctopus is a powerful and versatile cross-platform tool for network administrators. It lets you quickly and easily gather information on computers on the network, install software, and configure them remotely. netOctopus allows you to do the following:
  • Gather information on computers on the network to create reports or keep inventories.
  • Remotely examine individual computers in detail to pinpoint sources of problems.
  • Configure any or all computers remotely, from setting their clocks to editing their Win.ini files.
  • Install or update software on individual computers or a range of them without leaving your desk.
  • Create reports on software use and compliance with licensing requirements.
  • Schedule any task for a convenient time or execute it immediately.
  • Use AppleScript to automate working with netOctopus and create custom solutions by combining it with other applications.
  • Cross-platform compatibility lets you administer all computers with netOctopus - Macs and PCs; LocalTalk, Ethernet, and Token Ring; AppleTalk, IPX, or TCP/IP.
What do I need to use it?
netOctopus Admin application
Mac OS
A PowerPC processor.
64 MB RAM recommended.
System 8.1 or later, but the newer the better.

Windows
A Pentium processor.
64 MB RAM recommended.
Windows 2000, NT 4.0, 98, ME, 95.
netOctopus Agent (a.k.a. Client):
Mac OS
68020, 30, 40, or any PowerPC processor.
1 MB of available RAM.
System 7.1 or later.

Windows
PC with 80486 or Pentium-class processor.
Windows 95, NT 4.0, or any newer version of these operating systems.
1 MB of free RAM.
Networking support for IPX or TCP/IP.
How much does it cost?
The pricing for netOctopus varies depending on how many machines you wish to install the Agent on. A 5-user license cost us $325 ($65 per license), but for 50 licenses they run $61 apiece, and for 100+ they run $58 apiece.

For more information on volume purchases send an email to: volumepurchase@netopia.com

Software Components
Admin
The netOctopus Admin application, used by the administrator to perform maintenance, installations, etc. The application can be set to require a password before allowing access.
The FileScripter application, which allows you to easily create Apple Installer Scripts. Used in conjunction with netOctopus, the task of distributing large and complex software packages to multiple computers becomes simple.

There are 4 network modules used by netOctopus: nO ADSPLayer, nO NetworkLayer, nO OTTCPLayer, and nO TCPLayer.
Agent
The netOctopus Agent Setup control panel. This lets the client choose the level of access that the admin is allowed. If the admin does not want the client to have access to these settings (in a large computer lab, for instance), a restricted version of the control panel is available via the Custom Install option.

The netOctopus Agent extension. This makes the Client computers show up in the admin application, and must be installed for any of this to work.

The netOctopus Agent also requires the same 4 network modules required by the Admin application: nO ADSPLayer, nO NetworkLayer, nO OTTCPLayer, and nO TCPLayer. In addition to these modules, there is a folder in the Agent's extensions folder with other netOctopus modules (not required by the Admin application).
Once the Agent software has been installed on all computers, the admin can use the netOctopus Admin application to search AppleTalk zones and/or IP/IPX neighborhoods to compile a list of computers he wishes to maintain.

Demonstration Features
Scott briefly demonstrated how to operate netOctopus. To see some of what he discussed, select one of the following links below:
netOctopus Features (part I)
netOctopus Features (part II)
netOctopus Features (part III)
Pros and Cons
No application is perfect. While preparing his presentation, Scott became very familiar with netOctopus' strengths and weaknesses. He compared it to RevRdist, an application that is used by ACLIS Mac Support to manage the machines in its labs. To see Scott's side-by-side evaluation and comparison of both applications, please select the link below:
netOctopus vs. RevRdist
For additional information regarding netOctopus, click here to visit the manufacturer's product website.

Other Issues

A few additional issues were brought up during the course of the meeting:
  • Due the length of the meeting, Richard Glaser's presentation on Mac OS X Server has been postponed and will be presented at next month's meeting.
  • With regard to the Campus Volume Purchase, would it be possible to start preparing the order earlier in the year so that those involved have more time to work on putting it together.
  • Are some managers considering a possible migration away from Novell Netware due to cost-Vs-use issues and OSL licensing pressure?
  • ACLIS Mac Support wants to know what Campus Mac Managers would like to have as discussion topics in future meetings. Topics thrown out by those in attendance included:
    • Managing a group of Macs
    • Web server services
    • Previews of commonly available, small but highly useful utilities
    • Demonstrations of really cool hardware devices and software
    • Streaming services
    • Cross platform issues
    • Application comparisons
    • Applescript for maintenance
    • Network administration
    If there are any subjects you would like to see in a future meeting that are not covered above, please contact us here.
  • Lastly, before leaving, Larry Anderson asked all Campus Mac Managers to contact him if they had any issues, problems, or questions regarding Apple products. He stressed that the input from Campus people, especially if it's about problems with hardware or software, are very important because Apple does listen. If you have any questions, comments, or problems, you can contact Larry at:

    Larry Anderson, PhD
    Apple Higher Education
    1514 Buttercup Drive
    Sandy, UT 84092
    (801) 619-1119
    larry@apple.com