What's New - May 21, 2003

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Introduction

What's new for the Mac in the previous month:

• General issues, workarounds and fixes
• New Software and hardware
• Software and hardware updates/patches

New Apple Software

AirPort 3.0.4 resolves a problem with using encryption on some LinkSys routers. supports both AirPort Extreme and AirPort products.

AirPort Extreme Firmware Update 5.0.4 fixes an issue where an AirPort Extreme network appears to be unavailable as displayed by the AirPort Menu Extra or the Internet Connection application.

AppleWorks X 6.2.7 includes improvements to the presentation module, AppleScript, web content searching, printing, label printing, table support, and spell checking with user added words.

DVD Studio Pro 2.0 is a completely new DVD authoring product, rebuilt from the ground up with a breakthrough user interface and packed with innovative features that redefine professional DVD authoring.

Emagic Logic Audio Platinum 6.0 is Emagic's flagship software for computer-based music production. It combines composition, notation and audio production facilities in one comprehensive product.

Final Cut Pro 4.0 is the creative, professional and extensible tool for editing and finishing in SD and HD formats. It introduces RT Extreme for real-time compositing and effects, "powerful new interface customization tools, and new high-quality 8 and 10-bit uncompressed formats.

iPod Updater 1.3 provides iTunes 4 support, including playback of AAC encoded audio files.

iTunes 4.0 supports the new AAC audio format, lets you share your music with other Mac computers on your local Ethernet or AirPort wireless network, and lets you archive your entire music library to DVDs for safekeeping. iTunes can also access the iTunes Music Store stocked with hundreds of thousands of songs.

iTunes Music Store is built right into iTunes and puts 200,000 songs at your fingertips. It lets you search or browse genres, new releases, exclusives and more. Preview any song for free. When you find a song you want, buy it for just 99¢ with valid credit card with a U.S. billing address.

Mac OS X 10.2.5 resolves the notorious 1970 date reset bug. It also addresses an issue in which domain name lookups could fail if the DNS server responded with a very large reply packet, improves Mail's selection of character encoding for messages sent in certain languages, improves Mail responsiveness for accounts configured with multiple POP servers, when the servers are unavailable, addresses an issue in which Classic fails to start ("Error 1016") when applications available to a non-Admin user are restricted.

Mac OS X 10.2.6 resolves a repeating kernel panic bug that appeared in Mac OS X 10.2.5 if certain USB hubs or devices are connected. It also improves printing compatibility for PostScript OpenType fonts, and improves compatibility for Maya Auto Paint and Paint Effects features.

Remote Desktop 1.2 is remote software installation to add new software to groups of Macs simultaneously over a network Remote Network Startup Disk to set any number of Mac OS X clients to start up from specified NetBoot or Network Install disk images on a remote server.

Safari Public Beta 1.0 v74 improves how Safari validates the authenticity of Web sites that use SSL certificates.

Security Update 2002-03-24 addresses a Samba vulnerability which could allow unauthorized remote access to the host system. The built-in Windows file sharing is based on the open source technology called Samba and is off by default in Mac OS X. OpenSSL is also updated to address an issue in which RSA private keys can be compromised when communicating over LANs, Internet2/Abilene, and interprocess communication on local machine. It is recommended that all users install this Security Update.

Shake 3.0 is a compositing and effects solution for film and HD. Shake now includes unlimited network render licenses and render management software on Mac OS X allowing users to distribute rendering tasks across multiple PowerPC G4-based Macintosh computers.

QuickTime 6.1.1 fixes bug to MPEG-4 streaming.

QuickTime 6.2 is a multimedia player and authoring system. The new version has support for iTunes and allows you to use purchased Music Store tracks in other applications on your Mac such as iLife.

WebObjects 5.2.1 is a Web app development/server platform. Although WebObjects 5.2.1 resolves some incompatibilities between WebObjects 5.2 and the new Java 1.4.1 implementation for Mac OS X, this configuration has not been formally qualified.

New Third Party Software

(Updates are assumed to be for Mac OS X, not much is being updated for Mac OS 9 nowadays...)

Carbon Copy Cloner 2.1.6 fixes a bug that would prevent removing a task when the administrator password is blank, improved reliability of disk images created with the "Clone To Folder" option; and localizations have been updated for all languages.

Cocktail 2.0 is a complete revamp, including a new user interface, better performance, and an updated Help system. Also, the "Spindown" feature is now compatible with power management and "Put hard disk to sleep when possible" settings.

DiskWarrior 3.0 is the safest, the most technologically advanced and most powerful utility to prevent and eliminate directory damage available for any computer. This latest version features native Mac OS X directory rebuilding for Mac OS X Extended disks, as well as disks running under earlier versions of the Mac OS.

DragThing 4.6 is a launcher palette for files, folders, disks, servers and URLs. All features of DragThing are now fully unlocked for a one week trial period after you first run this new version.

Eudora X 5.2.1 is a popular email client. The new release fixes a hang calling 2022 converters the latest update to Qualcomm's popular e-mail package, has restored the ability to re-establish a dialup Internet link when Check Mail is invoked -- a feature which we noted was removed in version 5.2.

File Buddy 7.5.2 is an extensive desktop and file/folder editing & task tool. This release addresses a number of minor issues reported by users in v7.5.1 and memory use in Mac OS X is slightly reduced for some operations.

FileMaker to Keynote tool 1.0 can create Keynote presentations from FileMaker database files.

Fire 0.32.d is an instant messenger client for AIM, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, Yahoo, IRC. The new version has updated Spanish, French, and German localizations.

Firewalk X 2.2.7 is a fully featured firewall.

Folder Icon X 1.5 makes customized folder icons. In this version the contextual menu can paste icons from the Template folder to selected items.

FruitMenu 3.0.1 is a haxie to customize and enhance the Apple and contextual menus. In the new version you can now select the contextual menu popup delay for "Click and Hold Mouse Button to Access Contextual Menu In Finder" option.

gimp-print 4.2.6-pre1 In the new release, "How to Print with Gimp-Print" has been substantially updated, and the Mac OS X installer package now includes an "uninstaller" which will completely (and safely) remove the Gimp-Print software.

GraphicConverter X 4.6 is a tool to view, edit, and convert most graphic file formats. The new release has stamp added and ECW import and export added.

Icon Machine 3.0 is a tool to create and edit custom icons. The new version fixes a crash that happened when pasting images copied from Preview.

iHook 0.9.0 is a graphical front-end for command line executables.

InterMapper X 4.0.5b1 monitors servers, networks and AirPorts. The new release includes an upgrade to the latest Apple developer tools.

InterMapper Remote 4.0.5b4 shows a remote view on your network's health. The new release fixes a bug that could cause a ClassCastException when doing Select-All on an empty log.

IPNetMonitorX 1.2c5 is a tool to monitor and troubleshoot net connections. The new version adds an Interface Info tool including externally visible public IP address.

IPNetSentryX 1.0b5 is a firewall that watches for suspicious behavior. The new release fixes possible kernel panics.

JellyfiSSH 2.1.2 is a SSH/Telnet login helper and bookmark utility. The new version fixes a crash bug when adding Telnet bookmarks.

Keynote Themes 2.0 now includes 10 high-quality themes for Apple's presentation software Keynote.

Little Snitch 1.0.3 shows alert on outgoing network connections. The new version has basic support for the Classic Environment.

MacSFTP 1.0.6 is an SFTP client. The latest release adds an 'Update' option to transfer only modified files.

MSN Messenger 3.5.0 is the latest release of Microsoft's instant chat messaging tool.

Mozilla 1.4b is Mozilla.org's next generation Web browser. In the new release users can now specify "blank page," "home page," or "last page visited" for each of first window, new window and new tab.

OmniGraffle 2.1.2 beta 2 is a tool for diagrams, family trees, flow charts, organization charts. The new release fixes a bug where after pasting an image into OmniGraffle, when you paste the image a second time an error appears and the originally pasted shape disappears.

OmniWeb 4.2 is a Web browser. The new release corrected a visual glitch with the progress indicator in the toolbar seen when the indicator was shown as part of the separate location bar. The indicator should no longer flicker or draw in the wrong location.

PDF Browser Plugin 1.1 displays PDF documents in web browsers. The latest version has print options for scaling and odd/even pages only and page setup capabilities.

Phoenix 1.4a is an XUL-based Mozilla browser build.

Radmind 1.0 is a remote file system admin, client/server suite of tools.

RBrowser 3.1.2 is a graphical FTP/SFTP/SSH client. The latest release has FTP fixes and performance improvements.

REALbasic 5.1 is an object-oriented visual programming environment. The new version improves reliability and performance.

Stuffit Deluxe 7.0.3 addresses a number of issues and features the ability to browse Tape Archives as well as Bzip2, Gzip, and UNIX compressed Tape Archives. It also features added support for expanding RAR 3.0 archives, improved compression in StuffIt X format, and new "Custom" compression settings dialog in all applications.

Symantec Norton Utilities 8.0b is a set of repair and maintenance applications. The new release appears to be the long awaited fix for Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar).

Thursby DAVE X 4.0.2p1 is a Mac to PC file and print sharing software. The new version corrected a problem where the vi editor could not save a file.

Toast Titanium 5.2.1 is a CD/DVD mastering (burning) solution. The new release has a CDDB2 submit function.

Trash It! 3.01 is an AppleScript that force-empties stubborn Trash items. The new release allows the user to run Trash It! as if there was trash even though there might not be trash.

Virex X (.Mac edition) 7.2.1 is a virus protection program (for .Mac subscribers only). The new release has a bug fix for users with both Virex and Fink .

Software Notes

CNET reports Apple has cancelled the Safari developer test program due to leaks of Safari v67. Read more.

Security Update 2002-03-24 addresses a Samba vulnerability which could allow unauthorized remote access to the host system. In a statement Apple added "The built-in Windows file sharing is based on the open source technology called Samba and is off by default in Mac OS X." This update only applies the security fixes to the currently-shipping 2.2.3 version of Samba on Mac OS X 10.2.4, and the Samba version is otherwise unchanged.

REAL Software has announced that VB Converter, a new utility that converts Visual Basic (VB) projects into REALbasic, will be included with the company's upcoming release of REALbasic 5 for Windows. The VB Converter automatically converts VB forms, projects and code into REALbasic-compatible code, while commenting the changes and flagging any code that may not be converted. Read more.

Adobe has announced Encore DVD, a collection of tools for organizing video and other content on a DVD, creating interactive menus and burning the final product to a disc. Read more.

Sun Microsystems expects major PC makers soon will begin bundling Sun's software for running Java programs on their computers. The move would bypass some of the legal wrangling between Sun and its arch-rival Microsoft. Read more.

The Mozilla open source Web browser project has made a dramatic shift in its roadmap, adopting a new application architecture based on the Gecko Runtime Environment (GRE) and make Phoenix its standalone default browser. Read more.

Quark Inc. has unveiled some of the key features for the forthcoming QuarkXPress 6 release, The big news is that Global Graphics will be providing PDF technology for the new release. Read more.

CNET reports that Opera Software released a test update to its Web browser for Windows and Linux, and pledged to continue developing its Mac version in spite of Safari. Read more.

Scott Mahaskey reports anyone who has purchased Micromat Drive 10 (version 1.1.4) in the past month can receive a free update CD that will allow booting on 2003 (non Mac OS 9 booting) Macs if they fax the following information to (707) 566-3871: The fax should include a copy of the original receipt of a Drive 10 purchased within the past 30 days, a cover letter with the owner's name, address, phone number(s), email address, and the serial number of the Drive 10 version 1.1.4 CD along with the instructional phrase "Need Micromat Drive 10 1.1.4revb".

OrangeWare answers the prayers of many users with third party 802.11 a/b/g wireless access cards and compliant base stations by developing a Mac OS X 802.11a/b/g driver for wireless devices. Read more.

David Zeiler discusses the similarities between Sherlock 3.0 and Watson noting that "...When Sherlock 3 was demonstrated at MacWorld New York last July, Watson creator Dan Wood told The Mac Observer he felt Apple had infringed on his idea, but declined to pursue legal action." Read more.

Hardware News

Apple refreshes its ibook line. Read more.

• The $999 (US) model includes: 800 MHz PowerPC G3 processor; CD-ROM optical drive; 128MB of system memory; and 30GB ATA hard drive.
• The $1299 (US) model includes: 900 MHz PowerPC G3 processor; Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW optical drive; 128MB of system memory; and a 30GB ATA hard drive.
• The $1,499 (US) model includes: 900 MHz PowerPC G3 processor; Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW optical drive: ATI Radeon 7500 with 32MB video memory; 256MB of system memory; and 40GB ATA hard drive.
  

Apple introduces new iPods in three models:

• 10GB model for just $299 (US)
• 15GB model for $399 (US)
• 30GB model for $499 (US).
  

The other new features are a dock with audio out for connection to your computer or stereo, an "On-The-Go" playlist so users can build a playlist on their iPod, and a customizable main menu so users can move the features they use most often to their top level menu. Read more.

Apple has refreshed its eMac line Read more.. Standard features include a 17" CRT display, a ATI Radeon 7500 graphics card, up to 80GB hard drives and internal support for AirPort Extreme wireless networking:

• The $799 (US) model includes: 800 MHz PowerPC G4 processor; CD-ROM optical drive; 128MB of system memory; and 40GB ATA hard drive.
• The $999 (US) model includes: 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor; 32x Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW optical drive; 128MB of system memory; and a 60GB ATA hard drive.
• The $1,299 (US) model includes: 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor; Superdrive; ATI Radeon 7500 with 32MB video memory; 256MB of system memory; and 80GB ATA hard drive.
  

ANetworkComputing.com highly recommends the Xserve in a recent report. Read more.

David Morgenstern analyzes the current debate over Apple's support of DVD-R but not DVD+R recording standards. Read more.

MacFixIt has found a solution for booting Mac OS 9 on Macs released after January 1, 2003. Apple recently posted a new file to its private Apple Service Provider web page titled "MacTest Pro for Power Mac G4 (March 2003) Version 7.8.1 supports all iMac (Flat Panel) 15 inch systems only." The file is a CD image which can be downloaded and burned, then used as a startup disk. Although the solution is only readily accessible by Mac service providers it shows that Mac OS 9 boots are not impossible on Apple's new machines.

Blackmagic Design has introduced two new standard definition uncompressed video editing and design cards that have more features for Mac OS X than for Windows. Read more.

According to CNET, Palm is getting ready to launch two handheld devices, one with built-in wireless and the other with a digital camera. Read more.

Storage Supersite Editor David Morgenstern cautions that price, manufacturing constraints and unrealistic expectations may hobble FireWire 800 in the short run. Read more.

The Power Macintosh G4 MDD Noise Reduction Kits are getting mixed reviews. While most report that the $19.95 Power Supply Replacement Kit dramatically reduces noise, some users have noticed a gradual increase in noise levels after installing the kit. Some report that the noise is louder after waking from sleep. This may be caused by a buildup of heat inside the computer when the fan stops. The sensor reads this and tells the fan, upon awakening, to increase its speed.

On a related note, sources inside Veraxfans.com, the North American distributor for Verax products, let us know that testing on the noise reduction kits has been completed and the new fan installation packages should be shipping soon. Read more.

Apple's official response regarding USB 2.0 is that they do not provide USB 2.0 functionality on any of their products. So while the Power Mac G4 MDD may have USB 2.0 capacity on some level, the I/O standard will likely not ever be a supported or promoted capability for current generation Power Macintosh G4 MDD models.

Retail News

Wired News reports that the U.S. technology sector, which has been battered by a downturn in corporate spending, lost about 560,000 jobs in 2001 and 2002, according to a study released by an industry trade group. Read more.

Palm posts quarterly loss on slack handheld sales Palm on Thursday reported a $172 million third-quarter net loss, with the results hurt by a large restructuring charge and slack sales of new models of the pocket digital organizers for business customers. Read more.

Intuit fell more than 23 percent Friday after the software maker reduced its full-year forecast because of weak sales. Read more.

Apple has signed former Vice President Al Gore to its Board of Directors, filling the spot left empty by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. Read more.

Larry Ellison said that Microsoft is on the verge of losing its market grip to Linux. Read more.

Apple announced that more than 150,000 AirPort Extreme wireless networking products have been sold this past quarter, a figure which the company says represents nearly half of all 802.11 products the company shipped during the quarter. Read more.

CNET reports that buoyed by strong laptop sales, Apple Computer on Wednesday posted second-quarter earnings and sales that narrowly topped analysts' estimates. Read more.

Matthew Rothenberg offers some speculation on what Apple will look like at the end of 2003: "...Apple is discussing how Panther will present new challenges to Windows XP in terms of interface features and (potentially) performance." At the same time, Apple has "...been privately predicting that new boxes shown at WWDC will close chronic performance gaps compared with Wintel boxes." Read more.

Apple announced that its iTunes Music Store sold over one million songs during its first week. Read more.

Napster is coming back, this time as a paid music service in partnership with two of the record labels that fought to shut it down. Read more.

Issues

Reuters' 'Raw Video' service, currently being used to stream live events from Iraq, is incompatible with any browsers under Mac OS X. This is because the service uses the Real Networks audio/video format, whose Mac OS X implementation does not include JavaScript capabilities on par with Mac OS 9 and Windows releases.

Yahoo's new "Platinum" service, which includes RealOne and Windows Media Player based video clips and other media, is only compatible with Windows-based systems. Yahoo! is also blocking Mac users from other sections of its Web site that contain audio/video media. There is a "direct media" link offered "for Mac and Linux" users, but the link downloads a .dll file inaccessible to any media application on the Mac. One possible solution is to access Yahoo! sites using shareware applications like Safari Enhancer to change what browser Safari identifies itself as.

EarthLink's new Digital Music Service is currently not compatible with the Mac OS X. A member of the EarthLink Mac development team has indicated that no Mac OS X version is currently in development. He indicates that, "EarthLink has no plans to move the music service to the Macintosh platform. They have received tons of response asking for it, but they ignore most Mac requests."

Earthlink may have also scrapped the idea for Macintosh-compatible high speed wireless access. Currently, Earthlink states that they are "...in the testing phases of the Mac client and plan to release the software in the next month or so. Unfortunately, no release date has been set, but we are working out all of the kinks so that we can offer the service to Mac users as soon as possible."

Apple's 2003, Mac OS X only booting Macs are causing trouble for users who need to use remote shared configurations in Microsoft's Outlook, a Mac OS 9-only application. It seems that some users are having difficulty configuring Classic to use a 'Hosts' file on the Mac OS X-only booting systems. The issue may be caused by users who are saving the file in RTF (rich text format). Try using SimpleText (in Classic) or BBEdit instead of TextEdit to create/modify your hosts files.

Some Titanium and 17" PowerBooks have a mechanical flaw preventing discs from being ejected from the optical drive. The two possible causes are the foam lining the opening of the optical drive slot or drive itself is not in alignment with the drive slot. Users have had to slide a key or something in the slot to give the disc room to come out.

MacFixit and Jan Fuellemann of Nova Media (a Macintosh mobile connectivity solutions provider) are investigating an issue between PowerBook 17" and some GPRS PC Card modems. The PC Card Modems cause Kernel Panics every time they are inserted into the laptops. Apple has apparently throttled back the allowed power consumption rate for the PC Card slot and may not be following exact PCMCIA standard specification. If so, this effectively eliminates the use of the GPRS modem cards with this line of PowerBooks.

There is a minor body design problem with the newly shipping 17" PowerBook G4, which disallows the use of security cables such as those manufactured by Kensington. The security cable slot is so close to the power input connector that it is difficult to use a Kensington security cable and run off AC power at the same time.

There are reports the display on some 17" PowerBooks dims slightly depending on where pressure is applied to the palm rest area. Applying pressure to certain parts of the notebook may affect movement of certain video connections and cause dimming and other screen problems. If your system is covered under AppleCare and you are experiencing these issues, have the internal video connectors on your PowerBook checked by an authorized technician.

Several .Mac users are reporting data corruption issues when uploading text documents, images, and other files to their iDisk. It may be that the .Mac servers are having problems with maintaining synchronization between the mounted image and the WebDAV mount. When asked, Apple's technical support department suggest those affected contact their Internet service providers.

MacFixIt reports that there are actually three separate iBook display issues masquerading as one:

1. Video "artifacts" progressing to eventual system failure
2. "Black screen" or "dimming" of the backlight, when screen is opened past a certain angle. This seems to result from damage to the ribbon cable running through the hinge.
3. "Black screen" or "dimming" of the backlight at random times, which can be temporarily solved by tapping on, or applying pressure to, the iBook case directly below the fn and control keys (to the left of the trackpad).
   

MacFixIt recommends that anyone with an iBook should consider picking up AppleCare or a third party warranty of some sort.

If you experience a loss of sound after installing either the new AirPort 3.0.2 or AppleWorks 6.2.7 releases, try re-applying the Mac OS X 10.2.5 combo updater.

To resolve file corruption that occurs when saving AppleWorks 6.2.7 files to remote servers, MacFixit recommends using MacLinkPlus to convert the corrupted AppleWorks 6 file to an AppleWorks 5 files and then opening the converted file. All of the text, graphics, tables, etc should be there. The only drawback is all text formatting, rulers, settings, and subtopics will be lost.

Apple has released an updater for the iPod digital music player, that provides improved battery management. This could solve a problem that may appear to shorten your iPod's battery life. Some users report having difficulty applying the updater. The updater application dismounts the iPod, then presents an error message. In some cases, the program indicates that the update has been applied, but the version number remains the same.

There are reports of "clicking" or "ticking" hard drive noise after upgrading to Mac OS X 10.2.5

MacFixit indicates that some users report SMB errors and problems with the Microsoft UAM setup after upgrading to Mac OS X 10.2.5. One solution is to apply the incremental Mac OS X combo updaters instead of the smaller "one-step" upgrades. Unfortunately, applying the one-step upgrade over a current Mac OS X 10.2.5 combo installation does not seem to resolve the issue.

There may be a "memory leak" with Mac OS X 10.2.6. uses have reported increased RAM usage and excessive pageouts, one of the base indicators of a memory leak.

Mac OS X in Brief

For those with subscriptions, MacFixit Has started to troubleshoot issues users have encountered while using the latest software and hardware updates from Apple including: Mac OS X 10.2.5, Mac OS X 10.2.6 iTunes 4.0, AppleWorks 6.2.7, Safari 1.0, QuickTime 6.1.1, QuickTime 6.2, iPods, iBooks, and PowerBook 17"s.

Microsoft Watch reports Apple is working to match XP's GUI [graphical user interface] responsiveness as well as launch, boot and log-in times. Read more.

The University of Washington has posted a new video dubbed "Mac OS X for UNIX Users." The stream is available in both Windows Media Player and IBM VideoCharger formats. Read more.

Philip Tejada has found that incremental Mac OS X updates are quite different from the combo updates. Using identical systems he updated one with the incremental updater, and the other with the combo updater and found over 2800 files were different on the two systems after the updates.

When attempting to install applications that require a Mac OS 9 boot on 2003 Macs, one solution involves using an older Mac with Firewire, a firewire cable, and a bootable Mac OS 9.2.x System CD.

• Turn off both Macs
• Connect both Macs via Firewire-Cable
• Start New Power Mac G4 2003 in Firewire-Modus (Press "T" at startup)
• Start Older Mac from Bootable System CD
• Go to Control Panel / Startupdisk
• Choose as startupdisk the volume of the New Power Mac G4 2003/System 9.1.6
• Restart the older Mac.
• Now the older Mac starts in Mac OS 9.2.2 from the New Power Mac G4 2003.
• Install the app.
• Important: Choose as Startupdisk MAC OS X from the New Power Mac G4 2003.
• Restart New Power Mac G4 2003
  

An alternative solution is to put the internal hard drive of the New Power Mac G4 2003 into the older Mac and to install the app there.

When you hold both the option key and the control key while clicking an application's icon, the "force quit" command in the apps contextual menu will be available no matter what the program's status. This is useful when quitting apps that are not sending an "application not responding" signal.

General News

Yesterday Apple and IDG World Expo announced made a joint announcement July installment of Macworld Expo will go on without Apple CEO Steve Jobs as "Macworld CreativePro Conference and Expo" and will take place July 14-18, 2003 at New York City's Javits Center. Read more.

Forbes reports that the industry group that spawned Wi-Fi released a new standard that may put the old one to shame. It extends the wireless range of Wi-Fi from roughly 300 feet to several miles and lets signals bounce around obstacles and penetrate walls. Read more.

NewsFactor opines on the recent increase in clustering device debuts, including Apple's cluster-friendly Xserve. Read more.

Economic Times reports that boxy, bland looking PCs may be doomed by the "...declining cost of flat-panel displays, increasing availability of high-speed Internet access and adoption of the WiFi high-speed wireless networking technology..." Read more.

IDG News reports that reducing software piracy by just 10 percentage points worldwide would generate 1.5 million jobs and add US$ 400 billion to the world economy. Read more.

MacScripter.net, a huge archive of AppleScript scripts, has been updated to an SQL database enabling better handling of user participation and a much improved GUI. The site is also now being syndicated, available in XML/RSS format. Read more.

The annual MacHack conference will go on as planned, despite Apple's decision to move its Worldwide Developer conference dangerously close to the event. Read more.

The organizers of MacHack have announced one-day training sessions to be held on Wednesday, June 18. These "intensive training sessions" are designed to complement MacHack's three days of presentations and papers. Cocoa Software Development and Tcl/Tk training will be available. Cocoa training will be lead by veteran Macintosh developer Chris Hanson. The Tcl/Tk training session will be led by Clif Flynt. Read more.

Apple has posted an online video of Frank Casanova, Director of QuickTime Marketing discussing the various QuickTime tracks and sessions in store for WWDC. Read more.

Apple will provide developers with a more complete preview release of Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther" at WWDC. Read more.

Apple offers "Early Bird" Workshops at WWDCApple has announced that it will offer WWDC attendees the opportunity to attend Early Bird workshops at no additional charge on Sunday, June 22. Apple engineers and third party specialists will conduct these "first-come, first-served" hands-on sessions. Attendees will be presented with the opportunity to implement the featured technologies at dedicated workstations provided during the workshops. Read more.

Cool Stuff

Sony is demonstrating Blu-ray drives and media for professional use as well as new multiformat DVD drives with rewritable speeds of 4x DVD+RW for desktop computers. Blu-ray is designed to allow a single-sided, 12-centimeter disc to hold up to 27GB of storage. Read more.

CompuCable has introduced the Power Reach KVM DUO, an electronic Dual-VGA KVM switch. Bundled with ADC and USB adapters, this kit is specifically designed to share PS/2 keyboard, mouse, and two VGA monitors between two Multi-Monitor G4 Systems (PC as well). The Power Mac G4 compatible version is priced at US$ 250. Read more.

BookEndz offers docking stations for late model ibooks and powerbooks. The stations allows for all of the peripheral devices normally connected to the side of the laptops to be plugged into the back of the dock, independent of the computer. Read more.

The iFM from Griffin adds an FM radio to the iPod in one integrated package that utilizes the iPod's own remote for its controls. With iFM you can scan and tune any FM radio station and save your favorites in six presets. The device will begin shipping this Summer. More. Read more.

Carismac Engineering manufactures a four-port FireWire hub that whose housing is a Godzilla-like Dinosaur. Called the "Firewire Dino", the creatures eyes and mouth light up when plugged into a Firewire bus. Read more.

London's City of Westminster Council is to bring 802.11b wireless networking to the streets of Soho. The scheme, dubbed the Westminster 4G project, will initially provide Wi-Fi connectivity for council operatives and remote systems. Read more.

Humor

Joy of Tech

• One of Us
• Bagdad Bob
• 10.3 Panther
• Easter Eggs
• iPod Top 10
• Mom

Events

Mac Design Conference

• Location: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Chicago, IL
• Date & Time: May 28-30, 2003
• Type: Conference
• Fee: Click here for registration information.
• Topics: Click here for information on sessions. Click here for information on exhibits.
  

JavaOne: Sun's 2003 Worldwide Developers Conference

• Location: Moscone Convention Center San Francisco, CA
• Date & Time: June 10-13, 2003
• Type: Conference and Expo
• Fee: Click here for registration information.
• Topics: Click here for information on topics & sessions. Click here to see a conference schedule.
  

MacHack 18: Unstoppble

• Location: Detroit, MI
• Date & Time: June 19-23, 2003
• Type: Conference
• Fee: Click here for registration information.
• Topics: Click here for information on topics & sessions.
  

Apple Worldwide Developers Conference

• Location: San Jose, CA
• Date & Time: June 23-27, 2003
• Type: Conference
• Fee: Click here for registration information.
• Topics: Click here for information on technology tracks.