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The December 19 gathering will be our Annual meetings. We will be electingofficers for next year and sharing a doughnut or two.
President: (open) (-----) Vice-President: Emil Cobb (e-cobb@uiuc.edu) Secretary: Kevin Hopkins (kh2@uiuc.edu) Treasurer: Richard Hall (rjhall1@uiuc.edu) Corporate Agent: Kevin Hisel
Now that the lid is off, we can admit that yes, we've had the Tungsten Tfor about a week. And while it wasn't the first Palm OS5 device to beannounced--that honor goes to the Sony NX70--this is the firstfully-functional, production-ready OS 5 device to arrive in our offices.The Tungsten T won't have that same paradigm-shifting impact as theoriginal PalmPilot did in 1995, but it will surely be this year’s handheldstatus symbol among mobile executives. Bottom line: We like it a lot betterthan we expected to, and declare it the best Palm-branded PDA ever.
The newest Palm is remarkable for a number of reasons. First and foremost,it runs OS 5, the next-generation operating system that finally allows PalmPDAs to embrace high-speed ARM-compliant CPUs. The Tungsten T is powered bya 144-MHz TI OMAP1510 processor and includes 16MB of SDRAM (plus anSDIO-compliant expansion slot), as well as integrated Bluetooth networking.Many people want to know if a Palm really needs 144-MHz of horsepower.Despite the incoherent ramblings of naysayers like fellow editor RickBroida, the answer is: Absolutely. Traditionally sluggishapplications--like the SilverScreen program launcher--snapped on-screeninstantly without any hesitation whatsoever. ARM allows Palm OS developersto release bigger, more complex applications, and that's a good thingindeed. Even six times the processing power can't speed up memory cardaccess, though; we still waited while some applications, like QuickOffice,read long text and spreadsheet documents from external memory.
Thanks to a component in OS 5 called PACE (Palm Application CompatibilityEnvironment), the Tungsten T runs virtually all of the legacy applicationsin the Palm library. In general, we found that it ran applications withouta hitch, though a couple of graphically intensive apps failed (we suspectthey broke Palm’s programming rules) and occasionally we saw momentaryapplication failure messages, generally when switching between apps. Thoughdisconcerting, those seeming incompatibilities with OS 5 never appeared toaffect the Tungsten or its stability in any way.
Palm has always had trouble making great screens, but this one is thecompany’s best ever. It boasts 320x320 pixels (four times the resolution oforiginal Palm devices) and 65,000 colors. We compared the Tungsten T to aslew of other color Palm OS screens from Handspring, Palm, and Sony. TheTungsten display is dramatically brighter and more vivid than any but theSony NR70's. And while the Sony has richer, more accurate color, theTungsten T has a brighter screen with a more paper-white background--justthe ticket for aging eyeballs.
As with the Sharp Zaurus, Palm designed the front panel of the Tungsten Tto slide, making it something akin to a convertible. When open, the unit is4.8 inches long. Slide it closed to cover the Graffiti writing area,though, and it shrinks to 4 inches exactly. That makes a big difference inyour pocket, but the style factor is arguably even more important--afterall, if pocket bulge were an overriding concern to Palm engineers, theTungsten T would not be over a half-inch thick. We were initially dubiousof the slide, expecting it to be wobbly, loose, or a maintenance nightmare.But after working with the handheld we changed our minds--it has a solid,rugged feel, and you can configure it to automatically turn on when theslider opens.
The only downside of covering the Graffiti area? That's not all you'recovering. We love shrinking the device when using the device passively,like when reading HandStory clips, but we found that we frequently had toopen the slider just to tap the application button and change apps.Eventually, we remapped one of the four quick-access buttons to theapplication launcher, and things worked much more smoothly.
The Tungsten T has a four-way rocker with a push button in the middle -theNavigator. Reminiscent of virtually any Pocket PC’s navigation pad, it’ssuitable for navigation and games, though many legacy apps don't know itexists. This is also the first model from Palm to include a digital voicerecorder, easily accessed from a button on the side of the case. Themicrophone is adequate for voice memos, and notes can be renamed or storedchronologically, and HotSync'd back to a slightly-revised Palm Desktop.
This is great stuff, but it's a plethora of little touches that demonstratePalm has learned valuable lessons about the PDA format in the last fewyears. At long last, we have a reset button that doesn't require you tofind a paper clip or disassemble the stylus; the stylus tip fits in therecess. A clear plastic cover protects the screen but has cutouts that letyou access the PDA’s controls, great for quickly checking your schedule orviewing a contact while on the run. The cover also snaps onto the back ofthe PDA when you need to work. Tap the Navigator button to see the time inup to three time zones, and the Tungsten T turns itself off a few secondslater. And while OS 5 is essentially the same as its predecessors, Palmradically improved the only element of the operating system that confusedmost people: the Prefs application. It’s now much easier to find and changesystem settings.
The Tungsten T uses Palm’s universal connector and, in fact, comes with astandard m-series USB cradle. The PDA’s integrated Lithium-Polymer batteryappears to have about the same runtime as an m515--a few days of frequentuse. The CD-ROM features a generous software bundle that includes Documentto Go Professional, ArcSoft PhotoBase, Bluetooth utilities, and games.
The last major innovation in the Tungsten T is Bluetooth, which delivers onPalm’s years-old promise of integrating the wireless technology. ButBluetooth configuration still needs some streamlining if it’s going tocatch on beyond the tech savvy crowd. To configure a connection like aBluetooth access point for your office LAN, we needed to visit threedifferent areas of Prefs: the Bluetooth settings, Connection options, andNetwork setup. Nor was it always obvious what we had to do to geteverything working--Palm offers no help in configuring your Tungsten for aLAN-based Bluetooth HotSync, for instance. If companies like Palm wantBluetooth to succeed, they need to go the extra mile to ensure that themost common tasks--like phone dialing, HotSyncs, and LAN access--arepainless for most users right out of the box. Once operational, theTungsten T’s Bluetooth worked like a charm. Palm supplies VersaMail, amulti-POP3 e-mail client that lets you view attachments like Word andimages. And thanks to built-in SSL security, Java support, and smartresizing of graphics, the new-for-OS 5 Palm Web Browser is able to functionlike a standard desktop browser. The only thing it lacks is the ability todownload and install Palm applications while on the go.
The bottom line is that the Tungsten T is the most innovative, useful newPalm since the old Palm V. It is more than just a beauty, though--it hasthe capabilities and simple elegance that will make it a winner withtech-savvy executives. The Tungsten T will be available for $499 and is thevery definition of a Handheld Computing Top Pick.
By Bob Sullivan, MSNBC
Dec. 11 ÷ Some time next year, there will be more spam than real e-mailfloating around the Internet. That"s the conclusion drawn from annualstatistics gathered by British e-mail filtering firm MessageLabs, which onWednesday delivered disheartening news to e-mail users ÷ delivery ofunsolicited e-mail rose sharply in the second half of this year. Theannual report also revealed that one in every 212 e-mails contained acomputer virus.
MESSAGELABS SOFTWARE sorts through 10 million e-mails a day, filteringeach note sent to one of its clients before sending it along to itsrightful recipient. That means the firm inspects over 3 billion e-mails ayear, making MessageLabs a popular source of virus and spam research data.
And according to MessageLabs Chief Technology Officer Mark Sunner, thedata shows clearly that spammers are currently getting much better at whatthey do. For the entire year, an average of 1 in 12 e-mails were spam; butthat number increased steadily in the past months. And by November, 1 inthree e-mails were spam. Because of that trend, the company predicted thatduring 2003, spam will overtake real e-mail.
Sunner blamed the recent increase on technology improvement which makespammersâ work easier.
"What could be behind (the increase) is the amount of tools and appliancesavailable now to these companies. You can buy e-mail appliance boxes whichwill ship millions of e-mails in an hour" he said.
MessageLabs release might seem to contradict a report issued earlier thisweek by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which concluded thatmost Americans donât have a problem with spam at work. But the two studiesmeasure different things, so they are not necessarily contradictory. ThePew report suggests that American workers only spend a few minutes a daydealing with spam ÷ in large part because spam aimed at office workers isstopped by various technologies, like the MessageLabs service.
Still, with some 30 percent of all e-mail being ãrubbish of one kind oranotherä ÷ spam, viruses, or pornography ÷ technology workers are engagedin a difficult fight to keep e-mail users from becoming overwhelmed.
"There is very much an arms race between people that are trying to getthis stuff out there and people trying to prevent it," he said.
STAYING POWER
Another disturbing trend in 2002 ÷ computer viruses that wouldn't go away.The Klez virus, which was introduced with little fanfare in the early partof this year, remains the worldâs most pesky computer bug. MessageLabs hasnow trapped 5 million copies of it, and it shows little signs of slowingdown. In November, 423,000 copies of Klez were found. That compares tohigh-profile viruses like the LoveBug or the Anna Kournikova virus, whichswept the globe quickly, but generally died down after a few weeks.
Klez is hard to spot because it arrives with randomly chosen subject linesand message body text.
Other viruses also proved to have staying power. Yaha, discovered in June,is still the worldâs second-most common bug.
VIRUS-LIKE SPAM
Sunner also said spam and computer viruses are beginning to merge, withcommercial e-mail solicitations now arriving with virus-likecharacteristics. "Friendgreeting" released in October, claims to be aharmless electronic greeting card ÷ but instead, it sends copies of itselfto everyone in the recipientâs e-mail address book.
There's also been a large uptick in spam "spoofing" when a commercial e-mail solicitor pretends to send a note from an innocent third party in anattempt to trick the recipient into opening the advertisement. Internetusers who've received angry messages from someone saying ãstop sending methese e-mails,ä know how frustrating that can be to both victims. And thebad news is, thereâs not a lot people can do to prevent a spammer frompicking up their e-mail address and putting it in the "From"field of aspam message,
"In terms of spoofing there isn't a lot you personally can do to stopsomeone," Sunner said. "It's an inherent weaknesses in e-mai."
Expect more greeting cards, spoofing, and other virus-like tactics in2003, the MessageLabs report says.
There is much to like about computing and plenty to hate. I guess thething I like most is that much of what is available in the computingcommunity is FREE and free software tops my list. As you all probablyknow, I am a great lover of well-written freeware utilities.
On the other side of the spectrum, I'm guessing one of the mostuniversally detested things about computing is "spam" or unsolicitedcommercial e-mail. If you have an e-mail account, you have undoubtedlyseen way too much spam.
So, when I came across SpamPal (http://www.spampal.org.uk/) I wasintrigued. Hmmm, a FREE program that promises to help me kill spamforever! I had to take a look. Here's what I found:
SpamPal is a very nicely written program for Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000or XP that identifies spam before it reaches your e-mail client. It actslike a separate POP3 mail server and downloads mail from your ISP's serverand notes the IP address of the machine that originally sent the e-mail.It then compares that address to a customizable series of publiclyaccessible spam databases on the Internet. If the originating IP addressof the e-mail matches a known spam-producing machine, it flags the e-mailas spam by inserting a custom phrase (the default is "**SPAM**") into thesubject line of the e-mail. It then passes the message off to your usual e-mail client.
The suspected spam messages will be very obvious to you when you read yourmail headers. The real beauty of SpamPal is that most mail clients allowyou to set up rules and automatically dispose of the offending messages ina number of ways. I've set up my mail client to detect the spam string"**SPAM**" and copy the message to a folder called "Junk Mail". I nevereven have to see these messages unless I look in the Junk Mail folder andreview them from time to time.
SpamPal works with just about all POP3 mail clients includingOutlook/Outlook Express, Eudora, Pegasus, Netscape/Mozilla, Opera andothers. It does not support proprietary e-mail services like AOL, Hotmail,Yahoo and MSN. SpamPal allows you to continue to use e-mail virus checkerslike Norton Anti-virus and AVG.
Setting up your e-mail program to access SpamPal is very easy. Just changeyour POP3 host to "localhost" and add and at-sign ("@") and your POP3server's name to the user name field.
For example, this:
POP3 Server: mail.yourprovider.net
Username: yourlogin
Becomes
POP3 Server: localhost
Username: yourlogin@mail.yourprovider.net
That's all you need to do to put SpamPal to work for you.
There are many configuration options to choose from, although the defaultsseemed to work just fine for me. There is even an option to run SpamPal onanother machine on your network if you don't want yet another programrunning all the time on your main machine. This is the option I chose.
How good is it at catching spam? So far, SpamPal has identified all myspam with 100% accuracy! Apparently these spam databases are pretty goodand are updated constantly throughout the day as spammers find newmachines to use for their dirty deeds. I have had very few false positives--a problem normally seen by spam filters which rely on content and/or key-word filtering. If you do have some false positives, SpamPal includes anoption to allow all mail from certain e-mail addresses to pass throughuntouched. It can even automatically identify mail that should be in thislist.
SpamPal is written and supported by James Farmer from the UK. Read moreinformation and download this wonderful, free utility from:
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA--Microsoft flew into the consumer productsmarket with Flight Simulator 20 years ago. Today, the division behind thattitle and its many offspring has reached $1 billion in annual sales,making it the fourth-largest revenue producer at Microsoft behind suchmonsters as Windows and Office.
Flight Simulator itself has spawned Flight Simulator Combat and numerousupgrades. An ongoing priority is to retain the attention to detail thatcaught the interest of armchair pilots in 1982, said Lisa Brummel,corporate vice president of Microsoft's home and retail products division.
Who would have guessed? Not Microsoft, which wasn't sure what home PCusers wanted back then, Brummel recalled.
"Bill [Gates] kept saying we had to be in this market," she said,describing the challenge of figuring out what people might do with PCsbesides bringing their work home. The quest prompted continuing researchand investment, dozens of successes that remain on the market today, andsome less successful products--like Microsoft Bob, a graphical buddy thatnever caught on except as a punch line.
Brummel reviewed the home division's evolution and offered a peek atupcoming products at the company's Silicon Valley Speaker Series eventhere Wednesday.
Early Hits Still Here
Some of those earliest products are keepers. Microsoft Encarta, introducedin 1995, has blossomed with online and CD-ROM components. Sports productslike Golf and Baseball have endured. Microsoft introduced its first mousein 1983 and continues to market an array of input devices.
Best-sellers include Flight Simulator and Age of Empires, a real-timestrategy game. This season, Microsoft has introduced a companion game, Ageof Mythology. The same division markets mice, keyboards, and the MicrosoftHome Networking Kit, introduced this year and already one of thedivision's top sellers.
Encarta encapsulates the ongoing goal of looking at familiar resources ina new way, Brummel said. People understood the concept of an encyclopedia,but they regarded it a set of static books used for school research.Technology has upgraded the encyclopedia to become a more easily updatedmultimedia resource. "We took advantage of technology and made somethingthat is compelling and better," she said.
That's the clue to what's next from Microsoft's consumer division. Homebroadband is growing, so Microsoft has launched Xbox (news - web sites)Live, offering multiuser online games. Digital cameras are among thehottest sellers of the year, so Microsoft has released a new version ofits photo-editing software, Picture It Digital Image Pro, with advancedfunctions that pick up where bundled software leaves off.
What's Next?
"Broadband has changed the home," said Brummel, who expects to producemore multiuser games and real-time play that combines local and onlineelements, like the Asheron's Call series. "You'll see our games evolve.Broadband is one of the key areas that will allow us to innovate in thefuture."
New versions of Money and Encarta are scheduled to ship in 2003, as areupgrades to Microsoft's Macintosh (news - web sites) applications. A newtitle, Impossible Creatures, will join the selection of fantasy-themedsoftware.
Hardware products, which make up about half of the Home and RetailDivision wares, are also evolving.
"We'll continue our innovation in mice and keyboards," Brummel said,pointing to such input devices as those with an ergonomic focus andvarious wireless devices. At Comdex (news - web sites), Microsoft showed aBluetooth keyboard. On deck are devices that support biometric functions,both for security purposes and for ease of use.
Familiar Flops
Microsoft has also learned from its failures--and its biggest lesson isthat the home is decidedly different from the workplace, Brummel said.
Bob is the most famous flop, but Brummel also cited the Actimates, acombination of software and talking plush toy--from Barney to theTeletubbies--that proved to be an ill-starred venture into an unfamiliarmarket. "Consumers said, 'You are not a toy company.' They didn't fit withwhat consumes expected from Microsoft."
Still, some partnerships in unfamiliar fields produced successes, such asthe pairing with Scholastic for the Magic School Bus series. Consequently,Microsoft continues to seek new shared ventures, Brummel said.
Microsoft also abandoned a brief venture into running a retail store. Oneoperated for about two years at the Metreon in San Francisco. "Ourstrength is not in running a retail shop, although it is certainly inparticipating in the retail environment," Brummel said.
Still Learning
The company has learned that consumer products carry a different pricetag. Business software sales trends don't mirror home budgets, Brummelsaid.
"We didn't understand that--if there was a $29 product and a $49 productand the $49 was way, way better--people would still buy the $29 product,"Brummel said. "We learned to produce $29 products. Good thing, too,because today they're at $19."
Nor are consumers willing to spend 3 hours learning to use, say, aspreadsheet, she noted.
Today's primary products include education, reference, personal finance,and digital imaging software, games, and hardware entries.
"It's been a great 20 years," Brummel said. "I'm looking forward to thenext hard bets we'll make and seeing whether they make it in themarketplace."
The December meeting of the Windows SIG will be a good onesince one lucky SIG member will walk away as the new proud owner ofMicrosoft's Picture It! Digital Image Pro 7. Digital Image Pro 7 puts youin control of your photos through a unique combination of powerful digitalimaging tools with helpful wizards and professional-quality photoprojects. Picture It! offers advanced tools that let you make your digitalpictures look the way you want them to. Choose from over 3,000professional photo projects or a wide variety of special effects toenhance your photos for sharing through prints, email, and the Web.
Features:
You must be present to win, so don't miss this month's meeting!
Intel is reportedly planning to offer limited overclocking functions onits own-brand motherboards for the upcoming Canterwood and Springdaleplatforms, a slight change from the chipmakerâs previous firm policyagainst overclocking.
According to sources, to enhance its competitiveness in the clone market,Intel has decided to allow users to adjust voltage and memory moduletransmission frequency on its own-brand Canterwood and Springdale boards,which are expected to be launched in the second quarter of 2003.
The move is regarded as yet another strategy by Intel to expand into theclone sector, a stronghold of rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD),motherboard makers noted. Earlier, the chipmaker surprisingly changed itsSpringdale chipset specifications from the original 677MHz FSB (front-sidebus) speed and dual-channel DDR333 memory architecture to an 800MHz FSBand dual-channel DDR400. AMDâs forthcoming K8 processors support an 800MHzFSB as well.
In addition to the Springdale updates, Intel has also pulled itsworkstation-use Canterwood chipsets into its desktop portfolio, appearingto try to attract more power users with products of greater performance,board makers said.
Supplied mainly to fulfill OEM orders, Intelâs own-brand boards usuallyfeature more mature, mainstream specifications. As a result, although itsmonthly output is almost as great as Taiwanâs first-tier makers and itsproduct price is also very competitive, Intelâs own-brand motherboardbusiness has not put much pressure on Taiwanese players in the moreperformance-sensitive clone sector.
Besides strengthening its operation in the clone sector, Intelâs newproduct approach is also believed to be a safeguard measure for itsprocessor sales, as its standard changes in Springdale chipsets mayprevent some less-resourceful motherboard makers from introducingsupporting products in time next year.
IBM confirmed that its PowerPC 970 processor, which is scheduled to beginshipping in the second half of 2003, has AltiVec-compatible executionunits, as noted by a MacNN reader: "The 970's multiple execution unitsincluding an AltiVec compatible vector processor are fed by an up to900-MHz processor interface bus, which can deliver data at a rate of up to6.4 GBps...In addition to high performance general -purpose processing,application-specific acceleration (such as multimedia) can be achievedthrough the AltiVec vector engine. Co-developed by IBM, this engine extendsthe PowerPC instruction set with 162 Single-Instruction, Multiple Data(SIMD) instructions."
Although Apple has not yet made a public statement, it seems some Macs thatcan boot into Mac OS 9 may remain available until mid-2003, contrary toApple's announcement in September that new Macs would stop being able toboot Mac OS 9 in January of 2003.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2002/sep/10macosx.html
According to News.com and MacCentral, Apple claims the move is foreducation users, who ostensibly are taking longer to move to Mac OS X than"the rest of us." Thus, Mac OS 9-capable Macs will reportedly includeCRT-based iMacs, the eMac, and the iBook. It's not clear whether thesesystems will be available to the general public or just to educationcustomers. However, Apple apparently also plans to continue selling a dual1.25 GHz Power Mac G4 configuration which can boot into Mac OS 9 forprofessionals who need applications like QuarkXPress which aren't yetavailable for Mac OS X. (TidBITS confirmed that Quark has contacted some ofits customers to inform them machines capable of booting Mac OS 9 will beavailable through mid-2003.) This high-end configuration is also ofinterest to music and audio professionals, most of whom have been unable tomove to Mac OS X due to lack of drivers and host applications. [GD]
http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0212/13.boot.php
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-977881.html
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/filmgimp/MacFilmGimp-0.10-3.dmg.gz?download
is a motion picture editing tool primarily used for painting andretouching of movie images: "Its application in feature movie productionsincludes the movies Scooby-Doo, Harry Potter, Stuart Little and StuartLittle 2. Film Gimp is the most successful open source tool in featuremotion picture work today. [It] is based on Gimp, the GNU ImageManipulation Program."
Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,56575,00.html
02:00 AM Dec. 02, 2002 PT
There are 25 million people around the world who use Macintosh computers,according to Apple. But unlike ordinary personal computers, people don'tsimply use Macs, they become fans. They develop a passion for the machines,which can sometimes turn into an obsession.
"Apple is like a strange drug that you just can't quite get enough of," themusician Barry Adamson told the Guardian newspaper. "They shouldn't call itMac. They should call it crack!"
Mac loyalty is so well-known, it's a clichŽ. Mac users are routinelyreferred to as Apple's faithful, Mac zealots, members of the cult of Mac,Appleholics, Macheads, Maccies, Macolytes and Mac addicts. The biannualMacworld conference is often compared to a religious revival meeting, whereSteve Jobs is worshipped like a rock star, or a charismatic cult leader.
The Mac community is arguably the largest subculture in computing. Macenthusiasts -- as a group -- are probably more loyal, more dedicated thanusers of any other computer, perhaps even Linux. Linux and Unix users are,in fact, switching to Macs in droves.
What other computer inspires fans to get tattoos, personalized licenseplates, amass huge collections of ancient machines, build Mac aquariums, orproudly describe themselves as Mac fans, Mac freaks, Mac nuts? The Amiga,perhaps, but certainly not Dell, Compaq or Microsoft.
What makes Mac users so loyal?
The answer, of course, depends on who is asked: Marketers say it's thebrand, psychologists say it's a social relationship, and Apple loyalists sayit's the merits of the machine, its friendliness, its simplicity.
But some common themes emerge: community, the alternative to Microsoft, andthe brand, which connotes nonconformity, liberty and creativity.
Mac users are not merely an ad hoc group of people who happen to use thesame kind of computer. They represent a distinct subculture, with its ownrituals, traditions and mindset.
"If you see somebody in an airport in London, or someplace down in Peru orsomething, and you see an Apple tag on their bag, or an Apple T-shirt, it'slike the Deadheads É you have an instant friend," Chris Espinosa, one ofApple's earliest employees, told Stanford Library. "Most likely, you sharesomething very core to your being with this person, which is a life outlook,a special vision."
One of the defining characteristics of the Mac community is its loyalty toApple. Through thick and thin, Apple's customers stick by the company. Thissummer, Apple upset the Mac community by suddenly announcing a $100 annualsubscription fee for its .Mac online services, which were formerly free. Ontop of this, an upgrade to OS X -- the kind of upgrade users usually don'tpay for -- would cost $130.
The new pricing policies prompted howls of protest. Websites, online forumsand news stories were full of acrimonious kvetching about "gouging" and"bait-and-switch." Long-time users launched petitions, fired off angryletters and for the first time in years, there were lots of threats to leavethe Mac platform altogether.
But despite the howling, there's been no mass exodus to Windows. Theopposite, in fact, seems to be true. Anecdotal evidence points to more andmore people switching to the Mac.
Could other companies get away with this? Probably not. Yahoo and Hotmail,which provide free online e-mail, have started charging for extra services,but supply basic service for nothing. Likewise, Microsoft's latest updatefor Windows XP is free.
Andrew Lackey, a visiting professor of business and economics journalism atBoston University, said Apple's monopoly in the Mac business allows it toget away with things companies in a competitive market can't.
"With Apple you're a captive, and to some extent they abuse that privilege,"Lackey said. "I would have thought Apple would be all folksy, like a Ben &Jerry's kind of company. But in my experience, PC companies are much moreresponsive."
The loyalty to Apple has led some to describe the Mac community asmasochistic, the "punish me harder" brigade in the words of the Register.
"They eat it up," said Matthew Rothenberg, an editor at Ziff Davis and alongtime Apple watcher. "It's like a B&D (bondage and dominance)relationship. There needs to a psychosexual analysis of the Mac community."
Customer loyalty was the only thing that saved Apple during the late 1990s,when the company was in danger of going out of business, according to GilAmelio, the CEO in charge at the time.
"It's the cult," Amelio told Computerworld. "It's what's kept the damn thingafloat through some of the most incredibly bad business decisions I've everseen anywhere."
During this time, psychologist Ross Goldstein was commissioned by a rivalcomputer manufacturer to figure out how to appeal to marooned Applecustomers if the company went under.
Goldstein, a clinical psychologist with the B/R/S Group, a market researchfirm, recruited a number of Apple users for a focus group. To qualify, theyhad to agree they would consider migrating to Windows if Apple went out ofbusiness. But as soon as the session started, they all reversed themselvesand said they'd never consider switching.
"They were steadfast in their resistance to moving over," Goldstein said."It was humorous. They were picked because they might switch, but they allsaid, 'I'll be an Apple user until my dying keystrokes.' The degree ofloyalty to the platform, and everything it represented, was so profound. Itwas fascinating."
Goldstein said participants' left brain, the logical side, was telling themthey might have to switch if Apple went under. But the right brain, theemotional attachment to Apple, rejected it. There was a profound sense thatApple was one of them -- counterculture, grassroots, human, approachable,Goldstein said.
"Apple really appeals to the humanistic side of people," Goldstein said."The image of the brand, the heritage, the experience. It really spoke towho they were."
By contrast, Microsoft was the dark enemy. "It was almost as though theywere prisoners of war," Goldstein said. "Microsoft had taken over thecomputer world and they might have to go over, but they would not do sowillingly."
As Goldstein discovered, for a lot of Mac fans, one of the major appeals ofApple is that it's not Microsoft.
To Mac users, Apple represents everything that Microsoft isn't. Appleinnovates; Microsoft copies. Apple puts out solid products; Microsoft putsout buggy ones. Apple represents creativity and individuality; Microsoftrepresents business and conformity. Apple is the scrappy underdog; Microsoftthe big, predatory monopoly.
Such is Mac users' derision, Microsoft is commonly referred to as Micro$oft,Microshaft or Microshit. Bill Gates, of course, is the antichrist. There'sthe common perception that Gates is in business for every penny he can get,while Apple exists to create great technology -- to change the world, inSteve Jobs' words. For Apple, turning a profit is secondary.
"There's a lot of ill will towards Microsoft for a lot of reasons," saidSteve Manning, co-founder of Igor, a brand consultancy in San Francisco,California.
"Microsoft crams a bad system down peoples' throats. It's the evil empire,big brother, a monolithic corporation. Apple has done a lot of things rightin the way they position themselves and the way they speak to the world."Manning said that while he's obliged to use a Windows machine at work, hewent out and bought several Macs for his home.
Like a lot of Mac fans, he enjoys the feeling that he's in control of hiscomputer, rather than Microsoft.
"At home, its nice to use a machine that the corporation can't force you touse," he said. "It's mine. It's personal. This is mine and you can't taintit."
This was forwarded to me, and I thought other CUCUG folks might like it...
http://uploads.newgrounds.com/68000/68643_sw_switch.swf
Greetings One and All:
What a great weekend is in store for Amiga and those attending theWorld of Amiga, and for those of you not attending I am sure that youwill be pleased with the progress that we have made as a companytowards shipping new products.
As you may remember from our last update we have broken up thecompany into two separate units. We have the desktop team focusingtheir attention on the AmigaOne and OS 4.0, and we have the MobileTeam who is focusing their attention on Amiga Anywhere and the contentcreation and distribution on the various products and platforms thatwe support.
These changes and the amazing hard work is now ready to be shown andannounced to all of you. Not only are you going to see new products,but we have been able to sign up some pretty heavy hitters withregards to new distribution and new retail availability of these newproducts.
The Desktop team is focused on new products and services for theAmiga community, and the Mobile team is focused on products andservices that are for the extended Amiga community, with our initialofferings targeted at the Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition, and theSmartPhone. Our first customer for the SmartPhone was announced withSendo as our partner for their Z100 phone, and now you will read aboutour next offering for PocketPC and PocketPC phone edition below.
Now we can begin the transformation from a development company to acompany shipping products that you are able to go out and purchase foryourselves.
With the above mentioned, here we go:
1. The office is moving and we will have the new address, and contactinformation up in the next week. So there is no need to worry aboutwhat is happening with the office, the change has been good for us. Weneeded to move into an area that is closer to the services and to thecompanies that we are working with.
2. AmigaOne is ready to fly, and I have attached the news fromEyetech here with this update. {See below for stories on AmigaOne.Brad} So congratulations to all and the community for your new Amigahardware.
3. OS 4.0 is almost complete, and the Hyperion team is working veryhard to get everything ready. They were delayed by having to completesome low-level work on the AmigaOne, and with their work completedthey are ready to crank out the last remaining bit of work to providea stellar achievement and package.
4. There will be some announcements coming in the next couple ofweeks from third parties who are now creating versions of theirsoftware for OS 4.0 and I have agreed not to steal their thunder butwill have them make their own announcements first and then we willcarry them on our site after they have made them.
5. Amiga Games Pocket Paks will be available around the Thanksgivingholidays through several resellers in the US and in England, includingCompUSA and mmO2 in England. Yes, what you are reading is correct.Amiga Games Pocket Paks volumes one and two will be shipping and readythis year at 29.95 each from several authorized retailers in the USand through mmO2 retail locations in England. These Pocket Paksinclude 4 game titles each, and we have two more packs following. Thisis great news as thousands of new customers here and in England aregoing to be able to experience Amiga Content on their Pocket PC, andPocket PC Phone Edition devices.
6. Amiga is also making available for release before Christmas AmigaSmartPhone Packs. These will be similar to the Pocket Paks, buttargeted for the new SmartPhones coming out this year. As you knowthey will run on the new Sendo Z100, and they will be available forthe new phones being offered by Orange also.
There are several more product announcements and partnerships comingin the next few weeks, but as mentioned before until it is real andready, we will wait. So some very big news with the readiness of theAmigaOne and OS 4.0 within the last 10% of completion, and theavailability of Amiga content being sold through National retailers inthe US and England, I would have to say that we have been very busyindeed.
So again I thank you for your patience and support, and now the nextsteps in our development begins. The transformation from developmentof products to shipment of products, has begun. I am really lookingforward to the next grouping of announcements, and product shipments.
Keeping the faith, and keeping it moving forward,
Bill McEwen and the rest of the Amiga Team
We all know that the current hard core of Amiga users is not enoughto build a sustainable and thriving community. We have to appeal tothose who, for whatever reason left the Amiga months and years ago butwho still retain a fondness for their old platform. Whetherdisillusioned with their existing offering, looking for a new way orsimply wanting to return, the marketing for the reborn Amiga mustconcentrate itself on these people, the five million or so who onceowned an Amiga and who could do so once more.
The last six months has seen us experimenting with presence atvarious multi-format shows and nurturing relationships with TV, weband paper publications in order to test the waters and to set out ourstall for the big push forwards. Even in this informal process, theresponse has been fantastic, whether in the US, the UK, Europe orAustralia. People remember the Amiga and want it back.
We have taken all this research and, in conjunction with Amigadevelopers, retailers, user groups, publications, Amiga Inc, Eyetechand Hyperion have decided that we will concentrate on four officiallarge scale multi-format shows around the globe, in order to maximizeour presence, message and exposure. This will compromise a showroughly every quarter, one for Europe, one for the US and Canada, onefor the UK and one for the Antipodes (Australia, New Zealand andAsia).
The first of these shows will be the official launch of the AmigaOneand AmigaOS4.0, to occur at the CeBit show in Germany in March (andbefore anyone asks, this does not mean this is the release date forAmigaOS4.0, it means that CeBit will be the public launch of it). Withthe huge exposure and attendance that CeBit brings in, and being inGermany, one of the spiritual homes of the Amiga, we think this anappropriate and exciting venue.
In addition we will support several other important national shows ona cooperative basis with the dealers, user groups and organizations inthose countries. Commitments have already been given to attend theSINTEP show in Toulouse, France in April 2003, and at least one of theMicromart shows in Birmingham, UK.
We will also support local dealers and organizers of the main Amigauser group shows worldwide (subject to fitting in with the schedule ofthe larger shows above) such as the Alt-WoA and WoA-SE shows in theUK, as well as the main shows in France, Germany, the USA and Canada.If you currently - or would like to - organize such a show during 2003and would like Amiga Inc, and/or Hyperion and/or Eyetech to attendplease contact us as soon as early as possible during the planningstage. Given the limited resources we all have, and the cost andcomplexity of planning for the quarterly shows, we cannot guaranteeattendance but we will do our best to support the community whereverit gets together to enjoy the Amiga platform.
So much for 2003 - what about the remainder of 2002, and inparticular the Aachen show? We have all, both as individual companiesand together, thought long and hard about this show. It has beendecided that the timing could not be worse from our respective pointsof view.
Eyetech is committed to delivering the Earlybird systems forChristmas that week and Amiga Inc is fully occupied fulfilling anAmigaAnywhere contract, and product launch. Whilst visiting with allof you is important, we believe that it is more important to shipproducts right now, and we simply can not work the show into ourschedules.
We wanted to share this with you because many in the community haveasked the same questions that we have asked ourselves. How will thecommunity grow and thrive? It can only do so through increased sales,and that means increased awareness. As we move from survival mode togrowth mode, the small, local shows, however much fun cannot providethis level of exposure and awareness. By marching proudly and stronglyinto the mainstream shows, and taking the community with us, we areannouncing that we are back, once and for all.
Have no doubt that after 8 years of darkness, 2003 will be the yearthat the Amiga once again makes the World remember that there is abetter way.
Thank you, as ever, for your continued support and commitment.
Bill McEwen and the team at Amiga
Ben Hermans, Hyperion
Alan Redhouse, Eyetech
Bilbo Baggins,
announcing his departure from Bag End
------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 1st, 2002: It saddens me greatly to announce that, effective today,any of my Amiga-related software development has been mothballedindefinitely. This means that, pending any unexpected developments, therewon't be any "Amithlon v2" (aka "Berniethlon"), nor any further support oradd ons for "Amithlon v1" by me.
I have almost two years of my time invested in Amithlon/Berniethlon, and alot of it was fun. However, the last nine months have been a completenightmare. I have been lied to, lied about, threatened, libelled and abused,and have had my IP rights violated. Worse yet, the self-styled "Founder andDeveloper of Amithlon" as well as the former distributor have apparentlyalso taken it upon themselves to threaten and intimidate anyone who so muchas considers cooperating with me --- be that Amiga dealers, the P96 team,Chris Hodges, or the provider for www.amithlon.net.
I am a stubborn old fool, which is the only reason I have put up with thatsort of harassment for so long. But no matter how stubborn I am, it gets tome. Oh, does it ever get to me! The last few months, I have only been ableto go to sleep if I was completely and utterly exhausted --- and then wouldwake up too early, and be fatigued the whole day. And most mornings I wouldwake up wanting to scream, and to put my head through the plaster wall, justto forget about this whole crap for a few seconds. After a few months ofthat, I simply can't go on.
It's not just me who suffers, either --- due to the constant interference byH&P and HF, I have been unable to earn any money from my work on"Berniethlon"... That money was meant to take me and my girlfriend toGermany for Christmas, so my family could finally get to meet the woman inmy life. Alas, no sales, no money, no trip. Disappointment and distress allround. And, trust me on this one, wanting to put your head through the wallis not one of the most sought-after qualities in a boyfriend, either.
So, this crap has to stop. And as the other parties have made it absolutelyclear that they have no intention of relenting, I have to call it quits. Iwill make one last set of off-site backups of all the important code, andthen simply remove it from my disks. I will take apart and reuse my testmachine, and start working on something completely different. To quoteLudwig von Beethoven: "Applaud, friends, the comedy is over".
A few more things --- as far as I am concerned, AmigaOS XL as (still)distributed by H&P contains my IP without a license. According to the lastcommunication I had from Amiga Inc, it also contains their IP without alicense (please note that I cannot verify the veracity of that claim; I amsimply passing on what I have been told). Further unresolved IP issues existwith regards to the AmigaOS XL package. Thus, if you consider respect forintellectual property important (and let's face it, a market as small as theAmiga one is certainly doomed if you don't), I must strongly advise againstpurchasing AmigaOS XL. If you are looking for a commercial and fullylicensed package to run Amiga software on the PC, I can only recommendCloanto's excellent package Amiga Forever 5.
Also, have a look here if you are wondering why I closed down this site. No,it's not (just) because the bandwidth costs money.
If you have always wondered who did what for Amithlon, have a look at abreakdown I prepared a few months ago. Please note that I prepared it, andthat there is every chance that one prepared by Mr. Frank would lookdifferent.
If you are interested in seeing my comments and thoughts on the aftermath ofthis (and in seeing how things are going in general), have an occasionallook at http://www.umilator.net (guess what "Berniethlon" was going to becalled :), which I intend to turn into a personal weblog site duringDecember.
This is indeed a very sad day for me. I consider this outcome a horriblewaste that does not benefit anyone, least of all you, the users. Let meclose by expressing my sincerest gratitude and appreciation for each andevery supportive email I have received, each encouraging word that has beensent my way, and most of all, for the joy you have given me through yourappreciation of my work. And while at this point, I can't help but mourn forwhat could have been, I hope that some day, I will instead think of Amithlonand rejoice at what was....
Bernd Meyer
November 21, 2002 - The meeting was going when I arrived.
There was a discussion going on about gaming machine capabilities thatweren't being used. The hardware has more potential than what is used.
Mac Info - Jaguar introduces Journal file keeping in the 10.2.2 update.(Comments about this below...) It helps with figuring out what ishappening when. It is also something that helps you to recover from acrash. It doesn't seem to cause a performance hit while running. The 10.2.2update seems to be quite quick in general. (I, personally have noticedthis since upgrading my computers at work.- ELH)
Jack brought his new 'Windtunnel' G4, the MDD or Mirrored Dual Door. It iscalled the 'Windtunnel' because the cooling fans are louder than in otherG4's. He was to be using it in his SIG demo regarding OS X. It is a dualprocessor with a DVDR and a CDRW. Another of the Melby 'Super Macs.'
The release of the new 1 Ghz, Superdrive DVD burner equipped, Powerbookwas discussed.
X-box info - X-Box Live is online. The device requires broadband. Theset-up is available and the servers are up. The kit costs $50 and includesa headset with microphone, software to run it, two demo games and a one yearsubscription to the services. The rub is that nobody seems to know howmuch the service would cost after that first year. Another rub is that itrequires a credit card hooked up to it to be able to use it. This couldcause some customer satisfaction problems if the product is bought andthen the price skyrockets. But 'they' don't want to say what the price is forthe following years. And even the forums don't seem to know.
There are other concerns as well. Something about MS using it to ferretout 'mod-chip' boxes. And, in the typical fashion, the system will also tossout some boxes that are not modded. Kinda like killing a roach with ahand grenade.
A member brought a new SONY DVD writer he bought a Best Buy for $330. Ithas USB 1&2, Firewire, DVDR, DVDRW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, CDR, CDRW... "The onlything it doesn't do is RAM." And, it's actually 'Plugs & Plays!" Mike saidthis was the first Firewire device he has connected to his XP box. Hestarted up an application that was supposed to NOT recognize Firewire andwas pleasantly surprised by the drive showing up immediately. The discussionwent to the capabilities of various DVD drives and formats of writing theinfo. Single layer versus dual layer discs. Some movie companies have beendeliberately putting more on commercial DVDs to frustrate copying. Emilmentioned a piece of software for duping DVDs that are supposed to beexact duplicates. But several others spoke up saying that it doesn't makedual layer DVDs. Rich related a similar experience with another lower endFirewire Sony DVD burner that works very well, too.
"Kinda like a Mac!" someone said. Kevin Hisel piped up with "Laugh all youlike but Windows has had Journal File keeping for years!"
Another ALDI computer flyer was passed around. The computer was packedwith everything and more, but there was no price. If they are up to formit will be cheap.
So making back-ups of your DVDs is a rather difficult process for theamateur. But it is becoming easier all the time. There is a forum regardingDVD back-up at www.dvdxcopy.com that can help with some questions.
Tornado Net is now Volonet. They are up and running. Rich gave a rundown oftheir capabilities: $28 a month, you get 256 gig up and download. More isavailable for a cost. They are supposed to be from 6-10 megabyte throughput up and down. It is line-of-sight with repeaters. It is fairlyexpensive. They install and maintain the equipment, you lease it. They hopeto have installation down to $200 soon. Another option for the C-U area, butnot too far outside of town. There are two repeaters in the area, one inCherry Hills and another in downtown Urbana. They are supposed to be goodin the rain and many other sorts of inclement weather. They hope to be athigher frequencies within a year.
The conversation turned to elections. The floor was opened up tonominations for President and fellow cohorts. Rich Hall was nominated forTreasurer, Kevin Hisel for Corp. Agent. Emil Cobb for Vice-pres. KevinHopkins for Secretary. I should also note Kevin's STUNNING,CONSTITUTIONALLY UPSETTING, NOMINATION & ELECTION, by unanimous voicevote, in-absentia, to the position of President! Congratulations, Kevin!!(IT'S A JOKE!! They made me do it!! - ELH) In actuality, we need acandidate for President. There is talk of drawing straws at the nextmeeting.
The discussion turned to the new club wireless set-up. It should allow allwireless equipped computers to connect with little or no trouble. Thereseems to have been a SNAFU at the last board meeting. Seems the messagesgot crossed and the unit was not purchased. But, at the next meeting weare supposed have a running wireless connection up and running. Anyonewith a wireless equipped portable or an ethernet cable can hook up with anice quick connection.
There was a discussion of Jaguar 10.2.2 Update. A free update and theupcoming 10.2.3 will be too.
Evidently, the standard HP inkjet printer and scanner drivers are crap.But, there are Linux drivers that work available on the web. Backgroundprinting will slow down the machine.
10.2.2 has good support for many digital devices like cameras andvideocams. It includes all the new 'i' apps, iCal, iMovie, i, i, i, i!There was talk of Chimera (a Mozilla Product). It is called Navigator becauseChimera is already taken by a PC software company. Jack likes a feature thatbrings up your favorites list via the icon in the dock. It is very fast.There was a question about browsing Windows machines with the new Jaguarinterface. Jack seems to think it threatens Thursby's Dave out of the market.(I haven't tried this feature out on the VLAN at my place of work - ELH)
Jaguar allows journal file sorting. "It keeps track of all write accesses toyour disc." It is shipped disabled. This so the amateur doesn't screw uphis disc. The idea is that, in the event of a crash, you can recover yourfiles much easier. The system will not have to do a 'fsck' at start-up.You only have to scan part of the file system as opposed to the entiresystem. It reads the log and can then relocate the files more directly.There are several forms of journalling systems around. There are plusesand minuses with each. But, it was recommended by all the Unix people inthe group. Several people wish they, Apple, would turn it on by default.There seems to be no real downside except a small performance hit.
Jaguar info - If your system seems to be slowing down... use Disc Utility.It can be found in the OS X Applications folder in the Utilities folder.It replaces Disc First-aid. You will need to Repair Disc Permissions. Thisis one of the first things to check and repair. It may take some time, butit can increase the system's performance noticeably.
Jack mentioned a few third party applications, such as, Drive10, a usefulutility from Micromat. It has a good optimization feature. Of course,FruitMenu again. (I wonder if this guy has stock in Unsanity??) And ASMnow a payware - $15. (I have both of these as well. They are very useful.As well as, Labels X and Windowshade X. Apple needs to incorporate manyof these features into the basic OS X - ELH.)
Question - Is OS X Unix? Answer - Yes.
A request to create a User Account followed. He wanted to see the basicdesktop. Jack used the System Preferences to create a new user. The system comesset-up with the first user being the administrator, but not at the rootlevel. When the administrator makes a new user it creates a folder in theUsers folder and each user has his own desktop folder as well as acomplete set of support folders. If the Administrator deletes an unwanteduser, the file is still around, but in a 'Deleted User" folder. If youre-enter the system as Root, you can delete it completely. You need toknow how to use the the Terminal or you log out and then log back in asRoot. But you have to enable 'Root Access' via 'NetInfo Manager,' a powerful,and thus, dangerous application. This may not be something a novice willwant to mess with.
Emil asked about adding sounds to the system. Jack said it's easier thanbefore. Sounds are AIFFs, a common format. Add them via the Sound Pane.You will need a USB method of sound input if you don't have the sounds onyour disc or a CD.
VersionTracker was recommended to get the latest of freeware, shareware andupdates.
We talked about the 'responsiveness' of the new OS X update, 10.2.2, Jackthought it was much quicker than 10.1.5. (I have to agree - ELH) Jackcrowed a little about his new dual processor G4. Several wanted to knowwhat he did with his old machines? "I give them to my son," Jack says."What does your son do with his old machines?" we ask. Jack didn't say.Jack has supposedly hired one of the chief developers for Chimera to workon a native browser for Apple. The idea is to dump Internet Explorer asthe resident browser. Which begs the question, says Jack, 'WillApple's new web browser be called iBrowse??? Groans all around...
There was a question about customizing the Dock. Jack pulled up the SystemPreferences and opened the Dock preferences. He explained the variousoptions. Then he shows TinkerTool which adds many more options to the theDock preferences than are available in the standard issue OS X.
He talked about CharView - a keycap-type application. It is a fontcharacter display application from a Russian developer.
Q - Can OS X use TrueType fonts?
A - Yes. It prefers them, but it does Type 1 Postscript and also willtake OpenType fonts.
Q - Are there theme packages for OS X.
A - Yes, but Jack isn't into them. So he is not familiar with the what andthe where of themes.
Q - Most system repair software seems to repair OS 9 Classic. Is theresoftware that works on OS X?
A - DiscWarrior does.
Jack decided to show us his repair set-up. Jack being Jack has a discpartition for just about everything. He makes disc repairs via his RepairPartition. It includes CarbonCopyCloner This app clones a bootable OS Xpartition to another partition or drive. It maintains bootability andresolves related alias problems. It's free. He also has Drive10 fromMicromat, Disc Utility & Disc Copy, two Apple utilities. (He has 2 120 GBdrives with 9 visible partitions and 1 invisible partition. He has twoversions of Apple DOS, two versions of Windows, and Xwindows on his machine.)
Disc optimization was discussed. There are pros and cons, we reviewedsome of them.
The owner of Mousing Around, formerly Misbehaven' Macs, came to the meetingand passed out a few cards at the end of the meeting. He had to change thename because Apple didn't like the first one. He was looking for those thatmight be interested in working on broken Macs . Several expressed interest.
Emil Cobb spoke about a feature in the "Access" preference pane. Thekeystroke is Cmd, Opt.+ & - enlarges the scene for the sight impaired.
The SIG was starting to degenerate and several different groups startedtalking amongst themselves. Eventually we shut the show down and wenthome. A good time was had by all.
The November meeting of the CUCUG executive board took place on Tuesday,November 26, 2002, at 7PM, at Kevin Hisel's house. (For anyone wishing toattend - which is encouraged, by the way - the address and phone number areboth in the book). Present at the meeting were: Emil Cobb, Mike Latinovich,Rich Hall, Richard Rollins, Jack Melby, Kevin Hopkins, Kevin Hisel, and JimHuls.
Emil Cobb: Emil reported that 13 attended the Linux SIG and that numbergrew to 28 at the Main meeting.
Ever the contrarian, Emil chairing the Board meeting, decided to call onthose present in counter-clockwise order around the room, so Jim Huls cameup first.
Jim Huls: Jim said the General meeting was cool, and Mike Latinovich andKevin Hisel agreed with him that the Tech SIG was likewise "cool." Jim saidthe XBox thing turned out well and Ed Serbe and George Krumins did a nicejob presenting it.
Kevin Hisel: Kevin presented the long dormant Library Cash Box toTreasurer Rich Hall.
Kevin said the meeting had been enjoyable throughout. The dissection of themonitor had been very interesting. Mike said we hadn't had anything likethat in years.
Kevin pointed out that we have a Presidential crisis. We need to have aPresident and, as of yet, no candidate has stepped forward. Speaking of hisown candidacy for Corporation Agent, Kevin joked, "If anybody runs againstme, I'll immediately go negative." Consider yourselves warned.
Kevin Hopkins: Kevin distributed the mail from the P.O. Box.
Jack Melby: Jack noted that he didn't have much, since he had been awayfor two months "on medical leave." Jack said he had done a Question andAnswer session of OS X Jaguar at the last Mac SIG. Emil reported that therehad been a lot of good questions.
Richard Rollins: Richard said, "I'll get the doughnuts for the Decembermeeting."
Speaking of the last meeting, he said the XBox demo went really well. "Ididn't realized the XBox would do all it will do." He noted the DVD kit isnow included free.
Richard reported someone wanted to do a PC tablet demo. Richard said hehimself would do a video demo early next year and that it might be good asa combined meeting topic. He said we should also do another "build-your-ownPC" night next year, perhaps in March. He concluded by asking others to"Please come up with ideas for presentations."
Kevin Hisel interjected that Jim Huls had won Publisher as the Win SIGmeeting and would do a review of it. Jim seemed surprised by this later bitof information. Kevin said that at the next WinSIG meeting he would begiving out Digital Image Pro, a program that lists for $89.99 onAmazon.com.
Rich Hall: Rich reported that we had received a rebate on our taxes fromthe State.
There was a discussion of the parameters of the Annual Report to be givenat the December General Meeting.
Mike Latinovich: Mike said he had thoroughly enjoyed the Tech SIG at thelast meeting.
There was a discussion of the new wireless system being purchased for theclub hardware for the meetings.
Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at theIllinois Technology Center. The Center is located at 7101 Tomaras Ave inSavoy. To get to the Illinois Technology Center from Champaign or Urbana,take Neil Street (Rt 45) south. Setting the trip meter in your car to zeroat the McDonalds on the corner of Kirby/Florida and Neil in Champaign, youonly go 2.4 miles south. Windsor will be at the one mile mark. Curtis willbe at the two mile mark. Go past the Paradise Inn/Best Western motel to thenext street, Tomaras Ave. on the west (right) side. Tomaras is at the 2.4mile mark. Turn west (right) on Tomaras Ave. The parking lot entrance isimmediately on the south (left) side of Tomaras Ave. Enter the building bythe front door under the three flags facing Rt 45. A map can be found onthe CUCUG website at Membership dues for individuals are $20 annually; prorated to $10 at midyear. Our monthly newsletter, the Status Register, is delivered by email. Allrecent editions are available on our WWW site. To initiate a user groupexchange, just send us your newsletter or contact our editor via email. Asa matter of CUCUG policy, an exchange partner will be dropped after threemonths of no contact. For further information, please attend the next meeting as our guest, orcontact one of our officers (all at area code 217): Visit our web site athttp://www.cucug.org/, or join in our online forums athttp://www.cucug.org/starship/index.php . President/WinSIG: Jim Lewis 621-2343 lewisj@pdnt.com Vice-President: Emil Cobb 398-0149 e-cobb@uiuc.edu Secretary/Editor: Kevin Hopkins 356-5026 kh2@uiuc.edu Treasurer: Richard Hall 344-8687 rjhall1@uiuc.edu Corporate Agent: Jim Lewis 621-2343 lewisj@pdnt.com Board Advisor: Richard Rollins 469-2616 Webmaster: Kevin Hisel 352-1002 Mac SIG Co-Chair: John Melby 352-3638 jbmelby@johnmelby.com Mac SIG Co-Chair: Charles Melby-Thompson 352-3638 cmelby@princeton.edu Linux SIG Co-Chair: John Ross 469-0208 hurricanejohnn@prairieinet.net Linux SIG Co-Chair: Kris Klindworth 239-0097 kris.klindworth@Carle.com
912 Stratford Dr.
Champaign, IL
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