News Common PC Mac Amiga CUCUG
The January 18 gathering will be one of our combined SIG meetings. Quentin Barnes and Dale Rahn will deliver an OpenBSD "firewall" presentation. Besides general issues concerning firewalls, Quentin has @Home and Dale has Prairieinet, so they can answer specific questions about Net security with regards to these services as well. If you were ever concerned about how your machine interacts with the Internet, this will be a meeting of considerable interest.
Illinois Technology Center
101 Tomaras Ave.
Savoy, IL 61874
From Champaign or Urbana, take Neil Street (Rt 45) south to Savoy. If you set the trip meter in your car to zero at the McDonalds on the corner of Kirby/Florida and Neil in Champaign, you only go 2.4 miles south. Windsor will be at the one mile mark. Curtis will be at the two mile mark. Go past the Paradise Inn/Best Western motel to the next street, Tomaras Ave. on the west (right) side. Tomaras is at the 2.4 mile mark. Turn west (right) on Tomaras Ave. The parking lot entrance is immediately on the south (left) side of Tomaras Ave. Enter the building by the door under the three flags facing Rt 45.
More directions and a map can be found on the CUCUG website at:
http://www.cucug.org/meeting.html
This will be a trial run to see how everyone likes the new meeting center. More information about the meeting itself will be in the Status Register e-mail which you will receive prior to the meeting. Stop by on the 18th and let us know what you think of this new facility.
We welcome any kind of input or feedback from members. Have an article or review you'd like to submit? Send it in. Have a comment? Email any officer you like. Involvement is the driving force of any user group. Welcome back to the group.
http://www.cucug.org/cucugapp.html
Membership is still only $20. You could save that easily with just one answer to a vexing computer question!
In a move unanimously hailed by the trade press and industry analysts as being a sure sign of incipient brain damage, Linus Torvalds (also known as the "father of Linux" or, more commonly, as "mush-for-brains") decided that enough is enough, and that things don't get better from having the same people test it over and over again. In short, 2.4.0 is out there. Anxiously awaited for the last too many months, 2.4.0 brings to the table many improvements, none of which come to mind to the exhausted release manager right now. "It's better", was the only printable quote. Pressed for details, Linus bared his teeth and hissed at reporters, most of which suddenly remembered that they'd rather cover "Home and Gardening" than the IT industry anyway.
Anyway, have fun. And don't bother reporting any bugs for the next few days. I won't care anyway.
Linus
[Editor's Note: For a listing of the changes since the prerelease, check out http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2001-01-05-001-04-NW-LF-KN .Additional coverage can be found at http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-4379807.html .]
Wed, 03 Jan 2001 - Amiga has announced the release of BoingBag2, the second patchset for AmigaOS 3.5 (for those who haven't upgraded to OS 3.9). The BoingBag2 patch is 1.2 Meg and can be downloaded from
http://www.amiga.com/3.5/support.shtml
or directly from
http://www.amiga.com/3.5/download/BoingBag2.lha
Tue, 09 Jan 2001 - Due to some minor problems with BoingBag #2 Amiga has decided to release AmigaOS 3.5 Boing-Bag #2a. Please simply install it on top of BoingBag #1 or #2. Download of the LHA archive (1.6 MB) at
http://www.amiga.com/3.5/download/BoingBag2a.lha .
Content of the BoingBAG:
Workbench
AmigaMail
Utilities
Datatypes
ASL-Library
(c) Amiga Inc., 34935 SE Douglas Street, Suite 210, Snoqualmie, WA 98065 USA
Iomega's new Peerless drive system, debuting this month at CES and MacWorld Expo, are new PDA-sized drives that utilize a $250 base station that is "slightly" larger than the disk itself (a slim, vertical enclosure about four inches across and five inches tall). The "disks" are available in 5GB ($130), 10GB ($160) and 20GB ($200) capacities and are fully sealed, offer transfer rates of up to 15 MB/sec with the FireWire interface, and include chip-based identifier technology data security. FireWire and USB 1.1 interface modules are expected to be available in mid-2001 in the US and in the third quarter in Europe and Asia/Pacific. USB 2.0 and SCSI versions due "as follow-on products."
LAS VEGAS--Microsoft's entry into the video game business will no doubt inspire a number of marketing gimmicks, but it will be hard to top Saturday's: Bill Gates sharing a stage with professional wrestler "The Rock."
The only-in-Vegas pairing happened as Gates took the wraps off the Xbox, Microsoft's highly anticipated bid to gain a chunk of the lucrative video game market and the software giant's biggest detour yet from the PC business.
"There's a revolution that's about to take place in game consoles," Gates promised before removing a black shroud covering an Xbox unit.
The Xbox debut was the finale of Gates' keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show, during which the Microsoft chairman also previewed Whistler, the next consumer version of the Windows operating system, and showed prototypes of several Pocket PC-powered gadgets.
The technical details of the Xbox--scheduled to go on sale this October backed by a $500 million marketing campaign--have been known since March. Gates, however, used the CES appearance to show off the actual box and its sophisticated graphics capabilities.
The main unit is a squarish black box that looks more like an expensive clock radio, and the controllers are--not surprisingly--similar to Microsoft's Sidewinder game controllers for the PC.
More important than the plastic, though, were the game demonstrations. Graphical software performance is one of the factors that will determine how well the Xbox will do against Sony's PlayStation 2. If the demonstration is any indication, the companies are destined for tight competition.
Gates and Seamus Blackley, head of Microsoft's Xbox division, ran demonstrations of several Xbox titles, which featured detailed graphics and smooth animation that looked more like a Disney movie than current video games.
"If there's an area where breakthroughs in hardware and software could really change the business, it's got to be video games," Gates said. "This is a breakthrough device. It's a new thing for Microsoft."
Blackley said Xbox titles will benefit from raw hardware horsepower--a 733-MHz processor, a beefy hard drive, a 250-MHz graphics processor--but also clever configuration. Microsoft has spent extra effort in putting the system together in a way that makes it easy for software writers to exploit features and write programs.
Numerous game developers have complained that market leader Sony made its new PlayStation 2 console so difficult to program that current games harness only a fraction of its power.
"One of the basic premises of the Xbox is to put the power in the hands of the artist," Blackley said, which is why Xbox developers "are achieving a level of visual detail you really get in 'Toy Story.'"
Among the Xbox titles in development is a World Wrestling Federation game, which led to the closing appearance by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who noted a number of similarities between himself and the software guru. "Both The Rock and Bill Gates are known worldwide for their vast array of catch phrases," the wrestler noted.
Analysts have cast the Xbox as Microsoft's Trojan horse to enter the living room, where it could serve as a conduit for Internet content, an interactive TV controller and myriad other functions. But Ed Fries, vice president of games publishing at Microsoft, said such plans are low priorities.
"We've been fighting a lot of battles all along to make this box all about gaming," he said in an interview after Gates' speech. "Whether it makes sense long term, if Xbox works its way into that networked home Bill was talking about, we'll see about that later."
Fries said Microsoft hasn't settled on target numbers for initial Xbox sales, but he said the European release of the console was delayed until next year mainly because the company wants to have a strong launch in the United States and Japan.
"We don't want to disappoint gamers," he said, in a not-so-veiled reference to Sony's PlayStation 2 shortages.
In addition to the Xbox shenanigans, Gates also echoed Intel CEO Craig Barrett's keynote the night before by describing a home of the future where PCs will control everything from digital picture frames to home theater systems using wireless networks. Naturally, Gates opined that Microsoft software will be the glue that binds it all together.
"The PC is going to be the place where you store the information and really the center of control," he said. "Software is the key to making sure we don't have islands of information."
The Whistler preview focused on the start-up screen, which allows for easy switching between user profiles without rebooting, a scanner and camera "wizard" that simplifies the storing and distributing of digital photos, and enhanced networking capabilities for running all those devices throughout the home.
"We created a machine you'll be leaving on 24 hours a day," Gates said. "We're taking the PC and the wireless infrastructure to make it available throughout the home."
One of the new devices that may connect to that network is a high-tech alarm clock that runs on calendar information and plays music files beamed from the PC. The prototype looked like an Apple Computer iMac shrunken to cell phone size.
"That alarm clock has the full power of your schedule, your user preferences...in a device that's very inexpensive because it runs off the power of the PC," Gates said.
Gates' vision of the networked home also includes a big role for handheld computers running on Microsoft's Pocket PC software. The most impressive Pocket PC demonstration involved a voice recognition software package that will allow a person to speak information into the handheld and control basic functions by voice. Other Pocket PC software in the works will allow handhelds to be used as a remote control for shuttling digital music from a PC to a networked stereo system.
Television also was a focus for Gates, who demonstrated enhancements to Microsoft's interactive TV software that allow viewers to record multiple programs simultaneously.
"Music will not be the same now that it's digital," he said. "The same with television--television will not be the same once it's fully in digital form."
Apple Computer's forthcoming operating system got a big endorsement Wednesday.
Microsoft announced it will release a version of Office for Mac OS X in the fall, marking the first truly significant software developer to back Apple's next-generation operating system.
Analysts had warned that without a version of Office, or a similar productivity suite, running natively under Mac OS X, Apple would face problems getting businesses to switch to the new operating system.
"This is a very significant announcement for Apple," Gartner analyst Chris LeTocq said. "Frankly, this is the endorsement they needed."
Until Wednesday's announcement at Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Microsoft refused to reveal a timetable for a Mac OS X version of Office, with some analysts speculating the company would not deliver the product until early 2002.
Mary Becker, group product manager of Microsoft's Macintosh business unit, explained the change in the company's position with regard to Office for Mac OS X.
Becker said that when Microsoft unveiled Mac Office 2001 in July, "a lot of people in the industry were saying, 'What does OS X really look like? What does it really mean to the industry?' There was a lot of uncertainty."
But much has changed since the summer. "The difference between then and now is that Apple is further along" with OS X, Becker said. "If you take a train analoge, we didn't know where we were headed. We do now, and Microsoft's on the train."
Given that Microsoft only started shipping the current release, Mac Office 2001, in October, the company definitely faced dwindling gains by putting out another version of Office so soon, say analysts.
But Microsoft did back Mac OS X in other ways, such as shipping a version of Internet Explorer with the operating system's public beta, or test version, in September.
Still, Microsoft's commitment to delivering Office for OS X is a huge win for Apple, particularly because software developers have not flocked to the new operating system as aggressively as the company had hoped, Technology Business Research analyst Tim Deal said.
"This is a good development for Apple," Deal said. "It certainly helps promote Mac OS X. I believe Apple still needs to get additional developers onboard for Mac OS X to reach the potential they are shooting for."
Becker concurred that Microsoft's full backing for Mac OS X sends an important message.
"We've worked hard to partner with Apple, but the industry looks and asks, 'How does Microsoft view things? If they're on board with OS X, then things must be going well,'" she said. "They look to us as an overall temperature check and gauge."
Regardless, Apple may have delivered a tacit ding Tuesday to Microsoft, its largest software development partner. During his keynote speech at Macworld, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs on several occasions referred to applications appearing in the autumn as "laggards."
Becker defended Microsoft's decision not to release Office for Mac OS X until later in the year.
"Office is a very large set of applications," she said. "There are 25 million lines of code. It's not as easy as saying, 'Hey, we're going to port it over to OS X.' It takes time."
She also emphasized the importance of the project for Microsoft.
"We're moving on to Mac OS X. It's our No. 1 priority for 2001," Becker said.
Jobs also announced that Mac OS X will go on sale March 24 for $129 and appear on new computers starting in July. The much anticipated, but long-delayed, operating system overhaul is the most significant change to Mac OS since 1984 when Apple released the Macintosh.
In the meantime, Apple on Tuesday released Mac OS 9.1, which added new features designed to ease the transition to the new version.
With the Mac OS X release date firm and no longer "a moving target," other major developers may finally give the operating system the support it needs, said LeTocq, who praised Microsoft's responsiveness.
"For Microsoft to produce a major application like Office six months after code freeze is pretty good timing on their part," he said.
For a limited time, Microsoft plans to offer a 50 percent discount on the upcoming Mac OS X Office to anyone who buys the current release, Mac Office 2001.
Microsoft has set the price for the upgrade to Office for Mac OS X at $299 and the full version at $499.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker also is working on the first update to Mac Office 2001. The update is essential for ensuring that the software suite runs smoothly under Mac OS 9.1 and Mac OS X's "Classic" mode.
Besides revealing its future Mac OS X Office plans Wednesday, Microsoft also released the beta version of Outlook 2001 for the Mac.
Becker said Microsoft plans to release Outlook 2001 in the summer. Outlook differs dramatically from Entourage, the email client and contact manager included with Office 2001. Whereas Entourage is a stand-alone product, Outlook requires Exchange Server and offers a variety of collaborative features.
Apple Computer, like many individuals, has a New Year's resolution: Trim the fat fast.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company is kicking off the new year with massive price cuts across its entire line of business systems--PowerMac G4 and Power Cube G4 desktop systems, PowerMac G4 server and PowerBook G3 notebooks--and apparently abandoning long-standing rebates.
The new deals are available through the online Apple Store and via some catalog and online Mac dealers.
On New Year's Day, Apple cut prices by as much as $1,100 in a nearly unprecedented pricing action.
"I think $1,000 is fairly steep. I wouldn't say it's the biggest I've ever seen, but it's definitely steep," said Tom Ostrander, senior Apple product marketing manager for direct marketer MacConnection.
For businesses interested in Apple products, the time to buy Macs couldn't be better. Apple's top-of-the-line dual 500-MHz-processor PowerMac G4 now sells for $2,499, or $1,000 less than on Dec. 31. Apple's bulkiest PowerBook now goes for $2,199, down from its $3,499 introduction and last week's $2,999 selling price.
Apple's price cuts come as the company has failed to clear a backlog of inventory from dealers' shelves. The computer manufacturer had used rebates of up to $500 to boost sales, but that effort apparently failed. According to market researcher ARS, Apple has 11.5 weeks of systems sitting on dealers' shelves, up slightly from about 11 weeks when the company issued a profit warning early last month.
"This says to me they have to clear a lot of stuff, a lot of inventory, out," said Gartner analyst Kevin Knox. "Bottom line, they're not selling systems, inventory is building up, and they're doing everything in their power to get rid of this stuff."
A drop-off in December
Preliminary retail sales data for the first half of December shows Apple sales plummeted 40 percent, according to market researcher PC Data. By comparison, all retail PC sales declined more than 20 percent for the period.
With the Macworld trade expo about a week away and an industrywide price war brewing as Compaq Computer and other PC makers look to clear off store shelves, Apple is backed against a wall. Rumors of a new PowerBook notebook and faster PowerMac G4s have churned up excitement about the expo, where Apple typically introduces new products.
"Apple needs to clear out its inventory glut in order to prepare for the introduction of new products at Macworld," said Technology Business Research analyst Tim Deal. CEO Steve Jobs "wants to start the year with a clean slate in order to more effectively create hype for new or upgraded products," Deal said.
But to sell new systems, Apple must first clear the shelves of the old ones. The cost of doing this could affect Apple for some time. Many analysts had speculated Apple would not cut prices, relying on rebates to spur sales.
That the company significantly slashed prices shows how little effect the rebates had on sales, said PC Data analyst Stephen Baker. "They're in plenty of trouble now," he said. "They obviously have got to find some ways to move some product and get back on track."
Lowering prices now could make it harder for Apple to introduce new products at a higher price later, analysts say. Apple typically has brought out beefier systems for the same price as the old, keeping prices fairly level over time.
"They usually wait for new products to get into the channel before they start to take price actions," Knox said. "I wouldn't say it's desperation mode, but they're feeling a lot of pressure to get rid of the stuff that's out there."
Inventory woes
The inventory problems are expected to contribute to a projected fourth-quarter loss of as much as $250 million.
Apple apparently rode the upgrade cycle of its core users, which analysts said dropped off around the time the company introduced new models--including the G4 Cube--in July. But slow sales followed, including a disappointing back-to-school selling season, driving Apple's inventory from about 3.1 weeks in June to more than 11 weeks in December, according to ARS.
"We're at a point where Apple has probably never been before, with sales falling and inventory building," Knox said.
Slow sales of the stylish G4 Cube apparently blindsided Apple. Apparent cracks in the housing and the stiff $1,799 entry-level price hurt Cube sales, which, Apple acknowledged, contributed significantly to its projected revenue shortfall. The price cuts put Apple's Cube where many analysts said it should have been in the first place: $1,499.
"I anticipate that Apple, now humbled by the lackluster demand of its G4 Cube, will showcase a line of products at Macworld with more features and less fluff," Deal speculated. "Apple must now get back to basics and clearly recognize the needs of its target market."
At the high end, the PowerMac G4 cuts put Apple within reach of higher-end PCs--typically 1.4-GHz Pentium 4 desktops--and the system offers a second processor. Still, Mac OS 9.04 and most Mac software cannot really take advantage of the second processor. That support will come with the release of Mac OS X, now in beta.
The PowerMac G4 with two 500-MHz G4 processors, 256MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive and a DVD-RAM drive now sells for $2,499, down from $3,499. A similar model with standard DVD drive, as Apple phases out DVD-RAM, dropped to $2,399 from $3,199. The dual-450 system now sells for $1,999, discounted from $2,499. Apple's entry-level, 400-MHz single-processor G4 is $1,299, compared with last week's $1,599.
Both PowerBook notebooks have been deeply discounted. The top-of-the-line 500-MHz G3 model goes for $2,199, down from $2,999. The 450-MHz PowerBook now sells for $1,999, a discount of $400.
Apple also cut its G4 server to $3,099 from $4,199.
While Apple may be clearing out commercial systems to make room for new models to be introduced at Macworld, Knox sees signs of trouble ahead.
"This probably spells a pretty bad fourth quarter for Apple commercial, as well as consumer," he said.
[Source: The Commo-Hawk Computer User Group newsletter, "The File" January, 2001. CHCUG's address is P.O. Box 2724, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52406-2724.]
Some time ago, the topic of a task snooper for Windoze came up .. I learned that there's actually one with it, allegedly since 3.1 even, called "drwatson.exe", usually in the /win95/system directory, or a similar place in other versions, just use the find-thing to get it. Running it should bring an extra icon to the systray, which offers crash logs and running .DLLs with dependencies etc. .. I don't get that icon on this box (weird as is), but it worked on another one that my brother showed me. Just in case it helps anyone .. :)
If you cannot afford Norton or McAfee, Network Associates has a good, free virus checking program that is available. You will have to register, though.
The Network Associates checker is free and available at http://www.webattack.com
Kevin Hopkins:
Skal, which one are you referring to specifically? I found a page full of freeware virus checkers at http://www.webattack.com/freeware/security/fwvirus.shtml , but would like to know your recommendation.
Skal Loret:
That would be the InoculateIT Personal Edition.
ftp://ftp.cai.com/pub/marketing/ipe/IPESetup.exe
Barry Steenbergh:
I'd agree with you. You can't beat the price. :) A more direct link to it is:
"g'o'tz ohnesorge":
Another option is F-Prot. F-Prot is freeware, and should be available from the usual big download sites.
[Source: The Commo-Hawk Computer User Group newsletter, "The File" January, 2001. CHCUG's address is P.O. Box 2724, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52406-2724.]
SAN FRANCISCO--Looking to re-energize the Mac faithful and boost sagging sales, Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday unveiled faster Power Macs that will reach speeds of 733 MHz and come equipped with CD-RW drives.
"The last several months of 2000 were particularly challenging for Apple and our industry," Jobs said in his keynote speech at Macworld Expo here. "We've decided to start 2001 with a bang."
Jobs also introduced a thinner, faster PowerBook laptop and pushed back the schedule for Mac OS X's release to late March.
As expected, Jobs unveiled four new Power Mac models with PowerPC G4 processors ranging in speeds from 466 MHz to 733 MHz.
Three of the models will come equipped with CD-rewritable drives. The top model will have what Jobs dubbed a SuperDrive, a combination CD-RW/DVD-recordable drive. The SuperDrive can read and write DVDs that can then be played in mainstream DVD players.
Jobs also announced that the long-awaited Mac OS X will be available for purchase for $129 on March 24. However, Jobs added that the new operating system will not be pre-loaded on new Macs until July when the bulk of the new OS X applications will be available.
Apple had originally said it would begin shipping the new operating system last year, but instead decided to offer it as the "public beta," or test version, last September. At last year's Macworld Expo, Jobs had promised the new operating system would become Apple's default operating system on new models beginning this January.
Jobs said July's Macworld Expo in New York will be the "coming-out party" for Mac OS X applications.
Wearing his trademark black turtleneck and faded blue jeans, Jobs succeeded in rousing the 5,000-person crowd into cheers. To illustrate the speed of the 733-MHz Power Mac, Jobs staged a mock battle between the machine and one with a 1.5-GHz Pentium 4. The Apple G4 rendered a complex 3D graphic 12 seconds faster than the Pentium 4.
"This highlights the megahertz myth. What matters is how fast the machines are," Jobs said.
Welcome relief
Of the four new Power Macs, the bottom two are available immediately, and the other two will be available in February. However, Jobs said Apple will probably not be able to meet demand for the 733-MHz model in the first quarter.
The prices for the four models are $1,699 for the 466-MHz system; $2,199 for the 533-MHz system; $2,799 for the 667-MHz system; and $3,499 for the 733-MHz system.
The bottom two models will come with 128MB of RAM, the top two with 256MB. All four models come with new audio systems, CD-RW drives and AGP 4x (accelerated graphics port). The three faster models also come with Nvidia graphics cards.
Although Apple isn't heavily touting it, the company's online store also allows people to purchase a dual-processor 533-MHz system for $2,499.
The faster processors and other improvements to the Power Mac line come as welcome relief to the graphics professionals and others who use Macs at work.
Adam Tatro, production support coordinator for Williams-Sonoma, said the new Power Macs will run the programs he uses faster, meaning less time spent waiting.
"It's well within our budget," he said. "You get what you pay for."
When addressing the CD-RW drives, Jobs acknowledged Apple's tardiness. "We're late to this party. But we're here," he said.
To further show that Apple has recognized the free digital music revolution, Jobs announced a program called iTunes that lets people rip and burn CDs, manage playlists, and play Internet radio. The program is available now as a free download.
Jobs also introduced iDVD, a program that allows people with the new "super drives" to create their own DVDs with digital video and photographs. The software will be bundled with the super drive-equipped Power Mac.
Apple also moved the Power Mac to a faster, 133-MHz system bus and speedier, 133-MHz memory chips.
The new PowerBook G4 notebook bulks up and slims down at the same time. Jobs called it "the fastest notebook in the world."
The new notebook has a titanium case, five hours of battery life and a slot-loading DVD drive. It can be ordered with a 400-MHz and 500-MHz processor, 120MB to 256MB of RAM, and a 10GB to 20GB hard drive. The notebook ranges in price from $2,599 to $3,499.
The PowerBook G4 has a 15-inch, extra-wide screen. The notebook is 1 inch thick and weighs 5.3 pounds.
Jobs compared the new PowerBook with Sony's Vaio 2505, saying Apple's model is thinner and has a larger screen.
The new PowerBook will be available at the end of January.
Mixed reaction
Analysts offered a mixed take on Jobs' announcements.
"Are these things enough to help them tremendously in their recovery? No. But it keeps them fresh, relevant and innovative," said Anne Bui, an analyst at market researcher IDC.
In particular, Bui questioned the way Apple positioned its new software. Jobs clearly aimed iTunes and iDVD at consumers, she said, yet the only models with a CD-RW drive are the new Power Macs, and only the top-end Power Mac has the SuperDrive needed to burn DVDs.
Owners of iMacs and iBooks can still use iTunes either without the CD-burning feature or by adding an external drive. Jobs said the necessary software to allow iTunes to run on popular makes of external drives will be coming shortly.
Apple must have felt it needed to get all its new software out, Bui said, adding that the company is likely to beef up its consumer machines in the coming months.
"The sense I think Apple had was 'We've got to do something now,' especially with the state they have been in," Bui said.
Gartner analyst Chris LeTocq praised Apple for taking more than a speeds-and-feeds approach to the new systems.
"The message was great," LeTocq said. "In a competitive marketplace, in a tight PC market place, emphasizing the value of your systems is great."
By positioning the new Power Macs for specific purposes, such as recording music CDs or making movies, Jobs showed the value of new Macs compared with other computers, LeTocq said.
"But the reality underneath is: If you want to write a DVD movie, there's only one way to do it, and that's to shell out something like 3,800 bucks."
David Bailey, an analyst at Gerard Klauer Mattison, called Jobs' announcements "strong."
"They definitely met the expectations of the Mac fan base," Bailey said. "The big question is: Can they go beyond their (current users) and reverse their weak sales at a time when demand is deteriorating. I think the answer is no. But that is not because the products are weak. It's just very difficult timing."
News.com's Joe Wilcox contributed to this report.
Is Titanium tough enough to reverse Apple Computer's sagging fortunes?
The Titanium PowerBook G4 notebook--the long-anticipated successor to the PowerBook G3--more than any of the products introduced at this week's Macworld Expo epitomizes what Apple needs to build its market share. But some analysts believe the Titanium is so loaded with features that Apple is sacrificing huge profit margins in order to gain a bigger chunk of the portable market.
"Apple's biggest problem is they lost a lot of market share in the corporate space, and they're clearly trying to build that back," Mobile Insights analyst Tim Scannell said.
Apple is by no means a leader in the notebook market, but the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has been picking up speed.
During the third quarter of 2000, Apple had 2.9 percent share of the worldwide notebook market, up from 2.1 percent year-over-year, according to Dataquest. In the United States, Apple's notebook market share rose to 4.98 percent in the third quarter, up from 3.6 percent a year earlier.
For comparison, Toshiba led the worldwide market with 13.6 percent share in the third quarter. Dell Computer led the U.S. market with 21.4 percent share.
"Apple's real success will rest on its ability to pull notebook users away from their Dells, Toshibas and Sonys and firmly plant them in front of a PowerBook," Technology Business Research analyst Tim Deal said.
While much of Apple's more recent hullabaloo over new products focused on consumer styling and features, the Titanium is clearly geared for the professional market.
Apple CEO "Steve Jobs is thinking about the business market by offering such a light and rugged computer," Scannell said. "At the same time, he's not sacrificing style."
The 1-inch thick portable sports a titanium case, a 15.2-inch display, a slot-loading DVD drive, an integrated modem and networking, USB and FireWire ports, and 802.11 wireless-networking capability. It weighs a scant 5.3 pounds.
Other niceties: Reflecting Apple's typical engineering innovation, Titanium's keyboard is attached with magnets and pulls off easily, allowing simple access to upgrade the memory.
"No one else offers such a large display at such a low weight," ARS analyst Matt Sargent said. "It's an impressive system, and I think it will sell very well."
The new PowerBook also bridges the speed gap between Apple notebooks and desktops, offering a choice of 400MHz or 500MHz G4 processors. Apple moved its professional line of Power Mac systems to the G4 chip more than a year ago, but PowerBook buyers had to contend with slower G3 processors.
Timing is everything
Besides packing powerful features, Titanium also is really "cool looking," Scannell said. But unlike the iMac, the iBook or even the Power Mac, the new PowerBook's styling is likely to attract a wide range of people, including corporate buyers.
Analysts have long faulted Apple for not taking the business market seriously enough. The company has instead focused on established segments, such as education and graphics, and on rekindling consumer interest.
But for Apple to expand or even just survive, the company must win more than just Mac enthusiasts, said Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney. Apple must convince technology managers and corporate chief information officers that its products offer enough value and features to justify the headaches of running mixed PC and Mac systems.
Scannell agreed. "Apple has to make the attack on the enterprise side in order to go forward," he said. "They have to get away from being a consumer-y type company."
The timing also is right because more and more businesses want to provide their most productive employees, as well as managers and salespeople, with notebooks.
This contrasts sharply with the timing of Apple's ill-fated Power Mac G4 Cube, which suffered from slow sales and brought the company praise for style but little else. Apple released the Cube in July--at about the same time its core users completed their "typical 18-month upgrade cycle," Sargent said. "It's not surprising the Cube sold poorly."
Titanium's release, by contrast, is expected to ride pent up demand for a faster, sleeker Mac professional notebook. Apple also benefits from an overall growing portable market.
"Apple's first tenuous steps to introduce a new product after the Cube debacle may prove to be in the right direction," Deal said. "The Titanium notebook certainly represents a more conservative design approach for Apple, but it will appeal more to corporate customers--a market Apple could undoubtedly exploit more."
But Titanium's design is also striking. This is important, Scannell said, because many notebook "purchases are being made as work-style decisions." He noted that IBM--which chose to make the shells of its ThinkPad notebooks with titanium composite--also realized this and stylized its notebook line.
Dulaney sees the new PowerBook appealing to sales and other professionals needing "an image product."
At what cost?
One of the biggest things going for the Titanium is value, analysts say, which is something unusual in a Mac notebook.
"Something they are doing with this system--and it's something they have not done in the past--is being price sensitive with PCs," Sargent said. "If you compare PowerBook to PC notebooks, the price-performance just hasn't been there."
Apple's consumer portable, iBook, comes close, Sargent added.
The entry-level Titanium model sells for around $2,600, making it about the cheapest notebook that packs a 15-inch display.
Dulaney scoffed at the pricing, wondering how Apple could make any money on the Titanium.
"It must be a loss leader," he said. "There's no way Apple can sell titanium casing and that large a display and make money on this."
He also faulted Apple for using titanium casing, calling it a marketing ploy. "Complete titanium is a waste of money," Dulaney said.
Apple's low-cost, low-profit approach is simply "a way to gain market share," Dulaney said. "They're probably afraid of losing their core graphics or advertising talent."
An Apple representative wouldn't respond.
"We are in a quiet period (before earnings) and cannot comment on financials," the representative said. Because of this, "we're not going to comment on margins. We're not going to comment on that assertion, if you will...We think it is just an incredible product and that titanium (casing) brings a lot of value to the product, something our customers are going to love."
Apple announces earnings Jan. 17.
Other analysts questioned the assertion that Apple would sell any titanium model at a loss but conceded that the profit margins are likely very slim for a notebook.
"If Apple can capture three or four points of market share in the business market, it's worth even selling it at a loss," Scannell said.
The faithful speak
The reaction from people attending Macworld in San Francisco showed strong interest in Titanium.
Donna Morris, a media specialist dealing with education in Orlando, Fla., owns a G3 PowerBook and is considering buying the Titanium. "It's awesome," she said. "I would really like to have another one. It's just coming up with the bucks."
Fred Johnson, an anchor with Yahoo's Financevision Webcasting unit in Santa Clara, Calif., said he ordered one immediately after Jobs' keynote speech but is rethinking the decision. One reason is the performance and feature differences compared with the new Power Macs.
"It's a sexy machine all right, but you're still giving up a bit," he said. "It's cool and I may still get it, but it's those little, fundamental things."
Still, Titanium's broadest appeal may come from creative professionals, who could benefit from the portable's wide display, rather than the more squarish shape found on other notebooks.
"The Titanium notebook seems well suited for the independent filmmaker who needs to edit on location," Deal said. By integrating a larger screen along with its trademark FireWire connectivity, Apple is capitalizing on its strong digital-video editing competencies."
News.com's Ian Fried contributed to this report.
[Editor's Note: Available Configurations as delineated at http://www.apple.com/powerbook/specs.html .]
Order no. M7952LL/A M7710LL/A Processor 400-MHz PowerPC G4 500-MHz PowerPC G4 Backside level 2 cache 1MB 1MB Memory (PC100 SDRAM) 128MB 256MB Display 15.2-inch (diagonal) TFT 15.2-inch (diagonal) TFT Video memory (SDRAM) 8MB 8MB Video controller ATI RAGE Mobility 128 ATI RAGE Mobility 128 Hard disk drive 10GB Ultra ATA/66 20GB Ultra ATA/66 Optical drive Slot-loading DVD-ROM with DVD-Video playback Ethernet Built-in 10/100BASE-T Built-in 10/100BASE-T Modem 56K V.90 56K V.90 Wireless networking AirPort ready AirPort ready
SAN FRANCISCO--Although Mac fans are applauding Apple's new DVD- and CD-burning software, some will be dismayed to learn that they don't have the hardware required to take full advantage of the programs.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled iDVD and iTunes on Tuesday during his keynote speech at the Macworld Expo here.
The iDVD program, which lets Mac owners burn home movies and photos onto discs that can be played on a standard DVD player, only works if someone has a DVD-recordable drive. And that drive will be found only on the upcoming top-of-the-line Power Mac.
The free iTunes program runs on all computers using at least version 9 of the Mac operating system. But the CD-burning function requires a CD-rewritable drive that Apple is adding, at least for now, only to its business-oriented Power Mac line.
Analysts worry that Apple is offering software that primarily appeals to consumers but is including the necessary drives only on business models.
"No one who (buys) an iMac today can use iTunes to create CDs without buying additional hardware," said David Bailey, an analyst with Gerard Klauer Mattison.
Because there are no new consumer models with a CD-RW drive, analysts say, it will be tough for iTunes to become a significant force in driving Apple's sales in the near term.
IDC analyst Anne Bui also questioned Apple pitching iDVD as a program that will let someone make movies and send them to Grandma.
"Are you or I, as average computer users," Bui said, "really going to be able to shell out $3,500" for a machine capable of running iDVD?
Apple vice president Phil Schiller said in an interview that iDVD is aimed at consumers, professionals and the education market. And Apple expects that the new SuperDrive, a combination CD-RW/DVD-recordable drive on the top-model Power Mac, will eventually make its way into lower-priced Macs.
"We are selling a solution that we hope someday everybody will" use, Schiller said. "To get there is going to take a bunch of time."
Gregory Stapp, an opera singer and longtime Mac devotee who was at Macworld, said he already records his performances and would love to put them onto DVDs. But he prefers his PowerBook laptop to the pricier and less portable Power Mac desktop. For him and others on the go, Stapp said, an external SuperDrive would be ideal.
"Nobody's going to want to tote around a tower," he said, explaining why he won't purchase the new Power Mac. "And price is always an issue."
Schiller would not give a timeframe for adding CD-RW drives to the iMac or say when the SuperDrive might be more broadly available.
In his speech, Jobs noted that until now, just the drive to record DVDs has cost in the neighborhood of $5,000, and now it is available in a $3,500 computer.
Schiller likened the SuperDrive to the Apple LaserWriter, which was revolutionary for those who could afford the laser printer's $5,000 price tag when it debuted in the 1980s. Eventually, the LaserWriter became something everyone could afford.
Like the LaserWriter, Schiller said, iDVD is a breakthrough today even though it's not available to everyone yet.
Bui also questioned whether iDVD will be a major factor in education sales, noting that many schools are fighting to cut costs even on basic supplies.
"Most school districts are struggling with their budgets to afford basics such as chalk," Bui said.
However, one Alaskan educator at the show said he was excited about iDVD. He pointed out that a number of students could do most of the work on their projects on less-expensive machines, meaning that one Power Mac with SuperDrive could serve a computer lab of 10 or more students.
Bui said Apple might have wanted to wait to announce some of the products until it came out with new consumer models. But the company may have felt under pressure to make a strong showing at Macworld in the wake of slowing sales, she said.
Apple has issued earnings warnings for the past two quarters and is expected to post its first quarterly loss in three years when it reports fiscal first-quarter earnings later this month.
Apple executives are also clearly trying to lay out a longer-term vision for the company, with Jobs touting the Mac as a "digital hub" that can make other consumer electronics--such as an MP3 player, camcorder or DVD player--more useful.
"For once, we decided to be a little bit more (open) about the vision," Schiller said.
Bailey said Apple is clearly responding to customer concerns but is finding that reworking its product line takes time.
"That was apparent in the new PowerBook because they included a DVD (drive) instead of a CD-RW drive," Bailey said.
SAN FRANCISCO--Apple's move to incorporate Nvidia's chips into its new, speedier Power Macs is a further changing of the guard in the ever-turbulent and quickly consolidating graphics chip market.
Apple announced Tuesday that its newest Power Macs will come standard with Nvidia's GeForce2 MX chips in all but the slowest model, which will come with ATI's Rage 128 Pro chip. ATI's higher-end Radeon chip remains an option on all the new Power Macs that are custom built.
For Santa Clara, Calif.-based Nvidia, already an industry darling, the move is another sign of its rising-star status. Analysts say the move is a further blow to the former top dog--Canada's ATI Technologies--which was in all Macs before the new models announced at this week's Macworld Expo trade show here.
"Their market share, at perhaps their biggest customer, could disappear over the next several years," said Peter Glaskowsky, an analyst with Microdesign Resources. "It's up to ATI to prove it's a better supplier of chips. That is going to be difficult to do."
Nvidia's move into the Apple market was expected, as Nvidia first said last year that the GeForce2 MX was Mac compatible. Nvidia chief executive Jen-Hsun Huang told CNET News.com in November that the next news about Nvidia's Mac plans would probably be coming from Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
ATI characterized the decision to add Nvidia's chips as simply a move by Apple to broaden its portfolio of suppliers.
"Apple is one of the last, if not the last, tier-one PC manufacturers to adopt a second source strategy," ATI spokesman John Challinor said. "Doing so, in our opinion, is a good strategy. It's a strategy we've used for years."
Glaskowsky disputed ATI's take on Apple's move.
"I don't really think this is representative of a company that is looking for a second source," Glaskowsky said. "I think it looks more like a company looking for a different source."
Ruffling feathers
ATI ruffled Apple's feathers in July when it announced that its chips would be part of iMacs and Power Macs that Apple had not yet introduced.
ATI has been losing share to Nvidia in general in the overall PC graphics chip market.
In addition, the graphics chip industry has been consolidating rapidly, with a number of companies exiting the market, including 3dfx and Gigapixel, both of whose assets were picked up by Nvidia.
However, Glaskowsky said that even if Apple wants to move exclusively to Nvidia, such a move will take time--at least a couple of years. Among the reasons: ATI has strengths in video processing, and much of the existing base of Mac software is optimized for ATI cards.
Nvidia spokesman Derek Perez said the company plans to include Macintosh support on all its future product lines.
"The only thing limiting us in this market is Apple's adoption," Perez said. "It may be a slower growth cycle than on the PC side."
Mac owners had been asking Apple for some time to offer Nvidia's chips.
Daniel Krach, who both uses and sells Macs at Di-No Computers in Pasadena, Calif., called Nvidia a welcome addition to the Mac lineup. Nvidia chips probably won't be a big driver of sales to professionals, Krach said, but the lack of Nvidia graphics is one reason that Macs haven't been the machine of choice among hard-core computer gamers.
"This will sort of even it up a bit," Krach said, while browsing Apple's booth at Macworld.
Consumers' options
For now, Mac customers who want Nvidia graphics will have to buy one of the new Power Macs because there are no Mac-specific add-on cards that use Nvidia chips. Perez said Nvidia is not working with any graphics board maker to offer Mac-compatible add-on cards, which enhance graphics performance, and would do so only if Apple wanted such a product.
However, Glaskowsky added that he would be surprised if there weren't third-party cards by next Christmas.
And for many people, Glaskowsky said, ATI's Radeon chip still remains a better bet because it is faster and compatible with more Mac software than the GeForce2 MX, a low- to midrange chip in Nvidia's line.
However, Glaskowsky expects that by summer, Nvidia's forthcoming NV20 will be the best Macintosh graphics chip on the market.
"NV20 will definitely be faster than anything ATI has out there," Glaskowsky said.
For ATI's part, the company said it plans to continue to develop new chips for the Mac market.
"We believe competition is good," Challinor said. "We are going to continue to produce superior technology for Apple products."
Macintosh enhancement pioneer Newer Technology has announced it is ceasing operations; 29-Dec-00 was the last day of work for the bulk of Newer's employees, and a shareholder meeting 08-Jan-01 will determine whether the company will file for bankruptcy protection. Newer Technology has a long history in the Macintosh industry, having first built its business on memory upgrades, then shifting into expansions for PowerBooks, clock chip accelerators, and Macintosh CPU upgrades. Newer filed for bankruptcy protection in 1996 when the world RAM market buckled, but it seemed to be recovering its stride with a wide range of well-regarded CPU upgrade products. Newer announced an equity partnership with Singapore's Tri-M Technologies in February of 2000; Tri-M had been manufacturing Newer products, and during the last year provided Newer with operating capital and brought in an executive team to help operate the company. However, despite executive denials and plans to exhibit new products at the upcoming Macworld Expo in San Francisco, in recent weeks Newer has been unloading inventory at fire sale prices, and rumors abounded that Newer was looking for a buyer among remaining upgrade vendors. Newer Technology's shutdown is likely due to a lack of demand in the Macintosh upgrade market and comparatively inexpensive new machines from Apple - a $400 CPU upgrade has trouble competing with an $800 iMac. There's no word yet on what support or update options, if any, will be available for Newer's hardware and software products. [GD]
Preliminary testing by MacNN has revealed that Newer Technologies' iMAXpowr G4 iMac upgrade is incompatible with Mac OS 9.1. Installing the operating system update, expected for public release on Tuesday, renders the iMac unable to boot. Both installing the OS over 9.0.4 and as a clean install proved unsuccessful. With the recent demise of Newer Technology, it's unknown if this problem-if proven to be widespread-will be corrected.
Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to one and all:
Wow, have we been a blessed company. On December 27, 1999 we executed our agreement with Gateway, and January 3rd 2000 was our first day of business.
In one year we have been able to release an upgrade to the AmigaOS (3.9, with our partners Haage and Partner), we have announced and released two versions of the SDK for the New AmigaDE (Digital Environment), we have released the AmigaOne specification and announced two partners in building these new machines, (bPlan, and Eyetech).
Yes this has been an amazing year.
As we look back upon these last 12 months, there have been many lessons learned, and it is with these new lessons that we will be moving into 2001, with clear focus, and numerous new announcements and deals. Yes, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas will be great fun for Amigans around the world, for it is here that the rest of the world will begin to learn what you already know! :-)
At this time of remembrance and thanks, we are also reminded of our friends that we have lost. Coz, Bob Cosby is very missed and we think of him, and pray daily for his wife Marsha. It has been the most sobering event for Amiga, and it helped us to remember that Family is what makes Amiga great. We are looking to add many new members to the Amiga family this year.
This year has been hard for us in other ways also: the stock market has certainly hindered our ability to raise the capital we wanted to accelerate our plans, and many of us have had to endure financial hardships making the dream of Amiga a reality. The Amiga team is together, and moving ahead quickly towards this new and exciting year.
I want to thank each and every one of you for your continued support and for everyone hanging in there with us.
We are truly a blessed company.
I want to personally wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year.
God Bless,
><> Bill McEwen ><>
President CEO Amiga, Inc.
bill@amiga.com
Bizarre as it may seem, there are still a few people out there proclaiming Amiga as vapourware developers and accusing them of having done absolutely nothing since it was spun out from Gateway almost a year ago. Fortunately, these voices are in a minority and not supported by the evidence of Amiga's work over the last few months. 2000 has gone surprisingly quickly, and the Amiga of today is a far healthier concern than the pale imitation it had become since the departure of Jim Collas.
Amiga have had to walk a fine line between saying too much and saying too little this year. Too much and they risk looking unprofessional or stupid when things, inevitably, change - with accusations of hype or vapourware. Too little, and people start to proclaim the death of Amiga (like we don't hear that enough already) or loyal Amiga users and developers feel discarded for pastures new. It's a tricky path, sometimes they get it right, sometimes they get it wrong - but from what I've seen and heard they've done a remarkably good job considering, and got it mostly right. >From a pure publicity point of view, they've got the message out without much fanfare or hype - the Amiga name is cropping up in all kinds of places, paving the way, subtly, for the AmigaDE launch.
For example, this year I've received a huge number of e-mails from people who are either encountering the Amiga for the first time or rediscovering the Amiga again. I've had people ask me if the AmigaOS runs on their x86 PC or CHRP PowerPC, people interested in legally emulating the Amiga, people dusting off their A1200 to get online, people looking to upgrade an old A2000 or A3000, others asking how they can ditch their PC but ensure file and disk compatibility with the Windows world, even someone who rescued an A1000 from a garage sale and wants to find spare parts.
It's amazing, and yet this is just with the older Amigas - and more than just from a nostalgia point of view. The questions aren't geared towards playing old games or watching old demos, but towards doing all the things many people would lead you to believe is only possible on machines running Windows, with huge amounts of RAM and processor clocks just a whisker from the GHz range: using the Internet, doing word processing and DTP, creating music or multimedia presentations, managing their finances, touching up digital photography, syncing their Palm device. Sure there's a long way to go image-wise, but something is happening socially, slowly, surely, away from prying eyes. Meanwhile, Amiga are out in the open, slowly spreading the word and announcing partnerships and technologies, with more tucked away waiting for the right moment to be made public.
Amiga's first announcement was that of the key partnership, the foundation of Amiga's plans. UK based visionaries Tao Group are providing the core OS kernel, including their VP which provides a very important selling point: hardware-neutral binaries. The hardware now becomes an abstract commodity, with the same software running transparently on whatever hardware is provided: be it an x86 or PowerPC desktop, an ARM palmtop, a Coldfire STB, or an SH-4 console. The partnership provides technical benefits, but also opens up an important division of labour: giving Amiga a head start and cool technology, giving Tao added value and some talented developer support courtesy of the Amiga community. (That's a gross simplification, but you get the idea.)
Of course, having a partner means nothing if tangible results don't start to filter out to the public, particularly developers. Amiga rectified this by releasing a software developer kit, the Amiga SDK, to provide developers with the first glimpse of the new environment, and start the third-party software development process running. Initially hosted on Linux, with a Windows version added later, the kit was a little rough, a little incomplete, but an excellent foothold into the new Amiga. Of course, as well as the software, a reference hardware platform was also announced to complement the SDK - consisting of a low cost PC compatible specification which would ensure an obtainable base level for developers to use and support. The choice of an x86 PC was controversial for some - but when you take into account the need for cost and availability followed by the fact that the VP technology makes hardware choice unimportant, the decision makes perfect sense.
In recent months Amiga have also begun to announce hardware partnerships for the real machines, the new Amigas. I've covered these in the previous two months, but for completeness the coverage so far has been of two particular markets: those of the set top box and the desktop. Amiga-powered STBs are due pretty soon, with the desktops arriving in two waves: the first wave aimed at existing Amiga users and developers, the second wave late next year in the form of actual, standalone systems. More hardware is due to be announced, in particular with speculation rife about some form of partnership with a consortium representing a significant chunk of the electronics market in the Far East. I've overhead a few names from various sources, but this is something that should very definitely remain a case of Wait And See.
But what of the existing Amiga market? Well, despite the remaining supplies of new machines dwindling, if not already gone, the third party market has undergone a slight revival with announcements of the much-needed PCI expansion options, new PowerPC boards, the AmigaOne expansions, new sound cards - not to mention software from various sources. In fact, through Haage & Partner, AmigaOS 3.9 is ready to hit the streets providing another OS upgrade. More significantly, discussions about AmigaOS 4.0 have resurfaced once again - could this be the much anticipated move of the original OS to a PowerPC native environment? (Until then, check out MorphOS.)
So, here's to a successful 2001!
First off, I would like to thank Bill for spending his time answering my questions. I realize that very few CEO's would make themselves available to their customers, and I he deserves recognition for doing so.
After reading the 'I Bought a' thread and seeing all the rumours that were being discussed, I thought that it would be useful to the MooBunny community to have these rumours cleared up, at least as much as possible. To achieve this I decided to call Bill McEwen this evening and ask him directly. Following are questions that I asked, paraphrased responses, and some of my impressions and opinions.
I led asking about AmigaDOS 3.9. I asked him what he felt the value was in upgrading to this release. He responded that it had upgraded Internet functionality that was missing from 3.5, and that it had multimedia players. Bill said that most users will have to evaluate the features of 3.9 for themselves to see if there's any value added. The owners of 3.5 will find that most of the functionality is similar.
My impression is that Amiga has very little interest in the 3.x line of releases. They are totally focused on the new product and have left the fate of 3.x to Haage and Partner. I would not hold out any hope for the future of 680x0 Amigas.
I asked if 3.5 and 3.9 were significant additions to the Amiga revenue. Bill said that they were not, but it wasn't worrisome to them. Bill said that the products were making money, but not a lot. I see this as them pinning their hopes on the future.
As far as their cash goes, they are getting low. Bill said the last few months have been tight, but that they are working on securing more investment. He mentioned several different sources, but said that there was a tier one company looking to invest in Amiga.
My take is that if they don't secure some big financial backers then they might take more drastic measures in order to gain financing. Considering the number of layoffs in the technology sector, and considering that startups are starting to die left and right, there may be a grim future for Amiga. Bill feels confident that they have a product ready to go and hopefully that will impress investors more than some of the ephemeral properties that other startups failed to sell.
We now know that cash is low, but is Amiga failing to meet any of its financial obligations? This question was answered like this: Ted Wallingford can make whatever statement he likes about the situation, but it's not true. I did not press him any further since this was the only substantial rumour. Bill said that if anyone wants to know what the situation is they should talk to Ted Wallingford.
I feel like there might have been a disagreement over a contract and that Ted feels Amiga owes him more than they think they do. Did that make any sense? Who knows. Maybe Ted can clear this up. Incidentally, Bill said that Ted should not have posted his message. I think Bill McEwen and others at Amiga do listen to the community, even if it isn't always evident.
Amiga not exhibiting at Comdex or CES. Bill said that Amiga will only be exhibiting at Amiga trade shows, but that their product will be available through vendors. Bill mentioned several set-top box manufacturers, but I'm sorry that I wasn't able to take their names quickly enough. Bill said that these set-top boxes should be available soon and he said he was excited about other products coming down the pipe. In particular he said there is something that should please Amigans.
Where should Amiga be spending it's money? I think they're probably making the right choice for what they can afford, but it would still be nice to see Amiga show up at these spotlight events. If they had more funding, I'm sure they'd be there, but this is another sign that they don't have quite enough money.
I asked Bill if he could give me an argument why an Amiga user should have faith in Amiga and not jump platform and he said that they have been working hard this past year to get products ready. He reiterated that they (this being vendors using Amiga technology) had some products ready to debut and that we should stick around to see them.
My analysis is this: Amiga does not have a product that I as an Amiga user would necessarily want, but that I as a computer geek might dig. We Amiga users are a technological launching platform for a new, possibly cool technology, and Amiga wants us to continue to pay attention to them until its ready. This explains 3.5 and 3.9, and it explains the early appearance of the developers kit. Amiga is going to continue to blow us kisses until they have something to impress us with or until they run out of money.
Thanks to MooBunny readers for taking a look at this, and thanks again to Bill for sharing his time with me. I'll be following this thread for any follow up questions.
Light and Life,
Corinna
Amiga-News: Good morning, Francis, and thank you for the opportunity of this interview.
Francis Charig: It's a pleasure for me too!
FC:AN: Let's start with some basic questions. How old are you and where were you born?
FC: Unfortunately, I'm 40 years old. I was born in Oxted by London.
AN: Sure you are married and have children?
FC: Yes, my wife is Japanese and we have two boys. One is six and the other will be three in February.
AN: When and where was TAO (pronounced: DAO) founded?
FC: TAO was founded in 1992 in Bracknell nearby Reading, England. Until 1995 it was a virtual company, located in a bedroom.
AN: How many people are working for TAO?
FC: About 70 people. More then 50 of them are in the software department. They are coming from three major groups: the Video games industry, the Blue Chip Industry and we selected the best directly from the universities, Stanford for example.
AN: What's your position at TAO?
FC: I'm the chairman of TAO. TAO is not a public company. Sony and Motorola together own 30% of TAO. If TAO were a public company, its market value would be about $100.000.000. Nowadays Amiga Inc. is our most important partner.
AN: Do you remember your greatest success?
FC: Of course, it was to bring this exiting engineering team together. These people are incredible. We've only had a fluctuation of two people in the last 2 1/2 years.
AN: What was the worst day in TAO's history?
FC: [Thinks long] It was to loose business with our investor from the blue chip industry in 1995 while we had no customers.
AN: When did you have "First contact" with Bill McEwen?
FC: It was in October 1999. We introduced him to investors after he decided to use our software for the new Amiga. In fact: TAO saved Amiga.
AN: Are you familiar with Amiga's history?
FC: Yes, I know about it all. I know about Commodore, Escom, VisCorp, Gateway and all these things. I still have my Amiga, but unfortunately it's standing in the attic. Also, my nephew used the Amiga. I loved gaming on it, e.g. BrakeOut.
AN: Can you describe the new OS with only three words?
FC: Consumer Multimedia Stack.
AN: When will the new Amiga-OS be ready, in Q3/2001?
FC: Of course not! Sometime in the next half year!
AN: We are just a few days into the New Year. Do you have a wish for this year?
FC: [Joking] Retirement. No, I wish that TAO would be successful in all of the key markets.
AN: Is the existing Amiga community important for you?
FC: Yes. The Amiga community has the best developers and artists. There is more multimedia skill in the Amiga community than in the PC-World. But there is a discussion if memory protection is needed or not. I want to explain TAO's point of view. For what is memory protection needed? To prevent badly programmed software from crashing the computer. That means that it leads into bad programming. But the software for AmigaDE will run on your desktop but also on your mobile or in your car. Mobiles for example don't have memory protection. Are they crashing? No, the software for them is well programmed. If we add memory protection, we have to have a very, very good reason, because it slows down the operating system. Our goal is to deliver the best multimedia operating system. This also means speed!
AN: Some words to the community?
FC: We can make Amiga great together. To be great we have to lead the world. Amiga is delivering the best content to the mass market. If we always remember that, we can achieve.
AN: Thank you for this interview and have a successful stay at the CES.
FC: It was a pleasure to me. Thank you!
[Editor's Note: Translation help thanks to http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn ].
Dec. 21, 2000 - The meeting began with President Jim Lewis speaking to everyone about the possibility of moving our meetings to the Illinois Technology Center in Savoy. The pros and cons of the move were aired. In order for everyone to get a clearer idea of the financial aspects of the decision, Kevin Hopkins asked that Treasurer Rich Hall give the Annual Treasurer's Report required at the December meeting, which Rich did. Kevin then supplied the club's current membership information. The club returned to the discussion of the new meeting site. In the end, it was decided to move the January meeting from the Bresnan to the ITC, going to Savoy for a trial. We would then vote on a longer term change after everyone had had a chance to see and evaluate the new site for themselves.
Turning to the next item of official business - the election of club officers, Kevin Hisel nominated the current slate as it appeared in the newsletter. This was the officer corps currently in office. Norris Hansel seconded. The vote carried unanimously. The officers for 2001 are:
Jim Lewis - President
Emil Cobb - Vice President
Kevin Hopkins - Secretary
Richard Hall - Treasurer
Jim Lewis - Corporate Agent
The meeting recessed for a break.
Upon returning, the membership fell into a general discussion and Question and Answer Session.
The topic of buying new Mac for the club was raised. Someone said you could get a G4 on Outpost.com for about $1000. Another recommended a Cube for its portability.
There was talk of Nvidia killing the Voodoo card.
President Lewis announced that the Board meeting would be on the 26th.
Edwin Hadley talked about a problem of freezing up his Mac had. Everyone pitched in to solve it. Ed also recounted that the Bookmarks problem he'd had earlier was because he'd had too many of them. Eliminating a bunch of old bookmarks cleared the problem. He said, "I guess there is such a thing as too many bookmarks."
Emil Cobb talked about a friend whose PC contracted a virus. In attempting to clear that problem, the friend had wiped his hard drive, then he was in real trouble.
There was a discussion of the AMD-Intel rivalry. Jim Lewis highly recommended the Asus KVM motherboard for Athlon machines. He rated the Abit as the number two motherboard best for the AMD chipset and the Intel chipset.
In a discussion of video, Kevin Hisel advised people to stay away from the bleeding edge video, in order to avoid compatibility and driver issues.
Kevin Hisel brought up a problem he was having opening a file and it taking 10 to 15 seconds to execute. He thought it might be an association problem. Jim Lewis suggested that he check his Temp folder. He said it may have too many files in there.
Emil Cobb asked the Mac people what was their opinions on Toast for burning CDs.
Harold Ravlin asked about the ALI chipset.
Jim Lewis reported that Intel had just sent out the Pentium 1 GHz processor in a box in the last two weeks. This lead to a discussion of processor availability in general and speeds in particular. Jim said that front side bus speed plus a hard coded multiplier in the chip equals its frequency.
Norris Hansel said he is looking for a retailer like one he had recently experienced in San Francisco. He described the full service store in some detail and asked if there is a retailer like that in Chicago or St. Louis? No one knew of any. This lead to a whole discussion of Apple related service issues for Mac users in the Champaign area. It basically boils down to the fact that non-University Apple users are in a hard way. Someone mentioned that they thought RamJet did Apple repairs locally.
Our friendly News-Gazette reporter, Greg Kline, had a reader with a "Driver Memory Error" on her Task Bar. The combined CUCUG braintrust brought their formidable talents to bare. Was it a Virus? A Win 95 to 98 upgrade problem? A corrupted driver? The virus theory seemed to be the most likely candidate for the symptoms described.
Dec. 26, 2000 - The December meeting of the CUCUG executive board took place on Tuesday, December 26, 2000, at 7PM, at Kevin Hisel's house. (For anyone wishing to attend - which is encouraged, by the way - the address and phone number are both in the book). Present at the meeting were: Jim Lewis, Rich Hall, Charlie Melby-Thomas, Jack Melby, Kevin Hopkins, and Kevin Hisel.
Rich Hall: Treasurer Hall reported that 14 people attended the last meeting and that all of them rejoined CUCUG. Jack Melby and Charlie Melby-Thomas renewed their memberships at the Board meeting.
Rich then discussed the club's financial asset mix.
There was a discussion of the purchase of a new Macintosh for the club.
Jack Melby: Jack reported that OS X Final would be released on 24th of February. (This has since been moved back to March 24th.) Jack said that Steve Jobs might spring it on January 9th at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. It is expected that OS X Final will include OS 9.1.
Jack then related a little tidbit of news he had run across. It seems that there is a "hidden" feature for applications running in Classic mode, that should they freeze up, you can bring up the Force Quit dialog and, by clicking anywhere in the box (other than the Force Quit button), you can unfreeze the program and continue on your way, at least long enough to save your work, as there is no information as of yet about how corrupt memory might be.
The Board returned to the discussion of pricing on a new Mac. We weighed the benefits of a multiprocessor or single processor machine, purchasing a new or older G4 for performance versus price. President Lewis asked Jack to investigate an upgrade path for the club. Kevin Hisel raised the question of the necessity of even buying a new machine, considering our membership numbers.
Kevin Hopkins: Having no new business, Kevin delivered the membership database update.
Kevin Hisel: Kevin suggested that a notice of the new meeting site be created and mailed out several times before the January meeting. Jim and Kevin said they'd work on the message and send it out.
Jim Lewis: Jim talked about his Prairie Inet wireless Internet connection.
Jack Melby: Jack reported that he was able to run multiple virtual PCs at the same time on his new G4, using Virual PC 4.0.
Kevin Hisel: Kevin commented that he fealt the last meeting suffered from real anarchy and that more order was needed.
Kevin Hopkins: As clarification, Kevin asked what was planned was next month's meeting. Jim said the PC SIG would do a Q & A. Jack said the Mac SIG would look at a variety of OS X stuff and XWindows.
Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Bresnan Meeting Center in the Champaign Park District Headquarters (398-2550). The Center is located at 706 Kenwood, 1/2 block south of the corner of Kenwood and John Street, in west Champaign. Kenwood is the fourth north-south street off of John as you are going west, after crossing Mattis. The Center is in the northwest corner of Centennial Park, northwest of Centennial High School.
Membership dues for individuals are $20 annually; prorated to $10 at mid year.
Our monthly newsletter, the Status Register, is delivered by email. All recent editions are available on our WWW site. To initiate a user group exchange, just send us your newsletter or contact our editor via email. As a matter of CUCUG policy, an exchange partner will be dropped after three months of no contact.
For further information, please attend the next meeting as our guest, or contact one of our officers (all at area code 217):
President/WinSIG: Jim Lewis 359-1342 jlewis@computers4life.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 359-1342 jlewis@computers4life.com Board Advisor: Richard Rollins 469-2616 Webmaster: Kevin Hisel 406-948-1999 khisel @ kevinhisel.com Mac SIG Co-Chair: John Melby 352-3638 jbmelby@home.com Mac SIG Co-Chair: Charles Melby-Thompson 352-3638 charlesm@cucug.org
Surf our web site at http://www.cucug.org/