The Champaign-Urbana Computer Users Group

The Status Register - January, 2003


This newsletter will never appear on CUCUG.ORG before the monthly CUCUG meeting it is intended to announce. This is in deference to actual CUCUG members. They get each edition hot off the presses. If you'd like to join our group, you can get the pertinent facts by looking in the "Information About CUCUG" page. If you'd care to look at prior editions of the newsletter, they may be found via the Status Register Newsletter page.
News     Common     PC     Linux     Mac     Amiga     CUCUG

January 2003


To move quickly to an article of your choice, use the search feature of your reader or the hypertext directory above. Enjoy.

January News:

The January Meeting

The next CUCUG meeting will be held on our regular third Thursday of the month: Thursday, January 16th, at 7:00 pm, at the Illinois Technology Center. The Linux SIG convenes, of course, one hour earlier, at 6:00 pm. Directions to the ITC are at the end of this newsletter.

The January 16 gathering will be one of our split SIG meetings. Kris Klindworth reports the Linux SIG will be talking about cool SSH tricks. "We will go over basic secure communications with SSH and then moving on to using SSH to create point-to-point tunnels for insecure communications like telnet and HTTP." Jack Melby says the Macintosh SIG will have Ed Hadley putting Sound Studio through its paces and showing a few other new OS X applications. Finally, Richard Rollins states the PC SIG will be treated to a demonstration of a PC tablet.

ToC

Welcome New and Renewing Members

We'd like to welcome the newest member of our group, joining us in the last month: Chuck Jackson.

We'd also like to thank renewing members John Baird, Elaine Avner, Craig Kummerow, Greg Kline, Ed Serbe, Joseph W. Hamilton, Matthew W. Skaj, John B. Melby, Jeff Strong, Jerry Feltner, Ed Hadley, Mark Zinzow, Dan Jansen, Selena Douglass, Emil Cobb, Richard Hall and Kevin Hopkins. We also like to express our appreciation to our Lifetime members Kevin Hisel and Richard Rollins.

We welcome any kind of input or feedback from members. Run across an interesting item or tidbit on the net? Just send the link to the editor. 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 to the group.

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Time to Renew!

The time has come for us to ask you to renew your CUCUG membership for 2003. If you have already renewed, thank you! If not, you'll want to join us for the January meeting and show your support for CUCUG's activities. If you cannot make it to the meeting on Thursday, the 16th, you can renew your membership by mail.

Membership is still only $20. You could save that easily with just one answer to a vexing computer question!

ToC

CUCUG Officers for 2003

The results of the December elections for CUCUG's officer corp for 2003 are as follows:

President:  	    Richard Rollins
Vice President:     Emill Cobb
Corporate Agent:    Kevin Hisel
Secretary:          Kevin Hopkins
Treasurer:          Rich Hall
We want to thank our returning officers, and, in particular, Richard Rollins, for stepping up and returning to the CUCUG Presidency, after a hiatus of several years. We'd also like to make special note of Mr. Kevin Hisel assuming his first elected office in CUCUG after being the power behind the throne for nearly twenty years. Thanks, Guys.

ToC

Huge PC Giveaway For January's Meeting!

from Kevin Hisel

Here's the big list of FREE products three lucky Winsig members will WIN at the January 16th meeting, courtesy of Microsoft (please note, you must be a 2003 member of CUCUG and show your card to participate in the drawing):

Windows XP Professional Full Version (retail box)

Windows XP is the operating system release that unifies the Microsoft range, with all the desktop versions now built on the NT/2000 code base rather than the shakier foundation of Windows 95, 98, and Me. That makes XP a great upgrade for users of the now-obsolete 9x and Me line, but for those already on Windows 2000 Professional it is a closer call. This is the full version of the software--NOT an upgrade. Street price $299.99.

MapPoint For Dummies (book)

MapPoint is a unique product designed to help business get a leg up on the competition by creating geographic analysis based on real demographic and statistical information. MapPoint For Dummies covers the essentials a new MapPoint user needs to know -- from how to handle simple mapping and plotting tasks to tying it into other Office tools and databases in order to analyze business trends and make informed decisions. Includes 60-day trial version of the MapPoint software from Microsoft. Street price: $17.49.

Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe

Anti-aircraft fire blankets you. Blast debris hurls toward your propeller. And you wonder why you didn't join the navy. This ain't no free-flight, cloud-gunner, glory ride. This is ground assault: the real, gritty combat that can make or break a battle, and take your life in one massive explosion. Bombs shatter enemy airfields, trains, and tank columns as you streak across the European countryside in WWII's greatest planes, dodging small-arms fire, gripping your joystick with sweaty palms and white knuckles, pumped with adrenaline- living history. Street price: $39.99.

ToC

Microsoft ordered to carry Java

By Paul Festa (paulf@cnet.com)
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
December 23, 2002, 5:15 PM PT
URL: http://news.com.com/2100-1001-978786.html

A U.S. district court judge on Monday ordered Microsoft to include Sun Microsystems' version of Java with the Windows operating system, citing the software giant's history of undermining the platform-neutral programming language.

The preliminary injunction http://www.mdd.uscourts.gov/Opinions152/Opinions/SunPI1202.pdf issued by Judge J. Frederick Motz in Baltimore is a double-barreled victory for Sun. The company won preliminary injunctions on a copyright infringement claim and on an order to compel Microsoft to carry the latest version of Sun's Java Virtual Machine software.

"I find it an absolute certainty that unless a preliminary injunction is entered, Sun will have lost forever its right to compete, and the opportunity to prevail, in a market undistorted by its competitor's antitrust violations," Motz wrote in the 42-page ruling.

Sun is suing Microsoft for allegedly violating antitrust law in dropping Sun's version of Java and including its own version, which Sun alleges to be incompatible with its technology.

Java is a programming language designed to work regardless of what operating system a computer has installed. Microsoft has long viewed Java as a competitive threat to its Windows operating system, which the courts have ruled a monopoly.

Motz cast his decision in stark competitive terms, contending that Microsoft's actions benefited its own .Net products at Java's expense.

"Unless Sun is given a fair opportunity to compete in a market untainted by the effects of Microsoft's past antitrust violations, there is a serious risk that in the near future the market will tip in favor of .Net, that it is impossible to ascertain when such tipping might occur in time to prevent it from happening, and that if the market does tip in favor of .Net, Sun could not be adequately compensated in damages."

Sun applauded the decision.

"This decision changes the dynamics of the distribution channel for the Java technology," Mike Morris, Sun's vice president and special counsel, said in a statement. "It is the technology and the business model surrounding it that promises to open the markets now monopolized by Microsoft to the benefits of robust competition and unrestrained innovation...the preliminary injunctions we sought are intended to temporarily address some of the damage that Microsoft has inflicted until a full trial can be conducted."

Microsoft said it planned to appeal Monday's injunction.

"We're disappointed with today's ruling," said a Microsoft representative. "We still need to review the details of the court's decision. But based upon our initial review, we intend to appeal and we'll ask the Court of Appeals to hear it on an expedited basis."

In his decision, Motz cited numerous instances in which Microsoft had worked to undermine Java.

"While...deliberately fragmenting the Java platform to make it less attractive for developers and users, Microsoft also successfully embarked upon a campaign to destroy Sun's channels of distribution," Motz wrote. "Microsoft has succeeded, through its antitrust violations, in creating an environment in which the distribution of PCs is chaotic and the Java runtimes on PCs are incompatible."

The ruling can hardly be a surprise to Microsoft. Motz gave some clue to his thinking earlier this month when he compared Microsoft's treatment of Sun to figure skater Tonya Harding's 1994 attack on competitor Nancy Kerrigan in advance of the Olympic Games.

It will be at least a year before Sun's lawsuit against Microsoft goes to trial, Lee Patch, Sun's vice president and associate general counsel, said in a conference call on Tuesday. He said attorneys for Sun and Microsoft will meet with Motz early in January to discuss the next step in the case.

In the decision, the judge cited Sun's request that Microsoft "set up Sun's most current Java runtime environment to be installed by default on any product containing .Net, including Windows XP...and Internet Explorer."

While granting Sun's request for an injunction in general terms, Motz held off on determining exactly which of Microsoft's software titles will be affected. He ordered attorneys for both sides to work that out over the holidays, according to Sun.

Sun filed a private antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft in March, seeking "remedies for the harm inflicted by Microsoft's anticompetitive behavior with respect to the Java platform and for damages resulting from Microsoft's illegal efforts to maintain and expand its monopoly power."

One legal expert called Monday's decision "an incredible victory for Sun."

"The judge had a fair amount of discretion in fashioning an appropriate remedy," said Eric Goldman, an assistant professor at Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee and former chief counsel for Epinions. "But the one he gave was a fantastic remedy that may be better than Sun could have achieved in the open market. They got this judge to give them what they were unable to get from the judge in the government case, and from their settlement negotiations. Sun gets distribution that they could only have dreamt about."

But the Association for Competitive Technology http://www.actonline.org/, a trade group with close ties to Microsoft, took a dim view of the injunction, calling it anticompetitive.

"The central issue in this case is who is responsible for the failure of Java, and it is clear to anyone in our industry that Sun is responsible for that failure, not Microsoft," said the group's president, Jonathan Zuck. "Rather than take responsibility, they turn to the courts to pin the blame on others and force Microsoft to carry their product."

News.com's Jeff Pelline contributed to this report.

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Halloween VIII: Doing the Damage-Control Dance

Posted: Jan 3, 2003, 16:00 UTC
URL: http://www.opensource.org/halloween/halloween8.php

Eric Raymond has released a new document leaked from Microsoft, which he has dubbed the eighth "Halloween Document." This internal memo discusses how to respond to recent and future announcements from governments contemplating a move to Linux or open-source software.

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Mobile phone developer expects hearings in Microsoft suit within a month

By: BOB BREWIN
Posted: December 26, 2002
Source: Computerworld
URL: http://computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,77069,00.html

British mobile phone developer Sendo Ltd. said it expects hearings to start at the end of January or early February in its lawsuit accusing Microsoft Corp. of using false promises of partnerships to gain access to Sendo's mobile phone expertise.

The suit was filed in federal court for the Eastern District of Texas, according to Marljke van Hooren, a spokeswoman for Birmingham, U.K.-based Sendo. The U.S. division of Sendo is based in Irving, Texas.

In its suit, Sendo is alleging that Microsoft developed a "secret plan" to "plunder" Sendo's intellectual property, proprietary hardware expertise and trade secrets and transfer them to low-cost original equipment manufacturers such as High Tech.

The complaint also alleged that Microsoft used Sendo's relationships with carriers such as Orange to establish its own contractual relationships with mobile carriers. Van Hooren said that Sendo is "looking into the legal implications" of the Orange/Microsoft relationship, but she declined to provide further details. She added that Sendo has discussed selling the Z100 with Orange.

Sendo, in its complaint, is charging that after gaining access to Sendo's intellectual property and hardware, Microsoft drove "Sendo to the brink of bankruptcy." Sendo said that Microsoft was late in delivering software and was unresponsive to Sendo's requests to fix software bugs and make changes through the spring of this year. Microsoft also failed to provide $14 million in financing, and Sendo had problems raising funds from outside sources, the complaint said.

The suit also says that under their agreement, if Sendo filed for bankruptcy, Microsoft would be allowed to obtain a royalty-free license to use the intellectual property Sendo had developed for its Z100 Smartphone.

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Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.2.3 Update

TidBITS#661/06-Jan-03

Apple wrapped up 2002 with the release of Mac OS X 10.2.3, a hefty update that rolls a number of improvements and bug fixes in to Jaguar. Some changes include compatibility fixes between the Mac and certain digital cameras or external CD burners, as well as enhancements to applications such as iPhoto, iChat, Mail, Disk Utility, and Disk Copy. Mac OS X 10.2.3 also offers better iDisk performance over slow or busy network connections, updates Rendezvous networking, and makes the changes necessary for the improvements in Connectix's Virtual PC 6. The update is available as a mammoth 51 MB download via Software Update; stand-alone installers have also been posted for updating from Mac OS X 10.2.2 or from versions 10.2 or 10.2.1 (59 MB). Prompted by discussion on TidBITS Talk and some personal experience, we recommend running Disk First Aid on your hard disk before installing the update, particularly if you've updated all the way from Mac OS X 10.0. [JLC]

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107263
http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n120165
http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n120164
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=1815

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Apple Updates iCal, iSync

TidBITS#661/06-Jan-03

Two of Apple's flashier announcements at the July 2002 Macworld Expo have finally become more usable, just in time for the January 2003 Expo. iCal 1.0.2 brings sorely needed performance improvements to the calendar application, including speedier launch times and better importing capabilities (meaning, at least in our case, iCal now correctly imports vCal and Microsoft Entourage files). iCal 1.0.1, released earlier last week, didn't work properly for users in time zones 10 hours or more from Greenwich Mean Time. Although the release notes for version 1.0.2 do not specifically mention this particular fix, Apple removed a notice from the iCal download page about the problem, so we assume this was a reason for releasing another update so quickly. iCal 1.0.2 is a free 10.4 MB download.

http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=06880
http://www.apple.com/ical/

Apple also posted iSync 1.0, the release version of its synchronization utility that has been in beta since 30-Sep-02. iSync now boasts faster syncing with Palm OS devices, better Palm configuration options within iSync (you need the HotSync component of Palm Desktop 4.0), automatic synchronization with a .Mac account, .Mac Address Book synchronization, and an iSync menu bar icon. (In our testing, iSync has been remarkably slow and processor intensive.) Beginning 07-Jan-02, .Mac account holders will be able to access their Address Book information via the Web. iSync 1.0 is a 5.1 MB download. [JLC]

http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=06946
http://www.apple.com/isync/

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Apple Releases X11 for Mac OS X

TidBITS#662/13-Jan-03

Leveraging the Unix core of Mac OS X, Apple has made available a public beta of X11 for Mac OS X, an environment that enables X11 applications to run within Mac OS X and makes it easier to port X11 applications to the Mac. The X11 package includes display server software, client libraries, and developer toolkits; an optional X11 Software Developer Kit for Mac OS X is also available. The public beta is available now as a free 41.5 MB download; the SDK is a 3.8 MB download. [JLC]

http://www.apple.com/macosx/x11/

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TiVo, Brother, and Aspyr Rendezvous with Macs

TidBITS#662/13-Jan-03

Apple made networking easier with the introduction of Rendezvous, a method of automatic discovery and connection of devices over IP networks that the company has submitted as an open-source standard. Now, other companies are starting to implement Rendezvous, starting with three announcements made last week. TiVo Series2 digital video recorders will soon be able to discover Macs and play shared music or display photos on a TiVo-equipped television, using an upcoming premium service package. Brother's HL-5070N Laser Printer boasts the capability to streamline the process of setting up and printing to local printers, and Aspyr's NASCAR Racing 2002 Season game makes it easy for multiple players to find and join games on their network. [JLC]

http://www.apple.com/macosx/rendezvous
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2003/jan/07rendezvous.html
http://www.tivo.com/
http://www.brother.com/
http://www.aspyr.com/mini-sites/sierra2002/

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Microsoft Office X 10.1.3 Released

TidBITS#662/13-Jan-03

Microsoft today released an updater for Microsoft Office X to address several issues with the Italian Spelling Tool and the French Proofing Tools. Installing 10.1.3 requires that you already have the 10.1.2 update (released in November) installed.

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/DOWNLOAD/OFFICEX/OfficeX_1013.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/DOWNLOAD/OFFICEX/OfficeX_1012.asp

The update patches the English, French, German, Spanish, and Swedish versions of Office X, and the stand-alone Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage applications for Mac OS X. Since the update appears to fix only issues with foreign-language features within Microsoft Office, it's not clear that most users will need this upgrade. [MHA]

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Case resigns as AOL chairman

January 12, 2003: 6:52 PM EST
URL: http://money.cnn.com/2003/01/12/news/aol.reut.reut/index.htm

NEW YORK (Reuters) - AOL Time Warner on Sunday said Steve Case will step down as chairman of the company following the shareholders' meeting in May, but remain as a director of the company with joint responsibility for corporate strategy.

Case, the architect of the troubled mega-merger of America Online and Time Warner, in a statement said his role as chairman had become a "distraction" for the world's largest media company in the face of disappointment with its post-merger performance.

The company said Case notified Chief Executive Dick Parsons and the board of directors of his decision over the weekend. Case will remain a member of AOL Time Warner's board of directors and continue as co-chair of its strategy committee.

The embattled executive said that under a new leadership team AOL Time Warner could focus on executing the company's various strategies.

"Given this progress and the fact that we're moving into more of an execution phase, this seems like an appropriate time for me to announce that I will step aside," Case said.

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Common Ground:

TurboTax anti-piracy feature triggers consumer backlash

USA Today 1/8/03

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ÷ A new anti-piracy feature on Intuit's popular TurboTax software has triggered a backlash among consumers who are skewering the change as a major headache that will drive them to competing products.

Intuit says the scathing criticism stems from misconceptions about the product activation code that customers must obtain from the company to use its top-selling tax preparation software.

The activation code essentially ties the software to a single computer to prevent buyers from passing around TurboTax to people who haven't paid to use it. The code isn't required on the Macintosh version of TurboTax.

The code allows customers to use TurboTax on other computers, but all printing and electronic filing of tax returns must be done from the computer where the software was first launched.

The Mountain View-based company announced the new restrictions in September, but many customers are just learning about the change as they install the software to begin their 2002 tax returns.

In a fusillade of online attacks, customers are blasting the change as something that could cause problems if they buy a new computer before the April 15 tax-filing deadline or need to amend their 2002 returns within the next few years.

In hundreds of online product reviews and postings in newsgroups, customers are deriding TurboTax and urging people to switch to H&R Block's TaxCut software, which doesn't require an activation code. Some people are taking heed.

"I have been buying TurboTax for awhile, but I am not ever going to buy it again because of this," Silicon Valley computer engineer Steven Scharf said in an interview.

TurboTax's new activation code also has raised concerns about a security software program called Safecast, or C-Dilla, that makes the feature work.

Critics say Safecast is installed surreptitiously on the hard drive and chews up computer memory. The detractors also say Safecast is extremely difficult to remove from the hard drive and may even be used as "spyware" to snoop on a user's computer, something Intuit strongly denies.

"It's not even close to spyware," Intuit spokesman Scott Gulbransen said of the Safecast feature.

To address some of the complaints cropping up, Intuit has devoted a special section of its Web site to answer some of the frequently asked questions.

"There is a lot of confusion out there, which always is a dangerous thing," Gulbransen said. "We don't sell a product, unless it's easy to use."

The online griping about product activation hasn't spurred a spike in complaints about TurboTax on Intuit's customer phone lines, Gulbransen said.

Still, Intuit is making some changes in response to customer complaints.

For instance, beginning Thursday, customers will be able to download an update giving them direct access to income tax forms on other computers besides the one where the program was activated. That flexibility hasn't been available.

The strident online opinions threaten to undercut TurboTax sales as the tax-filing season heats up.

Intuit adopted product activation to stir more sales of TurboTax, which sold 5.3 million desktop copies in the year ended in July. Another 2.1 million tax filers subscribed to TurboTax's online edition.

The company suspects TurboTax sales would have been even higher if not for all the people who illegally prepare their tax returns with copies bought by others.

Many unhappy TurboTax customers, such as Barry Watzman of North Canton, Ohio, understand the need for piracy protection, but believe Intuit is taking the wrong approach.

"If I knew about the problems I know about now, I probably would have never bought TurboTax," Watzman said.

Like other customers, Watzman is considering switching to TaxCut to avoid the activation hassles.

While TaxCut doesn't require activation codes this year, H&R Block isn't ruling out the possibility of using them in future editions, company spokesman Tom Linafelt said.

ToC

Sony wields high-capacity Sticks

By Richard Shim (richard.shim@cnet.com)
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 10, 2003, 6:13 PM PT
URL: http://news.com.com/2100-1040-980270.html

LAS VEGAS--When you're one of the most recognizable brands in the world, it's hard to walk softly--but Sony Electronics is doing fine when it comes to the big stick side of the equation.

As expected, the consumer-electronics giant announced at the Consumer Electronics Show here this week a new high-speed removable memory card format and a new feature for its already existing card format, the Memory Stick. Both announcements will mean higher storage capacities for device owners who use Memory Stick cards for storing data such as digital images or music.

Memory Stick cards fit into slots that are built into devices such as digital cameras and handheld computers. The cards let people store data, and in some cases, expand the capabilities of a device. For example, a Memory Stick card with a built-in digital camera can be added to a handheld device via a Memory Stick slot.

With the growing popularity of devices that use digital media--such as digital audio players, and cell phones with built-in digital cameras--higher capacity cards and, in the case of cell phones, smaller card sizes are becoming increasingly important to drive product sales for device and card manufacturers.

The new card format, Memory Stick Pro, will eventually top out at 32GB, but it will start out with 256MB, 512MB and 1GB storage capacities. Memory Stick Pro will also allow devices to record content faster than devices that use the original Memory Stick cards.

"Pro elevates the flash card debate beyond higher and higher capacities," said Sony spokesman David Yang. "It adds record times to the debate, which is important because with higher capacities, consumers can store more large files, and a bottleneck can be created on devices."

Semico Research analyst Jim Handy agreed. "With the increasing popularity of digital video, offering faster speed transfer rates will become more important," he said.

Sony is also working on giving Memory Stick Pro users the ability to lock the cards and prevent unauthorized access to the data they carry. The company has not determined when it will make this new Access Control available but said devices such as handhelds and PCs will be able to be upgraded so they can lock and unlock the cards.

"With higher capacities, consumers are more likely to store important data on Memory Stick Pro cards, so it's important to make sure that it can be secured," Yang said.

The cards will be available starting in April and are tentatively priced at $190 for the 256MB card, $440 for the 512MB card and $880 for the 1GB card. Sony will develop new devices specifically for Memory Stick Pro, and all original Memory Stick cards will be compatible with those devices, Yang said. Certain devices using Memory Stick cards will be compatible with Memory Stick Pro cards natively and others through an upgrade, but some older devices will not. The company will maintain a list on the Memory Stick (http://www.memorystick.org/) site that says which devices will be compatible.

A new feature for the original Memory Stick will also appear soon. Memory Select Function adds more chips to the Memory Stick format, offering higher storage capacities. Devices will be able to access 256MB of data on a card. Sony plans to make the feature available in April for $160. Sony is working on a 512MB card with the Select Function feature.

The first of Sony's mini Memory Stick Duo cards with 64MB and 128MB sizes will be available in the spring, according to the company.

In related news about removable flash memory cards, Panasonic announced at CES that it will be making a 1GB Secure Digital card available this fall, but said pricing has not been set.

ToC

The PC Section:

Pentium 4: More speed in the pipeline

By Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 10, 2003, 1:24 PM PT
URL: http://news.com.com/2100-1001-980206.html?tag=fd_top

Intel will increase the speed of the chipset on the Pentium 4 in the coming months, a change that will likely boost the performance of top-end PCs.

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chipmaker is coming out with a new chipset, code-named Springdale, for Pentium 4 PCs. The chipset runs at 800MHz, substantially faster than the 400MHz and 533MHz chipsets currently available for Pentium 4 computers, according to sources close to the company.

The new chipset will be released with a 3.2GHz version of the Pentium 4, the sources said. Intel could not be reached for comment.

Among other tasks, the chipset creates a data path, or system bus, between the processor and a computer's memory. Speeding it up increases both the rate the processor can obtain data and the amount that can be transferred.

The imbalance between processor speeds, which top out at 3GHz, and memory and system buses, which are far slower, has made the system bus look more like a street than a freeway because of the imbalance. Often, processors hum along in idle mode because of a lack of data. Likewise, latency, the time gap between when a chip has requested data and when it arrives, has grown.

"Anything you can do to speed that up will help," said Nathan Brookwood, an analyst at consulting firm Insight 64.

Overall, the increase in bus speed could boost performance by 3 percent to 5 percent, he said.

The chip is expected to be discussed at the Intel Developer Forum kicking off in San Jose, Calif., on Feb. 18. Earlier, some analysts speculated that Springdale would come with a 667MHz bus. Desktop chip price cuts, which haven't occurred since November, will also likely occur around the same time to ease the introduction of the 3.2GHz chip.

The Springdale chipsets likely will invigorate the ongoing performance duel between Intel and rival Advanced Micro Devices. Although the top chips from the two companies were fairly evenly matched in 2001, Intel began to pull away on various benchmark tests from AMD in the second half of 2002 by increasing the clock speed, measured in mega- and gigahertz, on the Pentium 4 faster than AMD did with its competing Athlon chip.

Goosing megahertz isn't everything in performance, but it helps, analysts and executives say.

AMD had to delay some chips and has had difficulty producing its fastest ones in appreciable volumes.

Intel then widened the gap further with the release of the 3GHz Pentium 4 in November. The chip was the first desktop part to come with hyperthreading, which allows a chip to perform multiple tasks at a single time. Despite some early skepticism, benchmark testers gave it the thumbs up.

"We have to hand it to Intel; we honestly expected hyperthreading to be a big flop initially on the desktop because of losses in performance," Anand Lai Shimpi, editor of the Anandtech site, wrote at the time. "Hyperthreading in its current form is very much an infant technology; the potential for it is huge, and it can grow into something much larger than what we see here today."

AMD, though, will counter with its Athlon 64, the first desktop chip based around the Hammer architecture, in late March or early April. Hammer chips will come with an integrated memory controller--the part of the chipset that creates the system bus--that will run at the same speed as the chip, making it faster than Intel.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD has also made several tweaks to the core of Hammer, which will improve performance. The Hammer core is partly based on the Athlon architecture.

Both approaches have their advantages, but at this point "there are so many different factors...it is hard to determine" which will prove superior at any given speed, Brookwood said.

ToC

Microsoft Watch: Your Next PC?

08:12 AM Jan. 09, 2003 PT
Wired

LAS VEGAS -- He shared the stage with a refrigerator equipped with wireless computer screens for "smart" magnets.

He carried a portable computer monitor that controlled the lighting in the room and flipped the channels on a flat-screen TV.

He played an Xbox game in real time with Shaquille O'Neal, who lounged in Los Angeles.

Then Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates revealed the next-generation PC: a wristwatch.

In his keynote speech Wednesday night, Gates teased his audience at the Consumer Electronics Show with current and oft-touted Microsoft-powered products such as the Xbox game console, portable smart displays and combination PDA/cell phones. He saved what he apparently considered the best for last: a silver Fossil wristwatch.

Not your ordinary department-store watch, Gates' timepiece is part of a new line of products using a technology called SPOT (small personal objects technology), has a black-and-white screen and gives wearers the time plus real-time information such as news, weather, sports scores and instant text messages.

"It's sort of like a pager," Gates said.

The watch operates on FM radio frequencies and automatically resets itself when the user moves into a different time zone.

Wearers can customize the watch's look and features by visiting a website set up by Microsoft expressly for that purpose. Besides Fossil, Suunto and Citizen also plan to release their own SPOT products this fall.

"These partners have a vision that the watch goes beyond just telling time," Gates said.

Some members of the audience seemed to think that vision may have clouded Microsoft's better products and judgment.

Blake Krikorian, a technology adviser for id8 Group in San Mateo, California, said he was surprised Microsoft would heavily promote such a product in favor of its "exciting technology today, like the smart displays."

While Krikorian believes Microsoft has the connections to market the watches, he also foresees challenges.

People who would buy a watch like the one Bill Gates showed off in his keynote are business travelers who need to stay constantly connected, Krikorian said. These folks are more likely to go in for watches from Rolex or Cartier, not Fossil, he said.

"I would buy a watch that had that functionality but did not sacrifice on the quality of the design," Krikorian said tactfully.

Norman Weinstein, an analyst with Yeske and Company, said Microsoft has covered its bases by supporting so many different technologies. At the show, four electronics makers, including Sanyo and Samsung, are expected to release a Windows-powered personal digital video recorder by the holiday season. The 20-GB recorder would allow users to carry with them up to 175 hours of video or 8,000 songs.

ToC

Windows Movie Maker 2 Final

Posted: January 08, 2003

Windows Movie Maker 2 makes home movies amazingly fun. With Movie Maker 2, you can create, edit, and share your home movies right on your computer. Build your movie with a few simple drag-and-drops. Delete bad shots and include only the best scenes. Then share your movie via the Web, e-mail, or CD. Using third-party software you can even take movies you've made and turn them into DVDs. You can also save your movie back to the video tape in your camera to play back on a TV or on the camera itself.

To download Windows Movie Maker 2 (it's free) just go to Windows Update and select it.

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Windows Media Player 9 (final)

WMP9 is now available as a final version at the http://windowsmedia.com/ web site. Here's some marketing materials from Microsoft outlining its new features.

What's New in Windows Media Player 9 Series?

With over 120 new features in Windows Media Player 9 Series, there's a lot to explore and something exciting for everyone.

We tried to fit this list into a Top 10 but there were too many to mention. So here's our baker's dozen list of what's new in Windows Media Player 9 Series:

1. Fast Streaming - get instant-on, no-interruption streaming for broadband users, effectively eliminating buffering time when connected to a server running Windows Media Services 9 Series. For dial-up users, the new player dramatically improves streaming responsiveness and reliability. (All supported OS versions)

2. Mini-Player & Full Screen Audio Modes- frees up space on the desktop, making it easy to control playback of music and video from the taskbar or via full screen controls. (Windows XP version)

3. New audio effects including Crossfading & Volume Leveling- Crossfading enables you to create radio-style transitions in your playlists by overlapping song endings and beginnings. Volume leveling minimizes the volume difference in playlist items by equalizing the volume. (Windows XP version)

4. Queue-It-Up- instantly add new music to your current playlist queue with one click. (All supported OS versions)

5. Variable Speed Playback & Media Link- Control the speed of audio or video without changing the pitch and tone perfect for quickly getting through a long video, or for aiding comprehension. Use Media Link to Email links to your own highlights from streamed news, presentations, home movies and more. (Windows XP version)

6. Info Center View for WMA and MP3 Files- view artist details, ratings, lyrics, related news and radio stations, and even discover downloads and videos in the Now Playing window. (Windows XP version)

7. Advanced Tag Editor for WMA and MP3 files- supports over 35 media information tag types, including pictures, lyrics, mood, comments, and even synchronized lyrics. (Windows XP version)

8. Smart Jukebox Organization- Features including file and folder monitoring keep your library in sync across multiple folders, drives, even networked PCs. (Windows XP version)

9. Auto Info- Automatically add or fix album details such as composer, year, genre, and album art for your existing WMA and MP3 collection. (Windows XP version)

10. Auto Playlists- enables the creation and editing of smart mixes that automatically update to reflect new additions or changes to your Media Library. You can also edit and personalize over 20 presets or add your own. (All supported OS versions, creation and editing of Auto Playlists on Windows XP)

11. High performance CD burning- lets you easily and quickly burn audio CDs with Volume Leveling. Burn music and video content as data on a CD-R for backup or playback in Windows Media-compatible DVD players, car stereos and portable CD players. (Audio CD burning on all OS versions, audio CD burning with volume leveling and data burning on Windows XP)

12. Support for Windows Mediaú Audio and Video 9 - Windows Media Audio and Video 9 offer breakthrough audio and video quality at any bitrate, with a 20% boost in quality compared with Windows Media Audio and Video 8. New audiophile-grade features such as WMA VBR, WMA Professional (24-bit, 96khz, 5.1+ channel), and WMA Lossless deliver unparalleled quality and flexibility. (All supported OS versions)

13. 5 Types of Plug-ins- For maximum personalization, a new plug-in model makes it easy to add audio and video effects, new UI features, rendering formats, skins, and visualizations to your player. (All supported OS versions)

ToC

The door is closing on Gateway

By MATHEW INGRAM
Globe and Mail Update
www.globeandmail.com, Wednesday, January 8, 2003

It must really irk Gateway Corp. founder and chairman Ted Waitt every time he sees an ad for his competitor Dell Computer, or a profile of its founder, Michael Dell. After all, Mr. Waitt started his mail-order PC company in an Iowa farmhouse at about the same time Mr. Dell started one in his dorm room at the University of Texas - and now Dell is the undisputed leader of the computer business, and Gateway is a footnote.

On Tuesday, the company engaged in a ritual that has become all too familiar over the past year: it cut its revenue and profit targets, saying it would lose 18 cents (U.S.) to 19 cents in the fourth quarter, on sales of $1.06-billion. That compares with a consensus forecast of 14 cents on revenue of $1.22-billion. To add to the pain, Gateway added that a dispute with a "major partner" could bump its losses up by a further 3 cents.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Mr. Waitt said that a strong fourth quarter would be needed to keep the company's loss for the year under the $250-million mark. The fact that its final quarter was actually weaker than expected means it will likely lose more than that - a loss that will come on top of a $1-billion loss last year. Gateway has managed to make a profit only once in the last eight quarters, in the fourth quarter of last year, and even then it was only a minuscule 1.6 cents a share.

Given its fourth-quarter estimate, the computer maker is likely to have sales for the year of just over $4-billion - a staggering 55 per cent below what its annual revenues were just two years ago. And where did most of those sales go? To Mr. Waitt's arch-rival, Michael Dell. In the same period, Dell's sales have gone to $34-billion from $25-billion, a climb of 40 per cent. Between 1997 and 2000, Dell's revenue more than doubled. Gateway's sales rose 50 per cent, but have since lost all that ground.

Not surprisingly, Gateway's stock price has also lost a lot of ground. In 1999, the shares hit a peak of $81, and even as recently as last year the stock was trading at $20. It is now below $3, and some analysts who follow the company believe it could go even lower. While the company has no debt and $1-billion in cash, it continues to lose money - and shows no sign of being able to turn that red ink into black in the near future, despite several major restructurings in the past two years.

In one of those restructurings, Ted Waitt returned to take the helm of the company he founded, and there was some initial hope that he could find a way to return Gateway to its roots and make it profitable. Instead, however, many of his strategic moves actually accelerated the company's problems - such as the move to expand Gateway's chain of retail outlets, something fellow mail-order PC maker Dell has stayed away from.

Those retail stores are now a massive cash drain, and that comes on top of deteriorating profit margins in the PC industry - a trend that has been engineered in large part by Dell, which described its relentless pressure on competitors in 2001 by saying "This is going to be Bosnia" (in the words of Dell president Jim Vanderslice). As Dell has ratcheted PC prices down farther and farther, it has managed to make money because of its low-cost operation, but others have been hemorrhaging.

Exactly a year ago, Gateway disappointed the market by cutting its revenue targets for the fourth quarter, although it stuck to its profit expectations. The shares slumped by more than 25 per cent to $7.44 (more than double the price they are trading for now). Some analysts said the company was making the transition from low-margin PC sales to higher-margin corporate sales and that this would be reflected in future quarters. Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown boosted its price target to $12 with a "buy."

Instead, however, Gateway has lost focus even further, expanding its product offering from PCs to Mp3 players, digital cameras, large-screen televisions and other consumer electronic devices. Meanwhile, it has resorted to aggressive price-cutting and incentives - such as a two-for-one PC deal over Christmas - which have only eroded its profit margins even further, without resulting in any market share gains. That, analysts say, is a vicious circle that is leading Gateway in one direction: down.

"There's just no room for them," technology consultant Martin Pichison told the Los Angeles Times just before Christmas. "Dell is beating the you-know-what out of everybody. There's just no margins anymore." Morningstar analyst Joseph Beaulieu said Gateway "is not a stock that I would own at any price at this point. They're losing money, and they have no viable business plan to turn things around." At some point, Ted Waitt may finally have to admit that his former dorm-room counterpart has won.

Subscribe to The Globe and Mail online:

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ToC

The Linux Section:

Linux maker Mandrake: We need cash

By Stephen Shankland (stephens@cnet.com)
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
December 20, 2002, 10:11 AM PT
URL: http://news.com.com/2100-1001-978593.html

Linux seller MandrakeSoft issued a plea for cash Friday, encouraging people to buy products, MandrakeClub memberships or company stock.

The company, based in Paris but drawing much of its revenue from North America, needs $4 million to pay debts and cover expenses in order to attain profitability. It's the second time this year the company has sought help from its customers.

"A very difficult time has arrived for us: We have a very big short-term cash issue," co-founder Gael Duval said in a statement.

MandrakeSoft isn't the only company to struggle with the business prospects of Linux, an open-source clone of the Unix operating system and one of several technologies once popular with investors. For example, the SCO Group changed its name to emphasize its Unix products, and Lineo, a maker of Linux for gadgets, this week was acquired under its new name Embedix by a Motorola unit.

SuSE, based in Germany and second to Red Hat in market share, declined in November to state whether it expects to be profitable for 2002. Rival TurboLinux has sold off a distributed computing software business and retrenched to its Japanese stronghold.

Linux companies have seen some business success, however. For example, Red Hat, the top seller of Linux, has edged into profitability.

MandrakeSoft held an initial public offering on the unregulated Marche Libre exchange in Paris in 2001.

At the time, MandrakeSoft was trying to extricate itself from a change (http://news.com.com/2100-1001-251926.html) in direction that had seen it move from selling Linux to selling online educational services. The new strategy had sent revenue plunging, and the company was spending about $1.5 million per month, according to MandrakeSoft.

The company embarked on an expense-cutting campaign last year, but said Friday it won't be able to attain profitability by the end of the 2002, as it hoped. It now hopes to move into the black in the spring of 2003 with the release of its next version of Linux.

"If you are concerned about MandrakeSoft's future, this is the time to mobilize," the company exhorted customers in a message (http://www1.mandrakelinux.com/en/future.php3) posted on the company's Web site Friday.

Specifically, the company asked customers to join the MandrakeClub (http://www3.mandrakelinux.com/en/club/) or upgrade their membership level. The members of the club get access to more software, quicker downloads and special promotions.

MandrakeSoft estimated it could meet the current cash hurdle if 20,000 of the company's estimated 200,000 customers signed up for a silver-level membership, which costs $120 per year.

The company also suggested customers buy products or company stock. Current shareholders may purchase stock at about $2.10 per share through a warrant operation, the company said.

ToC

CES: Linux heading for cell phones

By: Martyn Williams
Posted: January 8, 2003 5:58 am PT
Source: Infoworld
URL: http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/03/01/08/030108hnlinuxphone.xml?0108weam

THE LINUX OPERATING system has made the jump from computer servers to handheld computers, digital video recorders, and wristwatches and soon may find a home inside your cellular telephone.

NEC said Wednesday it is working on the development of Linux-based cell phones with MontaVista Software, and an executive of the Sunnyvale, Calif., software company said it is in talks with other major cellular handset makers on similar projects.

ToC

SGI Releases Linux supercomputer with Itanium processor

By: Tom Krazit
Posted: January 7, 2003 5:47 am PT
Source: Infoworld
URL: http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/03/01/07/030107hnsgi.xml?0107tuam

SILICON GRAPHICS INC.'S (SGI's) new Altix 3000 machines are penguins on steroids, combining the Linux operating system with Intel's Itanium 2 processor into a server that can scale up to 64 processors.

The Altix 3300 and Altix 3700 were announced by SGI Tuesday. Both systems use a standard version of Linux -- whose widely used emblem is the penguin -- compatible with Red Hat's Linux Version 7.2. The Altix 3300 can be configured with a single node of between four and 12 Itanium 2 processors, while the Altix 3700 uses anywhere from 16 to 64 Itanium 2 processors in a node.

ToC

The Macintosh Section:

New Apple Software Spices up iLife

by Geoff Duncan (geoff@tidbits.com)
TidBITS#662/13-Jan-03

Saying he had "two Macworld's worth of stuff for you today," Steve Jobs unveiled a host of new software (and hardware, covered elsewhere in this issue) offerings at his Macworld Expo San Francisco 2003 keynote address. In fact, the sheer number of products prevents us from going into much detail about the software in this issue - look for more detailed analysis in upcoming editions of TidBITS.

iLife

The digital hub remains a core Apple strategy, and the company has tightened the radius of its iApps by creating iLife, a bundle consisting of iTunes 3, iPhoto 2, iMovie 3, and iDVD 3. In addition to new features, these applications now integrate with each other - so iTunes playlists are available in iMovie, iPhoto albums are accessible in iDVD, etc. iPhoto 2 and iMovie 3 will be available 25-Jan-03 for free download (iTunes 3 is already available). Due to iDVD's size, it's not practical to make it available online, so on 25-Jan-03 Apple will start selling the entire iLife package on CD-ROM for $50.

http://www.apple.com/ilife/

Keynote

Steve Jobs has always been noted for his showy keynote addresses; now he's revealed the application he used to create his sophisticated slide shows during 2002. Keynote is a presentation program which takes advantage of Mac OS X display technologies like Quartz and OpenGL to make sophisticated slide shows. It imports and exports from PowerPoint, making it an intriguing alternative to Microsoft's dominant presentation program (see "Apple Reduces Its Microsoft Dependency" elsewhere in this issue). Keynote is available now for $100.

http://www.apple.com/keynote/

Final Cut Express

Apple also announced Final Cut Express, a slightly stripped-down version of its Final Cut Pro digital video editing application. Final Cut Express uses the same interface as Final Cut Pro and offers most of the pro-level non-linear editing, transitions, and real-time effects as its big brother at about one-third of the price. That makes it a good choice for someone who wants to produce projects more sophisticated than what iMovie can handle, but who doesn't need extensive image capture and export capabilities. Final Cut Express is available now for $300.

http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/

Safari Public Beta

One of the most exciting announcements was Safari, Apple's home-grown Web browser. Built by some of the folks who develop Chimera for Mac OS X, Safari is a new Web browser based on the open source KHTML rendering engine. Apple intends it to be the fastest browser available on the Mac - and so far, they seem to be pulling it off - with easy-to-use features. Currently Safari is in public beta and available as a tiny 2.9 MB download. On 10-Jan-03, Apple released a v51 update, which is recommended for everyone who initially downloaded Safari in the first few days after release.

http://www.apple.com/safari/

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New PowerBooks: Mini Me and the Lunch Tray

by Adam C. Engst (ace@tidbits.com)
TidBITS#662/13-Jan-03

Amid rumors of video iPods and tablet Macs appearing during the Macworld Expo keynote address, Steve Jobs calmly introduced a pair of new PowerBook models that slot neatly into Apple's existing iBook and PowerBook lines. The most obvious distinction for the new machines is display size, and that's how Apple refers to them officially: the 12-inch PowerBook G4 and the 17-inch PowerBook G4. The 12-inch PowerBook G4 packs a lot of power into the smallest laptop Apple has ever made, and the 17-inch PowerBook G4 breaks new ground for the size of a screen in a laptop computer. Both PowerBooks support Apple's new 802.11g AirPort Extreme wireless networking; both also exclusively run Mac OS X and cannot boot into Mac OS 9 (though the Classic environment is still available to run Mac OS 9 applications).

http://www.apple.com/powerbook/

Given Apple's penchant for differentiating the names of new Macs as little as possible, there was much talk at the show about what these new PowerBooks would end up being called. After all, many people refer to the Titanium PowerBook G4 as the TiBook, and Apple's parenthetical descriptors like Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) are both awkward and hard to say (and as a wag at the Netters Dinner chided me when I said the entire name aloud, the parentheses are silent). So the attendees of the Netters Dinner voted the most popular name for the 17-inch PowerBook G4 as "Lunch Tray," with the 12-inch PowerBook G4's matching name being "Happy Meal." Despite the elegance of a matching set of names, I suspect many people will call the 12-inch PowerBook something based on "Mini Me," the character played by Verne Troyer in the Austin Powers movies. That comes thanks to Apple's hilarious TV ad for the new PowerBooks featuring the diminutive Troyer with Yao Ming, the 7-foot, 6-inch (2.3 m) center for basketball's Houston Rockets. We'll see what names actually catch on in common usage.

http://www.apple.com/hardware/video/powerbookg4bigandsmall.html

17-inch PowerBook G4

With the new 17-inch PowerBook, Apple broke new ground in laptop size. The 17-inch screen is reportedly the largest laptop screen ever, although at 1440 by 900 (the widescreen 16 by 10 aspect ratio), it can't claim the award for highest resolution, since some PC laptops have screens that run at 1600 by 1200. Kudos go to Apple's designers for implementing a counterweight in the hinge that makes the lid incredibly smooth to open and close. Despite the massive screen, Apple managed to keep the overall weight down to 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg). It's also the thinnest PowerBook yet, with a thickness of just under 1 inch (2.54 cm), which is slightly thinner than the existing Titanium PowerBook G4. Rounding out the dimensions, it's 15.4 inches (39.2 cm) wide and 10.2 inches (25.9 cm) deep.

http://www.apple.com/powerbook/specs.html

Rather than rely on titanium for the new PowerBooks, Apple switched to an aircraft-grade anodized aluminum. Although I'm not enough of a metallurgist to verify this, Apple claims the anodized aluminum is lighter and stiffer than the titanium used in the TiBook. My reading of bicycle frame building discussions comparing aluminum and titanium agree that aluminum is lighter, but not generally stiffer. However, it's also clear from reading those discussions that specific design makes a huge difference in final stiffness. The aluminum isn't painted, which will please those people whose watches have scratched the titanium finish or whose hand oil has caused the TiBook's paint to bubble and peel.

Under the hood, the 17-inch PowerBook G4 offers a 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor with 1 MB L3 cache, 512 MB of PC2700 DDR RAM (upgradable to 1 GB), a GeForce4 440 Go graphics processor with 64 MB VRAM, a 60 GB hard disk, a slot-loading SuperDrive (CD-RW/DVD-R), two USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet, a PC Card slot, audio line in, stereo speakers, a headphone jack, and an internal microphone. Video out is handled by S-video and DVI connectors, and Apple includes a DVI to VGA adapter. The 17-inch PowerBook G4 supports dual displays, and a new function key on the keyboard lets you switch easily between an extended desktop and mirrored displays. Despite the huge screen and fast processor, Apple claims users should see up to 4.5 hours of battery life with the new lithium-ion prismatic battery.

FireWire is also onboard, in the form of a standard FireWire 400 port and a new separate FireWire 800 port that runs at, you guessed it, 800 Mbps. FireWire 800 requires a new connector, but it's backward compatible with FireWire 400 if you use the adapter Apple provides. And speaking of ports, the two USB connections are smartly placed, one on each side of the base, making it easier for left-handed users (or anyone using extra USB devices such as video or audio editing controllers) to minimize cable clutter.

Also built in are not one, but two forms of wireless communication. Bluetooth is now standard for communicating with cell phones and other Bluetooth-capable devices. Then there's AirPort Extreme, an enhanced version of AirPort wireless networking. AirPort Extreme relies on the 802.11g draft standard to provide 54 Mbps of bandwidth when communicating with another AirPort Extreme device, while still maintaining full backward compatibility with 11 Mbps (802.11b) AirPort devices. In a bit of good news for frustrated TiBook users looking to upgrade, Apple moved the antennas (which are used by both AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth, with some clever switching to make sure they don't interfere with one another) from the base to the upper edges of the screen. Apple claims that reception should be as good as with the recent iBook models, which provide better reception than any other machine I've seen.

Lastly, Apple upped the cool factor of the 17-inch PowerBook by adding a fiber optic system that illuminates the keyboard from underneath, with the light shining through laser-etched keycaps. That's neat, but what's even neater is that it's controlled by an ambient light sensor that automatically raises the level of backlight as the room light goes down. The ambient light sensor also automatically adjusts the screen brightness, although you can control both manually from the keyboard as well. People who regularly work in dim environments are sure to find this particularly useful.

The 17-inch PowerBook G4 will be available in February (though Apple's online store currently lists a 7 to 10 week estimated shipping timeline) for $3,300, and short of paying $300 more to add another 512 MB of RAM, there aren't any other options. It comes with a free copy of Intuit's QuickBooks for Mac New User Edition.

http://quickbooks.intuit.com/qbcom/jhtml/skins/prod_ovw.jhtml?ssaPath=qb_2003_mac_pro_1user

I'll be interested to see how the 17-inch PowerBook sells. Although the price is reasonable, the feature set is extremely good, and the screen is stupendous, it has one problem: it's big. Really big. Almost without exception, everyone I talked with at the show felt it was too big to be used as a general laptop computer, although it would be ideal for someone who merely needs a portable computer that can be moved from desk to desk. Though it's only very slightly taller than the TiBook thanks to a clever screen hinge, it's awfully wide, and I can't imagine using it in coach on most airplanes. It won't fit in many PowerBook bags, but the Apple Online Store offers two optional Brenthaven cases that are designed to hold it (and other bag manufacturers have already started working up new designs). When I asked about the size issue, Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of hardware products, shrugged and said, "That's what they said about the Titanium PowerBook G4 when it came out, too." For Apple's sake, I hope he's right, since it's one heck of a cool machine, and there will be people for whom it is utterly perfect.

12-inch PowerBook G4

It was the biggest of PowerBooks, it was the smallest of PowerBooks. With apologies to Charles Dickens, that's how the keynote felt, since after introducing the big- screen 17-inch PowerBook G4, Steve Jobs reversed gears and showed off the svelte 12-inch PowerBook G4.

It shares an anodized aluminum case with the 17-inch PowerBook G4, but with a 12.1-inch screen running at 1024 by 768, the new PowerBook has more in common with the 12-inch iBook. It's even smaller than the iBook in every way, measuring only 1.2 inches (3.0 cm) high, 10.9 inches (27.7 cm) wide, 8.6 inches (21.8 cm) deep, and weighing in at 4.6 pounds (2.1 kg). Both the PowerBook Duo and PowerBook 2400 are slightly smaller than the 12-inch PowerBook G4 in one or two dimensions, but not in all three or in overall volume.

But where the iBook has been slowed by its reliance on the PowerPC G3, the 12-inch PowerBook G4 uses an 867 MHz PowerPC G4. To that it adds 256 MB of PC2100 DDR RAM (expandable to 640 MB), a 40 GB hard disk (add $50 for a 60 GB disk) a GeForce4 420 Go graphics processor with 32 MB VRAM and dual display support, a slot-loading Combo drive (CD-RW/DVD-ROM), VGA and S-video out (both via an adapter), a FireWire 400 port, two USB ports, 10/100Base-T Ethernet, along with stereo speakers (and a third mid-range speaker embedded in the bottom of the base), audio line in, headphone output, and an internal microphone. On the wireless front, the 12-inch PowerBook G4 boasts built-in Bluetooth support as well as a slot for an optional $100 AirPort Extreme card. The antennas are in the screen again, and Apple claims it should match the iBook's wireless range. Apple also says the 12-inch PowerBook G4 gets up to 5 hours of battery life from a lithium-ion battery.

The 12-inch PowerBook G4 should be available in about two weeks with prices starting at $1,800; for an extra $200, you can replace the Combo drive with a SuperDrive (CD-RW/DVD-R). It currently ships with a copy of Intuit's QuickBooks. Unfortunately, the 12-inch PowerBook lacks the ambient light sensor and fiber optic keyboard backlight of the 17-inch PowerBook G4.

While I'm unsure about how well the 17-inch model will do, I have few doubts about the 12-inch model, since there are many people for whom the TiBook was too large and expensive, but the iBook suffered from lack of both performance and dual display support. Adding Bluetooth and AirPort Extreme merely sweetens the deal. The 12-inch PowerBook G4 is, quite simply, the perfect travelling laptop for a serious Mac user. And I want one.

A Step Back

All that said, you may have noticed a few annoying limitations in the 12-inch PowerBook G4. Although 640 MB of RAM is enough, many people would like to install more. A PC Card slot might be nice, and a backlit keyboard would be welcome. It also has only VGA out instead of DVI, FireWire 400 rather than FireWire 800, and 10/100 Mbps Ethernet rather than Gigabit Ethernet. Why the limitations? Though space and power are undoubtedly tight in such a small machine, Apple was careful to provide a rational way for people to choose among Apple's iBook and PowerBook models, and the company didn't want the 12-inch PowerBook G4 to eclipse the larger and more expensive PowerBooks (the 15-inch Titanium models are still offered, and now represent the mid-range of the PowerBook line). Apple's pricing ramps up smoothly, as you can see in the list below:

* $1,000: 12-inch iBook (CD-ROM, 700 MHz)
* $1,300: 12-inch iBook (Combo, 800 MHz)
* $1,500: 14-inch iBook (basic config)
* $1,750: 14-inch iBook (more RAM and hard disk)
* $1,800: 12-inch PowerBook G4 (Combo drive)
* $2,000: 12-inch PowerBook G4 (SuperDrive)
* $2,300: 15-inch Titanium PowerBook G4 (Combo drive, 867 MHz)
* $2,800: 15-inch Titanium PowerBook G4 (SuperDrive, 1 GHz)
* $3,300: 17-inch PowerBook G4 (SuperDrive, 1 GHz)

The feature set of each machine follows along with the price, making it easy to determine which laptop is right for you. Apple is clearly taking portables seriously, and Steve Jobs said that the company believes that someday portables will outsell desktops. Currently, about a third of Apple's Macintosh sales go to notebooks, compared with less than a quarter of sales industry-wide.

Keep this product line ramp up in mind as you imagine what the future might bring. I could see Apple releasing a 15-inch PowerBook G4 using the anodized aluminum case of the new PowerBooks, particularly if the current TiBook continues to meet the needs of many new customers. I also think a G4-based iBook might be in the offing, but only if the total package doesn't impinge on the PowerBook line.

ToC

Apple Reduces Its Microsoft Dependency

by Adam C. Engst (ace@tidbits.com)
TidBITS#662/13-Jan-03

As is becoming increasingly common at Macworld Expo, Apple dominated attendees' attention by introducing a wide-ranging set of new hardware and software products. The new 12-inch and 17-inch PowerBooks, the speedy 802.11g-based AirPort Extreme, significant updates to three of the four iApps, three new major applications in Safari, Keynote, and Final Cut Express... the rapid-fire of announcements had journalists scribbling madly through Steve Jobs's two-hour keynote presentation.

But, as interesting and important as most of the announcements were, the release of the Safari Web browser and the Keynote presentation program offer the first major public look at what has been one of Apple's main goals of late: to reduce the company's dependence on Microsoft for essential productivity software. The task is by no means done, so look for future moves to complete the task of making Microsoft's software excellent alternatives, rather than the sole choices in any given field.

Past Efforts

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, a five-year agreement was made between the companies, requiring Microsoft to continue producing Macintosh software, in exchange for which Apple would bundle Microsoft software - Outlook Express and Internet Explorer - with the Mac OS. That agreement is over now and won't be renewed, but Apple has been working for some time to wean itself from Microsoft, a move that's not only in Apple's best interests, but which may also benefit Microsoft by giving the company's Macintosh Business Unit (MacBU) some much-needed competition.

http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=04090

Though Apple didn't make much of it at the time, the inclusion of Mail with Mac OS X was the first step in this strategy, enabling Apple to drop Microsoft's Outlook Express, which had been bundled previously. More recent public hints came with Apple's unveiling of iChat in May of 2002, since iChat specifically offered compatibility with AOL Instant Messenger, rather than Microsoft's MSN Messenger. Then, although it wasn't blatant, Apple's system- wide Address Book and the release of iCal meant that Apple had duplicated most of the basic features of Entourage X. The public problems became more obvious after Microsoft complained about how Office X wasn't selling well enough because Apple wasn't helping to market it.

http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=06816
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-943859.html

Big Game with Safari

Once the cracks began to show, it became clear that Internet Explorer would be Apple's first target. Internet Explorer's favored position on the Dock made it the only non-Apple program to receive such treatment, and given the undeniable importance of a Web browser in today's computing world, Apple simply had to reclaim that spot.

Conceivably, Apple could have purchased one of the smaller browsers, such as OmniWeb or iCab, but the company has avoided that approach with the iApps after turning Casady & Greene's SoundJam into iTunes. In particular, Apple chose to develop iPhoto and iCal in house, even though there were plenty of decent programs that Apple could have bought to kick start the development effort. Part of that is undoubtedly Apple's desire to show how quickly Cocoa applications can be developed from scratch; there's probably some of the old "Not Invented Here" syndrome in play as well, although there are good reasons to write software yourself, as you can read in the "Joel on Software" article linked below.

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000007.html

So Apple set out to create their own browser, hiring a Netscape developer who was also working on the open source browser Chimera. That led to assumptions that Apple would use the open source Gecko HTML rendering engine that's behind all of the Netscape-derived browsers (Netscape, Mozilla, and Chimera), but those assumptions proved false when Steve Jobs announced that Apple had instead chosen the open source KHTML engine, reportedly because KHTML is significantly faster than Gecko and has about seven times fewer lines of code. Whatever the under-the-hood details, Safari looks to be a good, if not yet great, Web browser, and we hope Apple will continue to use it to push the browser paradigm forward.

http://www.apple.com/safari/

Does the release of Safari change the Web browser landscape? Yes, since it will overnight become one of the primary Web browsers on the Internet, and anyone writing HTML must test against Safari along with all the other heavily used browsers. But overall, I don't think Mac users will find the change all that unsettling. Until Safari, Internet Explorer was the dominant browser, and all the rest (Netscape, Mozilla, Chimera, iCab, OmniWeb, and Opera) were used by people for whom Internet Explorer wasn't quite right. I suspect Safari will replace Internet Explorer, not just on the Dock, but also as the dominant Macintosh Web browser, and Internet Explorer will join the others as a browser of choice for those who eschew the status quo.

Selling the Keynote

If the release of Safari was not unexpected, the appearance of Keynote was an almost complete surprise. Perhaps PowerPoint experts had been wondering about some of the effects in Steve Jobs's Macworld Expo keynotes in 2002, all of which relied on pre-release versions of Keynote, but if there was any such speculation, I never heard it. I had been thinking privately that Apple might be working to beef up AppleWorks so it could give Microsoft Office X some competition, but since AppleWorks doesn't include presentation software, I wasn't thinking in those terms.

In retrospect, though, a cutting-out expedition to separate the weakest member of the Office suite from the herd makes total sense. Excel occupies an extremely solid position, since it's incredibly mature and Excel spreadsheets are required for the day-to-day functioning of innumerable businesses. Word's position is also rather secure, thanks to the need for people to exchange Word documents among Macintosh and Windows users and to import them into layout programs. Word is more vulnerable than Excel, though, because many people find the program's features - even essential ones such as version tracking and comments - ungainly and awkward. As much as Word is currently an essential application for vast numbers of people, a competitor that read and wrote Word format files perfectly would have a chance of supplanting it.

With Mail, Address Book, and iCal already offering an alternative to Entourage, PowerPoint made sense as the next target for Apple. With the exception of a few programs like ConceptDraw Presenter from small companies, PowerPoint hasn't had any real competition since the demise of Aldus Persuasion in the mid-1990s. Although PowerPoint isn't a bad program, it had become the dominant presentation program more through its inclusion in the Office suite than its incomparable feature set or overwhelming ease of use. PowerPoint's file compatibility is important, but not nearly as much as with Word, and it doesn't fill the day-to-day role of Excel in running a business.

http://www.conceptdraw.com/en/products/CDPresenter/

Hence Keynote. Although I'm not qualified to compare it to PowerPoint on a feature-by-feature basis, it looks as though it will be highly credible competition. Not surprisingly, Apple focused on helping users make visually arresting presentations with Keynote, but in a forward-thinking move, Keynote's file format uses XML (eXtensible Markup Language). Since XML files are merely structured text files, other programs will be able to write out Keynote files, thus making it possible to create automatic presentations based, for instance, on daily sales data. Plus, Apple enabled Keynote to import and export PowerPoint files, a capability that should address many file compatibility concerns (reportedly, QuickTime movies in PowerPoint presentations must be moved over manually).

http://www.apple.com/keynote/

Unlike the free Safari and iApps, Keynote costs $100, and thus will not automatically take over as the Macintosh presentation software of choice. But the buzz about it at Macworld Expo was positive, and if nothing else, it should serve as a wakeup call to the PowerPoint team that they need to innovate or risk losing the Macintosh platform.

How Should Microsoft Respond?

While not declaring war, Apple has certainly thrown down the gauntlet, and it remains to be seen how Microsoft will respond. Microsoft's MacBU has been flailing since the release of Office X in October of 2001. The more recent departure of MacBU general manager Kevin Browne emphasized the group's confusion and underscored the importance of Apple reducing its dependency on Microsoft for essential software.

Apple must extricate itself from this too-close relationship with Microsoft carefully. Were Microsoft to become too angry about how Apple was portraying the company and its products, it's not inconceivable that Microsoft would dissolve the MacBU (which probably doesn't contribute that much to Microsoft's bottom line) and stop producing Macintosh software entirely. Such a move could still be disastrous for Apple, given the essential roles that Word and Excel play in business, government, and academia. However, I expect better from Microsoft, particularly since the company has long utilized the same strategy in the Windows market that Apple is following in the Macintosh market. What's good for the goose...

Aside from the problem of being beholden to a company that is essentially your primary competition, the other reason it makes sense for Apple to lessen its dependency on Microsoft is that Microsoft hasn't been delivering of late. It's been 14 months since the release of Office X, and although carbonization of the four programs in the Office suite was an admittedly huge undertaking, Office X has few new features over Office 2001, released 13 months earlier. And Internet Explorer hasn't seen a major update since March of 2000, thanks in part to being left without a development team for long periods of time.

Sadly, a renewed sense of purpose at Microsoft, if it's indeed happening internally, hasn't yet bubbled to the surface. In our briefing with Microsoft, the only new thing they showed was MSN for Mac OS X, a novice-level Internet service that, short of some moderately interesting parental controls, was basically a yawn. But even MSN for Mac OS X was exciting compared to the rest of Microsoft's limp announcements - the extension of a discount on Office X for new Mac buyers, the release of Entourage X on its own for $100, and the bundling of the Office X Test Drive with all new Macs (in which you can see Apple trying to let Microsoft down gently). My questions about whether we'd see a new version of Office X in 2003 were ducked, and no one would venture a comment on Safari or Keynote.

Call me an optimist, but I hope that Apple reducing its dependency on Microsoft will motivate Microsoft to take renewed interest in moving Office X and Internet Explorer forward in interesting and innovative ways. Competition is a good thing, and Microsoft hasn't had nearly enough of it lately.

ToC

Apple laptop gets jumbo screen

By Joe Wilcox
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 7, 2003, 2:31 PM PT
URL: http://news.com.com/2100-1040-979491.html

On the two-year birthday of the high-end Titanium PowerBook, Apple Computer on Tuesday upped the ante by introducing a model with a massive 17-inch display.

"We believe someday notebooks are even going to outsell desktops," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said during his keynote speech at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco. He predicted the sales ratio will climb to at least 50 percent in a few years.

"We want to replace even more desktops with notebooks," he said.

To achieve that goal, the company created a PowerBook that is 1-inch thick, slightly thinner than its predecessor. It weighs 6.8 pounds, compared with 5.4 pounds for the 15-inch PowerBook. It's made from high-grade aluminum.

New features include built-in Bluetooth (a short-haul wireless technology), FireWire 2 and AirPort wireless networking. The long-anticipated FireWire 2 has a throughput of 800mbps (megabits per second), about twice as fast as the previous version.

The 17-inch PowerBook, with a screen resolution of 1440-by-900 pixels, a 1GHz PowerPC G4 processor, 512MB of RAM, a 60GB hard drive and a DVD recording drive, is priced at $3,299 and ships next month.

Apple also introduced a 12-inch PowerBook. "We decided to apply this technology to something a little smaller," Jobs said.

The smaller PowerBook costs $1,799 and includes an 867MHz G4 processor, a 40GB hard drive, Bluetooth and is 802.11g-ready. (802.11g is a wireless networking standard that boasts faster speeds and better security.)

"This is the most affordable PowerBook ever, and we will be shipping them in about two weeks," Jobs said, touting the new 12-inch PowerBook as a portable digital media studio.

"This is clearly going to be the year of the notebook for Apple," he said.

The 12-inch PowerBook appears to be the new entertainment portable product that sources close to the company said would be unveiled at the show.

"It's a personal digital media station," said Michael Gartenberg, a Jupiter Research analyst. "The 12-inch (model) is going to fly off the shelves."

The introduction of the two new PowerBook models, which are encased in airplane-grade aluminum, greatly broadens Apple's line of professional portables. In fact, the new PowerBooks give Apple a full range of sizes and prices that could better compete with Windows PC portables.

Tough competition Still, the 12-inch model could face stiff competition and comes at a bad time. Sales of ultraportables like the 12-inch PowerBook are declining. IDC predicts manufacturers will ship 666,000 ultraportables this year out of an estimated 13 million notebooks. Much of that market could be consumed by notebooks running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, which adds inking and handwriting technologies to Microsoft's flagship operating system.

"Subnotebooks are clearly a declining category," said IDC analyst Roger Kay. "The subnotes may be revived by Tablet PC, but the PowerBook is not a tablet. Also, at $1,800, the price comparison to Windows products is not favorable to this. I don't think Apple will sell a lot of these."

Apple isn't the only company shipping big-screen notebooks. Hewlett-Packard, Sony and Toshiba all offer at least 16-inch models. All three models offer faster clock-speed processors and cost considerably less than the 17-inch PowerBook. But Apple has the edge in terms of size and weight.

"It's a pretty cool product and shows they are more in tune with customer demand than they were with their last product release," said Matt Sargent, an ARS analyst. "The trend is toward larger notebooks. That portion of the market accounted for the largest growth of the PC market in the last year."

Toshiba's Satellite 1955-S803 sells for $2,800 with a 16-inch display with resolution up to 1,280-by-1,040 pixels, a 2.5GHz Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of RAM, a 60GB hard drive, a DVD/CD-RW combo drive, 802.11b wireless networking and Windows XP Home; the portable weighs in at more than 9.5 pounds. Sony sells the Vaio PCG-GRX670 for $2,400 with a 16.1-inch display with resolution up to 1,600-by-1,200 pixels, a 2GHz Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, a DVD recording drive, 802.11b wireless networking and Windows XP Home; the unit weighs 8 pounds.

"You get a smaller display on the Sony but with better resolution than the Apple," Sargent said. "It's disconcerting to me that the new PowerBook has a bigger display but with lower resolution."

HP's Compaq Presario 3005us is the lowest-cost of the bunch, at $1,900. The 8.1-pound portable comes with a 16-inch display, a 2GHz Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, a DVD/CD-RW combo drive and Windows XP Home.

The new PowerBooks benefit from smaller size and weight, Bluetooth, 802.11g wireless networking, and FireWire 2, which are not available on any of the Windows XP 16-inch models. But Apple chose to go with the older USB 1.1 at a time most Windows notebooks ship with the much faster USB 2.0.

"There are a ton of devices out there that utilize USB 2.0," Sargent said. "I was surprised they didn't go with that."

Apple also introduced a new version of its AirPort wireless base station, which supports 802.11g and can transfer data at 54mbps. The most common wireless technology, 802.11b, operates at around 11mbps.

New AirPort features include support for 50 users, bridging between base stations, and USB printer sharing. The new base station sells for $199, which is $100 less than the older 802.11b AirPort product.

ToC

Welcome to the browser jungle, Safari

By Paul Festa
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 7, 2003, 3:23 PM PT
URL: http://news.com.com/2100-1023-979583.html

SAN FRANCISCO--Apple Computer's Safari browser offers little challenge to Microsoft's browser dominance, analysts said Tuesday, but the Mac maker could benefit enormously if it can wean itself from Internet Explorer.

Apple's new releases are indicative of the companyÕs strategy to break out of its single-digit market share niche by focusing as much on software development as on the fancy hardware that drew thunderous applause from the faithful gathered here at Macworld Expo.

"Apple can only break out of its narrow (but incredibly loyal) niche in the desktop OS market if it takes charge of developing (applications such as browsers) that are tightly integrated with the platform and if it encourages many third parties--including, but not just, Microsoft--to develop apps for the platform," Jim Kobielus, a Burton Group analyst, wrote in an instant message interview.

Other analysts agreed that through its software expansion Apple might make some progress against the Microsoft juggernaut.

"If Apple can execute on this new software strategy and innovate on both the hardware and software side of the equation, they might finally be able to wrestle some market share from the Wintel camp," said Michael Gartenberg, analyst with Jupiter Research.

Whether the world needs a new browser remains to be seen. Microsoft's Internet Explorer currently is used by more than 90 percent of Web surfers, despite some minor gains in recent months with new releases from AOL Time Warner's Netscape Communications division, Norway's Opera Software, and the Netscape-backed open-source Mozilla project.

Like Opera, Apple promises faster surfing, as well as a prominently placed tool for blocking pop-up advertising. Netscape recently and quietly introduced a similar feature, but buried it deep within its file menus--perhaps as a concession to its parent company, which relies on pop-up ads for its own advertising.

Safari also includes a built-in text reader that reads a Web page out loud. Another service automatically generates a summary of a Web page.

If Apple's chances of winning significant market share from Windows through the release of software titles like Safari are slim, its chances of affecting the overall browser market are judged to be even slimmer.

Analysts point to the limited success that Mozilla has had, even with the marketing strength of AOL Time Warner behind it.

While Safari amounts to another chip on Apple's shoulder, it represents a significant setback for Mozilla, the open-source browser development group funded by AOL Time Warner's Netscape unit that supplies the technology behind the Netscape browser, among others.

Apple opted to use a competing open-source browser technology known as KHTML.

KHTML is a browser compliant with the World Wide Web ConsortiumÕs HTML 4 recommendation and is designed for use with the K Desktop Environment (KDE). KDE is an open-source graphical desktop environment for Unix computers; Mac OS X is based on Unix.

Netscape declined to comment on Apple's choice of KDE.

But KDE contributors hailed Apple's decision, calling it a validation of the development effort and of open-source methods in general.

"It's a great acknowledgment of the hard work done by all members of the KDE project, and proof that the concept of free software is perfectly capable of producing software worth being the preferred choice of major hardware and software vendors like Apple," wrote KDE engineer Harri Porten, in an e-mail interview.

Porten, an engineer in Oslo, Norway, with Trolltech who wrote the original version of KDE's JavaScript interpreter (KJS), said Apple's choice would not only raise awareness and adoption of the software, but boost KDE's development efforts.

Other KDE developers agreed.

"As far as I can judge from the changelog, so far they did some nice improvements to the code which Konqueror, KDE's integrated Web browser, can certainly benefit from," wrote KDE contributor Dirk Mueller. "They also improved KJS."

Safari is available as a free download starting on Tuesday and runs on Mac OS X version 10.2.

ToC

Gadget takes iTunes to the living room

By Ian Fried
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 9, 2003, 3:38 PM PT
URL: http://news.com.com/2100-1040-979988.html

SAN FRANCISCO--Many Macintosh fans have been hoping Apple Computer would introduce a device that would allow music stored on a Mac in the den to be played on a home stereo in the living room.

Such a device did debut at this week's Macworld Expo, but it didn't come from Apple. One had to walk well past the massive Apple booth, past even the massage chairs and a memory reseller, to find the new gadget, which is dubbed the HomePod wireless stereo.

The $200 HomePod, expected to hit the market in March, was developed by a three-person start-up called Gloolabs and will be sold by Macsense, a maker of networking gear and other Mac hardware. The two companies were showing the device at Macworld from a small booth near the doors at the back of the main hall. Despite the off-the-beaten-path location, the company drew pretty good crowds, including a number of Apple employees.

The device, which resembles a wireless base station with a couple of added buttons and a small LCD (liquid-crystal display) screen, uses a built-in wireless networking technology called Wi-Fi to connect to a wireless-equipped Macintosh or PC. A small Java program on the computer scours the PC or Mac for music and sends that information to the HomePod. The device can even receive playlists created with iTunes digital music software. The HomePod downloads songs one at a time and plays them either through a stereo or by connecting directly to speakers. The back of the HomePod has a FireWire port, allowing it to connect directly to a hard drive, and, perhaps at some point, to Apple's iPod digital music player.

The design that Macsense is showing is neither aesthetically beautiful nor a wonder of technology, but it does fulfill a long-held desire of computer users to play music stored on their PC in one room on a stereo in another room.

"It's a very clear problem," said David Arfin, CEO of Gloolabs. "There are 60 million people who have music (stored) on hard disks. Most of those people have stereos."

The HomePod is not alone in trying to bridge that gap. TiVo and Hewlett-Packard on Thursday both announced their own products designed to offer living room access to music and other multimedia stored on a PC. But Gloolabs hopes to build a niche by being one of the first to have its products on the market.

In fact, one of the biggest worries of the Gloolabs staff was that Apple would preempt the HomePod's debut with its own digital device.

"There was a little nervousness," said Ed Sesek, Gloolab's chief technology officer. "We've been thinking that people should have done this for a couple of years."

The company's three employees sat anxiously through Apple CEO Steve Jobs' keynote speech Tuesday, hoping that there would still be a market for their device once the Apple chief finished pulling rabbits from his iHat.

A musical Rendezvous Chris Bourdon, an Apple product marketing manager, said that in the not-too-distant future, the capabilities of the HomePod will be built into stereos. Using Apple's Rendezvous technology, such devices should also be able to automatically find music over a network, instead of requiring new software to be installed on each device where music is stored. Consumer electronics maker Philips Electronics has already signed on to use Rendezvous, and a number of other consumer electronics firms have shown interest, said Richard Kerris, Apple's senior director of worldwide developer relations.

For now, though, products like the HomePod can serve as a bridge for those who already have music stored on their PC or Mac and don't want to buy a whole new stereo. TiVo, for example, is offering similar functionality to the HomePod, as well as the ability to view photos stored on a PC or Mac through a television. TiVo is using Rendezvous to help discover what digital content is located within a home network.

The key advantage of Rendezvous, Bourdon said, is that it can find the content automatically, instead of having to be specially configured.

"The non-configuration aspect of Rendezvous is really critical," Bourdon said.

Sesek said his company expects to encounter competition from much larger companies, but hopes to carve a niche for itself by continuing into new areas and by opening its design up to developers. Gloolabs already has its sights set on adding video capabilities, allowing a television to grab movies stored on a computer.

The company is counting on Macsense to sell the device at retailers, ideally at places like Fry's Electronics and CompUSA. Macsense was taking advance orders at Macworld, selling the device at $25 off its suggested $200 price.

"We plan demand to be pretty high," said Stephanie Tookes, a Macsense spokeswoman.

ToC

Safari first impressions

From: "Derek K. Miller" (dkmiller@pobox.com)

After the Macworld keynote announcement, I immediately downloaded the Safari public beta and set it as my default browser to see how it performs. I'm running it under Jaguar 10.2.3 on an old beige Power Mac G3/266 with 416 MB of RAM and a very fast Western Digital 120 GB (8 MB buffer) hard drive.

Pluses:

Minuses:

Overall, a remarkably good public beta. 1.0 should be excellent.

ToC

Re: Mac OS X Finder

From: Christopher Schmidt (CVASchmidt@ACM.org)

Carol Porteous & Jean Detheux wrote:

> I find the Finder in OS X a big step backward (or sideways), much more
> like that awful Windows Explorer than like the super easy and intuitive
> Finder of pre-OS X systems.

If you want the new Finder to behave more like before Mac OS X, do 2 things:

1) Click the clear button at the top right of each of your Finder windows to close all of their toolbars. --Closing a window's toolbar alters its behavior in regards to remembering its size, and how it treats folders therein that you double-click.

2) Go into the Finder's Preferences and check "Always open folders in a new window." Note that this preference is in the Finder's own Finder menu--not in a System Preferences panel.

Optionally, you might want to play with the command-I and command-J settings of individual windows.

Also: if you do keep using toolbars, try out the View/Configure command in the Finder, and the fact that you can drag things into those toolbars.

ToC

The Amiga Section:

Amiga Forever 5.1 Released

23 December, 2002

Cloanto today released version 5.1 of Amiga Forever, the official Amiga emulation and connectivity package for PCs. New features include improved emulation components, new Amiga and Windows software (e.g. new Software Manager, Amiga Explorer, ReqTools, support libraries, etc.) and updated documentation and help files. For the first time since 1991, when the Amiga Narrator and Translator speech synthesis components were discontinued by Commodore (who reportedly was not willing to continue to pay a $1 per unit royalty), this software, which was part of the multimedia features which inspired several enthusiasts to buy an Amiga computer, is again available with the Amiga OS. Amiga Forever 5.1 includes both the original and fully licensed speech software in the preinstalled 1.3 configuration and a newer custom setup in the 3.1 ROM environment. As for all Amiga sound output, the emulation makes it possible to save the digital data, so as to preserve forever (maybe for use on an answering machine?) the original accent made famous by various "This is Amiga Speaking" demos.

Amiga Forever 5.1 runs on all Windows systems with DirectX 8 or higher (DirectX 9 has just been released by Microsoft). A cross-platform edition is available for Linux users. The downloadable versions costs $29.95, while a CD-ROM version, which includes additional Amiga ROM and OS files of historical interest (e.g. Amiga OS 1.0) and more than three hours of video footage in MPEG format, is available for $59.95. Upgrades are also available now. A free update from version 5.0 to version 5.1 will be available for Christmas. In the meantime, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section at amigaforever.com has been reorganized and updated, and includes up-to-date information and tips concerning Amiga emulation, data preservation and cross-platform connectivity.

http://cloanto.com

ToC

The CUCUG Section:

December General Meeting

reported by Kevin Hopkins (kh2@uiuc.edu)

Due to a family illness, I was unable to attend the December, so I'm inndebted to the recollection of Rich Hall for this report. Rich said the most important news to come out of the December social meeting were the club officer election results. The process began with Kevin Hisel nominating the existing 2002 officers for their respective posts and then nominating past President Rich Rollins to fill the vacant Presidential office. The nominations were seconded by Mike Latinovich and then Mike moved for nominations to be closed. This motion was seconded by Ed Hadley ("or just about anyone else in the room," Rich said). Then the "train" went through. Here are those caught on the railroad tracks :-) Your officers are:


President:          Richard Rollins
Vice President:     Emill Cobb
Corporate Agent:    Kevin Hisel
Secretary:          Kevin Hopkins
Treasurer:          Rich Hall
Rich Hall then gave the required Annual Treasurer's Report.

Other items of note were that Ed Serbe won Digital Image Pro in the drawing from the PC SIG's software cache. Also, Mike Latinovich got the wireless network up and running. Ed Hadley said he spent most of the evening playing with some game demos he had downloaded. The rest of the group was in little clutches talking their particular angle on systems and software. Lastly, the doughnuts were good. I'm assured it was a good time.

ToC

December Board Meeting

reported by Kevin Hopkins (kh2@uiuc.edu)

The December meeting of the CUCUG executive board took place on Tuesday, December 30, 2002, 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: Richard Rollins, Kris Klindworth, Jim Huls, Kevin Hopkins, Kevin Hisel, and Emil Cobb.

Richard Rollins: Richard began the meeting by thanking Kevin Hisel for letting the Board meet at his house for nearly the entire age of the club. Everyone seconded the sentiment.

Richard then announced that the PC SIG would be treated to a demonstration of a PC tablet at the January meeting. This should fill about a half an hour, so the remainder of the time will be filled with a Question and Answer session. In February, the PC SIG will launch into a series of meetings addressing the construction of your own machine. Finally, Richard expressed his desire to make the October meeting something special. October marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of our club. We should plan something befitting that grand occassion.

Kris Klindworth: Kris reported that nothing extraordinary happened at the last meeting, other than the election of club officers. He said that next month the Linux SIG would be looking into secure communications using SSH.

Jim Huls: Jim said it was nice to have a Social once a year: "there was always a conversation to visit." On a personal note, Jim said his wife would be taking classes at Parkland soon, so he wouldn't be around much for a while. Richard Rollins thanked Jim and Kevin Hisel for their comments on the club's Forums. He said it was a real value to the club.

Kevin Hopkins: Kevin delivered the mail from the Post Office Box. He then reported that the current membership for 2003 stands at seventeen.

Kevin Hisel: Kevin echoed Jim's comments on having a Social once a year, more probably being too much. Kevin reported that the new wireless network really works in the meeting situation. "It's one of the coolest things we've ever bought." He noticed people updating their software over the fast connection available at the meeting.

Kevin said he was looking forward to his new elected position. He said he'd like to get in contact with Jim Lewis to get a grasp on the parameters of the Corporation Agent job.

Finally, Kevin reported that we had received another "Care package" from Microsoft.

Emil Cobb: Emil reported that attendance at the last meeting numbered twenty-three. In the discussion that followed Kevin Hopkins was requested to provide a current membership list to Emil for the production of name badges. He will also provide a list of those who have yet to renew their membership to Kevin Hisel for the mailing of a reminder letter.

Emil showed us the pictures he had taken at the December meeting with his new digital camera. He got an Olympus C4000 Digital SLR with a 4 megapixel resolution for $499 at Circuit City. Everyone was very impressed.

ToC

The Back Page:

The CUCUG is a not-for-profit corporation, originally organized in 1983 to support and advance the knowledge of area Commodore computer users. We've grown since then, now supporting PC, Macintosh and Linux platforms.

Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Illinois Technology Center. The Center is located at 7101 Tomaras Ave in Savoy. 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 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 front door under the three flags facing Rt 45. A map can be found on the CUCUG website at http://www.cucug.org/meeting.html . The Illinois Technology Center is also on the web at www.IL-Tech-Ctr.com .

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:   Richard Rollins          469-2616
   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
   Corp.Agent/Web.Mr:  Kevin Hisel              406-948-1999
   Mac SIG Chairman:   John Melby               352-3638           jbmelby@johnmelby.com
   Linux SIG Chairman: Kris Klindworth          239-0097       kris.klindworth@Carle.com

Visit our web site at http://www.cucug.org/, or join in our online forums at http://www.cucug.org/starship/index.php .

CUCUG
912 Stratford Dr.
Champaign, IL