 NewsletterAugust 2006Newsletter Editor: In This Issue:
Meeting information
Future Meetings:
Minutes of the July 19th 2006 Meeting
The newbie session started at 4PM and the regular meeting was called to order by President Robert at 4:30. Treasurer Carol stated that we have $754.50 in our account. A letter was received from Whidbey Telecom requesting payment for the next year's website hosting. Webmaster (and President) Robert Elphick will attempt to obtain a renewal of our gratis hosting. The evening's program was presented by Robert Elphick on web generation using both iWeb and HTML programming. During the presentation, it was discovered that the club's computer, a G3 iMac, can no longer run the current versions of iLife and iWork. The August program will be given by Nancy Ruff on presentations using Keynote. The September program will be "Font Management" by Robert Elphick The October program will be "Photo Restoration" by Daryl Thomas The meeting was closed by President Robert at 6 PM. Daryl Thomas MAGIC Moments
Thoughts from a self appointed wizard of the very best kind Many of the past MAGIC monthly presentations have been rendered into HTML and included in the Tricks and Tips page of this web site. A couple of recent presentations that have been included are:
Possible new computer The board has given further consideration to purchasing a new computer that would be smaller, easier to bring to meetings, and has the new intel chips so that we can test whether these new ones work with existing applications. After looking at the cheaper MinIMac, we are now leaning towards a MacBook which would be more expensive (about $1,200 for the entry model plus about $150 for additional memory.) We would need to raise additional money for this expense - several board members have volunteered to contribute to the fund. We would need to find a buyer for our G3 iMac and hope we can get $200 for it. Before committing to a new computer we need to know whether we will be able to get a gratis website for the next year (see below.) MAGIC's cash flow would be seriously affected by the cost of a website if we were required to pay for it and probably not allow us to acquire a new Mac. Since a new computer would not be a trivial expense, we invite feedback from members of MAGIC at our meeting or you can reach me at . Application for Gratis website For the last two years the MAGIC website has been very generously provided by Whidbey Telecom. We have again applied for another year of gratis service and are awaiting their response. Since we are providing a valuable resource to the computer community of the Island, we are hopeful that the application will be successful. The value of the website is about $250 per year. Updated Maintenance page The "Operating System Maintenance" section of the MAGIC website has been reviewed and revised. All members are recommended to print out the new version and follow its recommendations in order to keep their macintosh computers running smoothly and efficiently. The article can be found at: https://www.whidbey.com/magicmug/tricks/maintain.html Whatever else you do, BACK UP your hard drive regularly! Future presentations Any ideas for future presentations and presenters? We have a request for a session on the management of fonts, including where to find them and how to get rid of them. Any other ideas or requests? Please contact me at Finally - Don't forget to check out the User Group Discounts: http://homepage.Mac.com/ugab/offers.html Google Becomes a Verb
by Adam C. Engst But let's turn our attention from trademark law to usage questions. (Hey, we worry about this kind of stuff in TidBITS!) Here's how the OED's definition reads: That's clear enough, but from what we can tell, the OED seems to be sticking with the capitalization of Google, even when used as a verb, as in the sentence, "I'll Google that information when we get back to the office." On the other hand, in April 2006 the editors of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary were considering adding Google as a verb, but lowercasing it, and this week they made the addition official. There has been some discussion of whether or not capitalization is necessary. The Chicago Manual of Style suggests that lowercasing such verbs is common, but that the final decision is up to authors and editors, and that whatever is chosen should be followed consistently throughout a work. Personally, I prefer my verbs lowercased, even if (or perhaps because) that pains the trademark lawyers. So if you want to read more about this story, just google for "Google verb".
So how's the Mac?
by Josh Marshall - www.talkingpointsmemo.com A few months ago I told you how, after two decades in the PC universe, I was considering buying a Mac. The immediate trigger was a really bad experience with a new Gateway computer. But there was a broader dissatisfaction with PCs and interest in trying out Macs. Also, in the field I work in -- journalism and web design -- Macs are fairly dominant. So I got a Mac Mini to test the water and a nice Mac Cinema display, figuring that if I liked Macs the display would migrate with me when I got a more powerful Mac system. So I wanted to take a moment and report back on what my experiences have been. Basically, I'm sold. I've been using a PC at home and a Mac at work for several months now. And I just prefer using the Mac. A lot. Some of it is simple ease of use, the 'it just works factor'. It runs with few or no problems. And not having to worry about computer viruses is nice. I'm also doing a lot more working with video. And there's no question the machine is just better designed for working with video -- both on the hardware level and in the applications it comes with. But that's a niche use. When I think about it, it's hard for me to point to any one thing that I prefer about the Mac. I'm a pretty adept PC user. And I'm usually able to fix or workaround whatever problems crop up. I think what it comes down to for me is basically three things. First, Quality. That can mean a lot of things, but I mean this: Because I spend so much time on a computer and it's so central to my work, I'm willing to pay good money for a really well-built machine. In the PC world, I've just had a really hard time finding that. Sure I had a bad experience with Gateway. But it's the same with the other big companies. Even if you get the top of the line, it's just not that well put together. And it's usually a bunch of different parts that don't really work together all that well. So, quality of the physical product and its integration with the operating system itself, which also seems light years ahead of Windows. The thing's just made really well and it shows. (The only systems I've found in the PC world that have some of this are the formerly IBM manufactured ThinkPads, now made by Lenovo.) Second, Integration. This is an aspect of the quality issues I mentioned above and the integration with the operating system. But as a PC user I would find myself wishing the operating system did things a certain really convenient way. And just as often, I'd think couldn't there be a program that accomplished this one relatively simple task for me? They all seem to already be there on Mac. Or at least I find them again and again. It's hard to point to any one thing that makes too big a difference. But they build on each other. And all told, they lead to a more pleasant and productive work experience. The new Macs have a suite of programs (iLife) for organizing and editing your photos, videos, music, etc. Amazingly powerful and well-designed. Just right there, ready to use, perfect. If you're working with graphics and video and anything to do with design, it's just not even close. A lot of this, I suppose, is just what's possible when you have more of a integrated production concept. Mac creates the machine, the operating system and a decent amount of the software. So of course they all tend to work well together. I've always been a bit leery of this since it sounded like I'd be tied into one prescribed approach and system and would be cut off from the innovation produced through a less hierarchical computer universe. In practice, though, I really like it. (It still bums me out that Mac doesn't make a Tablet computer. I absolutely love my Tablet.) Third, Aesthetics and It Just Works. I like the way the Mac looks and the physical presentation on the screen is vastly nicer than on a PC. Also, things just work a whole lot easier. I plug things in and they work. Everything is just organized a whole lot better. There are still some things I've had difficulties with. But I think that's mainly because I have the personality disorder that prevents me from reading directions. By and large, migrating data over from Mac works pretty seamlessly. I'm still having a problem finding a way to migrate my Eudora email over. The files go over. But there's some slight difference in the way texts files work on the two systems that makes the PC email not come over entirely intact. I think I need to find a Mac techie who can put together a script to fix this. If you're familiar with this problem and have any tips, please let me know. -- Josh Marshall Article at: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/009299.php. Buyer's Guide: FireWire hard drivesFind the right drive for your needs
By James Galbraith Years ago, when Apple shipped its first Macs with 1GB hard drives, I remember asking myself, "Who would ever need that much storage?" It didn't take me long to figure out who, especially now that the 80GB drive in my PowerBook is bursting at the seams with pictures from my multimegapixel digital camera and my ever-expanding library of audio files and movies. Files and applications aren't the only things taking up precious storage spaceÑOS X puts available disk space to work as virtual memory. My system, for example, uses 5GB as virtual memory with no applications running, and almost 9GB when running a lot of applications. This use of hard-drive space by the operating system means that your entire system can take a performance hit if you start running out of drive space. If you're beginning to count down the remaining free megabytes on your hard drive, or if you're finally getting serious about backing up your data, you need more storage. You may choose to install a new drive inside your Mac. But for most Mac users, increasing storage means buying a new external hard drive that includes fast and convenient FireWire connections. Trying to consider all the factors when you're choosing a hard drive can boggle the mind, so here are the questions you should ask yourself when choosing a new drive, as well as Macworld's ratings of some of the latest external FireWire hard drives.
Four part article starts at: http://www.macworld.com/2005/10/reviews/firewiremain/index.php Universal software
from MacWorld Apple has begun the transition to Intel and now it's software's turn to follow suit. Mac software makers are hard at work creating versions of their programs that run natively on both PowerPC and Intel-based MacsÑthat way, applications can perform at their best when running on an Intel machine. We're keeping tabs on the status of Universal versions of 70 programs from a cross-section of developers and software categoriesÑsee if your favorite app has made the move to Intel. And if that application isn't on our list, check out VersionTracker's up-to-the-minute list of the latest Universal releases or Apple's master list of Universal apps. MacWorlds List: http://www.macworld.com/topics/software/universal/index.php from Apple When you see the Universal symbol on Mac applications, that means they're made to run on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Mac computers. 
Listed here in the Macintosh Products Guide are over 3,000 Universal applications, which you can search by keyword or browse the list of featured applications below. Apples List: http://guide.apple.com/universal/ Apple releases security update 2006-004
By Mathew Honan Apple on Tuesday released Security Update 2006-004, fixing issues with AFP Server, Bluetooth, WebKit and more. The update is recommended for all users. Fixes to the AFP Server include issues that could allow sensitive information to be unknowingly disclosed in Mac OS X v10.3.9, other issues that could be used in a denial of service attack on all versions of Mac OS X, and issues specific to Mac OS X Server. The update also beefs up security to Bluetooth Setup Assistant, changing automatically generated passkey used for pairing from six characters to eight characters. The update to WebKit resolves an issue where a maliciously-crafted HTML document could cause a previously deallocated object to be accessed, leading to an application crash or arbitrary code execution. Other applications affected by the update include Bom, DHCP, dyld, fetchmail, gnuzip, ImageIO, LaunchServices, OpenSSH, and telnet. Full documentation of the update may be found on Apple's Web site: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304063 Article at: http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/08/01/securityupdate/index.php Apple previews Mac OS X Leopard, Leopard Server
By Peter Cohen Apple CEO Steve Jobs gave Mac developers and the public its first look at Mac OS X v10.5, code-named "Leopard," Monday at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, Apple's annual gathering of registered developers. The sixth major version of Mac OS X since its inception, Leopard will ship in Spring, 2007, according to Jobs. New features include Time Machine, a persistent backup system that keeps track of your files and backs them up automatically, also providing you with version control, or the ability to restore specific versions of documents that have changed. Spaces lets you collect groups of applications required for various tasks Ñ e-mail and Web surfing, for example, or film and video tools Ñ and switch between them instantly. Leopard also incorporates changes to Apple's Mail and iChat software. Mail gains Stationery, HTML-based templates, along with Notes and To Dos. To Dos have specifically been incorporated as a core Mac OS X service, which means they can be added to other applications, providing the basic Mac operating system with to do item scheduling capabilities. iChat adds special effects using capabilities similar to Photo Booth, the software Apple includes with Macs that have built-in cameras. You can also place yourself in any photo or video as the backdrop for your chat, and do live presentations of iPhoto slideshows, Keynote presentations and videos in iChat. At long last, Leopard adds full 64-bit support, even for applications that use a graphical user interface; previous versions of Mac OS X have been limited to command line-only support. While most of Apple's new Intel Macs are based around 32-bit microprocessors, its new Mac Pros and Xserves are based on 64-bit Intel Xeon processors. Boot Camp, Apple's technology that lets Intel-based Macs reboot and run Windows, will be incorporated into Leopard with many improvements, though Jobs didn't specify what they'd be. iCal, Apple's calendaring application, gains group calendaring options, an event drop box, and support for the CalDAV standard, which enables calendars to be accessed via WebDAV. Spotlight, Mac OS X's search technology, will be improved with Boolean searching and the ability to scan across network volumes and folders mounted on other users' machines. New parental controls add curfews, time limits and remote administration capabilities. Core Animation is a new graphics technology that simplifies developers' ability to create visual effects and animations, and Dashboard widget creation has been improved with Dashcode, a widget development environment. Users gain Web Clip, a Dashboard tool that lets them clip any parts of a Web page as a "live" widget. Enhancements have also been made in Universal Access, Apple's software that improves the experience for physically disabled users, including improvements in VoiceOver, Apple's screen reading software, support for braille and more. Mail and Safari also gain anti-fishing protection, and Leopard includes an automatic firewall that limits network resources available to an application. Complete Article at: http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/08/07/leopard/index.php Using Existing AppleScripts
from Apple's "Tip of the Week" Wouldn't it be cool if there were extra built-in automation power already on your Mac, and all you had to do was turn it on. Yeah, that'd be cool. Actually, you can unlock this automation by just doing a little digging. Start by opening your Applications folder, and then look inside your AppleScript folder (don't worry, you're not going to be doing any scripting Ñ they're already written for you). Now double-click on the AppleScript Utility icon, and in the resulting dialog, turn on the Show Script Menu in Menu Bar checkbox. Close the Utility dialog, and then go to the menu bar and click on the Script icon Ñ a list of all sorts of cool automatic functions are now just a click away. Experiment! 
Apple posts WWDC keynote QuickTime video
By Peter Cohen You've already read Macworld's live coverage of this morning's WWDC keynote and read about the new product announcements, such as the new Mac Pro, Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard" and Intel-based Xserve. But if you want to watch Steve Jobs' presentation to attendees yourself, now you can. Apple has posted a QuickTime video of the keynote itself. Apple CEO Steve Jobs took center stage with Apple vice presidents Phil Schiller, Bertrand Serlet and Scott Forestall to introduce the new products. At the top of Monday's announcements was the introduction of the Mac Pro, a new desktop replacement for the Power Mac G5 featuring two dual-core Intel Xeon microprocessors. The new system ships today at speeds up to 3GHz with dual optical drive bays and up to 2 terabytes (TB) of internal storage, with a standard configuration priced at $2,499. A new Xserve is also coming in October, similarly based on a dual Xeon chip architecture, redundant power supply and lights out management technology. Equally as anticipated as the Mac Pro was the first public glimpse of Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard. While Apple plans on keeping the lid on some of the operating system's new features, Jobs and Forestall did show off ten highlights, including persistent backups (called Time Machine), a new application grouping technology called Spaces, system-wide To Do item management, improved Spotlight support, a graphics technology called Core Animation, and much more. The video of the keynote address requires QuickTime 7. Article at http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/08/07/wwdcvideo/index.php Apple initiates 15-inch MacBook battery recall
By Jim Dalrymple - MacWorld Apple Computer on Monday (July 31) issued a battery recall for its 15-inch MacBook Pro. Apple said the affected batteries do not pose a safety hazard and users can continue to use them until the new ones arrive. "We recently discovered that some 15-inch MacBook Pro batteries supplied to Apple do not meet our high standards for battery performance," said Apple's statement announcing what it calls an exchange program. According to Apple the affected batteries have model number A1175 and a 12-digit serial number that ends with U7SA, U7SB or U7SC. To view the model and serial numbers located on the bottom of the battery, you must remove the battery from the computer. The battery serial number is located above the barcode. More information on the exchange program and details on how to receive your new battery is available from Apple's Web site. Article at http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/07/31/recall/index.php MAGIC, the Macintosh Appreciation Group of Island County, serves people who use Macintosh computers, software and peripherals. Our goal is to share information and get answers to questions to make us more productive with our use of technology. Our monthly meetings give us a chance to discuss computer problems and share ideas with other Mac users, feature speakers on specific topics, and to keep apprised of Apple news. |
