News Archive for 01/04/25

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Forums: G4 vs. Athlon, PBG4 logo rubbing off

04/25, 8:00pm

Forums: G4 vs. Athlon, PBG4 logo rubbing off

Interesting threads in our forums include a discussion on the G4's performance compared with the Athlon, the PowerBook G4 logo rubbing off another part of the case, making an OS X-bootable CD, PageMaker fans and the application's future, and several discussions on the forthcoming new iBook.

Workaround for Escape from Monkey Island bug

04/25, 7:35pm

Workaround for Escape from Monkey Island bug

Westlake Interactive has identified a bug in the Mac version of Escape from Monkey Island, the 3D adventure game recently released by Aspyr Media. The bug affects the area to the right of the boat on Jumbalaya Island, which can be worked around by disabling the music before entering the area and enabling it after leaving the beach. A patch will soon be released to address the issue.

Macromedia Shockwave 8.5.0 Player released

04/25, 6:55pm

Macromedia Shockwave 8.5.0 Player released

Macromedia Shockwave 8.5.0 is a new version of the browser plugin for playing Shockwave and Flash content on the web. Version 8.5.0 of the player enables users to see content created by the latest version of Macromedia Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio.

Tech: Sun closing for one week in July

04/25, 6:20pm

Tech: Sun closing for one week in July

Evening tech news: Sun Microsystems will shut down for a week in July and is asking its employees to take holidays or unpaid leave during that period in order to control costs and preserve funding for research and development; Intel CEO Craig Barrett suggests that Moore's Law—which states that computing power will double every 12 to 18 months—has far outlived initial expectations and that it will likely be unsustainable within 10 to 20 years; and a new study predicts that the number of shipments of Bluetooth-enabled devices will grow 360 percent each year between now and 2005, which will result in shipments of 955 million Bluetooth-enabled devices in 2005.

Family Address Book 2.0.4 released

04/25, 5:30pm

Family Address Book 2.0.4 released

Katoemba Software has released Family Address Book 2.0.4, a new version of its contact organizer. Version 2.0.4 uses the selected category as the default for new contacts, and will now show the US or European address style in the data entry screen.

CreativePage 2.6 supports OS X

04/25, 4:30pm

CreativePage 2.6 supports OS X

PineHill's CreativePage 2.6 adds OS-X compatibility to the $25 customizable web site creation package. Other features include "Crash Protection," updated HTML assistants, and support for AppleScript and contextual menus. [Classic--750KB, Carbon-900KB]

SonicStudio HD 1.6: premastering audio app

04/25, 4:20pm

SonicStudio HD 1.6: premastering audio app

Sonic Solutions has introduced SonicStudio HD 1.6, an update to its premastering software that has a 48-bit HDSP processing engine and support for CD, DVD-Audio, audio for DVD-Video, and EMD mastering. Version 1.6 brings jog-style scrubbing, synchronization and audio matching, editing of soundfiles during recording, EDL track naming, additional soundfile import routines, a timecode status window, AutoSonic 24-bit soundfile output (for compatibility with other Sonic products), and "the ability to burn a reference CD-R from non-44.1kHz soundfiles, or sample-rate convert audio on the fly as it is captured."

Problem between Apple LCD and 2-way radio

04/25, 3:40pm

Problem between Apple LCD and 2-way radio

Dennis Flynn notes that there is a problem with the proximity switch on the front of Apple's 15" flat-panel Apple Studio Display that can cause an immediate restart of the connected machine when a two-way radio is used nearby (within a 10-15 foot radius). When the two-radio was activated in any way in the immediate vicinity, the Power Mac G4 Cube or Power Mac G4 tower immediately restarted. Popular on school campuses, the two-way radios that were used in this instance were a Motorola S50 and Motorola SP50. Apple is aware of the problem and is looking into a solution.

Pooch 1.0.1 simplifies parallel processing

04/25, 2:40pm

Pooch 1.0.1 simplifies parallel processing

Pooch 1.0.1 is a maintenance release of the Carbonized utility for simplifying the operation of parallel applications. The application is now fully functional on OS 9.x, but some minor issues remain when running the utility on Mac OS X.

JewelToy 1.1.1 adds new graphics options

04/25, 1:45pm

JewelToy 1.1.1 adds new graphics options

JewelToy 1.1.1 is a new version of the puzzle game for Mac OS X created by Giles Williams. Version 1.1.1 adds Eric Cherry's alternative graphics, a graphics preference panel, and other minor improvements and additions. The source project for the game is also available.

PubPro 3.0 price reduced to $400

04/25, 1:45pm

PubPro 3.0 price reduced to $400

iArch Global has reduced the price of its magazine publishing software, PubPro 3.0, to $400. Orders placed before June 23 will receive the unlocked version, which lets the user modify or add layouts, scripts and reports.

VueScan 7.0.15 for batch scanning released

04/25, 1:30pm

VueScan 7.0.15 for batch scanning released

VueScan 7.0.15 is a new version of Hamrick Software's $40 scanner software that offers batch processing and automatic color-balancing and cropping. The new version adds support for the HP 5300C/5370C and variable CCD exposure for older Microtek scanners.

Optima releases PageSpinner 3.1b1 HTML editor

04/25, 12:40pm

Optima releases PageSpinner 3.1b1 HTML editor

Optima System today released PageSpinner 3.1b1, its $30 HTML Editor for the Mac that supports HTML 3.2, HTML 4.01, XHTML 1.0 plus additional Netscape and Internet Explorer extensions. The new version adds improved Mac OS X Classic compatibility, previews of local Server Side Include files, automatic line feed detection, proxy icon support, better support for Cascading Style Sheets and HTML 4.01, support for editing files on ftp servers with Interarchy 4.0.1 and higher, bug fixes, and more. This preview version is only available for registered owners of PageSpinner 2.1 and 3.0.x.

Dreamweaver 4.01 corrects several bugs

04/25, 12:30pm

Dreamweaver 4.01 corrects several bugs

Macromedia has posted Dreamweaver 4.01 [7.8 MB] and Dreamweaver UltraDev 4.01 [6.1 MB], maintenance updates that resolve a number of outstanding issues with each application, including several problems experienced when running the applications on OS 9.1.

ircle 3.1b10 Carbon removes expiration date

04/25, 12:30pm

ircle 3.1b10 Carbon removes expiration date

ircle 3.1b10 Carbon version is an updated release of the popular IRC chat client for the Mac that removes the hard-coded expiration date of May 1st. The developer recommends not running the Carbon version on OS 9.x, although it is technically possible.

iCab Preview 2.5 Released

04/25, 12:20pm

iCab Preview 2.5 Released

iCab Preview 2.5 is a new version of the alternative web browser for the Mac and Mac OS X. The new version adds partial support for cascading style sheets (CSS1), customizable toolbars, support for passive mode in FTP, a progress bar for downloads, new settings in font preferences, improvements to the kiosk mode, and a variety of bug fixes. A German version is also available. In addition to English, the browser is also available in German, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, French, Danish, Italian, and Spanish. [1.3 MB -- PPC; 1.2 MB -- 68K; 1.4 MB -- OS X]

BASh 1.5.5 adds two dozen new methods

04/25, 11:25am

BASh 1.5.5 adds two dozen new methods

Deep Sky Technologies has released BASh 1.5.5, a 4th Dimension component that provides extensive utility functionality for 4D programmers, including a dynamic stack space module for reusing variable space. Version 1.5.5 adds more than two dozen new methods to the popular 4D component, which brings the total to 222 methods across 22 modules of code.

Relax 3.0: background sound app updated

04/25, 10:30am

Relax 3.0: background sound app updated

The $9 shareware Relax 3.0 sports a cleaner interface, a faster, more efficient sound engine, threaded activity for minimal interruptions, and the ability to play simple nature calls at a user specified rate. A new $9 Expansion Pack contains six add-on environments. Upgrades are $5. NoiseMaker is also a new freeware tool that enables anyone to create environments for Relax 2.0 or 3.0.

KeyStrokes 2.1: on-screen keyboard

04/25, 9:35am

KeyStrokes 2.1: on-screen keyboard

KeyStrokes 2.1, a free update to the $45 shareware utility that provides a fully-functional on-screen keyboard, brings new keyboard sizes, language-independent word prediction, Italian and Spnish dictionaries, a more responsive typing engine, and compatibility with Mac OS 9.1.

WebObjects gets high marks in study

04/25, 9:30am

WebObjects gets high marks in study

Owendo, a French technology research group, has put together a 279-page report comparing 33 application servers, including Apple's WebObjects. The report, which is available for purchase for about $1,650, calls WebObjects a "Rolls Royce in the development area," citing its functionality and exceptional value.

Readers: problems with iTools SMTP services

04/25, 9:30am

Readers: problems with iTools SMTP services

Several readers in our forums are reporting problems with iTools' SMTP services, which Apple quietly introduced earlier this year.

iBook speculation: Ti-style, due next week?

04/25, 9:25am

iBook speculation: Ti-style, due next week?

Following our report yesterday on "temporarily unavailable" iBooks, ZDNet speculates on the next generation iBook, which it says may surface at Apple's May 1st press event: "One source who has seen a prototype of the new iBook said the unit resembles the Titanium laptop far more than it does the current curvy, bulky iBook. The prototype, which may or may not be cosmetically similar to those ultimately sold to consumers, was all white including the keyboard and trackpad. "

Sorenson 3 codec for QT5 due within 30 days

04/25, 9:20am

Sorenson 3 codec for QT5 due within 30 days

Harry Zink followed-up on yesterday's note about the absence of the Sorenson 3 codec in the released version of QT5: "Naturally, after my prior e-mail Apple announced MPEG2/4 codecs at NAB, and the 'missing' Sorenson codec should be available from Sorenson within 30 days or so."

DeskPictRotator Pro 1.02: shareware util

04/25, 9:15am

DeskPictRotator Pro 1.02: shareware util

DeskPictRotator Pro 1.02 is a $10 shareware utility that can randomize the startup of the Mac OS desktop picture, offering a sortable listing of pictures, thumbnails, picture-specific positioning, customizable change intervals, scheduling features, and limited multiple-monitor support.

OpenBSD on Virtual PC details

04/25, 9:10am

OpenBSD on Virtual PC details

Peter Bartoli has posted an OpenBSD on Virtual PC page with directions on "how to get the most secure UNIX-like operating system there is running on the best virtual machine made for the best laptop hardware....Included are hard disk images, source patches, kernel config file, precompiled kernels and bins, and a discussion of known issues that keep me from throwing away the ugly boat anchor of a work-issue laptop I've been gifted with."

Roundup: Edu initiative, ColorSync 3.03...

04/25, 9:05am

Roundup: Edu initiative, ColorSync 3.03...

Yesterday we noted Apple's Teacher Institutes initiative for the education market as well as shipment of Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio (promising FreeHand 10 next month). Important items included LaCie's $600 DVD-RAM/DVD-R drive, Mac compatibility for eMarker, and Apple's selection of Descartes for logistics planning and software. Other recent updates include ColorSync 3.03, BBEdit 6.1.1, and Pepper 3.6.4 as well as OS-X related releases such as Adaptec beta SCSI drivers, MYOB AccountEdge, Stata 7 beta, and many others on osx.macnn.com.

MacPerl 5.6.1: perl for Mac OS updated

04/25, 9:05am

MacPerl 5.6.1: perl for Mac OS updated

MacPerl 5.6.1a1, based on the general release of perl 5.6.1 earlier this month, is now in alpha testing: "There is a binary release in addition to the source release. It is not ready for production use, there are a lot of bugs, but it is usable."

MacDesktops: 15 new pictures last week

04/25, 9:00am

MacDesktops: 15 new pictures last week

During the past week MacDesktops has posted 15 new pictures, including: Air Power (AirPort), Amanever en El Llano (Landscapes - Rural), Cindy Margolis (Portraits), Red dress (Portraits), and Warrior Princess (Games).

Adobe posts beta of Acrobat eBook Reader 2.1

04/25, 9:00am

Adobe posts beta of Acrobat eBook Reader 2.1

Adobe has posted a beta of Acrobat eBook Reader 2.1, its software for viewing eBooks. The new version features CoolType font rendering technology, allowing fonts to be viewed at a number of resolutions, a two-page layout feature, and a built-in interactive dictionary. [form]

nVIDIA set to cut prices

04/25, 9:00am

nVIDIA set to cut prices

nVIDIA is reportedly planning price cuts on its GeForce graphics cards in an effort to bring its forthcoming GeForce 3 down to a $400 price point, instead of the original $600 target (Apple sells the Mac version of the card for $500). The cuts are also expected to affect the GeForce 2 MX, which Apple uses in some of its Power Mac G4 systems, although the cuts will likely not affect end Mac-users.

Tech: Amazon earnings, FileMaker popular

04/25, 8:30am

Tech: Amazon earnings, FileMaker popular

Morning Tech News: Amazon.com reported a lower-than-expected first quarter loss of $234 million as revenues jumped 22 percent to $700M; Microsoft is planning on requiring those who wish to use its Windows Media Player 8 software to upgrade to Windows XP, a move that echos the company's strategy years ago to bundle Internet Explorer; 47 of the top 50 undergraduate universities in the U.S. use FileMaker, the database software from the Apple subsidiary that bears the same name; 3Com is offering buyers of its failed Audrey Web appliance a full refund; and Earthlink and Cox have entered into an agreement to test Earthlink's Internet services over Cox' cable lines.