News Archive for 01/10/24

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gNAT 1.0b5: GUI offers NAT access under OS X

10/24, 11:55pm

gNAT 1.0b5: GUI offers NAT access under OS X

Sustainable Softworks' gNAT 1.0b5 is a small program designed to give users graphical access to OS X's Network Address Translation (NAT) services. NAT allows users to share a single Internet address and connection among multiple Macs without requiring a dedicated hardware router. The latest version provides a fix for PPPoE in 10.1, but notes that the local caching name Server is still broken under 10.1.

Apple delays release of iDVD 2 (again)

10/24, 11:45pm

Apple delays release of iDVD 2 (again)

Apple now says it will release in early November the OS X version of its iDVD 2 software for burning QuickTime movies and digital photos on DVDs, after first delaying its release to October from the initially projected September ship date.

TimeSlice 2.2.4 distributed by C&G

10/24, 11:30pm

TimeSlice 2.2.4 distributed by C&G

Casady & Greene is now distributing TimeSlice 2.2.4, a time-tracking and billing application for Mac OS 8/9 and OS 10.x. The application is designed for onsultants, attorneys, graphic and web designers, or anyone who bills for time. It is available for $60 (Mac) and $40 (Windows).

iPod Windows-compatible? Pricing too high?

10/24, 9:05pm

iPod Windows-compatible? Pricing too high?

Apple may make the iPod Windows-compatible, although the "experience probably won't be as good, and says that demand will likely outstrip supply. However, Forbes.com discusses the iPod and its high price and its position in the consumer market with many other competitive, less-expensive products already on store shelves. The article also has a closing note about Apple's "over-hyped" product introductions.

"However, any applause for the iPod can't help but be muted by the $400 price tag. There are plenty of players that sell for less. Creative's Nomad player sells for about $220. And it's hard to argue that the faster FireWire connection is worth the premium. "But if iPod's sales ultimately disappoint, it's because Apple's industry-leading marketing expertise makes every product launch like Christmas morning, but the presents under the tree never quite measure up to the ones in your imagination.

iPod introduction available in QuickTime

10/24, 8:55pm

iPod introduction available in QuickTime

Apple has posted the a streaming video of yesterday's iPod introduction by Steve Jobs.

FoldersSynchronizer 2.2: enhanced backup util

10/24, 8:55pm

FoldersSynchronizer 2.2: enhanced backup util

FoldersSychronizer 2.2, a $30 shareware utility for backing up and synchronizing data, improves folder scan time, displays items to copied in a preview list, improves performance under OS X 10.1, and has other bug fixes.

Gideon Software updates OS X utilities

10/24, 8:40pm

Gideon Software updates OS X utilities

Get Info v0.8 is an update to Gideon Softworks' $10 utility for editing file/folder attributes, modifying unix permissions invidually or recursively, and performing other file-level functions. Gideon also released Secure Shell Helper v.20, which controls to access your account, generates new OpenSSH keys, displays/exports public keys, and setup/control an SSH Server. [GI, SSH]

Readers receive notice from Hotline Software

10/24, 5:40pm

Readers receive notice from Hotline Software

Readers report receiving a note from Hotline Software's refund indicating that their refunds have been posted, after the company canceled its Hotline Early Adopter Program earlier this month. The program gave users option of receiving a free copy of v2.0 as well as a bannerless client for an advance payment of $20. The note reads, in part: "You may continue to still use your copy of the Hotline Bannerless Client, but as the Early Adopter Program has been cancelled, you will not be sent a copy of Hotline 2.0." (We previously noted that company has rehired an engineering team, who are working on the v2.0 release.)

GamePad Companion 1.0 supports controllers

10/24, 5:15pm

GamePad Companion 1.0 supports controllers

Carvware's GamePad Companion 1.0 for OS X enables game controllers without built-in support. The $15 utility supports HID compatible devices, including gamepads and joysticks.

Atek introduces new Super Mini Optical Mouse

10/24, 4:40pm

Atek introduces new Super Mini Optical Mouse

Atek Electronics has introduced its $50 Super Mini Optical Mouse, a very small optical mouse---only 2-1/2" long and 1" wide--with both left and right buttons. The USB model is compatible with Mac OS 8/9, has a 3-ft cord and ships with a travel pouch.

LuraTech extends jp2 SDK to Mac

10/24, 4:30pm

LuraTech extends jp2 SDK to Mac

LuraTech has extended its jp2 (JPEG2000) SDK to the Mac, allowing developers to integrate LuraWave.jp2 image compression/decompression functionalities into Mac application. It offers all the features of the utility through a DLL (Dynamic link library) or shared library calls and has functions for compressing and decompressing images, including settings for lossless or lossy compression, alternative image size or quality, RAM-/file-based compression, password protection for images, and compression with enhanced regions.

Microsoft posts Internet Explorer 5.0sr1

10/24, 3:10pm

Microsoft posts Internet Explorer 5.0sr1

Microsoft has posted Internet Explorer 5.0sr1, a "Service Release" which it says resolves two known issues in IE 5.0:

1. The Windows Media Player, Macromedia Flash, and Apple QuickTime plug-ins can cause Internet Explorer to stop responding.
2. The use of Microsoft Entourage 2001 for Mac and Internet Explorer 5.0 at the same time may cause Entourage to stop responding.

IntelliMerge 1.2.8 adds OS X 10.1 support

10/24, 3:05pm

IntelliMerge 1.2.8 adds OS X 10.1 support

IntelliMerge 1.2.8, an update to Intelli Innovations' e-mail merge software, bring OS X 10.1 support and makes additional cosmetic changes for an optimal Aqua user experience.

iShell 2.5 gets new Internet-related features

10/24, 2:55pm

iShell 2.5 gets new Internet-related features

Tribeworks today released iShell 2.5, an update to its multimedia application for building dynamic, data-intensive applications. Version 2.5 includes a built-in ecommerce engine builder, support for Internet data transfers, better support for Unix Websiters, dynamic font-loading, and enhanced interoperability with QuickTime and Flash. Gold, Silver and Education licensing are available. The company also announced its $600 iShell Developer Conference, which will take place in San Francisco January 11-12, 2002.

TDK announces new 24x, 32x CD-RW families

10/24, 2:00pm

TDK announces new 24x, 32x CD-RW families

TDK today announced the introduction of six new veloCD ReWriters, including three 32X and three 24X models, which are available in internal ATAPI, external FireWire and external USB 2.0 models.

Ashlar releases free beta of 3D modeling tool

10/24, 1:45pm

Ashlar releases free beta of 3D modeling tool

Architosh reports on a free beta of Argon, Ashlar's new 3D modeling tool.

iPod has copy protection for music files?

10/24, 12:05pm

iPod has copy protection for music files?

A New York Times article indicates that Apple's new iPod may have some form of copy protection: "Mr. Jobs said the company had taken some steps to protect against piracy in its device. For instance, he said, songs loaded onto the iPod from a Macintosh computer, cannot then be loaded from the device to a different Macintosh computer, a step he said would make it difficult for people to distribute music they own to other users." Meanwhile, another reader notes slightly more clarity in a news.com article:

"The device does not use a digital-rights management scheme. When it auto-syncs to iTunes, the iPod can only connect to one copy of the software on one Mac. But a manual mode allows the device to share songs between any number of Macs. However, Jobs said Apple does not condone stealing music. In fact, he said, the company spent $50,000 on CDs to go along with review copies of the unit so that Apple would not be promoting piracy....The iPod does come wrapped in plastic with a warning in English, French, German and Japanese that states, "Don't steal music...'Piracy is not a technological issue. It's a behavior issue,' Jobs said, adding that all the encryption schemes that have been developed can also be broken." [updated]

PageSpinner 3.1.2 has better QT, QTVR support

10/24, 11:55am

PageSpinner 3.1.2 has better QT, QTVR support

Optima System has released PageSpinner 3.1.2, a maintenance release to its $30 HTML Editor, bringing enhanced support for QuickTime and QuickTime VR Embedded objects and new options for QuickTime kiosk mode and target links.

Dashboard 1.0 monitors system performance

10/24, 11:55am

Dashboard 1.0 monitors system performance

Pepsan & Associates has released Dashboard 1.0, a free ulility for OS X that provides an extensive readout of system performance data, including CPU load metrics, memory statistics, network bandwidth, and disk I/O operations. The utility also provides a trend graph for watching each parameter over time.

CORDA reduces prices on PopChart Xpress

10/24, 10:00am

CORDA reduces prices on PopChart Xpress

CORDA Technologies has reduced the price on PopChart Xpress. The $300 software creates Web-ready charts and graphs from data contained in spreadsheet applications such as Excel. It offers drilldown and popup text to provide chart viewers with instant access to additional information and also provides compatibility with standard screen readers (for section 508 of the Federal Government accessibility requirements). Xpress generates charts and graphs in several formats, including SVG, Flash, and GIF formats and automatically detects and delivers the appropriate and highest quality image the browser will display.

VCD Player 1.5.3 displays full-screen MPEG

10/24, 9:45am

VCD Player 1.5.3 displays full-screen MPEG

Johnny Lee's VCD Player 1.5.3 fixes a few playback bugs with certain VCDS in his $10 utility that allows you to watch full-screen movies in the MPEG format. The Website notes that "Mac OS X 10.1 still doesn't support VCD playback. VCD Player X will be released once it does. Please tell Apple that we want VCD playback on Mac OS X."

QT Tag Converter 1.2 updates QuickTime tags

10/24, 9:35am

QT Tag Converter 1.2 updates QuickTime tags

QT Tag Converter 1.2 is an $35 batch processing utility that converts web pages with QuickTime embed tags to be compatible with Internet Explorer for Windows versions 5.5 SP2 and 6. Version 1.2 supports recursive scanning of folders as well as drag & drop of folders/files onto the application for scanning.

WebMerge 1.8 generates HTML from database

10/24, 9:35am

WebMerge 1.8 generates HTML from database

Fourth World today released WebMerge 1.8, a $70 tool that generates static Web pages from database files. The new version supports new tags for better layout, has a new portable file format for its automatable settings files, has completely revised documentation now in HTML format, and offers improved performance.

Say What 1.01 remotely launches applications

10/24, 9:25am

Say What 1.01 remotely launches applications

Say What 1.01 allows you to remotely launch applications, documents or AppleScripts via a web browser. It uses the standard HTTP protocol and can run on any open port, allowing it run alongside other services such as Web, ftp, and mail. The $40 utility runs on both OS X and Mac OS 8/9. [Classic, Carbon]

Sonnet PCI X v1.1.1 drivers for OS X

10/24, 9:20am

Sonnet PCI X v1.1.1 drivers for OS X

Sonnet's new PCI X v1.1.1 software adds OS X 10.1 compatibility to its $30 driver software for unsupported Power Macintosh and Macintosh-clone computers upgraded with a Sonnet Crescendo/PCI OR Newer Technology MAXpowr PCI processor upgrade card. An updater is available for previous owners as well.

MaverickTrader sees Apple moving lower

10/24, 9:15am

MaverickTrader sees Apple moving lower

MaverickTrader has issued an investment opinion on Apple's stock, predicting that the company's shares will move lower this week due to last week's earnings report and the "lackluster" iPod announcment. "Based on fundamental, technical, and news-related issues, MaverickTrader.Com believes the next week will find these stocks with price action in accord with their rating," said Senior Editor, Dewey Burchett.

Microsoft announces Office v. X is complete

10/24, 9:05am

Microsoft announces Office v. X is complete

Microsoft today officially announced Office v. X has gone "GM" (golden master) and is being delivered to manufacturers in preparation for the launch on November 19th. The $500 application suite will be available as a $300 upgrade to previous owners, while users who purchase Office 2001 (or any component application) between now and Dec 31, will receive a free upgrade to the OS X version (of the appropriate package). The company also announced that over 90,000 users downloaded Word X Test Drive, its preview release of the popular word processing application. Pre-orders for Office v. X are available online from a number of resellers.

DragThing 4.2: popular desktop utility

10/24, 8:55am

DragThing 4.2: popular desktop utility

James Thomson has released DragThing 4.2, an update to the popular dock utility/desktop organizer for OS X and Mac OS 8/9. Version 4.2 of the $25 shareware is a free upgrade to registered users of v4.0. [download pulled; to be released "soon"]

Schedula Professional 8.0: contact system

10/24, 3:50am

Schedula Professional 8.0: contact system

Schedula Professional 8.0 is an appointment scheduler that supports an unlimited number of independent, networkable calendars, and offers a traditional daily planner interface with full instant messaging capability. A limited demo is available; it requires FileMaker Pro 5.5.

Tcl/Tk 8.3.4: open-source scripting language

10/24, 3:45am

Tcl/Tk 8.3.4: open-source scripting language

Tcl/Tk 8.3.4, an update to the open-source scripting language, brings timezone support, Mac-to-unix time epoch conversion, and other general release changes, including better support for OS X.

Reader follow-up on AppleShare Admin security

10/24, 3:35am

Reader follow-up on AppleShare Admin security

John Franklin followed up on the AppleShare Admin security hole noted here yesterday:

"On my systems, at least (an iBook and a G4; checked both ways) an admin user has read-only access to other users' files, but can't alter them. While that can be viewed as a security hole (the point is debatable) it is a far cry from 'make any changes', and won't allow the admin user to break things belonging to other users."

SmartMoney says iPod shows industry trend

10/24, 3:00am

SmartMoney says iPod shows industry trend

SmartMoney opines that Apple's iPod "might not score high on the significance meter... but does offer a glimpse into the tactics computer makers are beginning to employ as demand for their core products wanes." Author Monica Rivituso adds that Apple is one of the few computer manufacturers willing to identify new markets and create products for them.

Lights Out 1.1 beefs up Energy Saver

10/24, 2:50am

Lights Out 1.1 beefs up Energy Saver

Lights Out 1.1 is an application designed to give users more control over Apple's Energy Saver. It helps solve the problem of Energy Saver insomnia and offers hot corners to instantly put a Mac to sleep or keep it awake.

WorldClock 1.0 provides International timing

10/24, 2:45am

WorldClock 1.0 provides International timing

Haxial Software has released WorldClock 1.0, a new Carbonized application that keeps track of international time zones. The tool also includes a Calendar and a Time Converter, and can be customized via a variety of skins.

Iconfactory posts Halloween icon set

10/24, 2:35am

Iconfactory posts Halloween icon set

The Iconfactory has posted its latest freeware icon collection for Mac OS X - World of Aqua: After Dark. The set was created by Dave Brasgalla includes photo-realistic icons of traditional Halloween representations like Jack-O-Lanterns, Black Cats and Candy.