News Archive for 02/12/19

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PC Mag: Gateway Ad, FileMaker review

12/19, 10:30pm

PC Mag: Gateway Ad, FileMaker review

Several MacNN readers note that the latest issue of PC Magazine contains an advertisement for Gateway, which features an Apple PowerBook G4 being used to listen to music in an advertisement titled "Shoot, Edit, or Jam." We've posted an enhanced scan of the ad, which was originally provided to us by MacNN reader Dan Sloan.

Separately, the January 2003 issue of the PC Magazine credits Apple's FileMaker Pro 6 as being superior to Microsoft Access 2002 and five other database products, making it the Editor’s Choice for Personal Databases.

Developer seeks Multicast system feedback

12/19, 7:10pm

Developer seeks Multicast system feedback

Reliabit is currently seeking community feedback regarding the impending release of its Multicast Data Distribution System. The system is designed to transmit files from one computer to a large number of target computers simultaneously. The program addresses the scale issues of copying files from the one to the many.  In addition, the system offers security features for the encryption of data in transit, packet correction of multicast data, and distribution management. Reliabit would like to hear from potential enterprise, content delivery networks (CDN) and OEM customers, with suggestions for a license model and any other improvements/requests.

Mac EverQuest to have limited 'Net play

12/19, 6:45pm

Mac EverQuest to have limited 'Net play

According to Sony's Mac EverQuest FAQ page, players of the soon-to-be-released game will not be able to play against Windows users, but instead will be restricted to a Mac-only server. A group of unhappy Mac gamers has started a petition, asking Sony to allow cross-platform gaming.

Apple releases Mac OS X 10.2.3 via SUCP

12/19, 4:50pm

Apple releases Mac OS X 10.2.3 via SUCP

Apple today released Mac OS X 10.2.3 Update and Mac OS X Server 10.2.3 via the Software Update control panel as well as posted the downloads online: "The 10.2.3 Update delivers enhanced functionality and improved reliability for the following applications, utilities, and technologies: AppleScript, Classic compatibility, Disk Copy, Disk Utility, Image Capture, Mail, OpenGL, Print Center, and Rendezvous. It provides audio, disc recording, graphics, printing improvements, as well as AFP and WebDAV networking improvements. The update also provides updated security services and includes the latest Security Updates." [update: links included to full documentation]

Apps: Lasso for GoLive, iData Pro, TimeCache

12/19, 4:05pm

Apps: Lasso for GoLive, iData Pro, TimeCache

Blue World today released Lasso Studio 6 for Adobe GoLive 6 on Mac OS X: "Lasso Studio transforms leading Web site editors into robust environments for building Lasso-based data-driven Web sites. Designed for entry-level Web designers to intermediate Web developers, [it] provides a complete authoring environment which dramatically eases the process of building data-driven Web sites." Upgrades to the $350 application are $200. (Blue World yesterday also released a Lasso 6.01 updater.)
Casady & Greene has released iData Pro 1.05 for Mac OS 8.6/9, its powerful database that tracks virtually any type of information in one central place. It adds AppleScript support, as well as improved performance to the $40 update that organize data into free form fields. It offers functions for searching, printing envelopes/labels, and archive emails from popular email clients. (A Mac OS X version was released a few weeks ago.)
The spaceflight simulation A-OK! The Wings of Mercury 3.0.2 includes improvements in cloud rendering and reduce mission start up time by 95%. The Mac OS X version also now supports 3D HID-compatible joysticks. It is priced at $60 and $30 for an upgrade from 2.x.
The PandaWare Company has released a free update that adds new features and improvements, and fixes bugs to its $50 time and expense billing application: TimeCache 5.0.10 adds a "Remote" control window that gives users access to TimeCache from all other applications and a pulsing Dock icon when timing (Mac OS X version only). [Classic, OSX]
Tri-BACKUP 3.15 offers several backup options for Mac OS X users, including immediate and scheduled backups, synchronizations, and restorations. It now adds checks for space constraints, has new dock-only option when run in the background, can skip specific files/folders during a backup, and has other cosmetic changes. Upgrades to the $50 application are $30. It runs on Mac OS X 8/9/X. [1.8MB]

Prices on iMAXpowr upgrades lowered

12/19, 3:15pm

Prices on iMAXpowr upgrades lowered

TechnoWarehouse today announced price reductions of $25 on each of its iMAXpowr upgrades. The 500MHz G3 upgrade is now only $175 (after a $25 rebate for returning your old Apple processor core), while the G4 upgrade is now only $275 after rebate. The company says "Users upgrading with iMAXpowr should experience a performance boost of 2.5 times or greater." TechnoWarehouse has also created bundles with MCE Technologies' iCD-RW for users wanting to upgrade both their processor and their CD. The G3/iCD-RW bundle is priced at $370, while the G4/iCD-RW bundle is $470.

BitHeadz to add Audio Units support to Unity

12/19, 2:45pm

BitHeadz to add Audio Units support to Unity

BitHeadz today announced it woould bring Audio Units support to its software packages under Mac OS X: "The next step in Mac OS X support will be the ability to work with Apple's OS X solution to processing audio. Currently, BitHeadz Unity 3.0 products, Phrazer 2.0 and Phrazer LE programs have OS X support in stand-alone mode. The new feature will allow users to integrate with current Mac OS X-compatible sequencers that support audio units, such as Logic." Audio units support will one of the features in Unity 3.1, which is expected to be released as a free update in the first quarter of 2003.

Panic updates Transmit 2.2 FTP client

12/19, 2:35pm

Panic updates Transmit 2.2 FTP client

Panic has released Transmit 2.2, an update to its secure FTP client for Mac OS X. The $25 ftp client adds a an optional "Edit in BBEdit" button to toolbars, includes a new preference to manually set ASCII file extensions, lets a user automatically connect to a server on launch, fixes a potential problem with high idle CPU usage, adds a Spanish localization, and fixes a pretty impressive number of interesting bugs as well as adds Rendezvous support. Other features include SFTP/SSH support, batch downloads, synchronization, a built-in text editor, and file previews. It is a free upgrade for registered users. [656KB=]

Apple bids for another laptop school program

12/19, 11:55am

Apple bids for another laptop school program

A Cherry Hill, New Jersey school district is considering launching a laptop pilot program as early as this spring to provide wireless laptop computers for each of the 9,000 students and every teachers beginning in fourth grade, according to the Courier-Post. "Apple was the first company to make a presentation to the district at Tuesday's regular board of education meeting. Presentations from such companies as Dell, Microsoft, Intel and Compaq will follow in the next few weeks."

GNU-Darwin chides Apple, says no OSX manager

12/19, 11:35am

GNU-Darwin chides Apple, says no OSX manager

The GNU-Darwin project says it is stepping up its stridency and activism against Apple, noting issues with its DMCA and APSL policies: "First, Apple continues the wall-of-silence with respect to their repugnant DMCA-based legal action, and there is no reason whatsoever for us to think that they will not undertake similar action in the future...Second, APSL is languishing, and it is unacceptable to the free software community. It is now time for an APSL revision, which brings the license in line with the free software definition in accordance with the expectations of GNU Project." The project says that it "will not support or distribute any software which links to proprietary libraries, and that includes Cocoa, Carbon, CoreAudio, etc. There will be no native package manager from GNU-Darwin (pkg_add suffices)" and that it will be putting its PowerPC collection into maintenance mode.

Apps: DAVE, skHTML, Alfred, MediaCapture...

12/19, 11:25am

Apps: DAVE, skHTML, Alfred, MediaCapture...

Thursby's DAVE 4.02 update adds better support for Mac OS 9 applications that are HFS+ aware, enhanced browsing for networks (more than 3700 servers), improved copying for large (>10GB) data files, better support for Mac OS X 10.2.2, better support for Windows shortcuts, and improved directory listing speed. It is a free update to the $150 cross-platform file and print sharing application. [Classic, OSX]
Sean Kelly's skHTML 3.1 adds Regular Expression support, improved syntax highlighting, a new interface for the CSS Builder, more contextual menu commands, and other enhancements to the $20 website development application with code-hinting, Tidy integration, FTP access, aand an RGB-Hex color converter. A limited demo of the Mac OS X application is available. [1.4MB]
Alfred 1.3 from Inferiis is an "easy-to-use, customizable, universal plug-ins manager. Inspired from Mac OS 9's Finder and Extensions Manager, taking care of Mac OS X specificities, it improves user experience to install, remove and manage any kind of plug-ins like screen savers, preference panes, fonts... or anything else." The $7 shareware requires Mac OS X 10.1 or later. [1.0MB]
MediaCapture 1.4 allows you to record with any digial video device directly into your computer and export the recorded media to a DV Stream or a QuickTime, AVI, FLC, or MPEG-4 (QuickTime 6) file. The $15 application for both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X can now insert movies into another and add a starting transition. [998KB]
ALAP's Imposer Pro is a major upgrade to its XTension for QuarkXPress, adding support for 8-up printer flats, multi-page signatures as well as a new tiling feature allowing any size flat to be output to any size output device and support for split web, sheetwise and multiple unit printing. It runs on Mac OS 8/9, requires Quark Xpress 3/4/5, and costs $400 (upgrades are $200).http://www.alap.com/products/imp2pro.html

Apps: iStock, Charliebot, WeatherManX Extras

12/19, 9:15am

Apps: iStock, Charliebot, WeatherManX Extras

Infinite Loop's iStock 1.2 for Mac OS X tracks users' favorite stocks and personal portfolios. The $12 shareware now calculates gain/loss for sold shares, adds support for import/export with custom templates, and adds a scrolling ticker. [348KB]
Charliebot is an open-source artificial intelligence project built in Java designed to be integrated into Websites: "Charliebot contains three default personalities, integrated Webserver, and more!...it is developed on Mac OS X using Project Builder though it can run on any Java 1.3 VM. [It] is an extension of work done by the alicebot.org foundation and the Anna project." [3.9MB]
AfterTen Software today announced the addition of WeatherManX Menubar to the WeatherManX Extras program suite ($5 shareware). WeatherManX Menubar can display multiple weather icons in the menu bar for user selected U.S. cities. Also, both WeatherManX.menu 3.0, its Mac OS X menu bar weather application for U.S. cities and WeatherManX.saver 1.5, the OS X weather screen saver were both updated. A new trial period, now 30 days (up from 10 days), is available to everyone. [1.7MB]
Adaptec has also updated is PowerDomain 1.2 driver software for Mac OS X designed for its 39160 dual-channel host adapter (in addition to the updated 29160 driver for OS X noted yesterday). [85KB]

Willow debuts iBook Mac Lab carry case

12/19, 8:55am

Willow debuts iBook Mac Lab carry case

Willow Design has announced its portable iBook Mac Lab carrying case for the iBook curriculum lab: "Designed for the Surrey, British Columbia school board, the Mac Lab case is configured to carry up to six 12" iBooks in individually protected compartments, an AirPort BaseStation as well as the power supplies, cords and accessories needed to set up a mobile iBook lab." The Mac Lab cases are expected to ship in the first week of January and are available for a special pre-order price of $170 ($15 off) and includes Willow's lifetime guarantee against defects in materials or craftsmanship.