TidBITS#793/22-Aug-05
=====================
Jeff Carlson's college days are behind him, but the end of August
makes him ponder: what Mac gear should students take to school?
Meanwhile, Adam samples Indy, an innovative application that
introduces him to new music he actually likes. Also in this issue,
Matt Neuburg finds some desirable features in the new DEVONthink
Pro, and we note the release of Security Update 2005-007 v1.1,
which fixes a 64-bit computing bug introduced by the previous
security update, as well as the start of Apple's new Rev-1
iMac G5 repair program.
Topics:
MailBITS/22-Aug-05
DEVONthink Goes Pro
Indy: Your Own Independent Radio Station
Mac to School 2005
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/22-Aug-05
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MailBITS/22-Aug-05
------------------
**Security Update 2005-007 v1.1 Works with 64-Bit Apps** -- Apple
has released version 1.1 of its Security Update 2005-007 for
Tiger users. The only change in v1.1 is that it provides a
combined 32- and 64-bit version of the operating system component
LibSystem; the initial release of Security Update 2005-007
omitted the 64-bit version, breaking 64-bit-savvy programs
like Mathematica on systems with G5 processors.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302163>
The 64-bit change for Security Update 2005-007 applies only to the
client and server versions of Mac OS X 10.4.2 Tiger - folks using
Mac OS X 10.3.9 Panther don't need to worry about downloading
a new version of the update. Apple is recommending that all
Tiger users install the new version of the update, although -
in theory - users of G4-based machines have nothing to gain
if they've already installed the first version of the security
update. (Except, perhaps, to prevent Software Update from nagging
them about it.) The update sizes remain unchanged: approximately
18.5 MB for the client version of Mac OS X 10.4.2, and 20.6 MB
for the server version. [GD]
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/
securityupdate2005007v11macosx1042client.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/
securityupdate2005007v11macosx1042server.html>
**Apple Creates Rev-1 iMac G5 Repair Program** -- Four months
after my iMac G5 went "Up In Smoke" (see TidBITS-777_), along
with those of untold numbers of other users, Apple has finally
admitted publicly that there's a problem, instituting an official
repair program for revision-1 iMac G5s. According to Apple,
symptoms eligible for free repair include scrambled, distorted,
or missing video (caused, I believe, by blown capacitors on the
midplane) or no power (the problem I had - there is, of course,
no mention on Apple's page of smoke and an evil smell emanating
from the computer). Apple lists the range of serial numbers of
affected machines. These are all revision-1 17-inch and 20-inch
iMac G5s; the revision-2 faster machines released starting in
May 2005 are apparently unaffected.
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=08080>
<http://www.apple.com/support/imac/repairextensionprogram/>
The good news is that Apple will repair affected machines for
free, even if they are no longer under warranty. The initial
program is for two years from the date of purchase, but Apple
may extend this at its option. The bad news is that in order to
qualify, it appears that you must place your machine physically
before the eyeballs of an Apple representative or service
provider. It will be interesting to learn whether this means
that repairs like mine, where Apple simply shipped the needed
parts directly to my home, will no longer be available. [MAN]
DEVONthink Goes Pro
-------------------
by Matt Neuburg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
DEVONthink is a snippet keeper, where a snippet can be anything
from a few words of text to a Web page, a Word document, a PDF,
or any of several other formats. Within DEVONthink's database,
documents can be organized hierarchically and mutually referenced
via hyperlinks. DEVONthink can link to any file on disk, but its
real power emerges when the file is something it can parse and
index, giving play to its mighty powers of searching, cataloging,
and cross-referencing.
When I reviewed DEVONthink in TidBITS-720_, I praised its
interface and its searching capabilities, but I pointed to
one shortcoming in its architecture: there could be only one
database. This, I suspected, would ultimately prevent me from
using the program at all; and I was right. Now, however, that
restriction is lifted, thanks to the long-awaited release of
DEVONthink Professional 1.0.
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07575>
<http://devon-technologies.com/products/devonthink/overview.php>
In DEVONthink Professional, a database functions as a kind
of document. Only one database can be open at a time, but I
don't regard this as an impediment. With separate databases
for different collections of data, I'm at last able to use
DEVONthink seriously.
The other major innovation in DEVONthink Professional is
its AppleScript support. Earlier versions were a little bit
scriptable, but DEVONthink Professional takes scriptability much
further - and wears its scriptability on its sleeve. The program
has a Scripts menu and comes with many example scripts that users
can take advantage of immediately to make DEVONthink cooperate
with other applications - fetching all links from the current
Safari Web page, for example, or importing selected email
messages. What's more, a script can be attached to a file or
a folder within the database, so the script is triggered when
the item is opened; in the case of a folder, for instance, this
capability enables the creation of a "smart folder" that populates
itself automatically when opened. DEVONthink also comes with some
Automator actions, along with example Automator workflows.
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=08089>
Another new feature is the capability to download Web pages
linked from a given page. That's a terrific idea, and I was eager
to try it, but I found it nearly impossible to tweak the settings
so as to obtain the desired results. (DEVONthink's developers
could usefully study the SiteSucker utility.)
<http://www.sitesucker.us/>
Also new is that you can make a page that's like a simple database
table, where each column is a field and each row is a record; such
pages (unaccountably termed "sheets") can't have styled text,
though, which limits their usefulness.
Finally, it's worth noting one feature conspicuous for its
absence: complex boolean searches are still not implemented,
even after years of complaints from users and promises from
the developers.
DEVONthink Professional is a big step closer to what
DEVONthink should have been all along. Whether that warrants
the "Professional" label or the price tag ($75), market forces
will show. Meanwhile, you should definitely try this program for
yourself; the demo download expires after 150 hours of use and
is not limited in any other way. Mac OS X 10.3.9 Panther is the
minimum operating system version required, but given the number
of new technologies it uses, to run DEVONthink on anything less
than Tiger would be a pity.
<http://www.devon-technologies.com/download/commercial.php>
Indy: Your Own Independent Radio Station
----------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Some years ago, best-selling author Stephen King bought a local
radio station in Bangor, Maine, reportedly so he could be assured
of turning on the radio and hearing music that he'd probably like.
Thanks to a brilliant little program called Indy from Change.TV,
I don't have wait until I'm a multi-millionaire to enjoy my own
radio station.
<http://www.zoneradio.com/wkit/>
**Crystal Set with a Feedback Loop** -- On its face, Indy is
incredibly simple. It displays a small window with basic
controls: play/pause, previous/next, volume, and five stars
for rating tracks. It also displays the artist name, track name,
and elapsed and total time for each song. To start, you click the
play button, and Indy starts playing a song it downloaded. Once
you've developed an opinion about the current song, you assign a
star rating, with one as the worst and five as the best. If you
give a song only one or two stars, Indy instantly moves on to the
next track; higher-rated songs finish playing after you rate them.
If you don't rate a song before it finishes, Indy waits for you to
give it a rating before continuing to the next song, although you
can play the song again if necessary, and you can even flip back
through previously rated songs with the previous button. Although
it can be a bit annoying to be forced to rate every song, it's a
key aspect of Indy's interface, because otherwise it would be too
easy to be lazy and not rate anything.
<http://indy.tv/>
Behind the scenes, Indy downloads MP3 files to your computer
(in ~/Music/Indy) and plays them from local files; it's not
streaming. Initially, the files start out in an Unrated folder,
and as you rate them, they're moved to folders corresponding to
the number of stars they garnered from you. You can set how much
disk space you'd like Indy to devote to each rating, from None
to Unlimited, with stops for 50 MB, 100 MB, 500 MB, and 1 GB
in between.
As you rate songs, Indy uses the Collaborative Filtering Engine
(CoFE), developed by the Intelligent Information Systems group
at Oregon State University, to compare your ratings to those from
20,000 other Indy users. The goal is, of course, for Indy to feed
you an increasingly large percentage of music that you're likely
to appreciate. In the relatively short time I've been using Indy,
I've noticed a definite improvement in its selections, to the
point where I seldom rate anything as one or two stars any more,
and I'm finding more four-star songs and even a five-star song
or two.
<http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/iis/CoFE/>
As an aside, the Indy Help makes some good suggestions about
ratings, particularly on the low end:
* One star: You don't like the song, and you can't imagine anyone
else liking it either.
* Two stars: You don't like the track, but you're happy to admit
that someone with different tastes might.
* Three stars: You like the song sufficiently to finish listening
to it in Indy.
* Four stars: You like the song enough that you'd buy a CD that
contained it (personally, I'd never buy a CD based on a single
song, so I'd recast this to "You like the song enough to want
to listen to it multiple times").
* Five stars: You like the music so much that you'd go see the
artist in concert if possible (again, I think that's overstating
the case, and I'd change to "You like the song so much that you
want to hear more from the same artist").
Clicking the artist or track name in Indy's window loads the
artist's Web site in your browser. I've done it a few times for
the songs I've most liked, but the problem is that the link to
the Web site is visible only as long as the song is showing in
Indy. As you might expect, the information is hidden away, in a
playlist.dat file in the Indy folder for recent songs, and you
can ferret it out of your console.log file as well. But neither
is easy to access or permanent, and even Spotlight doesn't
seem to see inside either of those files. Ideally, Indy would
automatically add this information to the ID3 tags for each song,
but many songs lack even basic metadata, much less uncommon tags
like Web URLs. That's not Indy's fault, since all songs are
submitted by the artists themselves (or at least with the consent
of the copyright holder), and it's up to the artists to make sure
that the ID3 tags contain Web URLs.
**Music Discovery Service** -- The comparison to Stephen King's
radio station isn't quite fair, for two reasons. First, Indy never
plays rated songs more than once. If you like a song enough to
keep it, you must add it to the rest of your music collection
in iTunes (it would be helpful if Indy would automatically add
songs of particular ratings to iTunes playlists). Second, unless
you're way more in tune with the independent music scene than
I am (which wouldn't be hard, admittedly), you won't recognize
many, if any, of the artists. Because of this, Indy is more of
a music discovery service than a radio station, at least the sort
of radio station that plays commonly heard music. I must admit,
though, as it has become more accurate, Indy is doing a pretty
good job as a radio station too. If I want to listen to music I
already know, I can listen to my collection in iTunes.
What's particularly cool about Indy is that it's not attempting
to maintain a centralized archive of songs, nor should it in any
way run afoul of the jack-booted thugs of the recording industry.
That's because, as I noted earlier, all the music is submitted
by copyright holders, and because it's served directly from the
artists' sites. In other words, Indy is a completely legal front
end for discovering music you're likely to enjoy from all around
the Web. At the moment, Indy knows about 10,000 songs, which
should keep you busy for quite some time.
If you're an artist, I strongly encourage you to submit some of
your music to Indy as a way of introducing more people to your
work. Just be sure to include your Web site's URL in the ID3 tags
of your file! One caveat: although Indy isn't likely to cause a
Slashdot effect, the increase in downloads may affect your hosting
bills if you pay for bandwidth.
<http://indy.tv/submit.html>
Although Indy serves only music right now, there's no particular
reason it couldn't support other forms of media, including photos,
video, and more, and the Indy FAQ states that such enhancements
lie in Indy's future. For the moment, though, I'm happy listening
to whatever Indy sends my way, and if you've wanted a way to
expose yourself to new music, give Indy a try. It works in
Mac OS X 10.3 and later, and Windows and Linux; it's a tiny
466K download.
<http://indy.tv/otheros.html>
Mac to School 2005
------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
As August winds down here in the United States, students and
parents are looking ahead to the start of the school year in a
few weeks. Although I'm not currently in school, this time of
year always tingles my memories of new textbooks, the transition
to autumn, and strolling a college campus.
I'm also deeply envious of today's students and the technology
options that are available. I arrived at school with a Commodore
64 system in four bulky boxes, and the newest advance on campus at
the time was having telephones in every room, versus shared phone
booths in each hall.
If I were headed to college in September, these are the things
I'd want to bring with me. I realize many TidBITS readers are
already familiar with what I'm going to talk about here, but
you probably know someone who's gearing up for school. If you're
reading this article on the TidBITS Web site, you might want to
click the Send via Email link to share the information with a
student you know; if you're reading in email, click the link
below to send just this article.
<http://db.tidbits.com/article-via-email.lasso?id=08216>
**Laptop versus Desktop** -- A student's academic life tends to be
limited to small spaces when it comes to computing. The Mac mini
is appealing for this reason, particularly if you're budget
conscious, but it still requires an external keyboard, mouse,
and monitor (which you may already own), all of which take up
valuable room and are a pain to schlep back and forth on school
breaks. I'd much rather use a laptop that incorporates all of
those elements in one package. Better yet, a laptop is portable,
so you can work on research papers in a dorm room, library,
or coffeehouse. During my senior year of college, I packed a
Classic II into a bulky case, slung it over my shoulder, and
biked to the campus newspaper office or a study room in the
English department when I felt like getting out of my dorm room;
a laptop would have been so much easier. To this day, I use a
laptop as my main machine because I work in several different
locations (in fact, some people would say that my freelance
life is just an extension of my college days, complete with
the occasional all-nighter to finish up projects).
I currently use a 15-inch PowerBook G4, but I'd probably be more
inclined to go with an iBook G4 for school. It's more durable,
costs less (especially given a typical college student's budget),
and offers enough processing and graphics power for most general
schoolwork. Since it's something I'd be carrying most of the day,
the smaller and less-expensive 12-inch model ($950) is more
appealing to me. However, the 14-inch model ($1,200) offers
a DVD-burning SuperDrive instead of a Combo Drive (both can
be configured with more RAM - up to 1.5 GB - and a larger hard
drive - up to 100 GB). If you're enamored of the 12-inch size
but want a SuperDrive and an overall faster machine, the 12-inch
PowerBook G4 costs $450 more. (All prices are from Apple's online
Store for Education; individual colleges and universities may
offer slightly different deals or special bundles.) For more
specific Mac buying advice, don't forget to check out Adam's
"Take Control of Buying a Mac" ebook.
<http://www.apple.com/powerbook/>
<http://www.apple.com/ibook/>
<http://www.apple.com/education/store/>
<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/buying-mac.html>
Happily, all of Apple's laptops now include AirPort Extreme and
Bluetooth 2.0 wireless capabilities for connecting to Wi-Fi
networks on campus and coffee shops (wireless Internet and
caffeine... is there a better college combination?).
I'd forgo buying an extra battery, since power outlets seem to
be in abundant supply in the usual college haunts, but it's not
a bad idea to carry a small power strip on occasion to share the
outlets with fellow students. And definitely buy a Kensington
security cable ($45) to anchor the laptop to a desk when you're
not using it; theft insurance is worth looking into as well.
<http://www.kensington.com/html/1434.html>
To carry the laptop, you'll need a good bag, a topic I've covered
in TidBITS before (see "Buying a Laptop Bag" in TidBITS-725_).
Although I'm partial to messenger-style bags, a sturdy backpack
might be better for carrying books, too. No matter what you
choose, I recommend getting some sort of laptop sleeve to help
protect your laptop (some bags include a padded laptop pocket).
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07627>
In either case, I (and most IT support staff) highly suggest
paying the extra money for AppleCare ($185 for iBooks, $240 for
PowerBooks). Although it doesn't cover problems that arise due
to neglect or accident, components that fail after the initial
warranty period are covered.
<http://www.apple.com/support/products/>
And speaking of problems, don't go to school without an external
hard drive for making backups, or at the least a large spindle
of blank CDs and DVDs. Your data is just too important to work
without backups, as I've learned first hand and from numerous
horror stories about students losing important papers (even
dissertations!). For more advice on backups, see Joe Kissell's
"Take Control of Mac OS X Backups."
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05530>
<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/backup-macosx.html>
**iPod** -- I suspect that most students will want an iPod (if
they don't already own one) for their music. I listened to tunes
constantly while working on homework, and the portability of
the iPod can't be beat. It also means that you won't have to
pack boxes of heavy music CDs to cart home when next summer
rolls around.
<http://www.apple.com/ipod/>
But if I were headed to school again now, I'd also buy a
microphone for the iPod, such as Griffin Technology's iTalk
($40). I'm not a good paper-based note-taker, so an iPod recording
device would be great for capturing lectures for review later.
<http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/italk/>
Of course, the basic combination of iTunes and headphones is
another good option for the budget-conscious or students who
always have their Macs at the ready. The iTunes music sharing
feature, which allows other students to play (but not copy)
your music sees heavy use on some campuses.
**Speakers** -- Another change from the days I was in school is
amplification. I owned a bulky shelf-sized stereo system for
playing music, but these days all you really need are decent
speakers. I use a set of $170 Harman/Kardon Soundsticks II at
the office, but the company's Creature II speakers, at $100,
would work just as well in a dorm room. Either set plugs into
a Mac's audio out port, or an iPod's headphone jack. In addition
to playing music from either device, you can host movie nights
by playing DVDs on the Mac.
<http://www.harmanmultimedia.com/>
If an iPod is the center of your music universe, dock speakers
such as the Bose SoundDock ($300) or Altec Lansing's InMotion3
($180) are pricier but more portable options. I haven't used
either, so I don't know what type of sound quality they offer,
but it could be enough for a small space such as a dorm room.
(Playlist Magazine has a good collection of reviews of this type
of speaker.) Remember too that an iPod connected to speakers
makes a fine alarm clock, and believe me, you'll be needing
one of those.
<http://www.bose.com/>
<http://www.alteclansing.com/product_details.asp?pID=IM3>
<http://playlistmag.com/products/speakers.php>
**iSight** -- They try to put on a brave face and stiff upper lip,
but parents miss their kids when the brood are away at college.
To stay in touch without paying long-distance phone charges, equip
both sides with iSight cameras and use iChat to engage in audio
or video chats. An iSight also enables freshmen to keep tabs
on the high school friends you vowed you'd always write and
stay in contact with, but who, over time, normally drift away.
The fat bandwidth pipes at most colleges and universities make
videoconferencing a pleasure, as long as the folks have a decent
broadband connection at home.
<http://www.apple.com/isight/>
Remember, too, that you don't need an iSight to do audio and
video - I just like it because of its design, small size,
and ease of use. An iBook or PowerBook includes an internal
microphone that you can use for voice chats, and a FireWire-
equipped camcorder (if you have one) will also work. I'm hoping
the day will come when digital still cameras, which mostly seem
to be equipped with a video feature, can be plugged in and used
as a video chatting source.
If you're not interested in video or audio, plain text is a great
way to communicate; it's how I now spend most of my time touching
base with my mother who lives in California. Where before you'd
have to set aside a block of time to talk on the phone, now you
can pop into iChat (or Microsoft Messenger for communicating with
Windows-using parents on the MSN instant messaging network), check
in with the folks, and then head off to class.
**Printer** -- I've heard that some professors accept assignments
via email, but most seem to want cold, hard paper to mark up with
their vicious red pens. There are, no doubt, plenty of places to
get something printed (campus computing center, library, local
Kinko's, etc.), but you'll find yourself at the mercy of building
schedules or per-page printing charges. Instead, buy the least
expensive inkjet printer you can find. When a project is due
and you don't have much time, it's much better to print out
your own copies than to rely on someone else to do it for you.
Check Dealmac for specials; you can easily find a decent printer
for under $100.
<http://dealmac.com/categories/Computer/Peripherals/Printers/83.html>
Make sure to keep extra paper and a spare cartridge around
too - it's painful to run out when you're under a deadline,
and believe me, that is exactly when it will happen.
**Phone and/or Handheld Organizer** -- Finding a college student
without a cell phone these days is almost impossible. I couldn't
begin to go into the various models and options, since the phones
change often and are offered by different carriers. (Check with
the college to see which cell phone providers have the best on-
campus reception.) But I can suggest a few guidelines.
I still couldn't care less about having a digital camera in my
phone (though the image quality continues to improve over time),
but I've reached the point where Bluetooth is essential. I hope to
never again manually enter a name and phone number using a phone's
keypad. With a Bluetooth-enabled iBook or PowerBook, use iSync to
synchronize your contacts from Address Book. (If you have too many
phone numbers to fit into your phone's memory, create a new group
in Address Book called "Cell phone" and then, in iSync, specify
that only that group be synchronized.)
Many of the recent crop of phones include rudimentary calendar
features, but if you're schedule-challenged, consider a Palm Treo
650, which incorporates a Palm OS handheld with a cellular phone.
Palm lists the Treo 650 as "starting at $300," which means the
price depends on the phone carrier you choose; a phone and a
calling plan deal can offer it for as low as $250, but if you
already have a plan and just want the phone, the price can head
north of $600 just for the Treo. You can find better deals on
the older Treo 600 model, but it doesn't include Bluetooth.
<http://www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones/treo650/>
<http://www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones/treo600/>
If you prefer to keep your calendar separate from your phone,
you might want a separate Palm handheld. Although I'm hearing
from more people who don't use their Palm handhelds anymore,
I think college is an ideal environment for electronic
organization. With so many class schedules, study sessions,
and things to do, having all of that information manageable
in one handheld device makes sense.
Of the current lineup of Palm OS handhelds, I like the $250
Tungsten E2: it's thin and light, has a bright color screen, and
includes Bluetooth for easy syncing. The included Documents to Go
software is a nice addition for being able to store Word, Excel,
and PowerPoint documents, but not essential. For those on a
tighter budget, the $100 Zire 21 is a bare-bones organizer that
does the basics and not much else.
<http://www.palm.com/us/products/handhelds/tungsten-e2/>
<http://www.palm.com/us/products/handhelds/zire21/>
What about handhelds that run the Pocket PC/Windows Mobile
operating system? Honestly, I don't have much experience with the
current crop, and have never liked the cumbersome Windows-Light
interface. They also don't communicate with the Mac out of the
box, though you can get around that by purchasing Mark/Space's
Missing Sync for Windows Mobile ($40) or PocketMac Pro from
PocketMac ($42, but educational pricing is also available).
<http://www.markspace.com/missingsync_windowsmobile.php>
<http://www.pocketmac.com/products/pmpro3/>
**Mac to Class** -- Looking back over this list, I realize that
the costs can rise pretty quickly, especially considering that
tuition isn't cheap, either. Fortunately, as noted earlier,
students can take advantage of education pricing from Apple
and other companies, which helps cut the costs. But I also think
college is a special environment these days, where a computer
is much more than a glorified typewriter. Perhaps more so than
in the business world, a Mac and its orbiting accessories are
as much a part of the student life as coffee and ramen noodles.
They're used at all points of the day: studying, completing
assignments, communicating with friends and family via email
and instant messages, watching DVDs, listening to music,
organizing schedules, and even playing games.
<http://www.apple.com/education/store/>
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Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/22-Aug-05
------------------------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The second URL below each thread description points to the
discussion on our Web Crossing server, which will be faster.
**VPN Article Update** -- Kevin van Haaren posts some updates
to his article about virtual private networks from last week's
issue. (3 messages)
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2675>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/528/>
**iBook and peripheral questions** -- A reader looking for iBook
buying advice receives a heap of information ranging from screen
quality (the 12-inch and 14-inch models feature the same
resolution, for example) to buying AppleCare and finding
the best price overall. (39 messages)
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2672>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/524/>
**Tech support forums** -- Which tools make it easier for
companies to track user feedback and bug reports? A reader
soon to start a new job gets insight. (5 messages)
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2673>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/525/>
**Software for editing and printing multiple timed streams** -- A
reader needs to synchronize printed text with audio and video,
and is looking for software solutions to make it happen.
(3 messages)
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2674>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/527/>
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