TidBITS#822/27-Mar-06
=====================

  Your Honor, I object! We certainly didn't intend this issue
  of TidBITS to focus on legal battles. It wasn't our idea for
  the French to propose a law that would require Apple to allow
  any music player to play music from the iTunes Music Store.
  Plus, we simply couldn't have predicted that the Apple Computer
  v. Apple Corps lawsuit would be scheduled for the same week
  that the Creative Commons license was upheld in Dutch court.
  And for the record, Your Honor, we also have a new DealBITS
  drawing, a great MacNotables podcast on email clients, and
  a slew of TidBITS Talk discussions. The defense rests.

Topics:
    MailBITS/27-Mar-06
    DealBITS Drawing: BeLight Software's Disc Cover
    Creative Commons License Upheld in Dutch Court
    Apple, iTunes and France: The Reality
    Carry That Weight: Apple Versus Apple
    Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/27-Mar-06

<http://www.tidbits.com/tb-issues/TidBITS-822.html>
<ftp://ftp.tidbits.com/issues/2006/TidBITS#822_27-Mar-06.etx>

Copyright 2006 TidBITS: Reuse governed by Creative Commons license
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MailBITS/27-Mar-06
------------------

**MacNotables Podcast on Email Clients** -- Few types of software
  engender the same level of loyalty as email clients. It makes
  some sense; an email program is the communications lifeline
  to the world for many of us, instant messaging notwithstanding,
  and we all end up with a lot of data - messages, addresses,
  carefully constructed folder hierarchies - in our email programs
  that would be difficult to transfer to another client. But at
  the same time, the grass always seems greener on the other side
  of the fence. Entourage just picked up Spotlight and Sync Services
  support that was previously enjoyed only by Mail users; Mailsmith
  has killer filtering capabilities; and Eudora offers a level of
  serious geekiness that many people swear by. If you're considering
  a switch to a new email program or just want some confirmation
  that your current program is the right one for your needs, tune
  in to the latest MacNotables podcast. In it, I, Andy Ihnatko,
  Dan Frakes, and Chuck Joiner discuss what we like and don't like
  about our current email programs and others we've used, including
  Eudora, Mail, Entourage, PowerMail, Mailsmith, Gmail, and yes,
  even Elm. This was definitely one of my favorite episodes of
  MacNotables, so if you're at all interested in the world of
  email on the Mac, give it a listen.

<http://macnotables.com/archives/2006/629.html>


DealBITS Drawing: BeLight Software's Disc Cover
-----------------------------------------------
  by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

  The Ukrainian Mac development firm BeLight Software continues
  to extend their flock of special purpose publishing programs,
  adding the CD/DVD labeling software Disc Cover to the collection
  of Business Card Composer, Mail Factory, and Swift Publisher.
  Like BeLight's other programs, Disc Cover offers a clean interface
  for arranging text and graphics, this time within the limitations
  of CD/DVD disc labels (along with jewel case covers, booklets,
  and even odd items like mini CDs/DVDs, business card CDs/DVDs,
  and VHS labels). It shows alignment lines as you move objects
  around, integrates the image editing features from BeLight's free
  Image Tricks, and offers a slew of backgrounds and other images
  you can use. There's also full integration with iTunes and iPhoto,
  plus the capability to pull in MP3 information and pictures from
  folders in the Finder. And if you're not feeling creative, Disc
  Cover offers a bunch of pre-designed templates you can customize.

<http://www.belightsoft.com/disccover/>

  In this week's DealBITS drawing, you can enter to win one of
  three copies of Disc Cover, each worth $34.95. Entrants who
  aren't among our lucky winners will receive a discount on Disc
  Cover, so be sure to enter at the DealBITS page linked below.
  All information gathered is covered by our comprehensive privacy
  policy. Be careful with your spam filters, since you must be
  able to receive email from my address to learn if you've won.
  Remember too, that if someone you refer to this drawing wins,
  you'll receive the same prize as a reward for spreading the word.

<http://www.tidbits.com/dealbits/disc-cover/>
<http://www.tidbits.com/about/privacy.html>


Creative Commons License Upheld in Dutch Court
----------------------------------------------
  by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

  Now this is interesting. The non-profit organization Creative
  Commons offers a set of copyright licenses that enable content
  creators to grant additional rights beyond those normally provided
  by copyright law - we publish TidBITS under a Creative Commons
  license (see "Seven Hundred Issues, a CMS, and Creative Commons"
  in TidBITS-700_). But like all open source licenses, as far as
  I know, none of the Creative Commons licenses had been tested
  in court, and without that trial by fire, no one really knew if
  the licenses would hold up to any future suit. Years ago, when
  I was researching open source licenses to see what could be used
  for XNS, the general consensus I heard was that open source
  licenses likely wouldn't withstand a serious (and well-funded)
  legal challenge, but none had ever been so tested, largely because
  trying to break an open source license legally would be horrible
  PR for any company.

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07385>

  Now, however, a Creative Commons license has been upheld in court.
  Former MTV VJ and podcaster Adam Curry had posted photos of his
  family on the photo-sharing site Flickr, assigning them an
  Attribution-Noncommercial-Sharealike Creative Commons license
  in the process. Apparently, a Dutch tabloid published those photos
  without getting Curry's permission, thus violating the terms of
  the Creative Commons license. Curry sued for copyright and privacy
  infringement, and the District Court of Amsterdam agreed with him,
  stating clearly that the conditions of the license were not
  properly observed. The magazine's publisher claimed it was misled
  by the phrase "This photo is public" (a standard bit of Flickr
  boilerplate, as I understand it) and therefore failed to check
  into why the photos were also labeled with the Creative Commons
  "Some rights reserved" tagline.

<http://curry.podshow.com/?p=49>
<http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/5823>
<http://creativecommons.org/press-releases/entry/5822>

  The utility of this decision in my mind is that it affirms that
  the Creative Commons licenses don't suffer from some sort of legal
  loophole that would enable a lawyered-up company to infringe upon
  them with impunity.

  After I posted the above in ExtraBITS, Contributing Editor
  Glenn Fleishman and I had a bit of a discussion about whether
  the decision was really that positive. Glenn was concerned that
  the Dutch court essentially slapped the wrist of the magazine
  publisher: throwing out the privacy infringement claim (apparently
  the magazine also published the name and school of Curry's 15-
  year-old daughter, along with her means of transport to school),
  not setting a fine, and threatening a fine of 1,000 Euros (about
  $1,200) per photo for any future violation. To Glenn, the lack
  of any damages undermined the fact that the Creative Commons
  license had been upheld.

  Rather than pretend to be a lawyer in the argument, I turned to a
  real one - our friend Fred von Lohmann of the Electronic Frontier
  Foundation (EFF). In essence, Fred told us that the remedies were
  an entirely separate issue, since the remedies are defined by
  national law, and that you couldn't really draw any conclusions
  about the strength of the license by the damages awarded. Fred
  also noted that although the judgment upholding the validity
  of the Creative Commons license is good news, it's mostly
  important in the Netherlands, since the idea behind Creative
  Commons licenses - that copyright owners should be able to opt
  for less than full protection of their work - remains legally
  untested in many parts of the world.


Apple, iTunes and France: The Reality
-------------------------------------
  by Kirk McElhearn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

  You may have read that the French are at it again: harassing
  Apple, and requiring them to open the FairPlay digital rights
  management (DRM) system used to protect music files sold by the
  iTunes Music Store. Well, like much reporting these days, this
  is both correct and incorrect. As an American living in France,
  I've been following this situation closely, and it's time to set
  the record straight and look exactly at what this new law will
  require, if it is indeed passed.

<http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/03/21/france/>

  First, the law has not yet been passed. It has only gone through
  the first of several steps, that of a "first reading" of the law
  by the lower house, the Assemble Nationale (roughly equivalent to
  the House of Representatives in the U.S.). The bill then goes to
  the Senat, then back to the Assemble and the Senat again for final
  votes. These first two votes are more about getting the substance
  in order, and amendments can be added at any point in this
  process. Even after the law is passed, it goes to the Conseil
  Constitutionnel which has to approve it and refine the wording
  and penalties it contains. So, after this brief course in French
  parliamentary procedure, you can see that, so far, nothing has
  been decided.

  The situation has been even more confusing because, in a textbook
  example of clueless legislative procedure, the bill that was
  introduced has seen amendments added, removed, and added again,
  creating quite a bit of confusion both within France and without.
  (Add to that the fact that many media have published articles
  based on faulty translations, and you've got a nice legal and
  linguistic stew to try and understand.) At one point in the
  process, newspapers were trumpeting the "global license" that
  was in the bill: a sort of indulgence that, for a modest monthly
  fee, would protect users from prosecution from downloading music
  illegally. While this idea may, in principle, be a good one,
  it would only have allowed those who paid the fee to download
  what is currently available illegally; it would not provide a
  true global license to download all music available, since record
  companies would not suddenly make their entire catalogs freely
  available on-line.

  But what is getting the most attention in recent days is the
  clause in the law that would require Apple to open up its FairPlay
  DRM system so users could purchase music from the iTunes Music
  Store and play it on any music player. This clause states that DRM
  used "...must not prevent... interoperability, while respecting
  copyright." In other words, Apple - along with Microsoft, Sony,
  Real Networks and any other companies using DRM - would have to
  provide the necessary APIs to others to allow their music to be
  used. It is not clear how this would be implemented, however:
  would this require that DRM be stripped, or simply that all music
  players would have to be able to manage all forms of DRM-protected
  music? Most likely the latter; otherwise the record labels,
  who saw in this bill a new lease on life, would complain.

  Another important point is that DRM is currently illegal in
  France... well, sort of. The courts have sided with individuals
  in every case where DRM prevented them from using their music as
  they want, and "copy controlled" CDs have been, several times,
  declared illegal in France. These decisions have been appealed,
  but part of the legal basis for this right to private copies lies
  in the fact that every blank CD and DVD, along with every hard
  drive, iPod, flash memory device, or other data storage device
  includes a tax, which is divided among record labels and movie
  studios. Because of this, blank CDs, to give just one example,
  cost about four times as much in France as in neighboring England.
  This tax is levied because of the assumption that every blank
  CD or DVD, every iPod or hard disk - regardless of what you
  use them for - is filled to the brim with "stolen" copyrighted
  content. Yet nothing in this new copyright bill removes this tax,
  which brings a fair chunk of change to musicians, producers and
  songwriters each year.

  As I pointed out earlier, this bill has not yet been passed.
  But Apple has commented on it, saying that it would inspire a
  "state-sponsored culture of piracy," because cracking DRM would
  not only be legal, but obligatory, at least among manufacturers.
  (It is interesting to note that, in 2002, Steve Jobs said,
  "If you legally acquire music, you need to have the right to
  manage it on all other devices that you own," although he was
  most likely referring to other devices such as a laptop, iPod,
  and desktop computer.) Soon after, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos
  Gutierrez threw his tentative support behind Apple's statement.

<http://www.physorg.com/news12082.html>

  So journalists have been focusing on this aspect of the issue,
  forgetting that Apple is not the only company being targeted.
  It's also easy to forget that it is the record companies who
  demand DRM, not Apple (though I doubt Apple would really want
  to sell unfettered music) and the same record companies who will
  suffer in the long run. Apple, if this bill passes, has an easy
  way out: they just close the French iTunes Music Store. Anyway,
  most iPod users have music ripped from CDs on their iPods, not
  music they've purchased from the iTunes Music Store, and this
  law won't change anything for them. It will just cripple digital
  music sales.

<http://playlistmag.com/news/2006/03/22/francereact/>

  Regardless of what happens - whether the bill passes as is,
  whether it is accepted by the European Union - it raises a broader
  issue. Will Sony have to let me use a PlayStation game on an Xbox?
  How about DVDs - will the movie studios finally be forced to
  allow users to copy them to laptops to watch while riding the TGV
  (France's high-speed train), or simply to make copying to a video
  iPod easier? While they're at it, what about DVD region codes?
  Why can't I buy a DVD from the U.S. and play it here?

  Let's go one step further. As long as we're on the subject, what
  about razor blades? That was the first example of vendor lock-in,
  which this law is hoping to eliminate. Can I get Schick to
  translate my blades to work on a Gillette? And when I need new
  parts for my Saab, can I require Renault to make theirs work
  for me?

  The real point of all this is that the French members of
  parliament are clueless about technology in general and digital
  technology in particular. They're opening up a huge can of worms
  in suggesting that interoperability should be guaranteed. While
  in principle interoperability is a good thing, in practice it
  is an absolute principle. You cannot expect it to work in one
  area without it applying in all areas. Why single out only music?
  Are there Microsoft-funded lobbies at work behind the scenes,
  twiddling the minds of French legislators? Microsoft would
  certainly like this bill to go through, but do they really think
  that other companies will sell more MP3 players? It's not about
  the content, in this market; it's the design and ease-of-use.
  And besides, would Microsoft really like being forced to make
  all of their software work on the Mac to meet the letter of
  such an interoperability law?

  In any case, as one French member of parliament said, "it will
  take at least a year" to iron out all these issues. By then,
  France will be approaching new presidential elections, then
  parliamentary elections, and it is more than likely that things
  will be very different. Also, the European Union has its say,
  as do the courts. So calm down, and don't expect Apple to be
  tossed out of France any time soon.

  [Kirk McElhearn is the author or co-author of a dozen books,
  including "Take Control of Customizing Microsoft Office."
  His blog, Kirkville, features articles about Mac OS X,
  the iPod, iTunes, and much more.]

<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/office-customizing.html>
<http://www.mcelhearn.com/>


Carry That Weight: Apple Versus Apple
-------------------------------------
  by Geoff Duncan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

  This week, Steve Jobs's Apple Computer and the Beatles' Apple
  Corps are scheduled to go to trial in England, marking a new phase
  in a trademark dispute which has clung to both companies for more
  than a quarter century. The outcome could define the nature of
  Apple Computer's now-burgeoning iPod and digital music businesses.


**Yesterday** -- The origins of Apple v. Apple are somewhat
  shrouded in modern myth and contradiction, but here are the
  basics.

  In 1968 the Beatles formed a new business to handle their business
  and financial affairs, as well as to serve as a tax shelter and
  as a corporate base from which to launch their products and ideas.
  Named Apple Corps (get it?), allegedly by Paul McCartney, the
  company was originally to have five divisions (electronics, film,
  publishing, records, and retail) and the company supposedly threw
  open its doors - and its wallet - to anyone with "worthwhile"
  artistic projects. As the Beatles grew apart and eventually
  disbanded, Apple Corps degenerated and nearly collapsed in a
  morass of legal and financial chaos. After several years, the
  dust settled with the company mostly serving as the licensing
  agent for the never-ending menagerie of Beatles products, and
  with former Beatles road manager Neil Aspinall still in charge
  to this day. Apple Corps has a reputation for keeping a very
  tight hold on Beatles-related property and licensing.

  Half a world away in Mountain View, California, Steve Jobs, Steve
  Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded Apple Computer on April 1, 1976.
  (Astute readers will note Apple's 30th anniversary is less than
  a week away.) Many sources claim the name is a direct homage
  to the Beatles' Apple Corps (and Steve Jobs is a long-avowed
  Beatles fan). Apple's official line is that the company founders
  were merely concerned with having a name which came before "Atari"
  in the telephone book: Apple's founders had all previously worked
  at Atari.

  It might seem odd for two companies to have the same name, but
  in legal terms, there's no fundamental problem with companies
  using the same name or trademark so long as it doesn't confuse
  consumers. In practice, this usually means they can't be in the
  same business (or in related businesses) and/or operate in the
  same markets.

  One story goes that in 1978, George Harrison saw an advertisement
  for Apple Computer and asked Neil Aspinall if Apple Corps should
  be concerned. In any case, in 1978 Apple Corps filed a trademark
  infringement suit against Apple Computer, which was settled in
  1981 for an undisclosed amount (rumored to have been $80,000).
  The companies also agreed they would share the "Apple" trademark,
  with Apple Computer sticking to the computer business and Apple
  Corps sticking to entertainment.


**You're Going to Lose That Girl** -- In 1987, computers started
  infiltrating multimedia and music production, leading Apple
  Computer to try renegotiating its agreement with Apple Corps.
  However, nothing could be worked out, and in 1989 Apple Corps
  again sued Apple Computer, this time for violating the earlier
  1981 agreement by including sound playback and MIDI capabilities
  in Macintosh computers. After a great deal of painful litigation,
  Apple Computer and Apple Corps settled again in 1991, for a
  reported $26.5 million.

  This second round of litigation had some long-standing impacts
  on Macintosh software. For instance, the suit kept Apple's MIDI
  Manager from being an official component of System 7. Despite
  the Mac's long-standing use in music performance and production,
  lack of system-level capabilities made MIDI on a hazy thing
  for years, with musicians frequently cursing Apple's unsupported
  MIDI Manager, or third-party MIDI implementations like OpCode's
  (temperamental and long-unsupported) OMS. And if you've ever
  wondered about the sound "Sosumi" which shipped with System 7
  (and is still in Mac OS X), well, it's _not_ the name of some
  exotic Japanese xylophone. Say "sosumi" out loud and its
  intentions become clear; the sound's original name was
  "Let It Beep."

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sosumi>


**Can't Buy Me Love** -- In July 2003, Apple Corps opened fire on
  Apple Computer again, this time alleging the iTunes Music Store
  is in violation of the 1991 settlement agreement. On the surface,
  it seems like an open and shut case: Apple Computer agreed to stay
  out of the music business, and there's no denying the iPod is a
  music device, and that the iTunes Music Store is in the business
  of selling music. So why is this case going to trial?

  One of the interesting developments of Apple Corps' current
  lawsuit is that previously undisclosed details of the companies'
  1991 settlement have become public. In 1991, Apple Corps
  agreed to let Apple Computer use its own marks on items which
  fell within Apple Corps field of use (e.g., entertainment),
  so long as Apple Computer didn't sell "physical media delivering
  pre-recorded content." An example in the agreement bars Apple
  Computer from selling a CD of Rolling Stones songs.

<http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/judgmentsfiles/j2468/apple-v-apple.htm>

  As most people know, the iTunes Music Store doesn't sell physical
  media: it sells digital tracks which customers download and play
  on their computers, an iPod, or (with some determination) other
  music devices. The main question before the U.K. court is whether,
  in legal terms, those digital versions of recorded audio
  constitute "physical media." Some analysts say Apple's iTunes
  service falls safely within the bounds granted to Apple Computer
  outlined in the 1991 agreement; others say Apple Corps will
  walk away with a gargantuan ruling.


**Baby You're a Rich Man** -- It's safe to assume the companies
  have attempted to settle this dispute out of court. Although
  Apple Computer made a bid to move the case to a potentially
  more-friendly venue in California (the rejection of which accounts
  for key terms of the 1991 agreement now being available), plainly
  the computer maker is comfortable with going to trial and stating
  its case before a judge. Why is Apple willing to put its market-
  dominating iTunes Music Store at risk, compared to the relative
  safety of a negotiated settlement?

  One reason is that the door isn't closed on a settlement: the two
  Apples can work toward an out-of-court agreement up until the
  moment the judge issues a ruling, and keep working on a settlement
  while appeals processes are underway. Going to trial just means
  that both sides will be airing their arguments and evidence in
  public. Both companies have previously indicated they're willing
  to let these disputes drag on for years, so, even going to trial,
  a quick resolution seems unlikely.

  Another reason is that, despite Apple Computer's newfound music
  business essentially redefining the company, the computer maker
  may not have much to lose in this case. In trademark disputes,
  damages are typically limited to profits derived from violations.
  Apple Corps' dispute with Apple Computer centers on the iTunes
  Music Store, not the company's now-iconic iPod music players.
  By most accounts, Apple Computer doesn't earn a tremendous amount
  of money from its iTunes Music Store: rather, the bulk of its
  music profits are driven by iPod sales, which Apple Corps is
  not alleging infringe on its trademarks.

  A few back-of-an-envelope calculations here: let's say Apple sells
  songs on the iTunes service for $1 apiece. (Yes, $0.99 is the
  typical per-price track in the U.S., but collections and albums
  have a lower per-track price, while international versions of
  the iTunes Music Store often have higher per-track prices, so $1
  a track seems fair). Of that dollar, between 65 and 75 cents go
  to the record label, and another 20 to 25 cents is consumed in
  management and distribution costs (servers, bandwidth, encoding;
  designing, running, and managing the store; customer support,
  etc.). So each track nets Apple Computer a few cents, at best.
  In round numbers, let's say iTunes has sold a billion tracks
  (that milestone went by last month), so in about three years
  of operation Apple Computer has earned perhaps $20 to $40 million
  on music sales. Let's double that to allow for fuzziness and
  video sales, which undoubtedly constitute "pre-recorded content."

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=08434>

  How much of $80 million can Apple Computer afford to lose to Apple
  Corps? A lot. Apple's total assets at the end of 2005 totalled
  more than $14 billion, with over $8.5 billion being in cash, cash
  equivalents and short-term investments rather than buildings and
  inventory. Apple Computer may not be very afraid of Apple Corps
  right now.

<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/jan/18results.html>


**The Long and Winding Road** -- Speculation regarding this case
  has been rampant, particularly when the lawsuit was first filed
  back in 2003. Rumors had Apple Computer negotiating a record-
  setting settlement with Apple Corps; others had Apple Computer
  spinning the iTunes Music Store out into a separate business,
  possibly selling Apple Corps a partial or even controlling stake.
  And nearly everybody has been wondering whether Steve Jobs will
  negotiate a deal to get Beatles recordings available for sale on
  the iTunes Music Store. To date, no legal digital music services
  carry any Beatles music.

  I have no inside track on the case, but I don't expect it to be
  resolved in the near future. If history is any guide, the longer
  these things simmer, the more likely they are to become irrelevant
  or veer off in unexpected directions. Apple and Apple have been
  going at each other for nearly 25 years, with this flare-up
  already nearly 3 years old. Anything could happen.

  Personally, I don't expect Apple Corps is in any hurry to get
  Beatles recordings into iTunes or other digital download services,
  which may preclude a settlement which involves Apple Computer
  getting access to the Beatles catalog. I'm sure Beatles tracks
  are a frequently swapped commodity on illegal file-sharing
  services, but time is on Apple Corps' side. The company waited
  five years to release Beatles albums on CD, and has found
  substantial success repackaging Beatles material (as the recent
  Anthology and One releases demonstrate) and releasing alternate
  versions (for instance, re-issuing the original American versions
  of Beatles albums released on Capital records, and stripping out
  Phil Spector's production on Let It Be). Scarcity only makes the
  Beatles material more valuable, and Apple Corps has long been
  focused on maximizing the value derived from its Beatles
  properties.

  Persistent music industry scuttlebutt says Apple Corps has
  tentatively explored limited-time, exclusive arrangements with
  online music vendors (particularly Microsoft), but at premium
  prices: one figure I heard from several sources in 2004 was $15
  million for exclusive rights to sell Beatles tracks online for
  six months. Given the low profit margins of all online music
  businesses, only those with deep pockets could even consider
  that sort of money-losing deal.

  In the end, Apple Computer and Apple Corps share more than a name
  and a litigation history: they're both perceived as products of
  the enthusiasm and hopefulness of 1960s culture which held that
  it was possible for a good idea to change the world. The real
  surprise might be if someone _other_ than Apple Computer brought
  the Beatles online.


Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/27-Mar-06
------------------------------------
  by TidBITS Staff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

  The first link for each thread description points to the
  traditional TidBITS Talk interface; the second link points to
  the same discussion on our Web Crossing server, which provides
  a different look and which may be faster.


**How to covert a music file to a Podcast?** An attempt to make
  iTunes see an MP3 file as a podcast leads to discussions of
  how iTunes handles files. (12 messages)

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2931>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/764/>


**Classifying memory allocations** -- What are the different
  memory types found in Activity Monitor? (9 messages)

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2932>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/765/>


**Refurb laptop battery?** Is it possible to buy refurbished
  laptop batteries? And if so, are they worth buying? (6 messages)

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2933>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/766/>


**NetNewsWire and NewsGator** -- Glenn's experience with the
  newest beta incarnation of NetNewsWire prompts talk about
  the service and subscription pricing. (4 messages)

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2934>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/767/>


**Macs for the very elderly?** What considerations need to be
  addressed when setting up a Mac system for someone who may be
  facing common symptoms of age such as poor vision and hand
  dexterity? (6 messages)

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2935>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/768/>


**Mighty Mouse hardware easter egg** -- Lifting a Mighty Mouse
  (and other Apple mice) reveals a mouse-shaped light pattern.
  See the pictures here! (2 messages)

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2936>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/769/>


**Music licensing for podcasts** -- Learn guidelines for legally
  using music in podcasts. (3 messages)

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2937>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/770/>


**Photo metadata redux** -- Where does Mac OS X store photo
  metadata? (3 messages)

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2938>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/771/>


**Setting window layout on discs and disk images** -- Adam's
  experiences trying to burn a disc with specific window placement
  leads to someone else's solution to a similar problem. (1 message)

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2939>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/772/>


**Recovering music from the iTunes Music Store** -- A reader is
  able to re-download the songs purchased from the iTunes Music
  Store, even though Apple doesn't make it an official policy.
  (2 messages)

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2941>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/774/>


**Installing reluctant drivers** -- A reader looks for help when
  trying to get a USB-to-Ethernet adapter working under Mac OS 9.
  (1 message)

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2942>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/775/>


**Five Years of Mac OS X** -- Mac OS X turned 5 years old on
  24-Mar-06, and what changes we've seen in that time! (3 messages)

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2943>
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/776/>



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