TidBITS#844/28-Aug-06
=====================
Issue link: <http://db.tidbits.com/issue/844>
After nearly 600 issues, Technical Editor Geoff Duncan is ceasing
day-to-day work with TidBITS. In a farewell article, he looks back
on his years with TidBITS and how computer technology has evolved
while still failing to make the need for support and explanation
obsolete. Also in this issue, we look at Apple's busy week recalling
1.8 million iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 batteries, paying $100 million
to settle a lawsuit with Creative Technologies, and issuing a
careful denial of a MacBook Wi-Fi security exploit. Plus, Adam notes
Google's displeasure at being verbed, as well as the release of our
latest ebook, "Take Control of Booking a Cheap Airline Ticket," and
a new program to make Take Control titles extremely affordable for
classroom use.
Articles
DealBITS Drawing: Business Card Composer
Apple Recalling 1.8 Million Laptop Batteries
Apple Settles with Creative for $100 Million
Apple Issues Careful Wi-Fi Exploit Denial
Google Unhappy at Being Verbed
The More Things Change...
Take Control News/28-Aug-06
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/28-Aug-06
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DealBITS Drawing: Business Card Composer
----------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8652>
Creating a good business card is an interesting task, since you
simply must include certain pieces of information, and you have an
extremely limited space in which to do so, all while trying to make
your business card stand out from the pack. We've made business
cards in a variety of programs over the years, but one that stood
out recently is BeLight Software's Business Card Composer[1], the
previous version of which Joe Kissell used to create his TidBITS and
Take Control business cards[2]. It's a slick application, and in
version 4.0, BeLight Software added more than 100 new designs;
provided a Merge Image feature for bringing images in from Address
Book, iPhoto, and the Finder; added support for adjustable shadows;
and improved the text editing features.
[1]<http://www.belightsoft.com/products/composer/overview.php>
[2]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8488>
In this week's DealBITS drawing, then, you can enter to win one of
three copies of Business Card Composer 4.0[3], each worth $34.95.
Entrants who aren't among our lucky winners will receive a discount
on purchasing Business Card Composer, so be sure to enter at the
DealBITS page linked below. All information gathered is covered by
our comprehensive privacy policy[4]. 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.
[3]<http://www.tidbits.com/dealbits/business-card-composer/>
[4]<http://www.tidbits.com/about/privacy.html>
Apple Recalling 1.8 Million Laptop Batteries
--------------------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8653>
Apple last week announced a voluntary recall of 1.8 million iBook G4
and PowerBook G4 batteries[5] due to potential overheating issues.
The affected lithium-ion batteries were manufactured by Sony and are
related to the batteries recently recalled by Dell (see "Dell
Recalls 4.1 Million Batteries,"[6] 21-Aug-06). The batteries were
sold between October 2003 and August 2006. Affected batteries
include:
[5]<https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batteryexchange/>
[6]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8645>
* 12-inch iBook G4, battery model number A1061, and serial number
ranges of ZZ338-ZZ427, 3K429-3K611, and 6C519-6C552 (ending with
S9WA, S9WC or S9WD).
* 12-inch PowerBook G4, battery model number A1079, and serial number
ranges of ZZ411-ZZ427 and 3K428-3K611.
* 15-inch PowerBook G4, battery model numbers A1078 and A1148, and
serial number ranges of 3K425-3K601, 6N530-6N551 (ending with THTA,
THTB, or THTC), and 6N601 (ending with THTC).
If you own an affected battery, Apple recommends that you stop using
it immediately (the laptop can run from its power cord without a
battery) and order a replacement from the Battery Exchange Program
iBook G4 and PowerBook G4[7] Web page. The program is being managed
only through the Web site, so don't take a battery to an Apple Store
or authorized retailer. Apple claims a 4 to 6 week turnaround for
receiving a new battery.
Since the announcement, some people have had trouble with Apple's
Web form, mostly with serial numbers that fall within the published
range not being acknowledged. According to some reports, attempts
that failed on the first few days after the announcement have
subsequently worked as Apple fixes the bugs in the form-checking
code. If you're still not having any luck, you can also call
Apple[8] and see if a person can accept the number manually. Note
that not all batteries within the published ranges were made by
Sony, and thus aren't affected (this might account for the
more-specific "ending with" phrases now included).
[8]<http://www.apple.com/support/contact/phone_contacts.html>
According to information posted by the United States Consumer
Product Safety Commission[9], "Apple has received nine reports of
batteries overheating, including two reports of minor burns from
handling overheated computers and other reports of minor property
damage. No serious injuries were reported."
[9]<http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06245.html>
Sony expects the Dell and Apple battery recalls to cost between $172
million and $258 million, and even if the recall doesn't hurt
Apple's bottom line, it's still a distraction and potential
reputation hit with people who don't realize the fault lies with
Sony.
Apple Settles with Creative for $100 Million
--------------------------------------------
by Geoff Duncan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8654>
Removing a dark cloud from the future of its now-iconic iPod music
players, Apple Computer has announced it will pay Creative
Technologies $100 million[10] to settle all legal disputes between
the companies. The payment grants Apple a paid-up license to use
Creative's so-called "Zen" patent in all Apple products; under the
terms of the agreement, Apple can recoup some of the money if
Creative is able to license the Zen patent to other parties.
[10]<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/aug/23settlement.html>
Creative filed suit against Apple[11] in May 2006, almost 10 months
after having been granted a patent on the organization and
navigation of music tracks on a portable device. Creative initially
filed for the patent in January 2001, when it debuted its first
Nomad and Zen music players. Apple introduced the first iPod in
October 2001. However, Creative's claim took until August 2005 to
wend its way through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
[11]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8535>
The settlement not only removes doubts from the future of the iPod
line (as part of its suit, Creative was seeking to block the
importation of iPods into the United States), but also saves
Creative from a protracted and costly patent battle. In addition to
having to prove its case against Apple, Apple had filed two salvos
of suits accusing Creative of violating Apple patents. The
settlement presumably lets the companies set aside all litigation,
and - what's more - Apple gains a partner. Creative plans to join
Apple's "Made for iPod" program and begin producing its own lines of
iPod accessories later this year.
Apple Issues Careful Wi-Fi Exploit Denial
-----------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8655>
Apple public relations director Lynn Fox says that the Wi-Fi exploit
demonstrated by David Maynor and Jon Ellch two weeks ago in a video
shown at the Black Hat 2006 conference does not represent a flaw in
Apple's software or device firmware (see "Wireless Driver Hack Could
Target Macs and Windows"[12], 07-Aug-06). Apple told Macworld[13]
and many other media outlets that the demonstrated exploit uses a
third-party wireless driver for a Wi-Fi USB adapter. Neither the
driver nor the chips are the same as those used by Apple in Mac OS X
on a MacBook.
[12]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8628>
[13]<http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/08/17/wirelesshack/>
Further, Fox said that Apple has received neither code nor a
demonstration that shows a flaw in shipping hardware and software.
The researchers have changed the message[14] on the page at
SecureWorks, the consulting site at which they provide services, to
clarify that Apple code wasn't involved in their demonstration.
Chipmaker Atheros also issued a statement - to Brian Krebs at
Security Fix[15] - that their products apparently aren't at risk,
either, based on what they knew at the time that they issued that
statement.
[14]<http://www.secureworks.com/newsandevents/blackhatcoverage.html>
[15]<http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2006/08/update_on_the_apple_macbook_cl.html>
The two researchers who presented the hack say that a flaw in the
way in which wireless drivers from several manufacturers hand off
data to the operating system can allow exploits in which a machine
can be compromised to execute arbitrary code. That arbitrary code
could then allow an affected system to grant root, or system
ownership, access to the computer. In July, Intel released a patch
for their Centrino Wi-Fi adapters found in laptops from many
manufacturers that fixes such a problem, although Maynor and Ellch
said that this fix wasn't a result of their work.
With that level of access, a cracker could install "bot" software
that's used to turn affected computers into remotely activated
warriors in the spam or denial-of-service wars. Bots are now
considered the biggest single problem on the Internet because
millions of computers can be activated, like sleeper cells, whenever
an attack is desired.
A small firestorm of responses have appeared since Apple's denial,
hinging on two factors: some writers and bloggers have been
presented with information by Maynor and Ellch that is not yet in
the public sphere of knowledge, and Apple's denial of the exploit is
extremely carefully crafted.
My take at the moment is that it's highly possible that Maynor and
Ellch have found a security flaw in the built-in MacBook and MacBook
Pro Wi-Fi drivers that, at the point that Apple made their statement
about not seeing any "evidence" of an exploit, they had not yet
presented to Apple. In this scenario, Maynor and Ellch accidentally
provided details to Brian Krebs before they meant to, and are
remaining mum until Apple responds. We'll see.
You can read many takes on this subject: George Ou at ZDNet[16] (who
has received private information), John Gruber at Daring
Fireball[17] (who has not), security expert Rich Mogull's personal
blog[18] (he has been disclosed), Wi-Fi expert Jim Thompson[19] (who
tears the exploit apart limb by limb, fingernail by fingernail) and
John Moltz at Crazy Apple Rumors Site[20] (who makes stuff up).
[16]<http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/>
[17]<http://daringfireball.net/2006/08/curious_case>
[18]<http://securosis.com/2006/08/21/another-take-on-the-mac-wireless-hack/>
[19]<http://www.smallworks.com/archives/00000465.htm>
[20]<http://www.crazyapplerumors.com/?p=667>
Google Unhappy at Being Verbed
------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8656>
A few months ago, I wrote about how editors of the Oxford English
Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary were adding
"Google" to their dictionaries as a verb (see "Google Becomes a
Verb"[21], 10-Jul-06). In it, I noted that trademark lawyers (at
least those at Google) probably wouldn't be happy about this event
since it dilutes the Google trademark, even though it's essentially
free advertising for Google. The concern is, of course, that if a
trademark becomes used generically, the trademark owner loses the
ability to protect it.
[21]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8598>
How right I was. According to a short blip in The Independent[22],
Google is now sending nasty-grams to media organizations - though
not us, yet - to warn them about using its name as a verb. Other
sites have picked up the news, but as is often the case with the
close-mouthed Google, little hard information has emerged. Google
has confirmed sending the letters, saying in one instance, "We think
it's important to make the distinction between using the word Google
to describe using Google to search the internet, and using the word
Google to describe searching the internet. It has some serious
trademark issues."
[22]<http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article1218805.ece>
Perhaps the most interesting coverage I found by googling for
"Google verb legal letters" comes from a posting by Frank Abate[23]
on the American Dialect Society Mailing List, in which he claims
that Google can't really do anything to people using "google" as a
verb because U.S. trademark law explicitly excludes proprietary
rights in verbs (and nouns, as opposed to proper adjectives).
Although I found plenty of support[24] for the fact that "proper"
usage of trademarks involves using them as proper adjectives ("a
Xerox photocopier"), I couldn't confirm that a company would be on
shaky legal ground if trying to prevent usage of a trademark as a
noun or verb. But you know what's funny about Frank Abate's list
posting? It's from February 2003. I guess Google has been prickly
about being verbed for some time now. But they also haven't sued
anyone for it yet, as far as I've seen.
[23]<http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0302D&L=ads-l&P=R2823>
[24]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark>
The More Things Change...
-------------------------
by Geoff Duncan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8657>
Way back in 1994, Adam and Tonya graciously welcomed me to the
TidBITS community by bringing me on board as TidBITS's managing
editor[25]. Now after more than 5,000 articles, almost 600 issues,
and nearly twelve years, it's time to bid a fond farewell: this
piece marks my final appearance in TidBITS as a regular staff
member.
[25]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/1705>
I realize many readers have only a fuzzy idea of my roles at TidBITS
over the years - or no idea at all. That's understandable: although
I've written more than 750 items and articles for TidBITS, the bulk
of my work has been behind the scenes. At first, I worked with
external authors to get material into shape, helped edit stories,
and generally pushed TidBITS forward. Eventually, I took over
distributing TidBITS issues - that used to involve a couple hours
engaged in battle with quaint devices called modems, uploading to
commercial online services, bulletin boards, and eventually
publishing on a newfangled thing called the Web. Up until a couple
weeks ago, I helped edit, produced, and distributed essentially
every issue of TidBITS since mid-1995, and my real-life
acquaintances know these tasks have made my Mondays sacrosanct,
well, _forever_. I also got to know many TidBITS readers and
subscribers by way of handling editorial email for many years:
responding to comments and questions, forwarding material along to
other staff members, and handling subscription problems and queries
from readers. In case you didn't know already, TidBITS's readers are
a fine bunch.
Eventually I slipped into a role more involved in supporting and
developing TidBITS services and projects. This probably started with
the first incarnation of DealBITS[26], but took root when TidBITS
took over management of its mailing lists from Rice University back
in 1996, for which we had to create our own subscription management
system[27]. (At the time, no Mac-based mailing list software could
handle TidBITS.) Adam mostly dealt with the server side of things; I
dealt with the databases and the programming. With some expansions
to enable new lists and bounce processing, that system ran until
TidBITS migrated mailing services to Web Crossing[28] in 2004, and
it offered features which (to my knowledge) still aren't available
in any commercially available mailing list management software.
[26]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/1306>
[27]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/4761>
[28]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/7930>
I didn't realize it at the time, but the point where I crossed the
line from a regular "face of TidBITS" to being more of a "back room
geek" was probably when Adam and Tonya took a month-long trip to
Australia[29] in 1998. Adam had held a contest[30] to come up with a
full-text search engine for TidBITS, but, as much as the winning
software solved our search problem, keeping that software running -
on a server in Adam and Tonya's basement, at the top of a steep hill
maybe 15 miles from my place - was a bit of an effort. I think it
was on my third trip up there in the span of a week, spending hours
hunched over the black-and-white monitor as the software laboriously
re-indexed eight years of TidBITS issues, trying to keep warm by
running up and down the stairs, entertaining Adam and Tonya's cat
Cubbins, and blowing into my hands, that I first thought, "This
would be simpler if the server was at my place." After all, I had
better connectivity than Adam and Tonya did, and I was already
riding herd on a Web robot I'd developed (which was running 24/7 on
my old Quadras). Trying to baby-sit servers in two locations was
just too much.
[29]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/4809>
[30]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/2175>
And so began the descent into madness. A proof-of-concept TidBITS
article database I'd halfway put together on a spare Mac was quickly
pressed into service as a way to reference individual articles, but
we then used it to generate content for the TidBITS Web site[31],
and soon it was operating as a replacement for the failed full text
search engine. At some point the server moved off my desk and into
my office closet, and was joined by another server, and then
another. Next we lashed an insidiously developed, Web-enabled
archive for TidBITS Talk[32] into the system, and the server closet
ballooned again. By 1999, the system was supporting polls, quizzes,
between-issue news updates, sponsor banners, and reader
contributions; publishing issues; generating email, and more. As we
added features[33], we inevitably found much off-the-shelf software
unsuitable, so I wound up writing POP, SMTP, HTTP, and XML-RPC
clients plus security software from the ground up to support needed
functions.
[31]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/4179>
[32]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/5012>
[33]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/5588>
Over time, we fixed problems, added features (like a version of
TidBITS for handheld devices[34] and an RSS feed), and I put a good
deal of effort into trying to improve the systems' performance,
staving off attackers, and learning to keep trawlers and
increasingly aggressive Web robots under control. The setup
weathered a 6.8 magnitude earthquake, but a few weeks later my ISP
went dark[35] and - in a fit of irony - I packed TidBITS's most
important pieces off to that same, chilly spot in Adam and Tonya's
basement for a few weeks just before they relocated to Ithaca, New
York[36]. With some additions and changes, that database and Web
publishing system was driving TidBITS - and taking up a lot of my
office closet space - until earlier this month.
[34]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/6193>
[35]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/6494>
[36]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/6452>
Around that same period, two important things happened. First, I got
pneumonia. Not run-of-the-mill, gosh-I-feel-awful pneumonia, but an
antibiotic-resistant, atypical form which took off about 35 pounds
in 20 days, put a baseball-sized abscess in one lung, and stayed
with me for months. As a weight-loss plan it was hard to beat, but
the illness did make me reassess a few things and realize that,
despite the cozy heat emanating from the office closet, I wasn't
very interested in being a "server monkey." Do I like to help design
and build cool things? Sure! Do I like baby-sitting hardware and
jumping to its rescue whenever Web crawlers swarm it like
yellowjackets on jam? Not so much.
Second, Apple launched Mac OS X. Despite having done a fair bit of
software development and testing for various Unix derivations over
the years, I have an irrational distaste for Unix. (To be sure, I
can rationalize it: don't get me started.) As silly as it sounds,
I've always found Unix inscrutable, ramshackle, ill-tempered, and
suitable only for software developers. I didn't consider the
"classic" Mac OS any paragon of usability or transparency either
(again, don't get me started), but with Mac OS X, I felt Apple
finally abandoned a key - albeit abstract - goal to bring the
advantages of computing to everyday people in a way they could use,
manage, and maintain without becoming rocket scientists. Of course,
other computer manufacturers and operating system developers haven't
made much progress on that front either, but Apple used to try to
make "computers for the rest of us." With Mac OS X, Apple
essentially put a patina over parts of an arcane, byzantine
collection of technologies and called it innovation. In my book,
that's not "computers for the rest of us," but "computers just like
all the rest." But I waited and hoped.
I understand the technical and market forces which led to Mac OS X
and which continue to drive its development, and I certainly don't
begrudge folks who like Mac OS X, love it, or embrace its Unix
underpinnings. Truthfully, I feel Mac OS X has a lot to commend it,
as modern operating systems go. However, I don't think modern
operating systems are anything much to crow about, and, despite a
few years of trying, I haven't been able to bring myself to enjoy
Apple's Aqua-flavored Kool-Aid.
Since I first started using computers - a 4K Commodore PET at the
age of 11, followed by an Apple IIc and an early VAX running a
Version 7 Unix - I've lamented that the technology wasn't ready for
prime time. The main reason I got into technical writing - then
software testing, then development, consulting, editing, TidBITS,
and Internet-based projects - was because it wasn't simple enough to
make computers do what I wanted. Instead, I found myself fiddling,
fixing, explaining, programming, enabling, and helping other people.
I believed in the potential of information technology and felt I
could make a positive contribution by helping other people tap into
it: the glitches and problems and stumbling blocks were just bumps
in the road - growing pains, right? But when my mother retypes a
document because she can't find the original, a TidBITS Talk thread
deteriorates into a discussion of command line switches, I utterly
destroy a brand-new Mac mini by clicking its Printer Sharing
checkbox, a live music recording is ruined by an invisible
background process, or a disabled friend feels she has no choice but
to buy a new printer because her old one suddenly stopped working...
I just want to scream. It's the twenty-first century: why are we
still mired in this stuff?
I've long said that we'll know computers have arrived when there's
no need for people like me. The fact so many everyday people have to
turn to interpreters, consultants, experts, classes, training, and
technophiles to use their computers and put them to work, to me,
represents a fundamental failure of the industry. It seems people
like me will be needed for a long, long time. Many years ago,
Microsoft held a press event to announce a significant expansion of
the company's technical support offerings; the late technology
writer Cary Lu scored a zinger - and made a profound point - by
politely asking if Microsoft anticipated its products would one day
reach a level where users would require _fewer_ support resources.
Along the same lines, I remain flabbergasted Apple has installed
Genius Bars in its retail stores. To me, Genius Bars don't say
"Apple's your friend and is here to help!" but instead, "Everyone
knows Apple makes the easiest-to-use computers, but only a genius
can figure them out."
So now that TidBITS has successfully migrated its services out of my
closet, it's time for me to focus on projects more personally
fulfilling than reading Apple's tea leaves, hoping the computing
industry suddenly gets it right, or jumping and clapping on cue
whenever the Internet's "next big thing" comes a-knocking. I don't
plan to drop off the face of the earth: for the time being, I'll
appear on TidBITS's virtual masthead as "Editor at Large" and I'll
continue to contribute material to TidBITS as time and opportunity
permit. But where, to me, the Macintosh used to represent a set of
values and ideals about the role of technology in people's lives,
now the Macintosh is just a computer. I need to treat it as such.
I'd like to express my appreciation to the entire TidBITS staff -
Joe Kissell, Glenn Fleishman, Matt Neuburg, Jeff Carlson, Mark
Anbinder, and (of course!) Adam and Tonya - for their camaraderie,
support, friendship, and (especially) humor over the years: they're
a sterling group, and I can't recommend them highly enough. But,
most importantly, I'd like to thank the TidBITS readership and
community for welcoming us to your mailboxes and browsers for all
these years: you represent what is truly the best thing about the
Macintosh. Don't forget it!
Take Control News/28-Aug-06
---------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8658>
**New Ebook Helps You Book a Cheap Airline Ticket** -- Our latest
ebook - Sam Sellers's "Take Control of Booking a Cheap Airline
Ticket"[37] - is somewhat unusual, but we think it solves an
important problem for anyone who needs to book a plane ticket but
doesn't want to pay too much or waste time on futile Web searches.
That's because it's easy to see a collection of airline ticket sites
as modules in one big confusing application, and this ebook teaches
you the best way to use that application to save time and money,
while reducing frustration.
[37]<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/airline-ticket.html?14@@!pt=TRK-0039-TB844-TCNEWS>
Tonya and I recently ran into this problem when we wanted to book an
open-jaw trip from Ithaca to San Francisco and then home again from
Seattle. We spent hours hunting for a deal, had fares increase
seemingly within minutes of our first search, and felt that we had
to consult far too many sites before we found a good price. In
short, we felt out of control. Next time, we'll know what to do
because Sam's ebook explains exactly which sites to visit in the
right order when booking plane tickets for trips originating within
the United States. If you fly at all, we encourage you to try Sam's
technique for finding the lowest available ticket prices; your
savings on even a single flight will more than pay for the $10
ebook!
**Discounted Class Copy Pricing Now Available** -- As an author, you
know you've arrived when your work is required reading in a class,
and that's something we're hoping to see more of with our Take
Control ebooks. Over the years, we've received a number of inquiries
from teachers who want to purchase copies of our ebooks to
distribute to their students, but at full price, the cost was too
high for most classes. Now, however, we're pleased to announce that
- in order to make our ebooks more cost-effective as class materials
- we have introduced special ultra-discounted pricing specifically
for classes, whether taught at a college or university, in an Apple
Store, by a Macintosh consultant, or in a K-12 or adult-education
setting. Teachers can now buy our ebooks for distribution to up to
10 students for what you would normally pay for only 2 copies
(that's as much as 80-percent off); for more students, additional
copies can be purchased in 10-student blocks. Once we've received
payment, we'll create a custom-stamped version of each ebook for the
teacher to distribute to students. Apart from the stamp, these
ebooks are identical in every way to the normal versions we sell,
including free minor updates. To learn more and apply for class-copy
pricing for your class, visit our Take Control Class Copies
page[38].
[38]<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/class-copies.html>
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/28-Aug-06
------------------------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8659>
**Last Tango Round the Mulberry Bush** -- Matt Neuburg's article about
the email program Mulberry brings out supporters and questions the
need for a bug-report mechanism for a program no longer in
development. 6 messages[39]
[39]<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/925/>
**The Decline of WWDC** -- Attendees of Apple's Worldwide Development
Conference debate the shortcomings of this year's show, based on
Matt Neuburg's article from last week. 16 messages[40]
[40]<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/928/>
**Secure Transfer Using Civil Netizen and Pando** -- Glenn Fleishman's
article on these two file-sharing applications brings up other
services, such as Amazon's S3 and Tango DropBox Pro. 2 messages[41]
[41]<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/929/>
**Should I get a new scanner?** Is it worth trying to find a scanner
with Intel-native drivers, or stick with your existing one? 5
messages[42]
[42]<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/930/>
**Notification scheme for reducing spam** -- The peer-to-peer aspects
of Civil Netizen and Pando prompt speculation on how such technology
might be used to cut down spam. 7 messages[43]
[43]<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/931/>
$$
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