TidBITS#845/04-Sep-06
=====================
Issue link: <http://db.tidbits.com/issue/845>
As students in the U.S. head back to school, college freshman Dan
Pourhadi takes on a challenge: with $2,000 to spend, what computer
gear would he recommend a new student buy for college? In other
news, Glenn Fleishman looks at Amazon.com's new EC2 on-demand
computing service, Google CEO Eric Schmidt joins the Apple Board of
Directors, and Jeff Carlson offers a free downloadable chapter from
his latest book on iMovie HD 6 and iDVD 6.
Articles
DealBITS Drawing: Business Card Composer Winners
Google CEO Joins Apple Board of Directors
Free Chapter of iMovie/iDVD 6 Visual QuickStart Guide
Amazon.com Offers On-Demand Computing
Mac to School 2006: The $2,000 Challenge
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/04-Sep-06
------------ This issue of TidBITS sponsored in part by: --------------
* READERS LIKE YOU! Support TidBITS with a contribution today!
<http://www.tidbits.com/about/support/contributors.html>
Special thanks this week to Donald Schaefer, Dietrich Kessler,
Chik Chuan Foo, and Michael Fariss for their generous support!
* Make friends and influence people by sponsoring TidBITS!
Put your company and products in front of tens of thousands of
savvy, committed Macintosh users who actually buy stuff.
For more information and rates, email <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
* SMALL DOG ELECTRONICS: Save on Apple-refurbished AirPort
Extreme Base Stations! Dial-up modem, Ethernet, antenna port,
one year warranty - $145 w/ FREE 3-day express shipping!
Visit: <http://www.smalldog.com/tb> -- 800-511-MACS
* GET FETCH 5 FOR FREE! Fetch Softworks makes Fetch, the original
Macintosh FTP client, free for educational and charitable use.
Fetch 5.1 is Universal with a new widget and Automator actions.
Apply today at <http://fetchsoftworks.com/edapply>!
* WebCrossing Neighbors Creates Private Social Networks
Create a complete social network with your company or group's
own look. Scalable, extensible and extremely customizable.
Take a guided tour today <http://www.webcrossing.com/tour>
* Circus Ponies NoteBook: Get organized, in two easy steps!
De-clutter your Desktop. Organize your Web clippings. Manage
your projects. Voice annotate your notes. With NoteBook, it's
simple. Try it free for 30 days. <http://www.circusponies.com/>
* MARK/SPACE, INC: Get the most from your handheld or smartphone
with The Missing Sync. Sync Address Book, iCal, iPhoto, iTunes
and more to Palm OS, Windows Mobile or Sony PSP devices. See
what you've been missing! <http://www.markspace.com/bits>
---------- Help support TidBITS by supporting our sponsors ------------
DealBITS Drawing: Business Card Composer Winners
------------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8660>
Congratulations to Gordon Brown of att.net, Greg Bohlken of
gmail.com, and Drexel Sprecher of digitalrainforest.com, whose
entries were chosen randomly in last week's DealBITS drawing[1] and
who received a copy of BeLight Software's Business Card Composer[2],
worth $34.95. Also receiving a copy was Gil Friend of natlogic.com,
who referred Drexel to this DealBITS drawing. But don't fret if you
didn't win, since BeLight Software is offering everyone who entered
the DealBITS drawing a discount off a copy of Business Card Composer
4.0, dropping the price to $24.50 for the download version (30
percent off) and $36.95 for the boxed version (8 percent off), which
has more clip-art and designs. To take advantage of this offer,
which is good through 13-Sep-06, use the URLs below for the download
version[3] or the boxed version[4]. Thanks again for entering this
DealBITS drawing, and we hope you'll continue to participate in the
future. Thanks to the 746 people who entered, and keep an eye out
for future DealBITS drawings!
[1]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8652>
[2]<http://www.belightsoft.com/products/composer/overview.php>
[3]<https://usd.swreg.org/cgi-bin/s.cgi?s=31176&p=311765252&v=1&d=0&q=1&t=&a=tidbits>
[4]<https://usd.swreg.org/cgi-bin/s.cgi?s=31176&p=311765252&v=1&d=1&q=1&t=&a=tidbits>
Google CEO Joins Apple Board of Directors
-----------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8661>
Apple has announced that Google CEO Eric Schmidt has joined the
Apple Board of Directors[5]. He also sits on Google's board of
directors and Princeton University's board of trustees. The other
members of Apple's board[6] are currently Fred Anderson, Apple's
former chief financial officer; Intuit chairman and former CEO Bill
Campbell; J. Crew chairman and CEO Millard Drexler; documentarian
and former Vice President Al Gore (for those who haven't seen his
global warming movie "An Inconvenient Truth,"[7] it's also one heck
of a plug for Apple laptops and Keynote); Apple co-founder and CEO
Steve Jobs; Genentech chairman and CEO Arthur D. Levinson; and Jerry
York, chairman, president, and CEO of Harwinton Capital.
[5]<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/aug/29bod.html>
[6]<http://www.apple.com/pr/bios/bod.html>
[7]<http://www.climatecrisis.net/>
Although Eric Schmidt's experience with Google (and Novell and Sun
Microsystems before that) will no doubt be an asset to Apple's
board, it's hard to avoid speculating if this means there will be
closer ties between Apple and Google in the future. Google has done
perhaps the best job of any primarily Web-based company at
supporting Macintosh browsers and putting out Macintosh versions of
software, including tools like the graphical mapping application
Google Earth[8] and the 3-D modeling program Google SketchUp[9].
Then again, Intuit chairman Bill Campbell was an Apple board member
when his company decided to kill Quicken for Mac before Steve Jobs
intervened (see "Quicken Speeds Back to Mac"[10], 11-May-98), and
the Mac version still lags behind its Windows cousin.
[8]<http://earth.google.com/>
[9]<http://sketchup.google.com/>
[10]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/4877>
Free Chapter of iMovie/iDVD 6 Visual QuickStart Guide
-----------------------------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8662>
I'm excited to announce that the entire first chapter of my latest
book is now available as a free downloadable PDF file. "iMovie HD 6
& iDVD 6 for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide,"[11] in addition to
having an absurdly long title, is the latest edition of my guide for
getting up and running with the latest versions of Apple's digital
video tools. The book now features full-color illustrations and
screenshots, which make the examples pop and enable me to
demonstrate color-specific aspects such as a camcorder's color
temperature settings.
[11]<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0321423275/tidbitselectro00/ref=nosim>
Chapter 1, "The Digital Camcorder,"[12] contains valuable
information on buying a camcorder, including which features to look
for (and avoid). You'll learn about different video recording
formats such as standard-definition (SD) and high-definition video
(HDV), image interlacing, and more. The PDF is, naturally, full
color and weighs in at about 700K.
[12]<http://www.jeffcarlson.com/imovie/free_chapter.html>
Amazon.com Offers On-Demand Computing
-------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8663>
In the classic science-fiction movie "Forbidden Planet,"[13] an
invisible, rampaging beast has killed all but two members of a
colony and attacks a visiting spaceship and its personnel as well.
In the end - spoiler alert! - it turns out that the monster was
created from the id of the remaining scientist. He had used an
ancient, extinct people's technology that freed their minds of
physical instrumentality, giving them untapped power managed
directly by their minds. The scientist dies, nobly, and sets the
destruction of the planet in motion.
[13]<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049223/>
This movie was brought to mind by Amazon.com's latest non-retail
product launch: the beta test version of Amazon Elastic Compute
Cloud[14] (dubbed Amazon EC2), an on-demand service that runs
virtual machines you configure, charging by the hour they're in use.
This approach eliminates the need to own the physical equipment on
which to run a virtual machine - such as a disk image launched
inside Parallels Desktop to run Windows XP on an Intel-based Mac -
or an actual operating system.
[14]<http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?node=201590011>
Existing products already enable high-end server computers to run
multiple simultaneous virtual machines, and to group server
computers together to scale virtual machines to a massive level.
VMware[15] and XenSource[16] make such tools, which are frequently
used in large corporate information technology operations. In fact,
Amazon.com is using XenSource's software to run EC2.
[15]<http://www.vmware.com/>
[16]<http://www.xensource.com/>
As we've written about in TidBITS in recent months (such as
"WinOnMac Smackdown: Dual-Boot versus Virtualization"[17],
10-Apr-06) virtual machines let you take advantage of all the
benefits of a given operating system while using as much CPU power
as that operating system can exploit. Plus, if one virtual machine
is idle, others on the same server computer can take advantage of
free cycles for their own tasks. From the providers' standpoint,
virtual machines eliminate the need to manage individual computers
for individual customers, and providers can treat a large grid of
computers as a set of processor resources instead of as individually
managed operating systems with their own quirks.
[17]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8495>
Having virtual machines available at your beck and call means you
could cope with a sudden spike in activity by distributing the load
onto dozens or hundreds of virtual machines for a short period of
time. If we were to create a set of Web pages backed by a database
that suddenly was hit by tens of millions of queries a day, our
systems would bog down and our service provider might have to
ratchet up their fiber-optic-based bandwidth. And we'd wind up
paying a small fortune for excess bandwidth.
With EC2, we could just fire up a bunch of identical servers and pay
20 cents per gigabyte of bandwidth, about a fifth of the going rate
at many colocation facilities. That's right - a terabyte of
bandwidth usage would cost $200, seemingly cheap if that data would
also be generating some revenue. More importantly, though, instead
of bringing in a pile of servers or dealing with highly
non-responsive machines, you'd pay just during those peak hours or
days and then shut off virtual machines as they were no longer
needed.
Amazon EC2 has a fairly rigid starting point in their beta test
phase, which is currently closed to new users. Each virtual machine
you launch as an instance - up to 20 instances simultaneously unless
you ask for more - acts as the equivalent of a 1.7 GHz Xeon CPU with
1.75 GB of RAM, 160 GB of hard disk storage, and 250 megabits per
second of network bandwidth. For each hour (or partial fraction
thereof) on each instance, you pay $0.10, which comes out to $72.00
per 30-day month.
To use EC2, you start with a set of prefabricated disk images that
rely on the Fedora Core operating system[18], a successor to earlier
Linux operating systems created by Red Hat. You can also install
other Linux systems using instructions Amazon.com provides.
[18]<http://fedora.redhat.com/>
You can probably imagine why this makes me curious. The recently
introduced Intel-based Mac Pro towers are based on Intel's latest
Xeon processors. Of course, Apple doesn't allow its operating system
to be virtualized or run on generic Intel hardware. Still, with a
company like Amazon.com offering this sort of service, could Apple
license Mac OS X for this sort of purpose? It seems unlikely, given
Apple's history, but it's not unreasonable or impossible that they
would make such a deal. The advantage of this would be for an Xserve
owner, say, who could replicate his or her setup to run identical
instances on demand without having to manage Mac OS X on a core,
"real" computer and Linux on virtual machines.
Once you set up a system you want to employ with a prefab image or
by creating your own, you can boot up the system using command-line
tools or an application programmer's interface (API) that allows the
automation of many steps. The resulting system can be accessed via a
standard Secure Shell (SSH) connection - ssh is built into Mac OS X
and accessible via Terminal - and the Amazon.com system assigns it a
unique, routable Internet protocol address and associated host name.
Data is not persistent, however. The disk image contains everything
that the virtual machine has available at startup; any data written
to the virtual disk is lost when the instance is shut down, force
terminated, or crashes. Amazon.com suggests loading information from
a shared resource for that reason, and writing data that needs to be
persistent out to external Internet storage for safety's sake.
It just so happens that Amazon.com runs a giant Internet storage
system as well. EC2 is complementary with Amazon Simple Storage
Service[19] (S3), launched in April 2006, which enables you to store
static objects from 1 byte to 5 GB in size. The disk images you
create for EC2 must be stored in S3.
[19]<http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?node=16427261>
S3 and EC2 both cost $0.20 per gigabyte for bandwidth transferred,
although moving data between S3 and EC2 is free. S3 also charges
$0.15 per gigabyte stored each month. For perspective, if you were
to store 1 TB of data at S3, use 1 TB of bandwidth, and use 5,000
hours of virtual machine time a month (the equivalent of seven
full-time servers), you would pay $200 plus $150 plus $500 or a
grand total of $850. Not bad. For comparison, I pay about $800 per
month to house four servers with about 200 GB of monthly bandwidth
included. The upside? My data is persistent.
The big missing piece for EC2 is clearly database storage and
service. I currently run a dedicated database server that cost
several thousand dollars and that handles my isbn.nu[20] book-price
comparison service, TidBITS's newest searchable article database,
and my various blogs' posting databases. I would gladly consider
moving those databases to a super-fast, pay-per-transaction or
per-CPU-cycle system that was pure information from my perspective,
if the price was right.
[20]<http://isbn.nu>
Tie in EC2 and S3 with a database service, and Amazon.com would have
eliminated the vast majority of many smaller companies' hardware
needs - and sparked the development of firms that require almost no
hardware or bandwidth for computation and storage. This is nothing
like a new model, but it's getting close to the most wide-scale
commoditization that I've ever seen. It's affordable, too.
Sure, if this plays out and I go all virtual, I'll miss my server
hardware, just like I'll miss my body when we ultimately evolve into
beings of pure energy. Let's just hope we don't let our processes or
our ids run wild.
Mac to School 2006: The $2,000 Challenge
----------------------------------------
by Dan Pourhadi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8664>
As a student headed for college, my mind is preoccupied with gearing
up for the upcoming year. I need to think ahead about what I'll need
at school, because I'm on a student's budget where every dollar
counts. What Mac gear would be best?
When I proposed writing this article to TidBITS, Adam Engst gave me
a challenge: with a theoretical $2,000 to spend, how would I balance
value and quality to equip myself adequately for school? That
includes buying hardware, software, and peripherals for class, for
the dorm, and for traveling. Here's my ultimate college computer
setup (and note that many of the prices here assume an educational
discount; check Apple's Store for Education[21] for details on Apple
educational pricing.
[21]<http://www.apple.com/education/store/>
**Mac or PC: Because People Still Don't Know** -- It seems almost
foolish even to mention the prospect of purchasing a Windows-based
PC - this is, after all, a Mac publication - but there are schools
out there that require students to have Windows-based PCs. Luckily,
thanks to Apple's Boot Camp[22] (for booting into Windows) and
Parallels Desktop[23] (for running Windows inside Mac OS X), nearly
anything a PC can do in Windows, a Mac can do equally well, also in
Windows.
[22]<http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/>
[23]<http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/>
For most tasks, a new Mac running Mac OS X is the best bet for
students. Macs include a slew of great applications (free and
otherwise), are virtually immune (as of this writing) to viruses and
malware, require less maintenance than PCs, and tend to last longer.
And while it might be hard to imagine living on a constrained
student budget, being able to put off buying your next new computer
for a bit longer leaves more money for other necessities.
**Desktop or Laptop** -- No contest. I believe this can be adequately
analyzed with nothing but questions: Can you bring an iMac with you
to class to take notes? Or to the library to work on a project with
classmates? Or to Starbucks for a coffee-fueled study session?
If you're in a dorm, the decision becomes even more obvious: Why
would you want a huge hunk of metal and plastic (plus separate
display if necessary) occupying the ten-by-twelve two-person closet
space the college calls a residence?
What if you're on break and headed home - wouldn't it be nice to
have the option of bringing your computer with? And why would you
choose stationary over portable when the laptops almost directly
compete with desktops when it comes to specs?
See where I'm going with this? Don't even think about buying a
desktop Mac.
**MacBook vs. MacBook Pro** -- Since we're on a student budget, and
are looking for a machine suitable for student tasks, the cheaper
MacBook[24] is a perfect choice: it's fast, well-equipped with
AirPort Extreme and a Combo drive, comes with great software, and is
undeniably hot. Looking. Hot looking. Or "cute." Some people prefer
"cute." Either way, it merits envy.
[24]<http://www.apple.com/macbook/>
The 13.3-inch screen provides enough real estate for most any
school/fun-related tasks, and the 60 GB hard drive is usually more
than enough for a music-listening, paper-writing student. (More
media-inclined individuals may want to opt for an upgrade, but for
most, 60 GB should be plenty.)
The MacBook also offers Front Row - a piece of software that
provides an easy-to-navigate iPod-like interface for your media
content - and the Apple Remote, another
perfect-for-dorm-video-watching feature.
The MacBook Pro[25], most noted for its larger displays (15-inch or
17-inch) and fast video card, is a great machine too, but only the
video-editing/graphics folks should consider it, along with those
who need to play games to survive. However, it prices itself out of
my budget.
[25]<http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/>
Also, even though you're on a budget, I strongly recommend that you
opt for purchasing the AppleCare Protection Plan[26] ($183 extra),
which extends the warranty to three years. It's really a personal
preference, but if you intend on keeping your machine for more than
a year (which, if you're taking it to college, is probably the case)
then AppleCare can prove invaluable with a computer guaranteed to
take a beating in daily use around campus. (Note, though, that if
your budget is tight right now, you can put off adding AppleCare for
up to one year after purchasing the computer.)
[26]<http://www.apple.com/support/products/>
> 13-inch 1.83 GHz MacBook, plus AppleCare: $1,232
In addition to the computer itself, several hardware extras end up
on my list.
**RAM** -- Yes, RAM. There are times when I cry myself to sleep at
night thinking about the paltry 512 MB of RAM preloaded with the
MacBook. Then the sadness turns to anger when I see how much Apple
charges for upgrades. I'm going to go out and say you need to buy an
extra 1 GB of RAM for the machine, just to keep your sanity. Sure,
512 MB is bearable, but just barely. I've purchased a 1 GB card from
Outpost.com[27] for about $80, so shop for a price similar to that
(dealram.com[28] is a good place to start).
[27]<http://shop3.outpost.com/product/4922151?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG>
[28]<http://www.dealram.com/>
> 1 GB DDR2 PC5300 SO-DIMM: $80
**Notebook Bag** -- I know what you're thinking: "Is a notebook bag
really hardware?" My response: Can you download it? No. Then yes,
it's hardware.
It's important to choose a bag that suits you - its style, its size,
its price. Since the MacBook is still pretty new, the bag selection
isn't exactly overflowing, but there are plenty of good options.
Timbuk2[29] makes some nice bags catered to the 13-inch size, as
does a creative company called Crumpler[30]. I'd suggest checking
out Apple's Notebook Cases section of their online store[31], where
you can find bags designed specifically for the MacBook. $100 is a
decent price point, but you may need to go up a level to get that
Perfect Bag. Keep in mind that you'll also be carrying notebooks and
textbooks, so you need either a notebook bag with enough room or a
sleeve that will protect your laptop from everything else rattling
around in your backpack. Jeff Carlson offered more advice on
choosing a bag in "Buying a Laptop Bag"[32], 05-Apr-04.
[29]<http://www.timbuk2.com/>
[30]<http://www.crumplerbags.com/>
[31]<http://store.apple.com/>
[32]<http://db.tidbits.com/article/7627>
> Notebook bag: $100
**iPod** -- Every student needs an iPod[33]. It's just The Way Things
Are. Whether you're a music fan, someone who enjoys podcasts, or you
just want to sport the white earbuds to relay your hip stature, an
iPod has you covered. There's also the
listening-to-lectures-on-your-iPod thing, if you're into that whole
education business. And, thankfully, to satisfy the masses and meet
the requirements of the federal government's new An iPod For Every
Student Act, Apple is offering a free iPod nano[34] ($179 value
after rebate) to any student who purchases a Mac notebook by
16-Sep-06.
[33]<http://www.apple.com/ipod/>
[34]<http://www.apple.com/backtoschool/?cid=WWW-NAUS-BTS20060530-8EBFY>
> 1 GB iPod nano: $0
**Printer** -- Aside from offering a free iPod to students, those who
buy a Mac before 16-Oct-06 get $100 off (via rebate) a new
printer[35], too. I'd recommend the HP Photosmart C3180 All-in-One -
a printer Apple sells for $100. It'll print and scan and copy, so
you'll have all the tools you need when it comes to finishing your
papers.
[35]<http://www.apple.com/promo/perfectcompanion/>
> HP Photosmart C3180 All-in-One: $0
**USB 2 Flash Drive** -- This is a definite must. Since the demise of
the floppy disk, mankind has been searching for an easy method of
storing and transferring files - and USB flash drives have pretty
much assumed that role. They're perfect for quick transfers, for
storing and backing up essential files, and are portable and durable
- just put them in your bag or slip them into your pocket. I'd
recommend no less than a 1 GB stick, which should be enough to carry
archives of reports, presentations, and various media files. The
trick to buying a flash drive, though, is finding the best deal. For
example, I recently spotted a deal at TigerDirect.com[36] selling a
1 GB flash drive for only $5 after rebate. Searching around is your
best bet; you should be able to get a decent 1 GB drive for no more
than $30. Again, dealram[37] is a good place to start looking.
[36]<http://www.tigerdirect.com/>
> 1 GB USB 2 Flash Drive: $30
**External Hard Drive** -- Backup, backup, backup. Get that? Backup,
backup, backup. The worst thing that could possibly happen to you is
losing all your data to a hard drive failure (or worse: user
failure). Backing up seems like a waste of time, because of the
utter lack of instant gratification for your effort. But it's
unquestionably important, as any student who has suffered a
catastrophic hard disk failure the night before an important paper
is due will tell you. A good 160 GB external FireWire drive from a
company like LaCie - check out the LaCie d2 Hard Drive Extreme with
Triple Interface[38] - will provide you plenty of space to produce
backups, and there'll be lots of room left over for any extraneous
media files hogging up your MacBook's internal drive.
[38]<http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=10058>
> 160 GB LaCie d2 FireWire/USB2.0 Hard Drive: $170
**Speakers** -- The only thing that makes me cry as much as the
MacBook's included RAM is the frightening condition of its speakers.
System alerts? Sound great. Music? Not so much. So a good speaker
system is something to consider, especially if you're into media.
Students tend to resonate to two particular systems: JBL's Creature
II Speakers[39] ($100) and the Harman Kardon SoundSticks ($170).
Points to the Creature Speakers though for coming in multiple colors
(and for being about $70 cheaper).
[39]<http://www.jbl.com/home/products/product_detail.aspx?prod=CREATUREIIWHT>
> JBL Creature II Speakers: $100
All that snazzy hardware is nice, but you're also going to need
software to actually get your work done.
**Included Software** -- The MacBook comes with several
education-worthy applications, including OmniOutliner[40], which is
great for organizing papers or projects and taking notes. It also
includes iLife '06[41] (which includes iWeb) and, of course,
Freeverse's Big Bang Board Games[42], for those moments in class
where the teacher is, you know, not teaching.
[40]<http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnioutliner/>
[41]<http://www.apple.com/ilife/>
[42]<http://www.freeverse.com/bbbg/>
> Included Software: $0
**Microsoft Office** -- Behold, the only piece of software that
actually matters. Sure, there are other, less-expensive office
suites, like the free NeoOffice[43]. But in the end, compatibility
and reliability trumps all. Everyone will be using Microsoft
Office[44], so using it yourself assures compatibility. Word has a
great notebook mode which makes it easy to take (and record) notes
on the fly, and PowerPoint is... well, PowerPoint. Plus, buying
Office:Mac Student edition before 12-Sep-06 saves you $50 through a
rebate, bringing the price down to $100. (Also, check with your
school store: they may sell it for less.)
[43]<http://www.neooffice.org/>
[44]<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/office2004/Office2004ste.aspx>
> Microsoft Office Student and Teacher Edition for the Mac: $100
**Schoolhouse** -- Recently I came across a program called
Schoolhouse[45], a freeware application designed to help you
organize and manage classes and assignments. It's fairly simple, but
offers a lot of school-specific features, including a basic but
handy grade calculator and graphing tool. Plus, it's free.
[45]<http://www.loganscollins.com/?page_id=13>
> Schoolhouse: $0
**SuperDuper!** Undoubtedly my favorite backup application. The first
time you run a backup, SuperDuper[46] creates a full, exact,
bootable copy of your disk. Every time the program runs after that,
it uses a feature called Smart Update to copy only files that have
since been changed. It's also scriptable, has numerous scheduling
options, is very customizable, and has a great interface.
[46]<http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html>
> SuperDuper!: $30
That brings the total to $1,842. Taxes and shipping, where
applicable, will probably eat the rest of our $2,000 budget.
And remember: the items listed here are suggestions - your mileage
may vary, depending on your priorities (and budget). It's also
important to check your university's bookstore - they typically
offer numerous deals on hardware and software that could save you
hundreds.
[Dan Pourhadi is a freshman college student and wannabe writer from
Chicago. He has contributed to MacAddict Magazine[47], Macteens[48],
the Daily Herald[49] newspaper, and is a blogger at The Unofficial
Apple Weblog (TUAW)[50].]
[47]<http://www.macaddict.com/>
[48]<http://www.macteens.com/>
[49]<http://www.dailyherald.com/>
[50]<http://www.tuaw.com/>
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/04-Sep-06
------------------------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8665>
**Amazon.com Offers On-Demand Computing** -- Glenn's article about
Amazon.com's EC2 service brings up questions of Xserve
interoperability. 2 messages[51]
[51]<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/932/>
**Geoff Duncan moving on** -- Readers comment about last week's
article by Geoff Duncan, who now assumes the mantle of TidBITS
Editor at Large, and dig into questions of computer advancement. 3
messages[52]
[52]<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/936/>
**Postscript question** -- Can an older HP laser printer's PostScript
Level 2 emulation handle PDFs and other documents created by Mac OS
X? 12 messages[53]
[53]<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/937/>
**Designing and printing Coffee Table Books in iPhoto** -- A
photographer wants to print books from iPhoto, but has concerns
about the final print quality. What can he do to get the best
results? 2 messages[54]
[54]<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/938/>
$$
This is TidBITS, a free weekly technology newsletter providing timely
news, insightful analysis, and in-depth reviews to the Macintosh and
Internet communities. Feel free to forward to friends; better still,
please ask them to subscribe!
Non-profit, non-commercial publications and Web sites may reprint or
link to articles if full credit is given. Others please contact us. We
do not guarantee accuracy of articles. Caveat lector. Publication,
product, and company names may be registered trademarks of their
companies. TidBITS ISSN 1090-7017.
Copyright 2006 TidBITS: Reuse governed by Creative Commons license.
Contact us at: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
TidBITS Web site: <http://www.tidbits.com/>
License terms: <http://www.tidbits.com/terms/>
Full text search: <http://www.tidbits.com/search/>
Subscriptions: <http://www.tidbits.com/about/list.html>
Account help: <http://www.tidbits.com/about/account-help.html>
--
If you want to unsubscribe or change your address, use this link
http://emperor.tidbits.com/webx?unsub@@.3c557dc4!u=306a67f9
