Bare Bones Software today released a free updater for BBEdit 4.5, the company's popular text and HTML editor. The 4.5.3 update offers improvements to BBEdit's built-in FTP capabilities and Find Differences functionality, plus a number of minor bug fixes

In brief letters to registered Frontier users last week, UserLand Software announced a charter pricing structure for Frontier 5.1, the soon-to-be-released version of its cross-platform scripting and Web content tool

Teng Chou Ming has released the $10 shareware Extension Overload 2.7, a stand-alone DOCMaker document that provides information about 666 extensions, 245 control panels, Easter Eggs, Macintosh error codes, and more

Jason Linhart, who maintains the Macintosh version of the freeware Web log analysis program Analog, has released Summary 1.0, a fascinating take on Web log analysis

Alsoft, well known for their DiskExpress Pro disk optimization software, has released PlusOptimizer 1.0.1, a simple utility for people using Mac OS 8.1 and HFS Plus volumes

Apple has released Drive Setup 1.5, the company's free disk formatting utility. Version 1.5 adds support for Power Macintosh G3 computers and fixes a bug where the write cache on some ATA drives was disabled following a restart

Apple has released Disk First Aid 8.2, the latest version of the free disk repair utility that the company ships with the Mac OS. Although Disk First Aid's capabilities have never been as complete as those in commercial disk repair utilities, with the introduction of Mac OS Extended Format (also known as HFS Plus - see "All About Macintosh Extended Format (HFS Plus)" in TidBITS 414), older disk repair utilities not only ceased to work, but could cause damage

Connectix has released a free update to Surf Express, the company's Web acceleration software that improves performance via a more intelligent caching scheme than that used by most browsers

Symantec Tech Support has confirmed reports on MacFixIt of intermittent disk corruption relating to the use of Norton AntiVirus for Macintosh, though only under Mac OS 8.1 and only with normal HFS-formatted volumes

Ilene Hoffman has once again posted the Robert Hess Memorial Macworld Expo Events List. If you're planning on attending Macworld Expo in New York City from 07-Jul-98 through 10-Jul-98, check the list for public events to attend while you're there

Until now, no Internet backup services have worked with the Macintosh. With the release of BackJack from Synectics, though, Mac users finally have a way of backing up and restoring files over the Internet

For some Web designers, the term "full featured" can be interpreted as "extras I'll pay for but not use." GoLive is addressing the needs of budget-conscious users with its CyberStudio Personal Edition, a $99 program that includes most of the core Web-creation features of CyberStudio, but without some of the original product's advanced features

Several programs have appeared over the past few years that let designers build Web pages without resorting to a handful of specialized tools. With its release of Fireworks 1.0 this week, Macromedia is attempting to do the same for Web graphics: unite the dozen or so different tools in a designer's toolbox into a one-stop solution

Owners of Metricom's Ricochet wireless modems can get a free Web browsing boost thanks to a recent deal with Connectix Corporation. (See Jeff Carlson's "Tied Down No More: The Ricochet Wireless Modem" in TidBITS 366 for more information.) Metricom is offering a free downloadable copy of Connectix's Surf Express, software that caches Web pages more efficiently than current Web browsers

ZDNN reported today that the pages of history may close on the venerable technology magazine BYTE. The 23-year-old magazine, which was recently sold by owner McGraw-Hill to CMP Media, will either close for good or will reopen in two months as a software development magazine with controlled circulation and a new staff

ClearWay Technologies today shipped the $99 Nitro PowerPlug 1.0, a WebSTAR plug-in that accelerates the execution speed of all other WebSTAR plug-ins up to 200 percent or more in ClearWay's testing

With the release of version 1.0.1, Bare Bones Software has applied a bit of polish to Mailsmith, the company's new email program (see "Mailsmith Emerges from the Forge" in TidBITS 428)

Connectix recently released minor updates to its popular RAM Doubler and Virtual PC products. Virtual PC 2.01 addresses problems with Ethernet networks using 802.3 frame types, includes CDROM.SYS 2.0.1 to address problems with installing some games, and includes a new SYSINI.EXE

Dr Solomon's Software, the current publisher of the Virex anti-virus utility, announced two Virex updates in quick succession last week to find and remove two newly discovered variants of the AutoStart 9805 worm, originally reported in "Autostart Worm Breaks Mac Malware Silence" in TidBITS 428

After settlement talks collapsed this weekend, the United States Department of Justice and 20 states have filed closely related antitrust lawsuits against Microsoft