TidBITS #595 on 2001-09-03

Tired of tailoring your life to the TV? Read Andrew Laurence's account of how a TiVo personal video recorder frees you from the tyranny of the TV schedule. With Mac OS X 10.1 coming soon, we look at a number of Mac OS X utilities that improve your user experience. In the news, Intego offers free copies of ContentBarrier to orphaned KidSafe users, and Outpost.com's acquisition by PC Connection fails, only to be replaced with an offer by Fry's Electronics.

TidBITS #594 on 2001-08-27

Want to reestablish control of your TV? Try a TiVo personal video recorder, reviewed by Andrew Laurence. In other TV news, Apple receives an Emmy for FireWire, and the MoMA picks up a G4 Cube. Notable releases include Mac OS 9.2.1, Now Up-to-Date & Contact 4.0.3, REALbasic 3.5, IPNetRouter 1.6.1, Nisus Writer 6.0.2, Mailsmith 1.1.8, and Quicken 2002 Deluxe. Finally, Ecrix and Exabyte merge, and early birds can get free tickets to Macworld Expo SF 2002.

TidBITS #593 on 2001-08-20

Tired of dealing with a plethora of phone numbers? Read to see how Adam and Tonya have rethought personal voice communications in Ithaca; perhaps you can simplify your telephone life. For those searching for the perfect place to store snippets of text, Matt Neuburg looks at three programs readers have recommended. In the news, Palm buys Be, the SpamCon Foundation launches, and we note the releases of Netscape 6.1 and Interarchy 5.0.

TidBITS #592 on 2001-08-13

Want to carry your MP3 collection with you? Travis Butler compares the Archos Jukebox with the previously reviewed Nomad Jukebox. Security is on Glenn Fleishman's mind now that the WEP privacy protocol used by Apple's AirPort and other 802.11b wireless networking devices has been shown to be easily broken. In the news, Microsoft appeals the monopoly ruling to the Supreme Court, Apple discontinues KidSafe, and Maxum releases PageSentry 4.0.

TidBITS #591 on 2001-08-06

Wondering if Microsoft will get behind Mac OS X? Previews of Microsoft Office 10 indicate that Microsoft is going all out on supporting Apple's new operating system. Looking inward, Adam passes on the tallied answers to the questions we ask of people subscribing to and unsubscribing from TidBITS, and in the news, we cover the shutdown of Metricom's wireless Ricochet network and the releases of Conflict Catcher 8.0.9 and Spring Cleaning 4.0.

TidBITS #590 on 2001-07-30

Wondering what the future holds for Mac OS X? Jeff Carlson examines Mac OS X 10.1 as shown during the Macworld Expo keynote. Adam and Mark Anbinder continue the Macworld Expo coverage with looks at the most interesting products at the show, and we report on Mac OS 9.2's quiet appearance. Finally, Jamie McCarthy editorializes about SirCam, the Windows email worm that can annoy even Mac users by bombarding them with futile infection attempts.

TidBITS #589 on 2001-07-23

For the millions of Mac users who missed Macworld Expo in New York City last week, read on for a look at the new iMacs and Power Mac G4s that Apple introduced at the show, along with details on Steve Jobs's keynote and the overall tenor of this surprisingly positive show. In the news, we cover Apple's $61 million Q3 profit and put out the call for new Japanese translators for TidBITS. Finally, we welcome our newest sponsor, easyDNS!

TidBITS #588 on 2001-07-16

Survival is on our mind this week, as Geoff Duncan relates how his broadband provider abruptly went dark, and how you can live through a similar event in today's world of uncertain ISPs. Plus, Adam looks at why online grocer Webvan failed to spot its own rotted fruit before ceasing operations. In the news, we note the releases of Panorama 4.0 and Mailsmith 1.1.7, and celebrate Adam's third place rank in the 2001 MDJ Power 25.

TidBITS #587 on 2001-07-09

It's time to start planning for next week's Macworld Expo in New York! In this issue, Adam spotlights sources of party and event information, and then uses XNS to update his contact information. Also, Mark Anbinder reviews the RTMac package for speeding Final Cut Pro video editing, Jeff Carlson examines more Visor Springboard modules, and we note Apple's recall of PowerBook G3 AC adapters and the demise of both the G4 Cube and Internet grocer Webvan.

TidBITS #586 on 2001-07-02

The Handspring Visor sets itself apart amongst Palm OS organizers for its Springboard slot, an expansion port that accommodates modules such as MP3 music players and even a cellular phone. Jeff Carlson looks at a handful for the handheld in this issue. Also, Microsoft is handed a victory in its antitrust case, Adam relates some offbeat bits about MacHack 2001, and we note the passing of Usenet founder Jim Ellis.

TidBITS #585 on 2001-06-25

It's MacHack time again, and Adam reports from Dearborn about Mac OS X's acceptance at the annual developer gathering. Read on to find out which hacks took home the top honors at the MacHax Group's Hack Contest, and then tune in for the second part of Jonathan Rentzsch's look at WebObjects, Apple's industrial strength Web application development kit. In the news, Mac OS X 10.0.4 solves a number of problems, and Extensis releases Suitcase 10.

TidBITS #584 on 2001-06-18

So what the heck is WebObjects and where did it come from? Read on for the first installment of Jonathan Rentzsch's two-part article explaining just what WebObjects is, where it came from, and how it compares to other ways of creating Web applications. Also this week, Adam gets grumpy about a report about "severe market dominance" on the Internet, and we cover the releases of IPNetSentry 1.1.1, Rewind 1.2, BBEdit Lite 6.1.1 and icWord 1.2.

TidBITS #583 on 2001-06-11

Just when you think Apple has cornered the market on cool (with the PowerBook G4 Titanium), they up the ante by releasing the tiny iBook (Dual USB). Which would you choose? In local news, the Washington State Supreme Court upholds the state's anti-spam law, which reminds us: what ever happened to TidBITS's spam suit? Also, we pass on news of an AppleScript worm, a Microsoft Word macro security fix, and a Handspring rebate, plus we welcome Sustainable Softworks as a new TidBITS sponsor.

TidBITS #582 on 2001-06-04

The Web may be based upon hypertext, but this week Matt Neuburg reviews the rejuvenation of Eastgate's Storyspace, a hypertext authoring tool that predates the Web. This issue also brings a shift in the TidBITS universe - the Engsts are moving back to Ithaca, NY. Also, we note PC Connection purchasing Outpost.com, the releases of Frontier 7, Now Up-To-Date & Contact 4.0, and BBEdit Lite 6.1, plus Internet Explorer 5.1.1 and OmniWeb 4.0 for Mac OS X.

TidBITS #581 on 2001-05-21

One benefit of Mac OS X's Unix underpinnings is the capability to run industrial-strength relational databases, and Jonathan Rentzsch examines some database products which may take Mac OS X into the fast lane. Also, Matt Neuburg reviews Copernican Technologies' Boswell text snippet archiver. In the news, Apple starts installing Mac OS X on new machines and we note Apple's first retail stores, the return of OnStream tape drives, and updates to Mac OS X Server, FileMaker Pro 5.5 and BBEdit 6.1.2.

TidBITS #580 on 2001-05-14

This week we examine two fixtures in the technology landscape: modems and databases. Kevin Savetz contributes a look at V.92, the next modem standard for those who can't get broadband connections, and Jonathan Rentzsch starts a look at relational databases for Mac OS X by explaining what a relational database actually is. In the news, Apple releases Mac OS X 10.0.3, Casady & Greene discontinues SoundJam, Macromedia ships FreeHand 10, and we note the passing of author Douglas Adams.

TidBITS #579 on 2001-05-07

Lusting after Apple's new iBooks? Join the crowd, but then read through Matt Deatherage's in-depth look at the new machines to make sure it's precisely what you want. We also continue to distill the most important news about Mac OS X, including a look at the recently released Mac OS X 10.0.2, a sudo security concern, and a few noteworthy Mac OS X-compatible software releases. In the news, we're pleased to note the release of an old friend - Fetch 4.0.

TidBITS #578 on 2001-04-30

Thinking about a wireless AirPort network? You might do better than using Apple's AirPort Base Station these days - read on for Glenn Fleishman's look at competing 802.11 access points. TenBITS offers news about Mac OS X software releases, plus warnings about damage that can be done by Apple's installer. In the news, we cover problems with some Power Mac G4 hard drives, Outpost.com shipping changes, and BBEdit 6.1.1, QuickTime 5.0.1, and Palm Desktop 2.6.3.

TidBITS #577 on 2001-04-23

Security holes in Mac OS X? That's right, and the first installment of our new column on Mac OS X explains how to shut them, along with looking at Mac OS X releases of Timbuktu Pro and ConceptDraw, a limitation of Mac OS X's FTP server, and a clever utility that puts a graphical interface on the Unix command line. We also look at Apple's extremely positive quarterly financial results and cover new releases of Eudora 5.1, BBEdit 6.1, and Acrobat 5.0.

TidBITS #576 on 2001-04-16

Eleven years - has it really been that long since we started TidBITS? Adam looks back at what's changed and what's remained the same in the Macintosh industry. Dr. Ron Risley concludes his article on communicating with your doctor via email with thoughts about minimizing the risks of using electronic communications. We also cover the important releases of Mac OS X 10.0.1 and the public beta of Retrospect Client for Mac OS X.

TidBITS #575 on 2001-04-09

Hate the wait to ask a simple medical question of your doctor in this age of Internet email? This week, Dr. Ron Risley looks at the implications of online medical correspondence from doctors' and patients' viewpoints. We also sort out the facts about Apple's recent firmware upgrades and shift our focus away from Mac OS X with a review of The Mac OS 9 Bible. In the news, check out the releases of Netscape Communicator 4.77 and Toast 5 Titanium.

TidBITS #574 on 2001-04-02

Been waiting to install Mac OS X? Be sure to read Rita Lewis's detailed article on installing Mac OS X first for essential advice. Also this week, Adam looks at using inexpensive FireWire hard disks for backup. In the news, Microsoft releases Office 2001 for Mac Service Release 1, Outpost.com's shipping charges increase, and we encourage caution with Apple's recent firmware updates. Please note we're suffering a partial network outage!

TidBITS #573 on 2001-03-26

Mac OS X is out - when should you make the jump? Adam offers specific advice to different types of users to answer that question. Jack-Daniyel Strong joins us with a comparison of two U.S. federal tax preparation programs: TaxCut and TurboTax. In the news, OnStream files for bankruptcy, Proxim and Netopia terminate their merger, and we cover the releases of StuffIt Deluxe 6.0.1 and ConceptDraw 1.59, plus Palm's announcement of the slim m505 color handheld.

TidBITS #572 on 2001-03-19

True online document collaboration gets its turn in this final part of Adam's series about electronic document collaboration, so read on to learn how to review or edit shared documents via free Web services. Joe Clark also finishes off his four-part accessibility series this week with a look at accessibility problems and solutions related to multimedia. In the news, we cover updates to Default Folder 3.1 and Web Confidential 2.2.1.

TidBITS #571 on 2001-03-12

Adam writes more about document collaboration this week, with case studies and specific recommendations for your next collaboration task. Joe Clark also joins us again to discuss problems with Web accessibility for the disabled. In the news, we pass on a "upgrade" program for PowerBook 190s and 5300s, note the releases of the Handspring Visor Edge, Photoshop 6.0.1 and AirPort 1.3 (with PPPoE support!), look at Napster's reaction to the new injunction, and announce a new sponsor.