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Sounds to me like unauthorised redistribution of copyrighted software, which isn't legal last time I checked. Why not just install QuickTime and just use any of the hundreds of ad-free movie players that use the legitimate QuickTime libraries and provide full-screen playback, playlists, desktop playback, etc., all free of charge? Sure, only one or two are available for Windows, but can I help it if the software selection for Mac OS is a hundred times better?

Agreed. It's not like it's a huge effort to find a way to run TeX on OS X.

Don't forget, next year when OSEX X.IV comes out, it will come with Safari 2.0, which includes an RSS reader.

Otherwise, there are plenty of projects on Sauceforge and Virgintracker. Go try some of them out.

That guy is so damn weird. Sea of fire, here we come!

Apple has been ignoring unix users for 14 years (to the day) in their keyboard design.

Their laptops are effectively unusable for unix users.

I am a long-time Unix user. That means I need to have the Ctrl key to the left of the A key. This is a genuine need, not merely a want; it is based upon ergonomics. The Ctrl key is heavily used in unix, and it must be easily accessable. It cannot be off in the lower left corner of the keyboard where it is difficult to get at, and where it distorts the position of your left hand such that you can't easily type other keys while holding the Ctrl key down.

Apple desktop keyboards are now all USB. They are all OK. The CapsLock key can be re-mapped into a Ctrl key.

Unfortunately, even in this modern age, all Apple laptops have built-in ADB keyboards. The ADB keyboard is broken-by-design. It is, in general, not possible to remap the CapsLock key into a Ctrl key.

There are some exceptions, but they are horrible kludges. They are horrible kludges because the original design of the ADB keyboard was a horrible kludge. The correct solution would be for Apple to re-design their laptop motherboards to use built-in USB keyboards. This hasn't happened yet. If you run Linux, use Debian's solution. For Mac OS X users, uControl works. There are no solutions (that I know of) for either NetBSD or OpenBSD. Please note once again that the "solutions" above are in fact kludges, because of the original bad design of the ADB keyboard.

Apple provides a technical note on how to remap the keyboard, but provides no solution to the hardware problems caused by the design of the ADB keyboard. This tech note helps foreign language users, but does nothing for the CapsLock/Ctrl problem.

Apple is (currently) ignoring Unix users! This is not merely speculation on my part. In an on-going email exchange I am having with an Apple employee (whom I won't name) in their marketing department, the Apple marketing person directly stated to me that Apple was catering to their historic Mac customers, and is purposely ignoring the Unix market. He also claimed that Apple would soon start paying more attention to the Unix market. I won't hold my breath. Apple has been ignoring Unix users for more than 14 years (14 years to the day as I post this). I expect that trend to continue. (Also note that my Apple contact indicated that Macs would never ship with a 3-button mouse, even though Apple intended to port almost all X-window software and deliver it either on a CD/DVD or installed directly on each Mac's hard drive. How Unix friendly is a 1-button mouse with X programs that often require 3 buttons?)

Apple has now lost two opportunities to sell me hardware. I really wanted an Apple laptop for their superior battery life, and for the PowerPC with Altivec CPU. (The Altivec is vastly superior to the x86 line for DSP.) Because I can't live with the broken-by-design built-in ADB keyboard in all Apple laptops, Sony and IBM sold me laptops instead. If Ap

I've also done this recently. I did consider paying for a .Mac account, but the only value I'd get out of it (being a technical person who runs his own SMTP/IMAP/HTTP etc. services elsewhere), would be the calendar publishing and backup services. I didn't think these were worth the money, especially given the space restrictions in iBackup on .Mac. Saying this, iBackup is a very nice tool and can do backups to local network shares, CD/DVD etc. so it's not just for use with .Mac.

So I looked at putting together my own alternatives for the .Mac services I thought I would use. First on the list was the calendar sharing. It was easier than I thought to set up mod_dav for Apache. iCal then just published seamlessly to my WebDav service. I also get the added benefit of being able to use the WebDav service to do online backups, which OSX uses without blinking.

I did try to use my WebDav service with Windows XP, but there is a known problem with XP regarding its use of "online folders", i.e. WebDav services. The problem seen with Apache is that XP sends Domain/Username & Password authentication, whereas Apache's mod_dav only wants Username & Password. There is a patch to "fix" this, but personally I drew the line at patching my service to make it work with a broken implementation.

In terms of an iBackup replacement, I've been looking at a few packages. RSyncX seems quite good and popular, as does Impression. However, seeing as though OSX is so nicely Unix-based, I may well use something like Flexbackup or my own scripts based on backup/restore (the BSD tools) or rsync.

I've also done this recently. I did consider paying for a .Mac account, but the only value I'd get out of it (being a technical person who runs his own SMTP/IMAP/HTTP etc. services elsewhere), would be the calendar publishing and backup services. I didn't think these were worth the money, especially given the space restrictions in iBackup on .Mac. Saying this, iBackup is a very nice tool and can do backups to local network shares, CD/DVD etc. so it's not just for use with .Mac.

So I looked at putting together my own alternatives for the .Mac services I thought I would use. First on the list was the calendar sharing. It was easier than I thought to set up mod_dav for Apache. iCal then just published seamlessly to my WebDav service. I also get the added benefit of being able to use the WebDav service to do online backups, which OSX uses without blinking.

I did try to use my WebDav service with Windows XP, but there is a known problem with XP regarding its use of "online folders", i.e. WebDav services. The problem seen with Apache is that XP sends Domain/Username & Password authentication, whereas Apache's mod_dav only wants Username & Password. There is a patch to "fix" this, but personally I drew the line at patching my service to make it work with a broken implementation.

In terms of an iBackup replacement, I've been looking at a few packages. RSyncX seems quite good and popular, as does Impression. However, seeing as though OSX is so nicely Unix-based, I may well use something like Flexbackup or my own scripts based on backup/restore (the BSD tools) or rsync.

Ah, funny this story was posted--I just had to address this issue the other day. I run Mac OS X and I happened to be doing a fresh install, moving all my data over from an old HD. Before this, I had always stored my slew of account info in a text file in an obscure and unlabeled file (I know, I know--very careless of me--that's way I was ready to change my ways!).

Mac OS X's built-in "Keychain" services/util isn't streamlined for repeated user use, not to mention it doesn't have several auxiliary/free-form fields (that are also fully encrypted with the password field). After some research and trying a few of the freeware and shareware apps out there, I came across Pastor, a freeware, super-lightweight and user-friendly app that basically lets you maintain a catalog of username, pass, and about 6 auxiliary fields, stored in an encrypted file (when you go to open a file, it prompts you for the password and decodes it on the fly). If for some reason you don't dig this particular app, there's a couple others like it as well with increasingly levels of features (I happen to prefer lightweight).

So I went w/ this model and it's had great payoffs--when I need a particular login, I click on an alias to my main password (Pastor) file, enter the file's password to decrypt it, look for what I need (it alphabetizes), and I'm all set--meanwhile, there's absolutely no risk of security--I love it.

I think there are some apps out there (Versiontracker.com) that let you remote control iTunes. All Apple needs to do is come up with a tablet Mac to control all this stuff.

...many users don't buy new computers because of how hard it is to move all their data and applications. Absolutely

CheckMate is a checksum comparison program... main problem would be that you need a good initial baseline.

yeah, I've ran into problems with iTunes not wanting to add the v1 ID3 tags on the file. v1 has a more limited character count than v2.x so I can understand why there might be some hesitance to use both but for my Kenwood mp3/cd I needed the v1 tags and didn't want to cut the name short in iTunes.

They can both exist at the same time. From what I understand v1 comes at the beginning of the file and v2.x comes at the end.

I used Mp3 Rage to mass add v1 tags. Works awesome, probably can help fixing up your other tag problems too. Probably something similar for Windows if thats what you have.

I've found that a lot of windows cd ripping stuff just ignored id3 tags all together and just named the files descriptively. And since winamp works some pretty nice voodoo on the filename to guess the info it can go unnoticed pretty easily.

Yes, and I guess that's all I'm going to get. Since this is a subject I'm really interested in, I'm always looking for good new web standards resources. I guess I was hoping to find more information so I'd know whether to bookmark his page as a resource or look for his name in articles or forums elsewhere. I did find StyleMaster on VersionTracker.

"Now, there may be very good reason(s) why the MacBU chose not to integrate with the system PIM services"

It probably shouldn't be called a very good reason, but Entourage does have it's own integrated, competing calendar and address book, and Microsoft isn't exactly known for going out of their way to make their products bypass built-in features to interoperate nicely with the competition. Few programs from any vendor do.

In fact, it seems to me you may as easily ask why Apple didn't write open API's for the interface with address & calendar services so Microsoft could write Entourage in a way that other programs interface directly with it instead of with Address Book and iCal.

One other thing I'd like to note is that, while I miss the system integration (pulling Fax numbers out of Address Book when using print-to-fax, etc), Entourage's Address Book and Calendar are better than Apple's.

Anyway, there is a not-too-ugly way around this. There is a nice little app available that syncs Entourage & Address book. There's also a couple of converters from Entourage-> iCal. I know you don't want to run these all the time, but you don't have to. It should take about 2 minutes to assign an Applescript folder action to the folders that store the user data for both apps, that run the sync applications whenever the folder is updated. The only trick is that there's no ical-> Entourage import filter I could find, so you need to remember to make all your calendar updates in Entourage until there is one.

- Phat Tony.

"Now, there may be very good reason(s) why the MacBU chose not to integrate with the system PIM services"

It probably shouldn't be called a very good reason, but Entourage does have it's own integrated, competing calendar and address book, and Microsoft isn't exactly known for going out of their way to make their products bypass built-in features to interoperate nicely with the competition. Few programs from any vendor do.

In fact, it seems to me you may as easily ask why Apple didn't write open API's for the interface with address & calendar services so Microsoft could write Entourage in a way that other programs interface directly with it instead of with Address Book and iCal.

One other thing I'd like to note is that, while I miss the system integration (pulling Fax numbers out of Address Book when using print-to-fax, etc), Entourage's Address Book and Calendar are better than Apple's.

Anyway, there is a not-too-ugly way around this. There is a nice little app available that syncs Entourage & Address book. There's also a couple of converters from Entourage-> iCal. I know you don't want to run these all the time, but you don't have to. It should take about 2 minutes to assign an Applescript folder action to the folders that store the user data for both apps, that run the sync applications whenever the folder is updated. The only trick is that there's no ical-> Entourage import filter I could find, so you need to remember to make all your calendar updates in Entourage until there is one.

- Phat Tony.

If you aren't in the habit of leaving your macs running 24/7, you can use macjanitor to run these tasks from a nice, friendly GUI.

Well, it's not direct, but under OS X you can set up things like RadioRecorder

I haven't looked closely so I don't know if it specifically works on WMA streams, but there are an awful lot of stream recorders out there, and then there's EasyWMA to convert to mp3.

Well, it's not direct, but under OS X you can set up things like RadioRecorder

I haven't looked closely so I don't know if it specifically works on WMA streams, but there are an awful lot of stream recorders out there, and then there's EasyWMA to convert to mp3.

but it's a whole lot better with junkmatcher central

I downloaded MisFox 1.2.1 and changed the Help Protocol Helper to Chess. For good measure I unchecked "Open 'safe' files after downloading" in the general preferences of Safari.

If you're looking to play Windows Media files, you could try VLC.

I'm using version 0.6.2, and have few complaints. Not sure how it falls in the bloat scale... but it isn't WMP.


*honk*

Apple laptops are effectively unusable for unix users.

I am a long-time Unix user. That means I need to have the Ctrl key to the left of the A key. This is a genuine need, not merely a want; it is based upon ergonomics. The Ctrl key is heavily used in unix, and it must be easily accessable. It cannot be off in the lower left corner of the keyboard where it is difficult to get at, and where it distorts the position of your left hand such that you can't easily type other keys while holding the Ctrl key down.

Apple desktop keyboards are now all USB. They are all OK. The CapsLock key can be re-mapped into a Ctrl key.

Unfortunately, even in this modern age, all Apple laptops have built-in ADB keyboards. The ADB keyboard is broken-by-design. It is, in general, not possible to remap the CapsLock key into a Ctrl key.

There are some exceptions, but they are horrible kludges. They are horrible kludges because the original design of the ADB keyboard was a horrible kludge. The correct solution would be for Apple to re-design their laptop motherboards to use built-in USB keyboards. This hasn't happened yet. If you run Linux, use Debian's solution. For Mac OS X users, uControl works. There are no solutions (that I know of) for either NetBSD or OpenBSD. Please note once again that the "solutions" above are in fact kludges, because of the original bad design of the ADB keyboard.

Apple provides a technical note on how to remap the keyboard, but provides no solution to the hardware problems caused by the design of the ADB keyboard. This tech note helps foreign language users, but does nothing for the CapsLock/Ctrl problem.

Apple is (currently) ignoring Unix users! This is not merely speculation on my part. In an on-going email exchange I am having with an Apple employee (whom I won't name) in their marketing department, the Apple marketing person directly stated to me that Apple was catering to their historic Mac customers, and is purposely ignoring the Unix market. He also claimed that Apple would soon start paying more attention to the Unix market. I won't hold my breath. Apple has been ignoring Unix users for more than 13 years. I expect that trend to continue. (Also note that my Apple contact indicated that Macs would never ship with a 3-button mouse, even though Apple intended to port almost all X-window software and deliver it either on a CD/DVD or installed directly on each Mac's hard drive. How Unix friendly is a 1-button mouse with X programs that often require 3 buttons?)

Apple has now lost three opportunities to sell me hardware. I really wanted an Apple laptop for their superior battery life, and for the PowerPC with Altivec CPU. (The Altivec is vastly superior to the x86 line for DSP.) Because I can't live with the broken-by-design built-in ADB keyboard in all Apple laptops, Sony and IBM sold me laptops instead. If Apple fixes this problem, they will sell me a PowerBook next year; if they don't, I'll still be running OpenBSD on x86 hardware, and wishing I could use a Mac.

Or MS Office. Or Nisus Writer. Or Macromedia Studio MX, or UT2k4, or these or these or some of these. Oh, and don't forget about Fink. 3dpong rocks when it's hardware rendered.

What you want to download is a utility called Sidetrack. I've got it setup so that tapping on the trackpad is equivalent to Ctrl-click. Also, the edges can be configured similar to a scroll area that you'd find on a windows laptop.

Oh, and are the antennas on Apple laptops powerful enough for any serious Wardriving? I can barely pick up a network outside the house with my iBook...

Cool! How did you get that green link thing in your listing?

I'm looking at the commands printed on my ZX81's keyboard, but I can't find any color commands! Do I need an Apple ][ for that? ;)

For OS X users looking for some of that Old School goodnees, you can grab Chipmunk Basic at Versiontracker.com

Nice post, but a little out of date, as I see no mention of Poisoned which is a front end to giFT. giFT supports FastTrack (Kazaa), Gnutella, and OpenFT (a hot little network). Personally I'd rather run Poisoned than Kazaa any day.

Furthermore, the BitTorrent community is alive and well on OS X. Azureus works really well, and there's a hot little native client that is better than the standard one.

I've been using the Overnet command line client, which sucks but gets the job done better than the various front-ends floating around.

And then there's Hotline, Carracho, and the new open-source client-server model "Wired".

Enjoy.

I'd certainly expect to see that Mac users would be more likely to buy music from the store, which I'd attribute mainly to the lack of P2P clients available on the Mac, which has certainly helped Apple establish themselves in the market with the Mac version of iTunes.

Dude, what are you talking about?

I take it you don't have a Mac. Well, I don't need 10,000 different programs, 99% of which have shitty interfaces sitting atop half-assed implementations. (Then again, this is the place where 'vi' qualifies as a nice interface...so what should I expect?)

My personal favorite client is Acquisition. Nice interface, works well, very Mac-like.

Since no one seems to have mentioned it, I'd like to do a small plug for a really great Mac Stream Ripper. It's called Audio Hijack. Though, it's not limited to Streaming Audio. It can record any sound that runs through one's sound card -and- it does live audio effects as it's being ripped (if you want).

So! Happy ripping!

If you are using Mac OS X, you can use audio hijaak pro. It lets you record RealAudio, Windows Media and MP3 streams. I use it all the time to time shift radio shows I like to AAC or MP3 for my iPod. Works like a charm. You can set up schedules and file sizes. Really sharp.

Apple laptops are effectively unusable for unix users.

I am a long-time Unix user. That means I need to have the Ctrl key to the left of the A key. This is a genuine need, not merely a want; it is based upon ergonomics. The Ctrl key is heavily used in unix, and it must be easily accessable. It cannot be off in the lower left corner of the keyboard where it is difficult to get at, and where it distorts the position of your left hand such that you can't easily type other keys while holding the Ctrl key down.

Apple desktop keyboards are now all USB. They are all OK. The CapsLock key can be re-mapped into a Ctrl key.

Unfortunately, even in this modern age, all Apple laptops have built-in ADB keyboards. The ADB keyboard is broken-by-design. It is, in general, not possible to remap the CapsLock key into a Ctrl key.

There are some exceptions, but they are horrible kludges. They are horrible kludges because the original design of the ADB keyboard was a horrible kludge. The correct solution would be for Apple to re-design their laptop motherboards to use built-in USB keyboards. This hasn't happened yet. If you run Linux, use Debian's solution. For Mac OS X users, uControl works. There are no solutions (that I know of) for either NetBSD or OpenBSD. Please note once again that the "solutions" above are in fact kludges, because of the original bad design of the ADB keyboard.

Apple provides a technical note on how to remap the keyboard, but provides no solution to the hardware problems caused by the design of the ADB keyboard. This tech note helps foreign language users, but does nothing for the CapsLock/Ctrl problem.

Apple is (currently) ignoring Unix users! This is not merely speculation on my part. In an on-going email exchange I am having with an Apple employee (whom I won't name) in their marketing department, the Apple marketing person directly stated to me that Apple was catering to their historic Mac customers, and is purposely ignoring the Unix market. He also claimed that Apple would soon start paying more attention to the Unix market. I won't hold my breath. Apple has been ignoring Unix users for more than 13 years. I expect that trend to continue. (Also note that my Apple contact indicated that Macs would never ship with a 3-button mouse, even though Apple intended to port almost all X-window software and deliver it either on a CD/DVD or installed directly on each Mac's hard drive. How Unix friendly is a 1-button mouse with X programs that often require 3 buttons?)

Apple has now lost three opportunities to sell me hardware. I really wanted an Apple laptop for their superior battery life, and for the PowerPC with Altivec CPU. (The Altivec is vastly superior to the x86 line for DSP.) Because I can't live with the broken-by-design built-in ADB keyboard in all Apple laptops, Sony and IBM sold me laptops instead. If Apple fixes this problem, they will sell me a PowerBook next year; if they don't, I'll still be running OpenBSD on x86 hardware, and wishing I could use a Mac.

Mercifully (in a way), a semi-recent update changed the fan kick-in temperature to a lower threshold, meaning less built-up heat but a lower battery life. Expect the batteries on the new PowerBooks to not quite last as long as they're listed as, though they'd probably last long enough as is. For a college student like me, just having them last through class so that I can go back to my dorm and plug in for the evening's homework is fine.

Should you ever want to change the fan-temperature back (meaning more battery life and less fan noise), you can install Silent Night using Pacifist (Silent Night's installer doesn't always work right).

I for one couldn't stand the fan being on all the time, but then, I use my PowerBook on a desk most of the time, and I found the heat kind of plesant during the winter. YMMV.

Mercifully (in a way), a semi-recent update changed the fan kick-in temperature to a lower threshold, meaning less built-up heat but a lower battery life. Expect the batteries on the new PowerBooks to not quite last as long as they're listed as, though they'd probably last long enough as is. For a college student like me, just having them last through class so that I can go back to my dorm and plug in for the evening's homework is fine.

Should you ever want to change the fan-temperature back (meaning more battery life and less fan noise), you can install Silent Night using Pacifist (Silent Night's installer doesn't always work right).

I for one couldn't stand the fan being on all the time, but then, I use my PowerBook on a desk most of the time, and I found the heat kind of plesant during the winter. YMMV.

Someone has created an app to address this shortcoming in OS X: http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/ 23054

CVb

Go to the Mac OS X section of Version Tracker and look for "AirPort Configurator." It's a nifty little Java app that offers lots of nice bits for anyone interested in the inner workings of AirPort.

I would love to hear from you what problems you have had with the Macintosh RealPlayer that you downloaded. We are working hard towards the next version of the OSX player and would love your feedback to improve our user experience.

I must say, this is possibly the very first time as the Program Manager of the Mac OSX RealPlayer product that I heard that it was obnoxious! I would be very curious to know why you think that, and if the other Mac users here feel the same way.

For those who are interested in reviews of the Mac version of the RealPlayer here are some:
Version Tracker
Download.com

You will notice that the OSX RealPlayer has excellent user feedback and reviews. The few negative ratings were for older and legacy players.

I try hard to help make software that I (and we) enjoy using. I would really appreciate if you made sure you had all the facts before being nasty to products that developers and designers have worked really hard for.

-V

Well, I just copied the binary into MacASCII Display X. Took all of about 6 seconds. Fear my l33t skills. :P

I use http://www.versiontracker.com to find all my software... I found these gems all freeware for you. Pocket voice recorder Sound recorder And the total search with "shareware" is Hope this helps

I use http://www.versiontracker.com to find all my software... I found these gems all freeware for you. Pocket voice recorder Sound recorder And the total search with "shareware" is Hope this helps

I use http://www.versiontracker.com to find all my software... I found these gems all freeware for you. Pocket voice recorder Sound recorder And the total search with "shareware" is Hope this helps

For all those not in the know VersionTracker is THE place to go for update info. Anything that goes wrong can generally be found there. http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/ 8848

Product Description: This Contextual Menu "nudges" the Finder to update the information it displays about a file or folder. Use it on any item (or groups of items) if you suspect the Finder hasn't updated its view. This should work for most attribute changes, icon changes, size changes, files that have been saved but don't appear, and so forth. Unfortunately, some attribute changes are NOT properly recognized. This includes the "invisible" and "package" attributes. For changes to those attributes, you must quit and restart the Finder. On Panther, you can also control-click in the empty space on any folder (or on the desktop) to nudge the folder itself, without needing to select anything.

There are several very good note taking/notebook products available for the Mac. One that I use and enjoy trememendously is NoteTaker. It even includes a module to support Microsoft products. Audio note taking seems to be a standard feature for these products in the Mac world (check VersionTracker for a more complete selection. Keep in mind that, in the OSX world, services allows the level of integration MS is trying to provide as a base capability for just about any piece of software that wants to take advantage of it.

Got tired of the "oh, you want to do THAT? Sorry, there are no good programs for that on the Mac".

Good programs, eh? I bet you wouldn't be able to find an elephant in your living room either!

Got anything like the free iLife on Windoze? The best stuff is on the Mac. So go troll somewhere else.

they just don't do a lot.

Looks like neither do you (other than writing trolls, that is.)

Me? I just feed trolls.

Carbon Copy Cloner works very well. I just did a backup of my powerbook to an external firewire drive using CCC before sending the powerbook in for repair. Now I'm booting from the firewire drive on my old iMac until I get my powerbook back. Seemless. http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/ 13260M

Apple laptops are effectively unusable for unix users.

I am a long-time Unix user. That means I need to have the Ctrl key to the left of the A key. This is a genuine need, not merely a want; it is based upon ergonomics. The Ctrl key is heavily used in unix, and it must be easily accessable. It cannot be off in the lower left corner of the keyboard where it is difficult to get at, and where it distorts the position of your left hand such that you can't easily type other keys while holding the Ctrl key down.

Apple desktop keyboards are now all USB. They are all OK. The CapsLock key can be re-mapped into a Ctrl key.

Unfortunately, even in this modern age, all Apple laptops have built-in ADB keyboards. The ADB keyboard is broken-by-design. It is, in general, not possible to remap the CapsLock key into a Ctrl key.

There are some exceptions, but they are horrible kludges. They are horrible kludges because the original design of the ADB keyboard was a horrible kludge. The correct solution would be for Apple to re-design their laptop motherboards to use built-in USB keyboards. This hasn't happened yet. If you run Linux, use Debian's solution. For Mac OS X users, uControl works. There are no solutions (that I know of) for either NetBSD or OpenBSD. Please note once again that the "solutions" above are in fact kludges, because of the original bad design of the ADB keyboard.

Apple provides a technical note on how to remap the keyboard, but provides no solution to the hardware problems caused by the design of the ADB keyboard. This tech note helps foreign language users, but does nothing for the CapsLock/Ctrl problem.

Apple is (currently) ignoring Unix users! This is not merely speculation on my part. In an on-going email exchange I am having with an Apple employee (whom I won't name) in their marketing department, the Apple marketing person directly stated to me that Apple was catering to their historic Mac customers, and is purposely ignoring the Unix market. He also claimed that Apple would soon start paying more attention to the Unix market. I won't hold my breath. Apple has been ignoring Unix users for more than 13 years. I expect that trend to continue. (Also note that my Apple contact indicated that Macs would never ship with a 3-button mouse, even though Apple intended to port almost all X-window software and deliver it either on a CD/DVD or installed directly on each Mac's hard drive. How Unix friendly is a 1-button mouse with X programs that often require 3 buttons?)

Apple has now lost two opportunities to sell me hardware. I really wanted an Apple laptop for their superior battery life, and for the PowerPC with Altivec CPU. (The Altivec is vastly superior to the x86 line for DSP.) Because I can't live with the broken-by-design built-in ADB keyboard in all Apple laptops, Sony and IBM sold me laptops instead. If Apple fixes this problem, they will sell me a PowerBook next year; if they don't, I'll still be running OpenBSD on x86 hardware, and wishing I could use a Mac.

Apple laptops are effectively unusable for unix users.

I am a long-time Unix user. That means I need to have the Ctrl key to the left of the A key. This is a genuine need, not merely a want; it is based upon ergonomics. The Ctrl key is heavily used in unix, and it must be easily accessable. It cannot be off in the lower left corner of the keyboard where it is difficult to get at, and where it distorts the position of your left hand such that you can't easily type other keys while holding the Ctrl key down.

Apple desktop keyboards are now all USB. They are all OK. The CapsLock key can be re-mapped into a Ctrl key.

Unfortunately, even in this modern age, all Apple laptops have built-in ADB keyboards. The ADB keyboard is broken-by-design. It is, in general, not possible to remap the CapsLock key into a Ctrl key.

There are some exceptions, but they are horrible kludges. They are horrible kludges because the original design of the ADB keyboard was a horrible kludge. The correct solution would be for Apple to re-design their laptop motherboards to use built-in USB keyboards. This hasn't happened yet. If you run Linux, use Debian's solution. For Mac OS X users, uControl works. There are no solutions (that I know of) for either NetBSD or OpenBSD. Please note once again that the "solutions" above are in fact kludges, because of the original bad design of the ADB keyboard.

Apple provides a technical note on how to remap the keyboard, but provides no solution to the hardware problems caused by the design of the ADB keyboard. This tech note helps foreign language users, but does nothing for the CapsLock/Ctrl problem.

Apple is (currently) ignoring Unix users! This is not merely speculation on my part. In an on-going email exchange I am having with an Apple employee (whom I won't name) in their marketing department, the Apple marketing person directly stated to me that Apple was catering to their historic Mac customers, and is purposely ignoring the Unix market. He also claimed that Apple would soon start paying more attention to the Unix market. I won't hold my breath. Apple has been ignoring Unix users for more than 13 years. I expect that trend to continue. (Also note that my Apple contact indicated that Macs would never ship with a 3-button mouse, even though Apple intended to port almost all X-window software and deliver it either on a CD/DVD or installed directly on each Mac's hard drive. How Unix friendly is a 1-button mouse with X programs that often require 3 buttons?)

Apple has now lost two opportunities to sell me hardware. I really wanted an Apple laptop for their superior battery life, and for the PowerPC with Altivec CPU. (The Altivec is vastly superior to the x86 line for DSP.) Because I can't live with the broken-by-design built-in ADB keyboard in all Apple laptops, Sony and IBM sold me laptops instead. If Apple fixes this problem, they will sell me a PowerBook next year; if they don't, I'll still be running OpenBSD on x86 hardware, and wishing I could use a Mac.

PS2 is pretty closed, but any 3D game that runs through your graphics card can be made stereoscopic if you download the software.

Bam! nVidia Stereoscopic drivers.

ATI seems to be teh suck in this area, but the nVidia drivers can be either page-flipped (the flickery LCD glasses that alternate eyes) or anaglyph (red and green/blue/cyan).

A few months ago I got bored and duct taped two motors to a pair of lab goggles, spinning some cardboard flaps, wired it to a model railroad control box, and played GTA3 in page-flipped mode.

It barely worked, and then only for 3 seconds at a time, but it was worth it. Liberty City is beautiful in 3D.

There are several programs that can set cron jobs without the terminal... just have to search for them. VersionTracker Cron Search