News and commentary from the cross-platform scripting community
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News and commentary from the cross-platform scripting community
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Ric Ford on MacInTouch has been receiving email on cloning and has listed some of the responses.
Hedy Lamarr is a distant relative of mine.
Austin American-Statesman: Power backs down again.
Macinsearch.com -- Search every word on over 10,000 Macintosh web sites.
One of Power Computing's contributions to the Mac community: Concise informative explanations of mysterious concepts such as RAM, AppleTalk and SCSI.
A revolutionary software design idea: Help systems should work like search engines such as Excite or Infoseek. I'm using MSIE 4.0 on Windows. I want to know how to clear its cache. I fumble around the UI. Instead I'd like to ask the program what it knows about its cache. I know it's got one!
Please re-read Henry Norr's MacWEEK column from last week. Apple still has a unique advantage, they make both hardware and an OS. Even the Mac cloners can't do that. Even Microsoft. The clone controversy masks much deeper problems at Apple.
SJ Merc: Apple turns the screws on clone buyers.
Dave Bakin on Apple Direct Sales.
Apologies for the outages here this afternoon. We were testing some new software, and it produced some not-too-pleasant results. Back on solid ground again. Still diggin!
Exhibit 10.20 from the Power Computing SEC filing shows that all the major issues with Apple, raising royalties, certification of new systems and processors, CHRP, even notebooks, were resolved in June.
Today's Frontier toy: an agent script that processes and then deletes all files that are copied into a folder that it watches.
Jesse Berst on MacroMedia Flash. Jesse, thanks for the pointers to my two pieces in June, Macromedia Flash and LineTo MoveTo. If only Macromedia had the cojones to go for it...
A real gem from Henry Norr at MacWEEK: a pointer to the SEC filing from Power Computing in June of this year.
One item is especially interesting: the formerly confidential license agreement between Power Computing and IBM for the Macintosh OS.
Ric Ford, the editor of MacInTouch is holding up purchasing new Mac systems, waiting for a resolution of the Apple licensing issues. Same here.
Neoaccess is an affordable cross-platform object database.
UserLand's ODB Engine is free (also cross-platform).
Jeff Veen's next Frontier website.
SJ Merc: People with passion who want to be the next Apple CEO.
SJ Merc: Digital Dames network their way to success. Go get em Sylvia!
Every Mac user with a net connection should get Vremya.
I had a six-hour lunch yesterday with Steve Wozniak and Andy Hertzfeld. Steve designed the Apple II, and Andy was one of the lead developers of the Mac OS in the early 80s at Apple. It would have made a fantastic radio show. Sparks were flying!
Burning Man or Bumbershoot? What a choice!
Curl is a web scripting language from MIT.
Today's Frontier Toy: the the color table site and the script that created it. Looking for a good color scheme for some web text?
News.com: Lawsuit may slow push spec.
Novadigm's press release.
Dan Shafer on C|Net: Java class library warfare.
SJ Merc: Sun says Java will improve.
PC Magazine rates ISPs.
InfoWorld: What's in Microsoft Office 98 (and what's not).
It's a Two-Toy-Tuesday: ASCII Table Maker.
I'm listening to Scott McNealy's speech from NY via ZDNN. Requires RealAudio.
Marimba, Netscape, Sun, Novell and @Home propose an open standard for replication thru W3C.
In his latest TidBITS column, Adam Engst questions the value of discussing the Apple-cloners situation. My belief -- by exchanging ideas, which the Mac community is doing so well now, we can do what computer users do best -- use technology to learn and teach. Think about it, Apple has no CEO right now. It's a wierd time! There's never been a better time to influence the outcome.
8/2/97: The Web is a Conversation.
From the Tom Seaver Museum: The Sporting News article from July 1987 about his retirement from baseball.
Today's Frontier toy: Unix-style args for Finder scripting.
CNN: Federal judge declares encryption export restrictions unconstitutional.
Is it possible to use Sun's Tk user interface runtime to front-end Frontier scripts?
They provide source code for Windows, Mac and Unix.
Responses on Mail Starting 8/23/97.
Send mail to dave@scripting.com.
We haven't ported MacBird to Win32 yet.
Brent Schlender says the Apple-Microsoft deal is hollow.
Tom Clifton updated today's Frontier toy to work with either Eudora or Claris Emailer.
If you're using a CDF-aware web browser, please try our Microsoft-blessed channel definition file.
Wired News: Apple Powerplay Fouls Cloner's IPO.
MacAddict interview with Gil Amelio. "Apple needs to learn how to compete. It is a corporate skill set that does not exist at Apple today."
Sun: Tcl 8.0 and Tk 8.0.
Here's a suggestion for the browser makers... A new preference that disables the target="new" attribute that causes an <a href> to open in a new window. I think this choice should be up to the user, not up to a site designer. Save braincells.
Michael Murdock would like to be CEO of Apple.
For Frontier users, a new overnight script that accumulates an outline of addresses that you've sent mail to. Outline searching is much faster than searching in Eudora.
Crispin Roven talks about regular expressions on WebMonkey.
Eric Raymond explains how the Linux developer world works.
Geek heaven... The SJ Merc tells the story of Fry's Electronics.
8/12/96: What If... What If! What was Apple doing last year when Power Computing was 'fighting back for the Mac'?
Gil Amelio wrote an op-ed piece in Sunday's SJ Merc.
Our ISP, Conxion, makes a deal with Network Solutions. Conxion is the best ISP in the world.
Henry Norr of MacWEEK writes the next chapter in Apple's nightmarish war with the cloners.
A simple policy: UserLand Software will not purchase any Apple products until this mess is cleaned up.
Apple website: Who's Who on the Licensing Team. If you send email, please be respectful, and understand that these people probably aren't making the big decisions at Apple.
Wired News: fascinating piece on web standards bodies.
Charles Randlolph Shotton, born on 8/19/97 to Linda and Chuck Shotton. What a beautiful boy!
A sign seen on Highway 88, east of Jackson, California.
The CGI Resources website.
Henry Norr discusses the cloning issue.
Is this a secret-coded message for aliens?
6/16/97: Sucking Sideways.
Brooke Shelby Biggs on HotWired: Who's Behind the Curtain?
Bill Gates to keynote the Seybold conference in San Francisco in September.
I've already received five pointers to today's www.suck.com cartoon strip.
Check out this MacWEEK article.
I can hear it now... "We were getting backed into this image that the cloners were bad for the platform, when all the time we were helping them make better Macs."
Here's a beautiful Scripting News graphic,
and here's one that isn't a graphic at all.
More information from Marimba.
Narrative's Enliven, does animated web ads in less than 20K; converts Director moves too.
BSCW shared workspace system.
Preston Holmes and rasterboy enter the Scripting News graphics derby.
News.com: Microsoft, Marimba to make announcement later today.
Dan Shafer on c|net: Java class library warfare.
The Java Developer's Lobby wants Java to be truly portable, reliable, standard, bug-free and high-performance.
Let's add "open" to the list of goals for Java. My interest: let's make it possible for people to write plug-ins for Frontier in Java.
Cameron Barret't's book list.
More interesting ideas on Mail Starting 8/12/97.
News.com: Mac cloners to bundle Virtual PC.
CNN: Is the web a vast wasteland? Have they tried Don's Amazing Puzzle?
Chris Nolan says, in the SJ Merc, that patents are the substantial part of last week's Microsoft-Apple deal.
Apple's VP-Marketing, Guerrino De Luca, agrees.
Why David Gulbransen should be CEO of Apple.
Webintosh reports that Apple could have helped Exponential, but didn't. Exponential folded.
Everything's OK... Just taking it easy today. DW
Ben Waldman, the general manager of the Macintosh business unit at Microsoft, responds.
A new sample script, importImages, loads a folder of image files into a table in Frontier's object database. It's a useful utility if you're converting a large site with lots of graphics.
WinBatch automates Windows applications and has 500 built-ins.
Roy Leban believes it's possible to add memory protection to the Mac OS, without Rhapsody.
CNN: New pictures of Hale-Bopp.
Upside interviews Samir Arora, CEO of NetObjects.
The Philadelphia Inquirer quotes Sun's Jon Kannegaard saying: Java is more important today than it was the day before yesterday, because Microsoft's endorsement increases the likelihood that Apple's Macintosh platform will survive. It's great to see Sun acknowledge their stake in the future of the Mac platform.
Chris Bowes in the Sydney Morning Herald spins the Boy Kills Boy version of the Microsoft-Apple deal.
7/3/97: Bill Gates's Money.
Webintosh reviews Quid Pro Quo 2.0.
US News: Why Bill Gates and Steve Jobs made up.
One more time... Why 1997 is like 1984.
From julian.love@sierra.com: A new feature of OS8 (I think) is the ability to speak dialogs when they appear. The funny part is the Speech Manager pronounces Frontier as "Frontire" or "front tire!" It almost sounds a bit snooty. Try it!
A historical and literary view of the Microsoft-Apple deal.
A biblical view of the Microsoft-Apple deal.
Wed 5:30PM in SF: Free beer for webmasters at Internet Alfredo.
I'm running WinMac on my NT machine and it works as advertised. Key benefits: an Apple menu and an apps menu, and the clock is in the right place. I don't care for the about dialog ("About this Macintosh"), or the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the screen.
A TCP scripting revolution for the Mac OS!
PC WEEK: Fusion to get workgroup features, Sun to go direct with Java for Windows.
Time cover story: Steve Jobs Restarts Apple.
BTW, I was quoted in today's Time piece. 
News.com: It's official, Jobs sold his Apple stock.
Another fact gleaned from the Time piece: Scroll to the bottom of this page, read the last paragraph. Does Jobs use an IBM laptop at home too?
BusinessWeek cover story: How Silicon Valley Really Works.
| The most frequently asked question about the Windows version of Frontier is how will we communicate with other Windows software. |
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Tomorrow: Nerd Garage Sale in SF.
A totally juicy article about Steve Jobs in today's SJ Merc.
Last year's keynote at MacWorld Expo.
WinMac makes Windows look like a Mac. Does it work? (I want it!)
David Pogue in the May issue of MacWorld, with songs about Apple. Funny!
Hey, I'm playing with iChat tonight. My username is 'davenet'. Send me a message!
Today's DaveNet piece talks about Linux.
PC Magazine: Getting the most out of Linux.
7/11/97: A Microsoft/Apple Partnership?
Other Scripting News graphics: 1, 2, 3. Don't send me graphics as email enclosures. Instead, please put up a web page and send me a URL. Thanks!
Audio: The story of a man, a deer, a dog and a phone booth.
I don't know why I find this picture of Elvis and Nixon so fascinating. Maybe it's like Steve and Bill?
Italic comments are the voice of my evil twin.
MacWEEK's Henry Norr puts this week's news in perspective. I see it the same way as Henry. Apple management, such as it is, is miscalculating if they want to restrict what the cloners can do.
Top ten reasons Why Microsoft Invested in Apple.
Do they have fact-checkers at InfoWorld? What is the 'default' browser on the Mac OS? As Bill Gates said about Apple's UI lawsuit of the early 90s, when MSIE becomes the default Mac browser, very few (if any) bits will change.
An overview of new features in Frontier 5, coming soooon!
MacWorld: Emblaze Creator doesn't require plug-ins for dazzling animated web presentations.
I'm looking for the lyrics for a World War I song called Over There. It was the song US soldiers sang about what they were doing. Find me the lyrics for all songs entitled 'Over There'. Do any search engines do this? Symantec's Q&A database (1984) could handle this kind of query. For now I just want the lyrics for the song. Later I want more.
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Coooool! Spencer K. Whetstone
found the lyrics.
Less than 1 hour turnaround. How did he do it?
Even Better! Dan Levy found a big WAV file with the music! What a trip. Total goosebumps. I'm so glad I asked this question. BTW, Over There could be the theme song for Frontier 5. And we won't come back till it's over, over there. LOL! |
A Theme Song |
It was the theme song of World War I for the USA.
Transcript of Jobs's MacWorld presentation.
What goes up a chimney down, but not down a chimney up?
MacWorld's Best of Show page.
News.com: ACLU paper slams filters, ratings.
August 21: Microsoft's WWLive Conference.
Jeb Bateman responds to my critique of the AnchorDesk site and critiques Scripting News. We'll implement his suggestions here.
Some Answers from De Luca to questions asked in yesterday's Behind the Hype.
MacWEEK's Don Crabb gets tough with the whiners. A question for Don, user to user, why should we give up the new designs from Power and Motorola? Also your logic about Apple needing more money seems thin. I need more money too. So do you, probably. Everyone needs more money. So what? (I'll believe Apple needs more money after they spend a year without acquiring a new operating system, firing a CEO, having a reorg or layoffs, or cancelling a major R&D project.)
Another thought for Don -- since we, as users, are going to be paying that money to Apple, maybe it would be cheaper for us to buy Apple, release the source code to the OS, and let anyone who wants to build Macs. What do you think?
MacWorld: Apple is playing a dirty game.
A Scripting News favorite: Don's Amazing Puzzle.
Believe it or not, Maura Welch, a correspondent for the Boston Globe, wants to marry Apple. She's willing to sign a prenup!
Funny! 101 Ways to Save Wired Ventures.
#102: Why do their news pages display so poorly in MSIE/Mac?
It took 23 seconds to load this AnchorDesk page on a full T1 line. Amazingly, they're using GIFs to do the links down the left edge of the page! How would you redesign this site's template to make it more fun to visit?
Wired: US president Bill Clinton on the Microsoft-Apple deal.
Jesse Berst suggests Steve Ballmer as the new CEO of Apple. In an interview with a Newsweek reporter yesterday I had the same idea! What a small world we live in. Hey, I thought Ballmer would make a good choice for Netscape CEO, back in August 1996.
Chris Nolan on the Silicon Valley party scene in the SJ Merc.
From sources close to the Microsoft-Apple negotiations... The key point of the deal was the settlement of a patent dispute. Since we don't know what Apple gave up, we can't really evaluate this part of the deal.
The clone issue is still around. In the SJ Merc Jobs says "Apple lives in an ecosystem and it needs help from other partners. Relationships that are destructive don't help anyone in this industry." Hey, that's slippery. Are users, who he's stealing choice from, in the industry?
News.com: More tough talk from Apple about cloners.
Henry Norr reviews Apple's new machines in MacWEEK. They're the fastest Macs for now.
From Can Apple Survive?, 4/21/97: "License the Mac OS cheaply to clone makers. Look to differentiate your product with software you license from developers. The truth -- most of the value is out of the Mac OS. To charge a premium for it now defeats the purpose of having a separate platform. We all must get in line on this one and agree that we want lots of Macs from anyone, not a small number of Macs just from Apple. If that's how it plays out, the Mac loses all its remaining developer energy."
DaveNet: Microsoft Backs Apple. More info...
SJ Mercury: Mac cloners threaten protest.
InfoWorld: Marimba to add non-Java software updating.
Peter Wayner in NY Times: Cross-platform Java problem.
MacWorld: License or Die.
DaveNet: Dead Man Walking.
MacWEEK: Timbuktu 4.0 is scriptable.
David Morgenstern in MacWEEK: Keeping Jobs grounded in reality. Mazel tov!
Wired News: Eternity Servers.
Here's an example of an eternity server.
Thanks Phil! Using Frontier with non-English languages -- especially Japanese and other double-byte languages.
MacWorld: The Apple licensing saga gets stranger and wierder.
Marc Canter braindump on streaming media.
Microsoft buys VXtreme, launches NetShow, and Oracle announces a new real-time API.
The unofficial SIGGRAPH party list.
Do you dig Delphi? Borland has an executive job opening in R&D.
1/11/96: Boston Phoenix review of Dead Man Walking (the movie).
10/24/96: Que Sera Sera.
Doris Day sings Que Sera Sera.
Microsoft: 100 companies license Visual Basic for Applications.
A sample page on the Fortune website. It takes 10 secs to load on a full T1 here; and the images don't have heights and widths so you can't start reading until the page is fully loaded. How would you redesign this site to make it more fun to come back to?
PC WEEK: Rob O'Regan wants to bury the Mac. He says the Mac isn't a religion. Right on. So why are his arguments religious?
InfoWorld: IBM/Motorola offer faster PowerPC chips.
MacWorld (the magazine) will webcast the Steve Jobs keynote on Wednesday at 6AM Pacific.
MacWorld: Vector graphic formats for the web.
Jesse Berst tunes into fat web pages...
a concept that was pioneered here
on scripting.com. I agree it's the right way to go.
Mark Tebbe in InfoWorld: Microsoft won't fully support Java. Now what?
News.com: Microsoft has a search engine in development.
Great piece by Jorg Brown, Apple developer since 1984.
Great piece by Danny Goodman, one of the leading writers of the scripting world since Hypercard 1.0.
Suggestion to the WebCollage people -- do a graphic that displays the current market cap for Apple. "As of 10AM Pacific on 8/4/97 it would cost $3.2 billion to buy Apple."
Boston: Be OS for Intel CPUs.
Help needed... I won't be in Boston on Wednesday for the opening of MacWorld Expo, but I'd like to listen to the keynote on the web. If you're part of a news organization that will have audio and/or video coverage, please send me an email, dave@scripting.com; I'll put up a page with pointers. Thanks!
MacPower launches; a Scandanavian Mac user site.
There was a six-hour outage here between approx 3AM and 9AM Monday, Pacific time.
It seems that PacBell tripped over a wire. Sorry for the outage! It happens...
Got RealVideo? Steve Jobs at the 1997 WWDC.
The the Vonnegut commencement speech wasn't exactly a hoax. Here's the explanation.
TechWeb: Buy a Macintosh, improve your return on investment.
Perfect! A QuickTime movie of the young Steve Jobs saying "let's show them why 1984 won't be like 1984."
From Jean-Louis Gassée, re Ellison to Join Apple's Board: "This is great news. I like and admire Larry. He's got brains and balls neatly wired together. Great addition to Apple's board, great opportunity for Apple to enter new markets. All you need now is SPJ as Chairman and Apple is back kicking butt."
Summer reading: Top books of the 20th Century.
Watercolors look great on the web. I helped my friend Upada get some of her paintings online. She has postcards and a poster for sale on the site. If enough people buy some we'll be able to get more coool content to flow from the Harbin community.
SJ Mercury: Apple warned -- keep cloning.
MacWEEK: Mac OS licensing in jeopardy?
News.com: Apple has death wish, says cloner.
Wired: MacUser folds, MacWEEK and MacWorld merge.
Apparently the Vonnegut commencement speech was a hoax.
PC WEEK: Netscape to offer standalone browser. Thanks!
Got Java? FlowFazer is cooool.
MacWorld: Licensing pullback could boomerang on Apple.
InfoWorld: Web-enabled FileMaker is an HTTP server.
Confirmed with individual sources at four Mac clone vendors... Early this week Apple's board of directors discontinued licensing the Mac OS, withdrew their committment of CHRP, and decided not to license a laptop or their new desktop designs.
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Reuters: Ellison to join Apple's board.
NY Times: Jobs active in recruiting new CEO. Picture of Jobs, Sculley and Wozniak in 1984 at the rollout of the Apple IIc. A summary of Orwell's 1984 by Guenter Ott. |
The 1984 Message |
I'm looking for a picture of Jobs at the 1/24/84 Mac rollout for a piece I'm working on. Please send email to dave@scripting.com if you find one. Thanks!
Kurt Vonnegut: Do one thing every day that scares you.
Thursby Software's awkwardly named Dave software makes a Mac a full peer on a Windows NT network. It's strategic software.
From Larry Tesler, tesler@pobox.com:
"After seventeen years, I am leaving Apple to co-found a software company that will develop products for children."
Back issues...
Check out Scripting News -- July 1997.
See the directory site for a list of important pages on this server
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