With the recent pain that SoBig and Blaster have brought to computer users around the world, a Mac evangelist would hope that more and more people are considering the Apple platform. While we can hardly expect droves of Windows users to switch after these frustrations, we can at least take pleasure in our relative invulnerability from them. Sure, your inbox and mine as well has been flooded with PIF and SCR files, but they don’t break anything and after a few Mail seems to be piping them to the Junk folder where they belong.

But what is it that helps keep us safe from harm? Is it because we have a minority platform? Is it because of stronger security concerns by Apple’s developers? Or have we inherited Unix’s legacy of security? While all of these come into play, far too many people seem to be pointing to the first.

Virus writers tend to not have convictions. While you might find messages imploring “Billy” Gates to secure his software, don’t be fooled into thinking that these malicious individuals write their software as a political statement. Far from it. What drives these miscreants is something far simpler than a desire for more secure software. Besides, if Microsoft really took security to heart, these folks wouldn’t get to have their fun.

No, something much more basic is involved here. I think it’s the challenge. There’s a good amount of challenge involved in writing a virus, hacking a system, what have you. But, just like everything else in life, there are varying forms of challenges involved in computing. At some point we all face the challenge of first learning to use a computer. How to click the mouse, type in some text, maybe use the command line. Then there is the challenge of learning the Internet and its many wonders. These are things that all users go through.

If you want to be a malicious person, there are plenty of challenges for bad purposes in computing as well. And if you’re looking to get your foot in the door, Microsoft Windows offers plenty of easy entrances. Due to the general lack of consideration for security in Windows, one can write a pretty destructive program with very little effort. The operating system itself does very little to restrict a user’s actions, nor does it do much to restrict the actions of an application that might be running on that user’s computer.

The Windows security model, which, contrary to popular belief, does exist, isn’t as well thought out as that present in a Unix operating system. On top of that, it doesn’t have 30 years of corrections and adaptations integrated into it like Unix does. With Mac OS X, Apple adopted Unix and inherited 30 years of tried, tested, and true security. Are there viruses and worms on Unix? Of course, but they are fewer in number and usually, once discovered, corrected much faster than anything coming out of Microsoft.

When a security flaw was found in Samba, it was maybe a week before Apple had released a fix through software update. By choosing Unix, Apple has gained the advantage of thousands of programmers around the world who all take security to heart. Security is a core goal of every Unix project. Yet on Windows, it almost seems that security is an afterthought. Other things are more important to Microsoft than the security of its customers and their systems. It’s really a sad state of affairs when a company that doesn’t take its own security to heart lands a contract with the US Department of Homeland Security.

So, next time someone says that there are obviously not viruses on Macs because hardly anyone uses them, put them in their place. Tell them the real truth: that security is at the foreground of Unix and thus Mac OS X. Tell them security’s not an afterthought, but one of the main factors that is driving the platform. Then tell them to patch their system so I stop getting all of this weird traffic coming to my computer and these annoying emails ;)

What are your thoughts on security? Do you like where Apple is going with it?

It’s not so much a matter of if Microsoft rewrites Virtual PC for the G5, but when.

On August 12 Microsoft completed the acquisition of Virtual PC from longtime Mac-favorite company, Connectix. This is the company that over the years brought Mac users innovative products such as RAM Doubler, and the round, beige, QuickCam before the iSight was ever a twinkle in Apple’s eye.

When I learned of the Virtual PC sale to Microsoft, I was as sad for the loss of one of my favorite Apple innovators as I was concerned for the future of Windows emulation on OS X. Connectix will remain one of my all time favorite Mac companies.

And now the ball is in Microsoft’s court. Will the Mac Business Unit receive the resources it needs to keep Virtual PC on the fast track of Apple innovation, or will it become the ignored child that many of us feared it might when handed over to its new foster parents?

Over the last three years I’ve had a lot of respect for the Mac BU. They stepped up to the plate with Internet Explorer and Office X while many Mac developers dragged their feet concerning OS X app development. There was no love involved then; it was a financial decision.

These days, I think Virtual PC is a good business opportunity for Microsoft. Along with Office X, it could be one of the products that grows with Apple. I just hope they think so too.

Related link: https://governmentforge.org/

Government Forge is a new website that appears to be an offshoot of the SourceForge Leopard project. Its stated mission is:

…providing free and open source software to state and local governments. This site owes its inspiration to School Forge. Our primary objective involves providing a place for you to find and download software for use in your organization. By facilitating the use of standards based products we hope to eliminate duplication of efforts and costly licensing fees while encouraging innovation at the state and local level.

Those interested in Open Source projects in Government settings may also want to drop by my Open Source in Government blog site

Have you used Government Forge? Thoughts? Opinions?

Regardless of how you feel about the testing methodology for Apple’s new Power Mac G5, you have to admit that this machine appears to be an amazing hardware feat that can compete with Intel’s best offerings.

One of the questions that I have, however, is “how important is the success of the G5 to the perception that Apple is a major player in the high end personal computer market?”

Apple is already running Unix under the hood with Mac OS X, and it has adopted acclaimed open source technologies such as the Apache web server. Arguably, Apple produces some of the best laptops in the universe, and its new Xserve product is turning many heads behind the firewall. Now they add the Power Mac G5 to the mix.

As an aside to this discussion, I’m working on a new publication that’s a partnership between O’Reilly & Associates and Macworld Publishing. For its debut, I’d like to include a Feedback column. So I thought, what better place to get things rolling than right here with a weblog?

If you have a thoughtful comment about this G5 question, and are willing to let me publish it in a new journal that will debut in late September, then post a TalkBack here. (If you want to comment and don’t want your words considered for the journal, then just say so at the end of your TalkBack, and I won’t use it.)

I’ll let everyone know when the new publication is available and how to get your hands on it.

So, until then, the question is, “How important is the success of the G5 to the perception that Apple is a major player in the high end personal computer market?”

Let me know what you think, and thanks for your thoughts…

Webcams and other video capture devices are gaining popularity for both business and personal use. When Apple released the iSight and iChat AV in June, Mac users were finally able to enjoy conferencing capabilities on par with the Windows world. Unfortunately, this also means that we have even more badly-lit A/V chats streaming across the Internet than ever before.

I have an iSight, and I like using it. But as I’m using it with friends and coworkers, I’m noticing that a quick brush-up course on lighting is in order. Video is video. And whether the images are being captured by a $50 webcam or a sophisticated DV camcorder, a little attention to lighting goes a long way.

Natural Light Still Rules

When you have the option, use natural light. Many conference rooms have windows, and if you’re lucky enough to have such a situation, then position the meeting attendees so they are facing the window and place the webcam with its back to the illumination. Same thing goes if you are taping the meeting with a DV camcorder.

In this illustration from my Digital Video Pocket Guide, I show how attractive window illumination can be. In many situations however, there might not be enough light from the window to fully illuminate your subject. Then, the window becomes a supplemental light source — but a darn good one.

What ever you do, don’t place the window behind the subjects creating a backlit situation. Backlighting is the most difficult lighting to tame in video, and you want to avoid it at all costs.

Add Light as Needed

As I mentioned earlier, window illumination might not be strong enough for your video work, or you might not have access to natural lighting at all. In those cases, you need to find another strong light source to direct at the subjects to either supplement the natural light or replace it all together.

At home or in the conference room you can use free standing “torch lamps.” or other decorative lighting to add much needed lux to the room. I think it’s best to use two sources (a lamp on each side of the table) for more balanced lighting and to eliminate strong shadows, which tend to be unflattering for your subjects.

Also, turn up the overhead room lights to create some ambiance. But don’t rely on overhead lighting alone. It’s very unflattering for people when it’s the only light source, making their eyes go dark and accentuating their noses and rough spots in their complexion. (Not exactly the way to win over a new client!)

Remember, indoor overhead lighting, such as fluorescents, is a supplement only, never the sole light source for video.

Look Good

The point of video conferencing or taped meetings is to improve communication, not to scare the viewer. A little attention to lighting — whether in your home office, conference room, or on the road — will make your A/V communication a positive experience for your viewers.

And finally, no matter what type of video you’re interested in capturing, my Digital Video Pocket Guide will help you get great stuff. Remember, good data in, good data out.

My timing was a little off when I bought my 667 MHz TiBook a couple years ago. The only optical drive that was offered then was the read-only CD-DVD drive. About two months after I had my PowerBook in hand, Apple started shipping them with the combo drive… at no extra charge. Rats! Previous owners could upgrade, but it would cost $299 US, plus we’d have to send in our notebooks for the installation. I decided to pass.

The 667 is my road warrior. I just love it. I can nurse a full day’s work out of the battery (by dimming the screen and limiting network activity), it has a standard VGA port so I don’t need an adapter for projectors, and it has enough horse power to handle my digital photography and movie making.

But I’ve always wanted a burner inside, and after working with the 1 GHz PowerBook that has the Toshiba hard drive, I fantasized about replacing my existing 20 GB IBM drive with the more modern Toshiba model.

I visited a parts supplier that I had heard good things about called Other World Computing. They offered good deals on replacement optical and hard drives for the TiBook. Their Mercury Ti-Combo Drive had good specs (8X CD-R/8X CD-RW/24X CD + 8X DVD) and was available for $199 US (You can get a SuperDrive too, but it’s pricey at $399). As for the hard drive, they offered a nice selection including a 40 GB Toshiba spinning at 5400 rpm with a 16 MB buffer for $149 US. My existing IBM drive was definitely slower (4200 rpm) than that.

OWC’s web site was easy to navigate and their shopping cart was a breeze. I received the two drives within three days as promised, including a terrific installation manual that was fully illustrated. (Nice touch OWC!) The only thing I had to provide was the Torx T-8 and Phillips head screwdrivers.

Installation took about an hour. I didn’t run into any problems at all. I had heard horror stories about replacing the bottom covers on TiBooks, but my old back reattached without a hitch.

After a week of use, I feel like I have a new computer. I still have all the advantages of my old 667, but the new Mercury optical drive is much snappier than my older read-only model, and it’s compatible with all of my Apple apps and Toast. Best of all it doesn’t “whine” like my old drive when I ask it to accept a CD. It just grabs it and goes to work.

The Toshiba drive is wonderful. It’s very fast and quiet. The overall improvement is quite noticeable. The site says up to 12 percent better performance with this drive. I have to tell you; it feels like more. But, I should add that I also rebuilt Mac OS X from scratch, and I’m sure that helps too. Plus now I have a 7 GB partition for testing new OSs without disrupting my daily work.

I think older PowerBooks are terrific machines, especially for the road warrior. These new drives from OWC have brought me and my reliable work companion even closer together.

It’s been more than a year since I posted How Our OS X Rollout Was Hamstrung, on how the absence of a free version of Pro Tools for OS X was preventing the Berkeley J-School’s multimedia lab program from making the jump from OS 9 to X. The issue was that Pro Tools Free wouldn’t run in Classic mode, and we didn’t want our students dual-booting.

A native version of Pro Tools finally was released, but Digidesign has still not released a free native version. This is the rub: We have no right whatsoever to expect a free version of anything from anyone. It so happens that we’ve built our curriculum and budget around the free version, but that’s not Digi’s fault. I feel for them - it’s very hard to start charging for something that the public has learned to expect to get for free.

But unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know how bad California’s budget crisis is these days, and how profoundly it’s affecting the UC system. I’m lucky to still have my job. Paying $500/seat for the M-Boxes we would need to run Pro Tools natively is simply out of the question (not to mention a hassle - we don’t need more hardware cluttering up the lab). Since we simply could not wait any longer for the OS X jump, we got drastic.

One of our dilemmas in developing curricula for a multimedia skills class for journalists is whether we have to A) teach what’s being used in the field to best prepare students for the real world, even if that means using software that’s way more complex than it needs to be for the tasks at hand, or B) Focus on the goals of immediate projects; teach multimedia principles and use software that’s easier or cheaper. In the end, and in this particular instance, we decided that even though Pro Tools is an industry standard, we can teach what we want students to know about multitrack mixing elsewhere.

Meanwhile, we discovered that we had a bunch of old licenses for Adobe Premiere, which we weren’t using. And we discovered that Apple had a program to subsidize users migrating from Premiere to Final Cut. Long story short, we were able to upgrade our Final Cut Pro 3 seats to Final Cut Pro 4 very affordably. And Final Cut 4 includes the new Soundtrack software, which can be used both for creating sample-based loops and soundtracks and for basic multitrack mixing. And it’s integrated with the video projects they’re already working on.

Long story short, we’re dumping Pro Tools and going with Soundtrack, at least for this semester. If it doesn’t work out for some reason, we’ll look elsewhere, but we have high hopes. And our students will finally be on OS X.

Laptop batteries are great… until every now and then one goes bad. And if you want to alienate your local independent Mac retailer, or even Apple itself, then simply tell them that you have a dead battery that’s still under warranty. They will run from you like the plague.

Inside, on some deeper level, I must have known what I was in for. Why else would I have let my deceased PowerBook G4 battery sit there in my office for more than three months without exchanging it for a new one? Finally, a week ago Saturday (Aug. 2), I took the battery with its documentation to the closest independent Apple dealer.

Round One: The Apple Authorized Service Provider

When I handed my battery to the salesperson and explained that it was under warranty, but no longer worked, his expression changed from cheerful to anxious. I might as well have thrust Plutonium toward him. He said nervously, “I’m not authorized to exchange this battery. You will have to come back Monday.”

Unfortunately I had this other little thing to attend to on Monday… called my job. So I telephoned instead. That was a mistake. Not only was my call not answered by a human, I had to endure 8 minutes of auto attendant looping before I could even leave a message, which was never returned.

After much persistence, I was finally able to talk to a live person the following afternoon. The news was bad. “Apple policy says we can’t help you. You have to call AppleCare.” Disgusted, I called AppleCare, and the service rep said that he could help me, but it would be somewhat tedious. The easiest thing to do would be to take my battery and my computer to an Apple Store, which was about an hour away, traffic willing.

I decided to try another local Apple Authorized Service Provider to see what they had to say. When I explained my situation, I swore I could hear his eyes rolling back. At least he explained why he couldn’t help me, which I’ll cover later in this post.

Round Two: The Apple Store

So my last hope was the Apple Store in Emeryville, CA. I went straight to the Genius Bar that was surrounded by laptop-toting Californians. The technician was juggling three customers who were at various stages of reaching their personal solution when he waved me over. I explained my situation and showed him my documentation. He tested the battery. “Let me go grab a new one out of stock he said.” I was home free!

Well, not exactly. The store was out of stock of PB G4 batteries. I had two options: 1) Have him call me when they arrive, and I go pick it up, or 2) He enter a case in the Apple system, then I call AppleCare, provide the case number, and have it sent to my home. I chose door number two.

A couple days later I called AppleCare and gave them my case number. After a little wrangling, they finally agreed to send me a battery, and I agreed to return the dead one. I had to give them a my Visa card number in case I failed to follow through with my end of the bargain. I’m convinced that had it not been for the effort of the technician at the Genius Bar carefully entering the documentation in the Apple system, I never would have won my case on the phone with AppleCare. It was a close call as it was.

Round Three: Here’s How It Works

Along the way, I’ve learned a few things that I’d like to pass along.

• Everything is easier with an AppleCare Protection Plan. I know it’s expensive, but it opens many doors and makes repairs and parts replacement much easier. Your one-year complementary computer warranty is good too, but one year goes fast. You can purchase AppleCare anytime during the one-year warranty period, and if you have a laptop, that’s what I recommend you do. Wait until 10 months or so if you need to, but do so before your complementary warranty expires.

• With Apple, it’s easier to replace computers than parts. If your problem is associated with a covered computer, even independent authorized dealers can help you. But with parts purchased off the shelf, such as batteries, mice, keyboards and even AirPort Base Stations, the situation gets a bit more dicey. Computer serial numbers are stored in the Apple database and are easily verified. Battery serial numbers are not. Most independent dealers are not willing to hassle with Apple over a part that they may ultimately get stuck with if they can’t prove that it’s covered. So that one year warranty written on a piece of paper that comes with a battery you buy off the shelf might be technically valid, but in the real world it isn’t worth much… with one exception: if you have an Apple Store nearby.

• Apple Stores are far and away the most helpful, and powerful ally you can have to help you maintain your Mac. AppleCare on the phone is tedious at best. And the people on the other end of the line seem to have a hard time remembering correct Apple policy. Authorized Service Providers don’t have as much leverage with Apple as the Apple Stores do, and whenever possible, they will put the problem back in your lap instead of on theirs. Plus, Apple Stores seem to hire bright people who know what they are doing. And more importantly, they have the authority to make decisions. I’ve been in four different Apple retail outlets so far, and I’ve had good experiences. I’ve been in three independent stores in the last year, and left frustrated each time.

My bottom line is that Apple Stores are vital for maintaining customer satisfaction. Not only are they a great place to buy equipment; they are a good resource to help you maintain it. I think independent authorized dealers will continue to survive in areas not serviced by official Apple Stores (or in the same area if they provide equal customer service).

But in my experience, Apple Stores are different, and better, than nearly any other brick and mortar option available. I hope they continue to flourish (possibly one north of the Golden Gate Bridge?).

According to this report on Mac Daily News, the formerly twice a year Macworld conference will happen just once a year…in San Francisco…in January.

There’s been much speculation lately about what would happen with Macworld NY after the dismal attendance there last month. Next year, the conference was to move to Boston, but that was squashed last week. Now this.

Seems like they’ve realized that the big draw to Macworld is Steve Jobs and his keynote, which he’s reportedly made clear he’ll only do once a year. In San Francisco.

Seems like the Bay Area will be the place to be in 2004 for Mac conferences:

• Macworld (January)
• WWDC (May or June?)
• MOSXCon (October?)

Well, that and little ol’ Dearborn, MI for MacHack. ;^)

What’s your take on IDGs decision to make Macworld a once-a-year event? What about the other Mac conferences, including our own; what are you planning to attend and why?

I get lots of questions from people trying to figure out how best to spend their hard earned money. And looking at the latest generations of both digital camcorders and cameras, it’s sometimes difficult to decide which way to go.

Many digital still cameras, such as the Canon G5 and S-400 can shoot video up to 3 minutes long, and you can edit the clips in playback mode. The Olympus C-5050 takes this a step further and enables you to shoot video until your memory card fills up.

On the DV side of the coin, Sony’s new DCR-TRV70 MiniDV, which is a heck of a camcorder, enables you to capture 2 megapixel still photos and save them to a Memory Stick. It even has a popup flash!

So which way do you go?

A look at the features .

Well, here are a few things to keep in mind as you shop:

• Most digital still cameras, not all, have a time limit on the footage you can shoot. IMHO, the 3-minute limit is often a good thing in amateur film making because that’s long enough for most scenes. But think about the types of scenes you shoot and keep this in mind.
• The typical frame dimensions for QuickTime movies shot with still cameras is 320 x 240. That’s about half of what you get with a DV camcorder. Half size is perfect for computer playback and web publishing, but not so good for TV playback. Also, the frame rate on still cameras is usually 15 fps… again about half the frame rate of DV cams. Not a huge issue here, but you should be aware of it.
• When shooting movies with still cameras, the zoom feature is often disabled. Again, this might not be a bad thing since excessive zooming during the shot is a dead amateur give-away. But there are times when you might want to creep in or out during the take.
• If you’re not up to speed working in QuickTime Pro, editing video from a still camera might not be as convenient as working in iMovie or Movie Maker. And editing is important.
• Going the other way, 2 megapixel pictures are wonderful, and more videocams than ever can capture stills at this resolution. But that only equals a 5″ x 7″ photo quality print, or an 8″ x 10″ enlargement at best. So your stills captured with a videocam are mostly for snapshots, email, and web publishing.
• If a videocam is your only digital still camera while on vacation, etc, you might miss some shots because you left the camcorder back in the room while going out to dinner, etc. Camcorders tend to be more bulky than those little point and shoot wonders such as the Canon S-400 that fit nicely in your pocket.
• Videocams cost more than digital stills. Prices are changing all the time, but figure that a video cam that has what you want is going to cost about twice as much as a digital still that has all the features you need.

Bottom line.

If your main interest in movie making is for computer playback, such as on CD, DVD, or the web, and you consider yourself primarily a still photographer who likes to capture the occasional movie, then pay close attention to the “movie mode” specs on still cameras. You might find the perfect tool at an affordable price. Be sure to factor in the cost of a couple 512 MB memory cards — you’re going to need them!

On the other hand, if you consider yourself a video aficionado, but want to have still picture capability, then take a close look at the current crop of camcorders that feature still pictures of 1.3 megapixels or more. If you use iPhoto, you might want to do some testing to see if you can upload directly from the camcorder. Currently, Apple only lists the Canon ZR 65 and ZR 70 on its iPhoto compatibility page, but often devices that aren’t listed will work too. Worse case scenario is that you get a media card reader for uploading.

Keep in mind that if you find yourself leaving your videocam behind more often than not, you might want to start saving for a pocketable point and shoot digital still camera… just so you don’t miss too many of life’s precious moments.

Last, but not least, consider getting both my Digital Video and Digital Photography Pocket Guides. You can purchase both books together for less than the price of a memory card, and you’ll maximize your equipment investment, regardless of which route you choose.

Related link: https://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=146358

Reuters reports that Bryan Glance of MobileArmor advises us not to put any secure information on a PDA (Palm OS or Pocket PC based) in Reuters: Hand-Held Devices Easy to Hack, Security Experts Say.

Ed Hansberry (PocketPCThoughts Contributing Editor)offers a rebuttal to this claim and some advice at: PocketPCThoughts: Handheld Devices Lack Security?

Me? I tend to be Ed’s camp on this matter. PDAs are a great tool. And, one of the tool functions it can provide is to store secure information in a secure way. The trick it to make sure to use additional software tools to make keep that information secure. And, as Ed points out, those tools are out there. Quite honestly, I think information with appropriate security software stored in a PDA is more secure than storing that same information written on a card in my physical wallet.

What do you think? Do you believe you can adequately secure information on your PDA?