- apple-list - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

FYI: Mozilla would like to move Thunderbird to someone else
by Wayne Billing 02 Dec '15

02 Dec '15

…from: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/12/thunderbird-a-tax-on-… https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/mozilla.governance/kAyVlhfEcXg Thunderbird “a tax” on Firefox development, and Mozilla wants to drop it Thunderbird is already low on its priority list; Mozilla wants to spin it off. by Andrew Cunningham<http://arstechnica.com/author/andrew_cunningham/> - Dec 1, 2015 9:41am CST * Share<https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2Finform…> * Tweet<https://twitter.com/share?text=Thunderbird%20%E2%80%9Ca%20tax%E2%80%9D%20on…> 146<http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/12/thunderbird-a-tax-on-…> [cid:69FC9635-901D-4FD7-94DA-0D3A09EF4DC1] Mozilla would like to drop Thunderbird from its list of projects. Andrew Cunningham FURTHER READING MOZILLA TO PUSH THUNDERBIRD OUT OF THE NEST<http://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2007/07/mozilla-to-push-thunderbird-ou…> Mozilla CEO Mitchell Baker wants to spin off an independent organization for … You might know Mozilla primarily for its Firefox browser, but for many years the company has also developed an e-mail client called Thunderbird. The two projects use the same rendering engine and other underlying technology, but Mozilla Executive Chairwoman Mitchell Baker has announced<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/mozilla.governance/kAyVlhfEcXg> that Mozilla would like to stop supporting Thunderbird, calling its continuing maintenance "a tax" on the more important work of developing Firefox. "Many inside of Mozilla, including an overwhelming majority of our leadership, feel the need to be laser-focused on activities like Firefox that can have an industry-wide impact," Baker writes. "With all due respect to Thunderbird and the Thunderbird community, we have been clear for years that we do not view Thunderbird as having this sort of potential." Mozilla doesn't plan to drop Thunderbird immediately, however—the current maintenance schedule will continue, and Thunderbird users can continue to use the product. But the end goal for Mozilla, according to Baker, is to find "the right kind of legal and financial home" for the Thunderbird project, and "[separate] itself from reliance on Mozilla development systems and in some cases, Mozilla technology." In other words, the company would like to give Thunderbird to people who will take care of it, freeing the Firefox team from having to worry about it. Mozilla's recent support for Thunderbird has been limited—it still receives security updates and basic changes imported from Firefox, but adding major features hasn't been a priority for Mozilla for several years now<http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/06/so-thats-it-for-thunderbird/> despite some efforts from the development community<https://blog.mozilla.org/thunderbird/2014/11/thunderbird-reorganizes-at-201…>. In fact, Thunderbird is currently only updated on Mozilla's "extended support release<http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/01/firefox-extended-support-will-mitig…>" (ESR) schedule, originally implemented to help IT managers deal with Firefox and Thunderbird's then-new rapid-release cycle.

1 0

FYI: If, after charging, your iPad Pro stops responding....
by Wayne Billing 19 Nov '15

19 Nov '15

…from: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT6671 If your iPad Pro stops responding and the screen is black Learn what to do if your iPad Pro doesn't respond when you press buttons or tap on the screen, and the screen is black. To get back to using your iPad Pro, force restart<https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201559> it by pressing and holding both the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons for at least ten seconds, until you see the Apple logo. Apple is aware of this issue and is investigating. This document will be updated as more information becomes available. Last Modified: Nov 19, 2015

1 0

FYI: El Capitan v10.11.1 Update is recommended for all OS X El Capitan users
by Wayne Billing 26 Oct '15

26 Oct '15

…from: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205360 About the OS X El Capitan v10.11.1 Update The OS X El Capitan v10.11.1 Update is recommended for all OS X El Capitan users. The OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 update improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, and is recommended for all users. This update: * Improves installer reliability when upgrading to OS X El Capitan. * Improves compatibility with Microsoft Office 2016. * Fixes an issue where outgoing server information may be missing from Mail. * Resolves an issue that prevented display of messages and mailboxes in Mail. * Resolves an issue that prevents certain Audio Unit plug-ins from functioning properly. * Improves VoiceOver reliability. * Adds over 150 new emoji characters with full Unicode 7.0 and 8.0 support. * Resolves an issue that caused JPEG images to appear as a gray or green box in Preview. For detailed information about the security content of this update, see Apple Security Updates<https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222>. How to update your Mac Before updating, it's a good idea to back up up your Mac<https://www.apple.com/support/backup/>. Then use the Mac App Store<https://support.apple.com/HT201541> to install the update. Some updates become available only after installing other updates. Install all available updates, and allow installation to complete without interruption. You can also get this update from the Apple Support Downloads<http://support.apple.com/downloads/macos> site. You might have unexpected results if third-party OS X modifications have been installed, or you modified OS X in other ways. Last Modified: Oct 21, 2015 Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support Computer and Network Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne.Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne.Billing@umanitoba.ca>

1 0

FYI: Microsoft OFFICE and Outlook problems with El Capitan OS X release
by Wayne Billing 14 Oct '15

14 Oct '15

…from: http://www.macrumors.com/2015/10/05/microsoft-office-2016-el-capitan-bugs/ http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2016-macoutlook/outlo… Microsoft Working on Fix for Office Bugs in OS X El Capitan Monday October 5, 2015 10:06 am PDT by Juli Clover Since OS X El Capitan was released to the public<http://www.macrumors.com/2015/09/30/os-x-10-11-el-capitan-released/> last week, Microsoft Office users have noticed some serious bugs when attempting to use the software. Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint are crashing for many Microsoft users who have installed Office 2016, and Office 2011 users are also noticing problems with Outlook. Microsoft is aware of the problems with its software and has been responding to customer complaints. In a thread on the Microsoft forums<http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2016-macoutlook/outlo…>, Microsoft Program Manager Faisal Jeelani said the company is working with Apple to resolve the issues, but said there is no timeline for a fix. Microsoft also gave Computerworld<http://www.computerworld.com/article/2988995/mac-os-x/microsoft-acknowledge…> a similar statement: "We know that some users may be experiencing issues with Office 2016 for Mac running on El Capitan," the statement read. "We are actively investigating the matter with Apple. Until there is a fix, we recommend people install the latest updates to Office 2016 for Mac using Microsoft AutoUpdate." Microsoft Program Manager Faisal Jeelani: <http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/profile/41b14d01-7c89-4fc5-8523-b55a7903…> FJ Faisal Jeelani<http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/profile/41b14d01-7c89-4fc5-8523-b55a7903…> replied on October 1, 2015 * Microsoft Hello everyone, We are aware of the issue with Outlook 2011 on El Capitan and of Office 2016 on El Capitan. We are working on a fix for 2011 and for 2016 we are working closely with Apple to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Unfortunately we do not have any timelines for either fix, please stay tuned and thank you for your understanding. Faisal Jeelani | Program Management | Outlook for Mac

1 2

INTEREST: Firefox PLUGINS: support for most being removed by end of 2016
by Wayne Billing 10 Oct '15

10 Oct '15

…from: https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2015/10/08/npapi-plugins-in-firefox/ http://www.engadget.com/2015/10/09/firefox-stops-plugin-support-by-end-of-2… NPAPI Plugins in Firefox Benjamin Smedberg [cid:02D89318-17F6-4D45-8A15-4E6068B848D0] <https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/author/bsmedbergmozillacom/> OCT <https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2015/10/> 8 2015 <https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2015/> Mozilla has been steadily improving the Web platform to support features that were once only available via NPAPI plugins. […] Mozilla intends to remove support for most NPAPI plugins in Firefox by the end of 2016. Firefox began this process several years ago<https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2013/09/24/plugin-activation-in-fir…> with manual plugin activation, allowing users to activate plugins only when they were necessary. This decision mirrors actions by other modern browsers, such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, which have already removed support for legacy plugins. Moreover, since new Firefox platforms do not have to support an existing ecosystem of users and plugins, new platforms such as 64-bit Firefox for Windows will launch without plugin support. […] Websites and publishers which currently use plugins such as Silverlight or Java should accelerate their transition to Web technologies. The Web platform is powerful and can usually do everything that a plugin can do. In the rare cases where a site needs to extend Web technologies, the recommended solution is to develop the additional features as a Firefox add-on. Site maintainers should prepare for plugins to stop working in all versions of Firefox by the end of 2016. Mozilla continues to work with the Oracle Java Platform Group to ensure a smooth transition for those web sites that use Java. More information from Oracle about Java transition plans can be found in a post<https://blogs.oracle.com/java-platform-group/entry/npapi_plugin_perspective…> from the Oracle team. Oracle recommends<http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/deploy/applet_dev_gui…> that sites currently using Java applets consider switching to plugin-free solutions such as Java Web Start<https://blogs.oracle.com/java-platform-group/entry/java_web_start_in_or>. […]

1 0

FYI: Project Apollo Archive: NASA publishes thousands of Apollo photographs
by Wayne Billing 04 Oct '15

04 Oct '15

…from: http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/2015/20151002-apollo-astronaut-p… Thousands of Photos by Apollo Astronauts now on Flickr Posted By Jason Davis 2015/10/02 15:49 UTC A cache of more than 8,400 high-resolution photographs taken by Apollo astronauts during trips to the moon is now available for viewing and download. Kipp Teague, who created the massive image repository Project Apollo Archive in 1999, recently uploaded new, unprocessed versions of original NASA photo scans to the image sharing service Flickr. Teague says every photo taken on the lunar surface by astronauts with their chest-mounted Hasselblad cameras is included in the collection, along with numerous other Hasselblad photos shot from Earth and lunar orbit, as well as during the journey between the two. [unknown.jpg] https://www.flickr.com/photos/projectapolloarchive/albums [unknown.jpg]

1 0

INTEREST: Chrome browser stops FLASH ads.... ish
by Wayne Billing 29 Aug '15

29 Aug '15

Google, maker of the Chrome browser, has already stated it would be pausing many FLASH animations. In their latest posting, they emphasize this will begin September 1st, 2015 and they suggest that the makers of the ads change from FLASH to HTML 5 to ensure the ads keep displaying: …from: https://plus.google.com/+GoogleAds/posts/2PmwKinJ7nj [cid:B3A47200-282F-40B7-BF4F-315E1E27E9A7]<https://plus.google.com/+GoogleAds/posts/114353304932511604018> AdWords<https://plus.google.com/+GoogleAds/posts/114353304932511604018> Shared publicly - 27 Aug 2015<https://plus.google.com/+GoogleAds/posts/+GoogleAds/posts/2PmwKinJ7nj> In June, we announced (https://goo.gl/TF7dmD) that Chrome will begin pausing many Flash ads by default to improve performance for users. This change is scheduled to start rolling out on September 1, 2015. Most Flash ads uploaded to AdWords are automatically converted to HTML5. To ensure your ads continue to show on the Google Display Network, please follow these steps before September 1: 1) Identify any Flash ads in your account that aren’t eligible for automatic conversion: https://goo.gl/I4186A 2) Convert these ads to HTML5: https://goo.gl/ZBq5DR [cid:C7980F2F-5765-43F2-8FFA-B4BD75F06620]<https://goo.gl/TF7dmD> Bringing Better Performance to Rich Media on Chrome Video and interactive…<https://goo.gl/TF7dmD> = - = - = - = - = - = NOTE: this is in addition to the Chrome embargo on NPAPI plugins such as VLC: NPAPI plugins don't work on Chrome version 42 and higher https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/6213033?hl=en

1 0

FYI: iSight Camera Replacement Program for iPhone 6 Plus
by Wayne Billing 21 Aug '15

21 Aug '15

The following item has just been released but other recall/repair of Apple items can be found at: http://www.apple.com/ca/support/exchange_repair/ The first thing to do is check your serial number on the appropriate Apple page (linked to from the Exchange/Repair page). Each page has instructions on how to find the serial number of your device. …from: https://www.apple.com/ca/support/iphone6plus-isightcamera/ iSight Camera Replacement Program for iPhone 6 Plus [iPhone 6 Plus] Please select a Country Albania Australia Armenia Bahrain België Belgique Bolivia Brasil България Cambodia Canada (English) Canada (Français) Česká republika Chile 中国 Colombia Danmark Deutschland Egypt España Eesti Ελλάδα France French Polynesia Hong Kong (English) 香港 Hrvatska Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italia 日本 Kazakhstan 대한민국 Latvija Lietuva Luxembourg (English) Luxembourg (Français) Luxemburg (Deutsch) Macau (English) 澳門 Macedonia Magyarország Malaysia Malta México Moldova Montenegro Nederland Nepal New Zealand Norge Österreich Pakistan Philippines Россия Polska Portugal Réunion România Saudi Arabia Schweiz Suisse Serbia Singapore Slovensko Slovenija South Africa Sri Lanka Suomi Sverige 台灣 ไทย Türkiye United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Vietnam Other countries Apple has determined that, in a small percentage of iPhone 6 Plus devices, the iSight camera has a component that may fail causing your photos to look blurry. The affected units fall into a limited serial number range and were sold primarily between September 2014 and January 2015. If your iPhone 6 Plus is producing blurry photos and falls into the eligible serial number range, Apple will replace your device's iSight camera, free of charge. The iSight camera is located on the back of your iPhone 6 Plus: [iPhone 6 Plus iSight camera] …follow the above link to check your serial number, for more information, and for instructions on how to proceed if your serial number qualifies for the replacement….

1 0

FYI - Use Windows 10 on your Mac with Boot Camp
by Doug Hamilton 13 Aug '15

13 Aug '15

Good Morning: FYI, Apple has updated their "Boot Camp" driver suite to support Windows 10. Details regarding the system requirements, and installation instructions, can be found here https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204990 Regards, ------------- Doug Hamilton, BA, MA, ASP Senior Computer Consultant Computers-on-Campus; Univ. of Manitoba P: 204-474-6196 F: 204-474-7556 E: Doug.Hamilton(a)umanitoba.ca http://www.umanitoba.ca/bookstore/computers/

1 0

FYI: Researchers show security importance of upgrades to OS X
by Wayne Billing 03 Aug '15

03 Aug '15

…from: http://www.engadget.com/2015/08/03/mac-firmware-worm Researchers create a worm that infects Macs silently and permanently by Roberto Baldwin<http://www.engadget.com/about/editors/roberto-baldwin/> | @strngwys<http://twitter.com/strngwys> | August 3, 2015 [cid:1775869A-A926-4E5E-B09D-65CBA98C67AA]<http://www.engadget.com/2015/08/03/mac-firmware-worm/> Macs have typically been heralded as the more secure of the two main operating systems. But according to researchers, at the firmware level, that's not necessarily true. Ahead of their 'Thunderstrike 2: Sith Strike<https://www.blackhat.com/us-15/briefings.html#thunderstrike-2-sith-strike>' Black Hat<https://www.blackhat.com/> presentation, Xeno Kovah, Trammell Hudson and Corey Kallenberg demonstrated to Wired<http://www.wired.com/2015/08/researchers-create-first-firmware-worm-attacks…> that Macs have some of the same vulnerabilities as their Windows counterparts. The exploit is especially troubling because now a phishing email or click on a link on a malicious site could compromise the computer. This is in addition to the exploit shown last year that was spread by the ROM of infected external drives and accessories like a Thunderbolt to ethernet adapter. These exploits are nearly impossible to detect because security software doesn't scan the firmware and reinstalling the system doesn't remove the problem. The exploit highlights that firmware (the software that boots a computer) isn't typically encrypted out of the factory and doesn't authenticate updates from the manufacturer. The researchers say they have alerted Apple about the issue and according to the Wired article, the company has patched one exploit and partially patched another. This is the second Thunderstrike exploit<http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/27/yosemite-update-fixes-zero-day-flaws/> to target Macs. The first version was fixed with OS X 10.10.2 and required the hacker to have physical access to the computer. This new version is more nefarious because the malware can be delivered via a link. The latest OS X security update (10.10.4) seems to keep the exploit from taking hold. Still, vulnerabilities like this are a reminder that companies should be encrypting all the elements of a machine to reduce the chance of their customers getting hacked<http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/02/mac-firmware-exploit/> in the first place.

1 0