Hello,
If you missed it, Apple updated their Boot Camp beta to version 1.1.
The download has grown considerably, from 84MB to 202MB. The majority
of this considerable download is comprised of improved Window XP
drivers for Apple computing hardware. Apple strongly recommends that
those using previous versions of Boot Camp download this up date.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/
Regards,
Doug
-------------
Doug Hamilton, BA, MA, APP
Senior Computer Consultant
Computers-on-Campus; Univ. of Manitoba
204-474-6196 (Ph.)
204-474-7556 (Fax)
http://www.umanitoba.ca/bookstore/
...from:
http://www.macworld.com/2006/08/firstlooks/macprobench/index.php?
lsrc=mwweek-0814
Quad-core Xeon-based desktop easily beats G5-based predecessors
By James Galbraith
The standard configuration of the Mac Pro outperforms its PowerPC-
based G5 predecessors by a wide margin, helping to justify Apple’s
2005 decision to switch to processors from Intel. What’s more, the
system powered by two dual-core 2.66GHz Xeon chips narrowly missed
becoming the first machine to ever record a Speedmark score of over 300.
Still, tallying a Speedmark 4.5 score of 299 in Macworld Lab testing
is nothing to sneeze at—especially in light of the fact that a few of
the tests that make up Speedmark involve applications that don’t yet
run natively on Intel chips. That means the Mac Pro was able to
improve upon the Speedmark score of the Power Mac G5 Quad by 14
percent, even though the collection of tests that comprises Speedmark
includes several which require Apple’s Rosetta code-translation
technology.
[...]
As the results chart above shows, in addition to having our highest
Speedmark score, the Mac Pro posted the best results in five of the
seven individual tests we've listed here. On some tests, such as
rendering a scene in Cinema 4D, applying a video effect in iMovie, or
using Compressor to encode a movie into MPEG2, the Mac Pro beat out
its predecessor by just a few seconds. Other tests, such as creating
a Zip archive and running the Unreal Tournament 2004 Botmatch, the
Mac Pro’s lead widened—10 percent faster at archiving and 47 percent
more frames per second in UT2004 than the fastest Power Mac G5.
[...]
Let me answer the question, "Why is this important to know?" before
we get into the thick of things.
The following information will be of interest to any Macintosh user
who is planning on also running Windows on their Apple hardware. It
will be very important to anyone planning on running two copies of
Windows on their Macintosh hardware (for example, one copy in
Parallels and another under BootCamp) because you will stumble into
WGA problems when you attempt "Windows Activation" for the second
copy. This is easily dealt with by doing a telephone activation of
the second copy of Windows during which (after you have informed the
Microsoft representative that you have Windows installed on your
Macintosh under Parallels and now you are attempting to install it
under BootCamp) you will be given a second activation key for your
machine. It is important to record this activation key in case you
need to reinstall that instance of Windows due to hardware failure/
replacement or the like.
Wayne
---------------------------------
...from:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=98
July 18, 2006
MS says WGA has caught 60 million Windows cheaters
Posted by Ed Bott @ 6:44 am
Digg This!
Two weeks ago, I reported on a terse e-mail exchange with Microsoft,
in which a spokesperson acknowledged that 80% of all computers that
fail the Windows Genuine Advantage validation check do so because
they are using stolen or pirated volume license keys.
[...]
Microsoft’s Alex Kochis, a member of the WGA product management team,
published a blog entry trying to add more details to the discussion.
In "When a 'False Positive' isn't a false positive" (http://
blogs.msdn.com/wga/archive/2006/07/16/667063.aspx), he passes along
one staggering statistic: “About 1 in 5 of the 300 million [computers
running Windows] that have run WGA validation fail.”
[...]
He goes on to point out four scenarios:
Scenario 1: High-quality counterfeit copies of Windows. Apparently
this number isn’t very large at all. As Kochis notes, “So far we've
provided hundreds of free copies of Windows to users who've been
ripped by high-quality counterfeit…”
Scenario 2: The user installs the same copy and key to more than one
PC at a time. I don’t understand why this scenario occurs at all. Is
the Validation utility really looking at individual keys and
identifying people who are reusing a retail or upgrade copy? In this
case, shouldn’t activation fail when the user tries to install the
second copy?
Scenario 3: A friend or acquaintance offers to “fix” your computer
and installs a pirated or “cracked” copy of Windows. I can definitely
see this one happening, especially when a system is compromised by a
spyware or virus infestation.
Scenario 4: You take your PC in to be repaired and the repair shop
takes a shortcut by reinstalling a volume-licensed copy of Windows.
Again, I can see exactly why this happens. How many customers bring
in their official restore media? Not many, I’d wager. How many repair
shops want to take the extra time (and charge the customer) to
restore from the official media? What happens when the media that
came with the PC is out of date and the shop has to install a service
pack and several dozen patches? In that scenario, should the customer
have to purchase a brand-new license when they already paid for one?
-------------------------------
...from:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=113&tag=nl.e622
Busted! What happens when WGA attacks
Posted by Ed Bott @ 4:45 am
When Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage software kicks in and
identifies your copy of Windows as "non-genuine," what happens next?
On the surface, at least, Microsoft is all tea and sympathy: "You may
be a victim of software counterfeiting," says the official message
that takes over the Windows start up screen.
[...]
With Microsoft’s assistance, I’ve just installed two illegal copies
of Windows XP on a test system here. The idea was to show Windows
customers what the WGA experience is really like. (I’ve documented
the experience with a series of screenshots and accompanying notes in
this image gallery.
[...]
What if you own a legitimate license, but your copy of Windows was
replaced with a bootleg version by a repair shop or a well-meaning
friend? You shouldn't have to pay for a new copy. The option, last on
the list and confusingly labeled "Update your product key," actually
explains how to replace a phony key with one you legitimately own.
If you would like to know what's new and interesting in the software
world on Mac OS X, these are the individuals winning awards at WWDC
this year.
http://developer.apple.com/ada/
Regards,
Doug
-------------
Doug Hamilton, BA, MA, APP
Senior Computer Consultant
Computers-on-Campus; Univ. of Manitoba
204-474-6196 (Ph.)
204-474-7556 (Fax)
http://www.umanitoba.ca/bookstore/
Just thought those of you in a mixed environment would like to know
that VMWare has officially announced support for Mac OS X, and have
begun pre-registration for those interested in participating in their
beta-test program.
http://www.vmware.com/
Regards,
Doug
-------------
Doug Hamilton, BA, MA, APP
Computers-on-Campus; Univ. of Manitoba
204-474-6196 (Ph.)
204-474-7556 (Fax)
http://www.umanitoba.ca/bookstore/
The US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team - http://
www.us-cert.gov/) has issued the following Alert. Obtaining the
updates your machine requires is as simple as selecting "Software
Update..." from the Apple menu.
Wayne Billing
IST
-------------------------------------
National Cyber Alert System
Technical Cyber Security Alert TA06-214A
Apple Mac Products Affected by Multiple Vulnerabilities
Original release date: August 02, 2006
Last revised: --
Source: US-CERT
Systems Affected
* Apple Mac OS X version 10.3.9 and earlier (Panther)
* Apple Mac OS X version 10.4.7 and earlier (Tiger)
* Apple Mac OS X Server version 10.3.9 and earlier
* Apple Mac OS X Server version 10.4.7 and earlier
* Apple Safari web browser
* Apple Mail
Overview
Apple has released Security Update 2006-004 to correct multiple
vulnerabilities affecting Mac OS X, Mac OS X Server, Safari web
browser, Mail, and other products. The most serious of these
vulnerabilities may allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary
code.
Impacts of other vulnerabilities include bypass of security
restrictions and denial of service.
I. Description
Apple Security Update 2006-004 resolves a number of vulnerabilities
affecting Mac OS X, OS X Server, Safari web browser, Mail, and other
products. Further details are available in the individual
Vulnerability Notes.
This security update addresses vulnerabilities in a range of
different
components, including the handling of a number of different image
file
formats, ZIP archive files, and HTML web pages, among others.
II. Impact
The impacts of these vulnerabilities vary. For information about
specific impacts, please see the Vulnerability Notes. Potential
consequences include remote execution of arbitrary code or commands,
bypass of security restrictions, and denial of service.
III. Solution
Install an update
Install Apple Security Update 2006-004. This and other updates are
available via Apple Update.
Workaround
Disable "Open 'safe' files after downloading"
For additional protection, disable the Safari web browser option to
"Open 'safe' files after downloading," as specified in "Securing
Your
Web Browser."
Note that this workaround will not mitigate all of the
vulnerabilities
described in the Apple Security Update, only those which are
exacerbated by the default behavior of the Safari web browser.
Appendix A. References
* Vulnerability Notes for Apple Security Update 2006-004 -
<http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/byid?
searchview&query=apple-2006-004>
* Securing Your Web Browser -
<http://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/securing_browser/#Safari>
* Apple Security Update 2006-004 -
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304063>
* Mac OS X: Updating your software -
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106704>
_________________________________________________________________
The most recent version of this document can be found at:
<http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA06-214A.html>
_________________________________________________________________
Feedback can be directed to US-CERT Technical Staff. Please send
email to <cert(a)cert.org> with "TA06-214A Feedback VU#566132" in the
subject.
_________________________________________________________________
Produced 2006 by US-CERT, a government organization.
Terms of use:
<http://www.us-cert.gov/legal.html>
_________________________________________________________________
Revision History
August 02, 2006: Initial release
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One of the more noticeable problems many people experience while
using BootCamp is that the keyboard disconnects. It seems that this
does not happen for everyone/every keyboard. If you are lucky enough
to be in the "disconnect camp" the following may prove useful.
In the BootCamp section of the Apple Discussion boards (http://
discussions.apple.com/) is the following suggestion:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2370138�
My keyboard would freeze, caps lock would light up and replugging the
USB brought it back. Saw a thread here with these instructions:
Go to Windoze > Start > Run > type "msconfig" > STARTUP tab >
DESELECT AppleCDEject > OK > Restart
This did the trick though i still get an annoying beep/alert every
few minutes which now freezez my mouse until it ends (coupla secs,
still annoying when I'm in the middle of a game).
---------------------
The effect seems to be that, while the keyboard still disconnects
occasionally, it automatically reconnects within a few seconds.
Somehow, having the "AppleCDEject" routine loaded interferes with the
reconnection. It should be noted that the real problem is the
original disconnect which should not be happening but until BootCamp
(or whatever follows it) fixes the problem, this may make life a
little easier. I've tried it and it seems to work quite well.
NOTE: following the above suggestion will disable your keyboard's
"Eject" key while within Windows. CDs and DVDs can easily be ejected
in Windows by doing a right click > Eject on the disk icon.
========================
On a related note, I'd be interested in hearing your Bootcamp or
Parallels experiences......
Wayne
...from:
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9584_22-6096211.html?tag=nl.e622
By Tom Krazit, CNET News.com
Published on ZDNet News: July 19, 2006, 4:59 PM PT
[...]
Macintosh shipments were up 12 percent compared with last year, Apple
Computer said Wednesday during its third-quarter earnings call.
That's in contrast to a shipment increase in the second quarter of
only 4 percent year over year--something that Apple described as a
"pause" in buying activity.
[...]
Macs accounted for 55 percent of Apple's revenue during the third
quarter, ended July 1, said Peter Oppenheimer, the company's chief
financial officer. Notebook shipments and revenue both increased by
61 percent, and Apple believes it doubled its share of the notebook
market in retail channels, he said, citing data from research firm NPD.
About half the Macs sold at Apple's own retail stores during the
quarter were bought by people who had never owned a Mac before,
Oppenheimer said. That is roughly the same percentage that Apple has
seen in recent quarters.
Educational customers also helped Apple's Mac sales during the
quarter, Oppenheimer said. The new notebooks were well-received by
the educational community, which likes to make purchasing decisions
by the end of the last quarter, analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative
Strategies said.
One downside of the Mac results was the performance of the desktop
segment, which is tied to Apple's professional customers. The Power
Mac desktop, used by creative professionals who need the most
performance Apple can provide, has not been refreshed as of yet with
Intel's newest chips. As a result, desktop shipments and revenue
declined compared with last year.
However, Apple is expected to fix that pretty soon, with the launch
of Intel's new Core 2 Duo processor coming in a few weeks and Apple's
Worldwide Developers Conference scheduled to visit San Francisco
[August 7-11 http://developer.apple.com/wwdc]. Apple hasn't said
whether it will use the Core 2 Duo or the Xeon 5100 processor in the
new professional desktops, but it's likely to let its developers know
before or during that conference.
[...]
Hello Doug:
We are working on a distant relative of iTunes U
that might be called
"virtual conferencing". This involves podrecording of the audio
component of
conference talks, and linking with the accompanying slideshows [ppt or pdf].
We experimented with this at the recent American Chemical
Society [ACS] meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, and at regional meetings of
science educators
in the Atlantic Provinces.
Here is an account from the ACS:
"The Division of Chemical Information (CINF) sponsored a session at the
231st National Meeting of ACS (held in Atlanta) in March titled: "Social
Software and Chemical Information." There were eight speakers in the
session, presenting on topics of blogs, wikis, podcasts, and more. These
talks are now available as audio (MP3) files, with accompanying slides (PDF
or PPT format) on the CINF website. To access these files, point your
browser to http://www.acscinf.org, then select Meetings button, then click
on either "Technical Session" or "Abstracts" for the Atlanta meeting. You
will see PDF, PPT, and MP3 links for papers 1-8. Use any MP3 software
(e.g., QuickTime or iTunes are both free to download) to listen to the
audio files, either on a computer equipped with speakers, or on a portable
MP3 player. The audio files are quite large, so may take a few minutes to
download.
On behalf of CINF and Erja Kajosalo and myself (co-organizers of the
session), I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following
folks:
Brian Lynch and Lai Im Lancaster, who not only participated in the session
as speakers, but who also recorded the audio files and provided technical
advice; Rick Williams (CINF Webmaster), who loaded files and designed the
web page for delivery of files; and finally, all of the session speakers
who so graciously gave permission to be recorded and broadcast via our
website.
Please feel free to forward this message to other communities who might be
interested, and feel free to contact me with questions or comments."
We hope to be able to run another pilot at the meeting of the Canadian
Society
for Chemistry in Winnipeg next spring.
The presentation in the USA received excellent publicity [see attached file]
from the ACS and also the Royal Society of Chemistry's Chemistry World
[see 2nd attachment].
We feel that the concept will enhance the value of typical large science
conferences
through making material available to those who cannot attend physically,
and also solves problems for attendance associated with simultaneous
multiple sessions.
As per the ACS quote
Please feel free to forward this message to other communities who might be
interested, and feel free to contact me with questions or comments.
Sincerely
Brian Lynch
Brian M. Lynch, M. Sc., Ph. D. [Melbourne], FCIC
Senior Research Professor
Department of Chemistry
Room 3067, Physical Sciences Complex
St. Francis Xavier University
Antigonish, Nova Scotia B2G 2W5, Canada
Tel: 902-867-0450
Fax: 902-867-2414
Hello Everyone:
Just a quick note to inform you that Computers-on-Campus has placed
on demo an M-Audio 49e MIDI keyboard to allow customers to play with
GarageBand.
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Keystation49e-main.html
Please feel free to drop by to try it out.
Regards,
Doug
-------------
Doug Hamilton, BA, MA, APP
Senior Computer Consultant
Computers-on-Campus; Univ. of Manitoba
204-474-6196 (Ph.)
204-474-7556 (Fax)
http://www.umanitoba.ca/bookstore/
