Newsletter to Members
April 2008
Contents
Our April Meeting is this MONDAY 7th at 6.30pm
Presentation topics:
FileMaker Bento – the new personal database for Leopard; also Apple Remote Control and 'Back to My Mac' demo.
'Disc-of-the-Month' CD:
We now have TWO CDs available – "Publishing House" and "Free Time Games". Both are crammed full of useful and fun software that you could spend hours finding and downloading from the Net. On sale at Monday's meeting for just $5 each.
Raffle Prizes:
- Filemaker BENTO install CD, retail value $79 (requires Leopard to run)
- LaserCo VoIP USB Phone. Includes $10 call credit with MyNetPhone
- 4GB USB Flash Drive
- CD/DVD blank media... and more.
The usual venue: Room 327 (Theatrette), UNSW.
Saturday Workshop
One-on-one Mac Help from AMUG Committee members in a friendly, sharing environment.
Saturday April 12, commencing 10am. Room 136C (Computer Lab), Ground Floor, Webster Building, UNSW Kensington.
Bring your own Notebook or use one of the Uni's iMacs.
To book, phone Rob on 9387 2069 or email sydamug@mac.com
AirPort Express now with 802.11n
All AirPort base stations now run fastest wireless standard
Apple has updated its AirPort Express mobile base station with 802.11n to deliver up to five times the performance and twice the range of the previous model*.
AirPort Express offers both PC and Mac users the ability to share a single DSL or cable broadband connection with up to 10 simultaneous users. Users can also share a printer wirelessly that is connected to the USB port. Apple’s AirPort Utility software provides easy step-by-step instructions for setting up and configuring AirPort Express; and with its advanced security features, AirPort Express safeguards data on networked computers with support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2), 128-bit WEP encryption and a built-in firewall.
AirPort Express also features AirTunes, with a built-in combination digital and analogue audio connector that allows users to connect to a home stereo or powered speakers. iTunes automatically detects remote speakers and displays them in a simple pop-up list for the user to select. Once the remote speakers are selected, AirTunes wirelessly streams iTunes music from the computer to the AirPort Express base station.
AirPort Express can also extend the range of an existing AirPort Extreme wireless network. Apple now includes 802.11n as standard in its entire line of AirPort base stations and Mac notebooks as well as iMac, Apple TV and Time Capsule.
Pricing & Availability:
Available immediately through the Apple Store (www.apple.com.au/store/) and Apple Authorised Resellers. RRP A$129 inc GST.
*AirPort Express is based on an IEEE 802.11n draft specification. Actual performance will vary based on range, connection rate, site conditions, size of network and other factors.
Image courtesy of Apple.
New Image Editing Plug-In Architecture
Apple has released Aperture 2.1, which introduces an open plug-in architecture that makes it easy for photographers to use specialised third party imaging software right from within Aperture. Available as a free software update to current Aperture 2.0 users, Aperture 2.1 includes the Apple-developed plug-in, Dodge & Burn, which adds brush-based tools for dodge (lighten), burn (darken), contrast, saturation, sharpen and blur.
Over the coming months, third party software developers will deliver image editing plug-ins for localised editing, filters and effects, noise analysis and reduction, fisheye lens correction and more.
For full system requirements and more information on Aperture: www.apple.com.au/aperture/
Information on third party imaging plug-ins: www.apple.com.au/aperture/resources/
Aperture community site: www.aperturepluggedin.com
Image courtesy of Apple.
The World’s Fastest Browser Now on Mac and Windows
In March, Apple introduced Safari 3.1, which can load web pages 1.9 times faster than IE 7 and 1.7 times faster than Firefox 2. Safari also runs JavaScript up to six times faster than other browsers*, and is the first browser to support the latest innovative web standards needed to deliver the next generation of highly interactive Web 2.0 experiences.
Apple says the incredible performance of Safari, combined with its elegant user interface, lets users spend more time surfing the web and less time waiting for pages to load. Safari features an intuitive browsing experience with drag-and-drop bookmarks, easy-to-organise tabs, an integrated Find that shows the number of matches in a page and a built-in RSS reader to quickly scan the latest news and information.
Safari 3.1 is the first browser to support new video and audio tags in HTML5** and the first to support CSS Animations. Safari also supports CSS Web Fonts, giving designers limitless choices of fonts to create stunning new web sites.
Safari 3.1 is available immediately as a free download at www.apple.com.au/safari for both Mac OS X and Windows users.
System Requirements:
Safari 3.1 for Mac OS X requires Mac OS X Leopard or Mac OS X Tiger version 10.4.11, a minimum of 256MB of memory and is designed to run on any Intel-based Mac or a Mac with a PowerPC G5, G4 or G3 processor and built-in FireWire.
Safari 3.1 for Windows requires Windows XP or Windows Vista, a minimum of 256MB of memory and a system with at least a 500 MHz Intel Pentium processor.
* Performance will vary based on system configuration, network connection and other factors. HTML and JavaScript benchmarks based on VeriTest’s iBench Version 5.0 using default settings running on an iMac 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system running Windows XP, with 1GB of RAM.
** More info on HTML5 – at this stage still a working draft specification – can be found on the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) site:
www.w3.org/html/wg/html5/
News from the Net
AirPort Update extends Time Capsule, adds AirDisk support
Extract from TidBITS #920 by Glenn Fleishman
The 7.3.1 firmware update for Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme Base Station network gateways, released in March, adds two significant improvements, neither of them mentioned in Apple's release notes. You can now archive the internal drive in a Time Capsule appliance – copying its contents, including backup images of networked systems – to an externally connected USB drive at full USB speeds, without round-tripping the backup through a mounted AFP server. And, apparently, USB-connected drives on an AirPort Extreme Base Station are available for Time Machine backups in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.
More info on Apple Tech Notes.
Read Glenn Fleishman's full article here.
Carbon Copy Cloner 3.1 Released
Extract from TidBITS #921 by Adam C. Engst
Bombich Software has released Carbon Copy Cloner 3.1, a notable update to the popular disk cloning and backup software. CCC 3.1 offers "greater fidelity" when backing up using Copy Selected Items method, improves the already solid interface wording that explains what CCC will do for each selected action, adds "bootability" checks to see if the backup volume will be bootable (this doesn't work with duplicates made over a network), and more.
Carbon Copy Cloner is a full-featured cloning, synchronization, and backup program with scheduling and archiving features. Version 3.1 requires Mac OS X 10.4.8 or higher and works well with Mac OS X 10.5.2. The program is uncrippled shareware, meaning that all features are available whether or not you've paid, and no registration is ever required, but Bombich Software appreciates donations once Carbon Copy Cloner has proven its worth to you. It's a 2.1 MB download.
Extract from a post at CNet .com
Never mind freeze-dried ice cream and Tang – it seems modern-day astronauts are now taking a certain Apple gadget into outer space.
A recently released NASA photo of the space shuttle Endeavour shows an iPod sitting in the window console.
See the proof and read the full story on CNet here.
Aust Macworld User Groups Forum: Poll
What motivates people to attend User Group meetings, and how often do they attend? Read what others have to say – and add your own comments if you like – on Australian Macworld's User Group Forum, moderated by Nicholas Pyers.
Congratulations to President Dick Johnson, Nicholas Pyers and members of AUSOM (Apple Users Society of Melbourne) on achieving 29 years in operation as a User Group; AUSOM was first incorporated in February 1979.
www.ausom.net.au
[We beat that record by a few months... AUG Sydney Inc, as it was then, first met in November 1978, so November this year marks our 30th anniversary as a club].
Read about our early history on our web site homepage.mac.com/sydamug/about/history.html
Important Updates released for Office 2008 and 2004
Extract from TidBITS #919 by Adam C. Engst
Two months after the initial release of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit pushed out the first update to the software suite, fixing security vulnerabilities and a wide variety of bugs. Refreshingly, Microsoft described the changes in an entirely reasonable amount of detail on the relevant Support Page.
The Microsoft Office 2008 12.0.1 Update requires Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later, and you can get it from the Microsoft AutoUpdate utility or download it from Microsoft's Web site as a 114.1 MB download here.
The Microsoft Office 2004 11.4.1 Update fixes an Excel vulnerability that could enable remote code execution if the user opened a malformed file. Details here.
It too can be retrieved from Microsoft either via Microsoft AutoUpdate or as a 13.2 MB standalone download here.
Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later is required, as is a completely up-to-date version of Office 11.4.0, which is most easily acquired by running Microsoft AutoUpdate and installing updates repeatedly until you have the latest version.
Read the full TidBITS article here.
Should Mac Users Run Antivirus Software?
Extract from an article in TidBITS #920 by Rich Mogull
In his article posted to TidBITS, Rich Mogull says "There is a misperception among much of the security community that Mac users don't care about security. Since joining TidBITS I've learned that Mac users are just as concerned about their security as their Windows brethren, but they aren't really sure what they need to know. Even the most naive Windows user understands that their system is under a constant barrage of attacks, but the Mac user rarely encounters much beyond the occasional pop-under browser ad and, of course, oodles of spam"...
Read the full article here.
Produce Professional-Looking Sites with iWeb
Apple intends iWeb '08 to help Mac users create polished-looking Web sites, but not all of iWeb's features are easily understood or fully explained by Apple. The new "Take Control of iWeb: iLife '08 Edition," a 133-page ebook by iWeb expert Steve Sande, provides step-by-step instructions and plenty of time-saving tips to help you build a Web site and publish it on either .Mac or another Web host.You can watch over Steve's shoulder as he enhances iWeb's templates with a designer's eye, using tools like masks, reflections, and Instant Alpha.
Steve teaches you the best ways to make all types of iWeb pages – including blog, podcast, photo, and movie pages – and he covers topics that go beyond the basics and way beyond the online help. You'll learn how to add special elements to your site, such as iPhoto albums and galleries, YouTube videos, Google AdSense ads, Google maps, and forms that feed into Google Docs. You'll also find coverage of how to edit graphics so your site loads faster, how to import podcasts and videos, and how to make image maps.
This eBook is US$10, with the usual 10% MUG discount if you use this encoded link.
Book Details: "Take Control of iWeb: iLife '08 Edition" by Steve Sande PDF format, 133 pages, free 30-page sample available. Publication date: March 20, 2008 Price: US$10.
Recent eBook Updates
"Take Control of Customizing Leopard":
Version 1.1 of this book rolls in a variety of changes to bring the coverage up-to-date with the recently released Mac OS X 10.5.2.
www.takecontrolbooks.com/leopard-customizing.html
"Take Control of Switching to the Mac":
Version 1.5 of this book is a major update that addresses switching from Windows XP or Vista to Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger or 10.5 Leopard.
www.takecontrolbooks.com/switching.html
"Take Control of Permissions in Leopard":
This new title is essentially an update to "Take Control of Permissions in Mac OS X," tweaked to cover how permissions now work in Leopard, whereas the previous book focused on Panther and Tiger.
www.takecontrolbooks.com/leopard-permissions.html
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