Macking 103

Quark 6 vs. InDesign 3 (aka CS)
Looks like Quark is becoming the long-deserved loser in the page-layout race. In CreativePro's web site, writer David Blatner (author of Real World Quark XPress and co-author of Real World InDesign) compares the two programs in a detailed article that pretty much trashes QXP from every side. He has been a QXP proponent since 1988, having left PageMaker for a "real" page-layout program but he now says that ID is the "real" one. Features, interface, speed and attitude are all discussed. Read the article and see for yourself.
A quote: "In fact, 'bad hack' describes my general feeling about almost every feature in XPress 6, from exporting PDF files (it has to print PostScript to disk and then freezes while the PostScript is turned into PDF, taking twice as long as InDesign to create the same PDF file), to printing in OS X (you can't choose a printer from the Print dialog box), to the anemic Table tool (which can't flow a table across columns or pages) to the clever-but-poorly-implemented Synchronized Text palette (which can't handle anchored objects). The one new feature in XPress 6 that I'm really pleased with is ability to paste-in-place (pasting an object in the same place on different pages) -- a feature which InDesign had in version 1.0."

$249 iPod Mini
At Macworld Expo, Jobs announced in his keynote address, a new iPod that uses a ONE INCH internal hard drive (the current models use a 1.8" unit) to compete with the $199 high-end flash-RAM MP3 players on the market. Capacity is 4 gigs (the flash drives have one gig or less) but sized 2/3 of the standard model (about the size of a stack of business cards) for those people who have trouble hoisting 5.6 ounces. You can also choose your favorite anodized-aluminum case color. All iPods will support your calendar and contacts from PhoneBook and iCal, plus Jobs knows what else. They also introduced a $39 accessory, Apple "in-ear" headphones to improve on the sound quality of the standard ones included with each iPod. The headphones will work on any player or device with a headphone jack.
The previous $299 standard model came with ten gigs but that has been boosted to 15.

Garage Band
Also introduced at Macworld: Garage Band, a "major new pro music tool for everyone." This program can record, live, up to 64 tracks and features 50 software instruments playable by MIDI or USB keyboard. Garage Band is part of the "iLife 04" package, included free with every new Mac or sold on CD for $49. Upgrades to iTunes, iDVD, iPhoto and iMovie are part of the package. The program may also be used for recording vinyl or cassette to your drive, for conversion to MP3.
Included with Garage Band are a thousand pro audio loops, 200 audio effects and both "vintage and modern" guitar amp simulators.
Two $99 add-ons include more musical samples and loops, and a 49-key entry-level keyboard.

Office 2004
Not ready to abandon Macintosh dollars just yet, Microsoft announced Office 2004, shipping by mid-July and including features that won't be available on the Windows version until Office 2005 ships. That version, of course, will include features not available on the Mac version. Microsoft also stated that anyone who buys Office X now will receive a free upgrade to 2004 when it ships.

Shareware
Here is a list of my favorite shareware items. All are OSX unless otherwise marked. Burnz. Demoware burns 10 CDs or DVDs before you must register at $12.50. Does a much quicker job of burning a CD than the built-in Apple software which has to create a disk image first. All disks burned are readable on all platforms (most of the time).
ceepeeyou, free. Shows percent of processor used in Menubar; updates every second. Very useful for laptops to warn you when something is running the processor at full load (like poorly written Java on web pages). Same company offers WindowShade X for $12, bringing back WindowShade functionality to OSX. Updated for Panther.
Codetek Virtual Desktop. Any version of OSX, $30, or $40 for the "Pro" version. In free mode you can have two desktops, and reminders to register. A desktop is a separate screen on which you can have application windows that don't step on other windows. You can create as many desktops as you can wrap your head around. Under Panther's zoom mode, blank spaces are displayed where windows on other screens are; hold the mouse over them and the name pops up. Click and you are switched to that desktop. Or use a menu to get right to the desired menu. Also a clickable windoid that does the same thing and enables you to drag a window from one desktop to another without switching to it. This is one of those apps I can no longer stand to be without.
Eudora 6. Simply the best, most reliable and bulletproof email application there is. Been around as long as there has been email on Macs. Free with a little ad in the corner; pay $50 to lose the ad and gain an excellent spam filter too. OS 8.1 through 10.3, and Windows. It could use a better address book and desperately needs better import capability (right now only imports Outlook 5 and Claris Emailer) but I prefer it to AppleMail.
ICWORD and ICEXCEL, $20 each or $30 the pair. Drop a Word or Excel file on the appropriate app to read and print. Exports to text and AppleWorks. Great if you get a lot of .doc files but really don't want to give Bill any money. Note: Also runs in OS9.
Jiggler, free. Launch it and your mouse is given a jiggle every 60 seconds. Clock resets every time you type or move the mouse yourself. Prevents your Mac from going to sleep or launching the screen saver. Warning - Quit it before closing your Powerbook because it will sometimes dump it into Coma mode: deeper than sleep, processor running and using the battery, but unable to wake and requiring restart.
MacJanitor, free. Only free application that lets you run the required UNIX housecleaning operations that do not get done if you sleep or shut down every night.
MacStumbler, free. Use with AirPort to detect wireless networks in your area, and return information about them. Great for war-driving (wandering around neighborhoods looking for open WiFi access points). Supports GPS.
Netflix Fanatic. This was developed by the author on his own time, but ownership was stolen by his employer who refused to release it. He released it to the community himself but is unable to support or host it and can't afford the lawyerpower to fight for it, even though the employer violated California labor laws. Works with your Netflix account to manipulate the waiting queue; other features. I posted it to the PMUG BBS; otherwise try my site. But here's the capper: Who is the strong-arm employer? None other than Apple! Read all about it here.
Spamfire, $20 for one account, $30 for full-featured multiple-account version. Simply the best spam filter I used until Eudora developed their own. They frequently issue new filters and free updates (which require a subscription after the first year, but you can use it indefinitely. It catches 95% of my spam, Eudora catches the other 5% and only a few slip through. You can create your own filters, too. Works under OS9 and X.
VLC (VideoLAN Client), free under GPL and available for all OSes except OS9. Still in version 0.6 but completely stable and works perfectly. Plays all those media formats that gag QuickTime, especially odd AVIs.
Good news flash: With QuickTime 6.5, Apple finally decided to provide support for one of the common AVI formats that it could never play before. I can now watch my favorite anime fansub files from the Net in QT Movie Player and don't have to use VLC any more.
I have the Pro version of QT, bought back when it was 6.2, but I did not pay the $20 extra for AVI support. Now the upgrade includes it. People who paid the extra charge might try applying for a refund (good luck).

What Else
What else is available? A really good place to search for new OSX stuff is Freshmeat where you can find stuff such as Renal Growth, an application for radiologists to plot kidney size against age and weight or Ringtone Converter-Composer, software to add new ringtones to your cell phone. This site is/was a place for Unix and Linux mavens to release their stuff; now that we Mackers are using a "real" operating system, there is a place for us too.
Everyone, repeat, everyone who is seeking obscure applications that may be focused on their particular needs should search here. And don't forget Version Tracker, which tries to keep a list of everything there is for Macs.

Creativity Is Pointless
Or so says an article in the January, 2004 issue of Fast Company. The article contends that innovations in business-modeling and management are more conducive to wide acceptance and success, and the ability to create the best is low on the list.
This fits in with the Macker's litany, "We may be only 2% of the market, but we're the top 2%," or simply an example of Sturgeon's Law (95% of everything is crap). Sure, Apple popularized the personal computer, the laser printer, the mouse, the local area network (AppleTalk) partly by buying or expanding on ideas by others, notably Xerox PARC which first invented a lot of the above (including Ethernet), but marketing success was to go to the followers, the imitators, the producers of "Good enough for commercial grade" products. But compared to Xerox PARC, Apple is a blowout success because Xerox never managed to make a success of anything they did after the copier, royalties from Apple notwithstanding.
So if we must be on the fringe, we must fight against the hostile, or ignorant, or destructive forces who would marginalize the Macintosh by developing web pages we can't read, music distributions we can't play, videos we can't see and financial services we can't access. We must continue holding Apple's feet to the fire when they make idiotic decisions that hurt us; we must complain to our banks when they set up Microsoft-only sites; we must spread the word that a computer monoculture is as dangerous to the world as is a monoculture in the plant world. Example: the very real risk that bananas will disappear from a disease that will wipe out the single species that dominates the market. Sound familiar?
Apple is doing the right thing by staying on top of new markets. Getting iTunes Music Store out there first with the best interface and most liberal of the closed, DRM-infested online music systems will protect us from PC-only limited sites -- the future spectacular failures like the new Napster and horrid jokes like the WalMart music store.
If Apple does something spectacularly stupid that negatively affects the user, such as limitations on their warranty service that frustrate people in need of repairs, we must fight as hard as possible to make sure it's the exception, not the rule. Example: iPod batteries that could not be replaced and Apple Support's cavalier suggestion that you should just buy another iPod when yours dies. They reversed that decision and also made an extended warranty available but not until embarrassed into it by a disgruntled owner who distributed a little movie about it. And now there are 3rd-party outlets (check Google) that can replace your battery for as little as $49. Apple Distinguished Educator Dave Schroeder has created an iPod Battery FAQ, which "contains concise, correct, up-to-date information dealing with questions people may have about iPod batteries."
In spite of this, a California law firm is putting together a class-action suit for the people whose iPods died before Apple changed its policy. I hope Apple nips this in the bud by making a satisfactory offering to anyone who was slighted by early death of their 'Pods. Throwing lawyers at someone should be considered only as a last resort; a destructive force akin to planting a bomb or shooting people in their beds. A company (read: Microsoft) should be really evil overall before earning that kind of terror-inducing action.
As of press deadline, Apple is increasingly deserving of such attacks: Reports are coming in that many G4 iBook motherboards are failing and warranty response is dragging its feet in acknowledging or dealing with the problem. There will be (was) a demonstration against Apple at Macworld by disgruntled iBook owners and a suit is a'brewing. System updates are coming out buggy and destructive too. Sharpen your machetes; there are heads that need to be rolled. (Finally, Apple issued a recall on the defective models.)

Letters
Kelly Jones writes, "I saw your article in Computer Bits about avoiding all national ISPs. One that's a little more expensive, but has been good to me is Speakeasy. I'm not sure if they're available in the Portland area though. They have a presence in many major cities. They let me run servers and offer static IPs if you pay for it. They are Mac and Linux friendly as well. Good Luck!
"Disclaimer: Speakeasy is a customer of the company I work for."
Chris and Paloma write, "Here is an article on an exploit in Word that allows anyone to see lots of personal information and stuff that they aren't supposed to see.
"I admit I use Office X, I tried this exploit on Word X and lo and behold, there it is - my drive mappings and name and other information that I thought I deleted from the text - it just hides it away, no wonder Word documents get so bloated. I'll have to play with AppleWorks to see if it has anything similar, but betting it doesn't. I will make use of print to .pdf more often when I get a document I want to send to someone."

No Microsoft products were used in the production of this column.

email mp at moonmac dot com. (I took out the mailto link because that's how the spammers find me.)