Stan's List

RoughlyDrafted has an excellent article on whether Snow Leopard will support PPC Macs or early 32-bit Intel Macs. In laying out the arguments, the magazine starts from what may seem an unrelated quote from Mary Jo Foley:

The state of Microsoft’s art has led Windows Enthusiasts into confusion, as they tend to think that if Microsoft is doing something, it is probably the only way to do it. As Mary Jo Foley wrote, “Leopard is the first 64-bit only version of a desktop client. Vista comes in 32-bit and 64-bit varieties. And most expect Windows Seven will still be available in 32-bit flavors. Until 32-bit machines go away, it seems like a good idea to offer 32-bit operating systems.” She was apparently being serious, and wrote that in the context of an article insisting that Leopard looked like Vista.

What is entertaining is while discussing whether Snow Leopard will be compatible with what legacy of Mac, totally destroys Foley;s premise. as to who copied who.

The formal release of Firefox 3 is available. I have been using Firefox 3 since the first final candidate. Much better performance and very stable. Some new features:

• Gecko 1.9 engine
• One-click site info
• New Web Forgery Protection page
• New SSL error pages
• Add-ons and Plugin version check
• Secure add-on updates

Mozilla is trying to break the Guinness Record for the most downloads of a single piece of software in a 24-hour period. Download

NeoOffice is a Mac OS X native application suite, built from OpenOffice. Native means that NeoOffice does not require X11.

New features added

- Media Browser support
- Native floating tool windows
- Magnify and swipe trackpad gestures
- Horizontal scrollwheel support

TidBITS’ Glenn Fleishman was able to play with the new iPhone briefly and provides details of its shape and feel. Glenn seems more impressed with the new iPhone power adapter. The details of the GPS also speak to the concerns about battery usage. More …

The people at TomTom are ready for the GPS iPhone. They apparently already have it running. No word about when the software will be ready, according to Reuters.

A MacInTouch reader commented that Steve looked “thin”. MarketWatch remarks that this concern can take luster off the product announcements as the audience is distracted by look of their icon.

AirPort Base Station Update 2008-002 contains the following:

The AirPort Base Station Update 2008-002 includes general fixes and compatibility updates for the following applications:
- AirPort Utility
- AirPort Disk Utility
- AirPort Base Station Agent

AirPort Express Base Station
AirPort Extreme Base Station
Time Capsule

Airport Utility comes Leopard and Tiger flavors

Both require QuickTime 7.5

iMovie 7.1.2

This update addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and addresses a number of other minor issues.

iDVD 7.0.2

This update supports general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and addresses a number of other minor issues.

QuickTime 7.5 patches a number of security issues:

Windows Vista, XP SP2:
Opening a maliciously crafted PICT image file may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution

Mac OS X v10.3.9, Mac OS X v10.4.9 - v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5 or later, Windows Vista, XP SP2:
Playing maliciously crafted QuickTime content in QuickTime Player may lead to arbitrary code execution

Crunch Gear has photos apparently from promotional material. Notes that it is thinner and has a front facing camera. The material reveals the ability to video chat. Also iChat for Windoze, XP or higher.

ars technica: Apple to allow subsidies on iPhone