News for Monday, 9 May 2005

Apple released iTunes 4.8.
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
There is not much information regarding new features:

iTunes 4.8 includes new Music Store features and support for transferring contacts and calendars from your computer to your iPod.(requires Mac OS X version 10.4).

This revision is not available via the software update.
This update is 11MB large.
[update] there is something new :)

Translation: Play video clips: in the main window.
Apple is preparing something related to music and video!!

Google has released some times ago, a browser plugin, supposed to speed up internet surfing, Google Web Accelerator. The system is quite simple: the browser can pre-fetch/pre-load web pages linked from the active displayed web page. So far, a quite interesting original feature.
Unfortunately, the current version of Google Web Accelerator is bypassing all JavaScripts, including those related to confirmation links/buttons. So the result is of course a real disaster. If you browse on our forum pages while having this system activated in your browser, all available linked of the displayed page are 'clicked"...including the delete button for your posts...
If you are using this accelerator, then quickly uninstall it; and if you are a website administrator, then immediately update your web pages codes!

You are still searching the 200 new features in Tiger? You are missing one??
The full listing is available here:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/newfeatures/over200.html

The Latest range of PowerMac G5 is shipping with Tiger. If you try to install Panther on them, you'll discover that it is not possible.
However, some professional apps are not compatible with 10.4 yet, and that creates a problem for all those who want to buy a new G5 now.
A solution exists: One of our reader wrote us to say that if the recent G5s cannot install Panther, they will accept to run a preinstalled Panther.
Two solutions to 'preinstall' Panther:
- Boot on a FireWire disk with 10.3.9 already installed on it.
- Install Panther via an older mac with the G5 connected to it in Target Disk mode.
A word of caution: we do not yet know whether every feature of the new machines will be recognized, but their similarity to the previous G5 range lets us believe that they should.
[Translator's note: it's worth a reminder here: on every new range of macs released in the last 10 years a machine would only work with the operating system version that was current when the machine was released, or with a special version made for the new machine. This is because the OS contains quasi-firmware info on every mac it should be compatible with. If this info is missing, the OS won't be able to boot the mac in question]

The famous driver for the also famous DC30 acquisition card has been updated for Tiger.
It allows you to use this respected and venerable video acquisition card with even the most recent software like Final Cut HD.
The new driver even supports VLC...
http://www.alfanet.it/squared5/dc30xact.html

Apple is still trying to push the use of its Bonjour network technology (formerly known as Rendezvous). That is, push it outside of the Macintosh arena.
A few month ago, Apple released a beta version of Rendezvous for Windows, which worked quite well. Now they have just released Bonjour for Windows.
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/bonjourforwindows_readme.html
You will need to run a PC with Windows 2000 or XP.
And it does work fine: it automatically discovered our HP LaserJet 4200 which is a Bonjour-enabled printer, as well as my Canon inkjet shared on the Mac...
"Say Bonjour to Windows"