TidBITS: Mac News for the Rest of UsInsightful news, reviews, and analysis of the Macintosh and Internet worldsThe Evolving World of Mac Backup Software- May 31, 2008 Because I write so much about backups, I try to keep on top of all the programs one can use to back up a Mac, and their ever-changing feature sets. Recently while working on an update to "Take Control of Mac OS X Backups" (release date TBD), I realized that the appendix in which I provide feature-comparison checklists is badly out of date, and that trying to update it as I've done in the past is a lost cause - it'll just be obsolete again a day later. So instead, I'm going to be putting that...http://db.tidbits.com/article/9639?rss Updated .Mac Book to Require Major Find-and-Replace- May 30, 2008 Whenever we release a new Take Control book, we realize that it will eventually need an update (whether small or large), and that one day it will probably become obsolete. We always hope that we can enjoy at least a few months of sales before Apple sends us back to the drawing board to realign the manuscript with their latest reality - after all, we're already busy working on the next set of titles. Well, the second edition of my "Take Control of .Mac" was published last week - and if recent.http://db.tidbits.com/article/9637?rss Take Control News: Maximize Your .Mac Membership- May 30, 2008 We've just released the second edition of "Take Control of .Mac," by Joe Kissell. When you think of Apple's .Mac service, what probably comes to mind is having a mac.com email address or storing files on your iDisk. However, beyond those common uses, .Mac offers many other powerful features - Groups lets you set up mailing lists and members-only Web sites; .Mac Sync helps you coordinate bookmarks, calendars, contacts, keychains, and more among your Macs; Mail lets you read your mac.com...http://db.tidbits.com/article/9638?rss Back to My Mac Communicates Faults in 10.5.3- May 29, 2008 In Mac OS X 10.5.3, Apple added troubleshooting messages to its Back to My Mac remote access service. Back to My Mac requires one of two kinds of automated port mapping technologies to punch through typical home routers that create private networks typically unreachable from the rest of the Internet. Often, Back to My Mac doesn't work when activated - via the Back to My Mac view in the .Mac system preference pane - and previously had no way of offering diagnostics. You had to feel around...http://db.tidbits.com/article/9636?rss The Broadband Service of My Dreams- May 29, 2008 Yesterday when I checked my mail, I found my box full of flyers advertising all sorts of things I don't need. I was planning to toss it all, but one flyer caught my eye. It said (in French): "Fiber arrives in your neighborhood! 100 Mbps Internet, high-definition TV, telephone: 100% fiber." Oh yes. I do need that. Now, I've got to point out that here in Paris, as in most of metropolitan Europe, broadband service as a whole is both faster and cheaper (for what you get) than what's commonly...http://db.tidbits.com/article/9635?rss Tip: See Dictionary Definitions in Real Time- May 29, 2008 I've just run across a useful little variant in how you can use Mac OS X's built-in dictionary service to see definitions of words in your documents. You undoubtedly know that you can Control-click or right-click any word and choose Look Up in Dictionary to display a little pop-up definition (some applications instead launch the full Dictionary application). And you may know that if you press Command-Control-D, the little dictionary pop-up appears for the word currently under the pointer. But...http://db.tidbits.com/article/9634?rss Security Update 2008-003 Mac OS X 10.5.3 Fix Flaws- May 29, 2008 Apple has released Security Update 2008-003 for Mac OS X 10.4.11 to extend the security fixes included in Mac OS X 10.5.3 and Mac OS X Server 10.5.3 to systems running Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Most notable among the fixes is one that blocks the iCal vulnerability publicized recently by Core Security Services (see "Unpatched iCal Security Flaws Present Low Risk," 2008-05-22). The reason for Apple's foot-dragging on the iCal vulnerabilities is now clear - if Security Update 2008-003 had been the only.http://db.tidbits.com/article/9633?rss TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 02-Jun-08- May 29, 2008 Keyboard Maestro 3.1 from Stairways Software enhances the macro utility with a slew of new capabilities for working with the clipboard, most notably a new Clipboard History Switcher that lets users see and paste previous clipboard contents. Keyboard Maestro 3.1 can also now filter the contents of the clipboard before pasting, run clipboard contents through BBEdit Text Factories, and put specific text (including variables) on the clipboard. Other changes in 3.1 include full scripting support so..http://db.tidbits.com/article/9631?rss Mac OS X 10.5.3 Update Resolves Numerous Issues- May 29, 2008 Apple has released Mac OS X 10.5.3 Update to fix a wide variety of problems in key Leopard features and to block numerous security vulnerabilities (see "Security Update 2008-003 Mac OS X 10.5.3 Fix Flaws," 2008-05-29). Although Apple does provide more detail about what was changed than is normal for the company, the release notes are still rather terse and seldom give any indication of the severity or frequency of the bugs that were fixed. That said, it strikes me as important that 10.5.3:..http://db.tidbits.com/article/9632?rss Back in the Saddle with the TomTom Go 720 GPS- May 27, 2008 It has been about a year and a half since my last review of a car navigation GPS, a consumer electronics field of which I'm inordinately fond, because the little buggers are so darn useful when driving in unfamiliar environs. See our "Find Yourself with GPS" series for the full set of reviews of different devices. Although I'm sure progress has been made by Garmin and Magellan, I've been wanting to check out devices from TomTom. TomTom's GPSes are generally regarded as being as good as or...http://db.tidbits.com/article/9628?rss |