The Back Page - Fool vs. Fool: Apple is Rotten and Macs Suck, So ...
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I always enjoy The Motley Fool&#39;s Fool vs. Fool debates over a stock, especially when it&#39;s Apple they&#39;re talking about.
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Before heading over to the Web 2.0 conference at the Palace Hotel in SF this morning, I couldn't resist doing some more digging into alternate user interfaces for news reading based on the NY Times keywords.  One thing I learned the hard way is that when you access the Times site from a script (not through a browser) if you try to read an article that's too old (not sure what the time limit is) it tries to redirect you to a login page (which is pretty pointless considering that there's no human being around to log in). I hit this problem yesterday, and then hit it again this morning, but couldn't remember what the problem was. So by writing it up this time I hope to remember.  No doubt some debunked hack journalist posing as a tech industry mogul will slander me for this, but the asshat asshole has no idea how blogging works, and who the fuck cares what he thinks anyway. "cheesecake"
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Recently posted document throws a little light on a key feature of the next edition of Mac OS X.
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In response to this recent article from the Hiveminds website, Marco Tabini has a few choice words about some of the topics they cover in the article, and cover incorrectly.   Over the last few years, I've made it a point of trying to respond to at least some of the "PHP is dead"-type articles that crop up on the Net from time to time. The latest one comes from Hiveminds and reveals a complete misunderstanding of almost every point it covers.   He notes that though the article seems to be a coherent whole for why PHP is dwindling, it's "based on nothing more than a string of misinformed concepts cobbled together to give the appearance that the author knows what he or she is talking about". Marco comes back against each of the points made in the article, setting things right and eliminating some of the FUD (fear, uncertainly, and doubt) that the Hiveminds article spreads.
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First, thanks for the great comments on yesterday's post about Apple and the hard disk of my MacBook. People were universally positive and helpful, and I can say I really learned some really important things as a result of the discussion. First, the cost of the data on the hard disk swamps the value of the value of the disk and even the value of the computer. There was source code on the computer, and other information, which if it fell into the wrong hands, could cause some serious problems for me. I have no agreement with Apple that covers the security or privacy of the data. As far as I know they think they own the contents of the disk as well as the disk itself. The experience I had with them actually makes me think they probably do feel its theirs. This from a company that takes the security of its own private information very seriously, they seem to have almost no regard for the security of its customers' information. You have no control over when a hard disk will crash, or any foreknowledge of when it's even likely to crash. So there's no way to protect against this kind of security issue. And that's what it is. What kind of sense does it make to invest in firewalls, and of what value is Apple's claim that Macs are inherently more secure, when all the data on one of my computers is now completely out of my control forever? I'm not so concerned about the privacy issues, but I could imagine that other people might be. And if identity thieves are not aware of this backdoor way to get access to private information, how long before they are? Security experts always warn us that obscurity is not a good strategy for security. So what to do?  Basically I've given up on trying to get Apple to do the right thing and give me my disk back. Some people at the Emeryville store are well-itentioned, and are just naive about the problems that can come when you trust people with all your data. Others just don't care. Either way it seems unlikely that I'm going to get it back, and even if I do, it's been out of my control for too long.  I'm going to go through the tedious job of changing the passwords on all my sensitive online accounts. That was overdue anyway. And next time a laptop blows its hard disk, I'm either going to replace it myself and shred the old disk, the same way I'd shred any sensitive documents before throwing them out, or just throw away the whole computer. I know this isn't green, but there seems to be no other course that's anything close to secure. And always be aware that you could lose a laptop, or it could be stolen. So far it seems that this is not yet an identity theft concern, but you can't be sure, and it won't be long before it is.  Thanks again for all the good info, advice and vibe.
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Also: Start-up offers messages that self destruct. Read these stories and more from around the Web on News.com Extra.
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Apple Computer is still the apple of its own eye, but the company is trying to take a more modest tack with the public. [Missing Links]
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One's a PC brain, the other's a Mac-head--two PC World editors strongly disagree about owning this week's must-have gadget.
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The Mac maker splits its stock 2-for-1 for the first time since the dot-com days. Big whoop.
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Scott Finnie writes for Computerworld, âIf I decide to go back to Windows when this Mac trial is over, returning to my ThinkPad T60 Core Duo may be a very difficult move. Iâve settled into the MacBook Pro 17 [inch] and Mac OS X 10.4.8 as if I was born to them. If the Mac OS doesnât mesmerize me to the point that I lose all interest in Windows, this piece of hardware might just do that all on its own.â
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iNuisance Miscreants have created a proof-of-concept sample of adware that targets Apple Mac OS X users.â¦
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Readers remark on lunar landings, the future of Apple music and journalistic integrity. Plus: Links to our most popular blog posts.
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Readers opine on the twits in tights and taking a bite out of Apple's iPod. Plus: Links to our most commented-upon blog posts.
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Plus: eBay outlines policy on racist language. [News.com Extra]
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PHPKitchen has an interesting post covering one of the banes of most web developers existance - the "back button problem".
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Gabe: So I picked up my MacBook Pro a few months back and I would not call myself a convert but I do really like it. I"ve been doing all the basic iLife stuff, like making DVD"s of Gabe"s birthday party and photocasting pictures to the family. I am getting much more comfortable with the Mac but there are still some things I don"t quite understand and so I have a couple questions for you guys.
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Environmentalists crash Macworld and chide Apple for its lackluster recycling efforts. Also: Notes on how to stop cyberbullying are here & hellip;.  Motorola loses its number two, who wanted to be number one & hellip;. and more.