Today's News On One Page
November 8th, 1999
| [4:50 PM] Mega Minesweeper Get Beta Update by Staff Carrot Software has released an update to their Minesweeper collection called Mega Minesweeper. The first beta release was released just last week. According to Carrot Software:
You can find more information and download links at the company's web site. |
| [4:30 PM] Find Dates Past And Future With Update To Calendar Conversion by Staff Panda Systems has updated another one of their handy utilities. This time, they have tackled Calendar Conversion, which allows users to find dates in the past, future, and between different calendars. The update includes bug fixes and new features. According to Panda Systems:
You can find more information and download links on Calendar Conversion at the company's web site. Calendar Conversion is freeware. |
Microsoft and Intel hold back the Dow, but not by much, as Judge Jackson's Findings of Fact becomes popular reading among high tech investors. Meanwhile, the technology heavy Nasdaq continues to storm ahead, in part, encouraged by the Finding's implication for increased productivity and innovation in the US economy. The Dow advanced 14.37 (0.13%) to 10718.85 on good volume. The weather across the nation continued sunny, warm and too beautiful for many investors to stay indoors. World markets closed mostly lower today. The Nasdaq reaches an unusual seventh consecutive high, up 41.7 points (1.34%) to close at 3143.97 on roaring volume of 1.27 billion shares traded. The S&P 500 moved up 6.78 (0.49%) to close at 1377.01 Apple was a big winner up 8 1/16 (9.13%) to close at a fifth consecutive all time high of 96 3/8 on very strong volume of 8.5 million shares. Investors seem to realize that Apple's Mac OS X stands gain more than any other operating system if Microsoft influence declines. In other Apple news today, the San Jose Mercury News reported that a Federal Judge said he will "issue a preliminary injunction preventing Future Power Inc. and the Daewoo Group from distributing their iMac look-alikes." US District Judge Jeremy Fogel said, "There are many ways in which modern lines, bright colors and translucent plastics might be combined in the design of a personal computer. Any of these combinations is available to Apple's competitors, so long as the combination selected is not so similar in appearance to the iMac as to infringe on Apple's trade dress rights.'' Other Microsoft competitors did well as investor's absorbed Judge Jackson's Findings of fact. Sun Microsystems ended at an all time high, up 2 5/16 to 112. IBM ended a several day downtrend bouncing up 3 5/8 to 93 3/4 on the Microsoft news. Two alternative OS ventures really soared. Be Incorporated (BEOS) jumped 2 11/16 or (70%) to close at 6 1/2. While Red Hat Inc. ran up 18 1/16 ( 21%) to close at 104. Akamai (AKAM) gained 13 5/16 points to 187 9/16 and Arm Holdings (ARMHY) also moved ahead 13/16 to 96 1/16. Some investors sold stock on the negative aspects of the Findings of Fact. Microsoft dipped 10 points in pre-session trading, but bounced back quickly to 89 15/16 at session's end, down only 1 5/8 points. Better than 10% of the Dow's volume today was the churn in Microsoft and MSFT's capitalization amazingly fluctuated over 50 billion today. Dell and Compaq also shed some weight. Gateway maintained a 1/2 point gain to 73. Macromedia rose 13/16 to 61 11/16 as they announced Dreamweaver 3 Fireworks 3 Studio will ship in December. Motorola saw a bit of profit taking after their stellar run up last week, down 2 7/8 to 111 7/16. The 30-year Treasury bond yield rose to 6.058%. For full quotes on all the companies mentioned in this article, we have assembled this set of quotes at Yahoo! for your reference. We also have many of these same quotes reported live (20 minute delay) on our home page. For other stories regarding Apple's stock activity, visit our Apple Stock Watch Special Report.
[4:10 PM] Apple Stock Watch: Technology Rallies higher Without Microsoft, Apple Soars to 96 3/8
by Wes George
The good people of AuctionMac Software have released a new utility that is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of any Mac user using or thinking about using Virtual PC. The new app effectively optimizes, and then automates the optimization process, your Mac for the best Virtual PC performance. According to AuctionMac Software: AuctionMac Software has released VPC Helper, a new utility aimed at users of Connectix' award winning Virtual PC PC emulation software. Emulating a Windows PC on a Mac stresses every system resource, making large amounts of RAM and processor cycles required commodities. Up to now, freeing up RAM and processor speed for Virtual PC has been tedious, time-consuming, and irritating. Now, VPC Helper offers tried-and-true methods of freeing up resources for maximum Virtual PC performance. VPC Helper v1.0 offers several features... VPC Helper will quickly prepare your Mac for Virtual PC use and allow one-click configuration and return. VPC Helper will set your Virtual Memory settings (Mac OS 9 only), set Conflict Catcher 8 startup sets, quit the Finder, quit 'hidden' background apps and processes, and restart your Mac (if needed) in direct preparation for maximum Virtual PC use! And VPC Helper quickly configures and reconfigures settings with a click of the button! A 64MB G3 can run a stable Windows 98 OS without the drawbacks of using Virtual Memory (VPC Helper works with any version of Virtual PC)! VPC Helper will safely and easily free as many resources as possible to help you get the most out of Virtual PC. In our tests, VPC Helper methods dramatically improved both CPU and disk-intensive processes! (A complete performance comparison chart is available on the web site.) VPC Helper is priced at only US$8.99. You can find more information and download links at the company's web site. AuctionMac Software is also offering a full 10-day demo of the product. The Mac Observer Spin: This is a fine utility, and a shining example of the richness of the Mac shareware developer community. This product should be a hit for AuctionMac Software.
[3:30 PM] New Utility Makes It Virtually Stabilizes And Improves Performance Of Virtual PC
by Staff
OptimalHTML has been raised to a new level with the release of version 1.6, IRC app Global IRC-d has been updated to version 0.5.1, and NetFinder makes our "Latest Software Releases" for the second time in the last 7 days with the release of the final version of 2.0.2. These are the most recent updates listed at The Mac Observer's VersionMaster. You can find all the most recent Mac software updates with this service.
[3:00 PM] VersionMaster Latest Updates: OptimalHTML, Global IRC-d, And NetFinder (Again)
by Staff
| [2:30 PM] Score Another Legal Victory For Apple! by Staff Apple has scored another major legal victory in the ongoing battle against the iMac knockoff makers. The company announced that a US court has granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit against Future Power and Daewoo that prevents them from selling their iMac knockoff, the E-Power. The E-Power is manufactured by Daewoo and was to be marketed in the US by Future Power. However, the product has yet to make it to market and will likely not see the light of day at this point.
The Mac Observer Spin: Apple seems to be in a good position to keep PC manufacturers from directly copying the iMac's design. A preliminary injunction does not necessarily mean that the company will win their lawsuit, but it does say that the court feels the case at least has merit. The injunctions are also extremely important because it keeps the copycat companies from being able to continue to ship their product until a court decision makes the issue moot due to the long length of time involved in appeals. At the same time, Future Power could appeal the injunction to get it overturned. If Apple can earn a full victory in court against Future Power, it will have gone a long way towards keeping the future riffraff out of Apple's design turf. Such a victory would act as a "precedent" decision that Apple could cite in future court battles. Hot on the heels of Microsoft being declared a monopoly, this is shaping into a good week for Apple. |
| [12:00 PM] Crave Cool New Mac Stuff? You Will Rave About Site Relaunch by Staff Raves and Craves, an excellent resource for 3rd party Macintosh news and information, has redesigned their site, and is holding a contest in celebration. According to Raves and Craves:
For a first hand look at the site overhaul, and for more contest information, you can visit the Raves and Craves web site. |
| [12:00 PM] New Update Released For Diet Sleuth by Staff Black Cat Systems has updated the nutritional management program, Diet Sleuth. Version 2.2.0 adds multi-user support. According to Black Cat Systems:
Diet Sleuth is available for US$25. You can find more information on the Black Cat Systems web site. |
| [11:45 AM] Washington MUG Hosts Huge Sale by Staff The Washington Apple Pi (WAP) Computer show and sale is just around the corner. For those in the area, this is a great opportunity to help support a great club, as well as upgrade your Mac. According to WAP:
For more information and a discount coupon, you can visit the Washington Apple Pi web site. You can also e-mail the WAP office for table costs and other dealer information. |
| [11:45 AM] Tape Those Apps Together by Staff After a long public beta period, Public Access Software's development assistant application, Tape, has officially been released. Tape 1.0 bundles groups of files into a "package" designation for use under OS 9, with OS X compatibility promised. According to Public Access:
Tape is available as shareware for US$10. You can find more information at the Public Access web site. |
| [11:45 AM] New Stock Photo Collection Available Through Web by Staff Photosphere Images Ltd., has announced the availability of original images on their web site. The images can be previewed online, and then purchased and downloaded for personal use. According to Photosphere:
High resolution image (5x7", 300dpi) are available for US$60, while low resolution images (5x7", 72dpi) are available for US$30. You can find more information at the Photosphere Images Ltd. web site. |
| [9:30 AM] Microsoft Takes A Side Trip To Cartoonland by Staff Showing that money can't always buy the best web concept, our friends in Redmond have taken a trip to what might best be considered Cartoonland. Observer Jake Wachman turned us onto a new section in Microsoft's web site called The Freedom To Innovate Network. The new site features an emblem that resembles the US flag with a computer where the stars would normally be. The web effort is part of Microsoft's attempt to rally the company's defenders after Judge Penfield Jackson found Microsoft to have monopoly power. The ruling was issued on Friday, after the markets closed This excerpt was taken from the site:
Hold your nose and check it out for yourself. Thanks to Jake Wachman for letting us know about the new site! See also The Apple Trader's analysis of the ruling. The Mac Observer Spin: There are a myriad of opinions surfacing on the Microsoft situation, to be sure, but this effort from the software giant, errr... monopoly, is nothing short of bizarre. It resembles nothing so much as a cartoon, or at least the outlook of a company that spends to much in cartoonland. The flags in particular are a combination of a disgusting, yet absurdly simplistic, hijacking of American imagery. The Drones that can't see through it deserve what they get. Microsoft can repeat the "Freedom to Innovate" mantra all they want, but it still won't change the fact that they have never been an innovative company. |
| [Column] The Apple Trader - Here Comes the Judge |
| [Column] Monday's Mac Gadget - Prevent Your Mac from Seeing Double |