:: TCMUG News - Keeping You Informed ::

Apple ups the ante with Mac mini, iPod, and Xsan - Proprietary technology, company-owned brick and mortar stores, and fixed pricing are exactly what the market's looking for. Get the latest update from Info World here.

More real evidence from the horse's mouth that a Mac is better and safer. The permissions are set by default in the Mac underlying Unix so that root kits cannot be installed without prompting the user for permission to install - which one would prevent as they are not installing anything. It is good to remind Mac users though not to get lazy - we are not invincible and should always be aware of what we are prompted for when browsing and reading email. Read the complete article at Computerworld.

Actual Technologies ODBC drivers let Mac OS X users connect to enterprise databases using common desktop applications such as Microsoft Excel and FileMaker Pro for just $29.95. All drivers feature native installers, setup assistants, and on-line help to get you connected to your database as quickly as possible.

Read about the Apple Expo in Paris that ran from August 31st through September 4th.

Michael Chute on OS X and Bioterrorism Research. At the onset of the Persian Gulf War in 1991, United States military leaders realized they did not have an effective method for detecting biowarfare agents in the atmosphere. Thus the Biological Defense Research Directorate (BDRD) was born within the Naval Medical Research Center in Silver Springs, Maryland. Read the entire article at Mac News World.

Steve Jobs to Kick Off Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference 2004, June 28th - July 2nd, with Preview of Mac OS X "Tiger" 10.4 operating system.

AOL quietly opened up their Mail protocols earlier this month to allow programs like Entourage, Eudora, Apple Mail, and others to allow users to check their AOL accounts via IMAP. Get all the details here.

Apple is introducing Motion, a revolutionary new application that redefines motion graphics by giving artists the creative freedom and power to deliver stunning professional quality results faster and more intuitively than ever before at a breakthrough price of $299.

Ebay scam revisited! Don't get caught by this email scam. Read more about this on our Resources page to help protect yourself against this scam. You can also check out the following article, Password is "NOT" a 4-letter word.

eBay shipping stamps from your computer - " eBay to Allow Sellers to Buy Certain Postage Online, Pay with PayPal". This article comes form AuctionBytes.com. It says that eBay is going to allow sellers to pay for shipping costs using PayPal. This would allow "stamps" to be printed by the sellers computer. This would make things easier for the seller and improve the revenue stream of eBay. But I am sure it is for the former reason they are offering it.

eBay is releasing "My eBay 2.0" in March. It will be able to handle more watched listings and searches as well as including buying and selling reminders. The biggest news here though is that you can set up searches and have "alerts" e-mailed to you. So you can find things while you sleep. There is a preview at: eBay.com

Sell It on eBay. Jim Heid and Toby Malina show how to set up shop on the world's largest bazaar. Learn the best way to position and sell your wares on eBay with this clean, easy to use book. Everything from setting up an auction, to photography tips, through special software to semi-automate placement and shipping labels are covered.
Get it at Amazon.com today.

It's time for you to Take Control with our highly practical, tightly focused electronic books! Written by leading Macintosh authors, edited by TidBITS, and delivered to your electronic doorstep within moments of "going to press," the Take Control ebooks provide just the technical help you need, all for the market-leading price of $5 each. The first eBooks out are Take Control of Upgrading to Panther, by Joe Kissell and Take Control of Customizing Panther, by Matt Neuburg.

Watch Apple CEO Steve Jobs deliver the Macworld Expo keynote address from Moscone Center in San Francisco. See the video-on-demand rebroadcast right here exclusively in QuickTime and MPEG-4. Get all of the Macworld Expo news here.