news of 2004-01-28



AirPort Update problems?

A reader wrote in with some problems regarding the recent AirPort software update. He writes that when trying to upgrade the firmware on his AirPort Extreme base station, the administration software just disappears (read: crashes), without even a notice. (No 'Submit bug to Apple' message or anything...)

Has anyone seen the same (or similar) behaviour? Has anyone found a solution? Use the link below this message to drop us a line...

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-01-28 at 17:38 CET ]
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Seven logic boards, then back to Linux

Steve Mallet of OSDir.com writes in his column about those lousy iBooks of 2002/2003. About how he fell in love with 'the forbidden fruit' (Mac OS X) and how after all this trouble (six dead logic boards in two iBooks) he went back to using Linux full-time, in order to circumvent vendor lock-in.

And it's really a sad, sad thing that this happens at Apple. Surely, the iBooks' quality doesn't get as much attention at Apple as the PowerBooks', but failing logic boards shouldn't happen. Or not that much, anyway.

My own iBook G3/800 12" works like a charm. Its quality is top-notch. I haven't had a single hardware problem with this iBook in its entire life. However: I had two before it. Those two had failing logic boards.
I've ordered the iBook at a local (but too distant to just pick it up) reseller in Switzerland. It came two days later. It was a 14". Not what I had ordered. Back it went, and the next day, my 12" was here. I unpacked it. (And you know how nice those days are, the new-Mac-unpacking-days...) I installed everything I needed. Then the screen went black. Woops? I tried again. Sure enough it worked. For three hours. Then I sent it back. DOA. They replaced it instantly and I got the new one only about a week after the 14" had arrived. Good service! This one lasted about a week before it went black the first time. I tried. I didn't want to have it replaced once more. But after a few going-blacks, I sent it back again. Again it was acknowledged DOA and replaced instantly, which meant another two days without my iBook. I was at the time finishing my latest book called 'Mein|Eid', so I had to take the files to my PC running Windows XP, where I finished the book. That's the real reason why the font Minion Pro is used throughout the book. ;-) Then I got the new replacement iBook.

Ever since, I've been a happy user of the little 'book that could. It's the perfect notebook for me (until the 12" PowerBook came, but when I heard it got hot, I was glad I still had the iBook...) as a writer. For graphics design, I wish I had a 15" PowerBook now and then, but when I hear that 'some of them' have problems with the display, I think I might just wait for the next revision. Hopefully, there'll be one before the PowerBook G5, because that's a first revision again. And those do have problems, usually.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-01-28 at 16:59 CET ]
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"A visit from the FBI"

You've just got to read this. It's about a teacher inviting an FBI computer security guy. It's fun to read, anyway, but further down the page, you'll find stuff like this: "If you're a bad guy and you want to frustrate law enforcement, use a Mac." There's other Mac hints, too. Such as the FBI using Macs internally, because OS X is secure from installation to using and can run UNIX and Windows software (via VPC, probably), too.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-01-28 at 15:24 CET ]
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Old AirPort cards can access all channels...

Since the update to AirPort 3.3 yesterday, you can now access all WiFi channels. This was a drawback before, since AirPort Extreme base stations (and other base stations) could set the channel to something old AirPort cards couldn't even see. Now, all's well.

[ written by fryke™ on 2004-01-28 at 10:49 CET ]
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