TweetFollow Us on Twitter

From the Editor, September 2008

Volume Number: 24 (2008)
Issue Number: 09
Column Tag: Editorial

Love is a funny thing. You can really, really love someone or something; but shift that emotion just 5 degrees or so and it turns into something completely different. Some might say compassion is love with no strings attached, but that's a philosophical debate for another day (and magazine). "Mac people" are amazing because we have this same kind of love for Apple, Inc. (and let's not get started about Wall Street and their "love" for Apple). I'd say this situation arises due to the dichotomy between Apple—the—company and the products that Apple makes. We pretty much always love Apple's products: MacPro, Xserve, MacBook Air - all beautiful stuff, right? However, Apple—the company—can do some things that just annoy us — developers particularly.

The issue you're reading now was intended to be a bit of an exposé on iPhone development. We have articles on various iPhone SDK technologies ready to go. However, this can't happen at the moment due to a confidentiality clause in the iPhone SDK agreement. As iPhone developers, when we downloaded the final SDK, the large, looming NDA section was gone - Yippie! However, there's still a stanza in there that basically says iPhone developers can't discuss the contents of the SDK. This has held up all publishing about iPhone SDK development. Worse, it stops developers from speaking to each other to get the support they need (well, legally, anyway).

Fortunately, we've spoken to people at Apple on the iPhone team and they realize how absurd this is, and they're trying to correct the situation as fast as possible - my hope would be that it's taken care of by the time you read this, and our next issue, October, can bring you iPhone development articles. We love the iPhone, but we don't always love the policies surrounding it.

None of this malarkey means that we don't have great content otherwise. If you're a system administrator, scripting can be such a boon to your workflow. Too few sysadmins dig into bash enough to get really proficient. This month's Mac in the Shell gives you a jumping—in point to get comfortable using bash. Greg Neagle also brings a follow—up to using FileVault in an Enterprise setting. Ryan Wilcox also brings us an interview with a sysadmin that needed to get work done, chose AppleScript and succeeded.

On the creation side, Norman Palardy continues to show the power of REALbasic by fleshing out the example skeleton that was built in previous months. Dave Dribin introduces Cocoa Bindings and Key—Value Coding (KVC) for everyone following along in The Road to Code.

In the MacTech Spotlight, we feature Andrew Welch from Ambrosia Software. Funny enough, I was recently cleaning up my computer graveyard, and found my old Quadra 840av. It still booted, and what a treasure trove was found on the internal disks. One of those was Aperion by Ambrosia Software. I wound up playing for an hour or so, and then immediately purchased the OS X native version of Aperion. John and Ambrosia have been mainstays of the Macintosh scene. Check out this month's MacTech Spotlight and find out why.

Until next month, keep loving what you do, and compassion for those still trying to figure it out.

Ed Marczak,

Executive Editor

 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

Six fantastic ways to spend National Vid...
As if anyone needed an excuse to play games today, I am about to give you one: it is National Video Games Day. A day for us to play games, like we no doubt do every day. Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, feast your eyes on this... | Read more »
Old School RuneScape players turn out in...
The sheer leap in technological advancements in our lifetime has been mind-blowing. We went from Commodore 64s to VR glasses in what feels like a heartbeat, but more importantly, the internet. It can be a dark mess, but it also brought hundreds of... | Read more »
Today's Best Mobile Game Discounts...
Every day, we pick out a curated list of the best mobile discounts on the App Store and post them here. This list won't be comprehensive, but it every game on it is recommended. Feel free to check out the coverage we did on them in the links below... | Read more »
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's...
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Nintendo has been locked in an epic battle with Pocketpair, creator of the obvious Pokémon rip-off Palworld. Nintendo often resorts to legal retaliation at the drop of a hat, but it seems this... | Read more »
Apple exclusive mobile games don’t make...
If you are a gamer on phones, no doubt you have been as distressed as I am on one huge sticking point: exclusivity. For years, Xbox and PlayStation have done battle, and before this was the Sega Genesis and the Nintendo NES. On console, it makes... | Read more »
Regionally exclusive events make no sens...
Last week, over on our sister site AppSpy, I babbled excitedly about the Pokémon GO Safari Days event. You can get nine Eevees with an explorer hat per day. Or, can you? Specifically, you, reader. Do you have the time or funds to possibly fly for... | Read more »
As Jon Bellamy defends his choice to can...
Back in March, Jagex announced the appointment of a new CEO, Jon Bellamy. Mr Bellamy then decided to almost immediately paint a huge target on his back by cancelling the Runescapes Pride event. This led to widespread condemnation about his perceived... | Read more »
Marvel Contest of Champions adds two mor...
When I saw the latest two Marvel Contest of Champions characters, I scoffed. Mr Knight and Silver Samurai, thought I, they are running out of good choices. Then I realised no, I was being far too cynical. This is one of the things that games do best... | Read more »
Grass is green, and water is wet: Pokémo...
It must be a day that ends in Y, because Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has kicked off its Zoroark Drop Event. Here you can get a promo version of another card, and look forward to the next Wonder Pick Event and the next Mass Outbreak that will be... | Read more »
Enter the Gungeon review
It took me a minute to get around to reviewing this game for a couple of very good reasons. The first is that Enter the Gungeon's style of roguelike bullet-hell action is teetering on the edge of being straight-up malicious, which made getting... | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Take $150 off every Apple 11-inch M3 iPad Air
Amazon is offering a $150 discount on 11-inch M3 WiFi iPad Airs right now. Shipping is free: – 11″ 128GB M3 WiFi iPad Air: $449, $150 off – 11″ 256GB M3 WiFi iPad Air: $549, $150 off – 11″ 512GB M3... Read more
Apple iPad minis back on sale for $100 off MS...
Amazon is offering $100 discounts (up to 20% off) on Apple’s newest 2024 WiFi iPad minis, each with free shipping. These are the lowest prices available for new minis among the Apple retailers we... Read more
Apple’s 16-inch M4 Max MacBook Pros are on sa...
Amazon has 16-inch M4 Max MacBook Pros (Silver and Black colors) on sale for up to $410 off Apple’s MSRP right now. Shipping is free. Be sure to select Amazon as the seller, rather than a third-party... Read more
Red Pocket Mobile is offering a $150 rebate o...
Red Pocket Mobile has new Apple iPhone 17’s on sale for $150 off MSRP when you switch and open up a new line of service. Red Pocket Mobile is a nationwide MVNO using all the major wireless carrier... Read more
Switch to Verizon, and get any iPhone 16 for...
With yesterday’s introduction of the new iPhone 17 models, Verizon responded by running “on us” promos across much of the iPhone 16 lineup: iPhone 16 and 16 Plus show as $0/mo for 36 months with bill... Read more
Here is a summary of the new features in Appl...
Apple’s September 2025 event introduced major updates across its most popular product lines, focusing on health, performance, and design breakthroughs. The AirPods Pro 3 now feature best-in-class... Read more
Apple’s Smartphone Lineup Could Use A Touch o...
COMMENTARY – Whatever happened to the old adage, “less is more”? Apple’s smartphone lineup. — which is due for its annual refresh either this month or next (possibly at an Apple Event on September 9... Read more
Take $50 off every 11th-generation A16 WiFi i...
Amazon has Apple’s 11th-generation A16 WiFi iPads in stock on sale for $50 off MSRP right now. Shipping is free: – 11″ 11th-generation 128GB WiFi iPads: $299 $50 off MSRP – 11″ 11th-generation 256GB... Read more
Sunday Sale: 14-inch M4 MacBook Pros for up t...
Don’t pay full price! Amazon has Apple’s 14-inch M4 MacBook Pros (Silver and Black colors) on sale for up to $220 off MSRP right now. Shipping is free. Be sure to select Amazon as the seller, rather... Read more
Mac mini with M4 Pro CPU back on sale for $12...
B&H Photo has Apple’s Mac mini with the M4 Pro CPU back on sale for $1259, $140 off MSRP. B&H offers free 1-2 day shipping to most US addresses: – Mac mini M4 Pro CPU (24GB/512GB): $1259, $... Read more

Jobs Board

All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.