Volume Number: 24
Issue Number: 11
Column Tag: Editorial

From the Editor, November 2008

The Apple universe may be a bit chaotic as of late-stock price swaying, app store antics, etc.-but the underlying technology is sound. Of course, it's the techs that implement systems that keep all of this the rock that doesn't sway in the face of chaos. This month, MacTech brings you some very rock-solid foundational articles.

This month's Mac in the Shell column focuses on learning Python. Python has been around for over 15 years, but is only recently getting heavy use on OS X and OS X Server. I consider scripting an absolute foundation of being a System Administrator. We've covered bash pretty extensively, and, while capable, bash has its limits. Start learning Python on the Mac for general or System Administration use.

Noah Gift brings us a multi-part article on integrating OS X with other directory services. This first article lays the groundwork for the following articles, and makes sure you have what you need to begin testing.

Dave Dribin and the Road to Code covers one of the hallmarks of the Mac since the very early days of the GUI: Undo support. This is an important next step for developers to bring a polished experience to users of their software.

New author Scott Corley presents an article that should be of interest to developers and System Administrators alike: all about code signing. Code signing has become more important to understand under Leopard, and for applications that run on the iPhone. This article explains what it is and how to dig in.

Our Geek Guide this month talks about projectors and setting up a projection environment. With all of the technology involved getting more affordable, it's a great time to understand all of the variables that that go into a system before you make a purchase.

I may have mentioned this before, but I'll take the risk of repeating this tidbit: System Administrators: you should be reading every word that Greg Neagle has to say. This month, Greg talks about the changes in options for managed preferences that came to us in Leopard. This is certainly another foundation that every OS X administrator should understand.

On the slightly more cutting edge, the third C4 conference, C4[2], recently took place in Chicago. Regular contributing author Marcus Zarra was one of the many attendees in attendance. If you don't know what C4 is, or do and wish you had been there, check out Marcus' report on the conference.

The MacTech Spotlight this month shines on Blair Yakimovich from Transgaming, Inc. Transgaming has developed a technology that they've dubbed "Cider." Essentially, Cider is a Win32-API emulator that allows developers to release games written for Windows for Intel-based Macs with little to no effort or changes in code. Consider it Rosetta for games. The technology is pretty amazing, and so are the people working on it. We talk to one of them in this month's MacTech Spotlight.

That's not all we have this month, so, crack open the rest of the issue, and enjoy! Also, don't forget to make your plans for Macworld. We hope to see everyone in San Francisco at the Mactech booth during the show!

Ed Marczak,

Executive Editor