Marc Perton
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To say Marc Perton is a download junkie is putting it mildly. Marc mainlines software, filling up drive after drive with the latest utilities, themes, tweaks and widgets. Marc has a special affinity for productivity apps, UI customization tools and emulators, and will almost always choose a free/shareware or open source app over mainstream programs if given the opportunity (and he always registers his shareware!). Marc also has something of an addiction to gadgets (you need something to run all that software on, right?), which is why you'll also find him blogging regularly on DownloadSquad's sister site Engadget.
Filed under: Utilities, Macintosh, Productivity, Shareware
by Marc Perton (RSS feed) Jan 17th 2006
If you're a Mac user but find that the
Finder just doesn't do it for you, check out Path Finder, a great replacement for the file manager, which has just been
updated to Version 4. This is a major upgrade, with a raft of new features, including full integration with OSX 10.4
features such as Spotlight and 256x256 icons, along with lots of features you won't find in the Finder. These include a
built-in search engine (in case you really don't like spotlight), tabbed windows, and tons of modules, including a file
previewer, text editor, PDF viewer, and terminal tool. Path Finder is $34.95; if you purchased Path Finder 3 after
September 29, 2004, you're eligible for a free upgrade.
Filed under: Business, Design, Internet, Macintosh, Podcasting, Blogging, Productivity, Apple
by Marc Perton (RSS feed) Jan 11th 2006
Along with all of the
new
hardware announced at Macworld, Apple managed to release a raft of software upgrades as well, including updated
versions of the OSX operating system, productivity suite iWork, and the iLife media bundle. ILife '06 includes upgrades
to iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand, along with a new app, iWeb, which provides tools for web site creation, podcasting and
blogging, along with one-click publishing to Apple's .Mac service. Unlike the default mode of most other blogging tools,
such as Typepad, Wordpress and Blogger, iWeb is designed to be used offline, with posts uploaded to .Mac after they're
created in the desktop application. Other updates to iLife include podcast-editing tools in Garage Band and the ability
to create RSS feeds for iPhoto libraries. ILife '06 comes bundled with all new Macs, or is available from Apple for $79.
As usual, there's no upgrade discount for owners of previous versions of the software. Improvements to iWork include new
3D charting modes and new image editing tools. IWork '06 is also available for $79. OSX 10.4.4 is an incremental
upgrade, and includes several new Dashboard Widgets, including a Google widget and an improved calendar widget. Oh, and
this one's free for users of OSX 10.4. Woo hoo.
Filed under: OS Updates, Hardware, Windows, Macintosh, Apple, Microsoft
by Marc Perton (RSS feed) Jan 11th 2006
If you've been counting on being able to run Windows on those new Intel-based Macs, Apple's not about to make it easy
for you -- despite Apple's
new
agreement with Microsoft not to block Windows on the new computers. According to Apple SVP Phil Schiller, the new
Macs announced yesterday (those being the Intel iMac and MacBook Pro) may not be able to run current versions of
Windows due to the fact that the computers will boot using the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI), rather than a
traditional BIOS (current Power PC Macs use Open Firmware). EFI was developed by Intel and allows a number of advanced
features, including the ability to connect to the Internet from a command shell before the OS is loaded. Since EFI was
developed after Windows XP, it's not supported by the current or earlier version of Windows (it is, however, supported
by 64-bit versions, but the new Macs are 32-bit, so it's back to square one). However, all is not lost: Windows Vista
will support EFI. So, if you're a Vista beta tester and have ordered a new iMac or MacBookPro, get those install CDs
out; the rest of you will have to wait for the official Vista release, or find a way to hack XP to boot using EFI.
by Marc Perton (RSS feed) Dec 26th 2005
Fifteen years ago, while most other
people were probably unwrapping presents, Tim Berners-Lee was giving one to the world: On Christmas Day, 1990, he put
the finishing touches on WorldWideWeb, the first web browser. The browser ran on a NeXT computer, and included a
built-in HTML editor as well. Of course, there wasn't a whole lot to browse, given that Berners-Lee had launched the
first web site just a month earlier. But the birth of WorldWideWeb, and its companion line-mode browser, was a major
step toward the creation of the web as we know it today, and was a huge Christmas present from Berners-Lee to the rest
of the computing world. So, thanks, Sir Tim, and happy anniversary!
Filed under: Internet, News
by Marc Perton (RSS feed) Dec 25th 2005
The final word,
from Firefox wunderkind Blake Ross: "Amidst mounting speculation of an all-out bidding
war between Microsoft, Google and the Korean bakery down on 3rd, Opera Software announced today that it inadvertently
purchased itself in a $0 million recursive merger set to complete on Monday."
Way to go, Blake! Your
best post since you declared that Firefox was
the "schmutz-free" browser.
by Marc Perton (RSS feed) Dec 23rd 2005 {3 comments}
Are
all of those open windows taking up a little too much space on your desktop? Want to make them disappear without having
to minimize them? Give today's free file, WinRoll, a try. It can make
your windows "roll up" into the title bar (a trick familiar to users of Mac OS9), and can also let you make
your windows transparent at will (a trick familiar to users of Windows Vista). A handy ...
by Marc Perton (RSS feed) Dec 23rd 2005 {0 comments}
There's an interesting series of posts over at the
blog of John Flowers, about how he believes his small search
company has suffered at the hands of Google. According to Flowers, Google recently banned his company's spiders, after
initially shmoozing with him about a possible deal. Flowers posted a few weeks ago about how, after conducting talks
with Google, the company suddenly stopped ...
by Marc Perton (RSS feed)
Dec 23rd 2005 {2 comments}
Forget those Intel-based Macs (well, not really, but humor me for a minute here). According to TUAW, the real news at
Macworld this January may be the first public preview of the next version of OSX, version 10.5, aka Leopard. Right now
it's just speculation, but TUAW makes a reasonable case for the idea that Stevie J. may use his annual shindig to show
off more than just some shiny new laptops ...
by Marc Perton (RSS feed) Dec 23rd 2005 {0 comments}
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With rumors swirling that Microsoft was about to acquire the company - and some sites
even claiming that the deal was done - Opera Software has issued a firm denial, saying that
the company has "not been bought, and we have not received any offers." So, there you have it. Though, I
somehow suspect that Opera would be more than happy to accept an offer (though I don't think one will be ...
by Marc Perton (RSS feed) Dec 22nd 2005 {2 comments}
Admit it. It's getting down to the
wire, and you haven't picked out gifts for everyone, or even sent out all of your cards yet. One popular last-minute
solution is to send out e-cards, and here's one way to make those cards a little more interesting. Instead of just
using the canned cards available on countless sites, design your own. Don't have the time or Photoshop chops? No
problem. Just use ...
With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet.
They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...
