Showing posts with label apple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apple. Show all posts

First Snow Leopard Update Plus Other Mac Security Updates
Friday, September 11, 2009

Apple has released the first update for Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6.1, due to erroneously including an old and vulnerable version of Flash in the original release. This update also includes a few additional fixes.

Even if you're not running Snow Leopard yet, you'll want to use Software Updates under the Apple menu to get your copy of the latest Security Updates for Mac OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5.8.

Posted byTriona Guidry at 5:46 AM 0 comments  

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Mac OS X Snow Leopard Software Compatibility List
Monday, August 31, 2009

For those of you exploring the newly released Mac OS X version 10.6 (Snow Leopard), Apple has posted a list of software that is incompatible with the new system. The list comprises mostly older versions of well-known software including Parallels Desktop 2.5 and earlier, McAfee VirusScan 8.6 and earlier, and Norton AntiVirus 11.0.

Other software is listed as "restricted from opening", meaning you can install it but it won't work. This list includes Parallels Desktop 3.0, Intego VirusBarrier 10.4.4 and earlier, SPSS 17, and Adobe Director MX 2004 version 10.2.

Apple recommends checking with your vendor for compatible upgrades. You may also want to browse through the list of compatible printer and scanner software.

Posted byTriona Guidry at 11:31 AM 0 comments  

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Microsoft To Replace Entourage With New Outlook For Mac
Thursday, August 13, 2009

Microsoft has announced that the next version of Office For Mac will include Outlook as a replacement for Entourage.

“It is an exciting time for the MacBU with updates to our current products and the first public announcement about the next version of Office for Mac. For several years we have focused on providing the best Microsoft Exchange client for the Mac, and the Web Services Edition delivers that today for Entourage users,” said Eric Wilfrid, general manager for the MacBU at Microsoft. “Outlook for Mac will bring features our customers have long requested — such as Information Rights Management — that make working across platforms even easier. I think people will see that this move to Outlook for Mac is more than just a name change.”
This could be really good, or really bad. Although Microsoft says this will not be a feature-to-feature match for Windows-based Outlook, anything that gives Mac users greater compatibility, especially with Exchange, is a positive step forward. That being said, we all know that Microsoft doesn't always deliver as promised. A new Outlook for Mac is vaporware at this point, since the release of Office for Mac is at least eighteen months out. And I hope the migration process from Entourage to the new Outlook isn't as problematic as the one we had to endure from Outlook Express for Mac to Entourage when the latter was first released.

I think this represents acknowledgment on Microsoft's part that the Mac is in the enterprise to stay, and I look forward to testing the new Outlook for Mac when it becomes available.

Posted byTriona Guidry at 11:22 AM 0 comments  

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New Office 2008 For Mac Update Fixes Glitch
Friday, August 7, 2009

To update Wednesday's post, Microsoft has released a new Office 2008 For Mac update which fixes a glitch that prevented users from opening some Office 2007 For Windows (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) documents. The new update is version 12.2.1 and can be obtained here.

Posted byTriona Guidry at 8:26 AM 0 comments  

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Mac OS X 10.5.8 And Office 2008 For Mac Service Pack 2
Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Two major Macintosh updates of note. The first is that Apple has released the latest update for Leopard, Mac OS X 10.5.8, along with a slew of security updates for Leopard and other versions of the Mac OS. As always it's a good idea to back up your system before applying these updates. You will find them via Software Updates in your Apple Menu.

On a similar note, Microsoft has released an update for Office 2008 for Mac, and with this one I have to urge caution. Service Pack 2 (version 12.2.0) breaks compatibility with Word 2007 for Windows (.docx) files. You'll find the advisory and workarounds here. If you require the ability to open .docx files I recommend you hold off on this update until the problems are fixed.

Posted byTriona Guidry at 5:03 PM 0 comments  

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Windows 7 And Mac OS X Snow Leopard
Wednesday, July 15, 2009

This fall we have major upgrades for Windows and Mac. Windows 7, the successor to Vista, is slated to be shipped on October 22, 2009. Mac OS X 10.6, code-named Snow Leopard, is set to ship in September. What will these new operating systems mean for you, and when should you think about upgrading?

Windows 7 will look like Windows Vista, but there are some improvements meant to simplify the user experience such as changes to the Taskbar. Performance should be improved, especially if you have a 64-bit processor. Security is bolstered based upon Vista's User Access Control feature, which disallows administrative privileges without typing a password. I'm also looking forward to BitLocker, Microsoft's encryption option. It's interesting to note that, for reasons related to antitrust investigations, Windows 7 will ship without Internet Explorer in Europe. I'm curious why U.S. users don't rate the same advantage, but I digress. If you want Windows 7 you will likely have to ramp up your hardware. Microsoft claims it will work with a 1GHz processor and 1GB of memory, but since Vista hardly works without at least 2GB we can assume Microsoft's system requirements, as usual, are not the same as the real (read: functional) ones. And just to keep things confusing, Microsoft is offering six different versions of Windows 7.

Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) also offers improved performance for 64-bit Macs. It's supposed to function faster than Leopard while taking up less hard drive space. One thing I already like about Snow Leopard is the price. Existing Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5) users can upgrade for just $29. This is a far cry from the past, when we had to pay full price for the new version. It's about time, Apple! The Mac community is eagerly awaiting improved integration with Microsoft networking. Mail, Address Book, and iCal will provide built-in support for Microsoft Exchange 2007. We'll have to see if this makes life easier in mixed PC-Mac environments, or if it will offer a serious Outlook equivalent for those of us still struggling with Entourage.

As with any new operating system, I don't recommend you jump on the bandwagon immediately unless you have a pressing need for the new features. For example, some Mac users may want to start testing Snow Leopard's integration with Microsoft networks right away. Otherwise, wait a while and see how things go before making your decision.

Don't forget to subscribe to Tech Tips (free!) for the latest computer news. Next month we'll prepare for the start of the school year with Internet Safety For Kids.

Posted byTriona Guidry at 3:12 PM 0 comments  

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