• Mar 29, 2010

    Geek cred just went up!

    Almost 2 years ago, I wrote about a security issue with Mac OS X server. Well, Apple has finally addressed this in the latest security update and latest Snow Leopard Server. I even got credit in the security update notes for reporting it! One thing I'm a little confused on is the fix, "The issue is addressed by removing this configuration option." I'm going to have to download the update and see what exactly they mean.

  • Feb 25, 2010

    Review: HandShoeMouse

    One of the things I enjoy about going to Macworld Expo is finding something I didn't know I needed. A few weeks back, I was diagnosed with tendonitis in my right arm. I've been wearing a brace on it and trying to do some exercises to help it. At Macworld Expo, I stumbled upon a booth for an ergonomic mouse.

    I'm not a huge mouse person as I have been using trackballs for many years. However, I listened to the HandShoeMouse pitch, put my hand on a mouse and within minutes, I bought one. This mouse was not cheap (it cost $89 which apparently is a $40 savings), but how much is my health worth? I use a computer all day long and if I have pain, it will seriously impact my ability to earn money, so it is a small investment.

    I've been using the mouse for about 2 weeks now and am pretty used to it by now. The only quirk I've had is that it goes to sleep and you have to press a button on the mouse to wake it up. The developers of this mouse have really put a lot of time and thought into it. It has a rechargable battery that recharges via USB when it gets low; and the light on the scrollwheel lights up when you need it to recharge. They were also very insisitent that they didn't want it to have any drivers which sold me even more; plug and play.

    Time will only tell if this mouse will help me, but it is definitely worth looking at if you use a computer for long periods of time which these days is just about everyone I know.

    Pros

    • Glides smoothly on my desk.
    • Very comfortable.
    • Wireless.
    • Very accurate tracking (I got the BluRay Track version.
    • May prove to help with RSI.

    Cons

    • High cost.
    • Feels weird using a mouse having used a trackball for many years.
    • Scroll wheel sometimes feels like it is slipping.
    • Takes a second or two to wake when it has gone to sleep; you have to wake it by pressing a button as moving it does nothing.

    Summary

    I'm pretty pleased with this purchase and am hopeful that it will help with my current injury and help prevent future ones. I still need to look into getting a very smooth mousepad as my desk is a little rough and I'd like a bit less friction when moving the mouse; maybe they could have included one, but I guess mousepads are a dime a dozen these days (maybe not the real smooth ones).

  • Feb 16, 2010

    Shareware or Freeware?

    I was taking a look at programs to go with my new Forerunner 405 and stumbled upon TrailRunner and am fairly impressed. The author says it is donation-ware as he doesn't have time to support it and people would expect support. That's fine and dandy, but if you don't donate, you get a reminder when you launch the app to donate. So what is the difference between shareware and donation-ware that nags you? In my opinion, there is no difference. The author wants 25 Euros for the app to get rid of the screen.

    While the application looks well done, I have a problem with what the author is doing. He should either make it free without a nag (and accept donations) or make it shareware. It is misleading, in my opinion, to say it's free, but nag you at every startup to donate. Will this prevent me from buying (let's face it, it is not a donation), I'm not sure. I like how it presents the data and like the mapping, but this really irks me.

    Hey author, wake up and make your app shareware. You'd actually be surprised how much well written software can earn you and then you can stop making excuses on why you can't support the software.

  • Feb 9, 2010

    What not to include in a Mac application

    I just got a Garmin Forerunner 405 and will be posting a review in the near future. However, I just had to post about the Garmin ANT Agent software. After seeing an erroneous dialog about a new network interface and thinking that the developers need a lesson in Mac development (I can't connect to the Internet with the GPS unit!), I decided to poke around in the application.

    I found files called DefaultGarminDebugSettings.xcconfig and DefaultGarminReleaseSettings.xcconfig. These files are used by developers to build the application, but should NEVER be shipped with an application. To me, this shows a development team that isn't all that familiar with Xcode and Macintosh development. While it might have just been a mistake, this is kind of the icing on the cake to me of a poorly written application. Since the Garmin ANT application has to run in order to transfer data, there was really no need to install a kernel extension as all the USB communications should be doable via userspace calls. Anyone that has ever dealt with a kernel extension knows that they're hard to develop, hard to debug, and could make a computer less stable.

    While Garmin has made great strides in supporting the Mac, I'd like to see Garmin invest a little money on developing quality Mac software.