Seven Cool Mono Apps

This article provides a tour through some Mono programs, along with details about how you can start experimenting with them yourself. Not all of the programs featured here are finished products, but they're all exciting and show off interesting aspects of Mono. Even more Mono applications can be found at GnomeFiles.org: We should add to the list the excellent PolarViewer and SportTracker (they go together), and of course, GCursor#, CSBoardGalaxium Messenger, SkyNET and GLyrics among others like Bless, fewnn, GFax, WoodPusher, CDCollect and Kurush.

Perpetual vs Subscription Licensing

Software vendors have been moving toward the subscription-type license over the past few years, and away from the perpetual license that had been the norm. Software firms note that companies generally upgrade regularly anyway, so subscription pricing spreads out the payment more easily. A win-win right? But companies don't like the feeling of bing on the hook for payments forever when they once felt like their fee was capped at a certain amount. Read more at PCWorld

Review of “The Last Starfighter: The Musical”

Maybe you have to be a hard-core geek of a certain age to even see the wonderment of such a thing, but Jason Scott, who wrote the review, shares a delightful anecdote about Pac Man at the beginning to establish his credentials. He says that the off-broadway musical based on the 80's cheesy sci-fi movie is great. I just happened to catch The Last Starfighter on HBO a couple weeks ago, and it didn't disappoint my adolescent memories of it.

OpenStep 10th anniversary

Today, the OpenStep API celebrates its 10th anniversary. What started out as a joint adventure of NeXT and SUN to define an application development standard that would run on all machines, making "write once compile everywhere" a reality, is still unfolding within the vivid and active community of GNUstep, old NeXT and Apple lovers.

Apple Unveils Fastest, Most Affordable iBook G4 Ever

Apple today announced that it has unveiled its fastest, most affordable iBook G4 ever, featuring built-in AirPort Extreme 54 Mbps 802.11g wireless networking across the line and prices starting at US$999. They also announced the addition of a 1.8GHz single processor Power Mac G5 desktop priced at US$1,499 to its 64-bit Power Mac G5 line. Apple updated its Xserve RAID storage system too.

A radioSHARK Review

I wanted to love the radioSHARK from Griffin Technology, I really did. I'm a big fan of radio and I've been disappointed that it took so long for a company to develop and AM/FM turner for the PC. So when I heard about the radioSHARK I was excited. A quick trip to the Apple store and I had this little fin-shaped wonder.

Microsoft math: dual core licensed as one chip

Microsoft will continue to charge its customers for a single processor license once a new crop of hardware servers with the equivalent of two microprocessors on each chip hit the market next year. Intel's first dual-core Xeon processor is scheduled to arrive in the first quarter of 2006, a company exec said Monday, meaning that a competing chip from rival AMD will likely arrive several months earlier.

Brushed Metal and the HIG

"The HIG is only credible if it accurately reflects Apple’s actual policy. If the policy isn’t going to change, then the HIG should. To those of you who think this state of affairs is just fine, that there’s no problem with Mac OS X providing two disparate themes for developers to choose between based on whim, I ask this: If two themes are OK, why not three or four?" Read the editorial at DaringFireball.