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Lockdown on Cell Block D (12/5/97)
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When it comes to FTP rights, Mac developers are "in the box" for an indefinite period of time, following Apple's lockdown of its Developer Seeding FTP site. Up til now, Apple has made beta software available on the net so that developers could get the fastest access possible, without having to wait for the monthly CD-ROM shipment. Now, though, Apple has pulled the plug, claiming that far too much beta software has been leaked from the FTP site, and that's hurting their business position.
Many developers are understandably bummed about this turn of events. One widespread opinion, echoed at Reality, is that the total shutdown was totally unnecessary; it turns out that Apple had been allowing anonymous access to the seeding site, thus enabling anyone to download the software with no password. Reality's take is that Apple could issue logins and passwords to members of its developer program to restrict access, rather than shutting the whole thing down. A reader at MacNN, however, notes the massive administrative load involved in dealing with lost passwords, etc. when 10,000 users are involved... and while the individual software archives were freely downloadable, each required a distinct password to allow the unlocking of the software.
Hopefully, some kind of logistical compromise can be decided and some form of the Developer Seeding FTP site will be re-established soon.
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SceneLink (243)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 12/5/97 episode: December 5, 1997: (Sorry—this was before we started writing intro text for each episode!)
Other scenes from that episode: 241: Dull Day in Court (12/5/97) Today was the first day in court in this latest Microsoft vs. the Department of Justice fracas, and things went about as expected. Judge Thomas "Pokey" Jackson made no ruling in the case, but asked what we thought were some surprisingly good questions, which fact is somewhat alleviating our fears that he may not be computer-literate enough to grasp the particulars of the case... 242: A Mac in Every QuickTime (12/5/97) One of the things we love about Mac OS Rumors (and there's a lot to love) is their unhesitating willingness to print information that is so wacky, it borders on the bizarre. Today they skeptically include a nifty little piece about how most of the Macintosh Toolbox (the collection of routines that Mac developers use in their programs) actually exists within the Windows distribution of Quicktime...
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