The SETI@home distributed computing project, which let you donate your Mac’s spare CPU cycles to search for extraterrestrial life, is going into hibernation, but you can join the Folding@home project to fight COVID-19. Apple has a notorious record of not handling time changes well—in the latest installment, Glenn Fleishman recounts how leap day led to frustrations at the Genius Bar. Adam Engst has some good news for athletes: the workout-based social network Strava has listened to users and brought back its chronological timeline. Finally, new TidBITS contributor Jenna Tsui joins us to outline three worthwhile iPhone buy-back programs. Notable Mac app releases this week include CleanMyMac X, BBEdit 13.0.5, SpamSieve 2.9.39, OmniFocus 3.6, Default Folder X 5.4.3, GraphicConverter 11.1.3, and Retrospect 17.
The SETI@home project is going into hibernation to analyze all the data it has gathered, but you can now instead focus your spare CPU cycles on helping find a cure for COVID-19 with the Folding@home project.
Leap years have been on the Julian calendar since it was put into effect in 45 BCE. A recent customer service failure shows Apple’s back-end developers are still trying to figure it out.
Will wonders never cease? Strava has acknowledged that users hate a two-year-old change in how the workout-centric social network service presents its activity feed. Strava users can once again enjoy a simple chronological feed, free of algorithmic interference. There are other welcome new features too.
Should you choose an Apple in-store trade-in when participating in an iPhone buy-back program, or go with a different option? Here's an overview of some of the top buy-back providers for Apple enthusiasts.
Watchlist
Maintenance release that fixes niggling bugs for the long-standing text editor. ($49.99 new, free update, 13.9 MB)
Brings a lengthy list of updated features, improvements, and bug fixes for the Swiss Army knife of graphics programs. ($39.95 new, free update, 155 MB)
Enhances email filtering accuracy and improves the spam message list text in Mail with a variety of highlight colors. ($30 new, free update, 15.6 MB)
Speeds up folder opening and fixes a variety of bugs. ($34.95 new, free update, 8.4 MB)
Introduces the Application Permissions management feature in the Privacy module to provide more control over your personal data. ($89.95 new, free update, 49 MB)
Adds support for floating time zones so appointment times stay the same no matter what time zone you're in. ($39.99 new, free update, 65 MB)
Major upgrade for the Mac backup and recovery software with improved speed and dashboard displays. ($49 for Solo and $119 for Desktop new, upgrade pricing available, 195 MB)
