Deception, fraud, and theft form the core of this week’s sordid tale of Gadget Software, a Mac shareware developer that apparently stole its products. Also this week, we look at just what sort of devices you can and cannot safely plug into your Mac while it’s on, plus cover the releases of Palm’s HotSync 2.6.1 for fixing synchronizing under Mac OS 9.0.4, Web Confidential 2.0 with Palm support, and FileMaker’s security hole-fixing Web Companion 5.0v4.
HotSync 2.6.1 Fixes Palm Sync Problems -- Palm, Inc. has released HotSync 2.6.1, which solves a Palm handheld synchronization problem introduced by Apple's recent Mac OS 9.0.4 update
Web Confidential 2.0 Syncs with Palm Devices -- Alco Blom has released Web Confidential 2.0, a major update to his $20 shareware Macintosh storage and organization utility for sensitive information (see "Web Confidential: Securing Information of All Sorts" in TidBITS-441)
Web Companion 5.0v4 Plugs FileMaker Holes -- FileMaker Inc. has released Web Companion 5.0v4 to address the substantial Internet security holes in FileMaker Pro 5 and FileMaker Pro 5 Unlimited
Poll Preview: Paying Your Fair Share -- Matt Deatherage's article this week about Gadget Software's misappropriation of shareware utilities from other developers highlights an unusual case of using software without paying for it
In last week's quiz, we asked: "Into which of the following ports should you never plug a device while the Macintosh is turned on." Of the over 2,200 responses, 64 percent chose the correct answer, which is SCSI, with 29 percent being fooled by the so-close-it-hurts wrong answer of ADB
Software development is rarely easy. Programmers face technical challenges, bugs, and tight schedules - on top of thinking of a useful product, bringing it to market quickly at a good price, and distancing that product from its competition