Security news has overtaken us once again, with a $10,000 challenge to break Mac OS X’s security that looks like it will be collected, Apple’s release of Security Update 2007-004, and a DealBITS drawing in which you could win a copy of the DoorStop X Security Suite by Open Door Networks. But those are all short bits, so for more thoughtful coverage this week, we talk with a group of TidBITS readers about how they provide Mac tech support for their families. Then, we turn to Michael E. Cohen for a detailed review of Mark/Space’s new SyncTogether, which provides many of the same features as .Mac syncing, but for multiple users and without an annual subscription fee.
Apple has released Security Update 2007-004, which fixes a wide variety of obscure security holes and includes new versions of several open source components of Mac OS X, including fetchmail and ftpd
Two hackers were able to meet a challenge at CanSecWest by gaining access to one of two fully patched MacBook Pros (one 15-inch, one 17-inch). The computers were updated with the latest security release from Apple (Security Update 2007-004, released 2007-04-19)
Despite the CanSecWest exploit (see "Money Meets Mouth on Mac Exploits," 2007-04-23), Macs have proven remarkably secure in comparison with the myriad problems that afflict Windows
Robert Movin's recent article "Switching My Mother to the Mac" (2007-04-02) generated a number of nice comments from people who had engineered similar switches for family members
I'm a fan of Mark/Space's syncing products. The Missing Sync for Palm OS, for example, has made my wife's digital life much more pleasant now that she no longer has to deal with the not-always-reliable collaboration between Apple's iSync and Palm's HotSync conduit to get her Palm TX and her PowerBook G4 on the same page
.Mac Ebook Update Covers Latest in .Mac Webmail Access -- We just released version 1.2 of our comprehensive guide to Apple's .Mac service, "Take Control of .Mac." Written by Joe Kissell, the 204-page ebook provides everything .Mac users need to know to get the most of their $100-per-year subscriptions
iRemote -- An Apple patent filing indicates that the iPhone (or other mobile phone) can be used to control software such as iTunes. Hmmm... (1 message)
Apple Store Traffic -- If you're still undecided about Apple's retail store experiment, go hang out at an Apple Store for a while; boxes seem to exit at a brisk clip, according to readers