PC-Cillin and the failed alternatives

My mother's Win98 box throws an 'LUCallbackproxy.exe' error on logout or shutdown. As near as I can tell, it's a Norton Antivirus bug with Windows 98 that they're not interested in fixing.

So that rules out NAV. Next I looked at McAfee. Lord, but those Amazon reviews are nasty. The NAV reviews are almost as bad.

PC-Cillin has decent Amazon reviews, in line with less trustworthy CNET editor and user reviews. Looks like the antivirus marketplace for Windows will be Microsoft Live for XP and Vista, and PC-Cillin for everything else.

(Soon she'll inherit my XP box. I'll replace it with a MacBook laptop and boot XP as needed. That XP will run without antivirus software -- it won't be doing much on the net ...

The Free iPod Book 2.0

iLounge has released the ad supported Free iPod Book 2.0. It's 21st century techno-porn for the iPod fanboy. The advertisers should be happy. The two page view works fine at 1024x768 if you use Acrobat's Cmd-L full screen mode.

Very professionally done. It's a testimony to the power of the iPod ecosystem. SONY must weep to see this ...

Belkin iPod TuneTie - tears the earbud covers

The TuneTie looks like a great way to carry iPod earbuds. I bought one at the local Apple store. Alas, it only really works with the foam pads removed. If they're on, they tear on insertion. Too bad! I'll return my set for store credit.

Microsoft OneCare will kill Win2K and Win98

Microsoft's Norton AV killer, OneCare is XP only. Makes sense for Microsoft. Once Norton abandons the AV business, as they will, anyone not using Win2K or Win98 will need to switch.

A detail nobody seems to be mentioning.

Microsoft could give this sucker away and still make a vast fortune on the upgrade licenses. They only charge for it because otherwise they'd lose an antitrust battle.

Since OneCare can be installed on 3 machines for $50, and NAV lists as $70/machine, it's much cheaper than NAV. If it inflicts less of a performance hit than NAV it'll be much better too.

Mindjet MindManager goes to the Mac

MindManager a mind mapping tool that's pretty dominant on Windows, now has a Mac version. It's expensive: $230 bucks.

At that price point there are likely better Mac options for most people, but the strength of MM on Windows means it might make sense for some Mac users.

Automator Action Pack: anything useful?

I've yet to find a use for Automator. Maybe this will give me ideas: Photoshop Automator Action Pack 2.2 - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

XP licenses: cheaper as upgrade or OEM

Todd Dailey:How to save over $200 on Parallels for the Mac Windows

I didn't know about the XP upgrade licensing from Win98 ...

Good news for OS X Intel users.