Don't buy OS X software that doesn't use Apple's Installer

Adobe is the prime offender in the marketplace. We shouldn't be buying software that uses VISE and other non-compliant OS X installers. If a product doesn't use Apple's installer, don't use it. It's the mark of a vendor that doesn't care.

On Installers | Mac Geekery:

# PocketMac for Blackberry – Installer requires local admin account, AND installs essential components in ~/Library, forcing someone to log in with a local admin account, then drag the components to /Library/ then change the permissions so the actual user can utilize PocketMac.

# Adobe – Adobe’s installers and terrible enterprise support cause me an apopolectic fit. I still can’t get Reader 8 to repackage and deploy nicely....

Oldapps.com - older versions of applications

example: Old Version of iTunes for Mac Download. Handy when the new version doesn't work!

OS X: stay at 10.4.9?

I was thinking it was about time to install 10.4.10 when I read this:

MacInTouch: timely news and tips about the Apple Macintosh

.... I've just gotten off the phone with Apple support and they've confirmed that the 10.4.10 update is buggy, and another update is in the works.

...The tech I spoke with recommended that I archive-install 10.4.6 and update only to 10.4.9 using the manually downloaded updaters on Apple's web site.

10.4.9 works very well. I also read on Macintouch that the new iTunes is troublesome as well.

No rush, I'll check back in a couple of week and check Apple's forums before the update. Maybe I'll hold off on all Apple updates until they get out of the primary iPhone blitz...

Update 6/30/07: More on Mac OS X Hints Not a great update! Mac OS X Hints is probably a good place to visit one week after a major update, and prior to applying the update.

XP desktop and Outlook 2003 search: RIP Lookout, GDS, and YDS/X1

It's over. The big guy won.

About 3-4 years ago there were at least five serious contenders for full-text search of Outlook and the Windows file system. The best of the desktop search tools in early 2005 was a relabeled version of "X1" distributed as "Yahoo Desktop Search". Next was Google Desktop Search, though it was a distant second. Microsoft's search solution was weak.

On the Outlook front there was one great solution: Lookout for Outlook.

Microsoft bought Lookout, Google kept on going, Yahoo gave up, the others vanished. Now, finally, Microsoft has integrated the majority of Lookout's capabilities into a revised version of their desktop full text search tool. The result is very impressive.

I've been using WDS for a few weeks now, and at long last I'm removing Lookout for Outlook from my system. It hung on a very long time. I've removed X1/YDS from home and work, it was getting increasingly flaky with each Microsoft system patch (some things never change).

Eventually Microsoft will decide it's time to move their corporate customers to Vista and WDS/XP will die, but for now it rules.

Recommended, but as is usual with Microsoft these days, there are some caveats:

• Many of the Microsoft web pages referring to WDS are obsolete and have bad links.
• There are two ways to install. One installs only Windows Desktop Search, but no IE or Outlook toolbars. The other installs Windows Live Toolbar into IE and a separate Outlook toolbar. Windows Live Toolbar is also used to host my favorite blog writer. I recommend the second install, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were somewhat different applications.
• Toolbar installation into Outlook can be problematic. See the help links on the post-install page.
• Be sure to look at the help file (hallelujah, it's the OLD style Windows help) and look at the keyboard shortcusts and advanced operators such as "has:attachment", "before 10/1/2007", "filename:fred", "store:outlook", "kind:tasks", etc.
• Use the keyboard shortcut: windows-shift-F.

PS. Recently Google has sued to facilitate replacing Vista's search with GDS. Microsoft must be smiling about that. This is one battle Google isn't going to win.

Map photos in Picasa: Display on Google Earth

This little blurb about the new feature doesn't mention they are subsequently available on Google Earth:

Picasa Web Albums

See your photos arranged on a map, and show friends exactly where you took your best pictures. Simply type a location into the 'Place Taken' field when creating a new album, or refine a photo's placement using a drag-and-drop map.

More here.

Update 9/2/07: Google's Picasa image integration with both Google Maps and Google Earth doesn't work the way I'd thought it did. I'm not sure how it's supposed to work, I can't find any documentation. The one thing I see is that all images are not routinely available to the public even when the appropriate layers are enabled. As of 9/07 image display in Google Maps seems to barely work at all.

Your guide to advertising on the net

Coding Horror (CH), an excellent blog on software, is going to accept advertising. I hope that is good news for ongoing excellence, though I fear Jeff attempting to add new people and scale upwards. By way of introducing this change, Jeff has given us a concise high quality tutorial about: How To Advertise on Your Blog Without (Completely) Selling Out.

NYT Massive Evolution Science Section

Science News 6/26/07- New York Times. It will take a while to get through ALL of this. Wow, the NYT is having a great year.