Macworld and MacUser To Unite
That's right, folks. Macworld and MacUser will now become one magazine with the name- Macworld. (Can we use the MacUser name now? :-) )

I'm not quite sure how to feel about this. I subscribe to both magazines and I've enjoyed reading both of them for their different style and viewpoints. Now, Ziff-Davis and IDG (International Data Group), the publishing houses that produce the magazines, are joining forces to create Mac Publications. (Hey, how come we weren't invited?!)

I suppose I will have to wait to see how this all plays out before rendering my opinion. But, I will say my first impression is not a good one. I liked both magazines as they were and as I said a few months back, the Macintosh publication market is getting smaller all the time. MacSense has changed and MacUser, at least in name, will soon be gone. (October will be the last monthly issue to be published) The playing field is getting smaller here. But as I also said a few months back, My Mac Magazine is here to stay! (With advertisers helping us out with costs very soon)
(Tim)

Larry Ellison Revisited!
Larry Ellison in once again in the Mac news. This time, according to high level rumors, he's not thinking of buying Apple. Instead, he's joining it. Joining the board of directors, at any rate. Why is he doing it? Because "Apple needs to and will exist because you need other players on the market. You can't let Microsoft establish a monopoly" (His words, not mine!)

When he joins, which will have most likely have already happened when you read this, he will also introduce the new management team, which will include Steve Jobs as Apple's new CEO. So, Mac users of the world, let's all welcome Oracle's CEO Larry Ellison to the board of directors at Apple, and Steve Jobs as the new head of Apple.
(Tim)

Gil's Gone
Yes, it's all over the news. Gil Amelio has quit, or was fired or whatever. While I'm not exactly mourning his departure (see this month's "My Turn"), I am apprehensive of the future for Apple. But please remember, folks, even if another company was able to buy Apple outright today, do you really think they would simply abandon all Mac users? Of course not. So fear not, oh ye of the faith, our Mac future is assured. (Of course, if you all want to pitch in, I could go and buy the company and save it myself. Lord knows the stock price is low enough...)
(Tim)

Where, oh where, can a CEO be?
Since the departure of Dr. Amelio, the Internet and the news media have been speculating on the new heir to the throne at Apple. Steve Jobs, Ellen Hancock (who left with Amelio], Jim Barksdale (CEO, Netscape), even Guy Kawasaki are just some of the names that are being bandied about. I have no idea who will finally win the crown, but whomever he or she is, they will have to be a magician, statesman, politician, financial wizard, advertising whiz and hopefully an avid Mac user to really put Apple back on its feet. There's still a lot of work to be done before Apple gets its act together after being down for so long. Maybe it's even time for a change at the Board itself. Time for fresh blood up there with an understanding that it's the 90's and times are changing.
(Russ)

Mac OS 8 is here!
When you finally read this, Mac OS 8 will have hit the shelf. Indeed, if you've been following Adam's updates these last few months, you will know how much of an improvement this system software is over the original. And for once, the PC press seems to have "gotten it." I read at least a dozen articles from all different types of magazines, and all had pretty much positive things to say about Mac OS 8. Not so, however, about Apple as a company. (See this month's Bits & Pieces for more on this)

But I digress. Mac OS 8 is a great new operating system, offering improvements and refinements in stability and performance over all previous versions. I've been beta testing Mac OS 8 from a time very early in its development all the way to the last "Golden Master" version (which is essentially the same version that Apple has now released), and I'm thoroughly impressed, let me tell you. Out of all the systems I have ever run, System 8 is by far the most stable. And lest we forget, it's new Power PC native code makes it the fastest, too!

There is only one problem with it, and it's not really a fault. Some StuffIt Deluxe utilities are not compatible yet, most notably the Magic Menu. (If you don't have StuffIt Deluxe yet, you really should get it. Magic Menu will let stuffed documents open in the finder, and you simply drag out what you want to unstuff. Truly a marvelous utility!)
(Tim)

Compatibility and Mac OS 8
As Tim has stated above, there is a compatibility issue for programs with Mac OS 8. StuffIt Deluxe will need to be updated to version 4.5, Suitcase needs to be updated to version 3.0.2 and Norton Utilities will need the updater to version 3.5.1, to name just a few. Each day as more and more people are installing OS 8, more and more "problems" are surfacing. Like problems with Word Perfect or with Speed Doubler 1.x or 2.x (Connectix is aware and is coming out with Speed Doubler 8 to take care of these issues). Before upgrading to Mac OS 8, you might want to check the Apple site for compatibility issues that have already surfaced. Web sites like MacInTouch (http://www.macintouch.com) and MacFixIt (http://www.macfixit.com) are also providing compatibility information so that Mac users can be made aware of programs that will have to be updated before you can really enjoy the pleasure of Mac OS 8.
(Russ)

AOL does it again!
Well, it seems that AOL just doesn't learn from its past mistakes. On July 24th, AOL announced to the world (quietly) that it was going to sell the list of ALL its members telephone numbers to telemarketing firms so that AOL could raise a few more million dollars in capital. By July 25th, after major media coverage and threats from the Attorney General of the state of New York, AOL decided that maybe it wouldn't be a wise move and cancelled its plans. But, Mr. Case of AOL also stated that users will still be subject to AOL's own staff members telemarketing on AOL's behalf.