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Linked List: September 1, 2006

Friday, 1 September 2006

Wes Meltzer, reviewing WriteRoom (Hog Bay Software’s full-screen anti-distraction text-editor) for ATPM:

Since I’ve switched to using WriteRoom for almost everything, I have gone from being pitifully unproductive to being unproductive just to the point of ridicule. I find myself generating somewhere between double and triple my pre-WriteRoom writing output.

Meltzer obviously likes WriteRoom, and Merlin Mann has been asking for a full-screen-screen text-editing mode for ages, but I’ve never understood the need. If I’m trying to concentrate on my writing, I use Hide Others and quit distraction-prone apps like instant messaging clients. But there’s clearly demand for this, and it seems to work really well for some people.

Microsoft Ships Windows Vista RC1 ★

Maybe Bill Gates should have taken Wil Shipley’s bet? Either that, or Microsoft has a funny definition of “release candidate”.

Geekbench Performance Results From the G3 to the Xeon ★

The move to Intel has really helped the Mac performance-wise.

Lab Tick 0.6 ★

Clever freeware app by Alexander Repty that gives you explicit control over the illumination of backlit PowerBook and MacBook Pro keyboards.

DarwinPorts Changes Name to ‘MacPorts’ and Moves to Mac OS Forge ★

Apple is pretty protective of the “Mac” name; I don’t think this name change was undertaken lightly. I agree with Jesper that this is a step toward making MacPorts the “official”, or at least “unofficially preferred” package manager for Mac OS X.

Phishing Phor Phishers ★

Dreamhost CEO’s wife falls for “tax refund” phishing scam.