"Do not go where the path leads;
Rather, go where there is no path and leave a trail."
-Emerson

Apple has launched its OS X (ten) operating system, touting it as a competitive alternative to Windows. Built on a UNIX core, OS X is intuitive, visually pleasing and very user-friendly. As new Macintosh machines are shipped from Apple, schools are now being advised that they will only run OS X. This is a dilemma for Mac users, as up to now new Mac machines were loaded to run both operating systems 9 and 10 from the factory. OS X does not run OS 9 applications and it will require much tech savvy and revised budgets to help schools make the transition to OS X. With that in mind, I offer this month's edition of the newsletter on helpful OS X links for teachers and techies across the country wrestling with this major Mac shift.

Following up on the positive response from our June newsletter, I have created the Innovative Teachers as Readers Yahoo Group <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/itas/> so that all members of the Innovative Teaching community who would like to continue to share to share titles and discuss books throughout the year may do so. If you had previously emailed me after the June issue expressing interest in participating in such a group, I have added your address to the group and you should be receiving a message indicating you are invited to participate. If you have not received such a message you can email me and I will be glad to subscribe you from here.

Hope you're enjoying the lazy days of summer and getting rejuvenated for the coming year full of innovative teaching and fun-filled learning!

All OS X - http://www.allosx.com/

All OS X keeps up with news about and products for Apple's OS X operating system without annoying/distracting ads on their pages. You can sift through their archives, post a question to have answered, or search for specific answers to OS X questions.

Dive into OSX - http://diveintoosx.org/

This site is an archive of information for Mac OS X and OS X Server administrators. This Wiki (a database of pages that can be edited using a web browser) is text-based and includes third party software information and an advanced search feature.

The GNU MAC OS X Public Archive - http://www.osxgnu.org/

"Most Mac OS X users prefer to use GUI (graphic user interface) tools to make Installations of software. By providing GNU software ported or built for the Apple Installer we are providing a needed service for the OS X community."

MacAddict's Mac OS X Super Site - http://www.macaddict.com/osx/

MacAddict has been a long-time player online. Here the venerable web site steps up to the plate to support OS X users. It offers everything from third-party software to customizing tips and even a section on Mac-speak. What's not to like?

MAC OS X Development - http://developer.apple.com/macosx/

Get insight into upcoming version 10.3 known as Panther on the official Apple web site. Includes a Mac OS X for UNIX Users Technology Brief, a WebKit Developer Discussion List and announcements on the launch of new apps.

Mac OS X Hints - http://www.macosxhints.com/

Rob Griffiths offers this helpful Forum for Mac users to share hints, tips and tricks they've found for working with OS X. He boasts close to 4,000 hints thus far posted to the site, so word is getting around. Fully searchable to help you find hints on topics of help to you.

OSX FAQ - http://www.osxfaq.com/

This site offers daily tips for working with OS X, along with training opportunities, seminars, online forums, surveys, news, reviews, interviews, reader reports and resources. It has a more technical bent, so it may be more appropriate for techies than teachers.

OS X 10.2 Jaguar Troubleshooting - http://www.macattorney.com/tutorial.html

Randy B. Singer has brought together all of the collective knowledge of the MacAttorney User Group to this one site to help techies troubleshoot problems they may be experiencing with Jaguar (the most recent version of OS X). Text based for easy loading.

OS X Zone - http://www.osxzone.com/

A labor of love in bringing together all kinds of information, updates, links, forums and resources to help migrate from OS 9 to X. This site strives to explain OS X for the less technically endowed among us. It may be worth your time to peruse!

Panic - http://www.panic.com/

Subtitled "shockingly good Mac software," Panic is aptly named and touts a great new little FTP program called Transit which is made especially for OS X. Transit is much easier to use than the old faithful Fetch program - much more like Windows-based FTP clients.

VersionTracker - http://www.versiontracker.com/macosx/index.shtml

VersionTracker allows OS X users to find the very latest updates on beta, freeware, shareware, and commercial apps, as well as screensavers, music, mp3, games, font, antivirus and other software. Check back here often to keep up on what's new!

Xicons - http://www.xicons.com/

"With 9754 icons spanning 738 sets, Xicons.com is the leading source of quality icons for Mac OS X. New sets are posted daily, so check back tomorrow for more icons!" Definitely not overly technical, but fun for OS X users looking to customize their machines.

 

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