TidBITS

The App.net messaging infrastructure service has released Passport, an iOS utility app that also enables signing up for a free-tier account without an invitation, but doesn’t allow posting or messaging. This is all part of App.net’s support for developers. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Cloud Mate’s developers have been so hard at work since our review a month ago that it deserves another visit. Along with an improved Mac app, there’s now an iOS version of Cloud Mate that magically shows you all your iCloud documents, even though that should be impossible. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Adobe is leaving the boxed software game for a subscription-only model. Will it be good or bad for customers? Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

We’ve hired Josh Centers as our managing editor, where he’ll be helping out with writing, editing, and coordinating content for TidBITS each week. Join us in welcoming him to the TidBITS staff! Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

With almost $145 billion in the bank, why is Apple borrowing money to buy back stock? And what does the share repurchase and increased dividend mean for Apple’s future? David Rabinowitz goes digging for some answers. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

A couple of anniversaries to read more about this week, including the World Wide Web celebrating its 20th year in the public domain and science-fiction publisher Tor marking its first year of DRM-free ebooks. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Notable software releases this week include Cyberduck 4.3.1, Postbox 3.0.8, Little Snitch 3.1, Transmit 4.3.4, SpamSieve 2.9.7, and GraphicConverter 8.6. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Watch (or listen) to the latest TidBITS staff roundtable, where we talk about Apple’s stock price, why the company seems to care so much about it, why the mainstream media loves covering stock movements, and what could replace it as an regularly reported box score. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

The year’s most specific update from Apple does nothing but provide an updated audio profile for the iPhone 5’s speakerphone. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Serious security threats involving Java have been a recurring theme for Mac users in recent months. But what exactly is Java, and what’s the problem? What’s this Java Runtime you hear about from time to time? And is JavaScript the same thing? Grab a cup of coffee and join Joe Kissell for the story of Java in this installment of FlippedBITS. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

After 13 years, long-time Mac tipster Miraz Jordan is moving on to other projects and is selling her MacTips.info Web site, complete with nearly 1,000 Mac-related tips. If you’ve been looking for a content business... Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

These days, most Web browsers can display PDFs with aplomb. But if you see a black or white screen instead of a PDF in your browser, you may need to remove an elderly plug-in or two. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

A long-fixed bug in the TidBITS Commenting System associated an incorrect identity with a small number of commenters. If you’re experiencing this problem, which we repaired on the system side a while ago, delete your tidbits.com cookies. Here’s how. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Our latest book by Joe Kissell looks hard at the popular Dropbox file-sharing service, and explains both the best ways to use it and how to avoid common mistakes. For those of you who already know Dropbox well, a “Teach This Book” chapter includes links to special materials that will help you teach others how to use Dropbox better. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Notable software releases this week include PDFpen and PDFpenPro 6.0.2, CloudPull 2.4.1, DEVONagent Lite, Express, and Pro 3.5, and Typinator 5.5. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.