Web Worker Daily

If you haven’t guessed already from my previous posts here, I’m a Mac user. Not just a Mac user, but a Mac disciple after many years journeying from WANG to DOS to Windows. I brag constantly about how I’ve never had a major crash on any Mac I’ve ever owned over the last 15 years - and I keep each one for at least 3-5 years which is eons for laptops. My Macs have been virtually bullet-proof.

But last week, my 10-month old MacBook crashed. And died. And now I’m slowly uncovering the depth and breadth of my arrogance. Because, my dear readers, I had not backed up my computer for 10 months. And the only reason I had a 10-month old backup of my data is because it occurred as I was getting my files from my old G4 laptop to my MacBook last Fall.

This is a cautionary tale for anyone out there who is still finding every excuse in the book not to back up their computer. And I had many.

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Hot on the heels of Windows XP SP3, Microsoft released an additional treat today, for Mac owners only, as the latest release of Microsoft Messenger for Mac (version 7) escaped into the wild.

Version 6 brought the Aqua look and feel to Microsoft’s client amongst other features, so what’s new in 7?

• A redesigned buddy list with a search-as-you-type box for locating contacts in large buddy lists.
• Aping iChat with integration of Bonjour contacts drawn from the user’s local network.
• Users can apply nicknames to their buddies, particularly useful for contacts who frequently (and irritatingly) change their screennames!

Notably for users connecting via a corporate Office Communication Server, Bonjour and searchable buddy-lists also extend to enterprise IM networks.

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