CH IT News

Macworld - It’s spring again, and with the new season comes the age-old ritual of cleaning out things you ignored for most of the year. Far be it from me to suggest that you clean out your basement, garage, or attic, but I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend you take a closer look at the crusty corners of your Mac. Last year, Chris Breen shared valuable Tips for a tidier Mac—all of which are worth revisiting. But I also want to draw your attention to a half-dozen digital dust bunnies that you might not have considered:
1. Get rid of old iChat logs

If you use iChat, you can have the program store logs of your chats. (Go to iChat -> Preferences, click on Messages, select Save Chat Transcripts To, and then choose a folder.) By default, the program saves transcripts in a folder called iChats in your Documents folder, but you can choose a different location to store these files.

With this preference set, iChat saves a log file of every chat. This is a great idea (and especially helpful at work) if you often need to refresh your memory about a conversation. But if you send images inline during chats, these files may take up a lot of space. If you look inside the iChats folder, you’ll see that the files are organized by date. While you may want to save recent chat logs, you may have months of files you can trash, saving a lot of disk space.
2. Delete application backups

Many programs offer automatic backups, and store copies of files in a selected folder, just as iChat saves chat logs. Two programs I use often—Bare Bones Software’s BBEdit and The Omni Group’s OmniFocus—do this. Some applications, such as OmniFocus, let you choose the location for the backups; others, like BBEdit, don’t. BBEdit stores its backups in a BBEdit Backups folder in my Documents folder; I have OmniFocus store its backups in my Documents folder as well.

If you use any application that saves backups, you may find that it has tucked away several gigabytes of duplicate files, depending on how the program saves them. (BBEdit saves a new backup every time you save a file.) Deleting these backup files can save space, and make searching via OS X’s Spotlight much easier.

While you’re at it, check in youruserfolder/Music/iTunes folder; you may find a Previous Libraries folder, which includes copies of your iTunes libraries that were saved after you installed a new version.
3. Get rid of Mail downloads

When you receive attachments to e-mail messages in Apple’s Mail, the files are stored with your messages at first. But if you double-click an attachment to view it, or if you use QuickLook to glance at it, Mail stores a copy in your youruserfolder/Library/Mail Downloads folder. You may have dozens of files here occupying a huge amount of space. You can generally delete these without worry. If you still have the original messages, the attachments are part of those messages. If not, you may have already saved the attachments to your hard disk.

4. Delete log files

Your Mac stores lots of log files, most of which you never need to review. Open the Console application (in /Applications/Utilities), to see a list in the Console Messages window sidebar.

You can delete many of these files without affecting your Mac, and you can save significant space, since some of these files can be quite large. For instance, in the screenshot above, you can see a number of system.log files. The first one—system.log—is the current file, but the others, with the .bz2 suffix, are archived files.

Delete these files with Titanium Software’s free utility Onyx. Launch the program, click on Cleaning in the toolbar, and then click on the Logs tab. Check System Archived Logs, and then click Execute. While you’re using Onyx, check out the many other files that the program can delete to clear up space on your Mac.
5. Weed out iTunes dupes

If you’re cavalier about how you monitor your iTunes library, you may have a lot of duplicate files. iTunes has a built-in feature to help you find duplicates, to see if you copied some files twice, or if you have the same songs on original albums and others from best-of albums.

To use this feature, choose File -> Display Duplicates. This shows all tracks that share the same name and artist. If you hold down the Option key when you select the File menu, the menu item changes to Display Exact Duplicates. This sorts for duplicates where the name, artist, and album match. Check these files carefully. You may find some that you can get rid of, saving space not only on your Mac, but also on your iPad or iPhone.

Still, iTunes’ duplicate search is limited. Doug Adams’ $15 Dupin gives you much more power to weed out duplicates, sorting by a variety of different criteria. If you add lots of music to your iTunes library, Dupin is a great way to slim it down.
6. Reset Safari

If you use Apple’s Safari, some of the program’s features can take up unnecessary space. For instance, the cache file is intended to make your browsing snappier, but can easily consume hundreds of megabytes. When it gets too big, it can actually slow down browsing. History files can make Spotlight searching sluggish. And Top Sites, Website preview images, and Website icons (favicons) can slow down the program as well.

Every now and then it’s a good idea to reset Safari. Choose Safari -> Reset Safari and check the options that interest you.

I don’t reset or delete everything—you can see my choices in the screenshot above. Choose what’s most important to you, and reset Safari every now and then to speed up your browsing and save disk space.

One last tip: have you looked in your Downloads (youruserfolder/Downloads) folder lately? You may find plenty of unneeded copies of files there too.

Reff:http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9214908/Six_ways_to_clean_up_your_Mac?taxonomyId=89

IDG News Service - In the wake of Gianfranco Lanci's departure as president and CEO on Thursday, Acer must move aggressively in the smartphone and tablet markets and step up its focus on enterprise PCs in order to remain a major player on the world stage, industry analysts said.

Lanci resigned from Acer over a conflict with the board about the best strategy for the company, including the importance of scale, growth, "customer value creation," and how to enhance its brand, Acer said in a statement. Acer Chairman J.T. Wang has stepped in as interim CEO until Acer finds a permanent replacement.

Analysts said Lanci's resignation may reflect a difference in opinion about how aggressively Acer should shift its focus from consumer PCs and pursue the markets for smartphones and tablet computers. Acer was one of the biggest sellers of netbooks, sales of which have been declining since Apple introduced the iPad last year.

In its statement Thursday, Acer highlighted the cautious approach it will take in the mobile device market.

"The personal computer remains the core of our business. We have built up a strong foundation and will continue to expand within, especially in the commercial PC segment. In addition, we are stepping into the new mobile device market, where we will invest cautiously and aim to become one of the leading players," Wang was quoted as saying.

The resignation came just under a week after Acer said revenue from PCs in the first quarter of fiscal 2011 would fall short of expectations due to weak demand in Western Europe and the U.S . Acer said PC revenue was showing declines of 10% from the fourth quarter of last year.

Since that announcement, Acer's stock has slumped 18% to Thursday's close of NT$60 ($2.04) and Acer founder Stan Shih has called for changes in the company's focus. Shih, who is no longer involved in daily operations at Acer, was widely quoted by Taiwanese media as saying the company should increase emphasis on smartphones and tablets and other higher end mobility products, and less on PCs.

Acer will face challenges if it clings too hard to its traditional PC business, said Jay Chou, senior research analyst at IDC. Along with the decline in the netbook business, consumer spending on PCs has slowed, he noted.

Acer has been slower to move into tablets and smartphones than rivals such as Hewlett-Packard and Dell. And those companies are less exposed to shifting market trends due to their bigger share of the enterprise PC market, where sales are relatively stable with the corporate PC refresh cycle underway, Chou said.

The popularity of the iPad, as well as rival products running Google's Android software, has caused PC makers to rethink their strategies. PC powerhouses like Dell, HP and Lenovo all started shipping tablets to complement their PC offerings, and Acer itself also started shipping tablets earlier this month.

Acer must also step up its enterprise focus and be aggressive in selling higher-margin products such as servers, Chou said. Right now, Acer's servers go mainly into small- and medium-size businesses, and it will need to build up the infrastructure to support enterprise customers.

Lanci had been a proponent of Acer's enterprise push in the past, Chou noted. Acer acquired Gateway in 2007 to improve its access to commercial channels, although the company mostly failed to expand its sales of higher-margin products.

Stephen Baker , vice president of industry analysis at NPD Techworld, said it's hard to know exactly where the disagreement lay between Lanci and the board, but he too said it may have come down to how aggressively Acer should pursue non-PC markets.

"It's pretty apparent there was a dissension over the level of commitment to the PC business," Baker said.

Netbooks had been one of the biggest growth drivers for Acer over the last few years, and replacing that growth will be a challenge, Baker said. Beyond tablets, buyers are also ditching netbooks for aggressively priced laptops with full-size screens, Baker said.

Acer offers smartphones, but they should be more tightly integrated into the company's wider operations, Baker said. A big question also remains how much of an enterprise focus Acer wants to take as it diversifies.

An Acer spokeswoman declined to comment for the story, referring to the company's press release from earlier today.

"Acer needs a period of time for adjustment," Wang said in the statement. "With the spirit of entrepreneurship, we will face new challenges and look to the future with confidence."

Reff:http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9215418/Acer_must_look_beyond_PCs_after_Lanci_s_departure

Network World - Microsoft is boosting the price of a license that provides client access to Windows Server, SharePoint, Exchange and Systems Center, but is sweetening the deal by giving buyers access to a new endpoint security product and the new Lync unified communications software.

Microsoft is also expected to lower the price of an enterprise license that includes more robust access to key Microsoft software.

The annual price of the Core CAL (client access license) is expected to rise from $80 to $89, according to information distributed by Microsoft partner Softchoice, although final pricing won't be made official until Aug. 1. The numbers are estimates that "reflect preliminary info from Microsoft."

LICENSE HELP: 5 tips for managing Microsoft licensing costs

The Core CAL currently provides access to Windows Server, Systems Center Configuration Manager, and standard access to SharePoint and Exchange. Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 and standard access to Lync will be added to the Core CAL, potentially making it a better deal despite the higher price. Forefront Endpoint Protection by itself would cost $10.20 annually per user, or per device.

Microsoft would not confirm the final pricing, but said customers who have the Core CAL and have purchased Software Assurance can lock in today's price and receive the new pieces of software.

"Active Software Assurance customers with Core CAL receive these new rights," a Microsoft spokesperson said. "The changes are effective Aug. 1 - so now is a good time for customers to renew Core CAL and get these extra components (FEP and Lync Standard CAL) at today's pricing."

Client access licenses are separate from server licenses. They allow individual end users to connect devices such as PCs to Microsoft's server products.

In addition to the Core CAL, Microsoft also offers the Enterprise CAL. According to the Microsoft partner information, the Enterprise CAL cost will drop from $94 to $86. That means customers who buy both the core and enterprise licenses will end up paying about the same price as before. Again, these are estimated prices and the final numbers won't be known until August.

The enterprise CAL includes Active Directory Rights Management Services; the enterprise versions of SharePoint, Exchange and Lync; System Center Client Management Suite; Forefront Unified Access Gateway, and the Forefront Protection Suite, which includes several products in addition to Forefront Endpoint Protection.

Customers should carefully examine the pros and cons of Microsoft's licenses. They may not necessarily benefit from the additions to the Core CAL.

"I don't have a single customer who will benefit from this," says Cynthia Farren, who runs the Cynthia Farren Consulting firm and writes a blog on Microsoft licensing for Network World. "The functionality of Lync Server Standard CAL is pretty limited, so basically unless you're just using it for PC-to-PC IM it's not going to be of much use, as you probably already needed the Enterprise CAL. Forefront Endpoint Protection requires System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) to manage it - that's fine as it's part of the Core CAL but a good number of my clients have elected to not invest in the manpower needed to implement and run SCCM, so Forefront Endpoint Protection adds no value to them."

Even customers who don't need System Center may still opt for the Core CAL in order to get Windows Server, SharePoint and Exchange at a reduced rate, Farren notes. But customers who purchase the Core CAL, but not the Enterprise CAL, will see a rise in price regardless of whether they opt to use Forefront Endpoint Protection and Lync.

Another benefit of the core and enterprise CALs, according to Microsoft, is that they may be licensed on either a per-user or per-device basis, even when the pieces of software included in the CAL are eligible for only one or the other when purchased individually.

Reff:http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9215352/Microsoft_to_raise_license_price_add_software_rights?taxonomyId=89 :software