Tidbits (styled TidBITS) is an electronic newsletter and web site dealing primarily with Apple Inc. and Macintosh-related topics. [1]
Tidbits has been published weekly since April 16, 1990, making it the longest running Internet technology publication [2] and the second-oldest Internet-only publication of any sort. [3] [4] In July 1992, Tidbits launched the first Internet advertising program, [5] based on the PBS sponsorship model.
TidBITS is published by Adam C. Engst, author of a number of computer books, including four editions of Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh, Eudora for Windows & Macintosh Visual Quickstart Guide, and five editions of iPhoto for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide, along with a number of books in the Take Control series. [6]
The senior staff of Tidbits are: [7]
From 2003 to 2017, Tidbits also published a series of electronic books in Adobe Acrobat (PDF), EPUB and Mobipocket (Kindle) formats [8] that cover issues related to macOS and the digital lifestyle. The "Take Control Books" series first appeared in October 2003 with the publication of Take Control of Upgrading to Panther which was issued at the same moment as the official launch of Mac OS X version 10.3 "Panther". Excerpts of the Take Control books can be downloaded free of charge, and some have been published in Macworld magazine. [9]
The series includes many books for using and upgrading the various versions of Mac OS X [10] and iPhone software; [11] applications such as Apple Mail [12] and iTunes; and general technology such as wireless security and choosing a digital camera.
There are also some wider lifestyle titles such as Take Control of Thanksgiving Dinner as well as more highly technical titles such as Take Control of Mac OS X Server by Charles Edge. Reviewers have described Take Control titles as "thoughtful" and "loaded with useful tips and humor". [13]
In 2017, Tidbits sold the Take Control Books imprint to alt concepts, a company run by the author Joe Kissell. [14]
macOS is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and laptop computers it is the second most widely used desktop OS, after Microsoft Windows and ahead of Chrome OS.
The history of macOS, Apple's current Mac operating system formerly named Mac OS X until 2012 and then OS X until 2016, began with the company's project to replace its "classic" Mac OS. That system, up to and including its final release Mac OS 9, was a direct descendant of the operating system Apple had used in its Macintosh computers since their introduction in 1984. However, the current macOS is a Unix operating system built on technology that had been developed at NeXT from the 1980s until Apple purchased the company in early 1997.
Safari is a graphical web browser developed by Apple. It is primarily based on open-source software, and mainly WebKit. It succeeded Netscape Navigator, Cyberdog and Internet Explorer for Mac as the default web browser for Macintosh computers. It is supported on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS; a Windows version was offered from 2007 to 2010.
The Macintosh SE/30 is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from January 1989 to October 1991. It is the fastest of the original black-and-white compact Macintosh series.
Macworld/iWorld was an information technology trade show with conference tracks dedicated to the Apple Macintosh platform. It was held annually in the United States during January. Originally Macworld Expo and then Macworld Conference & Exposition, the gathering dates back to 1985. The conference was organized by International Data Group (IDG), co-publisher of Macworld magazine.
MacWEEK was a controlled-circulation weekly Apple Macintosh trade journal based in San Francisco founded by Michael Tchong, John Anderson, Glenn Patch, Dick Govatski, and Michael F. Billings. It featured a back-page rumor column penned by the pseudonymous Mac the Knife.
MacSpeech, Inc. was a New Hampshire-based technology company that produced software-based speech recognition and voice dictation solutions for the Apple ecosystem. The company's products included iListen, MacSpeech Dictate, MacSpeech Dictate Medical, MacSpeech Dictate Legal, MacSpeech Dictate International, and MacSpeech Scribe. On February 12, 2010, Nuance Communications, Inc. acquired MacSpeech.
Adam C. Engst is a technology writer and publisher who resides in Ithaca, New York, United States where he was born and went to college at Cornell University.
Mac OS X Leopard is the sixth major release of macOS, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. Leopard was released on October 26, 2007 as the successor of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, and is available in two editions: a desktop version suitable for personal computers, and a server version, Mac OS X Server. It retailed for $129 for the desktop version and $499 for Server. Leopard was superseded by Snow Leopard in 2009. Leopard is the final version of macOS to support the PowerPC architecture as Snow Leopard functions solely on Intel based Macs.
WebSTAR was a web server application for the classic Mac OS. It supported the common gateway interface (CGI) and its own AppleEvents-based W*API for plug-in support, as well as SSL and similar technologies used in most early web servers. Unlike most servers of the era, WebSTAR was very Mac-like in terms of installation and maintenance, using a number of AppleEvents-based MacOS programs for most tasks. WebSTAR was also part of Apple's Internet Server Solution, a package of internet server software and certain models of PowerMac machines. One popular use of WebSTAR was in combination with FileMaker to make simple database-driven online applications.
Robin Patricia Williams is an American educator who has authored many computer-related books, as well as the book Sweet Swan of Avon: Did a Woman Write Shakespeare?. Among her computer books are manuals of style The Mac is Not a Typewriter and numerous manuals for various macOS operating systems and applications, including The Little Mac Book.
Retrospect is a family of software applications that back up computers running the macOS, Microsoft Windows, and Linux operating systems. It uses the client–server backup model.
VMware Fusion is a software hypervisor developed by VMware for Macintosh computers. VMware Fusion allows Intel-based Macs to run virtual machines with guest operating systems—such as Microsoft Windows, Linux, NetWare, Solaris, or macOS—within the host macOS operating system.
Info-Mac is an online community, news aggregator and shareware file hosting service covering Apple Inc. products, including the iPhone, iPod and especially the Macintosh. Established in 1984 as an electronic mailing list, Info-Mac is notable as being the first online community for Apple's then-new Macintosh computer. Info-Mac was the dominant Internet resource for Mac OS software and community-based support throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.
Mac OS X Snow Leopard is the seventh major release of macOS, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers.
MacInTouch was a daily news and information website that provides independent coverage of Apple's Mac and iOS platforms, along with other topics such as security and privacy, networking, and technological innovation. MacInTouch's moderated forums provided technical analysis, problem-solving and news from the community. MacInTouch also provided product updates and occasional product reviews. The site shut down on August 30, 2021.
The family of Macintosh operating systems developed by Apple Inc. includes the graphical user interface-based operating systems it has designed for use with its Macintosh series of personal computers since 1984, as well as the related system software it once created for compatible third-party systems.
The following outline of Apple Inc. is a topical guide to the consumer electronics, software, retail stores, corporate acquisitions, timeline, and personnel under the purview of the American multinational corporation Apple Inc. The company's best-known hardware products are the Macintosh, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad. Its best-known software includes the macOS and iOS operating systems, and the iTunes media browser. As of March 2014, Apple has 425 retail stores in 16 countries, and an online store.
Apple Inc. has produced and sold numerous music and multimedia speakers, available for standalone purchase and bundled with Macintosh products.