VBA Returns to Future Versions of Office for Mac The Mac BU also announced it is bringing VBA-language support back to the next version of Office for Mac. Sharing information with customers as early as possible continues to be a priority for the Mac BU to allow customers to plan for their software needs.2 Although the Mac BU increased support in Office 2008 with alternate scripting tools such as Automator and AppleScript — and also worked with MacTech Magazine to create a reference guide, available at http://www.mactech.com/vba-transition-guide — the team recognizes that VBA-language support is important to a select group of customers who rely on sharing macros across platforms. The Mac BU is always working to meet customers’ needs and already is hard at work on the next version of Office for Mac.

Examples would be Microsoft pushing Internet Explorer 7 on Windows users that have automatic updates on or when they do a Windows update. Well you might think that this is OK because IE 7 is an update to IE 6, but I will point out at the large company I work for this ended up with loads of issues when Microsoft pushed out IE 7 as it broke many important Intranet sites the company relies on with no easy way to revert back. Lots of users felt this pain.

The users did nothing wrong as the company had instructed them to keep automatic update on to try to stop the seemly never-ending security problems with Windows. Shouldn't the user have been given a choice? Or an easy way to revert back? At least Apple's software updated showed exactly what it was about to install with Safari 3.1 shown with its box checked and waited for the user to OK the update.

Microsoft has controlled the browser market for years with IE, that has pretty much ignored web standards. This has lead many web sites to work only with a Microsoft browser and makes much more work for web designers to make sites complainant with all browsers. The result of a huge market share can do this for you to keep out competitors.

Sure Apple wants to push Safari, as all companies want to push their products. Sure Apple wants to push Safari, as all companies want to push their products. Mozilla made deals with Google to push Firefox. In the case of Silverlight, Microsoft is pushing their Adobe Flash competitor down all users throats by doing want Microsoft does best, "bundling" Silverlight into other Microsoft products and putting them on as many machines as they can with or without users realizing it.

Microsoft avoids the use of the word "bundling" however. They say in their usual biz speak, that "they are actively trying to get other product groups within the company to adopt Silverlight in some way and then distribute it as part of their product," to paraphrase. They are trying to push Silverlight, no matter what to everyone.

Makes no difference if you think Silverlight is better than Flash or vice versa. Same argument can be made that Safari 3.1 may a great browser or not. It is really all about trust and making users aware of what they are installing and why.

In the case of Office 2008 for Mac, most users have no idea they are installing Silverlight by default. Office itself doesn't use Silverlight at all. Although the highest-end version of Office comes with a product called Expression Media, that does make use of Silverlight, the standard version of Office for Mac does not use Silverlight installing it anyway. If you have installed any version of Office 2008 for Mac, you have most probably installed Silverlight as well as MSN Messenger that Microsoft has pushed on us Mac users for years. Just check Applications -> Microsoft Office 2008 -> Additional Tools -> and see Microsoft® Silverlight™ folder!

Microsoft adds Silverlight as part of the latest version of the MSN Toolbar, using it to offer display dynamic content, such as RSS feeds. So when you install the toolbar, Silverlight you get. Microsoft is talking with leading PC makers to preinstall Silverlight on new machines. This along with much of the "crapware" installed on most of these PCs is one big way PC makers like Dell, HP, and others make money. Of course Microsoft is cutting deals to push their products and money is changing hands. OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) will preinstall just about anything if you pay them. Most Windows PC buyers are aware of this as their new machines come crammed with useless "crapware." Apple has even poked fun at this in Mac vs. PC ads.

Sony was even charging $150 to get your Windows machine free of unwanted software - $50 fee for not installing the "extras" (crapware), and $100 for an upgrade to Microsoft Vista Business Edition. Wired is now reported that said Sony has removed the $50 "Fresh Start" fee (after considerable outcry), making users only pay $100 to upgrade to Vista Business to get a PC free of crapware. Sony knows removing these unwanted apps from a Windows machine is no fun and users may actually "pay" not to have them installed in the first place. New Macs do not include this junk, no charge.

From Wired: Fresh Start will now be a no-cost option on Sony's slick subnotebooks, but only for those who opt for Windows Vista Business Edition, a $100 upgrade. Most sites covering the $50 Fresh Start charge were incensed at the idea of being charged to leave malfunctioning and unwanted software off—and Sony has responded with a speed unusual for the international giant.

Microsoft has recently signed a deal with Nokia to distribute a version of Silverlight for mobile phones and I know they are paying several "start-ups" to push Silverlight.

Microsoft needs to get Silverlight on 80 percent of Web-connected computers to really get mainstream developers attention. With Flash having about 98 percent, Microsoft will use all the power of their installed base and monopoly position to push Silverlight. By bundling it into every product they can think of this strategy is a sound one. Microsoft has had it work before. With Silverlight they need to get developers on board and will be "pushing" hard to users on all platforms.

Microsoft in past deals with OEMs had installed Microsoft Works to push Word on the world for years and it worked as Office has killed off most of the major competition as users found themselves tied to the .doc format that Redmond owned. As I have said many times before having a lot of something does not really make a standard, especially since it is controlled by one company. For years Microsoft kept the Word format a secret making it difficult for competitors, just ask the WordPerfect crowd.

By the way I am not just picking on Microsoft, Adobe and others have also "pushed" their wares on users. When ever you install an Adobe suite it almost always installs a PDF plug-in that shows up in other apps like Microsoft Office. This is particularly a pain on a Mac as PDF is already built-in and the plug-in is not really needed. If you uninstall the Adobe PDF plug-in, the next time you launch Acrobat it will cryptically informs you it needs to install a component and re-installs the PDF plug-in!

I remember complaints from Windows zealots about how iTunes installed QuickTime on Windows machines a few years ago. Which by the way it actually needs to run. I thought that was funny.

So now the big story is Apple had added Safari 3.1 to software update with the user fully able to uncheck the box. I say, big deal, they learned the method from the leader. This is not anywhere as a egregious as the masters in Redmond has pushed stuff on Windows as well as Mac users for years. In the case of the Mac users, Microsoft has even left them high and dry after pushing their stuff on them, like Windows Media Player for one example. Still can not get the Zune to work on a Mac or anything else that is based on the latest Windows Media Player!

What Apple has done here is ONLY surprising because it was Apple. It certainly is not that big a deal. Most certainly, not worth the criticism and attention it is getting. Please un-check the box if you do not want Safari 3.1 installed. Only wish it was so easy with all the other stuff I am sometimes forced to install. Many times without me knowing it!

• Improved performance with Airfoil Speakers.
• Added On/Off checkbox for Effects, for use with DTS audio.
• Many other minor bug fixes and improvements.

Anxiety utilizes Leopard's Calendar Store — a new system-wide database that contains your calendars, events and to-dos — to remain in sync with iCal and Mail. Add, remove, or check off a task in either Anxiety or one of these apps, and the changes will be reflected in the others. Syncing across Macs is also automatically done for those who are using .Mac.

When clicking on the menu-bar icon, Anxiety will launch a simple, semi-transparent window, containing a list of tasks, that floats over all other windows. (or be visible only when Anxiety is the frontmost program). Now just click on the checkbox button to add a new task or check the box next to a task to mark it as completed and remove it from the list. Anxiety’s list is automatically synchronized with the To Do lists in Leopard’s iCal and Mail programs. You can choose the calendar to which a new task will be synced when creating the task.

You can decide to show Anxiety in the menu-bar, the Dock, or both when running in the background. Anxiety's strong point is its integration with OS X Leopard's own built-in to-do-list features in iCal and Mail. It is not a full featured To-do list and I think this is a plus for many users who are just looking for an easier way to use Leopard's already built-in features.

Anxiety is Leopard only and a free download. I am now using Anxiety to replace MenuCalendarClock for iCal, $19.95 as the developer required a new full priced to get a Leopard compatible version since I mainly used it for the To-do list anyways.

If you are like me and are always trying to organize your life and stop forgetting stuff, I highly recommend Anxiety as a simple add-on that might make a difference in your busy life. You can not beat the price.

Anxiety is awarded 4 out of 5 Paws< .p>

1Password requires a master password to log in that will timeout after a specified time. In the 1Password manager you can edit accounts, add notes, or track history.

Autofill and Auto-submit Safari like most web modern browsers feature an autofill and password-saving functionality. 1Password is the steroid Autofill and form fill. It also auto-submits after the form gets filled saving time. Signing into a website is simple with one simple command, and 1Password fills in the login information and automagically signs you in.

Safari is a great browser, but what if you also use Firefox, Camino or another supported browser. If you rely on Safari's autofill, none of your data is available in the other browsers. Firefox's Password Manager only works in Firefox of course and it does not sync across multiple machines.

1Password solves these problems and integrates directly with all your web browsers (Safari, OmniWeb, Firefox, Camino and Flock).

Multiple Identities Use 1Password to define multiple identities, each with its own unique set of information. Next time you fill out a form, you choose the the identity you want to use on the partiular site.

Digital Wallet Use 1Password to store all your credit card information. During checkout, just hit the 1Password button in your browser and choose the credit card you want. The utility instantly fills in your payment information automatically.

Secure Notes Store bits of important information in a secure note and retrieve it when you need it.

Maximum Security 1Password uses “military-grade” encryption and requires a master password before you can unlock any information. By default, 1Password also locks you out after 60 minutes of inactivity.

Since you don’t need to type in a passwords or personal information when you are using 1Password you are protected from any hidden keyloggers installed on your computer.

You are also protected from phishing where criminals try to get your personal information by pushing a "fake" website that appears to be the correct one and waits for you to login.

1Password includes a strong password generator that will add a super strong password in a single click. This password is a long random sequence of numbers, lower-case letters, and upper-case letters that would be a bit ridiculous if you had to type it in, but 1Password solves this as you will never have to actually type it in.

.Mac Syncing Just install 1Password on all your Macs and use .Mac to keep all your machines in sync with all your information. A single user license is all you need.

To enable .Mac syncing you need to go to Applications -> Utilities -> Keychain app and highlight the 1Password keychain. Then control + click and choose to "change keychain settings," now check the box to enable .Mac sync.

Next time you sync your keychains you will be also syncing your 1Password data.

Import and Export 1Password allows for importing your data from other password managers. You can import you passwords from Safari, Camino, Firefox, or Flock. Their is also support for RoboForm and Web Confidential.

Palm and Treo support 1Password can be synced to your Palm or Treo so you always have all your important information available to you.

iPhone and iPod touch sync and autofill One disappointing feature for the iPhone and iPod touch mobile version of Safari is it had my way of remembering your login and form fill information making you type them each and every time. 1Password has now added a feature to securely sync this information making filling in forms on your iPhone or iPod touch much easier.

1Password data is saved in the bookmarklet using "448-bit blowfish encryption" that requires your custom password each time you want to auto-fill a form.

Tip: Use on Firefox for Windows 1Password's iPhone export is accomplished by creating an encrypted bookmarklet in Safari, which is synchronized to your iPhone or iPod touch. Firefox can recognize this bookmarklet. The Windows version of Firefox can also use this. Get your data into Firefox:

In 1Password, click on the Sync to iPhone icon in the toolbar and choose an access code for encryption. This creates the bookmarklet in Safari.

In Safari bookmarks go to the bookmark section and find the new item called 1Password. Right-click on it and select Edit Address from the contextual menu. Copy it into an email or text file and bring it to your Windows machine.

Now create the bookmarklet in Firefox. Name it whatever you want and paste it into the Location field. Select 'Load this bookmark in the sidebar. Firefox on your Windows machine now has a secure, functional bookmarklet with your passwords and other data available. I have not tried it but this would probably work on a Linux machine also.

Requirements: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or higher Safari 2.0+, Firefox 1.5+, Flock 0.7+, Camino 1.0, OmniWeb 5.5, DEVONagent 2.0, NetNewsWire 2.1, Netscape Navigator 9.0+.

Pricing: Single License is $29.95 and allows you to install 1Password on all your Macs for a single user. You can use .Mac to keep all the information on all your machines in sync.

Family License is $39.95 for up to 3 family members.

Small business license is $49.95 for up to 5 users.

Educational users can purchase 1Password for $23.95.

1Password for Palm is $12.95.

There is a free trial available.

AllBookmarks AllBookmarks, free - adds a new item to your Mac OS X menu bar giving you quick access to all your bookmarks. All your Safari, Firefox and Flock bookmarks are shown and can be selected. AllBookmarks also gives you accesses to your 1Password 1Click bookmarks so you can navigate to a page, fill the form, and submit it, all with a single click!

my1Password web service my1Password web service - provides Universal Access to your 1Password data by allowing you to access your 1Password information from any modern web browser in a secure and confidential fashion. With my1Password you can now access your information from anywhere there is an Internet Connection. Currently the my1Password website is available by invitation only.

The my1Password website makes your 1Password data accessible from any modern web browser. So far my1Password has been tested in Safari (versions 2 and 3), Firefox, DEVONagent, Camino, Flock, Opera, Netscape Navigator 9, and Internet Explorer 7 on Windows. my1Password even works on Windows Mobile 5 using Opera Mini!

No one but you, not even my1Password website administrators. Your confidential information is encrypted by 1Password using Strong Cryptography (448bit Blowfish) before it is sent to the my1Password web site.

NOTE: Starting March 1st, 2008 the price of 1Password Single User License will change to $39.95. The price of Family and Small Business licenses will change as well. I just bought a family license.

1Password is awarded 4.5 out of 5 Paws