Everything within Reason

Checkpoint acquired a company called PointSec a while ago. This company made full hard disk encryption software for Windows. Now, Checkpoint has released a hard disk encryption version for the Mac. I guess they are taking OSX seriously.

Disk encryption is available today for the Mac (TrueCrypt, PGP), but these aren’t able to encrypt the boot partition. Only partitions are by the use of containers. This type of software was available to Windows only primarily.

Now that the ‘trick’ has been done, I guess more will follow.

I do wonder if it’s still possible to use SuperDuper for cloning a bootdisk….

After a couple of  Microsoft posts, a new Apple related post.
According to MacRumors, we may get a Tablet Mac in 2007. Rumors or not, this would be very nice to have. That, and a Mac Pro, Mac Mini, etc. :).

Well, I guess that my tax refunds for 2006 are already spoken for :). It’s could become an expensive Apple year for me. iMac or a Mac Pro as the substitute for my Windows PC. Replacing my Windows based server for a Mac Mini, new iPod with touchscreen and bigger display (rumor), a Apple iPhone (rumor), and now a Apple Mac Tablet (another rumor). I almost forgot the new announced iTV thing that they showed a couple of weeks ago……
Oh man, so many new Apple wannahaves, and so ‘little’ money.

Since the combination of iSync (for synching stuff on your Mac) and .Mac is expensive, and the performance is poor (slow network, limited space), I was looking for an alternative.

A while ago (during my PowerBook days) I found a webpage describing a modification of the Apache webserver on FreeBSD Linux. This combo made it possible to simulate the .Mac servers. Therefore, making it possible to ‘run’ .Mac on your own Linux server.

The main drawback is that I don’t have the knowledge, or resources to run a proper linux server. So that was a ‘no-go’.

After that disappointment I didn’t bother to look any further. I didn’t use any syncing stuff and just made regular backups, untill I listened to a PodCast from the MacObserver. They mentioned the problem again, and it made me start looking for an answer again.

I ran into a program called SyncUpX, which supports syncing to WebDav (which uses iSync as well), and lots of other media (network, local disks, etc.).

The fun part of this was that I ran a bit later into an advert for SyncUpX on MacObserver.com. So it seems that they had the answer right under their noses

The reasons for not switching to the Mac platform completely are gaming for my regular PC, and some typical Windows software that I use on my server. I use NewsLeecher on my server to download linux distro’s and other stuff from the Internet. There is no (Mac) application that comes even near it in terms of usability etc.

The last couple of days I heard, and read some good reviews about CrossOver. This application emulates (or whatever you call it) a Windows environment for that single application. So no virtual machines etc, where you need to install windows first, and then the application in that Windows OS. When installing the application in (or with) CrossOver it looks like the Windows application is actually running on OSX.

So it was time for an experiment…. Read more…