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Posts Aboutapple
Apple xServe: dscl, dsimport and web services aka fun!
So, recently here at CentreSource we’ve been working on a project which is using the brand spanking new xServe from Apple. First, let me say the server is pretty slick, but like any other software it has issues. The reason we went with the xServe was because we needed the ability to have web applications which have central authentication and calendaring data. Open Directory, CalDAV, PHP, Apache, and MySQL are just ready to go with xServe, so it made sense!Our usage is that we have these web applications on the net which will use the PHP LDAP Functions to authenticate our users on Open Directory from our PHP web applications, we also communicate to Open Directory whenever adding or changing users passwords to keep things up-to-date. To accomplish this I have written a small web service which lives on the xServe and runs under Apache and PHP. This code talks to Open Directory via the dscl and dsimport command line utilities provided by Apple. I use dsimport for adding the initial working records, and I then use dscl to change passwords. So essentially this web service is just a web service wrapped around those two commands.
I See Apples (and a Free T-Shirt)
The NY Times reports: “Record Mac Sales Help Apple Earnings Climb 67% in Quarter”
Apple reported fourth-quarter profit of $904 million, or $1.01 a share, up from $542 million, or 62 cents, in the quarter a year ago, an increase of 67 percent. Analysts had predicted profit of 85 cents a share.
Sales rose to $6.22 billion, from $4.84 billion. Gross margin also surged, to 33.6 percent, from 29.2 percent a year ago.
Apple said it sold 2.16 million Macintosh computers worldwide in the quarter, an increase of 400,000 over the previous record. It does not break out domestic and foreign sales.
VH1: The lost Mac Ads
The new mac commercials are great - especially given their crafty delivery of undertone messages about PC users. On the other hand, these parody commercials are hilarious as well. Tit for Tat baby… tit for tat.
Boot Camp: Apple Hardware + MS Ubiquity
Apple continues to make headway in their attempt to remove the barriers that have divided the Mac/Windows world for so long. By now, everyone is well aware that Apple is moving the Mac platform to Intel x86 based machines. Significance: Cheaper hardware for everyone who loves the Mac OS.
Now Apple emerges with a new strategy - allow Windows to run on the Mac Hardware! They recently released software, dubbed Boot Camp, that makes this process easy. This strategy allows lovers of Mac hardware to still have access to the safety of Windows. Significance: Windows users can now enjoy the beauty of Mac Hardware.
Apple’s new Intel-Powerbook
Apple has released another Macintel machine: a sexy new powerbook that they are dubbing “the finest laptop in the world”. Combining Intel’s new CORE Duo Chip (two chips on one), a profile of 1″ and 5.6lbs, and all the pizazz of Mac OS X - this laptop is poised to be a real winner. Perhaps most surprising is how affordable it is… starting around $2000. I found an honest overview of the machine at Law Crossing (surprising) - here are some brief excerpts:
