www.romanvenable.net:  Clark's Weblog



Sunday, November 28, 2004
How To Read RSS Headlines On Your PalmOS Device

I just upgraded to a Treo 600 from my Tungsten C. The always-on internet is handy, and I wanted to be able to read certain of my RSS feeds on the handheld during down time at work so I'd have that much less to read when I'm NOT at work because, like checking e-mail, scanning rss headlines is something that MUST be done before the day's end.

I'm an OS X user and I use the excellent NewNewWire as my RSS reader. After looking at several option, I chose Hand/RSS for PalmOS for $14.95. I chose it because I'm familiar with the company (which used to make Newton software). After installing it I must say I'm impressed with the app all around.

Hand/RSS comes with some channels installed, but I wanted to move my subscriptions from NetNewsWire over. Hand/RSS can import rss subscriptions that are in an OPML file. Although NetNewsWire 2 offers syncing via dotMac, it doesn't use an opml file to do it (it uses a 'SyncSubscriptions.plist.gz' file), so I had to export my NetNewsWire subscriptions as an opml file. The easiest way to import the opml file into Hand/RSS is to make it a memo. That method failed for me, probably because I'm not using the default PalmOS memo application (I'm using MarkSpace Memo Pad). Instead, I uploaded the opml file to my web server, from where Hand/RSS could fetch it via http.

It's a kind of labor intensive way to import the subscriptions, but my rss subscriptions list is mature and doesn't change too much anymore so it's not something that I have to do often.

Categories: MacOS X, RSS, Technology, Toys
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I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance. --Socrates


Monday, November 22, 2004
ClamAV--free virus scanner for OS X (and other OS's)

Thanks to Greg Pierce, I have found my new virus scanner. It's an open-source project called ClamAV that runs on many platforms, but has been given an OS X front-end by Mark Allan in clamXav. It's well suited to checking e-mail attachments and web downloads which, although posing no threat to OS X users, can infect non-OS X users we pass the files on to (assuming you've turned Microsoft's Office macro support off). Though Mark's port if free, he does encourage contributions.

clamAV.png

Categories: MacOS X, Software
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I do nothing but go about persuading you all, old and young alike, not to take thought for your persons or your properties, but and chiefly to care about the greatest improvement of the soul. I tell you that virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money and every other good of man, public as well as private. This is my teaching, and if this is the doctrine which corrupts the youth, I am a mischievous person. --Socrates


Sunday, November 21, 2004
Virex 7.5 = useless

From the readme file for Virex 7.5.1:

Features Excluded From This Release

Scan Contents of Mailboxes -- This Preferences feature of Virex 7.5.0 has been removed from Virex 7.5.1. This product is not meant to be utilized for scanning mails and mailboxes.

So, in other words, if you want antivirus protection to help keep you from passing e-mail viruses on to your pc-using friends, Virex 7.5.1 is completely useless. I guess I'm in the market for a new anti-virus program...

Categories: MacOS X, Software
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A suspicious mind always looks on the black side of things. --Publilius Syrus