New and Noteworthy: Apple to add Trusted Computing to the new kernel?; Windows Vista taking cues from Mac OS X; more

Apple to add Trusted Computing to the new kernel? Cory Doctorow reports that people working with early versions of the forthcoming Intel-based MacOS X operating system have discovered that Apple's new kernel makes use of Intel's Trusted Computing hardware. Cory writes "If this 'feature' appears in a commercial, shipping version of Apple's OS, they'll lose me as a customer -- I've used Apple computers since 1979 and have a Mac tattooed on my right bicep, but this is a deal-breaker." Trusted Computing is apparently the technology that is being used to prevent the Intel version of Mac OS X from installing on stock Intel PCs. More.

Windows Vista taking cues from Mac OS X It looks like another case of Microsoft playing catch-up. PC Magazine writes "When Windows Vista ships in late 2006, Windows will mimic many features of Apple's Tiger and go beyond it. But while Microsoft introduces the world to Vista, Apple is keeping mum about its next version of Mac OS X, which Steve Jobs has said will ship at about the same time as Vista. [...] With the first Vista beta, Microsoft seems to have taken many cues from Mac OS X with the user interface and features, right down to some of the terminology." More.

Workstation security: Lock down that Mac ComputerWorld has series on Macintosh infrastructure security. "Security, however, doesn't end once everything is rolled out; sysadmins need to remain proactive by being aware of what's going on in their networks and responding quickly to potential intrusions. Equally important, you need keep all servers, workstations and other devices updated against newly discovered security threats, viruses and attacks. And you need to keep your understanding of security techniques and risks current. With security as an ongoing concern, you can do much of the necessary work as your network is rolled out or upgraded. If things are secure from the start, the number of threats you'll need to worry about right away will be reduced, and even new threats will be easier to deal with." More.

Previously on MacFixIt:

• Dealing with .DS_Store files
• Mac OS X 10.4.2 (#12): Mail.app 2.0.2 -- last resort for Comcast mail sending issues; Spotlight not finding files with asterisks

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