Users of iTunes take note....

[SpeedoGuy]

When I upgraded to the latest version of iTunes I was annoyed to find that Apple had arranged for a MiniStore window to automatically appear in the iTunes library pane. Crap, more advertising. Worse, MiniStore suggested music to purchase based on the mp3 files recently played from the user's hard drive. The suggested music selections were based on a list of files that was sent through the Apple web site in background without the user's knowledge.

Users can deactivate the MiniStore feature and opt out by hitting a button on the lower right portion of the iTunes pane.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/01/23/apple.itunes.ap/index.html

SG

 

[Lex]

I totally avoid all Apple products. They overcharge for everthing. I am personally of the mindset that an MP3 player should cost no more than $150-160.

And I was very annoyed that in order to upgrade Quicktime, I had to also get iTunes. Bastards.

 

[Shelby]

More on this subject

 

[Lex]

Addtionally, I use:

Ad Aware
Pest Patrol
Zone Alarm Pro

in an ongoing attempt to limit unwanted intrusions to my computer and unwanted data tranmissions. (In addition to the firewall in my wireless router).

 

[DC_DEEP]

I totally avoid all Apple products. They overcharge for everthing. I am personally of the mindset that an MP3 player should cost no more than $150-160.

When I bought my G4, it was top o' the line, blazing fast, and worth what I paid for it. Most everyone I know has gone through 2 PCs since I bought it... and until recently, even the brand-new windows boxes had more problems even when new. When Apple came out with OS X.3, it sucked, and I have had problems since then. I'm considering getting a new computer, but I have lots of decisions to make - including whether to get a Mac Intel or a Windows Intel. I hate the Windows OS, the interface, everything about it.... but just too many unknowns in Apple right now.

And I was very annoyed that in order to upgrade Quicktime, I had to also get iTunes. Bastards.

LOL Apple borrowed a Microsoft marketing technique on that one, eh? Perhaps we are headed toward "one world computer." For years now, each new release of Windows has upgraded to be more Mac-like, and every new release of Mac OS has degraded to be more Windows-like.

 

[Lex]

I got two Dells (desktop and laptop for $2000). Last I checked, that was the price of one Apple machine.

Also--how do you right/left click?

I mean, c'MON...

 

[DC_DEEP]

I got two Dells (desktop and laptop for $2000). Last I checked, that was the price of one Apple machine.

Also--how do you right/left click?

A couple of years back, a PC-fanatic friend was showing me his new mouse - with 5 buttons and a scroll pad. I can do the same functions with a single click, or a click-and-hold, or a double click... if I desperately need a popup menu, I hold the command button on the keyboard and click. On a Mac, you can use either of two methods to perform most functions - key combinations or menu items. To me, it seems logical and convenient. If I am typing and need a function, I do the key combo. If I'm navigating something with a mouse, I use the menu items. Windows only caught up with this idea in Windows 2000, I think.

Funny that you mention it, though. My Mac cost me $1200. At that time, if I had bought a PC, then added all the things that were built-in on the Mac, it would have been about the same, or slightly higher. I didn't have to buy a video card, or a sound card, or a network card, or a USB card, or a Firewire card. Plug&Play on a Mac has always meant EXACTLY that - plug it in and it works. I think some PCs are now approaching that. But I still remember back in the days of having to set dip switches any time you added anything at all to the PC - including memory... then going in to the system, allocating interrupts and setting funky names for the drives... I like plugging in a new drive, and having it just simply appear on my desktop, accessible without having to navigate through "My Computer". I like that my disk drives are named whatever I name them, I don't have to wrangle through the alphabet, assign interrupts and addresses, all that crap you have to go through with XP.

 

[Rikter8]

I don't have to wrangle through the alphabet, assign interrupts and addresses, all that crap you have to go through with XP.

Windows XP and 64 bit are plug and play OS's... I dont understand why you have to assign IRQ's to anything in XP. (Unless your trying to run an Old ISA board, which XP does not play friendly with).
XP Home and XP Pro have huge hardware databases. If you have a device, you simply load the driver disk, and it does the rest. Many dont even require the driver disk, especially if you have Service Pack 2 Locked and Loaded (Which basically changes your Kernel to XP pro, and other mods)

Setting IRQ's went out with Windows 3.11 for workgroups, old ISA and VESA boards.

C

 

[SurferGirlCA]

Users can deactivate the MiniStore feature and opt out by hitting a button on the lower right portion of the iTunes pane.SG

SpeedoGuy, do you know if that actually disconnects the MiniStore feature or just "hides" it so it doesn't appear on your screen?

Personally, I love my Mac, even though we sometimes get the fuzzy side of the lollipop. Of course, I also work in one of the few industries that is still Mac-centric, so that helps, I guess. I don't mind this feature that much, but I am surprised that Apple did it without asking so you have to opt out. Then again, maybe that's the Darth Gates influence at work.

 

[DC_DEEP]

Windows XP and 64 bit are plug and play OS's... I dont understand why you have to assign IRQ's to anything in XP. (Unless your trying to run an Old ISA board, which XP does not play friendly with).
XP Home and XP Pro have huge hardware databases. If you have a device, you simply load the driver disk, and it does the rest. Many dont even require the driver disk, especially if you have Service Pack 2 Locked and Loaded (Which basically changes your Kernel to XP pro, and other mods)

Setting IRQ's went out with Windows 3.11 for workgroups, old ISA and VESA boards.

C

No, this is on a laptop which shipped with XP. It has done lots of funny things - it arbitrarily changed a drive name, then refused to acknowledge references to that drive. I tried to change the name back to the original, but it would not allow it (even though I'm the administrator.) The current problem is that apparently some XP component became corrupted. Neither of my external optical drives (CD burner and DVD burner) works; when Windows starts up, it tells me that those devices are disabled. I have reinstalled the software for each, but that did not work. I also get some crazy message telling me that the notification.exe is not working. I have tried to get that fixed, but none of the suggestions on the Microsoft website have worked. I'm not a Windows expert or programmer, but have been using IBM-compatible machines since long before Windows, and I am fairly proficient with both DOS and UNIX. And unless I am missing something here, you have to be able to reassign IRQs to change a drive name. Another thing I like about MacOS - to change the name of the drive, you simply click on the icon, and type a new name.

 

[SpeedoGuy]

SpeedoGuy, do you know if that actually disconnects the MiniStore feature or just "hides" it so it doesn't appear on your screen?

I had the same suspicion. The CNN article quoted said that deactivating the MiniStore pane will actually disconnect it from transmitting, not just simply "hide" the window. I'm going to try to verify this with my ZoneAlarm firewall.

As you have probably guessed, I'm using the Windows version of iTunes in XP Pro (which I am quite happy with, it is by far the most robust Windows version of all that I have used). I don't know whether these same commands are true for Mac.

SG

 

[BobLeeSwagger]

In the latest version this has been changed. The default setting of the Ministore is now off. Just as well, since it didn't recommend anything close to what I wanted.

 

[BobLeeSwagger]

When I bought my G4, it was top o' the line, blazing fast, and worth what I paid for it. Most everyone I know has gone through 2 PCs since I bought it... and until recently, even the brand-new windows boxes had more problems even when new. When Apple came out with OS X.3, it sucked, and I have had problems since then. I'm considering getting a new computer, but I have lots of decisions to make - including whether to get a Mac Intel or a Windows Intel. I hate the Windows OS, the interface, everything about it.... but just too many unknowns in Apple right now.

I have a G4 that's 4.5 years old. It's never had any problems, and the only OS issues I ever had was the very first OS X, like 10.0.2 or something. Smooth sailing since then.

It could be a lot of things, but I suspect that it's not the OS, assuming you've reinstalled it and everything.

 

[BobLeeSwagger]

Addtionally, I use:

Ad Aware
Pest Patrol
Zone Alarm Pro

in an ongoing attempt to limit unwanted intrusions to my computer and unwanted data tranmissions. (In addition to the firewall in my wireless router).

Good luck with those. My Mac doesn't need any of them, but I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

[BobLeeSwagger]

SpeedoGuy, do you know if that actually disconnects the MiniStore feature or just "hides" it so it doesn't appear on your screen?

Personally, I love my Mac, even though we sometimes get the fuzzy side of the lollipop. Of course, I also work in one of the few industries that is still Mac-centric, so that helps, I guess. I don't mind this feature that much, but I am surprised that Apple did it without asking so you have to opt out. Then again, maybe that's the Darth Gates influence at work.

The main issue is that you don't have to open the regular iTunes Music Store for it to work. No one thinks anything of it when Amazon.com recommends a bunch of products based on your past purchases because you know you've logged in.

 

[SpeedoGuy]

SpeedoGuy, do you know if that actually disconnects the MiniStore feature or just "hides" it so it doesn't appear on your screen?

Ok. I told my ZoneAlarm firewall to deactivate all of iTunes' connectivity with the Internet. When I booted iTunes, ZoneAlarm immediately told me iTunes was trying to connect to the web and act as a server. I denied both requests and iTunes finished booting.

Once iTunes was booted, I repeatedly activated and de-activated the MiniStore window. ZoneAlarm reported no web activity during any of it.

So, I conclude all the connecting iTunes does with the web seems to happen during bootup. Afterwards, nothing else.

Nothing can go wrong now.

 

[RideRocket]

Nothing can go wrong now.

Famous last quotes...

 

[Lex]

You just gotta Love Zone Alarm!!

 

[BobLeeSwagger]

Ok. I told my ZoneAlarm firewall to deactivate all of iTunes' connectivity with the Internet. When I booted iTunes, ZoneAlarm immediately told me iTunes was trying to connect to the web and act as a server. I denied both requests and iTunes finished booting.

Once iTunes was booted, I repeatedly activated and de-activated the MiniStore window. ZoneAlarm reported no web activity during any of it.

So, I conclude all the connecting iTunes does with the web seems to happen during bootup. Afterwards, nothing else.

Nothing can go wrong now.

The only times iTunes connects to the Internet are 1) when you go to the Music Store, and 2) when you're getting the track names of a CD you're importing.