.Mac Bookmarks

[MacRumors]

Apple's .Mac service (http://www.mac.com) has introduced ".Mac Bookmarks":

Take your bookmarks with you wherever you go. With new .Mac Bookmarks, a handy surfer window with your favorite bookmarks opens on any Internet-connected computer, providing instant access to your favorite places on the web. Use it on your home or work computer, even at an Internet cafe.


Safari 1.0 and iSync 1.1 are required to sync your bookmarks.

[MacManDan]

Oooh .. I have yet to try this out .. but does this mean I can have my safari bookmarks from my mac on my windows PC at work? Sounds like it! How terribly exciting! :D

[arn]

Originally posted by MacManDan
Oooh .. I have yet to try this out .. but does this mean I can have my safari bookmarks from my mac on my windows PC at work? Sounds like it! How terribly exciting! :D

yeah - the links aren't working so it's hard to tell.

The bookmark syncing's been around. But I believe this window thing is new... I guess we wait until the links start working.

arn

[ennerseed]

anyone got/can get screen caps of it?

[altivec 2003]

I find this relativey disappointing, if this is ALL. I really have no use for bookmarks "on the road" cause I really use a computer when I am on vacation. I would much rather have gained php support and mysql cause I really need that a lot. In fact I might have to not renew my .mac subscription this next year if they don't add it. I was kinda upset when I realized that apple had automatically checked the "renew automatically" box in my account preferences. I thought it was very un-apple and if I didn't realize it I would be paying for another year even if I didn't want to :(

[Mr. Anderson]

Well, if you have to have a .mac account its crap as far as I'm concerned. If there was some way to put it on *any* site so that you could use it, that would be better......oh, well....

D

[arn]

Originally posted by ennerseed
anyone got/can get screen caps of it?

http://www.mac.com/i/fpc/en_shared/screen_bookmarks.gif

[clonenode]

I'm very excited about this! No more MANUALLY updating the bookmarks on my ...PC... at work. Just long onto .Mac and all my home bookmarks will be there!

[nichrome]

Interestingly, a screenshot of this was up on Apple's web site, on the iSync page, around the time Safari 1.0 was released. It was quickly replaced with this partial, generic Safari shot (http://a772.g.akamai.net/7/772/51/0b35c5521aa547/www.apple.com/isync/images/indexbookmarks_052903.gif).

I'm surprised it took Apple so long to actually introduce this service, since they already had it up and running well enough to grab screenshots back when Safari 1.0 was released.

Oh well.

[moosecat]

That screenshot caused a bit of commotion in the thread about Pal. I guess this explanation for the screenshot is a further nail in Pal's coffin.

[arn]

Originally posted by clonenode
I'm very excited about this! No more MANUALLY updating the bookmarks on my ...PC... at work. Just long onto .Mac and all my home bookmarks will be there!

it doesn't seem clear if this works on a PC.

[Edit: Apparently it does work from PC's. Cool]

arn

[ennerseed]

cool... actually now apple has info up.
http://www.mac.com/1/iTour/tour_bookmarks.html
how about a cap of the browser interface?

[Nebrie]

Originally posted by altivec 2003
I find this relativey disappointing, if this is ALL. I really have no use for bookmarks "on the road" cause I really use a computer when I am on vacation. I would much rather have gained php support and mysql cause I really need that a lot. In fact I might have to not renew my .mac subscription this next year if they don't add it. I was kinda upset when I realized that apple had automatically checked the "renew automatically" box in my account preferences. I thought it was very un-apple and if I didn't realize it I would be paying for another year even if I didn't want to :(

:rolleyes: Uh huh, you're thinking like a Windows user. Go get a regular hosting account then. Why does everyone expect Apple to just turn .mac into another Cheap Pete's $5 Web Hosting Zoo? If you haven't noticed, .mac is and was never designed to compete with traditional hosting. It's a collection of things that Web hosting companies will never be able to do. 95% of mac users will never need php or mysql much less know what it is. .mac is a service "for the rest of us"

[Le Big Mac]

Originally posted by arn
it doesn't seem clear if this works on a PC.

arn

Somehow I'm assuming it won't, at least until a safari for PC browser is introduced.

So, now I need to convince my work to move to Mac. Like that'll happen.

[bignumbers]

I think it's a huge mistake to compare .Mac with standard web hosts. It's a completely different animal. Very basic web hosting (at a light consumer level) with ease of use is one portion of .Mac. Pro web hosting is just something different. Would you complain if your web host didn't offer you address, calendar, and bookmark synchronization? Or didn't integrate directly with your photo management program? Of course not - because a pro web hosting company just doesn't do those things.

I have a great web host (pair.com). I have a few personal photo albums on .Mac, but that's not its value to me. I use it to sync stuff (addresses and bookmarks for now) between my various Macs. To me, that's worth the money. If it isn't to you, then just don't buy it.

I can think of 100 things I'd like .Mac to have, but I don't expect it to ever compete with a great web host.

Originally posted by altivec 2003
I find this relativey disappointing, if this is ALL. I really have no use for bookmarks "on the road" cause I really use a computer when I am on vacation. I would much rather have gained php support and mysql cause I really need that a lot. In fact I might have to not renew my .mac subscription this next year if they don't add it. I was kinda upset when I realized that apple had automatically checked the "renew automatically" box in my account preferences. I thought it was very un-apple and if I didn't realize it I would be paying for another year even if I didn't want to :(

[nichrome]

Originally posted by Le Big Mac
Somehow I'm assuming it won't, at least until a safari for PC browser is introduced.
From Apple's description:

...a handy surfer window with your favorite bookmarks opens on any Internet-connected computer

What this thingy does is read the Safari bookmarks property list, run it through a WebObjects-based property list parser and then output in a format that any browser can display.

[MacManDan]

Originally posted by Le Big Mac
Somehow I'm assuming it won't, at least until a safari for PC browser is introduced.

So, now I need to convince my work to move to Mac. Like that'll happen.

I'm pretty sure it does. Read the following description from Apple's .mac homepage:

With new .Mac Bookmarks, a handy surfer window with your favorite bookmarks opens on any Internet-connected computer, providing instant access to your favorite places on the web.

Notice especially the part where it says "ANY internet-connected computer" I assume you need a browser too though ;)

[MhzDoesMatter]

Do people generally believe that because they're a MacUser that every "Mac" product should be a perfect fit for them or do they realize that even in such a small overall market, some things simply aren't targeted to them an Apple doesn't really care what they think about it if they're not in the target market?

I always thought .Mac was a very (large) niche-y product. I mean, sure everyone needs an email address but not everyone needs WebDav storage, simple web hosting, etc. Then of those people who do, some people need professional level services. Yet they're trying to shoehorn themselves into Apple's generic web services market and still force Apple to meet the higher-level needs and complain when they don't.

I'm not one of those people who thinks people who aren't happy with Apple shouldn't breathe, much less voice their complaints. (A lot of times it helps me appreciate something more for how well it meets my needs.) I just think that a lot of people refuse to believe that in certain instances, for certain products, Apple's not doing it for them.

BTW, .Mac is getting incredibly cool over time.

-Hertz

[Thresher]

They must have read my mind.

I was just talking about this sort of thing the other day with some friends. I have Macs and PCs and getting them all to have the same bookmarks (let alone the same folder structure) is a major pain in the rear. I was wondering if there was some way to do this with iSync. Problem solved!

As for .Mac versus real web hosting, I agree, you can't think of .Mac as a webhosting service. It's more of a way to store and share things easily. Rather than set up an FTP, I can just have people go to my iDisk or better yet, I can just drag it into a download folder and let them download from the web page. All of this can be done with regular webhosting, but no as simply.

[zedwards]

Originally posted by altivec 2003
I would much rather have gained php support and mysql cause I really need that a lot. In fact I might have to not renew my .mac subscription this next year if they don't add it.
THAT is the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard. Sorry. Now why in the world would Apple add PHP/MySQL to .Mac?

[jettredmont]

Originally posted by arn
it doesn't seem clear if this works on a PC.

arn

Using it from a PC now. Works quite well.

Can't synch from the PC, but CAN add bookmarks.

Sweet.

[MacManDan]

I just got the Bookmarks to open on my Windows 2000 PC at work. These are all the bookmarks from my Mac when I syncronized them lsat week with iSync! Ooh.. very .. very cool. It's fortunate this holds on to my bookmarks, especially since my PowerBook is halfway across the state on its way to Houston to get its hard drive replaced ...

Yay! You can even add bookmarks in windows!

[Edit: oops, I was a second too late after jettredmont. Sorry about that]

[jettredmont]

Originally posted by jettredmont
Using it from a PC now. Works quite well.

Can't synch from the PC, but CAN add bookmarks.

Sweet.

One annoying feature is that every bookmark click results in a new window ... Workaround: in IE, at least (I think it works in Firebird/Phoenix too), you can drag the link in the bookmarks window to the window where you want to open the link ...

[MacManDan]

Originally posted by jettredmont
One annoying feature is that every bookmark click results in a new window ... Workaround: in IE, at least (I think it works in Firebird/Phoenix too), you can drag the link in the bookmarks window to the window where you want to open the link ...

You can change that if you click on the Preferences icon at the top of the Bookmark window.

[nichrome]

Pretty cool, all in all. The bookmarks window does browser sniffing and if the request is coming from Safari, the window uses brushed metal, and if not, it uses Aqua.

Here's a screenshot of the Bookmarks thingy in Safari, Camino and IE6/WinXP. A bigger shot here. (http://maczsoftware.com/blogs/lkieksi/gfx/dotmacbookmarks.jpg)

[zedwards]

OOOooo... this is quite a nice! The implementation is quite a surprise, eh?
http://users.rcn.com/zedwards/prefs.jpg

[3-22]

Originally posted by nichrome
[B]Pretty cool, all in all. The bookmarks window does browser sniffing and if the request is coming from Safari, the window uses brushed metal, and if not, it uses Aqua.

Here's a screenshot of the Bookmarks thingy in Safari, Camino and IE6/WinXP.

Thanks for the screen shot, very cool. I always wanted a service like this, I float between different systems and operating systems. Always thought an easy tool to keep them in sync would be handy. This is excellent. Now I just need my G5 to arrive. :(

[cbrantly]

Apple's .Mac Bookmarks page shows disclosure triangles next to the folders. When I look at my bookmarks there are no disclosure triangles. This means that I can only view the bookmarks inside of one folder at a time. Seems strange that the real thing doesn't match apple's screenshot...am I missing something?

[cbrantly]

And here is apple's screen shot

[MacFan25]

It sounds great for all the .mac users. I'm sure its easy to use, as are all things from Apple.

[nichrome]

Originally posted by tny
Because the poster wants to show off that he knows PHP and MySQL, but isn't smart enough to realize that if you know PHP and MySQL, it's probably more worth your while for you to pay for your own hosted domain for those *and* for enough webspace to store your bookmarks (passworded off, of course). And you don't seem to realize that .Mac isn't just about web hosting. Yes, you can stick your bookmarks on a web server, but will you be able to edit them on-the-fly? No. Will you be able to use Safari's regular Add Bookmark command to directly add bookmarks to the online bookmarks storage? No. Et cetera. Unless, of course, you build wrappers for property lists, the ical format and other things.

Apple absolutely should enable PHP and MySQL on websites located on iDisk. What you're saying is, "if you need MySQL and/or PHP, buy web space". That's costs in addition to the cost of .Mac, if the person wants to continue using other .Mac services. It also contributes to redundancy -- you've got a lot of unused capacity to run a medium-sized website if you go elsewhere with your website.

So in short, it just doesn't make sense, while it's simply sensible for Apple to enable at least some dynamic-content facilities for sites hosted on iDisks.

[tjwett]

i'm not sure what to make of this. it's kind of kewl i guess. i'm not a big bookmarker though. i'd like to see some more significant features added to .Mac before i decide to pay for next year.

[tny]

Originally posted by ennerseed
anyone got/can get screen caps of it?
Here it is in Windows XP with MozillaFirebird.

[nichrome]

Originally posted by cbrantly
Apple's .Mac Bookmarks page shows disclosure triangles next to the folders. When I look at my bookmarks there are no disclosure triangles.
Yes, there are disclosure triangles -- just not at the top level ("All Collections"). This top level corresponds to the sidebar of Safari's bookmarks manager.

Thus, it works just like Safari does. You can't open a collection using a disclosure triangle, but all folders inside the collection (ie. on the right in Safari's bookmarks manager) can be opened using disclosure triangles.

[Booga]

This is the single coolest feature I've seen yet for .Mac. It might even make me sign up (I let it lapse when they started charging for it.) I really, really hate it when I bookmark things at work and don't have that bookmark at home. Or, when at home, bookmark something on my Mac and don't have it on the PC or vice-versa.

This is one feature I put in a feature request for when .Mac first came out. The other is being able to authenticate against my .Mac account and log in to my settings from any machine anywhere.

[cbrantly]

Originally posted by nichrome
Yes, there are disclosure triangles -- just not at the top level ("All Collections"). This top level corresponds to the sidebar of Safari's bookmarks manager.

Thus, it works just like Safari does. You can't open a collection using a disclosure triangle, but all folders inside the collection (ie. on the right in Safari's bookmarks manager) can be opened using disclosure triangles.

Ah, I see nichrome. Thanks for the heads up.

[tny]

Originally posted by nichrome
And you don't seem to realize that .Mac isn't just about web hosting. Yes, you can stick your bookmarks on a web server, but will you be able to edit them on-the-fly? No. Will you be able to use Safari's regular Add Bookmark command to directly add bookmarks to the online bookmarks storage? No. Et cetera. Unless, of course, you build wrappers for property lists, the ical format and other things.


Can I edit them on the fly? Sure. Open BBEdit. Takes a second. Am I still going to use the iSync bookmarks? Yeah, probably, as you can see above, and I darned well do know that .Mac is about more than web hosting - because I'm paying for four things: web hosting, .Mac, broadband, and HotSpot service. Don't get so worked up next time.

[Booga]

This is a different feature than having your own domain to store your bookmarks. That's what I do now, and it's a PITA.

[nichrome]

Originally posted by tny
Can I edit them on the fly? Sure. Open BBEdit. Takes a second.Takes a lot more than a second, even if you do have super-fast fingers and an insanely quick connection. More importantly, it's something you need to actively do, instead of letting Safari/iSync/.Mac do the work for you. With the combo of the aforementioned apps and services, all you end up having to do is hit Command-D. And that's what I was getting at in my post.

Don't get so worked up next time.I'm hoping you're smart enough to realize that people are bound to get worked up if you go around calling random people "not smart enough" :rolleyes:

[reedm007]

Originally posted by nichrome
And you don't seem to realize that .Mac isn't just about web hosting. Yes, you can stick your bookmarks on a web server, but will you be able to edit them on-the-fly? No. Will you be able to use Safari's regular Add Bookmark command to directly add bookmarks to the online bookmarks storage? No. Et cetera.

I'm probably just confused here, but aren't you asking for:

1. Will you be able to edit them on the fly.
Answer: Yes? The new bookmark window allows you to add new bookmarks from any browser anywhere in the world, which will automatically sync with your .mac account... Isn't this "on-the-fly"?

2. Will you be able to use Safari's regular Add Bookmark command...
Answer: Yes? Sure it doesn't add the bookmark *directly* to the site, but, as Panther proves with your synced iDisk folder, you might not always be connected to your .mac account. Or maybe you load a bunch of pages in Safari and then go offline for reading and want to bookmark a page. Good thing safari bookmarks locally, and then syncs with iSync next time you have an internet connection, so it's available on .mac.

I mean, perhaps I'm just unclear on what your point is. Sure adding PHP/MYSQL would be more powerful and cool, but that isn't really the purpose of .mac at all is it? It's not a web hosting account, it's services they provide.

[Codemonkey]

... that the .Mac service should be a hard core web hosting provider with all the bells and whistles of an actual dedicated business hosting company - get your head out of your arse!

Wake up and realize what you're saying - just for a second, please. This is *not* a service for "web professionals". This is *not* a service for anyone wishing to dabble in scripting languages (other than vanilla HTML). This never was Apple's intention, nor is it their demographic.

If you want to roll your own dynamic web site there are plenty of providers that will give you some hosting space and trinkety crap for $4.95 a month. So go. Leave us alone, and realize that when I want to post my photos of my vacation, some new tracks I'm mixing and some videos of my new daughter, I don't care that .Mac doesn't have things like PHP and mySQL.

Incidentally, I'm not a betting man, but I'd be willing to put some money down on the fact that the same ppl whining about .Mac's "lack of power features" also complain about the price of Apple computers (usually punctuating it with some anecdote about how they built a PC for $250 and it runs ten thousand times faster than a Mac).

You're not the demographic. You'll never be happy. Move on. :)

[Dale Sorel]

Originally posted by MhzDoesMatter
BTW, .Mac is getting incredibly cool over time.

I can't wait for Panther :D

[zim]

This will be really useful, I am always exporting my links, dragging them into a folder, to take them with me to work. One less thing for me to do!

Oh, also the backup software was updated today too, you can download it form the .mac web site over on the right side. testing it out right now.

[iJed]

Originally posted by zedwards
THAT is the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard. Sorry. Now why in the world would Apple add PHP/MySQL to .Mac?

Probably because its actually useful unlike most of the other gimmicky features of .Mac. There is simply no way I'm wasting $100 on this. .Mac is easily the worst Apple product of recent times.

[reedm007]

Originally posted by iJed
Probably because its actually useful unlike most of the other gimmicky features of .Mac. There is simply no way I'm wasting $100 on this. .Mac is easily the worst Apple product of recent times.

Now everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and I'll respect that, but I just can't understand how you can say it's "the worst Apple product of recent times". It's really not that bad. It doesn't offer services for everyone, but some people like it.

I, for one, am extremely happy that I can automatically sync my bookmarks anywhere in the world. I have an online disk that doesn't just have FTP access, but will mount directly on my screen as a disk, or on any other Mac or windows with WebDAV. I can auto-publish my pictures from iPhoto to a web page. I have my grandparents using my .mac screensaver, which is like an auto-updating photo frame for them with new pictures of my family all the time. I love the IMAP mail support, and good webmail interface with access to my auto-synced address book across my home, work, and laptop computers. I've got my iCals published automatically.

It's certainly not for everyone, and a lot of these services you can probably find elsewhere, but none of them have the elegant integration and "it just works" mentality of .mac -- in fact, if you spend $30 for an email account per year (which doesn't have the great address book access), and $5/month for web access, you're already at $90 per year. Then add in the time it costs you to do all the things that .mac does automatically. 1 hour extra per month? That's 12 hours per year extra. Plus the time to manage all the different accounts. Plus you still don't get the direct integration.

So, get a job at McDonalds for the 20hours/year you save in time with .mac, that's an extra $150 in your pocket. :)

But seriously, I think .mac os a decent product, but if you don't care about publishing your photos online, or syncing your address book and bookmarks, or publishing your iCals, it probably isn't for you.

[tex210]

I actually use .mac mainly for idisk which allows me to send files too large for email to the office and back. Then virus protection, which let's just call paranoia at this point( will crackers and spammers aim at us after G5?).
Anything beyond that is cake. I'll allow my auto-renewal.
But I am curious, what is it about ichatav that you NEED to have .mac for? What does it really do for me? Seriously if anyone can clarify for me...
oh!, and I think the bookmark thing is cute and unexpected. I, like others, had wished there was just a simple way to get that url that you found at the office....

[Mudbug]

Originally posted by iJed
Probably because its actually useful unlike most of the other gimmicky features of .Mac. There is simply no way I'm wasting $100 on this. .Mac is easily the worst Apple product of recent times.

While I disagree with the sentiment that this post was made in, I have to say I at least agree with one point of it. I also think it is the worst Apple product of recent times, but only because everything as of late AFAIC has been really good. That means the worst of the bunch can still be quite good.

I'm not a subscriber of .mac, and doubt I will be soon, but that doesn't mean I don't see value in it. I just don't want to spend the $$ yet. Maybe with a few more additions...

[nbrosnahan]

Has anyone figured out how to get the little .Mac Bookmarks window to come up without first navigating to the "Welcome to .Mac Bookmarks" page?

Basically, I'm looking for a way to put a Favorite on my Windows IE toolbar that's like ".Mac Bookmarks", which just opens the window.

There's some session cookie thing going on that requires you to navigate to the welcome page first.

I want a permalink. Any ideas?

[altivec 2003]

Originally posted by tny
Because the poster wants to show off that he knows PHP and MySQL, but isn't smart enough to realize that if you know PHP and MySQL, it's probably more worth your while for you to pay for your own hosted domain for those *and* for enough webspace to store your bookmarks (passworded off, of course).

Wow... I guess I really wasn't expecting such a strong negative response to what I said but now I realize that I should have been more careful with what I said. Although I didn't have this in my mind at all when I wrote the post, I realize that I was being a little selfish with what I said. Yes bookmarks would have been cool to use but I was just saying I wouldn't use them. The reason why I said it was disappointing was because I thought that this might be the only update. I really think it is good that apple tries to make things easy and am hurt that you say I sound like a pc person (not this post but I will get to it in a minute). I have used macs all of my life and cant stand working on pcs. In short, I like ease but ease is different than the lack of such features in a webhost. I do realize that apple isn't really meaning to be a webhost but, as I am just 15, I have to get all of my credit-card related purchasing (like .mac for example) through my parents. Apple is a company that they trust and I really like their service and how tightly integrated into their OS it is. I just wish there were a few more features, thats all. I think it would be a great idea for them to add a couple of options such as php and mysql atleast for a little more money and have another rate for the regular html. Now... on to your post. Hmpf. I really had no intent to show off AT ALL. I was just mentioning what was on my mind. I am sorry if it was interpreted as that but really I don't think it is fair that you jump to such conclusions. In fact, I want the php and mysql support so that it would be EASIER for me. I don't really like to have to do all of the formatting in html where I could just write the text into a database and never have to look at any code AT ALL when I am done with the basic stuff. Php is not a hard language and I have no pride that I have learned it. I merely want to use it because it would make my life easier. And about your saying that I am too stupid to realize that there are other hosts out there that will do php support. You don't think I really don't KNOW that. As I said above, my parents need to trust the company and make sure that it is not some scam place that they are giving out their credit card number to. I completely agree with them and think that Apple is one of the companies that I trust the most. I really like them and I didn't mean to make any of you think otherwise. I also didn't mean to show off and I am sorry if it came across in this way. I just want the php support to make my life easier and so that I can have a company that I trust as my host. I love the e-mail services and i-cards and the virus protection. I think that the service is well worth it but I would want a couple of new features. Please think twice before attacking me like that :(.

[altivec 2003]

Originally posted by nichrome
And you don't seem to realize that .Mac isn't just about web hosting. Yes, you can stick your bookmarks on a web server, but will you be able to edit them on-the-fly? No. Will you be able to use Safari's regular Add Bookmark command to directly add bookmarks to the online bookmarks storage? No. Et cetera. Unless, of course, you build wrappers for property lists, the ical format and other things.

Apple absolutely should enable PHP and MySQL on websites located on iDisk. What you're saying is, "if you need MySQL and/or PHP, buy web space". That's costs in addition to the cost of .Mac, if the person wants to continue using other .Mac services. It also contributes to redundancy -- you've got a lot of unused capacity to run a medium-sized website if you go elsewhere with your website.

So in short, it just doesn't make sense, while it's simply sensible for Apple to enable at least some dynamic-content facilities for sites hosted on iDisks.

Exactly, I think it would be cool if they devised a way to do php with no coding, but I better go. sorry. Dinner

Edit:
Ok now I have more time to elaborate on this idea of mine. You know how apple has their homepage templates where people who don't know html can build a reasonably cool site. Well, I think it would be very usefull for every .mac user to have a php/mysql system that was completely handeled by apple just like their homepage system is. That way they would benefit from being able to add content easily and quickly and, like you can host files that you write on your idisk, people who would want to write a page in php could. It would be great for everybody and I see really no downside except for the processing power required on apple's part to parse all of the code. I think this bookmark system is cool and very apple-like, but I will most likely never use it. I think that people would end up finding the php/mysql much more usefull which is not to say that I am disapointed by bookmark. Ahh, i am repeating myself I guess i better go to bed. *didn't sleep well last night :(*

[Flowbee]

I've been using the .Mac bookmarks today from several locations. While it's not the 'killer' feature that will suddenly make everyone rush out and subscribe, it is very cool and easy to use. I'm hoping it's a sign of more good things to come from .mac.

[MacKid]

Originally posted by altivec 2003
I find this relativey disappointing, if this is ALL. I really have no use for bookmarks "on the road" cause I really use a computer when I am on vacation. I would much rather have gained php support and mysql cause I really need that a lot. In fact I might have to not renew my .mac subscription this next year if they don't add it. I was kinda upset when I realized that apple had automatically checked the "renew automatically" box in my account preferences. I thought it was very un-apple and if I didn't realize it I would be paying for another year even if I didn't want to :(

I personally think it's very any-company-who-wants-to-hold-onto-customers, considering that a great number of people would wake up all over the world this september with no e-mail, no website, and no data.:eek:

[reedm007]

Originally posted by nbrosnahan
Has anyone figured out how to get the little .Mac Bookmarks window to come up without first navigating to the "Welcome to .Mac Bookmarks" page?

This isn't exactly a solution, but just in case you missed it, you can go directly to http://bookmarks.mac.com. You'll still have to sign in to .mac, so a permlink will be a bit difficult... But that's pretty close!

[nichrome]

Originally posted by reedm007
I'm probably just confused here
Yes, you are ;)

but aren't you asking for:

1. Will you be able to edit them on the fly.
Answer: Yes? The new bookmark window allows you to add new bookmarks from any browser anywhere in the world, which will automatically sync with your .mac account... Isn't this "on-the-fly"?

2. Will you be able to use Safari's regular Add Bookmark command...
Answer: Yes? Sure it doesn't add the bookmark *directly* to the site, but, as Panther proves with your synced iDisk folder, you might not always be connected to your .mac account. Or maybe you load a bunch of pages in Safari and then go offline for reading and want to bookmark a page. Good thing safari bookmarks locally, and then syncs with iSync next time you have an internet connection, so it's available on .mac.

Yes! Absolutely! But you cannot, repeat cannot, do that if you store your bookmarks and other data on your own web server, ie. not on the iDisk -- and that was the topic at hand.

I mean, perhaps I'm just unclear on what your point is.Indeed -- check my post again. I was talking about tny's suggestion of hosting the bookmarks file on your own server, instead of .Mac (to obtain the added benefit of being able to run a MySQL and/or PHP based website). To quote one of my earlier posts in this thread:
With the combo of [.Mac/iSync/Safari], all you end up having to do is hit Command-D. And that's what I was getting at in my post.
My point was exactly what you're outlining in your message. I was talking about how you can't edit on the fly and let iSync/.Mac do the syncing work for you if you host on your own webspace. Apparently you misunderstood and thought I was talking about .Mac's capabilities.

I hope this clears up a few things.

[tny]

Originally posted by nichrome
Yes, you are ;)



Yes! Absolutely! But you cannot, repeat cannot, do that if you store your bookmarks and other data on your own web server, ie. not on the iDisk -- and that was the topic at hand.

Indeed -- check my post again. I was talking about tny's suggestion of hosting the bookmarks file on your own server, instead of .Mac (to obtain the added benefit of being able to run a MySQL and/or PHP based website). To quote one of my earlier posts in this thread:

My point was exactly what you're outlining in your message. I was talking about how you can't edit on the fly and let iSync/.Mac do the syncing work for you if you host on your own webspace. Apparently you misunderstood and thought I was talking about .Mac's capabilities.

I hope this clears up a few things. [/B]

Ok, Nichrome, I'll give you credit on most of that argument - inlcuding the "not smart enough" crack on my part. But you seem not to realize that supporting PHP and MySQL involves effort on the part of Apple, and is not a consumer-oriented service: and .Mac most certainly is a consumer oriented service. Web hosting services average about $12 to $25 a month, and MySQL is usually extra to boot; and most of the reason for that is support costs (with of course a tidy profit for the provider), and only some of it "rental" on an IP address (a cost that the .Mac user doesn't have). So you're expecting for $99 a year not only the .Mac goodies (the iDisk interface, for example) but something you'd get from a hosting service that would cost about $250-$300 a year. Add to that the additional cost of support personnel to help .Mac USERS with MySQL and PHP (and before you say it, not all users of these technologies is a pro developer).

[sharkfoo]

You can add .Mac bookmarks to your mozilla sidebar. See

http://developer.netscape.com/docs/manuals/browser/sidebar/

for an example of how to add it.

You just need to add to following to a webpage somewhere and then click on the link:

<script language="javascript">
function addTab()
{
if ((typeof window.sidebar == "object") &&
(typeof window.sidebar.addPanel == "function"))
{
window.sidebar.addPanel(".Mac Bookmarks",
"http://bookmarks.mac.com/WebObjects/Bookmarks.woa/47/wa/FrameContent/openBookmark","");
}
else
{
alert('Sorry, you can only add the tab if you\'re running Netscape 6 or Mozilla.');
}
}
</script>
<a href="javascript:addTab()">Add .Mac bookmarks to your sidebar</a>

[altivec 2003]

Originally posted by tny
Ok, Nichrome, I'll give you credit on most of that argument - inlcuding the "not smart enough" crack on my part. But you seem not to realize that supporting PHP and MySQL involves effort on the part of Apple, and is not a consumer-oriented service: and .Mac most certainly is a consumer oriented service. Web hosting services average about $12 to $25 a month, and MySQL is usually extra to boot; and most of the reason for that is support costs (with of course a tidy profit for the provider), and only some of it "rental" on an IP address (a cost that the .Mac user doesn't have). So you're expecting for $99 a year not only the .Mac goodies (the iDisk interface, for example) but something you'd get from a hosting service that would cost about $250-$300 a year. Add to that the additional cost of support personnel to help .Mac USERS with MySQL and PHP (and before you say it, not all users of these technologies is a pro developer).

Yep, thats what I was saying in a later post. I would be happy for apple to make this an option for people so that those who are willing to pay more can have this benefit and the others don't have to pay for it if they aren't going to use it. I really don't see any reason why apple shouldn't do this.


I personally think it's very any-company-who-wants-to-hold-onto-customers, considering that a great number of people would wake up all over the world this september with no e-mail, no website, and no data

I see your point and would be really disappointed if my website and e-mail were deleted without me knowing (even though I wrote my website on my computer and therefore have a backup). I did think, however, that this situation has the potential of making people accidentally continue their subscription if they didn't want to. I think that either way would not be bad for the customer as long as apple gave messages well in advance about the situation as they did last year. It is just that if apple didn't it wouldn't be fair to the customer. Most likeyly apple will but I was just slightly disturbed cause this sounded to me atleast at the moment like something that Microsoft or AOL would do. Don't wanna have apple turn into them, but fortunately I am not too worried....

[Wardofsky]

This is quite interesting.

This was leaked ages ago:

For those who have access to the private submissions:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28483&highlight=text
(Could a mod move it into public view)

And the image attached was released on Apple's website in April.

http://forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=372131

[robotrenegade]

Works great!!!!!

[nichrome]

Originally posted by altivec 2003
Yep, thats what I was saying in a later post. I would be happy for apple to make this an option for people so that those who are willing to pay more can have this benefit and the others don't have to pay for it if they aren't going to use it. I really don't see any reason why apple shouldn't do this. Precisely. Also note that Apple already provides a number of "pay more, get more" services for .Mac, including more e-mail accounts and more iDisk storage & bandwidth. MySQL and other such services would be easy to monetize, since like tny pointed out, MySQL generally costs extra. So no one would bark at Apple for charging an extra fee. It would still be cheaper than getting dedicated web space from a server plus MySQL support on top.

Originally posted by Codemonkey
This is *not* a service for "web professionals". This is *not* a service for anyone wishing to dabble in scripting languages (other than vanilla HTML). This never was Apple's intention, nor is it their demographic. Unless you're an Apple employee, you have little chance of knowing what Apple wants .Mac to be in the future. A year ago, for all we knew, .Mac was e-mail, iCards and a WebDAV account and was going to stay that way. Now, there's a backup solution, free software, special offers, roaming bookmarks, roaming addressbook, roaming calendar...

Edit: Forgot to add: no one's assuming .Mac is a service for web professionals. Managing dynamic content sites doesn't have to be hard, "pro stuff". It's not a pro feature, it's a feature that could be wrapped into HomePage. Think MovableType-style features as part of HomePage, with the facilities for manually extending the SQL-driven features of a site. Just like they're doing now with HTML/CSS: either let the user pick from a set of templates or let them build it on their own.

[mcduke]

My opinion:

.Mac Bookmarks (http://mcduke.typepad.com/mymind/2003/07/mac_bookmarks.html)
and
.Mac Bookmarks Addendum (http://mcduke.typepad.com/mymind/2003/07/mac_bookmarks_a.html)