Aaron Adams’s Blowhard Blog

Earlier in the week, MacInTouch reported a malicious script that the media and others immediately, and erroneously, labeled a virus. Wednesday, while co-hosting YML, Shawn King and I interviewed a representative from anti-virus creator Sophos, who said straight out that Opener has no way to reproduce itself.

After the interview, I brought up the point that Opener is not a virus, as reported by the tech press, nor was it a worn, as Sophos has designated it. Shawn asked, “Why is it important what it’s called?” I didn’t have a chance to respond, so I’d like to take that opportunity here.

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By now, most Mac users have probably become aware of something called “Opener”, and the usual computer news outlets, with their never-ending combination of ignorance and anti-Mac zeal, can’t even bother to get the facts straight in their headlines. For instance:

Destructive Mac virus spies on Apple users

The problem is, it’s not a virus.

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This weekend I took a trip to Nashville to attend a wedding. I booked a hotel room with Internet access for Saturday night, and figured I would use my AirPort express to wirelessly surf the net from my bed. Things didn’t work out the way I would have liked.

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Every now and again, Mac users may have a reason to perform certain file system maintenance tasks. Mac OS X, like most operating systems, cannot perform those tasks while the system volume is mounted. This means the machine has to booted into single user mode by holding down command-S during the Mac startup chime and running these maintenance utilities from the command line.

Wouldn’t it be nice if someone wrote a script to automate such things for the Unix impaired? They have, and it’s named AppleJack.

AppleJack installs a shell script that is immediately available upon booting into single user mode. Simply type “applejack” at the prompt and you’ll be presented with several repair options including file system check, repair permissions, preference validation, cache clearing, and swap file removal. If you wish to perform the full regimen of maintenance tasks, you can select them in order from the menu or select the “auto” option and each one will be done sequentially. Reboot at the end and your Mac’s file system is healthy and ready to go.

There are two competing audio broadcasts in the Mac world - Inside Mac Radio and Your Mac Life. Considering I’m a contributor to YML, I’m hardly an unbiased observer of the two shows. However, I’d like to point out a major difference between them.

This week, Apple announced it’s fourth quarter financial results. YML had Gene Munster, a respected analyst from Piper Jaffray on the show to discuss Apple’s demolishment of Wall Street’s expectations. Inside Mac Radio has Brian Cooley (”Most consumers, the iPod is wasted on them.”), editor at large from CNET and self-described “Windows guy”.

Tell me, who would you rather hear discuss Apple’s earnings report? An analyst from a major stock brokerage, or an editor from CNET who tells us that the iPod is lost on most consumers after Apple sells roughly 2 million iPods last quarter for a 500% increase from the year-ago quarter?

There is a very real difference in content on these shows, and YML is consistently better. The guests are more relevant, the host is more knowledgeable, and I’m proud to say I’m a part of YML.

Feel free to take a listen for yourself:

Your Mac Life’s latest broadcast

Inside Mac Radio’s October 16th show

And don’t take my word for it, read these reviews at Audible.com.