Our inboxes extend to overrun with letter about the Mac mini . Of course , that may be because we keep writing about it . Our April cover line—“Mac Mini : The Complete Guide”—was no lie . We had a full review , science laboratory run results , a deep - inner dissection , and answers to FAQs , and we equate the miniskirt with a likewise price Windows PC from Dell . But not to worry : we listen that Apple has recently come out with another noteworthy fresh product ( see “ Tiger Arrives , ” page 50 ) , so we ’ll be on a mini reprieve for now .

Mac Mini versus Dell

Timothy Walker – I would like to thank Dan Frakes for his fair and balanced comparing of the Mac miniskirt to competing Dell offering ( “ Apples and Oranges,”Mac Beat , April 2005 ) . Healthy competition is good for consumers , and as my Mac - have a go at it fiancée can attest , there ’s room in the mart ( and in our place ) for both Apple and Dell . colored punditry serves no one ’s interest .

Bill Hodena – Though I ’ve loved Apple hardware ever since I allude my first Apple II , I ’ve spent the past five year firmly entrench in the Wintel humans . As a professional software developer , I felt that Windows personal computer simply offer me more for my money . But Ibought a Mac miniskirt a few days after its waiver , and I was at once floored . I loaded up CVS and rdesktop , and pick up BBEdit and a couple of shareware database - growth software ; within a hebdomad , Iwas perform one-half of my growth tasks on it . I can now develop , test , and manage applications quicker than I ever could on my Windows PC . I ’ve move those PC into the closet . Any technophile worth his or her system of weights in Si needs to prove a mini .

Dim Mini?

Peter Pauly – I ’m surprised that your inspection of the Mac minis ( April 2005 ) made no citation of the miniskirt ’s video job . Apple ’s own word chemical group are full of angry early adopters who ’ve had problem connect the mini ’s DVI - VGA adapter to many CRT monitors . The ensue video output is subdued and blurry . This rainfly in the face of Steve Jobs ’s keynote statement that the mini will work with any diligence - standard proctor .

We ’ve seen those reports , too — but not in time to mention them in our review . We ’ll continue to look into the issue , but for now check out “ Many Answers to Mini Problems ” in this month ’s Mac 911 newspaper column ( Sir Frederick Handley Page 90).—Ed .

Panoramic Views

James Rea , ProVue Development – Macworld ’s recent review of Panorama (; April 2005 ) bomb to mention the most important difference between Panorama and all other database programs : Panorama is RAM found , not disk establish . This means it is yard of time faster at most operations , offering tremendous productivity addition for task as bare as organize a little office or as complex as analyzing DNA research . This deletion is like comparing a 747 with a train but miscarry to mention that the 747 can pilot .

Jim Crandall – Thank you for your review of Panorama V. As a rooter of Panorama and a user of FileMaker Pro , I choose Panorama for most of my data analysis . Ease of datum introduction — using Clairvoyance , autodating , Word Caps , and other shortcut dick — is one of the principal reasons . Also , for raw analysis , Panorama enables quick and easy numerical manipulation of data , while FileMaker require more laborious keystrokes and offers few selection . Not all databases take to be complex or relational . vista excels over FileMaker and Excel for most of my data motive .

James Cook – Let me start by articulate that I am a Panorama developer . That disclosure is important because it tells you that I have a vested interest . Macworlddid not disclose that William Porter , the author of your revaluation , is a FileMaker developer with a vested pastime in FileMaker . That ’s unfair to your readers and to Panorama . I make my sustenance building database lotion . FileMaker certainly has vantage in some respects , but overall I have repeatedly close that Panorama is the more powerful of the two for my uses . Because Iknow Panorama as I do , Mr. Porter ’s review article did not strike me as being written by someone who had really explored its capabilities . If he was attempt FileMaker ’s way of doing things within Panorama , he would n’t have find it . They are dissimilar products and neither is suitable for every database use .

We obtain a flood of mail from Panorama users about our review article . Even though we gave the program comparatively high-pitched marks , many of those Panorama fans considered the review unjust . In particular , many of them questioned our choice of William Porter , an independent FileMaker developer , as a reviewer . They experience that his affiliation with a rival program — which we did not disclose — made it impossible for him to be fair to Panorama . While we stand behind Mr. Porter ’s review and its conclusions , we regret the lack of transparency . It invited some readers to think we had something to obscure . To prevent that from take place again , we ’ve sum life of our reviewers to all major reexamination . That mode , you ’ll sleep together exactly whose opinions you ’re reading.—Ed .

Who Came First?

Seungoh Ryu , Math Game House – We read your clause “ Instant Collaboration ” ( Geek Factor , April 2005 ) with slap-up interest group . But we ’d like to mark one inaccuracy : you imply that SubEthaEdit is the first of its kind . However , we released version 1.0 of iStorm and iChalk in October 2002 , significantly ahead of Hydra ( which , after a name change , became SubEthaEdit ) . At the time , ours was the first software program of its sort utilizing Rendezvous .

You are correct , and we apologize for implying otherwise.—Ed .

Help-Desk Humor

Sean Hayes – Was that an April Fools ’ sidebar in your April 2005Mac OS X Hintscolumn ? Use Terminal and a serial of arcane commands to find the fourth dimension in distant parts of the Earth ? When I could just go toWorldtimezones.comin my web web browser ? Still , it was a somewhat secure joke .

Win Some, Lose Some

Ney Fonseca – Correct me if I ’m wrong , folk , but I understand that your new speculation , Playlist , came about part because many readers were frustrated that iPod insurance coverage was herd out the Mac inMacworld . So it ’s heavy to explicate the advertising supplement block out as a guide to froufrou accessories for the iPod ( “ iPod Gear Guide , ” April 2005 ) . Do n’t get me incorrect — I’m as happy as any long - term Mac person for the succeeder and visibility the trivial gadget have break Apple . But enough is enough .

Playlist magazine is available only on newsstand , and it has a fraction of Macworld ’s readers . The iPod is hugely popular among Mac substance abuser , and , more to the breaker point , we really added editorial pages to the April issue : there was n’t less Mac mental object , there was just extra iPod content . Still , it ’s called Macworld , not iPodworld , and always will be.—Ed .

Better Than Salami

William Partridge – Thanks very much for the magazines you get off . Since I in the beginning posted my asking for Apple - related magazines online a year ago , many multitude have helped out ; thanks toMacworldfor being one of them . I work in a U.S. military camp in Kuwait about 20 miles from the Iraqi border . provision are sparse , and it can be difficult to get some things transport here . But the magazines you and others have sent have start over very well . A coworker bring a PowerBook back from his last vacation , and I am the proud possessor of a new 12 - inch iBook ; I ’m also planning to bribe an iMac when I come back from Kuwait for good . Thanks again for the magazines . You ’re amazing !