It didn't take long for a software hack to be posted on the web to allow Frontrow, the genial software that works with the new Apple Remote device to put all digital media at your fingertips - until now an exclusive application for the new iMac G5 - to be used on all Macs running OSX 10.4.3 (Tiger). Of course, software hacks are not for the fainthearted, but after having seen a quicktime video of Frontrow being used on a Mini - potentially the perfect multimedia machine - I took all my courage in hand and downloaded the hack from mcmac.com. If you have upgraded to 10.4.3 all it takes is to put the software into the Application folder, put a copy into the Dock, double click it and press "Escape" for a few seconds and off you go.
Those of you who have seen the Special Event Webcast of the "One more thing" presentation in San Jose last month during which Steve Jobs ran Frontrow through its paces on the new iMac G5 will agree that this software really rocks and should be made available by Apple more broadly. The hack worked well enough on my 1.2 GHz G4 Cube to show the potential of the Mac as a great media center. The only other missing piece to complete it would be a tivo-like set up to schedule, view and record TV shows, something which can easily be acquiered from El Gato with EyeTv. Hence, why not give Apple a little nudge to distribute Frontrow to "the rest of us" by subscribing to the "Apple Front Row Software Petition" launched recently?
However, let's not forget: software hacks are not for the fainthearted!











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