Type of Article: MacMinute Web Site

Carracho Communications has released beta 4 of its client and server for Mac OS and Mac OS X. The update adds several new features and corrects a number of bugs with the software, which works in much the same way as Hotline does.

The US Government and Microsoft are reportedly nearing a settlement in the landmark antitrust case. The Justice Department is said to be content with the remedy, although it also needs the support of the 18 states participating in the case. The two sides have until tomorrow to reach a settlement; if they fail to, the case will go to trial in March 2002.

Apple will open a retail store at the Rockingham Mall in Salem, New Hampshire, during the first week of December, according to MacNETv2.

Black & White and Max Payne were two of the game titles awarded interactive entertainment achievement awards this year by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). Black & White, an innovative simulation/strategy game that lets players become a supreme being and choose whether to be good or evil in the care of the world, is currently in beta testing for the Mac at Feral Interactive and could be available as early as the end of the year.

According to Reuters, Apple’s vice president of finance and corporate controller, Peter Oppenheimer, told investors at a Prudential technology conference today that the company has no plans to initiate an aggressive buyback of its shares, explaining that it needs its $4 billion cash reserve to retain employees and reassure customers, particularly in the education market, that its products are a viable investment.