Brand: MacNews

Free Exhibits Only passes for Macworld Expo San Francisco 2002 are available now through October 15, as noted by MacCentral. Macworld Expo runs from January 8-11 at the Moscone Convention Center.

Startup Security 1.0 is a utility for Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X that enables firmware security on Macs that support it. Firmware security requires users to enter a password at startup to complete the boot procedure and use the Mac. Startup Security is US$19.95 shareware.

The ProScope, a handheld USB microscope that made its US debut at Macworld Expo New York in July, has begun shipping in quantity. The ProScope features a 50X, fixed focus lens, with optional lenses including a 1X camera lens to 100X and 200X power lenses. A C-Mount adapter is also available.

Apple today will be receiving an engineering Emmy award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for developing FireWire, the high-speed interface that has played a crucial role in brining video editing to the masses. Apple developed FireWire in the 1990s, and the technology has since been implemented in countless devices, from storage devices to Sony’s PlayStation 2.

PairNetworks recently posted a brief interview with Jordan Hubbard, one of the founders of the FreeBSD project who was recently hired by Apple to work on Mac OS X. The interview discusses open-source operating systems and how FreeBSD relates to Mac OS X — Mac OS X’s underpinnings, called Darwin, is based in part on FreeBSD.