The news that Valve is set to provide a Mac OS X version of its Source gaming engine and Steam gaming service has been generally well received by the Mac gaming community.

The company is preparing Mac versions of games including Counter-Strike, Portal and Team Fortress 2 for release next month.

Future Valve games - including Portal 2 - will be released simultaneously for Mac and Windows.

Updates for games will be also be simultaneously released, and online players will inhabit the same space, regardless of platform.

A particularly interesting aspect is that the new Steam Play feature means that those who buy a title for one platform can also play on the other at no extra charge (whether Valve's developer customers will choose to allow this remains to be seen), and even switch between platforms in mid-game.

Not everyone likes the way Steam works at a non-technical level, such as allowing different prices according to the buyer's geographical location, prohibiting the resale or transfer of games or accounts, and forcing the installation of updates that may be incompatible with the user's hardware or operating system.

At least Valve's decision to support the Mac as a so-called tier one platform gives Mac users a choice. They'll soon have a bigger selection of games than they do today, and if they don't like Valve's terms they are free to say "no thanks."

What surprises me - though I suppose it shouldn't - is the way so many Mac haters have used stories about Valve's announcement as an opportunity to bag the platform.

You know the sort of thing: "Macs only have one-button mice" (what decade are you living in?), "Mac users are arrogant" (as if there aren't any arrogant Windows, Linux, PS3 or Xbox 360 users!), "the Mac is a closed platform" (that's closed as in 'Apple provides a set of development tools with the OS and lets anyone use them to create programs that they can sell or give away', yes?), and "Macs are too expensive" (which is why they're selling so well?).

One criticism that probably can be justified is the comparatively low performance graphics chips fitted to most Macs.

On the other hand, people who are prepared to pay $700 or more just for the latest graphics card aren't really in a position to complain that Macs are too expensive. They might question whether Macs provide value for money (and for someone whose main interest is playing games, that is doubtful), but that's a different matter.

The real beneficiaries are existing Mac owners who want a wider choice of games. From that point of view, good on ya, Valve - especially as games such as Portal and Team Fortress 2 cost as little as $US19.99.

The idea of including an HDMI interface in Mac hardware makes a lot of sense.

With most modern TVs including HDMI, this interface is the easiest way of connecting a computer as one cable takes care of high-definition video and audio.

AppleInsider has reported the existence of prototypes of a redesigned Mac mini featuring HDMI in place of DVI.

This would be very convenient for those wishing to use a Mac mini as a 'media centre' style computer. They could easily add a USB TV tuner such as those made by Elgato; the stumbling block might be Apple's continuing refusal to support Blu-ray Video in favour of downloadable HD content.

HDMI would also be convenient for those wanting to connect a MacBook to a large TV. According to the same AppleInsider article, Apple has already designed a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adaptor but it requires an updated version of Mini DisplayPort that provides audio output.

MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Pro models incorporate Mini DisplayPort interfaces, and AppleTV already features HDMI.

A couple of announcements provide fresh reasons for planning to replace that old Mac you've been hanging on to.

Mozilla has decided that Mac OS X 10.5 will be a minimum requirement for Gecko 1.9.3. Gecko is the HTML engine used in Mozilla software such as Firefox, and version 1.9.3 will be used in a successor to the recently released Firefox 3.6.

Part of the reason for dropping support for Mac OS X 10.4 is that Apple has already stopped delivering security updates for it. The date on which no new security updates will be released for Firefox 3.6 has not yet been determined.

The main difference in the system requirements for Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5 is that the former will run on G3 and slower G4 processors. Older G3 systems such as the 'Lombard' PowerBook G3 are officially limited to Mac OS X 10.3.

Talking of Mac OS X 10.3 brings us to Google's decision to drop support for Safari 2 in YouTube and Google Apps from March. Safari 2 is part of Mac OS X 10.3.

Support for Internet Explorer 6, Firefox 2 and Chrome 3 are also going from Google Apps, so users of old Macs shouldn't feel victimised.

While Safari 2 users will still be able to watch YouTube videos, "some features that we launch in the weeks and months ahead may not be supported", Google officials have warned. The Google Apps situation is more serious, as "key functionality" as well as new features "won't work properly".

You knew the usefulness of that old Mac has been decreasing, and Mozilla and Google have added some nails to the coffin. You may be able install a newer version of Mac OS X to extend its life, but eBay 'buy it now' prices for retail copies of Mac OS X 10.4 are over $100, and that might be better applied to the price of a new - or at least newer - computer.

If you can't afford $1299 for the cheapest MacBook, it's not that hard to find a used one for perhaps half as much.

These announcements shouldn't be a cause for panic - Mozilla's is particularly forward-looking - but they do provide additional justifications for that upgrade you wanted.

Apple has announced a repair extension program for 13in MacBooks sold in 2006 and 2007.

It seems that "a very small percentage" of MacBooks sold between May 2006 and December 2007 (or thereabouts) are suffering from premature drive failure.

Affected models were fitted with 1.83, 2.0 or 2.16GHz processors, and 60, 80, 100, 120 or 160GB hard drives.

The symptom of a failed drive is a flashing question mark at startup.

Failed MacBooks should be taken to an Apple Store (appointment required) or to an authorised service provider. Drives covered by the program will be replaced free of charge.

Apple says it will contact owners that have paid for out of warranty repairs that would qualify under the program, and arrange reimbursement. Affected owners that don't hear from the company should contact Apple technical support.

The program covers affected MacBooks for the longer of three years from the date of purchase or until August 15, 2010 (six months after the announcement of the program). Further extensions will be provided "if needed."

Good on Apple for making it relatively easy for customers to get a replacement for failed drives, but I can't help feeling that this sort of thing should be addressed by a recall, or at least a clear entitlement to the free replacement of parts from 'known faulty' batches.

After all, disk manufacturers are fond of quoting mean time between failure rates that could be measured in decades, and annual failure rates of less than one in 200.

So when problems do occur - as they will from time to time - owners shouldn't be forced to wait for a failure and all the inconvenience that causes.

Even with relatively rigorous backups (and anyone using Time Machine is probably doing better than the majority of people that don't), there's still the possibility of lost data. And an unscheduled repair can cause a serious loss of productivity.

Clarification of the statutory warranty would also be a benefit to owners. Consumer affairs officials - and consumer advocates - seem reasonably happy with the idea that premium products attract a longer statutory warranty, but guidelines about what owners can reasonably demand seem sketchy.

And given the uncertainty, trying to enforce a statutory warranty against a reluctant supplier (the retailer, not the manufacturer or importer) can be a tough job.

The biggest Mac news so far this week is the arrival of Aperture 3, Apple's professional and prosumer photo management and editing application. It's not really my sort of program (iPhoto does the job for me), so I'll just point you to my news story about Aperture 3 over at iTWire.

But a couple of software updates of slightly broader interest arrived alongside Aperture 3.

All users of iLife 09, iWork 09 and Aperture are recommended to install iLife Support 9.0.4 as it improves the overall stability of the Media Browser and iPhoto slideshows. The update also provides compatibility between Aperture 3 and the Media Browser.

Whether you use iPhoto 09 or Aperture 3, Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.0 provides RAW compatibility for the Canon sRAW, mRAW and PowerShot S90; the Leica D-LUX 4; and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, DMC-GH1 and DMC-LX3.

Aperture 3 adopters and their friends will also need Aperture SlideShow Support Update 1.0 to avoid a problem playing back Aperture 3 slideshows on Snow Leopard.

Grab these updates via Software Update or Support Downloads.

Turning away from photography, if you're still using Microsoft Office 2004, be sure to download and install the latest update (Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.5.7 Update) to patch a couple of vulnerabilities that could be used to run malicious code hidden inside documents.

Either run Microsoft Autoupdate or download the updater manually from Microsoft's web site.

Office 2008 isn't affected.