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Apple Offers Mac OS X 10.3.7 Update
An anonymous reader writes "MacNN reports: 'Apple has released Mac OS X 10.3.7 via the Software Update utility. Key enhancements include improved AFP support for saving documents with long file names, improved OpenGL technology and updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers, improved FireWire device compatibility, updated Preview application, and improved compatibility for third party applications. The 10.3.7 update is recommended for all users of Mac OS X 10.3 'Panther.' It also includes all previous standalone security updates.'"
Then they go and for some reason disable that (it was the number 1 most useful 'upgrade' in Panther), to what was there before: you'd see the computer on the network, and you'd have to mount any folder you want to access...it's really annoying. They have that in the Tiger beta...hope they keep it.
Think of everything you like about Linux.
OK, now imagine an OS with all of that plus a good desktop.
It'a as easy as that. When you get it you'll start using it, doing the things you normally do with a computer. It'll be pretty, it'll be nice. Then you'll get one of those 'itches.' Can't I write shell script to do this more efficiently? I wonder what running a Tomcat server is like? I don't want to switch out of Terminal to control iTunes...
It really is the best of both worlds.
I can't speak for everyone else but I can tell you why I resist Macs: it's because of people like you. Frankly, I find your amazement at MacOS and blind belief in Apple frightening.
Choosing not to use a type of computer because you don't like the attitude of some of its users is pretty stupid.
Your misgivings are well-taken. I've been using Macs for seventeen years. I came to them after a career as a programmer on PC's and the HP3000. Just some observations:
--You immediately jettison your obsession with malware/spyware/worms, etc. If you aren't obsessed with them on a PC, you're cruisin' for a bruisin'. And that's worth something right there.
--I don't use AppleWorks unless it's necessary. But there's a myriad of software--free, shareware and commercial--that fits the bill. BBEdit, Nisus Writer, TextEdit--it's MUCH easier to find all kinds of good quality, low-cost software for Macintosh than it is for Windows. There's a much lower ratio of trash-to-treasure on Macintosh because crap just doesn't survive very long. A trip to the Mac OS X side of Versiontracker will bear me out.
--Wireless networking is mature in Mac OS X. Acquisition of networks is easier. Configuration is easier. The antennas built into the machines get better reception than Windows machines do--and that's laptop AND desktop.
--Apple hardware purchases hold their value. This machine is four years old. It can be had for about $800. I'd take one in a minute for running Mac OS X. But a new iBook G4 is $100 more. The used Mac market is crazy because the machines are so useful.
It's not all sunshine and roses by any stretch of the imagination. Panther Release 10.3.6 was a disaster, from what I hear. Busts FireWire. Windows-Mac networking interoperability suffers. There are the shortcomings you mentioned in your own situation. It's a balance. Since you're a knowledgeable user, you can make a more informed decision than most people. Macintosh does have its shortcomings, but everything about it is geared toward one thing: Helping you get your work done.
Good luck. Hope this helps.
But here's the point: it didn't shaft my computer. Everything was working right after the error was corrected, it was like the error never occurred. I have never claimed that the Mac OS is perfect. It has error and the developers screw up from time to time. But when the error has occurred, it is usually very, very easy to fix and widely discussed by Apple fans raving over 30 minutes downtime on their laptop.
For the record, here's what I believe about Apple: they are a corporation. They have shareholders and need to cater to their shareholders like every other share-based company. However, they seem to put more work into their product than similar companies. Their computers look nice. Their computers are sturdy. Their OS is nice to use. They contribute to the Open Source community. And most important; currently they are an underdog that has to fight to convince people about their products. This makes for better products.
I hated Macs in the mid 90ies. I thought that they were buggy, childish and a pain to use. Then Jobs came along and introduced the iMac. I liked the ideas about all-USB and no disk drive, thinking "it's about time". But the OS still sucked. Big time. Then came OS X, especially in its second incarnation. Holy hell. The power of *nix AND a desktop you can look at without thinking "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood is the current #1 hit? And it plays better with Windows computers than they play among themselves?
I was convinced and dropped Linux for Mac. I am now a Mac fan, since I have so many good experiences with the Mac, Mac OS and Apple. They are very professional and that is a big issue with me. I hate having to call Dell three or four times to solve an issue that is clearly under warranty. I hate it when a computer is not ready to be used by me, its owner at any time. I hate downtime and issues. With Apple, I have had excellent customer experience, it is a robust system that has proven a catastrophic failure is easy to recover from. So easy in fact that it required three user actions (Insert disc, press command - C during start up, choose 'Archive and install') to recover and have the user settings intact, the computer settings intact, the registration on bought programs intact, everything as it should be. I did computer support for Windows around 2001, and I felt it was something wrong with the system when the callers had to wipe their harddrives to reinstall from OEM discs. This was not the way a computer should work. With the Mac I feel that it is a tool for me to use, like a hammer. Not a veteran car that needs constant attention and tuning just to fulfill its primary obejctive.
But, above all, I do not believe that Apple is perfect in any way. They ar just currently the best alternative by far.