Well, if they came to my house and chained me up for the day and that somehow saved my life, I'm all for it. Life is more important than freedom, because without life you wouldn't have a self to argue for freedom.
well, this system is kind of like taking a step back toward capitalism right?
communism is no way to run a country, but it has its places. insurance is a form of voluntarily entering a commune, in which you each pay up equally and receive equal benefits in return. why would you enter such a commune? because you are guaranteed security in return for a small fee. instead of betting that you will be healthy and risking being bankrupt if you aren't, you pay a fee for the security of not having to worry about it.
having unhealthy people pay a surcharge is somewhere in-between the voluntary commune of full insurance and the capitalistic idea of paying all health expenses yourself (you get what you pay for).
> Simply put, you have no idea what you are talking about. When someone who works in > television broadcasting is salivating over my lowly iMac due to its video editing > tools, and wishing her company would cough up the money to buy Mac Pros, your > argument is simply not believable.
okay, and then there are people i know in the movie industry who use mainly unix.
> No one I know actually buys a battery for any mobile device - they just buy a > brand-new device anyways. By the time batteries begin to fail, keys are not working, > or the device's technology is obsolete.
the fact that technology becomes obsolete so fast is a very "mac" idea. many other brands of devices are designed to have parts upgraded on and on for at least 2 or 3 generations of the device, making it both cheaper for the consumer and less wasteful as a whole. compactflash mp3 players from 5 years ago can just have a new 16GB card stuck in now and still be a wonderful cutting-edge player for their size. a microSD player from now could probably have a 100GB card stuck in them 6 years from now and also be a wonderful player at that time. the cost of a battery and a memory card replacement is much less than a new player when it just gets released. the average iPod fan, on the other hand, just has to keep buying full new iPods every 2-3 years if they want the latest. same with mac laptops and other mac hardware.
> You still haven't explained why installing iTunes "should" be optional. Is it just > because you say so? Again, if you don't like doing a thing a particular way, you > don't have to do it.
"if you don't like doing a thing a particular way"... this is *exactly* why i say installing iTunes should be optional. if a device only does its generic job (i.e. store data and play music), it *should* do it in the most generic way possible (i.e. read as a standard thumbdrive AND play any mp3 it finds on that thumbdrive). it's not hard to have a device just simply read its directory and play mp3's on it. the fact that the songs must be dragged into iTunes before the device is pointless for those that do not care about using iTunes's library management (which are, of course, the many people who either have other library software, don't like iTunes, or don't like using library software, or use a non-supported OS). all of these people have to download 3rd party hacks to get the iPod to play its mp3's, and this is not only bad support on the part of Apple, but prevents such people from using the device for a good couple of months after it's first released.
if you bought an external hard drive, i'm sure you'd expect to be able to plug it in and use it right away, on any PC -- windows, mac, or linux. most of them work exactly this way. if you had to install software to use it, you'd probably be pretty pissed, especially if you intend to have portability. same with the iPod... i should be able to plug it in on one PC, drag some mp3's onto it (without installing iTunes), unload it onto another PC, drag some from somewhere else, and so on. i mean, most sony and other mp3 players already work this way.
you can also change the file manager and everything on windows.
not that i like windows, i'm personally a linux fan. but i'd take windows any day over mac os.
just try to launch two separate instances of photoshop on a mac, for instance, without copying the executable to waste space. you hit the icon a second time and it just switches to your first instance instead of launching a new instance. just one of many annoyances.
i think you didn't quite see my point. my point is, computers should be designed to get tasks done efficiently rather than focusing on being simple. if that getting things done efficiently involves a slightly steeper learning curve, so be it. people need to deal with that.
also, i believe that computers should be adaptable to the user. windows is reasonably good at this and linux is very good at this. macs, on the other hand, ask the user to adapt to the ways of the OS, something i think is very backward.
> It is important to remember the target markets of Apple: New or fairly > inexperienced computer users, and certain specialist markets (like video > editing).
inexperienced computer users need to learn a little. not much, just a little. using apple computers are like saying inexperienced english speakers should always read at kindergarten-level. rather, they should challenge themselves a little, it will help the population become a little smarter. linux is gaining popularity in asia and africa because it's cheap (i.e. free), and guess what? they'll get smarter. and they'll get their work done faster on their more powerful OS.
"video editing" as a market for apples? geez, come on. you do video editing on a freaking mac ?! i would prefer windows or linux any day [video software availability set aside]. i mean, sheesh, i couldn't think of doing video editing on a system that doesn't have a right mouse button or which has cases that aren't easily expandable to have 5 or 10 DVD drives. (and don't tell me i can put a mouse in that has N>1 buttons on a mac. tell me instead why that isn't the default choice and why i have to always purchase additional stuff to get what i want on macs.) and please tell me why there is an eject button on the keyboard, which is perfectly ambiguous in the case where you have multiple drives to read from. no thanks, i don't think this is my type of video editing system.
> because Steve Jobs honestly believed most users would choose to buy a new iPod model for its new features, etc. before the battery wore out
heh! so he did have a sneaky strategy! usually you'd buy a new battery and snap it in yourself. i said apple had a sneaky tactic to make you buy their battery and tech support. but no, it was even more sneaky! they now want you to buy a whole NEW DEVICE!
if i had designed the iPod shuffle for instance, i'd have it accept a STANDARD microSD card and replaceable li-ion battery, and provide a 2 GB card already installed into the device when retailed. and guess what, in 10 years i could probably use the same thing with a new microSD card that has 200 GB instead of 2 GB and not have to chuck the whole device. do you realize that a crapload of iPhones are going to be in LANDFILLS in probably 5 years from now? that's a real waste!
> Well, the iPod is intended to be used only with iTunes.
"used only with" is a stupid way to design hardware, especially a music player. hardware should be as transparent to the user as possible, i.e. drag files into the thing on any of 3 OSes instead of ever having to install software. the installing of music library management software should be OPTIONAL by default, and otherwise, it should act like a thumbdrive, playing any mp3 or ogg it finds on the device. that's the most transparent way it can be, and it's the way a lot of non-apple music players are.
agreed. i really hate apple. and i'm not saying this without reason. my reasons for hating apple are quite clear:
1. interfaces are oversimplified and prevent real work from being done in many cases pertinent to me.
2. oversimplified interfaces ensure that people never learn about computers, and is analagous to using a calculator in a third grade arithmetic class. the interfaces should rather focus on being well-designed, capable, and efficient with a good balance of learning curve and power, not entirely focus on being "simple". this way, work will get done efficiently, the population will know a little about computers instead of none, and so on.
3. oversimplified and unintuitive hardware. cd-rom drives that don't have an eject button at the OBVIOUS location, where you put the freaking cd in. cases without power buttons.
4. badly-designed hardware. slot-loading cd drives that scratch disks, don't eject disks, and have no easy way to manually take them out in emergency. batteries that cannot be replaced by the user, on iphone and many ipods.
5. badly-designed hardware as a marketing tactic to get people to spend more on tech support (batteries, being the biggest culprit).
6. proprietary hardware. the "apple display connector". non-standard usb cables on some keyboards. non-standard earphone jacks on the iPod instead of simply having standard mini USB connector and standard 1/8" jack connector separately so any cable from your closet can be used to transfer data.
7. bad looks. i hate white hardware. okay, this is just my opinion, though.
8. non-intuitive software. for one, the easiest way one can think of using an mp3 player on windows is to shove it into a USB drive, have the drive pop open as any thumb drive would, drag mp3's into it, and eject it. but nooooooo you have to either install iTunes or get some hack that updates the iPod DB. sheesh. i can think of countless other examples in the apple world.
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Well, if they came to my house and chained me up for the day and that somehow saved my life, I'm all for it. Life is more important than freedom, because without life you wouldn't have a self to argue for freedom.
well, this system is kind of like taking a step back toward capitalism right?
communism is no way to run a country, but it has its places. insurance is a form of voluntarily entering a commune, in which you each pay up equally and receive equal benefits in return. why would you enter such a commune? because you are guaranteed security in return for a small fee. instead of betting that you will be healthy and risking being bankrupt if you aren't, you pay a fee for the security of not having to worry about it.
having unhealthy people pay a surcharge is somewhere in-between the voluntary commune of full insurance and the capitalistic idea of paying all health expenses yourself (you get what you pay for).
> Simply put, you have no idea what you are talking about. When someone who works in
... this is *exactly* why i say installing iTunes should be optional. if a device only does its generic job (i.e. store data and play music), it *should* do it in the most generic way possible (i.e. read as a standard thumbdrive AND play any mp3 it finds on that thumbdrive). it's not hard to have a device just simply read its directory and play mp3's on it. the fact that the songs must be dragged into iTunes before the device is pointless for those that do not care about using iTunes's library management (which are, of course, the many people who either have other library software, don't like iTunes, or don't like using library software, or use a non-supported OS). all of these people have to download 3rd party hacks to get the iPod to play its mp3's, and this is not only bad support on the part of Apple, but prevents such people from using the device for a good couple of months after it's first released.
> television broadcasting is salivating over my lowly iMac due to its video editing
> tools, and wishing her company would cough up the money to buy Mac Pros, your
> argument is simply not believable.
okay, and then there are people i know in the movie industry who use mainly unix.
> No one I know actually buys a battery for any mobile device - they just buy a
> brand-new device anyways. By the time batteries begin to fail, keys are not working,
> or the device's technology is obsolete.
the fact that technology becomes obsolete so fast is a very "mac" idea. many other brands of devices are designed to have parts upgraded on and on for at least 2 or 3 generations of the device, making it both cheaper for the consumer and less wasteful as a whole. compactflash mp3 players from 5 years ago can just have a new 16GB card stuck in now and still be a wonderful cutting-edge player for their size. a microSD player from now could probably have a 100GB card stuck in them 6 years from now and also be a wonderful player at that time. the cost of a battery and a memory card replacement is much less than a new player when it just gets released. the average iPod fan, on the other hand, just has to keep buying full new iPods every 2-3 years if they want the latest. same with mac laptops and other mac hardware.
> You still haven't explained why installing iTunes "should" be optional. Is it just
> because you say so? Again, if you don't like doing a thing a particular way, you
> don't have to do it.
"if you don't like doing a thing a particular way"
if you bought an external hard drive, i'm sure you'd expect to be able to plug it in and use it right away, on any PC -- windows, mac, or linux. most of them work exactly this way. if you had to install software to use it, you'd probably be pretty pissed, especially if you intend to have portability. same with the iPod... i should be able to plug it in on one PC, drag some mp3's onto it (without installing iTunes), unload it onto another PC, drag some from somewhere else, and so on. i mean, most sony and other mp3 players already work this way.
you can also change the file manager and everything on windows.
not that i like windows, i'm personally a linux fan. but i'd take windows any day over mac os.
just try to launch two separate instances of photoshop on a mac, for instance, without copying the executable to waste space. you hit the icon a second time and it just switches to your first instance instead of launching a new instance. just one of many annoyances.
i think you didn't quite see my point. my point is, computers should be designed to get tasks done efficiently rather than focusing on being simple. if that getting things done efficiently involves a slightly steeper learning curve, so be it. people need to deal with that.
also, i believe that computers should be adaptable to the user. windows is reasonably good at this and linux is very good at this. macs, on the other hand, ask the user to adapt to the ways of the OS, something i think is very backward.
> It is important to remember the target markets of Apple: New or fairly
> inexperienced computer users, and certain specialist markets (like video
> editing).
inexperienced computer users need to learn a little. not much, just a little. using apple computers are like saying inexperienced english speakers should always read at kindergarten-level. rather, they should challenge themselves a little, it will help the population become a little smarter. linux is gaining popularity in asia and africa because it's cheap (i.e. free), and guess what? they'll get smarter. and they'll get their work done faster on their more powerful OS.
"video editing" as a market for apples? geez, come on. you do video editing on a freaking mac ?! i would prefer windows or linux any day [video software availability set aside]. i mean, sheesh, i couldn't think of doing video editing on a system that doesn't have a right mouse button or which has cases that aren't easily expandable to have 5 or 10 DVD drives. (and don't tell me i can put a mouse in that has N>1 buttons on a mac. tell me instead why that isn't the default choice and why i have to always purchase additional stuff to get what i want on macs.) and please tell me why there is an eject button on the keyboard, which is perfectly ambiguous in the case where you have multiple drives to read from. no thanks, i don't think this is my type of video editing system.
> because Steve Jobs honestly believed most users would choose to buy a new iPod model for its new features, etc. before the battery wore out
heh! so he did have a sneaky strategy! usually you'd buy a new battery and snap it in yourself. i said apple had a sneaky tactic to make you buy their battery and tech support. but no, it was even more sneaky! they now want you to buy a whole NEW DEVICE!
if i had designed the iPod shuffle for instance, i'd have it accept a STANDARD microSD card and replaceable li-ion battery, and provide a 2 GB card already installed into the device when retailed. and guess what, in 10 years i could probably use the same thing with a new microSD card that has 200 GB instead of 2 GB and not have to chuck the whole device. do you realize that a crapload of iPhones are going to be in LANDFILLS in probably 5 years from now? that's a real waste!
> Well, the iPod is intended to be used only with iTunes.
"used only with" is a stupid way to design hardware, especially a music player. hardware should be as transparent to the user as possible, i.e. drag files into the thing on any of 3 OSes instead of ever having to install software. the installing of music library management software should be OPTIONAL by default, and otherwise, it should act like a thumbdrive, playing any mp3 or ogg it finds on the device. that's the most transparent way it can be, and it's the way a lot of non-apple music players are.
agreed. i really hate apple. and i'm not saying this without reason. my reasons for hating apple are quite clear:
1. interfaces are oversimplified and prevent real work from being done in many cases pertinent to me.
2. oversimplified interfaces ensure that people never learn about computers, and is analagous to using a calculator in a third grade arithmetic class. the interfaces should rather focus on being well-designed, capable, and efficient with a good balance of learning curve and power, not entirely focus on being "simple". this way, work will get done efficiently, the population will know a little about computers instead of none, and so on.
3. oversimplified and unintuitive hardware. cd-rom drives that don't have an eject button at the OBVIOUS location, where you put the freaking cd in. cases without power buttons.
4. badly-designed hardware. slot-loading cd drives that scratch disks, don't eject disks, and have no easy way to manually take them out in emergency. batteries that cannot be replaced by the user, on iphone and many ipods.
5. badly-designed hardware as a marketing tactic to get people to spend more on tech support (batteries, being the biggest culprit).
6. proprietary hardware. the "apple display connector". non-standard usb cables on some keyboards. non-standard earphone jacks on the iPod instead of simply having standard mini USB connector and standard 1/8" jack connector separately so any cable from your closet can be used to transfer data.
7. bad looks. i hate white hardware. okay, this is just my opinion, though.
8. non-intuitive software. for one, the easiest way one can think of using an mp3 player on windows is to shove it into a USB drive, have the drive pop open as any thumb drive would, drag mp3's into it, and eject it. but nooooooo you have to either install iTunes or get some hack that updates the iPod DB. sheesh. i can think of countless other examples in the apple world.
It is animated and scrolls text or any 6x6 animation; see the video on the link.