"If people are too lazy to read, let them just drive their 2mpg SUVs and eat supersized fastfood where even the paperbag is deepfried, but don't let the rest of us suffer from their ignorance."
Whoa whoa whoa! Easy there, Turbo! Let's leave aside for a moment that, with Hitchhikers', there is NOT a canonical original reference. (The radio play is different from the books is different from the TV show) Nobody's making YOU go see the movies. I happened to think that Lord of the Rings did a fine job of encapsulating the feel and scope of the books. The books were, also, completely undiminished by the movies. (Never mind that lots of people who otherwise would have never slogged through them did so after seeing the movie(s))
Please explain to me how the existence of another interpretation of a given story diminishes the story.
Nothing is worth the hype, ever. That's why they call it "hype" and not "value".
I use the Apple in-ear headphones, because they're the only ones I found that fit comfortably. (I'm a big dude, but apparently I have freakymutant small ears. Earbuds don't fit me, and I had to look hard for a set of canal phones that I could wear comfortably without springing for custom molds) I've got a 4g, which probably has a better amp, but my gf's mini sounds fine to me. Of course, head-shaking bass is not what I'm looking for.
So, if I have to go spend lots of money on headphones to make my iPod sound bad, I guess I'll go ahead and not do that. I am so glad I'm not an audiophile.
Problem 1: Unplug your headphones. Music pauses. I'm really surprised that this scenario happens to you often enough to be an issue.
Problem 2: It sounds fine to me. It doesn't sound fine to you. Fair enough.
What do either of these issues have to do with popularity? If you got suckered by the hype into buying a product that doesn't wirk for you, that's your fault. My iPod is the best option for me, and I don't really care if anybody else agrees or not.
I'll remember that when I play my pink noise and square-wave tracks on my iPod.
Seriously, that's interesting from a scientific point of view, but I'm still very, very glad I don't have golden ears. I've got a 4G iPod, and the Apple in-ear headphones (because they're the most comfortable fit I could find), and everything sounds great to me. Sure, if I get a poorly-digitized MP3, it sounds assy, but everything else is plenty OK.
If I want music to sound better than that, I'll go to a show or perform it myself.
So, by REFUSING to do what the "in crowd" does, you remain their slave.
Use what works for you. If that's a 256 mb flash player with an interface that doesn't matter, more power to you. That wouldn't work for me, and the popularity of my choice is totally irrelevant to its efficacy.
If you've got a Mac, why are you buying a this lame Sony player?
Oh wait, were you talking about Linux? Ah. Right. *snicker* Yeah, I'd certainly expect Sony to be the first company to make a Linux application with a good user interface. You betcha. Keep holding your breath.
An audiophile will be too busy twitching because the circuitry inside the MP3 player isn't made from hand rolled silver anointed with the sweat of Honduran virgins. Then they'll be gnawing on the arms of their chair because the interconnects aren't made from gold ingots mined from the deepest darkest mines of Central Kenya by underage workers (because they're small, and they can get to the best gold!)
"I hear that whenever you play songs, it plays track 1, then 2, then 3, then 14 when it probably is supposed to play 1, 2, 3, 4. (I'm really stretching on this one)"
Huh?
If your track numbers are correct in the ID3 tag, the iPod will play them in order. If they're not, it's pretty easy to fix them.
And if Joel says it, it must be so! He's got a web site, after all!
I bought an iPod because it has the best user interface in the business. I don't care if it's hip and/or trendy. I've never been hip or trendy in my life, I'm hardly going to start now.
If you don't want to upgrade, don't upgrade. I don't recall Steve going to IT departments with a Louisville Slugger whackin' kneecaps of people who don't upgrade.
This is such a non-issue. My IT rollout schedule is not dictated by vendors, ever.
Fair enough. That's not the way I work, so I can't speak to your experience. If that's a deal-killer for you, it's a deal-killer.
However, I've found that third-party software on Macintoshes is pretty darn good. Even freeware utilities seem to be programmed by people who actually care about how well their software works. I guess I'm just pointing out that your experience with Windows utilities may not be analogous.
No, I'm under the impression that Apple does what Apple does, and they've probably got a reason for doing what they do.
You might think there are better alternatives, but it's not your decision, is it?
I don't happen to think one way or the other about their decision. There are pros and cons to both sides, and I can appreciate that. I don't recall endorsing their decision: I simply restated it, and hypothesized about their motivation.
But, hey, if anybody who disagrees with you is a fanboy, I guess I'm a fanboy. I've got a thought that might just rock YOUR world: People can disagree with you for perfectly rational reasons, and that doesn't make them stupid.
Obviously, Apple doesn't agree with you that the extra length would be short. I'm pretty sure they've a) thought about this, and b) run a cost-benefit analysis. This is the way they've chosen to go.
Pressed media is not expensive. Designing attractive packaging and including it in each box, and quadrupling defective media fulfillment problems, are not zero-cost.
It's a cost benefit decision. Apparently, Apple decided that the large majority of upgraders have a DVD drive in their computers. For the people that do not, they have another option. You might wish that it were different, and I certainly understand why it might be inconvenient. It's also inconvenient that I don't have a pony. I wish I had a pony.
Or you could get a Firewire external drive enclosure. Cost you $50.
But target disk mode is great too.
I dunno..."Extreme geekery" would be soldering your own data cable that plugs the DVD drive into, I dunno, the S-VHS port, and using video capture and a custom video driver to get the data on to your computer.
Target disk mode is pushing a button at boot time. Not very "Extreme".
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"I thought this was taboo"
What made you think that?
"If people are too lazy to read, let them just drive their 2mpg SUVs and eat supersized fastfood where even the paperbag is deepfried, but don't let the rest of us suffer from their ignorance."
Whoa whoa whoa! Easy there, Turbo! Let's leave aside for a moment that, with Hitchhikers', there is NOT a canonical original reference. (The radio play is different from the books is different from the TV show) Nobody's making YOU go see the movies. I happened to think that Lord of the Rings did a fine job of encapsulating the feel and scope of the books. The books were, also, completely undiminished by the movies. (Never mind that lots of people who otherwise would have never slogged through them did so after seeing the movie(s))
Please explain to me how the existence of another interpretation of a given story diminishes the story.
Nothing is worth the hype, ever. That's why they call it "hype" and not "value".
I use the Apple in-ear headphones, because they're the only ones I found that fit comfortably. (I'm a big dude, but apparently I have freakymutant small ears. Earbuds don't fit me, and I had to look hard for a set of canal phones that I could wear comfortably without springing for custom molds) I've got a 4g, which probably has a better amp, but my gf's mini sounds fine to me. Of course, head-shaking bass is not what I'm looking for.
So, if I have to go spend lots of money on headphones to make my iPod sound bad, I guess I'll go ahead and not do that. I am so glad I'm not an audiophile.
Problem 1: Unplug your headphones. Music pauses. I'm really surprised that this scenario happens to you often enough to be an issue.
Problem 2: It sounds fine to me. It doesn't sound fine to you. Fair enough.
What do either of these issues have to do with popularity? If you got suckered by the hype into buying a product that doesn't wirk for you, that's your fault. My iPod is the best option for me, and I don't really care if anybody else agrees or not.
I'll remember that when I play my pink noise and square-wave tracks on my iPod.
Seriously, that's interesting from a scientific point of view, but I'm still very, very glad I don't have golden ears. I've got a 4G iPod, and the Apple in-ear headphones (because they're the most comfortable fit I could find), and everything sounds great to me. Sure, if I get a poorly-digitized MP3, it sounds assy, but everything else is plenty OK.
If I want music to sound better than that, I'll go to a show or perform it myself.
So, by REFUSING to do what the "in crowd" does, you remain their slave.
Use what works for you. If that's a 256 mb flash player with an interface that doesn't matter, more power to you. That wouldn't work for me, and the popularity of my choice is totally irrelevant to its efficacy.
Popularity and quality are orthogonal.
Wow. I heard rumors that people still listen to U2...
: )
I keed, I keed!
If you've got a Mac, why are you buying a this lame Sony player?
Oh wait, were you talking about Linux? Ah. Right. *snicker* Yeah, I'd certainly expect Sony to be the first company to make a Linux application with a good user interface. You betcha. Keep holding your breath.
An audiophile will be too busy twitching because the circuitry inside the MP3 player isn't made from hand rolled silver anointed with the sweat of Honduran virgins. Then they'll be gnawing on the arms of their chair because the interconnects aren't made from gold ingots mined from the deepest darkest mines of Central Kenya by underage workers (because they're small, and they can get to the best gold!)
I am so, so glad I'm not an audiophile.
"I hear that whenever you play songs, it plays track 1, then 2, then 3, then 14 when it probably is supposed to play 1, 2, 3, 4. (I'm really stretching on this one)"
Huh?
If your track numbers are correct in the ID3 tag, the iPod will play them in order. If they're not, it's pretty easy to fix them.
In other words, I think you're on the crack.
And if Joel says it, it must be so! He's got a web site, after all!
I bought an iPod because it has the best user interface in the business. I don't care if it's hip and/or trendy. I've never been hip or trendy in my life, I'm hardly going to start now.
More functions!=more usability.
If you don't want to upgrade, don't upgrade. I don't recall Steve going to IT departments with a Louisville Slugger whackin' kneecaps of people who don't upgrade.
This is such a non-issue. My IT rollout schedule is not dictated by vendors, ever.
Jokes are funny, see? That's the difference between the post I replied to, and a joke.
That moist "thwap" sound was the joke hitting you in the forehead. Good job, sparky.
I'm a DEVELOPER! I don't have time to READ your stupid DOCUMENTATION! If the computer can't read my mind, it's STUPID and BROKEN.
Where's my Xanax?
Fair enough. That's not the way I work, so I can't speak to your experience. If that's a deal-killer for you, it's a deal-killer.
However, I've found that third-party software on Macintoshes is pretty darn good. Even freeware utilities seem to be programmed by people who actually care about how well their software works. I guess I'm just pointing out that your experience with Windows utilities may not be analogous.
Good luck.
No, I'm under the impression that Apple does what Apple does, and they've probably got a reason for doing what they do.
You might think there are better alternatives, but it's not your decision, is it?
I don't happen to think one way or the other about their decision. There are pros and cons to both sides, and I can appreciate that. I don't recall endorsing their decision: I simply restated it, and hypothesized about their motivation.
But, hey, if anybody who disagrees with you is a fanboy, I guess I'm a fanboy. I've got a thought that might just rock YOUR world: People can disagree with you for perfectly rational reasons, and that doesn't make them stupid.
Obviously, Apple doesn't agree with you that the extra length would be short. I'm pretty sure they've a) thought about this, and b) run a cost-benefit analysis. This is the way they've chosen to go.
Why do we care again?
Pressed media is not expensive. Designing attractive packaging and including it in each box, and quadrupling defective media fulfillment problems, are not zero-cost.
It's a cost benefit decision. Apparently, Apple decided that the large majority of upgraders have a DVD drive in their computers. For the people that do not, they have another option. You might wish that it were different, and I certainly understand why it might be inconvenient. It's also inconvenient that I don't have a pony. I wish I had a pony.
One DVD and (say) four CDs. Yeah, that won't increase their production and support costs any.
Or you could get a Firewire external drive enclosure. Cost you $50.
But target disk mode is great too.
I dunno..."Extreme geekery" would be soldering your own data cable that plugs the DVD drive into, I dunno, the S-VHS port, and using video capture and a custom video driver to get the data on to your computer.
Target disk mode is pushing a button at boot time. Not very "Extreme".
Hmm...I wonder if there's more data on the DVD than on the CD? I wonder if they'd have to package a bunch o' CDs in that box?
Yay DVD distribution. I'm sick of switching CDs.
Have you used Expose? I find it much better than virtual desktops (which I think are available in any number of third-party utilities).
Yeah, because Apple should pay your VAT, right?
You mean like plugging a DVD-ROM into your Mac? Yeah, that takes extreme geekery. Or an external drive enclosure and a USB cable.