True. There is a bit of a lag time, however. For example, the current price of a top end, fully loaded G5 would buy me (a mac user) an extremely nice Alienware box to run linux (or XP 64) on. With a far superior video card not even *offered* by Apple. Ok, so it isn't a G5. It's dual AMD64, which is so much faster, it's almost scary.
Apple is really dissapointing me lately. Between their terrible support and the nearly obsolete video cards (128MB of video RAM? What kind of $3k "graphics" machine is this?), they have not given me a lot of hope that my next machine will be a mac.
Apple is known for this, so it wouldn't surprise me too much. They have some clever people working for them. Much like the old MS trick of crap-storming boards with OS2 complaints and whatnot. Sneaky corporate stuff.
We'll just have to wait and see. Right now, I'm more likely to buy a BOXX machine or an Alienware machine for my next graphics workstation than an Apple. We'll see what Apple does in the beginning of next year. -WS
That's almost exactly what I do, too. My comments here are kinda flip, but in real life they are quite descriptive
I'll write this example in perl, just for fun.
# This sub will check the user input for some value # I need and do something with it sub Check_Input(
foreach ( @_ ){
#take argument that was passed and compare it to something else
} }
etc.
I find that if I describe each step, then update the comments once I have gotten it to work that I am able to easily maintain code I wrote years ago.
I also use two comment styles. I use// (or #// in perl) for "temp" or debug comments, and/* (or #/* in perl) for real comments. If I want to figure out what I was debugging, I just hop to the correct comment style.
Actually, it wouldn't matter. This was just a garbage press release.
"Hey, look! We can *still* do what we did before to simulate the "computer codes" we use to simulate the nuclear testing we can't do"
So, this is a re-test of a POC of a nuclear weapons testing system. It's hardly science, and it is definately not news, since this existed what, 3 years ago?
Yeah, ARM is cool. No issues there. I use an Intel XScale chipset every day (pocketpc), and I have programmed for StrongARM in the past.
However... this is not a drop in replacement for a home computer. Not even close. You have to compile things for it, since it is not compatible with x86 stuff. Try telling your kids "No, you can't play Jumpstart 1st Grade because I wanted to save $15 a month on power costs".
If ARM/MIPS/etc actually gets enough of a marketshare that I can run the apps my kids use, then sure.
Otherwise, that is the *worst* family computer idea I have ever seen. Heck, even Mac is better than that. I might as well use an Alpha for my kids. At least then they could learn DCL:)
Well, how about just use a laptop? Both the powerbooks and the thinkpad are virtually silent. The slight noise is usually lost in the HVAC noise of most workplaces. They also use quite a bit less power, and make using a UPS almost (almost) redundant. I end up using my UPS to power my network stack and flatscreen rather than my machine.
Of course, you do sacrifice upgradeability for the most part. Does that even really matter these days?
Cool! And it could come default with a C-64 emulator:)
In fact... they could pull a BioWare type thing and purchase Commodore, then release W-64 under the Commodore name, for old school cred.
Actually, I don't know why I bother. I use Solaris at work (KDE desktop... JDS is just too... sometehing), and OSX at home, so I forget what windows even looks like anymore.
Well... I both agree and disagree with you. Tiger has some neat features. I love dashboard (and I use it hourly). Smartfolders made a huge difference for me. However, it does feel sorta beta in a lot of ways. There is a kind of incompetence in the Mail app that just annoys the hell out of me. The smart folders, for example. I have 10 smart folders running, all of which work except for 1. That 1 is empty, unless: a) I have just launched mail or b) I click "edit smart folder" then press ok. Crazy.
I haven't encountered the error you are referring to, but I have noticed that if you have iTunes sharing on (in my case my wife streams to her 12" from my desktop), you better not put the machine to sleep. At best it will shut down only to immedietly spin up. Most of the time it simply crashes and hangs.
As to spotlight speed (from the grandparent post); I use it religiously on a 15" powerbook 1ghz with no noticeable speed issues. It isn't incredibly snappy, but it is reasonable. Well, compared to "search" on XP, on my other laptop that is. Perhaps we have different critera.
I really think releasing Tiger so early was a bad move on Apple's part. I don't hate it, but I haven't really liked OSX since 10.2. The newer versions seem to have lost the consistent, polished look and feel (thanks to itunes?). They seem to be rushing stuff into production WAAAAAY too fast, and most importantly; they are not providing the level of stability the user expects.
Fortunately, I can contrast my macs to my daily forced use of Solaris and XP. OSX still rules the roost IMO, which is a pretty sad statement.
So? My IBM T42 on the Centrino gets about 1.5-3 with no wireless and no sound. What are we doing differently that I can deep cycle my battery in 3 hours while yours keeps chugging?
I'm not being a troll... I'm honestly curious. I turned the settings all to "optimum battery life" (with the slow processor, dim screen, etc).
If I watch a DVD, I only get 2 hours. I couldn't even see the closing credits of some movies. Wireless drops the system to about 1.5 hours, max.
The iPod debate is like the Palm vs. Sharp vs. Everyone Else debate.
Basically, an iPod is a simple music player that sounds REALLY good, is pretty, and has an easy to use interface.
Nobody else does.
Me? I use a Pocket PC. It works for me, and it is the only one that supports what I do. My wife loves the iPod even after playing with several other brands. The others were just too much or too little for her.
Besides, market++ is precisely how the world works. Otherwise, the whole internet thing would still be ARPA, WAIS, Gopher, and BBS stuff.
IIRC: you should not set the default root shell to anything but sh. I seem to recall this having something to do with crash recovery, but I couldn't lay my hands on the note fast enough to be worth while.
Of course, if you mean a user's shell? Heck, use whatever you want. I use bash for all of mine, and I installed Solaris 10 SPARC directly from the CDs. Bash was included by default.
Actually, it is far more fun to spray a cat's feet with non-stick "buttery" spray, and send the cat off across the linoleum floor... Especially if there is a dog nearby:)
I think you are right about the cost. It probably would be prohibitive. Regarding network access, though, I think more people would have used it were it available. I certainly logged my hours on CompuServe and local BBSes in the 80's. Perhaps including an adapter in a higher-end Mac (or as a "vapor option") would have spurred development.
Re: EEEPROMs vs EEPROMS: I can never keep the number of 'E's straight; my double-e parents are so disappointed:)
Anyhow. My point is still that no matter how good a design (and it was good... I have one), there is always the opportunity to re-visit, re-engineer, and improve. Especially given the advantage of 20 years of advances. You respond as if I said "teh mac was suxx0r. they shoulda used a mini-itx" or something stupid like that. I just posted my personal opinions on the areas I think that 20 years of science could improve on. It's not like the mac is some holy icon or something. Half of the design was pulled right from Jobs' ass. The guy has taste, I'll give him that. Heck, the NeXT is still on my list of the coolest computers ever.
"Sometimes I wonder what the MacOS would have looked like if those engineers would have known where it was going to go in the future, and knew all the modern techniques of programming?"
Using that as a starting point, I now understand all the current concepts of performance tuning, kernel architecture, etc. I also have a "crystal ball" to know what the world will do in 20 years.
1) I would know that people wanted to write code for the apple, and that adoption would require supporting them. Also, I would already know how to create and optimze the system, and I would know which apps were "revolutionary" and which would simply be ignored. Hindsight is nice:)
2) I suspect that considering the tiny size of files, and given sufficient optimization, you could store a "spotlight directory" on EEEPROM. Actually, that would be pretty frikin cool... After all, how many files are we talking here? Maybe 200? I could store some simple meta-data (for the basic 4 or 5 file types) in a little tiny piece of memory. As for disk labels? Heck, I lived that. I remember being all jazzed when I got dual floppies so that I didn't have to switch Ultima disks out.
3) So, operating under the guidelines, I would know not only what a kernel is, but how critical it is. I think the cost of an extra few hundred kilobytes of RAM might be a bit much, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't try;)
As for TCP/IP:
"Alternatively you could ask, how would we design the Mac today if we limited ourselves to hardware available in 1984?"
Therefore, since it was physically possible to use ethernet (as 3Com released the etherlink a couple years before) and Apple is widely known for attempting to be as bleeding edge as possible (bluetooth everything, gigabit, the Lisa, etc), I can easily put in support for the stuff I mentioned.
Now, to be fair, I think that the Apple Engineers did one hell of a job. However, if we took the current team there now, threw in a few of the old guys from the 80's, and tried again? I bet we could totally improve on the original.
Well, here's what I would do, though I will expand your scope a bit.
First, hardware: 1) Memory access hatch (like the battery one it had) and the ability to upgrade memory... 2) Non-proprietary battery. Have you ever tried getting a replacement one? It's not easy. Wouldn't a 9 volt or something have sufficed? 3) Attach the mouse to the keyboard. 4) Sell a "ROM upgrade" service... Allow older machines to become "newer" machines for a reasonable fee.
Second, software: 1) FREE dev kits. Those Apple kits were really expensive if I recall correctly. 2) I think the filesystem (if designed by me, now) would probably be optimized for tools like spotlight. 3) The kernel would likely be an exo-kernel. 4) I would support TCP-IP
Those are the first ones that pop to mind. I might try doing some stuff with it as a hobby. Perhaps using an emulator or something.
I have just finished reading the full text of the findings from the SCOTUS pdf, and the main difference between Sony and Grokster et al is that Sony showed the primary use of the machine was "time-shifting" (recording at one time and watching at another). Time shifting was determined to be a non-infringing use. The secondary reason seems to be that grokster had "Secondary liability", I think it is called, where they directly profit from the infriging uses.
Of course, grokster hung themselves by providing tech support for viewing movies illegally, and by creating marketing materials and tuning parameters that were specifically targeted at copyright violations. They also took action to *prevent* the rightful owners from helping to enforce copyright. They blocked the IPs etc. of the MPAA and RIAA when they offered to "help".
Basically, the Supreme Court seems to be saying "if you flaunt the illegal use, don't count on the loophole".
Just my interpretation of one enormous set of docs.
I think Bugatti would differ with that "unequaled" bit, but I totally agree with you.
A Mac is a Mac the same way a Ferrari is a Ferrari. It doesn't have to be the fastest, the coolest, or the most expensive. It's the reputation combined with the overall experience that make it cool.
Heck, you can put a porsche engine in a bug, but that won't get chicks the way a Ferrari does.:) It's like I told my oldest kid: girls aren't really into expensive cars, they are into guys who can afford expensive cars, and therefore can afford the lifestyle the girl aspires to.
Mac users (stereotypically, at least) want the Mac "Package"... the perception is of a whole computer that works just the way a certain artsy-elitist set of people want it to. It doesn't have to be true, it just has to be a perception. Linux has the same perception, but Linux is for "elitist-nerdy-schmucks" (to quote Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie). Windows of course, is for everyone else. It's like buying a Saturn or a beige Toyota Camry or whatever. Mac users are partially the ones who want the VW New Beetle or the BMW Mini Cooper. It's a way to be different, while still getting something halfway decent.
Of course, those who truly want to be different run a custom, handmade OS and drive a large hotdog, but that's beside the point;)
Sounds nice. As I mentioned to the other person who responded, it all depends on your experiences with laundromats. Mine have always been extremely unpleasant. I'm glad yours are not so bad:)
I guess that does help. I have only had experince with laundromats that were ugly, uncomfortable, and unpleasant. Perhaps the one you used would change my assesment:)
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True. There is a bit of a lag time, however. For example, the current price of a top end, fully loaded G5 would buy me (a mac user) an extremely nice Alienware box to run linux (or XP 64) on. With a far superior video card not even *offered* by Apple. Ok, so it isn't a G5. It's dual AMD64, which is so much faster, it's almost scary.
Apple is really dissapointing me lately. Between their terrible support and the nearly obsolete video cards (128MB of video RAM? What kind of $3k "graphics" machine is this?), they have not given me a lot of hope that my next machine will be a mac.
-WS
Apple is known for this, so it wouldn't surprise me too much. They have some clever people working for them. Much like the old MS trick of crap-storming boards with OS2 complaints and whatnot. Sneaky corporate stuff.
We'll just have to wait and see. Right now, I'm more likely to buy a BOXX machine or an Alienware machine for my next graphics workstation than an Apple. We'll see what Apple does in the beginning of next year.
-WS
That's almost exactly what I do, too. My comments here are kinda flip, but in real life they are quite descriptive
// (or #// in perl) for "temp" or debug comments, and /* (or #/* in perl) for real comments. If I want to figure out what I was debugging, I just hop to the correct comment style.
I'll write this example in perl, just for fun.
# This sub will check the user input for some value
# I need and do something with it
sub Check_Input(
foreach ( @_ ){
#take argument that was passed and compare it to something else
}
}
etc.
I find that if I describe each step, then update the comments once I have gotten it to work that I am able to easily maintain code I wrote years ago.
I also use two comment styles. I use
-WS
Actually, it wouldn't matter. This was just a garbage press release.
"Hey, look! We can *still* do what we did before to simulate the "computer codes" we use to simulate the nuclear testing we can't do"
So, this is a re-test of a POC of a nuclear weapons testing system. It's hardly science, and it is definately not news, since this existed what, 3 years ago?
Sheesh.
-WS
But only from the US edition, I think I have about 3 different cuts of that movie, and I'm pretty sure that it is only in one of them.
Boy, I should reclaim those braincells.
-WS
Yeah, ARM is cool. No issues there. I use an Intel XScale chipset every day (pocketpc), and I have programmed for StrongARM in the past.
:)
However... this is not a drop in replacement for a home computer. Not even close. You have to compile things for it, since it is not compatible with x86 stuff. Try telling your kids "No, you can't play Jumpstart 1st Grade because I wanted to save $15 a month on power costs".
If ARM/MIPS/etc actually gets enough of a marketshare that I can run the apps my kids use, then sure.
Otherwise, that is the *worst* family computer idea I have ever seen. Heck, even Mac is better than that. I might as well use an Alpha for my kids. At least then they could learn DCL
-WS
Well, how about just use a laptop? Both the powerbooks and the thinkpad are virtually silent. The slight noise is usually lost in the HVAC noise of most workplaces. They also use quite a bit less power, and make using a UPS almost (almost) redundant. I end up using my UPS to power my network stack and flatscreen rather than my machine.
Of course, you do sacrifice upgradeability for the most part. Does that even really matter these days?
-WS
Cool! And it could come default with a C-64 emulator :)
In fact... they could pull a BioWare type thing and purchase Commodore, then release W-64 under the Commodore name, for old school cred.
Actually, I don't know why I bother. I use Solaris at work (KDE desktop... JDS is just too... sometehing), and OSX at home, so I forget what windows even looks like anymore.
-WS
Well... I both agree and disagree with you. Tiger has some neat features. I love dashboard (and I use it hourly). Smartfolders made a huge difference for me. However, it does feel sorta beta in a lot of ways. There is a kind of incompetence in the Mail app that just annoys the hell out of me. The smart folders, for example. I have 10 smart folders running, all of which work except for 1.
That 1 is empty, unless:
a) I have just launched mail or
b) I click "edit smart folder" then press ok.
Crazy.
I haven't encountered the error you are referring to, but I have noticed that if you have iTunes sharing on (in my case my wife streams to her 12" from my desktop), you better not put the machine to sleep. At best it will shut down only to immedietly spin up. Most of the time it simply crashes and hangs.
As to spotlight speed (from the grandparent post); I use it religiously on a 15" powerbook 1ghz with no noticeable speed issues. It isn't incredibly snappy, but it is reasonable. Well, compared to "search" on XP, on my other laptop that is. Perhaps we have different critera.
I really think releasing Tiger so early was a bad move on Apple's part. I don't hate it, but I haven't really liked OSX since 10.2. The newer versions seem to have lost the consistent, polished look and feel (thanks to itunes?). They seem to be rushing stuff into production WAAAAAY too fast, and most importantly; they are not providing the level of stability the user expects.
Fortunately, I can contrast my macs to my daily forced use of Solaris and XP. OSX still rules the roost IMO, which is a pretty sad statement.
-WS
So? My IBM T42 on the Centrino gets about 1.5-3 with no wireless and no sound. What are we doing differently that I can deep cycle my battery in 3 hours while yours keeps chugging?
I'm not being a troll... I'm honestly curious. I turned the settings all to "optimum battery life" (with the slow processor, dim screen, etc).
If I watch a DVD, I only get 2 hours. I couldn't even see the closing credits of some movies. Wireless drops the system to about 1.5 hours, max.
-WS
The iPod debate is like the Palm vs. Sharp vs. Everyone Else debate.
Basically, an iPod is a simple music player that sounds REALLY good, is pretty, and has an easy to use interface.
Nobody else does.
Me? I use a Pocket PC. It works for me, and it is the only one that supports what I do. My wife loves the iPod even after playing with several other brands. The others were just too much or too little for her.
Besides, market++ is precisely how the world works. Otherwise, the whole internet thing would still be ARPA, WAIS, Gopher, and BBS stuff.
-WS
No, I'd say the correct answer is to say "I would request that the zoning board re-zone Mt Fuji into a different provence" Or whatever :)
-WS
IIRC: you should not set the default root shell to anything but sh. I seem to recall this having something to do with crash recovery, but I couldn't lay my hands on the note fast enough to be worth while.
/usr/bin/bash username
Of course, if you mean a user's shell? Heck, use whatever you want. I use bash for all of mine, and I installed Solaris 10 SPARC directly from the CDs. Bash was included by default.
usermod -s
-WS
Awesome!
;)
See? Netcraft confirms it. VMS is dying
-WS
Hmmm... I had better contrib a bit to cover the bandwidth costs ;)
-WS
Actually, it is far more fun to spray a cat's feet with non-stick "buttery" spray, and send the cat off across the linoleum floor... Especially if there is a dog nearby :)
-WS
This is exactly why I like the French and Spanish words for the same soldier better :)
"Chevalier" and "Caballero". Where a horse is "cheval" and "caballo", respectively. No confusion there! Knights were "horsemen". Equestrians.
Actually, in a lot of respects I like French better, though I am not nearly fluent enough in it.
-WS
I wish I could dispute that...
Point conceeded :)
-WS
Nice blog, BTW.
:)
I think you are right about the cost. It probably would be prohibitive. Regarding network access, though, I think more people would have used it were it available. I certainly logged my hours on CompuServe and local BBSes in the 80's. Perhaps including an adapter in a higher-end Mac (or as a "vapor option") would have spurred development.
Re: EEEPROMs vs EEPROMS: I can never keep the number of 'E's straight; my double-e parents are so disappointed
Anyhow. My point is still that no matter how good a design (and it was good... I have one), there is always the opportunity to re-visit, re-engineer, and improve. Especially given the advantage of 20 years of advances. You respond as if I said "teh mac was suxx0r. they shoulda used a mini-itx" or something stupid like that. I just posted my personal opinions on the areas I think that 20 years of science could improve on. It's not like the mac is some holy icon or something. Half of the design was pulled right from Jobs' ass. The guy has taste, I'll give him that. Heck, the NeXT is still on my list of the coolest computers ever.
-WS
"Sometimes I wonder what the MacOS would have looked like if those engineers would have known where it was going to go in the future, and knew all the modern techniques of programming?"
Using that as a starting point, I now understand all the current concepts of performance tuning, kernel architecture, etc. I also have a "crystal ball" to know what the world will do in 20 years.
1) I would know that people wanted to write code for the apple, and that adoption would require supporting them. Also, I would already know how to create and optimze the system, and I would know which apps were "revolutionary" and which would simply be ignored. Hindsight is nice :)
2) I suspect that considering the tiny size of files, and given sufficient optimization, you could store a "spotlight directory" on EEEPROM. Actually, that would be pretty frikin cool... After all, how many files are we talking here? Maybe 200? I could store some simple meta-data (for the basic 4 or 5 file types) in a little tiny piece of memory. As for disk labels? Heck, I lived that. I remember being all jazzed when I got dual floppies so that I didn't have to switch Ultima disks out.
3) So, operating under the guidelines, I would know not only what a kernel is, but how critical it is. I think the cost of an extra few hundred kilobytes of RAM might be a bit much, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't try ;)
As for TCP/IP:
"Alternatively you could ask, how would we design the Mac today if we limited ourselves to hardware available in 1984?"
Therefore, since it was physically possible to use ethernet (as 3Com released the etherlink a couple years before) and Apple is widely known for attempting to be as bleeding edge as possible (bluetooth everything, gigabit, the Lisa, etc), I can easily put in support for the stuff I mentioned.
Now, to be fair, I think that the Apple Engineers did one hell of a job. However, if we took the current team there now, threw in a few of the old guys from the 80's, and tried again? I bet we could totally improve on the original.
-WS
Well, here's what I would do, though I will expand your scope a bit.
First, hardware:
1) Memory access hatch (like the battery one it had) and the ability to upgrade memory...
2) Non-proprietary battery. Have you ever tried getting a replacement one? It's not easy. Wouldn't a 9 volt or something have sufficed?
3) Attach the mouse to the keyboard.
4) Sell a "ROM upgrade" service... Allow older machines to become "newer" machines for a reasonable fee.
Second, software:
1) FREE dev kits. Those Apple kits were really expensive if I recall correctly.
2) I think the filesystem (if designed by me, now) would probably be optimized for tools like spotlight.
3) The kernel would likely be an exo-kernel.
4) I would support TCP-IP
Those are the first ones that pop to mind. I might try doing some stuff with it as a hobby. Perhaps using an emulator or something.
-WS
I have just finished reading the full text of the findings from the SCOTUS pdf, and the main difference between Sony and Grokster et al is that Sony showed the primary use of the machine was "time-shifting" (recording at one time and watching at another). Time shifting was determined to be a non-infringing use. The secondary reason seems to be that grokster had "Secondary liability", I think it is called, where they directly profit from the infriging uses.
Of course, grokster hung themselves by providing tech support for viewing movies illegally, and by creating marketing materials and tuning parameters that were specifically targeted at copyright violations. They also took action to *prevent* the rightful owners from helping to enforce copyright. They blocked the IPs etc. of the MPAA and RIAA when they offered to "help".
Basically, the Supreme Court seems to be saying "if you flaunt the illegal use, don't count on the loophole".
Just my interpretation of one enormous set of docs.
-WS
I think Bugatti would differ with that "unequaled" bit, but I totally agree with you.
:) It's like I told my oldest kid: girls aren't really into expensive cars, they are into guys who can afford expensive cars, and therefore can afford the lifestyle the girl aspires to.
;)
A Mac is a Mac the same way a Ferrari is a Ferrari. It doesn't have to be the fastest, the coolest, or the most expensive. It's the reputation combined with the overall experience that make it cool.
Heck, you can put a porsche engine in a bug, but that won't get chicks the way a Ferrari does.
Mac users (stereotypically, at least) want the Mac "Package"... the perception is of a whole computer that works just the way a certain artsy-elitist set of people want it to. It doesn't have to be true, it just has to be a perception. Linux has the same perception, but Linux is for "elitist-nerdy-schmucks" (to quote Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie). Windows of course, is for everyone else. It's like buying a Saturn or a beige Toyota Camry or whatever. Mac users are partially the ones who want the VW New Beetle or the BMW Mini Cooper. It's a way to be different, while still getting something halfway decent.
Of course, those who truly want to be different run a custom, handmade OS and drive a large hotdog, but that's beside the point
-WS
Sounds nice. As I mentioned to the other person who responded, it all depends on your experiences with laundromats. Mine have always been extremely unpleasant. I'm glad yours are not so bad :)
-WS
I guess that does help. I have only had experince with laundromats that were ugly, uncomfortable, and unpleasant. Perhaps the one you used would change my assesment :)
-WS