Top 10 programs I load on OS X machines, no particular order:
* Drag Thing: A highly addictive replacement for OS X's Dock. Really improves productivity.
* MS Office: Open Office isn't ready for prime time on OS X. I'm not sure it will ever be ready for professionals who exchange complex documents, though it's great if you have a small shop and use OOo's default file format.
* Toast 6: The most convenient disk duplication suite I have ever used.
* Fink: There aren't many Linux programs I *must* have on OS X, but this will get 'em.
* Photoshop: I have an older iBook with a small drive that gets GIMP instead.
* Corel Graphics Suite: Gotta have it for layout. Now that Corel has abandoned Mac, however, I'll be moving to Adobe Creative Suite.
* Thunderbird: I'd probably use Thunderbird fulltime if the Mac version were to be integrated with the OS X addressbook. But it's pleasant to play around with.
* Mozilla Firefox: Safari is my default, but it's a very young browser. Firefox renders whatever Safari won't.
* Starry Night: An entertaining and useful program for backyard astronomers. You needn't own a telescope to appreciate SN. Explore the universe from your armchair.
* Updated iLife suite: I've become addicted to iTunes and use iPhoto to organize my personal snaps.
> PlayFair is a tool to enable fair use for music purchased from Apple's iTunes music service.
In what way is removing the DRM from iTunes music "fair use"? The user agrees to Apple's terms upon purchase. If you don't like the number of players Fairplay will authorize, buy your music elsewhere.
You don't (I think), but you're free to buy it or not. Depends if you find value in whatever level of "peace of mind" or liability mitigation the policy affords.
$25k coverage isn't particularly helpful. If SCO prevails, they could extract "damages" far in excess of that amount. It's really only useful to private users who might find themselves with a SCO bill for, say, eight years of Linux use at whatever trumped-up bullshit license fee they demand. These users are the least capable of shelling out the $250 premium, and the least likely to be interesting to SCO's legal sharks.
Well, being one of those scumbag Clear Channel folks myself, I've heard it all.;-)
For what it's worth, the majority of stations in our market (and probably every market) are "independently" owned. We have three FMs and an AM. Cumulus is also here. They have four FMs and an two AMs. The rest of the signals are owned by local folks or small regional outfits.
Several of the locally owned stations do well. So do we. The good operators -- corporate or independent -- usually rise to the top. It doesn't matter whose name is on your station masthead. Serve your target audience, and you get ratings. Bad operators don't. Which company thrives is entirely in the hands of the communities in which we live and work.
It really sucks that Apple has to deal with this and the "/. mentality" that everything should be free. That's communist.
There's never really been a true communist society, but the idea that everything is free ain't communist. Marx thought everyone was entitled to equality of wages (whether this compensation is in the form of money or goods and services is beside the point). Taking someone's work without consent and depriving them of their wage is simple theft.
It's not romatic, idealistic, or civil disobedience. It's stealing.
This sort of piracy (taping movies) cannot be defended by Fair Use. There is no expressed or implied agreement between a ticket holder and the owner of a given movie's copyright which would permit video taping a motion picture performance, even for private use. Many ticket stubs explicitly prohibit the use of recording devices, and purchase of that ticket is a binding and voluntary contract between the viewer and the movie owner.
In short, taping a movie without the release of the copyright owner is blatantly illegal. It's a form of theft.
Copyright law is frequently abused by big corporations, but I think we should be scrupulous in matters like this. We need the law to protect us from the excesses of greedy companies who would like to restrict legitimate electronic duplication, such as ripping mp3 copies of music for which we have purchased a limited license. Flagrant acts of piracy make it politically convenient for folks like the RIAA to obtain overly broad enforcement "rights" and outrageous legal remedies against law-abiding consumers.
Okay: plead that in court. If you're right, other physical evidence (skid marks and how far things flew after impact) should see justice through.
But it seems to me that the black box readings were directly relevant to the case, and the driver got off outrageously easy for taking a human life so recklessly.
The lesson is clear: stay out of movie theaters and you won't get arrested.
Actually, the message is "keep your camcorder out of movie theatres and you won't be arrested." It's still okay to go to the movies and get what you paid for: watching a show. Taping it, taking it home and making it available for download, or selling bootleg copies ain't part of the ticket price. Period.
Why do people think blatant piracy is acceptable? Stuff like this makes it easier for corporations to over-reach their authority and impede legitimate activities (such as ripping your own CDs to mp3).
Justin, who names the rocks? You guys are clearly having too much fun in that department.
How about letting Slashdotters name one? C'mon -- nobody will notice. It's just us geeks here.
From a future JPL release:
The rover Opportunity started sol 365 this morning with a quick brush-off of the rock known as "Linux Rules." Later today, Opportunity will turn its attention to another feature, a dull-looking boulder called "SCO Drools."
> What I always found odd was the fact that WP hasn't been ported to the Apple Mac OS X environment. T
Now that Corel has killed off their OS X version of Corel Graphics Suite, it seems doubtful they'll move WP to the platform. But you're right: it would fill a gap for a modesly priced commercial office suite.
I can't imagine Apple subdividing their user interface. They've spent waaay too much money building a consistent user experience for OS X. Whatever is down the line in object-oriented user interfaces will happen across the entire Mac platform.
You're right about software. If Wal-Mart and Apple were to team up, I'd assume a software deal would necessarily be involved. They'd need iLife, Roxio Toast, games, and some sort of office suite, at least.
Which raises another question: which office suite? I use my Mac for business, so MS Office was worth the investment (to me). I imagine a low-end Mac for home and entertainment use, building on Apple's current strength. Doubt most of these users need Microsoft's massively expensive and proprietary software. At the same time, AppleWorks is so dated I can't recommend it, and Open Office is sooo not ready for average consumers on OS X.
I thought it was BSD that's dying. It's hard to keep track.
Apple needs to find a silver bullet to increase its CPU share, since there's clearly a relationship between hardware and software sales. But the company certainly isn't in trouble.
Apple is one of the world's strongest brands, and the company is awash in cash. The iPod represents Apple's first real experiment with brand extension. It worked -- there will be more to come.
If I were Steve Jobs, I'd find a way to sell cheap boxes loaded with OS X. They would essentially be OS delivery systems: a way to get more OS X in the field and make developers feel good about supporting the platform. These boxes would replace the iMac, but would be sold without monitors. Most consumers already have one, and a hundred bucks is worth shaving off the price point.
I'd sell the damn things at Wal-Mart, starting in markets without Apple Stores. The kind of folks who go to an Apple boutique aren't this product's target, anyway.
Nobody beats Apple on industrial design. I am confident the clever boys and girls in Cupertino can make an inexpensive box that will look unlike anything on the retail shelf. Apple needs to leverage its coolness.
And if they really want to be slick, a new low-end box should contain a built-in docking cradle for an iPod. maybe the whole project gets positioned as a media center that doubles as a PC.
Slashdot Mirror
* Drag Thing: A highly addictive replacement for OS X's Dock. Really improves productivity.
* MS Office: Open Office isn't ready for prime time on OS X. I'm not sure it will ever be ready for professionals who exchange complex documents, though it's great if you have a small shop and use OOo's default file format.
* Toast 6: The most convenient disk duplication suite I have ever used.
* Fink: There aren't many Linux programs I *must* have on OS X, but this will get 'em.
* Photoshop: I have an older iBook with a small drive that gets GIMP instead.
* Corel Graphics Suite: Gotta have it for layout. Now that Corel has abandoned Mac, however, I'll be moving to Adobe Creative Suite.
* Thunderbird: I'd probably use Thunderbird fulltime if the Mac version were to be integrated with the OS X addressbook. But it's pleasant to play around with.
* Mozilla Firefox: Safari is my default, but it's a very young browser. Firefox renders whatever Safari won't.
* Starry Night: An entertaining and useful program for backyard astronomers. You needn't own a telescope to appreciate SN. Explore the universe from your armchair.
* Updated iLife suite: I've become addicted to iTunes and use iPhoto to organize my personal snaps.
In what way is removing the DRM from iTunes music "fair use"? The user agrees to Apple's terms upon purchase. If you don't like the number of players Fairplay will authorize, buy your music elsewhere.
That's a question for your legal counsel. :-)
$25k coverage isn't particularly helpful. If SCO prevails, they could extract "damages" far in excess of that amount. It's really only useful to private users who might find themselves with a SCO bill for, say, eight years of Linux use at whatever trumped-up bullshit license fee they demand. These users are the least capable of shelling out the $250 premium, and the least likely to be interesting to SCO's legal sharks.
Whoever moded me down has no sense of humor at all. ;-)
...what a Beowulf cluster of those would do? Oh, wait -- never mind.
For what it's worth, the majority of stations in our market (and probably every market) are "independently" owned. We have three FMs and an AM. Cumulus is also here. They have four FMs and an two AMs. The rest of the signals are owned by local folks or small regional outfits.
Several of the locally owned stations do well. So do we. The good operators -- corporate or independent -- usually rise to the top. It doesn't matter whose name is on your station masthead. Serve your target audience, and you get ratings. Bad operators don't. Which company thrives is entirely in the hands of the communities in which we live and work.
As opposed to a station owned by Infinity, Cumulus, or one of the other groups?
There's never really been a true communist society, but the idea that everything is free ain't communist. Marx thought everyone was entitled to equality of wages (whether this compensation is in the form of money or goods and services is beside the point). Taking someone's work without consent and depriving them of their wage is simple theft.
It's not romatic, idealistic, or civil disobedience. It's stealing.
See? Ya saved a buck. It pays to read Slashdot.
This sort of piracy (taping movies) cannot be defended by Fair Use. There is no expressed or implied agreement between a ticket holder and the owner of a given movie's copyright which would permit video taping a motion picture performance, even for private use. Many ticket stubs explicitly prohibit the use of recording devices, and purchase of that ticket is a binding and voluntary contract between the viewer and the movie owner.
In short, taping a movie without the release of the copyright owner is blatantly illegal. It's a form of theft.
Copyright law is frequently abused by big corporations, but I think we should be scrupulous in matters like this. We need the law to protect us from the excesses of greedy companies who would like to restrict legitimate electronic duplication, such as ripping mp3 copies of music for which we have purchased a limited license. Flagrant acts of piracy make it politically convenient for folks like the RIAA to obtain overly broad enforcement "rights" and outrageous legal remedies against law-abiding consumers.
Anyway, that's my take.
If you have to ask, no answer I can give you will be acceptable.
But it seems to me that the black box readings were directly relevant to the case, and the driver got off outrageously easy for taking a human life so recklessly.
Actually, the message is "keep your camcorder out of movie theatres and you won't be arrested." It's still okay to go to the movies and get what you paid for: watching a show. Taping it, taking it home and making it available for download, or selling bootleg copies ain't part of the ticket price. Period.
Why do people think blatant piracy is acceptable? Stuff like this makes it easier for corporations to over-reach their authority and impede legitimate activities (such as ripping your own CDs to mp3).
How about letting Slashdotters name one? C'mon -- nobody will notice. It's just us geeks here.
From a future JPL release:
The rover Opportunity started sol 365 this morning with a quick brush-off of the rock known as "Linux Rules." Later today, Opportunity will turn its attention to another feature, a dull-looking boulder called "SCO Drools."
"If you were plowing a field, which would you rather use? Two strong oxen or 1024 chickens?" How big are the chickens?
Not only that: they don't take PayPal.
The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine / The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine / He drink whiskey, Poncho drink the wine...
A quick twelve-step program and Cisco should be all set to take Microsoft's lead and usher us into the age of Trusted Computing.
I love OS X, but am really looking forward to trying out 64-bit Linux on a dual G5.
> What I always found odd was the fact that WP hasn't been ported to the Apple Mac OS X environment. T Now that Corel has killed off their OS X version of Corel Graphics Suite, it seems doubtful they'll move WP to the platform. But you're right: it would fill a gap for a modesly priced commercial office suite.
Holy smokes -- someone is still awake out there. ;-)
I can't imagine Apple subdividing their user interface. They've spent waaay too much money building a consistent user experience for OS X. Whatever is down the line in object-oriented user interfaces will happen across the entire Mac platform.
In all seriousness, I'm sure that if these rumors are true, M$ is shopping for content. Can't imagine they've taken renewed interest in dial-up.
Which raises another question: which office suite? I use my Mac for business, so MS Office was worth the investment (to me). I imagine a low-end Mac for home and entertainment use, building on Apple's current strength. Doubt most of these users need Microsoft's massively expensive and proprietary software. At the same time, AppleWorks is so dated I can't recommend it, and Open Office is sooo not ready for average consumers on OS X.
Ideas, anyone?
Apple needs to find a silver bullet to increase its CPU share, since there's clearly a relationship between hardware and software sales. But the company certainly isn't in trouble.
Apple is one of the world's strongest brands, and the company is awash in cash. The iPod represents Apple's first real experiment with brand extension. It worked -- there will be more to come.
If I were Steve Jobs, I'd find a way to sell cheap boxes loaded with OS X. They would essentially be OS delivery systems: a way to get more OS X in the field and make developers feel good about supporting the platform. These boxes would replace the iMac, but would be sold without monitors. Most consumers already have one, and a hundred bucks is worth shaving off the price point.
I'd sell the damn things at Wal-Mart, starting in markets without Apple Stores. The kind of folks who go to an Apple boutique aren't this product's target, anyway.
Nobody beats Apple on industrial design. I am confident the clever boys and girls in Cupertino can make an inexpensive box that will look unlike anything on the retail shelf. Apple needs to leverage its coolness.
And if they really want to be slick, a new low-end box should contain a built-in docking cradle for an iPod. maybe the whole project gets positioned as a media center that doubles as a PC.