Amen! I bought a Belkin Wireless N router and tossed it after two months. Despite all the hooplah it performed horribly in an environment where there were four or five other wireless G networks. I configured it to be as out of sync with the others as possible (different IP range, different channel, robustness on, closed network, etc.) and it still rolled over like a puppy for a biscuit whenever another signal came along.
Currently Apple has a 12% market share in notebooks, they are still easily the underdogs for now. What gives them the right to bash down Microsoft? Because of similiar features, oh damn.
I wasn't aware that Apple and Microsoft were competing in the laptop market! And Apple's marketshare in laptops is rising. That may not be leading the pack, but rising share isn't usually associated with "underdog" status.
I am sorry but if you company was close to saved due to 150Million in 1998 from the very company you are throwing a fit at, you have issues.
Apple had four billion dollars in cash in 1998. Look up the history of the Microsoft-Apple agreement. Microsoft helped Apple--no doubt--but Microsoft needed that agreement as well. Microsoft makes more money per user from its Macintosh customers than it does from Windows customers. Apple's continued existence is a buffer against Microsoft having any worse antitrust troubles than it already has. Microsoft also got some technology that went into XP from the deal. Microsoft and Apple are competitors. They will always needle each other. It's no big deal.
Secondly, if you are completely playing an ego trip onto a company that has way more customers than you have currently. Boot Camp has 1/2 a million downloads BECAUSE probably 50% of those people want to use XP.
Try ninety percent. But even Apple is suggesting that users get Parallels to run Windows XP rather than Boot Camp. I've tried it and it works very well. The fact is that many crucial applications run only on Windows. I'm suggesting to local realtors that they got an Intel Mac, install Parallels, and use it to access a Windows-only website essential to their business. One machine, two uses. Running Windows on a Mac helps sell more Macs. Again, they're competitors, but they each benefit from the other's existence.
I'm fed up with Apple after seeing/reading about that conference, they are on an ego trip, and i definitely look down on them for that.
Apple is competing with Microsoft and doing a damned good job of it. They're also the leading force in personal computing today. Apple might crow and show off now and then, but I prefer that to a company that would rather make itself look bad than to facilitate adherence to standards in the industry. Microsoft has "embraced and extended" critical standards and doesn't hesitate to make changes that enhance its own operating system and products at the expense of others. The company's antitrust troubles are due to its "take-no-prisoners" method of competing. Being "fed up with Apple" for a little crowing at the developer's conference seems out of proportion to the offense. Especially given those of the competition.
A bunch of us engineers spent the time between Copland's abrupt halt and the NeXt acquisition trying to figure out which operating system the company was going to try. There was a lot of experimentation with MkLinux and some talk about beefing up A/UX but the biggest buzz was coming from the BeOS. A few of us made the pilgrimage to Menlo Park, saw their presentation, and were mightily impressed with its performance, but we agreed that the lack of available consumer applications made it a non-starter.
From the time Copland died in the summer of 1996 until we got laid off in March of 1997, we waited for the Big Decision and learned a lot about UNIX-based operating systems because we knew that's where the company had to go. NeXt and Steve Jobs's return were complete surprises. Smartest move Gil Amelio made--just as was Steve's immediately getting Gil out of the way and resuming leadership. Apple's customers needed a reason to believe and Gil only provided silence. As one Rumor-Monger wag said, "he couldn't market pussy in a prison."
I've been writing screenplays for over ten years now and haven't lost one (although I probably should).
My screeenwriting software backs up the last ten revisions in a folder. It has a designated "Save A Copy" button for off-loading to an external device of some sort. I burn each major revision (finished first act, finished second act, first draft, and subsequent drafts) to optical media. Since I use a Mac, I back up my Users folder once a quarter. Then, just to be on the safe side, I occasionally save a draft to the Documents folder of my.Mac account.
Anyone who doesn't have more than one copy of his screenplay is an idiot.
Apple has finally mounted a head-to-head challenge with Microsoft (see the new commercials). Microsoft is struggling to get features into Vista that Mac OS X has had from the beginning. Does anyone really think that Microsoft would resist taking advantage of an open source Intel-based kernel if it could help them solve the mountain of problems under which Windows is buried?
Microsoft has taken advantage of Apple's innovation before and thrived in doing so. I think it's prudent for Apple to keep its guard up and its kernel safely locked away until it has enough momentum and market share to make it a smart move.
I imagine that Microsoft's first look at a MacBook made them feel like Apple felt when it got its first look at Windows 98; "Holy shit!"
Part of the secret to your success that you use your machine wirelessly. Most wireless routers protect you from exploits like the one mentioned in the article.
Steve isn't that bad (and anyone who makes a corned beef reference to him would probably get a foot in the ass).
However, the post isn't that far off from what probably happened--and this is no reflection on the quality of engineering in India. The ability to insure quality, adherence to specifications, and observance of scheduling requirements becomes much more difficult when management, engineering, marketing, and quality aren't co-located. I worked on a project where the engineering team was in Ireland and everyone else was in California. It finally made more sense--was cheaper--to pack up the engineers and the managers, fly them to our site, and finish the project. We made a bullpen for them in one of the conference rooms (they were only allowed access to the cafeteria) and got to work.
The product that resulted still works over ten years later.
Apple introduced the Clamshell iBook with built-in 802.11b networking in July of 1997. Dell couldn't even PRONOUNCE "Wi-fi" until three years later. They still don't have it right (e.g. as easy as a Mac for joining a wireless network).
One of the arguments for buying Apple products is that they stand behind them. I'm typing this on a 14" iBook because my 12" fell victim to a motherboard flaw. Apple has replaced every single one that customers sent in (I used to service them). They'd send the customer a box, the customer would box up the machine, and get it back within the week with a brand new motherboard.
If there's a problem with your machine, Apple will take care of it. I do encourage you (and everyone) to get AppleCare Protection. The two-year warranty extension is worth the money. It gets you free parts and labor as well as free phone support.
Your experience with p2p is an ideal instance. However, I do computer consulting for a living; I've restored so many Windows machines where p2p software was the gateway for spyware, malware, and viruses that I've stopped doing it. Too time-consuming. Kid downloads p2p software (I won't name names, but let's call ours TimeFire). TimeFire does its thing, and you're ready to download. You spend four minutes waiting for a download of Eminem's Without Me only to find that it's either incomplete, of poor quality, and/or a malicious file.
Let's say that the kids download TimeFire and share your legally-obtained mp3 collection. Suddenly, the RIAA is knocking on your door with a demand for a gazillion bucks because you're violating the law.
Downloading a file using Windows is like playing Russian Roulette. You could get James Taylor, but you could also get a WMF exploit. Honesty is easier. Reliable is easier and cheaper. Thus, iTunes thrives.
The essence of Steve's influence, I think, can be found in the following quotes:
"Ultimately it comes down to taste. It comes down to trying to expose yourself to the best things that humans have done and then try to bring those things in to what you're doing." -- Steve Jobs
"The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste, they have absolutely no taste, and what that means is - I don't mean that in a small way I mean that in a big way. In the sense that they they don't think of original ideas and they don't bring much culture into their product...and you say why is that important - well you know proportionally spaced fonts come from type setting and beautiful books, that's where one gets the idea - if it weren't for the Mac they would never have that in their products...so I guess I am saddened, not by Microsoft's success - I have no problem with their success, they've earned their success for the most part. I have a problem with the fact that they just make really third rate products." -- Steve Jobs
- You're like an offensive lineman on a football teeam; no one knows who you are until something goes wrong.
- In an emergency, shut the door, turn off the phone, and work the problem. If your manager isn't answering user queries, that manager is doing a bad job.
- "If you don't know what to do, why do anything?"
- Be prepared.
- ALWAYS update and refer to the log book.
- There's no shame in saying "I don't know;" pretending that you do is a sin.
- Keep a spare.
- No development on production equipment.
- You're there to fulfill the user's needs--not dictate them.
- Listen!
First of all, NEVER install Norton SystemWorks on a Macintosh. Especially now that Symantec throws in crap that you don't need and can't remove.
I use Norton Disk Doctor and Speed Disk to maintain my machines and those of my customers (pre-Tiger). I boot from the CD (the OS 9 version boots faster), run the utilities, and restart.
As to viruses: Macs are susceptible to the Microsoft Office Macro virus. That's the only reason I've ever HAD to run anti-virus software on a Mac. And I've never spent a penny on antivirus software for my own machines (I've been a Mac user since 1987).
If Symantec keeps up the scare tactics, I hope Apple hauls them into court.
Also, the fact that there are fewer Mac users is irrelevant to the spread of viruses, malware, and spyware. If someone could have done it, it would be done by now, and the person who does it will have earned a place in computing history. As I've said before, if the numbers argument were valid, Native Americans wouldn't catch colds.
LCD monitors (easier to move from bench to bench) Multimeter Extra sticks of GOOD memory PS/2 mice and keyboards ADB mice and keyboards USB mice and keyboards Crossover cables 10/100 Ethernet connection Wireless network Black & Decker cordless screwdriver (articulated w/Torx, hex, & conventional bits) Jeweler's screwdriver sets (conventional and Torx) Grounding strap CRT discharge kit Mac OS disks from 7.1 to Tiger Apple Diagnostic Disk Set Norton SystemWorks (latest) TechTool Pro 4.0.5 OnyX External FireWire/USB 2.0 DVD burner External FireWire/USB 2.0 hard drive WiebeTech IDE sleds (full-size and notebook) IDE drive with bootable 9.2.2 and Mac OS X build installed CD with draggable vanilla 9.2.2 System Folder USB Key Drive USB Wireless Adapter USB PCI card FireWire PCI card Serial ATA PCI card SCSI PCI card SCSI terminator External SCSI case Spare video cards (PCI & AGP) Screw organizer Magnetic retriever Claw retriever Motherboard batteries Well-lit loupe Laptop w/wireless for Service Manual reference Thermal grease/paste Compressed air Q-Tips 90% Isopropyl alcohol Kapton tape Macintosh G4 Sawtooth (great for rescuing HD's from dead machines and backing up the contents. I use these because they're well-built, provide easy access to the inside, and boot into OS 9. They're also good for restoring machines via Target Mode)
Once your virus is on a Mac, it then needs to propagate. If only 2-3% of the machines around it are Macs (and perhaps only a fraction of those are vulnerable) then it is much harder for the virus to reach critical mass. (The 'Tipping Point', as the book by the same name describes).
First of all, Macs constitute more than 3% of the machines in use today. Secondly, even if I accepted your figure, why hasn't there been a major virus written for Macintosh effective enough to infect that 3% of users? I've used Macs for eighteen years and haven't spent one cent on virus protection for my own machines. With the exception of the Microsoft Word macro virus, I haven't seen one.
If I follow your logic, Native Americans wouldn't catch colds.
I'd love to argue this one before the Supreme Court. If something is unconstitutional, no one may do it. The Bill of Rights is exactly what it says: The menu of freedoms to which we are all entitled. They are inviolable by anyone.
If a security guard were fired for having a beer with a co-worker, I'd take it to federal court immediately as a violation of citizen's right to peaceably assemble. I'd probably win right there, but if the company appealed, they'd get their asses kicked all the way to the Supreme Court. Hell, the Supreme Court probably wouldn't even bother to hear it.
Do you really think that emulation of PPC on x86 is an efficient means of accomplishing this end? Do you think that Apple can overcome the current resistance of teachers and administrators to OS X by telling them not to worry--they'll be able to run their crucial applications on a PC?
There are too many advantages to PowerPC for complete abandonment. There is too much market momentum behind education's resistance to Mac OS X for Apple to completely ignore it in favor of a completely new architecture.
Find me a school superintendent who is willing to divulge a demonstration of PowerPC applications running with higher performance on x86 iron and I will lend credence to the wholesale switch theory,
The reason there won't be a wholesale transition to x86? The education market. There are schools that are still running Apple ][ software. Most schools are firmly entrenched in OS 9. Their software investment (including grades, etc.) is OS 9. Apple doesn't allow its resellers to touch its education customers.
Dell may be selling a lot of hardware to yokels who think that x86 is essential because "that's what business is using" but most school districts are hooked on PowerPC and pre-OS X software.
Apple WILL NOT SCREW ITS EDUCATION CUSTOMERS! Write that down. The education market won't allow it to happen, either. There may be a mix of PowerPC and x86 offerings, but there will be no wholesale transition to x86.
I do computer consulting for a living and the one thing I've come to detest is email. The sound of the word even sets my teeth on edge. It's the first thing customers ask about when I get their computers back to them.
"Did you get all my eeeeemail???" "Is my eeeeemail still there?" "You aren't erasing my eeeeemail, are you?"
My partner and I are indebted to these people and their addiction, but it has become the bane of our existence. Luckily, we're mostly a Mac OS X shop and it's easy to back up and restore their stuff if they use Apple Mail. I've also just learned how to convert Windows mailboxes to Apple format, so it'll be easier to avoid that whine: "Can you transfer my eeeeemail?!"
The other problem I have with this is that until Mac OS 10, securing a Mac network was a nightmare and seems to have been completely undocumented.
There is a hell of a lot wrong with pre-OS X Macintosh operating systems and hardware--crashes... freezes... hardware quality (Performa, anyone?)...
But the one thing that WASN'T wrong with Macintosh was network security. It was ironclad and simple: Without a correctly-typed user name and password combination and the appropriate privileges to even SEE a volume, you didn't get in. Period. No hacking. No buffer overflows (well--there was one in a third-party server product, but they cleaned that up quick).
The reason the "nightmare" was "completely undocumented" was that it didn't exist.
Apple will not switch; Apple will broaden its product line to include Apple-branded or OEM-licensed x86 machines running Mac OS X. They will be "legacy-free" (i.e. no PS/2, parallel or serial ports). Once the G5 chip is able to fit into a portable form-factor, the G4 will be jettisoned and every PowerPC Mac will be a G5.
There's too much upside to the G5 to abandon it. There's also a vast reservoir of legacy software that Apple users still own and enjoy. Apple wouldn't dare alienate them. Rather, Apple will go head-to-head with Microsoft for system software dollars in the x86 space. This move is why Microsoft has been so adamant about nipping open source in the bud.
Apple doesn't want the headache of supporting the thousands (maybe millions) of people who are dissatisfied with Windows on their current machines, so the hardware profile is probably going to be severely proscribed. Heck, Apple Support might become just as inaccessible as Microsoft's!
Apple's flops are usually indications of groundbreaking products to come. The company seems to get slapped into sobriety by a stinko product. The Lisa-to-Macintosh transition need not be belabored here. Personally, I think the Apple/// and LC II-III form-factors were combined with the Apple Portable to come up with the original PowerBook--which is still reflected in just about every notebook made now.
The effort that went into Copland and the floundering in the immediate aftermath of its demise are part of what made the company receptive to NeXt and the return of Steve Jobs.
eWorld was introduced when very few knew what the Internet was or how to use it. It now seems ahead of its time given what we have. AOL is a direct outgrowth of the late, lamented AppleLink (yeah, they managed to screw it up even worse, but at the time, AppleLink was the best email client going).
The G4 Cube was too pricey, even though it's a pretty sweet machine. The Mac Mini is now what the Cube should have been.
There used to be Macs you couldn't open without drawing blood. They followed that generation up with the G3 Blue & White--a dream to open and work on. It's been that way ever since, for the most part.
Now that the Newton is free of its Sculley-Stench, rumors seem to indicate that a tablet Mac running OS X/Inkwell is in the offing. It should be a big seller if it's priced correctly.
The lesson? Apple almost always learns from its mistakes.
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You obviously weren't working with AirPort.
Amen! I bought a Belkin Wireless N router and tossed it after two months. Despite all the hooplah it performed horribly in an environment where there were four or five other wireless G networks. I configured it to be as out of sync with the others as possible (different IP range, different channel, robustness on, closed network, etc.) and it still rolled over like a puppy for a biscuit whenever another signal came along.
Currently Apple has a 12% market share in notebooks, they are still easily the underdogs for now. What gives them the right to bash down Microsoft? Because of similiar features, oh damn.
I wasn't aware that Apple and Microsoft were competing in the laptop market! And Apple's marketshare in laptops is rising. That may not be leading the pack, but rising share isn't usually associated with "underdog" status.
I am sorry but if you company was close to saved due to 150Million in 1998 from the very company you are throwing a fit at, you have issues.
Apple had four billion dollars in cash in 1998. Look up the history of the Microsoft-Apple agreement. Microsoft helped Apple--no doubt--but Microsoft needed that agreement as well. Microsoft makes more money per user from its Macintosh customers than it does from Windows customers. Apple's continued existence is a buffer against Microsoft having any worse antitrust troubles than it already has. Microsoft also got some technology that went into XP from the deal. Microsoft and Apple are competitors. They will always needle each other. It's no big deal.
Secondly, if you are completely playing an ego trip onto a company that has way more customers than you have currently. Boot Camp has 1/2 a million downloads BECAUSE probably 50% of those people want to use XP.
Try ninety percent. But even Apple is suggesting that users get Parallels to run Windows XP rather than Boot Camp. I've tried it and it works very well. The fact is that many crucial applications run only on Windows. I'm suggesting to local realtors that they got an Intel Mac, install Parallels, and use it to access a Windows-only website essential to their business. One machine, two uses. Running Windows on a Mac helps sell more Macs. Again, they're competitors, but they each benefit from the other's existence.
I'm fed up with Apple after seeing/reading about that conference, they are on an ego trip, and i definitely look down on them for that.
Apple is competing with Microsoft and doing a damned good job of it. They're also the leading force in personal computing today. Apple might crow and show off now and then, but I prefer that to a company that would rather make itself look bad than to facilitate adherence to standards in the industry. Microsoft has "embraced and extended" critical standards and doesn't hesitate to make changes that enhance its own operating system and products at the expense of others. The company's antitrust troubles are due to its "take-no-prisoners" method of competing. Being "fed up with Apple" for a little crowing at the developer's conference seems out of proportion to the offense. Especially given those of the competition.
A bunch of us engineers spent the time between Copland's abrupt halt and the NeXt acquisition trying to figure out which operating system the company was going to try. There was a lot of experimentation with MkLinux and some talk about beefing up A/UX but the biggest buzz was coming from the BeOS. A few of us made the pilgrimage to Menlo Park, saw their presentation, and were mightily impressed with its performance, but we agreed that the lack of available consumer applications made it a non-starter.
From the time Copland died in the summer of 1996 until we got laid off in March of 1997, we waited for the Big Decision and learned a lot about UNIX-based operating systems because we knew that's where the company had to go. NeXt and Steve Jobs's return were complete surprises. Smartest move Gil Amelio made--just as was Steve's immediately getting Gil out of the way and resuming leadership. Apple's customers needed a reason to believe and Gil only provided silence. As one Rumor-Monger wag said, "he couldn't market pussy in a prison."
I've been writing screenplays for over ten years now and haven't lost one (although I probably should).
.Mac account.
My screeenwriting software backs up the last ten revisions in a folder. It has a designated "Save A Copy" button for off-loading to an external device of some sort. I burn each major revision (finished first act, finished second act, first draft, and subsequent drafts) to optical media. Since I use a Mac, I back up my Users folder once a quarter. Then, just to be on the safe side, I occasionally save a draft to the Documents folder of my
Anyone who doesn't have more than one copy of his screenplay is an idiot.
Apple has finally mounted a head-to-head challenge with Microsoft (see the new commercials). Microsoft is struggling to get features into Vista that Mac OS X has had from the beginning. Does anyone really think that Microsoft would resist taking advantage of an open source Intel-based kernel if it could help them solve the mountain of problems under which Windows is buried?
Microsoft has taken advantage of Apple's innovation before and thrived in doing so. I think it's prudent for Apple to keep its guard up and its kernel safely locked away until it has enough momentum and market share to make it a smart move.
I imagine that Microsoft's first look at a MacBook made them feel like Apple felt when it got its first look at Windows 98; "Holy shit!"
Part of the secret to your success that you use your machine wirelessly. Most wireless routers protect you from exploits like the one mentioned in the article.
Steve isn't that bad (and anyone who makes a corned beef reference to him would probably get a foot in the ass).
However, the post isn't that far off from what probably happened--and this is no reflection on the quality of engineering in India. The ability to insure quality, adherence to specifications, and observance of scheduling requirements becomes much more difficult when management, engineering, marketing, and quality aren't co-located. I worked on a project where the engineering team was in Ireland and everyone else was in California. It finally made more sense--was cheaper--to pack up the engineers and the managers, fly them to our site, and finish the project. We made a bullpen for them in one of the conference rooms (they were only allowed access to the cafeteria) and got to work.
The product that resulted still works over ten years later.
Correction: The Clamshell was introduced in July of 1999.
I call shenanigans!
Apple introduced the Clamshell iBook with built-in 802.11b networking in July of 1997. Dell couldn't even PRONOUNCE "Wi-fi" until three years later. They still don't have it right (e.g. as easy as a Mac for joining a wireless network).
One of the arguments for buying Apple products is that they stand behind them. I'm typing this on a 14" iBook because my 12" fell victim to a motherboard flaw. Apple has replaced every single one that customers sent in (I used to service them). They'd send the customer a box, the customer would box up the machine, and get it back within the week with a brand new motherboard.
If there's a problem with your machine, Apple will take care of it. I do encourage you (and everyone) to get AppleCare Protection. The two-year warranty extension is worth the money. It gets you free parts and labor as well as free phone support.
Your experience with p2p is an ideal instance. However, I do computer consulting for a living; I've restored so many Windows machines where p2p software was the gateway for spyware, malware, and viruses that I've stopped doing it. Too time-consuming. Kid downloads p2p software (I won't name names, but let's call ours TimeFire). TimeFire does its thing, and you're ready to download. You spend four minutes waiting for a download of Eminem's Without Me only to find that it's either incomplete, of poor quality, and/or a malicious file.
Let's say that the kids download TimeFire and share your legally-obtained mp3 collection. Suddenly, the RIAA is knocking on your door with a demand for a gazillion bucks because you're violating the law.
Downloading a file using Windows is like playing Russian Roulette. You could get James Taylor, but you could also get a WMF exploit. Honesty is easier. Reliable is easier and cheaper. Thus, iTunes thrives.
The essence of Steve's influence, I think, can be found in the following quotes:
"Ultimately it comes down to taste. It comes down to trying to expose yourself to the best things that humans have done and then try to bring those things in to what you're doing." -- Steve Jobs
"The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste, they have absolutely no taste, and what that means is - I don't mean that in a small way I mean that in a big way. In the sense that they they don't think of original ideas and they don't bring much culture into their product...and you say why is that important - well you know proportionally spaced fonts come from type setting and beautiful books, that's where one gets the idea - if it weren't for the Mac they would never have that in their products...so I guess I am saddened, not by Microsoft's success - I have no problem with their success, they've earned their success for the most part. I have a problem with the fact that they just make really third rate products." -- Steve Jobs
- You're like an offensive lineman on a football teeam; no one knows who you are until something goes wrong.
- In an emergency, shut the door, turn off the phone, and work the problem. If your manager isn't answering user queries, that manager is doing a bad job.
- "If you don't know what to do, why do anything?"
- Be prepared.
- ALWAYS update and refer to the log book.
- There's no shame in saying "I don't know;" pretending that you do is a sin.
- Keep a spare.
- No development on production equipment.
- You're there to fulfill the user's needs--not dictate them.
- Listen!
The answer is: E
First of all, NEVER install Norton SystemWorks on a Macintosh. Especially now that Symantec throws in crap that you don't need and can't remove.
I use Norton Disk Doctor and Speed Disk to maintain my machines and those of my customers (pre-Tiger). I boot from the CD (the OS 9 version boots faster), run the utilities, and restart.
As to viruses: Macs are susceptible to the Microsoft Office Macro virus. That's the only reason I've ever HAD to run anti-virus software on a Mac. And I've never spent a penny on antivirus software for my own machines (I've been a Mac user since 1987).
If Symantec keeps up the scare tactics, I hope Apple hauls them into court.
Also, the fact that there are fewer Mac users is irrelevant to the spread of viruses, malware, and spyware. If someone could have done it, it would be done by now, and the person who does it will have earned a place in computing history. As I've said before, if the numbers argument were valid, Native Americans wouldn't catch colds.
LCD monitors (easier to move from bench to bench)
Multimeter
Extra sticks of GOOD memory
PS/2 mice and keyboards
ADB mice and keyboards
USB mice and keyboards
Crossover cables
10/100 Ethernet connection
Wireless network
Black & Decker cordless screwdriver (articulated w/Torx, hex, & conventional bits)
Jeweler's screwdriver sets (conventional and Torx)
Grounding strap
CRT discharge kit
Mac OS disks from 7.1 to Tiger
Apple Diagnostic Disk Set
Norton SystemWorks (latest)
TechTool Pro 4.0.5
OnyX
External FireWire/USB 2.0 DVD burner
External FireWire/USB 2.0 hard drive
WiebeTech IDE sleds (full-size and notebook)
IDE drive with bootable 9.2.2 and Mac OS X build installed
CD with draggable vanilla 9.2.2 System Folder
USB Key Drive
USB Wireless Adapter
USB PCI card
FireWire PCI card
Serial ATA PCI card
SCSI PCI card
SCSI terminator
External SCSI case
Spare video cards (PCI & AGP)
Screw organizer
Magnetic retriever
Claw retriever
Motherboard batteries
Well-lit loupe
Laptop w/wireless for Service Manual reference
Thermal grease/paste
Compressed air
Q-Tips
90% Isopropyl alcohol
Kapton tape
Macintosh G4 Sawtooth (great for rescuing HD's from dead machines and backing up the contents. I use these because they're well-built, provide easy access to the inside, and boot into OS 9. They're also good for restoring machines via Target Mode)
If I follow your logic, Native Americans wouldn't catch colds.
I'd love to argue this one before the Supreme Court. If something is unconstitutional, no one may do it. The Bill of Rights is exactly what it says: The menu of freedoms to which we are all entitled. They are inviolable by anyone.
If a security guard were fired for having a beer with a co-worker, I'd take it to federal court immediately as a violation of citizen's right to peaceably assemble. I'd probably win right there, but if the company appealed, they'd get their asses kicked all the way to the Supreme Court. Hell, the Supreme Court probably wouldn't even bother to hear it.
This one's a slam-dunk. The NLRB is wrong.
Do you really think that emulation of PPC on x86 is an efficient means of accomplishing this end? Do you think that Apple can overcome the current resistance of teachers and administrators to OS X by telling them not to worry--they'll be able to run their crucial applications on a PC?
There are too many advantages to PowerPC for complete abandonment. There is too much market momentum behind education's resistance to Mac OS X for Apple to completely ignore it in favor of a completely new architecture.
Find me a school superintendent who is willing to divulge a demonstration of PowerPC applications running with higher performance on x86 iron and I will lend credence to the wholesale switch theory,
I reserve judgement until then.
The reason there won't be a wholesale transition to x86? The education market. There are schools that are still running Apple ][ software. Most schools are firmly entrenched in OS 9. Their software investment (including grades, etc.) is OS 9. Apple doesn't allow its resellers to touch its education customers.
Dell may be selling a lot of hardware to yokels who think that x86 is essential because "that's what business is using" but most school districts are hooked on PowerPC and pre-OS X software.
Apple WILL NOT SCREW ITS EDUCATION CUSTOMERS! Write that down. The education market won't allow it to happen, either. There may be a mix of PowerPC and x86 offerings, but there will be no wholesale transition to x86.
I do computer consulting for a living and the one thing I've come to detest is email. The sound of the word even sets my teeth on edge. It's the first thing customers ask about when I get their computers back to them.
"Did you get all my eeeeemail???" "Is my eeeeemail still there?" "You aren't erasing my eeeeemail, are you?"
My partner and I are indebted to these people and their addiction, but it has become the bane of our existence. Luckily, we're mostly a Mac OS X shop and it's easy to back up and restore their stuff if they use Apple Mail. I've also just learned how to convert Windows mailboxes to Apple format, so it'll be easier to avoid that whine: "Can you transfer my eeeeemail?!"
Feh!
But the one thing that WASN'T wrong with Macintosh was network security. It was ironclad and simple: Without a correctly-typed user name and password combination and the appropriate privileges to even SEE a volume, you didn't get in. Period. No hacking. No buffer overflows (well--there was one in a third-party server product, but they cleaned that up quick).
The reason the "nightmare" was "completely undocumented" was that it didn't exist.
Apple will not switch; Apple will broaden its product line to include Apple-branded or OEM-licensed x86 machines running Mac OS X. They will be "legacy-free" (i.e. no PS/2, parallel or serial ports). Once the G5 chip is able to fit into a portable form-factor, the G4 will be jettisoned and every PowerPC Mac will be a G5.
There's too much upside to the G5 to abandon it. There's also a vast reservoir of legacy software that Apple users still own and enjoy. Apple wouldn't dare alienate them. Rather, Apple will go head-to-head with Microsoft for system software dollars in the x86 space. This move is why Microsoft has been so adamant about nipping open source in the bud.
Apple doesn't want the headache of supporting the thousands (maybe millions) of people who are dissatisfied with Windows on their current machines, so the hardware profile is probably going to be severely proscribed. Heck, Apple Support might become just as inaccessible as Microsoft's!
Apple's flops are usually indications of groundbreaking products to come. The company seems to get slapped into sobriety by a stinko product. The Lisa-to-Macintosh transition need not be belabored here. Personally, I think the Apple /// and LC II-III form-factors were combined with the Apple Portable to come up with the original PowerBook--which is still reflected in just about every notebook made now.
The effort that went into Copland and the floundering in the immediate aftermath of its demise are part of what made the company receptive to NeXt and the return of Steve Jobs.
eWorld was introduced when very few knew what the Internet was or how to use it. It now seems ahead of its time given what we have. AOL is a direct outgrowth of the late, lamented AppleLink (yeah, they managed to screw it up even worse, but at the time, AppleLink was the best email client going).
The G4 Cube was too pricey, even though it's a pretty sweet machine. The Mac Mini is now what the Cube should have been.
There used to be Macs you couldn't open without drawing blood. They followed that generation up with the G3 Blue & White--a dream to open and work on. It's been that way ever since, for the most part.
Now that the Newton is free of its Sculley-Stench, rumors seem to indicate that a tablet Mac running OS X/Inkwell is in the offing. It should be a big seller if it's priced correctly.
The lesson? Apple almost always learns from its mistakes.