Apple won't sell you a copy of Windows XP, so a Mac mini now costs $800 at minimum ($600 for base configuration plus $200 for a Windows XP Home full-install disc).
Apple won't support Windows XP even to the level Dell will, so any problems put you on web forums at the mercy of both Apple zealots laughing at you and Windows zealots* mocking your Apple purchase.
I get the idea that Boot Camp isn't actually for the casual user, unless the casual user has a very computer-knowledgeable friend to assist with any problems.
I played the iTMS pilot of "Conviction" on my DLP TV (1280x720) from my Powerbook, connecting the two using DVI. The video quality was very pixelated and noticeably worse than watching other similar shows (i.e. dramas, little action) from digital cable channels. I have watched "HDTV" torrents (usually something like 960x540) on the same TV and they look nearly as good as the original HD broadcasts. Obviously the torrents are both larger in size and technically illegal, but I have a DVR so I tend to tape shows and watch them later without commercials anyway.
By "can't be burned to DVD-R," I meant that there is no way to use a DVD-R disc to watch an iTMS video on an ordinary DVD player. Apple graciously allows that for music files and CD-Rs. Considering that an iTMS TV show season costs more in downloadable form than on DVD in many cases, that's a bit bothersome.
For $2, you get a poor-quality video file that can be played only on a limited number of computers with QuickTime/iTunes and only on an iPod (no other portable players).
I own a Mac and an iPod, but torrents completely trounce any paid content on quality and flexibility. At least the iTunes Music Store lets you burn your AACs to CD; by contrast, purchased video files can't be burned to DVD-R.
You can skip chapters, but each chapter includes advertising in the middle. There are also lots of product placements that, with the help of Google, will dynamically place products you want to buy into key scenes.
"Say, Denise, would you pick up that Lite-On 8X dual-layer DVD burner with Linux drivers? I say, I don't feel like myself without a nice Lite-On 8X dual-layer DVD burner with Linux drivers any more."
Games that look terrible are awesome and vice versa.
My friend used to think that Tekken was the best fighting game ever. I was sickened by the "lifelike" character designs. Give me Urban Champion any day of the week.
Firefox on the Mac is a UI monstrosity that can best be described as a "XUL interface dressed up to imitate Aqua."
Safari, meanwhile, has such poor JavaScript support that most "Web 2.0" applications have to specifically cater to it with reduced-functionality scripts. Safari is to JavaScript as Internet Explorer is to CSS.
Camino is nice in that it's a Cocoa app and it renders with Gecko, but it does not render exactly identically to Firefox and Camino supports none of the extensions that Firefox does out of the box.
In conclusion, every web browser (on the Mac) sucks.
The shuffle has an LED. Either you can send output to the user in Morse code, by blinking patterns of colors*, or by rigging up one of those cool systems where you wave the device around and it "draws" words in the air.
Or just set up festival and pipe all messages through text-to-speech, outputting them through the headphone jack. Be creative!:)
* This is how the Airport Express gives you feedback on its operating status. It's reminiscent of BIOS beep codes.
My guess is that you have to install some kind of adbar that tracks your Internet usage, and the adbar embeds an Internet Explorer control. That's how the first wave of free ISPs worked and that's also how AllAdvantage and related services served you ads for money.
You're not supposed to load Linux on your iPod Nano. The iPod Nano is for playing music and viewing photos only. Apple has clearly stated this right up front.
If you want to play Doom, then buy a Nintendo DS and the Doom cartridge. You should probably get a Game Boy Advance too so that you can play other games too (the GBA will play original Game Boy games, but the DS cannot). What the hell, get a PSP with the old firmware so you can load other games as well.
If you want to watch videos, then buy a portable DVD player. You can get them at Wal-Mart for less than $100. Burn your own DVDs, though... the MPAA doesn't need any extra money.
If you want to run Linux, buy a laptop. You can get a low-end Dell for $500, but buy it used so Microsoft doesn't get its tax from you.
Lastly, if you want to carry all this around, it's probably not going to fit in your pocket. So buy a Nissan Pathfinder and modify it to run on biodiesel. Then you're going to want to set up a small laboratory to refine your own biodiesel fuel. Trust me, this is going to save you a lot of money.
You need to use Windows to get Netzero's free access. I visited their site with Camino and Safari on Mac OS X and saw only paid access. I visited their site with Windows, clicked "Join Now" in the upper right corner, scrolled way to the bottom, and saw a "FREE!" link.
According to the fine print, the NetZero free service is limited to 10 hours per household per month. Telephone tech support costs $2 per minute.
I know people my age who are perfectly capable of paying for DSL who don't feel a 24/7 broadband connection is a vital expense. Dial-up providers still cater to people for whom $10 a month is an acceptable cost for Internet access. This service is going to be speed-limited and ad-supported -- how do you even know it's going to be "broadband" for free?
Tomorrow on Slashdot: some people claim not to own televisions, have landline phones, or read newspapers! How can we let this injustice stand?!
Don't libraries already offer free (filtered) Internet access to patrons with no equipment purchase necessary? I really have a hard time understanding the justification* for littering the city with wireless transmitters and claiming it will bridge any sort of gap, even if the city incurs no expense in doing so.
* Other than "A Vote For Mayor Newsom is a Vote For Free Wifi!" posters at the local coffeehouse
AOpen already makes a plosh mini PC for less than the Mac mini. Sure you don't get to be all brisp by saying "Yeh I got an Apple" but the system can be tailored any way you like. If you don't give a slurt about the Mac OS, at least get a PC you can soss yourself. (It even has a power button on the front! Twill!
I've never seen a bum sitting out on the street with his laptop asking, "Wi-Fi connection? Spare a kilobit? Sir? Sir?" to passersby. Unless Mayor Newsom is handing out $100 laptops to vagrants on the street, I don't know how this bridges the gap between tech haves and have-nots. Any word on plans to provide more than radio waves to the have-nots?
It wasn't possible to get an Xbox 360 for $399 or less at launch. Every retailer forced you to get a bundle including several games and accessories, which basically left Christmas shoppers with the prospect of spending at least $800 up front. With the demand at the 360 launch* and the PS3 coming in at a higher price, I'd expect bundles with sticker prices commonly in excess of $1,000.
* Blah blah artificial shortage blah blah spelling Microsoft with a dollar sign blah blah steve ballmer sucks blah blah blah
The user I remember doing that was Fascdot Killed My Pr, who signed up not long before I did (his UID is 5 digits, not 3). There's a blurb about the auction here, but Fascdot hasn't posted in years, so whoever bought the account (if anyone) never did anything with it.
Apple used the term "legally" to scare people out of installing Windows without Boot Camp. A lot of people on Slashdot believed that if what Apple does is "legal," anything not done by Apple might be illegal. Scaremongering is great.
Didn't Apple release a "PC card" (not a PCMCIA card, an expansion card) that could run Windows 95 and System 7 side-by-side about 10 years ago? I remember seeing it back then, but apparently Apple didn't consider running Windows a priority until it became a simple matter of driver support.
"The following is applicable to all plans EXCEPT... Laptop Screen Upgrade: The Plan... does not cover loss or damage resulting from external causes such as dropping the product, collision with an object, burglary, theft, vandalism, environmental conditions, fire, flooding, corrosion, sand, dirt, windstorm, hail, earthquake, or damage from exposure to weather conditions, misuse, abuse, neglect or accidental damage or damage resulting from improper use of any electrical power source."
The wording seems strange since the "Laptop Screen Upgrade" is defined as solely covering the screen, but if what you say is true I would strongly consider getting my next laptop through CompUSA instead. Thanks!
I haven't had occasion to use AppleCare in a while and I hope they get their act together. Maybe they'll start using decent parts. (My PowerBook 12" now has a 4200 RPM drive; my friend who bought the same model has a 5400 RPM drive of the same capacity. Guess they don't take kindly to people who decline unnecessary $700 repairs.)
I did just that after my nightmarish experience with Apple's customer service. I got a phone call questioning my whole story, then another phone call months later asking if I had bought AppleCare. (I did buy AppleCare at the time of purchase; the saleswoman seemed relieved that I had. Fat lot of good it did me.)
Slashdot Mirror
Apple won't sell you a copy of Windows XP, so a Mac mini now costs $800 at minimum ($600 for base configuration plus $200 for a Windows XP Home full-install disc).
Apple won't support Windows XP even to the level Dell will, so any problems put you on web forums at the mercy of both Apple zealots laughing at you and Windows zealots* mocking your Apple purchase.
I get the idea that Boot Camp isn't actually for the casual user, unless the casual user has a very computer-knowledgeable friend to assist with any problems.
* They exist
I played the iTMS pilot of "Conviction" on my DLP TV (1280x720) from my Powerbook, connecting the two using DVI. The video quality was very pixelated and noticeably worse than watching other similar shows (i.e. dramas, little action) from digital cable channels. I have watched "HDTV" torrents (usually something like 960x540) on the same TV and they look nearly as good as the original HD broadcasts. Obviously the torrents are both larger in size and technically illegal, but I have a DVR so I tend to tape shows and watch them later without commercials anyway.
By "can't be burned to DVD-R," I meant that there is no way to use a DVD-R disc to watch an iTMS video on an ordinary DVD player. Apple graciously allows that for music files and CD-Rs. Considering that an iTMS TV show season costs more in downloadable form than on DVD in many cases, that's a bit bothersome.
For $2, you get a poor-quality video file that can be played only on a limited number of computers with QuickTime/iTunes and only on an iPod (no other portable players).
I own a Mac and an iPod, but torrents completely trounce any paid content on quality and flexibility. At least the iTunes Music Store lets you burn your AACs to CD; by contrast, purchased video files can't be burned to DVD-R.
You can skip chapters, but each chapter includes advertising in the middle. There are also lots of product placements that, with the help of Google, will dynamically place products you want to buy into key scenes.
"Say, Denise, would you pick up that Lite-On 8X dual-layer DVD burner with Linux drivers? I say, I don't feel like myself without a nice Lite-On 8X dual-layer DVD burner with Linux drivers any more."
Games that look terrible are awesome and vice versa.
My friend used to think that Tekken was the best fighting game ever. I was sickened by the "lifelike" character designs. Give me Urban Champion any day of the week.
OpenDocument is XML, right? Just download the file, unzip, open an XML file in (available text editor), edit, save, re-zip, done!
Firefox on the Mac is a UI monstrosity that can best be described as a "XUL interface dressed up to imitate Aqua."
Safari, meanwhile, has such poor JavaScript support that most "Web 2.0" applications have to specifically cater to it with reduced-functionality scripts. Safari is to JavaScript as Internet Explorer is to CSS.
Camino is nice in that it's a Cocoa app and it renders with Gecko, but it does not render exactly identically to Firefox and Camino supports none of the extensions that Firefox does out of the box.
In conclusion, every web browser (on the Mac) sucks.
Google AdSense for domains
If Google does it, it obviously isn't an evil act.
They can use a modified version of Doom for Touch-Tone Phones*.
"Hello and welcome to Doom! There is a barrel in front of you. To shoot it, press PAUSE."
(pause)
"You have shot the barrel! The barrel explodes. You die! To respawn, press VOLUME UP."
* Does not exist yet
The shuffle has an LED. Either you can send output to the user in Morse code, by blinking patterns of colors*, or by rigging up one of those cool systems where you wave the device around and it "draws" words in the air.
:)
Or just set up festival and pipe all messages through text-to-speech, outputting them through the headphone jack. Be creative!
* This is how the Airport Express gives you feedback on its operating status. It's reminiscent of BIOS beep codes.
My guess is that you have to install some kind of adbar that tracks your Internet usage, and the adbar embeds an Internet Explorer control. That's how the first wave of free ISPs worked and that's also how AllAdvantage and related services served you ads for money.
You're not supposed to load Linux on your iPod Nano. The iPod Nano is for playing music and viewing photos only. Apple has clearly stated this right up front.
Thank you for following all the rules.
(that was a joke son)
You need to use Windows to get Netzero's free access. I visited their site with Camino and Safari on Mac OS X and saw only paid access. I visited their site with Windows, clicked "Join Now" in the upper right corner, scrolled way to the bottom, and saw a "FREE!" link.
According to the fine print, the NetZero free service is limited to 10 hours per household per month. Telephone tech support costs $2 per minute.
I know people my age who are perfectly capable of paying for DSL who don't feel a 24/7 broadband connection is a vital expense. Dial-up providers still cater to people for whom $10 a month is an acceptable cost for Internet access. This service is going to be speed-limited and ad-supported -- how do you even know it's going to be "broadband" for free?
Tomorrow on Slashdot: some people claim not to own televisions, have landline phones, or read newspapers! How can we let this injustice stand?!
Don't libraries already offer free (filtered) Internet access to patrons with no equipment purchase necessary? I really have a hard time understanding the justification* for littering the city with wireless transmitters and claiming it will bridge any sort of gap, even if the city incurs no expense in doing so.
* Other than "A Vote For Mayor Newsom is a Vote For Free Wifi!" posters at the local coffeehouse
AOpen already makes a plosh mini PC for less than the Mac mini. Sure you don't get to be all brisp by saying "Yeh I got an Apple" but the system can be tailored any way you like. If you don't give a slurt about the Mac OS, at least get a PC you can soss yourself. (It even has a power button on the front! Twill!
I've never seen a bum sitting out on the street with his laptop asking, "Wi-Fi connection? Spare a kilobit? Sir? Sir?" to passersby. Unless Mayor Newsom is handing out $100 laptops to vagrants on the street, I don't know how this bridges the gap between tech haves and have-nots. Any word on plans to provide more than radio waves to the have-nots?
Hello, this is bullshit speaking, who's this?
What? Your friends bought Xboxes 360? There are no games worth buying
Uh huh... uh huh... really... how many points?... wow that's pretty cool
Did you get the penny arcade pack?
That's sweet I thought the revolution would be--
Oh, it's not? And it's how much?
Oh that sucks. But I saw they would have this cool controller that you could swing around--
yeah, I guess swinging a controller around would get tiring after like 5 minutes
yeah, I remember the power glove too... that blew
OK, I gotta go, I got some xerox dude calling about some GUI bullshit. Damn Slashdot.
(click)
It wasn't possible to get an Xbox 360 for $399 or less at launch. Every retailer forced you to get a bundle including several games and accessories, which basically left Christmas shoppers with the prospect of spending at least $800 up front. With the demand at the 360 launch* and the PS3 coming in at a higher price, I'd expect bundles with sticker prices commonly in excess of $1,000.
* Blah blah artificial shortage blah blah spelling Microsoft with a dollar sign blah blah steve ballmer sucks blah blah blah
The user I remember doing that was Fascdot Killed My Pr, who signed up not long before I did (his UID is 5 digits, not 3). There's a blurb about the auction here, but Fascdot hasn't posted in years, so whoever bought the account (if anyone) never did anything with it.
Apple used the term "legally" to scare people out of installing Windows without Boot Camp. A lot of people on Slashdot believed that if what Apple does is "legal," anything not done by Apple might be illegal. Scaremongering is great.
Didn't Apple release a "PC card" (not a PCMCIA card, an expansion card) that could run Windows 95 and System 7 side-by-side about 10 years ago? I remember seeing it back then, but apparently Apple didn't consider running Windows a priority until it became a simple matter of driver support.
I looked at the Terms and Conditions and on page 12 (PDF page 14) it says:
... Laptop Screen Upgrade: The Plan ... does not cover loss or damage resulting from external causes such as dropping the product, collision with an object, burglary, theft, vandalism, environmental conditions, fire, flooding, corrosion, sand, dirt, windstorm, hail, earthquake, or damage from exposure to weather conditions, misuse, abuse, neglect or accidental damage or damage resulting from improper use of any electrical power source."
"The following is applicable to all plans EXCEPT
The wording seems strange since the "Laptop Screen Upgrade" is defined as solely covering the screen, but if what you say is true I would strongly consider getting my next laptop through CompUSA instead. Thanks!
I haven't had occasion to use AppleCare in a while and I hope they get their act together. Maybe they'll start using decent parts. (My PowerBook 12" now has a 4200 RPM drive; my friend who bought the same model has a 5400 RPM drive of the same capacity. Guess they don't take kindly to people who decline unnecessary $700 repairs.)
I did just that after my nightmarish experience with Apple's customer service. I got a phone call questioning my whole story, then another phone call months later asking if I had bought AppleCare. (I did buy AppleCare at the time of purchase; the saleswoman seemed relieved that I had. Fat lot of good it did me.)