Well this is because Apple and Microsoft have different views. Apple's view has always been "backward compatibility is nice, but not at the expense of 'innovation'", Microsoft's has always been "backward compatibility is essential, innovate around this".
What we're seeing is Microsoft taking a more "Apple" approach - this is all well and good, but is hard to swallow if you've always lived under the old way of working. Most of the world has lived under the old way of working.
I actually think you're missing the point - it isn't "the Apple faithful" who are making the fuss, it is traditional Microsoft shops, wrong footed by this 'sudden' change of policy.
Essentially Mac users expect this kind of thing - "change happens, keep up". Windows aren't used to the "sharp stick", and don't like it (or are in fact totally unprepared for it).
Apple will orphan the PowerPC Macs come Snow Leopard, Mac users will (largely) accept this, they know that the move to Intel made sense when Apple did it (you might argue that it would have before - but I do think the Intel Core changed everything) and eventually Apple were always going to drop support for PowerPC (Apple will continue to keep Mac OS X Leopard 'current' with bug fixes and patches - it's not like you'd need to stop using your PowerMac on the day Snow Leopard ships, but you won't get the "new toys").
The difference here is this isn't how Microsoft have behaved in the past.
I think the other problem here is how "not technical" this "problem" is. It's not like "it won't work", it is "we don't allow you to do that". People might talk about "Apple Tax", but this is a genuine cash grab.
The IE thing, well this is less so - I think killing IE6 is in order now, and Microsoft are probably right to get a little more aggressive about it.
For a lot of people Windows 7 looks like a nice version upgrade. I do think a lot of people will want to take the "Super Deluxe" version that includes an XP VM, make be this is just part of the "up sell".
I've only been testing Windows 7 Ultimate, I'm intrigued what you give up on lower SKUs... anyone?
Yeah, a lot of people have said this. But really, if the machine is built by one of the OEMs you'd expect it to be "setup" and all these things to be working.
I guess what I mean is if you pick parts that work (are "good enough") install it, configure it (and with Ubuntu as an example there isn't much to that for the normal "humdrum" web/email/wordprocessing) well then there shouldn't be that much to do.
Is Windows really that different? There are often a few "bumps in the road" and these can involve some pretty arcane things. Now I'd admit that often these aren't "CLI" based - but really using regedit isn't something my mom can do.
I've not had a chance to play with "JJ" yet (the images should be sat on my other system - so that's next).
I'd just close with a thought (or two) the Mac is Unix, the iPhone is Unix - so it is possible. The T-Mobile G1 is Linux, do you need to access the CLI to set that up? Isn't that the ultimate example of a "good enough" computer?
Currently the OEMs are doing a dreadful job, I had an HP Netbook with SLED 10 on it - and yeah based on that experience (it simply didn't work properly as they'd installed a subset of the distro - but the distro itself didn't know the, so pain and agony awaited the first update) I'd say that Linux isn't ready. But I have a machine here (which probably wouldn't fit in the "good enough" camp as it's a quad core...) and I've set that up - it doesn't have any issues I don't NEED to use the CLI (well I wouldn't if I wasn't doing things with it that a "normal user" wouldn't do). So it is possible, it is doable - and with the rise of dissatisfaction with the constant upgrade cycle, OEMs need to do something - I just don't think Windows 7 Starter Edition is the solution.
Oh. [sigh] And I was hoping AC would tell me where I could get the TRON fanzines too. Probably just as well as I can't find his email address anyway...
Sure, but most people can be an iteration (or two) behind. Very few people need (or could even benefit from) the latest hardware hotness, Will you need to upgrade? Sure. Do you need the fastest machine you can get your grubby mitts on? Probably not.
Have you actually seen Linux? Honestly - you CAN learn the CLI (and a powerful skill it is) but you really don't NEED to (no more than you need to use the CLI in Windows).
Take a look at Ubuntu (which is one of the easiest Linux's out there). It's simple to install. Adding applications is easy. Updating is easy. Seriously, what's not to like (apart from the brown colour scheme)?
You can get plenty of paid support, from proper firms (Oracle, Novell, IBM - to name a few). I'm not sure where the engineers live, but they've got jobs (even if they don't have windows).
AAC isn't bad - for music you're going to listen to "on the hoof" (ie with lots of external noise). I guess you're also going to use "ear buds" or lightweight headphones, so really is the compression going to be significant after that?
So for a portable music player, AAC isn't a terrible choice. The Shuffle is at least cheap, and for a lot of users the ability to navigate the music without looking will be useful (either because they can't read a little display or are engaged in an activity where they don't want to look at a little display).
Is the Shuffle some engineering marvel? Nope, but it's cheap - and the unusual navigation method might actually turn out to be useful for some users (it's also crappy if you're sat with the thing in your hand).
If quality is important to you - well get lossless audio sampled at a high enough rate (for you) then downgrade them for use with a portable device, use the original format when you're listening to them somewhere that warrants the extra fidelity. Actually iPods can play more than AAC anyway (it's the format Apple use for the music they sell).
The future - we have no idea what new formats will be available. And nobody said EVERYTHING could play AAC, but my point was it's playable by more than just iPod.
Well iTunes isn't just a client application - it's part WebObjects, part native Application. What Apple have created shouldn't be underestimated, this isn't easy to do.
Also there are a lot of people (me included) who don't see the Internet as "just the browser" there is room for alternate access. Email is of course a classic example, but what about IMs? A "browser-centric" future isn't that attractive. I'm not sure I want my computer to turn into a "dumb terminal" (well actually I am sure; I don't).
What about Songbird - looks pretty good? Then you can use an iPod with Linux, probably that a "better" solution than iTunes for Linux (which I'm sure wouldn't be acceptable for a large number of Linux users anyway - being "closed source").
Honestly, is it only me that thinks: "meh" - I mean I put up with a lot worse to get the damn GPU to run under Linux (binary drivers). I'm not sure a music player is worth getting your panties in a bunch over (perhaps I'd feel differently if I were a pro musician, or even an amateur musician)!
AAC? My new Nintendo plays that! You don't need iTunes (as others have commented on) but for me at least it's a nice "one stop shop" for media files. As for "hardware lock-in" well there are plenty of after market widgets for iPod; I don't need to get my charger from Apple, I can buy speakers from almost anyone, most iPods work with any headphones (even the new Shuffle if you have a widget to replicate the control buttons).
I see no more "lock-in" than any other popular make of "MP3 Player".
Now the studios are letting Apple remove their DRM I can even convert iTunes bought Music to another format.
On the subject of the "Shuffle" it's not like I'm going to be trapped by my purchase - if I decide I want to use something else in the future I can just convert the music and bin the player (it's cheap enough).
No Windows has it's detractors for more reasons than it's popular (well used a lot).
Comic Sans has a huge problem, it's the favourite font to the ignorant masses. There are situations where Comic Sans is entirely fitting, if Comic Sans was mostly used like this - well the occasional use of Comic Sans where it isn't a reasonable choice would be overlooked. The trouble is, for every use where it works there are dozens where it doesn't.
Comic Sans is a copy of the hand written copy found in comic books - so for this (and where "drawn characters speak") it is a great font. It also (especially in all lower case) resembles a child's script - so it's "OK" when trying to evoke a sense of "childishness". I say "OK" because Comic Sans is much neater than a child's penmanship - but given you often want it to be readable, the compromise is within "poetic licence".
However, most other uses are totally out of keeping - and it is these all to frequent transgressions that make people who notice typefaces take a dislike of Comic Sans.
I guess you could say: "Don't hate the player dood, hate the game".
What about the role of software in all this? When did you last buy a PC (I mean a computer running Windows) and get any useful software with it? You get a whole lot of useless trialware, that will reappear when you reinstall Windows from the image they put on the system.
Macs come with (I'm not joking with this stuff) X11, a diskcopier (It's called Disk Utility), professional developer tools (the exact same tool chain used by Apple and professional developers, not some half-baked "lite" version), as well as all the more well known stuff like iPhoto, iMovie et al. Macs also come with PIM software, a "couch" interface (Front Row), backup software, PDF writer...
I guess none of this is worth anything? You just want Notepad and Solitaire.
What's the fixation with the tower again? What exactly are you putting in there? (Don't say RAM, please don't say RAM - you can add RAM to iMacs 8Gb of it)
Now who makes these wonderful PCs you guys keep banging on about? (The cheap ones, that are brilliantly put together and not built down to a price in a way only an accountant could possibly love.) 'Cos I don't know these machines, I really don't. When I wanted a system like that, I ended up building the thing - not because I wanted to (heaven knows I didn't WANT TO) but because the "big brands" either make systems that cost a fortune or the same people make something so dreadfully nasty I didn't want it at any price (and I'll admit they were cheap. Now honestly, that's not a great use of my time - but I at least have a system that didn't cost a fortune and it isn't totally horrible. Clearly I've not ruined it with Windows.
So yes, I have a Mac - and my "other computer" is a self build. Do I think the Mac is "overpriced"? No, clearly Apple have made a more solid system than many of the OEMs do, and that's reflected in the cost. But the point is, it IS reflected: Macs are wonderfully put together. At work we have a Mac Pro, that thing is fantastically well put together - no PC OEM makes a system this well at ANY price. If a Mac Pro more expensive than a Dell Inspiron? Yeah, a heck of a lot. But these things are as different as they can be. Compare it to a Dell Precision, with similar specs, the Dell is at least as much, usually quite a bit more.
We end up at the point where Apple don't make a system at every price point - but we knew that. We don't end up at: Apple Macs cost more than PCs. Sure, there are a few gaps, where you can't get a Mac EXACTLY to the spec we might want, so if we want a Mac we have to compromise. Either live without something we wanted - say a separate tower (that we wanted for some inexplicable reason) or spend more to get a system that exceeds your minimum requirements. What I think really galls Windows buyers is people DO. People actually care about build of the system and/or the OS (and hence applications) enough to not plonk down on some Dell or HP.
If for you a "cheap" PC with Vista (or XP if you can still get that on the PC you've selected) is what you want - great, I'm happy for you.
But pardon me for giving a damn about the computer I use and the OS I run.
How the heck could you tell? (I know the Mac users were impeccably dressed, witty and charming, but the Linux users look just like Windows users...)
OK, I'm going to go change now - I'm going to check if my other computer has finished downloading MySQL. (I would run OpenSolaris if I knew what to wear)
Well if this is censorship (and that's debatable) then it's "opt-in". Personally I have no problem with that, as long as you know and have opted FOR it, then that seems fine.
The biggest problem with censorship is it distorts your ability to know the truth - if you say: "Don't show me this or that" you still have the ability to know the truth, you're just choosing what you see and what you don't. But we do this everyday, we read one newspaper over another, we listen to particular commentators over others - we all self-censor.
If the data and the program are the same thing - the whole shooting match is toast anyway. The OS has persisted an object that's hosed (stuck in a loop perhaps).
ZFS seems like a good model for HOW the disk part could work. But if my object hangs, persisting this state exactly is really very helpful.
If I'm going to trash your address space I need to refer to it. It seems this isn't possible (you never deal with addresses in that way) you can't even say:
address-of someObject + integer
If I can't refer to memory outside my application then I really can't trash the address space - normal memory protection isn't needed.
I still don't see how the hell I even begin to "send" the document! It's a running program, how do I send it?!
I guess I could clone it, and discard the snapshots (no "undo" for that - probably best done as an "atomic" operation).
The cat problem is interesting. Apple's "time machine" springs to mind, but yeah, not easy.
I got another example, you're using an editor, you go to look something up which requires you to log in (remote machine perhaps) and you accidentally move the focus back to the word processor and you end up typing your user name and password into the document... OUCH!
I think they are probably going to treat the drive space like a "pool" (like ZFS does).
Usually a modern OS running out of disk space isn't pretty - I imagine it'd be like that;-)
I think they expect you to forget your "JPG" you have a "digital picture" and you "just edit it" (send it an "edit" message) you can't "open it in Photoshop" the data and the application are the same thing. In "OO" terms the "Photo of my dog" is an "instance of the digital picture class" - it is BOTH the data and the application (clearly the code for the application is in the class definition of "digital picture" not in the "Photo of my dog".
Technically this seems OK. How the hell I email you the "Photo of my dog" I have no idea - maybe it implements "serialise and send as JPG" but that seems to carry problems in an OS where everything is an object.
It sounds really interesting, but not at all easy to make it work in existing infrastructure (like the Internet).
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Er why does that matter?! I mean, what good is a computer without an OS?
If you're locked into Microsoft, you might as well be locked into Apple.
I think I just made an argument for Linux...
Probably more important not to get locked into some application or other - as long as you can move your data then you're "golden".
Well this is because Apple and Microsoft have different views. Apple's view has always been "backward compatibility is nice, but not at the expense of 'innovation'", Microsoft's has always been "backward compatibility is essential, innovate around this".
What we're seeing is Microsoft taking a more "Apple" approach - this is all well and good, but is hard to swallow if you've always lived under the old way of working. Most of the world has lived under the old way of working.
I actually think you're missing the point - it isn't "the Apple faithful" who are making the fuss, it is traditional Microsoft shops, wrong footed by this 'sudden' change of policy.
Essentially Mac users expect this kind of thing - "change happens, keep up". Windows aren't used to the "sharp stick", and don't like it (or are in fact totally unprepared for it).
Apple will orphan the PowerPC Macs come Snow Leopard, Mac users will (largely) accept this, they know that the move to Intel made sense when Apple did it (you might argue that it would have before - but I do think the Intel Core changed everything) and eventually Apple were always going to drop support for PowerPC (Apple will continue to keep Mac OS X Leopard 'current' with bug fixes and patches - it's not like you'd need to stop using your PowerMac on the day Snow Leopard ships, but you won't get the "new toys").
The difference here is this isn't how Microsoft have behaved in the past.
I think the other problem here is how "not technical" this "problem" is. It's not like "it won't work", it is "we don't allow you to do that". People might talk about "Apple Tax", but this is a genuine cash grab.
The IE thing, well this is less so - I think killing IE6 is in order now, and Microsoft are probably right to get a little more aggressive about it.
For a lot of people Windows 7 looks like a nice version upgrade. I do think a lot of people will want to take the "Super Deluxe" version that includes an XP VM, make be this is just part of the "up sell".
I've only been testing Windows 7 Ultimate, I'm intrigued what you give up on lower SKUs... anyone?
Yeah, a lot of people have said this. But really, if the machine is built by one of the OEMs you'd expect it to be "setup" and all these things to be working.
I guess what I mean is if you pick parts that work (are "good enough") install it, configure it (and with Ubuntu as an example there isn't much to that for the normal "humdrum" web/email/wordprocessing) well then there shouldn't be that much to do.
Is Windows really that different? There are often a few "bumps in the road" and these can involve some pretty arcane things. Now I'd admit that often these aren't "CLI" based - but really using regedit isn't something my mom can do.
I've not had a chance to play with "JJ" yet (the images should be sat on my other system - so that's next).
I'd just close with a thought (or two) the Mac is Unix, the iPhone is Unix - so it is possible. The T-Mobile G1 is Linux, do you need to access the CLI to set that up? Isn't that the ultimate example of a "good enough" computer?
Currently the OEMs are doing a dreadful job, I had an HP Netbook with SLED 10 on it - and yeah based on that experience (it simply didn't work properly as they'd installed a subset of the distro - but the distro itself didn't know the, so pain and agony awaited the first update) I'd say that Linux isn't ready. But I have a machine here (which probably wouldn't fit in the "good enough" camp as it's a quad core...) and I've set that up - it doesn't have any issues I don't NEED to use the CLI (well I wouldn't if I wasn't doing things with it that a "normal user" wouldn't do). So it is possible, it is doable - and with the rise of dissatisfaction with the constant upgrade cycle, OEMs need to do something - I just don't think Windows 7 Starter Edition is the solution.
I know - I'm an insensitive (earthy) clod.
Oh. [sigh] And I was hoping AC would tell me where I could get the TRON fanzines too. Probably just as well as I can't find his email address anyway...
Sure, but most people can be an iteration (or two) behind. Very few people need (or could even benefit from) the latest hardware hotness, Will you need to upgrade? Sure. Do you need the fastest machine you can get your grubby mitts on? Probably not.
Have you actually seen Linux? Honestly - you CAN learn the CLI (and a powerful skill it is) but you really don't NEED to (no more than you need to use the CLI in Windows).
Take a look at Ubuntu (which is one of the easiest Linux's out there). It's simple to install. Adding applications is easy. Updating is easy. Seriously, what's not to like (apart from the brown colour scheme)?
You can get plenty of paid support, from proper firms (Oracle, Novell, IBM - to name a few). I'm not sure where the engineers live, but they've got jobs (even if they don't have windows).
AAC isn't bad - for music you're going to listen to "on the hoof" (ie with lots of external noise). I guess you're also going to use "ear buds" or lightweight headphones, so really is the compression going to be significant after that?
So for a portable music player, AAC isn't a terrible choice. The Shuffle is at least cheap, and for a lot of users the ability to navigate the music without looking will be useful (either because they can't read a little display or are engaged in an activity where they don't want to look at a little display).
Is the Shuffle some engineering marvel? Nope, but it's cheap - and the unusual navigation method might actually turn out to be useful for some users (it's also crappy if you're sat with the thing in your hand).
If quality is important to you - well get lossless audio sampled at a high enough rate (for you) then downgrade them for use with a portable device, use the original format when you're listening to them somewhere that warrants the extra fidelity. Actually iPods can play more than AAC anyway (it's the format Apple use for the music they sell).
The future - we have no idea what new formats will be available. And nobody said EVERYTHING could play AAC, but my point was it's playable by more than just iPod.
Well iTunes isn't just a client application - it's part WebObjects, part native Application. What Apple have created shouldn't be underestimated, this isn't easy to do.
Also there are a lot of people (me included) who don't see the Internet as "just the browser" there is room for alternate access. Email is of course a classic example, but what about IMs? A "browser-centric" future isn't that attractive. I'm not sure I want my computer to turn into a "dumb terminal" (well actually I am sure; I don't).
What about Songbird - looks pretty good? Then you can use an iPod with Linux, probably that a "better" solution than iTunes for Linux (which I'm sure wouldn't be acceptable for a large number of Linux users anyway - being "closed source").
Honestly, is it only me that thinks: "meh" - I mean I put up with a lot worse to get the damn GPU to run under Linux (binary drivers). I'm not sure a music player is worth getting your panties in a bunch over (perhaps I'd feel differently if I were a pro musician, or even an amateur musician)!
AAC? My new Nintendo plays that! You don't need iTunes (as others have commented on) but for me at least it's a nice "one stop shop" for media files. As for "hardware lock-in" well there are plenty of after market widgets for iPod; I don't need to get my charger from Apple, I can buy speakers from almost anyone, most iPods work with any headphones (even the new Shuffle if you have a widget to replicate the control buttons).
I see no more "lock-in" than any other popular make of "MP3 Player".
Now the studios are letting Apple remove their DRM I can even convert iTunes bought Music to another format.
On the subject of the "Shuffle" it's not like I'm going to be trapped by my purchase - if I decide I want to use something else in the future I can just convert the music and bin the player (it's cheap enough).
No Windows has it's detractors for more reasons than it's popular (well used a lot).
Comic Sans has a huge problem, it's the favourite font to the ignorant masses. There are situations where Comic Sans is entirely fitting, if Comic Sans was mostly used like this - well the occasional use of Comic Sans where it isn't a reasonable choice would be overlooked. The trouble is, for every use where it works there are dozens where it doesn't.
Comic Sans is a copy of the hand written copy found in comic books - so for this (and where "drawn characters speak") it is a great font. It also (especially in all lower case) resembles a child's script - so it's "OK" when trying to evoke a sense of "childishness". I say "OK" because Comic Sans is much neater than a child's penmanship - but given you often want it to be readable, the compromise is within "poetic licence".
However, most other uses are totally out of keeping - and it is these all to frequent transgressions that make people who notice typefaces take a dislike of Comic Sans.
I guess you could say: "Don't hate the player dood, hate the game".
What about the role of software in all this? When did you last buy a PC (I mean a computer running Windows) and get any useful software with it? You get a whole lot of useless trialware, that will reappear when you reinstall Windows from the image they put on the system.
Macs come with (I'm not joking with this stuff) X11, a diskcopier (It's called Disk Utility), professional developer tools (the exact same tool chain used by Apple and professional developers, not some half-baked "lite" version), as well as all the more well known stuff like iPhoto, iMovie et al. Macs also come with PIM software, a "couch" interface (Front Row), backup software, PDF writer ...
I guess none of this is worth anything? You just want Notepad and Solitaire.
What's the fixation with the tower again? What exactly are you putting in there? (Don't say RAM, please don't say RAM - you can add RAM to iMacs 8Gb of it)
Now who makes these wonderful PCs you guys keep banging on about? (The cheap ones, that are brilliantly put together and not built down to a price in a way only an accountant could possibly love.) 'Cos I don't know these machines, I really don't. When I wanted a system like that, I ended up building the thing - not because I wanted to (heaven knows I didn't WANT TO) but because the "big brands" either make systems that cost a fortune or the same people make something so dreadfully nasty I didn't want it at any price (and I'll admit they were cheap. Now honestly, that's not a great use of my time - but I at least have a system that didn't cost a fortune and it isn't totally horrible. Clearly I've not ruined it with Windows.
So yes, I have a Mac - and my "other computer" is a self build. Do I think the Mac is "overpriced"? No, clearly Apple have made a more solid system than many of the OEMs do, and that's reflected in the cost. But the point is, it IS reflected: Macs are wonderfully put together. At work we have a Mac Pro, that thing is fantastically well put together - no PC OEM makes a system this well at ANY price. If a Mac Pro more expensive than a Dell Inspiron? Yeah, a heck of a lot. But these things are as different as they can be. Compare it to a Dell Precision, with similar specs, the Dell is at least as much, usually quite a bit more.
We end up at the point where Apple don't make a system at every price point - but we knew that. We don't end up at: Apple Macs cost more than PCs. Sure, there are a few gaps, where you can't get a Mac EXACTLY to the spec we might want, so if we want a Mac we have to compromise. Either live without something we wanted - say a separate tower (that we wanted for some inexplicable reason) or spend more to get a system that exceeds your minimum requirements. What I think really galls Windows buyers is people DO. People actually care about build of the system and/or the OS (and hence applications) enough to not plonk down on some Dell or HP.
If for you a "cheap" PC with Vista (or XP if you can still get that on the PC you've selected) is what you want - great, I'm happy for you.
But pardon me for giving a damn about the computer I use and the OS I run.
We're considering TCO here, right? Ah, no didn't think so...
How the heck could you tell? (I know the Mac users were impeccably dressed, witty and charming, but the Linux users look just like Windows users...)
OK, I'm going to go change now - I'm going to check if my other computer has finished downloading MySQL. (I would run OpenSolaris if I knew what to wear)
Isn't it? Bugger, that makes system I just built really unfashionable.
Mind you, I used a Cosmos S case for it, so I guess as long as 2009 is the year of Linux UNDER the desktop I'll be OK ;-)
All depends what you think Unix is. Mac OS X is certified "Unix", but it's a very different thing from a technical stand point.
I'd guess as the original post asked "a flavor of Linux or Unix?" then Mac OS X is Unix in that context.
I'd also add that Most Mac users don't even know there is anything much under the GUI. I'd also suggest that's high praise indeed.
Well if this is censorship (and that's debatable) then it's "opt-in". Personally I have no problem with that, as long as you know and have opted FOR it, then that seems fine.
The biggest problem with censorship is it distorts your ability to know the truth - if you say: "Don't show me this or that" you still have the ability to know the truth, you're just choosing what you see and what you don't. But we do this everyday, we read one newspaper over another, we listen to particular commentators over others - we all self-censor.
You moron. You might think you're being "funny" or "clever", but you've just managed "offensive" and "ignorant".
You're also "offtopic". It's 2009 try and keep up.
I was going to post this anonymously, but actually I want to stand up and be counted, to hell with my karma.
If the data and the program are the same thing - the whole shooting match is toast anyway. The OS has persisted an object that's hosed (stuck in a loop perhaps).
ZFS seems like a good model for HOW the disk part could work. But if my object hangs, persisting this state exactly is really very helpful.
I also want to know how you "upgrade" anything.
If I'm going to trash your address space I need to refer to it. It seems this isn't possible (you never deal with addresses in that way) you can't even say:
address-of someObject + integer
If I can't refer to memory outside my application then I really can't trash the address space - normal memory protection isn't needed.
I still don't see how the hell I even begin to "send" the document! It's a running program, how do I send it?!
I guess I could clone it, and discard the snapshots (no "undo" for that - probably best done as an "atomic" operation).
The cat problem is interesting. Apple's "time machine" springs to mind, but yeah, not easy.
I got another example, you're using an editor, you go to look something up which requires you to log in (remote machine perhaps) and you accidentally move the focus back to the word processor and you end up typing your user name and password into the document... OUCH!
Still, interesting.
Did someone say "new Amiga"?!
Oh you were only illustrating a point (I got all excited there for a moment...)
I think they are probably going to treat the drive space like a "pool" (like ZFS does).
Usually a modern OS running out of disk space isn't pretty - I imagine it'd be like that ;-)
I think they expect you to forget your "JPG" you have a "digital picture" and you "just edit it" (send it an "edit" message) you can't "open it in Photoshop" the data and the application are the same thing. In "OO" terms the "Photo of my dog" is an "instance of the digital picture class" - it is BOTH the data and the application (clearly the code for the application is in the class definition of "digital picture" not in the "Photo of my dog".
Technically this seems OK. How the hell I email you the "Photo of my dog" I have no idea - maybe it implements "serialise and send as JPG" but that seems to carry problems in an OS where everything is an object.
It sounds really interesting, but not at all easy to make it work in existing infrastructure (like the Internet).