It should be said that if there was any choice, the webcast should have also been available in Streaming QuickTime. At least with QT, if you could get the URL of the actual stream, you could open it in the QT Client and watch it full screen, half, quarter, whatever. Heck you can even do a File>Present Movie, and watch the stream total-full screen (just like in a presentation) so it can be output to video or TV). From what i can tell with RealPlayer G2, you can only watch it in tiny-mode or somewhat-small mode. With Windows Media Player,...well if that ever could actually be stable on my Mac I might be able to test it. Oh well.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
With the G4 box (450 or higher Sawtooth version), you will be able to stream MP3 and run a Quicktime Streaming Server. At least the QTSS software implementation is absolutely free and supports at least 2000 connections (AFAIK). In addition, the system already has 10/100Base-T Ethernet already and plenty of bandwidth power out of the box. Enough to serve an entire university population? Maybe. Just make sure to load it with RAM (I believe its limit is 1.5 GB). The Mac has a nice feature of being able to turn itself on, run assigned tasks and turn itself off at scheduled times.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I think it's a little narrow-minded to always stereotype Apple's customers as non-technical people with no knowledge of hardware. There is quite a percentage of Apple users that know their hardware/software and also understand the difference between SCSI and IDE. At my workplace we have the original rev.A beige G3/233 PowerMacs. They are externally connected to scanners, Syquest drives, external HDs, a CD-R, Jaz, and Zip drives. Internally there is an IDE connector. We put in a ProMax IDE card to access a 16 GB Ultra-ATA drive, and frankly it outperforms any of the SCSI devices by a factor of two. Now when people start prodding at Apple with some argument about multitasking and all that crap, I have to say that it's all trivial. The hardware never gets in the way and I have never encountered a situation where my productivity was compromised by some so-called lack of multitasking. For example, I have Photoshop rendering AppleScripted images while I write this. The nuances between the SCSI and IDE standard become less evident because Apple's implementation of these standards makes it very simple to interface. You can just as easily use an IDE drive as a SCSI drive. Plug it in and use it. If it's not formatted then the damn thing just pops a dialog asking if you want to format it. It's not rocket science. If you really need some kind of flexibility (partitioning, differing HFS or file formats,etc.) then just launch Drive Setup and do what you wish. I'd rather see the end of SCSI and move into an era of FireWire (no SCSI ID numbers, no cable length restrictions, hot-plugging enabled...)
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Easy Password Recall? That concept should never have been thought up by these type of companies.. that's why most real computers ship with some sort of highlight-your-newly-created-password and "copy/paste" type of function. Get into your account with the freaky tongue-twister password then change it later to whatever you want.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I'll find out what it is later but the first thing that struck me about this is the pronounciation, which is very similar to the obscenity often used in the old "BattleStar Galactica" TV series. In some episodes, this phrase may be uttered by Starbuck or Apollo in addition to "Phelgercarb"...
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I've never known a single Mac in my lifetime that had its sound "die" or any other component on the motherboard go bad. In fact, that's the strength of Apple hardware. It goes through a ton of QA testing before it ships, and that is added into the price. Sure I could go to Kwan's PC chop shop and throw together a Wintel machine for less but how well do the components work together? Are they quality-made parts that are guaranteed to last as long as the machine itself? It's great that people like to buy the best-selling Ford Escort because they can afford it and find cheap parts to fix it when it goes bonkers but hey.. if I can afford a BMW that is classier, looks better, runs just as fast, and is more reliable.. I'll pay the extra dollar. The only thing I would replace on my four year old Mac is the aging keyboard (since I bought the system with a no-name keyboard instead of the Apple one). It's lasted this long with no internal failures plus I've bumped it up to 280 MB of RAM plus I've swapped out the 120MHz PowerPC 604 with an overclocked PowerPC G3 running at 305MHz. It came with MacOS 7.5.5 and now it's running MacOS 8.6. It's tricked out and everything works fine. In fact, it's so well built and integrated, I've got it hooked up to a stereo system, a 1-Gig external drive, a CD-R, a Zip, SyquestEZ-Flyer230, a VCR, a Scanner, a 10Base-T hub w/cable modem, and a second monitor for dual displays. This is the venerable 7600 model, introduced in 1995. It was well worth the cost.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Seat belts or harnesses!! How many generations of Starfleet ships have existed only to kill half their bridge crew upon impact with some weapon (everyone goes flying around with exploding panels). Klingons have had half a mind to put shoulder harnesses for gunners. Even the Defiant has everyone sitting or standing unrestrained.
The Universal Translator shouldn't be the instant language solution. I can't believe that thing could decipher any alien language just for the sake of having all actors speak English. Foreign tongues and subtitles do come in handy sometimes. Oh, and why do the more intellectual aliens get universally translated with British accents??
Use less bipedal humanoid aliens. It's getting silly seeing the same actors wearing rubber suits and multi orifice masks. They need more aliens that look, well "alien!" More 8479-type aliens. Things with more/less than two legs or arms, different locomotion (levitation, crawling, rolling, etc)
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
If you guys watched "Enemy of the State" (1999) with Will smith and Gene Hackman, you'd be pretty nervous about this bill. The film brings into question the exact same issue and its repercussions in law enforcement and personal privacy. IMO it would be the end of the world when law enforcement or NSA would have the same kind of power it had in the movie where they could tap into commercial surveillance cameras or control cams from anywhere in the city. How would we be able to privately change our clothes or such in private without being broadcast on someone's screen?
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Can't multitask worth a damn? Read my last post and look at last paragraph. Did I also mention three other Macs were read/writing off my hard drives over the network? Not to mention two PCs looking at web pages on one drive? Oh maybe when I format a floppy it gets stuck doing just that -- well, hell who uses floppies anyway. I want to rip that old floppy out and stick a Zip drive in it.
Crash? Yeah, okay when I can find a consumer OS that doesn't crash.. fine.. Linux of course never is known to crash but that's because every single user is trying to code a way to keep it from crashing while other OS users are busy doing other things with their computer.
Mac OS 8.6 is a pile of shit? Ha.. well thanks for providing explicit, hard facts. I'll be waiting patiently for your enumerated myths of shit. In doing so I will counter them with facts. I will only concede that Dynamic Memory Allocation is needed, which may be addressed in the Sonata release.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Ahh just as I thought.. a guy who really isn't interested in doing anything more than fiddling with his GUI. Okay well since doing WORK isn't your kind of thing than well let's list some realities to you: Mac interface customization: Kaleidoscope. Shareware.. thousands of custom interfaces. BASH and Xemacs : I don't know what the hell you would need these for since you can find text editors for the Mac like gum on sidewalks. BBEdit is a frontrunner off the top of my head. The fact is, if I needed a text editor, I'm better off scribbling on Notepad or Stickies. Games? Over 7 of the top 10 games listed by PCData research are available or are being ported to the Mac. Compilers and all that sh*t? Go to the store and buy it. Don't just sit at home and assume all your life. Faster hard drive? Take out the old Mac drive and put a new one in. Dang, are you that blunted? Hell, it's easier to format/partition a Mac drive anyway. Run Scripts and schedule tasks: AppleScript, nuff said. The Mac can even turn itself on/off and run jobs without additional hardware
Like I said, I'm usually addressing people who haven't really used a Mac (one that that was built in the last three years). Oh yeah, I'm writing this in Netscape on a beige G3/233 Mac while working on an 89 MB Photoshop 5.5 file on multiple screens while serving out Internet access using the shareware IPNetrouter (mixed Mac/PC clients) and sending out web pages via the Web Sharing control panel. Plus this stock config is connected to the Novell network via stock AppleTalk and has a CD-RW, scanner, Zip, Jaz, two external HDs, and a Syquest44 plugged in. No sweat. No effort. No jiggling configs. Just turn it on and work. That's what my boss pays me to do. Not f*ck around with my "window managers." They work just fine.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Quality software? 0% on a Mac? BullSH*T..what are you Be peeps smoking? I don't think anyone has made a Photoshop 5.5 / ImageReady 2.0 bundle for Be.. does Starcraft run natively on Be? Oh damn! Does Be have Poser 4, Flash 4, Adobe GoLive 4, Connectix Virtual Gamestation? I think not! Get your head out of your ass before you post highly explosive flamebait.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I don't know what everyone is trippin' about, talking like the Mac doesn't have a "powerful" GUI. What the hell are you guys trying to do that you "think" can't be done on a Mac? I'd be glad to point out any falsehoods since most anti-Mac people try to compare a 1999 PIII w/ Win98 to a 1986 68k Mac running system 7.5. *roll eyes* In fact, I can't think of a single complicated task that the Mac CAN'T do. If you're talking about GUI customization then download Kaleidoscope and pick from the thousands of total conversions.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
DAMN! You have enough problems with DOS / x86 / hardware / etc etc to justify making a solid Mac purchase. So quit fiddling with wires, IRQs, mismatching DLLs and drivers, OS patches (that M$ forgets to announce) and make your move to Macintosh! At least with a Mac you can plug things into it and get to work immediately, like me. I'm usually a productive person and have no need for useless fussing around with things that work fine. Frustration over your current machine seems to be breeding contempt for technology that just works (Mac) =).. have a good day.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Did I forget to mention that Apple lists the PowerBook G3 to max out at 384 MB RAM? Theoretically that means you can max it out yourself to about 512 MB RAM unless I'm mistaken. I'm not sure if there are low-profile 256 MB SO-DIMMs.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Are you kidding? Those laptops are here! The Apple Powerbook G3/400 has a full-power (read as "same as desktop," unlike the castrated Mobile PIIs and AMDs) 400MHz G3 CPU with 1MB backside L2 cache running at up to 200MHz. The 14.1" Active Matrix TFT screen is driven by an 8MB ATI LT Rage Pro chipset which can drive an additional monitor for dual virtual displays. It includes a DVD drive, SCSI-2 jack, 10/100Base-T Ethernet, SVGA / S-Video Out, stereo speakers, a PCMCIA slot, 10GB HD, and two USB ports. Apple's Lithium Ion batteries carry a potential charge of up to five hours since the G3 only eats about five watts. Manufacturers of Wintel laptops probably can't take advantage of new battery technology because it's reached a point where they can't make faster systems without bolting on portable fire extinguishers or industrial strength fans. Poor Wintel.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
This new battery technology is currently in development for Apple's PowerBooks too. Currently it can be easily plugged into the PB's AC adapter jack. Future revisions will be solid full size batteries that go into the hot-swappable bays. Since the G3 draws so little electricity (five watts as opposed to the power-gluttonous Pentiums), battery time will be enormous on an Apple laptop.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I find it hard to believe that anyone fails to see that when M$ sticks their dirty hands into any business, it'll end up hurting the consumer community in the long run. Day by day, this world is starting to look more like the one represented in Apple's famous "1984" commercial. As M$ takes over every conceivable electronic, consumer, television, and information media business, it will resemble the "Big Brother" voice from the commercial, speaking its rules to the massive crowds of gray (beige) users (who are in some kind of slave-like trance). Someone or a number of companies need to come to the rescue (like the Apple woman who invades the commercial and saves the day) before M$ rules everything, including your right to choose.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Oh yeah, forgot about that one. Any good monitor with any decent card (like an ATI Rage Orion 128 or 3Dfx Voodoo3 2000) can be installed in a Mac, flip the switch and it instantly works. You'll suddenly notice extra options in the Monitors and Sound control panel for: (1) Pick primary display, (2) which monitor gets to have the menu bar, (3) screen arrangement or position.. plus you can have each monitor have different resolutions and bit-depth -- all changeable ON THE FLY. No rebooting or editing config/driver files.. nada. It's basically extended workspace.. I usually use two monitors so Adobe Photoshop can fully display a HI-RES image on one screen and have all the imaging/editing palettes on the other. Very convenient. Hell, if I had three monitors with Adobe Premiere, I could have the video-editing work area on the middle monitor, my editing palettes on the right, and my output video playback on the left! Totally production-oriented setup! No IRQs, DLLs, configs, drivers, or window-managers needed! Mac has got it all (and this is just the OS 8.0 and higher.. we're getting close to the real hardcore stuff soon........) More screenshots: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/9905/sonata-p art2.shtml http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/9905/sonata-p art1.shtml
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I forgot to mention that MacOS 9 contains some feature sets that won't be available to any platform for a short time (well built-in anyway). Find out about them here: http://www.appleinsider.com/macos8.7.shtml There are some cool mentionable features such as voiceprint authentication for multi-user environments and Sherlock II.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
System-level anti-aliasing of fonts are already available.. on MacOS. If any of the system fonts (large, small, and views) are either TrueType or PostScript, the Mac gives you the option of anti-aliasing them. Looks great. In addition, Adobe Type Manager (the little control panel) allows you to have global anti-aliased fonts in all applications like Macromedia FreeHand, Microsoft Word, Netscape/IE, etc.. it's cool.
In regards to the comment about systems needing consistent screen/printout color handling, it already exists on Mac systems and (to a lesser degree) on PCs using Apple's ColorSync software. It allows device profiling and calibration for image files and, in Mac systems, provides system-level color consistency. It even allows device-independent profiles to be embedded in images so they appear and print the same color on different workstations.
MacOS X is supposed to provide resolution independent imaging for screens using its Quartz technology, which is based on the Adobe PDF standard. Sorry I don't have a link =(
I believe it should be an independent (read Open Source) effort to create 3D environments, however.. much effort has to be done to put together a study on Human Interfaces. You can't just put floating buttons in front of someone and expect it to be intuitive.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
There are some interesting comments about adopting 3D interfaces. However, it would prove to be a CPU-sucking task, sort of like Windows.. basically it's sticking a non-native app layer on top of hardware made to drive 2D. Instead, 3D GUIs should be installed in systems configured with 3D-dedicated video and subsystems e.g. PowerPC G4 CPUs with AltiVec for the windowing environment.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Agreed. Look at say, YEARS ago (at least ten), when you just plugged an external HD into the back of a Mac and turned it on... a hard drive icon popped up on your desktop, ready for use. I guess M$ never caught on because they were looking for some catch-phrase that everyone could remember. When they finally release Win95/98 they started hollering about "Plug and Play" like it was the second-coming. What losers.. it doesn't even work as well as with Macs, more like plug-n-pray-- hope your DLLs and IRQs don't start fighting or you may have to reinstall the OS.
In a more frightening future, Microsoft may just scrap its WinXX strategy and write an OS based on UNIX, calling it Windows2001. Bill Gates will tout it as the greatest Microsoft invention of all time and then release Win-proprietary drivers for it, completely leaving out all Linux and Apple in software development.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Slashdot Mirror
It should be said that if there was any choice, the webcast should have also been available in Streaming QuickTime. At least with QT, if you could get the URL of the actual stream, you could open it in the QT Client and watch it full screen, half, quarter, whatever. Heck you can even do a File>Present Movie, and watch the stream total-full screen (just like in a presentation) so it can be output to video or TV). From what i can tell with RealPlayer G2, you can only watch it in tiny-mode or somewhat-small mode. With Windows Media Player, ...well if that ever could actually be stable on my Mac I might be able to test it. Oh well.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
With the G4 box (450 or higher Sawtooth version), you will be able to stream MP3 and run a Quicktime Streaming Server. At least the QTSS software implementation is absolutely free and supports at least 2000 connections (AFAIK). In addition, the system already has 10/100Base-T Ethernet already and plenty of bandwidth power out of the box. Enough to serve an entire university population? Maybe. Just make sure to load it with RAM (I believe its limit is 1.5 GB). The Mac has a nice feature of being able to turn itself on, run assigned tasks and turn itself off at scheduled times.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I think it's a little narrow-minded to always stereotype Apple's customers as non-technical people with no knowledge of hardware. There is quite a percentage of Apple users that know their hardware/software and also understand the difference between SCSI and IDE. At my workplace we have the original rev.A beige G3/233 PowerMacs. They are externally connected to scanners, Syquest drives, external HDs, a CD-R, Jaz, and Zip drives. Internally there is an IDE connector. We put in a ProMax IDE card to access a 16 GB Ultra-ATA drive, and frankly it outperforms any of the SCSI devices by a factor of two. Now when people start prodding at Apple with some argument about multitasking and all that crap, I have to say that it's all trivial. The hardware never gets in the way and I have never encountered a situation where my productivity was compromised by some so-called lack of multitasking. For example, I have Photoshop rendering AppleScripted images while I write this. The nuances between the SCSI and IDE standard become less evident because Apple's implementation of these standards makes it very simple to interface. You can just as easily use an IDE drive as a SCSI drive. Plug it in and use it. If it's not formatted then the damn thing just pops a dialog asking if you want to format it. It's not rocket science. If you really need some kind of flexibility (partitioning, differing HFS or file formats,etc.) then just launch Drive Setup and do what you wish. I'd rather see the end of SCSI and move into an era of FireWire (no SCSI ID numbers, no cable length restrictions, hot-plugging enabled...)
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Easy Password Recall? That concept should never have been thought up by these type of companies.. that's why most real computers ship with some sort of highlight-your-newly-created-password and "copy/paste" type of function. Get into your account with the freaky tongue-twister password then change it later to whatever you want.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I'll find out what it is later but the first thing that struck me about this is the pronounciation, which is very similar to the obscenity often used in the old "BattleStar Galactica" TV series. In some episodes, this phrase may be uttered by Starbuck or Apollo in addition to "Phelgercarb"...
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I've never known a single Mac in my lifetime that had its sound "die" or any other component on the motherboard go bad. In fact, that's the strength of Apple hardware. It goes through a ton of QA testing before it ships, and that is added into the price. Sure I could go to Kwan's PC chop shop and throw together a Wintel machine for less but how well do the components work together? Are they quality-made parts that are guaranteed to last as long as the machine itself? It's great that people like to buy the best-selling Ford Escort because they can afford it and find cheap parts to fix it when it goes bonkers but hey.. if I can afford a BMW that is classier, looks better, runs just as fast, and is more reliable.. I'll pay the extra dollar. The only thing I would replace on my four year old Mac is the aging keyboard (since I bought the system with a no-name keyboard instead of the Apple one). It's lasted this long with no internal failures plus I've bumped it up to 280 MB of RAM plus I've swapped out the 120MHz PowerPC 604 with an overclocked PowerPC G3 running at 305MHz. It came with MacOS 7.5.5 and now it's running MacOS 8.6. It's tricked out and everything works fine. In fact, it's so well built and integrated, I've got it hooked up to a stereo system, a 1-Gig external drive, a CD-R, a Zip, SyquestEZ-Flyer230, a VCR, a Scanner, a 10Base-T hub w/cable modem, and a second monitor for dual displays. This is the venerable 7600 model, introduced in 1995. It was well worth the cost.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Seat belts or harnesses!! How many generations of Starfleet ships have existed only to kill half their bridge crew upon impact with some weapon (everyone goes flying around with exploding panels). Klingons have had half a mind to put shoulder harnesses for gunners. Even the Defiant has everyone sitting or standing unrestrained.
The Universal Translator shouldn't be the instant language solution. I can't believe that thing could decipher any alien language just for the sake of having all actors speak English. Foreign tongues and subtitles do come in handy sometimes. Oh, and why do the more intellectual aliens get universally translated with British accents??
Use less bipedal humanoid aliens. It's getting silly seeing the same actors wearing rubber suits and multi orifice masks. They need more aliens that look, well "alien!" More 8479-type aliens. Things with more/less than two legs or arms, different locomotion (levitation, crawling, rolling, etc)
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
If you guys watched "Enemy of the State" (1999) with Will smith and Gene Hackman, you'd be pretty nervous about this bill. The film brings into question the exact same issue and its repercussions in law enforcement and personal privacy. IMO it would be the end of the world when law enforcement or NSA would have the same kind of power it had in the movie where they could tap into commercial surveillance cameras or control cams from anywhere in the city. How would we be able to privately change our clothes or such in private without being broadcast on someone's screen?
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
OK AC, let's address a few issues:
.. fine.. Linux of course never is known to crash but that's because every single user is trying to code a way to keep it from crashing while other OS users are busy doing other things with their computer.
Can't multitask worth a damn? Read my last post and look at last paragraph. Did I also mention three other Macs were read/writing off my hard drives over the network? Not to mention two PCs looking at web pages on one drive? Oh maybe when I format a floppy it gets stuck doing just that -- well, hell who uses floppies anyway. I want to rip that old floppy out and stick a Zip drive in it.
Crash? Yeah, okay when I can find a consumer OS that doesn't crash
Mac OS 8.6 is a pile of shit? Ha.. well thanks for providing explicit, hard facts. I'll be waiting patiently for your enumerated myths of shit. In doing so I will counter them with facts. I will only concede that Dynamic Memory Allocation is needed, which may be addressed in the Sonata release.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Ahh just as I thought.. a guy who really isn't interested in doing anything more than fiddling with his GUI. Okay well since doing WORK isn't your kind of thing than well let's list some realities to you:
Mac interface customization: Kaleidoscope. Shareware.. thousands of custom interfaces.
BASH and Xemacs : I don't know what the hell you would need these for since you can find text editors for the Mac like gum on sidewalks. BBEdit is a frontrunner off the top of my head. The fact is, if I needed a text editor, I'm better off scribbling on Notepad or Stickies.
Games? Over 7 of the top 10 games listed by PCData research are available or are being ported to the Mac.
Compilers and all that sh*t? Go to the store and buy it. Don't just sit at home and assume all your life.
Faster hard drive? Take out the old Mac drive and put a new one in. Dang, are you that blunted? Hell, it's easier to format/partition a Mac drive anyway.
Run Scripts and schedule tasks: AppleScript, nuff said. The Mac can even turn itself on/off and run jobs without additional hardware
Like I said, I'm usually addressing people who haven't really used a Mac (one that that was built in the last three years). Oh yeah, I'm writing this in Netscape on a beige G3/233 Mac while working on an 89 MB Photoshop 5.5 file on multiple screens while serving out Internet access using the shareware IPNetrouter (mixed Mac/PC clients) and sending out web pages via the Web Sharing control panel. Plus this stock config is connected to the Novell network via stock AppleTalk and has a CD-RW, scanner, Zip, Jaz, two external HDs, and a Syquest44 plugged in. No sweat. No effort. No jiggling configs. Just turn it on and work. That's what my boss pays me to do. Not f*ck around with my "window managers." They work just fine.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Quality software? 0% on a Mac? BullSH*T ..what are you Be peeps smoking? I don't think anyone has made a Photoshop 5.5 / ImageReady 2.0 bundle for Be.. does Starcraft run natively on Be? Oh damn! Does Be have Poser 4, Flash 4, Adobe GoLive 4, Connectix Virtual Gamestation? I think not! Get your head out of your ass before you post highly explosive flamebait.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I don't know what everyone is trippin' about, talking like the Mac doesn't have a "powerful" GUI. What the hell are you guys trying to do that you "think" can't be done on a Mac? I'd be glad to point out any falsehoods since most anti-Mac people try to compare a 1999 PIII w/ Win98 to a 1986 68k Mac running system 7.5. *roll eyes* In fact, I can't think of a single complicated task that the Mac CAN'T do. If you're talking about GUI customization then download Kaleidoscope and pick from the thousands of total conversions.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
DAMN! You have enough problems with DOS / x86 / hardware / etc etc to justify making a solid Mac purchase. So quit fiddling with wires, IRQs, mismatching DLLs and drivers, OS patches (that M$ forgets to announce) and make your move to Macintosh! At least with a Mac you can plug things into it and get to work immediately, like me. I'm usually a productive person and have no need for useless fussing around with things that work fine. Frustration over your current machine seems to be breeding contempt for technology that just works (Mac) =).. have a good day.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
What do I think? I dunno.. but it's great being the first poster..
Sun is doing quite well, and it's nice to know more companies are coming out from hiding showing their Anti-M$ feelings.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Did I forget to mention that Apple lists the PowerBook G3 to max out at 384 MB RAM? Theoretically that means you can max it out yourself to about 512 MB RAM unless I'm mistaken. I'm not sure if there are low-profile 256 MB SO-DIMMs.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Are you kidding? Those laptops are here! The Apple Powerbook G3/400 has a full-power (read as "same as desktop," unlike the castrated Mobile PIIs and AMDs) 400MHz G3 CPU with 1MB backside L2 cache running at up to 200MHz. The 14.1" Active Matrix TFT screen is driven by an 8MB ATI LT Rage Pro chipset which can drive an additional monitor for dual virtual displays. It includes a DVD drive, SCSI-2 jack, 10/100Base-T Ethernet, SVGA / S-Video Out, stereo speakers, a PCMCIA slot, 10GB HD, and two USB ports. Apple's Lithium Ion batteries carry a potential charge of up to five hours since the G3 only eats about five watts. Manufacturers of Wintel laptops probably can't take advantage of new battery technology because it's reached a point where they can't make faster systems without bolting on portable fire extinguishers or industrial strength fans. Poor Wintel.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
This new battery technology is currently in development for Apple's PowerBooks too. Currently it can be easily plugged into the PB's AC adapter jack. Future revisions will be solid full size batteries that go into the hot-swappable bays. Since the G3 draws so little electricity (five watts as opposed to the power-gluttonous Pentiums), battery time will be enormous on an Apple laptop.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I find it hard to believe that anyone fails to see that when M$ sticks their dirty hands into any business, it'll end up hurting the consumer community in the long run. Day by day, this world is starting to look more like the one represented in Apple's famous "1984" commercial. As M$ takes over every conceivable electronic, consumer, television, and information media business, it will resemble the "Big Brother" voice from the commercial, speaking its rules to the massive crowds of gray (beige) users (who are in some kind of slave-like trance). Someone or a number of companies need to come to the rescue (like the Apple woman who invades the commercial and saves the day) before M$ rules everything, including your right to choose.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Wow.. a cool new brain for use in a Mac! Pop one of those on a ZIF card and shove it in my aging beige G3 box.. can't wait =)
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Oh yeah, forgot about that one. Any good monitor with any decent card (like an ATI Rage Orion 128 or 3Dfx Voodoo3 2000) can be installed in a Mac, flip the switch and it instantly works. You'll suddenly notice extra options in the Monitors and Sound control panel for: (1) Pick primary display, (2) which monitor gets to have the menu bar, (3) screen arrangement or position.. plus you can have each monitor have different resolutions and bit-depth -- all changeable ON THE FLY. No rebooting or editing config/driver files.. nada. It's basically extended workspace.. I usually use two monitors so Adobe Photoshop can fully display a HI-RES image on one screen and have all the imaging/editing palettes on the other. Very convenient. Hell, if I had three monitors with Adobe Premiere, I could have the video-editing work area on the middle monitor, my editing palettes on the right, and my output video playback on the left! Totally production-oriented setup! No IRQs, DLLs, configs, drivers, or window-managers needed! Mac has got it all (and this is just the OS 8.0 and higher.. we're getting close to the real hardcore stuff soon........)p art2.shtml p art1.shtml
More screenshots:
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/9905/sonata-
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/9905/sonata-
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I forgot to mention that MacOS 9 contains some feature sets that won't be available to any platform for a short time (well built-in anyway). Find out about them here:
http://www.appleinsider.com/macos8.7.shtml
There are some cool mentionable features such as voiceprint authentication for multi-user environments and Sherlock II.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
System-level anti-aliasing of fonts are already available.. on MacOS. If any of the system fonts (large, small, and views) are either TrueType or PostScript, the Mac gives you the option of anti-aliasing them. Looks great. In addition, Adobe Type Manager (the little control panel) allows you to have global anti-aliased fonts in all applications like Macromedia FreeHand, Microsoft Word, Netscape/IE, etc.. it's cool.
BTW MacOS 9 __is__ coming out and it should be officially OS 9, not 8.7. Preorders start tomorrow and should ship in October. For more info:
http://www.applein sider.com/articles/9907/sonata-beta-four.shtml
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
In regards to the comment about systems needing consistent screen/printout color handling, it already exists on Mac systems and (to a lesser degree) on PCs using Apple's ColorSync software. It allows device profiling and calibration for image files and, in Mac systems, provides system-level color consistency. It even allows device-independent profiles to be embedded in images so they appear and print the same color on different workstations.
MacOS X is supposed to provide resolution independent imaging for screens using its Quartz technology, which is based on the Adobe PDF standard. Sorry I don't have a link =(
I believe it should be an independent (read Open Source) effort to create 3D environments, however.. much effort has to be done to put together a study on Human Interfaces. You can't just put floating buttons in front of someone and expect it to be intuitive.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
There are some interesting comments about adopting 3D interfaces. However, it would prove to be a CPU-sucking task, sort of like Windows.. basically it's sticking a non-native app layer on top of hardware made to drive 2D. Instead, 3D GUIs should be installed in systems configured with 3D-dedicated video and subsystems e.g. PowerPC G4 CPUs with AltiVec for the windowing environment.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Agreed. Look at say, YEARS ago (at least ten), when you just plugged an external HD into the back of a Mac and turned it on... a hard drive icon popped up on your desktop, ready for use. I guess M$ never caught on because they were looking for some catch-phrase that everyone could remember. When they finally release Win95/98 they started hollering about "Plug and Play" like it was the second-coming. What losers.. it doesn't even work as well as with Macs, more like plug-n-pray-- hope your DLLs and IRQs don't start fighting or you may have to reinstall the OS.
In a more frightening future, Microsoft may just scrap its WinXX strategy and write an OS based on UNIX, calling it Windows2001. Bill Gates will tout it as the greatest Microsoft invention of all time and then release Win-proprietary drivers for it, completely leaving out all Linux and Apple in software development.
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Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }