If the goal was to generate "buzz" and curiosity regarding the keynote, wouldn't it have been more effective to leak to unofficial rumors sites? Unless the site was hacked (see discussion elsewhere for why this is unlikely) I see no reason to doubt that these specs were (and I hope are still) planned for announcement soon.
I just wonder if Jobs will be so distraught over this gaffe that he'll delay the announcement out of spite. I mean, isn't Panther enough?
I think there is a fine line here. Obviously, being heavy-handed and not allowing flexibility is wrong, but there's a lot of pressure on the various distros to provide something akin to a "turnkey" product. While one core set of Linux users has always liked to apply their knowledge to their computers -- tweak interfaces, use the command line, troubleshoot, perform feats of true geekdom -- there's a lot of interest in getting Linux to appeal to a different group, though: those who just want to use a computer to get work done (and may honestly have quite limited knowledge or even intelligence). Right now, most if not all distros make that much more difficult than commercial OS's -- I still have problems configuring printers on our intranet in Red Hat 8.0, even with CUPS (perhaps an admission of lack of skill, or perhaps the degeneracy of our networking). The average computer user here (usually a secretary) just barely gets by with MS software, and having to tweak or troubleshoot really limits productivity. Ironically, I really believe that's what keeps us using Windows. It may have more warts than the competition, but at least they're familiar warts, and seen as generally non-threatening. Worst comes to worst, just reboot.
If there were a Linux system that was easy to set up and needed very little change in the way our average user did their daily work, it might have a chance. Once it got its nose under the tent, people would start noticing the real benefit of Linux for these users -- stability. Once a non-technical user gets most modern versions of Linux set up and gets used to using it, productivity can really soar. The trick is making that easy to achieve while letting me set up my work the way I want (which MS doesn't allow) and someone else to just use the command line...
Unfortunately, research shows just that: smokers compensate for reductions in nicotine content by increasing the number of cigarettes they smoke. That's one of the main reasons the National Cancer Institute thought "light" cigarettes may actually be increasing lung cancer rates.
Admittedly, the monograph focuses on low tar and nicotine, not nicotine-free cigarettes, but the same logic applies.
While smoking does lead to atherosclerosis by causing hypertension and reducing the ability to exercise, it has more important effects. It messes with your cholesterol (increasing the evil LDLs and decreasing the good HDLs), and increases blood clotting. It can reduce antioxidant levels. There are probably more mechanisms linking cigarette smoke and atherosclerosis, but these have been well demonstrated.
You've got to admit that, if this change is going to happen, it was pretty stupid to announce it right before Macworld. A great way for Apple to waste their best PR opportunity.
If it's a hoax, however, when better to start than at the beginning of the semi-annual Apple lovefest?
I hope Apple realizes that charging for.mac would be a real tragedy for a bunch of small Mac developers who have already had to deal with itools bandwidth limitations. This service really helps some folks distribute software, and adds to the vitality of OS X.
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If the goal was to generate "buzz" and curiosity regarding the keynote, wouldn't it have been more effective to leak to unofficial rumors sites? Unless the site was hacked (see discussion elsewhere for why this is unlikely) I see no reason to doubt that these specs were (and I hope are still) planned for announcement soon.
I just wonder if Jobs will be so distraught over this gaffe that he'll delay the announcement out of spite. I mean, isn't Panther enough?
I think there is a fine line here. Obviously, being heavy-handed and not allowing flexibility is wrong, but there's a lot of pressure on the various distros to provide something akin to a "turnkey" product. While one core set of Linux users has always liked to apply their knowledge to their computers -- tweak interfaces, use the command line, troubleshoot, perform feats of true geekdom -- there's a lot of interest in getting Linux to appeal to a different group, though: those who just want to use a computer to get work done (and may honestly have quite limited knowledge or even intelligence). Right now, most if not all distros make that much more difficult than commercial OS's -- I still have problems configuring printers on our intranet in Red Hat 8.0, even with CUPS (perhaps an admission of lack of skill, or perhaps the degeneracy of our networking). The average computer user here (usually a secretary) just barely gets by with MS software, and having to tweak or troubleshoot really limits productivity. Ironically, I really believe that's what keeps us using Windows. It may have more warts than the competition, but at least they're familiar warts, and seen as generally non-threatening. Worst comes to worst, just reboot.
If there were a Linux system that was easy to set up and needed very little change in the way our average user did their daily work, it might have a chance. Once it got its nose under the tent, people would start noticing the real benefit of Linux for these users -- stability. Once a non-technical user gets most modern versions of Linux set up and gets used to using it, productivity can really soar. The trick is making that easy to achieve while letting me set up my work the way I want (which MS doesn't allow) and someone else to just use the command line...
Unfortunately, research shows just that: smokers compensate for reductions in nicotine content by increasing the number of cigarettes they smoke. That's one of the main reasons the National Cancer Institute thought "light" cigarettes may actually be increasing lung cancer rates.
Admittedly, the monograph focuses on low tar and nicotine, not nicotine-free cigarettes, but the same logic applies.
While smoking does lead to atherosclerosis by causing hypertension and reducing the ability to exercise, it has more important effects. It messes with your cholesterol (increasing the evil LDLs and decreasing the good HDLs), and increases blood clotting. It can reduce antioxidant levels. There are probably more mechanisms linking cigarette smoke and atherosclerosis, but these have been well demonstrated.
You've got to admit that, if this change is going to happen, it was pretty stupid to announce it right before Macworld. A great way for Apple to waste their best PR opportunity.
If it's a hoax, however, when better to start than at the beginning of the semi-annual Apple lovefest?
I hope Apple realizes that charging for