I think Montana might offer special value packages to those who wish to create their own autonomies states. You get a compound, some rifles, a 'no trespassing' sign, a box of beards, some triple X moonshine, and your very own state name (only valid in Montana).
PS: Does this remind anyone else of "Newfreeland" from Mr. Show on HBO?
The slot loading "original" iMac (aka the gum drop) had(has) no fans, quite hardware, and vents on the top of the case. I don't quite know if Apple's eMacs and LCD iMacs have a similar set up, however I'd bet that they have fans.
Nevertheless, Apple still strives to build fairly quiet boxes when ever possible. I mean hey, look at the fan to heat sink ratio in this box: http://www.apple.com/hardware/gallery/pmg4_august2 002_480.html Honestly, I've never seen a bigger heat sink within a consumer PC. One could fry 10 strips of bacon on that beast.
The real reason that Macs tend to remain in institutions for 4+ years is due to the fact that MacOS machines stay functional for a long a** time;). Mac developers typically support older Apple hardware for quite a while since the hardware/software that they are developing for is incredibly specific. Moreover, Apple has a smaller market share it really makes sense to support as many macs as you possibly can... even 4 year old G3s.
I find it somewhat funny that I can walk into something such as a music studio and still find a ton of old Mac Classics sitting next to dual G4's. When your dealing with multimedia tasks such as midi Mac classics still just "work"... and work incredibly well at that.
People rarely want to keep a Wintel box around for more then 3 years. You get desire to migrate a lot sooner. (and by "migrate" I mean "huck that slow, difficult, outdated POS out the window")
I used to work in a campus IT dept, and I fail to comprehend why anyone in their right mind would want to spend thousands of dollars on Wintel computer labs. I guess people simply like to purchase what they know. Mac labs last longer (especially in multimedia labs), they are more secure, they have the same damn productivity software, they require a much smaller IT dept, software licenses are not a royal pain in the butt, kids can comprehend how to use the desktop workspace faster, teachers can admin class networks and netboot machines with virtually no training, etc etc etc. I'm also fairly sure Apple gives institutions a fairly nice price break when they buy in bulk.
I'm all about white box PCs if your going to stick linux on them and set up as word processing machines or library terminals. That's a smart low maintenance move. But for the love of god, keep those things out of the media labs;)
Apple has been looking down upon Macworld NY for a while now. Disliking the move to Boston is simply an excuse for Apple to back out of MacWorld NY without looking like a jerk.
I would imagine that it is hard to "wow" folks on a set date every six months. People expect to get blown away by a Jobs keynote, however, that's kind of hard to do when a product isn't quite ready or a when a product is ready for sale months before Macworld.
Apple really been having a hard time syncing up with MacWorld dates during the past year so. MacWorld keynote have been fairly week, and Apple has been announcing and releasing a lot of products at "Apple Events," which they can schedule at any given time.
It'll probably be a hell of a lot easier for Apple to wow folks once a year at a set time, and at random Apple expos the rest of the time. But, nevertheless, it sure does look bad for Apple to back out of a huuuuuge trade show dedicated to them. At the very least they could show up and release a press release telling people not to expect new Apple hardware/software at they show. I think Apple should stick with Macworld, however they should inform their users, the press, and investors to concentrate on Apple events... not MacWorld expos.
I think Mozilla would stand a chance on OS X if things such as OS X's core graphics and Aqua UI where around when the Mozilla organization first starting fooling around with XUL and cross platform UIs.
However Mac OS X is just too damn different (GUI wise) from Windows and the various *nix desktops. Mozilla's UI is slow as hell on OS X, and it just doesn't seem to "fit" in with the rest of the system. Mozilla meshes a lot better with OS 9, Windows, Linux, etc.
Ehh, I've seen a few Apple ads with SysOps and other geeks. You just have to be watching the discovery channel or TLC to see those;) If you watching prime time TV on the big networks then you see all the ads aimed at normal consumers. Moreover, if you stay up late and watch cartoon network you start to see all the Apple ads aimed at slacker college kids.
Nevertheless, I'm not going to knock those ads about Apple's consumer software. Apple's free "i" multimedia software is free and beats the pants off every Windows or *nix alternative that has come my way. I may be a geek, but that doesn't mean that I don't want cool easy to use consumer toys as well. I want to rip-mix-burn just as much as the guy down the street who's using his 1025 free AOL hours.
Wow, I that artical made me laugh -so- hard. Does Microsoft have ANY shame?
It's as if Microsoft's shamelessness was so huge that I can't single out a witty smart-a** comment to toss up here. My brain doesn't quite know which was funnier, the stock Getty Images, the 8 year old kid that can write at a college level, the woman who works for MS PR, the fact that anyone would find a Windows box easier to use.
I'm going to archive that google cache and print it up for my "Wall of Shame" at work. The *nix geeks will love it;)
Wow, that was bad. I personally loved when that fictional woman was bragging about Office having more features then Appleworks. Well, all I have to say is "duh." AppleWorks was designed to be a simple office productivity suite, not the huge beast that is MS Office.
Moreover, did Microsoft forget that they sell Microsoft Office for MacOS? And did they also forget that the Mac versions of Office (at least 98, 2001, and Office X) have typically had cooler features and a better interface then their Windows counter parts?
And, hey don't get me started on all of the free Open Source Productivity suites that have tons of features and read DOC and XLS files for free. I think Microsoft forgot about those as well.
Other things that Microsoft seems to have forgotten about include: Microsoft develops a version of Internet Explorer for Mac OS complete with tons of Mac specific features. Mozilla(netscape) has more features, and -actually- does more then IE has ever done. Every browser on the face of the earth comes with a history and organizable favorites, bookmarks, etc A lowend iBook will remain functional a hell of a lot longer then a lowend notebook running windows. Wizards are horrible little things that should rot in a firry pit of hell. Users should never 'need' to look for a wizard for simple setup procedure. They are a crutch for poor interface design.
First off, I -highly- advise that you post this question over at the MacNN.com forums. There are lots good Mac geeks there, and you'll probably get better responses.
But now my 2 about this scanner issue. First off, portable scanners are hard to come by. I noticed that both epson and canon do not make such devices.
OS X 10.2 supposedly has TWAIN support built into it. From what I hear you can now scan in Preview.app, which is cool. If you can acquire a portable USB scanner that supports TWAIN I would imagine that it would just "work" in Preview.app.
OS X 10.2 has fantastic device support. Typically, OS X supports just about whatever perhiperal I toss at it, regardless of whether the device ships with a "Mac OS" logo on the box.
If you can find a portable TWAIN USB scanner, I'd just purchase it. Don't worry if the device comes with Mac drivers or not. If it doesn't work, return it (so make sure you purchase something from a large computer store). However I'm betting it will work.
Phoenix, albeit a small quick browser like Chimera, is really quite a different animal. Most mac users are not really going to want a browser like Phoenix. Mac users want a native cocoa browser, with a native OS X UI made in something like Project Builder. But most importantly Mac users want all traces of XUL interfaces to burn in a fiery pit of the deepest depths of hell;).
Chimera needs to stick on the path that it is on right now. It's working. I'm fairly sure more mac users are downloading chimera as opposed to Mozilla. A quick browser that takes advantage of OS X's native technologies, services, and interface is a guaranteed winner.
I've honestly been getting pissed at the fact that snow levels have been getting worse and worse every year in Tahoe. But if global warming decided to give us an 'about face', I'm not going to complain;)
Perhaps Squaw Valley will offer some sort of special Ice Ace season pass:)
Ya, but Apple scrapped those Appearance Manager sound sets in OS X due to the fact that they were , obviously, annoying and pointless. Furthermore, Mac OS never shipped with sound set enabled. You had to physically turn this annoying feature on.
OS X has a few subtle system sounds that serve a purpose, however, they aren't anything that requires dolby 5.1 audio:)
Seriously man. Sound systems at the office desk are a BIG no-no. First off, this means every moron will be playing his or her music, which may or may not suck. Secondly, Microsoft's "noises for everything" campain is annoying. Noises that do not pertain to me distract me.
And what's the deal with the video / audio emails? I can guarantee you that they will not catch on. (anyone own a video phone?) Email is great because -we don't- have to listen or see each other. People like it because it is impersonal, you don't have to rush your thoughts, etc etc.
And then there is the data transfer wireless mouse. Now there's something that I'll break or misplace. Whatever happened to networks? It's easier to drag and drop a file over to someone... why should I walk over to someone's office with my mouse? That's idiotic.
It's like MS just doesn't "get it." Moreover, I don't mean to preach, but companies like Apple do (to some extent) "get it."
I mean, why make wireless data mice. Why not work on zero-config wireless networking (like OS X supports now)? And why annoy the HELL out of coworkers with dolby 6.1 "you've got mail" sounds. Why not work on soft silent visual cues insead (ie OS X can do a subtle 'pulse' of a users display instead of using alert sounds)?
The only thing I want from that artical is that monitor:) I'd be down to have my desktop look like Pre-Crime:)
It'd be neat to see that guy toss in a PPC and a 68xxx emulator too. If did that he could be up to 50+ OSes... however I guess emulators might be thought of as "cheating."
It might be fun to try an build a modern version of one of these old Apple machines: Power Macintosh 7300/180 PC Compatible These thing has both a PPC 604e and a Pentium 1. They could boot a PPC OS and an x86 OS at the same time. One could use a key combo to switch OSes on the fly.... they where rad:).
Slashdot Mirror
Not only that, but a vast amount of OS X is open source.
I think Montana might offer special value packages to those who wish to create their own autonomies states. You get a compound, some rifles, a 'no trespassing' sign, a box of beards, some triple X moonshine, and your very own state name (only valid in Montana).
PS: Does this remind anyone else of "Newfreeland" from Mr. Show on HBO?
Anyone else reminded of that time when Homer became the Plow King?
Moreover, it looks like Search King stole their "go" button from about.com a while ago. No very professional if you ask me.
The slot loading "original" iMac (aka the gum drop) had(has) no fans, quite hardware, and vents on the top of the case. I don't quite know if Apple's eMacs and LCD iMacs have a similar set up, however I'd bet that they have fans.
2 002_480.html Honestly, I've never seen a bigger heat sink within a consumer PC. One could fry 10 strips of bacon on that beast.
Nevertheless, Apple still strives to build fairly quiet boxes when ever possible. I mean hey, look at the fan to heat sink ratio in this box: http://www.apple.com/hardware/gallery/pmg4_august
The real reason that Macs tend to remain in institutions for 4+ years is due to the fact that MacOS machines stay functional for a long a** time ;). Mac developers typically support older Apple hardware for quite a while since the hardware/software that they are developing for is incredibly specific. Moreover, Apple has a smaller market share it really makes sense to support as many macs as you possibly can... even 4 year old G3s.
... and work incredibly well at that.
;)
I find it somewhat funny that I can walk into something such as a music studio and still find a ton of old Mac Classics sitting next to dual G4's. When your dealing with multimedia tasks such as midi Mac classics still just "work"
People rarely want to keep a Wintel box around for more then 3 years. You get desire to migrate a lot sooner. (and by "migrate" I mean "huck that slow, difficult, outdated POS out the window")
I used to work in a campus IT dept, and I fail to comprehend why anyone in their right mind would want to spend thousands of dollars on Wintel computer labs. I guess people simply like to purchase what they know. Mac labs last longer (especially in multimedia labs), they are more secure, they have the same damn productivity software, they require a much smaller IT dept, software licenses are not a royal pain in the butt, kids can comprehend how to use the desktop workspace faster, teachers can admin class networks and netboot machines with virtually no training, etc etc etc. I'm also fairly sure Apple gives institutions a fairly nice price break when they buy in bulk.
I'm all about white box PCs if your going to stick linux on them and set up as word processing machines or library terminals. That's a smart low maintenance move. But for the love of god, keep those things out of the media labs
Apple has been looking down upon Macworld NY for a while now. Disliking the move to Boston is simply an excuse for Apple to back out of MacWorld NY without looking like a jerk.
I would imagine that it is hard to "wow" folks on a set date every six months. People expect to get blown away by a Jobs keynote, however, that's kind of hard to do when a product isn't quite ready or a when a product is ready for sale months before Macworld.
Apple really been having a hard time syncing up with MacWorld dates during the past year so. MacWorld keynote have been fairly week, and Apple has been announcing and releasing a lot of products at "Apple Events," which they can schedule at any given time.
It'll probably be a hell of a lot easier for Apple to wow folks once a year at a set time, and at random Apple expos the rest of the time. But, nevertheless, it sure does look bad for Apple to back out of a huuuuuge trade show dedicated to them. At the very least they could show up and release a press release telling people not to expect new Apple hardware/software at they show. I think Apple should stick with Macworld, however they should inform their users, the press, and investors to concentrate on Apple events... not MacWorld expos.
I think Mozilla would stand a chance on OS X if things such as OS X's core graphics and Aqua UI where around when the Mozilla organization first starting fooling around with XUL and cross platform UIs.
However Mac OS X is just too damn different (GUI wise) from Windows and the various *nix desktops. Mozilla's UI is slow as hell on OS X, and it just doesn't seem to "fit" in with the rest of the system. Mozilla meshes a lot better with OS 9, Windows, Linux, etc.
Wow, that was some horrible grammar. Sorry guys....next time I'll preview ;)
Ehh, I've seen a few Apple ads with SysOps and other geeks. You just have to be watching the discovery channel or TLC to see those ;) If you watching prime time TV on the big networks then you see all the ads aimed at normal consumers. Moreover, if you stay up late and watch cartoon network you start to see all the Apple ads aimed at slacker college kids.
Nevertheless, I'm not going to knock those ads about Apple's consumer software. Apple's free "i" multimedia software is free and beats the pants off every Windows or *nix alternative that has come my way. I may be a geek, but that doesn't mean that I don't want cool easy to use consumer toys as well. I want to rip-mix-burn just as much as the guy down the street who's using his 1025 free AOL hours.
He types with an accent. Give the man a break ;)
(off topic...you bet)
Wow, I that artical made me laugh -so- hard. Does Microsoft have ANY shame?
;)
It's as if Microsoft's shamelessness was so huge that I can't single out a witty smart-a** comment to toss up here. My brain doesn't quite know which was funnier, the stock Getty Images, the 8 year old kid that can write at a college level, the woman who works for MS PR, the fact that anyone would find a Windows box easier to use.
I'm going to archive that google cache and print it up for my "Wall of Shame" at work. The *nix geeks will love it
Someone mod this guy up to a 5. That was good post ;).
What a horrid little article.
Wow, that was bad. I personally loved when that fictional woman was bragging about Office having more features then Appleworks. Well, all I have to say is "duh." AppleWorks was designed to be a simple office productivity suite, not the huge beast that is MS Office.
Moreover, did Microsoft forget that they sell Microsoft Office for MacOS? And did they also forget that the Mac versions of Office (at least 98, 2001, and Office X) have typically had cooler features and a better interface then their Windows counter parts?
And, hey don't get me started on all of the free Open Source Productivity suites that have tons of features and read DOC and XLS files for free. I think Microsoft forgot about those as well.
Other things that Microsoft seems to have forgotten about include:
Microsoft develops a version of Internet Explorer for Mac OS complete with tons of Mac specific features.
Mozilla(netscape) has more features, and -actually- does more then IE has ever done.
Every browser on the face of the earth comes with a history and organizable favorites, bookmarks, etc
A lowend iBook will remain functional a hell of a lot longer then a lowend notebook running windows.
Wizards are horrible little things that should rot in a firry pit of hell. Users should never 'need' to look for a wizard for simple setup procedure. They are a crutch for poor interface design.
God I hate Windows.
I agree. OS X is a unix OS. The CLI and the fact that it can run unix apps should, more or less, be a dead give away.
;)
And by the way, you can actually turn on the old NeXT Step UI (for cocoa apps), via some easter egg commands that can be typed into the command line
First off, I -highly- advise that you post this question over at the MacNN.com forums. There are lots good Mac geeks there, and you'll probably get better responses.
But now my 2 about this scanner issue. First off, portable scanners are hard to come by. I noticed that both epson and canon do not make such devices.
OS X 10.2 supposedly has TWAIN support built into it. From what I hear you can now scan in Preview.app, which is cool. If you can acquire a portable USB scanner that supports TWAIN I would imagine that it would just "work" in Preview.app.
OS X 10.2 has fantastic device support. Typically, OS X supports just about whatever perhiperal I toss at it, regardless of whether the device ships with a "Mac OS" logo on the box.
If you can find a portable TWAIN USB scanner, I'd just purchase it. Don't worry if the device comes with Mac drivers or not. If it doesn't work, return it (so make sure you purchase something from a large computer store). However I'm betting it will work.
Phoenix, albeit a small quick browser like Chimera, is really quite a different animal. Most mac users are not really going to want a browser like Phoenix. Mac users want a native cocoa browser, with a native OS X UI made in something like Project Builder. But most importantly Mac users want all traces of XUL interfaces to burn in a fiery pit of the deepest depths of hell ;).
Chimera needs to stick on the path that it is on right now. It's working. I'm fairly sure more mac users are downloading chimera as opposed to Mozilla. A quick browser that takes advantage of OS X's native technologies, services, and interface is a guaranteed winner.
Bill S. Preston?
I've honestly been getting pissed at the fact that snow levels have been getting worse and worse every year in Tahoe. But if global warming decided to give us an 'about face', I'm not going to complain ;)
:)
Perhaps Squaw Valley will offer some sort of special Ice Ace season pass
Ya, but Apple scrapped those Appearance Manager sound sets in OS X due to the fact that they were , obviously, annoying and pointless. Furthermore, Mac OS never shipped with sound set enabled. You had to physically turn this annoying feature on.
:)
OS X has a few subtle system sounds that serve a purpose, however, they aren't anything that requires dolby 5.1 audio
Humm, no Mozilla, I guess the don't want to support AOL user either. Idiots
Seriously man. Sound systems at the office desk are a BIG no-no. First off, this means every moron will be playing his or her music, which may or may not suck. Secondly, Microsoft's "noises for everything" campain is annoying. Noises that do not pertain to me distract me.
:) I'd be down to have my desktop look like Pre-Crime :)
And what's the deal with the video / audio emails? I can guarantee you that they will not catch on. (anyone own a video phone?) Email is great because -we don't- have to listen or see each other. People like it because it is impersonal, you don't have to rush your thoughts, etc etc.
And then there is the data transfer wireless mouse. Now there's something that I'll break or misplace. Whatever happened to networks? It's easier to drag and drop a file over to someone... why should I walk over to someone's office with my mouse? That's idiotic.
It's like MS just doesn't "get it." Moreover, I don't mean to preach, but companies like Apple do (to some extent) "get it."
I mean, why make wireless data mice. Why not work on zero-config wireless networking (like OS X supports now)? And why annoy the HELL out of coworkers with dolby 6.1 "you've got mail" sounds. Why not work on soft silent visual cues insead (ie OS X can do a subtle 'pulse' of a users display instead of using alert sounds)?
The only thing I want from that artical is that monitor
It'd be neat to see that guy toss in a PPC and a 68xxx emulator too. If did that he could be up to 50+ OSes... however I guess emulators might be thought of as "cheating."
:).
It might be fun to try an build a modern version of one of these old Apple machines: Power Macintosh 7300/180 PC Compatible
These thing has both a PPC 604e and a Pentium 1. They could boot a PPC OS and an x86 OS at the same time. One could use a key combo to switch OSes on the fly.... they where rad
Come on Taco, do it...join us :)
"Mac OS X", that's just what this guy picked as a user name.
Woh.... I -WANT- a huge box of that stuff. Sign me up!