Thanks for the suggestions. I actually have ways around the two, I'm just think Apple could have made them more obvious.
1. I use the menu toolbar feature of dock extender. There are other solutions, but I'm a little miffed as to why Apple didn't include some standard, intuitive way to do this in the first place.
2. Expose is great, read this comment I made to see a couple examples where it fails.
1. I have three Safari windows. Two on the screen and one minimized in the dock. If I use expose, the two get scaled and nothing happens to the one in the dock, it just sits there. I might have forgotten about that one, as the dock sort of fades from my thoughts while working.
2. I could open a couple Safari windows and then close them both, but Safari is still actually running (it just has no windows). This was the biggest hurdle in my switch as it isn't quite intuitive. The black arrow is still below the safari icon to show that it is running. To me, an application running and taking up resources should have more UI signifcance than a tiny black arrow.
Now, I love expose, but in those two cases expose either doesn't convey all open windows, or it doesn't convey that the application is still running. There needs to be a more intuitive solution.
Both could be added to the Apple menu. Just add an "Application Menu" submenu and a "Tasks Menu" submenu underneath. Give the user a way to customize the "Application Menu" and let the system handle showing active tasks and their windows.
I now consider Mac OS X my main desktop. I used Windows extensively before switching to Linux. I now use Linux for coding and custom projects.
I used the earlier Mac OSs enough to know that I didn't really like them. I much prefer OS X. That said, here is the two things I think are missing.
1. They need to have some sort of customizable chooser type deal. I have a bunch of apps that I want to categorize in folders and keep out of the dock. I also want to be able to access them through a menu rather than digging through my applications folder. The chooser (sort of like a start menu on windows) would be great for this.
2. I want a way to see every application running, and each window of the applications. Windows does this by shoving every window title into the taskbar. Mac OS X likes to have a little black arrow under the icons of running apps. However, sometimes the apps are still running even though they have no active windows, and that black arrow can be overlooked real easy. I'd like a menu of running apps and their corresponding windows, this could be integrated well into the chooser thing from point 1.
Point 2 is more of an issue that is unique to OS X. I've gotten used to it, but its not something encountered in Windows or Linux. I think that change could really help the switchers out in adjusting to the new OS, and also be much more usefull than the current implementation.
I find the new Finder (10.3) to be better and actually take less space.
In Jaguar, I had to customize the toolbar to put buttons for my Documents, Pictures, Music, etc folders. This made the finder require more room vertically and horizontally. (I could save the horizontal space by clicking the button which shows a fly out menu of hidden tool buttons, but I don't like that)
Now, in Panther, it actually takes less space vertically and horizontally. The vertical space comes from the fact that the toolbar buttons are smaller in size. And, I don't have to have 5 different buttons taking up horizontal room for my most used folders. Those go in a convienient sidebar for access.
Granted, the folder sidebar may take up horizontal room if you don't use it much, but Apple is pushing widescreen displays, so it makes more sense to use horizontal area than vertical area. The finder does this well.
I will bitch an moan all day for open, non-patented solutions. Unless I can't play my illegaly downloaded music. That stuff comes in a format which is patented, but you better support it.
Hell, personal convictions be damned, just give me everything for free.
I understand your concern, but there are many ways to look at the issue. First, Red Hat spent very little time on eCos. It was aquired when they bought a company, Cygnus I believe.
Presumably, Cygnus was aquired more for their Linux solutions and experience, and eCos was sort of something that came along. I always saw it more as a hindrance to Red Hat. Red Hat had always been strictly Linux based, and now they had to justify this side project and make it fit with their business strategy. They tried a couple of different things (cell phones, etc) but it all seemed very contrived, especially since that effort could have been put into Linux.
So, now they are jettisoning this project, which should let them get back to their core strategy. At the same time, they are giving back to the community so the effort was not a total waste.
I think the bigger issue is with Microsoft bundling technologies with the OS that are impossible to remove from the OS.
If you buy Mac OS X and don't want iTunes, simple. Drag the iTunes app to the trash and it is gone. No registry mess, just a clean simple removal. Try that with Internet Explorer. I'm betting you can't.
There is nothing wrong with bundling, per se. It is when you use illegal tactics to force people/manufacturers to use your solution instead of an alternative.
Well, you are right about vinyl being the ultimate format. Distributing an analog medium in digital format will always yeild lossless data. With records, you get the original analog master, which sounds amazing. Anyone who has every listed to a record on a high quality sound system will tell you they are amazed at how incredibly lifelike the sound is, myself included.
It is just too bad that records have to be so big and the very fact that you listen to them degrades their quality overtime.
I think market realities, rather than time, have already told that Vorbis support is a losing proposition.
The only reason people support MP3s is because there is a metric shitload of them on users computers. Then they add support for things with DRM, because that is the format of online stores. Of course, Microsoft is going to push their own codec and their is no way around the 800 pound gorilla. You've probably got a bunch of people ripping to this format because they don't know any better.
So, if your a company against MS, what are your options. Seems that you have AAC or Vorbis. AAC has been the choice of both Apple and Real. Makes sense, given that this is the MPEG-4 standard that they would support this. Any future device supporting HDTV or digital video is likely to get non DRM AAC support without any extra effort.
Vorbis will always remain the domin of hard core open source advocates, and very little else. Ogg support will remain a niche in terms of support, likely only from companies who care to get the geek nod of acceptance. There is no mainstream market pressure to support Ogg.
You have MS creating pressure for WMA, and you have any company that competes against MS adopting AAC because it has industry acceptance. That leave Ogg very little room in getting players to support their format. There is just very little incentive.
The only thing time will tell is how long it takes the Ogg diehards to dwindle into oblivion.
No extended warranty was available. At that time, the only place to get VAIOs was direct from Sony via phone or website. The year warranty came standard, and no extended option was available (I tried).
In any case, I still expect better support from a company, even if I am not covered by warranty. They admitted to not knowing what a problem was, from a product that came from them. The problem was most definately not my fault, but I got stuck in the end. I will pay what is reasonable, but what they did blows my mind.
They have lost me as a customer entirely, and I am more than willing to pay a premium for my devices. I have since switched to Apple computers, plus a couple custom built ones I run Linux on. My stereo, which was purchased during the time when my laptop was working, is all Sony, but will be getting replaced shortly. One of their DVD players quit working, but I am much less bitter over a $200 dollar device.
I'm not sure what the stereo will get replaced with, but I'm leaning towards Pioneer. Sony has done such a fantastic job of alienating me that I don't even consider their products anymore.
Sony, in my view, is somewhat similar to Apple from a computer standpoint. They both sell devices at a premium, and for that you expect asthetics and quality. Now, Apple has had their share of issues crop up, but their support has always been second to none. Sony's support did nothing to encourage repeat sales. Incidentally, I seem to remeber stats that Sony was a leader in laptop sales a few years ago. It seems they have slipped quite a bit since then. No surprise, since few people are willing to buy again from a company that doesn't care after the initial sale.
Yeah, I was a loyal customer of Sony, and had their stereo equipment in both my car and my home. Since the laptop incident, I've had my share of issues with other systems as well. I'm slowly phasing out of my home anything with the Sony name.
I wrecked my car, and promptly sold the stereo equipment that was inside it. (This was not Sony's fault but a good excuse to get something different).
Problems with stereo equipment: - A VCR that refuses to output on the RF out connector. - A DVD player that quit reading discs. It quit in the middle of a movie, which I found odd. - A record player that can't spin at a constant rate.
No extended warranty was available. At that time, the only place to get VAIOs was direct from Sony via phone or website. The year warranty came standard, and no extended option was available (I tried).
A few years ago, I baught a Sony VAIO laptop. It cost about $3000. As was standard with Sony at that time, it came with a one year warranty.
Almost exactly one month out of warranty, I started having problems. The computer would start, stay on for a very short time (usually less than 5 minutes) and then it would shut off.
Thinking some part may be drawing too much power, I tried disconnection every possible part that could be disconnected. However, this did not solve my problem. I finally succumbed to calling the support department, which of course had no clue and recommended I send my laptop in to be serviced.
I sent my laptop in as they said, and got notification that it had been received at the service department. A week passed, and I had not gotten any indication as to the status. I called support, gave them my ticket number, and asked them what was going on. They had no idea, and nothing had been logged. A couple days later I called again, and got the same result.
At this point, I became rather upset, and demanded they call me back by the end of the next day to tell me what was going on. They were kind enough to call me back, but not smart enough to figure out the problem. They said it would cost me $2200 dollars to have the problem "fixed" which I'm sure at that cost meant sending me a refurb unit.
This was 1 month out of a year long warranty, and I was furious and demanded better service. At this point, I could have gotten a computer that was twice as powerful for the same price they were going to charge me for "repairs." Unfortunately I got nowhere in my requests for fair compensation. In fact, I had to pay $60 dollars to cover services rendered and have my unfunctioning laptop shipped back to me.
$3000 dollars got me use of a laptop for one year and one month. This thing had minor wear as it served mainly as a desktop replacement. After dealing with Sony, and being a loyal customer of their other products, I kindly told them to fuck off. I have never spent another dime on Sony products.
And now a quote from her site: My favorite places on this planet is my parent's village in Greece, called Skiadas (think bald mountains and lots of goats)
I don't know about you, but this immediately conjured up images of certain Slashdot links. I can most definately say that said link is not my most favorite place on this planet.
what does sending him/her love have to do with saving my files?
Well, in the case of her if you don't know, then you and your parents missed a very important conversation.
In the case of him it probably doesn't have a whole lot to do with it, even if evidence presented in Jurassic Park is to the contrary.
In all seriousness, I believe it is referring to the maintaner of OSNews. I believe it is a she, and they post quite a few UI mockups on their site, and some constructive discussion usually follows.
Interesting you already knew how to play the DRMed files on your box. I hadn't heard anything except for the original crack Jon put out. I didn't look to much into that one, because it seemed kinda contrived, but it looks like it was a stepping stone to get to this point.
I'm definately looking forward to being able to stream my protected AAC files to the Squeezebox without jumping through reencoding hoops. Hopefully someone will come out with a nice unix command line util quickly, or I might have to jump into it myself, and I've already got too many unfinished coding projects.
I understand your hands are tied on supporting the playback of these files, which is unfortunate. I'm just looking for a solution to playback my legitamately purchased music though. This throws a wrench in Apples 3-computer-limit deal, but I never understood that much anyway. I see the Squeezebox of more of an iPod, or perhaps less so since it doesn't store the files, and there's no limit on the number of iPods that can play.m4ps.
Anyhow, I also wanted to thank you guys over at Slim Devices for a great product. I really like the Squeezebox. Have fun at Macworld, wish I could be there.
Wouldn't it just be easier to download it off of Kazaa?
Well, its a lot easier for me to purchase off of iTunes Music Store. (I don't need any BS about giving money to the RIAA. I listen to what I like and that includes a lot of indie bands.)
This lets me listen to my music from whatever OS and computer I'm sitting at (I don't run Windows). It also allows my to keep my music in "pristine" condition by not doubly ripping in lossy formats.
Believe it or not, there are some of us who hate Microsoft, but at the same time enjoy having an easy to use operating system. That being said, we are also dorks who enjoy mucking with the internals of our OSs. Such people, myself included, use Linux and Mac OS X extensively. I buy music from iTMS and play it back on a Mac. Now I can play it back on Linux as well.
I can't wait to hook this into my HTPC so that I can play back all my iTMS music without first reripping to MP3, which is a lossy process but, until now, was my only option.
According to my understanding, his first "crack" would be possible to patch as it exploited the functionality of QuickTime that made an unencrypted AAC stream (or PCM stream?) out of the protected one. It then dumped this to a file absent of DRM.
His new crack actually writes the decryption key out to a file. This key is written out using Windows and is apparently derived from hardware serial numbers, such as that on the hard drive. This key can then apparently be used to decrypt the protected files on any OS. I haven't given this a shot yet, but it should be interesting to find out.
Personally, I don't care all that much, as I use iTunes on OS X and an iPod to listen to most of my music. However, I would like to serve up my protected AAC to my squeezebox, and this just might allow for on the fly transcoding to a PCM stream from SlimServer.
It would be pretty tough for Apple to go and make another DRM scheme that avoided this without breaking backwards compatibility.
Slashdot Mirror
I think expose is wonderful. However, read this for my issues that it doesn't address.
As for the Applications menu, I've solved it nicely with DockExtender, I just think Apple should have included a default standard.
Thanks for the suggestions. I actually have ways around the two, I'm just think Apple could have made them more obvious.
1. I use the menu toolbar feature of dock extender. There are other solutions, but I'm a little miffed as to why Apple didn't include some standard, intuitive way to do this in the first place.
2. Expose is great, read this comment I made to see a couple examples where it fails.
I'll a couple of examples.
1. I have three Safari windows. Two on the screen and one minimized in the dock. If I use expose, the two get scaled and nothing happens to the one in the dock, it just sits there. I might have forgotten about that one, as the dock sort of fades from my thoughts while working.
2. I could open a couple Safari windows and then close them both, but Safari is still actually running (it just has no windows). This was the biggest hurdle in my switch as it isn't quite intuitive. The black arrow is still below the safari icon to show that it is running. To me, an application running and taking up resources should have more UI signifcance than a tiny black arrow.
Now, I love expose, but in those two cases expose either doesn't convey all open windows, or it doesn't convey that the application is still running. There needs to be a more intuitive solution.
Both could be added to the Apple menu. Just add an "Application Menu" submenu and a "Tasks Menu" submenu underneath. Give the user a way to customize the "Application Menu" and let the system handle showing active tasks and their windows.
I now consider Mac OS X my main desktop. I used Windows extensively before switching to Linux. I now use Linux for coding and custom projects.
I used the earlier Mac OSs enough to know that I didn't really like them. I much prefer OS X. That said, here is the two things I think are missing.
1. They need to have some sort of customizable chooser type deal. I have a bunch of apps that I want to categorize in folders and keep out of the dock. I also want to be able to access them through a menu rather than digging through my applications folder. The chooser (sort of like a start menu on windows) would be great for this.
2. I want a way to see every application running, and each window of the applications. Windows does this by shoving every window title into the taskbar. Mac OS X likes to have a little black arrow under the icons of running apps. However, sometimes the apps are still running even though they have no active windows, and that black arrow can be overlooked real easy. I'd like a menu of running apps and their corresponding windows, this could be integrated well into the chooser thing from point 1.
Point 2 is more of an issue that is unique to OS X. I've gotten used to it, but its not something encountered in Windows or Linux. I think that change could really help the switchers out in adjusting to the new OS, and also be much more usefull than the current implementation.
I find the new Finder (10.3) to be better and actually take less space.
In Jaguar, I had to customize the toolbar to put buttons for my Documents, Pictures, Music, etc folders. This made the finder require more room vertically and horizontally. (I could save the horizontal space by clicking the button which shows a fly out menu of hidden tool buttons, but I don't like that)
Now, in Panther, it actually takes less space vertically and horizontally. The vertical space comes from the fact that the toolbar buttons are smaller in size. And, I don't have to have 5 different buttons taking up horizontal room for my most used folders. Those go in a convienient sidebar for access.
Granted, the folder sidebar may take up horizontal room if you don't use it much, but Apple is pushing widescreen displays, so it makes more sense to use horizontal area than vertical area. The finder does this well.
I will bitch an moan all day for open, non-patented solutions. Unless I can't play my illegaly downloaded music. That stuff comes in a format which is patented, but you better support it.
Hell, personal convictions be damned, just give me everything for free.
I hate it when people think software is not technology.
I think Slashdot should make a policy that the people who review the books cannot be the authors themselves. It seems biased or something.
I understand your concern, but there are many ways to look at the issue. First, Red Hat spent very little time on eCos. It was aquired when they bought a company, Cygnus I believe.
Presumably, Cygnus was aquired more for their Linux solutions and experience, and eCos was sort of something that came along. I always saw it more as a hindrance to Red Hat. Red Hat had always been strictly Linux based, and now they had to justify this side project and make it fit with their business strategy. They tried a couple of different things (cell phones, etc) but it all seemed very contrived, especially since that effort could have been put into Linux.
So, now they are jettisoning this project, which should let them get back to their core strategy. At the same time, they are giving back to the community so the effort was not a total waste.
I think the bigger issue is with Microsoft bundling technologies with the OS that are impossible to remove from the OS.
If you buy Mac OS X and don't want iTunes, simple. Drag the iTunes app to the trash and it is gone. No registry mess, just a clean simple removal. Try that with Internet Explorer. I'm betting you can't.
There is nothing wrong with bundling, per se. It is when you use illegal tactics to force people/manufacturers to use your solution instead of an alternative.
This is Slashdot, you're supposed to promote Linux.
Well, you are right about vinyl being the ultimate format. Distributing an analog medium in digital format will always yeild lossless data. With records, you get the original analog master, which sounds amazing. Anyone who has every listed to a record on a high quality sound system will tell you they are amazed at how incredibly lifelike the sound is, myself included.
It is just too bad that records have to be so big and the very fact that you listen to them degrades their quality overtime.
I think market realities, rather than time, have already told that Vorbis support is a losing proposition.
The only reason people support MP3s is because there is a metric shitload of them on users computers. Then they add support for things with DRM, because that is the format of online stores. Of course, Microsoft is going to push their own codec and their is no way around the 800 pound gorilla. You've probably got a bunch of people ripping to this format because they don't know any better.
So, if your a company against MS, what are your options. Seems that you have AAC or Vorbis. AAC has been the choice of both Apple and Real. Makes sense, given that this is the MPEG-4 standard that they would support this. Any future device supporting HDTV or digital video is likely to get non DRM AAC support without any extra effort.
Vorbis will always remain the domin of hard core open source advocates, and very little else. Ogg support will remain a niche in terms of support, likely only from companies who care to get the geek nod of acceptance. There is no mainstream market pressure to support Ogg.
You have MS creating pressure for WMA, and you have any company that competes against MS adopting AAC because it has industry acceptance. That leave Ogg very little room in getting players to support their format. There is just very little incentive.
The only thing time will tell is how long it takes the Ogg diehards to dwindle into oblivion.
No extended warranty was available. At that time, the only place to get VAIOs was direct from Sony via phone or website. The year warranty came standard, and no extended option was available (I tried).
In any case, I still expect better support from a company, even if I am not covered by warranty. They admitted to not knowing what a problem was, from a product that came from them. The problem was most definately not my fault, but I got stuck in the end. I will pay what is reasonable, but what they did blows my mind.
They have lost me as a customer entirely, and I am more than willing to pay a premium for my devices. I have since switched to Apple computers, plus a couple custom built ones I run Linux on. My stereo, which was purchased during the time when my laptop was working, is all Sony, but will be getting replaced shortly. One of their DVD players quit working, but I am much less bitter over a $200 dollar device.
I'm not sure what the stereo will get replaced with, but I'm leaning towards Pioneer. Sony has done such a fantastic job of alienating me that I don't even consider their products anymore.
Sony, in my view, is somewhat similar to Apple from a computer standpoint. They both sell devices at a premium, and for that you expect asthetics and quality. Now, Apple has had their share of issues crop up, but their support has always been second to none. Sony's support did nothing to encourage repeat sales. Incidentally, I seem to remeber stats that Sony was a leader in laptop sales a few years ago. It seems they have slipped quite a bit since then. No surprise, since few people are willing to buy again from a company that doesn't care after the initial sale.
Yeah, I was a loyal customer of Sony, and had their stereo equipment in both my car and my home. Since the laptop incident, I've had my share of issues with other systems as well. I'm slowly phasing out of my home anything with the Sony name.
I wrecked my car, and promptly sold the stereo equipment that was inside it. (This was not Sony's fault but a good excuse to get something different).
Problems with stereo equipment:
- A VCR that refuses to output on the RF out connector.
- A DVD player that quit reading discs. It quit in the middle of a movie, which I found odd.
- A record player that can't spin at a constant rate.
No extended warranty was available. At that time, the only place to get VAIOs was direct from Sony via phone or website. The year warranty came standard, and no extended option was available (I tried).
A few years ago, I baught a Sony VAIO laptop. It cost about $3000. As was standard with Sony at that time, it came with a one year warranty.
Almost exactly one month out of warranty, I started having problems. The computer would start, stay on for a very short time (usually less than 5 minutes) and then it would shut off.
Thinking some part may be drawing too much power, I tried disconnection every possible part that could be disconnected. However, this did not solve my problem. I finally succumbed to calling the support department, which of course had no clue and recommended I send my laptop in to be serviced.
I sent my laptop in as they said, and got notification that it had been received at the service department. A week passed, and I had not gotten any indication as to the status. I called support, gave them my ticket number, and asked them what was going on. They had no idea, and nothing had been logged. A couple days later I called again, and got the same result.
At this point, I became rather upset, and demanded they call me back by the end of the next day to tell me what was going on. They were kind enough to call me back, but not smart enough to figure out the problem. They said it would cost me $2200 dollars to have the problem "fixed" which I'm sure at that cost meant sending me a refurb unit.
This was 1 month out of a year long warranty, and I was furious and demanded better service. At this point, I could have gotten a computer that was twice as powerful for the same price they were going to charge me for "repairs." Unfortunately I got nowhere in my requests for fair compensation. In fact, I had to pay $60 dollars to cover services rendered and have my unfunctioning laptop shipped back to me.
$3000 dollars got me use of a laptop for one year and one month. This thing had minor wear as it served mainly as a desktop replacement. After dealing with Sony, and being a loyal customer of their other products, I kindly told them to fuck off. I have never spent another dime on Sony products.
No. No. A thousand times no. There is beauty in diversity.
More information.
Here is a link to her personal website.
And now a quote from her site:
My favorite places on this planet is my parent's village in Greece, called Skiadas (think bald mountains and lots of goats)
I don't know about you, but this immediately conjured up images of certain Slashdot links. I can most definately say that said link is not my most favorite place on this planet.
what does sending him/her love have to do with saving my files?
Well, in the case of her if you don't know, then you and your parents missed a very important conversation.
In the case of him it probably doesn't have a whole lot to do with it, even if evidence presented in Jurassic Park is to the contrary.
In all seriousness, I believe it is referring to the maintaner of OSNews. I believe it is a she, and they post quite a few UI mockups on their site, and some constructive discussion usually follows.
First post I have seen from you that I completely agree with. Congratulations (if you even care).
Interesting you already knew how to play the DRMed files on your box. I hadn't heard anything except for the original crack Jon put out. I didn't look to much into that one, because it seemed kinda contrived, but it looks like it was a stepping stone to get to this point.
.m4ps.
I'm definately looking forward to being able to stream my protected AAC files to the Squeezebox without jumping through reencoding hoops. Hopefully someone will come out with a nice unix command line util quickly, or I might have to jump into it myself, and I've already got too many unfinished coding projects.
I understand your hands are tied on supporting the playback of these files, which is unfortunate. I'm just looking for a solution to playback my legitamately purchased music though. This throws a wrench in Apples 3-computer-limit deal, but I never understood that much anyway. I see the Squeezebox of more of an iPod, or perhaps less so since it doesn't store the files, and there's no limit on the number of iPods that can play
Anyhow, I also wanted to thank you guys over at Slim Devices for a great product. I really like the Squeezebox. Have fun at Macworld, wish I could be there.
Wouldn't it just be easier to download it off of Kazaa?
Well, its a lot easier for me to purchase off of iTunes Music Store. (I don't need any BS about giving money to the RIAA. I listen to what I like and that includes a lot of indie bands.)
This lets me listen to my music from whatever OS and computer I'm sitting at (I don't run Windows). It also allows my to keep my music in "pristine" condition by not doubly ripping in lossy formats.
Believe it or not, there are some of us who hate Microsoft, but at the same time enjoy having an easy to use operating system. That being said, we are also dorks who enjoy mucking with the internals of our OSs. Such people, myself included, use Linux and Mac OS X extensively. I buy music from iTMS and play it back on a Mac. Now I can play it back on Linux as well.
I can't wait to hook this into my HTPC so that I can play back all my iTMS music without first reripping to MP3, which is a lossy process but, until now, was my only option.
This is a very useful thing, congrats to Jon.
According to my understanding, his first "crack" would be possible to patch as it exploited the functionality of QuickTime that made an unencrypted AAC stream (or PCM stream?) out of the protected one. It then dumped this to a file absent of DRM.
His new crack actually writes the decryption key out to a file. This key is written out using Windows and is apparently derived from hardware serial numbers, such as that on the hard drive. This key can then apparently be used to decrypt the protected files on any OS. I haven't given this a shot yet, but it should be interesting to find out.
Personally, I don't care all that much, as I use iTunes on OS X and an iPod to listen to most of my music. However, I would like to serve up my protected AAC to my squeezebox, and this just might allow for on the fly transcoding to a PCM stream from SlimServer.
It would be pretty tough for Apple to go and make another DRM scheme that avoided this without breaking backwards compatibility.