While I appreciate your point, and have no great love for Microsoft Office per se (although it is very good on OS X I must admit), the issue I was really trying to address was that of a Microsoft Exchange client. None of your suggestions would really be suitable for people needing to tap into the groupware components of Exchange (shared clendaring, contacts, meeting planning etc). That's one major place where Exchange has traction within organziations and for which we are at the mercy of Microsoft to provide a client. The only non-MS client I know of is a connector for Evolution that you can purchase from Ximian.
Considering that a native OS X Outlook client is the one major app that makes it annoying to use a Mac on a Windows network, improvements in OWA are very welcome.
Up to this point, OWA hasn't been an acceptable subsitute for me, but I would like it to be. It's lightweight (esp. compared to Outlook), cross platform and definitely better in X2K than it was in X5.5.
I wonder what MS will have as the additional features you get in 'real' Outlook as OWA gets better. I have heard they're considering a native OS X Outlook client, but I'm not holding my breath.
This would be great for cross platform users. One of the reasons people like the mac is that you can use Office on a unix workstation, but without Outlook, it's still slightly kludgy.
Yes, you certainly can write closed source software with GPL software. The tools you use to create your software do not necessarily impose license restrictions.
Unless I'm mistaken, I can write a GTK+ application closed source so long as I'm not using any GPL'd code in my app. All I do is tell people who buy my product that they need to get the free GTK+ libraries in order to run it.
Your argument would be the equivalent of saying you can't write closed source software to run on Linux because Linux is GPL'd. That is simply not the case.
According to an off-the-cuff test I performed a few days ago, tabbed browsing can cut your RAM requirements in half and greatly speed up your system.
On my Mac I opened Chimera and filled up the window with as many tabs as it would allow (16 in a single window). All windows displayed the Slashdot mainpage. My Slashdot prefs are set to show all stories from all sections.
I checked the system usage in the Process Viewer app:
Navigator %CPU 9.00 %Memory 11.20
I then closed all the windows and did the same thing, this time opening 16 SEPARATE windows. Again with Slashdot's mainpage loaded in each.
Process Viewer showed:
Navigator %CPU 9.20 %Memory 22.40
So, according to this unscientific off-the-cuff test, you cut your RAM requirements in half by using tabs. YMMV.
I noticed this the other day when I opened over 50 different images in different windows. My Mac almost ground to a halt. I then opened the same images in tabs (in only a few windows... again Chimera limits you to 16 tabs per window), and my performance was great.
So, to all those who think tabbed browsing is purely a matter of personal preference, I suggest that there is at least a reasonable performance based argument for it.
I think it's a testament to Apple that their fan base follows their product line with such vigor that I can describe my laptop at the TiBook 800 as "the first Ti with the higher-def screen" and a whole lot of people will know exactly which model I mean.
Can you think of another computer maker who could say the same?
"By late 1989, the NT group began growing. They added a formal networking team and expanded the security team beyond a single individual who, incidentally, had also been previously burdened by file system and localization development."
You mean they've got more than one guy working on security for Windows? Oh come on, who's gonna believe that?
Maybe he should try putting them in stores
on
Buy a Segway... Please
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· Score: 4, Interesting
I for one am very interested in the Segway. I might even buy one. But I've never, ever, seen one 'in the flesh'. I can't go into a store to buy one. I don't know anybody who has one.
It's such a new product and so unusual that for people to buy one sight-unseen at this high a price requires a leap of faith that is uncommon amongst consumers.
This guy needs to put them in stores. Lots of stores. The stores need to let people test ride them. They need to do demonstrations in the streets at lunch time so people can see how cool they are.
I wouldn't be surprised to see them be a big hit, but the average guy will want to try one first.
Anyone know how to make the widgets sticky across desktops when using codetek virtual desktop? I dragged the application to the applications listing in the codetek preferences where you normally put apps you want to be persistent, but it doesn't seem to work.
Not a big deal since the gallery of widgets so far seems to fall into 3 categories: rss feed readers, system montors, and clocks. None of which I need. But I am interested to see other things as people develop more stuff. Certainly a great way to showcase OS X eye candy if nothing else!
Naming conventions for networking standards are all over the map: airport, airport extreme, wifi etc.
You'd think it would just be simpler to use the 802.xyz definition because at least that's a version number.
Oh yeah, except 802 isn't even a version number. The first meeting of the IEEE Computer Society "Local Network Standards Committee", Project 802, was held in February of 1980. It was called 802 for the second month of 1980.
So all these things are pretty arbitrary. Personally, I think networking standards should be named Uhura.
I'm sure this thread will have a lot of Microsoft bashing. The fact is that as bad as Exchange is (and it can be a pig to admin), there are precious few alternatives for a centralized email/groupware server. Especially one that integrates seamlessly with Office.
The reality for a lot of people is that they have to use Microsoft products in the work place. When Entourage works with Exchange, at least those people who'd rather use a Mac (and not Classic) will be able to use one at work.
I know you can use OWA, but it isn't the same thing.
I for one can't wait until I can use my Powerbook at work and nothing else!
I'm using out-of-the-box Chimera 0.6 Build ID: 2002122004. (By this I mean it's not a nightly, I downloaded the 0.6 binary straight from their website).
It's running the default config: no special settings on my part, so whatever caching settings that might be I guess.
Yeah, I am using Quartz Extreme. I'm running 10.2.3 on an 800Mhxz 15" TiBook with 512megs of RAM.
I can't explain the situation except to say that I've noticed OS X behaves this way: more windows eat more resources.
Saving RAM: An argument for tabbed browsing
on
Safari Beta Updated
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· Score: 3, Interesting
According to an off-the-cuff test I just performed, tabbed browsing can cut your RAM requirements in half and greatly speed up your system.
On my Mac I opened Chimera and filled up the window with as many tabs as it would allow (16 in a single window). All windows displayed the Slashdot mainpage. My Slashdot prefs are set to show all stories from all sections.
I checked the system usage in the Process Viewer app:
Navigator %CPU 9.00 %Memory 11.20
I then closed all the windows and did the same thing, this time opening 16 SEPARATE windows. Again with Slashdot's mainpage loaded in each.
Process Viewer showed:
Navigator %CPU 9.20 %Memory 22.40
So, according to this unscientific off-the-cuff test, you cut your RAM requirements in half by using tabs. YMMV.
I noticed this the other day when I opened over 50 different images in different windows. My Mac almost ground to a halt. I then opened the same images in tabs (in only a few windows... again Chimera limits you to 16 tabs per window), and my performance was great.
So, to all those who think tabbed browsing is purely a matter of personal preference, I suggest that there is at least a reasonable performance based argument for it.
(the productivity arguments are even more compelling IMHO, but I won't get into those)
No joke, the Japanese read more comics because of their lower rates of literacy.
No, this isn't because they're stupid or their education system is poor, it's because of the complexities of their written alphabets. The Japanese have 4 written alphabets in regular use: 2 phonetic ones, hiragana and katakana; the chinese alphabet, kanji; and the english alphabet, romanji.
The problem is that the more high-brow the text, the more likely it is to be written in kanji. Kanji is a one-symbol-is-one-word system. You have to have a bloody large vocabulary to make any sense of it.
These comics tend to be written in one of the phonetic kanas (hiragana or katakana), so they're easy to read and accessible to anybody with a gradeschool education. This makes them more popular.
Just imagine if all English books were written in Shakespearean english, or worse Old English. How popular would comic books be with adults then?
This is just an idea, I've never tried it: how about taking simple programs and trying to implement the exact same program in each langauge. Oh sure, VB and COBOL are very different and the interfaces will no doubt be different, but looking beyond that, trying out the same exercise in each language could teach you a lot about them both as you see how they are similar and different. Using a common problem domain will allow you to focus on the differences in structure and syntax. I'm not suggesting trying tough projects here, just simple exercises: memory management, arrays, search trees etc.
As it turns out I use OS X as my primary desktop OS. I love it.
GNUstep does not get enough cred. If you had a distro running GNUstep w/ a few polished apps you'd open yourself up to developers releasing apps for both your distro and OS X at the same time. On top of that you'd have a Linux desktop capable of running any other Linux app.
Oh wait, I just described OS X again.
how to make linux desktop good for masses
on
Ark Linux
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· Score: 5, Interesting
It seems to me that this debate will rage on and on about which desktop is the best etc etc. I don't know much about this ark linux offering but I do like the idea of someone else taking a crack at it. its a worthy goal to reach for.
it seems to me that the only way this will be achieved is by a distro making some very draconian decisions about what to include. I for one would be delighted to see a very lightweight distro that did just a few things very well.
what I mean is if there was a distro that included a web browser, mail client, open office, mp3 player & a terminal program, and they all looked good and were consistent in look, feel and function, then this would be a major step forward. you dont need to include much more than that to have a successful easy to use distro. no point in including tons of compilers and dev tools if you want to make something easy for non-techies to use.
hopefully this is a goal that will be reached someday. it is so possible to do that I'm really surprised to see so many failed attempts. All I'm suggesting is a lightweight distro with a select few apps that are heavily polished and work well. If you did that you could gain a following and maybe get enough credibility and respect that other app developers would code to your human interface guidelines.
I'm really hoping this new beta X11 environment from Apple is the tip of the iceberg. I'd like to see it become as integrated into OS X as Classic. Having come from a Linux background there are lots of X apps I run on my TiBook and no Classic apps, but that's just me.
Not being a developer, I was wondering how menus are implemented in X11 apps. I know that it's different depending on whether you use Motif, KDE or Gnome, but my main question is whether or not these menus could be "automagically" relocated to the Apple menu bar so the app would look more like a Mac app. I suspect this will never happen but I know very little about it.
I like Apple's new X11 very much. Nice and snappy. Quartz-wm is amazing. It's great using a WM that respects my theme (I use Rhapsodized b/c I hate Aqua and quartz-wm takes this since it uses Quartz...how about that!)
The only thing I don't like is that the menu bar just says X11 and there's no indication of how many X apps you're running, so you can't ALT+tab between them or use the dock to change the app of focus. You actually have to click on it with the mouse or use the 'window' menu on the X11 menu bar.
Back when I was a kid the idea of becoming a nerd was presented as a positive (if unorthodox) path in life. The Revenge of the Nerds series of movies did a great job of showing that what nerds may lack in brawn they were sure to make up for in brains, cunning and all important shenanigans.
Revenge of the Nerds was a pivotal movie in this respect. What kid didn't cheer for the nerds as they faced off against the Alpha Betas? Who among us didn't revere Booger with great respect and admiration? And what kid didn't dream of placing hidden cameras in an all-girl dormitory? Have you heard of the X25 webcam? Guess where they got the idea.
The problem thesedays is that nerd-positive movies present unattainable realities. Someday I'd like to work as an ensign on the Enterprise! Sorry kid. Ok then, when I grow up I want to fight orcs in middle earth! Tough break. Well can I atleast hang out with Jar Jar?
Yep! Nerds, Nerds in Paradise, Nerds TNG, and Nerds in Love all provided positive examples of nerds using their abilities to make friends, defeat their enemies and get laid. Afterall, that's how kids get interested in the sciences.
Slashdot Mirror
While I appreciate your point, and have no great love for Microsoft Office per se (although it is very good on OS X I must admit), the issue I was really trying to address was that of a Microsoft Exchange client. None of your suggestions would really be suitable for people needing to tap into the groupware components of Exchange (shared clendaring, contacts, meeting planning etc). That's one major place where Exchange has traction within organziations and for which we are at the mercy of Microsoft to provide a client. The only non-MS client I know of is a connector for Evolution that you can purchase from Ximian.
Considering that a native OS X Outlook client is the one major app that makes it annoying to use a Mac on a Windows network, improvements in OWA are very welcome.
Up to this point, OWA hasn't been an acceptable subsitute for me, but I would like it to be. It's lightweight (esp. compared to Outlook), cross platform and definitely better in X2K than it was in X5.5.
I wonder what MS will have as the additional features you get in 'real' Outlook as OWA gets better. I have heard they're considering a native OS X Outlook client, but I'm not holding my breath.
This would be great for cross platform users. One of the reasons people like the mac is that you can use Office on a unix workstation, but without Outlook, it's still slightly kludgy.
Hey guys, MacSlash called, they want their story from February 10th back.
The xServe RAID box has been out for a month. Why is this "news"?
Yes, you certainly can write closed source software with GPL software. The tools you use to create your software do not necessarily impose license restrictions.
Unless I'm mistaken, I can write a GTK+ application closed source so long as I'm not using any GPL'd code in my app. All I do is tell people who buy my product that they need to get the free GTK+ libraries in order to run it.
Your argument would be the equivalent of saying you can't write closed source software to run on Linux because Linux is GPL'd. That is simply not the case.
On my Mac I opened Chimera and filled up the window with as many tabs as it would allow (16 in a single window). All windows displayed the Slashdot mainpage. My Slashdot prefs are set to show all stories from all sections.
I checked the system usage in the Process Viewer app:
I then closed all the windows and did the same thing, this time opening 16 SEPARATE windows. Again with Slashdot's mainpage loaded in each.
Process Viewer showed:
So, according to this unscientific off-the-cuff test, you cut your RAM requirements in half by using tabs. YMMV.
I noticed this the other day when I opened over 50 different images in different windows. My Mac almost ground to a halt. I then opened the same images in tabs (in only a few windows
So, to all those who think tabbed browsing is purely a matter of personal preference, I suggest that there is at least a reasonable performance based argument for it.
I think it's a testament to Apple that their fan base follows their product line with such vigor that I can describe my laptop at the TiBook 800 as "the first Ti with the higher-def screen" and a whole lot of people will know exactly which model I mean.
Can you think of another computer maker who could say the same?
I agree with a lot of what you're saying. I have found some third party tools can help a lot.
1) Launchbar really helps with launching apps from the keyboard only. Try the demo, once you get used to it, you'll never go back.
2) I use Rhapsodized as my theme. I also hate the pinstripes of OS X and can't stand the gum-drop buttons. Fortunately, I don't have to.
Just a couple of suggestions.
I'm not so sure the sampling of only egg-heads named Steve is really random enough to be representative.
What would the results be if you only asked scientists named Mohammed?
"By late 1989, the NT group began growing. They added a formal networking team and expanded the security team beyond a single individual who, incidentally, had also been previously burdened by file system and localization development."
You mean they've got more than one guy working on security for Windows? Oh come on, who's gonna believe that?
I for one am very interested in the Segway. I might even buy one. But I've never, ever, seen one 'in the flesh'. I can't go into a store to buy one. I don't know anybody who has one.
It's such a new product and so unusual that for people to buy one sight-unseen at this high a price requires a leap of faith that is uncommon amongst consumers.
This guy needs to put them in stores. Lots of stores. The stores need to let people test ride them. They need to do demonstrations in the streets at lunch time so people can see how cool they are.
I wouldn't be surprised to see them be a big hit, but the average guy will want to try one first.
Anyone know how to make the widgets sticky across desktops when using codetek virtual desktop? I dragged the application to the applications listing in the codetek preferences where you normally put apps you want to be persistent, but it doesn't seem to work.
Not a big deal since the gallery of widgets so far seems to fall into 3 categories: rss feed readers, system montors, and clocks. None of which I need. But I am interested to see other things as people develop more stuff. Certainly a great way to showcase OS X eye candy if nothing else!
Naming conventions for networking standards are all over the map: airport, airport extreme, wifi etc.
You'd think it would just be simpler to use the 802.xyz definition because at least that's a version number.
Oh yeah, except 802 isn't even a version number. The first meeting of the IEEE Computer Society "Local Network Standards Committee", Project 802, was held in February of 1980. It was called 802 for the second month of 1980.
So all these things are pretty arbitrary. Personally, I think networking standards should be named Uhura.
If you're only offering files to a group of users who you can give passwords to, you could even use SCP. (Secure copy...uses sshd on the server side)
It all depends on the application. I only use SCP to move files around if I have the choice, just because I like better security if I can have it.
But if you want to offer files to the public, I'd recommend offering both FTP and HTTP so people can use the most convenient.
I'm sure this thread will have a lot of Microsoft bashing. The fact is that as bad as Exchange is (and it can be a pig to admin), there are precious few alternatives for a centralized email/groupware server. Especially one that integrates seamlessly with Office.
The reality for a lot of people is that they have to use Microsoft products in the work place. When Entourage works with Exchange, at least those people who'd rather use a Mac (and not Classic) will be able to use one at work.
I know you can use OWA, but it isn't the same thing.
I for one can't wait until I can use my Powerbook at work and nothing else!
I'm using out-of-the-box Chimera 0.6 Build ID: 2002122004. (By this I mean it's not a nightly, I downloaded the 0.6 binary straight from their website).
It's running the default config: no special settings on my part, so whatever caching settings that might be I guess.
Yeah, I am using Quartz Extreme. I'm running 10.2.3 on an 800Mhxz 15" TiBook with 512megs of RAM.
I can't explain the situation except to say that I've noticed OS X behaves this way: more windows eat more resources.
On my Mac I opened Chimera and filled up the window with as many tabs as it would allow (16 in a single window). All windows displayed the Slashdot mainpage. My Slashdot prefs are set to show all stories from all sections.
I checked the system usage in the Process Viewer app:
I then closed all the windows and did the same thing, this time opening 16 SEPARATE windows. Again with Slashdot's mainpage loaded in each.
Process Viewer showed:
So, according to this unscientific off-the-cuff test, you cut your RAM requirements in half by using tabs. YMMV.
I noticed this the other day when I opened over 50 different images in different windows. My Mac almost ground to a halt. I then opened the same images in tabs (in only a few windows
So, to all those who think tabbed browsing is purely a matter of personal preference, I suggest that there is at least a reasonable performance based argument for it.
(the productivity arguments are even more compelling IMHO, but I won't get into those)
No joke, the Japanese read more comics because of their lower rates of literacy.
No, this isn't because they're stupid or their education system is poor, it's because of the complexities of their written alphabets. The Japanese have 4 written alphabets in regular use: 2 phonetic ones, hiragana and katakana; the chinese alphabet, kanji; and the english alphabet, romanji.
The problem is that the more high-brow the text, the more likely it is to be written in kanji. Kanji is a one-symbol-is-one-word system. You have to have a bloody large vocabulary to make any sense of it.
These comics tend to be written in one of the phonetic kanas (hiragana or katakana), so they're easy to read and accessible to anybody with a gradeschool education. This makes them more popular.
Just imagine if all English books were written in Shakespearean english, or worse Old English. How popular would comic books be with adults then?
Screenshots here
This is just an idea, I've never tried it: how about taking simple programs and trying to implement the exact same program in each langauge. Oh sure, VB and COBOL are very different and the interfaces will no doubt be different, but looking beyond that, trying out the same exercise in each language could teach you a lot about them both as you see how they are similar and different. Using a common problem domain will allow you to focus on the differences in structure and syntax. I'm not suggesting trying tough projects here, just simple exercises: memory management, arrays, search trees etc.
As it turns out I use OS X as my primary desktop OS. I love it.
GNUstep does not get enough cred. If you had a distro running GNUstep w/ a few polished apps you'd open yourself up to developers releasing apps for both your distro and OS X at the same time. On top of that you'd have a Linux desktop capable of running any other Linux app.
Oh wait, I just described OS X again.
It seems to me that this debate will rage on and on about which desktop is the best etc etc. I don't know much about this ark linux offering but I do like the idea of someone else taking a crack at it. its a worthy goal to reach for.
it seems to me that the only way this will be achieved is by a distro making some very draconian decisions about what to include. I for one would be delighted to see a very lightweight distro that did just a few things very well.
what I mean is if there was a distro that included a web browser, mail client, open office, mp3 player & a terminal program, and they all looked good and were consistent in look, feel and function, then this would be a major step forward. you dont need to include much more than that to have a successful easy to use distro. no point in including tons of compilers and dev tools if you want to make something easy for non-techies to use.
hopefully this is a goal that will be reached someday. it is so possible to do that I'm really surprised to see so many failed attempts. All I'm suggesting is a lightweight distro with a select few apps that are heavily polished and work well. If you did that you could gain a following and maybe get enough credibility and respect that other app developers would code to your human interface guidelines.
just a thought.
I'm really hoping this new beta X11 environment from Apple is the tip of the iceberg. I'd like to see it become as integrated into OS X as Classic. Having come from a Linux background there are lots of X apps I run on my TiBook and no Classic apps, but that's just me.
Not being a developer, I was wondering how menus are implemented in X11 apps. I know that it's different depending on whether you use Motif, KDE or Gnome, but my main question is whether or not these menus could be "automagically" relocated to the Apple menu bar so the app would look more like a Mac app. I suspect this will never happen but I know very little about it.
I like Apple's new X11 very much. Nice and snappy. Quartz-wm is amazing. It's great using a WM that respects my theme (I use Rhapsodized b/c I hate Aqua and quartz-wm takes this since it uses Quartz...how about that!)
The only thing I don't like is that the menu bar just says X11 and there's no indication of how many X apps you're running, so you can't ALT+tab between them or use the dock to change the app of focus. You actually have to click on it with the mouse or use the 'window' menu on the X11 menu bar.
Back when I was a kid the idea of becoming a nerd was presented as a positive (if unorthodox) path in life. The Revenge of the Nerds series of movies did a great job of showing that what nerds may lack in brawn they were sure to make up for in brains, cunning and all important shenanigans.
Revenge of the Nerds was a pivotal movie in this respect. What kid didn't cheer for the nerds as they faced off against the Alpha Betas? Who among us didn't revere Booger with great respect and admiration? And what kid didn't dream of placing hidden cameras in an all-girl dormitory? Have you heard of the X25 webcam? Guess where they got the idea.
The problem thesedays is that nerd-positive movies present unattainable realities. Someday I'd like to work as an ensign on the Enterprise! Sorry kid. Ok then, when I grow up I want to fight orcs in middle earth! Tough break. Well can I atleast hang out with Jar Jar?
Yep! Nerds, Nerds in Paradise, Nerds TNG, and Nerds in Love all provided positive examples of nerds using their abilities to make friends, defeat their enemies and get laid. Afterall, that's how kids get interested in the sciences.
I totally agree. Having a numeric keypad would put them head and shoulders above the competition on a key usablility point.