Don't you think for the money you're spending to go see a first-run movie three, four times with the entire family in tow, paying for parking to drive them, and buying everyone popcorn and soda, you could afford a pretty sweet home setup after a couple months saving?
This is the same company that wants to push for all-DVD quality films, complaining that the medium will bankrupt them??
The same company whose major summer film (along with SpiderMan and LOTR) grossed more than the GNP of several small countries (hundreds of millions of dollars together) just in theatrical release?
The same company whose advertising blitzes are in the $20 to $50 million dollar range, not counting tie-ins with McDonalds, etc?
The same company which still has yet to release (or just recently released) several of the biggest films of all time, forcing fans to develop the tactics LucasArts is complaining about if they ever want to see the films again?
Well boo fucking hoo.
I've only gone to 2 movies in the theater this year because none of these pandering McD's-tie-in bullshit special-fx films interest me. If the script was quality instead of crap, there was actual acting instead of an army of cgi clones, and an original thought now and again I'd be willing to dish out $50 for 2 hours entertainment. Hmm, maybe not.
But maybe when all the incumbent fat-cat assholes have gone bankrupt from mishandling their fortunes, we'll get to see some of the underground talent and concepts!
That quote is in the same vein as the famous Bill Gates quote, "640k ought to be enough for anybody." Just because Intel can't think of a need doesn't mean anyone else won't.
You know, you seem very intelligent and have very well-thought out reasons for switching. I think Apple could use a couple switch stories from people like you and others on Slashdot.
My reason for mentioning this is I've been hearing a lot of smack-talk geared at Apple's campaign recently: "The system for people too stupid to use computers," and other such things, which Apple is somewhat guilty of helping to perpetuate with the stories they choose.
If Apples could get together a bunch of really intelligent, hardcore-geek switch ads, it might go a long way in proving it's more than a system for people scared of plug-ins.
Using a similar analogy: You can buy a screwdriver (XP) very cheaply, and get the job done quite well. You'll have to sweat, and you'll get blisters and it might take a while and your arms will hurt later, but the job will get done.
Or you can buy an electric screwdriver (OS X) for more money, and it does most of the work for you, you won't work up a sweat, and you can move on to your next task while your buddy with the regular screwdriver is still dicking around.
Thanks for the thoughts, you guys. I understand that the article can't possibly hit all bases and Apple can't control what 3rd parties do. I think it was very well done, as I mentioned.
I'm already a die-hard OS X guy at home, I only open Classic for Quark (I also have InDesign 2, which I think is superior, but the print world still clings to Quark unfortunately). I've written several lengthy emails to my superiors about OS X and tried to send links to as many reviews as possible. I hadn't heard about the TWAIN support, that's going to go a long way in convincing the ppl with the $$
I/love/ the idea of setting up a "test" machine to try it out at work to let everyone see what it can do! I'm going to suggest that for sure. Thanks for the replies
This article, though very thorough from a geek's p.o.v., almost completely ignores the graphic design/creative market. What about printer support/scanner support/Quark support/XTension support/Acrobat Distiller support/speed improvements for design apps? That's the stuff that's going to sell 10.2 to the already-Mac-user crowd. I need that to convince my boss that it's not just a great OS for home, but also work. I need justification for an OS 9 creative office to upgrade to the goodness that is OS X.
Multiple paragraphs on the Terminal app (though useful) don't help sell it to the installed Mac user base that MS complains hasn't Switched. A little more info for the right demographics would be great.
If you didn't see it, there's a very good link to what claims to be an independent information source about Biotechnology in food. There's lots of (what appears to be) unbiased information, and background on the people running the organization as well.
The boss is paid to get results, quick, for clients. In this area he is a supposed "expert."
The web designer, on the other hand, is paid to make sure his boss knows that people use alternative browsers, and make sure the company codes for those browsers as well. He is paid to fight for the correct way of building sites, against what he knows to be faulty judgement by his boss. In this area, he is a supposed "expert."
It all comes down to doing one's job correctly. If the designers are not doing the job they are supposedly trained to do, they should seek alternate forms of employment.
How did you handle the resignation speech with your current boss? Obviously well enough for him/her to counteroffer, but did the offer seem compulsory or was there some true feeling behind it? Are they begging you to stay or was it, as someone else stated, made out of professional politeness?
I think your relationship, now that the offer and counteroffer are on the table, should weigh more on your decision than what a website told you. Look at culture at both places and go where you'll be most comfortable, since $$ isn't an issue anymore. It's about the people and the work at this point, and who you trust your career with more.
I think the problem you're talking about has more to do with the fonts chosen by the designer, or your chosen fonts in the application, than a problem with anti-aliasing.
At smaller sizes (generally below 8 points), a sans-serif font (like Helvetica) will be easier to read, because of the "shaded" or "fuzzy" pixels needed for the serifed font (like Times New Roman) to display smoothly.
If the serif is smaller than a pixel, or the size is "bewteen" 2 pixels, it needs to add a gray pixel to smooth the serif, thus making it display "fuzzy."
Since this anti-aliasing feature is new, many pages will not have taken it into account yet, because aliased text might have been easier to read before. This is kind of a "whole new world" for designers to take into account, and I think it's a good thing, because in the long run it will greatly increase legibility.
As a web designer who uses OS X, I have no allegiance to M$ at all, especially IE. But I didn't really think the article was that biased, to be honest. I don't know very much about Mozilla, and it broke down the feature set pretty nicely.
Granted, the comment about rendering differently than IE was just dumb, as anyone who knows anything about standards would tell you. And anyone with intelligence will see through his pandering News.com comment anyway.
But I'm not sure I'm seeing the "C-" grade. Could it be you're all just a little too close to it, like an artist having his painting criticized? I think it seemed like he liked it for a 1.0 release and he'd like to see some usability improvements so the general public could get down and dirty with it. Maybe it's not fair to compare it to IE6, but that's life. Anyone who's looking for a different browser or just open-minded will get the feeling that this is a viable alternative, and at least you don't have to pay for it like Opera, while getting similar features.
Bottom line: I downloaded it and I'll check it out.
Yeah, thanks for the lone-gunman-are-dead spoiler giveaway! I was planning on watching for Jobs' updates later! At least wait until Pacific Time has passed before you start commenting on the Keynotes!
Exactly! "Exclusive Titles" is what Xbox lacks. To say I have a backwards view on things when this guy's championing Xbox as having a lot of really great games... Wow.
...and speaking of understanding the market, the Zelda series is one of the top sellers of all time, so yes, I do think a 35 sec. clip will make people buy GC. Along with the 35 sec. clips of Mario and Metroid when they premiere. My point was that Nintendo/PS2 have shown tangible proof of what's to come, so far Xbox is just hype.
If you don't think Zelda looks good, fine, but Nintendo's track record pretty much speaks for itself, quality-wise. As a matter of fact, so does M$'s.
i disagree (but only on that point). I've been using Office X for 2 months and have yet to crash once. When I was on OS9 Office 2001 crashed my computer *every time* within 15 seconds. i had to work on Word docs on one computer, then move over to my computer with internet access to send the file.
Now, I can open Word X, Photoshop and Illustrator in Classic, be online, and watch a DVD without a single hiccup (unless I'm logging into Hotmail, which, interestingly, slows down everything).
what makes you think developers will continue to support a machine if the system's makers and users would give up on it, concede that it sucks, and we should just "wait for the next version"?
and what makes you think the users will shell out another $300 (at least) for the next version when there were less good games for the original system than you could count on one hand? backward compatibility on v2.0 is only a plus when you've got games people will to continue to play.
and who wants a system that would need to be "upgraded" every 2 years to compete with PS2 and Nintendo, who stick behind their consoles? Isn't that the whole reason FOR supposedly buying Xbox INSTEAD of a PC?
And I'm sorry, but I'm so sick of the argument that you have to compare Xbox at 6 mos. with PS2 at 6 mos. Nobody's making that same argument for Nintendo, who seems to be doing quite well in the current generation despite the same late start (due to the present lineup and upcoming Zelda/Metroid/Mario games ACTUALLY coming out, not the "maybe in the future, we might get a really cool game, you never know" stance all Xbox owners seem to take).
When it comes to technology, it's middle-class consumers and their tastes, needs and expectations that determine success or failure.... Harry and Martha in Dubuque decide which products will enter the mainstream and last..The middle-class isn't ready for that. Most Americans don't need the 1,000 songs the iPod can store
Sir,
Let me profile my girlfriend's parents for you:
1. Live next to a horse farm and across the street from a cornfield in rural Ohio
2. Make less than $60.000 a year combined
3. Don't own a standalone DVD player or home theater system
4. Own a $1000 digital camera
5. Burn CD's and use MP3s
6. Own Mac G4 for all digital movie editing, CD burning, DVD player for watching movies, connecting to AOL, digital camera printing
Did you ever stop to consider before writing an uninformed article that perhaps YOU are behind the times, not Middle America? Just because YOU refuse to understand emerging technology doesn't mean other people follow your lead.
Slashdot Mirror
Think about it: Is it **really** the eleventh release of MS Office? I don't remember and frankly it doesn't matter.
It's called "Office 11" so they can release it right before Apple releases OS 11, and thus will look "behind the times" compared to MS.
Simple yet effective marketing technique.
... leave them with eunuchs.
"UNIX"...? oh, "eunuchs"...
Don't you think for the money you're spending to go see a first-run movie three, four times with the entire family in tow, paying for parking to drive them, and buying everyone popcorn and soda, you could afford a pretty sweet home setup after a couple months saving?
Just a thought, not a flame...
This is the same company that wants to push for all-DVD quality films, complaining that the medium will bankrupt them??
The same company whose major summer film (along with SpiderMan and LOTR) grossed more than the GNP of several small countries (hundreds of millions of dollars together) just in theatrical release?
The same company whose advertising blitzes are in the $20 to $50 million dollar range, not counting tie-ins with McDonalds, etc?
The same company which still has yet to release (or just recently released) several of the biggest films of all time, forcing fans to develop the tactics LucasArts is complaining about if they ever want to see the films again?
Well boo fucking hoo.
I've only gone to 2 movies in the theater this year because none of these pandering McD's-tie-in bullshit special-fx films interest me. If the script was quality instead of crap, there was actual acting instead of an army of cgi clones, and an original thought now and again I'd be willing to dish out $50 for 2 hours entertainment. Hmm, maybe not.
But maybe when all the incumbent fat-cat assholes have gone bankrupt from mishandling their fortunes, we'll get to see some of the underground talent and concepts!
That quote is in the same vein as the famous Bill Gates quote, "640k ought to be enough for anybody." Just because Intel can't think of a need doesn't mean anyone else won't.
You know, you seem very intelligent and have very well-thought out reasons for switching. I think Apple could use a couple switch stories from people like you and others on Slashdot.
My reason for mentioning this is I've been hearing a lot of smack-talk geared at Apple's campaign recently: "The system for people too stupid to use computers," and other such things, which Apple is somewhat guilty of helping to perpetuate with the stories they choose.
If Apples could get together a bunch of really intelligent, hardcore-geek switch ads, it might go a long way in proving it's more than a system for people scared of plug-ins.
Using a similar analogy: You can buy a screwdriver (XP) very cheaply, and get the job done quite well. You'll have to sweat, and you'll get blisters and it might take a while and your arms will hurt later, but the job will get done.
Or you can buy an electric screwdriver (OS X) for more money, and it does most of the work for you, you won't work up a sweat, and you can move on to your next task while your buddy with the regular screwdriver is still dicking around.
Thanks for the thoughts, you guys. I understand that the article can't possibly hit all bases and Apple can't control what 3rd parties do. I think it was very well done, as I mentioned.
/love/ the idea of setting up a "test" machine to try it out at work to let everyone see what it can do! I'm going to suggest that for sure. Thanks for the replies
I'm already a die-hard OS X guy at home, I only open Classic for Quark (I also have InDesign 2, which I think is superior, but the print world still clings to Quark unfortunately). I've written several lengthy emails to my superiors about OS X and tried to send links to as many reviews as possible. I hadn't heard about the TWAIN support, that's going to go a long way in convincing the ppl with the $$
I
This article, though very thorough from a geek's p.o.v., almost completely ignores the graphic design/creative market. What about printer support/scanner support/Quark support/XTension support/Acrobat Distiller support/speed improvements for design apps? That's the stuff that's going to sell 10.2 to the already-Mac-user crowd. I need that to convince my boss that it's not just a great OS for home, but also work. I need justification for an OS 9 creative office to upgrade to the goodness that is OS X.
Multiple paragraphs on the Terminal app (though useful) don't help sell it to the installed Mac user base that MS complains hasn't Switched. A little more info for the right demographics would be great.
If you didn't see it, there's a very good link to what claims to be an independent information source about Biotechnology in food. There's lots of (what appears to be) unbiased information, and background on the people running the organization as well.
pewagbiotech.org
The boss is paid to get results, quick, for clients. In this area he is a supposed "expert."
The web designer, on the other hand, is paid to make sure his boss knows that people use alternative browsers, and make sure the company codes for those browsers as well. He is paid to fight for the correct way of building sites, against what he knows to be faulty judgement by his boss. In this area, he is a supposed "expert."
It all comes down to doing one's job correctly. If the designers are not doing the job they are supposedly trained to do, they should seek alternate forms of employment.
How does one test against every possible configuration of every possible computer that could conceivably run one's OS?
:)
Build the hardware as well, as Apple does.
Of course, even then, they're on OS X 10.1.5...
How did you handle the resignation speech with your current boss? Obviously well enough for him/her to counteroffer, but did the offer seem compulsory or was there some true feeling behind it? Are they begging you to stay or was it, as someone else stated, made out of professional politeness?
I think your relationship, now that the offer and counteroffer are on the table, should weigh more on your decision than what a website told you. Look at culture at both places and go where you'll be most comfortable, since $$ isn't an issue anymore. It's about the people and the work at this point, and who you trust your career with more.
I think the problem you're talking about has more to do with the fonts chosen by the designer, or your chosen fonts in the application, than a problem with anti-aliasing.
At smaller sizes (generally below 8 points), a sans-serif font (like Helvetica) will be easier to read, because of the "shaded" or "fuzzy" pixels needed for the serifed font (like Times New Roman) to display smoothly.
If the serif is smaller than a pixel, or the size is "bewteen" 2 pixels, it needs to add a gray pixel to smooth the serif, thus making it display "fuzzy."
Since this anti-aliasing feature is new, many pages will not have taken it into account yet, because aliased text might have been easier to read before. This is kind of a "whole new world" for designers to take into account, and I think it's a good thing, because in the long run it will greatly increase legibility.
As a web designer who uses OS X, I have no allegiance to M$ at all, especially IE. But I didn't really think the article was that biased, to be honest. I don't know very much about Mozilla, and it broke down the feature set pretty nicely.
Granted, the comment about rendering differently than IE was just dumb, as anyone who knows anything about standards would tell you. And anyone with intelligence will see through his pandering News.com comment anyway.
But I'm not sure I'm seeing the "C-" grade. Could it be you're all just a little too close to it, like an artist having his painting criticized? I think it seemed like he liked it for a 1.0 release and he'd like to see some usability improvements so the general public could get down and dirty with it. Maybe it's not fair to compare it to IE6, but that's life. Anyone who's looking for a different browser or just open-minded will get the feeling that this is a viable alternative, and at least you don't have to pay for it like Opera, while getting similar features.
Bottom line: I downloaded it and I'll check it out.
How do we keep them from doing this to us over and over again?
Buy OS X...
The following discs are known to use the copy protection:
Shakira: "Laundry Service"
Jennifer Lopez: "J To Tha L-O!"
Celine Dion: "A New Day Has Come"
"These people resemble musicians but technically are not."
Yeah, thanks for the lone-gunman-are-dead spoiler giveaway! I was planning on watching for Jobs' updates later! At least wait until Pacific Time has passed before you start commenting on the Keynotes!
Exactly! "Exclusive Titles" is what Xbox lacks. To say I have a backwards view on things when this guy's championing Xbox as having a lot of really great games... Wow.
...and speaking of understanding the market, the Zelda series is one of the top sellers of all time, so yes, I do think a 35 sec. clip will make people buy GC. Along with the 35 sec. clips of Mario and Metroid when they premiere. My point was that Nintendo/PS2 have shown tangible proof of what's to come, so far Xbox is just hype.
If you don't think Zelda looks good, fine, but Nintendo's track record pretty much speaks for itself, quality-wise. As a matter of fact, so does M$'s.
even Office is a bit of a dog
i disagree (but only on that point). I've been using Office X for 2 months and have yet to crash once. When I was on OS9 Office 2001 crashed my computer *every time* within 15 seconds. i had to work on Word docs on one computer, then move over to my computer with internet access to send the file.
Now, I can open Word X, Photoshop and Illustrator in Classic, be online, and watch a DVD without a single hiccup (unless I'm logging into Hotmail, which, interestingly, slows down everything).
>>this version isn't doing that well
what makes you think developers will continue to support a machine if the system's makers and users would give up on it, concede that it sucks, and we should just "wait for the next version"?
and what makes you think the users will shell out another $300 (at least) for the next version when there were less good games for the original system than you could count on one hand? backward compatibility on v2.0 is only a plus when you've got games people will to continue to play.
and who wants a system that would need to be "upgraded" every 2 years to compete with PS2 and Nintendo, who stick behind their consoles? Isn't that the whole reason FOR supposedly buying Xbox INSTEAD of a PC?
And I'm sorry, but I'm so sick of the argument that you have to compare Xbox at 6 mos. with PS2 at 6 mos. Nobody's making that same argument for Nintendo, who seems to be doing quite well in the current generation despite the same late start (due to the present lineup and upcoming Zelda/Metroid/Mario games ACTUALLY coming out, not the "maybe in the future, we might get a really cool game, you never know" stance all Xbox owners seem to take).
1. Live next to a horse farm and across the street from a cornfield in rural Ohio
2. Make less than $60.000 a year combined
3. Don't own a standalone DVD player or home theater system
4. Own a $1000 digital camera
5. Burn CD's and use MP3s
6. Own Mac G4 for all digital movie editing, CD burning, DVD player for watching movies, connecting to AOL, digital camera printing
Did you ever stop to consider before writing an uninformed article that perhaps YOU are behind the times, not Middle America? Just because YOU refuse to understand emerging technology doesn't mean other people follow your lead.