Holy! I never ever had a reply that I had to "Read the rest of this comment..." on...
I won't adress it point by point like you did, simply because it would take too long. I just want to clarify some things.
QuickTime for Windows is oddly intrusive, but I get the feeling Apple have to "shout" a bit to not drown in the other application installs on windows. It's not like it's the only app going about with these tactics. Microsoft being probably the worst (naturally). That said it doesn't mean I approve of these tactics myself. But being partial to Apple it didn't bother me when I installed it on my work PCs over the year. (Except for the weird detached menu-bar which is now fixed...)
I agree that the NT-strand of Windows had some fundamental advantages over Mac OS 9 (which I now hate using ironically). But what I meant was really catching up with the complete experience, the GUI, the usability, even *gasp* the eye candy. It's the complete package that makes Mac OS X the leading OS today. And now with the release of 10.2 and the promises of the future it looks to keep that position at least for the forseeable future.
It may not be enough for the causual user to re-learn some things about the UI (it's not that different anymore). But some clear advantages for everyday Joe:
- Virtually immune to viruses. No Mac OS X viruses so far. - Unparalleled integration and synchronization between the best (yes, I'm bold enough to use that word since I've yet to be convinced otehrwise) media and now personal organization apps. It may be a buzzword but Apple's really on top of this Digital Hub thing. - Superduper stable OS. I haven't crashed since 10.1 and I have my uptimes to prove it.
For the geeks, there's lots of goodies to. A great development enviroment with solid UNIX/BSD underpinnings.
Saying that Linux is the perfect OS for the tinkerer doesn't contradict what I said about it being a most excellent server OS. What I meant was Linux-as-a-desktop. And it is too. I just don't have the time to tinker about with my computer anymore. And neither does the majority.
The real problem is with peoples view on what's important to spend money on. Given the choice of a free shady copy of an application and paying for it even I would go the first route. Given the choice of a cheap PC and a relativly expensive Mac, many won't stop to think what gives the most bang for the buck. That's just life.
I could care less what the majority use. Apple needs to earn money of course, but I prefer to stay a niche. An elite if you wish. It's being awfully arrogant perhaps, but it seems that whatever brand or even sport team you root for will cause these feelings in you. Heck, even religion is the same way. But now I'm getting too philisophical here. Back to work. Back to work. Work work, work work.
The Quartz Extreme technology of Mac OS X 10.2 leverages OpenGL to offload the heavy display engine to the GPU. You can do impressive graphic compositing this way. Yet the interface is still 2D. Why is this?
Because on a flat surface the human eye best perceives information laid out on that 2D surface. Until we have a perfect 3D display and a revolutionary new input device (a bat?) you won't see 3d interfaces taking off any day now.
And just as I was starting to rely on my mac.com email-adress!
Yes, this sucks big time! Free mac.com adresses should persist! We get 5 MB for free, then upgrade it if we want. Just like with iDisk. Killing customers adresses like this is just ridicolous. But this seems to be the way the internet works these days:/
Harder to install I wouldn't know. But harder to use - you bet.
Anyways, your reply was nicely worded and reflected compared to most rabid linux-zealots that trawls these boards.
From my POV the only thing keeping linux-users from switching is the reluctancy against actually paying for quality - or anything at all really. Couple that with an irrational hatred of Apple (Judging a company on it's port for the "enemy"-OS? Do you think MS helps them smooth their experience and general acceptance there?) and you have a bunch of stubborn woodheads.
I would feel the same way too. If it suddenly dawned on me that Windows or even Linux were way ahead of the Mac OS in the race. That just isn't the case now.
Don't get me wrong. Both have their uses. Linux is a great server OS. Reliable and low-maintenance. But for a desktop? I'll give it a few years to iron out it's wrinkles and uglies. I don't hold my breath though.
And Windows? Well, it's shaping up. But it has been a long time now. Constantly playing catch up with the Mac OS has worn it out like an old piece of cloth. Security-holes and bugs abound. I don't blame them though. Being that paranoid, controlling and the same time have to support an enormous plethora of configurations must strain them to a breaking point.
Linux on the other hand is the perfect hobbyist OS. Perfect for the tinkerer.
Mac OS X is the perfect combination for everyone. A tinkerer, programmer, geek, power user and grandmother would all fit right at home.
Of course, if you are willing to pay for it that is. Some people actually are:)
Regarding fonts you probably never even heard of kerning, leading, baseline and the like. Basically font-handling on any linux distribution is horrible. And admit it, most of it look crap. And if fonts are considered eye-candy by you, than you are probably better off ignorant anyways.
Yeah, the Penny-Arcade was ha-ha funny, and in fact I had already read it. Guess I'm not your typical mac-user.
The "several problem"-link you submitted is yet another "baseless claims and ignorance" as this statement: The only consistentency in KDE is that it's consistensly bad. And yes, that was trolling. Again.
Who mixes Mac OS X apps with Mac OS 9 apps? I could if I had the need, just as much as I can run Windows apps under emulation trowing yet another inconstistant UI into the mix. Or even play games - each with their own inconsistent interface *gasp*
The point is that Mac OS X is consistent where it counts: day to day operation. I've yet to meet anyone confused by the brushed metal interface which is only applied to utilities which resembles real-life objects (music-player, movie-player). I don't like it much either, but I can live with it since it doesn't really interfere with my productivity.
Transparency, while mostly eye-candy (who says you shouldn't enjoy using your computer?), can also be useful. I'm sure you use transparent terminals yourself. Keeping an eye on what's happening behind menus can be helpful, while I don't notice it in day to day work.
I have no idea what you mean by "a mouse optimized for beauty", but it sounds really bad. I happen to know that the mouse-acceleration and accuracy of the Mac OS is unprecedented in "those other OSes".
This post got modded up? By who? CmdrTaco? One mouse button my ass!
1) Mac OS X has turned out to be the best, most reliable and most user-friendly of ALL UNIX distributions.
2) Do you really want me to list all the things KDE/Linux does wrong or rather the ways they have to go to reach OS X level of ease of use ( hah...I can hear your blood boiling from here)?
I could go on about having a CONCISTENT interface being a number one priority. But I'll leave you with just one example: Font-handling.
If your not-really-believable "P.S.; [sic] Yes, I have a Mac." argument got you modded up, I should at least get +1 Insightful on the accounts that:
1) I have a mac 2) I am Norwegian 3) I have first hand experience with Mac OS X since the Public Beta(s) AND I happen to know that it's Norwegian (and in fact any language support) is top notch. 4) I write handy little lists like this
Really, give it some time, and *nix distibutions will be easier to install, much more liberal in usage conditions and much more trustable concerning privacy - btw.
Uhm... Mac OS X came out over a year ago. Are you referrering to the 10.2 update?
There is no "Apple proprietary format". If you are referring to the Apple-exclusive Sorenson-codecs, then yes. It both plays and encodes great quality video (see http://www.apple.com/trailers/ for examples). However, MPEG4 - which is what QT6 is all about - is an industry standard. And it plays great to boot.
Tsk... You only have to incorporate the company in some foreign country. Set up a PO Box front and your all set. Lot's of grey-market companies have done this ages ago...
How long before somebody will set up a similar service someplace outside the claws of the RIAA.... like outside the US? Wouldn't it just be a matter of moving their servers to an off-shore location? Like in Sealand?
It has excellent standard compliance. Great rendering speed. It might even sport quartz-rendering in 1.1. But looks isn't exactly what it has going for it. It sticks out like a sore thumb in a hand of aqua.
They already have the best video editor in Final Cut Pro. Then they released Cinema Tools to help convert between film and video, easing the editing process for cinema features. Then came the Xserve, paving the way for the server / heavy workstation in the creative business. Now by combining the best of the two leading technologies in the high-end compositing market Apple can take over the entire movie business by simply being the best choice.
Slashdot Mirror
Cases where form is equal to function. Things I would actually concider having in my living room. Yes, I'm talking about Apple cases.
These? 90% bullshit, futuristic for the heck of it, cheap-looking and some unoriginal too.
Funny. I was thinking "My god that's some fugly objects".
Well, if you run a server and no carbon applications you are fine with UFS. HFS+ is still the way to go for 99% of all users though.
It's a photoshopped hoax. But of course you already knew that...
Holy! I never ever had a reply that I had to "Read the rest of this comment..." on...
I won't adress it point by point like you did, simply because it would take too long. I just want to clarify some things.
QuickTime for Windows is oddly intrusive, but I get the feeling Apple have to "shout" a bit to not drown in the other application installs on windows. It's not like it's the only app going about with these tactics. Microsoft being probably the worst (naturally). That said it doesn't mean I approve of these tactics myself. But being partial to Apple it didn't bother me when I installed it on my work PCs over the year. (Except for the weird detached menu-bar which is now fixed...)
I agree that the NT-strand of Windows had some fundamental advantages over Mac OS 9 (which I now hate using ironically). But what I meant was really catching up with the complete experience, the GUI, the usability, even *gasp* the eye candy. It's the complete package that makes Mac OS X the leading OS today. And now with the release of 10.2 and the promises of the future it looks to keep that position at least for the forseeable future.
It may not be enough for the causual user to re-learn some things about the UI (it's not that different anymore). But some clear advantages for everyday Joe:
- Virtually immune to viruses. No Mac OS X viruses so far.
- Unparalleled integration and synchronization between the best (yes, I'm bold enough to use that word since I've yet to be convinced otehrwise) media and now personal organization apps. It may be a buzzword but Apple's really on top of this Digital Hub thing.
- Superduper stable OS. I haven't crashed since 10.1 and I have my uptimes to prove it.
For the geeks, there's lots of goodies to. A great development enviroment with solid UNIX/BSD underpinnings.
Saying that Linux is the perfect OS for the tinkerer doesn't contradict what I said about it being a most excellent server OS. What I meant was Linux-as-a-desktop. And it is too. I just don't have the time to tinker about with my computer anymore. And neither does the majority.
The real problem is with peoples view on what's important to spend money on. Given the choice of a free shady copy of an application and paying for it even I would go the first route. Given the choice of a cheap PC and a relativly expensive Mac, many won't stop to think what gives the most bang for the buck. That's just life.
I could care less what the majority use. Apple needs to earn money of course, but I prefer to stay a niche. An elite if you wish. It's being awfully arrogant perhaps, but it seems that whatever brand or even sport team you root for will cause these feelings in you. Heck, even religion is the same way. But now I'm getting too philisophical here. Back to work. Back to work. Work work, work work.
With only 15 minutes or so to the keynote, we'll all see...
Because on a flat surface the human eye best perceives information laid out on that 2D surface. Until we have a perfect 3D display and a revolutionary new input device (a bat?) you won't see 3d interfaces taking off any day now.
And just as I was starting to rely on my mac.com email-adress!
:/
Yes, this sucks big time! Free mac.com adresses should persist! We get 5 MB for free, then upgrade it if we want. Just like with iDisk. Killing customers adresses like this is just ridicolous. But this seems to be the way the internet works these days
Harder to install I wouldn't know. But harder to use - you bet.
:)
Anyways, your reply was nicely worded and reflected compared to most rabid linux-zealots that trawls these boards.
From my POV the only thing keeping linux-users from switching is the reluctancy against actually paying for quality - or anything at all really. Couple that with an irrational hatred of Apple (Judging a company on it's port for the "enemy"-OS? Do you think MS helps them smooth their experience and general acceptance there?) and you have a bunch of stubborn woodheads.
I would feel the same way too. If it suddenly dawned on me that Windows or even Linux were way ahead of the Mac OS in the race. That just isn't the case now.
Don't get me wrong. Both have their uses. Linux is a great server OS. Reliable and low-maintenance. But for a desktop? I'll give it a few years to iron out it's wrinkles and uglies. I don't hold my breath though.
And Windows? Well, it's shaping up. But it has been a long time now. Constantly playing catch up with the Mac OS has worn it out like an old piece of cloth. Security-holes and bugs abound. I don't blame them though. Being that paranoid, controlling and the same time have to support an enormous plethora of configurations must strain them to a breaking point.
Linux on the other hand is the perfect hobbyist OS. Perfect for the tinkerer.
Mac OS X is the perfect combination for everyone. A tinkerer, programmer, geek, power user and grandmother would all fit right at home.
Of course, if you are willing to pay for it that is. Some people actually are
Regarding fonts you probably never even heard of kerning, leading, baseline and the like. Basically font-handling on any linux distribution is horrible. And admit it, most of it look crap. And if fonts are considered eye-candy by you, than you are probably better off ignorant anyways. Yeah, the Penny-Arcade was ha-ha funny, and in fact I had already read it. Guess I'm not your typical mac-user. The "several problem"-link you submitted is yet another "baseless claims and ignorance" as this statement: The only consistentency in KDE is that it's consistensly bad. And yes, that was trolling. Again. Who mixes Mac OS X apps with Mac OS 9 apps? I could if I had the need, just as much as I can run Windows apps under emulation trowing yet another inconstistant UI into the mix. Or even play games - each with their own inconsistent interface *gasp* The point is that Mac OS X is consistent where it counts: day to day operation. I've yet to meet anyone confused by the brushed metal interface which is only applied to utilities which resembles real-life objects (music-player, movie-player). I don't like it much either, but I can live with it since it doesn't really interfere with my productivity. Transparency, while mostly eye-candy (who says you shouldn't enjoy using your computer?), can also be useful. I'm sure you use transparent terminals yourself. Keeping an eye on what's happening behind menus can be helpful, while I don't notice it in day to day work. I have no idea what you mean by "a mouse optimized for beauty", but it sounds really bad. I happen to know that the mouse-acceleration and accuracy of the Mac OS is unprecedented in "those other OSes".
This post got modded up? By who? CmdrTaco? One mouse button my ass!
1) Mac OS X has turned out to be the best, most reliable and most user-friendly of ALL UNIX distributions.
2) Do you really want me to list all the things KDE/Linux does wrong or rather the ways they have to go to reach OS X level of ease of use ( hah...I can hear your blood boiling from here)?
I could go on about having a CONCISTENT interface being a number one priority. But I'll leave you with just one example: Font-handling.
If your not-really-believable "P.S.; [sic] Yes, I have a Mac." argument got you modded up, I should at least get +1 Insightful on the accounts that:
1) I have a mac
2) I am Norwegian
3) I have first hand experience with Mac OS X since the Public Beta(s) AND I happen to know that it's Norwegian (and in fact any language support) is top notch.
4) I write handy little lists like this
Best version except for the GameBoy one: Tetris Max for the classic operating system. Also Netris for the same, but with addictive network play.
Best tetris-like: Skittles
There is no "Apple proprietary format". If you are referring to the Apple-exclusive Sorenson-codecs, then yes. It both plays and encodes great quality video (see http://www.apple.com/trailers/ for examples). However, MPEG4 - which is what QT6 is all about - is an industry standard. And it plays great to boot.
Tsk... You only have to incorporate the company in some foreign country. Set up a PO Box front and your all set. Lot's of grey-market companies have done this ages ago...
No, actually you'd get bubbles. Or so the theory goes.
Or 5 hour if you got a or iBook. Yes, battery life depends on usage, but as a writer you'll find that it actually does.
Or even ever heard of the Apple eMate. It failed along with the Newton. But still would have beat any Palm-based system today...
How long before somebody will set up a similar service someplace outside the claws of the RIAA.... like outside the US? Wouldn't it just be a matter of moving their servers to an off-shore location? Like in Sealand?
It looks great? It LOOKS GREAT?
It has excellent standard compliance. Great rendering speed. It might even sport quartz-rendering in 1.1. But looks isn't exactly what it has going for it. It sticks out like a sore thumb in a hand of aqua.
LOL.
I think this calls for the "Linux apologist of the week award".
Seriously. Linux is an excellent OS for a server, but it will never compare to Mac OS X or even Windows in a desktop-enviroment.
And why wouldn't you want to run Mac OS X? UNIX with a great interface? Sounds fine by me...
You mean 'quack'?
Hehe, long time but I still laugh each time I hear it on TV.
It all is starting to work out now.
;)
They already have the best video editor in Final Cut Pro. Then they released Cinema Tools to help convert between film and video, easing the editing process for cinema features. Then came the Xserve, paving the way for the server / heavy workstation in the creative business. Now by combining the best of the two leading technologies in the high-end compositing market Apple can take over the entire movie business by simply being the best choice.
Sneaky, but I like it
Uhm... this is not a video-editor, this is hi-end production composition software. The kind used to produce special effects in Hollywood-movies.
The closest (consumer) competitior would be Adobe After Effects.
Perhaps proper fonts, kerning and professional font-managment is needed before you whine about anti-aliasing?