...that you don't have to replace the monitor everytime you upgrade the computer.
There's a hole in the product line. I want the power of an iMac, but stand-alone like the Mac mini, with some slots, but smaller than a Mac Pro.
And I don't think I'm the only one.
What is not always realized is that there are two Safari versions.
Safari 1.x runs on OS X 10.3 and earlier.
Safari 2.x runs requires OS X 10.4.
All the performance fixes go into Safari 2.x only. The only fixes for Safari 1.x are for security problems.
I'm running OS X 10.3, and I have noticed that Safari has severe severe performance problems. I think it is caused by Flash applets, which bring it to its knees. Websites with flash applets frequently will cause 100% cpu usage. And trying to use flash based video players often can't keep up, because it is demanding more than 100% cpu.
So now that there are so many flash ads, exploring the web is a painful experience.
* * *
OK, I know this is futile, but I'll try to head off the obligatory responses:
Q. Do you really expect Apple to enhance Safari for older operating systems? A. I don't expect them to. But I wish they would fix the performance problems.
Q. If Flash ads are the problem, why don't you block them? A. The ads pay for the web sites.
Q. Why don't you upgrade to OS X 10.4? A. Because that would break certain other software needed for work.
Q. Why don't you use another browser? A. I do.
Q. Why don't you just get a get a new, faster computer? A. Because I keep expecting Apple to release a new model, in between a Mac mini and a Mac Pro.
This is a reprint of a column, with commentary about the mac. It isn't the official review.
The introduction and review was in the February 1984 issue, with the Mac on the cover. This is the article for the geek; it includes block diagrams of the architecture and pictures of the motherboard.
The Feb 1984 issue also included an interview with the designers.
I was hoping TFA would be the February article, because it actually is very interesting. In it, they make a big deal about the justifcation for certain design decisions, most notably the lack of expansion slots. Instead, they included "virtual slots", in the form of "high speed" serial ports (RS-422).
Remember that they were trying to solve the problems of the Apple ][, one of was how the expansion boards fitted into the memory map. By eliminating expansion slots, they hoped that it would improve stability, by ensuring that the developers would have a fixed machine environment to work with. They thought that by including all the ports a user would ever need, there would be no need for expansion slots.
Then a couple of years later, Apple decided that expansion slots were good (with the Macintosh II).
It is kind of funny that with the iMac, Apple came all the way around back to the same port-expansion ideas that were discussed in the Febuary 1984 article and interview.
If anyone can find the Feb 1984 article and interview online, it is a good read.
The editorial implies that the piracy argument is a canard. The real reason is that the DVD CCA is a cartel led by the largest consumer electronics manufacurers. They don't want Kaleidescape to succeed because they don't have a competing product.
It was called HYPER-41, from Synergistic Design. I got mine in 1987, although it first became available in 1985.
The exact percent of speed increase depended on the generation of 41C. For example, a second generation 41C has a typical increase of 80 to 90%, while the eighth generation CV/CX (sold after September 1985) had a whopping 180% to 210% increase.
The upgrade was designed as a do-it-yourself kit, but I remember that I couldn't complete it for some reason and sent it to the company to do it.
Having a clock speed upgrade on a calculator has got to be one of the true signs of geekdom.
My HP 41C was overclocked in around 1984 or so, in the US. There was a company that sold the upgrade kit. It doesn't have a magnetic switch; it is controlled through a little tiny push button that is installed where the power plug opening is for the rechargeable battery pack option.
I think it is more than 2x, though. I thought it was 4x, but I could be wrong.
The overclock mode works great, except when you try to print through the IR port.
Mac OS 8 introduced Balloon Help. When activated and you point to objects, a tool-tip like balloon appears with an explanation of the item.
When you point to a dimmed item, a properly written application explains what the item is and why it is not available.
How much registration information is too intrusive?
I've registered for the New York Times, Washington Post, the Belo conglomerate (Dallas Morning News etc.). These sites ask for email address and a small amount of info. Yes, it is annoying, but I can live with it.
But check out the registration for the Miami Herald. They want:
Email address
Name
Complete home address
Gender
Year of birth
But even if you do not opt in to receive emails for any "newsletters", "special deals" or "discount" emails, the fine print says that:
Occasionally, we will send you email to update you on new features and products from Herald.com and on behalf of our selected partners and advertisers.
Come on now, I love Dave Barry, but there is no way I'm going to give them permission to spam me!
In the 80's I worked in a commercial photo finishing lab -- the place your film gets processed when you drop it off at a grocery store.
They charged more to develop ISO 400 film than ISO 100 film. The explanation was that the customers thought that since ISO 400 film was more expensive, it would be harder or more costly to process it.
But the fact was that all C-41 films went through exactlythe same process. In fact, it costs less to process ISO 400, because more silver is recovered for recycling during the process.
So the conclusion is, they charge what people are willing to pay.
Close... but it is more like REXX is to IBM mainframes (z/OS, VM, etc.) as AppleScript is to Mac OS.
For those that are wondering: REXX was created to be the universal command language for IBM mainframes. It is a replacement for the earlier command languages (EXEC? on VM and CLIST on MVS).
Then IBM ported it to OS/2, and from there it branched off. You can now find REXX for practically any platform. I have at least 5 different versions running on my Windows machine. (See Regina REXX on sourceforge, for example.)
REXX's main features include:
Strong string processing and parsing.
Automatic data typing. You never define storage. Mike Cowlishaw's theory was that data types and storage allocation was a way to make it easier for the compiler writer, not the programmer.
Associative arrays.
No implementation limits. For example, you can do math on enormous numbers. And the limits that are there are designed to be meaningful to people (such as "this number can be up to 100 digits") instead of machines (this number can be x bits).
Very easy to understand the syntax. The philosophy is 180 degrees different from Perl.
But the real key to REXX is it is designed so it can easily interface with multiple environments. For example, one REXX exec in z/OS can send commands and interact with MVS, TSO, ISPF, the ISPF Editor (as an Edit macro), and others.
The use of REXX on the mainframe is expanding. No mainframe product would think of writing their own command language; they just use REXX. And the more products you can interface with, the more useful it becomes.
Yes, I know there are Unix and other scripting languages that do the same types of things. But REXX is the standard for z/OS.
Why would any reputable company outsource their support with this type of contract? They have to know that the situation in the article would be the result, and therefore their customer satisfaction is going to go down the tubes. This is almost as dumb a management move as suing your customers.
You would think they would set up the contract to at least include some sort of customer satisfaction survey SLA (service level agreement).
Back when we used Token Ring cards, we tried them from two different companies. One company was probably the top name in NICs, but their tech support was abysmal. I vowed never to buy any product from that company ever again.
The other company was less well known (let's just say that their name started with O and rhymes with telecom), but their tech support was fantastic -- whenever I called, it seemed like I received a call back from an engineer within an hour. OK, maybe that is exaggerating, but I remember that they always were able to solve my problem within a few hours. So you can better believe that I always bought from that company, even though they were more expensive.
The point is that quality tech support is or should be marketable. People who know will give you business and maybe even pay more just to get good tech support. And bad tech support is only makes business sense if you have no desire for repeat customers.
My favorite is Maps on Us. It offers features such as integrated address book & yellow pages, and waypoints.
A waypoint is when you want your route to include a specific intermediate destination. It is useful when you want to coerce it to take a certain route.
Maps on Us was created by the Database Systems Research Department at Bell Labs, the research and development arm of Lucent Technologies. In 1998 Lucent sold Maps on Us to Switchboard.com.
My favorite route "goof" is when instead of taking a right turn from one freeway to another, it directed to drive around three cloverleafs!
If the broadcasters want to discourage people from copying movies off their channels, they could just alter the movies so that no one will want to copy them!
For example, they could insert advertisements every 15 minutes. Delete more of the movie so that it will fit into the time slot. Edit the movie to change dialog and obscure the naughty bits. Put a distracting logo on the screen while it is playing. Run ads for upcoming shows on the bottom third of the screen. Squeeze the credits and run voice-over for other shows. Cut the sides off the movie so you can't see the entire picture at one time. Interrupt the show (but never the advertisements) for "breaking news".
If they did these things, I hardly think that they would having any piracy problems to worry about.
There was an interesting article in the Dec 2002/Jan 2003 issue of Technology Review magazine: "How You'll Pay: Which of the competing electronic-payment devices will we choose?".
The article discussed the pros and cons of smart cards, radio transponder devices, etc.
The article on the Technology Review website is subscriber only, but you can read it here.
Slashdot Mirror
I nominate the CueCat.
And the MiniDisc.
And any of Iomega's proprietary formats: Zip, Jaz, Clik! (aka PocketZip), REV, etc.
...that you don't have to replace the monitor everytime you upgrade the computer. There's a hole in the product line. I want the power of an iMac, but stand-alone like the Mac mini, with some slots, but smaller than a Mac Pro. And I don't think I'm the only one.
What is not always realized is that there are two Safari versions.
Safari 1.x runs on OS X 10.3 and earlier.
Safari 2.x runs requires OS X 10.4.
All the performance fixes go into Safari 2.x only. The only fixes for Safari 1.x are for security problems.
I'm running OS X 10.3, and I have noticed that Safari has severe severe performance problems. I think it is caused by Flash applets, which bring it to its knees. Websites with flash applets frequently will cause 100% cpu usage. And trying to use flash based video players often can't keep up, because it is demanding more than 100% cpu.
So now that there are so many flash ads, exploring the web is a painful experience.
* * *
OK, I know this is futile, but I'll try to head off the obligatory responses:
Q. Do you really expect Apple to enhance Safari for older operating systems?
A. I don't expect them to. But I wish they would fix the performance problems.
Q. If Flash ads are the problem, why don't you block them?
A. The ads pay for the web sites.
Q. Why don't you upgrade to OS X 10.4?
A. Because that would break certain other software needed for work.
Q. Why don't you use another browser?
A. I do.
Q. Why don't you just get a get a new, faster computer?
A. Because I keep expecting Apple to release a new model, in between a Mac mini and a Mac Pro.
The introduction and review was in the February 1984 issue, with the Mac on the cover. This is the article for the geek; it includes block diagrams of the architecture and pictures of the motherboard.
The Feb 1984 issue also included an interview with the designers.
I was hoping TFA would be the February article, because it actually is very interesting. In it, they make a big deal about the justifcation for certain design decisions, most notably the lack of expansion slots. Instead, they included "virtual slots", in the form of "high speed" serial ports (RS-422).
Remember that they were trying to solve the problems of the Apple ][, one of was how the expansion boards fitted into the memory map. By eliminating expansion slots, they hoped that it would improve stability, by ensuring that the developers would have a fixed machine environment to work with. They thought that by including all the ports a user would ever need, there would be no need for expansion slots.
Then a couple of years later, Apple decided that expansion slots were good (with the Macintosh II).
It is kind of funny that with the iMac, Apple came all the way around back to the same port-expansion ideas that were discussed in the Febuary 1984 article and interview.
If anyone can find the Feb 1984 article and interview online, it is a good read.
Bots can be surprisingly good at poker.
The editorial implies that the piracy argument is a canard. The real reason is that the DVD CCA is a cartel led by the largest consumer electronics manufacurers. They don't want Kaleidescape to succeed because they don't have a competing product.
It was called HYPER-41, from Synergistic Design. I got mine in 1987, although it first became available in 1985.
The exact percent of speed increase depended on the generation of 41C. For example, a second generation 41C has a typical increase of 80 to 90%, while the eighth generation CV/CX (sold after September 1985) had a whopping 180% to 210% increase.
The upgrade was designed as a do-it-yourself kit, but I remember that I couldn't complete it for some reason and sent it to the company to do it.
Having a clock speed upgrade on a calculator has got to be one of the true signs of geekdom.
I think it is more than 2x, though. I thought it was 4x, but I could be wrong.
The overclock mode works great, except when you try to print through the IR port.
Mac OS 8 introduced Balloon Help. When activated and you point to objects, a tool-tip like balloon appears with an explanation of the item. When you point to a dimmed item, a properly written application explains what the item is and why it is not available.
I've registered for the New York Times, Washington Post, the Belo conglomerate (Dallas Morning News etc.). These sites ask for email address and a small amount of info. Yes, it is annoying, but I can live with it.
But check out the registration for the Miami Herald. They want:
But even if you do not opt in to receive emails for any "newsletters", "special deals" or "discount" emails, the fine print says that:
Come on now, I love Dave Barry, but there is no way I'm going to give them permission to spam me!
In the 80's I worked in a commercial photo finishing lab -- the place your film gets processed when you drop it off at a grocery store.
They charged more to develop ISO 400 film than ISO 100 film. The explanation was that the customers thought that since ISO 400 film was more expensive, it would be harder or more costly to process it.
But the fact was that all C-41 films went through exactlythe same process. In fact, it costs less to process ISO 400, because more silver is recovered for recycling during the process.
So the conclusion is, they charge what people are willing to pay.
For those that are wondering: REXX was created to be the universal command language for IBM mainframes. It is a replacement for the earlier command languages (EXEC? on VM and CLIST on MVS).
Then IBM ported it to OS/2, and from there it branched off. You can now find REXX for practically any platform. I have at least 5 different versions running on my Windows machine. (See Regina REXX on sourceforge, for example.)
REXX's main features include:
But the real key to REXX is it is designed so it can easily interface with multiple environments. For example, one REXX exec in z/OS can send commands and interact with MVS, TSO, ISPF, the ISPF Editor (as an Edit macro), and others.
The use of REXX on the mainframe is expanding. No mainframe product would think of writing their own command language; they just use REXX. And the more products you can interface with, the more useful it becomes.
Yes, I know there are Unix and other scripting languages that do the same types of things. But REXX is the standard for z/OS.
Why would any reputable company outsource their support with this type of contract? They have to know that the situation in the article would be the result, and therefore their customer satisfaction is going to go down the tubes. This is almost as dumb a management move as suing your customers.
You would think they would set up the contract to at least include some sort of customer satisfaction survey SLA (service level agreement).
Back when we used Token Ring cards, we tried them from two different companies. One company was probably the top name in NICs, but their tech support was abysmal. I vowed never to buy any product from that company ever again.
The other company was less well known (let's just say that their name started with O and rhymes with telecom), but their tech support was fantastic -- whenever I called, it seemed like I received a call back from an engineer within an hour. OK, maybe that is exaggerating, but I remember that they always were able to solve my problem within a few hours. So you can better believe that I always bought from that company, even though they were more expensive.
The point is that quality tech support is or should be marketable. People who know will give you business and maybe even pay more just to get good tech support. And bad tech support is only makes business sense if you have no desire for repeat customers.
You had coal-fired generators?
We had to power our generators by pedaling bicycles.
Hence the term "cpu cycles".
You had an OS?
When I was in school we had PDP-11's with no operating system. We had to type in our programs as machine code in octal.
And we liked it.
That is, a program on my machine wants to display a message to me -- no network communication is involved.
Now I know you are thinking, why not just put up a dialog box? I have no idea.
But the point is, if the Windows Messenger service is disabled, it will break these programs.
A waypoint is when you want your route to include a specific intermediate destination. It is useful when you want to coerce it to take a certain route.
Maps on Us was created by the Database Systems Research Department at Bell Labs, the research and development arm of Lucent Technologies. In 1998 Lucent sold Maps on Us to Switchboard.com.
My favorite route "goof" is when instead of taking a right turn from one freeway to another, it directed to drive around three cloverleafs!
For example, they could insert advertisements every 15 minutes. Delete more of the movie so that it will fit into the time slot. Edit the movie to change dialog and obscure the naughty bits. Put a distracting logo on the screen while it is playing. Run ads for upcoming shows on the bottom third of the screen. Squeeze the credits and run voice-over for other shows. Cut the sides off the movie so you can't see the entire picture at one time. Interrupt the show (but never the advertisements) for "breaking news".
If they did these things, I hardly think that they would having any piracy problems to worry about.
The article discussed the pros and cons of smart cards, radio transponder devices, etc.
The article on the Technology Review website is subscriber only, but you can read it here.