Since when does the RIAA own the copyrights to anything?
The record labels, whom the RIAA represents, own the mechanical rights for the recordings. The musician usually retains the copyright for the song itself (i.e. the lyrics and the harmonic and melodic 'recipe' that is the song), but the recording that goes onto a CD/iTMS/Napster/etc. is owned by the label.
So with a ringtone, apparently the RIAA companies can collect royalties on the recording, without having to pay out royalties for the song itself. In reality what this means for a signed artist is that income from the ringtones will not help pay off the debt they have with the label that must be paid in full before they start to see residuals.
Pretty slimy, but did we expect anything less? In reality the labels probably were cooking the books to hide this revenue anyway, they do in a lot of ways, but with the copyright ruling they can leave this one on the books normally and not have to train their accountants in a new book cooking item.
Oppo has two upscaling DVD players under $200. And their current flagship, while over the $200 price point, is barely over at $230. The Oppo decks are very well known for being some of the best, if not the best, upconverting players available.
These decks are also universal for everything but HD disks (DVD, DVD-Audio, SACD, HDCD, CD, etc), plus can play Divx and do upscaling for the Divx. Two models also have a handy USB jack for flash drives or hard drives.
Personally I'll wait for Oppo to come out with an HD deck as it is very likely they will have one that will play absolutely everything, and do it very well, when it arrives.
So let me get this straight. Microsoft is caught putting Quicktime technology/code into Windows Media Player. Apple then decides to settle out of court with the following provisions: Microsoft will publicly purchase $150million of non-voting stock, Microsoft will publicly pledge to support the Mac platform for at least 5 years, and both companies will have full access to the other's patent portfolios.
Wait a minute, at the time which company owned which? Sure sounds like Apple owned Microsoft on that one. In reality though both companies had a win. Microsoft didn't have to get exposed for being a thief in the night, at least over this issue, and it would have been a publicity nightmare. Apple got to show some major strength at a point when they needed it for marketing (although financially $150million was still a drop in the bucket to what Apple had in cash at the time, that was at the end of their darkest times and they had enough resources to bleed like they were for at least another decade, but then the iMac came out).
Okay, you can go back to your revisionist history lessons now.
I put stuff where I can find it later using simple directory structures. Is that so difficult?
You know, I used to feel this exact same way. Even after I upgraded to Tiger I hardly ever touched the Spotlight menu, and only really used it in Mail.app where I did occasionally need a bit of help digging for some random nugget in the last couple of years worth of email archives.
Then one day about a year ago, I decided to give it a try. I think it was because I was working on a very large number of projects at the time and each project was complicated enough that they had their own nested folder structures, and while I could find everything, having to drill down into the folders was getting a bit tedious. I also have a decent number of applications installed, not a ton mind you, but a pretty decent amount, and digging through the apps folder for the utility I don't use often enough to pollute my dock with was also getting tedious.
So I tried Spotlight to see if it might make things better. I really expected to think it was stupid and go back to the status quo. What I found was that in many cases, while Spotlight was not perfect, and occasionally it was actually slower depending on what the computer was thinking about at the time, it was definitely more convenient. I use it all the time now. I still save all my documents in an intelligent folder structure with descriptive names (both for folders and for filenames), however when I need to find a manual or spec sheet for something, I type the name into Spotlight and look at the PDF results. Need to launch Cyberduck (the FTP client I use), type it in Spotlight and hit the key command to launch the first item (Applications appear at the top of the list).
Of course these desktop search programs are not for everyone. It may not work for you. However, don't knock it till you have really tried it. I don't mean try it for one search this afternoon then just dismiss it. Give it a week or two and really use it during that time. Maybe it won't work for you, but that doesn't automatically mean that the people it does work for are doing something wrong, they just use available tools in a different way.
If you want to develop strong apps for the road use a laptop.. If you want to develop referencing apps, lookup programs etc, then just use AJAX on the iPhone.
I 90% agree with you, however there are plenty of instances where AJAX/web use could be a bad idea. For instance, the one app that would be a killer app for me is Pocket Quicken which allows you to use Quicken on the road with your PDA and sync back when you get home, to the office, etc.
While I am quite sure you could duplicate such functionality with an AJAX application, I for one would prefer to have a lightweight app on the phone itself that could sync via bluetooth or encrypted WiFi just to my computer itself. Even better would be sync via the iPod sync/charge cable. Handing financial data over the web at large when it can be avoided it just not a great idea. Yes, I realize that since I use my bank's website and online bill pay service that I'm sending a decent portion of that data across the internet as it is, but why do it when you have a phone in your hand right next to your computer? I'd prefer to minimize the potential for that data to get snagged somehow. And while I know that AJAX can be just as secure as any website, it also can be just as insecure as any website.
So for reference information, etc, AJAX is great, especially if you have designed the site so that the speed of the Edge network isn't a problem (not all 'Web 2.0' developers get this, even though AJAX can actually make the overall web experience less data intensive). However there are some applications and data that it would be best to keep in the LAN, or on the cable to minimize the potential for a security leak.
I'm sure someone else has already pointed this out, but this could be great for people that use multiple pro audio/video/graphic editing apps. Well designed pro apps (Pro Tools, Final Cut, Aperture, Photoshop, etc.) all have key commands on every key of the keyboard, sometimes multiples either triggered via modifier keys, some with multiple key presses. For people that are newer to the environments, or switch between them constantly, having icons or specialized symbols available would be a great boon.
I'm not likely to buy it for $1500, but for $100 to $200 with key overlays for the pro apps, I would probably budget it in. I would also try to get the University I teach classes at to pop for some in the lab to speed up the learning curve. Those keyboard shortcuts are there for a reason, and they can make you really fast in those programs.
Not to be a troll, but I find it highly amusing that a user with the nick 'catbutt' feels that he/she looks like an ass. Somehow that just made my day. I know, it's sad.
I just downloaded the most recent GD from libgd.org in.tar.gz format. When I did the tar -xzf the finder window updated as close to real time as I could tell. It had a subfolder, and it was not possible for me to highlight the folder before the tar process completed.
I then ran configure and make, the Finder kept up with both. I could see the file total jumping up and down very quickly, although since I did no due diligence for the GD build it did happen to fail. Maybe there could have been some file creation at the very end it could have puked on, but based on what you said you did, and my experience, I have to say either something is not right with your system, or mine is blessed.
If you create a new file on the CLI, it still won't show up right away in Finder. You frequently have to 'prod' Finder into showing it, by closing and re-opening the window, or creating a new folder and then deleting it.
While most of your post is correct, the above quoted passage is not. This was corrected in Tiger. In any previous OS X you would be correct, but you were responding to a post specifically asking about shortcomings in the Finder for Tiger.
Every Tiger Machine I have used (which is many, from the B&W G3 up to my Macbook) has the following behavior. Open a Finder window, then open terminal and cd into that directory. Now create a file, I used touch just to double check. Be amazed as the icon appears in the Finder window just as soon as you hit enter, or save your file in whatever editor you are using.
They show numerous examples of how the processing involved can indeed lead to a better image on 1080p sets. Mind you it is not just the resolution, but how 480 material being processed and scaled can look better on a 1080p screen than on a 720p (or more likely 768p) screen. It is a very interesting read. Although if you are already conversant in scaling and video processing some of it can be very basic. I count that as a feature though as most non-technical people should be able to read it and come away with the information they are presenting.
There are plenty of comment with direct links and quotes, so you can get the full scoop. But AAC licenses, the ones you quote, are for the players, not for the music stores.
MP3 has license fees for distribution, which means that the music stores pay a fee as well as the device manufacturer. With AAC the device manufacturer pays, but the music store does not.
While actor ego is an interesting reason they may have done this, unfortunately it had more to do with William Hartnell's age and health concerns during the first series.
You are not familiar with Microsoft EDU licensing at all are you?
Microsoft's license agreements with Universities tend to be very flexible and easy so that everyone on campus can get their hands on it. It helps keep the monoculture strong.
I know of at least 2 universities where faculty/staff/students can go to a private web site, download an ISO, get an email with the license code and install. Without paying a dime. All covered by the campus site license. For new installs or upgrades, doesn't matter. Some older versions (and possibly newer ones) don't require activation to make handing re-imaging large deployments less complicated.
Instead, these costs will be passed on to advertisers buying television commercials who will pass the costs on to their consumers in the form of higher prices for their products.
You make the erroneous assumption that the auctioned spectrum will be used for TV. This is not the case, this spectrum is being freed up as with digital broadcast it is no longer necessary to have as much spectrum for TV as is currently available.
This spectrum will be bought by companies that are expanding existing services, or providing new services. These may or may not be publicly available.
Yes, money doesn't come from nowhere. But if a company has an idea for a service, or an implemented service, and requires additional infrastructure, they are going to do what they can to develop that infrastructure. In this case some companies will be able to bid on wireless spectrum. Companies that can't bid, or may not think they have enough to bid, will find other ways, maybe wireline, or maybe using unlicensed frequencies, in order to achieve their goals.
Assuming that this happening is going to make your groceries more expensive is quite the non-sequitur, with very little basis in how business works. These companies don't just suddenly say, hey why don't I drop $1billion on some spectrum, they use their cash flow to determine how feasible it is to do what they want to do. When Sprint bought Nextel, did that make the cost of milk go up where you live?
The last time I saw this oft repeating story come up on/. the FCC expected to get somewhere between 8 and 10 billion dollars when they auction that spectrum. They can't auction it until analog TV signals are completely shut down and the frequencies are no longer in use by the current licensees.
If I told you I would give you $10 for a $1 bill, would you take it?
You might want to check that Photoshop new file dialog again. Mine (an old version of PS Elements) has the following options:
Well you should update. The modern version of the full Photoshop gives all the SD NTSC resolutions as 720x480 with different Pixel aspect ratios for square/D1/D5/D1 Anamorphic.
Older versions didn't support different pixel sizes so they used non-standard pixel counts as when scaled it looked better, but it still wasn't quite right.
Actually video is always 720x480 whether it is 16:9 or 4:3. On a television they use an anamorphic process which alters the shape of the pixels. On a computer 720x480 would be 3:2 because the pixels are square. A television has a.9 aspect ratio to the pixels so that same 720x480 is 4:3. This is why video meant for a television never is quite as clear as video meant for the computer screen, as it has to be scaled in order to not be skewed on the computer screen.
DV video, and DVD video have a fixed frame size of 720x480. The shape of the pixels is adjusted if the 16:9 anamorphic flag is toggled for the video.
This is why Photoshop has a setting in the new file dialog for NTSC video, not only does it have guides for title and action safe areas, but it takes the pixel shape into account so that the images will look correct when added into a video, otherwise the images would look scaled or skewed.
'Prosumer' is not a new term. It refers to products that have a feature set that would make them marketable to both consumer and professional markets. The Canon GL2 DV camera is a good example, it is lacking a number of high end features many professionals would want, but can be integrated into a professional production when the budget requires it. It also makes a really sweet camera for a consumer that wants really high quality and doesn't mind the price tag.
Video, audio, and musical instrument technologies all have prosumer equipment, and even some manufacturers that make almost all prosumer equipment.
I know it is too late for most to see it as this article has been modded and replied to death at this point but...
The latest version of Tiger can install back all the way to the Blue & White G3 (300Mhz G3), and it actually runs fine. It may not be super spunky, but it is functional, and you can get work done, especially if you don't load the machine down with a bunch of 3rd party junk. Seriously, I've seen Photoshop CS2 running on them, and while the G5's smoked them, it was still usable.
All the effects in Mac OS are intelligently managed, if your hardware doesn't support them then they are either handled in software or dropped. Case in point is the ripple water effect for widgets. When you add a new widget on a machine with a graphics card that supports programmable shaders, there is a splash effect as the widget is 'dropped' on the screen. Don't have a good enough card? The widget just appears without any effects.
Analog is continuous and smooth it is real sound. Digital to Analog Converters (DACs) attempt to introduce and smooth the digital approximation
You do realize that the difference between a sine wave and a square wave is the amount of overtones added to the fundamental tone right? You would if you have done any in-depth study of additive vs. subtractive synthesis.
So you are correct in that the data is stored in a way that it is stepped, but those steps are formed of overtones that are above the nyquist frequency. Thus a simple low pass filter will remove those steps and you do get a true smooth waveform as the output. This can either be done with analog filters, or as it is done in the real world nowadays, with digital processing.
What you are likely hearing as differences between your two sources have to do with distortion (especially in the analog side), sample rate/bit depth issues, as well as clock issues. Most digital systems re-clock at or near the D/A stage in order to eliminate jitter, especially jitter coming down the chain of equipment. However a lot of the re-clocking circuits don't have an extremely low jitter capability which adds inaccuracy to the signal.
Likely if you used a much higher quality clock source for your digital listening a surprising amount of the difference will disappear.
For reference this comes from someone who has worked with and experimented with clocking of some rather high end systems (Apogee, Protools HD, Aardvark, etc.), and has pretty good experience with various tape machines.
The biggest influence on vintage analog recordings presented on vinyl is that the entrie process was done from start to finish to produce a vinyl product.
Now that also has a lot more to do with it than anything else. Many people you hear complain about digital in the recording field are people who spent a lot of time learning how to make analog paths sound top notch. They need to re-adjust somewhat to get magic to happen with digital. Yes, magic can happen with digital. Is it the same magic as analog, no. But just like different mics and pres have different aspects of sound and colors, tape vs. digital is akin to the surface you are painting on, you can use velvet, canvas, etc., but make sure you use the right brushes and paint so that your finished product can be achieved properly.
When the iMacs where still somewhat new, there was a vocal crowd yelling "we want an iMac without a monitor!"
There were a lot of people saying it, and they were all very vocal. "We're not buying until we can get a headless iMac with a G4" they said
So Apple made one, and it was called the Cube.
And all the people who said they would buy a machine if this was available (the specs were pretty much exactly what was asked for), suddenly clammed up, and slowly backed out the door with a myriad excuses why they suddenly had something else to do.
I think Apple learned an important lesson that day. The most vocal group of people demanding a specific product and promising to buy it will usually not actually buy what they say they want. They are just looking to get something they can't have, and when they can have it, they don't want it anymore.
Slashdot Mirror
The record labels, whom the RIAA represents, own the mechanical rights for the recordings. The musician usually retains the copyright for the song itself (i.e. the lyrics and the harmonic and melodic 'recipe' that is the song), but the recording that goes onto a CD/iTMS/Napster/etc. is owned by the label.
So with a ringtone, apparently the RIAA companies can collect royalties on the recording, without having to pay out royalties for the song itself. In reality what this means for a signed artist is that income from the ringtones will not help pay off the debt they have with the label that must be paid in full before they start to see residuals.
Pretty slimy, but did we expect anything less? In reality the labels probably were cooking the books to hide this revenue anyway, they do in a lot of ways, but with the copyright ruling they can leave this one on the books normally and not have to train their accountants in a new book cooking item.
Oppo has two upscaling DVD players under $200. And their current flagship, while over the $200 price point, is barely over at $230. The Oppo decks are very well known for being some of the best, if not the best, upconverting players available.
Check out the Benchmark tests from Secrets of Home Theatre and HiFi
These decks are also universal for everything but HD disks (DVD, DVD-Audio, SACD, HDCD, CD, etc), plus can play Divx and do upscaling for the Divx. Two models also have a handy USB jack for flash drives or hard drives.
Personally I'll wait for Oppo to come out with an HD deck as it is very likely they will have one that will play absolutely everything, and do it very well, when it arrives.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
So let me get this straight. Microsoft is caught putting Quicktime technology/code into Windows Media Player. Apple then decides to settle out of court with the following provisions: Microsoft will publicly purchase $150million of non-voting stock, Microsoft will publicly pledge to support the Mac platform for at least 5 years, and both companies will have full access to the other's patent portfolios.
Wait a minute, at the time which company owned which? Sure sounds like Apple owned Microsoft on that one. In reality though both companies had a win. Microsoft didn't have to get exposed for being a thief in the night, at least over this issue, and it would have been a publicity nightmare. Apple got to show some major strength at a point when they needed it for marketing (although financially $150million was still a drop in the bucket to what Apple had in cash at the time, that was at the end of their darkest times and they had enough resources to bleed like they were for at least another decade, but then the iMac came out).
Okay, you can go back to your revisionist history lessons now.
You know, I used to feel this exact same way. Even after I upgraded to Tiger I hardly ever touched the Spotlight menu, and only really used it in Mail.app where I did occasionally need a bit of help digging for some random nugget in the last couple of years worth of email archives.
Then one day about a year ago, I decided to give it a try. I think it was because I was working on a very large number of projects at the time and each project was complicated enough that they had their own nested folder structures, and while I could find everything, having to drill down into the folders was getting a bit tedious. I also have a decent number of applications installed, not a ton mind you, but a pretty decent amount, and digging through the apps folder for the utility I don't use often enough to pollute my dock with was also getting tedious.
So I tried Spotlight to see if it might make things better. I really expected to think it was stupid and go back to the status quo. What I found was that in many cases, while Spotlight was not perfect, and occasionally it was actually slower depending on what the computer was thinking about at the time, it was definitely more convenient. I use it all the time now. I still save all my documents in an intelligent folder structure with descriptive names (both for folders and for filenames), however when I need to find a manual or spec sheet for something, I type the name into Spotlight and look at the PDF results. Need to launch Cyberduck (the FTP client I use), type it in Spotlight and hit the key command to launch the first item (Applications appear at the top of the list).
Of course these desktop search programs are not for everyone. It may not work for you. However, don't knock it till you have really tried it. I don't mean try it for one search this afternoon then just dismiss it. Give it a week or two and really use it during that time. Maybe it won't work for you, but that doesn't automatically mean that the people it does work for are doing something wrong, they just use available tools in a different way.
I 90% agree with you, however there are plenty of instances where AJAX/web use could be a bad idea. For instance, the one app that would be a killer app for me is Pocket Quicken which allows you to use Quicken on the road with your PDA and sync back when you get home, to the office, etc.
While I am quite sure you could duplicate such functionality with an AJAX application, I for one would prefer to have a lightweight app on the phone itself that could sync via bluetooth or encrypted WiFi just to my computer itself. Even better would be sync via the iPod sync/charge cable. Handing financial data over the web at large when it can be avoided it just not a great idea. Yes, I realize that since I use my bank's website and online bill pay service that I'm sending a decent portion of that data across the internet as it is, but why do it when you have a phone in your hand right next to your computer? I'd prefer to minimize the potential for that data to get snagged somehow. And while I know that AJAX can be just as secure as any website, it also can be just as insecure as any website.
So for reference information, etc, AJAX is great, especially if you have designed the site so that the speed of the Edge network isn't a problem (not all 'Web 2.0' developers get this, even though AJAX can actually make the overall web experience less data intensive). However there are some applications and data that it would be best to keep in the LAN, or on the cable to minimize the potential for a security leak.
I'm sure someone else has already pointed this out, but this could be great for people that use multiple pro audio/video/graphic editing apps. Well designed pro apps (Pro Tools, Final Cut, Aperture, Photoshop, etc.) all have key commands on every key of the keyboard, sometimes multiples either triggered via modifier keys, some with multiple key presses. For people that are newer to the environments, or switch between them constantly, having icons or specialized symbols available would be a great boon.
I'm not likely to buy it for $1500, but for $100 to $200 with key overlays for the pro apps, I would probably budget it in. I would also try to get the University I teach classes at to pop for some in the lab to speed up the learning curve. Those keyboard shortcuts are there for a reason, and they can make you really fast in those programs.
Yello?
Did it go "bum bum, Oh Yeah!" while it was going down??
I just downloaded the most recent GD from libgd.org in .tar.gz format. When I did the tar -xzf the finder window updated as close to real time as I could tell. It had a subfolder, and it was not possible for me to highlight the folder before the tar process completed.
I then ran configure and make, the Finder kept up with both. I could see the file total jumping up and down very quickly, although since I did no due diligence for the GD build it did happen to fail. Maybe there could have been some file creation at the very end it could have puked on, but based on what you said you did, and my experience, I have to say either something is not right with your system, or mine is blessed.
While most of your post is correct, the above quoted passage is not. This was corrected in Tiger. In any previous OS X you would be correct, but you were responding to a post specifically asking about shortcomings in the Finder for Tiger.
Every Tiger Machine I have used (which is many, from the B&W G3 up to my Macbook) has the following behavior. Open a Finder window, then open terminal and cd into that directory. Now create a file, I used touch just to double check. Be amazed as the icon appears in the Finder window just as soon as you hit enter, or save your file in whatever editor you are using.
I recently saw an article posted by Secrets of Home Theatre, very well known for their DVD benchmark process and articles.
The article is here.
They show numerous examples of how the processing involved can indeed lead to a better image on 1080p sets. Mind you it is not just the resolution, but how 480 material being processed and scaled can look better on a 1080p screen than on a 720p (or more likely 768p) screen. It is a very interesting read. Although if you are already conversant in scaling and video processing some of it can be very basic. I count that as a feature though as most non-technical people should be able to read it and come away with the information they are presenting.
Definitely interesting as a counterpoint.
There are plenty of comment with direct links and quotes, so you can get the full scoop. But AAC licenses, the ones you quote, are for the players, not for the music stores.
MP3 has license fees for distribution, which means that the music stores pay a fee as well as the device manufacturer. With AAC the device manufacturer pays, but the music store does not.
that on their new systems changing the channel voids the warranty.
Nice try, but the Dharma logos are octagons not hexagons.
While actor ego is an interesting reason they may have done this, unfortunately it had more to do with William Hartnell's age and health concerns during the first series.
You are not familiar with Microsoft EDU licensing at all are you?
Microsoft's license agreements with Universities tend to be very flexible and easy so that everyone on campus can get their hands on it. It helps keep the monoculture strong.
I know of at least 2 universities where faculty/staff/students can go to a private web site, download an ISO, get an email with the license code and install. Without paying a dime. All covered by the campus site license. For new installs or upgrades, doesn't matter. Some older versions (and possibly newer ones) don't require activation to make handing re-imaging large deployments less complicated.
You make the erroneous assumption that the auctioned spectrum will be used for TV. This is not the case, this spectrum is being freed up as with digital broadcast it is no longer necessary to have as much spectrum for TV as is currently available.
This spectrum will be bought by companies that are expanding existing services, or providing new services. These may or may not be publicly available.
Yes, money doesn't come from nowhere. But if a company has an idea for a service, or an implemented service, and requires additional infrastructure, they are going to do what they can to develop that infrastructure. In this case some companies will be able to bid on wireless spectrum. Companies that can't bid, or may not think they have enough to bid, will find other ways, maybe wireline, or maybe using unlicensed frequencies, in order to achieve their goals.
Assuming that this happening is going to make your groceries more expensive is quite the non-sequitur, with very little basis in how business works. These companies don't just suddenly say, hey why don't I drop $1billion on some spectrum, they use their cash flow to determine how feasible it is to do what they want to do. When Sprint bought Nextel, did that make the cost of milk go up where you live?
The last time I saw this oft repeating story come up on /. the FCC expected to get somewhere between 8 and 10 billion dollars when they auction that spectrum. They can't auction it until analog TV signals are completely shut down and the frequencies are no longer in use by the current licensees.
If I told you I would give you $10 for a $1 bill, would you take it?
Well you should update. The modern version of the full Photoshop gives all the SD NTSC resolutions as 720x480 with different Pixel aspect ratios for square/D1/D5/D1 Anamorphic.
Older versions didn't support different pixel sizes so they used non-standard pixel counts as when scaled it looked better, but it still wasn't quite right.
Obviously PAL and HDV use different pixel counts.
Actually video is always 720x480 whether it is 16:9 or 4:3. On a television they use an anamorphic process which alters the shape of the pixels. On a computer 720x480 would be 3:2 because the pixels are square. A television has a .9 aspect ratio to the pixels so that same 720x480 is 4:3. This is why video meant for a television never is quite as clear as video meant for the computer screen, as it has to be scaled in order to not be skewed on the computer screen.
DV video, and DVD video have a fixed frame size of 720x480. The shape of the pixels is adjusted if the 16:9 anamorphic flag is toggled for the video.
This is why Photoshop has a setting in the new file dialog for NTSC video, not only does it have guides for title and action safe areas, but it takes the pixel shape into account so that the images will look correct when added into a video, otherwise the images would look scaled or skewed.
'Prosumer' is not a new term. It refers to products that have a feature set that would make them marketable to both consumer and professional markets. The Canon GL2 DV camera is a good example, it is lacking a number of high end features many professionals would want, but can be integrated into a professional production when the budget requires it. It also makes a really sweet camera for a consumer that wants really high quality and doesn't mind the price tag.
Video, audio, and musical instrument technologies all have prosumer equipment, and even some manufacturers that make almost all prosumer equipment.
I know it is too late for most to see it as this article has been modded and replied to death at this point but...
The latest version of Tiger can install back all the way to the Blue & White G3 (300Mhz G3), and it actually runs fine. It may not be super spunky, but it is functional, and you can get work done, especially if you don't load the machine down with a bunch of 3rd party junk. Seriously, I've seen Photoshop CS2 running on them, and while the G5's smoked them, it was still usable.
All the effects in Mac OS are intelligently managed, if your hardware doesn't support them then they are either handled in software or dropped. Case in point is the ripple water effect for widgets. When you add a new widget on a machine with a graphics card that supports programmable shaders, there is a splash effect as the widget is 'dropped' on the screen. Don't have a good enough card? The widget just appears without any effects.
You do realize that the difference between a sine wave and a square wave is the amount of overtones added to the fundamental tone right? You would if you have done any in-depth study of additive vs. subtractive synthesis.
So you are correct in that the data is stored in a way that it is stepped, but those steps are formed of overtones that are above the nyquist frequency. Thus a simple low pass filter will remove those steps and you do get a true smooth waveform as the output. This can either be done with analog filters, or as it is done in the real world nowadays, with digital processing.
What you are likely hearing as differences between your two sources have to do with distortion (especially in the analog side), sample rate/bit depth issues, as well as clock issues. Most digital systems re-clock at or near the D/A stage in order to eliminate jitter, especially jitter coming down the chain of equipment. However a lot of the re-clocking circuits don't have an extremely low jitter capability which adds inaccuracy to the signal.
Likely if you used a much higher quality clock source for your digital listening a surprising amount of the difference will disappear.
For reference this comes from someone who has worked with and experimented with clocking of some rather high end systems (Apogee, Protools HD, Aardvark, etc.), and has pretty good experience with various tape machines.
Now that also has a lot more to do with it than anything else. Many people you hear complain about digital in the recording field are people who spent a lot of time learning how to make analog paths sound top notch. They need to re-adjust somewhat to get magic to happen with digital. Yes, magic can happen with digital. Is it the same magic as analog, no. But just like different mics and pres have different aspects of sound and colors, tape vs. digital is akin to the surface you are painting on, you can use velvet, canvas, etc., but make sure you use the right brushes and paint so that your finished product can be achieved properly.When the iMacs where still somewhat new, there was a vocal crowd yelling "we want an iMac without a monitor!"
There were a lot of people saying it, and they were all very vocal. "We're not buying until we can get a headless iMac with a G4" they said
So Apple made one, and it was called the Cube.
And all the people who said they would buy a machine if this was available (the specs were pretty much exactly what was asked for), suddenly clammed up, and slowly backed out the door with a myriad excuses why they suddenly had something else to do.
I think Apple learned an important lesson that day. The most vocal group of people demanding a specific product and promising to buy it will usually not actually buy what they say they want. They are just looking to get something they can't have, and when they can have it, they don't want it anymore.