How about this, smart ass. I buy expensive electronics -- I have a Sony VAIO desktop and a 17" Sony LCD. I used to have an iBook and now I'm thinking I'd like to switch to Mac.
I'd like to replace my P4 3GHz Sony wintel with a Mac. The Mac Mini is too underpowered, I don't like the PowerMac because it's big, bulky and expensive for its specs.
The new 17" iMac is perfect, but I don't want to replace my 17" Sony LCD which is top notch.
Apple DOES NOT MAKE A MAC FOR ME!!
You're being a total dink, and that attitude will keep Apple at 5% market share for years to come.
I want a headless iMac with those specs. The Mac Mini is too underpowered, and the PowerMac is too expensive (not to mention big, bulky, and not much of an asthetic improvement over my current Sony VAIO desktop machine).
The 2Gig G5 iMac is perfect, but I don't want the built-in LCD. Sell it headless for about $1099 US and Apple has a best-seller on their hands.
I know I'll probably get modded down for this atypical Slashdot opinion, but you guys crack me up with the way you want everything for free.
You buy a DRMed song from iTunes, you do own it! You can listen to it all you want, you can burn it on as many CDs as you want, and you can even have it on any three computers at once. All that for 99-cents!
It's very reasonable for Apple and the music industry to not want you to put the song on the internet for a million people to download for free.
Seems to me most Slashdotters want songs, books, TV, music, and everything else for free. Personally, I think you guys need to be more respectful of the businesses that are spending the time, more, and effort to create all this great stuff.
COMIC BOOK GUY
"As a loyal viewer, I feel they owe me."
BART
"What? They're giving you thousands of hours of entertainment for free. What could they possibly owe you? I mean, If anything, you owe them."
Because you bought an AAC file. It's akin to you buying a record and wondering why it doesn't work in your CD player without ripping and reburning it.
Good point. But since they're both music in file format it would be nice if Apple would trust me enough to convert the ACCs to MP3 -- I'll keep dreaming I guess.
Meanwhile, another poster mentioned Hymn which seems to convert ACCs to MP3s. That's just what I need!
Hmm... does iTunes have an API that would enable me write a Hymn plug-in?
I love ITS and the whole iTunes thing, but it does bug me that I can't easily make a CD of mp3 files that I can play in an mp3-compliant CD player (like in a car).
I'm using the songs legally, but to do what I want I have to burn the 99-cent songs to an audio-CD, then rip them back into iTunes as mp3s, *then* copy the mp3s to the CD.
It find it interesting that you praise the notions of "competition and independent entrepeneurship" and defend the record industry
Re-read my post. I was not defending the record industry, I was attacking the typical Canadian/Socialism solution to every problem. That everything should be controlled by one large omnipotent organization that is not allow to make a profit. That profits and privatization are evil, and government control of everything is righteous!
You should see the typical citizen of Ottawa throw fits when the city toys with the idea of contracting out slow plow services. "That's PRIVATIZATION! That's EVIL!"
As a Canadian, I face this kind of anti-capitalistic thinking daily, and it's sickens me.
GET THE FACTS. By reducing competition, locking markets, and supporting monopolies are much closer to Communism and worse, Fascism. That is something we can both agree on.
Actually, no. Fascism can be a "left" or a "right" thing -- it does not equate to left-wing thinking.
This idea is very typical of my countrymen. The left-wing socialist philosophy consistently preaches that competition and independent entrepeneurship is a bad thing.
That all music should be distributed by one large omnipotent organization and should be of minimal cost to the user. I'm surprised the writer didn't propose that all music should be maintained and distributed by the government like employment insurance.
> The only reason there's a Windows "XP" is because there was a Mac OS "X".
XP, to my understanding, occured because they were porting the home version of windows to the NT shell rather than leaving it as a pretty front end tacked onto MSDos. I am not saying that Apple are not innovative, I am saying that they are not gods who drive the entire innovation in the industry.
You're wrong. "Windows XP" was never "XP" with bright green and blue fisher-price colors and "big" 48x48 pixel icons until "OS X" came out and started getting rave reviews for it's revolutionary new look (Aqua) including giant scalable 256x256 pixel full color icons. Microsoft gave XP it's kludgy face-lift only because of Mac OS X's Aqua.
Heck, XP Home out-right stole the user logon screen from Mac, complele with little icons of rubber ducks. There was even an infamous article in PC Mag where a columnist who saw OS X after using XP accused Apple of stealing Microsoft's UI ideas!
If it wasn't for companies like Apple, there would be NO innovation in the computing world.
There's a world of original ideas in the universe, but the PC world repeatedly chooses to steal Apple's designs.
The only reason there's PC cases in colors other than beige is because Apple created the iMac. The only reason there's a Windows "XP" is because there was a Mac OS "X". The only reason you can import and organize music with Windows Media Player is because Apple created iTunes. The only reason there's a Windows Movie Maker is because Apple created iMovie. The only reason there's slim lightweight Pentium M class laptops is because Apple created the PowerBook. And now, the only reason Intel is floating this mini PC is because Apple created the Mac mini.
Apple takes all the creative risks. Thank goodness for the innovations of companies like Apple, Google, and those Linux rebels. Or we'd all be using big beige boxes and Windows 95. (Heck! There wouldn't even be a Windows 95 if it wasn't for OS/2 and Geoworks!)
I'm a long-time PC user that's finally had enough. I'm switching to a Mac mini, but I'm waiting for the next hardware update (probably in August, I'm guessing?) and for Tiger to be released.
I can't remember the last time I downloaded a song "illegally".
Since iTMS came to Canada I just spend the 99-cents (that's about 82-cents US, by the way) -- it's much quicker, easier and instantly satisfying.
But if they bumped it up to, say $1.20 per song -- I'll probably go find me an eMule client -- not that much more money, but psychologically 99-cents seems negligable. Above a dollar? That's real money.
I know that if kids know they don't have a chance of being able to afford college, they will not even try to go.
Boo hoo. Suck it up Nancy! Life is what you make of it -- you don't have to work a hundreth as hard as your grandfather did, and compared to people 200 years ago you live like freakin' royalty! Get a job, get a student loan, get an education and a trade.
You live in the best country in the world, and every opportunity on the planet is open to you. Stop yer sobbin and get in the game.
Yeessh.. that for statement is a migraine waiting to happen. Please be considerate to the rest of us who may end up maintaining your code -- your code should be written to be read by a person, and only incidentally to be read by a machine.
Use objects. This (Java-syntax) is far more readable:
Iterator iter = items.iterator();
while (iter.hasNext()) {
iter.next(); // do stuff
}
Slashdot Mirror
I can see my house!
I'd like to replace my P4 3GHz Sony wintel with a Mac. The Mac Mini is too underpowered, I don't like the PowerMac because it's big, bulky and expensive for its specs.
The new 17" iMac is perfect, but I don't want to replace my 17" Sony LCD which is top notch.
Apple DOES NOT MAKE A MAC FOR ME!!
You're being a total dink, and that attitude will keep Apple at 5% market share for years to come.
Sam
I want a headless iMac with those specs. The Mac Mini is too underpowered, and the PowerMac is too expensive (not to mention big, bulky, and not much of an asthetic improvement over my current Sony VAIO desktop machine).
The 2Gig G5 iMac is perfect, but I don't want the built-in LCD. Sell it headless for about $1099 US and Apple has a best-seller on their hands.
Sam
Make a better double-sized Mac Mini now!
2GHz PowerPC G5
667MHz frontside bus
512K L2 cache
512MB DDR400 SDRAM
160GB Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load 8x SuperDrive (double-layer)
ATI Radeon 9600
128MB DDR video memory
56K internal modem
Sam
For the record, I don't ever remember hearing about the retraction. I asked the question simply because I recalled Jobs' promise.
I wasn't actually expecting a real answer to the "where's the Gigs?" queston -- but you gave be a good one. Thanks for the info!
Sam
When Steve Jobs first announced the G5 chip, Jobs said they'd be at 3GHz by August 2004.
Where's the Gigs?
Sam
When's the G5 Mac Mini due? (I'm only half-serious.)
Sam
I just couldn't take it if "Doc Roberts" was a Cylon!
(Same guy played lead Doc Roberts on long-running Canadian TV show "Danger Bay".)
Seriously tho, cool plot idea.
Sam
You buy a DRMed song from iTunes, you do own it! You can listen to it all you want, you can burn it on as many CDs as you want, and you can even have it on any three computers at once. All that for 99-cents!
It's very reasonable for Apple and the music industry to not want you to put the song on the internet for a million people to download for free.
Seems to me most Slashdotters want songs, books, TV, music, and everything else for free. Personally, I think you guys need to be more respectful of the businesses that are spending the time, more, and effort to create all this great stuff.
COMIC BOOK GUY
"As a loyal viewer, I feel they owe me."
BART
"What? They're giving you thousands of hours of entertainment for free. What could they possibly owe you? I mean, If anything, you owe them."
Sam
Good point. But since they're both music in file format it would be nice if Apple would trust me enough to convert the ACCs to MP3 -- I'll keep dreaming I guess.
Meanwhile, another poster mentioned Hymn which seems to convert ACCs to MP3s. That's just what I need!
Hmm ... does iTunes have an API that would enable me write a Hymn plug-in?
Sam
I'm using the songs legally, but to do what I want I have to burn the 99-cent songs to an audio-CD, then rip them back into iTunes as mp3s, *then* copy the mp3s to the CD.
Sam
It's like a bank machine gives you money because you HAVE your bank card and KNOW your pin.
See two-factor authentication devices from RSA SecurID, VASCO, or Secure Computing.
Microsoft has had a tight partnership with RSA for several years. Any word if MS will roll their own?
Sam
Re-read my post. I was not defending the record industry, I was attacking the typical Canadian/Socialism solution to every problem. That everything should be controlled by one large omnipotent organization that is not allow to make a profit. That profits and privatization are evil, and government control of everything is righteous!
You should see the typical citizen of Ottawa throw fits when the city toys with the idea of contracting out slow plow services. "That's PRIVATIZATION! That's EVIL!"
As a Canadian, I face this kind of anti-capitalistic thinking daily, and it's sickens me.
GET THE FACTS. By reducing competition, locking markets, and supporting monopolies are much closer to Communism and worse, Fascism. That is something we can both agree on.
Actually, no. Fascism can be a "left" or a "right" thing -- it does not equate to left-wing thinking.
Sam
Er ... yeah, in fact, it is.
Sam
That all music should be distributed by one large omnipotent organization and should be of minimal cost to the user. I'm surprised the writer didn't propose that all music should be maintained and distributed by the government like employment insurance.
What a bunch of bunk.
Sam
Mod parent up! This guy is spot-on correct.
Ha! Computer Science degree, Sun certifications, 8 years computer programming experience.
I'd kick your ass in Call Of Duty, I'd get A+ on Star Wars and Star Trek (TOS) trivia exams, and I love the new Battlestar Galactica series.
But because I don't like Dr. Who I have to "go back to school"? Not only does Dr. Who suck, you suck.
Sam
Sam
XP, to my understanding, occured because they were porting the home version of windows to the NT shell rather than leaving it as a pretty front end tacked onto MSDos. I am not saying that Apple are not innovative, I am saying that they are not gods who drive the entire innovation in the industry.
You're wrong. "Windows XP" was never "XP" with bright green and blue fisher-price colors and "big" 48x48 pixel icons until "OS X" came out and started getting rave reviews for it's revolutionary new look (Aqua) including giant scalable 256x256 pixel full color icons. Microsoft gave XP it's kludgy face-lift only because of Mac OS X's Aqua.
Heck, XP Home out-right stole the user logon screen from Mac, complele with little icons of rubber ducks. There was even an infamous article in PC Mag where a columnist who saw OS X after using XP accused Apple of stealing Microsoft's UI ideas!
With respect, this is a fact.
Sam
Translation: I'm too stupid to figure out how to use a Mac, therefore I don't think anyone else should switch.
Maybe I'm missing some kind of inside joke. How does "I'm switching" translate to "I'm too stupid to use a Mac, I don't think others should switch"?
Sound to me like you're being an obtuse jerk.
Sam
There's a world of original ideas in the universe, but the PC world repeatedly chooses to steal Apple's designs.
The only reason there's PC cases in colors other than beige is because Apple created the iMac. The only reason there's a Windows "XP" is because there was a Mac OS "X". The only reason you can import and organize music with Windows Media Player is because Apple created iTunes. The only reason there's a Windows Movie Maker is because Apple created iMovie. The only reason there's slim lightweight Pentium M class laptops is because Apple created the PowerBook. And now, the only reason Intel is floating this mini PC is because Apple created the Mac mini.
Apple takes all the creative risks. Thank goodness for the innovations of companies like Apple, Google, and those Linux rebels. Or we'd all be using big beige boxes and Windows 95. (Heck! There wouldn't even be a Windows 95 if it wasn't for OS/2 and Geoworks!)
Sam
Sam
Since iTMS came to Canada I just spend the 99-cents (that's about 82-cents US, by the way) -- it's much quicker, easier and instantly satisfying.
But if they bumped it up to, say $1.20 per song -- I'll probably go find me an eMule client -- not that much more money, but psychologically 99-cents seems negligable. Above a dollar? That's real money.
Sam
Boo hoo. Suck it up Nancy! Life is what you make of it -- you don't have to work a hundreth as hard as your grandfather did, and compared to people 200 years ago you live like freakin' royalty! Get a job, get a student loan, get an education and a trade.
You live in the best country in the world, and every opportunity on the planet is open to you. Stop yer sobbin and get in the game.
Sam
Use objects. This (Java-syntax) is far more readable:
Iterator iter = items.iterator();
// do stuff
while (iter.hasNext()) {
iter.next();
}
Sam