So I am willing to look past the faults of Ubuntu cause in the end things will be better than Mac OS X, or any apple product, or MS product can ever hope to be. IMO, it's already there... just not in that state "out of the box". Reviews like this one only help to spread the idea that Linux Is Not Ready. Sure, it might not be yet, but Ubuntu is edging pretty damned close to it... [/drunkenrant]
This guy is obviously writing the review from the angle of a Linux Geek. A newcomer to the world of Linux will just be intimidated by all the shell commands this guy is talking about. I mean, really... is "apt-get update install xasd fdsix ikispkg mnfklsad --v" really that simple to remember? All those incredibly cryptic CLI commands are quite intimidating for the noob, and even intermediate users like myself tend to keep away from them.
Ubuntu is doing wonders for Linux in the popular mindset... users can cut their teeth on it first, then if they want, they can move on to more advanced distros. Don't be recommending that they cut their teeth on Gentoo first, please.
See, the problem with Slashdot is that it's very US-centric, so I always take the figures in surveys and whatnot here with a grain of salt.
Anyway, Apple have managed to carve themselves a very interesting niche in the Creativity market. Back when I was doing my B.Mus in Composition at uni, I heard one fellow student proclaim that "Macs are the industry standard for music work" - misinformed nonsense of course, as it's the software, not the hardware that is the "industry standard" (and there isn't even one anyway).
What I'm trying to say here is that if Apple are quite happy to serve to such a small percentage of the market as those types of people, then why wouldn't they be happy to go chasing after another small niche market of people that enjoy building their own computers? The plan that I set out wouldn't cost them as much as building a Mac would, but would potentially generate higher profits, if every item in the machine was an "Apple Certified" one. I mean, can you imagine how much Corsair could get away with charging for RAM with an "Apple(tm) Certified(r)" sticker on it?
Sure... have you got the hard facts to back up your claim that 'bitser' computers are only 2% of the market? By which, I am (and was) referring to any computer not built in a factory akin to those used by Acer, HP, Dell, et al.. thus including independent retailers (for example, Aus PC Market here in Australia)
Of course they won't hate it. Apple can do no wrong in the eyes of these people! In fact, if Apple went along that track, Apple fanboys would probably go even more ballistic with their preaching the word of St. Steve of the Silicon...
I should also point out that that figure is higher outside of the USA, especially when you count the people that buy their PCs from the local computer store. Best Buy, Newegg, and the like are all but non-existent outside the states, so the market share of Name Brand Computers is also a lot smaller...
1) Spending a lot of money supporting each and every cheap and barely functional piece of crap the low-margin PC market can throw at us while having its margins reduced by allowing other hardware makers to take advantage of its software. That's precisely why I suggested a licensing scheme - only approved products would result in a (legally) booting OSX. The price of the certification sticker would be as much as Apple wants it to be, and given their alleged caring of user experience, then it would probably be a fair amount, just so that they could avoid having "barely functional pieces of crap" being released
Also, if you'll notice, I said nothing of licensing the whole system out to other manufacturers, just the components. If they only licensed individual components as 'Certified For Use With Mac OS X' then it would pretty well limit the use of such products to those people who prefer to build their own systems.
2) Be badmouthed by those who insist on running a pirated copy of OSX on a collection of cheap and barely functional pieces of crap and discover OSX does not support their $5 network card.
What, you disagree with my idea, so you choose to have a go at me? I already made it quite clear that if I were able to run the OS legally on my own choice of hardware, I would go out tomorrow and buy it. I'm not badmouthing Apple because my "$5 network card" doesn't work in OSX, which is completely besides the point, but it does provide an example of how my scheme could work. My "$5 network card" may not work in OSX, but if Apple had certified it for use, then Apple would have asked for a license fee to use the certification sticker on the box... maybe $2 per unit (for argument's sake)? This then turns my "$5 network card" into a $7 one. The manufacturer of said product could then feel free to add a premium to the product's price because of the sticker, and charge an extra $2 for it, making it a $9 part. The retailer then thinks along the same lines, and tacks on the $0.95, to make it a $9.95 card.
Somebody like me comes along, wanting to make an OSX box by themselves, sees the sticker, and buys the card at the inflated price. Net result? Profit for Apple, and higher profits than usual for the manufacturer and retailer. I get raped by the Apple Tax, but hey, that's part of "The Apple Experience"...
It's that simple: You want to run OSX, you buy a Mac. It's not expensive compared to other similar good brand computers, it looks much better and it's the real thing. It you don't want to pay for a Mac, Apple does not want you. But it's not cheaper than just building a PC yourself. Looks aren't terribly important to the people that do that sort of thing, and when it is, they generally dislike what Apple thinks looks "good" (I hate the iMac look since they lost the desk lamp model, for example). Once again, this tactic I've proposed is to appeal to like me, and presumably, most of the/. crowd who prefer to build their own gear instead of buying a prepackaged rig.
That's probably because they licensed their ROM out to whitebox manufacturers. The plan I outlined in the parent post was to have a similar "certification" scheme to Windows. Apple would produce a checklist of 'approved' and 'supported' components, which the manufacturers would then have to include in order to get their shiny "Mac OSX Certified" sticker. Over time, this list could grow as more companies come on board with certified componentry.
Apple, being Apple would be free to keep this as restrictive as they like though, and they'd probably even restrict it to Intel products (unless they're afraid of an antitrust campaign).
They could even have different categories of labels: "Approved" and "Supported" - with the latter guaranteed to work natively in the OS (like, say nVidia cards are currently), and "Approved" meaning that the manufacturer would supply OSX-native drivers. I can almost see Creative coming on board with that.
The motherboards would have to use a specific range of chipsets, and have a minimum set of features, as well as including the Apple ROM. Hell, Apple could even release a PCIe card with the ROM on it for otherwise compliant systems.
If they really wanted, they could license the whole setup to manufacturers like Dell and Acer to sell "generic macs", but if they kept it to just "OSX certified" hardware components, then it wouldn't have as much of a negative impact on their [i]x[/i]Mac[i]x[/i] sales. Again, they would be free to charge a tidy fee for companies to earn the certification sticker, and I really do think that manufacturers would jump on board when they see that they can sell such bits and pieces with a tidy premium.
The bottom line is that Microsoft needs some serious competition on the Desktop market to keep it in check. Linux is still far too complicated for most users to work with, and probably will be for quite some time, leaving just Apple with the job. Microsoft doesn't seem to care about them, because they stick to their own little market.
I could, yes... but when I have an otherwise perfectly fine onboard networking (nForce4), and a total of three NICs lying around that again, are perfectly fine aside from not working in OSX (even with homebrew drivers), then I really can't be bothered.
And now ask yourself, who of us had chosen Windows?? Right, nobody. It's the thing which came preinstalled.
I chose Windows. Yes, it came preinstalled on my Compaq Presario back in 1995, but I got rid of it as soon as I found out about Linux.
That lasted about six weeks before I got fed up with the lack of application support for it back then, and ever since, I've been hopping between a lot of different 'alternative' operating systems and Windows. Currently I'm multibooting between Windows XP, Ubuntu 7.01 and OSX.
It would help a lot if people who want to run OSX aren't artificially tied to the Mac platform.
I know, I know - the hardware is where Apple makes most of its money, but I think they could also make a fair bit from a licensing scheme similar to that of Windows - "OSX Certified" stickers could place a premium on parts like motherboards, network cards, sound cards, and the like.
Apple can't really say that their OS only works on their hardware any more, because it's quite easily hacked to run on anything, so they may as well make the best of the situation.
I know I'd be more likely to buy "OSX for generic PCs" than Windows Vista, but sadly, it's unlikely to happen. It looks like for the moment, I'm stuck on a Hackintosh with no networking if I wish to use OSX:(
It's not just the durability of the hardware, but the ergonomics. I heart my Intellimouse Optical 1.0A, even though it's "out of date" and doesn't have any fancy features like resolution changing and all that. It fits my hand perfectly, and is easier to use than later revisions (it's the model with a button on each side of the body).
My "Multimedia Keyboard" is just as good, even though it would appear to be dying of an allergic reaction to some Ginger Beer it came in contact with.
I even bought an XBox Controller S to use on my PC (I don't own an original XBox...), because it really was the best joypad available at the time. It's since been supplanted by my XBox 360 pad, which is even better.
I don't see why the faster memory is worth paying enough extra that I could buy an entire extra computer instead, when I will only use it in the rare case I'm maxing out both I/O bandwidth and CPU bandwidth.
Agreed.
When I buy memory, it's always the best value stuff that I get. Do I get 1GB DDR2-533 (no-name brand) for $55au, or 1GB DDR2-800 (Corsair brand) for $140au?
Gee... it's a tough choice, but I think the no-name stuff is the goer here...
I agree. I was pretty furious when I found out my 5.5G iPod didn't have Firewire support. I simply cannot fathom what the hell possessed them to decide that removing it was a good idea. Personally, I was hoping that Firewire would win the 'bus war' because it's so much better in just about every respect than USB.
Agreed.
Linux is good and all, but it sucks at some things (last time I tried to record audio in Ubuntu ended in tears, for example)... that's the whole point of multi-boot systems, after all - to exploit the strengths of each OS.
Like it or not, there's things that Windows does better than Linux, OSX does better than Windows, and likely, QNX does better than Linux. I look forward to trying any forthcoming "OpenQNX" developments that I may try out on my MMBPC (Massively Multi-booting PC)
I dunno how far behind us you Brits are, but the 03-04 seasons were really quite good - interesting characters, amusing plot lines.. at some points, they all but acknowledged that they were in a bad TV show. Then, all the interesting people died in a plane crash.
levy heavy sanctions against the ABC? But... how the hell would that work, considering that the ABC is a publicly funded corporation? I'm sure if Little Johnny cut the ABC's funding much further, plenty of Aussies will be up in arms over it. It really is the last bastion of quality television journalism in this country.
But really though, the news article simply doesn't give you enough information to properly critique Sydney security.
For example, why was the motorcade pulled over? Did they simply get lucky or was it proper procedure to check out motorcades once they've cleared the other checkpoints?
How close were they to hotel? A 'block adjacent to the InterContinental Hotel' was rather vague. Were they close enough that if it had been a car bomb that people in the hotel would have been at risk?
Was there still more security between where they were pulled over and where the diplomats were staying? IE if they had punched the gas would anyone important been at risk?
The news media is just doing what the news media does, trying to be sensational. I take everything they say with a grain of salt.
In the end though was security not as strong as it could be? Probably. But is it as bad as the news is making it sound? Probably not. Well, the fact that you're reading a CNN report on it kinda skews the whole thing - check out http://www.abc.net.au/news for a more Aussie view on it. The Lateline (our country's best/most reliable news program) report claimed that the motorcade pulled up - of their own accord - outside Bush's hotel, and that security wasn't alarmed until Chaz stepped out, dressed as Osama bin Laden. The chief of police then went on record as saying that his boys did a good job, and that the arrest of the eleven people involved proved that the $160 million was well spent.
I'm sorry? Would it have been "well spent" if those cars were laden full of explosives and detonated outside the hotel? I doubt it.
That said, I love the chaser boys; they know a good prank when they see one, and also know when they're crossing the line... not that it ever stops them.
I was almost sure that at least one of them wouldn't survive the storms, but, fortunately, reality proved me wrong. Go NASA! I actually think it's kinda surreal, the way they just keep going.
If mankind ever makes it to Mars in the flesh, I hope they bring one back and give it a medal or something.
Maybe mount a plaque at the point where it 'died' on Mars as well.
...because surely, they'd be annoyed with anybody choosing "three years or more" for million-to-one odds on the bet as to how long these rovers would last...
...and they just keep on going! I am fucking amazed at how overdesigned these thing are; broken wheels, mini tornadoes, planet-wide dust storms; nothing (so far) seems to be able to keep these machines down, and in some cases, theoretically adverse conditions are helping them to keep going!
Slashdot Mirror
heh... do people actually do that?
This guy is obviously writing the review from the angle of a Linux Geek. A newcomer to the world of Linux will just be intimidated by all the shell commands this guy is talking about. I mean, really... is "apt-get update install xasd fdsix ikispkg mnfklsad --v" really that simple to remember? All those incredibly cryptic CLI commands are quite intimidating for the noob, and even intermediate users like myself tend to keep away from them.
Ubuntu is doing wonders for Linux in the popular mindset... users can cut their teeth on it first, then if they want, they can move on to more advanced distros. Don't be recommending that they cut their teeth on Gentoo first, please.
Yeah, but Average Joe can't run OSX on the PC he already owns. He can run Ubuntu, though...
See, the problem with Slashdot is that it's very US-centric, so I always take the figures in surveys and whatnot here with a grain of salt.
Anyway, Apple have managed to carve themselves a very interesting niche in the Creativity market. Back when I was doing my B.Mus in Composition at uni, I heard one fellow student proclaim that "Macs are the industry standard for music work" - misinformed nonsense of course, as it's the software, not the hardware that is the "industry standard" (and there isn't even one anyway).
What I'm trying to say here is that if Apple are quite happy to serve to such a small percentage of the market as those types of people, then why wouldn't they be happy to go chasing after another small niche market of people that enjoy building their own computers? The plan that I set out wouldn't cost them as much as building a Mac would, but would potentially generate higher profits, if every item in the machine was an "Apple Certified" one. I mean, can you imagine how much Corsair could get away with charging for RAM with an "Apple(tm) Certified(r)" sticker on it?
Sure... have you got the hard facts to back up your claim that 'bitser' computers are only 2% of the market? By which, I am (and was) referring to any computer not built in a factory akin to those used by Acer, HP, Dell, et al.. thus including independent retailers (for example, Aus PC Market here in Australia)
Of course they won't hate it. Apple can do no wrong in the eyes of these people! In fact, if Apple went along that track, Apple fanboys would probably go even more ballistic with their preaching the word of St. Steve of the Silicon...
I should also point out that that figure is higher outside of the USA, especially when you count the people that buy their PCs from the local computer store. Best Buy, Newegg, and the like are all but non-existent outside the states, so the market share of Name Brand Computers is also a lot smaller...
Why shouldn't they? They seem to care about another 2% of the market, don't they?
the problem is that it's not sanctioned by Apple, and thus doesn't lead them toward greater market share...
1) Spending a lot of money supporting each and every cheap and barely functional piece of crap the low-margin PC market can throw at us while having its margins reduced by allowing other hardware makers to take advantage of its software.
That's precisely why I suggested a licensing scheme - only approved products would result in a (legally) booting OSX. The price of the certification sticker would be as much as Apple wants it to be, and given their alleged caring of user experience, then it would probably be a fair amount, just so that they could avoid having "barely functional pieces of crap" being released
Also, if you'll notice, I said nothing of licensing the whole system out to other manufacturers, just the components. If they only licensed individual components as 'Certified For Use With Mac OS X' then it would pretty well limit the use of such products to those people who prefer to build their own systems. 2) Be badmouthed by those who insist on running a pirated copy of OSX on a collection of cheap and barely functional pieces of crap and discover OSX does not support their $5 network card.
What, you disagree with my idea, so you choose to have a go at me? I already made it quite clear that if I were able to run the OS legally on my own choice of hardware, I would go out tomorrow and buy it. I'm not badmouthing Apple because my "$5 network card" doesn't work in OSX, which is completely besides the point, but it does provide an example of how my scheme could work. My "$5 network card" may not work in OSX, but if Apple had certified it for use, then Apple would have asked for a license fee to use the certification sticker on the box... maybe $2 per unit (for argument's sake)? This then turns my "$5 network card" into a $7 one. The manufacturer of said product could then feel free to add a premium to the product's price because of the sticker, and charge an extra $2 for it, making it a $9 part. The retailer then thinks along the same lines, and tacks on the $0.95, to make it a $9.95 card.
Somebody like me comes along, wanting to make an OSX box by themselves, sees the sticker, and buys the card at the inflated price. Net result? Profit for Apple, and higher profits than usual for the manufacturer and retailer. I get raped by the Apple Tax, but hey, that's part of "The Apple Experience"... It's that simple: You want to run OSX, you buy a Mac. It's not expensive compared to other similar good brand computers, it looks much better and it's the real thing. It you don't want to pay for a Mac, Apple does not want you. But it's not cheaper than just building a PC yourself. Looks aren't terribly important to the people that do that sort of thing, and when it is, they generally dislike what Apple thinks looks "good" (I hate the iMac look since they lost the desk lamp model, for example). Once again, this tactic I've proposed is to appeal to like me, and presumably, most of the
That's probably because they licensed their ROM out to whitebox manufacturers. The plan I outlined in the parent post was to have a similar "certification" scheme to Windows. Apple would produce a checklist of 'approved' and 'supported' components, which the manufacturers would then have to include in order to get their shiny "Mac OSX Certified" sticker. Over time, this list could grow as more companies come on board with certified componentry.
Apple, being Apple would be free to keep this as restrictive as they like though, and they'd probably even restrict it to Intel products (unless they're afraid of an antitrust campaign).
They could even have different categories of labels: "Approved" and "Supported" - with the latter guaranteed to work natively in the OS (like, say nVidia cards are currently), and "Approved" meaning that the manufacturer would supply OSX-native drivers. I can almost see Creative coming on board with that.
The motherboards would have to use a specific range of chipsets, and have a minimum set of features, as well as including the Apple ROM. Hell, Apple could even release a PCIe card with the ROM on it for otherwise compliant systems.
If they really wanted, they could license the whole setup to manufacturers like Dell and Acer to sell "generic macs", but if they kept it to just "OSX certified" hardware components, then it wouldn't have as much of a negative impact on their [i]x[/i]Mac[i]x[/i] sales. Again, they would be free to charge a tidy fee for companies to earn the certification sticker, and I really do think that manufacturers would jump on board when they see that they can sell such bits and pieces with a tidy premium.
The bottom line is that Microsoft needs some serious competition on the Desktop market to keep it in check. Linux is still far too complicated for most users to work with, and probably will be for quite some time, leaving just Apple with the job. Microsoft doesn't seem to care about them, because they stick to their own little market.
I could, yes... but when I have an otherwise perfectly fine onboard networking (nForce4), and a total of three NICs lying around that again, are perfectly fine aside from not working in OSX (even with homebrew drivers), then I really can't be bothered.
And now ask yourself, who of us had chosen Windows?? Right, nobody. It's the thing which came preinstalled.
I chose Windows. Yes, it came preinstalled on my Compaq Presario back in 1995, but I got rid of it as soon as I found out about Linux.That lasted about six weeks before I got fed up with the lack of application support for it back then, and ever since, I've been hopping between a lot of different 'alternative' operating systems and Windows. Currently I'm multibooting between Windows XP, Ubuntu 7.01 and OSX.
Windows gets about 90% of the useage.
It would help a lot if people who want to run OSX aren't artificially tied to the Mac platform.
:(
I know, I know - the hardware is where Apple makes most of its money, but I think they could also make a fair bit from a licensing scheme similar to that of Windows - "OSX Certified" stickers could place a premium on parts like motherboards, network cards, sound cards, and the like.
Apple can't really say that their OS only works on their hardware any more, because it's quite easily hacked to run on anything, so they may as well make the best of the situation.
I know I'd be more likely to buy "OSX for generic PCs" than Windows Vista, but sadly, it's unlikely to happen. It looks like for the moment, I'm stuck on a Hackintosh with no networking if I wish to use OSX
It's not just the durability of the hardware, but the ergonomics. I heart my Intellimouse Optical 1.0A, even though it's "out of date" and doesn't have any fancy features like resolution changing and all that. It fits my hand perfectly, and is easier to use than later revisions (it's the model with a button on each side of the body).
My "Multimedia Keyboard" is just as good, even though it would appear to be dying of an allergic reaction to some Ginger Beer it came in contact with.
I even bought an XBox Controller S to use on my PC (I don't own an original XBox...), because it really was the best joypad available at the time. It's since been supplanted by my XBox 360 pad, which is even better.
Agreed.
When I buy memory, it's always the best value stuff that I get. Do I get 1GB DDR2-533 (no-name brand) for $55au, or 1GB DDR2-800 (Corsair brand) for $140au?
Gee... it's a tough choice, but I think the no-name stuff is the goer here...
I agree. I was pretty furious when I found out my 5.5G iPod didn't have Firewire support. I simply cannot fathom what the hell possessed them to decide that removing it was a good idea. Personally, I was hoping that Firewire would win the 'bus war' because it's so much better in just about every respect than USB.
Agreed.
Linux is good and all, but it sucks at some things (last time I tried to record audio in Ubuntu ended in tears, for example)... that's the whole point of multi-boot systems, after all - to exploit the strengths of each OS.
Like it or not, there's things that Windows does better than Linux, OSX does better than Windows, and likely, QNX does better than Linux. I look forward to trying any forthcoming "OpenQNX" developments that I may try out on my MMBPC (Massively Multi-booting PC)
I dunno how far behind us you Brits are, but the 03-04 seasons were really quite good - interesting characters, amusing plot lines.. at some points, they all but acknowledged that they were in a bad TV show. Then, all the interesting people died in a plane crash.
The news media is just doing what the news media does, trying to be sensational. I take everything they say with a grain of salt.
In the end though was security not as strong as it could be? Probably. But is it as bad as the news is making it sound? Probably not. Well, the fact that you're reading a CNN report on it kinda skews the whole thing - check out http://www.abc.net.au/news for a more Aussie view on it. The Lateline (our country's best/most reliable news program) report claimed that the motorcade pulled up - of their own accord - outside Bush's hotel, and that security wasn't alarmed until Chaz stepped out, dressed as Osama bin Laden. The chief of police then went on record as saying that his boys did a good job, and that the arrest of the eleven people involved proved that the $160 million was well spent.
I'm sorry? Would it have been "well spent" if those cars were laden full of explosives and detonated outside the hotel? I doubt it.
That said, I love the chaser boys; they know a good prank when they see one, and also know when they're crossing the line... not that it ever stops them.
If mankind ever makes it to Mars in the flesh, I hope they bring one back and give it a medal or something.
Maybe mount a plaque at the point where it 'died' on Mars as well.
...because surely, they'd be annoyed with anybody choosing "three years or more" for million-to-one odds on the bet as to how long these rovers would last...
...and they just keep on going! I am fucking amazed at how overdesigned these thing are; broken wheels, mini tornadoes, planet-wide dust storms; nothing (so far) seems to be able to keep these machines down, and in some cases, theoretically adverse conditions are helping them to keep going!
Spirit and Opportunity, I salute you!