"[T]he changes in Office aren't targeted at power users. In fact, it probably is true that the new UI will frustrate power users. So, why did MS bother? Because for every power user, there are 100s of regular users."
This reminds me strongly of the discussions (flamewars) we had, when Apple completely overhauled the Mac GUI in the transition from OS 9 to OS X.
I admit: I (having been one of them "classic" Mac OS "Power-Users") hated it at first. Hated it deeply. "Where are all my beloved shortcuts (etc. etc.)? Where have my (almost brain-hardwired) Mouse-Click-Cascades gone?" I used to wail.
Then I watched my mother work on her "new" system (she, too, had used Mac OS 8/9 for about 6 years). Thing is: she hardly even noticed. What I noticed, however, is that she took to the new UI like a duck to water, found stuff much easier and basically became more in command of her computer than she had ever been before.
So my point is: a radical change in the UI isn't necessarily a bad thing, if it's done right. And pissing off "power-users" isn't too bad either... heck, if you're really smart enough to call yourself a "power-user" you should also be able to adapt easily (I did).
Just my (anectodal) 2 cents (Euro).
P.S.: To make this clear: of course I'm not saying, that Microsoft got the new Office-UI right (time will tell on this), just that a radical change isn't necessarily bad, even... nay: especially when it annoys the "power-users".
"[...] then/. will carry the story of that, plus the author's valiant struggle for freedom to reprogram crap you bought and the evils of DMCA reverse engineering provisions."
And THEN Cory Doctorow will post about 50 entries on BoingBoing about the issue, and make a speech which will subsequently be translated into 85 languages (including Esperanto, Basque and Gonkfoffl).
Seriously: get them Cheap-O-Macs... iBooks, MacMinis. Maybe a 100% watertight Consumer-Easy-Linux-Install would be even harder to break, but that would require you to do quite some work. My suggestion: Set them up with Mac-Boxen... watch them set the bloody things up themselves (*), lean back and wait for what malfeasance might (will? someday?) come - and deal with it when it comes, not beforehand ('cause it's already there, waiting for preying on your relatives data).
a.c.
(*) Yes, you will have to watch/guide them during install/setup -- even Apples install-/config-process isn't perfect (who'da thunk!?) --- but (and this is strictly anecdotal evidence from watching 4 total switchers (Win to Mac) and two half-switchers (MacOS9 to MacOSX)): You'll likely be surprised how fast they pick up the basics. And how many things they'll have accomplished on their own 'till your next visit. And how few things they'll have b0rked.
P.S.: I know... I sound like an insufferable Apple-Fanboi (even though I work about half/half MacOS and Win (NT/2000 an XP) (Video-Editing))... however there is a reason to this: I've always liked the Mac OS -- even in it's dark days -- and had a lot of problems with that "newfangled" Mac OS X myself. But watching my 65-year old mother (who always had problems with computers, first Win 3.1, then Mac OS 8/9) take to Mac OS X (and the iApps (iPhoto etc.)) like a duck to water... that was something of an eye-opener.
Do they actually plan to rewrite 60% of the whole lot of what "Windows XP" is now and "Windows Vista" is going to be, or just 60% of the transition from "XP" to "Vista"?
I.e.: Did they realize how much Windows is b0rked (if it is so), and decided to fix most of it in one go, or did they just realize that (about) 60% of the new stuff isn't working too well, and should be treated to a go-over?
Not trolling, i'd just like to get a clearer idea on those latest news from Microsoft.
"I once noticed itunes added 50+ secs to a fresh windows instalation.
While I'd never discard anecdotal evidence as bullshit per se, I'd really, really like to read some background/corroboration to your statement.
"+50 Secs" you say... on boot-time, I take it? On the first boot? Or on all consecutive boots, too? Sounds like a drastic slowdown... has anyone else noted anything similar?
Your post was "intersting" indeed, but is it "insightful" (or actually universally true)? I wonder...
From the New Oxford American Dictionary (2nd Edition):
"Utilize, borrowed in the 19th century from the French: utiliser, means 'make practical or effective use of.' Because it is a more formal word than use and is often used in contexts (as in business writing) where the ordinary verb use would be simpler and more direct, utilize may strike readers as pretentious jargon and should therefore be used sparingly."
Well, there goes my karma. But I really, really hate that word.
"Of all the possible stories, they chose the one break from the norm that in the eyes of most Western fans (I'm generally not one) that shits all over the cultural norm for the genre (gay cowboys)."
Parent-Quote:
From [...] Jon Stewart's oscar hosting:
"I'm sorry, I just feel like there's nothing remotely gay about the classic Hollywood westerns," Stewart said as he unfurled a montage of clips from famous cowboy movies in which men were seen stroking their guns, admiring each others' rifles, winking at fellow cowpokes, unbuckling their belts and staring longingly at each other.
I laughed so hard when I saw that montage I almost fell out of my chair.
What do you mean... "sadly"? I interpret this as: No matter where things will go, we'll always have 10% Good Stuff(TM)
Applied to (e.g.) SF (books and movies) that means for me: if I'm well informed (by reading reviews etc.) I'll probably be able to avoid about 70-80% of the worst stuff. Which leaves a proportion of something like 2:1 or 3:1 ("crud" vs. "good stuff").
I can live with that, especially because within those 10% will be that insanely great, fantastic, mind-blowing fraction of a % that made reading/watching all the other stuff (crud, near-crud, near-great etc.) worthtwile.
... and you only see strings if you want to... sometimes they wear regular tangas... and even those usually come off fairly early in the film... but then come the ropes... and the belts... and the handcuffs...
Yea, yeah, I know, off topic and everything, but let me relate this little rant/rave:
Here i've got me this 5-year-old Mac (iBook/500MHz-G3-Processor, the first "white" one (a.k.a. "Dual-USB")). Upped it to 640 MB RAM (easy) and replaced the HD (4500/10 GB to 5200/40 GB - not for the clumsy or faint of heart).
It's currently running MacOS X 10.4.5 - i.e. the highest available version of the Mac OS. And it works well. This (by current standards rather underendowed, but sturdy) machine has done it's duty (= work for me) from good ol' Mac OS 9 (work, crash, work, reboot) all the way to today's iteration of OS X (rock solid, tons of actually useful features - feels like whole new machine).
Granted - initially a number of things did get a little slower with OS X... but I'm really stumped to say what... oh yes: scrolling a Finder-List-Window was faster in OS 9, and Photoshop 6 felt a little snappier. Which was a good trade-off when I look at how brick-rock-solid stable this old lemon performs even today. It runs Adobe CS1 well, even AfterEffects 5.5 (sometimes, as a Render-Slave)... and during those nigh-on-six years I've also been using it daily for eMail, Web-surfing (wireless, of course) and the like. Oh yes, it's a jukebox, too (iTunes) and it will capture and cut DV-Video without a hitch (iMovie2, even FinalCutExpress2 (albeit that took a little sweet-talking)).
What was I going to say? Oh, yes, this: Old (Apple) Hardware + new (Apple) OS = more productivity, stability (and even fun) -- at least that's my personal experience.
If you've read this far... thank you, from me and from my good ol' iBook... well be here all week... and probably for the whole next season, too.
(But after that I'll sure as hell get me one of them MacBookPros! (funds providing))
"Dear Friend, I am Mr Andrew Peter Worsley and I have an important business proposition for you. [...]"
THIS IS AN OBVIOUS FAKE!!!! EVERYBODY KNOWS, THAT ANY SERIOUS BUSINESS PROPOSAL WOULD BE IN CAPITAL LETTERS (and if weren't for that darn Slashdot-"Lameness-Filter" this joke could actually have worked the way I intended it),
YOURS FAITHFULLY, DR. CLEMENT OKON (CURRENTLY USING THE SLASHDOT ACCOUNT OF MY GOOD FRIEND ATROCIOUS COWPAT)
MS Money / MS Money Small Business Edition / MS Money Enterprise / MS Money Multi-national Edition / MS Money Dr. Evil Edition / MS Money Dr. Evil Edition with Laser Beams.
Slashdot Mirror
I admit: I (having been one of them "classic" Mac OS "Power-Users") hated it at first. Hated it deeply. "Where are all my beloved shortcuts (etc. etc.)? Where have my (almost brain-hardwired) Mouse-Click-Cascades gone?" I used to wail.
Then I watched my mother work on her "new" system (she, too, had used Mac OS 8/9 for about 6 years). Thing is: she hardly even noticed. What I noticed, however, is that she took to the new UI like a duck to water, found stuff much easier and basically became more in command of her computer than she had ever been before.
So my point is: a radical change in the UI isn't necessarily a bad thing, if it's done right. And pissing off "power-users" isn't too bad either... heck, if you're really smart enough to call yourself a "power-user" you should also be able to adapt easily (I did).
Just my (anectodal) 2 cents (Euro).
P.S.: To make this clear: of course I'm not saying, that Microsoft got the new Office-UI right (time will tell on this), just that a radical change isn't necessarily bad, even... nay: especially when it annoys the "power-users".
Uh oh.
But then at least any PC can now run Mac OS X easily anyway... or was it the other way round?...dang!.
David Duchovny missed out, too.
You can actually nominate robots yourself:
http://www.robothalloffame.org/nominate.php
Bender is currently at ~ 7% -- I think we can do better.
Go Bender! Go Bender!
Seriously: get them Cheap-O-Macs... iBooks, MacMinis. Maybe a 100% watertight Consumer-Easy-Linux-Install would be even harder to break, but that would require you to do quite some work. My suggestion: Set them up with Mac-Boxen... watch them set the bloody things up themselves (*), lean back and wait for what malfeasance might (will? someday?) come - and deal with it when it comes, not beforehand ('cause it's already there, waiting for preying on your relatives data).
... however there is a reason to this: I've always liked the Mac OS -- even in it's dark days -- and had a lot of problems with that "newfangled" Mac OS X myself. But watching my 65-year old mother (who always had problems with computers, first Win 3.1, then Mac OS 8/9) take to Mac OS X (and the iApps (iPhoto etc.)) like a duck to water... that was something of an eye-opener.
a.c.
(*) Yes, you will have to watch/guide them during install/setup -- even Apples install-/config-process isn't perfect (who'da thunk!?) --- but (and this is strictly anecdotal evidence from watching 4 total switchers (Win to Mac) and two half-switchers (MacOS9 to MacOSX)): You'll likely be surprised how fast they pick up the basics. And how many things they'll have accomplished on their own 'till your next visit. And how few things they'll have b0rked.
P.S.: I know... I sound like an insufferable Apple-Fanboi (even though I work about half/half MacOS and Win (NT/2000 an XP) (Video-Editing))
You are a far more imaginative (and brave) man than I am, Sir!
Do they actually plan to rewrite 60% of the whole lot of what "Windows XP" is now and "Windows Vista" is going to be, or just 60% of the transition from "XP" to "Vista"?
I.e.: Did they realize how much Windows is b0rked (if it is so), and decided to fix most of it in one go, or did they just realize that (about) 60% of the new stuff isn't working too well, and should be treated to a go-over?
Not trolling, i'd just like to get a clearer idea on those latest news from Microsoft.
Any hint appreciated.
Well, he calls himself "Nick Cook", but is he really a bona fide kook?
Inquiring minds want to know!
"+50 Secs" you say... on boot-time, I take it? On the first boot? Or on all consecutive boots, too? Sounds like a drastic slowdown... has anyone else noted anything similar?
Your post was "intersting" indeed, but is it "insightful" (or actually universally true)? I wonder...
From the New Oxford American Dictionary (2nd Edition):Well, there goes my karma. But I really, really hate that word.
Mike Leigh's great too, though. But I won't hold forgetting him against you... I thorougly understand the "Boss situation"
Applied to (e.g.) SF (books and movies) that means for me: if I'm well informed (by reading reviews etc.) I'll probably be able to avoid about 70-80% of the worst stuff. Which leaves a proportion of something like 2:1 or 3:1 ("crud" vs. "good stuff").
I can live with that, especially because within those 10% will be that insanely great, fantastic, mind-blowing fraction of a % that made reading/watching all the other stuff (crud, near-crud, near-great etc.) worthtwile.
Just my 2, of course.
... and you only see strings if you want to... sometimes they wear regular tangas... and even those usually come off fairly early in the film... but then come the ropes... and the belts... and the handcuffs...
Yea, yeah, I know, off topic and everything, but let me relate this little rant/rave:
Here i've got me this 5-year-old Mac (iBook/500MHz-G3-Processor, the first "white" one (a.k.a. "Dual-USB")). Upped it to 640 MB RAM (easy) and replaced the HD (4500/10 GB to 5200/40 GB - not for the clumsy or faint of heart).
It's currently running MacOS X 10.4.5 - i.e. the highest available version of the Mac OS. And it works well. This (by current standards rather underendowed, but sturdy) machine has done it's duty (= work for me) from good ol' Mac OS 9 (work, crash, work, reboot) all the way to today's iteration of OS X (rock solid, tons of actually useful features - feels like whole new machine).
Granted - initially a number of things did get a little slower with OS X... but I'm really stumped to say what... oh yes: scrolling a Finder-List-Window was faster in OS 9, and Photoshop 6 felt a little snappier. Which was a good trade-off when I look at how brick-rock-solid stable this old lemon performs even today. It runs Adobe CS1 well, even AfterEffects 5.5 (sometimes, as a Render-Slave)... and during those nigh-on-six years I've also been using it daily for eMail, Web-surfing (wireless, of course) and the like. Oh yes, it's a jukebox, too (iTunes) and it will capture and cut DV-Video without a hitch (iMovie2, even FinalCutExpress2 (albeit that took a little sweet-talking)).
What was I going to say? Oh, yes, this: Old (Apple) Hardware + new (Apple) OS = more productivity, stability (and even fun) -- at least that's my personal experience.
If you've read this far... thank you, from me and from my good ol' iBook... well be here all week... and probably for the whole next season, too.
(But after that I'll sure as hell get me one of them MacBookPros! (funds providing))
"Dear Friend, I am Mr Andrew Peter Worsley and I have an important business proposition for you. [...]"
THIS IS AN OBVIOUS FAKE!!!! EVERYBODY KNOWS, THAT ANY SERIOUS BUSINESS PROPOSAL WOULD BE IN CAPITAL LETTERS (and if weren't for that darn Slashdot-"Lameness-Filter" this joke could actually have worked the way I intended it),
YOURS FAITHFULLY,
DR. CLEMENT OKON
(CURRENTLY USING THE SLASHDOT ACCOUNT OF MY GOOD FRIEND ATROCIOUS COWPAT)
... that's so like, totally... er... oh.
Sorry.
Never mind.
"You mis-typed 401K"
Dang! Where are my Mod-Points when I really need 'em!
So I'm afraid all I can give you is this measly emoticon:
MS Money / MS Money Small Business Edition / MS Money Enterprise / MS Money Multi-national Edition / MS Money Dr. Evil Edition / MS Money Dr. Evil Edition with Laser Beams.
Nah, they'd have to use the ultimate Version:
Edward Tufte wrote an excellent analysis on how crucial information about possible problems was buried in incompetently presented data.