Microsoft are dropping features from Longhorn faster than an epileptic juggler on fire whose being attacked by ninjas. Who are also on fire. And they're all in a tall building during an earthquake. And the building's on fire as well.
I [...] often [...] get [...] turned on [...] by [...] goatse.
Now, I'm checking if that's entirely within context, but initial reactions from some random people around me suggest that it's a striking comment from you.
(actually, I imagine a calendar and clock on the wall behind you randomly changing with each cut)
So can it search for relationships between files? Not just metadata, content of filename, but stuff like "show me the emails with the picture of the dog that I sent to members of my family"?
SpotLight is not just metadata plus content. It's also about relationships between objects. You can create relationships by dragging objects about (say a picture of a dog onto an email to family members) and SpotLight remembers them in detail (the dog metadata in the image is then in a relationship with the people in the email address fields, as well as the email itself and any objects inside it).
You seem smart enough, but you mention waiting for a G5 PowerBook for two years. Even those with a cursory knowledge of the Mac world realise that your first year was massively, rose-coloured-glasses optimistic, and your second year was not going to shape up well either.
So... you didn't use a computer for those two years..? Or were you waiting for a G5 PowerBook at an iBook price and you're unhappy that Apple have failed you in this?
You also just don't understand memory handling. There's another post with the answer, but really, why would you bring Windows memory handling knowledge into the world of Unix and expect things to make sense?
Your post seems to boil down to the usual "I want a top Mac for under $200 and if Apple don't make it, they're a complete rip-off." Your system seems to be ideal for you - powerful at an insanely low price. If it does what you want, then you're out on top and good luck to you.
For my part, I'm happy on my little iBook that does everything I need it to, cost me very little and actually runs better after each major OS X release (as they further optimise for G4/G5 and reduce G3 and earlier code).
Your logical error is in assuming that you're indicative of Mac users (or even users of any platform).
Obviously you're not, as you spend 100% of your time in the shell.
I'll go out on a limb and say that the other 99.9% of us use the GUI. For me, Spotlight is going to be interesting, Automator will be potentially great, gcc4.0 will be amazing and the Core data services will change my world.
And I'm not representative either. I develop games as a hobby, so gcc4.0 makes my list of new toys but would make few other people's lists I suspect.
But end users will soon feel the effect of the Core data services, in image-processing apps, in rapid development of new apps (they should spring up around all over the place) and in a consistent expectation of the interface and how it works.
I don't see Dashboard as being of great value to me. But then I don't use Expose either. But I know a lot of people who do, and they'll probably get great value out of Dashboard. It's not just weather and time, after all, but any service people want.
Calm down a bit, realise that the majority of users don't work like you do, and respect their excitement in getting new toys to play with.
I'm thinking that your Apple co-workers don't know you post under this name.... but that's the same thing I've seen and heard from the media over the last 25 years.
A iPods have a battery that can only survive so many recharges. They could have designed a battery cover door, but chose not to, so as to keep the unit looking clean. You're disagreeing with that design decision here, not some idea about obsolescence.
You can have the battery replaced, or you can do it yourself (if you're very keen).
An obsolete unit would be something that cannot be made to work.
B The recycling record was raised recently and seems to be based around false information. The group claiming these things seems to target Apple before (for example) HP, IBM or Dell. What are their recycling efforts like? Do you know?
C The 15-year old kid is in his 20s, and is a student of medicine. He's not a blogger, but runs a website for personal gain (the advertising is a source of revenue). He solicited information from employees under legally-enforcable NDAs, and in California that renders him potentially guilty.
Apple aren't suing for damages though. They're not looking to gain. They just want the names of the people who broke their NDAs. It's not a freedom of speech issue, or a freedom of the press issue (unless someone can show a public good in exposing Apple's upcoming product lines and possibly damaging share value as a result).
D Apple can say or do whatever they like in their own stores. It's not censorship unless they extend it to other people. You can easily choose to enter or not enter those stores. How has Apple altered your ability to express yourself?
You're tilting at a windmill here.
It'd be nice if people got at least one point indisputably correct!
And no... I don't believe Apple is a group of angelic geniuses making Macs for the betterment of the Human Race. They've done *actual* bad stuff before (making Macs in Burma was a good one) and that's the sort of thing worth bringing to light. The environmental issue may become a bigger one, but currently they're as good or better as anyone in the industry.
Why not look at the Apple developer documentation? Look into the new Core xxxxx features, see what SpotLight actually does (hint - relationships are in the new metadata), look at Automator for much more than just AppleScript, look at how XGrid is built in now, and how the OS is 64-bit...
These are all big things in the OS, and all easily found on Apple's website. Perhaps you should review it sometime.
And you repeat the whole 'Apple sues their fans' fiasco as though that's actually true. Apple sued a guy who knowingly published information under an NDA, which is an illegal act in California. They didn't ask for damages, just for the name of the source. It's not an issue of free speech, freedom of the press, or big bad Apple going after sweet and innocent Nic de Plume. It's an issue of Apple enforcing their legal rights. And before you ask - it's fine with me if Microsoft were to do the same. There was no issue of public good or the 'right to know' here, just people trying to cash in on another company's coattails by getting more page visitors to view their banner advertising.
Bozos in the rumour industry give me the shits. They create false expectations and rarely follow up on their own errors (re: making stuff up). They also help drive sales down before an event. All in all, I have very little sympathy for these twits.
What has Linux added to the world of operating systems?
I don't see a single innovation in Linux. It's all taken from Windows, Mac OS X, Unix and others.
What is in Linux that I can't get anywhere else?
I know that it's free, but I'm not in business so that's not a selling point to me. I want a feature or two to make me switch from OS X.
And you know, look as I might, I can't see a single thing in Linux that I don't have at home on my Mac or at work on my Windows box.
That's the biggest problem with Linux. It's developed by thousands of people whose idea of a good feature is purely what they've already been exposed to. There's no consistent UI design, no new concepts in the interface, no new concepts in applications...
It's not really their fault - they do it as a hobby, generally. But no-one is driving innovation in Linux. It's *stagnating*
Surely commenting comes as a result of a good design practice.
You start with a functional spec, from which a design spec is derived.
The design spec is then broken into functional units, which are each divided further and further until the code itself seems obvious.
The final design is given a walk-through to verify with peers.
This design could pretty much be converted into a set of comments, each of which describes how the code should function.
The problem comes when coders just give it a go, write stuff on the fly and don't bother with design. It could be brilliant code, but most often it's just plugging local holes without reference to the overall design.
Comments are generally a good coding practice, and should fall naturally out of a good design phase.
Windows ME was a train wreck that you were trapped in, and tragically the onboard film of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace got stuck in a loop of a Jar Jar Binks scene.
As you wait for rescue, the scene plays over and over again, sapping your will to live...
You're saying that Apple users - ALL Apple users - don't use their machines for work, or if they do, that they buy the machine first and worry about work second.
On top of that, you're also saying that PC users - ALL PC users - are hardworking people who use their computer purely as a tool for work.
In specific cases, you're undoubtedly correct. In the general case, it's just utter bullshit.
I've seen more than a few PC fanboys (or is it 'fanbois'?) crapping on and on endlessly about Microsoft, Windows, their choice of processor and so on. I've seen similar things from the Mac side as well.
Lastly, I know a large number of Mac users (both personally and online) who use their Mac as a tool to get work done. They don't have to screw around with anti-virus software, don't have continual patching fun and don't have malware infections. They don't even have to think about such things. They just get on with what they want to do.
In contrast, I've known a large number of PC users who talk about spyware, viruses and malware from the point of view of having been infected. They need to worry about these things, need to keep their AV software up to date, need to keep patching their Windows. Sure - it's just good precautions, but the thing is you *have* to do these things on Windows, you *have* to devote your time to system administration just to keep the OS running nicely. The Windows world doesn't allow users to just get on with their work - they have to keep malware in mind.
Am I the only one who looks at screenshots and feels no clue as to usability or efficiency? These pics of Longhorn just look like pics of any OS.
As a long-time Mac user, I've seen more than a few shots of upcoming OS X releases in rumour sites and felt much the same thing. Pictures of preference panes or windows don't excite me much.
What are much more interesting are people's reactions to using an OS. This is where I get excited about OS X 10.4 but I'm not seeing so much excitement from Longhorn pre-beta users.
It's early days yet, but when a company releases something publicly it has to be taken as indicative of the final product. Sure, things may change lots, but the fact that Microsoft are willing to put their name on it and have it seen by anybody and everybody says that this is something closer to final than anything seen before.
We still have valve technology too, but it's utterly hopeless in anything but audio.
Unix is not friendly enough for users. Spotlight and other searching technology may be re-written several times in ten years, but the point is that it *improves* over time. grep is static, and about as friendly as being bludgeoned by a brick.
Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft are dropping features from Longhorn faster than an epileptic juggler on fire whose being attacked by ninjas. Who are also on fire. And they're all in a tall building during an earthquake. And the building's on fire as well.
Quoting from your post history...
I [...] often [...] get [...] turned on [...] by [...] goatse.
Now, I'm checking if that's entirely within context, but initial reactions from some random people around me suggest that it's a striking comment from you.
(actually, I imagine a calendar and clock on the wall behind you randomly changing with each cut)
So can it search for relationships between files? Not just metadata, content of filename, but stuff like "show me the emails with the picture of the dog that I sent to members of my family"?
SpotLight is not just metadata plus content. It's also about relationships between objects. You can create relationships by dragging objects about (say a picture of a dog onto an email to family members) and SpotLight remembers them in detail (the dog metadata in the image is then in a relationship with the people in the email address fields, as well as the email itself and any objects inside it).
This seems like a new thing to me.
Odd post.
You seem smart enough, but you mention waiting for a G5 PowerBook for two years. Even those with a cursory knowledge of the Mac world realise that your first year was massively, rose-coloured-glasses optimistic, and your second year was not going to shape up well either.
So... you didn't use a computer for those two years..? Or were you waiting for a G5 PowerBook at an iBook price and you're unhappy that Apple have failed you in this?
You also just don't understand memory handling. There's another post with the answer, but really, why would you bring Windows memory handling knowledge into the world of Unix and expect things to make sense?
Your post seems to boil down to the usual "I want a top Mac for under $200 and if Apple don't make it, they're a complete rip-off." Your system seems to be ideal for you - powerful at an insanely low price. If it does what you want, then you're out on top and good luck to you.
For my part, I'm happy on my little iBook that does everything I need it to, cost me very little and actually runs better after each major OS X release (as they further optimise for G4/G5 and reduce G3 and earlier code).
Your logical error is in assuming that you're indicative of Mac users (or even users of any platform).
Obviously you're not, as you spend 100% of your time in the shell.
I'll go out on a limb and say that the other 99.9% of us use the GUI. For me, Spotlight is going to be interesting, Automator will be potentially great, gcc4.0 will be amazing and the Core data services will change my world.
And I'm not representative either. I develop games as a hobby, so gcc4.0 makes my list of new toys but would make few other people's lists I suspect.
But end users will soon feel the effect of the Core data services, in image-processing apps, in rapid development of new apps (they should spring up around all over the place) and in a consistent expectation of the interface and how it works.
I don't see Dashboard as being of great value to me. But then I don't use Expose either. But I know a lot of people who do, and they'll probably get great value out of Dashboard. It's not just weather and time, after all, but any service people want.
Calm down a bit, realise that the majority of users don't work like you do, and respect their excitement in getting new toys to play with.
What about "Steve Ballmer Annoyances"?
What does a professional want with a Radeon9800?
The 9600 is overkill.
I'd prefer an option to drop out the GPU altogether (and get my own), and also drop RAM and hard drives to zero.
I'm thinking that your Apple co-workers don't know you post under this name. ... but that's the same thing I've seen and heard from the media over the last 25 years.
Factually, you're off the mark here.
A
iPods have a battery that can only survive so many recharges. They could have designed a battery cover door, but chose not to, so as to keep the unit looking clean. You're disagreeing with that design decision here, not some idea about obsolescence.
You can have the battery replaced, or you can do it yourself (if you're very keen).
An obsolete unit would be something that cannot be made to work.
B
The recycling record was raised recently and seems to be based around false information. The group claiming these things seems to target Apple before (for example) HP, IBM or Dell. What are their recycling efforts like? Do you know?
C
The 15-year old kid is in his 20s, and is a student of medicine. He's not a blogger, but runs a website for personal gain (the advertising is a source of revenue). He solicited information from employees under legally-enforcable NDAs, and in California that renders him potentially guilty.
Apple aren't suing for damages though. They're not looking to gain. They just want the names of the people who broke their NDAs. It's not a freedom of speech issue, or a freedom of the press issue (unless someone can show a public good in exposing Apple's upcoming product lines and possibly damaging share value as a result).
D
Apple can say or do whatever they like in their own stores. It's not censorship unless they extend it to other people. You can easily choose to enter or not enter those stores. How has Apple altered your ability to express yourself?
You're tilting at a windmill here.
It'd be nice if people got at least one point indisputably correct!
And no... I don't believe Apple is a group of angelic geniuses making Macs for the betterment of the Human Race. They've done *actual* bad stuff before (making Macs in Burma was a good one) and that's the sort of thing worth bringing to light. The environmental issue may become a bigger one, but currently they're as good or better as anyone in the industry.
Is there somewhere we can vote for best post of the year? This one's got my vote so far.
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=147467&c id=12355815
Best possible reply.
You're asking about new 'serious' features?
Why not look at the Apple developer documentation? Look into the new Core xxxxx features, see what SpotLight actually does (hint - relationships are in the new metadata), look at Automator for much more than just AppleScript, look at how XGrid is built in now, and how the OS is 64-bit...
These are all big things in the OS, and all easily found on Apple's website. Perhaps you should review it sometime.
And you repeat the whole 'Apple sues their fans' fiasco as though that's actually true. Apple sued a guy who knowingly published information under an NDA, which is an illegal act in California. They didn't ask for damages, just for the name of the source. It's not an issue of free speech, freedom of the press, or big bad Apple going after sweet and innocent Nic de Plume. It's an issue of Apple enforcing their legal rights. And before you ask - it's fine with me if Microsoft were to do the same. There was no issue of public good or the 'right to know' here, just people trying to cash in on another company's coattails by getting more page visitors to view their banner advertising.
Bozos in the rumour industry give me the shits. They create false expectations and rarely follow up on their own errors (re: making stuff up). They also help drive sales down before an event. All in all, I have very little sympathy for these twits.
What has Linux added to the world of operating systems?
I don't see a single innovation in Linux. It's all taken from Windows, Mac OS X, Unix and others.
What is in Linux that I can't get anywhere else?
I know that it's free, but I'm not in business so that's not a selling point to me. I want a feature or two to make me switch from OS X.
And you know, look as I might, I can't see a single thing in Linux that I don't have at home on my Mac or at work on my Windows box.
That's the biggest problem with Linux. It's developed by thousands of people whose idea of a good feature is purely what they've already been exposed to. There's no consistent UI design, no new concepts in the interface, no new concepts in applications...
It's not really their fault - they do it as a hobby, generally. But no-one is driving innovation in Linux. It's *stagnating*
Surely commenting comes as a result of a good design practice.
You start with a functional spec, from which a design spec is derived.
The design spec is then broken into functional units, which are each divided further and further until the code itself seems obvious.
The final design is given a walk-through to verify with peers.
This design could pretty much be converted into a set of comments, each of which describes how the code should function.
The problem comes when coders just give it a go, write stuff on the fly and don't bother with design. It could be brilliant code, but most often it's just plugging local holes without reference to the overall design.
Comments are generally a good coding practice, and should fall naturally out of a good design phase.
Twenty times better?
...
I only thought it was 13.7 times better.
Seriously - how do you get a number like twenty? Would twice as good be enough?
Windows ME was a train wreck that you were trapped in, and tragically the onboard film of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace got stuck in a loop of a Jar Jar Binks scene.
As you wait for rescue, the scene plays over and over again, sapping your will to live...
A few hundred more and you can buy an actual Mac!
Well... the Mini anyway...
Speaking plainly, that's just utter bullshit.
You're saying that Apple users - ALL Apple users - don't use their machines for work, or if they do, that they buy the machine first and worry about work second.
On top of that, you're also saying that PC users - ALL PC users - are hardworking people who use their computer purely as a tool for work.
In specific cases, you're undoubtedly correct. In the general case, it's just utter bullshit.
I've seen more than a few PC fanboys (or is it 'fanbois'?) crapping on and on endlessly about Microsoft, Windows, their choice of processor and so on. I've seen similar things from the Mac side as well.
Lastly, I know a large number of Mac users (both personally and online) who use their Mac as a tool to get work done. They don't have to screw around with anti-virus software, don't have continual patching fun and don't have malware infections. They don't even have to think about such things. They just get on with what they want to do.
In contrast, I've known a large number of PC users who talk about spyware, viruses and malware from the point of view of having been infected. They need to worry about these things, need to keep their AV software up to date, need to keep patching their Windows. Sure - it's just good precautions, but the thing is you *have* to do these things on Windows, you *have* to devote your time to system administration just to keep the OS running nicely. The Windows world doesn't allow users to just get on with their work - they have to keep malware in mind.
Am I the only one who looks at screenshots and feels no clue as to usability or efficiency? These pics of Longhorn just look like pics of any OS.
As a long-time Mac user, I've seen more than a few shots of upcoming OS X releases in rumour sites and felt much the same thing. Pictures of preference panes or windows don't excite me much.
What are much more interesting are people's reactions to using an OS. This is where I get excited about OS X 10.4 but I'm not seeing so much excitement from Longhorn pre-beta users.
It's early days yet, but when a company releases something publicly it has to be taken as indicative of the final product. Sure, things may change lots, but the fact that Microsoft are willing to put their name on it and have it seen by anybody and everybody says that this is something closer to final than anything seen before.
Has the entire EU agreed on one set of copyright laws yet?
Oddly enough, the Apple Lisa back in 1983 featured fully pre-emptive multi-tasking.
For some reason they dropped it for years, and then introduced cooperative multi-tasking in System 6 (from memory, may be System 7).
Apple wasn't the last to get pre-emptive multi-tasking, but they did take a long break.
That wouldn't just be because Apple *bought* NeXTStep for about US$400M would it? You remember, to get the OS.
Marvin was always the star, after Dent and Prefect.
I take it that in this context 'nm' doesn't stand for nanometres as it usually does...
We still have valve technology too, but it's utterly hopeless in anything but audio.
Unix is not friendly enough for users. Spotlight and other searching technology may be re-written several times in ten years, but the point is that it *improves* over time. grep is static, and about as friendly as being bludgeoned by a brick.