Sling made commitments to have OS X software ready by Q2, but have since delayed it twice. So, yes, they started selling the hardware in September, before the software was Mac OS X compatible.
Guido's brilliant, but there has to be some element of autism/aspergers there. Many geniuses have traits that fit into that spectrum, and it's hard to read that interview and not wonder.
GMail followed in the footsteps of Hotmail, true, but they actively improved the product by providing much bigger storage capacity, tagging, archiving, better keyboard shortcuts, conversation view, etc. Google is about taking products and figuring out how to make them better for geeky minds.
No one cares that Microsoft comes late into new markets like this, we just want them to improve our experience instead of just assuming we'll switch because they're the big guys.
My guess is they're hoping that the 802.11n specs get cemented down quickly. I wonder what they'll do if they aren't. 802.11g just isn't enough for wireless streaming of movies of that quality.
They already mentioned that iTV is their internal development name and that they haven't come up with a shipping name for it yet. Interesting that they even showed it without a product name or shipping date.
Movies/Shows/Music can now be shared between 5 computers, unlimited iPods and as many iTVs (or whatever) as you buy. It just makes so much sense for people with home & cottage to be able to bring a bunch of movies to the cottage without having to pack up DVDs. Once this moves up to HDTV standards (bandwidth is probably the only reason they haven't yet), then this could just end the format war before it started.
Also, you can backup movies downloaded from iTMS onto DVD, it just isn't a DVD-player readable format. So, they've even thought about that touch. Now just to decide how long to wait. Second edition? Third edition? It's always hard to tell with Apple products. Just when will they hit that sweet spot?
I know this sounds crazy, but I think that's so wonderful about this. There will be a bunch of sites mentioning Wikipedia (whether they be Google or other sites that are allowed in China). Between all the links that they can't follow from their favourite cooking website, plus all of the searches on Google that show "Some websites have been removed due to government regulations," the Chinese people will get a better and better grasp on the idea that there's a lot of information that they have no access to. And then, perhaps, there will be a random article about Tor that slipped through a censor, and then things will blow wide open. It'll take time, and it'll take a long time to reach a tipping point, but both the groups that decide to transparently censor, and the websites that are blocked are necessary to create a desire for some sort of change. That said, the non-transparent blocking of websites (MSN, Yahoo! -- I'm looking at you), is completely unhelpful.
I didn't even see the "Store Locator" at the top of the page until you mentioned it. At the bottom of the page, there's a "Find a Store" link that takes you to a non-javascript page to find a store.
Strange that the "Store Locator" and "Find a Store" are different, and that only one is accessible.
Has Target.com changed in response to the lawsuit? I turned of Flash, Images, Javascript on my browser, and still was able to find and read the addresses of three closest Targets to Providence, RI. The only thing I had trouble with (obviously) was seeing the maps.
It's not that I disagree with you in spirit, but...
I loaded up Camino with Flashblock, no images, no Jave or JavaScript. And just using text I was able to go through the site and do a bunch of tests I set up for myself.
I found a M sized women's black T-shirt I priced computers I found an album by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
Then I proceeded to the checkout and got as far as registering myself as a new Target Guest, when I realised that I have no interest in giving them my personal information.
Was it less convenient to do when relying on just text? Of course. I think that it being more difficult should be somewhat expected when a blind person decides to do online shopping. But, it was possible.
So? What's this lawsuit about, really? Has Target changed the site post-lawsuit, or were they unhappy with something that happens post-registration? Or did they just judge that it wasn't equally easy using a site reader as it is using it with eyes?
I pretty much always use Amazon and Alibris for my used books. Only occassionally do I see a first edition signed piece of goodness that makes it worth my time to put up with the royal inconvenience that is Ebay.
I live in Canada too, and while I think our system is better than the U.S., I still think it has a long way to go. Combining a parliamentary system with proportional representation is what we need. It's ridiculous that Green got 4.5% of the vote without a single seat.
Forbes looked at such a small number of Ajax apps and put them into arbitrary categories. Google Notebook vs Backpack is apples and oranges. Yes, they're both ways of storing "stuff" perhaps even "information." But, the type of information stored in Google Notebook (collect information and quotes from around the www and then save them with citations), is very different than the information stored in Backpack (ToDo lists, Calendar, SMS/Email reminders).
Why don't I write an article comparing my day planner with my filing cabinet, while we're at it?
That's part of the Super-Fan pattern. The Super-Fan seems excited when the product is announced, and then starts complaining for Beta 2 & RC1, just so that he can excitedly proclaim how much better the final product is! I am absolutely certain that once Vista releases we'll see an article from him saying, "Oh, how wrong I was, to doubt in Microsoft. How amazing the Microsoft team is, to move from such an awful release candidate to this perfection that is the final release. We should all be thankful that Microsoft is in our lives!"
More people upgrade operating systems when buying new PCs than by buying the new Operating Systems independently. The only place where that isn't consistently true is in corporations, who buy the new Operating System when the old one is no longer supported. It doesn't really matter how great or awful Vista is. People will still be upgrading to Vista over the next few years.
That is so true. I have several friends who work in the Canadian school system, and parents make or break a student's education. Generally, if three students fail a test, one parent won't comment at all, one parent will try to get the teacher fired, and one parent will come to the school and ask how they can help their kid catch up.
Guess which kid actually moves forward in education and in life? The problem isn't primarily teachers. The problem is parents. Of course, eventually teachers get so tired of being stomped on by parents that they stop caring and start letting students slide. It's much easier to stop failing kids than it is to have to have a performance review multiple times every year.
What particularly drivs me batty is that they just hired Douglas Bowman as Visual Design Lead in May. He's been at the head of the XHTML/CSS progression/revolution for years, including the Wired News redesign in 2002.
I understand that it takes some time to get settled into a new workforce, so Bowman might not have had the time to get around to working on Blogger that much yet. According to his blog, he appears to have spent the first half of this year working as a contractor on Google Calendar. I just wonder, why wouldn't the Blogger team have waited until their Design guy/standards-compliance guru was free before rolling out this beta?
I meant the PC experience for the average computer user, rather than the Mac experience for the new computer user. The PC experience involves all sorts of faulty and frustrating components ("Get a Compuserve Account" "Buy Encarta")added on by the OEMs, which aren't part of Windows, but the average PC user doesn't know that. The PC experience involves a whole bunch of cables with different pieces to put in different places. This has nothing to do with Windows, but the average PC user doesn't know that.
The Mac experience involves getting a simple box, with simple, beautifully designed graphics about how to connect the two or three cables that are needed. Everything on the Mac OS X desktop out-of-the-box is usable, with little nagware or crippleware.
To the average user, it really doesn't matter whether those differences are the fault of Microsoft, HP, or FutureShop. They are just annoyances and frustrations that go along with owning a PC.
Because most non-techies only have those two choices. And let's be honest, most of us would rather be smugly superior than boring. None of us want to admit it, we all say we'd rather be nice and humble, but given those two options...
Re:I don't care for these commercials
on
New "Get a Mac" TV ads
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
These ads never say anything about "Windows." They talk about PC-vs-Mac. What they are talking about is not Windows per se, but the experience of running a non-Mac PC for most users. Most users don't understand the difference between Windows, PC hardware, add-ons from OEMs, and Microsoft Office. In their minds, it's all the same thing.
These ads play on that fact. Whether that's fair or unfair is another question entirely.
At the end of the FAQ page there's a section with information for people using Google Apps for Education. High schools (and perhaps even colleges) would benefit from being able to offload these sorts of IT needs onto Google, therefore allowing their meager IT staffing to focus on education-specific IT infrastructure requirements.
Also, the SOHO and non-profit fields would really benefit as well. The more of these basic things we offload, the more we can focus our energies on our actual fields. If we were starting our non-profit from scratch, I would definitely be encouraging us to use this. Even still, once they release the ad-free version, I'm going to be comparing it to what we're currently paying for our webhosting. If it's the same or cheaper, then I'm going to be proposing a switch. Gmail is much better than our current email offering, and a shared calendar service would make many lives easier.
Remember, this is the Worldwide DEVELOPER Conference. This isn't showing everything about Leopard -- it's just showing the things that Developers might want to build upon.
If I was a Mac developer, I'd be pretty excited about: 1) The new iCal API, and the open-sourcing of the iCal Server (if a team to work quickly, they could have compatible clients for Linux and Windows by the release of Leopard -- take that Exchange!) 2) Core Animation - I find myself using different apps, and thinking how usability could be increased, and the program actually simplified if there was a small amount of 3d animation 3) RoR on the server 4) Complex syntax in Spotlight would be useful in a thousand smaller projects
If I were a business user, I'd be excited about: 1) A replacement for outlook/Exchange 2) iChat's Virtual Keynote
And, I personally, am excited about 1) Time Machine! 2) Turn any website into a widget 3) Dashcode 4) Spaces -- yes, I of course have Virtual Desktop, but a free and simple and beatiful replacement is a good thing. 5) iChat's Screen Sharing -- I've been trying to convert a friend to Mac, but she's worried that I don't live in the same city to do tech support. As of this spring -- problem solved! 6) QuickLook in Spotlight
Slashdot Mirror
I wish I had modpoints. Interesting and important point. A
Sling made commitments to have OS X software ready by Q2, but have since delayed it twice. So, yes, they started selling the hardware in September, before the software was Mac OS X compatible.
You will love Tab Mix Plus, it does all that and so, so much more.
Guido's brilliant, but there has to be some element of autism/aspergers there. Many geniuses have traits that fit into that spectrum, and it's hard to read that interview and not wonder.
GMail followed in the footsteps of Hotmail, true, but they actively improved the product by providing much bigger storage capacity, tagging, archiving, better keyboard shortcuts, conversation view, etc. Google is about taking products and figuring out how to make them better for geeky minds.
No one cares that Microsoft comes late into new markets like this, we just want them to improve our experience instead of just assuming we'll switch because they're the big guys.
My guess is they're hoping that the 802.11n specs get cemented down quickly. I wonder what they'll do if they aren't. 802.11g just isn't enough for wireless streaming of movies of that quality.
They already mentioned that iTV is their internal development name and that they haven't come up with a shipping name for it yet. Interesting that they even showed it without a product name or shipping date.
Movies/Shows/Music can now be shared between 5 computers, unlimited iPods and as many iTVs (or whatever) as you buy. It just makes so much sense for people with home & cottage to be able to bring a bunch of movies to the cottage without having to pack up DVDs. Once this moves up to HDTV standards (bandwidth is probably the only reason they haven't yet), then this could just end the format war before it started.
Also, you can backup movies downloaded from iTMS onto DVD, it just isn't a DVD-player readable format. So, they've even thought about that touch. Now just to decide how long to wait. Second edition? Third edition? It's always hard to tell with Apple products. Just when will they hit that sweet spot?
I know this sounds crazy, but I think that's so wonderful about this. There will be a bunch of sites mentioning Wikipedia (whether they be Google or other sites that are allowed in China). Between all the links that they can't follow from their favourite cooking website, plus all of the searches on Google that show "Some websites have been removed due to government regulations," the Chinese people will get a better and better grasp on the idea that there's a lot of information that they have no access to. And then, perhaps, there will be a random article about Tor that slipped through a censor, and then things will blow wide open. It'll take time, and it'll take a long time to reach a tipping point, but both the groups that decide to transparently censor, and the websites that are blocked are necessary to create a desire for some sort of change. That said, the non-transparent blocking of websites (MSN, Yahoo! -- I'm looking at you), is completely unhelpful.
My 2cents, anyhow
I didn't even see the "Store Locator" at the top of the page until you mentioned it. At the bottom of the page, there's a "Find a Store" link that takes you to a non-javascript page to find a store.
Strange that the "Store Locator" and "Find a Store" are different, and that only one is accessible.
Has Target.com changed in response to the lawsuit? I turned of Flash, Images, Javascript on my browser, and still was able to find and read the addresses of three closest Targets to Providence, RI. The only thing I had trouble with (obviously) was seeing the maps.
It's not that I disagree with you in spirit, but...
I loaded up Camino with Flashblock, no images, no Jave or JavaScript. And just using text I was able to go through the site and do a bunch of tests I set up for myself.
I found a M sized women's black T-shirt
I priced computers
I found an album by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
Then I proceeded to the checkout and got as far as registering myself as a new Target Guest, when I realised that I have no interest in giving them my personal information.
Was it less convenient to do when relying on just text? Of course. I think that it being more difficult should be somewhat expected when a blind person decides to do online shopping. But, it was possible.
So? What's this lawsuit about, really? Has Target changed the site post-lawsuit, or were they unhappy with something that happens post-registration? Or did they just judge that it wasn't equally easy using a site reader as it is using it with eyes?
I pretty much always use Amazon and Alibris for my used books. Only occassionally do I see a first edition signed piece of goodness that makes it worth my time to put up with the royal inconvenience that is Ebay.
I live in Canada too, and while I think our system is better than the U.S., I still think it has a long way to go. Combining a parliamentary system with proportional representation is what we need. It's ridiculous that Green got 4.5% of the vote without a single seat.
Forbes looked at such a small number of Ajax apps and put them into arbitrary categories. Google Notebook vs Backpack is apples and oranges. Yes, they're both ways of storing "stuff" perhaps even "information." But, the type of information stored in Google Notebook (collect information and quotes from around the www and then save them with citations), is very different than the information stored in Backpack (ToDo lists, Calendar, SMS/Email reminders).
Why don't I write an article comparing my day planner with my filing cabinet, while we're at it?
That's part of the Super-Fan pattern. The Super-Fan seems excited when the product is announced, and then starts complaining for Beta 2 & RC1, just so that he can excitedly proclaim how much better the final product is! I am absolutely certain that once Vista releases we'll see an article from him saying, "Oh, how wrong I was, to doubt in Microsoft. How amazing the Microsoft team is, to move from such an awful release candidate to this perfection that is the final release. We should all be thankful that Microsoft is in our lives!"
That's why it's better to just ignore.
More people upgrade operating systems when buying new PCs than by buying the new Operating Systems independently. The only place where that isn't consistently true is in corporations, who buy the new Operating System when the old one is no longer supported. It doesn't really matter how great or awful Vista is. People will still be upgrading to Vista over the next few years.
That is so true. I have several friends who work in the Canadian school system, and parents make or break a student's education. Generally, if three students fail a test, one parent won't comment at all, one parent will try to get the teacher fired, and one parent will come to the school and ask how they can help their kid catch up.
Guess which kid actually moves forward in education and in life? The problem isn't primarily teachers. The problem is parents. Of course, eventually teachers get so tired of being stomped on by parents that they stop caring and start letting students slide. It's much easier to stop failing kids than it is to have to have a performance review multiple times every year.
What particularly drivs me batty is that they just hired Douglas Bowman as Visual Design Lead in May. He's been at the head of the XHTML/CSS progression/revolution for years, including the Wired News redesign in 2002.
I understand that it takes some time to get settled into a new workforce, so Bowman might not have had the time to get around to working on Blogger that much yet. According to his blog, he appears to have spent the first half of this year working as a contractor on Google Calendar. I just wonder, why wouldn't the Blogger team have waited until their Design guy/standards-compliance guru was free before rolling out this beta?
I meant the PC experience for the average computer user, rather than the Mac experience for the new computer user. The PC experience involves all sorts of faulty and frustrating components ("Get a Compuserve Account" "Buy Encarta")added on by the OEMs, which aren't part of Windows, but the average PC user doesn't know that. The PC experience involves a whole bunch of cables with different pieces to put in different places. This has nothing to do with Windows, but the average PC user doesn't know that.
The Mac experience involves getting a simple box, with simple, beautifully designed graphics about how to connect the two or three cables that are needed. Everything on the Mac OS X desktop out-of-the-box is usable, with little nagware or crippleware.
To the average user, it really doesn't matter whether those differences are the fault of Microsoft, HP, or FutureShop. They are just annoyances and frustrations that go along with owning a PC.
Because most non-techies only have those two choices. And let's be honest, most of us would rather be smugly superior than boring. None of us want to admit it, we all say we'd rather be nice and humble, but given those two options...
These ads never say anything about "Windows." They talk about PC-vs-Mac. What they are talking about is not Windows per se, but the experience of running a non-Mac PC for most users. Most users don't understand the difference between Windows, PC hardware, add-ons from OEMs, and Microsoft Office. In their minds, it's all the same thing.
These ads play on that fact. Whether that's fair or unfair is another question entirely.
At the end of the FAQ page there's a section with information for people using Google Apps for Education. High schools (and perhaps even colleges) would benefit from being able to offload these sorts of IT needs onto Google, therefore allowing their meager IT staffing to focus on education-specific IT infrastructure requirements.
Also, the SOHO and non-profit fields would really benefit as well. The more of these basic things we offload, the more we can focus our energies on our actual fields. If we were starting our non-profit from scratch, I would definitely be encouraging us to use this. Even still, once they release the ad-free version, I'm going to be comparing it to what we're currently paying for our webhosting. If it's the same or cheaper, then I'm going to be proposing a switch. Gmail is much better than our current email offering, and a shared calendar service would make many lives easier.
Remember, this is the Worldwide DEVELOPER Conference. This isn't showing everything about Leopard -- it's just showing the things that Developers might want to build upon.
If I was a Mac developer, I'd be pretty excited about:
1) The new iCal API, and the open-sourcing of the iCal Server (if a team to work quickly, they could have compatible clients for Linux and Windows by the release of Leopard -- take that Exchange!)
2) Core Animation - I find myself using different apps, and thinking how usability could be increased, and the program actually simplified if there was a small amount of 3d animation
3) RoR on the server
4) Complex syntax in Spotlight would be useful in a thousand smaller projects
If I were a business user, I'd be excited about:
1) A replacement for outlook/Exchange
2) iChat's Virtual Keynote
And, I personally, am excited about
1) Time Machine!
2) Turn any website into a widget
3) Dashcode
4) Spaces -- yes, I of course have Virtual Desktop, but a free and simple and beatiful replacement is a good thing.
5) iChat's Screen Sharing -- I've been trying to convert a friend to Mac, but she's worried that I don't live in the same city to do tech support. As of this spring -- problem solved!
6) QuickLook in Spotlight
The time machine video shows the hard disk icon on the desktop, but a couple other videos and pictures don't show it.