On the contrary. DAT and MiniDisc were big and were used by most studios. Just because a technology is phased out after, say, ten years doesn't mean it was a success at one time.
People have been saying that since, what, 1994? That's wishful thinking. It just ain't gonna happen, because in the marketplace, natural selection doesn't work that way. And Linux doesn't stand a chance in the current market situation, I'm sorry to say, and that's why Microsoft gets away with abominations such as Windows Vista. I have read the GPL. What has that got to do with anything? It's about time the Linux movement starts to think in a more market-oriented way, that's my opinion and I stand by it. I want Linux to succeed, because it's a promising technology, but personally, I could care less since I'm a happy Mac user.
Indeed. And the original SuperDrive in the old Macs (I'm talking about the "bird feeder" compact models from the 1980s) were made by Sony. That company has had many, many wins and hugely successful technologies, such as Trinitron, Betacam SP, the Walkman and Discman of course, and, like you have already mentioned, the CD (in cooperation with Philips), 3.5" floppies, DAT and MiniDisc to name but a few. Betamax was a sad intermssion...
I dont recall any such shootouts or any Linux development or testing within Apple. They did however have their own UNIX flavor for a number of years. It was called A/UX but only ran on Motorola 68K based Macs such as the Workgroup Server 95, not PPC or Intel machines. Apple also had the very off server machines Network Server 500 and 700 that ran IBM's AIX. When Mac OS 9 reached the end of its life, Apple looked at a number of different operating systems as its successor, the main candidates being Windows NT (or an Apple OS based on the NT kernel) and BeOS... Then Steve Jobs came along and offered Openstep, and that changed everything because a) Apple could rather quickly get a modern operating system, b) get developer tools and dedicated team of developers, and c) get Steve back into the company, all att a very reasonable price (40 million dollars I believe it was). BeOS would have been an interesting choice, but NeXT was the way ahead for Apple. But yes, I would very much like to know more about this fabled Linux R & D at Apple.
Apple isn't killing Linux on the desktop. Apple probably needs Linux, because it shows there are indeed alternatives to the "one shoe fits all" nature of Windows... (That said, standardization and uniformity isn't all bad.)
The enemies of Linux aren't Apple or even Microsoft, but the fragmentation and confusion caused by the many different distributions out there. Also, since Linux is driven by noncommercial interests, for the most part, it isn't targeted towards nontechnical users, isn't tied to any particular hardware platform and is sorely missing a services infrastructure. That's is a great pity, because Linux is a beautiful idea, except for the fact that the market or target audience just isn't there!
I want Linux to succeed among nontechnical users, but for that to happen, a number of changes will have to be made.
1) Standardization. The various distros need to converge and be forged into a very solid and highly polished unified distribution, a product if you will. This standardization will have to cover every aspect of the operating system.
2) Branding and marketing. Linux needs a common denominator, a product name that people will remember and desire. If there was a Google Linux, I'm sure it would get a huge following, for instance. But there isn't - just a bunch of quirky distros, I'm sorry to say.
In many ways, Apple is the opposite: it's a very tightly run ship, and ultimately, there is only one captain on the bridge: Steve Jobs. This would be a very bad thing if Steve was just a dictator, a greedy tyrant. But he isn't. He has a very positive side that eases the pain of the bad ones: he knows how to bring out the creative energy in people, and how to transform that energy into great products that people want. If there was no Steve Jobs, Apple would be just another mindless computer maker, another Dell or HP, and the Mac OS would be a buggy, slow, messy piece of junk just like Windows. But it isn't, because Apple knows how to meld all this into products that a) are technologically sound and b) succeed in the real world of commercial software and hardware.
What I have just written may offend many Linux people, and for that I am sorry. But some people perhaps need to change their thinking around a little. As much as I admire the Linux movement, Linux will never be a household item, or embraced by people who are more interested in using their computers in creative ways and less interested in tinkering with them, unless the changes I mentioned above happen. Does that make sense?
Somebody needs to step up to the mike and say: "This is the way forward. Let's create products for a mass market, products that people will care about and use in their everyday life!"
I've had two ThinkPads: a T22 and an X31. Both were decent workhorses but suffered from faulty operating systems (modified OEM versions of Win 98 SE and Win 2000, respectively, remedied by me switching to Debian for fun, Win XP for boring stuff...) and they didn't even ship with restore CDs (they used a dedicated restore partition with a system image on it). The right hinge on the T22 broke after a couple of years of normal use (no drops, no manhandling). The display dies on the T22 after a few weeks, the HD a number of weeks later... On the other hand, the X31 was a damn good and nippy little machine. I bought the se machines because at the time, I had to use Windows software. Now I use a Macbook Pro... No reason to run Windows or by a Windows machine any more. The MBP is the bomb.
Where ever possible, use verbs in the imperative form (Print, Save, Preview, Submit) on buttons and in menus, not just OK, Yes or No. This is a common error i GUI design. Keep all tests short, simple and to the point. Avoid jokes (the joke may be funny the first time you see it, but after that...). Look at how other people design their software, and steal ideas. Focus on primary functions, not features. For positive and non-destructive actions, the buttons should be highlighted so you can just press Enter to activate them. Cancel always stops the proposed action. On a Mac system, the positive action (Save, Shut down, Print) is nearly always to the left on the screen, but under windows in the center or to the left... Under Linux it seems to vary a great deal. Use simple and logical keyboard shortcuts that preferably consists of two, not three, keys. This makes routine actions simple for experienced users. Good luck!
Well, there are probably many ways of looking at this, but my take is this: The only way to challenge Microsoft in a serious way is to outdo them at their own game, or to change the game around. I believe Google is doing the latter, and Microsoft appears to not be fully aware of what's coming at them right now... Another way would be to hit Microsoft where it hurts and to break their stranglehold on the office application and integration business, and simultaneously break their operating system monopoly. Google Docs is not nearly enough in its present stage, but if there was a really superior and well respected Google Office, that would be a major problem for Microsoft, because businesses would most certainly adopt it, especially of it was open source and ran on Windows, Mac OS X and a Google-branded version or Linux (or why not FreeBSD?). Open Office is fine, but maybe customers want something slicker and easier, and lightweight, more like Apples Pages, Numbers and Keynote?
OK, I hate telling people what to do. I really do! But this time, please wait until the next generation flat-panel TVs and high definition players arrive. There is really no rush. Both Blu-ray and HD-DVD have their problems, and while TVs have improved dramatically the last year or so, they are still not quite there yet. Personally, I will wait until HD content is distributed legally over the internet, something that will begin to happen during 2008. Maybe that will resolve the format war too, who knows?
The author of the article is apparently entirely unaware of the many creative open source projects out there. But there is just one thing: maybe open source people need to think more about standardization when it comes to user interfaces, installation and configuration mechanisms, and also, ironically, marketing. Nothing sells, or gets propagated freely, by itself. -- you can bite my ass for saying this, ppl, but deep inside, y'all know it's true.
Well if they can't even keep track or the real costs and expenses, they are in trouble. It's not your fault, but if I were the company's CFO, I'd be worried, or should be fired.
No offense, but it doesn't sound like your company is a very serious one if it handles money so carelessly. Either it's Microsoft or some other company with more money than talent, or it's about to keel over. Too bad.
I use Goole Docs for spreadsheets and word processing files I need to have handy at all times, from any computer (mostly Macs, but also Linux and Windows). I think it's very convenient solution.
I would take the iMac Intel Core 2 Duo for a number of reasons: better, more useful software, solid hardware, beautiful 20" or 24" display, very slick hw/sw integration and good looks. I don't see any reason to buy a Windows PC any more. If I ever did decide get a traditional tower model, it will be running Linux or Mac OS X. But for me it's Apple laptops all the way.
Why not use the digital billboards to post photos and other relevant information about suspects before the crimes have even been committed? This could be accomplished through the use of thought sensors. If a person deviates from the preprogrammed thoughts and patterns of behavior, then the Thought Police can push some buttons and start monitoring the presumptive delinquent. I'm sure some people, especially those with a neoconservative, communist or fascist bent, would think this would be a fine idea...
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On the contrary. DAT and MiniDisc were big and were used by most studios. Just because a technology is phased out after, say, ten years doesn't mean it was a success at one time.
You use the word "hate" quite a lot. I don't. I'm sorry, but maybe this thing Mac OS X that you hate so much just isn't your bag at all.
People have been saying that since, what, 1994? That's wishful thinking. It just ain't gonna happen, because in the marketplace, natural selection doesn't work that way. And Linux doesn't stand a chance in the current market situation, I'm sorry to say, and that's why Microsoft gets away with abominations such as Windows Vista. I have read the GPL. What has that got to do with anything? It's about time the Linux movement starts to think in a more market-oriented way, that's my opinion and I stand by it. I want Linux to succeed, because it's a promising technology, but personally, I could care less since I'm a happy Mac user.
Indeed. And the original SuperDrive in the old Macs (I'm talking about the "bird feeder" compact models from the 1980s) were made by Sony. That company has had many, many wins and hugely successful technologies, such as Trinitron, Betacam SP, the Walkman and Discman of course, and, like you have already mentioned, the CD (in cooperation with Philips), 3.5" floppies, DAT and MiniDisc to name but a few. Betamax was a sad intermssion...
Maybe you're thinking of Microkernel Linux (MkLinux) http://www.mklinux.org/ or LinuxPPC/PenguinPPC http://penguinppc.org/?
I dont recall any such shootouts or any Linux development or testing within Apple. They did however have their own UNIX flavor for a number of years. It was called A/UX but only ran on Motorola 68K based Macs such as the Workgroup Server 95, not PPC or Intel machines. Apple also had the very off server machines Network Server 500 and 700 that ran IBM's AIX. When Mac OS 9 reached the end of its life, Apple looked at a number of different operating systems as its successor, the main candidates being Windows NT (or an Apple OS based on the NT kernel) and BeOS... Then Steve Jobs came along and offered Openstep, and that changed everything because a) Apple could rather quickly get a modern operating system, b) get developer tools and dedicated team of developers, and c) get Steve back into the company, all att a very reasonable price (40 million dollars I believe it was). BeOS would have been an interesting choice, but NeXT was the way ahead for Apple. But yes, I would very much like to know more about this fabled Linux R & D at Apple.
The enemies of Linux aren't Apple or even Microsoft, but the fragmentation and confusion caused by the many different distributions out there. Also, since Linux is driven by noncommercial interests, for the most part, it isn't targeted towards nontechnical users, isn't tied to any particular hardware platform and is sorely missing a services infrastructure. That's is a great pity, because Linux is a beautiful idea, except for the fact that the market or target audience just isn't there!
I want Linux to succeed among nontechnical users, but for that to happen, a number of changes will have to be made.
1) Standardization. The various distros need to converge and be forged into a very solid and highly polished unified distribution, a product if you will. This standardization will have to cover every aspect of the operating system.
2) Branding and marketing. Linux needs a common denominator, a product name that people will remember and desire. If there was a Google Linux, I'm sure it would get a huge following, for instance. But there isn't - just a bunch of quirky distros, I'm sorry to say.
In many ways, Apple is the opposite: it's a very tightly run ship, and ultimately, there is only one captain on the bridge: Steve Jobs. This would be a very bad thing if Steve was just a dictator, a greedy tyrant. But he isn't. He has a very positive side that eases the pain of the bad ones: he knows how to bring out the creative energy in people, and how to transform that energy into great products that people want. If there was no Steve Jobs, Apple would be just another mindless computer maker, another Dell or HP, and the Mac OS would be a buggy, slow, messy piece of junk just like Windows. But it isn't, because Apple knows how to meld all this into products that a) are technologically sound and b) succeed in the real world of commercial software and hardware.
What I have just written may offend many Linux people, and for that I am sorry. But some people perhaps need to change their thinking around a little. As much as I admire the Linux movement, Linux will never be a household item, or embraced by people who are more interested in using their computers in creative ways and less interested in tinkering with them, unless the changes I mentioned above happen. Does that make sense?
Somebody needs to step up to the mike and say: "This is the way forward. Let's create products for a mass market, products that people will care about and use in their everyday life!"
I've had two ThinkPads: a T22 and an X31. Both were decent workhorses but suffered from faulty operating systems (modified OEM versions of Win 98 SE and Win 2000, respectively, remedied by me switching to Debian for fun, Win XP for boring stuff...) and they didn't even ship with restore CDs (they used a dedicated restore partition with a system image on it). The right hinge on the T22 broke after a couple of years of normal use (no drops, no manhandling). The display dies on the T22 after a few weeks, the HD a number of weeks later... On the other hand, the X31 was a damn good and nippy little machine. I bought the se machines because at the time, I had to use Windows software. Now I use a Macbook Pro... No reason to run Windows or by a Windows machine any more. The MBP is the bomb.
Where ever possible, use verbs in the imperative form (Print, Save, Preview, Submit) on buttons and in menus, not just OK, Yes or No. This is a common error i GUI design. Keep all tests short, simple and to the point. Avoid jokes (the joke may be funny the first time you see it, but after that...). Look at how other people design their software, and steal ideas. Focus on primary functions, not features. For positive and non-destructive actions, the buttons should be highlighted so you can just press Enter to activate them. Cancel always stops the proposed action. On a Mac system, the positive action (Save, Shut down, Print) is nearly always to the left on the screen, but under windows in the center or to the left... Under Linux it seems to vary a great deal. Use simple and logical keyboard shortcuts that preferably consists of two, not three, keys. This makes routine actions simple for experienced users. Good luck!
I will use just look straight at them and say "These aren't the droids you're looking for."
No, but we could sell him on eBay.
I can't be bothered to read Dvorak's drivel any more. The man should have been made redundant ten years ago.
Well, there are probably many ways of looking at this, but my take is this:
The only way to challenge Microsoft in a serious way is to outdo them at their own game, or to change the game around. I believe Google is doing the latter, and Microsoft appears to not be fully aware of what's coming at them right now... Another way would be to hit Microsoft where it hurts and to break their stranglehold on the office application and integration business, and simultaneously break their operating system monopoly. Google Docs is not nearly enough in its present stage, but if there was a really superior and well respected Google Office, that would be a major problem for Microsoft, because businesses would most certainly adopt it, especially of it was open source and ran on Windows, Mac OS X and a Google-branded version or Linux (or why not FreeBSD?). Open Office is fine, but maybe customers want something slicker and easier, and lightweight, more like Apples Pages, Numbers and Keynote?
Read this please: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/technologies/h264/
I guess you have never seen H.264 compressed material then! This will have a huge imnpact next year, I promise you! :D
OK, I hate telling people what to do. I really do! But this time, please wait until the next generation flat-panel TVs and high definition players arrive. There is really no rush. Both Blu-ray and HD-DVD have their problems, and while TVs have improved dramatically the last year or so, they are still not quite there yet. Personally, I will wait until HD content is distributed legally over the internet, something that will begin to happen during 2008. Maybe that will resolve the format war too, who knows?
The author of the article is apparently entirely unaware of the many creative open source projects out there. But there is just one thing: maybe open source people need to think more about standardization when it comes to user interfaces, installation and configuration mechanisms, and also, ironically, marketing. Nothing sells, or gets propagated freely, by itself. -- you can bite my ass for saying this, ppl, but deep inside, y'all know it's true.
Well if they can't even keep track or the real costs and expenses, they are in trouble. It's not your fault, but if I were the company's CFO, I'd be worried, or should be fired.
No offense, but it doesn't sound like your company is a very serious one if it handles money so carelessly. Either it's Microsoft or some other company with more money than talent, or it's about to keel over. Too bad.
...Mac OS X. Three Apple products at the top of the list. Not bad!
...for something he paid 6,000 for? How can that be? IANAL, so please explain.
I use Goole Docs for spreadsheets and word processing files I need to have handy at all times, from any computer (mostly Macs, but also Linux and Windows). I think it's very convenient solution.
I would take the iMac Intel Core 2 Duo for a number of reasons: better, more useful software, solid hardware, beautiful 20" or 24" display, very slick hw/sw integration and good looks. I don't see any reason to buy a Windows PC any more. If I ever did decide get a traditional tower model, it will be running Linux or Mac OS X. But for me it's Apple laptops all the way.
Why not use the digital billboards to post photos and other relevant information about suspects before the crimes have even been committed? This could be accomplished through the use of thought sensors. If a person deviates from the preprogrammed thoughts and patterns of behavior, then the Thought Police can push some buttons and start monitoring the presumptive delinquent. I'm sure some people, especially those with a neoconservative, communist or fascist bent, would think this would be a fine idea...
"The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure!" Philip K. Dick would be pleased.