Apple Understands Simplicity

Applematters ^ | 9/25/2006 | by Chris Howard <br>

[Swordmaker]

Simplicity.

OS X’s built-in dictionary (based on the Oxford American Dictionary) defines simplicity as “The quality or condition of being easy to understand or do.” The thesaurus gives words like ease, clarity and effortlessness.

In the last day or so, I have used a PowerBook G4 1GHz, an eMac G4 800Mhz and an iMac G3 400Mhz (on which I’m writing this). On all three computers, I’ve run the same system. I’ve been running off an external hard disk drive that has my operating system, my applications and my files on it. (1)

I’ve been working this way for about six months, ever since my PowerBook’s hard drive gave up the ghost. And every time I switch to another computer, I’m amazed all over again.

All I have to do is plug the hard drive into a Mac and boot from it. (Hold the Option key at boot-up to see a list of bootable drives.) No configuration or reconfiguration necessary. ZERO. Zilch. Nil. Nada.

I can plug my external hard drive into any Mac with Firewire and it will boot up fine. (2)

Try that on a PC!

[Swordmaker]

1Because of the significantly different architecture and totally different partion scheme of the Intel Macs, you cannot yet boot an Intel Mac from a boot disk created on a PowerPC Mac - and vice-versa. See TidBits article Booting an Intel iMac from an External Drive. And according to the Apple Intel FAQ website, it is possible but not yet enabled. If anyone has information to the contrary, please let me know.
2 Although it is quite sluggish on this old iMac. But hey, I’m running Tiger on 192MB RAM and a G3 400Mhz processor. That’s pretty impressive.

[Swordmaker]

Simplicity... Apple and Mac = simplicity.

PING!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[Shimmer128]

It's true darlin. Get a Mac :)

[rlmorel]

There was an example that I used to use to illustrate why I prefer using a Mac.

DISCLOSURE: I use and provide support for PC's in my line of work, and I use them and they work very well in a lot of situations, particularly a corporate environment that is very structured and protected from viruses. I use PC's, but I enjoy working with Macs!

On my Windows box, I would put a floppy in the drive and begin copying something to it. Floppies are pretty slow, and sometimes, it would take a while. You would watch the indicator, and it would get to 98% and say something like "There is not enough room to copy the files to disk". It would try to copy and get all the way to the end before letting you know there wasn't enough room on the floppy!!!!!!!

On the Mac, you could bring up a save dialog box, and if you inserted the floppy at that point, it would automatically switch you to the directory on the floppy because it assumed you wanted to copy to it because you just inserted it...plus...it would check the available space BEFORE it tried to perform the copy operation.

Small thing, but I always used it as an example of the attention to detail that makes them fun to use.

[Ursine_East_Facing_North]

Yeah, but I can't build my own Mac! IMO, more than half the fun of a computer is putting it together in the first place.

[SlowBoat407]

Yeah, but I can't build my own Mac! IMO, more than half the fun of a computer is putting it together in the first place.

At least you're more honest about it than some people who feel compelled to insult anyone who uses a Mac so they can justify their own hobby of building computers. I hope you continue to enjoy it!

[Echo Talon]

thanks for the commercial, do i get to charge Apple for my time wasted reading this?

[Echo Talon]

Yeah, but I can't build my own Mac! IMO, more than half the fun of a computer is putting it together in the first place.

yep, and ya cant easily overclock a MAC

[phoenix0468]

...example of the attention to detail that makes them fun to use.

This in and of itself is the essential difference between Redmond and every other OS vendor in the World. Everything that goes into Widows is a "feature" whether it has a use or not. Form before function is the mantra at Microsoft headquarters aparently. Whereas those in Cupertino build the form around the function and do it quite nicely. There's a reason you don't put okra in stew (regardless of how much you like it fried).

[Ursine_East_Facing_North]

There is that - though I've never intentionally overclocked before.

Though one time I made a mistake setting the clock multiplier (damned jumpers!) and smoked a Cyrix 686.

[Echo Talon]

wonder why the EU doesn't go after Apple for the extra stuff... like they do to Microsoft and Windows Media Player..

[Echo Talon]

READ the manual.. and what the heck are you doing with a cyrix
in the first place?

[Ursine_East_Facing_North]

We're talking nearly ten years ago - and it was on sale. Plus, I believe that it was the fastest processor ever produced for a SOcket 7 (could be mistaken on that).

As for my failure to RTFM - what 12 year old boy is gonna do that? Honestly?

[Echo Talon]

what 12 year old boy is gonna do that? Honestly?

OH, LOL! well at least you didn't burn the house down... :D

[phoenix0468]

Probably because the stuff in the Apple OS is not so tightly integrated with the OS. I.E. you don't need to use the OS X environment to use the OS. You can use KDE or GNOME if you like, heck you can even have a choice of file systems. Windows, on the other hand locks you into one file system, one operating environment, etc. Very little chance for innovation there, IMO.

[Echo Talon]

if they dont want windows dont buy it.

[phoenix0468]

You obviously don't get what my post just said. Microsoft bundles so many applications (i.e. load on default) and makes them so proprietary that other applications, file types, etc. don't work as efficiently on the OS. In contrast, anything that can run on a Mac/Apple will run just as well as anything else. It's a microcosm of antitrust in a computer box.

[Echo Talon]

they are not that way in Vista, IE is not mixed in etc.

[Echo Talon]

so firefox doesn't run efficiently on windows xp? hmmm thats news to me since im using it right now.

[phoenix0468]

Your wrong. The file system is still proprietary. The gui is still integrated with the kernel. The use of .dlls still causes applications that are not "native" to the OS to function oddly and with performance handicaps. The very nature of the OS ensures that only Microsoft applications will thrive on a Microsoft Operating System.