Posted on 10/21/2007 8:20:00 PM PDT by Swordmaker
My boss just said we're moving to Macs. I don't know if he was serious, but it might really happen -- he's a bona-fide, born-again Mac zealot, after decades of using real computers (he even had his own, successful Windows-centric newsletter).
I joked that I'll switch to a Mac after they pry the PC from my cold, stiff fingers. In reality, I'll just go along with the program and lose about 30% in productivity.
I hate Macs.
I hate everything Apple -- starting with rock star wanna-be Steve Jobs in his black turtleneck and jeans on his big, lavish stage, telling the world every three weeks or so how Apple's newest overpriced gizmo will change the world. Snake oil, anyone? Snarky, sleazy sliminess, anyone?
Oh, how I loved it when he dropped the price of the iPhone after the first wave of slavish acolytes did their lemming-like duty and camped out overnight to boost his stock portfolio another few points. It's a testament to the blind obedience of Mac-boys everywhere that all the geniuses at Apple thought that move would go over OK. "Why would anyone complain? We're Apple!" But hey, good ol' Steve made it up to them -- just jump through a bunch of hoops and you can get credit at the Mac store.
And I hate the products themselves. Overpriced, overhyped and underwhelming. Oh, I forgot, they have such "elegant" design. They just "feel right." All the stubble-cheeked, pony-tailed, black-clad hipsters in the design department get it, but us dweeby drones doing the real work are just out of touch.
Gag me. I've always been a function-over-form guy. I don't give a rat's, uh, tail, if my computer is smooth and white and shiny. I just want to crank out the next project.
And don't give me those phony cost comparisons that try to make the case that, all things considered, Macs are cheaper than PCs in the long run. Just look at the damn price tags. Spin it any way you want, Macs and the other iCrap cost more.
And innovation? My god, take the blinders off. I remember sitting right here several years ago when Apple came out with the great new feature on their iPods called "shuffle." I couldn't believe it. Before then, you couldn't play your songs in random order? I had been doing that for years, literally. But then, I was into MP3s early on -- my first music player was a Rio PMP300, one of the very first on the market. I didn't have to wait for Apple to tell me they were cool. It took them a few years to catch on. Gee, where was the bleeding-edge innovation there?
And here's one for you: the new iMovie. Enough said. Too easy of a target. Wouldn't be iFair.
And what took them so long to jump on the Intel platform? That move (just the latest catch-up-to-everyone-else attempt) was another iShaft of their so-loyal camp followers. Didn't they just release shiny new iMacs or iBooks or iSomethings shortly before that, which instantly became so iYesterday and -- the biggest sin of all -- iUncool?
And, if I've got this right, iPhones use a slow, outmoded network, many iPod Touch players have defective video, and you have to send everything in to the shop just to change the freakin' batteries. And, in this age of openness and integration, iPhones are locked into one carrier, hackers are in an ongoing war to be open them up and use other applications, and songs from the proprietary iTunes can only be used on Apple's iJunk music players. Maybe I'm missing something here. What in the world is the attraction?
Oh, I forgot -- they're "sleek" and "seductive."
If we do make the switch, I'm going to be iSick.
And yeah, I'm ready for your iFlames.
I'm currently using NeoOffice - use it for projects where I need to send files to a Windows user. IBM is apparently releasing a Mac version of Lotus Symphony (document and spreadsheet capability only) early next year which may also be an option. The screenshots of the Windows version look pretty good.
I'm fiddling with Sabayon Linux tonight. It easily runs beryl. It's the coolest and most beautiful user interface I've ever seen.
One problem with bad design is that people get used to it and lose their volition to push for better design.
I don’t know for sure what you mean, but with IE7, if I want to get rid of the top tool bar (and task bar) so I can have a bigger viewing area, I toggle on and off with F11.
Some of you are 0's (emacs) and some of us are 1's (vi).
There’s no place like 127.0.0.1
Even with a Mac, you still get to install upgrades and updates. But you don't have to worry about things going wrong... too much. OSX.4 Tiger has so far had 10 updates (its now at OSX.4.10) and you get about 5 or 6 security updates a year which may include up to 30 or 40 fixes for everything in the shipped distribution including all the open-source UNIX stuff. Updating is pretty much transparent and you can continue working while it is downloading and updating... and you do not have to restart the computer until you want to.
The problem is that there are more programs for Windows platform than Mac.
Actually, there aren't. There are more programs for the Mac in any field than there are for Windows because the Mac can run all Windows software as well as its own Mac software. In addition, while there may be more Windows solutions, how many do you need? Usually, the Mac has better solutions than the Windows solutions.
I despise MS Office 7. I tried to use that at a friends house one time... she couldn’t find any of her old stuff to make it work and even I had HUGE trouble and I’m a total GEEK with stuff... it’s like MS said “How can we really screw them up so they have to buy Office 8”.
That is good you can be running other programs while you are installing upgrades and not have to reboot immediately. Actually, I don't have to reboot, only for changes to take effect, but they seem to prefer you do, so to be on the safe side, I usually do.
One positive thing Win people did was a team wrote a program enhancing Windows Explorer to view thumbnails of RAW (.CR2) files, and that is so handy. But if won't always show my exif any more. I also downloaded a freebie where if people use a graphic editor and save in a manner that retains the exif, I can read it with IE my browser, no other ones. With IE6, the exif window would pop up and stay on my screen (it is on the menu when you right click once you install and configure it) until I was done with it and closed it. Now it flashes on my screen and minimizes, I have to hit the task bar to get it back. Go figure.
So you are telling me that I could install, for example, my Win Photoshop CS2 on a Mac without buying the Mac version (unthinkable as expensive as that was)?
People really have positive things usually to say about Mac's so maybe I will look into it when I need a new computer.
Now I know I should dl and install Firefox, but I use Netscape for my email, IE for about everything else. I had a dickens of a time configuring it because NAV makes you choose IE as your default browser, or it won't work. I am afraid if I dl and install Firefox (and I am now fighting for hd space on my two hd's), it will mess up my mail program. But Netscape has its quirks, too, won't go into those.
Thanks for the info.
Just another guy who thinks Cindy Crawford is ugly.
Yes. You will have to have a legit copy of Windows XPsp2 or Vista... and either Parallels or VMWare Fusion.
Thanks much for answering my question because I thought otherwise.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/19/return_of_trojan_bayrob/
and not want to switch to Mac right away.
Mac fanatics...the only group of people who make Paulistinians look sane in comparison.
Ah, while Mac OS will let you work while the update is running, problems have been known to crop up. I remember reading up on this a year ago or so on Macintouch, darned if I can't find the article anymore....
I have never had an issue on any of the twenty or so Macs I am responsible for at various clients or on the four I have here at home. At the clients offices I start the update procedure and then I tell the operators to just keep working and to restart the machine when they are finished or before the go home... then I leave. Several of them are doing heavy database work or network use... no problems.
Psst: Rush is a Mac fanatic.
Are you saying he’s insane?
Stab me if you want, but he had a couple valid points and was funny.
So how about them Red Sox?
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