I’m sure I understand the implication of your “comments” and I’m sure that casual piracy has indeed been one of the factors that has added to the popularity of Windows, however, the wealth of genuine freeware is not at all insignificant (much of the freeware I’ve been sharing with my friends lately has to do with video and graphics - we authored and produced a (fairly)professional-quality DVD using nothing but freeware utilities, for example).
There’s also the simple problem of things like media intercompatibility - I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been given images or text documents on a CD or floppy that were simply unreadable, only to subsequently find that they were created on a Mac. This may not actually be anybody’s specific fault and I know there’s no real need for this to happen, but it does happen, all the time.
And so there’s this sort of unspoken, subconscious belief among many Windows users that switching to a Mac would be the electronic equivalent of becoming a hermit. Doesn’t make any difference whether this is right or wrong; people feel it and act on it.
I’m willing to bet that, 8 times out of 10, this “incompatibility” can be solved by simply adding the appropriate filename extension. There really aren’t all that many file formats that are unique to the Macintosh. A JPEG is a JPEG; a plain text file is a plain text file; a Word .doc file is a Word .doc file, regardless of platform.
But the problem usually comes from the fact that the Mac doesn’t require the filename extension in most cases, and some older software doesn’t automatically add it when saving files. For example, my own favorite text editor doesn’t automatically add “.txt” to filenames, so I must consciously remember to add it myself when saving a file that I might share with Windows users (my fiction, for example).
This problem get compounded by Windows default setting of "hide filename extensions. The Windows user, attempting to open a file received from a Mac user, doesn’t notice that the extension is missing, because it’s “hidden” just like all the other extensions. Except, it’s not “hidden”, it’s simply not there. So, the problem can often be solved by simply asking the sender, “what kind of file is this?” and then adding the proper extension.
This may sound silly, but I would never switch to Mac from PC until and unless Mac OS’s and Mac software fully support a two-button (or multi-button) mouse. Can’t live without my right-click shortcuts.
I’ve never fully understood why Apple has been so stubborn about keeping an anachronistic one-button-only mouse.
Actually, I’d say 7 times out of every 10 (of my experience), the media simply wasn’t readable in the PC - probably two occasions out of every ten were down to missing extensions and the rest were cases where the file simply wasn’t something the average PC is equipped to handle (like an eps or sit or some such).
Again, this might be a failing of PCs in general - I don’t care - because it’s irrelevant to my point, which was entirely that Windows users perceive Macs as incompatible with PCs.
One reason I won’t switch is because I can not build a Mac. All my PC’s, except for my laptop, I build myself. I don’t do it for the supposed cost savings but because it gives me a sense of actually being in charge of my computing experience.
This is not to say I will never consider using a Mac. In fact, lately, I have been cruising eBay looking for an old iMac so that I can try it out. If I could get a used Mac for as cheap as I could get a similarly spec’ed PC I would buy it just to learn the OS.
Thanks for the compliment! At least I think so, having not seen the Hulk Blog. Post the link please, but I do not have any association.
As for double entendre’s, feh, its a little too late to worry about that. Peter is my name, I run my blog as individual case files and that’s that. If someone wants to drag their mind through the gutter that’s their business not mine. :wally
I appreciate your concern however. When you are named Peter you tend to stick with associations like St. Peter, the Rock on which I will build my church, ancient and noble lineages, not whatever some foul-mouth git is going to snicker away at in the darkness.
One cannot do much about those who insist on seeking trash instead of treasure, nor who come to my blog looking for other than humor and satire, and today, a review of a great play closing this weekend.
Anyone looking for anything else will get what they deserve. Among other things several posts about changing of the Pope. Won’t that satisfy the little buggers! :eek:
Seriously, I had no thought of any phonetic or double meanings in my name when I picked it. Nor for some time afterwards. It was only well after my blog had developed an audience of its own did I understand that there were other possible interpretations.
Well foo! I claim that the original meaning of the name Peter takes precedence over any others. Period. End of discussion.
I’m using a logitech two button mouse with a scroll wheel and it works just fine. Apple just distributes one button mouses with its computers, but you can get two and three button mouses that work just fine on Macs. I have no problems getting to the right click menus and would be very frustrated if I could not. Wheel works great too.
Mac OS has natively supported two and three and four and fifteen button mice for close to a decade. The second button is automatically linked to control-click, which produces pop up menus in Mac OS.
What sort of media is this? Because Macs, by default, burn CDs in the standard ISO format that any platform can read.
The only digital media I’ve ever had a problem reading on any of my computers are CDs from fools who use Roxio’s EZ CD Creator. Apparenly, by default that crapware creates CDs that can only be accessed on computers with the program.
I’ve browsed the links that describe Tiger, and I’m having trouble finding anything very compelling there.
Yet another new search tool (what is this, the 5th one since Sherlock? whoopee.), some widgets & organizers, Some UI tweaks (some of them unfortunate, IMO), . Under the hood, kernel tweaks and weak 64-bit support.
I’ve been a Mac user off and on since MacOS 3.2something. But I’m just not getting it. And I don’t understand why Mac users aren’t pissed at needing to pay $129 every year for an OS upgrade.
Well, then, do you want to join me at 6:00pm ? My G-5 iMac supports a 2 button mouse, but I hate 'em.
My question is, why 6:00pm? Why do I have to wait all day, the have to battle rush-hour traffic.
The G-5 iMac is closer to $1200, but that’s all inclusive, keyboard mouse, printer. I have a 1.8 GHz processor and 768 MB RAM That’s in a 17" X 2" footprint. The entire thing is tucked in behind the flat screen.
Spotlight and CoreData are not just a new search tool, they’re a movement towards a metadata-driven organizational scheme that could fundamentally change how we recall, store and access information on our computers. Spotlight’s quick search field is really just the most barebones part of this new feature, which will only grow more useful in time.
And you’re ignoring some major, major, major under the hood changes with CoreImage.
These OS updates’ biggest impact come when developers utilize the impressive common frameworks, like WebKit and the improved Text Services in Panther, or the Address Book in Jaguar, or CoreImage and CoreData and the improved CoreAudio in Panther, and build amazing applications on top of them. Tiger isn’t a huge deal based on the programs bundled with it, but because of the programs that it will make possible for developers to create.
Plus, Smart Folders. I’ve been waiting for those since 1995. Finally!
Because the benefits we gain from the new OS are worth $129? And, in any case, Panther has been out for 18 months now.
rjung has made excellent points regarding tech. issues. I myself really don’t think any new iteration of MacOS will make as much of a difference as the problems with Windows that have little to do with interface or search enhancements. The single best, most important thing Apple can do for itself right now is to maintain its advantage in security. Malware has become such a significant problem, some users are simply feeling compelled to switch, no matter how beguiling Apple’s designs. Whether that will be at a damaging cost to Microsoft is doubtful, but any increase in market share is a significant change for Apple. If Apple is to remain an attractive alternative for whatever percentage of switchers they wish to pull in, relatively modest price reductions and continued superior security will probably do far more to promote migration than incremental changes to the system software.
Hmmm…that’s good to know, but every single time I’ve had an occassion to use a Mac it’s had only the one-button mouse, which has severely impacted my thoughts on Macs.
But if it natively (and all software applications natively) support multi-button mice, definitely a plus.
But it still leaves the question as to why Apples ship with one-button mice. I mean, I use a 7-button mouse here at home, although I only regularly use 4 of them (5 if you include the wheel). My mouse has back and forward buttons that are immensely useful when surfing Just don’t get why the supremely forward-thinking company that Apple is supposed to be is so fixated on one-button mice.
I am typing this on a Mac (Ti PowerBook) right now, and have a two-button mouse with a scroll wheel connected (wirelessly, via a USB radio transceiver). I think many of the major keyboard and mouse suppliers’ USB and Bluetooth mice will work on a Mac no problem. Mine is from Kensignton, along with the keyboard (they’re part of a set). I like the mouse, and hate the keyboard. About the only thing it’s good for is strengthening my fingers for guitar playing, as I have to pound the shit out of the keys to get it to actually type anything. I’m switching back to Apple’s keyboard as soon as my new computer arrives in about a month. But the mouse stays.
Okay, I have no problems opening up eps files on my PC. You just don’t have the right software. Get Photoshop. A sit file is a compressed file which if you have the latest version of Zip, you should be able to open it. Well, at least the version I have on my Mac can open sit and zip files.
The CD thing has to be explained by Roxio. They are incompatible from my experience. I use Toast and ONLY burn from my Mac, not my PC because it only has Roxio on it.
In fact, more of my problems lie from the Windows end. They don’t read Mac floppy disks, they don’t recognize files (sometimes) without extensions, they get viruses and spyware easier, they crash a lot more, etc. The only thing I like about Windows platform better than Mac is the speed they handle the internet, but I chalk that up to graphics.
As far as the two-button thing on the mouse, like others have said you can buy one quite easily. I find on the Mac, I use keyboard shortcuts a lot more. So the need for the second button is rare. I barely use it on my PC. To get the little helper menus to come up on a Mac like the PC right button, usually all you have to do is hold the button and drag slightly downwards. If you’re click-happy, you have to train yourself to do it correctly. The Mac mouse is very sensitive though, sometimes I inadvertantly hit the button. I have to remind myself to watch it.
I’m actually anticipating my company doing the upgrade, I’ve worked with software similar to Spotlight before and if it they can ever get it to work over a network, I’ll be happy as I can be. This is from a Graphic Designer with over 9 years experience working on both platforms. YMMV, of course.
Among other things several posts about changing of the Pope. Won’t that satisfy the little buggers! :eek:
Just don’t get why the supremely forward-thinking company that Apple is supposed to be is so fixated on one-button mice.