Mac is OK, but... (was "Macs suck")

[-.-]

The worse os ever invented by a a hoard of mad scientists is without a doubt Windows, but is Mac now trying to be just like them or have they always been this screwed up?

 

The thing about Windows (I feel dirty just typing that word) is it is no good for someone who wants to be productive, get the job done, whatever the job may be. You will spend too much time dealing with Windows to get much done and I'm sure the nuts that make Windows are very proud of their nightmarish op system.

 

I have a powerbook and naturally the expectation was that the Windows anomily would be confined to just one very weird and very creepy company and their very creepy os, and surely I thought that this very attractive and slim thing of uncommon beauty with all it aesthetic charm, would be a problem solver, you could forget about how much you hate Windows, relax, have fun, enjoy, write, compose, create, do the books, manage, or whatever it is you love to do.

 

I realize that this is a tad bit blunt, but if I had a company i would certainly value blunt critisism for what it is worth, priceless.

 

I won't make a long list of complaints just yet, and only speak of one for the moment because it is a very big one. This thing keeps jumping in my path wearing a blinking sign on it's forehead that reads, "hey we are just demented as those Windows freaks."

 

Unchecking the box does not make the popups go away because it wants to connect to the internet for whole varity of reasons, auto updates that i did not order and lots of other things. Not only did this thing not come with manual to find sitting there right beside the aplications folder but it also didn't come with a button to click when you want to connect and to click again when you want to disconnect, coupled with the obvious knowlege that even if wasn't a laptop not even connected to the dsl line at the moment, that I don't need it connecting until I decide it is time to connect, never before.

 

A manual would have been handy and the first page could have instead of having ten most asked questions, could have the one most needed answer, how to go into the terminal and disable this lunacy forever.

[Metrogirl]

Opinions = good. Flamefest = bad. Let's keep this civil and without four-letter words, even asterisked out. Your views are fine but if this gets ugly it's going to disappear. Period.

[jackt283]

It is (should) be the goal of all software developers to make their software better and better so theoritically it will sell more because it is always of greater use to people.

 

Realistically Microsoft has no need to do this at all. They have 95% (or some such outrageous figure) of computer users by the balls. They own everyone. Everyone has to buy their software and use it because there is no other choice. Forget Linux because only a technically competent (quite competent) computer user can accomplish anything in that world. And how many of them exist?

 

The Macintosh is the other choice. Although it has its ups and downs it is another choice (and obviously the better one).

 

So Apple being the software designer that it is, strives to make its software better and better, to sell more. Now their idea of better and better isn't always the better idea. For example iLife... I wonder how much money they are sinking into it? It is a basic component to any computer they sell and is promoted about as much as the operating system. I don't get it. How many home users actually have a mac? How many pro users ever bother with anything other than itunes? They are a micky mouse bunch of {censored} around applications. iPhoto has its merits - just. But iDVD? Who wants to create a home movie disk with a bunch of cheesy overused menus? And iMovie is the most substandard video editing application you could ever have. Garageband! make your own music if you are a twelve year old kid. Font Book!@%!!*!! has anyone ever actually tried to use this for organising fonts? If you haven't DONT! iChat AV - so you can speak to the two friends you have that use macs.

 

My problem with Apple is they {censored} around. They waste time with crappy apps when they should be providing better system improvements. Their pro line is great. Final Cut, Motion etc (maybe not Logic?). They should get away from the home user and go all out for the pro line. After all these are the people that count . They're the only people that can afford apple's decent setups anyway.

 

Perhaps this is why (for years anyway) they have provided us with substandard hardware at over inflated prices. Graphics cards years out dated in SOTA systems? I think the step to intel should have happened however many years ago with the introduction of the imac. G4 and G5 processors are always out dated by intel technology. God knows why they hung on like an animal clutching it's dead mother.

 

 

But really when it boils down to it. The one main factor that causes all the crapp-ness is the overiding fact that apple owns practically nothing of the market share and it is a constant struggle (maybe not now with the iPod) for them to stay above water.

[snackole]

Most computers will do anything you want them to. You just have to know how to talk to them.

Therefore your computing ability is quite likely based on your personallity and not your choice of OS.

[Tomovich]

So Apple being the software designer that it is, strives to make its software better and better, to sell more. Now their idea of better and better isn't always the better idea. For example iLife... I wonder how much money they are sinking into it? It is a basic component to any computer they sell and is promoted about as much as the operating system. I don't get it. How many home users actually have a mac? How many pro users ever bother with anything other than itunes? They are a micky mouse bunch of {censored} around applications. iPhoto has its merits - just. But iDVD? Who wants to create a home movie disk with a bunch of cheesy overused menus? And iMovie is the most substandard video editing application you could ever have. Garageband! make your own music if you are a twelve year old kid. Font Book!@%!!*!! has anyone ever actually tried to use this for organising fonts? If you haven't DONT! iChat AV - so you can speak to the two friends you have that use macs.

 

My problem with Apple is they {censored} around. They waste time with crappy apps when they should be providing better system improvements. Their pro line is great. Final Cut, Motion etc (maybe not Logic?). They should get away from the home user and go all out for the pro line. After all these are the people that count :pirate2: . They're the only people that can afford apple's decent setups anyway.

 

The pro line is indeed great, nothing else can compete with it, but I don't agree with what you say about iLife. I think it's a great applications set.

 

iTunes

 

The best music managing software around for both Mac (OSX) and Windows. Nothing more to add, I think the majority agrees with that.

 

iMovie

 

This is a nice app if you want to make dvd of your trips and holidays, at least I do. For the most consumers (not pros) it's great because you don't need to know technical stuff to edit movies. It's plain and simple! And that's what Apple is all about: simplicity.

 

iDvd

 

This is the finishing touch for iMovie. Same as iMovie: plain and simple.

 

Concerning iMovie & iDvd: the first time I used I had no questions or problems at all. Do you think another app can do the same for you?

 

iChat

 

I've never used it because it's not compatible with msn. I don't care if it's installed or not, I delete from the dock and that's it.

 

Garageband

 

Same as iChat

[fotpunk]

Unchecking the box does not make the popups go away because it wants to connect to the internet for whole varity of reasons, auto updates that i did not order and lots of other things. Not only did this thing not come with manual to find sitting there right beside the aplications folder but it also didn't come with a button to click when you want to connect and to click again when you want to disconnect, coupled with the obvious knowlege that even if wasn't a laptop not even connected to the dsl line at the moment, that I don't need it connecting until I decide it is time to connect, never before.

 

I'm not sure I'm understanding you 100% but it sounds like you are unhappy with OS X/Panther because you want to connect to the internet manually (i.e. control whether you're connected or not). Here's how to do it.

 

1. In the Apple Menu (the apple icon on the upper left corner of the screen), go to "System Preferences..."

2. Under Internet & Network, click Network

3. From the "Show" drop-down menu, select "Network Port Configurations"

4. Uncheck the connection you wish to disable

5. When you want to reconnect manually, repeat steps 1-4 but check the connection you want to enable in #4

 

And see, you didn't need a manual when there are so many people in this forum ready to help you out.

[jackt283]

iTunes

 

The best music managing software around for both Mac (OSX) and Windows. Nothing more to add, I think the majority agrees with that.

 

I deffinetly agree with you on itunes.

 

And I do hear what you are saying about iMovie and iDVD, it's just that I'm so geared against "toy" apps like these they I have to uninstall them straight away. So it's kind of a bias not a statement (not to mention the gigs they take up).

 

And why isn't iChat compatible with MSN?

 

 

 

Microsoft perhaps?

 

It's funny that Microsoft is 'borrowing' from iLife and OS X (asthetically and application-ly) with Vista. Because Windows will gain far more from an iLife suite of apps than OS X ever did. Windows (home) users are crying out for something like iLife. And they're gonna get it - after waiting 16 years or what not.

 

 

 

Why don't apple make something like "iPaint" - just a cut down version of photoshop for basic image manipulation and colour correction - illustrating etc. It would be micky mouse but it would teach people alot about graphics work. I mean there isn't anything like that (except graphic converter) that comes with OS X. Why all this fanfair over video editing and "garagebanding" when the basic operation of a computer (artficial painting and drawing) has been totally overlooked? I mean no home user can actually aford anything other than elements and even that costs a bomb. Why not chuck iPaint into iLife, and make it a bit more functional.

 

And {censored}, why not iHTML - basic (not netscape composer basic) HTML editing, so people can create nice looking web pages with a few templates and what not thrown in. Teach them a thing or two as well.

 

Oh yeah, I do own the patent on iPaint and iHTML. And steve, if your out there I would be willing to hand it on over... for a price

 

 

I have well and truly entered the realms of the dark side now and there aint no turning back. I'm going out right now to buy iLife and iWork.

 

Apple, you're great.

Well you get the picture.

[-.-]

I'm not sure I'm understanding you 100% but it sounds like you are unhappy with OS X/Panther because you want to connect to the internet manually (i.e. control whether you're connected or not). Here's how to do it.

 

1. In the Apple Menu (the apple icon on the upper left corner of the screen), go to "System Preferences..."

2. Under Internet & Network, click Network

3. From the "Show" drop-down menu, select "Network Port Configurations"

4. Uncheck the connection you wish to disable

5. When you want to reconnect manually, repeat steps 1-4 but check the connection you want to enable in #4

 

And see, you didn't need a manual when there are so many people in this forum ready to help you out.

Thanks for that info, I appreciate it very much, and I agree that the people in the community of mac users are very helpful and can usually answer any questions someone may have.

 

Someone else told me to do that and I unchecked the boxes, then the popups didn't go away, then I hunted through everything and visited many places trying to find the answer then i found the check for software updates and unchecked that and the popups didn't go away.

 

Then I finally found the culprit, which was wigits on the dashboard that I never use needed info off the web.

 

If there had been a manual along with Apple's awareness that a popup like that would be an undesirable menace it wouldn't have taken me so long to fix the problem. Meanwhile I was trying to figure out why someone at Apple thought that people wouldn't mind a popup saying "can't find an intenet connection" when there is ample evidence that people tend to not like popups and who would need to know that it can't find a connection when it isn't even connected?

 

 

Of course it can't find a connection it's not connected. Imo, they should should lose that, it doesn't serve any good purpose, or at least have it off by default and let someone turn it on if they have a need for such a strange feature.

[digitallysick]

Mac is the best ever, easier than linux, and its non windows, i love my powerbook, the only thing i dislike about it at all, is itunes, i use it, but i dont really like it, im a winamp pro man myself, I hate the fact that you have to put the songs in itunes, to transfer or "sync" with the ipod, i wish i could just drag and drop the mp3z (without itunes) i have used for about a year now and still just dont get it. It kinda forces you to keep the mp3z on your pc, but wont play them directly off the ipod, if they are deleted off the pc, over time i have got better at it, but still dont think its all that!

 

everything else is great, i mean if you hate mac, then dont use it, you spend your time with windows running anti virus and anti spyware tools if you want.

 

You could use linux, i like ubuntu alot, but still it takes time, to configure and all, commands, etc if you have the time its perfect, if you dont have the time, and just need something that is going to work when you need it, then mac is for you.

[Haplo]

You have GOT to be joking me.. some kid is flaming OSX because he can't figure out how to work internet connect or software update or AirPort? My god...

1:Software update has a pref pane where you set how often you want it to autocheck (or disable this option) as well as setting whether or not it should try to automatically connect you to the internet.

2:Airport has a nifty little menu item, which has a drop down item named, quite appropriately, "turn airport off". If you can't read that, you don't need to be using a computer. Period.

3:Mac claims to be very easy to use, and it is, but that doesn't mean there's no learning curve whatsoever. It's simply more intelligently designed and has features that make life easier while not constantly taking up screen space (a la the dock and dashboard clones in windows, which take up like half your screen space like old school firefox). It will take time to learn it, but you can't just take one look at it, realize it's not exactly word for word action for action like what you were using before, and then say it sucks. Nobody becomes a power user by trying to turn an OS into some other OS, you do it by learning the basics then learning the nooks and crannies, and even after that learning how to mess around under the hood. OSX has whole classes of levels you can mess around in, starting with the simple application prefs (which with some applications like Adium give you quite a lot of control) and then moving to bash or ssh (pick your poison) in terminal, and if you really want, you can pick up your free copy of XCode and start playing with kernel functions (you can do all sorts of interesting things with that).

 

Now, if you want to talk about stupid, try connecting to the internet on windows. You plug in a cable modem on ethernet, you're required to tap dance on your head with forms to get it to work. Mac? You plug it into the ethernet, you might have to reset the modem (since it attatches itself to a computer's MAC address when it starts up). Airport? Turn it on, select your network. Enter your password if prompted.

 

This is already too long, so I'ma stick some etc etc etc on the end of it and be done with it.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

[-.-]

You have GOT to be joking me.. some kid is flaming OSX because he can't figure out how to work internet connect or software update or AirPort? My god...

1:Software update has a pref pane where you set how often you want it to autocheck (or disable this option) as well as setting whether or not it should try to automatically connect you to the internet.

2:Airport has a nifty little menu item, which has a drop down item named, quite appropriately, "turn airport off". If you can't read that, you don't need to be using a computer. Period.

3:Mac claims to be very easy to use, and it is, but that doesn't mean there's no learning curve whatsoever. It's simply more intelligently designed and has features that make life easier while not constantly taking up screen space (a la the dock and dashboard clones in windows, which take up like half your screen space like old school firefox). It will take time to learn it, but you can't just take one look at it, realize it's not exactly word for word action for action like what you were using before, and then say it sucks. Nobody becomes a power user by trying to turn an OS into some other OS, you do it by learning the basics then learning the nooks and crannies, and even after that learning how to mess around under the hood. OSX has whole classes of levels you can mess around in, starting with the simple application prefs (which with some applications like Adium give you quite a lot of control) and then moving to bash or ssh (pick your poison) in terminal, and if you really want, you can pick up your free copy of XCode and start playing with kernel functions (you can do all sorts of interesting things with that).

 

Now, if you want to talk about stupid, try connecting to the internet on windows. You plug in a cable modem on ethernet, you're required to tap dance on your head with forms to get it to work. Mac? You plug it into the ethernet, you might have to reset the modem (since it attatches itself to a computer's MAC address when it starts up). Airport? Turn it on, select your network. Enter your password if prompted.

 

This is already too long, so I'ma stick some etc etc etc on the end of it and be done with it.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

Wow, a little criticism really gets people stirred up. Nothing in your post has anything to do with the popups I was posting about, I never had any trouble connecting the internet or that other stuff you said, what I had is purple popups on the screen every few minutes saying "cant find internet connection" everytime i was trying to write or do other work on my powerbook or even while I was playing with garage band. I wasn't connected to the internet (it's a laptop) is why it "can't find internet connection." It turned out to be widgits on the dashboard causing those even though I never use dashboard. The ones that opperate from info off the web such as stock quotes, yellow pages, etc. Yes every one here thought it was system pref/network and the people at apple's forum thought it was systempref/network... but it was widgits.

 

I don't hate Mac I love Mac, I was critisizing them for have something that is very stupid on their op system, a popup telling you it can't find internet connection when you are not even connected to the internet, I already knew I wasn't connected, didn't need that info. Linux has a button to click when you want to connect or disconnect and nothing on a linux wants connect to the internet until you want it to connect and that is what makes sense, this crazy popup makes no sense at all.

[fotpunk]

Wow, a little criticism really gets people stirred up. Nothing in your post has anything to do with the popups I was posting about, I never had any trouble connecting the internet or that other stuff you said, what I had is purple popups on the screen every few minutes saying "cant find internet connection" everytime i was trying to write or do other work on my powerbook or even while I was playing with garage band. I wasn't connected to the internet (it's a laptop) is why it "can't find internet connection." It turned out to be widgits on the dashboard causing those even though I never use dashboard. The ones that opperate from info off the web such as stock quotes, yellow pages, etc. Yes every one here thought it was system pref/network and the people at apple's forum thought it was systempref/network... but it was widgits.

 

Hey, everyone, don't hate the player, hate the game (or OS X, in this case). He actually has a good point. Putting an "online/offline" app in the Dock would make sense for those who are used to such a feature on the Windows side. Pressing it would disable any app (i.e. widgets, software update, etc.) from trying to connect automatically to the internet - instead of doing it the long way by turning off connections for everything. Perhaps someone's already come up with something along those lines?

[Metrogirl]

Which makes me think that the arrogance of some software developers takes some beating. How can they make the assumption that every user will be connected to the internet all the time they're working? Not just Mac - more and more Windows apps don't have traditional help files; when you click on "help" they pop up a browser which tries to find the app's website. That really sucks when you're working on a plane. And the thing that REALLY p***s me off is when you are connected, and the browser you have open is suddenly overwritten with a new page you didn't expect. At the very least they should use a new instance of the browser.

 

OK, I know that online features mean they're more likely to be up-to-date or snappier or whatever. But I often work offline. I deal with some stuff that my company would consider sensitive so I unplug before I work on it. That's when I get frustrated with those poor little apps which bleat they can't find a way home. Bah!

[ripoflive]

this guy is just talkin smack.....for no reason.....

[Haplo]

Erm... that's what this was about. Well, I don't think I've ever had that happen at least not with Wifi, even walking around to areas where I didn't get signal, or just turning it off. I don't think I've ever noticed it before, and it probably has to do with your network options. Also, if you really wanted it, I'm sure someone like keaka jackson would be happy to make a little dock app that will toggle your internet when you click it .

[-.-]

this guy is just talkin smack.....for no reason.....

No, it was for a reason, it was because i was pissed, but you may be right that it is "smack" (whatever that means), because when I re-read it now I see that i wasn't very clear about the repetitive popups being what was irritating me, I guess I just assumed that everyone was getting them, that everyone would know what I was talking about, and would agree that they are a nuisance.

 

A good rule to follow in writing is being very clear, but I guess I didn't do too well, I'll have to remember not to write when I'm pissed about something, it apparently diminishes clarity.

[Metrogirl]

Transatlantic translation time for the benefit of the uninitiated -

 

To be pissed in the US means angry, annoyed or fed up.

 

To be pissed in the UK means to be drunk.

 

I didn't know that when I first moved to the US so I thought it was worth mentioning here in the light of the previous post...

[Haplo]

lol. I bet you had some fun confusion there ;P.

 

Off Topic: BTW are you familiar with Red Dwarf and Coupling?

[-.-]

Thanks for the translation Metrogirl. When an Australian says he was up all night drinking the {censored}, does he mean booze? I was a bit alarmed when i read an Ausie's post in another forum, but now it makes better sense to me, I was afraid to ask.

[Haplo]

Uh, no. I think typically they just say "Damn I'm pissed" as opposed to "Holy {censored} am I drunk".

[Metrogirl]

lol. I bet you had some fun confusion there ;P.

 

Off Topic: BTW are you familiar with Red Dwarf and Coupling?

 

Coupling is really great! The lines are just brilliant - and it is available on DVD in the US so anyone who hasn't seen it should get on over to Blockbuster/Netflix and rent a copy. You have nothing to lose (well, $3 maybe) and I promise you won't be disappointed. Red Dwarf is good too, but for some undefinable reason I just can't stand Craig Charles.

[Haplo]

lol. I have all 4 seasons of coupling ^^. I can't believe the guy who played Jeff quit though =[.

[Metrogirl]

Thanks for the translation Metrogirl. When an Australian says he was up all night drinking the {censored}, does he mean booze? I was a bit alarmed when i read an Ausie's post in another forum, but now it makes better sense to me, I was afraid to ask.

 

Brits and Aussies both say "I was out on the {censored}" meaning they were out getting drunk.

 

There are more p-words - "Taking the {censored}" is another phrase which didn't make it over the Atlantic. When a Brit or Aussie says "Are you taking the {censored}?" they mean "Are you making fun of me?" or "Are you going too far?" as in taking liberties with the situation.

 

This is really off-topic but my favourite change-of-English meaning is the South African term for a 3.5" floppy. Over there they call the 5.25 diskette a floppy, like everyone else does. So when the hard plastic cased 3.5" disk came out, quite logically they called it a "Stiffy". Yes, seriously.

 

So you can imagine my horror when I went to our Johannesburg site and a guy walked into the office clutching a disk - which I didn't immediately notice - and saying "I've got a stiffy for you..."

[-.-]

Brits and Aussies both say "I was out on the {censored}" meaning they were out getting drunk.

 

There are more p-words - "Taking the {censored}" is another phrase which didn't make it over the Atlantic. When a Brit or Aussie says "Are you taking the {censored}?" they mean "Are you making fun of me?" or "Are you going too far?" as in taking liberties with the situation.

 

This is really off-topic but my favourite change-of-English meaning is the South African term for a 3.5" floppy. Over there they call the 5.25 diskette a floppy, like everyone else does. So when the hard plastic cased 3.5" disk came out, quite logically they called it a "Stiffy". Yes, seriously.

 

So you can imagine my horror when I went to our Johannesburg site and a guy walked into the office clutching a disk - which I didn't immediately notice - and saying "I've got a stiffy for you..."

[CLiDE FTW!!1]

iTunes

 

The best music managing software around for both Mac (OSX) and Windows. Nothing more to add, I think the majority agrees with that.

I disagree. I think this time around, WMP11 is better than iTunes especially in Windows.

 

Oh, and don't try to argue my opinion if you only used WMP11 for 5 minutes.