Comments on: I've tried nothing and I'm all out of ideas! http://www.macalope.com/2007/01/17/ive-tried-nothing-and-im-all-out-of-ideas/ Full of sound and furry Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:20:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: jedi2187 http://www.macalope.com/2007/01/17/ive-tried-nothing-and-im-all-out-of-ideas/#comment-1095 jedi2187 Mon, 22 Jan 2007 18:16:05 +0000 http://www.macalope.com/?p=147#comment-1095 At least your mac is kind to you, badgerandi. I tell my Mac to do something, it just ignores me and keeps on typing. At least your mac is kind to you, badgerandi. I tell my Mac to do something, it just ignores me and keeps on typing.

]]> By: BadgerAndi http://www.macalope.com/2007/01/17/ive-tried-nothing-and-im-all-out-of-ideas/#comment-1094 BadgerAndi Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:40:44 +0000 http://www.macalope.com/?p=147#comment-1094 I don't know about you, Rip Ragged, but MY Mac brews my coffee in the morning, makes me eggs (no Tabasco, thank you), and walks my dog. I don’t even need a mouse to interact with it, it senses what tasks I want to accomplish by pure ESP. It even pleasures my wife for me when I’m too tired to. Although now she does seem to be spending a lot more time in the study… I don’t know about you, Rip Ragged, but MY Mac brews my coffee in the morning, makes me eggs (no Tabasco, thank you), and walks my dog.

I don’t even need a mouse to interact with it, it senses what tasks I want to accomplish by pure ESP. It even pleasures my wife for me when I’m too tired to. Although now she does seem to be spending a lot more time in the study…

]]> By: Eli http://www.macalope.com/2007/01/17/ive-tried-nothing-and-im-all-out-of-ideas/#comment-1093 Eli Mon, 22 Jan 2007 04:34:44 +0000 http://www.macalope.com/?p=147#comment-1093 Why didn't you ask your wife for advice Matt? Your machismo get in the way? You can't expect to know everything about the OS as soon as you sit down at the Mac just because you have Linux/Windows experience. I would have thought that somebody writing for a website called OSWeekly would relish the chance to get to grips with and experiment on a new OS but obviously not. By the way nobody should be subjected to X11 and OpenOffice on Mac, it's a horrible port. Try NeoOffice instead: http://www.neooffice.org/ It's the first result you get in Google if you type in "mac openoffice"... Why didn’t you ask your wife for advice Matt? Your machismo get in the way? You can’t expect to know everything about the OS as soon as you sit down at the Mac just because you have Linux/Windows experience. I would have thought that somebody writing for a website called OSWeekly would relish the chance to get to grips with and experiment on a new OS but obviously not.

By the way nobody should be subjected to X11 and OpenOffice on Mac, it’s a horrible port. Try NeoOffice instead: http://www.neooffice.org/

It’s the first result you get in Google if you type in “mac openoffice”…

]]> By: GadgetGav http://www.macalope.com/2007/01/17/ive-tried-nothing-and-im-all-out-of-ideas/#comment-1092 GadgetGav Sun, 21 Jan 2007 13:34:43 +0000 http://www.macalope.com/?p=147#comment-1092 Never mind what Matt is actually trying to achieve with that article, trolling or not. As I read it, it just seemed badly written, especially considering he claims to be writing in a way non-geeks would understand (though how many non geeks does he think read OSWeekly?) His conclusion that it's about the UI not the OS seems to be semantics too. How can you separate the UI from the OS? I know he's a Linux guy, so I suppose an OS that has no UI unless you add it separately counts, but really, if you're making the case that dragging an application to the Applications folder to install it is too complicated, how can you make the case that building your own Linux is better? You can't expect to switch OSes and have everything operate in exactly the same way. That's why it's called switching. If there weren't differences, there wouldn't be choice. Choice is good and he's right that Macs are for people who prefer the UI. The thing is that outside of the command line Linux geek crowd, most people who spend time with the Mac UI do prefer it. Most time, if you don't know how to do something, your intuitive best guess will work. Last time I interacted with Linux, that certainly wasn't the case! Never mind what Matt is actually trying to achieve with that article, trolling or not. As I read it, it just seemed badly written, especially considering he claims to be writing in a way non-geeks would understand (though how many non geeks does he think read OSWeekly?)

His conclusion that it’s about the UI not the OS seems to be semantics too. How can you separate the UI from the OS? I know he’s a Linux guy, so I suppose an OS that has no UI unless you add it separately counts, but really, if you’re making the case that dragging an application to the Applications folder to install it is too complicated, how can you make the case that building your own Linux is better?

You can’t expect to switch OSes and have everything operate in exactly the same way. That’s why it’s called switching. If there weren’t differences, there wouldn’t be choice. Choice is good and he’s right that Macs are for people who prefer the UI. The thing is that outside of the command line Linux geek crowd, most people who spend time with the Mac UI do prefer it. Most time, if you don’t know how to do something, your intuitive best guess will work. Last time I interacted with Linux, that certainly wasn’t the case!

]]> By: Rip Ragged http://www.macalope.com/2007/01/17/ive-tried-nothing-and-im-all-out-of-ideas/#comment-1091 Rip Ragged Sat, 20 Jan 2007 00:25:34 +0000 http://www.macalope.com/?p=147#comment-1091 It's always good to hear from Mac-haters in Mac forums. It's fun to watch the little veins in their foreheads pop out when their faces get all red. What's really fun is when they write contrived negative columns – wherein the Mac didn't write a novel for them, change the cat litter, scan pictures directly via the monitor, or a dozen other things that no other computer does. If the Macintosh was truly intuitive, it would have said, "Good Morning, Matt" started a pot of coffee, and remembered to prepare the eggs over-medium with a spot of Tabasco. It’s always good to hear from Mac-haters in Mac forums. It’s fun to watch the little veins in their foreheads pop out when their faces get all red.

What’s really fun is when they write contrived negative columns – wherein the Mac didn’t write a novel for them, change the cat litter, scan pictures directly via the monitor, or a dozen other things that no other computer does.

If the Macintosh was truly intuitive, it would have said, “Good Morning, Matt” started a pot of coffee, and remembered to prepare the eggs over-medium with a spot of Tabasco.

]]> By: Splashman http://www.macalope.com/2007/01/17/ive-tried-nothing-and-im-all-out-of-ideas/#comment-1090 Splashman Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:31:55 +0000 http://www.macalope.com/?p=147#comment-1090 Emily, don't hold your breath waiting for Matt, because there *isn't* a good explanation. If he did show his face again, I'd expect him to snark some variation of the following: "You Koolaid-drinking Apple fanboys are always saying Macs are so easy to use, and now you telll me I should have RTFM? LMAO, bucko!" He's actually making fanboys look pretty good in comparison. Emily, don’t hold your breath waiting for Matt, because there *isn’t* a good explanation. If he did show his face again, I’d expect him to snark some variation of the following: “You Koolaid-drinking Apple fanboys are always saying Macs are so easy to use, and now you telll me I should have RTFM? LMAO, bucko!”

He’s actually making fanboys look pretty good in comparison.

]]> By: Emily http://www.macalope.com/2007/01/17/ive-tried-nothing-and-im-all-out-of-ideas/#comment-1089 Emily Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:59:58 +0000 http://www.macalope.com/?p=147#comment-1089 I want Matt to come back and explain why he didn't bother to use help files or read instructions. I'm honestly curious. (I haven't used Linux extensively, and have never had my own Linux-based anything box, but I would probably read up on it before I tried to start installing things.) I want Matt to come back and explain why he didn’t bother to use help files or read instructions. I’m honestly curious.

(I haven’t used Linux extensively, and have never had my own Linux-based anything box, but I would probably read up on it before I tried to start installing things.)

]]> By: Gary Patterson http://www.macalope.com/2007/01/17/ive-tried-nothing-and-im-all-out-of-ideas/#comment-1088 Gary Patterson Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:25:07 +0000 http://www.macalope.com/?p=147#comment-1088 I *want* to write a witty, sarcastic comment on this guy's failure to do such a simple task, but his article speaks for itself. Ah, what the Hell... A Linux user who didn't spend the time to learn his new system. The ironing is delicious. I *want* to write a witty, sarcastic comment on this guy’s failure to do such a simple task, but his article speaks for itself. Ah, what the Hell…

A Linux user who didn’t spend the time to learn his new system. The ironing is delicious.

]]> By: Cam http://www.macalope.com/2007/01/17/ive-tried-nothing-and-im-all-out-of-ideas/#comment-1087 Cam Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:34:25 +0000 http://www.macalope.com/?p=147#comment-1087 @ JonHarris At somepoint, a user going to a new platform has to bite the bullet and actually learn how to use the platform. If you refuse to read README files, or even the developer's installation instructions you're just plain *silly*. You can't complain. If the developer provides piss-poor installation instructions, then that is on the developer. This is a two way street. Users have to be willing to learn how to use their computer. @ JonHarris

At somepoint, a user going to a new platform has to bite the bullet and actually learn how to use the platform. If you refuse to read README files, or even the developer’s installation instructions you’re just plain *silly*. You can’t complain.

If the developer provides piss-poor installation instructions, then that is on the developer.

This is a two way street. Users have to be willing to learn how to use their computer.

]]> By: Cam http://www.macalope.com/2007/01/17/ive-tried-nothing-and-im-all-out-of-ideas/#comment-1086 Cam Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:30:37 +0000 http://www.macalope.com/?p=147#comment-1086 I find quite a few Mac users who have no concept of disk images. They download Firefox open the disk image and then put the application icon from the image into the dock. Everytime they launch Firefox, MOSX automagically mounts the diskimage (typically they don't delete it). Most of these users have one major thing in common. 1. They aren't interested in learning how to use the OS. They're also the type of user that doesn't read the README file. I find quite a few Mac users who have no concept of disk images. They download Firefox open the disk image and then put the application icon from the image into the dock. Everytime they launch Firefox, MOSX automagically mounts the diskimage (typically they don’t delete it).

Most of these users have one major thing in common.

1. They aren’t interested in learning how to use the OS.

They’re also the type of user that doesn’t read the README file.

]]>