Sunday, March 30, 2003
Henry Norr, you've got a job here
Dear Henry,
You might not remember me. We had dinner together, along with a dozen other people, during MacWorld Expo San Francisco in 2000, shortly after the official unveiling of the MacOS X interface. I enjoyed your insight that evening. I've been reading your columns for some time, and while I don't always agree with your point of view regarding the state of the Macintosh, well that's the whole point of editorial journalism, isn't it? So when I saw on CNN that a journalist had been suspended after being arrested at a protest march, I was surprised to find out that it was you. I was expecting it to be someone who reports on the war directly, or at the very least, someone who reports on national or world affairs in general. But a computer columnist being punished for protesting a war issue just didn't strike me right. That sounds like the kind of thing our nation is fighting against.
Let me say up front that this has nothing to do with the war itself. I'm not going to state my views about the war on this site, and I could care less about your views on the matter. Apparently, you were arrested for being a pedestrian in the street and for refusing to leave when asked. To me, this sounds like the kind of transaction that the United States was founded upon. Occasionally, we all feel strongly enough about one issue or another that we feel the need to express the strength of our convictions. This is why the penalties for peaceful protest in this nation are so light. You didn't burn down a building, or resist arrest violently, or do anything that resulted in negative consequences for others; you simply stood in the street and violated a few traffic laws in the process. Should you have been arrested? Yes. Martin Luther King, perhaps our nation's most famous protestor, said that you've got to be willing to face the consequences of your actions. The fact that Dr. King wrote those words from a jail cell signifies that he believed in those words, and I'm sure you do as well.
Your newspaper suspended you for improperly using a sick day. Not for being arrested, but simply for filling out your time card in the wrong manner. If, as Isaac Asimov said, violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, then in my mind technicalities are the last refuge of cowards. Apparently unable or unwilling to suspend you for your publicly stated beliefs, or for being arrested on misdemeanor charges, your supervisors took the wimp's way out. They found an infraction petty enough to be laughable, yet sterile enough to keep them from the inevitable vulnerability they would have brought upon themselves had they had the guts to officially suspend you for being arrested in a protest demonstration.
How your views on the war could have any effect on your ability to be objective while reporting on personal technology is beyond me. For that reason, I am inviting you to publish your Macintosh-related columns here on this site until your suspension is lifted. I have no real expectation that you'll accept my offer. This website, er, weblog, can't possibly have nearly the combined online and print readership of the San Francisco Chronicle. I am making this offer to prove a point about freedom of speech for all of us, not just those whose jobs are conducted in anonymity. Journalists should not be shackled to their profession to the point that they no longer have the rights that the rest of the populaion enjoys.
If you do want to take me up on the offer, I'll warn you that the pay is zero, and unlike the Chronicle, I don't provide employees with sick days. However, there are no penalties here for any political views you may have, as long as you don't state them within your Macintosh-related columns. If you want to continue to get yourself arrested for being a pedestrian in the street while you write columns for this site, that's fine by me. The addition of a two-decade-veteran Macintosh journalist to my staff would be worth the occasional bail money I might have to float you.
If you're interested, I can be reached here.
Sincerely,
Bill Palmer
Dear Henry,
You might not remember me. We had dinner together, along with a dozen other people, during MacWorld Expo San Francisco in 2000, shortly after the official unveiling of the MacOS X interface. I enjoyed your insight that evening. I've been reading your columns for some time, and while I don't always agree with your point of view regarding the state of the Macintosh, well that's the whole point of editorial journalism, isn't it? So when I saw on CNN that a journalist had been suspended after being arrested at a protest march, I was surprised to find out that it was you. I was expecting it to be someone who reports on the war directly, or at the very least, someone who reports on national or world affairs in general. But a computer columnist being punished for protesting a war issue just didn't strike me right. That sounds like the kind of thing our nation is fighting against.
Let me say up front that this has nothing to do with the war itself. I'm not going to state my views about the war on this site, and I could care less about your views on the matter. Apparently, you were arrested for being a pedestrian in the street and for refusing to leave when asked. To me, this sounds like the kind of transaction that the United States was founded upon. Occasionally, we all feel strongly enough about one issue or another that we feel the need to express the strength of our convictions. This is why the penalties for peaceful protest in this nation are so light. You didn't burn down a building, or resist arrest violently, or do anything that resulted in negative consequences for others; you simply stood in the street and violated a few traffic laws in the process. Should you have been arrested? Yes. Martin Luther King, perhaps our nation's most famous protestor, said that you've got to be willing to face the consequences of your actions. The fact that Dr. King wrote those words from a jail cell signifies that he believed in those words, and I'm sure you do as well.
Your newspaper suspended you for improperly using a sick day. Not for being arrested, but simply for filling out your time card in the wrong manner. If, as Isaac Asimov said, violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, then in my mind technicalities are the last refuge of cowards. Apparently unable or unwilling to suspend you for your publicly stated beliefs, or for being arrested on misdemeanor charges, your supervisors took the wimp's way out. They found an infraction petty enough to be laughable, yet sterile enough to keep them from the inevitable vulnerability they would have brought upon themselves had they had the guts to officially suspend you for being arrested in a protest demonstration.
How your views on the war could have any effect on your ability to be objective while reporting on personal technology is beyond me. For that reason, I am inviting you to publish your Macintosh-related columns here on this site until your suspension is lifted. I have no real expectation that you'll accept my offer. This website, er, weblog, can't possibly have nearly the combined online and print readership of the San Francisco Chronicle. I am making this offer to prove a point about freedom of speech for all of us, not just those whose jobs are conducted in anonymity. Journalists should not be shackled to their profession to the point that they no longer have the rights that the rest of the populaion enjoys.
If you do want to take me up on the offer, I'll warn you that the pay is zero, and unlike the Chronicle, I don't provide employees with sick days. However, there are no penalties here for any political views you may have, as long as you don't state them within your Macintosh-related columns. If you want to continue to get yourself arrested for being a pedestrian in the street while you write columns for this site, that's fine by me. The addition of a two-decade-veteran Macintosh journalist to my staff would be worth the occasional bail money I might have to float you.
If you're interested, I can be reached here.
Sincerely,
Bill Palmer
Friday, March 28, 2003
iBooks making all the difference in the classroom
For all the hemming an hawing over who has what education marketshare numbers, only Apple seems to see that the future of computers in education lies in placing a laptop in the hands of every student. Apple's goal appears to be to ensure that that laptop is an iBook, each and every time. And in case after case, that goal is being reached. The State of Maine has garnered the most headlines by issuing an iBook to every single seventh grader State-wide. But similar programs have been popping up all over the country on a smaller scale: a district, a school, or even a single classroom.
If Maine is the undisputed champion in the headlines contest, then the Henrico County Public School system might well have scored second-place when its superintendent very publicly announced his district's purchase of 23,000 iBooks during a Steve Jobs keynote, thus equipping every student in the district with one of the pearly-white laptops. Two years later, the initiative is paying off, as the National School Board Association rolls into town this weekend to study the world’s second-largest iBook party. If you dig deeply enough, you can find no shortage of press coverage on the Henrico iBook campaign.
Big-ticket, headline-grabbing coups like Maine and Henrico are wonderful in helping the public to begin to understand why our children must be educated on Macintosh computers. But for Apple to truly take hold of the student laptop infusion, it needs to score continuous smaller victories, even if it's one classroom at a time. At Burris Laboratory School in Muncie, Indiana, this is exactly what's happening. Putting twenty student iBooks in one classroom doesn't exactly burn up Apple's cash registers or allow it to proclaim victory in the student laptop race, but such small starts are the stuff of future mass-iBook invasions.
The classroom teacher, Sandra Murray, goes so far as to say, "What's it's making me think a lot more about, is teaching where I'm asking kids a higher level of questions...now, I'm the coach, and that's really what I need to be." From first-hand experience, I can tell you that any time an elementary school teacher notes that Macintosh technology has changed the way she teaches, and she's happy about it, well that's a Good Thing™ for Apple. Not to mention how much of a good thing it is for those lucky students in Indiana (and Maine and Henrico...).
Is your school or district swimming in student iBooks? Are you and your colleagues plotting an iBook invasion for the near future, but still working out the details -- like how to fund it? Shout about it.
For all the hemming an hawing over who has what education marketshare numbers, only Apple seems to see that the future of computers in education lies in placing a laptop in the hands of every student. Apple's goal appears to be to ensure that that laptop is an iBook, each and every time. And in case after case, that goal is being reached. The State of Maine has garnered the most headlines by issuing an iBook to every single seventh grader State-wide. But similar programs have been popping up all over the country on a smaller scale: a district, a school, or even a single classroom.
If Maine is the undisputed champion in the headlines contest, then the Henrico County Public School system might well have scored second-place when its superintendent very publicly announced his district's purchase of 23,000 iBooks during a Steve Jobs keynote, thus equipping every student in the district with one of the pearly-white laptops. Two years later, the initiative is paying off, as the National School Board Association rolls into town this weekend to study the world’s second-largest iBook party. If you dig deeply enough, you can find no shortage of press coverage on the Henrico iBook campaign.
Big-ticket, headline-grabbing coups like Maine and Henrico are wonderful in helping the public to begin to understand why our children must be educated on Macintosh computers. But for Apple to truly take hold of the student laptop infusion, it needs to score continuous smaller victories, even if it's one classroom at a time. At Burris Laboratory School in Muncie, Indiana, this is exactly what's happening. Putting twenty student iBooks in one classroom doesn't exactly burn up Apple's cash registers or allow it to proclaim victory in the student laptop race, but such small starts are the stuff of future mass-iBook invasions.
The classroom teacher, Sandra Murray, goes so far as to say, "What's it's making me think a lot more about, is teaching where I'm asking kids a higher level of questions...now, I'm the coach, and that's really what I need to be." From first-hand experience, I can tell you that any time an elementary school teacher notes that Macintosh technology has changed the way she teaches, and she's happy about it, well that's a Good Thing™ for Apple. Not to mention how much of a good thing it is for those lucky students in Indiana (and Maine and Henrico...).
Is your school or district swimming in student iBooks? Are you and your colleagues plotting an iBook invasion for the near future, but still working out the details -- like how to fund it? Shout about it.
Thursday, March 27, 2003
Did the iPod knock SonicBlue down to a lower bitrate?
Even as MacUser reports that the iPod is doing better than ever, MacCentral reports that the competition may be finished. Even if the Rio itself isn't washed up, the company SonicBlue apparently is, having filed for bankruptcy protection last week. So is this a case of Apple having muscled its way into the mp3 player market and killing off the little guy? No, I'd say SonicBlue killed itself.
I bought myself a Rio 600 back when iTunes was still SoundJam. For a little under $200, I scored 32 Megabytes of music storage. I knew that this wasn't enough room to store any serious amount of music, but my desire to dive into the world of mp3's trumped my ability to see that this wasn't the way to do it. When encoded songs at the "standard" 128 Mbps, I could fit less than ten songs on the Rio at any given time. This meant that as soon as I got tired of listening to the same handful of songs over and over, I had to erase the Rio and load up other music from the computer. I soon discovered a few tricks, such as encoding the songs at a lower bitrate, so they would be smaller and more songs would fit. But there's always a price to pay, and I soon found that the lower the bitrate, the less listenable the music became. If I wanted to stuff a full-length album into my Rio, I usually encoded a few "favorite" tracks at a decent bitrate, and the rest at a lower rate. So why not just give up altogether and go back to using my Discman, which played actual CD's? One simple reason: any player large enough to hold and play a full-size CD is too large to fit in your pocket. At this point, the Rio's tiny size was the only thing keeping me in the land of mp3.
One of the Rio's most highly-touted features, the "backpack", was supposed to allow me to purchase extra flash memory that would fit inside the case. But the prices were insane. Adding an extra 64 Megabytes, merely tripling the Rio's tiny capacity, would have run me a cool hundred dollars. I decided against it out of principle: this mp3 thing was a novelty at best, and I refused to sink any more money into it. I was already flushing money daily on replacing the Rio's single AA battery, which had to be replaced every ten hours (or usually much less) of listening time. This turned out to be so impractical that I even took to taping a spare battery to the side of the Rio just to guarantee that I would have an extra one with me, if I needed new juice while I was out and about.
The final straw came when I was using the Rio outside on a particularly moist and humid day (hey, this is Florida), and the beast just stopped working. Completely dead, nonresponsive, however you want to describe it, it was a goner. I was all set to pack it up and take it back to the store when it occurred to me that the humidity might have gotten to it, so I took the back off and let it set indoors to dry out. Sure enough, it fired back up a few days later. But the psychcological damage was done; I wasn't going to play this game anymore. Mp3 was obviously not ready for prime time, and my patience was gone. My Rio has largely been gathering dust ever since.
Apple's introduction of the iPod addressed every one of the Rio's shortcomings: it included a hard drive to hold thousands of songs, it had a rechargeable battery built-in that managed to recharge directly from the computer, and it used a super-fast FireWire connection so that loading up dozens or even hundreds of songs in one sitting was practical. Perhaps best of all, the capacity was so large (a full 150 times that of my Rio) that I had the option of encoding my favorite mp3's at a much higher bitrate than the standard 128 Mbps, allowing for excellent sound quality that I could only have dreamed of in my Rio days.
After purchasing my iPod, I no longer even consciously paid attention to SonicBlue's offerings. I saw something called a "RioVolt" in a store once, and it turned out to be nothing more than a CD player that could read mp3-CD's. The thing was bigger than a Whopper sandwich, even before it gets smashed in the bottom of the bag underneath the french fries. If that was SonicBlue's answer to the iPod, then SonicBlue may well have done better in the hamburger business. The company fell so far off my radar that I never did hear whether they managed to come up with a hard drive-based "iPod clone". And my radar apparently wasn't the only one they fell from: during the holiday quarter, the Rio barely racked up a third of the iPod's sales on a monetary basis. So the bankruptcy filing was not exactly a surprise.
I'm never one to root for a smaller company to go under at the hands of a larger one, but Apple didn't kill SonicBlue. Before the iPod came along, the mp3 player market was full of novelty toys and overpriced compromises, and in many ways the iPod's competition still hasn't improved. Sure, eDigital has an Odyssey product that essentialy clones the iPod and repackages it, and even does voice recording, but so what? Soon enough, Apple will release a new line of iPods that will only serve to give the competition something else to take too long to copy too poorly. The fact is, Apple leaped into a market that it had no prior experience with, and is already raking in more than a quarter of all the money being spent on mp3 player purchases in the United States. For good measure, the iPod's numbers in Japan are even higher.
No one of any stature seems to want to enter this market and give Apple a run for its money. Sony, the pioneer of the original Walkman, has been conspicuously absent. Even Dell, long known for finding the most cost-effective and least effort-laden way of achieving the status quo, gave in and simply started selling iPods on its own website. And despite the fact that even the $299 entry-level iPod is more expensive than most of its competitors' top-end models, it's being outsold by the more expensive 10 Gigabyte iPod model. Clearly, people are willing to spend real money on an mp3 player when it's done right.
My favorite statistic is that "the Windows version of the iPod accounted for 58% of the iPods sold, compared to 42% for the Mac version". Considering how many more Windows users there still are in the world than Mac users, this is quite an impressive stat for Mac users to brag about. We all know that you can make statistics say anything you want them to, but my interpretation says that Mac users are around five times more likely to own an mp3 player than Windows users are. If that doesn't tell you where the personal computing market is headed, maybe you should look here for a stronger clue.
Is your iPod now part of your permanent wardrobe? Did you suffer through a Rio player first? Are you a Windows user, but your iPod is making you think about joining the rest of us in Macintosh heaven? Are you twiddling your thumbs waiting for Apple to finally release another round of updated iPods so you can buy one? Sing your tune.
Even as MacUser reports that the iPod is doing better than ever, MacCentral reports that the competition may be finished. Even if the Rio itself isn't washed up, the company SonicBlue apparently is, having filed for bankruptcy protection last week. So is this a case of Apple having muscled its way into the mp3 player market and killing off the little guy? No, I'd say SonicBlue killed itself.
I bought myself a Rio 600 back when iTunes was still SoundJam. For a little under $200, I scored 32 Megabytes of music storage. I knew that this wasn't enough room to store any serious amount of music, but my desire to dive into the world of mp3's trumped my ability to see that this wasn't the way to do it. When encoded songs at the "standard" 128 Mbps, I could fit less than ten songs on the Rio at any given time. This meant that as soon as I got tired of listening to the same handful of songs over and over, I had to erase the Rio and load up other music from the computer. I soon discovered a few tricks, such as encoding the songs at a lower bitrate, so they would be smaller and more songs would fit. But there's always a price to pay, and I soon found that the lower the bitrate, the less listenable the music became. If I wanted to stuff a full-length album into my Rio, I usually encoded a few "favorite" tracks at a decent bitrate, and the rest at a lower rate. So why not just give up altogether and go back to using my Discman, which played actual CD's? One simple reason: any player large enough to hold and play a full-size CD is too large to fit in your pocket. At this point, the Rio's tiny size was the only thing keeping me in the land of mp3.
One of the Rio's most highly-touted features, the "backpack", was supposed to allow me to purchase extra flash memory that would fit inside the case. But the prices were insane. Adding an extra 64 Megabytes, merely tripling the Rio's tiny capacity, would have run me a cool hundred dollars. I decided against it out of principle: this mp3 thing was a novelty at best, and I refused to sink any more money into it. I was already flushing money daily on replacing the Rio's single AA battery, which had to be replaced every ten hours (or usually much less) of listening time. This turned out to be so impractical that I even took to taping a spare battery to the side of the Rio just to guarantee that I would have an extra one with me, if I needed new juice while I was out and about.
The final straw came when I was using the Rio outside on a particularly moist and humid day (hey, this is Florida), and the beast just stopped working. Completely dead, nonresponsive, however you want to describe it, it was a goner. I was all set to pack it up and take it back to the store when it occurred to me that the humidity might have gotten to it, so I took the back off and let it set indoors to dry out. Sure enough, it fired back up a few days later. But the psychcological damage was done; I wasn't going to play this game anymore. Mp3 was obviously not ready for prime time, and my patience was gone. My Rio has largely been gathering dust ever since.
Apple's introduction of the iPod addressed every one of the Rio's shortcomings: it included a hard drive to hold thousands of songs, it had a rechargeable battery built-in that managed to recharge directly from the computer, and it used a super-fast FireWire connection so that loading up dozens or even hundreds of songs in one sitting was practical. Perhaps best of all, the capacity was so large (a full 150 times that of my Rio) that I had the option of encoding my favorite mp3's at a much higher bitrate than the standard 128 Mbps, allowing for excellent sound quality that I could only have dreamed of in my Rio days.
After purchasing my iPod, I no longer even consciously paid attention to SonicBlue's offerings. I saw something called a "RioVolt" in a store once, and it turned out to be nothing more than a CD player that could read mp3-CD's. The thing was bigger than a Whopper sandwich, even before it gets smashed in the bottom of the bag underneath the french fries. If that was SonicBlue's answer to the iPod, then SonicBlue may well have done better in the hamburger business. The company fell so far off my radar that I never did hear whether they managed to come up with a hard drive-based "iPod clone". And my radar apparently wasn't the only one they fell from: during the holiday quarter, the Rio barely racked up a third of the iPod's sales on a monetary basis. So the bankruptcy filing was not exactly a surprise.
I'm never one to root for a smaller company to go under at the hands of a larger one, but Apple didn't kill SonicBlue. Before the iPod came along, the mp3 player market was full of novelty toys and overpriced compromises, and in many ways the iPod's competition still hasn't improved. Sure, eDigital has an Odyssey product that essentialy clones the iPod and repackages it, and even does voice recording, but so what? Soon enough, Apple will release a new line of iPods that will only serve to give the competition something else to take too long to copy too poorly. The fact is, Apple leaped into a market that it had no prior experience with, and is already raking in more than a quarter of all the money being spent on mp3 player purchases in the United States. For good measure, the iPod's numbers in Japan are even higher.
No one of any stature seems to want to enter this market and give Apple a run for its money. Sony, the pioneer of the original Walkman, has been conspicuously absent. Even Dell, long known for finding the most cost-effective and least effort-laden way of achieving the status quo, gave in and simply started selling iPods on its own website. And despite the fact that even the $299 entry-level iPod is more expensive than most of its competitors' top-end models, it's being outsold by the more expensive 10 Gigabyte iPod model. Clearly, people are willing to spend real money on an mp3 player when it's done right.
My favorite statistic is that "the Windows version of the iPod accounted for 58% of the iPods sold, compared to 42% for the Mac version". Considering how many more Windows users there still are in the world than Mac users, this is quite an impressive stat for Mac users to brag about. We all know that you can make statistics say anything you want them to, but my interpretation says that Mac users are around five times more likely to own an mp3 player than Windows users are. If that doesn't tell you where the personal computing market is headed, maybe you should look here for a stronger clue.
Is your iPod now part of your permanent wardrobe? Did you suffer through a Rio player first? Are you a Windows user, but your iPod is making you think about joining the rest of us in Macintosh heaven? Are you twiddling your thumbs waiting for Apple to finally release another round of updated iPods so you can buy one? Sing your tune.
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Safari beta testers testing Apple's patience
Apple has conducted quite a bit more beta-testing of Safari than simply releasing versions 48, 51, and 60 to the public. Several other versions have been distributed privately to a small number of hand-picked testers (usually software developers and other dignitaries). More recent private versions have incuded features such as tabbed browsing that for whatever reason, Apple isn't ready to include in the public beta. Perhaps Apple simply wants to flesh these features out further before subjecting them to a larger pool of feedback. Still, numerous surfers have visited this site using Safari versions 54, 62, 64, and 67. And there have seemingly been too many for all of them to be legitimately part of the private testing pool. So it didn't surprise me to read that Apple has decided to stop distributing private betas of Safari altogether.
This doesn't mean that Safari has been cancelled. And it doesn't mean that v.60 is the last version of Safari that the public will see before the final release. It just means that Apple no longer trusts its private beta testers not to pass these limited-release versions around to their friends, or more alarmingly, to post them for download on their own website in a cheap attempt to generate traffic. Part of the problem seems to be that Safari is so darned good already. This is in sharp contrast to the typical beta-test software, which by definition means "imcomplete/unpredictable" and usually carries the connotation of "don't install this if you use your computer for anything important, or if you care about the contents of your computer's hard drive".
Safari bears no such resemblance to most of its beta brethren. From the the day it was first released in January, Safari has been significantly faster to load web pages than the de facto standard Internet Explorer. The fact that Safari already has features such as built-in pop-up ad blocking, integrated Google search, and an innovative bookmark management system? That's all just icing on the cake. There are still plenty of websites that don't work properly yet, but that's the idea behind the "bug" button in the toolbar (and the whole point of releasing beta-test versions of software): let Apple know what's not working, so its engineers can correct it before the official release. And the number of malfunctioning sites seems to shrink with each new public beta version. Which is perhaps why so many users have been so eager to get their hands on the newer, private versions. The expectation is that each update will put Safari even further ahead of Explorer, and make its users even happier that they're using a Mac. But it looks like too many Mac users got too greedy, and as a result Apple is scaling back its private Safari releases.
It doesn't affect me either way. I'm brave enough to dive into each public beta version of Safari the day it's released, but not quite brave enough to hunt down non-public versions that are sufficiently experimental enough for Apple to limit their release. Only time will tell when Apple will release another beta to the public. Version 60, the most popular web browser among visitors to this site, was released more than six weeks ago. And maybe that's the most impressive thing about Safari so far: the releases have been so increasingly excellent and so quick to come around, that going six weeks without an update now seems like an eternity.
You might want to check and make sure you've got the latest goods. While in Safari, choose "About Safari" from the Safari menu, and look for "v60". If you see "v48" or "v51", it's time for a new download. In addition, you can check your version number without launching Safari simply by locating it in the Applications folder. If you're in column view, just single-click it and the version info will appear in the next column. Alternately, do a "Get Info" (choose it from the File menu or press Apple-I on the keyboard). Version 60 is denoted as "0.8.2", so if you have "0.8.1" or lower, you're due for an update.
You can download version 60 of Safari public beta here. One little trick: what you're downloading is an entirely new application, not an updater. So if you're using an older version of Safari to download the newer one, you'll want to quit the old version before launching the new one. After making sure the new Safari works properly and has retained all your bookmarks and preferences, throw the old Safari away.
Are you using a version of Safari public beta...or a non-public version? Got something to say about it? Speak now.
Apple has conducted quite a bit more beta-testing of Safari than simply releasing versions 48, 51, and 60 to the public. Several other versions have been distributed privately to a small number of hand-picked testers (usually software developers and other dignitaries). More recent private versions have incuded features such as tabbed browsing that for whatever reason, Apple isn't ready to include in the public beta. Perhaps Apple simply wants to flesh these features out further before subjecting them to a larger pool of feedback. Still, numerous surfers have visited this site using Safari versions 54, 62, 64, and 67. And there have seemingly been too many for all of them to be legitimately part of the private testing pool. So it didn't surprise me to read that Apple has decided to stop distributing private betas of Safari altogether.
This doesn't mean that Safari has been cancelled. And it doesn't mean that v.60 is the last version of Safari that the public will see before the final release. It just means that Apple no longer trusts its private beta testers not to pass these limited-release versions around to their friends, or more alarmingly, to post them for download on their own website in a cheap attempt to generate traffic. Part of the problem seems to be that Safari is so darned good already. This is in sharp contrast to the typical beta-test software, which by definition means "imcomplete/unpredictable" and usually carries the connotation of "don't install this if you use your computer for anything important, or if you care about the contents of your computer's hard drive".
Safari bears no such resemblance to most of its beta brethren. From the the day it was first released in January, Safari has been significantly faster to load web pages than the de facto standard Internet Explorer. The fact that Safari already has features such as built-in pop-up ad blocking, integrated Google search, and an innovative bookmark management system? That's all just icing on the cake. There are still plenty of websites that don't work properly yet, but that's the idea behind the "bug" button in the toolbar (and the whole point of releasing beta-test versions of software): let Apple know what's not working, so its engineers can correct it before the official release. And the number of malfunctioning sites seems to shrink with each new public beta version. Which is perhaps why so many users have been so eager to get their hands on the newer, private versions. The expectation is that each update will put Safari even further ahead of Explorer, and make its users even happier that they're using a Mac. But it looks like too many Mac users got too greedy, and as a result Apple is scaling back its private Safari releases.
It doesn't affect me either way. I'm brave enough to dive into each public beta version of Safari the day it's released, but not quite brave enough to hunt down non-public versions that are sufficiently experimental enough for Apple to limit their release. Only time will tell when Apple will release another beta to the public. Version 60, the most popular web browser among visitors to this site, was released more than six weeks ago. And maybe that's the most impressive thing about Safari so far: the releases have been so increasingly excellent and so quick to come around, that going six weeks without an update now seems like an eternity.
You might want to check and make sure you've got the latest goods. While in Safari, choose "About Safari" from the Safari menu, and look for "v60". If you see "v48" or "v51", it's time for a new download. In addition, you can check your version number without launching Safari simply by locating it in the Applications folder. If you're in column view, just single-click it and the version info will appear in the next column. Alternately, do a "Get Info" (choose it from the File menu or press Apple-I on the keyboard). Version 60 is denoted as "0.8.2", so if you have "0.8.1" or lower, you're due for an update.
You can download version 60 of Safari public beta here. One little trick: what you're downloading is an entirely new application, not an updater. So if you're using an older version of Safari to download the newer one, you'll want to quit the old version before launching the new one. After making sure the new Safari works properly and has retained all your bookmarks and preferences, throw the old Safari away.
Are you using a version of Safari public beta...or a non-public version? Got something to say about it? Speak now.
Monday, March 24, 2003
Reader feedback: Apple Store Orlando, the Holy Land Experience
In reference to my "Apple Store Orlando, the Holy Land Experience", Larry Staton Jr. (not to be confused with Larry Mullen Jr.) has a cool web log dedicated to Mac users in the legal profession. He writes in to ask:
"Is it A Bad Thing(TM) when the employees at the Apple Store know your name?"
Actually Larry, that can be quite convenient when paying by personal check -- just ask Yao Ming. On the other hand, asking employees at the Apple Store for their autograph? Now that might qualify as a Bad Thing(TM).
Jim Woodgett writes in from Canada to share:
"We spent Christmas in Orlando and visited the Millenia Mall in between involuntary donations to Walt's descendents. Like you, I didn't buy anything. I call it AppleStore Action Atypia. I'm thinking of starting an AAA group in the hope of finding a cure for it."
Well Jim, you could start your own Mac User Group just for those who share your affliction. You could call it "LoiterMUG" or even "The reason why Apple hesitated to open its own stores in the first place". Hey, I'm as guilty as you are. When Apple finally expands its Stores north of the border, you might be in trouble. I'm thinking Apple should have us sign in as volunteers and let us stand out front of the store and perform circus tricks, or something of equal importance.
"I'm back to my old habit of fake ordering at the on-line AppleStore to see how long I'd have to wait for a 17" powerbook (I do have a real one on order, but by the time it arrives your facial hair will look like you're auditioning for Castaway)."
You must be doing something wrong. There's got to be a better way of scoring a 17 inch PowerBook. Have you tried asking Apple Store employees for their autographs?
In reference to my "Apple Store Orlando, the Holy Land Experience", Larry Staton Jr. (not to be confused with Larry Mullen Jr.) has a cool web log dedicated to Mac users in the legal profession. He writes in to ask:
"Is it A Bad Thing(TM) when the employees at the Apple Store know your name?"
Actually Larry, that can be quite convenient when paying by personal check -- just ask Yao Ming. On the other hand, asking employees at the Apple Store for their autograph? Now that might qualify as a Bad Thing(TM).
Jim Woodgett writes in from Canada to share:
"We spent Christmas in Orlando and visited the Millenia Mall in between involuntary donations to Walt's descendents. Like you, I didn't buy anything. I call it AppleStore Action Atypia. I'm thinking of starting an AAA group in the hope of finding a cure for it."
Well Jim, you could start your own Mac User Group just for those who share your affliction. You could call it "LoiterMUG" or even "The reason why Apple hesitated to open its own stores in the first place". Hey, I'm as guilty as you are. When Apple finally expands its Stores north of the border, you might be in trouble. I'm thinking Apple should have us sign in as volunteers and let us stand out front of the store and perform circus tricks, or something of equal importance.
"I'm back to my old habit of fake ordering at the on-line AppleStore to see how long I'd have to wait for a 17" powerbook (I do have a real one on order, but by the time it arrives your facial hair will look like you're auditioning for Castaway)."
You must be doing something wrong. There's got to be a better way of scoring a 17 inch PowerBook. Have you tried asking Apple Store employees for their autographs?
Sunday, March 23, 2003
Apple Store Orlando: the Holy Land Experience
Despite living in Florida, I'd never crossed paths with the Apple Store in the Mall at Millenia in Orlando. Two hundred miles was just far enough away to fall outside of my "worth driving there for the grand opening just to get a T-shirt" radius, and besides, Apple has not one but two stores down here in South Florida. But this afternoon, when I found myself not wanting to spend a day in a theme park in the pouring rain on the second day of my weekend Orlando getaway, I figured playing with a 12 inch PowerBook was as good a way to kill time as any.
Many long-time Mac users have described journeying to an Apple Store as a religious experience, some with a straighter face than than others. So when I approached the I-4 exit ramp and I saw a sign that said "Exit 78: Mall at Millenia, Holy Land Experience", I really had to wonder if perhaps Central Floridians take their Macs a bit more seriously than elsewhere. You know, for a moment, I thought I really had something to write home about. I was a bit disappointed, then, to find out that the mall was to the left, and "Holy Land Experience" was to the right.
The Mall at Millenia fits with Apple's trend of placing its stores in upscale malls that feature expensive stores such as Macy’s and Bloomingdale's. Millenia is so disturbingly high-class and futuristic art-deco laden that standing in the central court momentarily made me think I was in EPCOT (minus the talking robots, of course). And there's something just plain wrong when a mall's website requires the Flash plugin. Once inside the mall, finding the Apple Store was easy -- it's the only one with no sign overhead -- and I was a bit miffed to find fifty or more patrons packed into the store. I knew right then that every 12 inch PowerBook would be occupied by some loser who might actually buy one. How dare the Apple Store be so popular? Who do these people think they are, Mac users? Even the cluster of eMacs set aside for kids had a line of people waiting for a turn, and not everyone waiting was exactly a child. I decided there were just too many people doing too much happy-Mac stuff, and headed for the food court.
In case you ever visit Millenia, I can tell you that the Southwest Grill offers succulent barbecue chicken, which kept me away from the pizza stand and on a somewhat healthy eating track for the day until Mrs. Fields reached out and attacked me at the last moment. But while I was innocently enjoying my cookies, a boy who was at least twelve years old grabbed me on the shoulder from behind and said "Dad, can I get one of those PlayStations?". Never passing up an opportunity to turn an uncomfortable moment into an even more uncomfortable one, I turned around and said, "Sure, son, but don’t tell your mother". Hey, it made as much sense as what he said. Horrified, the poor kid just sort of slithered away at the idea that he could actually have mistaken me for father material. I've been told that my recent bout with facial hair has made me look a little older than I really am, but now this twelve-year-old thinks I'm his dad? I'm going home and shaving.
Finding my way back to the Apple Store, I was horrified to find that the store still had at least forty people mingling about, too many of which had their grubby hands on my 12 inch PowerBooks! So I took up residence on a trusty eMac and proceeded to take Deimos Rising for a spin and listened in as patron after patron was fed good-old Apple religion by the employees, one correctly-answered question at a time. "Can Mac computers do Excel?" Yes. "Can you do dual-monitors with this G4 minitower?" Oh yes. "Can you run MS Access databases through Virtual PC?" Well yeah, if you really want to, but there’s also this really cool database application called FileMaker Pro...
I was just about to reach my all-time high score on Deimos Rising (probably lower than your lowest score) when a 12 inch PowerBook finally became unoccupied. I approached the beast, and, well...I should have known it would be a mistake. I want this laptop, as I’ve so clearly stated before. It's becoming something of an unhealthy obsession. At this point, my cell phone rang. It was my clamshell iBook calling from home just to say, "Go ahead and buy the darn laptop already, you self-torturing fool!". Okay, so that didn’t really happen, but what did happen was this: a mall patron stuck his head in the doorway of the store and asked an employee if the store was "all Apple". When the employee responded with a smile, the patron said "I haven’t used a Mac in fifteen years". The employee then invited him in to see the "new operating system", to which the patron obliged, and the game was afoot. When I noticed that my newly-hijacked power toy was catching the man’s eye, I quickly abandoned it so that the employee could continue to work his magic on the unsuspecting future Mac user.
Disappointed at my rotten timing but proud of my small measure of self-sacrifice, I found my way over to a 15 inch PowerBook and launched Adobe Illustrator so that I could at least sketch myself a drawing of the object of my lust, at which point another employee approached me and asked if I was finding everything I needed. I replied that I was just "playing around with what I can’t afford", and she promptly informed me that Apple provides instant financing. Geez, these Apple Store people have just the right answer for everything, don’t they? It's a good thing I wasn't still using the 12 incher when she approached me, I suppose. Realizing that I needed to leave the store for my wallet's sake, I headed out the door. Which leads me to a critical mistake I believe Apple is making with these smaller, theaterless boutique stores: with the registers in the back and not the front, it's far too easy to leave without buying anything. This is good for me, but not for Apple. Subconsciously, many people just don't feel right passing a register on the way out of a store without setting something down on it, even if it's the least expensive item in the store. But I digress. The Apple Stores are there to create mindshare and get people to switch platforms, not to sell trinkets. And on this day in this store, it was most definitely working.
Looking back on my visit, a few things stood out: the 17 inch PowerBook was a complete no-show. No display model, no mention of it, and I wondered if Apple had taken the additional step of removing all instances of the number "17" from the store. Depending on who on the internet you're listening to, you either have to wait months just to get on a waiting list for a 17 incher, or you can just walk into any Apple Store and buy one on the spot. I humbly suggest listening only to those who are saying what you want to hear. And despite rumors of the recent demise of the original 15 inch CRT iMac, one was still on display in the digital photography section, complete with a $799 price tag. Its continued existence starts to seem absurd when you consider that you can pick up a G4-toting, CD-burning, 17-inch CRT sporting, DVD-playing eMac for just $200 more. I can see why Apple wants to make the base iMac disappear. Ironically, it might be the only overpriced model in the whole consumer lineup.
I exited the mall only to find that it was still pouring rain. Not wanting to wait for it to lighten up, I bravely darted out into the monsoon, nearly reaching the back of the parking lot before realizing that I had no idea where I might be able to find my car. Perhaps because I was looking for the white Toyota that I traded last month. But then, spending time with a 12 inch PowerBook will do that to you. When I finally located the car, I stood there for a moment, realizing that I had gotten far more deeply soaked than I had gone to a theme park after all. But the barbecue chicken made it worth it all. Or at least, that's what I'll keep telling myself.
Have you recently witnessed others finding religion at your local Apple Store? Do you find yourself visiting Apple Stores while you’re out of town? Do you bring your Kindergartner with you to the Apple Store just so you'll have an excuse to play the cool eMac games in the kids section? Did your twelve year old son come home this afternoon with a new PlayStation, claiming that some guy in the mall told him it was OK to buy it? Share your wisdom.
Despite living in Florida, I'd never crossed paths with the Apple Store in the Mall at Millenia in Orlando. Two hundred miles was just far enough away to fall outside of my "worth driving there for the grand opening just to get a T-shirt" radius, and besides, Apple has not one but two stores down here in South Florida. But this afternoon, when I found myself not wanting to spend a day in a theme park in the pouring rain on the second day of my weekend Orlando getaway, I figured playing with a 12 inch PowerBook was as good a way to kill time as any.
Many long-time Mac users have described journeying to an Apple Store as a religious experience, some with a straighter face than than others. So when I approached the I-4 exit ramp and I saw a sign that said "Exit 78: Mall at Millenia, Holy Land Experience", I really had to wonder if perhaps Central Floridians take their Macs a bit more seriously than elsewhere. You know, for a moment, I thought I really had something to write home about. I was a bit disappointed, then, to find out that the mall was to the left, and "Holy Land Experience" was to the right.
The Mall at Millenia fits with Apple's trend of placing its stores in upscale malls that feature expensive stores such as Macy’s and Bloomingdale's. Millenia is so disturbingly high-class and futuristic art-deco laden that standing in the central court momentarily made me think I was in EPCOT (minus the talking robots, of course). And there's something just plain wrong when a mall's website requires the Flash plugin. Once inside the mall, finding the Apple Store was easy -- it's the only one with no sign overhead -- and I was a bit miffed to find fifty or more patrons packed into the store. I knew right then that every 12 inch PowerBook would be occupied by some loser who might actually buy one. How dare the Apple Store be so popular? Who do these people think they are, Mac users? Even the cluster of eMacs set aside for kids had a line of people waiting for a turn, and not everyone waiting was exactly a child. I decided there were just too many people doing too much happy-Mac stuff, and headed for the food court.
In case you ever visit Millenia, I can tell you that the Southwest Grill offers succulent barbecue chicken, which kept me away from the pizza stand and on a somewhat healthy eating track for the day until Mrs. Fields reached out and attacked me at the last moment. But while I was innocently enjoying my cookies, a boy who was at least twelve years old grabbed me on the shoulder from behind and said "Dad, can I get one of those PlayStations?". Never passing up an opportunity to turn an uncomfortable moment into an even more uncomfortable one, I turned around and said, "Sure, son, but don’t tell your mother". Hey, it made as much sense as what he said. Horrified, the poor kid just sort of slithered away at the idea that he could actually have mistaken me for father material. I've been told that my recent bout with facial hair has made me look a little older than I really am, but now this twelve-year-old thinks I'm his dad? I'm going home and shaving.
Finding my way back to the Apple Store, I was horrified to find that the store still had at least forty people mingling about, too many of which had their grubby hands on my 12 inch PowerBooks! So I took up residence on a trusty eMac and proceeded to take Deimos Rising for a spin and listened in as patron after patron was fed good-old Apple religion by the employees, one correctly-answered question at a time. "Can Mac computers do Excel?" Yes. "Can you do dual-monitors with this G4 minitower?" Oh yes. "Can you run MS Access databases through Virtual PC?" Well yeah, if you really want to, but there’s also this really cool database application called FileMaker Pro...
I was just about to reach my all-time high score on Deimos Rising (probably lower than your lowest score) when a 12 inch PowerBook finally became unoccupied. I approached the beast, and, well...I should have known it would be a mistake. I want this laptop, as I’ve so clearly stated before. It's becoming something of an unhealthy obsession. At this point, my cell phone rang. It was my clamshell iBook calling from home just to say, "Go ahead and buy the darn laptop already, you self-torturing fool!". Okay, so that didn’t really happen, but what did happen was this: a mall patron stuck his head in the doorway of the store and asked an employee if the store was "all Apple". When the employee responded with a smile, the patron said "I haven’t used a Mac in fifteen years". The employee then invited him in to see the "new operating system", to which the patron obliged, and the game was afoot. When I noticed that my newly-hijacked power toy was catching the man’s eye, I quickly abandoned it so that the employee could continue to work his magic on the unsuspecting future Mac user.
Disappointed at my rotten timing but proud of my small measure of self-sacrifice, I found my way over to a 15 inch PowerBook and launched Adobe Illustrator so that I could at least sketch myself a drawing of the object of my lust, at which point another employee approached me and asked if I was finding everything I needed. I replied that I was just "playing around with what I can’t afford", and she promptly informed me that Apple provides instant financing. Geez, these Apple Store people have just the right answer for everything, don’t they? It's a good thing I wasn't still using the 12 incher when she approached me, I suppose. Realizing that I needed to leave the store for my wallet's sake, I headed out the door. Which leads me to a critical mistake I believe Apple is making with these smaller, theaterless boutique stores: with the registers in the back and not the front, it's far too easy to leave without buying anything. This is good for me, but not for Apple. Subconsciously, many people just don't feel right passing a register on the way out of a store without setting something down on it, even if it's the least expensive item in the store. But I digress. The Apple Stores are there to create mindshare and get people to switch platforms, not to sell trinkets. And on this day in this store, it was most definitely working.
Looking back on my visit, a few things stood out: the 17 inch PowerBook was a complete no-show. No display model, no mention of it, and I wondered if Apple had taken the additional step of removing all instances of the number "17" from the store. Depending on who on the internet you're listening to, you either have to wait months just to get on a waiting list for a 17 incher, or you can just walk into any Apple Store and buy one on the spot. I humbly suggest listening only to those who are saying what you want to hear. And despite rumors of the recent demise of the original 15 inch CRT iMac, one was still on display in the digital photography section, complete with a $799 price tag. Its continued existence starts to seem absurd when you consider that you can pick up a G4-toting, CD-burning, 17-inch CRT sporting, DVD-playing eMac for just $200 more. I can see why Apple wants to make the base iMac disappear. Ironically, it might be the only overpriced model in the whole consumer lineup.
I exited the mall only to find that it was still pouring rain. Not wanting to wait for it to lighten up, I bravely darted out into the monsoon, nearly reaching the back of the parking lot before realizing that I had no idea where I might be able to find my car. Perhaps because I was looking for the white Toyota that I traded last month. But then, spending time with a 12 inch PowerBook will do that to you. When I finally located the car, I stood there for a moment, realizing that I had gotten far more deeply soaked than I had gone to a theme park after all. But the barbecue chicken made it worth it all. Or at least, that's what I'll keep telling myself.
Have you recently witnessed others finding religion at your local Apple Store? Do you find yourself visiting Apple Stores while you’re out of town? Do you bring your Kindergartner with you to the Apple Store just so you'll have an excuse to play the cool eMac games in the kids section? Did your twelve year old son come home this afternoon with a new PlayStation, claiming that some guy in the mall told him it was OK to buy it? Share your wisdom.
Friday, March 21, 2003
LIVE uses Macs in the recording process
In Macs-in-music news, fans of the alternative rock band LIVE will be interested to know that the band apparently used Macintosh computers in the recording of its new album. In studio pictures found on LIVE's website (click here, then choose "1/9/2003--Studio Pictures"), the band can be found working at an audio console whose monitor can clearly be seen running the Macintosh operating system. The studio also sports a PowerMac G4 and a tangerine iMac, for that matter.
LIVE has scored radio hits over the past decade with "I Alone", "Selling the Drama", "All Over You", "Lakini's Juice", "The Dolphin's Cry", and other great songs. The band's new album, "Birds of Pray", will be released in May. How do I know this top-secret information, you may ask? Because lead singer Ed Kowalczyk told me. Well, he told me and a few thousand others during a concert this evening at Florida Atlantic University. For those following the saga of Ed's disappearing and reappearing hair, I can report that once again, his head is clean-shaven. And yes, this was the sixth time I've seen LIVE in concert in the past eight years. They're that good. See them.
In Macs-in-music news, fans of the alternative rock band LIVE will be interested to know that the band apparently used Macintosh computers in the recording of its new album. In studio pictures found on LIVE's website (click here, then choose "1/9/2003--Studio Pictures"), the band can be found working at an audio console whose monitor can clearly be seen running the Macintosh operating system. The studio also sports a PowerMac G4 and a tangerine iMac, for that matter.
LIVE has scored radio hits over the past decade with "I Alone", "Selling the Drama", "All Over You", "Lakini's Juice", "The Dolphin's Cry", and other great songs. The band's new album, "Birds of Pray", will be released in May. How do I know this top-secret information, you may ask? Because lead singer Ed Kowalczyk told me. Well, he told me and a few thousand others during a concert this evening at Florida Atlantic University. For those following the saga of Ed's disappearing and reappearing hair, I can report that once again, his head is clean-shaven. And yes, this was the sixth time I've seen LIVE in concert in the past eight years. They're that good. See them.
Reader feedback: AppleWorks 6, The Missing Manual
In reference my "The Last AppleWorks 6 Review", reader Jim Hancock writes:
I enjoyed your article "The Last Appleworks 6 Review." I went and checked
my version of the program. After that I downloaded the up-date. I wouldn't
have even known there was one if I hadn't read your article. My question
for you is...do you know of a good book on using this lastest version of the
program? Does David Pogue have a "Missing Manual" on this or can you
recommend another source?
Although David Pogue didn't write "AppleWorks 6: The Missing Manual", he edited it and his company published it. It's been a vital part of my tech library (along with several other books from the "Missing Manual" series), and you can find it at amazon.com for under fifteen dollars.
Do you have a burning question about AppleWorks 6 that needs answered? Hit me.
In reference my "The Last AppleWorks 6 Review", reader Jim Hancock writes:
I enjoyed your article "The Last Appleworks 6 Review." I went and checked
my version of the program. After that I downloaded the up-date. I wouldn't
have even known there was one if I hadn't read your article. My question
for you is...do you know of a good book on using this lastest version of the
program? Does David Pogue have a "Missing Manual" on this or can you
recommend another source?
Although David Pogue didn't write "AppleWorks 6: The Missing Manual", he edited it and his company published it. It's been a vital part of my tech library (along with several other books from the "Missing Manual" series), and you can find it at amazon.com for under fifteen dollars.
Do you have a burning question about AppleWorks 6 that needs answered? Hit me.
Thursday, March 20, 2003
The Fiancée Switcher
Charles Gaba, a long-time Mac user and the creator of the excellent and well-circulated "AAPLTalk System Shootouts", has spent the past two months journaling in great detail the story of how his fiancée switched to the Mac platform. Charles shares his story below. It's rather long, but I promise you that it has a happy ending:
29 Jan 2003, 05:56 PM EST
I am happy to report that my fiancee is finally ready to go PowerMac shopping! :)
She's been chomping at the bit for a couple of months now but I convinced her to hold off a bit, knowing that *some* sort of update was forthcoming soon. Thought we'd have to wait another couple of weeks, so yesterday's announcement was a nice surprise.
I'm gonna recommend that she go for either the discontinued DP 867 or the new SP 1 GHz model, both of which are going for $1,500 even.
Normally I'd angle her towards the new 1GHz (about a half-dozen benefits), but I happen to have a spare, free AirPort card which would fit in the DP867 but wouldn't work with the 1GHz.
So, between the two, here's where she would be at ($1,500 total each):
NEW 1GHz:
--faster processor
--faster CD-RW
--faster DVD
--includes FireWire 800
--more VRAM
--Airport Extreme-ready (54 Mbps)
--Bluetooth-ready
--QuickBooks X
--Includes iDVD 3 (I think)
--Quieter (supposedly)
OLD DP867:
--DUAL processors
--would include Airport card (11 Mbps)
Hmm...decisions, decisions...still think I'll recommend the new 1GHz.
--------------------
29 Jan 2003, 11:37 PM EST
Not only is it not a no-brainer, after going over all the specs, we decided to go for the DP 867 after all.
Reasoning?
--Processor: DP 867 vs. 1 GHz
Being from a Unix background, she fully understands SMP and would prefer dual processors to a single CPU that's a bit faster.
Advantage: DP 867
--CD-RW: 16x8x32 vs. 32x10x32
Nice, but she rarely burns CDs. Plus, she has a 48x24x48x CD-RW in her current system which she plans on moving into the 2nd optical bay (assuming it fits & is compatible)
Advantage: 1 GHz, slightly
--DVD-Rom: 8x vs. 12x
Irrelevent; it's not gonna make movies play any faster.
Advantage: n/a
--FireWire: 2@400 Mbps vs. 2@400Mbps+ 1@800Mbps
Irrelevent to her; her peripherals are all USB, and the 400 Mbps FW ports are ample for anything she might add in the future. Not a power user.
Advantage: n/a
--VRAM: 32 MB vs. 64 MB
Irrelevent to her; she's not a gamer. I have a GeForce2 MX w/32 MB and do just fine, and I have far more professional needs.
Advantage: n/a
--Airport: 802.11b vs. 802.11g
Both my PowerMac and my iBook have 802.11b cards already, so 802.11g would be wasted on her system anyway. Plus, I also have a third spare Airport (802.11b) card, which saves her the $100 on an Airport Extreme card. Not to mention that we'll be networked via a Gigabit ethernet hub anyway :)
Advantage: DP 867
--Bluetooth: Both require $50 dongle; external vs. internal (?)
She's not a big fan of wireless peripherals, and her company-provided cellphone isn't Bluetooth-compatible anyway. Besides, as far as I can tell, the only advantage on the new systems is that the adapter *may* go inside instead of using up a USB port outside (?).
Advantage: n/a
--QuickBooks X
She currently uses MSFT Money, which is incompatible with QuickBooks. Not to mention that QuickBooks X is incompatible with QuickBooks for Windows anyway. Solution: probably will continue to use MSFT Money via Virtual PC.
Advantage: n/a
--Includes iDVD 3
I was apparently wrong about this; it's only included with SuperDrive systems anyway. Plus, I'll be getting iDVD myself when I pick up iLife.
Advantage: n/a
--Noise: Loud vs. Quieter (supposedly)
This one, if true, would be a nice bonus.
Advantage: 1 GHz
So, in sum, here's where we're at:
Dual Processors & Airport card favor the DP 867 model.
Faster CD-RW and Quieter system favor the 1 GHz model, but only mildly.
Final advantage in her particular case: DP 867 (assuming they have 'em in stock at our local Apple Store this weekend).
---------------------
30 Jan 2003, 10:40 PM EST
Score! I'm happy to report that this evening my fiancee and I drove out to our local Apple Store and snapped up one of the last DP 867 PowerMac G4 towers, with a 17" Apple Studio Display to match.
Best part? Total cost, including 6% sales tax: $2,118!
It was a floor model, so they knocked an additional $200 off the price, which had of course been dropped $200 already from the old $1,699 price. Add to this the $300 price drop on the 17" ASD, and we ended up paying $700 less for the whole shmear than we would have a week ago.
We're using the savings to beef it up with an extra GB of RAM and some solid speakers.
Needless to say, I'm very happy for her, but also a wee bit jealous (seeing how I laid out $2,500 for my *single* 867 tower just a year & a half ago...without a monitor...(sigh)...)
Ah well...
---------------------
02 Feb 2003, 10:28 PM EST
Home Network Status Update: Bingo! Picked up a 10/100 Base-T Linksys router and WOW, added a bunch of speed as well as a bunch of networking capabilities I didn't realize I was missing.
To explain: It turns out that for some reason, she & I were set up on separate subnets even though we were hooked up to the same cable modem via ethernet hub.
As a result, not only did USB printer sharing not work (you may recall we were having issues with that awhile back), but I was never able to utilize the SMB Windows file sharing from her Win98/Win2K laptop/server. Never understood why it didn't work until tonight.
Anyway, after hooking up the router, not only does all of the above work fine, but our broadband speed seems to have increased considerably--she was hitting nearly 200Kb/second.
And file peer-to-peer file transfer speeds--yes, 100 Base-T is plenty fast; transfered a 49.2 MB file in about 4 seconds (which breaks down to 12.3 MB/second, or 103 Mbps...which is actually slightly *higher* than the 100 Mbps rate...I assume that's just an estimate...
In any event, after doing a clean install of OS 9.2.2 & Jaguar, updating Jaguar to 10.2.3 and all the other updates (iMovie 3, etc.), she's up & running.
Installed Office 2001 (since I only have one copy each of Office X and 2001, and already have X on mine), so she should be pretty much set.
---------------------
10 Feb 2003, 11:52 AM EST
My fiancee recently made the jump, switching from her current Win'98 Laptop/Win 2K Server setup over to a DP 867 Combo Drive PowerMac G4 w/17" ACD.
The Switch has gone fairly smoothly, with the following exceptions; mentioning them here for anyone else who finds themselves (or someone they know) in a similar situation:
1. USB Print Sharing--we had a great deal of difficulty getting this to work until we discovered that for some reason our cable modem provider had us set up on separate subnets; USB printer sharing requires you to be on the same subnet.
Solution: Switched from an old 10 Base-T hub to a new 10/100 Base-T Linksys router. Bingo! We're golden; print sharing works great (if we're both under OS X; doesn't seem to work with Classic printing, ah well).
2. Outlook e-mail/contacts/etc: There seem to be any number of ways of converting/transferring over contacts, appointments, notes, etc. (via Palm, various applescripts, etc.), but the e-mail itself looked to be a bit trickier.
Solution: After trying various resources, including Paul Berkowitz's wonderful applescripts, she figured it out without my assistance:
1) export Outlook for Windows mail to her desktop.
2) import Outlook mail into Netscape 4.x for Windows
3) transfer Netscape files over to the PowerMac
4) import Netscape files into Netscape 4.x (Classic)
5) import Netscape (Classic) files into Entourage 2001 (Classic)
Worked perfectly, including all attachments, mailboxes, etc.
(Reason she's using Office 2001: I have one copy each of Office X & Office 2001, and am already using X myself; she's perfectly happy working in Classic mode, so we saved ourselves $200 on a 2nd copy of Office X).
3. Next Challenge: Microsoft Money/TurboTax.
She's not particularly taken with Money, but that's where all her financial stuff is, and as far as I know it *isn't* compatible with either Quicken or Quickbooks. Obvious solution: Virtual PC 6 (which also supposedly fixes the TurboTax incompatibility issue), but both she and I would prefer to avoid using Windows at all.
---------------------
14 Feb 2003, 11:32 AM EST
Good News: All Outlook e-mail has been successfully transferred, yay!
Good News 2: Turns out that MSFT Money *does* have some sort of conversion compatibility with Mac Quicken
Good News 3: Her Visor successfully synced all of her contacts, calender stuff, etc. with Entourage 2001...UNDER OS 9 NATIVE.
Bad news: After much trial & error, we have determined that you can NOT sync a Palm with Entourage 2001 from within OS X/Classic, unless someone here knows of a resource I haven't found.
Options as we see it:
Option 1: Shell out $99 for Entourage X or $499 for Office X. No deal--she does NOT want to give MSFT one more dime if she can help it.
Option 2: She can natively sync her Palm with Palm Desktop X, *then* export the info to vCal/vCard format, *then* import it back into Entourage 2001. She's not thrilled about this.
Option 3: She can natively sync her Palm with iSync into OS X Address Book, *then* export to vCal/vCard format, *then* import it back into Entourage 2001. Not thrilled about this either.
Option 4: She can reboot into OS 9 native once or twice a week to sync everything up natively, then reboot into OS X. Annoying, but this seems to be her best choice.
----------------------
08 Mar 2003, 04:51 PM EST
OpenOffice.org To The Rescue!
When We Last Left Our Intrepid Heroes...
--Spare, copy of Office 2001 was installed & working smoothly in my fiancee's Classic environment (I had a copy given to me free of charge during my old Demo Day stint)
--Fiancee happy with Entourage, but unhappy about inability to print from Classic environment apps to my USB-shared laser printer (can't use USB printer sharing between OS X and OS 9 environments, or at least Classic).
Solution #1: Installed nifty Classic shareware app PrintToPDF so she can save Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Entourage docs as PDFs, then print them via OS X Preview/Acrobat Reader to my shared USB printer.
Results: This is good, but not perfect--she wants to be able to print files *directly* without having to convert 'em to PDF first. (sigh...)
Solution #2: Installed Apple's X11 beta, which works just fine. Then downloaded the LARGE (164 MB) OpenOffice.org 1.0.1 beta & installed it. Install went smoothly.
Results: She LOVES OpenOffice. It imports her Word & Excel files just about perfectly (haven't tried PowerPoint yet). Options/preferences/etc. VERY extensive & easy to follow (for the most part). She's already thinking about trashing MSFT Word, Excel, & PowerPoint (I told her to hold off a bit yet).
HOWEVER, the USB printer sharing is still a bit tricky--it doesn't work from within the X11 environment, although the X11 Printer Setup test *does* print a test sheet to my laser printer, so we *know* it works.
At this point, we're *completely* out of the Mac dimension and inside the Unix dimension--I'm over my head. Fortunately, she's a Unix geek and goes to work on the X11 terminal. Half an hour later, VOILA, she's able to print an OpenOffice spreadsheet (imported from MSFT Excel) to my printer. YAYYYY!
Conclusion: ALL of her printing wishes are now answered, with one exception: there's no Entourage/Outlook app included with OpenOffice. Fortunately, she's ok with using PrintToPDF for any e-mail she needs to print (which is rare), so that's not a problem.
I swear, going with a Unix core is the single most brilliant move Apple/Jobs have made since he came back (which I guess was kind of the point).
-------------------------
20 Mar 2003, 05:39 PM EST
Settling In
OK, so now that she has all her stuff transferred over, she finally decided to enhance her desktop a bit to make life with her new Mac even better, so I introduced her to possibly the most wonderful shareware app known to man: DragThing. If you’ve used it, you know that it kicks every other “app-launcher”/shortcut-holder/whatever app away, including the OS X Dock itself! If you haven’t used it, check it out at http://www.dragthing.com.
Next, she finally got around to hooking up her own printer (well, actually my old one which I gave to her...an “ancient” Epson Stylus 740 inkjet. Noisy as hell, takes forever to run through its’ startup cycle, and the ink heads are a bit blurry, but it works and saves her the trouble of walking across the house to my laser printer. This is temporary; we’ll be picking up a new photo printer for her sooner or later, but it’s fine for now. Setting it up for OS 9 and X is a snap; installing the drivers for OpenOffice are a bit more tricky but she’s a whiz with Unix-y stuff, so she figures it out in about 15 minutes. Plus, she can print directly from Entourage 2001 via the Classic Epson driver, which solves the one lingering printing issue she was having. (as an added bonus, I have my beloved Brother HL-1240 laser printer back to myself, yayyy! Mine, mine, mine!)
Finally, just today, possibly a first in the history of the personal computer: She’s working on her laptop (no way around it--this one is for her workplace which has all sorts of Oracle- and Lotus-type software requiring an x86 machine), and the little “pencil eraser”-type joystick nub thing has completely worn out. Since she’s using a Logitech 2-button scroll mouse on her Mac, she has the original Apple Pro Mouse to spare..and plugs it into her Windows 2000 Toshiba laptop. Win2K has to install the drivers & reboot before it can use the mouse, but voila, she’s up & running.
Thanks again to Charles for sharing this fascinating story. If you haven't taken a look at his System Shootouts, you should.
Charles Gaba, a long-time Mac user and the creator of the excellent and well-circulated "AAPLTalk System Shootouts", has spent the past two months journaling in great detail the story of how his fiancée switched to the Mac platform. Charles shares his story below. It's rather long, but I promise you that it has a happy ending:
29 Jan 2003, 05:56 PM EST
I am happy to report that my fiancee is finally ready to go PowerMac shopping! :)
She's been chomping at the bit for a couple of months now but I convinced her to hold off a bit, knowing that *some* sort of update was forthcoming soon. Thought we'd have to wait another couple of weeks, so yesterday's announcement was a nice surprise.
I'm gonna recommend that she go for either the discontinued DP 867 or the new SP 1 GHz model, both of which are going for $1,500 even.
Normally I'd angle her towards the new 1GHz (about a half-dozen benefits), but I happen to have a spare, free AirPort card which would fit in the DP867 but wouldn't work with the 1GHz.
So, between the two, here's where she would be at ($1,500 total each):
NEW 1GHz:
--faster processor
--faster CD-RW
--faster DVD
--includes FireWire 800
--more VRAM
--Airport Extreme-ready (54 Mbps)
--Bluetooth-ready
--QuickBooks X
--Includes iDVD 3 (I think)
--Quieter (supposedly)
OLD DP867:
--DUAL processors
--would include Airport card (11 Mbps)
Hmm...decisions, decisions...still think I'll recommend the new 1GHz.
--------------------
29 Jan 2003, 11:37 PM EST
Not only is it not a no-brainer, after going over all the specs, we decided to go for the DP 867 after all.
Reasoning?
--Processor: DP 867 vs. 1 GHz
Being from a Unix background, she fully understands SMP and would prefer dual processors to a single CPU that's a bit faster.
Advantage: DP 867
--CD-RW: 16x8x32 vs. 32x10x32
Nice, but she rarely burns CDs. Plus, she has a 48x24x48x CD-RW in her current system which she plans on moving into the 2nd optical bay (assuming it fits & is compatible)
Advantage: 1 GHz, slightly
--DVD-Rom: 8x vs. 12x
Irrelevent; it's not gonna make movies play any faster.
Advantage: n/a
--FireWire: 2@400 Mbps vs. 2@400Mbps+ 1@800Mbps
Irrelevent to her; her peripherals are all USB, and the 400 Mbps FW ports are ample for anything she might add in the future. Not a power user.
Advantage: n/a
--VRAM: 32 MB vs. 64 MB
Irrelevent to her; she's not a gamer. I have a GeForce2 MX w/32 MB and do just fine, and I have far more professional needs.
Advantage: n/a
--Airport: 802.11b vs. 802.11g
Both my PowerMac and my iBook have 802.11b cards already, so 802.11g would be wasted on her system anyway. Plus, I also have a third spare Airport (802.11b) card, which saves her the $100 on an Airport Extreme card. Not to mention that we'll be networked via a Gigabit ethernet hub anyway :)
Advantage: DP 867
--Bluetooth: Both require $50 dongle; external vs. internal (?)
She's not a big fan of wireless peripherals, and her company-provided cellphone isn't Bluetooth-compatible anyway. Besides, as far as I can tell, the only advantage on the new systems is that the adapter *may* go inside instead of using up a USB port outside (?).
Advantage: n/a
--QuickBooks X
She currently uses MSFT Money, which is incompatible with QuickBooks. Not to mention that QuickBooks X is incompatible with QuickBooks for Windows anyway. Solution: probably will continue to use MSFT Money via Virtual PC.
Advantage: n/a
--Includes iDVD 3
I was apparently wrong about this; it's only included with SuperDrive systems anyway. Plus, I'll be getting iDVD myself when I pick up iLife.
Advantage: n/a
--Noise: Loud vs. Quieter (supposedly)
This one, if true, would be a nice bonus.
Advantage: 1 GHz
So, in sum, here's where we're at:
Dual Processors & Airport card favor the DP 867 model.
Faster CD-RW and Quieter system favor the 1 GHz model, but only mildly.
Final advantage in her particular case: DP 867 (assuming they have 'em in stock at our local Apple Store this weekend).
---------------------
30 Jan 2003, 10:40 PM EST
Score! I'm happy to report that this evening my fiancee and I drove out to our local Apple Store and snapped up one of the last DP 867 PowerMac G4 towers, with a 17" Apple Studio Display to match.
Best part? Total cost, including 6% sales tax: $2,118!
It was a floor model, so they knocked an additional $200 off the price, which had of course been dropped $200 already from the old $1,699 price. Add to this the $300 price drop on the 17" ASD, and we ended up paying $700 less for the whole shmear than we would have a week ago.
We're using the savings to beef it up with an extra GB of RAM and some solid speakers.
Needless to say, I'm very happy for her, but also a wee bit jealous (seeing how I laid out $2,500 for my *single* 867 tower just a year & a half ago...without a monitor...(sigh)...)
Ah well...
---------------------
02 Feb 2003, 10:28 PM EST
Home Network Status Update: Bingo! Picked up a 10/100 Base-T Linksys router and WOW, added a bunch of speed as well as a bunch of networking capabilities I didn't realize I was missing.
To explain: It turns out that for some reason, she & I were set up on separate subnets even though we were hooked up to the same cable modem via ethernet hub.
As a result, not only did USB printer sharing not work (you may recall we were having issues with that awhile back), but I was never able to utilize the SMB Windows file sharing from her Win98/Win2K laptop/server. Never understood why it didn't work until tonight.
Anyway, after hooking up the router, not only does all of the above work fine, but our broadband speed seems to have increased considerably--she was hitting nearly 200Kb/second.
And file peer-to-peer file transfer speeds--yes, 100 Base-T is plenty fast; transfered a 49.2 MB file in about 4 seconds (which breaks down to 12.3 MB/second, or 103 Mbps...which is actually slightly *higher* than the 100 Mbps rate...I assume that's just an estimate...
In any event, after doing a clean install of OS 9.2.2 & Jaguar, updating Jaguar to 10.2.3 and all the other updates (iMovie 3, etc.), she's up & running.
Installed Office 2001 (since I only have one copy each of Office X and 2001, and already have X on mine), so she should be pretty much set.
---------------------
10 Feb 2003, 11:52 AM EST
My fiancee recently made the jump, switching from her current Win'98 Laptop/Win 2K Server setup over to a DP 867 Combo Drive PowerMac G4 w/17" ACD.
The Switch has gone fairly smoothly, with the following exceptions; mentioning them here for anyone else who finds themselves (or someone they know) in a similar situation:
1. USB Print Sharing--we had a great deal of difficulty getting this to work until we discovered that for some reason our cable modem provider had us set up on separate subnets; USB printer sharing requires you to be on the same subnet.
Solution: Switched from an old 10 Base-T hub to a new 10/100 Base-T Linksys router. Bingo! We're golden; print sharing works great (if we're both under OS X; doesn't seem to work with Classic printing, ah well).
2. Outlook e-mail/contacts/etc: There seem to be any number of ways of converting/transferring over contacts, appointments, notes, etc. (via Palm, various applescripts, etc.), but the e-mail itself looked to be a bit trickier.
Solution: After trying various resources, including Paul Berkowitz's wonderful applescripts, she figured it out without my assistance:
1) export Outlook for Windows mail to her desktop.
2) import Outlook mail into Netscape 4.x for Windows
3) transfer Netscape files over to the PowerMac
4) import Netscape files into Netscape 4.x (Classic)
5) import Netscape (Classic) files into Entourage 2001 (Classic)
Worked perfectly, including all attachments, mailboxes, etc.
(Reason she's using Office 2001: I have one copy each of Office X & Office 2001, and am already using X myself; she's perfectly happy working in Classic mode, so we saved ourselves $200 on a 2nd copy of Office X).
3. Next Challenge: Microsoft Money/TurboTax.
She's not particularly taken with Money, but that's where all her financial stuff is, and as far as I know it *isn't* compatible with either Quicken or Quickbooks. Obvious solution: Virtual PC 6 (which also supposedly fixes the TurboTax incompatibility issue), but both she and I would prefer to avoid using Windows at all.
---------------------
14 Feb 2003, 11:32 AM EST
Good News: All Outlook e-mail has been successfully transferred, yay!
Good News 2: Turns out that MSFT Money *does* have some sort of conversion compatibility with Mac Quicken
Good News 3: Her Visor successfully synced all of her contacts, calender stuff, etc. with Entourage 2001...UNDER OS 9 NATIVE.
Bad news: After much trial & error, we have determined that you can NOT sync a Palm with Entourage 2001 from within OS X/Classic, unless someone here knows of a resource I haven't found.
Options as we see it:
Option 1: Shell out $99 for Entourage X or $499 for Office X. No deal--she does NOT want to give MSFT one more dime if she can help it.
Option 2: She can natively sync her Palm with Palm Desktop X, *then* export the info to vCal/vCard format, *then* import it back into Entourage 2001. She's not thrilled about this.
Option 3: She can natively sync her Palm with iSync into OS X Address Book, *then* export to vCal/vCard format, *then* import it back into Entourage 2001. Not thrilled about this either.
Option 4: She can reboot into OS 9 native once or twice a week to sync everything up natively, then reboot into OS X. Annoying, but this seems to be her best choice.
----------------------
08 Mar 2003, 04:51 PM EST
OpenOffice.org To The Rescue!
When We Last Left Our Intrepid Heroes...
--Spare, copy of Office 2001 was installed & working smoothly in my fiancee's Classic environment (I had a copy given to me free of charge during my old Demo Day stint)
--Fiancee happy with Entourage, but unhappy about inability to print from Classic environment apps to my USB-shared laser printer (can't use USB printer sharing between OS X and OS 9 environments, or at least Classic).
Solution #1: Installed nifty Classic shareware app PrintToPDF so she can save Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Entourage docs as PDFs, then print them via OS X Preview/Acrobat Reader to my shared USB printer.
Results: This is good, but not perfect--she wants to be able to print files *directly* without having to convert 'em to PDF first. (sigh...)
Solution #2: Installed Apple's X11 beta, which works just fine. Then downloaded the LARGE (164 MB) OpenOffice.org 1.0.1 beta & installed it. Install went smoothly.
Results: She LOVES OpenOffice. It imports her Word & Excel files just about perfectly (haven't tried PowerPoint yet). Options/preferences/etc. VERY extensive & easy to follow (for the most part). She's already thinking about trashing MSFT Word, Excel, & PowerPoint (I told her to hold off a bit yet).
HOWEVER, the USB printer sharing is still a bit tricky--it doesn't work from within the X11 environment, although the X11 Printer Setup test *does* print a test sheet to my laser printer, so we *know* it works.
At this point, we're *completely* out of the Mac dimension and inside the Unix dimension--I'm over my head. Fortunately, she's a Unix geek and goes to work on the X11 terminal. Half an hour later, VOILA, she's able to print an OpenOffice spreadsheet (imported from MSFT Excel) to my printer. YAYYYY!
Conclusion: ALL of her printing wishes are now answered, with one exception: there's no Entourage/Outlook app included with OpenOffice. Fortunately, she's ok with using PrintToPDF for any e-mail she needs to print (which is rare), so that's not a problem.
I swear, going with a Unix core is the single most brilliant move Apple/Jobs have made since he came back (which I guess was kind of the point).
-------------------------
20 Mar 2003, 05:39 PM EST
Settling In
OK, so now that she has all her stuff transferred over, she finally decided to enhance her desktop a bit to make life with her new Mac even better, so I introduced her to possibly the most wonderful shareware app known to man: DragThing. If you’ve used it, you know that it kicks every other “app-launcher”/shortcut-holder/whatever app away, including the OS X Dock itself! If you haven’t used it, check it out at http://www.dragthing.com.
Next, she finally got around to hooking up her own printer (well, actually my old one which I gave to her...an “ancient” Epson Stylus 740 inkjet. Noisy as hell, takes forever to run through its’ startup cycle, and the ink heads are a bit blurry, but it works and saves her the trouble of walking across the house to my laser printer. This is temporary; we’ll be picking up a new photo printer for her sooner or later, but it’s fine for now. Setting it up for OS 9 and X is a snap; installing the drivers for OpenOffice are a bit more tricky but she’s a whiz with Unix-y stuff, so she figures it out in about 15 minutes. Plus, she can print directly from Entourage 2001 via the Classic Epson driver, which solves the one lingering printing issue she was having. (as an added bonus, I have my beloved Brother HL-1240 laser printer back to myself, yayyy! Mine, mine, mine!)
Finally, just today, possibly a first in the history of the personal computer: She’s working on her laptop (no way around it--this one is for her workplace which has all sorts of Oracle- and Lotus-type software requiring an x86 machine), and the little “pencil eraser”-type joystick nub thing has completely worn out. Since she’s using a Logitech 2-button scroll mouse on her Mac, she has the original Apple Pro Mouse to spare..and plugs it into her Windows 2000 Toshiba laptop. Win2K has to install the drivers & reboot before it can use the mouse, but voila, she’s up & running.
Thanks again to Charles for sharing this fascinating story. If you haven't taken a look at his System Shootouts, you should.
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
Notes on Keynote
In reference to Apple's "Keynote and iLife for $14.95" promotion, a reader writes in to inform us that the "education discount is only for faculty. Working in education counts for diddly-squat if you are not a teacher." After re-reading the fine print, I'm afraid he's right. This is an error on Apple's part and I hope they correct it next time around. While I suppose Apple is simply trying to protect against school employees with no connection to the educational process from taking advantage of the deal, Apple has also managed to exclude those school-based technology coordinators whose official job title is something other than "teacher" -- effectively excluding the one person at each school who can help Apple's cause the most. By the way, time is running out to take advantage of the offer. Educators, eh, teachers, have precisely eleven days left.
On a lighter note, the same reader also states that "Inspector Gadget was not a cartoon". On this point, I beg to differ. The cartoon rocked. Eat your heart out, Matthew Broderick.
In reference to Apple's "Keynote and iLife for $14.95" promotion, a reader writes in to inform us that the "education discount is only for faculty. Working in education counts for diddly-squat if you are not a teacher." After re-reading the fine print, I'm afraid he's right. This is an error on Apple's part and I hope they correct it next time around. While I suppose Apple is simply trying to protect against school employees with no connection to the educational process from taking advantage of the deal, Apple has also managed to exclude those school-based technology coordinators whose official job title is something other than "teacher" -- effectively excluding the one person at each school who can help Apple's cause the most. By the way, time is running out to take advantage of the offer. Educators, eh, teachers, have precisely eleven days left.
On a lighter note, the same reader also states that "Inspector Gadget was not a cartoon". On this point, I beg to differ. The cartoon rocked. Eat your heart out, Matthew Broderick.
Learning to live with it
Jack Florence writes in to let us know that in applications with automatic spell-checking, you can control-click on a word that has been flagged and choose "learn spelling" or "ignore spelling". This is going to be particularly handy for me now that I have to put up with auto-spell-check not only in Mail.app, but also Keynote.
Jack Florence writes in to let us know that in applications with automatic spell-checking, you can control-click on a word that has been flagged and choose "learn spelling" or "ignore spelling". This is going to be particularly handy for me now that I have to put up with auto-spell-check not only in Mail.app, but also Keynote.
Al Gore joins Apple's Board of Directors
MacCentral is reporting that former United States Vice President Al Gore has joined Apple's Board of Directors. There will be endless political and speculation-based commentary written within the Apple arena regarding this development in the next few days, so I won't add to it. At least not until it gets interesting.
MacCentral is reporting that former United States Vice President Al Gore has joined Apple's Board of Directors. There will be endless political and speculation-based commentary written within the Apple arena regarding this development in the next few days, so I won't add to it. At least not until it gets interesting.
Unintentional reader feedback: Yao Ming and Dave Matthews tickets
One of the coolest things about having your own website is that you get to see where your readers are coming from. Rest easy, internet fraud conspiracy theorists, the only information registered is the referring site's address, and the users remain anonymous. Users of search engines often discover this site without intending to. Occasionally, the results are quite humorous. So to those readers who were looking for something entirely different but chose to come here anyway, I salute you. And I'm going to try to help you out if I can.
There was one reader who was searching for a "yao ming and mini me desktop picture" but ended up finding his or her way to my "I want a 12" PowerBook. I want one now." article. Believe it or not, I have just what you're looking for. If you're reading this, email me and I'll send it to you.
Another reader wanted "cheap tickets for dave matthews and tim reynolds" but ended up finding my "Ten Questions with Waldo Jaquith of nancies.org" interview. Dave and Tim haven't performed together since the nineties. These tickets are so in demand and hard to find that my "in-the-industry" connections in Manhattan managed to land me a whopping 120th place on a waiting list for the Radio City Music Hall show. So if you do find Dave and Tim tickets on the cheap, let me know!
One of the coolest things about having your own website is that you get to see where your readers are coming from. Rest easy, internet fraud conspiracy theorists, the only information registered is the referring site's address, and the users remain anonymous. Users of search engines often discover this site without intending to. Occasionally, the results are quite humorous. So to those readers who were looking for something entirely different but chose to come here anyway, I salute you. And I'm going to try to help you out if I can.
There was one reader who was searching for a "yao ming and mini me desktop picture" but ended up finding his or her way to my "I want a 12" PowerBook. I want one now." article. Believe it or not, I have just what you're looking for. If you're reading this, email me and I'll send it to you.
Another reader wanted "cheap tickets for dave matthews and tim reynolds" but ended up finding my "Ten Questions with Waldo Jaquith of nancies.org" interview. Dave and Tim haven't performed together since the nineties. These tickets are so in demand and hard to find that my "in-the-industry" connections in Manhattan managed to land me a whopping 120th place on a waiting list for the Radio City Music Hall show. So if you do find Dave and Tim tickets on the cheap, let me know!
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Macs fight back in education
My "Two Year Rule" states that it takes two years for new information about computers to funnel down through all the marketing, misinterpretations, and know-it-all brother-in-laws to find its way to the typical consumer. As such, consumers tend to make their computing purchases based on what was true two years ago. In the education arena, the "Two Year Rule" often extends to four or five years. In general, districts like to be conservative when adopting new technology (regardless of its benefits), school tech specialists often prefer to stick with what they know (as opposed to what's best), and teachers are usually too busy changing the lives of children to pay much attention to technology trends.
I make it a priority to fight the "Two Year Rule" in my school by regularly throwing the "new stuff" in the direction of my teachers and administrators and then letting them decide what should stick. Not only have the majority of my teachers chosen to migrate to MacOS X on their school laptops already, about a fourth of them have chosen to beta-test Safari along with me. Unfortunately, this is not the case in far too many other schools. So if I read about a district choosing to abandon the Mac platform, I am convinced that this decision is being made based on what was wrong with Apple back in 1997. Nevermind that in the past five years, Apple has graced us with the perfect education computers (the original iMac, then the eMac), the ideal education suite (AppleWorks 6.2), the world's most advanced operating system (MacOS X), and applications that can change the way we educate students (iMovie, iPhoto, even Keynote). Sadly, most of that is still slowly sinking in for large chunks of the education arena, so PC's have been purchased by those who simply didn't "get it" yet.
All things sink in eventually, so it stands to reason that many of those schools who junked up the place with truckloads of PC's would eventually have to humbly inch back toward the Mac once they realized that they were missing out on all the things that their students and teachers could have been accomplishing if they'd just stuck with Macs in the first place. But just as there's no more vocal a non-smoker than someone who has kicked the habit, there's no greater adorer of the Mac than someone who switched away from it only to later switch back. If school districts can be personified in such a way, then perhaps we're in for a whole lotta Mac-lovin' going on in schools as they re-embrace what they realize they should never have forsaken.
When I asked if any readers were lone Mac users in a land of PC's, I was expecting responses from corporate readers. But two education stories I received stood out. Joe Croker (not to be confused with Joe Cocker) wrote in to share that his Media Lab is beginning to revive some of that old-time religion:
I spend several hours a day working among teachers in a Media Lab with 12 VAIOs and one Macintosh G4 Quicksilver. The folks who outfitted the lab decided to phase out Macs and use the Sonys as "ultimate multimedia machines." In practice, the Sonys have been solid machines for general purpose uses but a bust for video work. By comparison, the Mac is constantly in use, and the tech coordinator who instructs faculty on multimedia projects has come to rely on the Mac exclusively for video.
As our program expands, we have convinced the powers that be that more Macs are needed. Six have arrived from the Apple store, and we will be outfitting them with After Effects 5.5, Final Cut Pro Express, and a host of other applications. A final note—regarding Windows XP. For all of the supposed benefits of Microsoft's newest operating system, I've found it to be lackluster.
Perhaps the more intriguing case arises when a school gets religion for the first time. Howard Johnston (not be confused with Howard Johnson or Howard Johnson's -- hey what's going on here with the celebrity sound-alike names from the mailbag today?) wrote in to share the story of how he's changing his school one Switcher at a time:
I'm a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District. My school is completely pc except for me. I recently got a new iMac Flat Screen with a grant I received. Once I set it up in my classroom, our tech guy at our school who is completely PC (He had recently bought a Dell), loved it and bought one himself (for home use). I also showed a teacher how easy it was to use iPhoto and iMovie. She used it to make a wedding album and movie and burn them onto a DVD. She was so impressed that everything came already installed, she decided to buy one herself. The more I show the teachers and explain to them the ease at which things can be done, the more I think I can keep changing things here.
The importance of the connection between which computers teachers have at home and which computers they're willing to accept at school cannot be overstated. You want to turn your PC-clad school into a Mac haven? Start with the teachers. Get them to see what personal computing is supposed to be like, and then they'll start to see what educational computing is supposed to be like, and then they'll realize that it can only be accomplished on a Mac, after which they'll accept no substitute. Campaigns to litter schools with PC's usually rely on doing it all in the dark, using reasons that don't make sense when held up to the light, and relying on the fact that teachers are too busy teaching to notice. If a faculty collectively decides that it wants Macs in the school, it'll happen. Even if it takes a few years longer than it should.
Joe Croker sums it all up:
Often [the Sony Vaio] doesn't work at all. I can't begin to describe to you the frustration I've felt during countless "Bill Gates moments," as I've found myself waiting and waiting only to have the system stop responding. All anyone can do at that point is mumble, "He has $55 billion and I still can't transfer a file...." The Macintosh suffers from no such idiosyncrasies. I'll stick with what works.
Are you successfully turning a PC school on to the advantages of the Mac, one person at a time? Brag about it.
My "Two Year Rule" states that it takes two years for new information about computers to funnel down through all the marketing, misinterpretations, and know-it-all brother-in-laws to find its way to the typical consumer. As such, consumers tend to make their computing purchases based on what was true two years ago. In the education arena, the "Two Year Rule" often extends to four or five years. In general, districts like to be conservative when adopting new technology (regardless of its benefits), school tech specialists often prefer to stick with what they know (as opposed to what's best), and teachers are usually too busy changing the lives of children to pay much attention to technology trends.
I make it a priority to fight the "Two Year Rule" in my school by regularly throwing the "new stuff" in the direction of my teachers and administrators and then letting them decide what should stick. Not only have the majority of my teachers chosen to migrate to MacOS X on their school laptops already, about a fourth of them have chosen to beta-test Safari along with me. Unfortunately, this is not the case in far too many other schools. So if I read about a district choosing to abandon the Mac platform, I am convinced that this decision is being made based on what was wrong with Apple back in 1997. Nevermind that in the past five years, Apple has graced us with the perfect education computers (the original iMac, then the eMac), the ideal education suite (AppleWorks 6.2), the world's most advanced operating system (MacOS X), and applications that can change the way we educate students (iMovie, iPhoto, even Keynote). Sadly, most of that is still slowly sinking in for large chunks of the education arena, so PC's have been purchased by those who simply didn't "get it" yet.
All things sink in eventually, so it stands to reason that many of those schools who junked up the place with truckloads of PC's would eventually have to humbly inch back toward the Mac once they realized that they were missing out on all the things that their students and teachers could have been accomplishing if they'd just stuck with Macs in the first place. But just as there's no more vocal a non-smoker than someone who has kicked the habit, there's no greater adorer of the Mac than someone who switched away from it only to later switch back. If school districts can be personified in such a way, then perhaps we're in for a whole lotta Mac-lovin' going on in schools as they re-embrace what they realize they should never have forsaken.
When I asked if any readers were lone Mac users in a land of PC's, I was expecting responses from corporate readers. But two education stories I received stood out. Joe Croker (not to be confused with Joe Cocker) wrote in to share that his Media Lab is beginning to revive some of that old-time religion:
I spend several hours a day working among teachers in a Media Lab with 12 VAIOs and one Macintosh G4 Quicksilver. The folks who outfitted the lab decided to phase out Macs and use the Sonys as "ultimate multimedia machines." In practice, the Sonys have been solid machines for general purpose uses but a bust for video work. By comparison, the Mac is constantly in use, and the tech coordinator who instructs faculty on multimedia projects has come to rely on the Mac exclusively for video.
As our program expands, we have convinced the powers that be that more Macs are needed. Six have arrived from the Apple store, and we will be outfitting them with After Effects 5.5, Final Cut Pro Express, and a host of other applications. A final note—regarding Windows XP. For all of the supposed benefits of Microsoft's newest operating system, I've found it to be lackluster.
Perhaps the more intriguing case arises when a school gets religion for the first time. Howard Johnston (not be confused with Howard Johnson or Howard Johnson's -- hey what's going on here with the celebrity sound-alike names from the mailbag today?) wrote in to share the story of how he's changing his school one Switcher at a time:
I'm a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District. My school is completely pc except for me. I recently got a new iMac Flat Screen with a grant I received. Once I set it up in my classroom, our tech guy at our school who is completely PC (He had recently bought a Dell), loved it and bought one himself (for home use). I also showed a teacher how easy it was to use iPhoto and iMovie. She used it to make a wedding album and movie and burn them onto a DVD. She was so impressed that everything came already installed, she decided to buy one herself. The more I show the teachers and explain to them the ease at which things can be done, the more I think I can keep changing things here.
The importance of the connection between which computers teachers have at home and which computers they're willing to accept at school cannot be overstated. You want to turn your PC-clad school into a Mac haven? Start with the teachers. Get them to see what personal computing is supposed to be like, and then they'll start to see what educational computing is supposed to be like, and then they'll realize that it can only be accomplished on a Mac, after which they'll accept no substitute. Campaigns to litter schools with PC's usually rely on doing it all in the dark, using reasons that don't make sense when held up to the light, and relying on the fact that teachers are too busy teaching to notice. If a faculty collectively decides that it wants Macs in the school, it'll happen. Even if it takes a few years longer than it should.
Joe Croker sums it all up:
Often [the Sony Vaio] doesn't work at all. I can't begin to describe to you the frustration I've felt during countless "Bill Gates moments," as I've found myself waiting and waiting only to have the system stop responding. All anyone can do at that point is mumble, "He has $55 billion and I still can't transfer a file...." The Macintosh suffers from no such idiosyncrasies. I'll stick with what works.
Are you successfully turning a PC school on to the advantages of the Mac, one person at a time? Brag about it.
Monday, March 17, 2003
The Last AppleWorks 6 Review
I guess the sixth time is the charm for AppleWorks 6. That's not a reference to the version number. Six is the number of revisions of AppleWorks 6 there have been since its initial release two years ago. AppleWorks 6.0 was not exactly what you would call a completed application. Versions 6.03 and 6.04 fixed (a few) bugs, but that's about all. The 6.1.2 update made AppleWorks seem like real software. Finally, versions 6.2.2 and 6.2.4 turned AppleWorks into what it was trying to be from the start: the most intuitive consumer application on the market today. So why bother reviewing it at this late date? Because most reviewers (and unfortunately, many users) wrote off AppleWorks 6 as a bust long before the string of updates had the chance to turn Pinocchio in a real productivity suite. By reading this, perhaps some users will be able to uncover the gem that's been hiding in their Mac's Applications folder since they bought it.
AppleWorks 6 had two strikes against it before it was even released. First, it's not version 6 of anything. Its stepfather, ClarisWorks, had been in the hands of Claris Corporation for years until Steve Jobs decided that he wanted Apple's flagship productivity application to be directly in the hands of Apple's developers. ClarisWorks 5.02 became AppleWorks 5.03, and then Apple set out to redesign the application from the ground up. The resulting product was really version 1.0 of an entirely new product, but for continuity's sake it was given the name "AppleWorks 6". Longtime users of ClarisWorks who thought they were getting an upgraded version of their beloved application were shocked to find that more things were different than had remained the same.
The second strike against AppleWorks 6 is that not only did Apple develop it simultaneously for MacOS 9 and MacOS X, Apple did it at a time when OS X was still in beta-testing and far from a finished platform. Faced with creating a new application for two operating systems, one of which didn't quite exist yet, Apple ended up releasing a product that left scores of users howling. It was too slow, it crashed too often, it was lacking too many of the features that ClarisWorks had always had, and perhaps most offensively of all, it was different.
Many of the complaints were legitimate. The translation features that had made ClarisWorks compatible with so many other word processors had simply disappeared. The new "Clippings" image library contained higher-quality images, but they were far fewer in number than what could be found in ClarisWorks. And the instability could be maddening. If you didn't save your work every five minutes, you were going to lose something (your lunch, in some cases). The fact that AppleWorks 6 needed about twice as much RAM memory as its predecessor in order to be usable didn't help back in the days before you could buy a RAM upgrade for the price of a cup of coffee. There were enough quirky bugs in the initial AppleWorks 6.0 release to make you look over your shoulder occasionally for a Twilight Zone logo flashing overhead.
Apple released the 6.0.3 updater rather quickly, which squashed some bugs but introduced others that had to be corrected with the 6.0.4 updater, released days later. The app still wasn't ready for prime time, but it did have a certain draw to it. While still relying on Claris, er, AppleWorks 5.0 for my real work, I began to dabble more and more in the land of 6.04. I liked it. It felt more flexible and adaptive than its predecessor -- more human, if you will. What others derided as a big doofy interface, I saw as intuitive and inviting. When The 6.1.2 updater arrived, and my school district purchased an unlimited software license, it was finally time to unleash AppleWorks 6 on my students. They loved it. The new image library, in its big and doofy way, was more accessible to them. The fact that the menus at the top of the screen changed based on what type of item was selected didn’t seem to bother them. And the new "Presentation" module, a bare-bones slide show tool that allows for quick-and-simple slide creation, opened up whole new creative possibilities for younger students. Apple later released version 6.2.2 for OS X, followed by a final release that updated to version 6.2.4 on OS X (or 6.2.3 on OS 9), putting the finishing touches on what I now consider to be the most essential piece of software in my life.
So what's so great about it? It's a word processor. It's a spreadsheet. It's a database. It's a drawing and painting program. But it's more than the sum of its parts. If you're comfortable with one module, your skills easily translate to the other modules. Unlike other software "suites" that consist of a half-dozen nothing-in-common standalone products bundled together for marketing purposes, the modules in AppleWorks 6 are so tightly integrated that they all manage to fit within one application. When you first launch AppleWorks, you get a floating window that allows you to choose among the six modules, or select an automated assistant that uses one (or more) of those six modules to easily create end products that we all need. Everyday necessities including monthly calendars (drawing module) and business cards (database module) can all be whipped up in a few keystrokes.
The AppleWorks Word Processing module doesn't have the bells and whistles of Microsoft Word, and that's precisely why use it. Word processing is one of the oldest, simplest functions of a personal computer, and it's the one thing that everyone and their grandmother should be able to grasp within a few minutes of the first time they touch a computer. Why is it, then, that the predominant word processor, Microsoft Word, is one of the most complicated, cumbersome, and confounding applications ever created? How can something seemingly as simple as typing words and printing them out possibly require nineteen separate toolbars? I always picture a room full of twisted Microsoft developers laughing every time MS Word decides to auto-capitalize a word that I keep denoting as lower case, or engage me in a death match over how my list items should be numbered. If a piece of software is going to proclaim that it's smarter than me, then it sure better be. And Word doesn’t even come close.
For that reason alone, I adore AppleWorks 6. Although its word processing module doesn't automatically check my spelling as I go, and it doesn't even have a built-in laundry service, I can live with its mere mortal status. Every important feature is within clicking distance. Formatting tools such as center-justify, double-space, font, and text size are all embedded in the top of the document, not buried on some hidden palette or menu. And dropping a painting or spreadsheet frame in your document is as easy as two clicks. Therein lies the beauty of the beast: in AppleWorks, you’re always using all six modules at the same time, whether you know it or not.
The drawing module is the page layout tool for the rest of us. While following all the rules of a vector graphics tool, it doesn't assume anything about the user's skill level. Although an experienced user can quickly align several objects by highlighting them and pressing Shift-Apple-K to bring up the alignment dialog, novice users will never have to see that level of complication until they’re ready for it.
AppleWorks 6 even has a painting module that allows you to pretend you're using a professional freehand illustrating application. There are just enough painting tools to allow you to express your creativity without having refer to a manual or enroll in an art school. And fans of FileMaker Pro will love the fact that the AppleWorks database module isn't similar to FileMaker Pro, it is FileMaker Pro, in a stripped down version that eliminates nearly all complication.
The spreadsheet has just enough juice to save most users from having to splurge on Excel. But the presentation module is the wild card. Although it could never be used professionally, it's so simple and easy and straightforward that even a child can use it to create medium-quality slide shows. Even better, the presentation module works almost identically to the drawing module, with a floating "Control" window that allows you to manipulate and toggle among your slides, each of which is really its own drawing module document. If you know how to use one module, you know how to use the other.
And that's the reason why I give AppleWorks 6 the title of "my most important piece of software". Although I spend more time in Safari than I do in AppleWorks, I could (very unhappily) live without Safari if I had to; I've done it before. There are other web browsers that will allow me to surf the web, if not as successfully or enjoyably. But if AppleWorks didn't exist, many of the things I do on a computer would not be worth doing, if I had to rely on any of the alternatives.
I titled this "The Last AppleWorks 6 Review" because I can’t imagine there will be any more reviews of AppleWorks 6 going forward. Chronologically, it’s long-overdue for an upgrade. Rumors of AppleWorks 7, or even iWorks, have been bouncing around for quite some time. The release of Keynote has elicited a whole new round of speculation about a new Apple productivity suite, even from yours truly. The life span of AppleWorks 6 would seem to be finite.
But in the mean time, do yourself a big favor and update your own copy of AppleWorks 6 to the latest version so that you can experience it the way it was intended. Find AppleWorks 6 on your hard drive, do a get-info (single-click on the AppleWorks 6 icon and press Apple-I), and check your version number. If it's anything other than 6.2.4 (for MacOS X) or 6.2.3 (for MacOS 9), you’ll want to download the 6.2.4 updater by clicking here. Even though the updater is labeled for MacOS X, users of OS 9 can use it can use it on their system as well. The file is 14.7 Megabytes so it’ll take you several minutes to download unless you're using high-speed internet, but I believe you will find that it's worth the effort.
Do you like AppleWorks 6 as much as I do? Or are you a Microsoft Office lover who thumbs your nose at lowly AppleWorks users? Did you check your AppleWorks version number only to find out that you've been trudging along with version 6.0 all this time? Did the 6.2.4 update put a big smile on your face? Or do you still long for the days of ClarisWorks or even MacWrite and MacDraw? Spill your guts.
I guess the sixth time is the charm for AppleWorks 6. That's not a reference to the version number. Six is the number of revisions of AppleWorks 6 there have been since its initial release two years ago. AppleWorks 6.0 was not exactly what you would call a completed application. Versions 6.03 and 6.04 fixed (a few) bugs, but that's about all. The 6.1.2 update made AppleWorks seem like real software. Finally, versions 6.2.2 and 6.2.4 turned AppleWorks into what it was trying to be from the start: the most intuitive consumer application on the market today. So why bother reviewing it at this late date? Because most reviewers (and unfortunately, many users) wrote off AppleWorks 6 as a bust long before the string of updates had the chance to turn Pinocchio in a real productivity suite. By reading this, perhaps some users will be able to uncover the gem that's been hiding in their Mac's Applications folder since they bought it.
AppleWorks 6 had two strikes against it before it was even released. First, it's not version 6 of anything. Its stepfather, ClarisWorks, had been in the hands of Claris Corporation for years until Steve Jobs decided that he wanted Apple's flagship productivity application to be directly in the hands of Apple's developers. ClarisWorks 5.02 became AppleWorks 5.03, and then Apple set out to redesign the application from the ground up. The resulting product was really version 1.0 of an entirely new product, but for continuity's sake it was given the name "AppleWorks 6". Longtime users of ClarisWorks who thought they were getting an upgraded version of their beloved application were shocked to find that more things were different than had remained the same.
The second strike against AppleWorks 6 is that not only did Apple develop it simultaneously for MacOS 9 and MacOS X, Apple did it at a time when OS X was still in beta-testing and far from a finished platform. Faced with creating a new application for two operating systems, one of which didn't quite exist yet, Apple ended up releasing a product that left scores of users howling. It was too slow, it crashed too often, it was lacking too many of the features that ClarisWorks had always had, and perhaps most offensively of all, it was different.
Many of the complaints were legitimate. The translation features that had made ClarisWorks compatible with so many other word processors had simply disappeared. The new "Clippings" image library contained higher-quality images, but they were far fewer in number than what could be found in ClarisWorks. And the instability could be maddening. If you didn't save your work every five minutes, you were going to lose something (your lunch, in some cases). The fact that AppleWorks 6 needed about twice as much RAM memory as its predecessor in order to be usable didn't help back in the days before you could buy a RAM upgrade for the price of a cup of coffee. There were enough quirky bugs in the initial AppleWorks 6.0 release to make you look over your shoulder occasionally for a Twilight Zone logo flashing overhead.
Apple released the 6.0.3 updater rather quickly, which squashed some bugs but introduced others that had to be corrected with the 6.0.4 updater, released days later. The app still wasn't ready for prime time, but it did have a certain draw to it. While still relying on Claris, er, AppleWorks 5.0 for my real work, I began to dabble more and more in the land of 6.04. I liked it. It felt more flexible and adaptive than its predecessor -- more human, if you will. What others derided as a big doofy interface, I saw as intuitive and inviting. When The 6.1.2 updater arrived, and my school district purchased an unlimited software license, it was finally time to unleash AppleWorks 6 on my students. They loved it. The new image library, in its big and doofy way, was more accessible to them. The fact that the menus at the top of the screen changed based on what type of item was selected didn’t seem to bother them. And the new "Presentation" module, a bare-bones slide show tool that allows for quick-and-simple slide creation, opened up whole new creative possibilities for younger students. Apple later released version 6.2.2 for OS X, followed by a final release that updated to version 6.2.4 on OS X (or 6.2.3 on OS 9), putting the finishing touches on what I now consider to be the most essential piece of software in my life.
So what's so great about it? It's a word processor. It's a spreadsheet. It's a database. It's a drawing and painting program. But it's more than the sum of its parts. If you're comfortable with one module, your skills easily translate to the other modules. Unlike other software "suites" that consist of a half-dozen nothing-in-common standalone products bundled together for marketing purposes, the modules in AppleWorks 6 are so tightly integrated that they all manage to fit within one application. When you first launch AppleWorks, you get a floating window that allows you to choose among the six modules, or select an automated assistant that uses one (or more) of those six modules to easily create end products that we all need. Everyday necessities including monthly calendars (drawing module) and business cards (database module) can all be whipped up in a few keystrokes.
The AppleWorks Word Processing module doesn't have the bells and whistles of Microsoft Word, and that's precisely why use it. Word processing is one of the oldest, simplest functions of a personal computer, and it's the one thing that everyone and their grandmother should be able to grasp within a few minutes of the first time they touch a computer. Why is it, then, that the predominant word processor, Microsoft Word, is one of the most complicated, cumbersome, and confounding applications ever created? How can something seemingly as simple as typing words and printing them out possibly require nineteen separate toolbars? I always picture a room full of twisted Microsoft developers laughing every time MS Word decides to auto-capitalize a word that I keep denoting as lower case, or engage me in a death match over how my list items should be numbered. If a piece of software is going to proclaim that it's smarter than me, then it sure better be. And Word doesn’t even come close.
For that reason alone, I adore AppleWorks 6. Although its word processing module doesn't automatically check my spelling as I go, and it doesn't even have a built-in laundry service, I can live with its mere mortal status. Every important feature is within clicking distance. Formatting tools such as center-justify, double-space, font, and text size are all embedded in the top of the document, not buried on some hidden palette or menu. And dropping a painting or spreadsheet frame in your document is as easy as two clicks. Therein lies the beauty of the beast: in AppleWorks, you’re always using all six modules at the same time, whether you know it or not.
The drawing module is the page layout tool for the rest of us. While following all the rules of a vector graphics tool, it doesn't assume anything about the user's skill level. Although an experienced user can quickly align several objects by highlighting them and pressing Shift-Apple-K to bring up the alignment dialog, novice users will never have to see that level of complication until they’re ready for it.
AppleWorks 6 even has a painting module that allows you to pretend you're using a professional freehand illustrating application. There are just enough painting tools to allow you to express your creativity without having refer to a manual or enroll in an art school. And fans of FileMaker Pro will love the fact that the AppleWorks database module isn't similar to FileMaker Pro, it is FileMaker Pro, in a stripped down version that eliminates nearly all complication.
The spreadsheet has just enough juice to save most users from having to splurge on Excel. But the presentation module is the wild card. Although it could never be used professionally, it's so simple and easy and straightforward that even a child can use it to create medium-quality slide shows. Even better, the presentation module works almost identically to the drawing module, with a floating "Control" window that allows you to manipulate and toggle among your slides, each of which is really its own drawing module document. If you know how to use one module, you know how to use the other.
And that's the reason why I give AppleWorks 6 the title of "my most important piece of software". Although I spend more time in Safari than I do in AppleWorks, I could (very unhappily) live without Safari if I had to; I've done it before. There are other web browsers that will allow me to surf the web, if not as successfully or enjoyably. But if AppleWorks didn't exist, many of the things I do on a computer would not be worth doing, if I had to rely on any of the alternatives.
I titled this "The Last AppleWorks 6 Review" because I can’t imagine there will be any more reviews of AppleWorks 6 going forward. Chronologically, it’s long-overdue for an upgrade. Rumors of AppleWorks 7, or even iWorks, have been bouncing around for quite some time. The release of Keynote has elicited a whole new round of speculation about a new Apple productivity suite, even from yours truly. The life span of AppleWorks 6 would seem to be finite.
But in the mean time, do yourself a big favor and update your own copy of AppleWorks 6 to the latest version so that you can experience it the way it was intended. Find AppleWorks 6 on your hard drive, do a get-info (single-click on the AppleWorks 6 icon and press Apple-I), and check your version number. If it's anything other than 6.2.4 (for MacOS X) or 6.2.3 (for MacOS 9), you’ll want to download the 6.2.4 updater by clicking here. Even though the updater is labeled for MacOS X, users of OS 9 can use it can use it on their system as well. The file is 14.7 Megabytes so it’ll take you several minutes to download unless you're using high-speed internet, but I believe you will find that it's worth the effort.
Do you like AppleWorks 6 as much as I do? Or are you a Microsoft Office lover who thumbs your nose at lowly AppleWorks users? Did you check your AppleWorks version number only to find out that you've been trudging along with version 6.0 all this time? Did the 6.2.4 update put a big smile on your face? Or do you still long for the days of ClarisWorks or even MacWrite and MacDraw? Spill your guts.
Reader feedback: 12 inch PowerBook
Im response to my article "I want a 12" PowerBook. I want one now.", Bob Eller writes in to taunt me:
You can't have my 12" powerbook! No way...get your own. I've had mine for about a month....love this little guy. I sold my 2 year old iBook the day after the 12" arrived and haven't missed it.
Bob also reminds us that, as with most Mac models, special pricing on the 12" PowerBook is to be had for government employees:
I got the 12" with a 60 gb drive, an extra 512 memory, and an airport extreme card for just a bit over $1900 from the government employee Apple store. A sweet machine this new Powerbook. Get one!!
Being a government (education) employee myself, I can attest that Apple's discounts are sometimes very generous...especially on software.
Are you basking in the aluminum glow of your new 12 inch PowerBook? Do you lust for the mighty 17 inch PowerBook? Or are you waiting for something even larger or even smaller? Do you have your heart set on the (apparently) forthcoming 15 inch Aluminum PowerBook? Share your thoughts.
Im response to my article "I want a 12" PowerBook. I want one now.", Bob Eller writes in to taunt me:
You can't have my 12" powerbook! No way...get your own. I've had mine for about a month....love this little guy. I sold my 2 year old iBook the day after the 12" arrived and haven't missed it.
Bob also reminds us that, as with most Mac models, special pricing on the 12" PowerBook is to be had for government employees:
I got the 12" with a 60 gb drive, an extra 512 memory, and an airport extreme card for just a bit over $1900 from the government employee Apple store. A sweet machine this new Powerbook. Get one!!
Being a government (education) employee myself, I can attest that Apple's discounts are sometimes very generous...especially on software.
Are you basking in the aluminum glow of your new 12 inch PowerBook? Do you lust for the mighty 17 inch PowerBook? Or are you waiting for something even larger or even smaller? Do you have your heart set on the (apparently) forthcoming 15 inch Aluminum PowerBook? Share your thoughts.
Reader feedback: Do you use a Mac at a PC-dominated jobsite?
Steven Tan writes in to share his experiences as the lone Mac fan in a sea of PC users:
"I just bought my TiBook 1Ghz in Dec last year and have been using it in my job as a web coordinator in a world of Dells for 3 months now. I also have a flat screen Dell in my office which I need to check emails, run MS Access, PCAnywhere and some Windows-only apps. My boss is liking what I do with the Mac, she seems to appreciate the easy to use apps, like iCal. Her comment was "How simple it looks!". Slowly, but surely, I will try to change their views about Macs."
Well, there's nothing quite like being the only one of your kind as you set out to bring others on board. I'm convinced that while Apple's cool hardware gets people interested in Macs in the first place, it's MacOS X that hooks them, and then the iApps lock people into actually Switching. Every great baseball team has three power-hitters, and in Apple's case, the hardware, the operating system, and the applications are the triple threat. Steven, here's your challenge: get your employer to migrate its database operations from MS Access to FileMaker Pro. Since FileMaker Pro is fully cross-platform, that'll be one less thing you'll have to do on a PC.
Readers, are you alone with your Mac in PC land? Are you making headway? Share your story.
Steven Tan writes in to share his experiences as the lone Mac fan in a sea of PC users:
"I just bought my TiBook 1Ghz in Dec last year and have been using it in my job as a web coordinator in a world of Dells for 3 months now. I also have a flat screen Dell in my office which I need to check emails, run MS Access, PCAnywhere and some Windows-only apps. My boss is liking what I do with the Mac, she seems to appreciate the easy to use apps, like iCal. Her comment was "How simple it looks!". Slowly, but surely, I will try to change their views about Macs."
Well, there's nothing quite like being the only one of your kind as you set out to bring others on board. I'm convinced that while Apple's cool hardware gets people interested in Macs in the first place, it's MacOS X that hooks them, and then the iApps lock people into actually Switching. Every great baseball team has three power-hitters, and in Apple's case, the hardware, the operating system, and the applications are the triple threat. Steven, here's your challenge: get your employer to migrate its database operations from MS Access to FileMaker Pro. Since FileMaker Pro is fully cross-platform, that'll be one less thing you'll have to do on a PC.
Readers, are you alone with your Mac in PC land? Are you making headway? Share your story.
Saturday, March 15, 2003
Ten Questions with Waldo Jaquith of nancies.org
Nancies.org is widely considered to be the online resource for fans of the Dave Matthews Band. In 2000, VH1 awarded nancies.org the award for "Coolest Fan Web Site", with good reason. Its front page regularly has news, interviews, and columns covering my favorite band. The nancies.org discussion boards boast over 25,000 members and well over a million posts. And more often than not, you can find nancies.org staff member Waldo Jaquith bragging about his Macs as he moderates the boards.
According to the nancies.org information page, "Waldo does most of the programming, maintains the news section, dabbles in design, PR, helps run the boards, does the business side of things, pays the bills...a little bit of everything." And yes, Waldo really is his name.
Waldo recently took the time to give us an interview about nancies.org, what role Macs play in the site's operations, and his thoughts about Macs in general.
1. Which Macs do you have in your arsenal?
My main Mac has been my Powermac G3 (a Pismo named "Woot"), which I've used as a desktop/laptop since I got it in late 2000. A week into March, I got an iBook 700 ("Kiki Aru") and a Powermac G4 (Mirrored Door, named "Kabumpo"), and I intend to sell my Woot and have two systems to do what it used to do double-duty for. I also use my iMac (Bondi, Rev. A) on a regular basis, which is running Yellow Dog Linux, and even take out my old Duo 280c on occasion.
2. Are you a "Switcher", or have you been a Mac user all along?
I was an ardent Mac hater and DOS/Unix lover until Windows 95 came out and Microsoft started forcing the end of DOS development. In the fall of 1996, my friend Peter Griesar convinced me to buy his Duo 280c, saying that if I didn't like it, he'd buy it back. A couple of weeks later, I was sold. You could say that I was a switcher before switching was cool.
3. What role do Macs play in the day-to-day function of nancies.org?
A great deal. A good chunk of the nancies.org team uses Macs as our primary OS for design, coding, and the day-to-day work.
I personally do all of the business associated with nancies.org, so I use QuickBooks and Excel (though I can ditch that for OpenOffice in a week or so, if that project stays on schedule) on that end. For design, I own the whole Adobe suite, and the portions of the design that I'm responsible for are maintained in ImageReady and Photoshop, with some work done in Illustrator. Finally, all of the coding is done in BBEdit (the full, registered version; 6.5). I'm a vi guy historically, but I switched to BBEdit a few years ago and never looked back.
I run Apache, PHP and MySQL on the desktop, which I use to work on nancies.org in an alpha-testing environment. This real-world simulation makes it possible to confidently switch upgrade the code knowing full well that it will work in the field right off the bat.
4. Why do you choose Macs? What can you do with them that you couldn't do, or couldn't do as easily, or as successfully, if you were using PC's?
I don't even know how to answer that. I have never owned a Windows desktop machine, just DOS, and I don't even know what I could or couldn't do with them. From keeping current with trends, I know that it's a whole heck of a lot less than what I can do with my Macs, and that's all that's of concern to me. The question is sort of like asking "Why do you choose not to kill people?" It's just *wrong*. I haven't *tried* killing people, but I feel confident that it's best not to.
In the interest of full disclosure, I've been dual-desktop since 1994 -- I have several Linux systems, too, running both as servers and as desktop systems.
5. I read the other day that the iPod accounts for 27% of all digital music player sales on a monetary basis. Did you think that Apple would be able to make that much of an impact in the music world that quickly? Do you have an iPod? If so, what do you think of it?
I thought that the iPod would be a flash in the pan. MP3 players hadn't really penetrated the market at all at the time that the iPod came out. MP3 players were almost all based on flash memory, and so they held a couple of hours of audio, at most, so they just weren't viable methods of listening to music. Apple was the first to make the hard drive-based approach viable, and the first to get beyond the "hey, it's an MP3 player, what more do you want?" phenomenon that plagues new technology, often preventing meaningful UI from happening. Apple intends to announce their new music service any day now, too, so I suspect that they're about to make even more of an impact on the music world. Admittedly, I think *that* will just be a flash in the pan, too, but I've been wrong before. :)
I got an iPod late last summer. Just the 5GB model, which is quite sufficient for me. The iPod is a marvel of design, and a beautiful device. Prior to owning my iPod, I would not often be found listening to music while away from my computer. I don't own a car, just a motorcycle, so it's not like I'm listening to CDs or the radio while on the go. Now, though, I keep my iPod tucked into a jacket pocket or my backpack whenever I head out and, if the mood strikes me, just about any sort of music that I want is right there with me. I always have a little soundtrack to accompany my life, should I see fit. If I could only get a laugh track to go with it, I'd be in good shape.
6. What are your most vital software applications? Apple has stated that it intends to release a slew of new software this year. What software would you most like to see Apple come out with next?
My basics are BBEdit, an SSH client, a decent browser, a good e-mail client. Everything else is gravy. I have iCal, iTunes and Terminal open at pretty much all times. I like Mail.app, but I've been using Pine for so many years that I use it about half of the time.
The #1 thing that I want to see Apple release in the way of software is an updated version of AppleWorks. It's never been great, just passable. If they could skew AppleWorks in the direction of Safari, in terms of the core engine and the connections with the software libre community, I think that they'd have a real winner on their hands. A close second is X11 that's integrated with OS X, such that I can download GIMP, install it like any other Mac application, and run it from my Applications folder, all without ever realizing or caring that it's running from within X11. When that happens, it's only a matter of time until somebody gets WINE or a related project or product to run nicely on OS X under X11, and then Macs will be able to run Apple, BSD, and Windows programs side-by-side without difficulty.
7. Are you beta-testing Safari along with the rest of us? What do you think of it so far?
I downloaded Safari the day that came out, and it's been my primary browser ever since. I miss the tabbed interface from Camino (nee Chimera), along with some of the features built into that, but its KDE roots are strong, and tabs should be in the next release, so I'll get over it. I like that Safari is quite simple thus far. I hope that it doesn't end up like Mozilla, bloated beyond all worth, but that wouldn't be Apple's style.
8. What will your next Mac be?
I just *bought* my next Macs last week. :)
9. Rumor has it that all five members of the Dave Matthews Band are ardent Mac users. Can you verify or expand on this?
I can confirm that Stefan Lessard -- the band's bassist -- and Leroi Moore -- their saxophonist -- are big into their Macs. I know both to have and regularly use Powerbooks, though I don't know what else they have. I don't know what the other members (Boyd Tinsley, Dave Matthews, or Carter Beauford) use, I'm afraid.
10. I'd really like to get front-row tickets for the Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds concert at Radio City Music Hall next week. You can make this happen, right? ;)
And that's *exactly* why I avoid IM -- that's all that anybody ever wants to ask me! :)
Nancies.org is widely considered to be the online resource for fans of the Dave Matthews Band. In 2000, VH1 awarded nancies.org the award for "Coolest Fan Web Site", with good reason. Its front page regularly has news, interviews, and columns covering my favorite band. The nancies.org discussion boards boast over 25,000 members and well over a million posts. And more often than not, you can find nancies.org staff member Waldo Jaquith bragging about his Macs as he moderates the boards.
According to the nancies.org information page, "Waldo does most of the programming, maintains the news section, dabbles in design, PR, helps run the boards, does the business side of things, pays the bills...a little bit of everything." And yes, Waldo really is his name.
Waldo recently took the time to give us an interview about nancies.org, what role Macs play in the site's operations, and his thoughts about Macs in general.
1. Which Macs do you have in your arsenal?
My main Mac has been my Powermac G3 (a Pismo named "Woot"), which I've used as a desktop/laptop since I got it in late 2000. A week into March, I got an iBook 700 ("Kiki Aru") and a Powermac G4 (Mirrored Door, named "Kabumpo"), and I intend to sell my Woot and have two systems to do what it used to do double-duty for. I also use my iMac (Bondi, Rev. A) on a regular basis, which is running Yellow Dog Linux, and even take out my old Duo 280c on occasion.
2. Are you a "Switcher", or have you been a Mac user all along?
I was an ardent Mac hater and DOS/Unix lover until Windows 95 came out and Microsoft started forcing the end of DOS development. In the fall of 1996, my friend Peter Griesar convinced me to buy his Duo 280c, saying that if I didn't like it, he'd buy it back. A couple of weeks later, I was sold. You could say that I was a switcher before switching was cool.
3. What role do Macs play in the day-to-day function of nancies.org?
A great deal. A good chunk of the nancies.org team uses Macs as our primary OS for design, coding, and the day-to-day work.
I personally do all of the business associated with nancies.org, so I use QuickBooks and Excel (though I can ditch that for OpenOffice in a week or so, if that project stays on schedule) on that end. For design, I own the whole Adobe suite, and the portions of the design that I'm responsible for are maintained in ImageReady and Photoshop, with some work done in Illustrator. Finally, all of the coding is done in BBEdit (the full, registered version; 6.5). I'm a vi guy historically, but I switched to BBEdit a few years ago and never looked back.
I run Apache, PHP and MySQL on the desktop, which I use to work on nancies.org in an alpha-testing environment. This real-world simulation makes it possible to confidently switch upgrade the code knowing full well that it will work in the field right off the bat.
4. Why do you choose Macs? What can you do with them that you couldn't do, or couldn't do as easily, or as successfully, if you were using PC's?
I don't even know how to answer that. I have never owned a Windows desktop machine, just DOS, and I don't even know what I could or couldn't do with them. From keeping current with trends, I know that it's a whole heck of a lot less than what I can do with my Macs, and that's all that's of concern to me. The question is sort of like asking "Why do you choose not to kill people?" It's just *wrong*. I haven't *tried* killing people, but I feel confident that it's best not to.
In the interest of full disclosure, I've been dual-desktop since 1994 -- I have several Linux systems, too, running both as servers and as desktop systems.
5. I read the other day that the iPod accounts for 27% of all digital music player sales on a monetary basis. Did you think that Apple would be able to make that much of an impact in the music world that quickly? Do you have an iPod? If so, what do you think of it?
I thought that the iPod would be a flash in the pan. MP3 players hadn't really penetrated the market at all at the time that the iPod came out. MP3 players were almost all based on flash memory, and so they held a couple of hours of audio, at most, so they just weren't viable methods of listening to music. Apple was the first to make the hard drive-based approach viable, and the first to get beyond the "hey, it's an MP3 player, what more do you want?" phenomenon that plagues new technology, often preventing meaningful UI from happening. Apple intends to announce their new music service any day now, too, so I suspect that they're about to make even more of an impact on the music world. Admittedly, I think *that* will just be a flash in the pan, too, but I've been wrong before. :)
I got an iPod late last summer. Just the 5GB model, which is quite sufficient for me. The iPod is a marvel of design, and a beautiful device. Prior to owning my iPod, I would not often be found listening to music while away from my computer. I don't own a car, just a motorcycle, so it's not like I'm listening to CDs or the radio while on the go. Now, though, I keep my iPod tucked into a jacket pocket or my backpack whenever I head out and, if the mood strikes me, just about any sort of music that I want is right there with me. I always have a little soundtrack to accompany my life, should I see fit. If I could only get a laugh track to go with it, I'd be in good shape.
6. What are your most vital software applications? Apple has stated that it intends to release a slew of new software this year. What software would you most like to see Apple come out with next?
My basics are BBEdit, an SSH client, a decent browser, a good e-mail client. Everything else is gravy. I have iCal, iTunes and Terminal open at pretty much all times. I like Mail.app, but I've been using Pine for so many years that I use it about half of the time.
The #1 thing that I want to see Apple release in the way of software is an updated version of AppleWorks. It's never been great, just passable. If they could skew AppleWorks in the direction of Safari, in terms of the core engine and the connections with the software libre community, I think that they'd have a real winner on their hands. A close second is X11 that's integrated with OS X, such that I can download GIMP, install it like any other Mac application, and run it from my Applications folder, all without ever realizing or caring that it's running from within X11. When that happens, it's only a matter of time until somebody gets WINE or a related project or product to run nicely on OS X under X11, and then Macs will be able to run Apple, BSD, and Windows programs side-by-side without difficulty.
7. Are you beta-testing Safari along with the rest of us? What do you think of it so far?
I downloaded Safari the day that came out, and it's been my primary browser ever since. I miss the tabbed interface from Camino (nee Chimera), along with some of the features built into that, but its KDE roots are strong, and tabs should be in the next release, so I'll get over it. I like that Safari is quite simple thus far. I hope that it doesn't end up like Mozilla, bloated beyond all worth, but that wouldn't be Apple's style.
8. What will your next Mac be?
I just *bought* my next Macs last week. :)
9. Rumor has it that all five members of the Dave Matthews Band are ardent Mac users. Can you verify or expand on this?
I can confirm that Stefan Lessard -- the band's bassist -- and Leroi Moore -- their saxophonist -- are big into their Macs. I know both to have and regularly use Powerbooks, though I don't know what else they have. I don't know what the other members (Boyd Tinsley, Dave Matthews, or Carter Beauford) use, I'm afraid.
10. I'd really like to get front-row tickets for the Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds concert at Radio City Music Hall next week. You can make this happen, right? ;)
And that's *exactly* why I avoid IM -- that's all that anybody ever wants to ask me! :)
Reader feedback: 12 inch PowerBook
Im response to my article "I want a 12" PowerBook. I want one now." (Click here to read it), John Dorsey writes in to brag about his new power-toy:
"Just took receipt two days ago of a 12" PB, replacing my special edition clamshell. I had been tempted by the white iBooks - so small! - but still liked the clamshell. But I couldn't resist a G4 in such a tiny box. It runs a bit warm (but only warm) and the trackpad's not *quite* as sensitive to taps as I would like, but otherwise it's perfect!"
Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one with 12 inch PowerBook-itis. Describing how his Mac coexists with the PC's at his job at the FDIC, John writes:
"The MS Office intercompatibility makes it pretty easy. And with fast internet connections at both ends, it's easy to shoot documents back and forth to myself. I've owned nothing but Macs since they first came out in 1984 and for a few years there it was a bit of a struggle to keep using them in a PC-dominated world, but for the past 5-6 years it's been a breeze."
It's nice to know that Apple's claim that the Mac "works effortlessly with PCs" is true in John's case.
Do you use a Mac at a PC-dominated jobsite? Is it as easy as (Apple) pie? Or does some annoying IT guy tell you that you can't use a Mac because of some bizarre reason that you're convinced that he got off the back of a cereal box? Share your story.
Im response to my article "I want a 12" PowerBook. I want one now." (Click here to read it), John Dorsey writes in to brag about his new power-toy:
"Just took receipt two days ago of a 12" PB, replacing my special edition clamshell. I had been tempted by the white iBooks - so small! - but still liked the clamshell. But I couldn't resist a G4 in such a tiny box. It runs a bit warm (but only warm) and the trackpad's not *quite* as sensitive to taps as I would like, but otherwise it's perfect!"
Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one with 12 inch PowerBook-itis. Describing how his Mac coexists with the PC's at his job at the FDIC, John writes:
"The MS Office intercompatibility makes it pretty easy. And with fast internet connections at both ends, it's easy to shoot documents back and forth to myself. I've owned nothing but Macs since they first came out in 1984 and for a few years there it was a bit of a struggle to keep using them in a PC-dominated world, but for the past 5-6 years it's been a breeze."
It's nice to know that Apple's claim that the Mac "works effortlessly with PCs" is true in John's case.
Do you use a Mac at a PC-dominated jobsite? Is it as easy as (Apple) pie? Or does some annoying IT guy tell you that you can't use a Mac because of some bizarre reason that you're convinced that he got off the back of a cereal box? Share your story.
Friday, March 14, 2003
Enhancing iPhoto
A few tips that just might enhance your iPhoto experience:
If you've just modified a picture in iPhoto and you want to quickly compare it to the original, hold down the Control and Apple (Command) keys to temporarily view your picture without changes. Let go, and you can see it with changes. I often use this method to ensure that my enhancements really did improve things. With the additional editing tools in iPhoto 2, the ability to compare the edited version to the original becomes even more important.
Have you ever groaned upon realizing that you're going to have to click the rotate button three times in order to turn a certain sideways picture upright? Just hold down the Option key while you click the rotate button, and your picture will rotate in the opposite direction, requiring only one rotation. If you find that your picture-taking habits frequently place you in this situation, you can permanently change the orientation of your rotate button by selecting "Preferences" from the "iPhoto" menu and then clicking the appropriate radio button.
While you've got your iPhoto 2 Preferences pane open, you might want to consider checking the box that places your most recent pictures at the top of the image library, which provides larger libraries some degree of organization. However, if you've already arranged your pictures to your liking, you're probably better off not selecting this option.
And one more thing: you've probably figured out by now that double-clicking on a picture in Organize mode takes you to Edit mode...but did you know that double-clicking on a picture in Edit mode takes you right back to Organize mode?
If you're still using iPhoto 1.1, you can download the iPhoto 2.0 upgrade, for free, from apple.com. There's almost no reason not to upgrade.
A few tips that just might enhance your iPhoto experience:
If you've just modified a picture in iPhoto and you want to quickly compare it to the original, hold down the Control and Apple (Command) keys to temporarily view your picture without changes. Let go, and you can see it with changes. I often use this method to ensure that my enhancements really did improve things. With the additional editing tools in iPhoto 2, the ability to compare the edited version to the original becomes even more important.
Have you ever groaned upon realizing that you're going to have to click the rotate button three times in order to turn a certain sideways picture upright? Just hold down the Option key while you click the rotate button, and your picture will rotate in the opposite direction, requiring only one rotation. If you find that your picture-taking habits frequently place you in this situation, you can permanently change the orientation of your rotate button by selecting "Preferences" from the "iPhoto" menu and then clicking the appropriate radio button.
While you've got your iPhoto 2 Preferences pane open, you might want to consider checking the box that places your most recent pictures at the top of the image library, which provides larger libraries some degree of organization. However, if you've already arranged your pictures to your liking, you're probably better off not selecting this option.
And one more thing: you've probably figured out by now that double-clicking on a picture in Organize mode takes you to Edit mode...but did you know that double-clicking on a picture in Edit mode takes you right back to Organize mode?
If you're still using iPhoto 1.1, you can download the iPhoto 2.0 upgrade, for free, from apple.com. There's almost no reason not to upgrade.
The iBook is the Maine attraction
When former Governor Angus King first proposed placing an iBook in the hands of every seventh grader in the State of Maine, detractors wrote him off as a dreamer. Six months later, he's being regarded as a visionary, and the State-wide iBook initiative is being labeled a success. Tess Nacelewicz reports in Portland, Maine's Press Herald that "82.7 percent of the students said the laptops improved the quality of their work", among other positive findings. I've been following Maine's iBook program with great interest from the start. If it continues to be successful, an iBook in the hands of every student could end up being the blueprint for the true digital classroom of the future.
When former Governor Angus King first proposed placing an iBook in the hands of every seventh grader in the State of Maine, detractors wrote him off as a dreamer. Six months later, he's being regarded as a visionary, and the State-wide iBook initiative is being labeled a success. Tess Nacelewicz reports in Portland, Maine's Press Herald that "82.7 percent of the students said the laptops improved the quality of their work", among other positive findings. I've been following Maine's iBook program with great interest from the start. If it continues to be successful, an iBook in the hands of every student could end up being the blueprint for the true digital classroom of the future.
Would you like Wi-Fries with that?
Those of you who have dropped a wireless card in your Mac laptop and have learned to surf untethered may take interest in Ross Rubin's prediction that "McDonald's Wi-Fi Will Make Users Grimace". He thinks that free wireless access will turn Manhattan McDonald's locations into a zoo -- and he might be right. At least now I know where I'll be eating lunch the next time I visit New York City.
Those of you who have dropped a wireless card in your Mac laptop and have learned to surf untethered may take interest in Ross Rubin's prediction that "McDonald's Wi-Fi Will Make Users Grimace". He thinks that free wireless access will turn Manhattan McDonald's locations into a zoo -- and he might be right. At least now I know where I'll be eating lunch the next time I visit New York City.
Thursday, March 13, 2003
I want a 12" PowerBook. I want one now.
I want the new 12" PowerBook with SuperDrive. There, I said it. I've never wanted anything beyond my old friend, my clamshell iBook. I've often been tempted by the various newer models, mind you, but never to the point where I was ready to toss my Indigo-colored iBook aside like an old Performa.
My clamshell iBook is perfect for so many reasons. It has a built-in handle that often alleviates the need for a case. Its curvaceous design provides built-in wrist rests. Its trackpad is large and feels comfortable against my fingertip. Its rubber coating means that the occasional drop won't result in any tear drops. The fact that it’s nearly two inches thick, more than six pounds, and runs at about half the speed of Apple's slowest current laptop, all of that can be forgiven. It’s a sweet machine that runs MacOS X Jaguar just fine.
When Apple retired the clamshell iBook model in favor of the new and boxy "snow white" iBook last year, I lamented the loss of a champion. While the new iBook was a half-inch thinner, a pound lighter, a smidge faster, and could run at a higher screen resolution (1024x768) that was more suited to OS X's larger eye candy, it lacked a certain usability. The handle was gone, the wrist rests went with it, and the new trackpad had a rough metallic feel that my finger rejected out of hand. So when I had the opportunity to trade in my beloved clamshell iBook at work for a brand new snow iBook, I passed. It was a close call, but no dice. It just wasn’t tempting enough.
I never bothered to find out whether I could have traded up to a Titanium PowerBook. You’d think that a 15 inch screen, a slot-load optical drive, and a G4 processor fast enough to eat my old clamshell iBook for breakfast would have led me to try harder to get one. But again, I managed to rationalize my way into not wanting one. It was so thin and wide that it was probably too fragile for the kind of around-campus toting that I do every day. The trackpad felt like cold sandpaper. The lack of an integrated audio-video composite-out port would have made connecting it to a television set for presentations rather awkward. And having the connection ports on the back was just morally wrong. So again, I passed. Was it a wise move? Perhaps. But I was proud of it.
Right around 1:40 pm EST on January 7, 2003, the seventeen-inch Aluminum PowerBook was born. The birth of this beast of a machine served as the climax of what was one of the most powerful MacWorld Expo Keynotes in recent memory. The most amazing laptop ever conceived, this wooly mammoth did everything but the dishes. With a larger screen than most desktop computers, the 17" PowerBook immediately had my complete respect. But I certainly didn't want one. Most directly because it cost over $3000. But even beyond that, lugging around a laptop of that size would have been a nightmare. And the keyboard that lights up in the dark was just an insult to the rest of us who couldn’t afford it. So I viewed the seventeen incher the same way I view Adobe PhotoShop: it’s got my total respect, but I'll stick to the tools of mere mortals, thank you.
So by now it's around 1:45 pm, and having stunned the world yet again with the largest laptop in history, Steve Jobs is about to leave the stage when he turns back to the audience to announce that there is "one more thing": the seventeen-inch PowerBook has a twelve-inch cousin. A commercial featuring Yao Ming and Mini-me illustrates that the two laptops are large and small versions of the same product. But there's got to be a catch. A laptop that small can't have the same capabilities as one that large, can it? Well, let's see: does the tiny PowerBook have a G4 processor? Check. Does it have a full array of connection ports? Sure does. How about a slot-loading optical drive? Yep. So is it a DVD-burning SuperDrive? No. Aha! I knew there was a catch. But wait, you can get it built-to-order with a SuperDrive for only $200 more. Uh oh, I can’t seem to find anything wrong with this laptop. It's thinner and lighter than anything else Apple offers. What am I going be able to find wrong with this laptop so that I can cling to my trusty old clamshell iBook? This is starting to worry me.
A few weeks later, I spent some time in the Apple Store with the laptop that I was trying so hard to hate, and I found the newly-designed keyboard to be far more responsive than any Apple portable keyboard I've ever used. More disturbingly, this puppy is fast. I had always wondered what it was like to use MacOS X at full speed, and now I knew. Perhaps most offensively of all, the 12" PowerBook costs less than $2000, even with the SuperDrive. As I was looking at the pricing information sitting on the display counter, it was only then that I came upon the ultimate shocking revelation: the connection ports are on the side, not the back! At this point I was so stunned that the built-in Bluetooth receptor and 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme wireless capability eluded me entirely.
I want a 12" PowerBook. I want one right now, right here, sitting in front of me. Even my clamshell iBook is quietly whispering to me, "Go get one, you fool, and you can just use me for the occasional game of Snood!". Alas, now is not the time for new hardware. My trusty old iBook is doing just fine, it’s does everything I need it to, and I'll gladly stick with it for as long as I have to. But that’s quite a change from the days of my defiant refusal to move to a snow iBook, or my successful attempts to pretend that the Titanium PowerBook didn’t exist.
And if I’ve finally found a good reason to want to part with my older iBook, then no doubt so have many others. When the 12" and 17" cousins first arrived, I predicted that the little bugger would outsell its big brother by a nice margin. Considering that the 17" PowerBook still hasn’t shipped yet, I suppose I'm correct by default. But at this point, I think the 12" PowerBook could end up being one of Apple's most successful models ever.
In case you’re in the same situation as I am and you’re looking for an excuse not to want the new 12" PowerBook, let me give you a few: the keyboard doesn’t light up like on the 17" model, there’s no FireWire 800 port, you’ll have to buy a new kind of AirPort card, and it comes bundled with QuickBooks Pro but not AppleWorks 6, which is great if you're an accountant who’s never once needed a word processor. Plus, it's made of aluminum, the same metal used for soda cans.
Oh, who am I kidding? There's no legitimate reason not to buy one. Go get yourself one today. And then if you decide you don't like it, give it to me!
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
Unbundling AppleWorks...and Office
More than just giving Mac users the coolest presentation tool in the world, here's what I think Apple is really up to by releasing Keynote:
Apple is forcing the unbundling of Microsoft Office, while at the same time creating the groundwork for AppleWorks 7 right before our eyes. Instead of releasing Keynote as part of an Office-like bundle with a professional word processor and spreadsheet, Apple only fired a single shot at Office, attacking the one area where it felt it could draw the largest distinction. Sooner or later, Apple will release versions of the other two professional applications, and they will also probably be priced at $99 each. This will mean that Apple will have managed to not only put a full professional productivity suite out there to compete with Office, but will also have managed to very stealthily put a $300 price tag on it! In order to compete, Microsoft will have almost no choice but to sell Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, unbundled, for the same $99 price tag (they've already done it with Entourage). Score one for Mac users, who will no longer have to pay for three bundled applications when they only want one or two.
But more importantly, does anyone have any doubt that when AppleWorks 7 is finally released, the new "Presentation" module will be a stripped-down simplified version of Keynote? At some point, the word processor and spreadsheet modules in AppleWorks will go the same route -- if not in AppleWorks 7, then certainly in version 8. The database module in the current version of AppleWorks is literally a stripped-down version of FileMaker Pro already, thanks to the fact that it was originally created by FileMaker's developers. One module at a time, the whole AppleWorks suite will turn into a bundled stepchild of Apple's unbundled professional productivity applications. If the rest of the Apple pro apps are as good as Keynote, I won't mind the changes to AppleWorks one bit.
This strategy will allow Apple to:
- continue to include AppleWorks for free on consumer Mac models.
- profit from selling stand-alone professional versions of Keynote, the pro word processor, and the pro spreadsheet.
- promote the similarities between the AppleWorks modules and the professional applications as a reason for AppleWorks users to spend money to upgrade one or more modules.
- start bundling some or all of these professional applications for free with professional Mac models at any point in the future, either to gain leverage in negotiations with Microsoft, or simply to boost the sales of professional machines, if needed.
Going forward, it's wise for Apple to keep its options open. In a prosperous environment, it's nice to be able to count your enemies as friends by being overly careful not to step on anyone's toes. But in this economic climate, even friends are enemies. When consumers finally go back to spending freely on technology, Apple can mend fences with its oldest friend and enemy. But for now, what more guilt-free way to gain sales than to steal them from Microsoft?
Perhaps the more immediate question is when we are actually going to be able to get our hands on AppleWorks 7. There's one thing we know for sure: it won't be built for MacOS 9.
Agree? Disagree? Think I'm crazy? Let me know: billpalmer@mac.com.
More than just giving Mac users the coolest presentation tool in the world, here's what I think Apple is really up to by releasing Keynote:
Apple is forcing the unbundling of Microsoft Office, while at the same time creating the groundwork for AppleWorks 7 right before our eyes. Instead of releasing Keynote as part of an Office-like bundle with a professional word processor and spreadsheet, Apple only fired a single shot at Office, attacking the one area where it felt it could draw the largest distinction. Sooner or later, Apple will release versions of the other two professional applications, and they will also probably be priced at $99 each. This will mean that Apple will have managed to not only put a full professional productivity suite out there to compete with Office, but will also have managed to very stealthily put a $300 price tag on it! In order to compete, Microsoft will have almost no choice but to sell Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, unbundled, for the same $99 price tag (they've already done it with Entourage). Score one for Mac users, who will no longer have to pay for three bundled applications when they only want one or two.
But more importantly, does anyone have any doubt that when AppleWorks 7 is finally released, the new "Presentation" module will be a stripped-down simplified version of Keynote? At some point, the word processor and spreadsheet modules in AppleWorks will go the same route -- if not in AppleWorks 7, then certainly in version 8. The database module in the current version of AppleWorks is literally a stripped-down version of FileMaker Pro already, thanks to the fact that it was originally created by FileMaker's developers. One module at a time, the whole AppleWorks suite will turn into a bundled stepchild of Apple's unbundled professional productivity applications. If the rest of the Apple pro apps are as good as Keynote, I won't mind the changes to AppleWorks one bit.
This strategy will allow Apple to:
- continue to include AppleWorks for free on consumer Mac models.
- profit from selling stand-alone professional versions of Keynote, the pro word processor, and the pro spreadsheet.
- promote the similarities between the AppleWorks modules and the professional applications as a reason for AppleWorks users to spend money to upgrade one or more modules.
- start bundling some or all of these professional applications for free with professional Mac models at any point in the future, either to gain leverage in negotiations with Microsoft, or simply to boost the sales of professional machines, if needed.
Going forward, it's wise for Apple to keep its options open. In a prosperous environment, it's nice to be able to count your enemies as friends by being overly careful not to step on anyone's toes. But in this economic climate, even friends are enemies. When consumers finally go back to spending freely on technology, Apple can mend fences with its oldest friend and enemy. But for now, what more guilt-free way to gain sales than to steal them from Microsoft?
Perhaps the more immediate question is when we are actually going to be able to get our hands on AppleWorks 7. There's one thing we know for sure: it won't be built for MacOS 9.
Agree? Disagree? Think I'm crazy? Let me know: billpalmer@mac.com.
"Computer presentation is everything"
Looks like Apple's School Night at the Apple Store initiative is starting to pay dividends. Eno Valley Elementary School in Durham, North Carolina seems to be on the right track with educational technology, according to their local newspaper. Students recently got to take over the local Apple Store for an evening, showing off their PowerPoint presentations on various educational subjects. It's encouraging to read about increasing numbers of elementary schools allowing their students to use technology to enhance their education in core curriculum areas.
I have a sneaking suspicion that by next spring, Eno Valley's students will be showing off their projects using Keynote instead of PowerPoint. At least I hope so, for the students' sake.
Looks like Apple's School Night at the Apple Store initiative is starting to pay dividends. Eno Valley Elementary School in Durham, North Carolina seems to be on the right track with educational technology, according to their local newspaper. Students recently got to take over the local Apple Store for an evening, showing off their PowerPoint presentations on various educational subjects. It's encouraging to read about increasing numbers of elementary schools allowing their students to use technology to enhance their education in core curriculum areas.
I have a sneaking suspicion that by next spring, Eno Valley's students will be showing off their projects using Keynote instead of PowerPoint. At least I hope so, for the students' sake.
"People are tired of Windows and PC's"
Mike Wendland, the Detroit Free Press Technology Columnist who recently upgraded himself from "PC Mike" to "Mac Mike", sums things up nicely when he says "Apple's got the buzz". The world's perception of the Mac has been steadily improving for the past four or five years, but it's only in the past six months that the buzz has been palpable. When people used to say "You use a Mac?" to me, it was usually a statement of scorn or downright disbelief. These days, "You use a Mac?" is usually followed by, "What's the best place to buy one?". Click here for Mike's take on the Apple "buzz".
You can also read his original Switch story here.
Mike Wendland, the Detroit Free Press Technology Columnist who recently upgraded himself from "PC Mike" to "Mac Mike", sums things up nicely when he says "Apple's got the buzz". The world's perception of the Mac has been steadily improving for the past four or five years, but it's only in the past six months that the buzz has been palpable. When people used to say "You use a Mac?" to me, it was usually a statement of scorn or downright disbelief. These days, "You use a Mac?" is usually followed by, "What's the best place to buy one?". Click here for Mike's take on the Apple "buzz".
You can also read his original Switch story here.
Pens, pencils, paper, and iPods?
I use my iPod every day for recreational purposes, but I never thought I'd see the ultimate mp3 player achieve the status of standard-issue school supply. Sure enough, the University of Western Australia is issuing iPods to students so that they can "store some of their work, such as video projects". Just goes to show that when you make products as innovative as Apple does, people will find equally innovative new uses for them -- and when those people are educators.
Read all about the iPod's schoolyard adventures down under in an article by Tracy Peacock.
I use my iPod every day for recreational purposes, but I never thought I'd see the ultimate mp3 player achieve the status of standard-issue school supply. Sure enough, the University of Western Australia is issuing iPods to students so that they can "store some of their work, such as video projects". Just goes to show that when you make products as innovative as Apple does, people will find equally innovative new uses for them -- and when those people are educators.
Read all about the iPod's schoolyard adventures down under in an article by Tracy Peacock.
Monday, March 10, 2003
Bill Palmer's Keynote Review
When choosing which software application you want to hit the trail with, you’re usually faced with the same scenario: you can go with the quick-to-use app that’s so limited and simplistic that it can’t fully do the job, or you can opt for the laborious app that’s so complicated it can turn even the simplest job into an all-nighter. In the arena of slide show presentations, the scenario is as true as anywhere else. AppleWorks 6.2 has a module called “Presentation” that I often use to crank out a quick-and-dirty slide show when I don't care how basic things look. It’s great for those last minute slide shows that you didn’t think you were going to need to make -- or the ones you wish you didn't have to. PowerPoint, the de facto “standard” for slide show presentations in the corporate world, has long been my tool of choice when I want to create a decent-looking, decently complicated slide show. But PowerPoint’s developers seem to live by the theory that the more important a feature, the more deeply it should buried in a sea of menus and bizarre-looking icons (or should I have just intuitively known that if I wanted to animate a slide, I should click on a yellow star?).. But I’ve always been grateful for the very existence of PowerPoint because there’s never been anything else quite like it.
Until January 7, 2003, that is.
I always knew that Apple would eventually release a product that went head-to-head with one of the three key apps in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), but I never expected Apple to start off by going after the strongest of the three. Apple must have felt that it could make the clearest innovations in the presentation field, even if it meant competing with the truly decent PowerPoint. Outclassing MS Word would have taken all the effort of lifting a finger in zero-gravity, but I suppose there’s only so much that even an innovator like Apple can do for word processing. Rumor has it that Apple first tried to offer most of Keynote’s innovations to Microsoft for use in the next version of PowerPoint, only to be turned down, Microsoft knowing that it would never be able to replicate the Mac functionality on the PC side. There’s no reason to assume any truth in such a rumor, but it does make sense. Microsoft’s Mac Business Unit likes to brag about the minor features that you can only find on the Mac side of PowerPoint (mostly related to QuickTime integration), but Microsoft would be loathe to embarrass its Windows operating system by making the Mac version of PowerPoint that much better than the Windows version.
Regardless of what really went on behind closed doors, the end result was that two months ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs used the midsection of his MacWorld Expo Keynote Address to unveil Keynote to the public. The fact that Keynote the software was unveiled during a keynote speech is no accident: Steve had been using Keynote for his background slides all morning, and for that matter, for every keynote speech he’s given in the past year. After seeing Keynote’s first few features, my only thought was "I must have this, and I hope it’s a free download". After seeing the rest of the demonstration, my evolved line of thinking was "I must have this at any cost". So the $99 price tag seemed cheap. Apple has spoiled its users in recent years by giving us gems such as iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, and iCal at no cost, but I guess from time to time we actually have to pay for Apple’s innovations. Fair enough.
Right up front, this is what Keynote can not do: slides can not automatically advance without a click, and a continuous music soundtrack cannot play across multiple slides, among other things. But here’s what it can do: it can make your presentation look so slick, so impressive, that your audience will forget what you’ve presented, and instead pepper you with questions about what you’ve presented with. I used Keynote to demonstrate slides of a host of new software titles to my colleagues, and when I asked which title they wanted to spend hands-on time with, they chose Keynote. Not exactly what I had intended, but when you’re promoting technology in the education field, you gladly take success from whatever angle it comes.
So what is it about Keynote that allows you to sweep your audience off its feet with such little effort?
For starters, Keynote gives you twelve cool themes to work with. Within each theme you’ll find several master slides: title, photo, photo with text, bulleted text, title with text, and so on. Just pick the appropriate master, and your slide is already largely complete before you even do anything to it. Double-click to add your text, and away you go. If your text box or any other object is off-center, you just drag it until the “so simple why did it take until 2003 for someone to think of it” yellow grid lines pop up, signaling that you’ve centered your box precisely. Never again will you have to eyeball your slide in a feeble attempt to make sure that everything is reasonably centered. What’s more, grid lines also magically pop up when you’re centering an object between two other objects. Don’t stop to think about how much recalculating is going on in the background to make this possible, just enjoy it. And if you’ve got something against the color yellow, you can change the grid lines to your favorite shade of pumice, for all Keynote cares.
The next wonderfully up-front thing about Keynote is that it puts all your most vital resources right on the toolbar: the add button, delete button, play button, master themes, font panel, color panel, shapes, tables, charts, and Inspector (more on this one later) are all right in front of you at all times. Even better, the tools are represented by such obvious icons that a Kindergartener could decipher them (I have proof of this). The button for adding a slide simply has a plus sign on it. The fact that this “plus button” will be familiar to veterans of iTunes and iPhoto is just a bonus. The “Play” button in Keynote looks identical to the “Play” button on my VCR. And when entering the values for a chart, you can see the chart taking shape as you enter the values in a floating window -- no more guessing about what things might look like once you finish slogging through a chart wizard.
So what of the Inspector? Think “Inspector Gadget”, because the Inspector panel has just as much innovation up its sleeve as its cartoon namesake, except that Keynote’s gadgets actually work as intended. Want your presentation to be a cube that rotates to reveal your slides on its faces? That’ll take you one click per slide to set up. You’d rather the cube rotate downward instead of to the side? That’s also one click. You’d like it to rotate more slowly? There’s a slider for that. You prefer your slides to be mosaics whose sqaures blow away in the wind? That’ll cost you another click. Want your picture to be translucent enough so that your text will magically show through from underneath? Just drag a slider to turn down the opacity. Turning down the thermostat on my air conditioner is more complicated. Need to rotate an object? There’s a car stereo knob for that. Whatever you can (or can’t) imagine doing to an object on a screen, the Inspector panel has a one-click trick for.
Then there’s the little things that you come to expect from Apple software. The master slides for photos allow you to not only put your photo behind the slide as if you were sliding it into a real picture frame so that only a portion will show through, you can shift your picture to the background simply by clicking on the Back button (even AppleWorks 6.2, perhaps the most intuitive software on the market today, requires you to use a menu for this). The best part is that once your picture is behind the slide, you can still drag it around within the picture frame. You almost have to be using Keynote to get a feel for just how effortless this all is. It’s as if somehow you’re displaying the skills that most graphics professionals spend years learning, yet you’ve only been using it since breakfast. And like all great software, Keynote’s more complicated features (import/export, for example) stay out of your way until you’re ready to discover them. If your Keynote experience goes anything like mine, you’ll be ready for those features by dinnertime.
Keynote is currently at version 1.01. Since new software starts at 1.00, you get the idea of just how young this application is. I have a long-standing rule of never using version 1.0 software for anything even mildly important, but I made an exception here, based on the sturdiness of most existing features. Still, some features need further fleshing out. The image library is rich with high-quality graphics, but rather than create an interface for viewing and retrieving the images, the developers simply placed one image on each slide of a sample slide show. It’s as if they didn’t have time to complete this feature, but didn’t want to leave the images out of the mix entirely. And while using your pictures from iPhoto is simple enough, it’s not exactly iLife-easy. Smartly, Keynote’s very first menu has a selection titled “Provide Keynote feedback”. Keynote’s lead engineer says that he reads every submission personally. I’ve sent in my feedback, and so should you. That way, Keynote 2.0 will be even more groundbreaking and innovative. If you want proof that Apple can really crank up the coolness factor with version 2 of an already great product, just check out what they did with iPhoto 2.
There are a few details about Keynote you’ll want to know before you take the plunge. Remember, doing your homework ahead of time sets the odds of success in your favor:
- Keynote only runs on MacOS X Jaguar (10.2). You say you’re still running MacOS 9? Sorry, Apple stopped developing for OS 9 last year. You’re using a PC running Windows? Not a chance. Software this strong doesn’t run on an operating system that weak. Keynote is yet another compelling reason to Switch to a Mac if you haven't already.
- Be absolutely sure to update your system software to version 10.2.4 before installing Keynote, as there were various problems reported by those who tried Keynote on version 10.2.3 and below.
- If you buy Keynote in the store, you’ll likely end up with version 1.0, so be sure to download the 1.01 updater from apple.com. Apple only lists the 1.01 updater as adding international language features, but it’s usually a good idea to install such updates when they are released, as some minor bugs tend to get quietly dispatched in these updates.
- Although Keynote is listed as being able to run on 128 Megabytes of RAM, and indeed it does run, it’s slow enough to take all the fun out of it.
When choosing which software application you want to hit the trail with, you’re usually faced with the same scenario: you can go with the quick-to-use app that’s so limited and simplistic that it can’t fully do the job, or you can opt for the laborious app that’s so complicated it can turn even the simplest job into an all-nighter. In the arena of slide show presentations, the scenario is as true as anywhere else. AppleWorks 6.2 has a module called “Presentation” that I often use to crank out a quick-and-dirty slide show when I don't care how basic things look. It’s great for those last minute slide shows that you didn’t think you were going to need to make -- or the ones you wish you didn't have to. PowerPoint, the de facto “standard” for slide show presentations in the corporate world, has long been my tool of choice when I want to create a decent-looking, decently complicated slide show. But PowerPoint’s developers seem to live by the theory that the more important a feature, the more deeply it should buried in a sea of menus and bizarre-looking icons (or should I have just intuitively known that if I wanted to animate a slide, I should click on a yellow star?).. But I’ve always been grateful for the very existence of PowerPoint because there’s never been anything else quite like it.
Until January 7, 2003, that is.
I always knew that Apple would eventually release a product that went head-to-head with one of the three key apps in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), but I never expected Apple to start off by going after the strongest of the three. Apple must have felt that it could make the clearest innovations in the presentation field, even if it meant competing with the truly decent PowerPoint. Outclassing MS Word would have taken all the effort of lifting a finger in zero-gravity, but I suppose there’s only so much that even an innovator like Apple can do for word processing. Rumor has it that Apple first tried to offer most of Keynote’s innovations to Microsoft for use in the next version of PowerPoint, only to be turned down, Microsoft knowing that it would never be able to replicate the Mac functionality on the PC side. There’s no reason to assume any truth in such a rumor, but it does make sense. Microsoft’s Mac Business Unit likes to brag about the minor features that you can only find on the Mac side of PowerPoint (mostly related to QuickTime integration), but Microsoft would be loathe to embarrass its Windows operating system by making the Mac version of PowerPoint that much better than the Windows version.
Regardless of what really went on behind closed doors, the end result was that two months ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs used the midsection of his MacWorld Expo Keynote Address to unveil Keynote to the public. The fact that Keynote the software was unveiled during a keynote speech is no accident: Steve had been using Keynote for his background slides all morning, and for that matter, for every keynote speech he’s given in the past year. After seeing Keynote’s first few features, my only thought was "I must have this, and I hope it’s a free download". After seeing the rest of the demonstration, my evolved line of thinking was "I must have this at any cost". So the $99 price tag seemed cheap. Apple has spoiled its users in recent years by giving us gems such as iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, and iCal at no cost, but I guess from time to time we actually have to pay for Apple’s innovations. Fair enough.
Right up front, this is what Keynote can not do: slides can not automatically advance without a click, and a continuous music soundtrack cannot play across multiple slides, among other things. But here’s what it can do: it can make your presentation look so slick, so impressive, that your audience will forget what you’ve presented, and instead pepper you with questions about what you’ve presented with. I used Keynote to demonstrate slides of a host of new software titles to my colleagues, and when I asked which title they wanted to spend hands-on time with, they chose Keynote. Not exactly what I had intended, but when you’re promoting technology in the education field, you gladly take success from whatever angle it comes.
So what is it about Keynote that allows you to sweep your audience off its feet with such little effort?
For starters, Keynote gives you twelve cool themes to work with. Within each theme you’ll find several master slides: title, photo, photo with text, bulleted text, title with text, and so on. Just pick the appropriate master, and your slide is already largely complete before you even do anything to it. Double-click to add your text, and away you go. If your text box or any other object is off-center, you just drag it until the “so simple why did it take until 2003 for someone to think of it” yellow grid lines pop up, signaling that you’ve centered your box precisely. Never again will you have to eyeball your slide in a feeble attempt to make sure that everything is reasonably centered. What’s more, grid lines also magically pop up when you’re centering an object between two other objects. Don’t stop to think about how much recalculating is going on in the background to make this possible, just enjoy it. And if you’ve got something against the color yellow, you can change the grid lines to your favorite shade of pumice, for all Keynote cares.
The next wonderfully up-front thing about Keynote is that it puts all your most vital resources right on the toolbar: the add button, delete button, play button, master themes, font panel, color panel, shapes, tables, charts, and Inspector (more on this one later) are all right in front of you at all times. Even better, the tools are represented by such obvious icons that a Kindergartener could decipher them (I have proof of this). The button for adding a slide simply has a plus sign on it. The fact that this “plus button” will be familiar to veterans of iTunes and iPhoto is just a bonus. The “Play” button in Keynote looks identical to the “Play” button on my VCR. And when entering the values for a chart, you can see the chart taking shape as you enter the values in a floating window -- no more guessing about what things might look like once you finish slogging through a chart wizard.
So what of the Inspector? Think “Inspector Gadget”, because the Inspector panel has just as much innovation up its sleeve as its cartoon namesake, except that Keynote’s gadgets actually work as intended. Want your presentation to be a cube that rotates to reveal your slides on its faces? That’ll take you one click per slide to set up. You’d rather the cube rotate downward instead of to the side? That’s also one click. You’d like it to rotate more slowly? There’s a slider for that. You prefer your slides to be mosaics whose sqaures blow away in the wind? That’ll cost you another click. Want your picture to be translucent enough so that your text will magically show through from underneath? Just drag a slider to turn down the opacity. Turning down the thermostat on my air conditioner is more complicated. Need to rotate an object? There’s a car stereo knob for that. Whatever you can (or can’t) imagine doing to an object on a screen, the Inspector panel has a one-click trick for.
Then there’s the little things that you come to expect from Apple software. The master slides for photos allow you to not only put your photo behind the slide as if you were sliding it into a real picture frame so that only a portion will show through, you can shift your picture to the background simply by clicking on the Back button (even AppleWorks 6.2, perhaps the most intuitive software on the market today, requires you to use a menu for this). The best part is that once your picture is behind the slide, you can still drag it around within the picture frame. You almost have to be using Keynote to get a feel for just how effortless this all is. It’s as if somehow you’re displaying the skills that most graphics professionals spend years learning, yet you’ve only been using it since breakfast. And like all great software, Keynote’s more complicated features (import/export, for example) stay out of your way until you’re ready to discover them. If your Keynote experience goes anything like mine, you’ll be ready for those features by dinnertime.
Keynote is currently at version 1.01. Since new software starts at 1.00, you get the idea of just how young this application is. I have a long-standing rule of never using version 1.0 software for anything even mildly important, but I made an exception here, based on the sturdiness of most existing features. Still, some features need further fleshing out. The image library is rich with high-quality graphics, but rather than create an interface for viewing and retrieving the images, the developers simply placed one image on each slide of a sample slide show. It’s as if they didn’t have time to complete this feature, but didn’t want to leave the images out of the mix entirely. And while using your pictures from iPhoto is simple enough, it’s not exactly iLife-easy. Smartly, Keynote’s very first menu has a selection titled “Provide Keynote feedback”. Keynote’s lead engineer says that he reads every submission personally. I’ve sent in my feedback, and so should you. That way, Keynote 2.0 will be even more groundbreaking and innovative. If you want proof that Apple can really crank up the coolness factor with version 2 of an already great product, just check out what they did with iPhoto 2.
There are a few details about Keynote you’ll want to know before you take the plunge. Remember, doing your homework ahead of time sets the odds of success in your favor:
- Keynote only runs on MacOS X Jaguar (10.2). You say you’re still running MacOS 9? Sorry, Apple stopped developing for OS 9 last year. You’re using a PC running Windows? Not a chance. Software this strong doesn’t run on an operating system that weak. Keynote is yet another compelling reason to Switch to a Mac if you haven't already.
- Be absolutely sure to update your system software to version 10.2.4 before installing Keynote, as there were various problems reported by those who tried Keynote on version 10.2.3 and below.
- If you buy Keynote in the store, you’ll likely end up with version 1.0, so be sure to download the 1.01 updater from apple.com. Apple only lists the 1.01 updater as adding international language features, but it’s usually a good idea to install such updates when they are released, as some minor bugs tend to get quietly dispatched in these updates.
- Although Keynote is listed as being able to run on 128 Megabytes of RAM, and indeed it does run, it’s slow enough to take all the fun out of it.