iOS Could Learn from webOS
From Jonathan:
Hi Charles,
I had a similar time upgrading my iPad
1 to iOS 5, except I'm a Linux user who can't use iTunes and had
the extra special task of transferring all my iTunes purchases, along
with family members who made any purchases, to my mother's iMac.
Hopefully this update will prevent me from ever having to connect it
to iTunes again. I really am amazed at how one device can be so chained
to one program. I had enabled the multitasking gestures in iOS 4.3, as
it was available for devs on the iPad 1, however iOS 5 took
them away.
Palm Prē
I totally agree with you on needing the ability to download a file
while doing something else. I often use
GoodPlayer to download videos off my Linux box, as it is faster and
easier than converting said videos to MP4 and then importing them into
iTunes, but of course you are just expected to sit and wait while the
download finishes. My Palm Prē has that
ability, and I really wish Apple would steal a page from webOS and
implement real actually usable multitasking.
I also really wish Apple would add some sort of stylus digitizer to
the iPad, even if it was optional and cost more. That would make it an
incredible tool for taking notes and sketching and would be faster than
the touch keyboard, but they probably won't, and I probably won't buy
such a limited device again.
Regards,
Jonathan
Hi Jonathan,
As always with personal tastes and preferences, I'm
intrigued that an awful lot of people seem to really love their iPads,
while I find it, as you say, a frustratingly limited device with a lot
of angularities (such as the lack of anything that deserves to be
called multitasking, and no user-accessible file directory, as well as
the Walled iGarden lockdown).
Since you're a Linux guy, I'm not at all surprised by
your criticisms of the iPad. since the Linux philosophy is pretty much
the diametrical opposite of the iOS philosophy.
My computer experience has been pretty much
exclusively Apple for nearly 20 years, but I've long considered myself
to be philosophically more in harmony with the Linux model. It's just
that up to now, the Mac OS and Apple hardware have been such a great
trip. However, with the iOSification of OS X Lion, the Mac App Store
mediating OS upgrades and more and more software installs, not so
much.
The hardware is still great. I love the current
MacBook lines, but the software dynamic is more and more dissonant with
my taste and style.
Charles
Firefox 3.6 the Last Version for PowerPC Macs
From Stephen:
I read your article (Firefox
3.6 Probably the Last Version for PowerPC Macs, 2010.08.30) where
you stated you got Firefox 4.0 Beta 3 working on PowerPC but "have been
unable to find since the release of Beta 4."
Here is the direct link:
ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases4.0b3/mac/en-US/Firefox 4.0
Beta 3.dmg
The complete archive of previous Firefox versions all the way back
to 2004 are here: ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases
Firefox 3.6.xx looks like the end of the road for PowerPC, but
Safari 5 and TenFourFox both work
well on my PowerBook G4 with Leopard
10.5.8.
Regards,
Stephen
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for the links.
I've converted to TenFourFox on my two Pismo PowerBooks running
OS X 10.4.11 and never looked
back. That browser has been a major factor in extending their useful
life as production machines. I am still using OmniWeb 5 and
Opera 11 a bit as well.
My wife is still using Firefox 3.6.twenty-something on
her 17" G4 PowerBook
running OS 10.5.8, but I'm planning to switch her to TenFourFox when I
get around to loading a Flash plugin for her. I can live without Flash
for the most part, but she can't.
Charles
Finding a Good Lion Modem
From Ruffin:
Did you ever get around to trying out a Lion capable modem (see
Lion USB Modem Options, PowerPC
Already Left Behind, 'Real Work' on Tablets, and More)? I'm still
partial to using an old iMac and sharing the Internet connection over
AirPort, but I would like a backup for the laptop bag.
Still, the less portable
Smart One you were considering probably has more forward
compatibility than a software modem. Tough choice. Makes me wish I
could find my old Hayes Accura.
Any luck deciding and trying one out?
Ruffin
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Hi Ruffin,
Nothing new to report from my end on this matter. I'm
less and less enthusiastic about upgrading to Lion and will probably
wait until I get a faster computer.
However, my inclination is to go with a hardware modem
when the time comes.
Charles
On Living and Dying
From Noah:
Hi Charles,
I really appreciated your republished article Steve Jobs on Living and Dying on Low End Mac.
It was really profound, and having thought much about Steve's death and
what he believed in, as a Christian also it was touching to read your
article, and I think you hit the nail on the nose.
Noah
From Bob:
Thank you for the article.
As a Christian, it is nice to see writing in a secular venue that
speaks openly and straightforward about the faith that saves.
Have a great day and may God bless you and your whole family.
Bob
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