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One former Mac user bolts to Linux, and explains why in a video,
noting:
"I never touch my iMac anymore, except maybe a couple times a month.
I love my Dell Laptop fully loaded and that's all there is to it! Apple
has lost a lifetime customer in me. Some of the Apple Stores I went
into was like a country club and I could not even purchase the simplest
thing without being sold every product in the store or waiting for 45
minutes while the little nerds were selling to other unwilling
customers. I'm sick of giving my limited wealth with a company that
reinvents ugly crap and then influences their audience to hate PC -
just look at any of their ads. Go Linux!"
Web Worker Daily's Scott Blitstein has posted the second in a series
of articles on switching to the Mac after 20 years using Windows PCs.
He's still early in his transition and following a clear and logical
process of defining his requirements, which made him feel confident
that he would have the support he needs, access to all of the right
tools, and the ability retrain himself to make the necessary
adjustments. And when it was time to really "pull the trigger", he
found that the Mac wasn't nearly as scary a choice as it had been in
the past.
Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt riffs on a polling firm testing a
question raised this week by the New York Times and ABC News:
"Has Apple lost its cool?"
Has the spate of negative publicity surrounding Apple - the Gizmodo
iPhone affair, the Flash on iPhone brouhaha, the rejected apps, the
patent disputes, the Jon Stewart
take down [not to mention Ellen DeGeneres' cleverly
nuanced apology for her whimsical iPhone ad parody] - done material
damage to the Apple brand?
Yahoo! News' Christopher Null says it's hard to remember a time when
Apple wasn't the coolest company on the planet, and that Apple has
seemingly done no wrong for a decade. However, the tide is clearly
changing, with Apple finding itself increasingly on the defensive
against allegations that it has become stodgy, overbearing,
mean-spirited, and even uncool, spending the last several months
"digging its own hipster grave as it becomes an angry sourpuss of a
company that many have started comparing to Microsoft."
"Beginning in the fall semester of 2010, students in the School of
Journalism and Mass Communication must purchase a computer.
"Greg Blase, associate director of JMC, said this is the first
semester for the 'required buy,' and it will only affect incoming
students. Freshmen don't have to step on campus with a computer but
will need one by the end of their first year.
"'It could be the first semester or maybe even the second semester,'
Blase said. 'We haven't decided that yet.'
"Students will have the option between Macintosh and PC computers,
although Blase said a Mac is recommended. A desktop computer would also
meet the requirements, but Blase said he strongly recommends a laptop.
Regardless, students must have a computer."
Boot Your Mac with Windows and Linux, Boot Camp Not
Required
Lifehacker's Whitson Gordon says:
"Apple has streamlined the process of dual booting Windows on your
Mac, but when it comes to Linux, Boot Camp isn't so friendly. Here's
how to triple-boot your Mac with OS X, Windows 7, and the shiny
new Ubuntu 10.04.
"If you're a Mac user, you may have already used Apple's Boot Camp
to get Windows on your system for those must-have programs. With a fast
new Ubuntu out, however, you might want to give it a try - but
installing Linux isn't exactly easy on Macs, since they don't recognize
it by default.
"Also complicating things? Linux and Windows' boot loaders will
attempt to take over one another. Usually, this is a good thing,
because Linux's multi-system loader makes the experience more seamless
for PC users - but on a Mac, this really just makes things more
difficult (no one wants to go through two menus to choose their OS). As
such, installing Linux needs to be done with certain settings applied,
or you'll be left with a jumbled mess. Here's a step-by-step guide to
making your triple booting experience as user-friendly as
possible."
The solution uses a boot manager to choose your OS at startup.
"Everyone loves free applications. One of the greatest things about
Macs is the wealth of extremely talented developers that are willing to
share their amazing creations without asking for a single cent.
"We've compiled an enormous list of 100 amazing free Mac
applications that you can download and start using today. These apps
span multiple categories and offer an incredibly diverse pool of
functionality so there's definitely something here for everyone."
Mac OS X 10.6.4 to Fix Rampant USB Keyboard/Mouse
Issues?
Apple Toolbox reports that users continue to experience intermittent
mouse and keyboard freezes and/or system stalls after updating to Mac
OS X 10.6.3 - typically the cursor freezing in place, or text
input becoming suddenly interrupted then catching up a few seconds
later.
Factors that can exacerbate this issue or cause it in conjunction
with the Mac OS X 10.6.3 update include Adobe Flash, Spotlight
problems, outdated drivers, and problematic startup/login items.
So far the most effective fix has been a downgrade to Mac OS X
10.6.2, but Apple Toolbox has received word that forthcoming Mac
OS X 10.6.4 includes new IOUSB files that resolve the
freezes/stalls under most circumstances.
Computerworld Mike Elgan reports that new information says iPads are replacing netbooks. And laptops. And
desktops. They may turn out to be the Hannibal Lecter of
gadgets.
Elgan says extreme interpretations of Huberty's report -
that the iPad is already killing netbooks - are insupportable. He
thinks that iPads will kill netbooks eventually, but they haven't done
so yet. He suggests everyone seems to have missed the real story in
Huberty's report buried in a chart showing which other device
categories the iPad would "cannibalize", showing that not only are 17%
of iPad buyers making their purchase instead of a handheld video game
player; 28% instead of an ebook reader; and 41% instead of the iPod
touch, but a whopping 27% of iPad purchases will be made instead of a
desktop PC, and 44% instead of a laptop.
"As Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight duke it out over their
plugin-based, HTML-alternative web platforms, Apple is using Gianduia, its
new a client-side, standards based framework for Rich Internet Apps, to
create production quality online apps for its retail users."
Mac of the Day: PowerBook 500 Series, introduced 1994.05.16. 'Blackbird' includes a 25 to 33 MHz 68040 along with smart batteries and grayscale or color displays.
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We believe in the long term value of Apple hardware. You should be able to use your Apple gear as long as it helps you remain productive and meets your needs, upgrading only as necessary. We want to help maximize the life of your Apple gear.
