Journal DECS's Journal: RoughlyDrafted Magazine articles
According to proponents of this myth, Apple's new Time Machine is blatant rip off of Microsoft's Volume Shadow Copy, and by extension, nothing in Leopard is interesting at all because it's all been done before. They're wrong, here's why.
WWDC Secrets Paul Thurrott Hopes You Miss
Microsoft apologist Paul Thurrott is doing his very best to scribble up a negative spin on Apple's WWDC Leopard announcements. Poor Paul! After five years of Longhorn waiting and regular Vista disappointments, his very best attempts at poo-pooing Leopard sound a lot like sour grapes.
Three Reasons Why Microsoft Can't Ship (and Apple can)
How has Apple been able to ship six major revisions of Mac OS X in the same timeframe that Microsoft has done little for their desktop users apart from service packs, patches and ads?
WWDC Leopard Sneak Peek Highlights
Steve Jobs revealed a first glimpse of new Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard features in the WWDC opening keynote address. There are additional details and movies illustrating Leopard and Leopard Server features on Apple's site. Many new features delivered on my wishlist items! Here are some highlights and observations.
WWDC Leopard Server Sneak Peek Highlights
Steve Jobs revealed a first glimpse of new Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard features in WWDC opening keynote address. There are additional details and movies illustrating Leopard and Leopard Server features on Apple's site. Here are some highlights and observations.
Leopard Predictions for WWDC 2006
What will Apple announce at WWDC06? There will no doubt be some surprises, but here are some well known inevitabilities, some reasonable possibilities for new apps, new UI, and new hardware, and a few commonly repeated ideas that - sorry - have no chance!
How to Fix the Finder 3: Prettier
The Finder uses a number of graphic effects to reinforce behaviors. A third aspect of fixing the Finder makes it prettier, not by just adding fluff and eye candy, but employing intuitive user interface devices that make sense, enhance utility, and look good too. Here are some examples.
How to Fix the Finder 2: Smarter
Part one of How to Fix the Finder looked at ways to make it faster. The second aspect of fixing the Finder involves making it smarter, by presenting additional simple tools to perform complex tasks.
How to Fix the Finder 1: Faster
The Mac OS X Finder is at the top of everyone's fix-it list. Here's a look at what's wrong with the Finder, and ideas for fixing it.
Secrets of Pay Per Click Advertising
Part two of Secrets of Running a Website looks at how web advertising works, starting with pay per click programs like Google AdSense, AdBrite, and Yahoo! Ads.
Secrets of Running a Website
Are you considering setting up your own website, or just curious to know more about the inside operations of running an online presence? Here's a secret look at the ins and outs of advertising, web site traffic, and the tools available to publish your content.
Apple's Next Killer App
Killer applications fuel demand for a product by exploiting new features or efficiencies in a way that changes how the world works. Here's the next big application, and how Apple is positioned to ride the wave of new hardware sales it will bring.
The Xserve mini
Introducing the Apple XServe mini: what it is, what it does, and why the world needs it.
Market Share Myth: Nailed!
A look at the slippery aspect of numbers, proof that a quality share of the market can be better than a larger market share, and how the definition of a market is critically important in evaluating market share numbers.
The Apple Market Share Myth
According to proponents of this myth, a vendor's market share numbers speak for themselves as a critically important factor in selecting a technology product or platform. They're wrong, here's why.
New Media and Free Market Choice
Five examples that prove that intellectual property, while offering some new challenges, still obeys the same market laws of supply and demand. Along the way, I'll also prove why the market has rejected digital media rentals.
The Online Music and Movie Rental Myth
According to proponents of this myth, the real road to obscene profits in movies, music, software, and other digital media lies with online subscription rentals, not direct sales. They're wrong, here's why.
How to Build a Free and Simple Ajax Menu
Here's a free way to add a simple, Ajax enabled menu to your site. I'm using iWeb, but it doesn't matter what tool you use to publish your web pages. It just uses a simple collection of Javascripts to reference HTML files.
CNET's Charles Cooper Strikes Out in iPod Attack
There's a common misconception about what it means to be proprietary. Here's a disassembly of one of the worst articles yet on the subject, written by CNET's executive editor, Charles Cooper.
Generation 6 iPods
The iPod turns five years old this fall, and is due for its annual revamping. Apple keeps a tight lid on future plans, but here's a look at three designs for Generation 6 iPods, along with three software features I'd like to see Apple deliver.
The Microsoft iPod-Killer Myth
According to proponents of this myth, Microsoft is out to kill Apple's iPod with a player they will design and build on their own. Once it arrives, they expect Microsoft to clean up not only the music player market, but also online music sales, leaving Apple on the sidelines. They're wrong, here's why.
The Microsoft Invincibility Myth
According to proponents of this myth, Microsoft's expertise in building software platforms ensures that everything that Microsoft does will turn to gold. This supposed invincibility is used to prove how Microsoft will eventually dominate all new markets, from online music stores to the iPod, and how advances by Linux and Apple's Mac OS X will never make any significant impact on PC desktops. They're wrong, here's why.
Using iSight as a Hand Gesture Input Device
Apple has included simple hardware features on their laptops that have found new and different applications in the minds of users. Here are two enabling technologies that made news recently, along with an idea I'd like to see inspired by the movie Minority Report and the Sony EyeToy.
The Road to VoIP: Paved with Bad Intentions
The road to open standards is often a long, rough path. Developers of new technologies consistently aim to own and control networks, protocols, and customers, leaving their users to suffer until more open alternatives arrive. This familiar story repeated itself in email, in instant messaging, and is now playing out in the world of VoIP. Here's what happened then, and what's similarly happening now.
Imaging MacBooks: Understanding MBR, APM, and GPT
The following information applies to all of Apple's Intel based Macs, and is important in understanding the issues involved with using BootCamp, or in moving drives between PCs and Intel Macs. It also helps to explain why Apple beat all the other PC makers in widely releasing EFI based computers.
The Road to VoIP: The Empire Strikes Out
How the phone company fumbled in providing modern communication services for their customers
Do MacBooks Make Business Sense as PC Laptops?
I arranged with Apple Enterprise to obtain four MacBooks for a month long trial to determine if Apple's new Intel based laptops could replace PC laptops in a business environment running Windows. Here's an introduction to what I learned in using MacBooks and BootCamp to run Windows.
Open Source Values and the Peanut Gallery
The value proposition involved in choosing an open source strategy, and a roast of the emerging peanut gallery who are attempting to hijack and betray the free software movement.
Fixing
Features Apple needs to add to their
The Road to VoIP: Phone Wars
The reasons for, and challenges behind, replacing the existing old phone empire with a new system.
BSD and GPL: Different Sources for Different Horses
The benefits and the motivations behind two very different styles of open source development: the BSD style license, pioneered by UC Berkeley and MIT; and the GPL invented by Richard Stallman, the founder of the free software movement.
An iPhone Worth Talking About
The options and challenges Apple will face in delivering a mobile phone of their own.
iPod, Therefore, iPhone?
Examining the likelihood that Apple will turn their iPod into a phone.
Why Mobile Phones Make Bad iPods
Why mobile phones and music players are not the obvious match many analysts are describing.
Fixing
Features Apple needs to add to their
The iPod Phone Myth
According to proponents of this myth, Apple's success with the iPod is about to be crushed by an onslaught of music playing cell phones, so Apple needs to desperately come up with an iPod + cell phone combination of their own to remain relevant. They're wrong, here's why.
The Revolution Will be Open Sourced!
Over the last decade, every player in the software development industry has been dramatically affected by an open source revolution. How will Apple adapt to fit into this new world? Are they leading, following, or falling behind? Do they stand to benefit from an increased adoption of open source practices, or will they simply have to change how they do business?
Fixing
Features Apple needs to add to their
Fixing
Features Apple needs to add to their
Stevenson Fails 'Report Card' on Mac Ads
Seth Stevenson writes a column for Salon called the "Ad Report Card," where he rates the effectiveness of advertising based on his own extemporaneous criteria. Sometimes it's the concept, sometimes execution, and sometimes he just likes ads because they are entertaining. After watching Apple's new Get a Mac ads, however, he complained.
Fixing
Features Apple needs to add to their
Apple and Open Source... Strange Buffaloes?
Tim Bray's "Time to Switch?" and John Gruber's "Why Apple Won't Open Source Its Apps" both discuss the potential risks and benefits Apple would face in open sourcing their consumer applications. Here's my take: Apple does not make fierce profits from $130 Mac OS X retail sales, and there isn't a conspiracy behind new apps not working on an old OS.
Fixing
Features Apple needs to add to their
Fixing
Features Apple needs to add to their
Fixing
Features Apple needs to add to their
The Apple Video Game Development Myth
According to proponents of this myth, Apple's recent recruiting for video game developers means that the company is planning a big new push into video games for the Mac, the iPod, and possibly a brand new gaming console from Apple. They're wrong, here's why.
5 More Reasons Apple Can Kickstart Web 2.0
Five more reasons why Apple is a force to be reckoned with on the new web, and how this will enable them to do things other industry players can't.
The 'Mac OS X Closed by Pirates' Myth
According to the proponents of this myth, Apple has abandoned their open source initiatives as they move to Intel, because they are afraid that, armed with the Darwin source code, pirate 3lit3 haxx0rs will p0wn them and have Mac OS X running on generic PCs. They're wrong, here's why.
10 Reasons Why Apple Can Kickstart Web 2.0
Reasons why Apple is a force to be reckoned with on the new web, and how this will enable them to do things other industry players can't.
What the Heck is
Nearly four years after its initial release, it's still hard to succinctly describe exactly what
What's Broken in iWeb: A Wishlist
When Apple announced iWeb, I was seriously impressed. Rather than being a utilitarian HTML editor, they delivered a website tool that simply did seemingly everything, and a few more things, too. It was more than I was expecting. Sometimes, after getting exactly what you want, you realize you really want something different. The good news is that iWeb 1.0 is a great start, and its problems should be easy for Apple to address.
Introducing iWeb
How iWeb compares with existing ways to build and manage a website.
Dr. Strangeweb
Why the web is fundamentally challenging to use as a medium for rich presentation.
Universal Applications
How the transition to Intel is very different than the move to PowerPC.
Unraveling The PowerPC Obsolescence Myth
According to proponents of this myth, Apple and third party developers will soon stop making software that runs on PowerPC Macs; even Leopard, the next release of Mac OS X, will be Intel only! They're wrong, here's why.
Unraveling The Mac OS X Linux Kernel Myth: Part 1
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According to proponents of this myth, Apple will, could, or should shortly replace Mac OS X's kernel with Linux. They're wrong; here's why.
Unraveling The Copy/Paste Development Myth
According to proponents of this myth, complex software development is a something like making funny madlibs from refrigerator magnets. Pick out features, line them up appropriately, and voila: an operating system! They're wrong, here's why.
Unraveling the Mac OS X Microkernel Myth
According to proponents of this myth, Mac OS X is in grave danger because it has a microkernel and Linux doesn't. They're wrong; here's why.
Unraveling the Utopian System that Runs All Software Imaginable Myth
The Utopian System that Runs All Software Imaginable Myth speaks of a hardware or software solution that... does it all. It seems like such a great idea, but is it?
Unraveling the Office for Mac Withdrawal Myth
According to proponents of this myth, Microsoft is poised to drop Office for Mac, resulting in immediate devastation for the Mac platform. They're wrong; here's why.
Unraveling the Red Box Myth
According to proponents of the Red Box Myth, Mac OS X will supposedly soon run Windows software natively, perhaps as soon as Leopard 10.5. They're wrong; here's why.
Will Intel Macs run Windows? - Part 1
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The answer is No. And Yes. And It Doesn't Really Matter. Read on to find why.
A Brief History of Data Syndication and Podcasting
Back in the mid 90's, visionaries were inflamed with the idea of converting the web into a television. Their fire was further fueled by PointCast's new syndicated content network.
A Brief History of Remote Display
There's more than one way to deliver remote display features. Unix, Windows and Mac OS X all approach the problem differently, reflecting the different vendors' motivations. To see what's possible, or at least desirable, in Leopard, let's take a look at what's been developed.
Part 1 - Apple: supporting hardware sales
Part 2 - Microsoft: selling licenses
Part 3 - Selling even more licenses: Terminal Server
Part 4 - VNC: the other thin client
Part 5 - Unix workstations: selling platform solutions
Part 6 - Mac OS X Graphics
Five Architectural Flaws in Windows Solved In Mac OS X
What was intended to be a short aside about Mac OS X's strengths turned into an entire series on Windows NT/2000/XP flaws! Here is the first of five examples of core Windows architectural problems that relate to process management, applications and security.
Flaw 1 - Windows' Interactive Services
Flaw 2 - Windows' opaque and illogical file system presentation
Flaw 3 - 'Least privilege' is impractical and broken
Flaw 4 - No signal of privilege escalation
Flaw 5 - Windows' expensive processes
The Apple Wishlist: Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
It might seem early to be talking about new features for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, considering that we just got Tiger, but now's the perfect time to look at ideas Apple could consider in the next major release.
Part 1 - Window appearance and behavior
Part 2 - Process control and feedback services
Part 3 - Remote control and management
Part 4 - New services for workgroups
Part 5 - Security services and products
Part 6 - Communications services and products
Part 7 - Media services and products
Where is the iPod Killer?
Pundits have been busy trying to find an iPod Killer. Suspects have included Microsoft's WMP, Sony's onslaught of reanimated Walkmen, the cheapskate Yahoo, and an aging Napster cat, now on extended life support. This month, it was music executive Edgar Bronfman Jr.
Part 1 - Where is the iPod Killer?
Part 2 - The Killer Piandntilde;ata
Part 3 - Edgar Bronfman Jr. is a big fat idiot
Is Microsoft's Vista the new QuarkXPress?
Quark has long owned the desktop publishing world. Yet, after a decade of dominance, the company stumbled, leaving the door open for serious competition just as Adobe was introducing a strong competing product. Is Microsoft about to do the same?
Part 1 - Is Microsoft's Vista the new QuarkXPress?
Part 2 - Quark's Strange Top Down Charm Bottom Up
Part 3 - Ready to Fumble
Part 4 - Seriously Underestimated
Part 5 - Competition is Good
Why Apple hasn't used Intel processors before
When Steve Jobs announced the plan to move Macs to Intel processors, Bruce Chizen, CEO of Adobe, joked, andldquo;The only question I have, Steve, is what took you so long?andrdquo;
The Intel Advantage
Apple's transition to Intel was presented as an effort to take advantage of Intel's compelling future road map, not a desperate bid to replace a sagging PowerPC hardware architecture. There is however an immediate advantage that Intel processors provide for Apple now.
Are PowerPC Macs Obsolete?
The comfortable Mac ecosystem seemed completely turned upside down when Apple announced the Intel transition. All of a sudden, it was not obvious how long the newest models would remain useful.
Why Apple won't suffer the Osborne Effect
Tech columnists love to rehash old stories and suggest the future will play out just like a vaguely similar event from the past. But as old stories are retold, they become celebrated legends that eventually grossly distort what actually happened.
Analysts fail to predict Apple's success with iPod
Analysts comfortable with predicting Microsoft's impending takeover in new markets are sweating bullets. For years, they've felt safe in discouraging any potential competition to Microsoft, and instead forecasting an inevitable domination of any and all markets to which the software giant shows any interest in entering.
Part 1 - Analysts fail to predict Apple's success with iPod
Part 2 - For the record, some facts
Part 3 - What works and what doesn't
Three Strikes
For the last two decades, legions of industry wags have kept repeating three things Apple needed to do in order to survive. But they were never right, and even when they appeared to be right, they weren't.
Part 1 - Three Strikes: Analysts Wrong on Apple
Part 2 - More Right Than Wrong
Part 3 - Much Ado About Intel
Part 4 - Putting the Mac in Mac OS X
Part 5 - A Shock to the System
Part 6 - How Apple And Intel Fit
Part 7 - Tears of a Clone
Safari Wars VI : Return of the GUI
Episode V left off with the Finder growing stagnant and Microsoft's empire dominating world's browser. What's next? Answers await!
Safari Wars V : The Internet Strikes Back
Episode IV looked at development of the Mac OS Finder before the Internet became widely available. How has the Finder changed since, where is it headed, and how does its development compare with others? How does this relate to Safari? Answers await!
Safari Wars IV : A New Hope
The Finder has ruled Mac applications for the last twenty years. It's always there, right in front or lurking in the back waiting to help. What new features does the Finder dream of when a Mac goes to sleep? What does it have to do with Safari? Answers await!
Beyond Luxo Jr : The next flat panel iMac
Is the iMac in trouble? Sales are down sharply from last year's, prompting dire screams of Apple-panic from the usual suspects. However, reality is far simpler than any pundits suggest. The next step for the consumer icon is, well, plainly obvious.
Apple Announces Mac OS X Spoken Interface Technology Preview
Apple announced plans to include a greatly expanded set of spoken interface and keyboard navigation services in the next version of Mac OS X.
Apple Bites the Hands that Picked It
Like the mythical phoenix, Apple Computer experienced a miraculous revival from a pitiful heap of ash in 1996 to become the profitable, premium MegaBrand and industry trendsetter it is today. Apple didn't do it alone; in fact, the Apple of 1996 didn't do it at all.
Apple History X
The new Mac OS X Panther is ready to pounce, but the story on this cat starts a long time back.
Panther at your Service
Apple's OS X 10.3 Panther Server upgrade brings a new look, new capacities, more speed and a nicer interface.
Panther Server : a better NT than NT?
With Microsoft's support for NT drying up, Apple and Samba offer an alternative to Active Directory for thousands of Windows NT shops.
The Secret Weapon Inside iTunes
Apple strikes back in the battle for digital media rights, production, distribution and playback.
Part 1 - The Secret Weapon Inside iTunes
Part 2 - The QuickTime Media Layer: Apple's Best Kept Secret
Part 3 - Microsoft: We hate your baby, please kill it
Part 4 - QuickTime Strikes Back
Part 5 - D.R.M. or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Flash in the Plan - a DRM Disaster
This summer, Macromedia launched a trial campaign to install DRM software on their customer's computers to lock down software functionality and report back to the company how the software is used.
