Breakup

Breakup

Originally uploaded by mike fischer.

for those of you who know, get this.

Why Microsoft makes me sad.

Let me preface this by saying, contrary to my vocal beliefs, Microsoft isn’t all that bad. For how large they are, and how much they try to put into every release of their software, they do a moderately good job.

Now onto what, in all honesty, really holds back the greatness Microsoft really can be.

Firstly its their product cycle. Vista is going to be realeased nearly half a decade after XP. Within that time, many things have changed. Users want the graphics chip accelerated desktop GUIs, something Mac OS X has had for a very long time, and has implemented quite well with allowing for extensiblity to other programs. Also during this 5 year stint, users have been calling for “fast-search”, search based on pre-databased information and metadata. Spotlight and Beagle have both provided this for the alternative platforms, and third-party applications for the Windows platfom, but Google Desktop has never really integrated with the platform the way Spotlight and the Core Data API does for Mac OS X. All these features and more such as, a better browser (if you can call IE a browser), more user oriented suite of tools ( such as iLife). This things are finally coming into Vista, and even though they were announced before Mac OS X shipped with Spotlight and Dashboard, they weren’t the first out the door where it really matters.

Secondly, Windows Media Player needs to be more robust. Microsoft would argue that, Media Center is the more robust Media Player, but Windows Media Player could’ve and should’ve had podcast support about 3 years ago. It isn’t that diffcult of a thing to support. The interface is down right dreadful and it’s absolutely astounding to walk around the UF campus and still see people using it over Winamp, Zinf or even iTunes (which by the way is a great media player but horrible music store).

Thirdly, Outlook has never been a good e-mail/PIM client, its overly complicated. IT has tons and tons of features, but most will never ever be used. And Outlook 2007 is even more convoluted. Comparing Calendars is useless side by side and it shouldn’t take me 3 trips to a manual and some ridiculous method of creating a faux folder to create one new calendar. Microsoft has serious issues with its interface design choices sometimes, mostly so they don’t copy Apple. But if they had a shorter product cycle they wouldn’t have to worry about that.

Finally what irks me the most is this. Why if they are so large and so powerful, is there so many bugs. Apple has its fair share of bugs to, especially with the iLife suite corrupting itself, but nontheless Apple Operating software and some of its suites work exactly like promised (especially Final Cut, which is great but not as good as Sony Vegas). Microsoft is doing something very wrong in this respect and hopefully since Vista has been delayed so many times, that once they get rid of the bugs, they won’t come back.

Mac Book Pros, educational discounts, College, and various other gadgets

Long post title simple idea. I’m seriously considering getting a Mac Book Pro, pending a few major and minor caveats.

1) Firstly the software I’ll need day to day. Now I know in the majority of my classes Mac OS X will be shuned. I can deal with that. I can still open word docs, powerpoints, and excel files. And if they give me an Acess database, i’ll tell them to wait a few minutes and boot into windows, no big deal. The problem comes with third-party software. There just isn’t a big following of good open source software. No good note taking applications. No good note taking applications (Stickies in Dashboard don’t count), no amazing email/pim application (the iLife suite is lacking some serious things with e-mail and PIM, mainly a standard three pane interface with Mail.App and having iCal, Mail, and Address Book as one app. Most likely a marketing move).

2) I have to mount an install file? what the hell is up with that. I have to mount install files but Its difficult to mount NAS devices? Not cool at all.

3) Podcast support in iTunes shouldn’t require iTunes Music store to be activated, it should just download the enclosures through Safari’s RSS integration.

4) The battery gets freakin’ hot when plugged in, not usable as a laptop then and probably detrimental to the battery as it is Li-Ion.

5) Two Button support either eludes me in Windows or rather isn’t there.

6) That damned Beach Ball.

7) Why are they so damn expensive for the low end Mac Books that are aimed at students. Students want to have $800 notebooks, most of them can’t afford a $2000 Mac Book Pro, or want the smaller form factor. When Apple can easily bring the cost down, why don’t they? Because of the software, the whole iLife suite and the great integration of iLife and the rest of the mac system mainly through the Core Data API (and its main frontend Spotlight)? That should be the value add, what really holds on to the customer have, after capturing them with the style and low price ( Sub $1000). Educationaly Discounts don’t help much for the low end.

These few things not only bug me right now about getting a notebook from Apple but always have been the impeding factor for my purchase.

Empire State Building

Empire State Building

Originally uploaded by Sciamano.

Great Photo