Linked by Jim Vanaria on Fri 4th Oct 2002 21:25 UTC
When it comes to using computers, it used to be (and still rings true today) that most people find the Mac platform to be either loathsome or lovable with few spectators taking middle ground on the issue.
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rajan:
Appleworks 6 came bundled with my Mac, I'm not not a big office user so I couldn't really say how it compares feature for feature but it's got a wordprocessor, spreadsheet, database, draw, paint, and presentation tool. Looks like the basics are there, and lot of really spiffy looking templates built in. I suppose this could be considered iOffice. It supports the microsoft document formats, although I can't attest to how well.
For the people talking games:
I didn't buy it for a game machine, I bought it for an easy to use unix box. My PS2, Gamecube, and Win98 box are for games I bought a few games with the Mac (titles I missed on Windows, Alien Vs Predator, Giants: Citizen Kabuto, also picked up Warcraft III since it supported both out of the box), and if a game is coming out on the Mac I'll likely not buy the Windows version and wait for the Mac one to come out (similarily I choose Gamecube or PS2 versions over PC versions of titles as well, they don't require patches . There's something to be said for programming for known hardware configurations when it comes to stability (Mac comes closer to this category than PC's do, but the dedicated consoles are the prime examples of this). I also picked up a couple of the titles that are available only for Mac, and while simple, they are actually quite good (Cro-Mag rally, while looking a little dated now, sure is fun). All that being said I'm not removing my Windows partition from my PC's anytime soon.
As for the "just works" comment I didn't mean when compared to Windows, all IHV's are supporting Windows, it more or less "just works" now as well...I was talking versus unix (well actually linux to be more specific...). Linux is a PITA to maintain, and if I get a new PC it's a crap shoot wether a distro is going to properly support everything on it...Mac OSX is what I think the various opensource desktop enviroments are trying to be, but they're not doing it very well IMHO...the power of unix with a simple easy to use GUI interface (and don't forget application integration, something that they have the worst time with...KDE apps don't work quite right with GNOME apps, which don't work right with Motiff apps...they co-exist, but rarely co-operate).
This is all just my experience, and I'm not trying to put anyone down for their choices here either (if you like Windows...great! Use it, I won't hold it against you...same goes with Linux). There is to date no "one true OS or computing platform" that I know of. They all have their strenghts and weaknesses and people make choices based on what is important to them.
I will agree with the poster that claimed that interopability is what we should be shooting for. Open standards that are not emcumbered by IP/Patent issues are really the way to go and what people should be focusing on...not what hardware or operating system they are using.
Anyways, the point of my original post was not to tell people to "switch", or to put them down for not using a Mac, it was to further verify the point of the original article with a real person making a real post...people that weren't interested in the Mac before, are now looking at it (or in my case, buying it).
rajan:
I bought a few games with the Mac (titles I missed on Windows, Alien Vs Predator, Giants: Citizen Kabuto, also picked up Warcraft III since it supported both out of the box), and if a game is coming out on the Mac I'll likely not buy the Windows version and wait for the Mac one to come out (similarily I choose Gamecube or PS2 versions over PC versions of titles as well, they don't require patches
. There's something to be said for programming for known hardware configurations when it comes to stability (Mac comes closer to this category than PC's do, but the dedicated consoles are the prime examples of this). I also picked up a couple of the titles that are available only for Mac, and while simple, they are actually quite good (Cro-Mag rally, while looking a little dated now, sure is fun). All that being said I'm not removing my Windows partition from my PC's anytime soon.
Appleworks 6 came bundled with my Mac, I'm not not a big office user so I couldn't really say how it compares feature for feature but it's got a wordprocessor, spreadsheet, database, draw, paint, and presentation tool. Looks like the basics are there, and lot of really spiffy looking templates built in. I suppose this could be considered iOffice. It supports the microsoft document formats, although I can't attest to how well.
For the people talking games:
I didn't buy it for a game machine, I bought it for an easy to use unix box. My PS2, Gamecube, and Win98 box are for games
As for the "just works" comment I didn't mean when compared to Windows, all IHV's are supporting Windows, it more or less "just works" now as well...I was talking versus unix (well actually linux to be more specific...). Linux is a PITA to maintain, and if I get a new PC it's a crap shoot wether a distro is going to properly support everything on it...Mac OSX is what I think the various opensource desktop enviroments are trying to be, but they're not doing it very well IMHO...the power of unix with a simple easy to use GUI interface (and don't forget application integration, something that they have the worst time with...KDE apps don't work quite right with GNOME apps, which don't work right with Motiff apps...they co-exist, but rarely co-operate).
This is all just my experience, and I'm not trying to put anyone down for their choices here either (if you like Windows...great! Use it, I won't hold it against you...same goes with Linux). There is to date no "one true OS or computing platform" that I know of. They all have their strenghts and weaknesses and people make choices based on what is important to them.
I will agree with the poster that claimed that interopability is what we should be shooting for. Open standards that are not emcumbered by IP/Patent issues are really the way to go and what people should be focusing on...not what hardware or operating system they are using.
Anyways, the point of my original post was not to tell people to "switch", or to put them down for not using a Mac, it was to further verify the point of the original article with a real person making a real post...people that weren't interested in the Mac before, are now looking at it (or in my case, buying it).
BTW: I never voted in that slasdhot poll.
-- gabe