Has it been three years already? A quick glance at the calendar tells us that the date is March 24, 2004, three years to the day after Mac OS X 10.0 began shipping. Join Mac.Ars in a trip down memory lane as they look at three years of Unix-y/NeXT-y/pinstripe-y goodness on the Macintosh.
Mac.Ars: Three Years of Mac OS X
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Nice. Very enjoyable read.
Agreed. It’s nice seeing both history and computing.
Now all one has to worry about is the history presently being written.
Long live OS X!Hope to see YOU ported on x86 soon… 😀
The best suggestion I heard was to have headless iMacs (hemi-spherical)… cut the price and let users choose a monitor solution. I guess they sorta did this with the cube and it didn’t fly well… maybe they should have options for both…
We’re due for a redesign of the eMac/iMac consumer level anyhow
Jb
> Hope to see YOU ported on x86 soon… 😀
Won’t be happening, unless Apple want to get into direct competition with Microsoft, which would kill them, just as it did kill Be Inc.
Mac users will have to pay $129 in another nine months for OS X 10.4?
Won’t be happening, unless Apple want to get into direct competition with Microsoft, which would kill them, just as it did kill Be Inc.
Somehow I think Apple would fair far better than Be Inc. on x86. Be was already well on their death bed when they landed on x86. It wasn’t MS that killed them it was poor management/developer support and a lack of applications.
Apple has their stuff together so to speak far better than Be ever did.
“Mac users will have to pay $129 in another nine months for OS X 10.4?”
If it gets that much better it’s worth it… So far US$129 is cheap compared to Windows… What is it for XPpro? I look at as installments and investing in the company to improve it even more. In three years OS X has become the best OS (IMHO) out there. I celebrate the momentum it has and look forward to the FREE ipdates I recieve during the year… (we’re still waiting for SP2 in XPpee)
BTW, it’s free w/ new computer… and no DRM like M$
> Hope to see YOU ported on x86 soon… 😀
I’d rather look forward to having Apple sell cheaper Macs.
I agree, im a mac and pc owner, and I can build a pc much cheaper than any mac or new pc on the store shelf.
Cheers to OS X
> Hope to see YOU ported on x86 soon… 😀
“Won’t be happening, unless Apple want to get into direct competition with Microsoft, which would kill them, just as it did kill Be Inc.”
Be Inc killed itself, by asking Apple to pay to much money than what it was really worth.
Having to pay $129 every year for an update is a bit ridiculou s to me. At least if they had an upgrade path for previous OS X owners at a lesser price I could understand that. It’s just a way to make more money, but as usual since it’s anyone else other than Microsoft doing it obviously theres always a justification for people to some people to willingly pay it. Dont get me wrong I am glad the EU slapped MS with that record fine and I think our own justice dept. should have come down harder on them in their anti trust case, but unfair is unfair,be it dealing with Microsoft, Apple or Linux.
At least with linux in most cases you dont have to pay $129 a year to upgrade your system to the latest build. And at least MS has not started charging yet for service packs.
If it gets that much better it’s worth it… So far US$129 is cheap compared to Windows…
Lets see. I paid $135 for a full OEM copy of XP Pro when I built my last computer and that was in 2001.
If you buy a new computer it comes with the system just like OS X does on a mac.
OS X Cheaper ? Not by my math.
I do think that upgrade CDs and full installs should be priced different. It may cut down on MacOSX getting jacked since it is product activation free.
I’m not thrilled about paying $129/year but I do like it that MacOSX is evolving very quickly with updates and improvements that you can see. MacOSX 10.2 had 8 updates.
Would read again!
“Lets see. I paid $135 for a full OEM copy of XP Pro when I built my last computer and that was in 2001.”
Yeah, I know… but are they supposed to sell us OEM versions as retail? I don’t think so… In that way I can get a copy of OS X 10.3 and install by only paying for the CD…
So, I know we all can get OEMs but that doesn’t cut it to me…
PS I love your monikor… I just say I’d rather be more-on than more-off (sorry)
hrm… let see… $129 a year for something that WORKS, and GETS FASTER… or $200 every 2 years for something I HAVE TO MAINTAIN every 10 days….. I think my time is worth money.
I an Apple a day keeps the the problems away.
If you think that Apple’s port of OS X to x86 wouldn’t require some sort of proprietary boot rom in order to load … you are most seriously deluded.
Hell, it’s the reason you can’t run OS X *native* on any other PPC platform. OS X goes and looks for the proprietary boot rom and if it doesn’t find it, I doesn’t run.
Apple is a Hardware company with a cracktacular OS.
Its funny how biased and blinded people can be , yet at the same time not even realize it, or not even care.
Going back to my earlier point, if Microsoft charged people $129 every year to upgrade windows XP with a newer version that has an amazing 110 new improvements, we would probably see something close to anarchy. Apple does it, and apple owners are like….. oh wow , how nice those engineers and programmers are at apple, working hard and churning out new improvements for us…oh yeah and charging us a mere $129 a year to get them.
Why not just be realistic for a change? Is XP over priced, dam right it is. But its a onetime payment, and usually a lot less when you get it bundled with a new PC. Does it work troublefree? for the most part, if you take basic precautions (and use a little common sense), yes it does.
I am not a microsoft fan, I currently run Debian as my main system but still use XP for quite a bit of stuff. I think Linux is great, but I dont think its quite there yet for the average user on the desktop, but it will definitely be there soon.
So guys, why not just be a little realistic as opposed to this fanaticism. Maybe then Apple may realize this and change and be a bit more accessible to the masses.
If the Mac OS don’t open license, port to x86 is nonsense. It just another Mac but different cpu. Can Apple challenge Microsoft for licensing their OS to the manufactures? I don’t think so!
Yes, OSX is more expensive than XP. That’s ok. BMW’s are more expensive than Fords, Perrier is more expensive than regular bottled water, a high definition TV is more expensive than a regular TV, broadband is more expensive than dialup…
The point is, better is usually more expensive, especially when (unlike my analogies) you are up against a monopoly. Anyone else will have to make every penny they can for their sheer survival.
OSX costs more. So what? OSX is better than XP. I can afford to pay $129 a year to 18months so it doesn’t bother me. It’s worth it. Not everyone can afford it and I understand that. Not everyone can afford a high definition TV, but if you could, you’d probably get one because you know it’s better.
This was another great Mac.Ars article.
I agree $129 a year can be pricey. But if you are a student or know someone who is or are a governament employee state/fed you can get it for $65-$70 dollars. In return you get a new OS with lots of faetures and unlike Windows upgrades tends to make even older systems run a bit faster.
Can Apple challenge Microsoft for licensing their OS to the manufactures?
Apple could do a deal with lets say IBM, in that they rebadge a MAC and put an IBM case on it. Just like they did with HP and the iPOD. Apple continues to do quality control and IBM will have a commercial desktop to compliment their Linux servers. IBM could then port all the LOTUS desktop software, which was availible on the NEXT platform. IBM should do this to push their POWER PC wares.
Why not just be realistic for a change? Is XP over priced, dam right it is. But its a onetime payment, and usually a lot less when you get it bundled with a new PC. Does it work troublefree? for the most part, if you take basic precautions (and use a little common sense), yes it does.
MacOS X is free with an new Mac too. I paid $20 for panther even though I bought my PB15 two months before panther’s release.
With XP you have added costs of AntiVirus software.
You don’t have to upgrade you MacOS X everytime Apple releases it, Nothing forces you too. I infact know a few people still on Jaguar(10.2.x). They still get all the security updates and feature enhancements for jaguar.
Oh MS is a monopoly with $50 billion in cash and 90+% market share. The real version number just changed from 5.0 to 5.1 from Win2000 to WinXP.
“Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.”
Should we consider that a minor upgrade or a major upgrade worth $400 retail for the pro version. And MS strips functionaltiy between home and pro versions of winXP desktop and charges for added functionality. There is only one MacOS X desktop version with full finctionality.
However, Jaguar, Panther have been major releases, just like win2K->winXP (if you consider them to be major releases).
A question comes to mind. In those “major” upgrades (for example from 10.28 to 10.3) how many changes (over 100?) are purely cosmetic?
Also, shouldn’t we be comparing the price of OS X with its real competition – Linux distributions, instead of Windows? How much do users pay for upgrades to SUSE, Mandrake, Lindows, etc.?
Don’t like the price? Don’t upgrade. Don’t like/need the new features? Don’t upgrade.
What most people seem to be forgetting is that Apple wants to position itself as the BMW or Mercedes–Benz of the computer industry. Even Steve Jobs said so. This is something that I like to call the “Tiffany’s mindset.” They have an image of doing good, durable and expensive hardware and software. To maintain this image they must keep making good and expensive–looking products with accordingly expensive prices. Think of it in the reverse way: if Macs were the cheapest computers and Mac OS X were completely free then the general public won’t look at them as premium or vintage.
Folks, it is simply not fair to compare Apple’s $129 to any MSFT OS licence cost – simple… MSFT sells gazillions more licences. That means pure profit after returning development costs. Meanwhile, Apple must pay for development costs out of a much smaller pool of customers – so they most likely never even reach the stage of “pure profit”. If it costs you $100 to develop a product, and you have only 5 customers, you much charge a minimum of $20 to break even. If you had 1000 customers, you could charge 10 cents per customer and return your development costs. So folks, Apple isn’t charging out of greed, and you can’t compare their prices to MSFT like that. Apple delivers world class OS, best out there, and it’s absolutely not a rip off on their part to charge the $129. I suspect it’s a breakeven for them. They then make their money on the rest of the package (hardware + software).
So much for OS X. It may be appreciated by a few rich Mac owners, but otherwise is a *market* failure. Every year Apple has lost market share. Mac OS Classic still has many more users than OS X and most of these people are on hardware that cannot run OS X. The market has spoken and OS X is not compelling enough for people to pick Apple as their computer.
The big issue with Apple losing share is that the Apple “brand tax” is prohibitively expensive for most people in the world. For example, a dual G5 has over $1000 of extra Apple profit that doesn’t exist in the PC world.
Overall, why people spend so much time being fanatical about a platform that is fading away is beyond me. PowerPC itself is at a crossroads. The PPC970 and PPC970FX have the same power and heat issues that are giving Intel fits. Apple has been stuck at 2Ghz for nearly a year. It is clear that the PowerPC needs a redesign.
Even IBM is pushing PC motherboard makers into building cheap PowerPC boards so that people can afford a PowerPC system. It is the last gasp of PowerPC. If IBM can’t figure out how to get cheap systems to the market, PowerPC is effectively a dead platform.
I hope Apple figures out how to make affordable computers. OS X is a good OS and it would be great if people could actually buy cheap machines to run it on. We’ll see how the next three years go.
“It may be appreciated by a few rich Mac owners, but otherwise is a *market* failure.”
“…a platform that is fading away…”
“It is the last gasp of PowerPC.”
Aaahhh, the old Apple Is Dead(tm) argument. This always cracks me up. Hey, is that you John Dvorak? Or maybe it’s Paul Thurrott?
Anyway, here is my response:
http://www.macobserver.com/appledeathknell/index.shtml
See ya in another 10 years, buddy!
I forgot one:
“PowerPC is effectively a dead platform.”
Man, I hope Virginia Tech doesn’t find out!
http://www.eetimes.com/sys/news/OEG20040127S0025
Considering OS X is floating around 0.5% market share, another ten years and Apple will no longer be “BMW” or “Mercedes”, but a little esoteric maker, say “Panoz”.
One might expect Apple’s market share in another ten years to be 0.05% or so.
It is easy to forget that Apple’s market share has declined for the past 10 years. Apple is dying. Slowly but surely. Maybe Apple will still *exist* in ten years. They will sell one or two models of computers at extremely high prices. Maybe a high-end Powerbook and a high-end workstation. The Apple “brand tax” will be extreme. An Apple in ten years will probably cost 10X to 50X what a PC costs.
What is guaranteed to keep happening, as it has for the past 10 years, is that the *relevance* of Apple will continue to decline.
Oh yes, like a car magazine with a special story on the “exotic car” of the month, there will be some oohs and aahs. But the world will have moved on.
You have some good points.
However, Apple, like any public corporation, is in business to make profits – the more the better. Some people think of this as greed. Apple shareholders do not. The fact that Apple has been in the spot light recently with $5 billion in reserves and the relatively high pay packages of Mr. Jobs add to this greed perception.
Only apple insiders might know if $129 is breakeven or not.
Word on the street says that Apple’s supercomputer benchmarks, just like their SPEC benchmarks, were falsified.
Apple had to pull their SPEC comparison benchmarks because they were not legal. As you know, Apple’s ads in Great Britain got banned due to false advertising.
As you can see from the *official* SPEC results, there is no entry for Apple Computer:
http://www.spec.org/cpu2000/results/cpu2000.html
From what I’ve heard, it looks like Apple applied the same methods — lying and cheating — to the supercomputer results. It will be very interesting to see what happens in the next few months.
Well lets compare Apple computers to the concord shall we, because since it’s obviously in the class of BMW’s and Mercedes as mentioned so eloquently above.
Well, yes the concord is extremely fast, extremely classy, and accessible to a select few………and as of today extremely dead.
In todays world and economy the cost of maintaining and running such an expensive and classy and fast aircraft that only serves a few, is simply , not cost effective. Instead boeing is making planes that can carry over 300-400 people at one time, albeit yet classy, and less fancy and slower than the concord. But its more accessible to people and thats what you need, something affordable that can get the job done. More than Microsoft, Linux is definitely that solution in the computing world. But where do you think Apple with it’s $3000 G5’s and powerbooks fit into this picture? Right where the concord is.
That is precious. I am a Mac owner and an iPod owner and I don’t consider myself remotely “rich.” The last time I checked I couldn’t really live the high life with my $34,000 government salary. The Macs are expensive line is getting old and tired.
If you had (or chose) to pay full retail price for Panther (or 10.4 and beyond), that’s $129. Break that down per month… lessee here…
$130 (rounded up for simplicity sake) divided by 12 (months) equals…
10.83333333…
So, that means, you’re paying about *$11 PER MONTH* for a full year of MacOS X Panther! Seems kinda cheap to me…
But then again, I waited and bought my RETAIL (boxed/sealed) copy off of eBay for $84.95 + shipping and it arrived the very next day! I paid a total of $92.95 for Panther and, hmm… let’s see how that breaks down…
$93 (rounded up for simplicity sake) divided by 12 (months) equals…
7.75
So, that means I’m paying $7.75 *PER MONTH* for my copy of Panther!
Oh, yeah… riiiiight! Really expensive to buy a new copy of MacOS X EVERY year (assuming, of course, a new version comes out EVERY 12 months)
Some people just don’t get it… in the grand scheme of things, every version from 10.2 (Jaguar) and on has been WORTH paying $129 (or less, depending upon where you get it; piracy not withstanding) for.
Save up a measily $12/mo. and set it aside til the next OS X comes out… seems easy enough to me.
Latre!
Luposian
in any case…
Happy Birthday to OS X!! ‘You’ve come a long way baby.’
and cheers to all the doubters whom haven’t worked in it, who don’t really know, who’d put $4000.00 wheels on a $2500.00 car and think she goes like the pros…
Who knows, if Apple actually folds we’ll still have an OS that’s years ahead of XP… so we could wait for Longhorn… or get onto some work… I’ve got some videos to edit, artwork to o/p and some music to produce…
Thanks OS X, you HELP make it all happen with the least amount of stress in any platform I worked in…
Jb
IN the past 20 or so years, apple has seen Microsoft take up as much as 94% market share of the desktop world. But it has managed to hangon to those last few percentage blocks.
But in the last few years Linux has been spreading so fast that its only a matter of time that even that niche spot that Apple held onto for so long will be lost as well. Why? because if for no other reason than this, Linux runs on the affordable i386 platform, even on older i386 machines that windows has a problem running on. In time as Linux evolves into a more polished and finished product for the average desktop user, how many of these anniversary celebrations do you really think Apple has left?
Of course, your joke is that you yourself would not pay the full $129! (no taxes included) You paid $84.95 (leaving out shipping charges). That’s a saving of $44.05. On a per month basis that is only $3.67. Did you write a check and mail this balance to Apple to support OS X development?
these fights about plateforms, windows vs mac os x is meaningless to me. I use both systems, and like both. Get used to all the plateforms that support your software, and be good at using both Mac/Linux/unix,and Windows.
No, it’s not my joke. I would pay $129, if I had it and knew of no other way to aquire MacOS X. Apple has already SOLD the copy of MacOS X that I have. By whatever means, Apple has already made their money from that particular copy. I just paid less than retail for it down the road.
Luposian
Yes, you may have to pay $129 per year for Mac OS X major updates, but all the point releases are free and timely. Compare that to Windows. What’s the next patch to XP? Security patches and a firewall toggle set to on? Wow, that’s amazing!
If you look at the feature set from every _major_ OS X release, it will take pages. They don’t just do cosmetic fixes.. they increase speed, make improvements to functionality, add a LOT of whiz bang features, keep parity with open source apps (how many Windows XP boxes ship with updated versions of Apache, PHP, Perl, and Java out-of-the-box?).
All you need to do is visit http://www.apple.com/macosx/newfeatures/ with every big update (not point release) and note the pages of stuff they add. Plus they include free developer tools on the CDs!
” I would pay $129, if I had it”
You yourself said it only costs 10.8333 per month. Don’t you have that?
“knew of no other way to aquire MacOS X”
It is available from the Apple web site.
Yes, Apple made their money from the copy that you bought. But had you bought another copy from them, you would be supporting further development.
how many of these anniversary celebrations do you really think Apple has left?
Many, people have been predicting the death of Apple for years, they have all been wrong for the simple reason that so long as Apple makes a profit it will continue. There market is growing, but slower than the PC market as a whole therefore decreasing market share, this without breaking the law. And it is one of only two companies that make money on their hardware sales, the other being Dell.
As for OS X being expensive, according to Microsofts MSN website Windows XP Pro is £249.87 Inc VAT, compared to £99.01 for Mac OS X from Apple’s Apple Store. This is comparing like for like, for full boxed versions, rather than upgrades with all the features, not cut down versions. This makes XP Pro £149.86 more expensive than OS X. URL’s below. this is in addition to the fact that the upgrades have come out each year so far all of which are faster on the same hardware, as noted in the article.
http://shopping.msn.co.uk/sitesearch/go.jsp?offerId=3744823117001uk…
http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore.woa/90301/wo/oLKhDd…
As for the hardware cost when you factor in the fact your getting a brand name computer, not a box of bits to build your own, with components that don’t normally come with the standard PC that is used as the comparitor, e.g. Firewire as standard, and the superb industrial design, try sitting down and using a iMac the way the screen is completly movable is a mavel and completely unique.
Yes Apple’s market share will continue to decrease, but they will not die. A platform die’s when noone makes software for it and since you can run most linux software on Mac OS X the growth of Linux will mean that there is more software available. By becoming a UNIX Apple is helped by the growth of Linux, not harmed by it. We will probably be having the same auguement in a years time, people wanting OS X on x86, so they can just download a copy, people still complaining that the hardware and software is expensive, and people will still be saying that this is the year when Apple will die. They will not die however and will continue to be influential way beyond the amount of market share that they have by producing trend setting products, e.g. iTMS and iPod, of a much higher quality than anyone else. When was the last time that a Windows OEM produced some truly innovative PC hardware? It’s a long time, the margins are too small to be able to do anything like say research and development.
“So much for OS X. It may be appreciated by a few rich Mac owners, but otherwise is a *market* failure. Every year Apple has lost market share.”
How about the number of computers they have sold? Is that going up or down?
You can also purchase the family pack for Panther for 189.99 at Amazon. This allows for installation for up to 5 computers.
2 computers -> $7.92 / month
3 computers -> $5.28 / month
4 computers -> $3.96 / month
5 computers -> $3.17 / month
“OS X is floating around 0.5% market share”
Bullshit. And even if it were true, it’s a meaningless stat. The entire consumer computer market is growing, so even if Apple’s sales were increasing, but at a lower rate than the market as a whole, their share would be seen to decrease. Far more important is profitability, which Apple certainly is. And since when is a company which reports year to year profits “dying”? Maybe in your world.
“One might expect Apple’s market share in another ten years to be 0.05% or so.”
And why exactly would one expect so? If only we were all as certain of the future as you so obviously are.
“Word on the street says that Apple’s supercomputer benchmarks, just like their SPEC benchmarks, were falsified. “
Word on the street??! Must be a street in Roswell, New Mexico, that fount of credibility. And the benchmarks were Virginia Tech’s, not Apple’s. You’re less credible than Barney the Dinosaur.
// I HAVE TO MAINTAIN every 10 days//
Maintain … how? Every 10 days exactly?
Explain.
Or shut the fsck up.
“In time as Linux evolves into a more polished and finished product for the average desktop user, how many of these anniversary celebrations do you really think Apple has left?”
Linux has been spreading as a server OS, and IMHO, it’s desktop adoption will flounder, as long as there are myriad interfaces available. The average user is far from tech-savvy, and needs a lot of hand-holding. Until Linux offers standard look, it won’t make serious inroads on the desktop. You’re also assuming that OS X will be standing still waiting for this to happen. The past three years have shown that this is far from the case.
A better solution is for Apple to create a Linux GUI for NOVELL. Forget Gnome or KDE. IF Linux had Aqua today, the desktop would have taken off. Apple could have done it with DOS as well. This is their second and only chance. A GUI for LINUX!
I look at computer platforms as one might look at the endangered species list. If an animal or plant is growing in population, it certainly is NOT a candidate to be on the endangered species list. In my eyes, this is the same with computer purchases. More and more Macs are being sold which means its population is growing. YET, the PC crowd insists it deserves to be on the endangered species of computers list. This argument is almost laughable. It’s like saying “There are many, many more horses breeding and growing in population, we’d better put the zebras on the list”.
Granted PC’s are being sold faster than Mac’s but that does NOT mean that Mac’s are not being sold. Avid PC fans are only seeing the trends they WANT to see (PC’s sell faster than Macs) yet they (conveniently) ignore the fact that more Macs are being sold overall.
Simple really.
Peace
-bF
“Linux has been spreading as a server OS, and IMHO, it’s desktop adoption will flounder, as long as there are myriad interfaces available. The average user is far from tech-savvy, and needs a lot of hand-holding. Until Linux offers standard look, it won’t make serious inroads on the desktop.”
Which is why I said “In time as Linux evolves into a more polished and finished product for the average desktop user”.
Although personally having an option between KDE and Gnome to me is great, if you dont like one you can always switch to another. Personally I think the XP look is terrible, and I am not a big fan of the Aqua theme either with all the eye candy and jelly bean like buttons. At least in XP you can turn all that stuff off and go back to the only desktop that works pleasantly on the eyes , ye ‘ole classic windows theme. And the same can be said for KDE or Gnome as they are customizable.
But I see your point in regards to the avergae user where too many choices is too intimidating the first time, and there are many distros out there now that keep this in mind and only ship with one pre configured window manager. But Linux still has some work to do on the desktop, but it will be there sooner than later.
And it does not matter wether OSX stands still waiting for this to happen or not, my point is that if someone is sick of windows and viruses etc etc, if they want a change, for very little money they can download a linux distro and install on their existing hardware.
No matter what you may say, that is hard to beat. Most of the time the limiting factor is almost always cost, and if you can have another option using your existing hardware that practically costs you nothing, and works well , then why not?
Thats why I think, eventually , even without an ad campaign like Apple launched convincing people to switch (which was a flop), a lot of people will be switiching to linux eventually.
Why does an article that celebrates Mac OS X from ARS bring up so much awful trolling? My OS is better than your OS? Huh? In the three years since it’s introduction, the Mac OS X has mad some fantastic strides, can’t you give them credit or does everyone have our heads shoved up our proverbial as_es…
Linux has benefited, even Windows has benefited… What have those OS’s ‘contributed?’ Has Linus become an alternate DESKTOP solution? Oh, it’s going to be? Whatever…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY OS X… I for one will be with you for the duration… and I will not be afraid of Windows, I will not be afraid of Linux (KDE/Gnome). In fact I’d rather see a world w/Linux and OS X than M$, but that’s my opinion… I don’t use Linux, too complicated… I do use Windows (convoluted) and I do use the Mac… I do CHEER LINUS… he had the guts to innovate and he keeps going… I don’t see him knockin’ Macs… So sit up, shut up and have a damx beer… Oh yeahm I’m a Mac user… I drink wine… actually I’ll have a scotch, maybe even a CC or JD… Hmmm Jim Beam would go good right about now…
See ya, Gotta go…
Sorry for the rant but hey HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
os-x still offers shitty fonts and/or shitty font-rendering.
“os-x still offers shitty fonts and/or shitty font-rendering”
Do you own OS X? I have a mac and a pc,and found it easier to find all my mac fonts and it’s been harder finding all the fonts on my pc. What fonts can’t you find? scripts? san serifs? serifs?
And the GRIPE is speed. I hate that I have had to pay 129 per year for the past three years to get speed…and Panther should still be faster. A properly optimized operating system should not be a “feature”. I should have had that since day one. I love OS X, it is the best OS I have ever used…but it is because of reliability, no viruses and iLife applications, and that is it. On the flip side Windows works tremendously well also, and I use it for many of my computing needs…and to this day my Pentium III 866 running Windows XP (Classic theme of course) is snappier than my 800MHz G4 running Panther. AND, the Windows machine has 256MB of RAM whereas the OSX box has a GIG! I love my Mac but come on, this is the truth people! Sometimes I wonder if the reason OSX is getting faster with each release is because Steve Jobs realizes his users aren’t going to fork out 3 grand on a new G5 so he may as well get the money on OS upgrades. I don’t want to hear from anyone how their 5 year old 500MHz G4 is perfectly usable under Panther. My 800MHz G4 is 4 years old and perfectly usable also and that is not the point….the point is that if you want to do anything serious (video, audio, etc.) you need a $2k plus machine to do it well. Perfectly usable is not good enough. Windows 2000 on a Pentium 233MMX with 256MB of Ram is VERY usable for Internet, Email, etc. and you can get hardware for free nowadays. I love my Mac and I am willing to pay more money all the way around to have it…but I am also in touch with reality. There IS a reason for the low marketshare and it is a damn shame. If Apple would just release a sub $700 machine that isn’t some all in one piece of crap we wouldn’t be having this damn debate!!! And also, it needs to ship with at least 512MB of RAM…Apple shipping boxes with anything less than this is laughable.
Again some more interesting facts…font rendering… the assumption by Apple is that you have an LCD or CRT with 1400X1050 or greater resolution and they have designed their font smoothing on just that. Windows Clear Type font smoothing is superb on 1024×768. What gives? What gives is over a thousand bucks for an Apple 20″ studio display to make it look right. Fortunately, I am borrowing a 19″ LCD for use on my Mac so I am satisfied…the Apple Studio display is way beyond what I feel is reasonable or necessary. This is just another reason why to really experience a Mac the way it is advertised and shown off at Apple Keynotes is to have the top of the line equipment!!!
My comment was certainly not meant to be a knock on Linux; far from it in fact. My larger point, as you correctly stated, is that there is too much choice for the average user, and confusion is inevitable. I think that the efforts to standardize the desktop are the right path, but consumers have to feel comfortable about choosing just one, without being anxious that another, equally viable desktop is somehow better. Another consideration is the ease of installing software; Joe User will have conniptions at the thought of editing configuration files. I think that most Linux users tend to forget that they’re not average users, and are usually much more knowledgeable about computers than most. And OS X is virus-free as well, by the way.
Your point about Apple not shipping machines with enough RAM is right on, they should be ashamed. I disagree about the speed thing though; it’s far from slow, it’s unresponsive, although it’s improved with each release. I’ve been using OS X since the Public Beta, and I certainly feel that Apple is on the right track in terms of features and usability. The speed will come pal.
So far, it’s been worth it!
Nay sayers – go away!
man…
I find the jealousy and fear in this forum astounding. Is it so hard for all the non-OSX users out there to give credit where credit is due?
All this bullshit about ‘$129 is expensive’ ‘apple is dead’ ‘apple is dying’ ‘OS X is expensive’ ‘ ‘Marketshare shows Apple is in decline’ etc – are all products of your own insecurities. Its as simple as that.
The reality is: not only is Apple looking better by the day, but the best OS is getting better, by the day
And on a personal note- I tend to assume that people who prefer Windows or Linux see OS X as a major threat. And I can understand that, it is the best and most influential OS’s during our time. The a vast amounts of people skinning GUI’s to mimic or clone the Aqua interface would agree, Im sure
Many people who see OS X in action realize what a powerful and amazing OS it really is. OS X is on the march, and its not here to take over the world, its hear to make computing better. So really, why fight it?
I say, chill.
Nice one Apple. I cant wait for 10.4!
Yes, i use os-x sometimes, i got it with my ibook.
I’m still disappointed by the font-rendering, esp. at smalls sizes, means: fonts used in desktop applications, finder, file-lists.
It’s blurry and hinting is crappy. Plus, os-x is (in old apple tradition) too limited in font options. You can’t choose another Font for Listviews, Menus, Etc. etc. It’s soo simplistic that it hurts. Ouch.
When disabling anti-aliasing for smaller sizes the resulting bitmaps show the bad hinting too. Disappointing. Really Lousy. It’s crazy: When i disable AA i’m disgusted by the bad bitmaps, when activating AA i’m disgusted by the blurry rendering.
I already posted on another story that some linux distries offer MUCH better fonts, even with anti-aliasing.
So most of the time I use os9, that is using the screen-space of (e.g.) my ibook approx. 200% more effective that os-space-waster-x.
The aliased hinting used to be dreadful, but I thought Apple cleaned it up at some point in 10.2. For what apps do you find it’s a problem — everywhere? Care to show a screenshot?
(I really don’t know, as I find the anti-aliasing in OS X perfectly pleasing on a 15″ Powerbook, and wouldn’t dream of turning it off for anything under 6pt. Seems to be a subjective thing.)
As for changing the system font… really, this sounds like a minor issue to me. If you really need such a thing, cough up ten bucks and get Unsanity’s Silk.
For people who spend so much time on computers, which we all seem to do or we wouldn’t be here, most of you are pretty cheap about it. I’m on a computer for at least 8 hours a day (between work and home) so I am going to spend whatever it takes to make the experience as pleasant as possible. Windows is a ‘just-good-enough-to-get-by’ operating system, and Linux can’t seem to do anything but act as a server (for the time being), so if that means using OS X, then that’s what I’ll do. I will not settle for a crappy OS, I will not settle for a faulty sometimes working home built computer, I will not settle for Linux applications, I will not settle for Intel processors, I will not settle for something that will require a call to tech support when it should work easily in the first place, I will not work on a bad UI for 8 hours a day, especially one that looks like it was designed by Fischer Price, I will not buy a Dell, or an HP, or a Sony, or a Gateway. I simply will not settle. And yes, I do this in all aspects of my life. I don’t live in a crappy house or drive a cheap econo car. I do not wear cheap cloths, or get my hair cut at Super Cuts. Yes, I make a decent amount of money, but I didn’t start that way. I stopped complaining and blaming other people on my small paychecks, I took responsibility for myself, and I stopped settling for sub-par things in life. This is my life and I want to live it well. I am not going to stress over a $200 price difference on a something that I will use 8 hours a day, something that I make my living on, and something I truely enjoy using. You can say Macs are overpriced all you want, but I call it getting what I pay for. You can talk marketshare all you want, but their userbase is growing, so they aren’t going anywhere. The only thing you can complain about with OS X is that it doesn’t run on your hardware. That’s it. Stop blaming Apple and buy the right hardware.
lookmark, you’re right: it’s highly subjective and some people get used to something quick bc they don’t look back and compare.
Yes, I always want highly optimized things, i DO look back, sideways and compare.
you say, you wouldt turn off aa for anything under 6pt. ? in the finder the smallest size is 10pt ! When aa is turned off, the resulting bitmaps look shabby. But that is not the fault of missing aa, but the lack of these fonts! I partly can understand that, apple doesnt care about it, bc 90% use aa and don’t know that it can be turned off.
I am used to get a certain amount of information on my screen in os9, os-x can’t beat this because of the limited font-options, mainly in finder (nothing below 10pt, and the mediocre fonts)…so I expect a “superior” os to serve the users demands. os-x fails in this special case. it forces the user to use something apple thinks is superior.
it is NOT.
silk really is no solution, it’s a hack, you have to hunt for fonts that work with silk, many many fonts doesnt work properly, simply because it’s a hack and apple and/or the apps doesn’t care about altered fonts.
just think of os7-9, after years apple finally offered a few different system-fonts, but it took years (!) . i will never understand that. Apple is inflexible.
no screenshots, but if you’re really interested i’ll grab screens.
lookmark,
could resist, anyone who’s interested in effective use of screen-space watch this…
http://smithz.org/x/DesktopFontsOS9vsOSX.gif
little comparison of finder/desktop fonts under os9 /osx/linux (mandrake 10, gnome)
“For people who spend so much time on computers, which we all seem to do or we wouldn’t be here, most of you are pretty cheap about it….”
That was quite a speech. I notice you didn’t say just how much you make. But no matter. Point is, your opinions on Linux in particular are worthless to most of us. You can’t make it work for you? Tough shit. Works just fine for plenty of people, and while we could scrape together the money for a Mac, we don’t need to. Do you know what a yuppy? Are you aware that you are one?