My MacBook Pro arrived today, ahead of schedule, as if to symbolize how goddamned fast this thing is. It can run laps around my iBook. Everyone who uses one of these has been saying how “snappy” and responsive the interface is — “snappy” is the perfect way to describe it. “Snappy” is one of the things I like about Windows XP, despite all its flaws. If this is the future of OS X, then I’m all for it.
Category: Technology
Apr10
Apr9
My iBook has died. Actually, it’s just got whooping cough, or something like that, and I’m unwilling to expend the energy and/or money to fix it. It’s two years old, and I’ve loved every moment of using it, but a brand-new MacBook Pro is on its way and should arrive on Tuesday. I’m giddy.
Apr5
Derek’s tired of “user-generated content” as a buzzword. In addition to what’s listed here, what pisses me off about this trend is that some startups think that they won’t have to provide any content at all. If your only source of content is the user, then your app’s value is strongly correlated to the size of your userbase. Which means that when you start your application will be worthless. How do you get people to sign up for something that has no worth?
Complexity is slowing Microsoft down. How much of the Windows architecture is dictated by obligations to “compatibility”? (Why do we still use drive letters? “Because that’s how it was in DOS” is an unacceptable answer.) BootCamp makes me think that the next 18 months are going to be really, really good for Apple.
Apr3
Behavior
This demonstration of NeXTSTEP, recorded in 1992, sent me on a stream-of-consciousness romp through the web. I stumbled upon this overview of NeXTSTEP, written around the time Windows 95 was released. As a UI dork, I find the nuts-and-bolts behavior stuff oddly fascinating:
One section talks about the difference in scrollbar behavior between NeXTSTEP and …
Mar10
Corporate IM
In truth, I need another instant messaging program like I need a hole in the head, but at work we just adopted Microsoft Office’s Live Communications Server, and I have to say it’s pretty impressive.
Well, let me qualify that statement: I haven’t actually had any conversations with it, since we just got the download link …
Oct5
Ugly and Stupid
Fuck it. All cell phones suck. All cell phones suck.
I have incredibly few needs from a cell phone. Fewer than most, actually. But because those needs don’t intersect well with those of most, I can’t find a phone that fills all those needs.
Here’s what I want:
Elegant and minimalist, not looking like it was rippled from …
