There are two categories of people. The one always puts people into a category, the other just knows that this doesn't work.
[As a non native speaker I have the fearful feeling that this translation sucks…] ---------- Original message ---------- Subject: Re: IS the world about to change ? Date: Donnerstag 21 Oktober 2010N From: Brian Christmas <[email protected]> To: [email protected] > On 21/10/2010, at 7:51 PM, Wallace Adrian D'Alessio wrote: > Unfortunately obsolescence is a fact of life in the electronics industry, > even tho it's not planned. No. The obsolescence this is all about is business motivated – they deliberately make software advances only work with new models in order to sell those new models in order to make more money. It could be done also with older computers, and there is a market for it. But this market is not profitable enough, so Apple decided to drop it completely. There are other market concepts, like selling hardware only (or with any operating system, but without support from the hardware seller), that doesn't have the need for combining the hard- and software into one business. Like computers for Windows and Linux/BSD. And, +15 years ago, DOS and OS/2. In such markets one can see enough support for older hardware (Windows: XP and 7 Starter, e.g. on (new) Netbooks as well as older computers) and even better support throu specialized distributions in the Linux/BSD world. What does this tell us? People don't simply trash their older hardware simply because bleeding edge software –and an operating system is only a place to start– doesn't run on their machines anymore. Instead, they want to continue using it with applicable software, such as an operating system that suited their machines _and_ their needs then and will continue to do so new – but isn't abondoned like Mac OS X. Having bug fixes and current standards implimented is a basic need, also for “older” software like Mac OS X on PowerMacs. There is technical reason why this wouldn't be possible, but to desliberately drop support for these computers out of business reasons. Linux/BSD proves that also very modern bleeding edge (in Linux terms) software technology works on old and older and oldest machines. You can run Linux/BSD even on machines from the 80's without problems except that performance will naturally be limited. The software look and feel will be limited. But it runs. And there are plenty of software solutions that make an Intel 80486 with 50 MHz be a surf station for the internet possible without the fear of being a security hazzard like it would be with Windows 95 and Mac OS 7-9. And almost every bug-fixed version of standard tools will be available for it. [The advantage of open source, I guess…] > It's basically bought about by the inquiring minds of talented people that > love to invent new things; in our case, it's advances in processors, > memory, communication (in it's many varied forms), programming, storage, > and perhaps information control (if we let it). With these advances, the > older hardware just can't cut the mustard, and the gaps seem to be > constantly shrinking. For writing a letter or reading news on the internet you don't need these advances. > My heart bleeds for those of us who can't, for one reason or another, keep > up with the immediate advances, but I constantly remind myself that I'm > glad the world of computers did not freeze up with the advent of my old > Apple IIe. That sentence is nonsense and you know it. > I'm lucky enough that I own an intel 24" iMac, but I'm ashamed > to say I lustfully look at the new i7 27" iMacs, … Don't be ashamed. There's nothing wrong with computing power. The i7 is a very powerfull CPU and the 27″ display rocks – although it is a glare display (yak!) > … mainly cause some > graphics I'm trying to write for an iPad app are too slow rendering on my > core 2 duo. I'm lucky; I earn a small amount programming for Macs, that as > a retiree keeps my family in iMacs. If I had to justify my requirements to > my other halfs requirements only, I'd still own my old 1.8 G5, running > 10.3, and my kids would own Windblown PC's (shudder). This tells it all. You are a Mac desciple. There is nothing wrong with that but that you are not at all openminded. Please, try something new for a change! Why is the step from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X no problem, but the step from Mac OS X 10.6 to Windows 7 such an undoable thing? Why not once try Linux? How about FreeBSD? OpenBSD? > Pity the PC users > still stuck with XP, or the graphics heavy version of it, Windows 7. Why is it always Windows? Please accept the fact that Microsoft supports Windows XP until the year 2015. This will make Windows XP being a supported operating system from 2002 to 2015, 13 years!!! Microsoft has learned from this mistake and future versions will have a shorter life span. :-| Just like Apple has learned that Mac OS X – and Macs effectively – will make them earn more money if the lifespan is shortened. Remember, a Power Mac G3 B&W was runnig from 1999 (Mac OS 8.6 to 9.2, Mac OS X 10.0 to 10.4) until 2009: 10 years! Power Mac G5 “Late 2005”: 2005 to 201? [release of 10.7 Lion]… 2011 maybe? I.e. only 6 years. So there it is again, the problem of combining hard- and software into one big business model. > As for the cost, I paid less, in actual Aussie dollars, far less in real > terms, for my iMac than I did for a IIc with an extra floppy drive, and a > 256 MB hard drive. This is a global effect. Computers have never been so cheap as now. In fact, they are getting cheaper and cheaper. PCs as well as Macs. Why the implied distinction? > Despite all this, I still love to see the strides being made; it proves to > me that human ingenuity is alive and well, and I await with bated breath > the next advances in all fields of endeavour that will take humanity to > wherever the road takes us. This sounds so… stange. Perhaps because I'm not a native speaker. Just my opinion, Cheers, Andreas aka Mac User #330250 -- You received this message because you are a member of G-Group, a group for those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list
