Thanks, Jerry. In some cases, however, I think glacial is overstating it! :-)
I like the new OS. It's certainly user friendly, looks terrific, and is more stable. But I want to spend my time doing work, not transfering data from old applications to new ones. It took me 5 years to amass all my contacts into the Palm OS. And unless someone develops an import engine to transfer my data from the palm to the address book without my having to spend unknown hours to tweak the data, I'm not going to use the address book. I've been using OE for several years, too. Reluctantly, I will move from OE to one of the OSX email programs, but it's going to create several hours of tweaking for me to get the rules, the mailboxes, the group lists to the point they are in OE. And I'm not sure it's worth it. The personal computer is a wonderful tool. One that lets the user accomplish much work. The improvements over the years have been phenomenal: speed, reliability, style, etc. But changes in technholoty that require inordinate amounts of time for conversion by the user are not, in the short term better. And I'm not sure of the long term value. My brother uses an electronic date book/address book. It's pre palm. It syncs with his current pc and every pc he's had since he got the date book. He would love to have a palm but the time and effort that would go into trasfering the data are not cost effective. Software developers need to make changes and transitions seamless. Let the user continue to do work without having to spend hours making the transition. on 1/5/03 10:58 PM, Jerry Yeager at jerry at browseryshop.com wrote: > Dear Harry, > > I wanted to wait and give some of the other developers that read this > list a chance to go first... > > Apple is pushing a couple of things that after they mature a bit more > are supposed to be "good things". And you hit on them in your messages. > > 1) Address Book. This is something that Windows and Linux users have > clamored for (but not by this name). > Address Book is a database manager. In the other platforms, they have > had this type of technology for some time. Make a new entry in their > address books and it was available to every other application, that is > you could insert that entry into word processor documents without > retyping it. And of course you could use it in your PIM (Personal > Information Manager). The same thing is going on here, as more > applications become "aware" of the info that is in address book, they > will begin using it. > > 2) Spell checker. This is one of the OS services that are available to > all of the apps that want to make use of it. Another one-stop-shopping > service. Of course you have use Apple's basic dictionaries and train > them over time to use the correct spellings of words that you have > added to the ones you used in OS-9 for so long. But once trained.... > The service is available to all apps that want to use it, instead of > each program having their own custom dictionary, where you have to > train each one. > > Both of these are up to app developers to make use of. > > 3) There has been some very serious speculation about the future of > AppleWorks, but I don't think that any thing would be served by tossing > out new and stale rumors this close to MWSF (MacWorld - San Francisco). > Maybe it will see that serious upgrade that will put it as the Office > killer that it certainly could be. Or maybe Apple will keep waiting to > see how relations with Microsoft go.... > > Scanner drivers in general suck (Across The Board). So many companies > have refused to write drivers for OS-X, saying "well it can't be done > for the older ones, buy a brand new one -- we'll give you OS-X drivers > with it" which is sheer nonsense as VueScan has shown. If nothing else, > they could license it from Hamrick. > > On to the speed of releasing new software for OS-X. I do think that if > S. Jobs had not said "nor more OS-9" the pace would be even slower from > the commercial companies than the glacial pace we see now. Usually > after a product is released, most of the development team "moves onto > new projects", leaving a few maintainers for bug fixing. The companies > would have to re-hire (uh, move them back from the other projects) to > do in essence what amounts to porting the application to the new OS. > Before a company is going to commit those resources ($) they want to be > assured that they will sell enough copies to make money. So we have had > a chicken and egg problem with this one. > > On the other hand, you may notice that software from the shareware > developers comes in batches, almost in waves. These folks give us the > stuff as they overcome obstacles... that sounds weird, so I' ll re- > phrase it like this: > Small developers want to be sure that if they do something, it won't > end up as part of the next OS upgrade from Apple. Apple has had to do a > lot of damage control on this front (ala Watson and a few others). > Another concern is that Apple gives them access to the "innards". This > is a problem that PR alone is not fixing (for example, Apple and the > GNU organization is arguing over this issue of making source code to > Aqua -- Aqua is the graphics part -- available, Apple says no. > Small Developers also need tools to work with in the "new" environment. > Not everyone has the latest greatest version of the Developers tools > and even if they do, the tools to quickly move an application over > haven't been available. For example, many developers in UNIX use what > is called X-Windows -- it's not the Windows from M$--. One of the tools > they routinely use to create the graphic buttons etc. is called GTK. > using this allows them to concentrate on the idea, not how to make a > window appear on the desktop. Until just very recently, this tool was > not available for OS-X. So to make the program run under OS-X, the > developer had to learn the Aqua interface instead of concentrating on > the program idea. A bit of a daunting task, given that they could just > stay in their old platform. > > Now many of these things are being worked out and we will see the > batches of software released come faster and be bigger. > Apple is beginning to give more support to the small developers than > they did at first (this is a very good thing!), but there is still a > ways to go.... > > Jerry > > p.s. How's that for a start, Harry? > > On Saturday, January 4, 2003, at 05:54 PM, Harry Jacobson-Beyer wrote: > >> A few days ago Jerry Yeager asked for people to send him email off >> list so >> he could test something (I don't remember what). >> >> I sent him an email and made a comment which led him to reply and we >> began a >> conversation. >> >> Jerry (and I, too) thought the group would be interested in the >> conversation. So, scroll down and read from the beginning and Jerry >> will add >> to the discussion in the near future. >> >> Harry >> ---------- >> From: Jerry Yeager <jerry at browseryshop.com> >> Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2003 16:06:38 -0500 >> To: Harry Jacobson-Beyer <harryjb at bellsouth.net> >> Subject: Re: I use outlook express but.... >> >> Any time Harry, >> >> I agree with many of your observations (especially the one about how >> long it takes to port something). >> If you like, I can explain a few of the whys and wherefores about the >> "view form the other side" in your observations. >> >> Jerry >> >> p.s I think though that maybe others might be interested enough that we >> should take that back to the group e-mails. If you want, post a note >> there and we can chat about it. >> >> On Saturday, January 4, 2003, at 11:55 AM, Harry Jacobson-Beyer wrote: >> >>> Jerry, >>> >>> In response to an earlier message from you regarding Mail and >>> Eudora.... >>> >>> I don't care for the way Eudora displays items in the mailbox. And I >>> don't >>> like that Mail utilizes the address book. I want an integrated >>> program- >>> there's less to learn. >>> >>> Apple creates its OS for the lowest common denominator and the new >>> user. I >>> am a few steps above that level and there is some stuff included with >>> X that >>> I would probably use if I were a first time user (Address Book, for >>> example) >>> but since I've been using a mac for a lot of years I just want to use >>> the >>> new system, port my apps over to it, and go about my business without >>> having >>> to learn a lot of new stuff. >>> >>> I like X a lot but frankly developers are too slow in moving stuff to >>> X. I >>> MISS Spellcatcher and I know C&G plan to release it for X at the end >>> of this >>> month but I shouldn't have had to wait so long for it. >>> >>> I'm an Appleworks user and I think AW 6 sucks in two areas that I used >>> a lot >>> in version 5: Button Bar and macros (macros are non-existent in AW 6). >>> So >>> while X has much to offer I feel I've given up a lot, too. >>> >>> And where are the Epson drivers for my scanner? I downloaded VUESCAN >>> but it >>> takes forever to print (at least 10 minutes) to my HP laserprinter. >>> >>> I know these issues will eventually work out but not quickly enough >>> for me. >>> >>> >>> Thanks for listening to my rant. >>> >>> Harry >>> >>> on 1/3/03 10:50 AM, Jerry Yeager at jerry at browseryshop.com wrote: >>> >>>> Which one were you thinking of changing to? >>>> Mail works pretty well, but some still swear by Eudora. >>>> >>>> Jerry >>>> >>>> On Friday, January 3, 2003, at 08:14 AM, Harry Jacobson-Beyer wrote: >>>> >>>>> I use OE but will be changing to an OSX mail application in the >>>>> near future. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Harry, >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Harry Jacobson-Beyer >>>>> Surveyor of the Passing Scene! >>>>> >>>>> http://bellsouthpwp.net/h/a/harryjb/ >>>>> What a strange, long, trip it is! >>>>> >>>>> remember: it's not how fast you climb the hill that matters, it's >>>>> how >>>>> fast >>>>> you go coming down! >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> >>> Harry, >>> >>> >>> Harry Jacobson-Beyer >>> Surveyor of the Passing Scene! >>> >>> http://bellsouthpwp.net/h/a/harryjb/ >>> What a strange, long, trip it is! >>> >>> remember: it's not how fast you climb the hill that matters, it's how >>> fast >>> you go coming down! >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> >> >> | The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will >> | be January 28. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>. >> >> >> > > > > | The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will > | be January 28. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>. Harry, Harry Jacobson-Beyer Surveyor of the Passing Scene! http://bellsouthpwp.net/h/a/harryjb/ What a strange, long, trip it is! remember: it's not how fast you climb the hill that matters, it's how fast you go coming down! | The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will | be January 28. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>.
