Reflection Day One.
Well I've always wanted to know how to set up a blog. Note to self to use Gaggle.net for setting up mail boxes for students so that they can do email safely.
Anyway, using an Apple again for the first time in over 10 years is annoying. Slight differences from windows. Biggest problem is keyboard commands are different, have to remember to hit that funny apple function key as opposed to the 'control' key.
Interesting stuff on possibilities for future technology, but personally suspect most is overblown. If I can't sit comfortably in my recliner to read ebook, I won't be getting an ebook reader. If my wife can't use in comfortably in bed, I guarantee she won't get into ebooks either. Will have to also be very easy to use too. Otherwise my wife won't get into them. Though that computer paper is potentially a major break through.
Met Mitch, seems like a good partner for Bryan and I for the group Emerging Technology Report. I wonder what we'll end up working on. Personal interest is on stuff that will replace the chalk board. Especially as my handwriting is horrendous.
While I personally hate Apple's, figure this is good experience as most machines I have seen in schools are Apples, though in business, IBM/Window's machines are the rule.
posted by Tom Saidak | 8:28 PM
3 Comments:
Great to know that you have now mastered blogging! Also gaggle.net is very helpful for real world application for writing.
Apples are ok. If they are ok for American Bar Association, the military web sites, and every designer going, I'd guess they are good enough for us. Besides, by the time our students reach adulthood, everything will change anyway. Platform is not the issue, being able to flexibly use technology is the issue.
Regarding hating Apples....
My experience with computers goes back to 1976, when I was able to gain an account on an HP 2000 mainframe. In 1983, I bought my first personal computer, what was called a "luggable", a Kaypro 2x, CPM machine. File sharing initially had 2 problems. The first problem was format - Apple, IBM, Atari and CPM machines did not have much in the way of sharable formats, only ASCII text files. So much was not sharable, especially anything graphical. The second problem was HOW to share files. You couldn't network two disparate computers. The problem was partially solved by a program called mfdisk.exe. This allowed you to format your "floppy drives" for a particular computer. As I recall the only Apple DOS you could format for was the Franklin. That was because of Steve Jobs attitude about licensing information regarding the Apple computer. Franklin lost it's license to clone Apples. This cost Apple market share. My next computer was an IBM 80286 clone. I was able to update hardware myself. At work, in 1991 I believe, we received a Macintosh with a built in harddrive, a floppy drive, modem, and 512k memory. This particular brand of Mac suffered from a bad hard drive. Now, IF this had been my IBM, I could have gotten a different hard drive, made by another manufacturer, swapped drives and cured the problem. Not allowed. To change drives, we were required by Apple to turn the computer over to a certified technician. And had another bad drive installed. Secondly, the system allowed us to install fonts. What we figured out was that there was a limit to the number of fonts that you could install. Nothing in the literature told us this. We found out that everytime someone installed one font too many, the system crashed, and we had to reformat the harddrive. In one year, we must have reformatted that drive at least a dozen times. IF this had been my IBM machine, I could have booted off a floppy, accessed the hard drive and erased a couple of font files, and gotten going again. Not on the Mac, Apple DOS did not allow for direct access to the system level. Between not being allowed to deal with hardware issues myself and not being allowed to access the system level started my "hate" of Apple machines.
As a modern day consumer, I am well aware that Apple machines are better graphics machines, and in many ways Apple machines are superior machines. I am not aware that Apple has changed their hardware requirements that only a certified technician can do anything with the machine, i.e. can I buy memory for an Apple and install it myself or do I have to locate that certified technician? Does Apple have an MSDOS Prompt equivalent? If so, how do I get there!!?? Last, IBM licensed their technology. As a result, I can get a Windows platform (what we used to call an IBM clone...) for under $500.00. Apple has refused to license their technology, and as a result, I have to pay MUCH more for an Apple. That is why I "hate" Apples. Fine machines, but Apple's corporate mindset works against me - increased cost, less control, etc. vs IBM which gives me great flexibility, large control over programming issues, and an ability to meet my budgetary requirements.
As for the future of technology. It will be interesting to see what happens, but an old French proverb comes to mind- The more things change, the more they stay the same. Somehow, I feel that the chip war between Pentiums and Apple's will still be going strong 20 years from now! ;)
Ok, in MAC OSX there is a unix feature in the utilities called terminal. Not DOS, unix, much more stable and universal (no pun intended) As for being able to now do your own ram, airport cards, hard drives, yup, I do it all the time. Some fiddling around will null and void warranty but after the warranty runs out, why not. Also, at Apple Stores, there is a genius bar and they will troubleshoot and fix stuff for free mostly, if you can wait around.
Sharon
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