My wife just called from work. She was having trouble installing a program. Usually, you just double-click the .dmg file and drag the mounted image to the Applications folder or click through the installer wizard. For some reason, this program (some kind of add-on to Adobe Flash) didn’t allow her to install the program, claiming… Continue reading Nifty Mac trick: log in as root through the GUI
Category: Apple and Mac OS X
Macs are computers, not magic (part 2)
Last night my wife had a meeting with a bunch of other designers for a small volunteer publication. All had Macs, of course. Two had Macbook Pros (my wife is still on a G4 Powerbook) and were commiserating about the overheating and noise issues (some weird whirring every now and then). They weren’t unhappy. They… Continue reading Macs are computers, not magic (part 2)
The price of apples
Recently, both my brother and I had occasion to visit our parents’ home briefly for a family event. He decided he needed to have some apples while there, so he bought a box of fifteen fuji apples from Costco because “it was the best value.” Well, it may have been the best value per apple,… Continue reading The price of apples
Migration woes from Windows to Mac
Ah, the irony. Mac, supposedly easy to switch to (unlike desktop Linux–supposedly not easy to switch to), can’t run Internet Explorer, as far as I can tell. My mother-in-law has a website she has to use (it’s work-related) that works in only IE, and even User Agent Switcher can’t get around it. Yes, yes, yes,… Continue reading Migration woes from Windows to Mac
Macs are just computers, not magic
Hey, I love a good Mac just as much as the next person. Unlike some Linux users out there, I actually appreciate and love the look of Aqua (hell, even Brushed Metal). The animation in OS X is slick. Dashboard is cooler than Superkaramba or gDesklets. And there’s even a *nix-like terminal available and something… Continue reading Macs are just computers, not magic
Mac Zealots, Linux Zealots, and Windows Zealots
Mac Zealots For a while, I read with interest a site called X vs. XP. After a while, though, I got sick of all the zealotry, particularly on the part of Mac users. Now I understand that people like their OSes—that’s generally why they use them. What bothers me most is that some Mac fanatics… Continue reading Mac Zealots, Linux Zealots, and Windows Zealots
Mac v. Windows: The Sequel
This is an excerpt from an email I wrote recently to a friend who is considering buying a computer but isn’t sure 1. whether to get a desktop or a laptop and 2. whether to get a Mac or a PC. Believe it or not, _______—if you get a laptop, Apple may be your best… Continue reading Mac v. Windows: The Sequel
Mac OS X v. Windows XP
This is in response to Dan Pouliot’s webpage on Mac OS X versus Windows XP. “Minimize Bias” My Ass The funny thing is that Pouliot spends a considerable amount of time explaining what bias is and how he tries to limit his bias and avoid biased techniques (such as overemphasizing the faults of one system… Continue reading Mac OS X v. Windows XP