“Mac Daily News [sic] (I like to think of it as the National Enquirer of the Mac world) switched Web hosts. It used to run on an OSX-based server, but as of November 9 it’s running on Linux,” USA Today columnist Andrew Kantor writes in his blog Kantor.com. “I find this amusing — and telling.”
MacDailyNews Take: Andrew’s on quite a tear lately over in his blog, Kantor.com. Our travels from server to server have nothing to do with operating systems and everything to do with the capacity to handle our growing traffic at sustainable rates. Right now, MacDailyNews is using a host that uses servers that are running Linux. We have also used Mac OS 9, Mac OS X and FreeBSD in the past. We probably will hit one or all of them again in the future – well, maybe not Mac OS 9 
. Notice that we have never used a Windows-based server, nor will we ever. Now that’s actually quite telling. ‘Nix variants, when offered by a robust host with reasonable rates, are all in play, with Mac OS X our primary choice when it’s available. This site was designed on Mac OS, the articles are written on machines running Mac OS X and we endorse Mac OS X completely for servers and many other uses.
Elsewhere in his blog, Kantor writes things like, “I know that the Mac folks are desperate to believe that everyone is out to get them. They have these knee-jerk reactions if someone says something less than wonderful about any Mac product… Daring to question to superiority of anything from Apple is unacceptable. When Steve Jobs leaves the bathroom, it smells like roses, I’m sure… The Mac is a good machine, probably a great machine. But it’s suffered, in part, from a lack of good media coverage. Why? No one wants to write about it. Why? Because no one wants to deal with Mac users.”
Kantor continues with his digital equivalent of foaming at the mouth, “I asked some writer friends of mine — folks who cover technology — about Mac/Apple coverage. And their reaction was the same: They won’t bother writing about Macs because the Mac community is too much trouble to deal with… One person (no, I won’t mention names) laughed — electronically, anyway — when I told him about the kooky reactions I got from Mac users. ‘Why would you write about the Mac?” he said. ‘I could have told you, you can never satisfy those people.’ Mac users are their own worst enemies. If a writer is attacked for not agreeing that everything that comes out of the company is wonderful, why would he or she every write about Mac again? It’s easier just to ignore the company. A lot of Mac users seem to think there’s a conspiracy against their computers. Not exactly. It’s more of a feeling among tech writers that — once again — it’s just not worth it.”
MacDailyNews Take: Using Andrew’s “logic,” a war correspondent who is attacked in letters by people for or against said war, should stop reporting about the war, because it’s just not worth the hassle to the lazy reporter safe in his office; soldiers and people in the war-torn country be damned. At least we’ve gained some insight as to why some reporters think it’s okay to ignore the Mac platform. We wonder what else they’re ignoring for the sake of their own comfort?
Kantor’s site is here. He’s added direct feedback to his columns – wonder where he got that idea?
MacDailyNews’ host server information is, as always, publicly available via Netcraft here. We thank you for your continued support as we continue to work on the site’s code and hosting services in order to serve MDN’s growing user base.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
More info about MacDailyNews’ site rewrite, hosting, and advertising – December 06, 2004
Thank you for supporting MacDailyNews – November 19, 2004
USA Today writer unhappy with MacDailyNews and some Mac users’ emails – October 18, 2004
USA Today writer attempts to downplay Apple’s role in Virginia Tech supercomputer – September 03, 2004
He’s not wrong you know, for some of his points. Macs aren’t perfect. I’m writing this message on a Windows XP because after I installed teh latest security update, I cannot use my Airport or my Ethernet on my Powerbook. Seem like a Windows problem? I thought so too.
-Russell
I thought getting a reaction out of an article was a good thing? I guess I was wrong… Maybe it’d be better if no one read, or reacted to Kantor’s articles in the future.. maybe he’d feel better about himself then?
I didn’t see anything unreasonable in that.
Mac users tend to go ballistic because these so-called tech writers tend to make so many mistakes. Mac users can take criticism of the platform but we will not stand for inaccuracies.
Tech writers are rarely journalists. Hell, true journalists are practically extinct.
Mac zealots suck? Not a surprise.
seems like he’s trying to get some kind of readership by trolling mac users. pretty poor stuff.
Yes, MDN, he’s spot on. You guys have always been entirely too unwilling to point out flaws in Apple stuff, or concede points to the other side, even in the face of solid evidence. Be impassioned, by all means, but be reasonable at the same time. For God’s sake, most of the time you come off like Fox News.
And yeah, you look pretty lousy switching away from OS X–especially since you never mentioned that’s what you were doing when you did it!! As a site dedicated to all things mac, I’m shocked you even considered a non OS X server solution. If you’re saying that there aren’t any OS X hosting companies out there that can serve your needs, then Apple has a real problem. If you’re not willing to eat the chili, then how can you endorse the chili? sad, MDN, very sad.
This is one Mac user who will not ever flame Mr. Kantor because I have no interest in what he has to say. Not even enough interest to reply to his recent rant reported in this MDN article.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”zipper” style=”border:0;” /> I am content to let MDN fight these battles, which they do with far more expertise than I shall ever be able to muster.
He’s right, some of you are knee-jerks…
Yeah, MDN NEVER criticizes Apple:
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments_opinion/apples_dirty_little_secret_sluggish_mac_os_x_still_annoyingly_slow/
I mean, MDN are SUCH cheerleaders, sugar-coating everything:
http://www.macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments_opinion/i_could_market_macintosh_better_than_apple_marketing_in_my_sleep/
Right, hairbo?
Why are we surprised that someone blasts MDN? MND blast all the time and especially those who post comments in here. The word “hate” is abusively over used in here and that’s shameful.
You want to support and admirer a product; then do it objectively. Some immature minds in here hinders Apple�s image more than their think are supporting it.
Peace
This guy and the USA Today obviously have Dan Rather syndrome. They just can’t handle it when someone from the outside demands that they report the entire truth and not just their slanted version of the “facts” like they’re used to doing.
Andrew Kantor has a point. I’m often disgusted by the crap some of the crazier Mac nuts out there write. Take a intelligent stance for once crazy people. If you see an error, correct it and move on.
MDN is spot on regarding lazy reporters. Can you believe Kantor admitted he wouldn’t cover a story if his readers gave him too much feedback in his email?
Also, Kantor is fat and bald.
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If you’re a Mac-specific site, you should be finding a OSX Server host…period!
“Kantor continues with his digital equivalent of foaming at the mouth”…
Now that’s a laugh coming from the greatest mouth foamers around. About 1% of the “MacDailyNews Take” comments are on target, the rest leave me needing a Kleenex to wipe the spit from my face.
This is, hands down , the most vitriolic of all Mac “News” sites, and many of the people posting here seem to be fanatic nuts on a par with Rush Limbaughs and Art Bells listeners.
The article is correct; even good “news” inspires nothing but venom here.
I think it’s because writers who usually only write for PC’s write a story about the Mac. They usually don’t ever get there facts straight and so us Mac users have to tell them the truth. Only they don’t want to believe it so they think we are all in some sort of rant about the whole thing. Sometimes we are because of the horrible stories that just are complete garbage with no truth to them whatever.
The biggest lie that has been told over and over is that Apple will be out of business because they didn’t do this or that. They never consider the fact that Apple has more than 4 Billion Dollars in the bank with no debt. Or that the company is actually bigger than Mc Donalds.
Why? Because the only number they look at is market share of 2% or whatever it is.
It’s been written 42 times that Apple will go out of business and I’m sure many more will do the same. All of them dead wrong!
So all of you PC people who think your so much better then us Mac people. Remember to get the facts before writing about Apple or the Mac and maybe we won’t rip you a new one.
Sure, some Mac zealots can write extreme things about PCs…but so do PC users about Macs. I notice Kantor didn’t mention that. Of course, that would be balanced “reporting”, something that requires some effort and a lack of bias. If he had done so, the “story” likely would have mentioned one crucial difference between the two groups of flamers: complaints about PCs are largely accurate and those about Macs are largely myths and lies.
I’ll tell you why we Mac users are so difficult to deal with�we challenge the PC-dominated world, and to make it worse, our arguments are correct on any objective measure…Macs really are better designed, easier to use, equal in power, more cost efficient, more secure, more stable, more aesthetically pleasing, and lots more fun. Rants like Mr. Kantor’s are only ever one thing: sour grapes.
*chuckle* You are proving Kantor’s point right here, y’know.
From the sound of his blog, he seems to be enjoying your input very much. Keep it up. You guys are highly amusing.
Ashami, I would assume that the reason Kantor didn’t write about the occasionally nasty PC-users is because they didn’t send him a ton of emails containing little but obscenity. I don’t think he’s being biased here, just reacting to what the Mac-community has shown him: that although there are some very wonderful, articulate people out there, there are also a whole lot of cretins.
In a way if find that some of these reporters have a point. anyone gives critique to the holy mac and pope Steve, and we all get all our feathers ruffled up. If someone makes a mistakes, point it out to them, but don’t call them names or insult their intelligence it is only going to backfire. Even though we � as Mac users � can boast to the most serendipitous computer experience, we should beware of becoming too arrogant. Apple is riding high at the moment, and we at the community of supporters of that company should prove our intelligent buying/working choice by giving objective criticism when its due and refrain from calling people stupid or ignorant. You don’t change someone’s mind by telling him that which he has until now believed in is stupid and ridiculous. How would you react if your political and religeous views were attacked with the same kind of venomous behaviour that some of you use to get your point across to the non-mac community.
What I find telling, is that on his blog, under his “Currently Reading:” section, he’s reading “Cult Of Mac”. Either he’s a closet Mac cultist, or he’s getting to know thy enemy. Either way, it’s about as ironic as MDN using Linux Servers.
Thanks, Tiggy…we do our best to amuse.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> Of course, that doesn’t change the bitter envy folks like Kantor write from. Perhaps that is the source of your “amusement” as well? I bet it feels better to laugh than to admit that�despite the flaws some Mac users have in their communication skills�we have the superior computer. However, in the long run, it would be much healthier to simply admit the error and get a Mac. Then your amusement would come from wondering how you ever lived without it!
“occasionally nasty PC-users”
Oh, Tiggy…now I’m the one that’s amuzed!
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I had a Mac in college. Wonderful computer. I loved it a great deal. It was back in the days when OS8 had just come out, and it was a nice system.
Now, just to be honest, I know nothing about computers. I use them to word process and occasionally play games. And that was the problem.
I had one game. Just one. Spectacular game. Something about Atlantis, sorta like Myst. Excellent. But that was the only game the school store sold for Macs. The rest weren’t Mac compatible.
In my adulthood, I got a PC. It’s pretty okay, although I hate having to maintain such a high level of virus protection. But for me, a non-techie, it’s far more workable for me, personally, than the Mac. The Word Proc programs are about the same, and a whole world of games is open and waiting for me.
I would never say that I couldn’t live without a computer, much less a specific kind of one. I suggest that if your life revolves around that, perhaps that isn’t much of a life at all.
Just an observation, not an attack. But think on it, would you?