“I got my first PC in 1997. It was a Dell Pentium II with Windows 95,” Peter Bright writers for Ars Technica.
MacDailyNews Take: Our condolences.
Bright continues, “I got it because I was interested in computers and I wanted to learn how to program them, so I picked up a student edition of Visual Studio 97 and duly learned C++. At that time, Windows was really the only game in town; Macs were ever so expensive and, as everyone knows, there was no software available for them.”
MacDailyNews Take: Not sure if he’s joking or if he’s just woefully misinformed. Apple Macs have always had a wide variety of applications. Tens of thousands available in 1997. Maybe not the latest, but even plenty of games, too.
Bright continues, “Microsoft was pretty good to me at the time. The Windows OS was fast and reasonably stable. We didn’t have to worry about allocating memory to applications or rebuilding our desktops, and although the preemptive multitasking and protected memory were not perfect, the system was obviously more stable than any Mac.”
MacDailyNews Take: Debatable. Our Macs never crashed (much), but then again, we knew how to manage extensions and allocate memory, etc. To average users, we’d have to say that both Macs and Windows PCs of the time crashed – and way too often. In our experience, the Windows PCs in the places we worked at the time (TV stations, ad agencies, video/film production houses) crashed noticeably more often that the Macs. The Mac UI was, as always, far superior to Windows.
Bright continues, “In 2001, Apple just about managed to get OS X out the door—dragging Mac software kicking and screaming into the 21st century—but had so little confidence in the thing that it still made the computers default to Mac OS 9. “
MacDailyNews Take: Okay, he wasn’t joking; he’s woefully misinformed. It had noting whatsoever to do with confidence. Macs ran Mac OS 9 to allow for backwards compatibility (all of our software at the time was for the Classic Mac OS). The first release of Mac OS X was a beta. Apple was carefully easing its users into the new OS. Allowing for backwards compatibility is exactly what Microsoft will need to do if they plan to finally jettison the morass of Windows spaghetti code and start clean – they’ll need to provide a way for their sufferers to run their old WIndows programs.
Bright continues with some Mac OS X history and then writes about how Mac OS X has spawned “high-quality applications that Apple is putting out, and they’re being seriously pushed in their respective industries. And that means that they’ve got to be written properly. Core Audio in OS X really works. It’s a modern low-latency audio API. Core Image and Core Video allow high-quality real-time GPU-accelerated image/video processing. The infrastructure has got to be good, because the markets into which these programs are sold won’t stand for anything less.”
“This has had a hugely positive effect on the Mac software ecosystem. There are lots of developers producing Mac applications and utilities. And they’re actually making an effort with them. Conscientious developers, who care about making an application that looks good, works well, and exploits the capabilities of the OS, are putting out great applications for MacOS X. We see applications like OmniGraffle, Adium, NetNewsWire, Delicious Library, Quicksilver, Coda, Unison… these apps are all well put together, a lot of effort has clearly gone into them, and there’s a real sense that their developers care that they don’t suck,” Bright writes.
Bright writes, “Windows software has never struck me as being like that. The third-party software ecosystem for Windows is big, no doubt about that. But it’s also incredibly shoddy. Most Windows applications—from both major software companies and minor ones alike—are ugly, poorly-thought-out, clunky pieces of crap. While there are a few artisan developers for Windows, most Windows devs just don’t care.”
MacDailyNews Take: Now, he’s on track.
Much more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “RadDoc” for the heads up.]
Mr Matalino is clearly one of those that can not be pushed, pulled or coaxed into the future. Sadly his branch of the tree is dying and he and a few others feel comfortable under their rock or in their cave grooming each other and removing bugs from one another.
Strummer123—really…really, I have never found that to be true. I have found that for the last several years, by the time I got done building a PC to have all the treats the Mac has I was very close to the same price. I will admit that it is possible to build a PC cheaper than the cheapest Mac that would be fine for most of the population, but it would lack things like built in bluetooth, and as far as look and feel, my top of the line CAD Dell feels sort of CHEAP compared to the Macbook Pro….and the Dell is about twice as thick and feels like a BRICK when flying.
@strummer123
Awesome post! The only thing I would add is the fact that your wonderful XP machine can play games.
Keep coming back!
Your potential. Our passion.™
Chair thrower:
I’d be a little wary hijacking quotes from Eric S. Raymond without attribution. What with Raymond being the ‘strange’ dude he is.
‘Raymond is an avowed anarcho-capitalist and a supporter of the Libertarian Party. He supported the War on Iraq, and said that the Western world should embark on an “imperialist” military campaign to “civilize” the Muslim world.’ [wiki]
He is also a strong advocate of gun use; is aware his remarks might cause ‘offence’ and be seen as advocating deliberate cultural genocide [!].
Although this has little to do with his programming skills, given his remarks, it points to a seriously distasteful and f*cked-up person and I wouldn’t take anything he has to say seriously.
I need to wash my hands now.
MDN, what you talkin, Wilbur? OSX was introduced as a free beta-version. The system was SOLD with OS9 up until 10.1 was introduced. 10.2 was a world better – smaller, smarter, snappier – and then came Panther. Just as we thought it couldn’t get any better, along came Tiger. But … 10.0 was advertised as Beta-ware.
And, Macs WERE ever so expensive. Still ARE. Of course, they were worth the money … but it WAS (and IS) a LOT of money. I guess the “everyone knows” bit should have been put in quotes, as I have.
Note that ZT left the “too” in front of “expensive”. There’s a world of difference between “so” expensive and “too” expensive. I can live with spending 40% more for a system that will give ME good service for twice as long (and a kid or buddy good service for that much longer). Take THAT, Mr strummer123!
His name is what? Oh, Bright, OK then..His Christian name (yes, I don’t cow-tow with ‘first’ name). Is Peter: sometime a di-k is called a peter.
I agree with MDN- this time.
The #1 stupidest thing Apple ever did was letting Steve Jobs walk back in 1985. A close second (#1A) happened barely a month later when John Sculley gave away the keys to the kingdom, i.e. the Mac OS, to Bill Gates and M$.
The #1 smartest thing Apple ever did was bringing Steve Jobs back via the NeXT merger. Apple not only gained its co-founder and visionary back, it also acquired the NeXTStep OS he had developed, starting almost as soon as he LEFT. Apple could’ve had a modern OS X-like OS in the 80’s(!), certainly by the early 90’s.
The entire “Will Apple Computer go under?” drama back then could’ve been totally avoided by keeping Steve in-house. M$ would’ve been laughed out of the building with Windows 95 because Apple’s OS X-like OS would’ve been 10 years old by then!
Yes, I went off on a tangent, but my point was that Apple’s turnaround began as soon as Steve came back, not six years ago when Jaguar came out.
Peace.
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Olmecmystic
Better late than never .-)
Cow-Tow? Oh ron. You’re so much better than the rest of us.
MDN’s approach to this article was fair. At first I did see it from max314’s point of view, but after reading through it, MDN was fair. The writer did make statements that were a joke, but in the end he wised up a bit. The end result anyway was a new Mac convert – always a good thing.
Riddle me this…
How can a person be a an atheist Christian?
Although it was nice to see a Windows user finally taking a real look at MacOS, I was genuinely saddened to read his assessment (on ArsTechnica) of MacOS prior to MacOS X. It appeared to totally ignore the reality of how MacOS worked or the improvements that Apple made in the operating system over its 15 year lifetime.
The portion of the article that has been published failed to recognize that the carbon API was only possible due to the maturity and quality of the MacOS API. It completely ignored that MacOS programs often were more polished and ran better simply due to the quality of the MacOS ROM and the routines therein.
Admittedly things are better now that the MacOS X APIs are really an application framework. Whereas the MacOS API were really just a list of library routines and the developer had to either select or code a framework for their application.
@ C1
I’ve towed cows. But then, I always go back and clean up after.
@ Riddler
The churches/synagogues/etc. are filled with them every Sunday morning. Just take a close look around.
@Ray: Exactly what I was thinking. First computer in 1997? A whole 11 years ago?? But he’s a big boy now and his face has almost cleared up.
——RM
Good answer.
Very observational.
But, incorrect.
Think more, pun-like.
My first computer was a Vic 20, and you don’t hear me bragging about it…
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“i can build my own XP based PC for half the price of a Mac and it will still shit all over it.
MAC = overpriced and overhyped.
advertising does alot of brainwashing. i would know. im in the industry -_-“
@Strummer123
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> you act like you know what your talking about, but you seem to be playing off alot of bias. if you look at the un-bias facts, apple is the innovator of this computer race. (btw i own a pc)
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im sorry but i cant help but laugh at you
Microsoft has been copying apple for years. strummer let me ask you something, do you like being able to minimize, and ex out your internet browser window ? well apple invented that, then soon after, Microsoft stole the idea, and named their operating systems “windows” after the windows idea created by apple. Ofcourse apple tried to protect their idea, but Microsoft threatened to stop supplying “Microsoft office” to apple. so they were forced to be stolen from. well now apple is pulling through and Microsoft’s tight grip is slowly loosening(Thank god)
And what about Apple’s mobile computer (iphone) Why is everyone copying that too ? because its right on target. enough said, apple products are amazing, the market has clearly spoken. sorry to burst your bubble guys but Microsoft is old and out-dated, soon to be passed up even further by apple
Riddler,
One can be CULTURALLY Xtian… raised in Xtian culture, holidays, etc., but philosophically and “spiritually” (?) an atheist.
Just like me, in fact. ;^)
Hey Zune Tang,
I guess that you have not figured out, yet, that it is morons like you who and Enderle give us reasons to come back to this site.
FUD is as FUD does. Where’s your feather now?
Biased idiocy. Our Humor. ©®
………
Oh yeah, games…..hmmm, grow up…wait, not possible. They, strummer### & Zune Tang, are still “living” in the basement/seperate bedroom where the best feat of the day is to not disturb mommy while she is having company over.
………
Now, I will welcome this newcomer to the Mac Family and anyone who is willing to make a decent effort to enjoy the enlightenment of having a Computer. Something that will work with you.
Even with the presumptions that someone may have lived with for a time, they will learn the truth soon enough.
I think maybe he was Born in 1997. Windows 95 stable?! California is stable when there isn’t an earthquake.
Windows 95 was Never stable.
Total garbage – it just worked better than the Windows 3.1 hack.
>First computer in 1997? I feel old<
My first computer was a VIC-20 that I bought in 1985. What does that make me?
There are no real software developers on this forum are there? The OSX APIs are complete crap, they can’t even do simple file merging operations. Not to mention that you have to learn Objective-C to interface with the APIs.
The only software developers that work on Macs make little $20 programs to make a quick buck on something that would be free on any other platform. Generally OSX is laughed at by developers and with good reason.
“there’s a real sense that their developers care that they don’t suck,” Bright writes. “Windows software has never struck me as being like that.
What a classic!
Hooo hoo! Another good answer.
But again. Incorrect.
How about? …
‘He’ is not a Christian atheist. But, he’s an atheist. And, he’s a Christian. Who is ‘he’?
Linux User…
And yet, each WWDC is more well attended than the previous WWDC.
And applications like Time Machine</B>, <I>Disco and Delicious Library continue to set new standards when compared to their Windows and Linux counterparts.
As for things being free: sometimes you have to remember the dictum about things being worth what you pay for them – there is a lot of freeware out there, but it’s often not as good as the donation/shareware equivalents because there’s no financial incentive for the developer to keep refining and evolving the product.