Chris, I had a similar experience when I added an additional monitor to my PowerBook rig,which I now use as my main CPU (holding out for those dual-cores ). While the 17" PB screen looks pretty nice, it's not like having a 19 or 20" - but after I tossed in a cheap COSTCO $300 17" on the side, life became much easier.
I would still prefere to have a giant cinema display, but for now, I like to keep my iChat and other misc. windows open on the side monitor, while my PB screen focuses on the task at hand. When coding, I love having my paste templates and other ref. docs on the side monitor, not to mention using it for my ProTools mix window while I tweak tracks on the main LCD.
I'm not sure how I managed all these years without 2 displays (or a single giant one), but I doubt I'll ever go back to anything smaller than a 20" or so.
While in recent years, I would have to say that OSX was the biggest leap and most influential Apple OS, probably very soon to be outdone by themselves again.
However, as a budding musician and computer geek in 1978 (if memory serves), whatever version of OS that was on the Apple II+ had the most impact for me personally, for it was the only "desktop" consumer computer that could play music at the time. Mind you, this music was pretty crude, but it worked!
From that point on, I knew Apple and I would have a bright future together. Of course, my first "paid" gig for sound design was on a Mac Plus (or was it a 128k) at the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz - This was really getting exciting!!!
My childhood plans for a "solid-state" system that could actually digitize someone's entire music collection and let a handful of albums be downloaded into a portable "walkman" memory device looked like they were just on the horizon. Oh, how I wish I had patented THAT idea!!! :)
At the expense of sounding completely girly <bg>... I swear that since I bought my 1G shuffle, I've used my old 20G way less than I used to, and I'm a music producer with ear-buds practically surgically sewn into my ear canals.
I dig taking the shuffle in the car because it seems less fragile than the big old guy, but I have to carry the 20G around for business because my entire production music library is on there. I wish the damn battery would die already so I could justify a 60G.
Greg, get the 60G - that way you won't have as much envy when the 80 and 120's come out.
Nathan, it sounds like you're trying to run advanced applications on an under-powered system. It also sounds like you haven't completely optimized your system (turn off genie and bouncing in the Dock, turn off drop-shadows in iPhoto, etc.).
I'm running iPhoto on a G4/400 AGP and also a 1GHz PB 17" with about 4000 hi-res images, and don't experience the delays you are talking about, even on the slower machine. Do youhave enough RAM? Is your hard drive almost full? Have you exceeded your iPhoto porn limit? ;)
I agree that FontBook and iCal have some problems, but I don't think these can be solely attributed to the "eye-candy" if they don't seem to affect the performance as much in other applications.
BTW, drop-shadows in the Finder are NOT "eye candy" based on your definition - they provide positive feedback to the user, even if it's not often noticed (but you sure would notice if they were turned off).
-M
Slopes, I'm not going to take the bait in your last paragraph, but despite our combined and repeated attempts to drive it out of you, what EXACTLY are YOU trying to do with your Desktop that you can't in OSX and used to in OS9? (besides the file refresh problem)
Perhaps you just need some OSX driving lessons. :)
Yeah, what he said! And BTW, how many "consumer" Mac users do you know that dabble around with UNIX commands. What a joke! Case and point when slopes bags on the drop-shadows - he apparently doesn't "get" how they make for more intuitive navigation of a busy system, something I trust just about any professional graphics person using OSX appreciates.
Actually, slopes, I was merely defending the insinuation by Nathan that I wasn't a "power user" because I would opt to use a workaround for the Finder update problem that we have all agreed is a problem.
Your car analogy is flawed - nobody dies because they have to click on a folder to refresh a file list, unless you sit there waiting for hours and forget to eat.
Besides, who's suggesting that users not make a fuss, as long as it's positive? I've submitted bug reports and feedback for this issue (several times since X came out). I trust you have as well. Repeatedly bitching about "eye-candy" isn't what I would consider a "valid contribution."
Hehe - No worries Nathan - Slopes is the only one trolling in here. :) I was merely commenting on your statement that a power-user doesn't use a work-around to avoid the Finder file list update problem. What kind of a user would Slopes be considered if he sat and waited for 2 hours, as opposed to someone who clicked on another folder to get the job done? Perhaps the same kind of user that in Windows, would wait for their system to crash and reboot to see a list update, rather than pressing the F5 key. ;)
Actually Nathan, it's a waste of time bagging on it if you're not interested in helping to fix the problem. A power user will find work-arounds when confronted with inadequacies in any OS, not simply play dumb and wait for the OS to do something. I won't even touch your last comment - it's not worth my time. ;)
Slopes,
You are so negative towards OSX, I'm wondering why you are using it at all? Why don't you go back to OS9 if it's so superior, or get a Win box, then you can F5 all day long.
Yes, I agree, the Finder update problem is a problem. But why are you sitting around waiting for it? If you simply click on another folder, then click back (in Column View at least), the list usually updates instantly.
You say you've been working with OSX for over a year now, but you haven't discovered simple work-arounds like this yet? I'm starting to get the sense that you're not really much of a power-user to begin with if these basic annoyances are such a problem for you, especially if you are habitually opening the wrong files and applications.
I'm not trying to start a flame here, but can we get back to a positive vibe in the spirit of this article to talk about improvments we'd like to see in Tiger?
-M
I couldn't agree more Hadley, and I don't think there will be much contention on this one. :)
As you mentioned, I would like the OS to repair it's own permissions after installing OS components (although I understand why they have left this to the user) - better yet, an defaulted option to auto-repair the default system permissions after an installation would be nice.
Secondly, I'd like to see a more intelligent implementation of the daily/weekly/monthly routines that the OS runs in the middle of the night. Many people are not even aware of these, and if they shut down their system every night, they may be missing out on these auto-repair utilities - A notice from the OS that it hasn't run one of these routines in a certain amount of time would be nice, giving the user the option to run them right away, or to CRON them for a specific time, etc.
I would also like to see better conflict resolution with fonts. I've had to spend way too much time moving fonts around, removing duplicates, and resolving duplicates - There should be a smart interface whereby the user can choose "Move all non-system fonts into User Library," or the root Library, etc. And, another to "Permanently remove all duplicate fonts" would be nice. How about one that "Disable all Foreign fonts" so they don't keep magically re-installing themselves. :)
I've also had a few FireWire 800 problems as of late, when using a FW400 DV capture device and trying to write to a FW800 drive. Every so often, a FW400 drive (that I'm not actually using at the time) will go totally AWOL, meaning it's just not mountable, and Disk Util can't rebuild it. The only tool that seems to work is Disk Warrior, which always brings the drive back (after 30 minutes of profuse swearing). I know this isn't really an OS maintenance issue, but perhaps more intelligent monitoring of the disk access would prevent a directory corruption like this. :)
-Mark
Hahaha sopes! You are too funny! Albeit completely FOS! Millions of Mac users NEVER had a problem? Hahaha! It's impossible for them to have NOT tampered with the System Folder and also managed their fonts, especially pre-OS8-something, when fonts used to be stored not only in the System Folder, but in the System suitcase as well! What a joke! Are you actually saying that Jeff is suggesting that OSX users be denied something? That somehow OSX isn't for grown-ups? Grow Up! What specifically is it that you want to do with your OSX Desktop that you can't? Perhaps some of the children reading this thread can help you out. ;)
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What I'd Like to See in Tiger: Part 4, A Self-Repairing OS
What I'd Like to See in Tiger: Part 4, A Self-Repairing OS
What I'd Like to See in Tiger: Part 4, A Self-Repairing OS
What I'd Like to See in Tiger: Part 4, A Self-Repairing OS
What I'd Like to See in Tiger: Part 4, A Self-Repairing OS
What I'd Like to See in Tiger: Part 4, A Self-Repairing OS
What I'd Like to See in Tiger: Part 4, A Self-Repairing OS
What I'd Like to See in Tiger: Part 4, A Self-Repairing OS
What I'd Like to See in Tiger: Part 3, A Consistent User Interface