Zarf in Mac OS X Land

baruz writes "Andrew Plotkin (aka Zarf), award-winning interactive fiction author and Mac and Unix programmer, has not-so-recently posted a secret diary of his experiences installing and using Mac oh ess ex."

OSX Migration

[ink]

We just finished moving about a quarter of our Mac users to OSX. It was almost painless; I was expecting many problems from different people about the new design. One user even went from OS8 to OSX on a B&W G3/300/192MB, and I haven't heard a peep from her since. The most "power" user we have runs Photoshop, Pagemaker and Illustrator, all of which run under Classic and she had the most problems migrating -- but after a couple of weeks of using it , she stopped in to thank me and to inform me that she hadn't had to reboot her Mac in over a week. Previously it was at least once a day (ie, "System Error -1 : Restart your Macintosh"). They unversally love the dock, and the all seem confused by the new finder. They also don't like the s l o w window resizing, but the consensous is that it's well worth the niggles and bugs that do exist.

I would love..

[Anonymous Coward]

..to see a review of the OS X UI issues from a Linux or Windows centric perspective. PLEASE NOTE: I acknowledge the right of long-time OS 8/9 users to find pain in the new OS, but I'm not one of those.

I'm a Windows (at work) and Linux (at home) user who is growing a little fed up with both (okay, HATE Windows; Linux is starting to drive me a little nuts).

Fact is, I've got a clean RH 7.2 install sitting on nice hardware and half my apps don't work properly (Konquerer crashes, old Netscape sorta runs but has rendering problems, Mozilla -- forget it, Opera won't even start up -- haven't installed the just released beta yet).

I prefer KDE to GNOME, but after being into computers for over 15 years, the fact is, none of these systems work as well as they should. We've got 20+ years of consumer-level industry experience behind computers and they still suck.

Windows 2000 is almost serviceable, but XP is the bastard son of MS' strategy for hobbling half the OS against 3rd party media app incursions.

There are power management, sleep and hibernate issues that MS won't fix in W2K and that aren't that much more stable in XP. Hibernate twice and chances are things will start dying if you try anything. Drivers suck -- I can't set my desktop to sleep because the f&$king HP USB drivers pop up a dialogue after the machine wakes up every time. The only option is to LEAVE MY PRINTER DISCONNECTED BETWEEN USES. But yeah, my wife's a media artist -- she kinda needs the color printer. So much for my Energy Star compliant computer.

My laptop has 256MB ram and web pages can still choke media. My desktop has 512MB ram and switching among 2 users make it feel like a slug.

My latop is 1.5 years old and shipped, without me noticing (my bad), with ACPI. No linux power management..

I'm inclined to tell people who want to buy a computer not even to bother. Use the one at work for your email and spare your home life from the misery that is the modern computer industry.

Zarf vs. Steve--This Time, It's Personal!

[christopher_mcca]

I honestly can't say that I've encountered anywhere near the level of frustration that Zarf seems to have met with in his foray into the world of OS X. Maybe I've just been lucky; or, maybe I've spent more time actually trying to use my Mac than trying to beat the bejesus out of the UI until it perfectly matches my own personal internal representation of the perfect interface.

Don't get me wrong: I think it's perfectly valid to point out OS X's present shortcomings, or to mention areas of the UI that you wish were different. But for Christ's sake, please stop construing the fact that Apple didn't personally ask you how to implement each aspect of the UI as a failure on their part.

In the end, the diary gave me a vicarious headache as I envisioned the author's bitter moment-to-moment struggle with Steve's hegemony over his desktop. At points, particularly during the Administrator Password Crisis, it started to sound like the Al Gore sketch that Darrell Hammond did on SNL during the Florida mess.

So

how do you vote? Do you circle a candidate's name? Do you underline it? Or do you write it on the arrow? Or underneath? Or maybe it's the dots. Do you write the candidate's name on the dots? They seem sort of small. Maybe just his initials. Or do you color in the dots? If so, in what color? Maybe you scratch the dots with the edge of a penny. Or lick the dots. Again, this ballot does not spell it out.

Re:I would love..

[Anonymous Coward]

Take a look at macfoo.org [macfoo.org] - the site just opened a little while ago, but the people running it are former Linux and (shudder) Windows types that discovered OS X and are relating their experiences on the site.

Make sure to take a look at some of the postings by Evil Dr. Go in the forums - he just switched from an OpenBSD system to a G4 running OS X, and has been posting his experiences with it.

Snarfegnugen

[macX_rocks]

I don't mean to imply that I think the OSX UI and general verbage within are perfect, however, the 'diary' seems to posit that the UI should be *absolutely* geared for the totally incompetent user (not that I'm saying the author is incompetent... just assuming he was taking on the role of someone who didn't know his arse from a hole in the ground... for the sake of his 'diary'-based review of the various imperfect elements in OSX). I am not a 'newbie' to the various elements of OSX... I've used MacOS, various *NIXes, NEXT/OPENSTEP, [other platforms], so perhaps I'm not ignoring my experience enough to make a fair judgement... in any case, I don't think the OSX UI/experience is likely to be quite the confusing fiasco portrayed in the 'diary'.

From the first time I installed OSX, I have had *no* trouble understanding when/how to use packages and when/how to enter which passwords. The lack of an active 'root' user was a bit disorienting at first, but was figured out/resolved/activated within a couple of minutes (BTW- Rather than the oft-posted "use NetInfoManager.app to activate...", I simply gave the root user a password in Terminal.app... same effect). I must say that I feel the article announcement's brief bio on the author's background (UNIX experience) set me up to be rather surprised at his inability to *grep* (ha!) the various pieces... that's why I've assumed that he's taking on the role of a newbie and not necessarily so confused himself.

I love OSX. I want it to improve. I know it will. Surely, it will improve to some degree by user feedback... but, I don't think that feedback is altogether useful when delivered in the form of: "stupid [designers]" or "lack of [some pre-existing feature]?!?!?! Apple/Steve is KILLING ME!!!!!". Sadly the vast numbers of people yelling in such manner, in ernest, also drags down the 'humorous' nature of such satire.

All the above: IMNSHO

Re:But it isn't obvious!

[phyxeld]

The rant about the difference between icons for objects versus actions was very insightful - somebody should really apply that interface metric to Windows and Linux systems as well. Sounds like Mac OS really took a step backwards there.

I agree in principal, but at the same time I know that novice users (still a big apple market) love having little icons everywhere. That favorites icon (the heart) which bugged this guy so much will be adored by many consumers ("I just click on the litte red heart, and my favorites come up! Oooh! Aaah!"), and it's easy for the people who don't like it to turn it off. Ditto for the interface tricks he doesn't like ("Look at the animations! Wheeeeee!"). I don't think it's a step backwards. I'm sure they would have gotten lot more criticism if they, god forbid, made a toolbar with a bunch of text-only buttons.

This is like fingernails down a chalkboard

[1stmammaltowearpants]

Maybe if he had spent more time using the standard interface instead of mucking it up with add-ons and modifications, he would have realized that a lot of his complaints are completely baseless.

Apparently, I learned more about the UI in twenty minutes than he did in several days.

It should stand as a testament to X's ease of use that someone who doesn't even understand how and why "root access" works can still partition and install multiple operating systems on one machine.

who's Zarf and why so stupid?

[bojan]

Who is this Zarf? Why is Slashdot even interested?

This to me sounded like a total and complete idiot when it came to using computers. I found OSX's UI very intuitive, the first problem this human being encountered with the "Click here to make changes" lock icon, was very intuitive to me. It makes perfect sense. Like the way Red Carpet asks for admin password.

This human needs more hacking time before their info is ever again posted on slashdot.

Stupid Slashdot! Go Apple!

Zarf full of diary-a

[Figz]

First of all, let me point out, I'm drunk and drinking and I'm just taking a time-out to respond to this incredibly stupid diary. Second, does anyone else find this guy to be incredibly lame? I mean, honestly, who takes the time to document in diary format your installations and experiences with an OS? Third, obviously OS TEN (yes, you better start saying the word "TEN" Zarf, because you could get beat up for saying "ex") is not perfect, but it is far better than anything else plus it's still in its infancy. Instead of spouting out that verbal diarrhea (get it? diary-a?), Barf should have taken the time to simply use the OS and get used to it. Every new OS has some learning required. Be happy with the fact that OS X has the shortest. Jeez. Ok, time to drink more.

Re:Don't send in your info

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't like to give out info, either, but Apple is basically a willing exception for me. When I call up AppleCare, they pull up a list of all our systems, including configuration and serial numbers, length of warranty left, etc. It takes very little time to get a machine serviced, or get new rubber feet for a PowerBook or whatever.

So few companies actually give you any kind of benefit for having a relationship with them, so it's good to be wary, but Apple provides the platform on which everything else runs, and they take care of you with personal service.

My OS X test drive experience

[stixnpics]

A Mac-smoking friend slid his Powerbook
across the table to me at the local coffee shop
and said: "It's got Unix underneath... OS X."

Intrigued... I asked for a terminal window
and poked about... interesting. I might
be at home here and finally loose MS'es
deathgrip on my brain.

The coffee shop has an 802.11 wireless connection
and his Powerbook's Airport gets past the
URL re-directing gateway to download at DSL speeds. I've tried 3 times to get my DLINK'ed
802.11 config to work as the ISP advertises
it should... hmmm... DSL into my office net
with my morning coffee. [Yes, I've spent a
few hours considering Linux for my wireless
laptop... I'd expect many more would be required
to get it all correctly config'ed... should work
but like my MS experiences NOT without great pain
and combinatoric exercise]

So, I ask if I might see if Zope would work
on the Mac w/ OS X. He allows the "test" and
helps my find a package for mac's, download
and install Zope. Someone has made Zope fit
the Mac install paradigm... It's the easiest
Zope install I've seen (vs Windows, Solaris, Linux). I start Zope... and ask if I might add
the Squishdot package (Slash-clone written in
Python and Zope's D(H)TML). He allows...
I download/install it, restart Zope...
Works painlessly.

Now I have this $3,000 decision... To Titanium
or NOT to Titanium... hmmm, clock's ticking and
I can't get myself to re-up w/ the MS eXPerience.
How much might painless computing be worth and
would it remain painless long enough to get
some of my music recorded, video edited, and
real work done from the coffeeshop?

Decisions, decisions... I did enjoy that NeXT
system back in 1991 I borrowed. I miss my Amiga
days... Computers should be fun to use and that Mac was fun.