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Doomed, Schmoomed (8/28/00)
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That's all folks-- run down the curtain and tip your waitstaff on the way out, because the Mac platform is "doomed." Oh, you haven't heard? According to MacWEEK, open-source guru Eric S. Raymond actually went so far as to call the Mac platform a "noble but doomed cause" because "the Mac community has had five years to find a counter [to Windows] and failed. The Linux community, on the other hand, has gone from nowhere to a desktop market share comparable to the Mac's in three years flat. That's a pretty powerful appeal."
Maybe it's just us, but that sounds like a deliriously naïve oversimplification to us-- and we love oversimplifications. The fact that Linux appeared in a market vacuum of hardcore geeks just waiting for a product that satisfied their noblest nerdy instincts hardly signals a death knell for a platform that holds elegance, attention to detail, and ease of use above all other concerns. Whether or not you consider it a good thing, we strongly suspect that non-geeks will outnumber the geeks for many more years to come-- and meanwhile, Mac OS X is barreling down on the future like a freight train. Or at least like a freight train moving really slowly. It's still going to arrive before the geek shall inherit the earth, though.
Hey, we have nothing against Linux. We like Linux. Some of our best friends use Linux. But we've used Linux, too, not all that long ago, and frankly, it's still got a ways to go before our parents are going to feel comfortable running out and buying a consumer computer running Red Hat. We don't relish the idea of explaining the syntax of chmod and major and minor device numbers in device files to an audience that, on the whole, can't even figure out how to get their VCRs to stop blinking "12:00" without covering the display readout with electrical tape. The average shmoe is still going to reach for Windows; the average shmoe who does his homework is going to reach for a Mac. As for Linux, call us when our moms can use it.
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SceneLink (2511)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 8/28/00 episode: August 28, 2000: Uncle Steve prepares to address his adoring fans-- but tomorrow's keynote looks like it'll be all sizzle and no, er, veggie burger. Meanwhile, following Apple's choice of Windows 2000 to power the beta version of its new Knowledge Base, its Mac OS servers appear to be acting up a little, and a famous open-source advocate declares the Mac platform "doomed"...
Other scenes from that episode: 2509: There's Nothing Going On (8/28/00) Can you believe it? Here we are, less than twenty-four hours away from His Royal Steveness's next address to his loyal subjects at Seybold, and the excitement level in the Mac community has reached a fever pitch-- if by "fever pitch" you're referring to lethargy, lack of appetite, and teetering on the brink of death... 2510: Seeing Quadruple (Plus 9) (8/28/00) Okay, we've calmed down a bit about Apple using Windows 2000 to power the beta version of its new Knowledge Base support site. We accept Apple's explanation that the software they're using isn't available for Mac OS X yet-- although since the software in question is apparently Apple's own WebObjects, they have no one to blame for that but themselves-- and that once it's ready, the Knowledge Base will be powered by Mac OS X through and through...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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