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The Mac Platform Decline

milen.me

121–130 of 192 posts

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#121
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really think too many people are making a big deal of the TouchBar. I'm a vim user, and when the first rumors of it surfaced earlier this year I switched ESC to capslock and after a day or so adapted just fine. I don't know that I really need any of the things TouchBar offers, but it seems to be unreasonably vilified without no one actually using it. For me the key issue is the performance, which no amount of key r…

I'm just wondering how one will install certain OSes if the Func keys aren't usable during OS install in Boot Camp. I don't remember being able to remap an installer hotkeys easily. Maybe Apple doesn't want that demographic, or perhaps we'll have to connect a USB-C keyboard. Boot Camp drivers are also terribly out of date.

At this point I'm starting to assume that people are acting in bad faith when they pretend that the toolbar somehow turns to emoji mode when you're working in a terminal or rebooting or whatever.

I do this because all of Apple's material has focused on it's context-sensitivity and configurability. Here's a screenshot of function keys: http://images.apple.com/v/macbook-pro/j/images/overview/touc...

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#122
I really just want an upgrade for the MBA.

There's finally a few Windows machines that don't look like complete dogshit, but I don't know how to connect to multiple exchange servers in Outlook.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#123

I bought an SE rather than a 7. Size is a better fit for me and I still use the audio jack. A lot. So Apple had an upgrade path for me. But with the new MacBook Pro, they cut out USB-A. If they'd kept it on the entry level model, that'd be my upgrade path. Instead, I'll eek out maybe a couple more years on my current MBP. BTW, I'm not sure at all why they ditched MagSafe. They did all this and kept the RCA port. Now…

I think the losses of Magsafe and the 3.5" headphone socket will go down as the point Apple finally lost it. Magsafe was such a perfect example of Apple doing small innovation, utterly brilliantly; if they've ditched it purely to save half a millimetre off thickness, it's all the proof I need that the lunatics have taken over.

You guys are hilarious.

I just picture you back when the iMac was first released without, god forbid, a floppy disk drive or ADB ports.

The fact is that just like before in a year from now when all peripherals support USB-C we will herald Apple as a visionary once again.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TouchBar killed the tactile ESC key. People using vim or BootCamp and/or Linux, Windows, VMware, or Photoshop are in for a more difficult ride. So instead of having access to ESC/Func keys, we can type emoji or use Apple Pay. The hardware on all Macs are updated on a very infrequent basis as mentioned in the article. GPUs sold with machines today are often the same as ones sold years ago. Apple killed their external…

Look at all the screenshots of the Touch Bar. Many of them have the Esc key present. And you must be seriously out of touch if you think it's a deal breaker. Also it's rumours that Apple killed their external monitor option.

I think people are complaining because apple no longer sells an external monitor of its own.

I might be an outlier, but I don't care too much about the Escape key - I think the on screen one will probably work just as well for me - I am annoyed however at the net removal of two ports, inclusion of just one USB A port would have been enough to make me happy - that one USB A port would be enough to make up for the loss of Magsafe and HDMI. I also don't like that I now need a bevy of adapters to do everything I did before without any adapters at all.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#125
post #84
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Linux is already superior for developers. You servers all running Linux, all dev tools are first released in Linux, everything just work with most hardware. For professional like video editing, photography, CADs, audio etc Windows is better when you can buy better hardware for the same price as Mac. There is no reason to by Mac when most hardware is terribly outdated and you don't know when next upgrade will happen.

I'm doing web dev on macOS. Tried to plan how I'd work on Linux desktop if I ditched Mac and it doesn't look that bright actually. - I basically can't stand the usability linux desktop environments. But this is subjective. - Our designers use a lot of mac software. I sometimes need to work with Sketch, Photoshop etc. Even if it's in read only fashion. - Our team lives in Slack. Turns out these is no decent slack app…

I hear there are preferences, yes.

The only think outside of purely subjective matters is Photoshop. Our designers use SVGs/PNGs for read-only purposes.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#126
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I keep seeing people say things about how the Mac is sidelining serious developers and content producers, but I haven't seen any actual argument as to why this is so. Can you explain?

TouchBar killed the tactile ESC key. People using vim or BootCamp and/or Linux, Windows, VMware, or Photoshop are in for a more difficult ride. So instead of having access to ESC/Func keys, we can type emoji or use Apple Pay. The hardware on all Macs are updated on a very infrequent basis as mentioned in the article. GPUs sold with machines today are often the same as ones sold years ago. Apple killed their external…

> Apple killed their external monitor option.

You can drive two 5k displays with the new MacBooks, and they ask me to tell you they're fine. The just need a bit of time to think things through.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#127
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I've chosen to view this update as the start of the uptick where we go back to regular updates (perhaps with a longer period than historically) and more exciting things to come. I want to think this, but after years they release a TouchBar and I still can't get 32GB of ram. /sigh I think that people get too caught up in wanting revolutionary changes. Many would have been much happier with new MBPs being released re…

Intel is responsible for the lack of RAM not Apple.

Not true: http://ark.intel.com/m/products/95451/Intel-Core-i7-7500U-Pr...

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#128
post #97
post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - Our team lives in Slack. Turns out these is no decent slack app for linux and I'd have to use the web app. No thanks. the slack app for other platforms are made from the web app (Electron).

Yeah but they are integrated (native notifications, file access, a window that does not go away with the browser or tied to it, decent looking chrome etc). When I need to use it that much I prefer an app, even if it's a shell actually.

Eh, people said the same about Gmail but that no-install email client turned out to be wildly successful.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pfew, I may not believe how professional you are if you had just used the word "price" instead of "CAPEX".

You are right... In my defense, it is not only "funner" to say the same thing differently, but sometimes drives the point home "more better."

That's very (p/f)unny, . Please don't let people like me take the fun out of funding for you, and inform me if you ever start a religion, cult, country, CAPEX LIMITING INVESTMENT SCHEME(TM) or hummus-based fast food chain,

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TouchBar killed the tactile ESC key. People using vim or BootCamp and/or Linux, Windows, VMware, or Photoshop are in for a more difficult ride. So instead of having access to ESC/Func keys, we can type emoji or use Apple Pay. The hardware on all Macs are updated on a very infrequent basis as mentioned in the article. GPUs sold with machines today are often the same as ones sold years ago. Apple killed their external…

Look at all the screenshots of the Touch Bar. Many of them have the Esc key present. And you must be seriously out of touch if you think it's a deal breaker. Also it's rumours that Apple killed their external monitor option.

It's a dealbreaker for me.

I was considering switching from years of buying Thinkpads to getting some Apple hardware. One of my big beefs with Lenovo is that they keep redesigning the keyboards, steadily making them worse from my perspective. But the Esc key thing kills it for me. Partly because the escape key location is baked into my brain, and I want it to be a physical key with tactile response. And partly because this is a sign to me that they are likely to keep screwing with the keyboard in a way that makes it better for whomever they're targeting but worse for programmers.

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