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Weblog • Archive • Cutedge

by: Bernard Teo

Tue 31 Aug 2004

Ways of Seeing

Category : Commentary/waysOfSeeing.txt

I was thinking, after I made that last post, that maybe we can try to understand how two people can look at the same iMac G5 in two different ways.

Readers of this weblog may know that I have made references to Robert Pirsig's book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" - and his ideas about the classical-romantic dichotomy - many times.

What Paul Thurrott is doing, when he says that the iMac is derivative and boring, is that he is looking at things from the classical point of view, i.e., in terms of form and function.

So, if you think only in terms of form and function, you will consider that, hey, the PC manufacturers have built PCs with largely similar physical configurations before, and so, where's the excitement?

The classical mind, which can find beauty in abstract symbols and meanings, will also find Windows XP Service Packs exciting. You would, too, if you think about it means - that this is Microsoft at their best, showing resilience and cunning in extricating themselves from close shaves and near disasters, with convoluted patches and counter-patches.

The romantically-inclined person, on the other hand, just wants to run his hands over the smooth, (presumably) white surface of the new iMac and admire the glint from the metallic surfaces. It is shape, fit, colour, and texture that excite us. And how it all feels ... just right.

For example, when I'm writing these words, I'm concentrating on the message. I'm wondering if I, myself, understand what I'm saying. I'm conscious of myself dredging out half-formed ideas, and organising them into a stream that, hopefully, makes sense to another person. But I'm not conscious of the fact that I'm pecking at the keyboard. If I were, I would lose my train of thought.

That's why Mac users understand the joke about the disappearing computer - "where did the computer go?". In our mind, the computer was long gone, and that was what made the Mac great as a thinking tool. What Apple did with the iMac G5 was to make the physical computer gone, too, at least visually, and we enjoy how advances in technology have now made these two images resonate in sync, as they ought to.

So, Paul Thurrott can't see what's so exciting about the new iMac. But Mac users see excitement in precisely the absence of things to see.

The computer ought to disappear, leaving only the screen, because that's the only thing left that ought to be there. The best tool is the tool you're not conscious of using. In that sense, less will always better.

Thirty spokes meet at a nave;
Because of the hole we may use the wheel.
Clay is moulded into a vessel;
Because of the hollow we may use the cup.
Walls are built around a hearth;
Because of the doors we may use the house.
Thus tools come from what exists,
But use from what does not.

From Peter Merel's interpretation of the Tao Te Ching

Posted at 4:58PM UTC | permalink

One Man's Meat

Category : Commentary/meat.txt

Paul Thurrott calls the new iMac G5 derivative and boring. "My God, is this really the best they can do? The previous generation--expensive as it was for what you got--was at least gorgeous looking, head-turningly-gorgeous looking. The new iMac is ... My God, guys. I can just see the marketing for this one: It's like a big iPod! Get it? Anyone? That's just a shame, it really is."

Well, go over to his other site, "SuperSite for Windows", and you get this, "...Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows is dedicated to providing all of the information you need to evaluate Microsoft's upcoming Windows platform technologies. These exciting (sic) products include Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)..."

Sort of, chips away at his credibility, doesn't it?

Posted at 2:48PM UTC | permalink

Spine Tingling Sensation

Category : Commentary/spinetingling.txt

There is no other computer manufacturer on earth who can create such delicious anticipation when they unveil a new product.

When I saw this note coming in my mail-box to check out http://www.apple.com/imac/, my spine started tingling as I waited for the page to load - I kid you not.

This is something special - Zen is the word - the more you take away, the better it becomes.

I'm going to be wanting one of these.

I can hear her heartbeat from a thousand miles
And the heaven opens every time she smiles
And when I come to her
That's where I belong
And I'm running to her
Like a river song

Crazy Love - Van Morrison

Posted at 11:12AM UTC | permalink

Sun 29 Aug 2004

Airport Express Close-Up

Category : Commentary/aeCloseUp.txt

I like the Airport Express a lot. It takes so much less space than the Airport Base Station it replaces. It's nice to look at and is easy to set up. The 10-concurrent access limit is not a problem for home users (I'll probably only ever have need for four or five max). And the price is right.

I've only used two out of the possible three connections. I don't have speakers connected at the moment, but one line goes to the broadband modem (next to the Airport Express) and the other goes to the USB-based Epson Stylus 870.

But notice the size of the power plug that we use in Singapore. It'll be interesting to trace how we came to choose the three-pin type plug. Is it possible, now, to switch en-masse to the thinner two-pin plugs - because the day will come, soon, when many of the equipment we use are actually smaller than the power plug they need.

While we're on this, doesn't driving on the "wrong" side of the road, left when most countries use the right, increase our cost of operations? I mean, car designers would design, by default, cars with steering wheels on the left. But, while designing, they have to remember that there will be versions of the cars made, with the steering wheel switched to the right, like the ones we use in Singapore. So there will always be that extra cost. Then, there's also the greater chance that I'll get knocked down by a car when I next go to WWDC, because I happpened to look out the wrong side when I'm crossing the road in San Francisco. It has happened, once too often. So maybe we should spend our time standardising on these, rather than on Windows.

Posted at 2:21AM UTC | permalink

Sat 28 Aug 2004

Airport Express

Category : Commentary/airportExpress.txt

This is my newly-delivered Airport Express.

Plug it in, connect to broadband, connect USB Epson printer, install CD (which I'm not sure I even need to), enter some info. It just works.

No fuss, Internet access from anywhere, at home. (Nice box, too).

Posted at 4:19PM UTC | permalink

Creative Not So Creative

Category : Commentary/notsocreative.txt

Creative unveils its not-so-clever "imitation iPod" at the Comex computer show in Singapore - even down to using Garamond on the poster, similar colours to the iPod mini, and what looks like Chicago on the music player's screen. The device will remain un-mentioned here. Embarassing doesn't even come close to describing it.

Meanwhile, at the Apple booth, they're reeling in the money. These fellas are actually queueing up to give Apple some of their hard-earned cash.

Posted at 4:00PM UTC | permalink

Fri 27 Aug 2004

It's Turning

Category : Commentary/MacsAreCheaper.txt

More and more people are realising that using Macs is the right way to go - even if we're looking at things purely in terms of the cost of purchase (let alone total cost of ownership over the life of the machine).

"So, bottom line, are PCs cheaper than Macs? No, despite what you read in the PC press, it's the other way around. Compare Apples to apples, and Macs are cheaper than PCs."

That's from an article on LinuxInsider.

Way to go ...

Posted at 3:06AM UTC | permalink

Thu 26 Aug 2004

A German Localisation for Postfix Enabler

Category : Technology/PFEInGerman.txt

From Stefan Hartmann (www.glamorama.de), we now have a German localisation for Postfix Enabler. I've updated both the Postfix Enabler 1.0.9 and the Postfix Enabler Beta pages with Stefan's contribution.

It's things like this that makes it all so worthwhile. Thanks, Stefan.

This also shows why Cocoa and the Mac is so cool. It took only a few minutes to include Stefan's localisations. So now we can use Postfix Enabler in French, German, English, and Traditional Chinese, all within the same application. Japanese, anyone?

Posted at 12:55PM UTC | permalink

Tue 24 Aug 2004

WebLogic

Category : Technology/WebLogic.txt

We've got WebLogic running on the Mac. WebLogic is a Java J2EE-class application server.

We're setting up a demo for Apple Singapore that will show WebLogic integrated with Oracle and running on an Xserve :

The figure above shows the WebLogic console. All the examples work, including support for multiple languages, like Japanese. And support for encrypted communications between browser and server, via SSL. The Xserve is running OS X Panther Server.

More importantly for us, LucaWeb - the web browser-based version of our Luca Accounting System - also works on WebLogic. That's what we will be able to demo - plus having the data coming out of an Oracle 10g database, sitting on the same Xserve.

Isn't OS X great? That brings to three the number of Java application servers we know we can run on - Tomcat, JBoss, and now, WebLogic. Total code portability. And reusability. That's freedom of choice.

Posted at 12:24PM UTC | permalink

Freedom of Choice

Category : Commentary/freedomOfChoice.txt

In this article, "Consumers Say Apple Should Share", there's this last paragraph :

According to GartnerG2's McGuire, "the real test for Apple and everybody else in the online music world will be when Microsoft unleashes its online store--and when portability comes to subscription services such as Rhapsody and Napster's premium services." In this case, he said it might be difficult to successfully run a proprietary format, "as the market choices expand, and consumers become more aware of them."

"The real test will be when Microsoft unleashes its online store..." "in this case, it might be difficult to successfully run a proprietary format..."

As if Microsoft won't be pushing a "proprietary format" of its own?

"Consumers are always going to want choice." But we're already exercising our right to choose by choosing the Mac. And the iPod.

The difference between the Mac and the iPod is that the iPod is outside the reach of IT Departments. People buy what they want and there are no Thought Police around to ban the iPod on ideological grounds - like that contorted definition of what it means to be proprietary.

The business press is still waiting for Apple to fall flat from its "proprietary" leanings. What if, instead of dying, Apple grows from strength to strength with its iPods? Won't it be time to rewrite the history books?

Microsoft didn't win the "platform wars" because its strategy was manifest destiny. If it were so, it will win this war, easily too. So, let's wait and see.

Posted at 12:17PM UTC | permalink

Fri 20 Aug 2004

Fax Status

Category : Technology/faxStatus.txt

Following on from the last post about Shared Faxing on Panther. You can check if the fax has gone out successully by entering this URL into any web browser :

http://10.0.1.201:631/printers/Internal_Modem?which_jobs=completed

where 10.0.1.201 is the IP address of the machine hosting the fax capability in your internal network.

This is what you'll see in your browser :

I can't remember now where I found this tip but I'm leaving it here for reference. You can bookmark this on Safari, or drag the URL onto the desktop (and then onto the dock), so that you can check the fax status with just one click.

OK, I've found the reference. It's at Apple Discussions (message no. 31). Thanks to Malcolm McLeman.

Posted at 10:26AM UTC | permalink

Shared Fax

Category : Technology/sharedfax.txt

We've set up the server so it acts like a fax machine that is shared out to the rest of the network.

For example, I could be on any Mac on our network (even a new Mac that's just joined the network wirelessly), use the Print function, click on the Fax button, and do something like this :

RoadsteadFax is the shared fax facility that we've set up on the server. Actually, you can use any Mac running OS X Panther, so long as it's connected to a phone line.

This how you turn on the fax function on Panther, using the Print and Fax panel on System Preferences :

While you're on this window, look up the Printing panel (next to the Faxing panel), and see if you've turned on the check box : "Share my printers with other computers).

Then, turn on Printer Sharing (via the Sharing panel on Systems Preferences) and you're done. You can fax things out through here from any other machine on your network.

Notice, in the window above, I've checked the option : "Email to: ... ". This allows you to route all in-coming faxes to a designated person's e-mail in-box. This person can then forward the faxes to the appropriate recipient.

The whole process is totally paperless. And fast.

Currently, in the hostel project, I need to fax a lot of specifications to contractors. And contractors don't do e-mail. They fax stuff back and I retrieve them from my e-mail In-box. So I'm really glad I had set this up.

Posted at 5:05AM UTC | permalink