TweetFollow Us on Twitter

Apr 97 Viewpoint

Volume Number: 13 (1997)
Issue Number: 4
Column Tag: Viewpoint

Viewpoint

By Eric Gundrum

Just How Easy Is It?

With all this talk of a modern OS for Macintosh, I am becoming concerned that we may be forgetting what made Macintosh so successful in the first place. Sure, we have many state-of-the-art, interesting technologies, but the single most defining attribute of a Mac is that it is so easy to use it is fun.

Unfortunately, as Apple piles on new technologies, our Macs become less easy to use. I find that I, like many users, spend a significant amount of time configuring and tweaking our systems to make them work better, or keep them working.

Everyone says this will be fixed in the new OS, Rhapsody, but I don't think Rhapsody will be the second coming for the Macintosh world. No operating system, including NEXTSTEP, is as easy to use as the MacOS. No other OS truly supports plug and play at its core. With many years of brain drain, has Apple's ease-of-use expertise drained away?

What's in a name

Do you recall the origin of the name "Finder"? The Finder was so named because, when we double clicked a document, the Finder located the application that created the document and use it to open the document. Macintosh users seem to take this for granted, but no other OS does this, even today. All other operating systems rely on filename extensions such as ‘.txt' and search paths which tell the OS in what directories to look for applications. This capability of the Finder was a big revolution in ease of use since the advent of personal computers; possibly even bigger than graphical interfaces.

What the Finder does for applications is very much like the plug the play capabilities of Macintosh hardware. Just drop a new application on a disk, and it is ready to use, no configuration required; at least, that's the way it used to be.

Plug and play software

Over the years Apple's plug and play approach to software has eroded. Some software, such as OpenDoc part editors, Apple Guide files, and system extensions, must be placed on the appropriate "command path" for the OS to find and activate them. If that description sounds a bit DOS-like, that's because it is. DOS and Windows require the "PATH" variable contain a list of directories to search for applications; so does unix.

Application developers are no better. Many applications won't run if their necessary files aren't found in the Preferences folder, or some other part of the Mac that doesn't belong to them.

What ever happened to plug and play? What ever happened to this being my Macintosh, configured the way I like it, with files organized in a way that makes sense to me?

Make it easier

I'd like to see Apple assign some engineering and design resources to making the Mac easy to use again. The rumors I've heard about the upcoming MacOS releases are not encouraging. The idea that I will have to use a multi-button mouse, or control-option-command-click, is horrendous. It makes sense as a little-used menu short-cut, but not as the primary interface.

Printers should be plug and play. If I connect another printer to my Mac, it should automatically appear as a choice in the Print dialog; even if it is a serial-based printer. Forget the Chooser, and forget other configuration files. I want it to just work so I don't waste any more time on the phone talking my friends through setting up their Macs.

Most of all, I want a plug and play file system. If Apple were to design a system-level mechanism to link all files sharing the same signature, we could have some significant improvements. When I trash an application, the Finder could automatically delete all support files related to the application, or it could warn me if I still have documents that require that application, and it could warn me to not trash any necessary support files. Application developers could keep their stuff out of my System Folder if the OS would automatically find the files for the application. OpenDoc part editors, or even fonts, could be placed on any volume and still be found by the OS. Gosh, it would be so Mac-like.

Has the ease-of-use of the Macintosh degraded in these past thirteen years? On balance, probably not, but overall it doesn't seem to have improved much. Apple certainly has their work cut out for them to bring this new OS to market. I hope they don't lose sight of how important ease-of-use and plug-and-play has been to the success of the Macintosh and will be to its continued survival.

So Long Old Friend

For many years Symantec's Top Ten has been a part of MacTech Magazine. Through this column, Symantec's support staff have provided us with tips and suggestions to help us get the most out of Symantec's development tools. With the emergence of the Internet as such a strong vehicle for communicating with customers, we found it difficult to keep the Symantec Top Ten filled with timely information. After many years of service, we bid adieu to the Symantec Top Ten column. This will be its last issue. We are working with the Symantec staff in hopes to find new ways to provide you with more interesting information from this long-standing Macintosh developer tools publisher. Thank you, Symantec.

 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

ffWorks 3.3.5 - A Comprehensive Video Co...
ffWorks, focused on simplicity, brings a fresh approach to the use of FFmpeg, allowing you to create ultra-high-quality movies without the need to write a single line of code on the command-line.... Read more
Arq 7.19.11 - Online backup to Google Dr...
Arq is super-easy online backup for Mac and Windows computers. Back up to your own cloud account (Amazon Cloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Cloud Storage, any S3-compatible server... Read more
Opera 97.0.4719.28 - High-performance We...
Opera is a fast and secure browser trusted by millions of users. With the intuitive interface, Speed Dial and visual bookmarks for organizing favorite sites, news feature with fresh, relevant content... Read more
Google Chrome 111.0.5563.110 - Modern an...
Google Chrome is a Web browser by Google, created to be a modern platform for Web pages and applications. It utilizes very fast loading of Web pages and has a V8 engine, which is a custom built... Read more
Vivaldi 5.7.2921.65 - An advanced browse...
Vivaldi is a browser for our friends. We live in our browsers. Choose one that has the features you need, a style that fits and values you can stand by. From the look and feel, to how you interact... Read more
Ableton Live 11.2.11 - Record music usin...
Ableton Live lets you create and record music on your Mac. Use digital instruments, pre-recorded sounds, and sampled loops to arrange, produce, and perform your music like never before. Ableton Live... Read more
Adobe Acrobat DC 23.001.20093 - Powerful...
Acrobat DC is available only as a part of Adobe Creative Cloud, and can only be installed and/or updated through Adobe's Creative Cloud app. Adobe Acrobat DC DC with Adobe Document Cloud services is... Read more
Adobe Acrobat Reader 23.001.20093 - View...
Adobe Acrobat Reader allows users to view PDF documents. You may not know what a PDF file is, but you've probably come across one at some point. PDF files are used by companies and even the IRS to... Read more
Paragon NTFS 15.10.590 - Provides full r...
Paragon NTFS breaks down the barriers between Windows and macOS. Paragon NTFS effectively solves the communication problems between the Mac system and NTFS. Write, edit, copy, move, delete files on... Read more
Slack 4.31.152 - Collaborative communica...
Slack brings team communication and collaboration into one place so you can get more work done, whether you belong to a large enterprise or a small business. Check off your to-do list and move your... Read more

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

Recapping All the Best Drama – The Touch...
In this week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show we recap all the big drama of the week, because drama=clicks baby! I also talk about the new WaterField Magnetic Gaming Case for the Steam Deck, which just arrived in my hot little hands a couple of... | Read more »
TouchArcade Game of the Week: ‘Well Word...
We were already big fans of developer BJ Malicoat, who does business under the name Bird Cartel, due to the release of Pine Tar Poker late last year. Poker is one of those games that kind of is what it is, so it’s always very hard to come up with... | Read more »
SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring...
Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for March 24th, 2023. It turned out to be a fairly busy one today. We’ve got a little news to look at, plus a review from our pal Mikhail. After that, we get into the many new releases... | Read more »
‘Honkai Star Rail’ Release Date Announce...
Last month, Genshin Impact and Honkai Impact 3rd developer HoYoverse began pre-orders and pre-registrations for the upcoming space fantasy turn-based RPG Honkai Star Rail. | Read more »
Tactical Card Battling RPG ‘Black Book’...
Developer Merteshka and publisher HypeTrain Digital just revealed an iOS version of the card battling tactical RPG Black Book . Black Book is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PS4 right now. It will be coming to iOS on April 21st with... | Read more »
Clue/Cluedo: Hasbro’s Mystery Game+ Is T...
Clue: Hasbro’s Mystery Game+ from Marmalade Game Studios is this week’s new Apple Arcade release and it is out now alongside some notable updates. Clue: Hasbro’s Mystery Game+ or Cluedo: Hasbro’s Mystery Game+ depending on your region joins the... | Read more »
‘Stakes Winner ACA NEOGEO’ Review – A Ho...
When it comes to the NEOGEO, a few genres come to mind. Fighting games. Side-scrolling action games. Maybe shooters and beat-em-ups. The usual array of sports. You probably don’t think of horse racing games, but this was an arcade platform that was... | Read more »
SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring...
Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for March 23rd, 2023. In today’s article, we kick things off with a couple of reviews. I take a look at Playism and kouri’s Ib, while our pal Mikhail has a look at the latest DLC... | Read more »
Snowbreak: Containment Zone is the lates...
Mobile gaming enthusiasts will soon be able to get their fill of sci-fi shooting, with Amazing Season announcing their upcoming game, Snowbreak: Containment Zone. Pre-registrations are now open for fans, and we also have their first trailer to get... | Read more »
Square Enix’s Card RPGs Voice of Cards:...
Back in late 2021, Square Enix released a new card-based RPG Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC featuring some of the staff behind the NieR and Drakengard games. This included Yoko Taro, Yosuke Saito, Keiichi Okabe... | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Shop our Apple MacBook Price Trackers for the...
We’ve updated our Apple award-winning MacBook Price Trackers with the latest information on prices, bundles, and availability for 16″, 14″, and 13″ MacBook Pros along with 13″ MacBook Airs from Apple... Read more
Back in stock: M1-powered Mac minis for only...
Apple has restocked clearance M1-powered Mac minis in their Certified Refurbished section starting at only $469. Each mini comes with Apple’s one-year warranty, and shipping is free. The following... Read more
Apple to release updated AirPods Pro 2 with U...
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, in his latest post, suggests that Apple will soon release an updated version of AirPods Pro 2 with a new USB-C case, replacing the current case using an Apple Lightning... Read more
16″ M2 Pro MacBook Pros on sale for $150 off...
Apple retailer Expercom has 16″ M2 Pro MacBook Pros in stock today and on sale for $150 off MSRP, valid through March 28, 2023. In addition to their MacBook Pro sale prices, take $50 off AppleCare+... Read more
13-inch M2 MacBook Pros on sale for $100 off...
Expercom has 13″ MacBook Pros with Apple M2 processors in stock and on sale today for $100 off MSRP through March 28, 2023. Shipping is free: – 2022 13″ MacBook Pro M2 CPU/256GB SSD: $1199, save $100... Read more
Amazon is selling Apple’s 24″ M1 iMacs for $2...
Amazon has Apple’s 24″ M1 iMacs on sale for $200 off MSRP. Their prices are currently the lowest available for new iMacs among the Apple retailers we track: – 24″ M1 iMacs (8-Core CPU/7-Core GPU/... Read more
Apple’s 10th-generation 10.2″ iPads are on sa...
Amazon has Apple’s 10th-generation iPads on sale for $50 off MSRP starting at only $399. Their discount applies to all models and all colors. With the discount, Amazon’s prices are the lowest... Read more
Apple 13-inch MacBook Pros are on sale for $1...
Amazon has 13″ MacBook Pros with Apple M2 processors in stock and on sale today for $150 off MSRP. Their prices are the lowest currently available these MacBook Pros. Be sure to purchase from Amazon... Read more
Apple Pro Display XDR with Nano-Texture Glass...
Apple Authorized Retailer Adorama has the Pro Display XDR with Nano-Texture Glass on sale for $500 off MSRP today. Shipping is free: – Apple 27″ Pro Display XDR Nano-Texture Glass: $5499 $500 off... Read more
10-Core M1 Max Apple Mac Studio on sale for $...
Adorama has the base 10-Core M1 Max Mac Studio in stock and on sale today for $1799 including free shipping. Their price is $200 off Apple’s MSRP, and it’s the lowest price available for a new Mac... Read more

Jobs Board

Omnichannel Associate - *Apple* Blossom Mal...
Omnichannel Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Read more
Hair Stylist - *Apple* Blossom Mall - JCPen...
Hair Stylist - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Blossom Read more
Beauty Consultant - *Apple* Blossom Mall -...
Beauty Consultant - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Read more
Sales Floor Associate - *Apple* Blossom Mal...
Sales Floor Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Read more
Cashier - *Apple* Blossom Mall - JCPenney (...
Cashier - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Blossom Mall Read more
All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.