Re: [WinMac] Re: WinMac Digest #190 - 01/08/99
Dan Schwartz(expresso[at]snip.net)
Sun, 10 Jan 1999 12:50:14 -0500
Dear Leonard, Daniel (and others):
I'll discuss each of these issues you raise, one by one.
But first, I want to renew and emphasize my objection to the deployment of
windoze 95 & 98... They are OBSOLETE and BUGGY!
First, Leonard:
You are sort of correct about the keying: But very few "average" (meaning
non-power) users use the right mouse button anyway. And the win95/NT4 GUI
doesn't *require* the right mouse button to work. [In fact, unlike the
MacOS, you don't *need* the mouse, either.]
[This actually raises a sore point on the Mac: If you want to add
functionality past a single mouse button (such as for a Kensington Turbo
Mouse or trackball), you get into adding a CDev which *can* cause its own
stability problems. But NT isn't clean in this respect, either: If you want
to have full functionality for the IntelliMouse, you need to load its
driver... And the AlphaNT IntelliMouse driver is still funky with NT4/SP4.]
As for the app support of F-keys, look at your employers (Adobe's) own
offerings: The F-keys match up quite nicely.
Now, let's take a few moments to look at the file management interfaces
between the MacOS and 95/NT4: On the MacOS, you are locked into the Finder.
In the 95/NT4 interface, you have many... I count six:
The "Explorer" shell (which is the Desktop);
NT Explorer (list view);
File Manager (the old 3.1/NT 3.51 method);
"Browser" style (the Win 98 interface, which causes all sorts of
stability problems in NT4);
Command Line Interface (CLI);
...And during setup (if you are upgrading from NT/W 3.51 to NT4/W)
you can choose between keeping the old style interface or using
the 95/NT4 interface.
[Anecdotally, most every artist's Mac I've worked on has had folder views
set to "List" view instead of "Icon" view; so using Windows Explorer is not
a stretch whatsoever. And this very issue led to the prevalence of
NT/Server's Services for Macintosh (SFM) "jumping icon" complaints, since
this "List" view usage exposed a flaw in pre-SP4 SFM!]
Also, let's take a look at the File Open & Save dialog box: They are
virtually the same. You can jump up and drill down levels the same; and you
can create a new folder just the same.
Now, let's move to PostScript output: That is why I posted the URL's to
Adobe's site so readers can get the latest PostScript drivers for each
platform. Yes, the default M$ PostScript drivers are pretty lousy. But
Adobe works pretty closely with M$ and Intel, as witnessed by Adobe Type
Manager for NT, and the MMXCore plug-in for Photoshop 4. [Yes, Adobe was
collaborating with Intel early on in the creation and tuning of the 57 MMX
instructions.]
If a user wants the best PostScript printer drivers, just download the
latest versions from Adobe... And this applies equally to *both* the MacOS
and the NT platform. No big surprise here!
-----
Now, let's discuss Daniel's responses:
MacOS 8.5 has its own set of problems: Just look at the number of
Extensions and Control Panels thrown in when performing a "Clean Install"
for "This Machine Only." All is fine... Until you start loading apps with
all of the Extensions they load too. And this is where the trouble starts.
Break out the Conflict Catcher!
[BTW, I was a beta tester for Casady & Greene for this very fine product;
and I *highly* endorse it for *every* Mac running System 7.0 all the way up
through MacOS 8.5.1.]
Also, if "remote control" support is needed, you pretty much need
Timbuktu. And guess what? When you are debugging a system over the phone,
the first thing you have the person on the other end do is reboot with the
Extensions off... And there goes Timbuktu! [I had this one occur when I was
providing Mac support for a Mac VAR specializing in digital photography.]
As for maintenance issues, one of the biggest flaws of the MacOS has been
the file system -- And this encompasses both HFS and HFS Extended (HFS+):
Whenever the MacOS freezes or otherwise crashes, the file system becomes
corrupted. And the more the file system becomes corrupted, the more prone
the Finder becomes to crashing... And the more corrupt the file system
becomes corrupted, initiating a vicious downward spiral. MacOS 8.5 emulated
a time-honored method I've used for years by putting Disk First Aid (DFA)
in the Startup Items Folder. This forces the operator to at least "see" DFA
after every crash; and this was emulated when, for the first time in MacOS
8.5, the General Controls CDev loads and this feature is enabled.
-> This does *not* include more advanced file system repair when Norton
Disk Doctor (NDD) needs to be run from a startup floppy or startup CD. Just
*try* to convince an artist under a deadline to stop what s/he is doing and
run NDD from a boot CD; *especially* in a setting where there is poor
management supervision, i.e. "the inmates are running the asylum."
Now, let's contrast this with NTFS: NT has its own disk repair utility
built in. Also, there is a thread (process) that *constantly* monitors NTFS
integrity, and reports inconsistencies in the System table in the Event Log.
-----
Sidebar:
The full version of Diskeeper runs very nicely in the background to defrag
both NTFS and FAT partitions, using the defragmenting API built into NT4.
And you can download for FREE the Diskeeper Lite (foreground only) version
of Diskeeper at:
<http://www.diskeeper.com>; or get Norton Speed Disk for NT for free at:
<http://www.symantec.com>. [Both of these utilities are also available on
many CD's found in NT books. In addition, Diskeeper's quality is enterprise
level: It was derived from the OpenVMS version that has been used on mini's
and mini-mainframes for years. The same applies to UltraBac backup software.]
-----
In response to the "overarching business management system that is
platform dependent, why impose?" comment by Daniel, let's sort (by size)
the photography, graphics, Web content, and prepress shops -- The
predominant Mac clientele -- and their needs right now, to keep from
muddying the waters:
Small shops with under 5 employees that have always used Macs, and have
adapted Macs for business management purposes as well. These shops probably
would benefit from sticking with one platform, since in most every case
there is nobody "savvy" enough to keep both platforms running smoothly;
Medium sized shops (5-20 employees) usually already have someone who is
reasonably savvy to keep things (hardware & software) running smoothly.
Also, most medium sized shops already are using x86's in other areas,
usually at the billing desk. These customers would have a little trouble
migrating to NT, since the skill *but not the experience* is already there;
Larger shops are already cross-platform, since they (usually) already have
either an NT or NetWare server; and both the skill and experience are
already in-house. This also applies to corporate settings that are
x86-based yet have Mac-based "marketing" &/or "corporate communications"
department(s), since they already have MIS departments.
----------
-> It is worth noting at this point that my observations have evolved over
the last 10 years: Even 18 months ago, I would have recommended keeping --
And even expanding -- the Mac usage in many locations. The confluence of
several disparate events have caused my professional recommendations to
evolve. These include:
On the MacOS and Apple front:
1) Steve Jobs' killing off the clone market, with their 30% price advantage;
2) Steve Jobs' walking out of a live, one-on-one interview with Bruce
Francis on CNBC last August when he was pressed if he would actually take
official control of Apple;
3) The death of decent tech support, especially on enterprise-level
servers and server software. Even as a professional, there are times I call
Apple's tech support on behalf of a customer to initiate a warranty claim
for hardware failure;
4) Dropping of 680x0 support in MacOS 8.5, obsoleting machines
that are less than 2 years old (such as the PowerBook 190);
5) Corporate instability (See #2);
6) Poor design and quality control for:
A) 1705 monitors;
B) 5300 series PowerBooks;
C) 52xx & 63xx logic boards;
D) 7500/90 built-in ethernet;
E) Open Transport, v1.0.7 and down;
F) HFS Extended (HFS+), and the lack of disk repair & recovery
tools for the first 6 months;
G) Continued cooling problems in mini-towers.
Of the above factors, killing off the clone market is probably the most
compelling reason to switch away from Apple: Now *everyone* is locked into
Apple's proprietary hardware, and you pretty much have to "take it or leave
it," regardless of hardware quality. I much preferred Power Computing's
offerings to Apple's... When they were available. They did indeed give
compelling arguments for staying with, or even switching to, the Mac
platform. But no longer.
When my customers confront Apple's "take it or leave it" attitude, I
advise my customers to "Leave it."
On the NT front:
1) The better stability of NT, especially with SP4's improved
Services for Macintosh;
2) The support of multiple platforms, such as AlphaNT as well
as x86/NT (and K6/NT);
3) The availability of Adobe Type Manager Deluxe (ATM) for NT/x86;
4) The friction between Intel and Microsoft:
A) Intel investing in Red Hat (Linux);
B) Intel investing in, and even "loaning" about a dozen
engineers to Be, for BeOS development;
C) Microsoft integrating FX!32 (version 2.0) into the
Win 2000 binaries for the Alpha CPU.
5) Microsoft forcing hardware manufacturers -- Especially peripheral card
vendors -- to "shape up" with their drivers. [Remember, NT has always been
"finicky" about hardware, unlike the "slop" involved in DOS/Win 3.1 and
DOS/Win 95 (and NetWare!) drivers.] Since MS has obsoleted the Win 95/98
series with its merging it into NT5/Win2k (instead of extending 95/98 into
a DOS-based "Windows 2000;" and merging the disparate OS' in NT6/Win 2003).
[I wonder if the "moving up" of the merging of 95/98 into NT5 was prompted
more by the DOJ than anyone else?!]
6) Better Java Virtual Machine (Java VM) performance and stability, so
necessary for today's Web browsing.
Yours truly,
Daniel L. Schwartz,
Electrical Engineer.
Dan's Macintosh Consulting
Suite 1306
1840 Frontage Road
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-2205
609-795-8965
-----------------------------------------------------------------
At 09:20 PM 1/9/99 -0400, Leonard Rosenthal wrote:
>>>2) They'd have to learn a whole new OS and quickly, which would put more
>>>of a strain on IS and add more cost to the company.
>>
>> Not really: If your company is already running x86, **even in other
>>departments,** then the switchover is almost seamless. After all, once the
>>operator launches the application the OS gracefully bows out. In fact,
>>PageMaker, Photoshop, Illustrator, FreeHand, and (I think) QuarkXPress use
>>the same manual for Mac & Windows.
>>
> Even so, Dan, there are still relearning issues. Modifier keys, two
>button mice, Explorer vs. the Finder, etc. It also depends on the level of
>experience of the user...
>
>
>>>4) PostScript output from a Mac is generally much more reliable than PC's.
>>
>> False: PostScript is, and always has been since its inception in ~1982,
>>platform independent. Just download the latest PostScript drivers from:
>> <http://www.adobe.com/supportservice/custsupport/LIBRARY/pdrvmac.htm> or
>> <http://www.adobe.com/supportservice/custsupport/LIBRARY/pdrvwin.htm> for
>>Mac and NT, respectively;
>>
> Just because PostScript is a platform-neutral language, doesn't mean
>that the platform/program creating it is equal! The default PS drivers on
>the Mac are MUCH better than the default ones for Windows. Sure, you can
>get the Adobe drivers and things are pretty comparable - but due to some
>extras in the Mac graphics system certain apps can do a better job in PS
>output.
>
>
>Leonard
And Daniel Soileau replied:
>
>support
>
>On Sat, 9 Jan 1999, Dan Schwartz wrote:
>> Dear Daniel:
>> Two or three years ago, I would agree with you. However, with the mess
>> that Apple created with MacOS 8, even professionals have a problem keeping
>
>I find the latest improvements in the Mac OS, particularly 8.5, simplify
>support issues, thereby reducing the need for hand holding, except for
>persons with no interest in system maintenance. If those are your
>clients, I can appreciate your point of view. While Windows 98 and NT
>have provided simpler configuration options, they are no less daunting to
>the novice. I've seen coextensive program use and system maintenance
>amongst the publishing professionals I work with, and I've long considered
>that normal. Am I mistaken. Is my situation unique?
>
>> up with all the Extensions and Control Panels needed to keep it running...
>> And the trouble all these Extensions and Control Panels from conflicting
>> with each other.
>
>These issues will never cease, regardless of platform, and your
>comments seem ironic for someone who knows how complicated these systems
>are. The following comments appear merely inflammatory.
>
>> That is why I drop-kicked the MacOS...
>> And "Steveified" support is why I drop-kicked Apple.
>> Cheers!
>> Dan
>
>Unless there exists an overarching business management system that is
>platform dependent, why impose? Note that management is secondary (no
>insult meant by that remark) to the work done by most persons in
>publishing. Historically the Mac platform has been preferred by the
>majority of graphic artists and pre-press professionals. There must be a
>reason. Has that preference really changed? Are many WinMac subscribers
>also on the graphics e-mail lists? What's the consensus on those lists?
>Dare we ask?
>
>Daniel Soileau
>Institute of Government
>The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
>dsoileau@email.unc.edu
>
>
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