'One of the Stupidest Moves Apple Has Ever
Made'
From Andrew:
Charles,
No, UTIs
(Uniform Type Identifier) do not replace the functionality of
Creator Codes;
see discussions linked below. Nor is "Get Info" or the equivalent
contextual-menu "Open With" a reasonable solution if you have more than
a handful of files you need to set. If you have, for instance, hundreds
or thousands of files created over the course of years with the same
type extension, but you still want them to open in the several
different programs in which they were created, Apple has screwed you.
Windoze/NeXT users don't have that functionality, so now you don't
either. That's progress! (See the comments in the discussions below for
the usual "I don't use it, so no one needs it" sentiments from Apple
sycophants.)
I've followed the story of the termination of Creator Codes with
dismay since the first discovery shortly after the release of Apple's
shiny new still-beta Mac OS X 10.6 last August 28. I consider this
one of the stupidest moves Apple has ever made, but, as someone
remarked at MacInTouch, it looks like the NeXT crew (who came to Apple
with Steve's return and took over) has finally won out, and it's
unlikely we'll ever see a fix from Cupertino.
As I asked on one forum,
"Since when has 'good enough for Windows' been good
enough for the Mac?" The answer is, since the first decision was made
(in the first release of OS X, as thoroughly documented and
critiqued by John Siracusa in *2001*) to abandon the Mac's superior
metadata in favor of the clumsy, simple-minded, often ambiguous
file-extension system; the change in 10.6 just finishes the job. It's
ironic that - so I understand - current versions of *Windows* are now
superior (if only slightly) to Mac OS in file-binding functionality
(see John Gruber below)."
Of the several solutions eventually offered by clever, diligent
third-party Mac developers, I finally purchased MagicLaunch (below) in
March when it was briefly on sale at 20% off (using the code MACINTOUCH
- may still work if you want to try it). Can't speak to how it works;
I'm still on 10.5, so I haven't actually used it yet.
Andrew
The Problem
Possible Solutions (short of an Apple fix, which seems
unlikely):
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for this expository overview. Explains a lot. I
agree with your analysis, and that the likelihood of Apple restoring
the previous functionality is slim to zero.
I appreciate that the Get Info fudge is a workaround,
and that while it addresses my needs well enough, it isn't the same
thing as creator codes. ( I recall that it was fun and sometimes useful
messing around with creator codes using ResEdit back in Classic Mac OS
days.)
For example, there was a little alternative email
program called Green* that I experimented with for a while. A cool
thing about Green mailboxes was that you could convert to Eudora
mailboxes and vice-versa simply by changing the File Type and Creator
Code using ResEdit. You just dragged a mailbox to ResEdit and selected
"Get Info For - " from the File Menu. That would bring up a dialog box
with the File Type and Creator Codes.
File Type:
- Green - micO
- Eudora - TEXT
Creator Code:
- Green - micF
- Eudora - CSOm
Change them to the other application's specs, and the
mailbox would convert, icon and all, making it possible to move or
share mailboxes between the two applications. I haven't done that sort
of thing for years, but the Windows style file-extension system is lame
by comparison.
Charles
WindowShade X on Snow Leopard
From David:
Charles,
Hello.
I have not made the switchover from Leopard to Snow Leopard on my MacBook. Leopard
runs just fine, and I don't see the need to upgrade now. I keep an
external drive with Mac OS X 10.6 to play around with. It is kept
current (10.6.3) for checking out useful third-party applications for
compatibility when the time come to make the leap.
WindowShade
X has been a part of my install since Mac OS X 10.1. I skipped WSX
in Leopard to see If I would manage without it. I missed it. Too many
times I just wanted to do a quick peek behind a window without having
to do a lot of mousing around. When Unsanity released WSX for Snow
Leopard only, I just had to buy (along with Xounds) and install it a
few days ago.
Read that you were having issues with WindowShade X on Mac OS X
10.6. So I took a look. I don't have thunderbird and Tex-Edit Plus installed. But TextEdit is not
having any issues with underlining, italicizing, or changing type to
bold. Attached is a screenshot of TextEdit with Safari in
WindowShade X.
Best Regards,
David
Hi David,
I'm back on
Leopard for now and enjoying WSX 4. Have you noticed that your
MacBook runs hotter in Snow Leopard than in Leopard? Mine does, and by
a substantial margin: 10-15° C.
I found that the WSX/APE text formatting issue was
present in all applications I checked, including OS X TextEdit.
Things returned to normal when I uninstalled WSX 5. Perhaps some
conflict idiosyncratic to my setup.
Glad you're having better success.
Charles
Using QuickTime Pro 7 with Snow Leopard
From Alejandro:
Dear Mr. Moore,
A post on your Miscellaneous Ramblings today from one of your
readers, Mark, said: "The lack of a true QuickTime Pro version in Snow
Leopard keeps me from using that as my primary boot." You might like to
inform him that it is indeed possible to use QuickTime 7 Pro on Snow
Leopard, as explained by Apple in Installing QuickTime Player 7 on
Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard.
Sincerely,
Alejandro
Hi Alejandro,
Thanks for the info and link.
Charles
Can I Use 10.5 on New Macs?
Hi,
In reading posts both on Low End Mac and elsewhere, I've become
convinced that I'd rather wait for 10.7 before upgrading beyond 10.5.
(Things like the buggy responses you've just reported, plus no "real"
QuickTime.)
My dilemma is that I may be required to buy new equipment at work
which will come with 10.6. Reminded of PC users who bought Vista
equipped machines and backwards installed XP, I'm wondering whether
anyone has experience with retrofitting current (10.6) machines with
10.5, or can it not be done?
Dick
Hi Dick,
IMHO, you're not missing much staying with Leopard
other than a whole bunch of bugginess - and compatibility with programs
that demand Snow Leopard.
However, the idea of "retrograding" Mac hardware that
originally shipped with Snow Leopard is a dead end to the best of my
knowledge. Generally (and perhaps comprehensively - there may have been
the odd exception I'm not aware of) Macs have never supported Mac OS
versions earlier than the one they shipped with.
The good news is that you can use QuickTime 7 Pro with
Snow Leopard, as explained by Alejandro in the post
immediately foregoing.
Charles
YoYo Power Adapter Longevity
I was just looking through the Miscellaneous Ramblings archive and
noticed several instances of yoyo adapters failing. I have seen this
happen firsthand, although not to my unit, which is the point of this
email.
You, being a bit of an expert on (at least PowerBook) Apple
portables from the G3 era, I was wondering if you could give me an
opinion. I got my YoYo with my Revision 2 iBook Clamshell,
have used it heavily for over a decade, and yet I have not had a single
problem with it. Ever. From my general understanding of these units'
track record, how is that possible?
Thanks!
Dan
Hi Dan,
I'm extremely wary of using YoYo Apple power adapters
since I fried a Pismo
that was using one at the time, although an exacerbating factor may
have been a bad extension cord.
The information I have is that the yoyo or "flying
saucer" Apple power adapters came from three different suppliers in
three countries over the years, and that the Chinese ones fried their
cables sooner or later, and sometimes it got messy. I looked at the
bottom of my suspect one after the unfortunate incident, and sure
enough, it says " I was made in China." Cute. The other two countries
versions were and are reputed to be much more reliable. The other
countries of origin are Singapore and possibly Korea (I don't remember
the latter for sure).
Since you've had no problems in a decade, my guess is
that yours is not one of the Chinese ones.
Charles
Editor's note: The one that came with my WallStreet says "Made in
Thailand". dk
'I Am Done With Mac' = Trolling for Readers
From Brett:
At first the video seemed interesting, but as I listened and was
looking around, I kind of got the feeling it was one of those "let's
post a controversial video on my web store to funnel traffic and hope
that someone sticks around and maybe buys something" kind of
things.
It just ended up seeming pretty staged to me... :)
(I say that as someone who uses Mac, Linux and Windows . . .
and sometimes BSD. I'm not defending Mac; there are a lot of things it
does right, and a lot of things it does wrong, which is why there are
multiple machines on my desk.)
Best personal regards,
Brett
Hi Brett,
Possibly so. He did sound pretty fed up, but was
frustratingly light on specific complaints.
As you say, there's no "one-size-fits-all" platform
solution. I would argue that the Mac comes closest, but that could be
my pro-Mac bias plus familiarity.
I do admire Linux, especially the new Ubuntu Lucid
Lynx GUI, although that's probably not Linux's major virtue. Even
Windows, at least with version 7, is arguably a decent OS these days,
but I still detest the look of the thing, and the whole Microsoftian
vibe in general.
Charles
Hi Charles,
Thank you for your reply - I must admit that I also feel Mac comes
closest to the "one-size-fits-all". That is why I bought one, and I run
Fusion on it so I can have everything on one machine.
You're right about Linux and Windows (7, especially), too - Linux is
a rock when used as a server, though the latest versions are polished
enough to be a desktop, and 7 is actually pretty good under the hood,
but the out-of-box experience is pretty ugly... I tend to prefer
switching back to the Classic interface, truth be told!
(At which point, 7 looks like Server 2008, meaning I'd might as well
go all the way and just run Server 2008... which reminds me, I should
move the 7 machine to 2008 this week and be done with it.)
Brett
800K Mac Floppy Data to Modern Macs
From Troy:
Okay, I know what you are saying . . . a question about a machine
over 20 years old? Talk about the prime definition of obsolete. But I
ran across a ton of my old 800K floppies from my college days and
wanted to get that information off the disks as soon as possible. So I
bought a Mac SE FDHD with a 20
GB hard drive and 1 MB RAM.
Now, while I wait for it to arrive ($24.99 + $20 shipping on
eBay with "refund if not satisfied" seller) my question is this:
What the heck can I get to put it on my local network, since it does
not have an RJ45 connection? The expansion slot is still available.
I cannot seem to find an ethernet card made for the SE PDS slot on
the Web anywhere - have any idea?
RAM upgrade is on it's way to me for $3.00.
Thanks
Troy
Hi Troy,
You can't complain about the prices at least. As for
ethernet on the old SE, I really haven't a clue.
You could check out this article on Network Wiring, which addresses the issue
to some degree. Floppy Drive
Observations: A Compleat Guide to Mac Floppy Drives and Disk
Formats may be of some interest as well.
One possibility would be to copy the data from those
old 800K floppies to the SE's hard drive, then connect to a later
Ethernet-supporting 680x0 Mac running System 7 or 8 via AppleTalk. I
think I hazily remember doing file transfers between my Mac Plus and LC 520 over a printer cable with
AppleTalk, although the exact details of the setup are lost in the
haze.
This will cross Dan Knight's desk before it's posted
in Miscellaneous Ramblings Mailbag, so he may have some wisdom to
contribute on this topic.
Charles
Editor's note: Indeed I do. You can use an ImageWriter
II printer cable to network two Macs that use Apple's old RS-422 serial
port. It's not fast, but it's a lot easier than finding an ethernet
card for the SE. From there, you have several options.
If the second Mac has PCI slots and Mac OS 8.5 or
later, pick up a cheap Mac-compatible USB card, and you'll be able to
use a USB flash drive to move your data to a more modern Mac.
If your second Mac is a PowerBook with PC Card or
CardBus, pick up a cheap Compact Flash reader. Compact Flash is
compatible with virtually every USB card reader that supports multiple
types of cards.
If your second Mac has ethernet (look to 10Base-T, not
Apple's oddball AAUI ethernet connector) and is running System 7.5 or
later, you should be able to connect via TCP/IP to any modern Mac that
has file sharing enabled.
I'm sure there are other options, but these are the
first that come to mind. dk
Getting that older Mac with ethernet would be an issue. My other
Macs are an Intel Mac and an Intel MacBook Pro. That is why I was
wondering about getting this one on ethernet via internal or external
adapter.
Signed up for the LEM Swap List to
hope for that. Tried looking on eBay for every card listed in the first
article - none to be found.
Oh well, hopefully LEM Swap can get me somewhere!
Thanks,
Troy
Re: Response to iMac G5 System Support Dilemma by Jim
From Mark:
Charles:
Good news: Jim may stay a Mac
user.
Bad news, Jim will not buy a Windows computer . . . so he will hang
onto his G5 iMac . . . instead of giving it to me, for the cost of
shipping!!! Still, I am glad he is giving Apple a second chance.
As to Snow Leopard, I also have issues with the creator code issue,
such that I am going to try and use the LaunchCodes shareware to see if
that makes file opening closer to what it was pre-Snow Leopard.
Aside: My hometown, Grand Junction, Colorado, somehow manage to be
ranked 2nd in iPad users for our MSA
[metropolitan statistical area] in the USA. 320 iPads out of a MSA
population of about 140,000 is %0.28. Considering this town is not a
hotbed of Apple users . . . we barely have Best Buy with its
diminutive 'Apple store' section, it was a bit surprising to get this
distinction. I do not have an iPad [yet], but their are 2 members in
our Mac Users Group that have them, so far.
Take care,
Mark
Hi Mark,
In his latest communication, Jim sounded like he's in
no hurry to move on from his G5 iMac now that he's got Tiger and his new printer works. He
may even upgrade to Leopard.
Let us know how LaunchCodes works out. I've reverted
to Leopard myself, at least until version 10.6.4 is released and
hopefully fixes the dropped keyboard input bug (see
appletoolbox.com). I got sick an tired of having to reboot two or
three time a day to get my keyboard working again, and as a bonus
Leopard runs a lot cooler than 10.6.
I noticed in that survey that Colorado had a high
concentration of iPad early adopters.
Charles
Spirituality and Religious Experiences
From Troy:
Well, I am not a Christian as I stated, so I do not accept the
Biblical evidence you provided, although respect that it is your belief
and is sufficient evidence for you.
One point of thought when quoting religion or religious texts to
others.
"A Christian becomes intensely aware of the infinite
love of the Christ during a prayer; a Hindu whose devotions are awarded
by a vision of the goddess Kali; a Lakota on a mountain during a vision
quest has been answered by the appearance of the buffalo spirit and is
given the song of healing. All of these are religious experiences, and
each involves the appearance of a single religious entity. Yet, within
broad similarities, these are marked different experiences. To say
these are the same religious experience is like assuming that because
three astronomers are looking through telescopes are all looking at the
same star. These are just some of many examples that prove a crucial
point: religious experience is inherently polytheistic."
That is a quote from author John Greer, and I cannot agree more. But
I can respect that we can agree to disagree.
Thanks for your help recently on both SETI and on my Compact Mac
purchase!
Thanks,
Troy
Hi Troy,
Indeed we will have to agree to disagree on Mr.
Greer's assertion.
Serious orthodox Christianity and pluralism are uneasy
bedfellows at best. Jesus Christ's essential claim to personifying the
unique and universal truth leaves no room for ceding equal status to
other religions. If I believe in Christ and affirm the one, holy,
catholic (universal), and Apostolic faith - as everyone who recites the
Apostle's and Nicene creeds at mass does - it would be logically absurd
to imagine that another religion could be "equally true", although it
might hold element of truth in common with Christianity.
Religious pluralists assert that all religions lead to
God and that personal sincerity of belief (in whatever) is what really
matters. Jesus Christ taught that the one and only way to God is
through Him. Christ claimed to save the world because He Himself was
God, and that He had personally defeated sin and death. No room exists
in genuine Christian belief for the notion that other religions can be
"just as true as Christianity". If Jesus is not God and there was no
literal Resurrection, then all of Christianity is a fraud and not worth
bothering with. That's the choice it confronts us with.
On Jan 28, 2000, the late Pope John Paul II stated at
the plenary session of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, "It is against the faith of the Church to hold the thesis on the
limited character of Christ's revelation, which would find its
complement in other religions," The various religions are not
equivalent, said the Pope, because Christ is the unique Savior of
mankind. John Paul II dismissed notions that relativize "Christ's
revelation and his unique and universal mediation in regard to
salvation," observing that "if this is permitted, the Church would also
lose her reason for existing because she would no longer be the
universal sacrament of salvation. Therefore, it is an error to consider
the Church as one more road to salvation together with that of other
religions."
Charles
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