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Picture this: Apple. Adobe. Microsoft. Vendors. People. Computers.
Presentations. Meetings. All in one place with a lot of sunshine.
What do you have? The Spring 2002 FACUG
(Florida Association of Computer User Groups) meeting at the Civic
Center at Kissimmee, FL. The meeting began with a dinner sponsored by
Corel and ran through Sunday afternoon.
The meeting drew many of the FACUG user groups. The group is made
up of predominantly PC users, but Apple users figure prominently (and
I suspect there were no small number of Linux users in attendance as
well).
The main focus of the conference was on people, not platforms. 197
people attended, representing 42 user groups, about 80% of FACUG's
membership. Mac user groups, such as Gold Coast MUG from Miami, AMUG
from Atlanta, GA, and Florida MUG from Orlando, represented a small
but enthusiastic and unabashed crowd at the conference. Presentations
(at either breakfast lunch or dinner) were given by Corel, JASC,
Quicken, Ulead, Microsoft, Apple, and Adobe. There were technical
panels and meetings for user groups officers. I know I have a bias,
but several PC users were heard afterward saying Apple's presentation
rocked!
Apple's focus at the breakfast presentation was the digital hub,
with the new iMac as its centerpiece. "I" apps were demoed: iPhoto,
iMovie, iTunes, and iDVD. The stage was set by dimming the lights in
the room and having the iMac in the spotlight.
Adobe demoed its InDesign
OS X product using a PowerBook G4.
Awesome.
What was exciting for me were presentations aimed at user groups.
Topics discussed ranged from leading the user group to "what is a
user group?" to publicity for your group. Apple figured prominently
at these meetings; heck the user groups presentation was given an
Apple employee from Cupertino. It was heartening to see Apple well
represented there.
What did I get out of it? As the newly elected President of
Florida Macintosh Users Group, I got a lot of info regarding the user
group concept and sharing of "hands-on" experience from officers.
How does this apply for the Mac user at large? Share your Mac
experience and enthusiasm. Go to Apple's website to find a user
group. Join. Participate. Take your Mac experience to the next level.
Hooked on Classic Macs, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 01.09.
Tommy Thomas is back with a renewed focus on Macs that can run the 'classic' Mac OS.
Software Should Come with a Fresh Date, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 01.09.
Sooner or later, some hardware or OS update will probably break a program you own. Software vendors should be up front about how long they'll support it.
Thanks for the IBM PC, Dad, L. Victor Marks, My First Mac, 01.09.
Dad, thanks for bringing home that first IBM PC way back in 1981.
What a Legacy: The Origin of the IBM PC, Tom Hormby, Orchard, 01.09.
IBM introduced its PC on August 12, 1981, shaking up the entire personal computer industry. Today even Apple makes its computers IBM compatible.
Our Debt to the IBM PC, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.09.
A Mac user looks at the legacy of the IBM PC.
Heat Management for 'Books and the Last Mac to Run OS 9.1, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 01.08.
Tips on keeping a first-gen MacBook Air from throttling back with CoolBook, using G4FanControl with a G4 PowerBook, and the fastest Mac that can boot Mac OS 9.1.
A History of Apple's Lisa, 1979-1986, Tom Hormby, Orchard, 01.08.
Originally envisioned as a business computer to replace the Apple II, the Lisa brought the mouse and GUI to the computer market - only to be felled by the less costly Macintosh.
Lisa's DNA Is All Over Modern Computing, Ray Arachelian, Apple Seeds, 01.08.
Those who label Apple's Lisa a failure are ignoring the computer's legacy that shows up in every personal computer sold today.
The Innovative Lisa, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 01.08.
Apple's Lisa and how it paved the way for the Macintosh.
The Lisa Legacy, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.08.
We should always remember how Apple's innovation paved the way for all future computers.
The 17" Unibody MacBook Pro Value Equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.07.
The new model is a bit faster, a bit smaller, a bit lighter, and has an incredible 8-hour battery life.
How Netbooks Impact Microsoft and Apple, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 01.07.
Netbooks are keeping Windows XP alive, which may slow adoption of Windows 7, and perceived value keeps the Mac market share growing at the expense of Windows.
The Ill-Fated Apple III, Jason Walsh, Apple Before the Mac, 01.07.
"...not only was the Apple III mind crunchingly expensive, it was made with none of the passion of the Apple II or Macintosh."
2 Apple Failures: Apple III and Lisa, Tom Hormby, Orchard, 01.07.
Apple's two not-so-great product lines between the Apple II line and the Macintosh.
Apple III Chaos: Apple's First Failure, Joshua Coventry, Cortland, 01.07.
Apple had known nothing but success with its Apple II product line, but when it tried to enter the business world with the Apple III, the learned the cost of failure.
Hooked on Classic Macs, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 01.09.
Tommy Thomas is back with a renewed focus on Macs that can run the 'classic' Mac OS.
Software Should Come with a Fresh Date, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 01.09.
Sooner or later, some hardware or OS update will probably break a program you own. Software vendors should be up front about how long they'll support it.
Thanks for the IBM PC, Dad, L. Victor Marks, My First Mac, 01.09.
Dad, thanks for bringing home that first IBM PC way back in 1981.
What a Legacy: The Origin of the IBM PC, Tom Hormby, Orchard, 01.09.
IBM introduced its PC on August 12, 1981, shaking up the entire personal computer industry. Today even Apple makes its computers IBM compatible.
Our Debt to the IBM PC, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.09.
A Mac user looks at the legacy of the IBM PC.
Heat Management for 'Books and the Last Mac to Run OS 9.1, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 01.08.
Tips on keeping a first-gen MacBook Air from throttling back with CoolBook, using G4FanControl with a G4 PowerBook, and the fastest Mac that can boot Mac OS 9.1.
A History of Apple's Lisa, 1979-1986, Tom Hormby, Orchard, 01.08.
Originally envisioned as a business computer to replace the Apple II, the Lisa brought the mouse and GUI to the computer market - only to be felled by the less costly Macintosh.
Lisa's DNA Is All Over Modern Computing, Ray Arachelian, Apple Seeds, 01.08.
Those who label Apple's Lisa a failure are ignoring the computer's legacy that shows up in every personal computer sold today.
The Innovative Lisa, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 01.08.
Apple's Lisa and how it paved the way for the Macintosh.
The Lisa Legacy, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.08.
We should always remember how Apple's innovation paved the way for all future computers.
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
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