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Mac Musings
Aquard
Gerard Bagwin - 2000.02.29 - Tip Jar
Aqua Blows
There, I said it. I hate Aqua and the QuickTime 4 interface. I hate those traffic light buttons. I hate the rounded off appearance. And, I have a whole rant about the menu bar: that retarded Mac OS smiley in place of the Apple Menu (what are we supposed to call it now, the Wacky Smiley Face Menu?), that pointless Go menu, and that functionless Apple in the middle of the menu bar. Hey Apple, you want to put a Apple in the menu bar? Put it where it belongs: to indicate the Apple Menu, like it has for the past sixteen years!
The ideal OS should be fast, have useful features, work on all Macs with sufficient memory, stay out of the way, and have a non-obstrusive interface (which is definitely not Aqua!). With these specifications, I arrive at the conclusion that System 7.5.3 was the best system software ever. Like I really need throbbing buttons all over my screen while I am trying to be creative. And what's with the crazy colors everywhere? What is this, Windows?
Don't get me wrong, swanky looking hardware, such as the colorful iMac and the iBook, is cool. The G3 and G4 mini towers could lose those ugly handles. Apple also needs a modular, non-tower desktop machine. They need an intermediate Power Mac 7x00 desktop case - but of course with snazzy colors and finishes. Swanky user interface is overkill. I am sure those throbbing buttons take up memory and bog down system performance at times when performance is crucial.
A back to basics OS is what we need, not inconsistent icon sizes and photographic toolbar icons that mean nothing. We are already getting some of this in Sherlock 2.0 in System 9 (that "Mac OS" phrase doesn't exactly roll off the tongue). Screen shots of AppleWorks 6 show grossly oversized photographic toolbar buttons. Reaction to the Sherlock buttons that I have read hasn't been so great.
I think I am going to stick with ClarisWorks v4, and with v1 on
my 68000 machines. (Anybody have a copy of ClarisWorks 3?) In fact,
I am typing this in ClarisWorks 1 on my Mac SE running System 6 that I have owned
since I was six years old (my primary computer is a Power Computing
PowerTower Pro 225 clone, and my PowerBook is a 100). I am using this computer and this
version of this software to prove you do not need snazzy interfaces
and software full of features you never need to get a job done.
Opinionated? I'll say - and I agree with quite a bit of it. (But then, I still use ClarisWorks 4, Emailer 2, Word 5.1, Home Page 3, and Photoshop 4 on a SuperMac S900 introduced in August 1996 running a 1997 vintage G3/250 processor.) Feel free to email Gerard with your comments. And if you would like to publish a response at Mac Musings, email your comments to me. Dan Knight , publisher, Low End Mac
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986, sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Recent Mac Musings
- Apple's 10 Worst Products, 02.23. Low End Mac reconsiders PC Authority's list of the 10 worst Apple products ever.
- Apple's 10 worst products (Part 2), 02.23. Low End Mac reconsiders PC Authority's list of the 10 worst Apple products ever.
- Firefox 3.7 Drops Tiger Support: So What?, 02.08. Firefox 3.6 is the last version to run under Mac OS X 10.4. Is not being able to run version 3.7 really a big deal?
- MacBook Pro a Revelation, 02.08. After using G4 Macs for over a decade, spending a weekend prepping a first generation MacBook Pro was a real eye opener.
- More in the Mac Musings index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 15" MacBook Pro Core Duo, Jan. 2006 - The first Intel-based MacBook launched at 1.83-2.0 GHz, had several teething problems.
- Group of the Day: PowerBooks covers pre-G3 PowerBook users.
- March 15 in LEM history: 00: AOL 5.0 - 01: A Quadra after all these years - Setting up a floppy server - 02: Trade-ins could grow Apple's market - Upgrading an old G3 - 04: Lombard CPU upgrades - 05: Cleaning your Mac's hard drive - 06: 2.7 GHz dual G5 or 2.3 GHz dual-core G5? - MySQL and PostgreSQL - 07: Making floppies for older Macs
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- iPad Ships April 3, iPhone Stand Made from Cutlery, Apple's Draconian Developer Agreement, and More, iNews Review, 03.12. Also an open letter to Steve Jobs, Apple bans cell phone radiation app, wireless iPhone charging with Case-mate Hug, new apps, and more.
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- OS X 10.4 Tiger Still Very Usable on a 500 MHz G3 Mac, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 03.11. For writing and basic Internet access, a 500 MHz G3 provides sufficient power and Tiger provides fairly up-to-date software.
- WPA for Original AirPort, Stainless Browser, Multiple Input Bug Persists in Snow Leopard, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 03.11. Also kudos for Shiira, G3 vs. G4 upgrade for Pismo PowerBook, and 17" PowerBook still suffices.
- iPad Gaming Potential, Dan Bashur, Apple, Tech, and Gaming, 03.11. Two years of developing games for the less powerful iPhone and iPod touch has prepared developers to unleash the iPad's potential.
- Apple Now Sees Microsoft as Less Evil than Google, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 03.10. With Android threatening the iPhone's dominance, Apple views Microsoft and Windows 7 Mobile as the lesser threat.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best iPod classic Deals, 03.12. Used 20 GB, $119; 40 GB, $139; 60 GB, $159; 30 GB video, $129; 60 GB, $159; 80 GB, $169; refurb 120 GB, $189; new, $214; 160 GB, $228 shipped.
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- Best iPod touch Deals, 03.11. Refurb 8 GB, $149; 16 GB, $199; 32 GB, $249; 64 GB, $339; new 3G/8 GB, $184; close-out 2G/16 GB, $229; 3G/32, $270; 64, $355. Shipping included.
- Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals, 03.11. Used 2.33 GHz, $1,099; 2.5, $1,349; refurb 2.66, $1,949; 2.93, $2,199; new 2.8, $2,249 after rebate; 3.06, $2,749.
- Best Mac OS X 10.5 Deals, 03.11. "Leopard" one user, $180; upgrade from 10.4, $150; 5 users, $400; Server, 10 users, $493; unlimited users, $600.
- Best iPod nano Deals, 03.10. Refurb 4G/8 GB, $99; 16 GB, $119; 4G/8 GB, $129; 16 GB, $139; new 5G/8 GB, $134; 16 GB, $160. Shipping included.
- Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, 03.10. 1 GHz Combo, $400; 1.25 GHz, $460; 1.33 GHz SuperDrive, $539; 1.5 GHz, $550; 1.67 GHz, $589; hi-res, $800.
- Best iPod shuffle Deals, 03.10. New 3G/2 GB, pink, $53; other, $55, 4 GB, blue, $71; other, $73. Shipping included.
- More deals in our archive.
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