scott, in brief

(I am a Ricecake. so funny)


moving to the MacBook Pro has been reasonably painless.
most of the major software i have used seems to be similar or the same. I have a desk top running windows for various applications.

Windows system is what i have learned on and grew with. (after my dads opinions on BBC's. Acorns and the fabulous RISC PC. The windows machine is logical in a windows ways and runs stuff easily.

The mac is a dream though. somehow the mac OSX (The equivelent of windows) is somehow just so easy. it seems kinda simple and inuitive.

But there are problems.

1 - Windows only software.

Why oh Why do people not even bother.
anywhere between 3-16 percent of the worlds computer users are using Macs. Sorry Mr Lazy Nokia. Sorry Mr lazy Motorola your decision to exclude these computers of the world is really a lazy attitude to how you have decided to treat people.

aparently if you are a customer of one of these technology companies you need to get a Windows running machine in order to fully use there products.

Hmmmmm.

2 - Mac spreadsheet.

Like can you find a decent one?
why not with iworks?
come one mr Mac get a shift on.
Pages is good, Keynote so far beyond powerpoint.
But I have to use open office to get a spreadsheet package. (not bad by the way.)

get it sorted mr Mac.


3 - Windows Only Content

Last week my son Jacob decsided to play on his mothers nerves. She decided to try and cheer himj up with a virtual trip to his favourite TV shows Website.

HI5 (Austrailian, young childrens pop group who do songs and stories and sketches, on channel 5 in the UK at 6.45am or something rediculous.)

Anyway we got to site, and saw we could view different songs and dances from the website. we clicked and an error message came up.
In order to view this content, you need to download free software, Internet explorer 2839456, Windows Media player 100000, and Quicktime.

So we have quick time, its a mac, you cannot even get a copy of internet explorer for mac. GRRRR. It confused us no end for a couple of hours. anyway it was frustrating and Jacob disappointed.

eventually we turned to youtube and found the spanish Hi5. Freaky in a big way.
then we found a whole episode of Hi 5 and jacob danced, and sang and played his bear as a guitar.

The point is The website on channel nine is actively maintained in partnership with Microsoft through their MSN webstuff. I am not really against microsot developing this type of buisness agreement.

I am against forcing 0-6 year olds to use you products exclusively in order to view content you are providing for a third party as a paid service. it just stinks to be honest.sure, microsfot don't like mac going all the way back to the lawsuits issued in relation to the development of windows 3.

but frankly, to force 0-6 year olds to use your brand of product only. thats a step beyond what is reasonable.

Hi5, channel nine, Microsoft, feel ashamed, Get it sorted, now.

on a different note.
i am thankful for the bbc website being multi OS and multi access allowing people to use it from any computer, any OS any type of media playing.