The Macintosh Jihad
I'm reminded of a quote from Germany in the early 40s: "First they came for the Jews, and I said nothing because I was not Jewish. Then they came for the Catholics, and I said nothing because I was not Catholic. When they finally came for me, there was no one left to say anything." And people thought I was just being sick when I put an illustration of this bent logic on the front door because of a BBBS tirade from Mackido's Dave K Every. Nope - it's a belief that is well represented in the Macintosh community that they are the Jews, and the rest of the world are the Nazis. Given the dangerous aspects of respecting plastic more than people - there's lots of material here to describe what - "a loss of life perspective" means. The real meat is in week 90 on this one, so I'll continue. One of the biggest opponents of Macintosh has always been corporate MIS. acutally the biggest opponent in business has been Apple - and you don't have be a shareholder listening to Steve Jobs to read between the gaps in the enterprise market's support from Cuppertino One of the most pervasive falsehoods about Apple is that they could have locked up the corporate market if they had authorized clones, licenced their OS and charged less for their computers. All three of these are wrong.hey, just because it worked for Bill Gates and 95% of the computer makers out there doesn't mean it's right - let's not get crazy here I do not believe that there was any way that Apple could have successfully wooed corporate MIS on the large scale.
Once MIS departments could buy clones, they were no longer locked into IBM and they defected, while still using what IBM told them to use (e.g. PCs). However, this gave the market lock to Microsoft, who sold DOS and then Windows to everyone and used this to their advantage (both the money and the monopoly position). Microsoft was always a Monopoly? Wow! I thought they just attained a leadership position through balls to the wall hardcore business accumen - amazing - they incorperated in the late 70's - poof! instant Monopoly! Wow! However, even Microsoft immediately recognized the superiority of the graphical interface, just like the Macintosh guys did during their 3 hour tour of Xerox PARC. whatever happened to the Lisa people? Bill Atkinson? The quickdraw guy? Hello! Dumbshit! You forgot an entire computer that Apple produced off the PARC experience! That's why Microsoft announced Windows before the Macintosh even shipped. Yep - it was around the time the Lisa was in development, and Apple was asking them to be one of the first developers for the Mac - funny that Little did people know that it would take 12 years for them to ship a version which would "catch up" to the Macintosh (which is assuming that Windows 95 has "caught up"). looking at the amount of times I crashed this month compared to the amount of times I crashed each day 3 years ago - I'd say that we're in the relm of "surpassed", but I digress.
What has happened though, is that corporate MIS and the press are in the process of declaring the Macintosh dead, for whatever their reasons. uh Apple loosing a shitload of money, laying off people, cutting projects off, restructuring their manufacturing to outsourcing - ya know - the small stuff The news media is propagating the rumor of Apple's death at every opportunity that Apple gives them - which on the fuck-up meter, is pretty damn often and that's affecting Apple's business, pushing it toward the destruction they have predicted. or reported, as Apple's been turning it's feet into swiss cheese - but why split hairs on cause and effect at this point - once you've got a false premise, run with it baby I think it's somehow related to the Heisenberg principle wherein you cannot observe an event without affecting it. Amend the dead poets warning of bad writing. Now you can quote dark poetry AND sub-atomic principals, and be in trouble These rumors are leaking into Apple's core audience though.Leeking? Geez the amount of flame mail that piles up at the Podunk Times anytime they say the word "Apple" - is a sight to behold! Some Leak! People who love the Macintosh do so once they start using it, because they can use it. People who like to do all of the above at better prices, use something else. People who don't like being jerked around by Apple's management - also lose no love over going with something else.
Macintosh users are seriously vocal fans. Why is that? well some of the more nutty ones have fallen prey to 80's iconoclastic marketing schemes that have been replaced by empowerment and brand building exercises, except Apple which never got the users to be considered a commodity. Go fig. Many people simply write it off as fanaticism or suckerism, but the truth is simple. please tell me oh educated and modest one! People feel that Macintosh has helped them with their chores. you don't know either DO you. Chores? They feel that very strongly. he still doesn't know You'll have a hard time finding Windows users who like Windows that much again I welcome people to come over to the BBBS, but basically, when something works - like a TV it's boring to talk about, unless they're making money off of it. Some people think that's all there is to computers. They don't realize how important computers are to the evolution of the Human race. Or how far a mind with little to do can dwell in places that are best left unsaid - like new age flakey crap as evolution and how computers will factor into it. Someone's been watching a little too much Star Trek methinks.
It should be noted that this article was - no surprise - at least 4 times longer than this, but did nothing but repeat itself over and over again. I've oft been accused of dredging up the same arguments in a rerun exercise, but I've never been one to willingly want to do the same thing over and over again. However, as the MacJihad's arguments are repetitious, and Apple's mistakes a tableau of deja-vu, it's evolved into an occupational hazzard around here.
