Apple's iLife is TOO Good

In an amazing post on Daring Fireball John Gruber quotes the technology directory for a public school in Massachusetts: However, even iLife has its drawbacks in an educational setting. It simply hands so much to the students that they struggle with software (whether Windows, Linux, or even pro-level software on the Mac) that isn’t so brilliantly plug and play. Yes, iLife rocks in many ways, but the level of spoonfeeding it encourages actually makes me think twice about using it widely, especially at the high school level. ...

March 3, 2009 · zacharyzacharyccom

Sun Fishworks vs. Apple iPhone

I’m a big apple fan. Everyone knows that. What everyone might not know is that I’m also a Sun fan. When I was younger I worked for an ISP that used Sun boxes. I worked on a few of them in college. I’m not an expert on a Sun box, but I always liked the company and what they stood for, and had no complaints with the systems I used. ...

November 14, 2008 · zacharyzacharyccom

Why I like the iPhone App Store Model

Much of the popular media these days is dubbing the iPhone App store and Apple’s process as: Unreliable Close Minded Capricious Rejection Filled After thinking about this for a couple of days, I think that the people writing these claims have some valid points, but I’m actually really in favor of the model Apple has set up with their store. I feel that many of these complaints aren’t actually with the process or the store, but really with the execution of the process. ...

October 23, 2008 · zacharyzacharyccom

Calling People from a Text Message on the iPhone

Have you ever been using your iPhone, in the middle of sending a text message to a friend when you realize it would just be easier to call them and talk it out? With the current interface you have to leave the SMS application, navigate to your contacts using either Phone or Contacts, find the number and tap it. Not the end of the world if only happened rarely, but I find myself going through this pain quite often. ...

October 7, 2008 · zacharyzacharyccom

How long does a Keyboard last?

I have an older generation Apple Keyboard (this one is german, mine is standard US, but the design is the same and I don’t feel like taking a picture). The problem is, my spacebar key is starting to crap out on me (or I’m losing thumb strength and can no longer hit it as hard). I’ve had said keyboard for probably 3 years or so. Is it reasonable to be expected to go out and buy a new one? ...

September 20, 2008 · zacharyzacharyccom