The Mac Question

Alright, it's finally time to address why I just don't the hip thing and give up PCs for a nice, shiny, sleek, hip Mac.

Here's why:

1. Macs are overpriced. Three years ago, I had my choice of a $700 Compaq and a $1,200 notebook, which was slower and smaller. The Compaq has been dropped on hard surfaces multiple times, and I've even managed to keep viruses at bay.

2. Mac has created a brand image that I loathe. It's trying to be counter-culture, as if owning a Mac is somehow "sticking it to The Man." Well, that's simply like Starbucks (with better stock prices) trying to position itself as an underdog. Right now, Mac's image is Scion-driving hipsters with funny haircuts who like listening to low-fi garage bands. Maybe an alternate brand, complete with a different name, would change this. Of course, Apple-ologists will wave their arms and sputter "But, but, but they did that with the Performa line in the 90s, and it flopped!" Okay, so that was the wrong time. We're now in the post-iPod phase, and Apple needs to try again and get it right. Otherwise, no money and no love from The WordWhacker.

3. I can't stand Mac's Hello, Kitty-ized interface. Too cutesy and graphic. I like Spartan and straightforward. I have to say Linux distros do this really, really well. Not perfectly, but darned close. How hard would it be for Mac to offer a customizable interface?

4. Work on making its operating system work on PCs. Some hackers can do this. I lack the geek-fu to accomplish this, but I would like a stable operating system (with a decent interface, see #3). And I don't want the crapware that comes with so many new PCs. Sell that operating system for $100 and watch Microsoft choke on the pressue.

There you have it.

The Round Ball on My Mind

In my last post, I promised to write about why I don't switch to Apple next. Well, I just feel like talking about soccer instead.

But this won't be about the tasty final between Spain and Germany in the Euro Cup. I'd rather address the United States and the 201o World Cup. The fact is, the team will get to the finals. They'll get to Johannesburg, and then will not go any further than the last 16.

Unless ...

Some changes occur. Manager Bob Bradley - a nice guy, a hard worker. But he is not on the level of top European coaches. Or even some of the South Americans. Look south of the border, where Sven-Goran Eriksson is taking charge of Mexico. That makes them infinitely more threatening to any team they meet. Sven might not have elevated England, but he did quite well with a not-so-hot Manchester City squad. And he will do even better with Mexico.

Now, Bob isn't the real problem. That title belongs to Sunil Gulati, president of the US Soccer Foundation. Every journalist in the United States who says Guus Hiddink, Jose Murinho or Jurgen Klinsmann could solve the US team's problems is wrong. Because Gulati - or rather, Gulati's ego - is what stands between US Soccer and its next step.

The USSF had a chance to hire Klinsi right after the 06 World Cup and his near-triumph with Germany. He lives most of the itme in California. He knows the nuances of Major League Soccer. So, why did he not assume command? Because there is an unspoken directive from Gulati: Thou shalt not overshadow Me. And yes, he would use caps for "Me." And Klinsi is flamboyant, larger than life, high-profile.

Oust Gulati and install a rational president, and many problems will right themselves. Until then, prepare for another early World Cup exit and continued lurking in soccer's shadows.

Back from a Computer-Enforced Layoff

Since my last entry, I've been busy on the computer front. At home, I have two computers: a "frankendesktop" and a Compaq laptop. The frankendesktop was running Windows 2000, which didn't like my high-speed router. And it was hopelessly out of date. Time for a new operating system, I thought.

But rather than meekly shuffling off to plunk down for a full Windows XP install, I decided to stick it to the man: I decided to go Linux.

(A brief interlude for the non-tech geeks: Linux is an open-source operating system. Programmers have greated many different versions suited to different needs. These are called "distributions," or "distros". Popular distros include Ubuntu, Red Hat, PCLinuxOS, Open SUSE and Mandriva. If you have the skills, you can easily hack into these and modify them to your needs. Like Windows and Mac operating systems, they now have graphic user interfaces, so you don't need to communicate in code. Plus, they come with oodles of free and effective software. The more-popular distros are also very stable. You can download most flavors for free.)

Now, everything in that interlude sounds like a computer fool's paradise, does it not? Free. Customizable. Stable. Not Windows.

But there's a rub. A particular distro may hate your computer. Or just your soundcard. Or your video card. Or your ... aw, you get it already, right? I flirted with several of the above. OpenSUSE rejected me like a supermodel shooting down a Tolkien fan hitting on her in Elvish. PCLinuxOS seemed awesome - then I found out it had multiple personality disorder. Ubuntu ... well, we tried a few dates and decided to be friends.

I almost took Mandriva home to meet my parents. The office and graphics suites (AbiWord and GIMP) were terrrific. Mozilla Firefox was okay, but sometimes pooped out for no discernible reason. The audio editor met with mixed results. It would occassionally play a CD without fuss, but the audio editor (a must for anyone who enjoys writing and recording music) was horrible.

So I tried. I ultimately learned a few things. But it looks like it's dutifully back to Windows with me.

In our next episode, I'll answer the question you're certainly asking right now: But Justin, why not a Mac?