iBook

I write this with the new iBook. I'm finally moving over to the MACs. What's cool about this machine is that I can use it anywhere in the house. I don't need that big old Windows 2000 server anymore. I'll just load up a few drives and hang them off some USBs.

Now we are 66% MAC based. Ruth is the hold out. She's using software for her medical transcription work. I can't switch her over. I'd sure like to but since her software is provided by her company, there is nothing I can do to try to switch her over.

My problem then is trying to mix PCs and MACs in the same network. It's a real challenge, at least that's what I've discovered so far. Why these machines can't get along together peacefully on the same wiring is puzzling. I guess they reflect a similar condition among humans in general. They just can't get along on the same planet, the same country, the same state, and even in the same home! And just like the people that create these machines, it usually boils down to control. But I digress.

I tried several attempts to connect them but in the end decided that after I had spent over an hour, I was bailing. My new M.O. is that if I can't figure it out in an hour, I cut my losses. I figure that if it's too difficult for me to figure it out within the hour, it's too complex. You should really see the UI (user interface, the screens) on some of this junk software. Who writes this stuff? You need a PHD just to find the right button to push. And the sequence you have to follow to set it all up is like navigating an underground cavern without light. I even tried several attempts at the install. It's really a shame that such a cool idea is so poorly executed. I returned the products that promissed to make my life better but were just making it shorter.

I mean the whole point in moving to the MACs is simplification. If my life isn't getting simpler, then it doesn't deserve to exist in the house.

...dave
Computers can figure out all kinds of problems, except the things in the world that just don't add up. - James Magary