Yosemite in the fall

[James Steele]

Still, I'm disappointed that we have to go through these phases, like some kind of withholding or denial, where one person's aesthetic sense overrides your own and prevents you from having the chamfered and shaded graphics that ease viewing and icon recognition.

I remember back in the System 8 & 9 days there were utilities that allowed a great deal of customization of the Mac GUI. Apple seems to have really slammed the door shut on that party with OSX. I think MOTU was smart when it stopped trying to be all things to all people and opened up DP's GUI with Themes (although I think it was inevitable as many of us were hacking DP just to try and undo the horror that was the DP6 default appearance). Apple on the other hand seems far too obsessed with controlling its image and "look and feel" of the OS to open it up. I do wish though, they could give users a few Apple-approved options in that case and let the users have more input into what the Mac experience will look like on THEIR OWN Mac.

[Dan Worley]

Still, I'm disappointed that we have to go through these phases, like some kind of withholding or denial, where one person's aesthetic sense overrides your own and prevents you from having the chamfered and shaded graphics that ease viewing and icon recognition.

I remember back in the System 8 & 9 days there were utilities that allowed a great deal of customization of the Mac GUI. Apple seems to have really slammed the door shut on that party with OSX.

Yes, it's ironic how Orwellian they have become.





We need her.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

or him...

[Shooshie]

We need her.

Hell, *I* need her!

[Shooshie]

All "needs" aside, that had to be the greatest commercial ever aired for any product on any network. That was a whole movie in about a minute.

[bayswater]

I remember back in the System 8 & 9 days there were utilities that allowed a great deal of customization of the Mac GUI. Apple seems to have really slammed the door shut on that party with OSX.

They said as much to developers when they moved to OS X. Taking control of the look and feel of OS X and iOS was explicit in the Apple plan.

I can't say the iOS7 changes have bothered me that much. Initially, I couldn't find anything, but I've learned what the icons signify, and after a while it has become as intuitive as older versions. Part of the solution is to arrange the icons on the iPhone screen so you can use location as one of the cues.

Seems to me that Apple is focussing on consumer markets, and is not showing a lot of interest in business and professional markets, except on their own terms. They're not going out of the their way to please the sort of people who frequent this forum.

[fatnack]

Just to let the crazy bleeding-edge guys of you know: I've tested DP8 on the Yosemite Beta and it works, more or less. However, it's not exactly fast and stable, and has some full screen problems. So I recommend staying away from the Yosemite beta if you have to get work done (surprising, huh?^^).

[Guitar Gaz]

Well, I had problems until I dispensed with the reading glasses. I now wear a contact lens (for distance) in my left I and don't have a lens in my right. Some people's brains apparently can handle this and acclimate. I'm lucky to be one of them. It also helps playing guitar because the strings and fretboard were blurry, however, really I'm working on NOT being one of those guys that has to stare down at it while playing!

Unfortunately I can't handle the lopsidedness of only one lens (or even one stronger and one weaker lens). I remember at a gig (with my lenses in) I broke a string and it was a nightmare trying to change it as I couldn't see close up properly. My wife is trying out some soft lenses which are a new kind of bi-focal where the bifocal effect is spread evenly in the lens and the brain can work out which vision aspect to use. She is finding this really good so I am going to try them next month. The old style of bi-focal were hard lenses with an outer and inner which you had to adjust your eyes to - and she just couldn't do it. But the new soft type appear to be really good for distance and reading the small print. Maybe you should check these out James - unless you are happy with the one-eye arrangement.

[bayswater]

I remember at a gig (with my lenses in) I broke a string and it was a nightmare trying to change it as I couldn't see close up properly.

Similar problem here. But I can't deal with bifocals of any sort. Since contact lenses are so cheap I got some that are a couple of points weaker for distance. Close up is not perfectly clear, but it's good enough to do things like read small labels and change strings. I have others a bit stronger for computer work, and then full strength for driving and such.

[Shooshie]

I've been using the beta, and it works fine with DP. I can't tell there's any difference, actually. I haven't pushed it. Will let you know if it breaks when I do.

Shooshie

[Guitar Gaz]

I remember at a gig (with my lenses in) I broke a string and it was a nightmare trying to change it as I couldn't see close up properly.

Similar problem here. But I can't deal with bifocals of any sort. Since contact lenses are so cheap I got some that are a couple of points weaker for distance. Close up is not perfectly clear, but it's good enough to do things like read small labels and change strings. I have others a bit stronger for computer work, and then full strength for driving and such.

The new bi-focal lenses are different - they are like concentric circles with alternate distance and then reading type vision - its clever. My wife swears by them and I am going to get some. I already do the weaker lens prescription to compromise but at the end of the day when your eyes are tired it is not very effective. I will report back when I get some and let you know how they are.

[HCMarkus]

My 90 year old dad got new multi-focal lenses implanted last year. He doesn't need glasses anymore. He says the downside is everyone can now see the bags under his eyes that were hidden by his glasses for the past 50 years.

[SixStringGeek]

Not only that; Objective C is being replaced by Swift (new language) as the Apple choice for iOS and Mac programming.

My source (my son) says it's a better language incorporating his favorite aspects of many languages, but it's not something that people are going to learn overnight.

I strongly disagree. I won't be converting anything to that platypus. Nor will any of the current developers I know (older guys with years of perspective). Swift has a lot of buzz, but it adds a lot of noise I don't need and removes some features I do need. I fear its designer is lacking some important perspective on language design.

I'm pretty sure Swift is a sop to subpar developers who find Objective C/Smalltalk messaging syntax "frightening" (and if a syntax frightens you as a developer, I would suggest you're in the wrong line of work).

Fwiw, this is more where I was hoping Apple would go next. Not throwing out the real power in favor of currying favor with the javascript and ruby crowd. (Warning - video presentation only makes sense to extreme bit heads).

<Insert obligatory demand to get off my lawn and "harumpf" here.>

[Shooshie]

Not only that; Objective C is being replaced by Swift (new language) as the Apple choice for iOS and Mac programming.

My source (my son) says it's a better language incorporating his favorite aspects of many languages, but it's not something that people are going to learn overnight.

I strongly disagree. I won't be converting anything to that platypus. Nor will any of the current developers I know (older guys with years of perspective). Swift has a lot of buzz, but it adds a lot of noise I don't need and removes some features I do need. I fear its designer is lacking some important perspective on language design.

I'm pretty sure Swift is a sop to subpar developers who find Objective C/Smalltalk messaging syntax "frightening" (and if a syntax frightens you as a developer, I would suggest you're in the wrong line of work).

Fwiw, this is more where I was hoping Apple would go next. Not throwing out the real power in favor of currying favor with the javascript and ruby crowd. (Warning - video presentation only makes sense to extreme bit heads).

<Insert obligatory demand to get off my lawn and "harumpf" here.>

I probably shouldn't have said that my son called it a "better language." He said it wasn't anything he'd be able to use for a while, because his company has so much invested in current languages, etc., but that gradually there would come a time when everyone would essentially be using it if they want to program for iOS. When I asked him if it was better, he hesitated and said that it did incorporate some of his favorite features of many languages, but that it was going to take some time to get up to speed on it. Then he added that as they further develop it, it WILL be a better language for what they want in the iOS world.

Those little qualifiers mean a lot in context. In any case, he's trying to keep a positive spin on things, because Apple decrees that this will be so, and he's got to live and work with whatever they do. Essentially, he can't afford to take a negative attitude toward Swift, since he's so closely tied to Apple and other iOS affiliates. Trust me, nothing in programming, networking, etc. frightens this guy. I've watched him program since he was a kid, and he always manages to take what needs to be done and make it miles better with more features, convenience, and way more solid code than most people manage to muster. When he takes over someone else's projects, he immediately improves the interface, networking, reliability, speed, depth... in short, he's the guy you want on your team.

He was at Moscone Center for the full week, which is just around the corner from his office, and overall had a great time at the conference with other people whose work so closely resembles his own. He said the response was very positive toward Swift. In time, I'm sure that even old dogs will learn new Swift tricks, simply because that's where Apple's focus will be, and because so many people WILL be using it. (unless Apple changes course yet again) But that's way on down the road. For now he, like you, must continue working in the languages he's been using.

Shooshie

[SixStringGeek]

I probably shouldn't have said that my son called it a "better language." He said it wasn't anything he'd be able to use for a while, because his company has so much invested in current languages, etc., but that gradually there would come a time when everyone would essentially be using it if they want to program for iOS.

I didn't mean to dis your son in any way. I just find Swift to be a huge disappointment as they have walled off a lot of powerful features in the name of "safety" - which has the oldest and most experienced developers kind of ticked off.

FWIW, Apple attempted a push towards Java around 2001. A core group of developers pushed back and it didn't happen (except they ported WebObjects...and killed it in the process as people abandoned it in droves).

I don't think Objective C is going anywhere anytime soon. Swift still has a lot of problems and all the code examples for the new tech announced were still in Objective C.

Congrats on your son winning the lottery to get a ticket to WWDC, btw. I haven't managed to secure a seat at the dev conf for the last three years. It is simply too popular.