Calling All Mac Users!!!!!
- Thread starter CineDiver
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partridge:
Google Earth Download: http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html
You are so right... I spent hours playing around on it the night they released to Beta. Here's a link to some Ship Wreaks on Google Earth: http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php?Number=199760
totally cool way to kill LOTS of time!!!
ba_hiker
Contributor
This is a pretty tuff issue for software development.
I workded for a DBMS company that provided DBMS servers and client software. the servers ran on windows and unix/linux and the client software on windows/unix/linux and Mac os.
After several years we dropped suport for the mac.
This was becaused the mac sales did not even cover the support costs. We factored manuals and training guides into the support costs, and discovered that the anualized sales of the mac product never exceeded about 3% of the total sales and the support costs were higher than that.
We got to choose. We could enhance the products that sold or we could support the mac. The answer really was simple when it came down to that. Even though I was (among other things) the manager of the mac development group.
The support issues came down to several things.
1) The support cost per sale was higher, partially due to few multiunit sales to a single customer, partially due to corprate sales where the mis dept only had a few macs and they didn't under stand them and partially due to end users not knowing much about their systems.
2) The cost of pubs was higher on the mac platform than elsewhere. It ws lowest on unix/linux. The standards that the mac community imposed on the pubs was such that our standard pubs could not be just modified, but had to be compleatly re-written.
3) We needed to maintain a mac-lab for development and support and it was expensive, with individual machines costing about twice as much as windows boxes. Further, tat the time, conectivity to file servers and corporate support apps (various tools, code control, and problem reporting systems) was non existant, requiring involved proceedures and additional machines (running windows) to solve.
Developement was also problematic, but didn't really enter into it.
For the simple development problems Java would have reduced some of the issues, and the current BSD based mac oses would resolve the tools ones, but the others remain. In the end it was just too much of a pain for the amount of sales.
Given all of this I find the dive gear makers lack of support for macs (and the same problem exists with various other areas, including amature radio, navigation and maping system, etc.) to be not suprising.
Still releasing the device API specs -- if even to a limited group of more 'professional' developers, with NDAs etc in place -- seems to be short sighted and defeatest. This could provide a bit of a competive edge to the makers that did it, albeit a small one.
I workded for a DBMS company that provided DBMS servers and client software. the servers ran on windows and unix/linux and the client software on windows/unix/linux and Mac os.
After several years we dropped suport for the mac.
This was becaused the mac sales did not even cover the support costs. We factored manuals and training guides into the support costs, and discovered that the anualized sales of the mac product never exceeded about 3% of the total sales and the support costs were higher than that.
We got to choose. We could enhance the products that sold or we could support the mac. The answer really was simple when it came down to that. Even though I was (among other things) the manager of the mac development group.
The support issues came down to several things.
1) The support cost per sale was higher, partially due to few multiunit sales to a single customer, partially due to corprate sales where the mis dept only had a few macs and they didn't under stand them and partially due to end users not knowing much about their systems.
2) The cost of pubs was higher on the mac platform than elsewhere. It ws lowest on unix/linux. The standards that the mac community imposed on the pubs was such that our standard pubs could not be just modified, but had to be compleatly re-written.
3) We needed to maintain a mac-lab for development and support and it was expensive, with individual machines costing about twice as much as windows boxes. Further, tat the time, conectivity to file servers and corporate support apps (various tools, code control, and problem reporting systems) was non existant, requiring involved proceedures and additional machines (running windows) to solve.
Developement was also problematic, but didn't really enter into it.
For the simple development problems Java would have reduced some of the issues, and the current BSD based mac oses would resolve the tools ones, but the others remain. In the end it was just too much of a pain for the amount of sales.
Given all of this I find the dive gear makers lack of support for macs (and the same problem exists with various other areas, including amature radio, navigation and maping system, etc.) to be not suprising.
Still releasing the device API specs -- if even to a limited group of more 'professional' developers, with NDAs etc in place -- seems to be short sighted and defeatest. This could provide a bit of a competive edge to the makers that did it, albeit a small one.
Serious Mac user/diver here! I have an old powerbook 100 (hilarious), G3 Pizmo, G4 Powerbook widescreen, G4 Tower, G5 Tower, and a self assembled, lighting-fast, mac G4, made out of parts found on ebay (FrankenMac)! Needless to say, I have been looking for a way to sync my Cobra to any of these machines.
Does anyone know if the new MacBook will allow you to really run windows, even if it is just work with the software all of us hate (e.g. suunto, etc.)?
I know many divers who would be willing to spend good money on software for mac, especially if it proves to work with the suunto, and other, dive computers. Thanks for the forum to finally show the disgust that I have been feeling for years!
-Bill
Does anyone know if the new MacBook will allow you to really run windows, even if it is just work with the software all of us hate (e.g. suunto, etc.)?
I know many divers who would be willing to spend good money on software for mac, especially if it proves to work with the suunto, and other, dive computers. Thanks for the forum to finally show the disgust that I have been feeling for years!
-Bill
Yes, it's already been announced that Microsoft is working with Apple on a version of Virtual PC for Intel-based Macs. I'd get it just for (and only for) the Scuba software.
maractwin
Contributor
Just a quick note that I've now got DiveLog working with the Suunto D9. It's in beta now and still has a few bugs, but I hope to get it really solid in the next few weeks.
-Mark
-Mark
Blacthorn
Contributor
well one thing that might be good is that once Vista is released it should be bootable on the new intel macs, so you can get a Macbook put vista on it, take it with you on a dive trip and drop the whole thing in the ocean, probably right as the boat is passing over the Marianis(sp) trench, pulling your dive computer allong with it...
Okay so that might not happen, but hey eventually we should be able to have a dive comp that connects to a mac, just need to dual boot.
Okay so that might not happen, but hey eventually we should be able to have a dive comp that connects to a mac, just need to dual boot.
I'd be very surprised if Apple put in the facilities to boot Vista or any other non Mac OS. I could be wrong of course, but I don't see them doing it.
I have to admit it would be interesting to compare Apples to Apples (sorry for the pun) the same hardware running two versions of the OS and seeing which performs best. Yes, I know its not all about peformance, there are other factors too.
I have to admit it would be interesting to compare Apples to Apples (sorry for the pun) the same hardware running two versions of the OS and seeing which performs best. Yes, I know its not all about peformance, there are other factors too.
Empty V
Contributor
I have a Dual G5 and a Powerbook Titanium. I just ordered a, Oceanic VT Pro and as fast as my G5 is, I'm dreading running Virtual PC. Oceanic, please save me!!!!
Blacthorn
Contributor
RPanick,
Apple exec's already said that they don't care if you boot another os on there new machines, they figure they are making enough on the machine as it is...lol So when Vista is released it will boot on an intel mac, and from what I hear Intel has a new system for dual booting that should allow us to have both OSX and Vista running at the same time, but with a very low resource hit. No one has gotten XP to boot on a new iMac, when they mess with the system it just kind of eats the comp...lol
Apple exec's already said that they don't care if you boot another os on there new machines, they figure they are making enough on the machine as it is...lol So when Vista is released it will boot on an intel mac, and from what I hear Intel has a new system for dual booting that should allow us to have both OSX and Vista running at the same time, but with a very low resource hit. No one has gotten XP to boot on a new iMac, when they mess with the system it just kind of eats the comp...lol
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