Leopard early start kit with beta arrives

Readers should know that Apple isn't actually distributing anything. They are making things available for download. And downloading 6 gigabyte files is not something you can do on many home or small business Internet connections. Signing up for the developers program is not going land a DVD with Leopard on it in your mailbox, and quite possible not going to get it to you at all, since Apple won't mail seeds to you even if your Internet service won't allow you to download such large files. It is very disingenuous for Apple to display picture of a Leopard Early Start Kit box with a Leopard DVD when they have not so far sent any such thing out to their developers.

When I paid my Select membership I received a box just like the one pictured, containing a Leopard DVD. In my case it was a much older preview, but now you probably get the WWDC version.

As new versions come out, you must download them, and yes at 7GB a pop, it can eat into your download limit.

"Readers should know that Apple isn't actually distributing anything."

Coulda fooled me... looking at box.

"And downloading 6 gigabyte files is not something you can do on many home or small business Internet connections."

Man, oh man, don't tell my RoadRunner Business Class connection that!

Well, then it appears that Apple is just sticking it to those who joined the program early. No good deed goes unpunished. That was $500 down the drain -- and now, because of the delay in Leopard, not only will I have not been able to download any seeds, not received the developer release DVD or any of the other tools in the Leopard Early Start Kit, I will also not receive a copy of the final Leopard release since my membership will have expired by then.

And please don't tell me about your wonderful RoadRunner Business Class connection. It is irrelevant. Not everyone lives in urban locals where such service is available, and not everyone can afford upgraded service anyway. Such prancing is obnoxious. Display a little humility.

According to today's news, Apple is now worth more the HP. There is no reason they cannot afford to mail out 50-cent DVDs to those who are supporting the company with their own dollars in the first place.

Obnoxious, really? Not everyone lives in an urban "local", or "locale", as I like to say - including me. I live on 5 acres zoned agricultural, surrounded by corn fields.

As for the business class service, it costs me $80 a month and is necessary for my job. I presume that you consider buying gas to drive to work "prancing" ?

Furthermore, if you take a look, the lowest level of business class, which is all that I am willing to pay for, is actually slower than the consumer grade service. It just offers a few more protections (24 hour turn-around for on-site support) than consumer-class service.

Off to prance. Have fun, you poor poor non-urbanite!

I'm happy that many people can afford to own 5 acres of "zoned" agriculture property (which wouldn't need to be zoned if they weren't in an area proximate to urban growth (and services)). However, there are areas of the U.S. where zoning doesn't even exist because there isn't enough economic activity to create a need for it. These are areas where many people can't afford to own that much land anyway, if they can afford to own at all.

I'm also happy that great broadband service is available in most of the urban and coastal areas of the U.S. But again, there are areas of the U.S. were there is no broadband service available at all, or if it is available, it is many multiples more expensive relative to local incomes. These are areas were the $80/mo. that some here spend casually on Internet service is a goodly portion of many hard-working family's rent.

So yes, I do think that too many on the Internet are spoiled, and smug, and prone to arrogant verbal displays of conspicuous consumption -- of the type that inspire the disadvantages to hate the advantaged.