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http://www.macnn.com/articles/01/05/18/easing.mac/

Easing Mac OS X awkwardness

updated 04:20 pm EDT, Fri May 18, 2001

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Contributing Editor Chris Barylick believes that the transition to Mac OS X can be an awkward time for the platform and its users, but it can become an easier migration with help from a long-time staple of the Mac community.

by MacNN Staff

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05/18, 04:56pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Help +

And one must not forget the newsgroups. For me an endless source of help. Usenet is very Useful...

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05/18, 05:36pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
jeez what an idiot

what a remark... similar to noticing that during the night, the sun goes down and the moon comes up, only to swap again after a few hours. I guess they needed a milliondollar study to figure this one out

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05/18, 07:55pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Worst page ever.

man i cant bear to even look at that page it hurts my eyes... someone needs to learn web design 101... sheesh

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05/18, 08:25pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Whats up with the new pg?

No color, no OSX theme?

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05/18, 08:40pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
yep...

and, goddamn it, versiontracker now has a WINDOWS tab RIGHT IN YOUR FACE on their webpage... ASSIMILATION, indeed!

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05/18, 08:47pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
JEEZUS

Goodbye, MacNN, you bought the farm (or sold it... whichever), CHUMPS!!! Greed, greed, greed... I bet you sold out to Nooz Fuktor Gnatwerk for a pittance, too. Wow, scratched TWO venerable Mac sites off my list IN ONE WEEK.. at least there's still MacInTouch and MacCentral and MacsOnly and MacUpdate!

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05/18, 08:56pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Hmm!

You know, maybe this levels the playing field... it could present an opportunity for principled Mac users to start their own INDEPENDENT Mac-centric website, now that a few Mac sites are selling out!

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05/18, 08:57pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
MUGs?

My MUG won't even consider talking X till July. They won't even have a single tutorial till then on X. Till then, we are on our own.

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05/18, 09:09pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
New Site Design

Agree with the criticism and wish I could say something more positive about it. What's with this new look and what's it supposed to reflect. The old MacNN worked extremely well in its simplicity and it's like someone put frosted sugar on the old version. Yeef.

Chris

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05/18, 09:48pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Oh Relax

All the same info is here it's just been moved around a little bit. As for requiring that a site be totally Mac-centric... that attitude is getting pretty old. Has it ever occurred to anyone that this kind of thinking is what is keeping the Mac market so small?

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05/19, 01:15am | report spam | close Reply | delete
New Page

SUCKS

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05/19, 03:44am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Yeah, but

look at all the ads they can fit on the side now...

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05/19, 04:00am | report spam | close Reply | delete
MUGs...

With all honesty, the fate of MUGs has been largely sealed due to the internet. Some of the larger ones have closed down, because quite simply, their functions have been supplanted (i.e. whereas you used to join a MUG to get access to the software library, the internet made that unnecessary). Plus, information from the net is far more timely than, say, a monthly MUG meeting. MUGs were wonderful gathering places in the old days when it was harder to get together with a few Mac people, but now that the net has broken those barriers, they seem to be far less useful.

Additionally, the new users added during the "i" phase of the Mac likely don't know anything about MUGs... if you pick up a machine at Sears or Circuit City, you don't learn about stuff like that (at least at every CC or Sears I've seen...)

In the end, both the internet forums and maybe even the new Apple Stores (think "genius bar") will probably do far much more to ease X adoption than I think MUGs will ever be able to.

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05/19, 11:43am | report spam | close Reply | delete
fact is...

fact is that this site has sold out and looks like h***... even that brat Misha has little or no say anymore... and there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting or demanding that one have one's Mac-only havens online, MSFT on the MacNN mainpage stockticker??? I THINK NOT ...like the old saying goes,"if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything"... buh-bye MacNN, and buh-bye to suckers who will sit there and take this change.

you don't think plenty of MacNN USERS are dissatisfied/pissed? check out the Lounge in the Forum...

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05/19, 11:53am | report spam | close Reply | delete
cookie cutter

The people who find nothing wrong with this transition by MacNN's website are the same who do not mind living in cookie-cutter suburbs, the sort where each house looks the much the same as the other... This site has been borg'ed, resistance is futile, everybody get in line, be a good little drone... btw, d'ya want fries with that?

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05/19, 12:19pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Version Tracker/NoChange

Version tracker has always had a "WindowsTracker.com" website, they just didn't have the tab on the Mac Page... simply the cost to maintain two websites when it will all work in one. I'm not ready to dump VT, but MacNN sucks... YESTERDAY'S NEWS TOMORROW!!!

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05/19, 03:15pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
So where now?

Ok, yeah, it looks sucky. Where else should one go for Mac news (I mean other then www.apple.com, which seems not to run rumors, badmouth the cube, or talk a whole lot about 3rd party products...)?

Also this article seemed to imply that we can play DVDs now. It said we had to rely on the patches for a bunch of things including DVD support. Does that mean we really have DVD support, or was the author smoking crack?

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05/19, 03:36pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
DVD

It means you can play DVD's now. Just update to 10.0.3 in the Software Update control panel and you're set. And yes, I have been smoking crack.

Chris

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05/19, 04:18pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Where now?

www.macintouch.com www.macsonly.com www.maccentral.com www.macsurfer.com

the above listed sites still have some integrity left...

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05/19, 11:27pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Not sure...

...I like the new design - at all.

Has this changed the editorial stance of MacNN? What was part of this merger deal?

Hmmm....

www.osxforum.com

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05/20, 05:57am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Awkward time...

indeed. Youve lost your visual impact with this web desighn MacCNN as well as many of your readers. Innovative or Mac-like, this page is not.

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05/20, 04:50pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
This web design is...

...so much better than the other one, at least colour wise (puke brown and blue just didn't crank it for me). What I really enjoy is how the advertisement banners are nearly down the middle of the page, maximising the most important thing since you became important (sorry, I mean impotent). Or frigid as the case may be. Now if you could just get rid of these comments and articles you would have a great spot for just ads.

Congrats, an improvement over your previous design. I am glad you have incorporated your concepts from Apple
"Sucks less"

Ah, give me a few daze, I might change my mind.

Ace

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05/20, 07:23pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
OS X Still Needs Some Wor

It's fair to say OS X still needs some work. I bought it recently and was very pleasantly surprised at how nice the top layer is. Apple's engineers really did a good job on that.

However, the old gunk down in the thirty-year accumulation of hacking needs to be cleaned up. Unix guys have always been the sort that can't manage to keep their own rooms clean, and their operating system of choice shows it. The rest of the world prefers some organization and neatness.

I hope Apple agrees and does some rehab on the ol' Unix cruft.

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05/20, 10:08pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Fire this Moron! NOW!

Apparently, you have never met the freak that is John Christopher Barylick. He is a complete moron when it comes to the Macintosh experience, the OS (X and 9.x) and the hardware. He often overstates his qualifications and has severe interpersonal issues (particularly with women). Quite honestly, I beleive that he has some sort of social disorder or chemical imbalance.

Chris sees himself as some sort of Macintosh disciple, some sort of platform guru. However Chris lacks the basic understanding of the structure and architecture behind the GUI, in both the Classic-style OS (9 and earlier) and particularly in the case of OS X (he doesn't know anything about the command line or even basic UNIX/Linux functionality). Furthermore, Chris seems to be handicapped in the ability to gain an understanding of the physical hardware (at least beyond knowing basic specs).

To top it all off (and be somewhat reminiscent of the Simpsons), Chris has extremely poor personal hygiene, often wearing the same pair of smelly corduroy pants for an entire week.

Honestly, I am amazed that Chris can even function on his own (though somehow, I suspect he is living at home after leaving college). The moron nearly got himself arrested three years ago, as he failed to understand that you need to PAY for train tickets, as he returned to Washington, DC from MacWorld NY. After begging and pleading (and most likely some sexual favors), the conductor decided to let Chris stay on the train, if he paid him the $8 he had in his wallet.

Chris has an odd affinity for llamas and is obsessed (read: psychotic) with Star Wars and Star Trek. This does not say he is a fan, or even a fanatic, it rules his life (when it is not ruled by the Macintosh). The weirdo named his dog "Grand Moff Muffy."

Most Distubingly: The George Washington University Police Department maintains a record on Mr. Barylick, as he was under investigation for a number of stalking allegations over the course of his studies at GW. A real sicko, here people.

As for his article, it makes little sense, as the internet has all but eliminated the MUG. Few remain, like Washington Apple Pi and, apparently the RIMUG, but the majority have gone the way of BMUG. Furthermore, few users have th time, dedication, and sheer geekiness to attend meetings of the hold-out MUGs, which occur with a great deal of irregularity.

Fire this moron and ignore his recommendations.
Sincerely,
The Cute and Cuddly "Moron Guy"

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05/20, 10:15pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Fire This Moron! (Cont.)

Oh yeah, by the way, his father is in a crappy barbershop quartet, as you can read here:
http://gwu.edu/~barylick/.

Oh, and Chris was largely responsible for one of the worst IT plans in the history of any major university -- one which led to a complete replacement of the network and system less than a year after his network plan and hardware were implemented.

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05/20, 10:17pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Fire this Moron (Cont.)

One more thing... Barylick wouldn't know HTML code if his life depended on it.

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05/21, 12:15am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Ouch...

Well, I realise that these are open forums, but that doesn't make your ad hominem argument any more valid here. If you disagree with what he says, that's fine. I think MUGs are a dying institution, too. But there is absolutely no reason to personally attack this person in a public forum for wholly unrelated issues. It's fine to say his article is suspect because he isn't as Mac-savvy as he makes himself out to be. It is just plain mean to make cracks about his hygeine or social problems. Maybe you should think a little longer about what you're writing before hitting the post button next time; this sort of un-called for spew is what gets people sued these days. Just my $.02...

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05/21, 02:02am | report spam | close Reply | delete
re: Ouch...

I am saying these things because they are true.

I have had the unfortunate happenstance to know and work with Mr. Barylick during his time at the George Washington University. He has repeatedly misrepresented his abilities, qualifications and references, resulting in thousands of dollars of lost time and effort. I doubt that MacNN knows he was fired from one job due to ineptitude and misrepresentation, as well as the fact that he made salaried managers and department directors uncomfortable with his presence. I know a number of women who were unnerved or fearful of his presence, both friends and co-workers of mine. Furthermore, a number of male friends of mine are more than willing to take Mr. Barylick to task for his pseudo-stalking behavior.

Reader 38666

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05/21, 05:20am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Are you perfect?

And now tell me about your perfect lifestyle.

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05/21, 06:01am | report spam | close Reply | delete
OSX Bennefits

Unfortunatly i have to use NT 4 at work. That also means that i am used to the fact that when an application starts i can continue to use another one; not possible in 9.x. When photoshop is doing its math i can do something else; 9.x can't do that. When i burn a CD i can browse the net; 9.x can't do that. OSX however can (now or in the near future). When you get used to features such as preemptive multitasking or memmory protection you can't imagine that you ever worked without it. It's smart to wait in most cases until OSX gets more mature, but its stupid (no offence) to think that sticking to OS9 forever is the way to go. You don't have to go in the 'bells and whistles' to bennefit from them. Almost nobody nows the technical difference beween automatic and manual gears, it just makes life easier. The fact that MacOS 9.x has more personality than Windows will ever have is the reason i have a Mac at home. If only the technical aspects of a computer would count i would be a PC only user for over 4 years. Thats about how much OS 9 lags behind windows in technical aspects.

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05/21, 06:02am | report spam | close Reply | delete
OSX Bennefits

Unfortunatly i have to use NT 4 at work. That also means that i am used to the fact that when an application starts i can continue to use another one; not possible in 9.x. When photoshop is doing its math i can do something else; 9.x can't do that. When i burn a CD i can browse the net; 9.x can't do that. OSX however can (now or in the near future). When you get used to features such as preemptive multitasking or memmory protection you can't imagine that you ever worked without it. It's smart to wait in most cases until OSX gets more mature, but its stupid (no offence) to think that sticking to OS9 forever is the way to go. You don't have to go in the 'bells and whistles' to bennefit from them. Almost nobody nows the technical difference beween automatic and manual gears, it just makes life easier. The fact that MacOS 9.x has more personality than Windows will ever have is the reason i have a Mac at home. If only the technical aspects of a computer would count i would be a PC only user for over 4 years. Thats about how much OS 9 lags behind windows in technical aspects.

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05/21, 08:30am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Moron Guy

What am I supposed to say here? this is the second time you come after me in these boards, hiding your name and trying to reassure everyone that I'm worse than Hitler. I want several things made clear this time around, but most importantly the fact that if you have a problem with me, take it directly to me by e-mailing me at chris@macnn.com.
-I have never stalked anyone. Period. That seems to be the main argument you're making and it's unfounded and tasteless.
-I have never been fired from a job, much less been thrown out for incompetence.
-I don't even own a dog, nor would I name it "Grand Moff Muffy." Can't even fathom where you're getting this from.
-Has it ever occurred to you that I shower/shave regularily and own multiple pairs of corduroys?
-Holding down a Macintosh techie job just fine here in Virginia, have torn into tons of hardware in the past 9 months and have learned more tips and tricks than I ever thought possible. And that includes comfortably paying my own rent.
-I write about the Macintosh because I've used the platform for the past 17 years, have loved using it and like the fact that there even is a cool community that keeps itself up to date on it as well as helps each other out without hesitation. That's what we're here for, that's what these forums are here for and insulting me on here is not only tasteless but a waste of time.

Once again, if you have a problem with me, take it to me directly instead of screaming out everything short of "...and he fantasizes about the pandas at the National Zoo!". I'm into the Mac community, love writing about it and I'm here to stay. Now get over yourself and enjoy your summer vacation.

Chris Barylick
Contributing Editor
macnn.com

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05/21, 02:22pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Cant we all just . .

Cant we all just . . get along?

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05/21, 03:08pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
rotflmao

MacNN redesigns site, reduces quality & hires sociopath.. all in one thread -- this is better than supermarket tabloids...

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05/21, 07:30pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Misleading Journalism

Chris didn't even buy OS X until he came back to DC for GWU graduation, as he apparently waited outside the McLean store from 4am until 10am on the 19th. What a gigantic loser... Oh, and BTW, I never posted about you before -- I just found out that you were writing for all these sites from a former co-worker of yours and mine who is now in Cali. And I graduated two years ago, thank you....

As Always,
The "Moron Guy"

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05/21, 07:36pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Oh, and BTW

I am an Apple Authorized Service Technician and have built oh so many frankensteinian Macs, including a G3-Powered Tsunami/180MP which is currently running OS X 10.0.3 as I write this, in addition to administrating a whole gaggle of new G4s and some B&W G3s (including a couple of rackmounted el capitans). And Chris couldn't even find his way around an Outrigger back in the day.

And I assume that you came back for graduation, otherwise, why would you join the RI MUG?

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Easing Mac OS X awkwardness

updated 04:20 pm EDT, Fri May 18, 2001

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Help +

jeez what an idiot

Worst page ever.

Whats up with the new pg?

yep...

JEEZUS

Hmm!

MUGs?

New Site Design

Oh Relax

New Page

Yeah, but

MUGs...

fact is...

cookie cutter

Version Tracker/NoChange

So where now?

DVD

Where now?

Not sure...

Awkward time...

This web design is...

OS X Still Needs Some Wor

Fire this Moron! NOW!

Fire This Moron! (Cont.)

Fire this Moron (Cont.)

Ouch...

re: Ouch...

Are you perfect?

OSX Bennefits

OSX Bennefits

Moron Guy

Cant we all just . .

rotflmao

Misleading Journalism

Oh, and BTW

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