In real life I've been rather gimpy after a foot surgery that is taking a while to heal. So in keeping with my mobility I have been trying to learn GIMP.
Now I like Open Source despite, or perhaps because, it can be a bit tougher to learn sometimes. GIMP I think is an exception. Now I admit to being a frequent user of Photoshop CS2 and other similar software. However, despite those caveats I found GIMP exceedingly easy to use and learn. There are a few old Photoshop tools missing but I didn't miss them as there are other ways to do the same thing, extract was a good example, I prefer to do that with paths anyway as they are easier to control. As Open Source the one thing missing is a library of brushes Photoshop offers. However, it is amazingly easy to create your own brushes or add new ones you find online(there are lots) or borrow from Photoshop, you do need administrator rights for adding but not to create in the software. Also there are tons of online tutorials so if you are unsure about something check for a tutorial about it.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Friday, March 07, 2008
Are Mac users arrogant and smug?
Okay this topic has gotten a lot of attention, including on NPR's Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me. According to MindSet Media, and Internet ad network, Apple users are arrogant, control freaks, and too smug and that the I'm a Mac/I'm a PC ads are a prime example. First of all I feel the ad looks the other way, the PC guy is arrogant and a control freak, though rather silly. I admit the Mac guy is smug but he really isn't arrogant, he just doesn't understand why the PC guy is having so much trouble with his computer. Now I suppose you could say that Apple Inc is a bit arrogant by creating the ad but the Mac guy himself isn't.
If you want a good example of arrogant and control freak, check out the IT department of any company running a Windows network. They generally have everything so locked down you can hardly do your job. Now don't get me wrong, I don't blame them. If they open any doors Windows the whole system can come crashing down in a minute. I know I've worked in a public library computer lab and even with the controls our IT guys set up, people can still cause all kinds of havoc.
I've also heard that Steve Jobs is a bit of a control freak and perhaps he is but by being a control freak about new products before they are released, Apple is able to release new products with far less issues than Microsoft has managed recently. Look at the Zune, how often you see people clamoring for one verses the lines of people to get a new iPhone. Or look at all the people asking to be able to get their new computer with Windows XP instead of Vista. Although Vista is supposed to run fine on my Intel Mac, I don't really want it, though I do plan to upgrade to Leopard this summer, when I get my new Time Capsule from Apple.
Okay, I happily admit to being smug now I have a Mac. I jokingly accuse my husband of Apple envy, though he doesn't understand computers to begin with he seems comfortable enough the few times I've had him look something up on the MacBook. I did cure my oldest daughter of Apple envy for Christmas by repairing an iBook with upgraded hard drive and memory. So I am smug and proud of it. I am only a control freak when dealing with managing a Windows computer, because if I'm not I will likely get a virus or have some other issue to have to fix sometime. I'm a lot less of a control freak with my Mac. Okay, I am careful of other people handling it because I would loose a good friend if it ever got stolen, but I'm not a control freak about it. Perhaps you could say I'm as careful of my MacBook as I would be about a new baby.
If you want a good example of arrogant and control freak, check out the IT department of any company running a Windows network. They generally have everything so locked down you can hardly do your job. Now don't get me wrong, I don't blame them. If they open any doors Windows the whole system can come crashing down in a minute. I know I've worked in a public library computer lab and even with the controls our IT guys set up, people can still cause all kinds of havoc.
I've also heard that Steve Jobs is a bit of a control freak and perhaps he is but by being a control freak about new products before they are released, Apple is able to release new products with far less issues than Microsoft has managed recently. Look at the Zune, how often you see people clamoring for one verses the lines of people to get a new iPhone. Or look at all the people asking to be able to get their new computer with Windows XP instead of Vista. Although Vista is supposed to run fine on my Intel Mac, I don't really want it, though I do plan to upgrade to Leopard this summer, when I get my new Time Capsule from Apple.
Okay, I happily admit to being smug now I have a Mac. I jokingly accuse my husband of Apple envy, though he doesn't understand computers to begin with he seems comfortable enough the few times I've had him look something up on the MacBook. I did cure my oldest daughter of Apple envy for Christmas by repairing an iBook with upgraded hard drive and memory. So I am smug and proud of it. I am only a control freak when dealing with managing a Windows computer, because if I'm not I will likely get a virus or have some other issue to have to fix sometime. I'm a lot less of a control freak with my Mac. Okay, I am careful of other people handling it because I would loose a good friend if it ever got stolen, but I'm not a control freak about it. Perhaps you could say I'm as careful of my MacBook as I would be about a new baby.
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