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iMac 20″ Duo Core

dan — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 16:11:40 +0000

With little debate I finally decided to buy one of the new Duo Core 20″ imacs. I would have to say that so far I have been very impressed with the overall design and functionality of this new Mac. Non native software runs very fast under Rosetta. In a comparison, MS Office suite 2004 running on a G4 1.5 gig processor is about the same give or take a few nano-seconds. The speed difference is so negligible I doubt anyone would notice the difference. The Adobe CS2 suite is marginally slower but nothing that isn’t workable. The screen is bright and beautiful and the small footprint makes it ideal for small workspaces. I also like the new built in iSight camera and the magnetic latch for the small remote. This time the remote works like it was intended to with Apple’s Front Row media suite. Airport wireless reception is very good without any wake from sleep disconnect issues. After a month of use performance is exceptional without a single reboot. No kernel panics and permission corruption’s.

Through the progression of change I believe Apple has done it right this time. (I remember not too many years ago when Apple made their first migration to the Power PC architecture and the nightmare everyone suffered for the duration of the change. Apple has successfully avoided the problem this time.)

So far I have found very few non-universal binary software that will not run on the iMac Duo Core. At the rate they are turning their product line over to the Intel processors, iMac, Mini, MacBook Pro all that is left to be introduced is a pro desktop model and a consumer iBook model to fill their line up. At the current rate I expect Apple to fill these slots by no later than the end of this year.

The question arises as to whether or not it would be a good time to make the switch to the Mac Intel machines? My response is yes. Apple’s quality on their current product lines has been well received and that is an excellent mark for any initial new product release.

iMovie 6 sux…

dan — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 02:22:49 +0000

After spending a good portion of the day working with iLife 6 and primarily iMovie HD I would have to say that iMovie 6 is one buggy piece of software. It’s horribly slow on 1 Ghz – 1.5 Ghz G4 machines with lots of RAM. It requires that when you add a transition you have to wait until it completes itself before you add the next one or else all succeeding transitions will not render properly resulting in dropped frames. Furthermore a good portion of the Slick Motion plug-ins will not work with this version either. The Ken Burns effect is more difficult to arrange and work with because it only allows for full preview mode while working with your photos.

The theme chapter markers and bumps are a nice addition, but only if they would work like they are supposed to. Some would not render at all resulting in a dead still red rendering line below the frame causing a force quit to recover. Apple has also started using floating palets which tend to get in your way while working. Exporting to iDVD is no longer a nice icon with simple features. You now have to select it under the Share option along with Quicktime, iPod etc.

I’m not happy with this version of iMovie at all. It is my guess that Apple is pushing products out the door before they are ready to be released – just to keep the product hype going. Shame on you Apple!

Problems with Feeds…

dan — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 05:06:18 +0000

The complexities of wordpress makes editing the front page difficult. I see the real need for addional plugins to help navigate the process. My strong points are not with PHP scripting or building my own RSS feeds. Of course, with anything, over time it will become second nature…but in the mean time I would rather be doing something else! Perhaps by the time version 7.0 comes around it should suffice us all. Until then…good luck!

Interruptions!

dan — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 22:31:09 +0000

Why is it that whenever I try to sit down and get something done I am constantly getting interrupted? It’s enough to drive me nuts! Whoo…now that I got that off my chest I can get back to work.

I had an interesting study today on my continuing evaluation of SEO (search engine optimization) theory and implementation. Between Google’s sitemap requirments and key wording specifics, no wonder there is so much confusion. I’m optimistic that in the very near future the consortium will have finally aggreed to setting the standards for these things once and for all…not! Who am I trying to fool anyway.

A New Day

dan — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 23:55:27 +0000

There can be nothing worse than waking up on a cold, rainy, Monday morning, with the exception that today is a Holiday for most people. Hurray! I suspect the reasoning for this is a need for a 48 hour recovery time for all those who braved the exposure to a gratuitous lifestyle on New Years Eve.

I have spent most of the day exploring the possibilities of internet “push” technolgies. Between RSS, XML, ATOM, ROR, RDF it’s enough to drive one nuts. Of course if you are supporting one form you might as well support the rest…right?

A New Year!

dan — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 22:14:21 +0000

After looking upon this last year of 2005 I ponder the future and what it holds for us all. It was definitely a year of change and transition. I am thankful for where I am now and what I have become as a result of this change. My faith is anxiously awaiting the things I can not yet see for 2006.