MetaFilter posts tagged with Apple and computer

Interfacing as humanly as possible

lonemantis — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:25:24 -0800

I'm not a computer programmer, but I love the thought and artistry that go into [computer] application design. Just browsing through Apple's latest HIG (Human Interface Guidelines) leaves me awestruck as to how much experience has been amassed and is used in order to design and execute a streamlined operating system. Abstract concepts like metaphors, user's mental model, perceived stability, and modelessness are transparently integrated into our everyday actions. It is often the little things which make all the difference. And sometimes the simplest actions we perform seem really complex when explained. Who knew there were this many buttons? On a related note: David Pogue at TED sings and talks about human interface inconsistency. Finally, I hope Apple will take to heart many of John Siracusa's thoughts regarding improvements to OS X. The inconsistent Finder and the horrid behavior of the Dock, to name only two... I love my Mac.

Twenty years of Macintosh

loquacious — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 11:42:55 -0800

Twenty years of Macintosh - a well done retrospect about the Apple Macintosh presented in a series of posters, annotated with excellent topical links for further reading.

A photo tour of Microsoft's Mac Lab

nakedcodemonkey — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 16:10:33 -0800

Welcome to Microsoft's Mac Lab.

Fixing one piece of nerd history...

Rothko — Wed, 22 Jun 2005 13:22:59 -0800

It turns out the Osborne Effect has nothing to do with Osborne, after all. Conventional wisdom has it that Apple's announcement of long-term plans to move to Intel will dramatically hurt the company in what is termed the "Osborne Effect", after the 1980s British computer company that seemingly went bankrupt due to announcing new products so soon that no one would buy anything.

Jef Raskin, creator of the Macintosh, has died.

killdevil — Sun, 27 Feb 2005 13:23:54 -0800

Jeff Raskin, widely considered the father of the Macintosh computer, has died. Visit folklore.org for stories chronicling the birth of the computer Jef named after his favorite varietal (but misspelled in order to avoid confusion). Jef's contributions to the development of simple, intelligible, "humane" computing environments didn't end with the Mac; learn more here and here.

Someone is mad that paid too much for their MCSE

StormBear — Wed, 02 Feb 2005 18:30:03 -0800

The clueless reviews the Mac Mini His chief gripes are "The Mini boots up into a stripped-down operating system which Apple calls OS X, similar to the stripped-down WindowsCE OS found on many handhelds." and "No serial ports, no way to connect a printer, no PS/2 ports, no floppy drive, no 5.25" bays." Let the hate mail campaign begin!

Apple-1 a day, on eBay.

me3dia — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 11:50:40 -0800

Apple-1 CPU, VG-Mint.
"This computer, as is documented, was bought from Steve Job's parents garage. The checks for the purchase and the original manual are included." More photos here.
[via coudal]

Mac System 6

tommasz — Fri, 21 May 2004 07:03:19 -0800

Remember Mac System 6? If you do, then P.dro Classic™ is for you. Relive the glory days of 1 bit-per-pixel porn (it's almost life-like if you squint) and Pong-like games with the mouse! Hey, it's Friday and this is Flash. For me, it's the Startup Sound that makes this.

blefr — Thu, 17 Oct 2002 15:57:00 -0800

The international language of Apple. The same music, the same look, the same clothes. The ads may be in Japanese, I may not understand a word, but if I didn't already own one, I'd feel compelled to Switch.

Fofer — Sat, 29 Jun 2002 23:32:30 -0800

The Apple rumor mill is buzzing... Tonight marks the expiration for many of their recent promos and rebates. The Apple Store has been closed for a few hours now for "updating." Is a new "insanely great" product about to be unleashed unto the Mac faithful ... or is it just wishful thinking?

Cavatica — Wed, 16 Feb 2000 08:20:13 -0800

Apple released brand new versions of all their hardware, and I want to change. New Powerbooks with FW ports built in, and a graphite iBook, but what is it about moving from PC to Mac that gives one the feeling of coming out the proverbial closet and shielding themselves from being pelted with tomatoes?