Comments on: Software Copy-Catting http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/ TheAppleBlog, published by and for the day-to-day Apple user, is a prominent source for news, reviews, walkthroughs, and real life application of all Apple products. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:09:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Honza http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102405 Honza Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:45:55 +0000 http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102405 I love linux but the fact that I needed to try *every* distro, and on top of that *every* window system/desktop that grabbed my interest just meant that I never did anything useful. That's what I love about OSX. Unix power, customisable/scriptable where you need it to be, and a nice GUI that enables you to just get on with your work. Of course there is also X11 for OSX, but I have resisted the temptation to install this. I love linux but the fact that I needed to try *every* distro, and on top of that *every* window system/desktop that grabbed my interest just meant that I never did anything useful.

That’s what I love about OSX. Unix power, customisable/scriptable where you need it to be, and a nice GUI that enables you to just get on with your work.

Of course there is also X11 for OSX, but I have resisted the temptation to install this.

]]> By: olly http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102355 olly Tue, 27 Feb 2007 21:07:47 +0000 http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102355 Being a Linux user considering buying a MBP in the near future, I think it's fair to say that every OS has it's ups and downs. I personally am not a huge fan of having the toolbar for each window be at the taskbar at the top of the screen, as OS X does things... it will take me a considerable amount of time to retrain my thought processes to use this. I also am not a fan of the fact that Windows and OS X both are fairly rigid in the UI dept, with very little flexibility in design available. However, on the flip side, Linux suffers from almost the exact opposite problem. Linux's UI (or really UI's since you can choose from any number of them) are more customizable than any other OS out there.. the problem is that this leads to disparate libraries of data making different programs look strange. A GTK (Gnome's native toolkit) will look strange under KDE, and vice versa from QT (KDE's toolkit) to Gnome. Plus, it's easy to get caught up in constantly tweaking your UI, to the point where you don't get anything done! Anyway, the point is this: what is it you are looking for in a UI? Ease of use? Go Mac. Familiarity? Go Windows. Customizability? Go Linux. (Of course any of the three can fall in each category depending upon how it's set up). ... /long digression -olly Being a Linux user considering buying a MBP in the near future, I think it’s fair to say that every OS has it’s ups and downs. I personally am not a huge fan of having the toolbar for each window be at the taskbar at the top of the screen, as OS X does things… it will take me a considerable amount of time to retrain my thought processes to use this. I also am not a fan of the fact that Windows and OS X both are fairly rigid in the UI dept, with very little flexibility in design available.

However, on the flip side, Linux suffers from almost the exact opposite problem. Linux’s UI (or really UI’s since you can choose from any number of them) are more customizable than any other OS out there.. the problem is that this leads to disparate libraries of data making different programs look strange. A GTK (Gnome’s native toolkit) will look strange under KDE, and vice versa from QT (KDE’s toolkit) to Gnome. Plus, it’s easy to get caught up in constantly tweaking your UI, to the point where you don’t get anything done!

Anyway, the point is this: what is it you are looking for in a UI? Ease of use? Go Mac. Familiarity? Go Windows. Customizability? Go Linux. (Of course any of the three can fall in each category depending upon how it’s set up).

… /long digression

-olly

]]> By: Karthik Setty http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102337 Karthik Setty Tue, 27 Feb 2007 16:32:36 +0000 http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102337 Check out what Wil Shipley the creator of Delicious Library has to say about MediaMan. http://wilshipley.com/blog/2005/12/sock-puppet-marketing.html I just think what the creators of MediaMan did was plain wrong! Check out what Wil Shipley the creator of Delicious Library has to say about MediaMan.
http://wilshipley.com/blog/2005/12/sock-puppet-marketing.html

I just think what the creators of MediaMan did was plain wrong!

]]> By: Jesse http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102336 Jesse Tue, 27 Feb 2007 16:11:36 +0000 http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102336 It's not weird that there are so called 'ripp-offs' in the case of snarl and growl.. Growl is released open-source, so is Snarl.. It's not ripping off, it's making a product better, it's taking the source of one piece of software, and then making it better or porting it to other OS.. It's not cheating or something.. It would be worse (like in the case of Mediaman) that there are developers who really rip-off other software makers by copying software and making money out of it.. It’s not weird that there are so called ‘ripp-offs’ in the case of snarl and growl.. Growl is released open-source, so is Snarl.. It’s not ripping off, it’s making a product better, it’s taking the source of one piece of software, and then making it better or porting it to other OS.. It’s not cheating or something..

It would be worse (like in the case of Mediaman) that there are developers who really rip-off other software makers by copying software and making money out of it..

]]> By: Karthik Setty http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102334 Karthik Setty Tue, 27 Feb 2007 15:17:19 +0000 http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102334 Don't forget <a href="http://www.imediaman.com/" rel="nofollow">MediaMan</a>, a Delicious Library clone. Don’t forget MediaMan, a Delicious Library clone.

]]> By: Jamie http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102325 Jamie Tue, 27 Feb 2007 09:49:09 +0000 http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102325 The plugin architecture and resulting flexibility of Quicksilver really make it a non contest when compared to LaunchBar The plugin architecture and resulting flexibility of Quicksilver really make it a non contest when compared to LaunchBar

]]> By: Pierre Lourens http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102316 Pierre Lourens Mon, 26 Feb 2007 23:11:56 +0000 http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102316 I agree that is a bigger issue, and yeah: The Snarl / Growl thing is a little cheesy/cheap, and a more imaginative name could've been used. I agree that is a bigger issue, and yeah: The Snarl / Growl thing is a little cheesy/cheap, and a more imaginative name could’ve been used.

]]> By: Andrew http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102315 Andrew Mon, 26 Feb 2007 23:04:42 +0000 http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102315 I don't think picking 'Snarl' was an attempt to copy Growl, maybe it was just to indicate for Windows users who had heard of Growl that it was similar. And as to your second point, I don't know anything about development, but I think that it's not only hooks into the OS, but hooks into the individual apps as well that allow for such rich interactions. I don't know how well something like Yojimbo or Midnight Inbox would work if it had to go through the registry or something. I don’t think picking ‘Snarl’ was an attempt to copy Growl, maybe it was just to indicate for Windows users who had heard of Growl that it was similar.

And as to your second point, I don’t know anything about development, but I think that it’s not only hooks into the OS, but hooks into the individual apps as well that allow for such rich interactions. I don’t know how well something like Yojimbo or Midnight Inbox would work if it had to go through the registry or something.

]]> By: Nick Santilli http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102312 Nick Santilli Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:38:44 +0000 http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102312 Pierre - I agree. I absolutely respect the people who are trying to bring a better experience to the windows platform. I just thought it was funny that the name 'snarl' was used for the windows version of growl. I think the more serious issue - which I didn't even touch on, nor do I know enough about to speak to confidently - is whether or not the Windows platform offers as complete a set of tools to hook into the os and make a product like Quicksilver as useful as it is on OS X. maybe some devs can speak to that and enlighten me (or 'us'). Pierre - I agree. I absolutely respect the people who are trying to bring a better experience to the windows platform. I just thought it was funny that the name ’snarl’ was used for the windows version of growl.

I think the more serious issue - which I didn’t even touch on, nor do I know enough about to speak to confidently - is whether or not the Windows platform offers as complete a set of tools to hook into the os and make a product like Quicksilver as useful as it is on OS X. maybe some devs can speak to that and enlighten me (or ‘us’).

]]> By: mdmunoz http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102310 mdmunoz Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:27:34 +0000 http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102310 The inspiration for Quicksilver definitely didn't come from Linux. The last time I used KDE, there was this "Katapult" program that was /like/ QS, except it did nothing but launching and had no learning algorithm. The UI was even an exact copy of the "bezel" interface. Sad, really. The inspiration for Quicksilver definitely didn’t come from Linux. The last time I used KDE, there was this “Katapult” program that was /like/ QS, except it did nothing but launching and had no learning algorithm. The UI was even an exact copy of the “bezel” interface.

Sad, really.

]]> By: Pierre Lourens http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102309 Pierre Lourens Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:26:03 +0000 http://theappleblog.com/2007/02/26/software-copy-catting/#comment-102309 I don't think the two apps that you mentioned were so much as rip-offs as much as trying to offer the same experience in Windows. It's a compliment to the original developers, and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. That being said, development should still be made on other operating systems instead of just copying all the time. The only features of Windows Vista that impress me are the ones not already found in Mac OS X. I don’t think the two apps that you mentioned were so much as rip-offs as much as trying to offer the same experience in Windows. It’s a compliment to the original developers, and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

That being said, development should still be made on other operating systems instead of just copying all the time. The only features of Windows Vista that impress me are the ones not already found in Mac OS X.

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