6-18-01

Last week's poll was almost evenly split into thirds between twin blades, triple blades, and electric razors. Given the recent introduction of triple blades, I was surprised at their strong showing. This question was prompted by my difficulty finding "Track II" blades. I guess it may be time for me to move up to the triples! What about the Other 1%? I imagine it's waxing! (Ouch!)

6-11-01

In a fairly close poll, slightly more readers think it's a good idea that Apple no longer sells CRT displays. I'm a little concerned because ordering a computer directly from Apple (with an LCD display) will inflate the apparent cost of the purchase. This will provide ammunition to the PC-weenies who complain Apple's hardware is too expensive.

One favorable side effect is that it may drive more buyers to Apple authorized dealers like Smalll Dog and PowerMax (proud sponsors of ResEx!) where you can still order a Mac G4 computer with a CRT monitor.

5-30-01

Perhaps the days of cursive writing are numbered. You don't think so? I'll bet medieval monks though calligraphy would never leave the mainstream either!

59% of readers can't remember the last time they wrote in cursive. I did an informal survey around the office and several coworkers grabbed a sheet of paper to prove they could still remember what they had learned in 4th grade. The stunned look on their faces as they hesitated trying to remember how to write a particular letter was priceless.

5-21-01

It comes as a surprise that over 30% of ResEx readers don't have a cell phone! It certainly seems as if everyone on planet does. I love when I'm on the train ride home from work and when a cell phone rings, fifty people jump for their bags.

Almost 9% only have a cell phone. If it were not for the kids, I'd probably ditch the land line too.

Those of you with a "tin can and string", your Mom called. She said come down out of the tree house, your dinner is ready.

5-14-01

When Multiple Users was released, Steve Jobs stood on a stage and uttered, "My voice is my password". It appears most readers have taken a pass on voice passwords. I tried it for awhile, but the recognition was hit or miss and it was cumbersome to setup. I guess it won't be missed by many in MacOS X.

5-07-01

45% of ResEx readers have already moved up to MacOS X! While I'm not surprised (since ResEx readers are bleeding edge), I do wonder what will happen this summer when Apple ships the OS preinstalled on new hardware. The engineers in Cupertino still have a lot of work to do getting hardware support up a state that equals Classic MacOS.

On the family iMac, Multiple Users is run so each member can have his/her own desktop, preferences and access permissions. Last week, Apple updated the software and while installing it, I wondered if anyone was still using the Voice Password feature. So that's this week's Polling Place question.

4-30-01

Almost two-thirds of you are enjoying the larger icons of MacOS X. Roughly 10% primarily view them at the largest setting. I tend to use mostly 32x32 unless a folder has only a few items, then I'll kick them up to 128x128.

It has been about a month since the release of MacOS X, so this week the Polling Place asks, "What is the most recent OS installed on your main Mac?"

4-23-01

Some of you are so mean! You would begrudge me a little time of from my duties at ResExcellence! :)

I wish I could say I was well rested, but as anyone with two kids knows, you're never well rested.

4-9-01

If over 25% of ResEx readers are using Airport is that a large number? When you consider that most Macs at home are not on any network at all, I think you could make the argument the 25% is a large part of the networked Macs. Personally, I think Apple should include Airport cards in every Powerbook, and drop the price of the base stations. But that's just me. :)

4-2-01

It does in fact appear that DVD's will rapidly replace the VCR tape in the not too distant future. In the meantime, there will be quite a bit of confusion around the Coyle Home as we crawl behind the TV to constantly swap cables between the VCR, PlayStation, and N64.

3-26-01

Half of ResEx readers carry a PDA. A surprising number to me! 38% use a Palm or Visor, followed by 7% of hard core Newton users! :)

The PalmOS clearly dominates the market with Mac users. I wonder how many Palm purchases hurt the sale of Apple Powerbook. Did you pass on a book for a Palm? Let me know.

3-19-01

Just about a third of ResEx readers have owned Apple stock. I have too, on and off, over the years. My most recent purchase several months ago (at $20) has yet to pay off. My guess is that's a very high percentage of users and shows our confidence and attachment to Apple computer. Now double in price dang it!

3-12-01

This poll certainly filled my inbox with angry letters! How dare I imply MacOS X will be released unfinished!

Call me silly, but if MacOS X ships without playback support for DVD's, I'd call that unfinished. Maybe you're the kind of person who doesn't need that DVD Player/Burner in your new G4, or maybe you don't mind temporarily downgrading to Mac Classic in order to play DVD's, but just about 70% of ResEx readers would call that an unfinished OS.

3-5-01

Is 42% enough of a favorable opinion to positively affect the bottom line? We will have to wait for Apple's second quarter results to find out.

This month, Apple releases MacOS X, or is it really MacOS X Beta 2? Reports state that the OS won't support DVD Record or Playback. C/Net says, "The Mac OS X development team also has flagged a variety of bugs, some causing system hangs or freezes, in the Setup Assistant application, which helps people configure their systems. While the glitches "may affect user experience," sources said, the team has deferred fixes to later versions."

2-26-01

It appears my gripe against the giant telcos is not shared by the rest of you. The majority of readers are spending less than $50 a month on phone charges.

I was able to was a few bucks by switching to a call pack. The Ameritech representative was able to analyze my usage and suggest the best plan. And if you haven't already, make sure you pick an internet dialup number that is close to your house. Here in Illinois, calls to locations within 8 miles of your home are untimed. They only cost me 5¢ regardless of how long I stay connected.

2-19-01

How disappointing. By a small margin, more ResEx readers are cat than dog people. :)

When I walk in the door, my dog rushes to great me, tail wagging, tongue panting. When a cat owner arrives at the door, he is met with a "where the heck have you been all day?" look. I don't need a cat to do that to me. That's why I have a wife!

2-12-01

With Apple's free iTunes the number one MP3 Player, how do you think Audion and SoundJam feel? It's a good thing Apple doesn't have a monopoly on the desktop OS, or people may complain they are tying applications to the OS in order to gain entry into other markets. ;)

Since the skinning of iTunes is so limited, I'm surprised by its popularity with ResEx readers. The majority of Desktop Snapshots we receive display Audion and SoundJam.

Chris Petersen was the first of many to spank me for not mentioning SoundApp as an MP3 player, and Unsanity sent me to their web site to download Unsanity Echo, an MP3 player for classic or MacOS X. Checkout both of these and see how they stand up to your current favorite.

2-5-01

It appears one Classic OS feature that won't be missed in MacOS X is the Folder Action. While I have sometimes used them over the years, I have found they have one major draw back: the folder has to be opened in order for the scripts to trigger. When Folder Actions were first possible, I spent several days trying to create a "New Attachments" folder whose icon would change when a new file was added. Unfortunately, it couldn't be done. The Applescript to change the icon would only activate once the folder was opened, but by then I already knew if anything had been added!

1-22-01

While several readers emailed to say they use both: patterns with a transparent picture on top, most ResEx readers just use a desktop picture. It's too bad the desktop picture doesn't load at the very beginning of the boot process. You may think this is impossible, but it's standard in Linux, where a desktop picture is present behind the log in window.

1-15-01

Over one third of ResEx readers take their photos digitally. That's a high percentage, but I would not have been surprised if the number reached 50%. Here at the Coyle House, we never pull out the 35mm film camera, preferring the Epson digital. For many months, we used both cameras, but with the high quality of prints, we leave the old camera in the drawer. The one remaining weak-link in my digital photo studio is the fact that the Epson 740 doesn't use the new long term inks. Hopefully, I can remedy that situation right after I'm done saving for my Titanium. :)

1-8-01

Most of you didn't take the bait with last week's tongue-in-cheek poll. For the most part we all agree that this slowdown is just a bump in the road for Apple, but I still think Steve should give the plane back!

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