Rex Is Excited

os-x

Found and Mac and os-x and Desktop and app and desktoptopia and tuaw and wallpaperMike Schramm on 04 Apr 2008 07:00 am

Desktoptopia goes free and PC for version 1.5

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Desktops, Software, Freeware

My personal favorite desktop wallpaper app, the echo-named Desktoptopia, sent us a tip with a great announcement today: not only have they released version 1.5, and not only have they released a PC version (for your work computer to use, I guess), but Desktoptopia is now a completely free app.

Now, I don't know if this is new or not, but their FAQ page says that the reason they're now free is that some of the wallpapers that will show up on your desktop (the app periodically changes your wallpaper for you, as often as you'd like) are "beautiful desktops that reflect a brand." I haven't yet seen any obvious ones pop up in the old version, and I haven't started using the new version yet, but I guess there's a chance that you could have, say, a Wal-mart desktop show up. That would probably give me reason to uninstall the software right there, but of course that's up to you -- if you don't like it, you could always try Desktopia, or just do it yourself with Automator.

I haven't had that problem yet, though -- in my experience, Desktoptopia has provided some great wallpapers (with no brands I could notice) as regularly as I'd like with no fuss at all. If you want some change to come regularly to your desktop wallpaper, but don't want to go hunting around for the right pics, Desktoptopia is a great solution that is now completely free. Great to hear.

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Found and os-x and xbmc and ffmpeg and fullscreen and version-.1 and xbox-media-centerMike Schramm on 04 Feb 2008 07:00 pm

XBMC on OS X releases version .1

Filed under: Software, Freeware, Open Source, Developer

Those following the XBMC (a.k.a. Xbox Media Center, although they'll probably need a name change soon, considering all the platforms they've jumped off to) development for the Mac have some good news coming to them: the release has reached version .1.

It's still as shaky as these things come, but new to this version are fullscreen support, "bleeding edge" ffmpeg libraries, and a regular FPS in video playback. It's still not anything the average user should be running, but as I said, for those interested in following along with the development, it should be welcome news.

The download is available from the wiki, and we're told it's now super simple to install (though actually running stably may be a little tougher) -- just drag into your Applications folder and cross your fingers.

Thanks, Yuval!

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Found and Microsoft and Apple and leopard and os-x and family-packs and joe-wilcox and pricingMike Schramm on 19 Dec 2007 03:00 pm

Columnist: Microsoft could learn from Apple’s Family Packs

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Apple, Leopard

Newsflash: Microsoft messed up. Yes, I know, that doesn't come as news to most of you (that's why you're here), but Joe Wilcox over at eWeek was surprised by the fact that while Apple's Leopard Family Pack pricing lead to some nice sales numbers, Microsoft instead decided to discontinue their family pack prices. Basically, you could buy OS X 10.5 as a single copy for $129, or a "family pack" (installations for 5 Macs) for $199. And a whopping 33% of Leopard sales were of the family pack version, even though OS X doesn't require any validation at all-- users could just have bought the $129 version and installed it five times.

What's the difference? Wilcox says that Apple trusts their customers, and as a result, users who feel the family pack is worth it are willing to pay. Microsoft, on the other hand, demands validation from their users. Wilcox also quotes an analyst (which in this case is Latin for "he who states the obvious") saying that Leopard had a blowout launch, much better than Vista. But that's a big duh, so I won't even bother comparing OS X to Vista-- I'll leave that to the Mac commercials.

What else do you need to know? Clearly, Microsoft is just plain doing it wrong.

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Found and Apple and 24-hours-of-leopard and developers and leopard and os-x and ruby and ruby-on-rails and web-2.0Mike Schramm on 25 Oct 2007 05:00 pm

24 Hours of Leopard: Ruby on Rails built-in

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, OS, Software, Open Source, Leopard, Developer

Feature: The most awesome, easy, groovy, Web 2.0 development platform ever is now built-in to OS X.

How it works: Like buttah. Ruby, the language that powers RoR, has actually been built-in to OS X for a while (don't believe me? type "irb" in your terminal right now to access interactive Ruby), but Ruby on Rails has been mostly a pain to install around OS X. Packages need to be downloaded, settings need to be tweaked, and servers need to be config'd. No more. Ruby on Rails, free and installed on every new Mac. Developers, start your developing.

Who will use it: Mostly people who develop applications for the web. But even though I personally don't code much, if you've ever done any coding, once you dive into Ruby and RoR, you'll probably have the same reaction that I do: wow this thing is neat! For a start in Ruby, check out the classic Why's Poignant Guide, and for a tutorial on RoR, hit up Curt Hibbs (he's from St. Louis, so you know he's a good guy).

You can check out all our 24 Hours of Leopard posts here.

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