Hey, you know, it just hit me. The war against crap is a lot like WWII. There are a lot of parallels. Thalo.net is like the "greatest generation" pulling together to fight the X-is. while others are blindly following Apple propaganda as it tries to enslave the hearts and minds of digikids.

Personally, I think "Panther" is simply code-cognate for PANZER. Something that's set to roll over the Mac user base in a kind of overpowering crap war. A kind of shitskrieg. Bloated with so much nonsense and eye candy, that everyone but the Mac Faithful will roll over.

Panzer is german for ARMOR, and lookit, Panther is sporting the new phony brushed aluminum eyecandy look more pervasively now. Like everything's cased in metal. Armored if you will. Like a lockbox. Like an armored cash register in a brushed aluminum music store.

The Finder is all divided up with armored strips. Armored divisions. Panther divisions. Panther, panzer, whatever, divisions --fragmented functionality, encroaching on the old AHIGs in an all out marketing assault. Crushing the spatial Finder and desktop metaphor under its shiny treads.

Meanwhile, OS X is as slow and lumbering as a tank. Will 10.3 be a big shiny Panther tank with an iron Apple logo on its brushed metal skin? Colorful crystal circles painted on it, for each "kill", each abandonment of an elegant Mac idea, for a cheap NeXT/Aqua idea? Tinny piped music over a loudspeaker playing NeXTland über alles?

Armies of dupes marching in crapstep, big bonfires planned for OS 9 and the AHIGs. Mock funerals, putting the legacy in a friggin' COFFIN. The XX scoping out and squelching dissidents. Starting a special program for newbies and digikids called the Crapler Jugend, to teach crap-settling at a young age. And from the leadership promises, endless promises.

But they didn't count on the true Blue MacFaithful to come screaming in on the wings of eagles, baby. Under the banner of "Less is More." Generals Douglas MacThalo ("I shall repeat") and Omar BRADley and George S. mAxximo. Converging at the battle of the Bulge, er, BLOAT.

So, Mac Faithful, pick a side. Eye Candy and bloat and marketing con-jobs? Or "Less is More", high-performance, no bullshit tools for creative professionals? Endless crap and obeisance to geeks and marketeers, or freedom and liberty? MAKE MINE MAC. Hoo-rah, master baiter. I can't hear you.

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Armies of dupes marching in crapstep, big bonfires planned for OS 9 and the AHIGs. Mock funerals, putting the legacy in a friggin' COFFIN. The XX scoping out and squelching dissidents. Starting a special program for newbies and digikids called the Crapler Jugend, to teach crap-settling at a young age. And from the leadership promises, endless promises.

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Okay, you grabbed me with the bonfire and mock funeral analogy. I can see the books burning, and on the top of the hit list are the AHIGs which are discredited and replaced with "Mein Crapf."

And instead of MacThalo I see you in Bletchley Park as Alan Blurring working to crack NeXT's secret Enigmac machine in order to expose what is really going on - which you have been quite successful at already.

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Panzer is german for ARMOR, and lookit, Panther is sporting the new phony brushed aluminum eyecandy look more pervasively now. Like everything's cased in metal. Armored if you will. Like a lockbox. Like an armored cash register in a brushed aluminum music store.

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Actually, the Germans made a tank called Panther in the later stages of WWII. The Panzer IV had proven to be too weak in combat with the Soviet tanks during the Eastern front campaigns in 1942. Panther was equipped with thicker armor and more powerful weaponry that was designed to penetrate the tank armor of the Soviets. And it was fast. The Panther tank became the backbone of the German tank forces from that point on out. Hmmm, interesting parallel. Apple designs its new OS, dubbed Panther, with more firepower and speed aimed at destroying the arguments being lobbed forth from the defensive works of the old-style THALO.net comradeship, er brotherhood. Now, as long as two fronts aren't opened up and the supply lines remain intact...

Wow, the Panther could zip along at 28 whole miles per hour with its 650hp engine?

In 1962, a chevy impala with a 409 V8, with only 300hp could limp along at what, a paltry one fifth the speed of sound? While looking cool? Pitiful.

I wonder, are G5s really built for SPEED, or to lug around heavy, useless, eye candy? Where does the horsepower GO? If too much of it goes to crap pros don't need, while sacrificing the whole purpose of the computer, changing it from good working tool, to a casual use caliope, I say we ought to be able to cut some ballast.

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Wow, the Panther could zip along at 28 whole miles per hour with its 650hp engine?

In 1962, a chevy impala with a 409 V8, with only 300hp could limp along at what, a paltry one fifth the speed of sound? While looking cool? Pitiful.

I wonder, are G5s really built for SPEED, or to lug around heavy, useless, eye candy? Where does the horsepower GO? If too much of it goes to crap pros don't need, while sacrificing the whole purpose of the computer, changing it from good working tool, to a casual use caliope, I say we ought to be able to cut some ballast.

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Hmmm, I didn't realize we now switched the comparison from tanks back to cars, while still in the context of WWII. I am pretty sure that if Hitler armed himself with Chevy Impalas, instead of Panthers, then Tigers, the war would have taken on a different flavor. I would also love to see the Chevy Impala race a Panther tank over the same terrain for which the tank was built. Or outrun a single salvo from the cannon.

You are trying to change the analogy by comparing apples to oranges. I could easily argue that the Chevy Impala is nowhere near as fast as a rocket of equivalent power. So, what does that mean? They weren't designed for the same purpose. I'll bet the engine of the Panther would make a Chevy Impala fly if it could be fitted, but I wouldn't want to go to battle in that modded rig. How about comparing the Panther to the other tanks of the day, just as you would compare OSX Panther to the other OSes of the day and the G5 to the other PC chips of the day. You wouldn't compare Apple's Panther and G5 chip to the OS and chip of a cell phone, or a Palm, or a car, but you would a Dell, Compaq, HP or IBM. At that time, Germany's premiere heavy tank the Panther had better range, firepower, and speed than U.S.'s heaviest, albeit much lighter, Sherman tank. In fact it was faster and more powerful that Russia's equivalent heavy tank the KV-1, though slower that the lighter medium tank, the T-34. The G5 and OSX Panther may or may not be able to do the same against its contemporary OSes and their chips, for that we will have to wait and see.

Anyway, here is an interesting read on the economics and prowess of the forces engaged in Europe during WWII. Especially good parts are about the German tanks and anti-tank weapon, the 88. Those were feared weapons with kill ratios that put anything else to shame. Clearly, Germany had better equipment and design. But overwhelming mass production and poor decision-making at the top led to their demise. Sound familiar?

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You are trying to change the analogy by comparing apples to oranges.

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Ya think?

But it brought up some pretty interesting things, now didn't it... the idea of terrain, purpose... function. Ultimately INTENT.

What I want to do, as always, is compare the legacy to OS X. I think that's the fairest. Apples to Apples, as it were. And I think it's a good idea for all of us to question intent at this point. Question who the OS is designed for, what the terrain is, and if the horsepower is being appropriately deployed for users. I see waste. I see bloat. I see poor design and execution. I see a marketing scam, a downtalking and dumbing down of something once-great. As a pro user, I wonder if we shouldn't be seeing sleek and built for speed now, instead of slow, lumbering and armored, festooned with useless decorations.

Anyway, speaking of once great, man oh man, you are a wealth of military knowlege. I'm actually fascinated by the DESIGN of all this WWII stuff. The graphic design (after seeing the Bill Maher book), and the industrial design. Particularly aircraft. The P-51 Mustang, for instance, could have probably been uglier and done a good job. But its deadliness had a kind of style and dare I say sleek, sculptural beauty. Nothing seems to be there for no reason, totally functional, and yet it's a unified, elegant, artful design. Built for speed and performance. And looks it. It's one of those things that doesn't look dated to me. Sure, I love the F/A-18 more, but the old P-51 has nothing to be ashamed of. Looks like it could do a 21st century job. And I think over 150 of those babies are still flying somewhere. Race or stunt or airshow planes. So what's say we buy one, paint it up cherry black and blue, "Less" on one wing, "More" on the other, and run it up against a Panther?

<< the Germans made a tank called Panther in the later stages of WWII. >>

If this were California politics, the opposition slogan would be: "OS X PANTHER: THE COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEM FOR NAZIS!"


Markle

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But it brought up some pretty interesting things, now didn't it... the idea of terrain, purpose... function. Ultimately INTENT.

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Well, that is where your analogy went to pieces with me. You are favoring the Impala as the efficient and fast one. Yet, compared to the Panther tank, all the Impala is good for is a joy ride with the tunes blaring. The tank has all the serious tools and has the capability to go anywhere and pretty much rock. And it is operated by serious individuals who mean business. Impala=digikid; Panther tank=pro.

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The P-51 Mustang, for instance, could have probably been uglier and done a good job. But its deadliness had a kind of style and dare I say sleek, sculptural beauty. Nothing seems to be there for no reason, totally functional, and yet it's a unified, elegant, artful design. Built for speed and performance. And looks it. It's one of those things that doesn't look dated to me.

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The P-51 mustang is probably the single biggest determinant for the Allies winning the war. Gave the Allies superior range and firepower in the air. They were able to bomb the living crap out of the Germans. The P-47 Thunderbolts just weren't able to protect the long-range bombers, which is why pre-Mustang, the air war wasn't in the Allies favor. The P-51 is beautifully constructed; I had the opportunity to see a couple at the Naval base (now Marine base) in Miramar. I love the art on the front of those guys too. Speaking of Thunderbolts, I find the A-10 to be butt-ugly actually. Deadly, but ugly.

Let's not forget the P-38 Lightning. It had an unorthodox design but kicked ass.

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The German Luftwaffe named it "Der Gabelschwanz Teufel"--"The Forked-Tail Devil."

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Here is the first production model of the P-51 with an Allison-powered engine for the RAF.

This revamped P-51D is probably the shape you think of as the Mustang. The bubble conapy for the pilot allowed for better 360 degree views. It also had the Rolls-Royce engine that really put the Mustang into it's own and the legend it came to be.

[This message was edited by RICO85 on Mon August 11 2003 at 04:15 PM.]

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Originally posted by RICO85:
Let's not forget the P-38 Lightning. It had an unorthodox design but kicked ass.

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Rico: We share similar tastes in design; at least aircraft design. That's my absolute favorite plane of WWII. Kind of like the Flying Fortress, I think it could take a heck of a lot of damage and keep on goin'. It was fast, maneuverable, and, well, just cool-looking. Maybe it’s a “cute” kind of ugly. I don’t know.

BN

Well I am left handed in a right handed world. So we have more in common than we thought. Luckily I can move between right handed and left handed tasks without much of a problem. Comes in handy shooting pool.

The P-38 was always my favorite as well. It had everything. Speed range and could out climb enemy fighters with ease.

Here is a battle damaged P-38 making it's way home.

Colonel Darr said:

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The P-51 mustang is probably the single biggest determinant for the Allies winning the war.

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The truth comes out. We’re all History Channel junkies. That’s a great point, Darr. Something that I also found out that I find stupendously interesting is that the Germans actually increased their industrial production despite the surface level factories taking a pounding. They moved a whole lot of stuff underground.

I missed it this year but they usually have a B-17 and a B-24 Liberator out at the Bremerton National Airport. I did catch a glimpse of something flying over when I was out in the sticks. It had four props and was quite impressive as it flew very low.

Let's not also forget the C-47 cargo/transport which I think Eisenhower said the war could not have been won without this aircraft.

Those Nazi's perfected the decentralization of the manufacturing process that lead to more output at the end of the war than what they were producing at the beginning. What they ran out of was able bodied men to operate the equipement. Modern corparations actually use the manufacturing techniques used by the Nazi's.

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The tank has all the serious tools and has the capability to go anywhere and pretty much rock. And it is operated by serious individuals who mean business.

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To bad for all its apparent horsepower it's slow and ungainly. Is that OS X? Trade armor and serious geek tools for lumbering and slow to respond? For computers, does rugged terrain mean we don't need speed? I say opposite. And are we getting the tank without the teeth? Is the reason our operating system is a dog, that it's being weighed down with stuff that has little to do with making a good tool? Yup.