[CS-FSLUG] Apple tightens its grip on developers with Mac App Store

[Josiah Ritchie]

On Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 3:50 PM, Timothy Butler <tbutler at ofb.biz> wrote:

>
> On Oct 29, 2010, at 11:08 AM, zerothis baud wrote:
>
> > While most only use their Mac as a toy, some of them have more
> > critical functions such as paying bills, manage investments or
> > banking, or even run businesses. And, scary as it sounds, I have seen
> > them in doctor's offices, hospitals, and pharmacies.
>
> I think that is a massive understatement. Most people I know decidedly use
> their Mac as something more than a toy. Here at seminary, about half the
> students seem to depend on a Mac as their primary machine. Amongst incoming
> students, the percentage is surely quite a bit higher.
>
> I don't think I've seen anyone using a Linux laptop on campus,
> incidentally. But that has a lot to do with software. To make it through the
> Biblical studies classes, you really need either Accordance (Mac) or
> BibleWorks (Windows). You might be able to survive on Logos, but SWORD won't
> pass the required muster.
>
> Personally, I don't see Apple locking down the Mac. I think it would be
> more likely they will continue to move iOS into the Mac's territory. Apple
> likes control, but they also like happy customers.


I just got back from the Internet Ministry Conference. For years Macs have
dominated this industry. They aren't being used as toys, but programming
platforms and powerful graphics platforms, even excellent servers. I pay my
bills on my Mac and do a good bit of my side consulting work on a Mac. Many
of the missionaries I work with are using Macs to do all of their work. At
the International Conference on Computing in Missions you'll also see Macs
being used heavily among attendees. My Mac was a gift from a guy who uses it
heavily to run his business and has multiple Macs at home including a backup
server. He pays his bills and does his taxes on it also. The point, "most
only use them as toys" is far from accurate in my experience.

For better or worse, I see Linux used as a toy far more often than Macs.
People experiment with it, but don't go any further. This isn't a statement
of quality of available software, stability or anything like that, just
reality of my experience with usage.

JSR/

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