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Trio of Mountain Lion/Gatekeeper Links

  1. John Gruber's Take on the Announcement
  2. MacWorld's Article (Actually a bunch of articles)
  3. Panic's article on Gatekeeper (Though I think calling the current OS X "like having a jailbroken iPhone" is a bit of a reach.)

FWIW, I like a lot of the changes in Mountain Lion.

P.S. Notes on OS X, eh? Good, but does that mean Stickies has gone the way of the dodo?

Gatekeeper and Mac OS X Development

News is just now coming out about Gatekeeper in Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8). It sounds like a reasonable compromise, but my concern is that this is a stepping stone towards Apple locking down Mac development even further. A quote about sacrificing liberties for a little protection and deserving neither springs to mind.

Still, I'm not opposed to the idea of Developer IDs and making that the default setting in Gatekeeper, particularly if I can choose that setting and still launch and run code that isn't signed simply by confirming that I'd like to do so.

But I will say that Apple needs to:

  • Ensure that Developer IDs are relatively easy to obtain.
  • Are targeted at the specific group or individual, so that someone can't obtain an ID, found to be distributing malware, and then easily obtain a different ID.
  • NOT fool around with saying what is or isn't malware. A broad definition should be provided and rigorously adhered to, because porn or political apps or apps that "have enough competition already" are not necessarily malware. Imagine how lousy it would be for someone's competitor to allege malware and have Apple take action?
  • Do a better job than they've done with the iOS App Store.
  • NOT go beyond this stage. I will not appreciate having developers feel "squeezed" into the Mac App Store.

Those are my concerns. I hope this is a good thing, and I'm giving Apple the benefit of the doubt here. Famous last words, right?

P.S. Analyzr Pro and Analyzr Student are niche apps that cost $59 and $299-$599. We regularly offer coupons and discounts, etc. We like knowing who our customers are simply so that we can provide great support (we don't even email them). As such, we're not keen to put our apps in the Mac App Store and would resent any pressure to do so. Getting a Developer ID, however, represents no pressure to do so, again so long as it's easy, inexpensive, and fairly handled.

iOS ’86

Love it! If this were somehow an Easter Egg in iOS, I'd enable it right away.

Wait, remember Easter Eggs?

Six hours of Googling all the classics later…

Ah, Easter Eggs. Good times. Good times.

A Different Kind of Apple Book

Perhaps when I'm done reading Steve Jobs I'll read the new Apple Book by Ken Segall. It looks good.

Walter Isaacson’s ‘Steve Jobs’

I'm just now getting around to reading Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, and though I know I'll learn little new from the book, I'll still get through it.

John Gruber summarizes the issues with the book succinctly:

You could learn more about Steve Jobs's work by reading Rob Walker's 2003 New York Times Magazine piece than by reading Isaacson's book, but even then we're left wanting for the stories behind any of Apple's products after the iPod. Isaacson's book may well be the defining resource for Jobs's personal life — his childhood, youth, eccentricities, cruelty, temper, and emotional outbursts. But as regards Jobs's work, Isaacson leaves the reader profoundly and tragically misinformed.

It's disappointing that the last and best opportunity to get to know Steve Jobs was squandered by Walter Isaacson. Nobody thinks Jobs always made the best decisions, but it's sad that his poor choice of Isaacson will be regarded by many as his last decision.

Workout Schedule

True or False: I maintain a regular exercise or workout schedule.
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Whitney’s Rendition of The Star Spangled Banner

I vaguely remember watching this. It wasn't as impressive at the time - I remember thinking more that it was odd she was wearing a track suit or something than how well she performed.

5 Simple Keys® Facebook Group

Join it today if you're at all interested in golf: http://www.facebook.com/groups/5simplekeys/.

Lies Within Us

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Streak Comes to an End

And it lasted almost a year. ;)

Can’t Block People in iMessage

If you search the Intertubes you'll find a few instances of people asking how to block someone from iMessaging them.

Through your carrier, you can block someone from calling and texting you, but Apple has yet to provide a way to prevent a number (or ostensibly an email address) from iMessaging you.

Suppose for instance someone from your past is harassing you. You can block them from calling, and you can block them from texting, but unless you disable iMessage system-wide, you cannot prevent them from iMessaging you.

Apple should add the capability to block iMessages from certain numbers/email addresses.

Kelly’s Quote

"If everyone was as brilliant as you and I, we wouldn't be brilliant anymore."

Of course, the trick to applying this attitude effectively is to simply smile and keep your thoughts to yourself. :-D

Upgraded Dropbox

Despite the fact that I still think the upgrades are too large, I've upgraded my Dropbox account to the 50 GB plan. I previously had 7.8 GB1 and now, oddly, have 61.2 GB2.

If you'd like to sign up for Dropbox - and you should - just click this link: http://db.tt/U5OtLdx.

Footnotes

  1. I believe it's 7 GB, 750 MB
  2. Again, probably 61 GB, 225 MB

Gians Beat Patriots Again

I watched the Super Bowl at Dave's house, and a good time was had by all.

I intentionally bet heavily in the pool on the Patriots, figuring that since I wanted the Giants to win (really, really dislike the Patriots), I'd be okay either way: I'd earn some cash or see the Pats lose.

Kelly Clarkson's anthem was 1:34 exactly, causing a push and reminding me that people bet on all sorts of crazy things.

PBJ Time

For those who know:

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

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