October 30, 2007 12:18 PM PDT

BSOD on a Mac?

by Dan Ackerman
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Don't say you've never thought this before, but Apple types can be a bit on the smug/annoying side at times. Case in point: in the newly released Leopard operating system, the icon Leopard uses to represent Windows machines on your local network is a sight that should be familiar to Windows users the world over. It's a bulky old-school CRT monitor displaying the infamous blue screen of death (aka BSOD).

This little in-joke is actually pretty funny, but Engadget's Ryan Block wants to be a uniter, not a divider, so he put together a handy set of instructions for changing the (potentially) offending icon in Leopard. Blogger Anil Dash isn't as kind, he calls the icon "an example of the worst thing about Apple. There is simply nothing less attractive than a person who is both flawed and smug."

New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan.
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What's the big deal?
by Zacm05 October 31, 2007 5:53 AM PDT
I thought it was funny. Apple has a sense of humor, but it is not like they are
spreading "Mac is better than Windows" jokes all over the place. It is only when
networking. Most home Mac users will never access a Windows PC over a
network, and therefore will never see that icon. Just let it go. Apple was nice
enough to create Boot Camp for people to run Windows, they also allow VMware
and Parallels on Mac too. So Apple isn't so evil. They just have a sense of
humor and were hoping people would get the joke and have a little chuckle.
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Don't delude yourself.
by fleurya October 31, 2007 10:53 PM PDT
"it is not like they are spreading "Mac is better than Windows" jokes all over
the place."

Really, what doyou call the Mac/PC commercials?

Also, don't try to fool yourself into thinking Apple let Windows onto their
hardware out of the goodness of their heart. How many more computers have
they sold since they made this move? And, let's not forget, this is only
possible because Apple finally gave in and admitted Intel processors are
better than their PPC processors. I can't tell you how satisfying that was after
hearing Mac users for year lay claim that PPC processors were far superior to
Intel and AMD.
Pathetic, Apple
by fleurya October 31, 2007 10:48 PM PDT
Individuals taking jabs at MS is one thing, but for a large company to do such a
thing is just kind of sad and pathetic, not to mention signs of a company
suffering from an inferiority complex. The thinly-veiled jabs in their ads are
borderline at best.

By the way, I'm a Mac user myself, so don't scream fanboy. What's really funny is
how Apple feels the need to keep poking the giant, but MS continues to make
them look bad by not dignifying these petty hits with a response.
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