[SASAG] Training Information Addendum

[Ken Meyer]

Please see the in-line comments within [#...#]

Ken M.


-----Original Message-----

From: Rich Alderson [mailto:sage at alderson.users.panix.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 12:16 PM
To: kmeyer at blarg.net
Cc: am at apl.washington.edu; members at lists.sasag.org

Subject: Re: [SASAG] Training Information Addendum

> From: "Ken Meyer" <kmeyer at blarg.net>
> Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2008 09:00:59 -0800

> I don't know a lot about Mac courses. However, if you ask the Mac
community,
> it's such an intuitive system that you don't need instruction.  Of course,
in
> my opinion, that's just pure silliness (my attempt to be somewhat polite).

Oh, nonsense.  The Apple marketing for the Mac has suggested that over the
years, but no one in the Mac community for more than 10 minutes believes
that.
(Proud Mac owner since the "First 100 Days", 1984.)

[# Perhaps amongst the erudite professionals on this list, the realization
exists, but that's hardly a universal position.  It's the same deal as
"Mac's never crash", when I have seen that happen a lot when running
graphics and video apps.  In any event, that comment I made was meant rather
hyperbolically.  Should have used some sort of emoticon to signify that.  I
personally always want training, if only so that I have someone to ask
questions of and short-cut the learning process.
#]

> And, are you going to need to administer the Mac server as well?
> Of course, there's a lot of Linux under the surface of a Mac, so maybe you
> could, as the mathematicians say, "Reduce it to a problem previously
solved"
> :-)

To be pedantic, there's *no* *Linux* under the surface of a Mac, though
there
is a lot of BSD.  However, the BSD toolset for administering a system is
mostly
not present, being replaced with Mac-specific tools.  Thus, some
Mac-specific
training (as requested by the original poster, remember?) is needed for
anyone
who needs to administer them.

Rich Alderson

[# Again, that was somewhat a tongue-in-cheek comment, but no emoticon.  I
understand that Linus never worked for Apple, and that Darwin is not Linux
(DNL?).  I did think that the interfaces had a good deal in common,
especially given that Bill Campbell gives periodic lectures to the Mac User
Group (dBug) on UNIX in OS 10.  However, you say that the common interface
is not all that available, and that is information that is new and useful to
me.

[# The idea here was to brainstorm some help for Adam, especially given that
good possibilities haven't been showing up, and also that Adam hasn't said
exactly what he needs to know about the Mac.  Just doing my best to get as
close to the mark as possible.

[# I am responding to these comments, but I know all to well how easy it is
to get into a full-stream pissing match with Mac adherents, so I
respectfully decline to participate, but I am always eager to learn new
things.
#]

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