Category: Modern problems

By now everyone knows about the Apple App Store. The store works pretty well if you’re browsing it from a device like an iPad or iPhone.

But there are folks like me that prefer to shop the app store from our computers. Therein lies the problem.

To shop for iPad or iPhone apps from a computer requires that you open iTunes and then try to use the apps button.

In general this method works IF you know exactly what you’re looking for ie the application name OR you’re content looking at a very limited selection of apps. I have yet to find a window within the iTunes, iPhone app store that lets me browse anything but the New stuff or the “essentials” as defined by apple.

Come on! Sometimes you’re sitting in front of your computer and you think “I wonder if there’s an app?” Then you spend the next minute waiting for iTunes to load, another minute waiting for iTunes to sync if you’ve got WiFi sync on, (Another 3 minutes if iTunes has trouble connecting with your device) then you click on the Apps button and after another minute see todays picks after seeing all the music and video selections which are not what you’re looking for.

It’s frankly annoying and I personally don’t browse the app store often, for exactly this reason.

It’s time Apple let the iPhone/iPad/iPod App store grow up. It’s big enough that it deserves to be fully searchable, browsable, and independent of the constraints of iTunes.

Apple has already demonstrated that they’re aware of the constraints by breaking iBooks out of iTunes in Mavericks.

It’s time to let iTunes go back to being what it’s best at… Entertainment

I was updating a piece of software today.

After the second time this particular software update caused a complete lockup of my computer, I’d had enough.

This particular manufacturer of software insists that you have an account with them.

They insist upon sending you endless emails attempting to get you to upgrade your version of their software to the next full revision, even though that’s the version you already have.

Then when you finally decide its time for an upgrade they send you not only the requested software, but they’ve bundled their stuff with a bunch of other half baked software that more often than not “works” sometimes.

Really?

Apparently these manufacturers have no confidence in their software’s ability to stand on its own. Incorporating menu bars, java scripts, strange one off applications, and crippled crap, makes me more likely to find another bit of software to replace the first bit of software.

Helpful hint

If your installer can’t install your software without locking up the users machine, you’ve got problems more serious than can be fixed by adding third party crap.

I mean if you as a manufacturer don’t believe in your product, why the hell should I?

Some people call me weird about my computer. I think of myself as simply running a clean machine.

I routinely remove software that I don’t use anymore. Why should I allocate storage space to something that’s useless to me 90% of the time?

I don’t, as a rule like helper menus. I personally find them completely unhelpful, I store web pages I like to visit in my browser bookmarks I don’t need a little icon for Ask or Yelp.com to assist me in locating what typing into a search bar will easily and accurately display.

Really folks, when was the last time Ask actually had a relevant, current answer to a question?

I hate it if a website resizes my browser window without my permission and if I close a window on a website to discover pop-under ads I typically won’t return.

It’s MY computer and I consider that a very personal space. 

Point of interest,

Crashy software has been replaced by something cheaper, faster, and better, as of this minute. 

It’s nice to know that capitalism still works!